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Pre-register and reserve your new Nintendo account name for Miitomo

Jeff Williams | Gaming | Feb 17, 2016 8:50 AM CST

Nintendo has opened up the preregistration for their new My Nintendo Account service so you can start reserving your names on the new system. This new account system is a way for them to unify their entire ecosystem, including their upcoming foray into other mobile platforms.

The first game to fully make use of this cross-platform integration is their first upcoming mobile game, Miitomo, a social experience centered around the creation and care of your Mii avatar.

Nintendo is intent on changing the social experience through technology. The site describes Miitomo as a way to learn more about yourself and to potentially open up more freely, and in a vastly different way than you might well be used to. Preregistering also lets you earn Nintendo Platinum Points, the new currency for their redesigned rewards program. The catch is that those earned with preregistration expire six months after the official launch of My Nintendo.

Continue reading: Pre-register and reserve your new Nintendo account name for Miitomo (full post)

Anonymous claims hacker released 17.8GB of files from Turkey police

Chris Smith | Hacking, Security & Privacy | Feb 17, 2016 8:32 AM CST

Believed to be 'ROR[RG]', this hacker has been named by Anonymous as a person to successfully infiltrate Turkish national police servers, stealing private information that includes a multitude of database files.

The files have been explained as related to MySQL by International Business Times, known to be so as they are mostly presented in .myd, .myi and .frm file extensions. Available as a 2GB torrent file online, once extracted the data becomes a large 17.8GB cache of illegally-gathered information.

This breach was announced by 'TheCthulhu', further using its official Twitter account to announce "Hey #Turkey, I have something to show you tomorrow. See, if you fight your citizens, they will bite back. #standby." This isn't ROR[RG]'s first operation, being known as the hacker to infiltrate Adult Friend Finder back in 2015, releasing personal information regarding four million members.

Continue reading: Anonymous claims hacker released 17.8GB of files from Turkey police (full post)

Next PS4 software update is getting a beta test first, wanna sign up?

Jeff Williams | Gaming | Feb 17, 2016 8:00 AM CST

Sony is implementing their own preview program for software updates, letting the public sign-up to participate in future updates.

It seems that Sony was able to learn a lot from the huge response they received when they asked for gamers to lend a hand with the drastically new update that was released last September. Being able to test in large variety of situations and get data they otherwise wouldn't have been able to, to make sure the software update was as stable as possible, was a huge help.

So they're doing it again. But this time it's a proper beta test program that they're implementing that's open to a wider variety of people than the Xbox One Preview Program. All you have to do is sign-up at this link and join the forums. Just remember that they're looking for people to give actual feedback in addition to monitoring the vitals of your system when things go wrong.

Continue reading: Next PS4 software update is getting a beta test first, wanna sign up? (full post)

Australian airline Twitter account hacked, used to hurl Kanye abuse

Chris Smith | Internet & Websites | Feb 17, 2016 7:31 AM CST

While Kanye West has been on a rampant Twitter tirade surrounding his 'Life of Pablo' album release, even social media accounts from The Land Down Under have gotten in on the action.

Virgin Australia's official Twitter account told Kanye West to "EAD" recently, further labelling him as a "douche" and embodying the common insult of many Aussie Generation X or Y youths.

While this tweet did come from the official and verified Virgin Australia account, it was soon after deleted with the company releasing a statement that "A recent tweet on our account was not published by a Virgin Australia employee and we are investigating the matter."

Continue reading: Australian airline Twitter account hacked, used to hurl Kanye abuse (full post)

Epic Gear announces THUNDEROUZ headset, TweakTown review to come

Chris Smith | Audio | Feb 17, 2016 6:29 AM CST

New to the world but not to us, Epic Gear has just announced its new THUNDEROUZ headset to the world - something that I've been pre-release testing with a review to follow soon.

This headset features Epic Gear's own EG-Amp technology, working as an amplifier for the headset when plugged in through USB, supporting the provided 3.5m AUX connection. Another unique feature on offer here includes the touch sensor on the side of the earcup, allowing users to seamlessly change through different lighting modes and effects, great for those after something a little more fancy.

Sporting 50mm neodymium drivers, plush leatherette earcups and a stereo 2.0 sound configuration, this headset will be available mid-March for around $79.99.

Continue reading: Epic Gear announces THUNDEROUZ headset, TweakTown review to come (full post)

Instagram's new update includes two-factor authentication

Anthony Garreffa | Software & Apps | Feb 17, 2016 5:27 AM CST

The latest Instagram update is here, with celebrities now being able to feel more secure in their accounts after large profile hacks - including Taylor Swift and Kris Jenner - recently finding their accounts inaccessible.

Before now, all you'd need to access an Instagram account was the username and password - but the Facebook-owned image sharing service is now rolling out a new two-factor authentication feature. Instagram now lets you verify your account through a phone number, so if you log into your account online - you'll need the text message Instagram will send you with its authentication code. This code is required before you can log into your Instagram account.

Instagram has been slow to update its app with two-factor authentication, and considering Facebook owns the company and has had two-factor authentication for five years now, this is really behind the times.

Continue reading: Instagram's new update includes two-factor authentication (full post)

Want a self-parking chair? Yeah, Nissan has your back, and your butt

Anthony Garreffa | Peripherals | Feb 17, 2016 4:48 AM CST

We live in a world of self-driving cars in our future, but what about self-parking chairs? Yeah, it's a thing - and of course, only in Japan.

Want a self-parking chair? Yeah, Nissan has your back, and your butt

Nissan has posted a new video to their YouTube page, teasing their new Intelligent Parking Chairs. The new self-parking chairs use an array of wireless signals, ceiling-mounted, motion-detecting cameras, and a Roomba-like circular chassis with wheels at the bottom of each chair.

The video shows the self-parking chairs being 'parked' once the owner claps their hands, with dozens of chairs moving by themselves and parking at their desks. At the end of the day, it looks like Nissan is really pushing its new Intelligent Park Assist self-parking car technology, but in a really cool way. It works, because it's awesome.

Continue reading: Want a self-parking chair? Yeah, Nissan has your back, and your butt (full post)

Street Fighter V is in shambles after its launch, what happened?!

Anthony Garreffa | Gaming | Feb 17, 2016 3:08 AM CST

We were promised so much with Street Fighter V, and now that the game is launched, it's a "complete mess" in the world's of DSO Gaming.

The online side of Street Fighter V is broken, as gamers are finding it hard to find opponents. The lounges are not working, so you can't even invite your friends into a match. Capcom promised cross-platform play between the PS4 and PC versions of Street Fighter V, but with the issues - this is hard, too. If you thought the PC version was the only one broken, the PS4 is in the same broken basket.

Street Fighter V also doesn't allow you to remap your keyboard, which is strange considering Street Fighter IV had support for this. The proper tutorial for characters is lackluster, so Street Fighter V doesn't even match up to its predecessor. Capcom needs to do damage control right now, as Street Fighter V is considered a KO in its current state.

Continue reading: Street Fighter V is in shambles after its launch, what happened?! (full post)

Deadpool becomes largest opening ever for 20th Century Fox

Anthony Garreffa | TV, Movies & Home Theatre | Feb 17, 2016 1:50 AM CST

Deadpool is making some serious coin at the box office, with it securing the largest R-rated opening weekend award with $132.4 million - taking the award from the previous record holder being The Matrix Reloaded with $91.7 million.

But the records don't stop there for the Ryan Reynolds vehicle, as it was also the biggest opening day in February with $47.5 million - taking the record from Fifty Shades of Grey which had $30.2 million for its opening day. Deadpool was also the largest February opening weekend, aside from it being the biggest R-rated opening weekend - taking that award from Fifty Shades of Gray. Then, we have Deadpool being the largest opening ever for 20th Century Fox, and considering Fox were on the fence about making the movie, this is absolutely huge.

Deadpool has taken on some big movies in Zoolander 2 and How to Be Single, destroying them at the box office. Deadpool's awesome opening sequence was also powered by NVIDIA hardware when it comes to the CG involved, but the question I have is - how quickly will Deadpool get to $500 million? Additionally, do you think it could get to $1 billion?

Continue reading: Deadpool becomes largest opening ever for 20th Century Fox (full post)

Batman uses ancient motherboards for his gadgets in Batman v Superman

Anthony Garreffa | TV, Movies & Home Theatre | Feb 17, 2016 1:18 AM CST

I've been reading, watching and listening to anything I can find on Batman v Superman - with the latest nugget of information that I found was from the Batman v Superman prequel books on Reddit.

Someone uploaded the images, and as I was going through them all one of them covered 'new gadgets'. These new gadgets are explained on the image: "No complete list of Batman's gadgets exists, because he and Alfred are always inventing new ones. After every battle, Batman thinks of new ways that he can safely and securely catch criminals. From smoke grenades to whatever Batman needs, there's no doubt that Bruce and Alfred can build it in the Batcave!"

Well, taking a closer look at these images we can see some ancient motherboards being used. In the top left, we can see an ancient motherboard - it looks like a Socket A motherboard. We have some older boards spread out through the Batcave, so I have to ask - can't Batman afford a shiny new Z170-based motherboard from GIGABYTE or ASUS? If so, Batman - I will personally provide you with a new motherboard - just give me a call, alright?

Continue reading: Batman uses ancient motherboards for his gadgets in Batman v Superman (full post)

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