Latest News - Page 811

Having a dual screen or dual monitor setup can do wonders for your productivity because, odds are, you've got multiple browser tabs going when you're working or even just browsing or killing time on a PC. On top of that, a few different communication apps, YouTube, and maybe something like Spotify. The challenge comes when you go mobile and work in various locations with a laptop.

Thankfully, the dual monitor setup still works with a modern-day laptop - thanks to devices like the new CrowView 14-inch Portable Ultralight Dual Monitor. Currently available for purchase at an Early Bird price of USD 114.90 (via ELECROW), I've been making good use of one in recent weeks thanks to being offered a sample from the team at ELECROW.

Perfect timing, really, as I dreaded having to use a laptop for all work-related things due to being on the road and away from my desk, mainly because I've grown so accustomed to having multiple displays. The CrowView 14-inch Portable Ultralight Dual Monitor definitely lives up to its namesake; it's portable, lightweight (less than 800 grams), and can be set up in several different ways.

Nintendo is moving on from Tears of the Kingdom to focus on something new.

The latest Zelda games--Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom--are some of the most lauded video games ever made, but Nintendo might be leaving this modern era of Hyrule behind.

In an interview with Famitsu, Zelda franchise producer Eiji Aonuma says that he's ready to move on from Tears of the Kingdom. This means there's no DLC or expansions on the horizon for the breakthrough game, unlike Breath of the Wild, which had 2 expansions. Fans had been hoping for a new Tears of the Kingdom DLC that would reduce some of the major friction points with crafting.

In months following the revealing testimony in the FTC v Microsoft federal case, Bethesda's Todd Howard also discusses the benefits of platform exclusivity.

Starfield's exclusivity is controversial to gamers but it poses some unique advantages for Bethesda. The game was originally planned to release on the PlayStation 5 back when ZeniMax was an independent publisher, but after Microsoft bought the company for $7.5 billion in 2021, Starfield was made a firm Xbox console exclusive that would skip PlayStation.

This poses a distinct push-pull for Bethesda. On one side, exclusivity means less game sales, which is a big drawback considering the PlayStation 5 is selling almost double that of the Xbox Series X/S duo. On the other side, Bethesda's development lens is now focused on two platforms instead of three--both of which are connected via the same operating system and devkit environment.

Reading Kindle books on a Mac might not be something most people would fancy doing, but some people must actually be doing just that because Amazon is apparently working on a whole new app for it.

The current Kindle for Mac app is apparently not long for this world, with Amazon having confirmed via its release notes that it intends to rename it to Kindle Classic. And a new report by Good E-Reader claims that there's a very good reason for that.

The report claims that there is a new Kindle app on the way, but details are currently sparse on what that will entail. However, the suspicion is that the new app will be similar to the one that is currently available on Android and iOS, and that will be a welcome change. The current Kindle app is definitely due a refresh and it's hopeful that it's about to get it.

The cat is out of the bag and Apple will stream an event on September 12, very likely announcing the new iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro models. But you might not need to wait that long to see what Apple has in mind because dummy units are already starting to leak ahead of time.

We've been hearing rumors of what the new colors will be for a little while now but it's always easier to actually see these things before passing judgment. And, now that we think we have done just that we can confirm our earlier thoughts - these things look pretty terrible.

The new dummy units were shared in a video posted to the X social network by YouTuber Jon Rettinger, and they appear to show the colors that we'd been told to expect including blue, black, pink, yellow, and white. And what's clear here is that these new colors are very much muted when compared to the usually vibrant look of other non-Pro iPhones.

The stealth video game where you play as a Stray cat is being converted into a movie, according to a report from Entertainment Weekly.

An unexpectedly well-received video game called Stray, developed by BlueTwelve Studio and published by Annapurna Interactive, was an immediate hit classic of 2022 when it was released as players could enjoy roaming a city as a stray cat that's observing the seemingly quirky existence of humans, without the humans.

The attraction of the video game is that players see the world through the point of view of being a cat that teams up with a robot called B-12. The game has inherent comedic qualities, which will be taken into account when the movie is developed.

If you have picked up Starfield and you are going through your first play-through, you may want to consider getting a romantic partner, and it's not just for the visual aspects.

Most gamers on their first play-through of a new open-world RPG title won't pursue romantic partners, or at least it's not very high on the to-do list. However, a recent article from PCGamer has pointed out, first discovered by VG247, that Starfield has a strong incentive to do very much that, as having sex with your in-game romantic partner grants your character a 15% XP boost for 24 real minutes. This status boost is, funnily enough, called "Emotional Security" and, as stated previously, will boost all experience gained for nearly half an hour of Earth time.

Notably, this status effect is similar to the "Well Rested" 10% XP bonus that's granted to your character when you sleep in a bed. However, 15% is obviously higher than 10%. A caveat to this buff is that players won't be able to have one-night stands with NPCs, and there are only a few select NPCs that are interested in sleeping with players. But, according to reports, its quite easy to get an NPC to fall in love with you.

Apple is preparing to unveil its next-generation iPhone, along with the next iteration of the Apple Watch, and now the livestream is up on YouTube for those who wish to wait.

Apple announced its Wonderlust event a few days ago, securing the date of September 12 for the unveiling of the iPhone 15 line-up. The image that was released with the event's official announcement caused rampant online speculation about what colors the new iPhone will come in, with many people suggesting that the blue hue will be adopted this generation. As with every Apple event since the expansion of the line-up, we can expect Apple to unveil not only the iPhone 15, but also the iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max.

Furthermore, Apple is expected to showcase its next-generation Apple Watch, the Apple Watch Series 9. As for what we can expect out of the next-generation iPhone, many leaks have pointed to the adoption of the A17 Bionic chip, which is the world's first 3-nanometer processor in a smartphone, a programmable action button, a new titanium frame, thinner bezels, a USB-C charging port, improved battery life, the dropping of 128GB storage options and a higher price. The livestream has been put up on Apple's official YouTube channel, revealing the launch time of the event at 9 a.m. E.T. September 12.

The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), the Indian equivalent of NASA, has announced that both its lunar lander and lunar rover have gone to sleep.

India penciled its name into the history books on August 23, 2023, when it successfully landed on the moon, becoming the fourth nation to do so and the first nation to land in the southern lunar region. The Chandrayaan-3 mission includes the solar powered Pragyan rover and the Vikram lander, both of which are now in sleep mode as they await the next lunar sunrise scheduled to happen in approximately two weeks. Notably, the ISRO announced via its official X account that its rover has a "fully charged" battery and that it is safe.

The decision to place India's lunar explorers into sleep mode came after the rover scoured over 330 feet of the lunar surface, searching for deposits of frozen water that may be trapped inside permanently shadowed craters. These water deposits, if discovered, will be extremely valuable to Earth when we begin colonizing the surface of the moon as technology could convert the frozen water into not only drinkable liquid for astronauts but also fuel for returning rockets.

A new pilot study published in Nature Communications has explored the possibility of creating bionic organs to replace failing human organs.

A team of researchers from UC San Francisco created a bioreactor and placed it inside a pig to test the vital functions of the synthetic organ, and the results were promising. According to a pilot study published in Nature Communications, the team's "proof-of-concept" device contained kidney cells that were then implanted in a pig, and according to the study's results, at least 90% of the cells survived, indicating "viability and functionality".

The idea behind the study was to demonstrate that synthetic organs can be accepted by a body, hence the testing on pigs. Notably, these results don't mean that this specific bionic organ can be used in humans. However, the results were promising, and the researchers behind the study believe that they could eventually be used to replace failing human kidneys, or more specifically, people suffering from kidney disease that require constant treatments such as dialysis.

Mark Zuckerberg's summertime activities have certainly changed with his growing interest in mixed martial arts (MMA), and that can be seen in his consistent training that's posted on Meta's social media platforms.

It was in April 2021 when Mark Zuckerberg became the laughing stock of the internet when a photograph surfaced of him surfing with an extremely thick layer of sunscreen on. Those times are now behind the founder of Facebook, as he has adopted MMA training into his already rigorous schedule and has gained the respect of many prolific figures within the field.

An example of this is a recent video shared on Zuckerberg's personal Instagram account that shows him training with Nigerian and New Zealand MMA fighter Israel Adesanya and Australian MMA fighter Alexander Volkanovski. The location of the training was on a floating barge, and the Meta CEO can be seen grappling opponents, kicking, and even flipping into the water.

NASA's Perseverance rover touched down on the surface of the Red Planet in February 2021, and since then, the rover has been photographing anything of scientific interest on Mars while simultaneously looking for any evidence of ancient microbial life.

There are many peculiar-shaped objects on the surface of Mars, and while researchers have confirmed through landscape observations and soil samples that the Red Planet was once home to large swaths of water, scientists haven't confirmed that the planet had life. That is the purpose of the Perseverance rover - to find evidence of ancient microbial life. Now, the recently released images, despite their appearance, don't confirm life existed.

However, they are a testament to the human phenomenon known as pareidolia, which is the brain's tendency to perceive meaningful imagery where there is none. An example of this is the above image. The image on the left looks like a shark fin, while the image on the right resembles a crab claw.

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has confirmed that Starship is ready for its second orbital launch attempt, following the first orbital launch attempt that came to a fiery yet successful end.

Starship, the world's largest and most powerful rocket, conducted its first orbital launch attempt on April 20, and while SpaceX deemed the first attempt a success as much knowledge was gained, the rocket didn't make it to orbit as it failed to separate its stages, resulting in the rocket tumbling, losing altitude and ultimately being exploded mid-air. Since then, SpaceX has been rebuilding Starship, implementing what it learned from the first orbital launch attempt while also conducting static fire tests on its newly constructed and now reinforced launch pad.

Now, SpaceX and the company's CEO Elon Musk has taken to X to announce that Starship is ready for its second launch attempt and that the only thing stopping SpaceX from pressing the launch button is approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the regulators of the skies. This is hardly surprising, as the FAA has long stood in front of launches by making sure SpaceX has dotted its i's and crossed all of its t's before a launch is approved. With this news from Musk, we can assume that SpaceX has completed the construction of Starship and is now just waiting for the FAA's stamp of approval.

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Respawn Entertainment has released Jedi Survivor's biggest patch yet that takes aim at optimization on all platforms.

Today Respawn released Patch 7 for Jedi Survivor, addressing key concerns about the game's overall performance on consoles and PC. The PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S version was received well, but the PC port was widely criticized for its numerable issues. This latest patch is a direct response to those problems.

Patch 7 introduces a bunch of tweaks and overhauls to performance including better frame rates on consoles and the addition of NVIDIA's DLSS tech on PC. Jedi Survivor now runs at a 'solid' 60FPS on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S when in performance mode--a feat that was achieved by removing ray tracing in the mode as well as refining how the game stresses GPU and CPU workloads.

ZeniMax Online has rolled out a new update that reduces stress for new Elder Scrolls Online players.

Retention is important for any live game and it comes in phases. Grabbing a player's attention is important and convincing them to download your game is a high priority. What comes after that is also equally important--is the player driven away from your game due to complexity or frustration? As Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick notes, everything is competing for consumer attention, so there's always lots of other things to play and do. It's up to a developer to capture--and keep--a player's attention.

This has been a friction point for MMORPGs in particular. Organically onboarding players is tough. To really get into an MMORPG takes time, effort, research, and the willingness to fail and learn. Starting a live game is daunting in of itself, but being overrun with tasks large and small acts as a major deterrent for new users.

Rumors of Apple introducing new OLED iPad Pro tablets next year continue to gather pace, with a new report seeking to clarify that timeline somewhat.

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has been among the most vocal of reporters when saying that Apple is working on new OLED iPad Pros with a potential 2024 timeline in play. However, this latest date comes via a paywalled DigiTimes report picked up by MacRumors. And according to that report, mid-2024 is the timeframe we should be looking towards.

The report backs up previous claims that the new tablets will come in 11- and 13-inch models. That means that while the smaller model will remain the same size as the current one, the larger device will grow slightly from 12.9 inches.

Starfield doesn't run all that well on Valve's new Steam Deck handheld-PC hybrid, but a new mod could help improve performance.

Starfield is coming out today and modders have been busily releasing tweaks and upgrades since the game released in early access. Starfield even has its own script extender now, which will open the doors to immense game-altering creations.

One such mod, Steam Deck Essentials over on Nexus Mods, aims to address Starfield's sub-30FPS performance on the Steam Deck. Reports from across the web show that Bethesda's latest spacefaring RPG simply isn't a great experience on the Steam Deck's custom SoC hardware (conversely, Starfield can run at 1080p 60FPS on the ROG Ally in Turbo Mode). This is because Starfield is an intensely CPU-bound game, hence why it may be limited to 30FPS on consoles (among other reasons including the significant VRAM reduction on the Series S).

The Mac Studio is among the best computers you can buy right now, especially if your creative workflow uses some of the apps it's especially well-optimized for. But it isn't cheap which means the prospect of picking up a refurbished model is all the more compelling. The Mac Studio is already available refurbished, but today is the first time that the latest model has been added to the mix.

That latest model is the M2 Max and M2 Ultra version that was released earlier this year. It was announced at WWDC in June alongside the new Apple silicon Mac Pro, and it's now started to appear in Apple's refurbished store online. However, as MacRumors points out, it isn't currently listed as in stock which means that you can't buy it yet.

It isn't yet clear when we can expect that Apple will start actually selling these refurbished 2023 Mac Studios, but it's unlikely to be all that far away. The updated Mac Studio of course gained M2 Max and M2 Ultra chips over its predecessor as well as support for an 8K display and high-impedence headphones. There's also Wi-Fi 6E support for those who need nice and fast wireless networking.

Soon all Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S owners will be able to stream live gameplay sessions directly to Discord.

In a move that further blurs the lines between console and PC gaming, Discord game streaming functionality is coming to Xbox consoles. The feature will give a lot more interactivity to voice party chats on Xbox's Discord app, and friends will be able to gather together to check out boss fights, the latest epic drop, new strategies, learn tips and tricks from other members of the community, and even preview titles that are offered on Xbox Game Pass.

This is good news on the surface, but the feature comes with some limitations. Free Discord users will be locked to 720p 30FPS streams, which is typically fine for group/party chats depending on the circumstances (e.g. digital hang outs). Discord Nitro subscribers will instead be able to stream up to 1080p 60FPS, latency permitting.