AMD to paper launch Radeon R9 Fury X2, could be delayed into 2016
It looks like AMD is ready to fully announce its dual Fiji-based video card, which should arrive as the Radeon R9 Fury X2. But according to the latest rumors from Benchlife.info, it'll be a paper launch of the Fury X2, with real market availability to kick in sometime in Q1 2016.
The source continued, adding that scheduling issues in production of the new video card could see delays occur. This isn't something new, as AMD paper launched the Fury X before it reached the market weeks later, but this delay will reportedly be months, not weeks. We should know for certain very soon, as we've been invited to an AMD event in Sonoma, California this week (I'm sitting in the Brisbane, Australia airport to board my plane to LA, and then SFO). We're expecting to see AMD unveil the Fury X2, but we won't know for certain until later this week.
Now, what about price? We should be expecting the Radeon R9 Fury X2 to be priced quite high as it features dual Fiji XT GPUs, as well as two separate sets of 4GB of HBM. The Fury X has an MSRP of $649, so we should expect the Fury X2 to be as high as $1049-$1099, or even more. Remember the Radeon R9 295X2 launched at around $1500, but floated down to $1000 after a while.
Continue reading: AMD to paper launch Radeon R9 Fury X2, could be delayed into 2016 (full post)
Harrison Ford has seen 'Force Awakens' final cut
Returning to his nearly 40 year old love/ hate relationship with the franchise that made him a household name all over the world in 'The Force Awakens', Harrison Ford has revealed to 'Good Morning America' that he's seen the final cut of the eagerly awaited upcoming film, three weeks before us simple nerds. So what did he think?
On the publicity trail for the film, Ford told GMA's host that the film is "is great... it's a wonderful movie, it's got great production values. It's a real big movie and I was delighted to see it." Justifying his past criticism of the Han Solo role, Ford continues that his 'Force Awakens' role is part of "a more complex story... a little bit more of an emotional context than perhaps there was before".
Naturally, you'd expect the top-billed star to say nothing less, but nonetheless his praise does bode well for a film that the world will devour in just a few short weeks from now.
Continue reading: Harrison Ford has seen 'Force Awakens' final cut (full post)
Nokia unveils its new OZO virtual reality camera, priced at $60,000
Nokia has been quiet lately, until its media event in LA yesterday where the company unveiled its new VR camera, OZO. Nokia's new OZO camera is a professional-grade VR camera capable of capturing 360-degree spherical video.
The OZO costs an arm and a leg too, with Nokia unveiling its huge $60,000 price tag - requiring a $5000 deposit to secure one of the first when it ships in Q1 2016. The new VR camera from Nokia features 8 x synchronized 2K x 2K camera sensors, and a 500GB SSD that the footage is recorded to (it holds up to 45 minutes of video).
Jaunt are apparently using the Nokia OZO for their VR content, with Nokia also offering a $1500 docking station, and more.
Continue reading: Nokia unveils its new OZO virtual reality camera, priced at $60,000 (full post)
Apple expected to launch even thinner MacBook Air models next year
According to the latest rumors, Apple is preparing two new MacBook Air models for 2016, something we should see unveiled at their WWDC 2016 event in June. The actual launch of the new MBA models will be in Q3 2016.
The thinner MacBook Air models would arrive in 13- and 15-inch, but the 11-inch model is still up in the air. The new models will be thinner thanks to "fully redesigned" internal components, with Apple working with its suppliers to develop these new, thinner components. Apple expanded its MacBook Air range earlier this year with the new MacBook, which featured a 12-inch Retina display and used Intel's new ultra low voltage chips for its fanless design.
Continue reading: Apple expected to launch even thinner MacBook Air models next year (full post)
New 'Batman V Superman' teaser revels in animosity
It's shaping up to be one of the most eagerly anticipated films of 2016, and Warner Bros are certainly keen for you not to forget it. Today, the studio has released a new teaser for 'Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice' which shows just how much of a grudge match the film will be.
Less of a sequel to 2013's Superman reboot 'Man of Steel', 'Batman v Superman' will serve as a trojan horse for DC Comics and Warner Bros to introduce the superhero collectice 'The Justice League', which will be in direct ocompetiton with Marvel's Cinematic Universe, and particularly 'The Avengers'.
'Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice' will be released in 3D and 2D cinemas as well as IMAX screens on March 25th 2016 worldwide.
Continue reading: New 'Batman V Superman' teaser revels in animosity (full post)
USB-C connector updated with Intel's Thunderbolt 3 transfer protocol
It looks like USB Type-C just took a step in the right direction, with the reversible USB port being upgraded to include the Thunderbolt 3 transfer protocol from Intel.
The latest USB Type-C based devices can be found in the new Dell XPS 12, XPS 13 and XPS 15 systems that were announced in October being the first to feature the new port. Intel has called Thunderbolt 3 "port nirvana" thanks to it being capable of transferring data at 40Gbps, twice as fast as Thunderbolt 2, and four times as fast as USB 3.1 which has a ceiling of 10Gbps.
Thunderbolt 3 is quick enough to transfer a 4K video in less than 30 seconds while the port itself can drive two 4K displays at 60Hz, and it can quick charge notebooks at up to 100W. Getting Thunderbolt 3 into the USB Type-C protocol is a big win for Intel, as Thunderbolt connectivity has never reached the high hopes of Intel, but direct integration with USB Type-C is something exciting for Thunderbolt and especially Intel.
Continue reading: USB-C connector updated with Intel's Thunderbolt 3 transfer protocol (full post)
Crimson Edition hotfix driver released, fixes fan and game issues
After hearing reports its Crimson Edition driver was causing low fan speed issues, AMD has released a hotfix driver -- 15.11.1 -- today.
The driver fixes the aforementioned fan issues, and also includes "great stability improvements" and game fixes for Just Cause 3, Star Wars: Battlefront, Fallout 4 (that compass issue is fixed except for R9 290 and AMD Radeon R9 295X2 setups), and Black Ops 3 (which sees good performance in Crossfire now).
For the full notes, hit the source, where you can also grab the driver (also feel free to grab it through the newfangled Radeon Settings application).
Continue reading: Crimson Edition hotfix driver released, fixes fan and game issues (full post)
'Star Wars: Rebels' renewed for third season
For some 'Star Wars fans', too much is never enough and despite this month's release of 'The Force Awakens', and a further five feature films in development, there's now even more 'Star Wars' to look forward to now that Disney's animated hit 'Star Wars: Rebels' has been renewed for a third full season run of episodes.
According to ComingSoon, the DisneyXD network is still excited about the series which aims to bridge the gap between the prequel trilogy and the original trilogy, and this show is receiving solid ratings. The networks senior vice president, Programming and General Manager Marc Buhaj says "We are proud to bring our audience a third season of Star Wars Rebels," says , "a series that has resonated across generations. The creative team behind the series continues to do a brilliant job in delivering on the key tenets that fans have come to expect from a 'Star Wars' property including adventure, hope and the battle between good vs. evil. The show continues to tell fun, heartfelt, exciting new Star Wars stories week after week, and it's beloved by fans of all ages. Season Three will see our rebel heroes face new obstacles and find new allies in their fight against the Empire."
The 12 episode current season of the show is currently running on DisneyXD and syndicated throughout the world will has three episodes left to air.
Continue reading: 'Star Wars: Rebels' renewed for third season (full post)
Recreational drone literally pokes UK toddler's eye out
Remember when everyone told Ralphie in the Christmas Story he shouldn't get a BB gun because he'll just "shoot his eye out", and lo and behold, the first thing he did with his Red Ryder was blast a BB into his eye? A recent accident might make you rethink your plans to become a drone enthusiast, as it's been proven those unmanned fliers can be pretty hazardous.
According to the BBC, the blades of a recreational drone sliced an 18-month-old toddler's eye in half after the pilot lost control of the vehicle. "It was up for about 60 seconds," said Simon Evans, a family friend who was operating the drone. "As I brought it back down to land, it just clipped the tree and span round. The next thing I know I've just heard my friend shriek and say 'Oh God no' and I turned around and just saw blood and his baby on the floor crying."
Despite being a seasoned pilot, Simons was unable to keep the UAV from crashing into the toddler. The boy, Oscar Webb, will have to wait before he can get surgery and an artificial eye. The accident will serve as a cautionary tale to parents everywhere and may very well have lasting implications for the future of drones.
Continue reading: Recreational drone literally pokes UK toddler's eye out (full post)
Nintendo NX has a 60% chance at succeeding, says analyst
Renowned games analyst Michael Pachter has once again rubbed his crystal ball and made some predictions on Nintendo's new NX console. The Wedbush Securities analyst has proven to be a kind of oracle when it comes to the world of gaming and projects that the NX has a chance of making it big--but we probably won't see it released in 2016.
In the latest episode of Pachter Factor (paywall gated), the soothsayer analyst delivered his predictions that Nintendo's mysterious cross-platform NX could take off if the Japanese games-maker handles it just right. According to Pachter, the Nintendo NX has a 60% chance in succeeding and could sell as much as 30 million units when it hits the shelves. The NX's strength lies in its status as a "convergence device" which unifies existing games platforms including consoles, PCs, tablets and smartphones.
Nintendo has said in the past that the NX won't make any existing hardware redundant, pretty much saying that the 3DS, Wii U and maybe even Wii will be compatible with the hardware. As far as the NX's release date, there is a rumor floating around that the console will enter mass production at Foxconn soon as April 2016, with an estimated 10-12 million units being shipped as soon as July 2016, which fits neatly into our older projections.
Continue reading: Nintendo NX has a 60% chance at succeeding, says analyst (full post)