Latest News - Page 815

Sony today announced that it will be raising the prices of its 3-tiered PlayStation Plus subscription starting September 6, which is exactly when Starfield releases on Xbox.

In a move that is sure to frustrate PlayStation owners, Sony has revealed its plans to increase the cost of its annual PlayStation Plus subscriptions. Starting next week, each individual PS Plus tier will increase by over 30%.

PlayStation Plus Essential will now cost $79.99 annually, as opposed to its previous $59.99 cost, representing a 33% increase over the previous price. PS Plus Extra will likewise rise by 33% to $134.99 annually, up $35 from its original $99/year price tag. PlayStation Plus Premium is seeing the largest price hike to $159.99 per year, up $40 from the previous $119 per year, representing a 34% price increase.

Marvel's Spider-Man 2 Limited Edition PS5 consoles have made their way out to the public despite the launch of the game being a few months away.

Officially, these limited edition PS5s were meant to be released on September 1, but one lucky buyer has seemingly gotten theirs early, as showcased in the above image. While the image could have certainly been more HD, we can still make out some details about the highly anticipated Insomniac Games title, such as the minimum requirement of 98GB of storage space. For comparison, Marvel's Spider-Man on the PS4 required just 45GB of free space, which quickly jumped up to 71GB when the title was remastered for the PS5.

Spider-Man: Miles Morales came in at 54GB, but it seems Spider-Man 2 will blow that figure out of the water with a required 98GB of free space. It should be noted that this 98GB is a minimum, meaning Insomniac Games could easily blow past the 100GB figure between now and the title's release. While 100GB is a large game, it's nothing compared to the likes of other titles, such as Call of Duty: Warzone 2, which is approximately 200GB.

Scientists from Singapore have designed a new way to keep smart contact lenses charged without the inclusion of wireless charging.

It seems like it's only a matter of time before the masses widely adopt smart contact lenses, and whether or not that's in the immediate future or 20 years from now, humans are going to have to think of a way to keep these contact lenses powered. A team of researchers from Singapore may have found the solution, and according to a newly penned paper, the scientists created a new battery that's comprised of biocompatible material, along with a glucose coating that reacts with sodium and chloride ions to generate electricity.

Both sodium and chloride ions are found in human tears. The researchers took the new battery and proved it was capable of generating 45 microamperes at a maximum output of 201 microwatts, which they say is enough to power their smart contact lenses. If you think this is the breakthrough humanity needs to adopt smart contact lenses, you'd be sadly wrong, as the researchers' current design of smart contact lenses is only capable of being charged 200 times before it no longer works.

Cooler Master has revealed a new driving and flight simulator that is designed specifically for enthusiasts who want to take their gaming to the next level.

Introducing Cooler Master's Dyn X, a driving and flight cockpit that is constructed out of high-quality materials and features 14 adjustable sitting positions for every type of racing preference. The above video released on the Cooler Master YouTube channel showcases each of the sitting positions that can be changed quickly with a single adjustment. The video demonstrates sitting positions such as Formula, GT, NASCAR, Rally, or Trophy Truck.

As for build quality, the Dyn X is constructed of fiberglass, features premium synthetic suede leather, an adjustable headrest, and interchangeable cushion covers. Additionally, Cooler Master has outfitted the Dyn X with multiple attachment points for monitors, shifters, motion systems, and more. The Dyn X is expected to launch sometime in September 2023 and will be priced at $1,999 for just the cockpit. Those who want the racing seat to go with the Dyn X will need to pay an additional $499.

MSI isn't on the list of third-party board making launch partners for AMD with the release of its new mid-range RDNA 3 GPUs.

That doesn't mean MSI won't produce RX 7800 XT or 7700 XT graphics cards, but it certainly won't have boards on shelves right out of the gate.

AMD revealed the launch partners as part of the presentation material regarding the new GPUs, and as VideoCardz spotted, MSI isn't on the list.

A new report into drives - both hard disks and SSDs (and indeed USB drives) - has been published.

The survey from EaseUS (which makes backup solutions) provides some illuminating statistics, encompassing a wide swathe of 208,000 PC owners and over 750,000 drives (with the survey running over the past three months).

The precise number of drives included was 754,142, of which 346,477 were SSDs, 200,818 were HDDs, and 206,847 were USB drives.

It appears that Elon Musk has his very own mode within Tesla vehicles after a hacker discovered the setting and dubbed it "Elon Mode".

Bloomberg reported, along with the hacker, that this unannounced mode seemingly enables Tesla drivers taking advantage of Full Self-Driving to not periodically touch the steering wheel. Typically, Tesla drivers using Auto Pilot or Full Self-Driving will be required to make contact with the steering wheel after a certain amount of time.

This feature was implemented to make sure the driver was constantly paying attention to the road and the vehicle. If the steering wheel isn't touched, the Tesla will begin to blink visually, which then turns into beeping if the wheel still isn't touched, and then finally completely disabled from the driver. However, "Elon Mode" disabled all of these safety features and allows the driver to operate the vehicle hands-free for a prolonged amount of time.

While the moon is a dead rock floating in space, there is much more that's interesting, at least to researchers, than meets the eye.

At first glance, the Earth's closest neighbor may seem boring, but underneath the surface, researchers have found something quite interesting. China's China's Chang'e-4 rover became the first spacecraft to land on the dark side of the moon when it touched down in 2019, and since then, it has been conducting valuable research, in particular, with an instrument called the Lunar Penetrating Radar (LPR).

Researchers have taken the data acquired by the LPR and published findings in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, where they outline hidden structures beneath the lunar surface. According to the researchers, the first 130 feet beneath the surface of the moon is comprised of various layers of soil, dust, and broken rocks. Beneath those layers are volcanic rocks that are believed to have been created by meteor and asteroid impacts that caused lava flows.

The worst kept secret in technology was confirmed yesterday - Apple will hold a special event on September 12, and while it didn't confirm what it's for we can be pretty sure it'll see the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro models finally unveiled. Now, a new report suggests that the very invitation that Apple sent out might have confirmed what colors the new iPhones will ship in.

Specifically, the report by X leaker @URedditor, claims that Apple's iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max colors have now been leaked including the decidedly gray look that all of the options seem to have.

We've been seeing leaks of new color options in recent days and it's expected that Apple will ditch the popular Gold option, replacing it with a so-called Titan Gray option. The iPhone 14 Pro's Deep Purple is also expected to be replaced by a new deep blue-type color, and both of those new colors appear to be shown in the Apple 'Wunderlust' invitation sent to members of the press.

Apple's getting ready to announce the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro series' of devices at an event that is now confirmed to take place on September 12. Now, a new report claims that the new iPhones and refreshed Apple Watches aren't the only things that will debut at that event.

Writing for Bloomberg, the usually well-connected Mark Gurman says that we can expect Apple to also unveil at least one new pair of AirPods during that same event. The new earbuds will come with a USB-C port included, ditching Lightning just as the new iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max will. Gurman stopped short of saying which AirPods will be refreshed, but all models will eventually need to make the USB-C switch. Thanks before a 2024 EU law kicks in that requires all similar devices use a common charger - with USB-C being the charger that has been chosen.

That means that the AirPods, AirPods Pro, and AirPods Max will all need to be updated to remove the Lightning connector, although it isn't clear whether that will be the only thing that changes as part of these refreshes. Again, Gurman didn't get into details but some models are more likely to get a proper refresh than others.

About a month ago, Samsung announced that it had completed development on the world's first GDDR7 ( Graphics Double Data Rate 7) DRAM for GPUs and that it would be putting the technology in the hands of key customers sometime this year for use in next-generation products.

Read more: https://www.tweaktown.com/news/92472/samsung-has-developed-the-first-gddr7-memory-for-gpus-with-up-to-32-gbps-speed/index.html

A new report at Business Korea states that as Samsung became the first company to develop cutting-edge GDDR7 memory, it's already supplying samples to NVIDIA "for the verification of its integration into next-gen systems." If NVIDIA chooses to adopt GDDR7 for the upcoming GeForce RTX 50 Series, it would significantly change from using Micron - which supplies NVIDIA GDDR6X memory for the GeForce RTX 40 Series.

The quality of microSD and full-size SD cards varies wildly, and that comes down to the intended application - if all you're doing is moving images to and from a camera that stays indoors, there's no real need to go all out.

For professional photographers who work in various weather conditions and take full advantage of modern-day drones to capture video and images - you need a storage solution that will deliver speed and reliability. The PRO Ultimate series of Samsung microSD and full-size SD memory cards represent the company's new flagship UHS-I memory cards designed for professionals and content creators.

Available in the two most popular memory card form factors, the Samsung PRO Ultimate series is available in capacities of up to 512GB with a reported sequential read speed of up to 200 megabytes-per-second (MB/s) and write speeds of up to 130 MB/s, which is more than enough to record high-quality 4K and Full HD video.

Corsair's Scimitar gaming mouse has been a go-to for MOBA and MMO players thanks to its many buttons, ergonomic feel, and excellent hardware. We reviewed the Corsair Scimitar RGB Elite back in 2020, where it earned our Editor's Choice award - so it's great to see Corsair bringing the mouse back with the new Corsair SCIMITAR ELITE WIRELESS MMO Gaming Mouse.

Per the naming, the big difference here is that Corsair has taken its popular MOBA and MMO gaming mouse and gotten rid of the wires for low-latency wireless connectivity. Feature-wise, you're looking at 16 programmable buttons in total, with the 12-button Key Slider side panel offering the bulk of the controls, ala the wired Scimitar - and textured side grips for added comfort.

Adjusting and moving the placement of the side buttons makes it a great choice for those MMO and MOBA players who need quick access to a massive hot bar filled with skills and abilities to trigger.

Air surveillance technology that is used by the Pentagon to monitor the air space around Washington DC is getting an artificial intelligence-powered upgrade.

In an effort to improve national security, the Pentagon has announced that it will be replacing its surveillance systems that were implemented after 9/11 with new machine learning algorithms that are designed to identify, track, and warn officials of any objects entering the protected airspace around DC. Notably, the DC's airspace contains special flight rules that force defense officials to identify, track, and locate any aircraft that is flying within the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area.

The new system is being designed by first-time defense contractor Teleidoscope, and the upgrade to the system is an effort to reduce response times to any potential threats. The system will include a mixture of technology, such as electro-optical and infrared sensors, combined with machine learning, augmented reality, and surveillance cameras.

If you follow Google's line of Pixel mobile phones, you know the company is no stranger to leaks about unannounced devices. The Pixel 8 Pro is seemingly following suit.

Before the image that we are soon to discuss popped up, there were already a few leaked renders and images of the Pixel 8 Pro, and judging by the recently released image, those renders and previously leaked images were correct about the design. Android Setting on X noticed a new image popping up on a page that promotes Google's subscriptions and services. The image showcases a man holding what appears to be a Google Pixel 8 Pro to his ear.

The Pixel 8 Pro in the image is a Porcelain color, and many Google Pixel fans were suspicious if it was true or not that Google would release a phone in such a color. However, it seems those concerns can be put to rest as the tipster dived into the alt-text description of the image, which read, "A person takes a call on a Pixel 8 Pro phone in Porcelain". Notably, the new image matches the leaks that suggested the Pixel 8 Pro will feature a glass oval covering the rear cameras, along with the iconic bar that's present on previous Pixel models.

Bethesda's announcement of Starfield really shook up the gaming industry as many excited gamers were told that they would be able to explore thousands of planets. However, that doesn't necessarily seem to be the case.

Leading up to the release of Starfield next week, there has been plenty of footage from early releases uploaded to various social media platforms. This footage has given us clues about the validity of Bethesda's statements about the title's exploration capabilities. Bethesda's head of publishing, Pete Hines, was asked on August 22 if players will be able to explore an entire planet, to which he responded, "Yup if you want. Walk on, brave explorer".

That statement, conjoined with countless marketing of the raw exploration of Starfield's planets, has left gamers slightly suspicious. Is this hype from the developer, or will they actually be able to roam the entirety of each of the planets? Here's how it seems to work. When a player selects a new planet to land on, they create a landing area/site. This landing area generates a 1km explorable area, which equates to about 10 to 15 minutes of running in a single direction. When the border of that area is reached, the player will get a pop-up message informing them they cannot go any further.

Even though total GPU shipments, which include all types of GPUs across desktop and mobile, have decreased -27% year to year, there is some good news for the discrete graphics card market. Per the latest industry report from John Peddle Research, PC GPU shipments for Q2 2023 increased by 11.6% compared to the previous quarter.

This figure is a potential sign that the market is recovering because, traditionally, Q2 sees a slump in sales compared to Q1, not the other way around. According to the report, it's "a significant increase in shipments" and indicative of high demand for GPUs across desktop and mobile markets.

Of course, with the overall GPU market still down, this isn't definitive proof that PC gaming hardware is back on the up and up - but it's a great sign nonetheless. Outside of quarter-on-quarter shipment growth, another interesting revelation from the report is that AMD's overall market share has increased.

Intel Tech Tour offers those who attend access to the company's labs and product development corners, offering tech outlets and others a chance to get a peek behind the curtain of one of the biggest tech companies in the world. One such outlet was HardwareLuxx, which made an interesting discovery in Intel's Failure Analysis Lab - a next-gen GPU.

With the Intel Arc A750 and A770 (codenamed Alchemist) representing the company's first major step into the discrete graphics card market dominated by the likes of NVIDIA and AMD, several credible sources are pointing to the company launching the follow-up, codenames Battlemage, sometime in 2024.

According to Andreas Schilling at HardwareLuxx, the outlet spotted a chip clearly labeled "BMG G10" in the Failure Analysis Lab - which would fall under the Battlemage umbrella. As outlets aren't able to take photos inside Intel's labs and secure spaces, there isn't any photographic evidence. Still, this news indicates that Intel is well underway with its Battlemage testing.

The first patch for Baldur's Gate 3 landed towards the end of last week, and the developer is now building up hype for the second patch.

We're told that patch #2 is just around the corner, and that it's going to make some big changes to the RPG.

Specifically, that includes major boosts on the performance front, a whole bunch of tweaks - likely in the same vein to the ones we saw in patch #1 - and it also "begins our journey incorporating [player] feedback into Origin Character epilogues."

Even fans of the popular instant messaging service WhatsApp would likely agree that the interface is looking a little long in the tooth and is ready for some love at this point. And it seems that someone inside the Meta-owned outfit would agree because the latest iPhone TestFlight beta seems to include proof that a new look is on the way.

While neither Meta nor WhatsApp have confirmed that changes are afoot, the beta watchers at WABetaInfo have shared a screenshot of the latest beta, complete with a refreshed look that includes new iconography, colors, and more.

According to WABetaInfo this new update includes green as the primary color with some elements using a blue, including filtering options. Those filters will allow people to see different types of chats while avoiding others - the WABetaInfo report says that personal chats can be filtered from business ones and vice-versa. New buttons can also be seen in the navigation bar with the overall look and feel of the app being a more modern one.