Apple : AMD's next Navi GPUs could have the specs (and ray tracing) to beat Nvidia |
- AMD's next Navi GPUs could have the specs (and ray tracing) to beat Nvidia
- Best network monitoring tools of 2019
- Borderlands 3 gets its first trailer at PAX East
- Google Fuchsia release date, news and rumors
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| AMD's next Navi GPUs could have the specs (and ray tracing) to beat Nvidia Posted: 28 Mar 2019 01:10 PM PDT AMD's future Navi GPUs, the successor to Vega II, may have the power that enthusiasts are looking for. Rumor has it that the new Navi GPUs may launch later this year, with a follow up Navi 20 GPU launching next year, according to YouTube channel RedGamingTech. More importantly, the GPU is expected to offer improved performance and even ray tracing on par with the Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080Ti, Wccftech suggests. Earlier this year, AMD launched the Radeon VII graphics card, without confirming whether the new GPU built on 7-nanometer architecture was actually Vega II or still considered part of the original Vega family. In any case, the Radeon VII may just be a stopgap, as it doesn't perform competitively with Nvidia's best graphics card, the RTX 2080 Ti. Never too late for NaviThe new Vega architecture should help push AMD's performance ahead of where it currently stands, and this isn't the first time we've heard a rumor that Navi could arrive late this year. Given how competitive the Radeon VII is with the RTX 2080, Navi could be big. The first iteration of the new GPU architecture, Navi 10, is expected to be a mid-tier offering, and a version of the Navi 10 could be used in future consoles. Though the new Navi GPUs are believed to have an improved GCN architecture, it may still leave Nvidia's expensive RTX 2080 Ti at the top of the pack. But, the Navi 20 version that's rumored to come a year later could shake things up by bringing even more power and AMD's own recipe for ray tracing. Then, we'd just have to wait and see whether Nvidia has a response in the form of new RTX GPUs.
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| Best network monitoring tools of 2019 Posted: 28 Mar 2019 01:03 PM PDT IT networks are now at the heart of any given business. Information Technology applies to every department, every section, every employee, yet the larger the business, the more difficult it can be to monitor and maintain that infrastructure and those networks. It's not just external threats that need to be guarded against, but more mundane issues such as maintaining security protocols and ensuring network connectivity in the face of patches and upgrades. The more machines worked with, the more of a challenge this can become. Both software and hardware can easily become out of date, leaving the entire IT network vulnerable to failures which can undermine productivity and efficiency. However, there are business solutions out there aimed not just at managing those networks, but making the whole process easier. The challenge is to find the network monitoring tools that work for you and your business. Here we look at some of the market leaders when it comes to network monitoring tools.
Image Credit: Spiceworks Who said network security software couldn’t get a little spicy? The first platform on our red-hot run-down is Spiceworks, which promises to keep you fully up to date on “the network happenings you care about most.” Among Spiceworks’ features are an IP lookup tool to trace and identify unknown IP addresses in the network, a subnet calculator for creating new subnets and converting CIDR (classless inter-domain routing) notation to an IP range, a traceroute tool for troubleshooting connection issues, and an interactive outage heatmap. Looking at potential drawbacks, it’s been commented that older plugins may no longer work with newer versions of the software, while the handy connectivity dashboard feature is not currently available for new Spiceworks users at the time of writing. However, for an easy-to-use, completely free application that makes money through ads rather than your organization’s subscription, it’s hard to get too hung up the negative aspects here.
Image Credit: WebTitan WebTitan supplies businesses of all sizes with a suite of security and monitoring platforms that give a wide range of powers to IT administrators. Doing the job of ‘Big Brother’ is WebTitan Cloud, a filtering solution for organizations to monitor, control and protect their online users from web content. The platform’s policy engine enables admins to block access to certain web pages among certain users, while adjusting the policy for other departments in the organization. It also includes a reporting section which covers behavior-based analysis, trend reports, security reports, and more. These reports can even be scheduled, sending the insights directly to the team members who need them. Away from the cloud-based platform, WebTitan packages also offer DNS-based web filters that block malware, phishing attempts and ransomware. The software’s creators, TitanHQ, claims its filters identify 60,000 malware variants every day and says the platform is well suited to educational institutions and wifi providers, as well as businesses. To get a quote for a WebTitan package for your organization, follow the link below.
Image Credit: Pulseway Pulseway helps system administrators and IT departments stay right across their organization’s network by offering a real-time overview of all the machines under operation. It works for Windows, Linux and Mac devices and can be used on mobile devices for full administrative control form the palm of your hand. On top of its main dashboard for remote desktop control, patch management, white labelling and advanced automation, Pulseway offers: a business management integration that includes functions for ticketing, project management, accounting, CRM, time-tracking, invoicing, billing and help desk support; an antivirus integration powered by Webroot and Kaspersky for end-to-end protection; and a storage integration for business continuity and disaster recovery in the event of lost data and outages. Other third-party tie-ins include Slack, Pagerduty, Zendesk and IT Glue. Personal use of Pulseway (across two devices) is free, while subscriptions for larger teams vary depending on the number of machines and whether the platform is used as on premise or as an SaaS (software as a service). Full pricing details can be found via the link below.
Image Credit: Atera Atera combines remote monitoring and management (RMM) with professional services automation (PSA) in a business management platform that’s made and operated in the cloud. The creators claim its cloud DNA and scalable SaaS packages make it extra fast for onboarding and rolling out in new organizations. The Atera platform offers IT administrators a range of features to stay on top of their network. These include remote access of computers, desktops, servers, apps and files, real time alerts on events like user log-ins, software updates, VMware and IP monitoring, IT automation and patch management, and analytics tools to dig into data and records. For those looking to expand the remit of the platform, integrations include CRM and service desk tools. Simplicity and ease-of use is the name of the game here, but for those well acquainted with platforms of this nature who really want to push their monitoring software to its limit, the range of features with Atera may feel somewhat limited. But with flexible pricing options available, IT administrators may be able to find the package that suits the needs of their organization. Pricing starts at $79 (£60) per user, per month.
Image Credit: Netwrix Netwrix Auditor is all about giving maximum visibility of IT infrastructure changes, data access and system configurations to the IT administrators of your organization. Another key component is Netwrix’s security analytics technology, which monitors your IT environment and enables you to detect threats or anomalous user behaviour. Among the platform’s features is the option to automate auditing and reporting tasks to save time manually poring over logs of data, plus the ability to maintain a complete audit trail that can be archived for more than ten years. By maintaining such evidence, Netwrix Auditor enables users to prove their business adheres to and is compliant with PCI DSS, HIPAA, SOX, and FERPA standards, among others. Potentially relieving concerns about integration, Netwrix supports auditing on a wide selection of IT systems, including Active Directory, Office 365, Windows file servers, Oracle DB and VMware. Unlike some of the other services we’ve seen, Netwrix doesn’t support mobile use so it may not be the platform for you if you’re reliant on quick check-ups on the move via phone or tablet. You can get a quote on a Netwrix subscription via the link below. Other network monitoring tools to considerAuvik is made exclusively for managed service providers (MSP). Based in the cloud, it enables remote monitoring and management, provides insight into client networks, and automates time-consuming tasks like device configuration and backing up data. Like any good dog, Datadog is good at retrieving things. In this case, information about your systems, clusters and infrastructure – no matter how disparate it is – and bringing it all into one site to help you analyze and secure the data of your organization. Panopta is all about meticulous scrutiny of your network to identify outages as quick as possible. Via 24 monitoring locations across North and South America, Europa and Asia, Panopta ensures all outages are detected no matter the duration, so your team can act fast. Working in a similar vein, Paessler monitors your IT infrastructure to identify problems “before users even notice,” it claims. A whole range of network components are covered by its monitoring systems, including LANs, WANs, servers, websites and applications. Another strong player in this field is OpsGenie. This operations management service is based in the cloud and its alert notifications extend to mobile as well as desktop, so you can receive network updates via email, SMS and voice calls no matter where you are. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Borderlands 3 gets its first trailer at PAX East Posted: 28 Mar 2019 12:53 PM PDT Five long years after Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel was released, Gearbox is finally ready to debut its next game in the series, dropping the first full trailer for Borderlands 3 at a Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) keynote event. We know based on the trailer that the game will be in 4K and feature many of the same crew members, enemies and allies from our first three trips to Pandora – including a gargantuan Tiny Tina, for some reason.
The trailer was introduced by Gearbox’s CEO Randy Pitchford, who also treated the audience to a live magic trick while unveiling the series’ first board game crossover, Borderlands: Tiny Tina’s Robot Tea Party, as well as 4K remasterings of the first three games before stumbling on some technical difficulties. After a few misfires, however, we got our first look at the game, which we've included for you below. Rooting, looting, shooting!The trailer doesn’t tell us exactly where the game will be set (Borderlands 2 ends by unveiling a star map with new vaults on planets across the galaxy) but it does give us a feel for what kind of environments and vehicles we can expect when the game comes out, including two new massive city locations and a ridiculous unibike bristling with guns and rockets. That said, in spite of some new changes to environments and vehicles, the game still looks like the same old Borderlands in terms of gameplay. There’s looting, there’s shooting, and there are a ton of powers for just three minutes of trailer footage. Also a sweet saxophone solo and a walking gun. Plenty to look forward to. There’s no release date set for Borderlands 3 just yet, but it’s likely we’ll hear more about the game at E3 2019 in June.
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| Google Fuchsia release date, news and rumors Posted: 28 Mar 2019 12:14 PM PDT We were expecting to see Google announce Google Fuchsia, or Google Andromeda – a fusion of its Chrome and Android operating systems (OS) – back in October 2017. That announcement never happened. What will Google Fuchsia look like, though? Well, there have been some Chromebooks, along with the Google Pixelbook, which can run both Android apps from the Google Play Store and even an early build of Fuchsia itself – which is also rumored to run Android apps. We think google Fuchsia, if and when it finally sees the light of day, will be the penultimate Google operating system across all kinds of devices. We basically have no clue what Google Fuchsia will look like in its final form. There’s very little hard information out there, and what is out there is arcane. Though, we do know that Google Fuchsia revolves around the idea of being able to do whatever you want from whatever device you have handy. We can even see traces of this approach in Google’s recent endeavors, like bringing Android Messages and a VR video editor to a broad range of hardware. Actually, the Google Pixel Slate may give us a look into the future of Google Fuchsia – even if it never runs the nascent OS, and doesn’t give a clue about the release date. With the new Chrome OS tablet, Google has changed the UI of the operating system to be more palatable on a tablet – bringing it closer to a unified OS across different families of devices. Whether it relates to Fuchsia remains to be seen, but we look at it like a step in the right direction. So, regardless of what the final product is, or whether or not Google Fuchsia ever makes it to the public, be sure to keep this page bookmarked, as we’ll update it with any new information comes our way. Cut to the chase
A Google Pixelbook running an early version of Fuchsia OS (Image Credit: Ars Technica) What is Google Fuchsia?Right now, there appears to be a divide within Google regarding what Fuchsia actually is. While the team working on it says they want Fuchsia to be the penultimate Google OS, running on all phones, tablets, laptops and smart home devices – Google’s leadership is still referring to it as an experiment. So, we’ll just have to wait and see what happens, and what materializes out of all this experimentation. Google Fuchsia, then, is a hybrid OS that is still very much in development. The entirety of Fuchsia OS is comprised of two distinct but connected user interfaces (UI): a phone-centric one codenamed ‘Armadillo’ and a traditional desktop UI known as ‘Capybara’ internally, according to 9to5Google. So far, more is known about the mobile version of Fuchsia than the laptop one, but ArsTechnica was recently able to get Fuchsia running on a Google Pixelbook in an awfully early state. And, it looks like both versions should be able to run Android apps, much like many Chromebooks in 2019. So, backwards compatibility looks to be something that early Fuchsia adopters can look forward to.
Dividing the OS up into two separate UI based on the hardware it’s being used with is a classically Microsoft-inspired move. Windows 10 already scales depending on whether it’s being used with a desktop computer, phone, tablet or game console. In fact, Windows 10’s only unifier is its kernel, the root code that controls the bulk of the operating system. In the case of Fuchsia, that kernel is known as ‘Zircon’, and it’s designed to be consistently upgradeable in addition to being safe from applications accessing it constantly, adding an extra layer of security and eliminating situations in which apps are rendered incompatible with OS updates. Whether it’s in the mobile or desktop orientation, Fuchsia is laden with Google’s Material design found all over its Android and Chrome OS products. Shadows are a big focus on the design aesthetic, using a new Vulkan-based graphics renderer known as ‘Escher’ to do the job. The result is an interface with more depth to its look than traditionally flat OS products.
Google Fuchsia as it appears on a smartphone device. Image Credit: Google Fuchsia is also heavily focused on a cards-based interface, in which every app you open appears inside one of these cards – plus, you can place multiple apps into a single card. This orients the user around tasks at hand rather than apps. Those apps are expected to look the same across different devices because of a new cross-platform mobile app development framework, developed by Google, known as Flutter. Beyond that, Google Fuchsia revolves around Google Assistant more deeply accessing and working with your apps and information to provide even more actions and insights. Google has referred to these apps and pieces of information as ‘entities’, according to a GitHub developer page, and they’re all accessible by Google Assistant on Fuchsia. We’ve even seen a recent demo that further illustrates how deeply ingrained Google Assistant is on Fuchsia. And, it looks like Google will also be changing how it collects analytic data within Fuchsia, according to a report from 9to5 Google. Fuchsia will see the implementation of a new analytic program called ‘Cobalt’ which will collect information on how you use apps within the OS. Cobalt is supposedly a part of Google’s security-minded approach to the OS, but encryption hasn’t been worked in yet – but, we’re sure Google will work better security into Cobalt eventually. Google Chrome, or at least an early build of Chromium is up and running on early builds of Google Fuchsia, according to a report from 9to5 Google. And, while it’s not ready for the spotlight, this does mean that the fledgling OS is getting closer to being usable without days of preparation. Finally, Fuchsia wants to be the best cross-device OS to date. To achieve this, Fuchsia uses a new tool known as ‘Ledger’ by the GitHub community. Ledger, once you’re signed into a Google Account on a Fuchsia device, will automatically save your place in all installed apps across all Fuchsia devices. All in all, Fuchsia is Google’s attempt to get the best of Chrome and Android into a single operating system that’s more efficient both while you’re using it and when you’re away – not to mention in between those states or between devices.
This is likely where Fuchsia will make its debut. Google Fuchsia release dateEver since August 2016, we’ve seen a ton of rumors about Google Fuchsia’s release date – and each turned out to be false. These rumors usually come up before Google’s big Google IO developer event in California, or when we know a big hardware release is around the corner. Back in February, it was revealed that Google’s former head of Android platform security, Nick Kralevich, had left the Android team to ‘define security’ over in the Fuchsia department. Describing it as a “new, experimental operating system,” Kralevich doesn’t hint at any specific launch window, however it does show where Google chooses to put its most crucial resources. Today, all the speculation points to Google Fuchsia running within the next three years just on smart home devices, with a full public release coming within the next five years. Still, that seems to be an extremely shaky rumor – we’d be surprised if we saw it release before 2024 (or actual androids), if it ever actually comes out. However, recent developer messages through the Android Open Source Project suggest some movement. One of the commits mentions two repos, that the folks at 9to5Google take to be the “incorporation of the official Fuchsia SDK”. Another commit mentions the Huawei Honor Play smartphone, so we could see Fuchsia tested on actual devices soon. We’ve also seen evidence of other developers doing work on the platform. Yang Guo from the Node.js project at Google tweeted, looking for someone to help port Node over to Fuchsia, according to a report from Android Police. This suggests that Google is looking to implement full Javascript functionality to Fuchsia, and may point to some progress toward an eventual release date. What might help point to some movement for the Google Fuchsia release date, though, is a new hire from Apple. Bill Stevenson, a senior macOS engineer for Apple, announced on LinkedIn that he is joining Google to bring Fuchsia to market. At any rate, keep it locked to this page as we draw closer to a possible release date and therefore might have some new information for you.
Is Fuchsia the end of Android as we know it? Image Credit: TechRadar What could Fuchsia mean for Android and Chrome – and Windows and macOS?Word on the street is that Google Fuchsia is Google’s answer to Microsoft and Apple’s united platforms. In turning Android into one of the two biggest smartphone platforms and later popularizing Chrome OS – not to mention G-Suite, Google’s web-based productivity programs. Google has already kind of become a major player on all platforms. From the sound of it, Google is setting out to accomplish much of what Microsoft and Apple already have in place with Windows 10, iOS and macOS High Sierra. Continuity, respectively, but in a very Google way. It’s easy to expect access to Google’s inimitable search and data-tracking at your fingertips – Google Assistant and ‘entities’, anyone? – which it could boast as better than Microsoft and Apple’s, and an interface that evolves to meet the needs of the device from which it’s accessed. Will this eventually mean the end of Android and Chrome? In name, most likely, but their principles will almost certainly live on – there's too much solid foundation not to build on top of them. Just look at the Material design language found throughout these early builds of either version of Fuchsia. The end result, likely to be seen in a preview form later this year and in purchasable devices in 2019, will be just one platform for Google to worry about. With Fuchsia, Google will be able to push new updates and features to all versions at once, simplifying support as well as user understanding. With that, Google will become that much more formidable a foe to Microsoft and Apple, and that much appealing an option to Android and Chromebook users all over. Who knows, perhaps it will be enough to bring people over from the other side of Microsoft and Apple’s fences.
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| 40 best PC games 2019: the must-play titles you don’t want to miss Posted: 28 Mar 2019 12:12 PM PDT Now that we have the Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Ti, and Intel has launched its Coffee Lake Refresh lineup that promises some of the best processors for gaming, 2019 is the perfect time to dive into the best PC games. So, if you want to get in on the action that the top PC games 2019 have to offer, like Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey or Shadow of the Tomb Raider, then read on for our picks of the best PC games of 2019. We found the best PC games you can buy today, from classic titles like the Orange Box to new hits like Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. Believe us when we say you’ll want to get all of these PC games installed for yourself. Plus, many of these games are available on different platforms, like the Xbox One X, Nintendo Switch and PS4 Pro – something likely to stay true for a while. If you’re a PC gaming newcomer, you picked the perfect time to jump in on the platform, and we’d love to extend you a warm welcome. While there are definitely elitist gatekeepers among the PC gaming community, we here at TechRadar believe in inclusivity. So, with that in mind, let’s dive into the best PC games you can play today. Gabe Carey and Bill Thomas have also contributed to this article Back in 2011, when Rage came out, it was one of the best looking games on the market, and pushed our PCs to the absolute edge. However, the gameplay and the story didn’t really sit well with a lot of people. So, when we first heard word of Rage 2, we were a little skeptical. However, now that we know that id Software is teaming up with Avalanche Studios, the minds behind the criminally underrated Mad Max, we have our hopes up once more. Instead of the grimdark mood of the first title, Rage 2 looks like it won’t take itself too seriously, and will let you wreak neon-colored havoc across the post-apocalyptic wasteland. If Doom 2016 and Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus have shown us anything, it’s that id Software is back on a roll. We can’t wait to get our hands on Rage 2 when it launches in May 2019. Expected: May 14, 2019 Look, we know that this game is starting to get old, but it is aging like fine wine. Even three years after its release it’s one of the most ambitious open world games that’s ever existed – combining Skyrim’s unabashed scale with Grand Theft Auto V’s insane depth. It’s such a jam-packed games, that it’s still one of the best PC games in 2018. Huge, beautiful and an absolute time sink – in a good way – The Witcher 3: Wild hunt isn’t just the best PC game in 2018, but it may be one of the best video games of all time. Dragon Age: Inquisition, while not perfect, puts you in the midst of a huge, vibrant world on a much larger scale than past Dragon Age titles. Packed with hours of engrossing story and a wealth of side content, Dragon Age: Inquisition brings the series to an open world setting in a smart and compelling way. It might not be a new game, but for this excellent blend of Elder Scrolls and Baldur’s Gate, it’s still one of the best PC games available in 2018. Assassin’s Creed is basically a household name among the best PC games in 2018. And, starting with last year’s Origins, Ubisoft has been making huge efforts to revitalize the aging franchise. Well, we’re happy to report that they’ve succeeded. Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey feels like an improvement in every sense of the word over last years entry, feeling like a completely different game than older games in Ubisoft’s flagship series. This time around, despite the drama about microtransactions, Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey places you in the shoes of Kassandra or Alexios, in the middle of the Peloponnesian War, as you look for your lost mother and father. And, while the main story – which will have you switching alliances between the Spartans and the Athenians – will likely get lost in the mix along the way, the world that Ubisoft has created is as rich and beautiful as ever before. Just make sure you have one of the best graphics cards before you even try to run Assassin’s Creed Odyssey at a higher resolution. If you’re looking for one of the best open world games on PC, you can’t go wrong here. So, join us in exploring ancient Greece in Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey. Although it's arguably not as difficult as previous entries in the series, From Software's Dark Souls 3 takes everything you like about the Souls series and combines it with elements found in Bloodborne, the developer's more recent game for PS4. We’re not going to lie – Dark Souls 3 isn’t easy. It still takes skill and, more importantly, patience to master its complex combat system, but it plays fair too, inviting more casual gamers to take part in its bleak, fantastical world. Plus, on the bright side, it brings remarkably better PC optimization than that of the first game. And, now that you can pick up Dark Souls: Remastered and see where this apocalyptic series got its start – there’s never been a better time to link the first flame. Pillars of Eternity made a huge splash in the PC gaming scene when it launched a few years ago – Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire follows faithfully in its footsteps. Not only is this one of the best RPGs you can play today, but it’s also one of the best PC games 2018 has to offer. Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire puts players in the middle of the Deadfire Archipelago in pursuit of an ancient god. Along the way you’ll find yourself immersed in a rich, dense and long story crafted by Obsidian Entertainment – arguably the masters of RPGs. If you enjoy old school RPGs like Baldur’s Gate and Neverwinter Nights, and long for a return to those storied days – do yourself a favor and don’t miss out on Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire. It’s one of the best RPGs we’ve ever played. Do yourself a favor, though, and check out Pillars of Eternity first – it still holds up as one of the best PC games and your story will carry over to the sequel. Grand Theft Auto V is one of the most anticipated console ports to ever hit the PC. You probably didn't need telling twice to head back into Los Santos's hugely detailed and interactive world, but it's 10 times more fun with the PC's richer graphics and smooth 60 frames per second gameplay. After you’ve completed its 30-hour campaign, there’s an overflow of post-game content to enjoy here. Most recently that includes The Doomsday Heist in GTA Online and even a radio station hosted by Frank Ocean. BioShock is a first-person shooter that takes concepts from Ayn Rand's Atlast Shrugged and tosses them underseas. To be exact, BioShock takes place in an underwater city called Rapture, free from government regulation, designed for artists and entrepreneurs to thrive. Of course, not all goes well in a city where the residents have all the power and, well, stop what you're doing and play it right now if you haven't already. You're in for one of the great games if you play BioShock, one that balances story elements with horror nigh-perfectly. There's a remastered version out there now, too, which is free of charge if you own the original. Set 15 years after the events of the first Alien film from 1979, Alien: Isolation is the suspense-packed game that fans of the franchise have been crying out for. Playing the role of Amanda Ripley, daughter of Alien protagonist Ellen Ripley, your mission is to track down and recover the flight recorder of the Nostromo spacecraft from the first Alien film which has been located aboard the Sevastopol space station. First and foremost a stealth game, Isolation ramps up the tension by providing you with minimal weaponry. Its excellent graphics shine on high-end PCs and clever AI helps ramp up the dread, leaving you to quiver when turning every corner. Overwatch, if nothing else, completely changed the landscape away from the norm of gray-ish cover shooters in the realm of competitive gaming. Its bright, vibrant colors are complemented by likeable characters, each decorated with their own interesting backstories which, though not present in game, make for a collection of awesome webcomics and cinematics. Overwatch is also one of the best PC games, because of how well it runs on all kinds of different hardware. Sure, it’s a bit old now, but even in 2018, it’s the best PC game for anyone looking for some competitive action. If somehow you’ve missed out on this game, do yourself a favor – sign in to your Battle.net account and take Overwatch, and its colorful cast of characters, for a spin today. Even if it came out almost 6 years ago, Counter-Strike Global Offensive is still a fantastic update to a timeless classic that continues to thrive thanks to its vast online communities – it’s truly one of the best PC games. Global Offensive is a well-rounded tactical shooter that builds on the simple Terrorists vs Counter-Terrorists gameplay of Counter-Strike 1.6, by updating classic maps such as Italy and Dust – while also adding new modes in Arms Race and Demolition. Simpler than Battlefield, but more complex than Call of Duty, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is a shooter for those who like to think – if only just a little bit. In a lot of ways, Far Cry 5 is the ultimate Far Cry game – combining all of the elements that has made the series successful, while cutting a lot of the fat (including the towers, thank god). And while on its own it doesn't do anything entirely new, it perfects the Far Cry formula to a point where Far Cry 5 is one of the best open world First Person Shooters you can play in 2018. After a very heavy and intense intro, you’re dumped in the middle of rural Montana and given the task of dismantling the local cult. But, that quickly fades into the background as a myriad of activities – from hunting down aliens to taking out outposts – ultimately become your focus. But it’s precisely this focus on playing your own way that makes Far Cry 5 so special. Monster Hunter has been one of the biggest gaming franchises you’ve never heard of for years now. However, with Monster Hunter: World, the series broke into the mainstream, and it’s also come to the PC (finally). And, well, it’s one of the best PC games you can play today. Monster Hunter: World places you in the shoes of a, well, monster hunter, and you’ll hunt progressively bigger and nastier monsters, strip them for parts and craft bigger and badder armor. It’s a deceptively simple gameplay loop, that ends up being one of the most enthralling and rewarding PC games you can play today. There’s a never-ending onslaught of content in this game, and Capcom, the developers of this monster hunting hit, are dedicated to bringing a wealth of free DLC to the game. Not to mention a new frosty expansion in Monster Hunter World: Iceborne. So, if you’re looking for an addictive, engaging and most importantly, fun game to play by yourself or with all your best friends cooperatively, check out Monster Hunter: World – it really is one of the best PC games you can buy today. A 90s classic brought back to life (unlike its main protagonist), Grim Fandango Remastered is a successful attempt at reviving one of the PC's best adventure games of all time. Combining writing that matches the funniest dark comedies with clever puzzles and a still-impressive art style, Grim Fandango was the most entertaining work of art to take place in a Mexican setting for years until Breaking Bad came along. Now with updated graphics, sound and better controls, Manna Calavera's adventure has never looked so good. Six years after its initial release, Skyrim is going as strong as ever thanks to a vast selection of mods and high-resolution texture packs. Even if you're only interested in playing the vanilla version of the RPG, it offers more than 100 hours of gameplay. Throw in three action packs DLC expansion packs (Dawnguard, Hearthfire and Dragonborn), and it lasts even longer. That Skyrim has been compared to graphically superior but similar RPG blockbuster The Witcher 3 is testament to its enduring popularity. Step into Skyrim and you too can be an adventurer - just try not to take an arrow in the knee. And, if you’re looking for a more, well, special version of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Bethesda has you covered – it can’t seem to stop releasing and re-releasing Skyrim for every platform. You can even play it in VR. From Software is essentially a household name among the best PC games these days. The minds behind the critically acclaimed Dark Souls series have brought PC gamers to some of the most desolate landscapes with some of the most challenging and rewarding gameplay. And, From Software is back again, with Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. Sekiro places you in the shoes of the Young Wolf, a shinobi tasked with rescuing his young master. The game will take you through 16th-century Japan, but things will get weird and supernatural: this is From Software we’re talking about. Don’t expect an easy time of it though, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is an extremely difficult game to master. You’ll need quick reflexes to deflect enemy attacks, and you’ll need to master stealth. You won’t be able to hide behind a shield all day, like you were able to in Dark Souls III. The phrase "build it, and they will come" literally rings true when it comes to Minecraft, the survival-based sandbox RPG that has now been purchased more than 100 million times since its conception in 2009. In it, you can create your own worlds using resources you find in the wild or explore worlds created by other players online. In Minecraft, you can either limit yourself to the numerous tools and blocks provided by the developer, Mojang, or you can install mods to truly capitalize on your investment. What’s more, come 2018, you’ll be able to take part in the Super Duper Graphics Pack, an optional piece of DLC that adds more realistic lighting effects and textures to an already fantastic product. The Orange Box may be showing its age, but it remains a must-play collection of games - particularly for FPS fans. Half-Life 2, technically still the most recent game in Valve's franchise (excluding its Episode 1 and 2 add-ons), remains a modern masterpiece and is famed for being the first game to intelligently apply physics to its puzzles and combat set-pieces. The collection's other titles aren't too shabby either: Portal takes gravity-based puzzles to the extreme by equipping the player with the Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device (also known as the Portal Gun), which places two portals for objects to pass through, while Team Fortress 2 continues to go from strength-to-strength thanks to the introduction of custom gear and well-balanced team combat. Sometimes a game that’s been out for 10 years becomes temporarily free on Origin and you just have to play it. Dead Space is one of those games. A survival horror game by definition, this acclaimed piece of science fiction stars a fittingly named Isaac Clarke, whose name itself is a combination of the famous sci-fi authors Arthur C. Clarke and Isaac Asimov. Told from an over-the-shoulder third-person perspective, Dead Space is a rescue mission story, wherein you (as Isaac) are tasked with investigating a mining ship mysteriously full of alien virus-infected dead bodies. All the while, you’ll have to stay on top of upgrading your futuristic ‘RIG’ suit too. Id Software's Doom was a phenomena for PC gamers in the 90s. The crudely rendered first-person shooter series was as controversial as it was beloved, largely thanks to its cutting-edge depictions of gore and violence that only a computer could deliver. Parents be damned, the franchise has made a comeback in 2016 with a fresh restart, appropriately titled Doom. Although the multiplayer might not appeal to shooter fans regardless of age, the single player campaign will pit you against demons in Hell for a lengthy experience that's as bloody as it is satisfying. If Forza Horizon 3 is the racing game for newcomers to racing games, Asetto Corsa is the game for the grizzled experts. Its obtuse handling and insane difficulty straight from the get go makes it a toss up for one of the most realistic racing simulators of all time. And, even if you can get it on consoles, unlike Project Cars, this is a game that was developed for PC first. Everything about this game, from its demanding career mode to its deep seated driving mechanics – which basically require a racing wheel accessory – make it a joy for die-hard petrolheads, even if its difficulty curve is often just backbreaking. Capcom has been on a roll these last couple years. After coming out of seemingly nowhere with the fantastic Resident Evil 7, Capcom has been reinventing some of the most beloved franchises for the modern age. And, with Devil May Cry 5, Capcom has done it again. Devil May Cry has always been over the top, with high-octane character-driven action and cheesy one liners. Devil May Cry 5 takes this and turns it up to 11, with non-stop action as you fight your way through two characters’ stories in style. As you progress through the game, you’ll unlock many different weapons and combat moves, and you can combine them to write symphonies of bloodshed – and you’re encouraged to do so. It’s not really a question of surviving to the end of the level, it’s how cool you look while playing through it. And, that’s why Devil May Cry 5 is one of the best PC games. Among the best PC games, there’s this tendency to romanticize the apocalypse. Whether it’s zombies, like in Dead Rising or a nuclear wasteland like in Fallout 4, the apocalypse is oddly a place you want to visit. But, with Metro Exodus, that’s not the case. Metro Exodus takes a more dark and gritty approach to the apocalypse. The air is poison, the wildlife is all mutated, and the survivors are all at each other's throats. And, while past Metro titles have explored this darker post-apocalypse from underground, through the titular ‘Metro’, Metro Exodus takes things to the Surface. You’ll set out on an Exodus across the nuclear wasteland in order to find a home, but along the way you’ll experience the horror and supernatural weirdness that the Metro series has become known for. And, as a bonus, it’s one of the most beautiful PC games on the market today, provided you have the graphical horsepower to back it up. Described as "achingly beautiful" by Unity Engine boss John Riccitiello, Ori and the Blind Forest borrows its game mechanics from old-school 2D games such as Metroid and Castlevania while adding a modern twist. If any word can describe Ori's atmospheric world, it's alive. You'll have to think fast and use new abilities gained along the way to bash, stop and manoeuvre your way through its gorgeous locations, and with no automatic saving system or easy difficulty level, it's no walk in the park. As satisfying to master as it is to look at, Ori and the Blind Forest will re-open your eyes to what 2D games still have to offer. There aren’t many franchises that are as iconic as Resident Evil. Since the first game launched way back in 1996, it has served as a watermark of where Survival Horror is – even in its worst days (looking at you, Resident Evil 6). So, when Capcom finally announced the Resident Evil 2 remake, we instantly started paying attention. And, we have to say – it paid off. Resident Evil 2 isn’t just a remake of the best horror game ever made, but it might actually take the mantle altogether. Gone are the ancient tank controls that divided fans, giving way to the same over-the shoulder perspective introduced in Resident Evil 4. But, this time around, through the use of Resident Evil 7’s RE Engine, Capcom has transformed the ancient horror game into a title that’s terrifying by today’s post-Amnesia standards. And, thanks to just how much you can customize how the game performs and looks, Resident Evil 2 will serve as a benchmark for the best PC games throughout 2019 – even if it doesn’t use as much VRAM as the settings menu says it does. Beyond Final Fantasy, there isn’t another Japanese RPG (JRPG) franchise that carries as much weight as Dragon Quest. For decades, these have been the penultimate JRPGs for many – even inspiring modern classics like Pokemon. And, for the first time in 14 years, Dragon Quest has made its way to home consoles and, more importantly, to PC for the first time ever. Dragon Quest XI is a beautiful, colorful JRPG that’ll put you in the shoes of a young prince that’s set out to – save the world, obviously. You’ll get about 80-100 hours out of the game, and every moment will be memorable and magical. It even features art from Akira Toriyama, best known for his work on Dragon Ball – it’s easy to see why it’s one of the best PC games of 2018. Already familiar to millions before they've played a played a second of it, Rocket League turns the age old game of football (or soccer, depending) on its head. Played with rocket-propelled cars in futuristic low-gravity environments, the aim is simple: knock the ball into the opposing team's goal. Doing so is harder said than done because there could be up to three cars on the opposing team trying to steal the ball off you - or ram you into submission - at any one time. Gorgeous to look, simple to learn but difficult to master, Rocket League is the surprise smash hit of 2015 - and a wonderfully addictive one at that. Read: 8 real-life footballers in Rocket League: which one are you? When Insurgency first launched way back in 2014, it was a breath of fresh air – a shooter that completely opposed the arcade-like approach of games like Call of Duty. And, Insurgency: Sandstorm takes this formula and goes all-in. Insurgency: Sandstorm is a brutally difficult and visceral online shooter, meant to give Counter Strike: Global Offensive a run for its money. This is a game where you won’t get respawns, you won’t be able to absorb bullets, you will die easily – it’s awesome. If you’re looking for a game that rewards patience and tactics, Insurgency: Sandstorm is one of the best PC games for you. Metal Gear Solid V, the last Metal Game which will be helmed by Hideo Kojima after his forceful ejection from Konami, is a hugely ambitious title. Its massive open world setting allows you to tackle missions using stealth, but you’re still able to go in guns blazing if you prefer – though you won’t get as good a score. Taking place nine years after the events of Ground Zeroes, The Phantom Pain’s story unravels through its main missions and more than 100 Side Ops tasks. The action is interspersed with beautiful cutscenes, and while you sometimes have to decode annoying pseudo-military babble to figure out what’s happening, TPP’s fast pacing and beautiful Afghanistan and African settings make sure the game never feels like a chore. You can ask basically any veteran PC gamer, and they’ll tell you that Battlefield games have always been among the best PC games. And, with Battlefield V, the trend continues – it’s one of the best PC games 2018 has to offer, period. The core mechanics remain the same, drive, fly, or run to capture points on a map and defend them against the enemy team. However, this year’s offering refines the Operations mode from 2016’s Battlefield 1, and transforms it into, well, Grand Operations. This epic game mode takes place across up to 4 maps, and is meant to portray crucial battles of World War II. It’s an absolute blast, just make sure you have an hour to spare. Battlefield V is also one of the best PC games when it comes to visuals. Never before has war looks so terrifyingly real in a virtual space. The environments are more realistic than ever before, and if you’re rocking an Nvidia Turing card, like the Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Ti, you can turn on ray tracing and experience out-of-this-world reflections. We’re not exaggerating when we say it’s the best PC game in 2018 for FPS fans. The 2016 revival of Hitman was a revelation, a rebirth of a classic series that showed what Hitman could be. So, we went into Hitman 2 with high expectations – expectations that paid off. Hitman 2 puts players in even bigger environments, with more complicated missions that will test your creativity in deadly ways. What’s especially notable here though, is the new game modes on offer. You’ll have access to a new Sniper Assassin mode, and most importantly, a co-op game mode – a first for the Hitman series. If you’re looking for an engaging stealth experience, you really can’t go wrong with Hitman 2 – it’s one of the best PC games of 2018, easy. Warhammer: End Times - Vermintide was one of the best PC games for anyone who loves playing the best PC games with friends. And, we’re delighted to say that Warhammer: Vermintide 2 takes the deep co-operative gameplay of the original and improves on it in every conceivable way. Although it technically allows you to form complex strategies with your teammates, the action often turns into chaos, where the only way you can survive is mindlessly bashing at enemies until you, and your teammates (preferably), are the only things left standing. And, because Vermintide 2 adds a wide range of Orc enemies on top of the familiar Skaven enemies, you’ll never run out of things to hack to pieces. It's official: Fallout 4 has lived up to the hype. Despite feeling a little bit like Fallout 3 but with nicer graphics at times, its tighter shooting, in-depth crafting system and well-thought out story make it a wholly more enticing affair. As the Sole Survivor (the first fully-voiced protagonist in the Fallout series) in Boston's post-apocalypse wasteland, you'll take on Feral Ghouls, Raiders, Syths and Bloodbugs and more with high-powered weaponry that includes the Fat Man mini nuke cannon and the fusion cell-powered Laser Musket. If the Call of Duty series is the poison that dumbed down the FPS genre with its run-and-gun gameplay, then Rainbow Six: Siege is the antidote. Working as a team to out-wit the enemy, Siege plays out like a thinking man (or woman's) Counter-Strike that doesn't simply encourage cooperation if you want to win - it requires it. When you're not peering down your gun's iron sights, you'll be laying traps, scouting ahead using drones, strategising with your teammates and building walls that could keep a herd of demented bulls at bay. While Siege's heavy reliance on tactical team-based gameplay can prove its biggest weakness if you're hoisted into a server with a particularly uncooperative bunch, when it does click, it provides a level of satisfaction rarely found in online multiplayer games. After the rebooted Tomb Raider and its sublime sequel, Rise of the Tomb Raider, the seminal series has won its place among the best PC games with Shadow of the Tomb Raider. Instead of simply porting over a console version and calling it good, Crystal Dynamics has created a technical masterpiece with Lara Croft’s latest adventure. Shadow of the Tomb Raider finds Lara heading down to South America to thwart a Mayan apocalypse. While the scenery isn’t as diverse as in previous titles, it’s still just as arrestingly beautiful throughout. And, with Nvidia’s RTX technology coming later this year, it’s going to be a great way to put the best graphics cards to the test while having some fun at the same time. Imagine a survival-based shooter where every match starts with your avatar being ejected from a cargo plane alongside 99 other players with no weapons or items. That’s PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, or at least the solo, free for all mode. After spending the early minutes of the game digging for resources, you’ll soon be forced to reckon with your own mortality as the body count ticker at the top of the screen descends into desolation. Abbreviated PUBG, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds is based on another “last man standing” game released back in 2013: PlayerUnknown’s Battle Royale. It doesn’t require a copy of Arma III or H1Z1 to run, but you’ll need to keep your wits about you. There’s no respawning in PUBG, so it’s less about the precision of your aim as it is about your ability to scavenge quickly for weapons, first aid kits and clothing. Picking up immediately after the events of Wolfenstein: The New Order, Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus will inevitably be heralded as a classic. For some, it’s the punishing old-school gunplay that’s to thank for this. Even on the default difficulty, Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus will have you fretting for your life. Yet, for others, story reigns supreme. And, if The New Colossus serves as an interactive showcase for anything, it’s story, the most interesting parts of which are told through flashbacks. We won’t go as far as to spoil the plot, but what we will say is that B.J. Blazkowicz’s motives become a lot clearer in this iteration of Wolfenstein, not that he needs to justify killing Nazis. When The Division first came out in March 2016, it was, well, divisive. However, Ubisoft put in a ton of work improving the game over the years. And, now, Ubisoft has released the Division 2, and it’s orders of magnitude better than the original. You’ll be unleashed in a collapsed Washington DC, fighting with other players to stabilize the city. While doing this, you’ll level up, get new loot and unlock more areas. It’s an addictive gameplay loop, and it will keep you engaged for hours on end. Plus, since it’s a live service game, you can be confident that Ubisoft will keep it updated with fresh content for a while to come. X-Com 2 is one addictive game, and we still can't put it down. Following up from 2012's XCOM: Enemy Unknown, which reimagined the 1994 cult classic UFO: Enemy Unknown, XCOM 2 has delivered everything we wanted in a sequel. Bigger, deeper, faster and even easier on the eyes, the turn-based tactics game takes place 20 years after its predecessor. It pits you in control of the Avenger, a converted alien ship that serves as your mobile base of operations used to devise strategy and execute fight plans against otherworldly enemies. With a greater focus of stealth, more intelligent alien AI and deeper customization options, XCOM 2 is bound to end up one of our games of the year. Anyone familiar with World of Warcraft knows that it's among the most successful and influential massively multiplayer online role-playing games (or MMORPGs) of all-time. Comprising nearly 14 years of content, with over thousands of hours just waiting to be invested, there are few better games to spend your money on than World of Warcraft. In the new expansion, Battle For Azeroth, players explore two new continents – Kul Tiras for Alliance players and Zandalar for the Horde – though there’s something much more sinister hiding beneath the surface. Blizzard has kept the leveling system from Legion, too, meaning you can tackle the new zones in whatever order you want. This will of course come with the all-new raids and dungeons we’ve grown accustomed to over the years and a storyline that will see the two playable factions at each other’s throats in a major way. You’ll get hours upon hours of content to play through here, as is custom with World of Warcraft throughout its 14-year history. And, you can count on updates throughout the expansion, like the recently released Tides of Vengeance that add even more stuff to do. From PlatinumGames and Square Enix, Nier: Automata is a sequel to the 2010 cult classic Nier, which itself is a spin-off of the Drakengard series. Technically an action role-playing game, Nier: Automata’s most gripping quality is that it never truly adheres to one particular genre. At times, it’s a 2.5D platformer and, at others, it’s a twin-stick shooter. It’s unpredictable and a breath of fresh air when compared to other PC games out on the market. The story centers around a femme android by the name of 2B who is aided by a survey android called 9S, or Nines. With many questions being asked along the way, both of these characters are tasked with extricating Earth from alien machines that have engulfed the planet. Just be conscious of how you play because not only does Nier: Automata feature different endings, but with each new path comes vastly different gameplay. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Best laptop for DJs 2019: The best laptops for music production Posted: 28 Mar 2019 12:09 PM PDT If you’re a DJ, or even an aspiring music producer, you’re going to need more than just the best headphones, you’re going to need one of the best laptops for music production. Whether you’re a musician or a professional DJ, you’ll need a laptop that has one of the best processors and plenty of fast RAM. This is because these components will let your laptop handle multiple music tracks without hiccupping. Finding a laptop with one of the best SSDs, or even a capacious hard drive is also recommended, as you’ll be working with large file sizes. Finally, you’ll want awesome sound, obviously, whether it’s through outside speakers or the ones built in. Plus, especially if you have to travel between gigs often, you want to find a laptop that can take a beating. You probably don’t want to go for something like the best rugged laptops, but you want something that’s not going to break because you dropped your backpack. While we’re on the subject of mobility, you’ll want to find a laptop that’s thin and light, so you may want to take a look at an Ultrabook. While the MacBook Pro may be the default for most musicians, plenty of the top laptops for music production will run Windows 10 instead. To make choosing a laptop easy, we’ve included our exclusive price comparison tool, so you know where to find the best deal. If you want to see a more comprehensive list of prices and retailers, just click the ‘view all prices’ link on each widget. The best laptops for music production and DJs:
Image Credit: Apple The new Apple MacBook is the slimmest, slickest and best-looking Macbook the Cupertino company has ever created, and it’s one of the best selling laptops on the market. This, along with the excellent music production software available for Macs means it’s the best laptop for music production. It’s an extremely slim and light notebook that you can take anywhere without even noticing the weight, and gives you the same slick macOS performance. Read the full review: Apple Macbook
Image Credit: Apple The MacBook Pro has a reputation for being the go-to laptop for musicians all around the world, and the 2018 version is no different. As long as you can justify the expense, the MacBook Pro is one of the best laptops for musicians. With its Core i9 processor and up to 32GB of RAM, you’re going to be able to load up as many tracks as you need in Logic Pro X without having to worry about your laptop slowing down. It’s also incredibly sturdy – you don’t need to worry about things bumping into it in your tour bag, thanks to its robust aluminum unibody design. Read the full review: MacBook Pro (15-inch, mid-2018)
Image Credit: Microsoft If you want a music production laptop that can double as a Windows tablet in your downtime, the Surface Pro 6 should be at the top of your list. Not only does it pack the hardware necessary for music production, but it has a beautiful display, and plenty of legacy connections for connecting your equipment. It lacks USB-C and Thunderbolt 3, but if you’re just in it for music production, that shouldn’t really matter. Read the full review: Surface Pro 6
Image Credit: Dell The Dell XPS 13 has been one of the best laptops you can buy for a few years running now, and the 2018 version is no different. For aspiring music producers, the XPS’ move to an 8th-generation Intel Kaby Lake R CPU should be appealing, as it will trim down the time it takes to process tracks, allowing you to minimize downtime. Unfortunately, you won’t be able to find a 1TB storage drive anymore, but when you get a laptop that looks this good and runs this fast – it’s a worthy tradeoff. Read the full review: Dell XPS 13 (2018)
Image Credit: Microsoft With all the 2-in-1 laptops that convert into a tablet, packed with unnecessary features, sometimes a straight Windows 10 laptop is just what you need. Luckily, Microsoft has released the Surface Laptop 2, one of the best laptops in its arsenal. Not only does this thing feature a quad-core processor and plenty of RAM, but it has a lovely touch display and all the ports you need – even if it’s lacking Thunderbolt 3. As long as you don’t need Logic Pro X, you really can’t go wrong with the Surface Laptop 2 – it’s one of the best laptops for music production. Read the full review: Surface Laptop 2
Image Credit: Apple We’ve been left wanting for a new MacBook Air for a few years now, and we finally got a new one. The new MacBook Air brings Apple’s thin and light mainstream laptop into the modern day with a sleek aluminum build, a Retina display and an actual modern processor. This all makes for one of the best laptops for musicians that want to stay with macOS – though you’ll want to invest in a couple of dongles, the two Thunderbolt 3 ports aren’t compatible with a lot of music equipment. Read the full review: MacBook Air
Image Credit: Dell If you're looking for a larger and more powerful laptop for running music production software on, then the Dell XPS 15 could be for you. Packing the same InfinityEdge technology as the smaller XPS 13, the screen extends right to the edge of the machine which means it's as small as it's possible to make a 15-inch laptop in 2017. It's quite pricey though, depending on which version you get. The very top end version has a 4K color-accurate display, which can give you an excellent overview of all the tracks you're working on. Read the full review: Dell XPS 15
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| Best HP laptops 2019: the top HP laptops we’ve seen and tested Posted: 28 Mar 2019 12:08 PM PDT Over the last few years, HP has been working on rebuilding a reputation for high-end laptops. And, since then HP laptops have experienced a renaissance through the magic of Ultrabooks running on Windows 10. The best HP laptops, then, have transformed into gorgeous pieces of kit that focus on design flair, rather than cheapness. This approach has resulted in some of the most beautiful devices in the laptop world right now, like the HP Spectre x360, with its gold trim and high-resolution displays. And, it doesn’t seem like HP will slow down in 2019, judging by its CES 2019 announcements. This resurgence has also brought about the popular ‘privacy filter,’ called Sure View to prominence. Plus, the best HP laptops are bedecked with a beautiful gold trim that we’re used to seeing in HP’s high-end Spectre 2-in-1s and Ultrabooks.
Image Credit: HP In our mind, the best HP laptops balance design flair with raw power, and the HP Spectre x360 is a perfect example. The 2018 model features perfectly slim bezels and is light enough to use in tablet mode comfortably. As a regular laptop, you’ll have trouble finding a better keyboard, brighter display and more powerful components – especially considering its size. And, at CES 2019, HP revealed the 2019 model of the 15-inch version, with more angular chassis and updated internals. Read the full review: HP Spectre x360
Image Credit: HP The HP Spectre 13 is straight up one of the most gorgeous laptops we’ve ever used. The ceramic white finish is beautifully topped off by a two-prong hinge design that’s extremely attractive. But, the Spectre 13 goes even further, by packing some serious horsepower. It leverages the power of 8th-generation Intel Kaby Lake Refresh processors to outpace the competition. The HP Spectre 13 is one of the best HP laptops, and will let you get all your work done in style. Read the full review: HP Spectre 13
Image Credit: HP While it doesn’t redefine the PC like HP’s marketing claims, the HP Spectre Folio does enough right to be one of the best HP laptops you can buy. Covered front to back in leather, this 2-in-1 laptop is aimed directly at the luxury market, with a price tag to match. It’s not the fastest laptop out there, but the fanless chip on board has enough juice to get through most everyday tasks, just don’t expect to get any serious video editing done. This is more for the professional taking a device between meetings. Read the full review: HP Spectre Folio
Image Credit: HP The HP Pavilion 15 isn’t going to blow your mind with sheer power, but it will make up for it with finesse. It’s one of the few remaining AMD Ryzen-based laptops in HP’s stable – which could change – but the Ryzen chips here are worth paying attention to. This is the best HP laptop for anyone on a budget, it's a rare example of a laptop that can strike a golden balance between price and performance, making it one of the best laptops for college students.
Image Credit: HP You shouldn’t have to break open your piggy bank to get one of the best HP laptops, which is why devices like the HP Chromebook 14 G5 exist. It’s an economical Chromebook that never feels cheap, which is a distinction that Chromebooks wear like a badge of honor. This Chromebook in particular boasts a sleek aesthetic and passable performance, especially when you spec it out. It’s easy to see why, for people on a budget, the HP Chromebook 14 G% is one of the best HP laptops.
Image Credit: HP If you’ve been watching the laptop market as long as we have, you’ll have noticed that the best gaming laptops kind of get a bad rap, thanks to the lack of mobility. However, HP has addressed this issue by adding plenty of new features that gaming laptops tend to lack. First, you can overclock the Omen X, which just means free performance – which will keep it at the top of the stack longer than competitors. For gamers, the HP Omen X is a no-brainer.
Image Credit: HP HP’s flagship Spectre line of Ultrabooks and 2-in-1s might get all the hype, but the manufacturer has a long-running tradition of crafting some of the best business laptops. The HP Elitebook continues this tradition by packing in powerful Ryzen processors, plenty of memory and speedy SSDs beneath a svelte all-metal chassis. It is a bit expensive, but if you’re looking for an office laptop, with all the requirements that business-grade products require, this is the best HP laptop for you. Read the full review: HP Elitebook 745 G5
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| Posted: 28 Mar 2019 12:07 PM PDT If you spend a lot of time playing the best PC games online, you’ve probably run into a huge lag spike at some point, but what if we told you that the best gaming routers could ensure your online gaming is never interrupted? Well, it’s true: the best gaming routers will prioritize network traffic for your games, thanks to a neat little trick called Quality of Service (or QoS), which will help make sure your gaming session isn’t interrupted by your roommate downloading games or watching Netflix. You’ll also want to keep an eye out for MU-MIMO, so that everyone in your home can get some gaming done without interrupting each other. Now, typically wired connections are the best way to go about gaming, and we’d have to agree. So, the best gaming routers should have a ton of wired Ethernet ports. But, even if it would be ideal to have all of your devices hardwired to your router, you don’t want your entire apartment or home covered with a criss-cross of errant wires. That’s why the best gaming routers will also feature the latest Wifi standards – currently Wi-Fi 5. Having multiple external antennae which you can move to boost signal is a bonus, too. Taking into consideration the needs of gamers, we here at TechRadar have gathered up all the best gaming routers 2019 has to offer.
If you’re looking for the latest router technology but you still love that old school aesthetic, the TP-Link Archer C5400 v2 is right up your alley. This is a gaming router that blends enthusiast grade features and accessible setup into a package that’s appealing to pretty much anyone. And, when you add in the Alexa support, you have a router that can adapt to any situation, whether you’re focusing on winning the latest match in Apex Legends, or you have guests all connecting to your network. Read the full review: TP-Link Archer C5400 V2
The Asus RT-AC5300 is one of the best gaming routers – it comes with a variety of advanced features, making online and network gaming as lag and frustration free as possible. This includes an easy-to-use yet powerful interface, as well as comprehensive QoS settings. The spider-like design won’t be to everyone’s taste, but the eight antennae serve a purpose, as they can be used to direct your Wi-Fi signal throughout your home, giving this router an excellent range. Read the full review: Asus RT-AC86U
We already covered the TP-Link Archer C5400 v2 earlier, but the manufacturer slapped an ‘X’ at the end of this one, to signify the extreme boost in performance. It’s significantly more expensive, but this may be one of the highest-end gaming routers out there. With eight ethernet ports around the back, it’s perfect for hardwiring a wealth of gaming equipment. And, the MU-MIMO and Tri-band support mean that wireless connections are also top-notch. You’ll be able to top the leaderboards wherever you are in the house. Read the full review: TP-Link Archer C5400X
If you’re a hardcore gamer, it can be annoying when your roommates are always watching Netflix or downloading games of their own, so you’ll want to pick up something like the Netgear Nighthawk XR500. Not only will this elite gaming router provide an insane 2.2Gbps speed, but with MU-MIMO support and unique gaming features, like location based connection filtering and QoS, you can game all night without hitting a crippling lag spike. Just prepare for the high sticker price and make sure you can handle such a gamer aesthetic. Read the full review: Netgear Nighthawk Pro Gaming XR500
The Asus RT-AC5300 is an excellent high-end gaming router that comes with a number of advanced features for making online and network gaming as lag and frustration free as possible. This includes an easy-to-use yet powerful interface, as well as comprehensive QoS settings. The spider-like design won't be to everyone's tastes, but the eight antennae serve a purpose, as they can be used to direct your Wi-Fi signal throughout your home, giving this router an excellent range. Read the full review: Asus RT-AC5300 Tri-band Gigabit Router
It might look like it’s getting ready to abduct a close friend or family member, but we promise the Zyxel Armor Z2 AC2600 isn’t as alien in function as in appearance. Rocking the latest MU-MIMO support, which improves speed when multiple devices are connected to the same network, this gaming router prides itself on its performance capabilities. Because it can handle a ton of devices, while prioritizing bandwidth depending on the needs of each device, it’s one of the best gaming routers you can buy today. Read the full review: Zyxel Armor Z2 AC2600
The Asus RT-AC88U is an expensive gaming router, but it justifies the price with insane 802.11 wireless performance. Rocking four antennas and NitroQAM tech, which pushes speeds even further, this gaming router enables wireless performance that can break the 1GB/sec limit. But, there’s a catch – you’ll need to pick up a NitroQAM wireless adapter, like the Asus PCE AC88, to see these fast speeds. But, with speeds like this, it’s easy to see why this is one of the best gaming routers out there.
It might look like something from Battlestar Galactica – the old Battlestar Galactica – but, the D-Link DIR 885L/R is a dependable mid-range gaming router with great range and speed. If you’re looking for the best gaming router, you may want to give this one a chance – it has a good variety of port, and a nicely designed UI. It also features DD-WRT open-source firmware, which makes this router as flexible as it is powerful.
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| The best 13-inch laptop 2019: the top 13-inch laptops we've reviewed Posted: 28 Mar 2019 12:07 PM PDT It’s hard to imagine a world without the best laptops – pretty much everyone needs one these days. However, for the best 13-inch laptops, there’s one core reason to choose them over any other – they’re the perfect size. 15-inch laptops are just too big, and if you get something less than 12-inches, you’ll be left squinting. The best 13-inch laptops, then, hit the sweet spot.-- they’re perfect for watching online videos, and even getting some work done. We still love the Dell XPS 13, but it’s not the only choice out there. We would totally understand if you prefer the new MacBook Air, or even the Huawei MateBook 13. Sure, the XPS is beautiful, but the other options are more than valid, too. The best 13-inch laptops all excel in different ways. Still, the best 13-inch laptop for you will ultimately depend on your individual needs. Do you just want a normal laptop, without any fancy bells and whistles? Or, do you want a 2-in-1 laptop that can morph into one of the best Windows tablets? Or maybe you want to skip Windows 10 entirely, and opt for one of the best Macs, backed up by macOS Mojave. No matter what your needs are, you’ll find a great laptop here, there are so many choices.
Image Credit: TechRadar It’s not often that we run into a 13-inch laptops that hits all the right boxes, without having to compromise on anything. And, the Huawei MateBook 13 does exactly that. Packed with the latest Intel Whiskey Lake processors and Nvidia MX150 graphics in a chassis that really should be too small to handle them, the Huawei MateBook 13 is a powerhouse that will fit in any travel bag. And, it’s affordable – what more could you ask for? Read the full review: Huawei MateBook 13
Image Credit: TechRadar The Dell XPS 13, while its changes over last year’s model are subtle, is still one of the best 13-inch laptops. On the high end, the 4K display offers a sharper picture across the board. But, even if you can’t afford the top end model, the gorgeous design, lengthy battery life and SD card slot aren’t going anywhere – plus, you’ve got a quad-core processor no matter what poison you pick. It’s going to be one of the best 13-inch laptops, no matter which configuration you go for. Read the full review: Dell XPS 13
Image Credit: TechRadar It’s not quite as powerful as the 15-inch version, but everything else about the Surface Book 2 13.5 inch makes for one of the best 13-inch laptops on the market. No matter if you’re a professional or a creative, the Surface Book 2 will dominate your workloads in style. What’s more, the dynamic fulcrum hinge is even better this time around, which only complements its robust quad-core processor. Plus, unlike many other 2-in-1 laptops, the keyboard is removable, which makes it a much more manageable tablet when the need arises. Read the full review: Microsoft Surface Book 2
Image Credit: TechRadar You may be expecting a gaming laptop, especially given Razer’s reputation, but the Razer Blade Stealth is one of the best 13-inch laptops you can buy today. It’s thin, light, and packed with the latest Ultrabook-class hardware – including dedicated MX150 graphics. The 8th-generation Intel Whiskey Lake Processor makes this laptop a force to be reckoned with. And, while it’s certainly expensive, the sheer style and build quality might be worth it. Read the full review: Razer Blade Stealth
Image Credit: TechRadar For anyone who prefers premium build quality over everything, the HP Spectre x360 contains everything you could ever ask for in a 2-in-1 without compromise. Weighing in at just 2.78 pounds and measuring just over half an inch thick, it’s as thin as it is light. Plus, with up to a 4K display and 8th-generation Intel processors, it’s one of the best ways to experience high-quality video streaming as well as 720p gaming on a hybrid. We didn’t even mention the plentitude of ports. You’ll get two USB-C Thunderbolt 3 ports on top of a USB 3.1 Type-A – so you shouldn’t need a ton of adapters. Read the full review: HP Spectre x360
Image Credit: TechRadar If you’re looking for a thin, svelte and fast 13-inch laptop to haul around with you, and you don’t mind giving up some premium features, you’ll fall in love with the Asus ZenBook 13. Coming in at just half an inch thick and weighing just 2.5 pounds, this is the perfect laptop to carry when traveling. And, don’t think you have to give up on power with all this portability, either. The Asus ZenBook 13 features quad-core Intel processors, 8GB of RAM and a fast SSD. The only thing you’re missing here is USB-C, and while it’s a nice feature to have, it’s easy to look past in a laptop this stylish. Read the full review: Asus Zenbook 13
Image Credit: TechRadar No one likes change, we get it. Still, the 15.6-inch frame of the Samsung Notebook 7 Spin we once knew will soon be erased from our memories forever, but the new 13.3-inch model doesn’t seem like an awful upgrade. It’s bounced two generations into the future in terms of processing power, and even though there are no discrete graphics – we’re happy to see a keyboard that can compete with some of the heavy hitters. It’s not going to blow your mind, yet as far as hybrid notebooks go, this one ain’t too shabby (plus it’s cheaper than a weaker MacBook Pro). Read the full review: Samsung Notebook 7 Spin
Image Credit: TechRadar The original Surface Laptop was already one of the best 13-inch laptops – it had a gorgeous screen, competent internals and fantastic build quality. It shouldn’t be surprising, then, that the sequel, the Surface Laptop 2, does everything better. YOu won’t find any radical changes, but the speedy 8th-generation CPUs, 8GB of RAM and, most importantly, the removal of Windows 10 S, all add up to make the Surface Laptop 2 one of the best 13-inch laptops out there. Read the full review: Surface Laptop 2
Image Credit: TechRadar As time goes on, 2-in-1 laptops are becoming more popular, and their manufacturers are improving them at a rapid pace. This is especially true for Lenovo – it’s been creating drop-dead beautiful convertibles for years, much like the Lenovo Yoga 920. This 13-inch laptop brings Thunderbolt 3 to the table, an improved webcam – and most importantly – an 8th-generation Intel Kaby Lake Refresh processor with every configuration. The fans get loud, but the Lenovo Yoga 920 is certainly among the best 13-inch laptops on the market. Read the full review: Lenovo Yoga 920
Image Credit: TechRadar The MacBook Pro 2018 feels like the final form of Apple’s pro series laptop since its 2016 redesign. It keeps the thin and light design, but brings a wealth of improvements, both to the hardware within and, more importantly, Apple has vastly improved the Butterfly keyboard – making it quieter and more reliable. So, you no longer have to worry about it breaking cause a piece of dust appeared under the spacebar. So, if you need an ultra-portable workhorse running macOS Mojave and you can justify the cost, the 2018 MacBook Pro won’t let you down. Keep in mind, though, the model without the Touch Bar is still running last year’s hardware. Read the full review: MacBook Pro (13-inch Mid-2018)
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| Best gaming laptops 2019: the 10 top gaming laptops we've reviewed Posted: 28 Mar 2019 12:05 PM PDT If you're looking for the best gaming laptop of 2019, then you've come to the right place, as on this page we've listed the top gaming notebooks no matter what your budget is. A lot has changed in the last few years, and gaming laptops are now more powerful than ever before, able to push high resolutions at steady framerates. Plus, the best gaming laptops come in every shape and size. Because it’s harder than ever to find the best gaming laptops, we’ve picked out a few of our favorite devices. And, while plenty of gaming laptops look like ordinary office devices, you shouldn’t ignore them. Thanks to Nvidia Turing Max-Q graphics for laptops, revealed at CES 2019, the best gaming laptops are stealthy – like the aptly named MSI GS65 Stealth. Don’t worry, though, there are still huge desktop replacement laptops like the MSI GT75 Titan if that’s more your style. So, whether you’re on the market for a thicc desktop replacement, packed with an RTX graphics card that can handle Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice and the Division 2 with all the settings cranked, or if you want something thin and light so you can play games on the move, you’ll find the best gaming laptop here. We even found some cheaper options like the Dell G3. And, don’t worry, we’ve tested these gaming laptops ourselves, so you know they’ll be up to snuff.
These days, many gaming laptop manufacturers seem to be locked into a race to see who can craft the thinnest gaming laptop that doesn’t compromise on power. And, right now, the crown might have to go to the Asus ROG Zephyrus GX701. At just 0.7 inches thick, this monster of a laptop houses an Intel Coffee Lake Core i7 chip, Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q graphics and 16GB of RAM. That means you can crank any PC game under the sun to max settings, and take it with you wherever you go. And, of course, it’s packed with RGB lighting that’ll dazzle anyone that looks at it. Read the full review: Asus ROG Zephyrus S GX701
If you want to play some of the best PC games on the move, but you don’t want everyone to know you’re playing games, the MSI GS65 Stealth is the best gaming laptop for you. Coming in at just .69 inches thick and featuring impressive hardware like Intel Coffee Lake processors and Nvidia GeForce GTX 10-series – refreshed with RTX 20-series graphics at CES – the MSI GS65 Stealth packs a ton of power into a very svelte package. There’s nothing you won’t be able to throw at this thing that’ll slow it down. And, thanks to the subdued design, you’ll be able to bring this beefy rig everywhere you go, making it the best gaming laptop on the market right now. Read the full review: MSI GS65 Stealth
For a few years now, the Razer Blade has been among the best gaming laptops on the market, filled with powerful components, beautiful displays and an elegant chassis. That’s all true for the 2019 model, too, which now rocks up to an Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080. That is, frankly, a ton of power for a laptop this thin and light. Plus, even if that’s not enough GPU horsepower for you, you can use the Razer Core for future expansion. It’s an expensive device, but it might be worth it if style and power are equally as important to you. Read the full review: Razer Blade
Some gaming laptops just don’t pull any punches, enabling you to run any game you can imagine without breaking a sweat – and the MSI GT75 Titan is one of these laptops. It’s a titanic desktop replacement packing 6-core Intel Coffee Lake processors, plenty of RAM and powerful Nvidia Pascal graphics. You’re not going to be able to carry it around with you, and it’s not going to be something you’ll be caught with in a coffee shop, but if raw power is what you’re after, look no further. Just be ready to break open your piggy bank. Read the full review: MSI GT75 Titan
Thin and light gaming laptops are everywhere right now, but if you don’t care about that, and want a thick, heavy and monstrous laptop that can demolish any game you throw at it – the Asus ROG G703GI is for you. This is a massive – and expensive – laptop, but it justifies its size and price with gaming performance that rivals the best gaming PCs. Just don’t think you’ll be able to haul it along with you to your local coffee shop without its two power bricks – or awkward stares. Read the full review: Asus ROG G703GI
If you want one of the best gaming laptops, but don’t want to miss out on the ultra-portable craze, you need to consider the Dell XPS 15 2-in-1. Packed with an Intel Kaby Lake G-series processor, this gaming laptop can keep up with its competitors rocking a GTX 1050 without featuring truly discrete graphics. And, when you combine that gaming horsepower with a chassis that looks this good, it’s a total win – even if you have to endure some fan noise to get there. Read the full review: Dell XPS 15 2-in-1
It may not boast the most innovative design, substituting the usual black and red aesthetic for one that makes it feel like Halloween all year round (no complaints here). But, it’s undoubtedly one of the best when it comes to gaming in 1080p. In fact, we were able to crank the setting s all the way up in Overwatch without ever straying below 60fps. It doesn’t feature the longest battery life, but the screen, power and onboard sound system more than make up for it. Read the full review: Asus ROG Strix GL502
When you’re setting out to buy one of the best gaming laptops, one of the first things you’ll likely notice is how expensive they can get. Luckily, the Dell G3 15 is not just extremely affordable, but it punches above its weight class with great 1080p gaming performance. With up to an Nvidia GTX 1060 GPU, you’ll be able to play all the latest games at 1080p without breaking a sweat, even if it’s not at max settings all the time. And, that blue on black color combo is quite a looker, if that’s your aesthetic. Read the full review: Dell G3 15
Over the last couple of years, there’s been a trend among the best gaming laptops to make them as thin as possible. And, the Gigabyte Aero 15 definitely fits the bill, while delivering top-end gaming performance. This laptop is just 0.74 inches thick, while delivering up to an Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 and an Intel Core i9 CPU. However, this thinness is a double-edged sword: the Core i9 gets way too hot and can throttle. So, just keep that in mind if you plan on doing any sustained creative work, like editing all your gaming videos. Read the full review: Gigabyte Aero 15
Ever since Intel unveiled its i9-8950HK, we just knew that it would find its way behind the best gaming laptops 2018 had to offer, and we’ve been proven right heading into 2019. The Alienware 17 R5 is a beast of a gaming laptop with the aforementioned CPU and an overclocked GTX 1080. If you’re willing to get an absolute tank of a laptop that weighs nearly 10 pounds, this hulking computer will demolish any and all games you throw at it. Just don’t expect to throw it in a bag without some severe back pain. Read the full review: Alienware 17 R5
Gabe Carey and Bill Thomas have also contributed to this article
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| Russia could ban non-compliant VPNs Posted: 28 Mar 2019 11:50 AM PDT As part of its continued efforts to eliminate anonymous traffic, Russia's internet censor has demanded that 10 leading virtual private network (VPN) providers comply with local laws or face a ban. The Kremlin's communication watchdog, Roscomnadzor, said that it has sent letters to the VPN providers ordering them to comply with a ban on anonymizers within 30 days. Of the 10 VPN providers it has informed, all but one are foreign-based except for a VPN owned by the Russian cybersecurity firm Kaspersky Lab.
The proposed ban on VPNs is the latest push by Moscow to make foreign internet companies comply with its oppressive laws that Roscomnadzor enforces. Russian banLast year the country tried to ban the encrypted messaging app Telegram but this move backfired when the company proved better at skirting Russian laws than Roscomnadzor did at enforcing them. One of the ways in which Telegram users continued to access the messaging platform was by using VPNs though it can now often be accessed from within the country without one. Back in 2017, Russia banned VPNs though it had previously taken measures to prevent them from working within its borders. According to Roscomnadzor, the Russian secret service was responsible for asking it to demand that the 10 VPN providers comply with local laws. Russian law requires that all VPN providers sign up for a government system which facilitates the sharing of information between the companies and its security services. The VPN providers contacted by Roscomnadzor still have 30 days to comply, so we'll keep you updated on the matter as it develops. Via Financial Times
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| Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice release date, trailers and news Posted: 28 Mar 2019 11:22 AM PDT Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is an upcoming action-adventure in development by FromSoftware - AKA the studio that brought us Dark Souls and Bloodborne. Set in ancient-Japan, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice sees you take on the role of shinobi Sekiro as he seeks revenge on the samurai who left him for dead and kidnapped his lord. From what we've seen in during our preview, Sekiro looks to be a stunning, dark and violent single-player which will please fans of Dark Souls as well as those who enjoy a game with a bit of edge. So, without further ado, here's everything we know so far about Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. [Update: We've had our first impressions hands on Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice review session, but while you're waiting for our final verdict, critics scores are starting to trickle in. You'll be pleased to hear that it's as delightfully brutal as any of the Soulsborne games that have preceded it, with its aggressive new combat system married perfectly to an engaging fantasy-Fuedal Japan world. We'll have our full and complete verdict up in the coming days, so check back soon for all the details.] Cut to the chase
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice release dateSekiro: Shadows Die Twice is due to release for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC on March 22, 2019. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice guidesStruggling with Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice? Don't worry, we've got your back. Firstly, make sure to check out our list of five things to know before starting Sekiro. Having difficulty with bosses? Then check out our guides to beating Gyoubu Oniwa and Juzuo the Drunkard. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice trailersPlayStation has released a new gameplay trailer for Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. Check it out below: Check out the Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice official launch trailer ahead of its release on March 22: Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice was revealed at E3 2018. You can watch the reveal trailer below: PlayStation Undergound treated us to an extended look at gameplay in the video below: Want to know why Sekiro is on a mission for revenge? Here's a closer look the Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice's story: Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice news and features
No RPG elements Unlike FromSoftware's Souls series, Sekiro will not feature any role-playing elements such as character creation, classes, or gear upgrades. Instead it's a fairly straight-forward hack n' slash. No multiplayer Sekiro is entirely a single-player title, so don't expect to be slicing up enemies with a friend anytime soon.. There are stealth elements If you get within range of an enemy without being spotted then you an land a fatal blow. It's not as simple as it sounds... Shinobi deathblow This is an instant fatal attack. Deathblow techniques are unlocked are acquired throughout the game.
Combat Combat requires a little more patience and strategy than you may be used to. While the aim is to take down an enemy's health, really you want to get them out of posture to make them vulnerable and give yourself an opening for a fatal death blow. Tools While the right-hand katana is fixed, you will have a range of prosthetic tools to attach to the other hand such as a torch and grappling hook. (Image credits: FromSoftware/Activision)
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| Google conducts secret reviews of Project Dragonfly Posted: 28 Mar 2019 11:12 AM PDT Following the reveal of its secret Chinese search product last year, Google publicly announced that it was ending Project Dragonfly but now new research has revealed that the search giant is carrying out a closed internal assessment of the project. According to The Intercept, a small group of top managers at the company are conducting a “performance review” of its controversial plan to develop a search platform for the Chinese market. Typically, Google's performance reviews are carried out in an open, per review-style process where employees grade each other's projects and management assesses the results.
However, in the case of Project Dragonfly, the peer review aspect has been removed and instead has been replaced with closed group of review committees set up by executives at the firm. Two sources at Google called the move highly unusual as it is a departure from the way in which the company traditionally operates. Performance reviewThe fact that Dragonfly review committees exist has not been disclosed to ordinary Google employees, except for the few that have been evaluated by committees as a result of their work on the project. Less than a dozen top managers at the company are reportedly said to be a part of the review which has mainly involved studying documents and technical work related to Dragonfly. A source close to the matter explained to The Intercept how Google is continuing to keep the project's details secret even among its own employees, saying: “Management has decided to commit to keeping this stuff secret. They are holding any Dragonfly-specific documents out of employees' review tools, so that promotion is decided only by a committee that is read in on Dragonfly.” Google's Chinese search product has already drawn a lot of criticism from employees who went so far as to protest Project Dragonfly and the news that the company is conducting secret performance reviews on the matter will likely be met with further criticism from its own staff as well as the media. Via The Intercept
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| Why do we mourn our space robots? Posted: 28 Mar 2019 11:00 AM PDT The Opportunity rover’s mission was meant to last 90 Martian days – 100 tops – and travel 1,100 yards (1,000 metres). But the rover explored the red planet’s surface for nearly 15 years, exceeding its life expectancy by 60 times and travelling more than 28 miles (45 kilometres). The little rover that could surpassed all expectations in its endurance and long-term scientific value, which is what made it bittersweet when Opportunity stopped sending signals back to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in June of 2018. After repeated attempts to revive it, the Opportunity rover’s mission was officially declared over in February 2019. To say the mission was a success would be an understatement, so why does it feel sad to bid farewell to rovers, diggers and spacecraft when they inevitably go quiet?
Two selfies taken by Opportunity. The left one shows dust settled on its solar panels in January 2014, the right was taken two months later in March 2014 after winds had blown away the dust. (Image credit: NASA) Oppy’s mission – and those who came before herThe Opportunity rover, formally known as Mars Exploration Rover B and informally known as Oppy, arrived on Mars on January 25, 2004, with its twin rover Spirit. During its time on the red planet, Opportunity explored different regions and found evidence of past liquid water, known as Martian ‘blueberries’. It returned more than 217,000 images, including 15 360-degree color panoramas that are truly breathtaking. In June 2018, a Mars-wide dust storm blocked out all sunlight to the planet’s surface and meant the solar-powered rover could no longer operate. The last time it phoned home to Earth was on June 10, 2018, when it sent images that showed the sun being slowly blotted out by the dust. Between then and February 2019, NASA believed that strong winds could wipe the dust away from Oppy’s solar panels, which it had done successfully in 2014. After more than a thousand commands to restore contact, engineers at the Space Flight Operations Facility at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) made their last attempt to revive Opportunity on January 25, 2019. They sent final commands in the hope it’d ‘wake up,’ but it never happened. NASA has said that the rover will remain in a gully that’s been named Perseverance Valley. After this announcement, the outpouring on Twitter from the team at NASA, the wider science community and fans of the Opportunity mission was emotional – and it’s not hard to figure out why. Opportunity had kept going against all odds, provided a wealth of scientific data and allowed us all to experience life on the red planet for 14 years. However, this wasn’t the first time we said goodbye to one of our intrepid spacecraft recently. On November 15, 2018, the exoplanet-hunting Kepler space telescope received its final set of ‘goodnight’ commands. During its nine-year lifespan, Kepler discovered thousands of planets and gave us an extraordinary look at the galaxy as we’ve never seen before. Last year, NASA’s Deep Space Network (DSN) also said goodbye to the asteroid-exploring Dawn spacecraft after it visited two of the largest objects in the asteroid belt before running out of fuel after an 11-year mission. Back in 2017, Cassini plunged into Saturn’s atmosphere after bringing us incredible images of the planet that provided information about the complexity of the planet’s rings and icy moons. NASA is still in contact with the twin Voyager 1 and 2 spacecraft, but now they’ve entered interstellar space it’s taking longer and longer to contact them. Launched in 1977, they explored the outer planets: Jupiter, Saturn and Uranus. They’ve provided such a huge amount of scientific data about our solar system, and have inspired people for decades, it’s bound to feel like a huge loss when they venture too far to receive messages. Each mission provided NASA with important scientific data about our solar system – and those beyond it. But they also provided us all with a look at exoplanets, asteroids, Saturn, Jupiter and Uranus. These spacecraft weren’t just robotic explorers, they gave us all a deeper connection to outer space. Saying goodbye to a member of the teamThose who worked directly on these missions bear the brunt of the emotions when they end. “When you work on a mission – especially on the operational side of it – the spacecraft becomes part of your daily life. You check in on it every day, you 'talk' to it every day. It’s like your robotic colleague,” Dr Tanya Harrison, a planetary scientist and the director of research for Arizona State University’s Space Technology and Science (NewSpace) Initiative said. “We all want people to love our space robots as much as we do.” Many of the missions typically last for years, which means the team behind them have put a lot of time and energy into them – many have spent most of their careers working on the same one. When the Opportunity mission officially ended – and in the lead up to the announcement – many of those who played a role in the rover’s journey shared their stories about what the mission meant to them. Some formed strong bonds with their team and met partners during the 15-year mission, others were inspired to pursue careers in science because of Opportunity. The power of social mediaThe emotional goodbye to Opportunity spread far and wide. It wasn’t just those at NASA or those in the science community that bid farewell to the rover. The missions made mainstream news and people from all over the world shared their goodbyes. A big part of this interest – and sense of ownership – comes from the sustained presence space agencies and spacecraft have on social media. “ESA and JAXA have produced some really fantastic graphics and video for missions like Rosetta and Hayabusa that make you really feel for the spacecraft,” Dr Harrison said. “I actually teared up watching the ESA video of Rosetta losing contact with the Philae lander! Those sorts of things definitely resonate with people and make the science and tech more relatable.” Providing people beyond the scientific community with updates, photos and future plans is important. It makes them feel part of the mission, gives them a glimpse into space and empowers everyone to learn more about science. This enthusiasm proves to governments that investment in space exploration is worthwhile. The more interest, energy and backing we have for our future space efforts, the better. Social media also provides a great opportunity for scientists to connect directly with fans of the missions, giving them access to one-to-one contact that would have been off-limits in the past. Dr Harrison said: “I love that Twitter gives me a way to answer questions from people about Mars rovers all around the world. It’s a total game-changer.” “Being able to interact with the people working on these missions I think also helps to humanize scientists and engineers, showing that we’re not all old men in lab coats that don’t know how to talk to anyone at a comprehensible level." Not only is this a fantastic way to connect for those who already have an interest in science and space, but it’s also important for representation. Being able to see who works on the missions and interact with them shows people, especially young people, that these roles exist and they’re not out of anyone’s reach.
Short Circuit (Image credit: Tristar Pictures) These are the droids you're looking forIt’s always sad to see a mission end. But people seem particularly prone to giving rovers personalities and emotions. Many of us think of them as intrepid space explorers and robot geologists – see! But why? “Rovers I think are even more prone to get attached to because they’re easy to anthropomorphize: They have ‘eyes’ and ‘‘arms’. You can picture them driving around doing science,” Dr Harrison said. By design, these rovers certainly look more like pets and robots we’ve seen in TV and movies. “The design definitely plays a role, especially when it comes to us anthropomorphizing rovers and Earthly robots. The more something looks like a thing we can relate to, the easier it is to feel for it,” said Dr Harrison. Science fiction also plays a role in how we relate to real-life robots like Opportunity and can influence our views about science, technology and space in the real world. “I know I definitely got interested in robots as a kid because of Johnny 5 in Short Circuit," Dr Harrison added. There’s no shortage of human-like robots or cute robots with personalities in science-fiction stories that speak to our favourite characters – and even become our favourite characters, like C3PO, R2-D2, Wall-E, Marvin the Paranoid Android and many more. Sure these robots don’t look exactly like rovers, but these robot characters have set a precedent for us that they can fix things, travel with us and help us – they can become our friends.
Opportunity took this photo of the western rim of the Endeavour Crater in 2014 using its panoramic camera. (Image credit: NASA; JPL-Caltech; Cornell University; Arizona State University) To the Red Planet and beyondAlthough this may be the end for Opportunity, it’s just the beginning for Mars exploration. The Curiosity rover is already on the red planet and the InSight lander has bold plans to probe the Martian surface and find out more about how the planet is formed. Many of those who worked on the Opportunity mission are now planning for the upcoming Mars 2020 rover, which will run a range of tests when it lands to answer some of NASA’s burning questions about the potential for life on Mars. As these rovers explore more of the surface of Mars, we can follow along with the journeys, discoveries and selfies via social media. Although Opportunity may be gone, our links to Mars haven’t been severed – there’s still a presence there that keeps the dreams of visiting other planets alive and well. That’s why Opportunity, rovers and spacecraft are special to us – these robotic missions remind us of how human we are. Thanks to Voyager 1 and 2 we’ve taken a tour of our solar system, thanks to Opportunity we’ve had a presence on Mars for 14 years and become familiar with the red planet’s surface. These missions keep us connected to the cosmos and give everyone a chance to see what space is like far beyond Earth and the places we’re able to visit ourselves.
Welcome to TechRadar's Space Week – a celebration of space exploration, throughout our solar system and beyond. Visit our Space Week hub to stay up to date with all the latest news and features. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled: release date, news and rumors Posted: 28 Mar 2019 10:59 AM PDT After the success of the Spyro Reignited Trilogy and Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy, it was only a matter of time until we got a reboot of Crash Team Racing (CTR). Thankfully, that remaster has already been confirmed by Activision and is set for a June 2019 release date. In an early trailer shown off for the game during December's The Game Awards, we got to see Crash and Co. take to the track with all the familiar faces returning for another go around. After the debut trailer, Thomas Wilson Creative Director at Beenox took to the PlayStation Blog to give us additional details like the implementation of online competitive play and the return of couch co-op. The game is set to release in 2019, marking the original's 20-year anniversary since it came out on the original PlayStation. Can't wait to get back behind the wheel of the zaniest kart racer of the late '90s? Here's everything we know about the Crash Team Racing (CTR) Remaster so far. [Update: Sony reveals exclusive content for PS4 players.] Cut to the chase
Crash Team Racing Remaster trailerSony has revealed PS4 players will receive exclusive retro content including Retro skins for Crash, Coco, & Cortex, Retro karts, and a Retro track. Check out the announcement trailer below: Our first peek at Nitro-Fueled was with the official reveal trailer. Some familiar weapons will make their return (darn you Nitro boxes!) but new additions like kart customization could keep things interesting. Check out the full trailer for yourself below: Crash Bandicoot Team Racing release dateA Crash Bandicoot Team Racing Remaster has been confirmed for June 21 2019. It will go by the name Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled, but it will maintain the mechanics of the original: "Whatever improvements or bells and whistles we were going to add, we needed to be authentic to the inspiration of the original experience," according to Thomas Wilson Creative Director at Beenox. "Fans will see this attention to detail shine through in every part of the game from the camera work, to the characters’ quirky animations, to the lush environments you’re racing in."
Crash Bandicoot Team Racing rumorsCould CTR Remastered be confirmed at The Game Awards 2018? Rumors have been flying around that the Crash Team Racing Remaster may be revealed at The Game Awards 2018. Several influencers in the gaming industry have received Crash-themed items such as Crash Bandicoot cookies, while PlayStation Access' Hollie Bennett received perhaps the least subtle teaser - a pair of fuzzy orange die with a note which read: "Sliding into the Game Awards on 6/12". What is Crash Team Racing?Crash Team Racing (or CTR) is a Crash Bandicoot-themed racing game which originally released for the first PlayStation in 1999. The game's main Adventure storyline sees you playing as one of 15 characters from the Crash Bandicoot series on a mission to stop the evil Nitros Oxide from destroying the planet. How do you do that? By racing, of course. Adventure mode sees racing on various tracks to win as many gems, trophies, CTR tokens, boss keys and relics as possible, allowing you to unlock new tracks and take down Oxide. As expected, these aren't just any normal races. You can use special abilities such as speed boosts, power slides and rockets to attack fellow racers. Tracks include sewer pipes, temples and snowy mountains - all influenced by Crash Bandicoot levels. In addition to single-player Adventure mode, there are also Time Trial, Arcade, Versus and Battle modes to take part in. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Patriot releases fast and affordable new Viper Gaming PCIe NVMe SSD Posted: 28 Mar 2019 10:55 AM PDT Patriot Viper Gaming has launched a new PCIe NVMe SSD for gamers, and it has performance specs that could put it in the running for best solid state drives. The Viper VPN100 SSD has a new controller from Phison that's boosting its speeds, and it's available today, Tom's Hardware reports. The Viper VPN100 comes in capacities ranging from 256GB on the low end up to 2TB on the high end, though the performance is at its highest on the 1TB model. (The 2TB model sees a comparative drop-off in sequential read speeds and 4K random read and write IOPS.) The 1TB model of the VPN100 boasts 3,450MB/s sequential read speeds and 3,000MB/s sequential write speeds. It's 4K random read and write performance hits up to 600,000 IOPS for both. Just how fast is it?For comparison, those speeds put it in the same ballpark as our current top SSD pick, the Samsung 970 Evo Plus, and our top gaming SSD, the WD Black SN750. The Viper VPN100's 600,000 IOPS in both random read and write tops both the Samsung and Western Digital SSDs. However, its sequential read speed is below the 3,500MB/s of the 970 Evo Plus and the 3,470MB/s of the Black SN750. It's sequential write speed matches the WD drive, but Samsung edges both out with 3,300MB/s. All that said, the 1TB Viper VPN100 costs just $199 (about £150, AU$275) and comes with a heatsink. That prices it below the competing 1TB drives, so Patriot could be bringing them some serious competition.
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| Most anticipated games 2019: upcoming titles for PS4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch Posted: 28 Mar 2019 10:52 AM PDT
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| Best WordPress themes for blogs in 2019 Posted: 28 Mar 2019 10:49 AM PDT If you have a passion for travel, food, gadgets, or simply enjoy ranting, you may already have discovered the benefits of blogging. Recording your forays into food or experimentation with radical communists allows you to share your news and views with the internet community. WordPress has thousands of templates to help you get started. In this guide, you’ll explore five of the very best themes specifically for hobbyists and bloggers. Some of these such as ‘Writing’ also incorporate SEO features meaning people searching online will be more likely to stumble across your blog. If you’re starting on a shoe-string budget, consider using one of the free themes we’ve listed here, such as Morning Time Lite.
TheBlogger TheBlogger is a WordPress theme suitable for storytelling and writing. It comes with a responsive design and multiple gallery features. TheBlogger also comes with a live customizer which helps you to tweak every part of your theme. It is Retina-ready and can be optimized for tablets and smartphones. Users can try the theme before buying. They can test drive the customizer to see if it meets their needs. There are a wide variety of widgets and sliders available to showcase your posts in image or video format. TheBlogger comes with helpful documentation that is straightforward and easy to follow. MailChimp for WordPress is also included. This allows you to send out newletters to blog subscribers. The theme integrates with Ninja Forms. Users can easily create and add forms with the drag and drop feature. A regular licence costs $59 (£44.58) which includes future updates and 6-months support. Users can upgrade to 12-months support for a further $17.63 (£13.32).
Foodie Pro Foodie Pro helps users to create a beautiful blog based around all sorts of culinary delights. It is created by the Genesis Framework. This means your website will have a solid combination of this Framework along with WordPress. The theme comes with a huge amount of typography and color options. Users can build their site using up to 3 homepage and 5 site wide widget areas. These can be customized to fit around your brand. The theme allows users to upload their own logo with one click. There is also full support for text-based logos. Foodie Pro’s ‘Theme Customizer’ allows users to customize the theme’s settings, colours and backgrounds images. The ‘Foodie Pro Theme’ can be purchased for $129.95 (£98.23) for one year. This includes the Genesis Framework, Foodie Pro Theme, instant access, unlimited updates, supports, sites and access to detailed tutorials. If this is not enough, users can avail of the ‘Pro Plus Membership’ for $499.95 (£377.81). This includes all the ‘Foodie Pro Theme’ has to offer plus access to every theme the company makes including future themes.
Soledad Soledad was created as a website builder for all skill types. It is geared towards users who want to run blogs or create magazines. The theme is highly customizable with multiple homepage layout models available. Users can also change the appearance of the ‘Category’, ‘Tag’, ‘Search’ and ‘Archive Layout’. Soledad is an SEO responsive WordPress multipurpose blog and magazine theme. It’s compatible with BBPress and BuddyPress. The theme is fully responsive and displays well on all screens. Soledad has over 4000 real homepage demos which can be installed with just one click. There are also a number of single post templates for different stories. The theme can be purchased for $59 (£44.58) which includes future updates and 6 months support which can be upgraded to 12-months for an extra $17.63 (£13.32). Some online commentators have lamented the lack of a search feature when it comes to support documentation.
Morning Time Morning Time is a highly functional WordPress theme suitable for journalists, family blogs or personal blogs. Users can purchase the theme directly or they can test the demo the site offers. The theme is highly responsive so adapts well to tablets and smartphones. Morning Time is fully compatible with Gutenberg. Users can create blocks to insert, rearrange and style multimedia content without needing to have a lot of technical knowledge. Users can create and customize different aspects of their site including portfolio and Google maps amongst others. Morning Time is compatible with WooCommerce allowing you to turn your blog into an online store if needed. Users can make their older posts available with the ‘Blog Archive Feature’. Older posts will not disappear as you create new blogs. Users can also download ‘Morning Time Lite’ for free or subscribe to their premium tiers. Morning Time has two paid packages available. Users can avail of the ‘Yearly Access’ package for $87 (£65.4) per year. This includes access to all themes, child themes, PSD, HTML files, Support, updates, theme documentation and multiple site usage. Alternatively, users can purchase the ‘Lifetime’ package for $247 (£185.6) which includes all the ‘Yearly Access’ has to offer but with a one-off payment.
Writing Writing is the perfect theme for those trying to create a minimalist effect. The theme uses 24 Social Share Icons along with Facebook Open Graph Tags and multiple Social Icon Widgets. It is WPML compatible. Writing can be translated into any language. RTL support is also available for Hebrew, Arabic and Japanese. Writing is retina ready and is fully responsive making it adaptable to screens of all size and resolution. The whole setup is easy and geared towards users of any skill level. The theme is built according to the most recent rules of Search Engines. This means using this theme will help boost your SEO results maximizing traffic to your blog. Users can purchase Writing for $39 (£29.47) which includes future updates and 6-months support. 12-months support can be bought for a further $10.13 (£7.65).
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| Best Xbox One games: essential Xbox One releases Posted: 28 Mar 2019 10:43 AM PDT While Sony fanboys will say that Microsoft doesn't have any good Xbox One exclusives, they're dead wrong - ask anyone with an Xbox, and they'll be rattle off half a dozen games well worth your time. But to further dispel the myth that there's nothing to play on the Xbox One, Xbox One S and Xbox One X, we've put together a guide to the best games on the platform. From solid third-person shooters like Gears 4, to radical racing games like Forza Horizon 3 and Forza Horizon 4, the system is jam-packed with both first-party and third-party games that you need to check out. Read on to see which games make the Xbox One shine, and keep checking back periodically: we update this list with new titles we feel have become part of the exclusive club of must-play games for the Xbox One console. Want to know what Microsoft have on the horizon? Then check out everything we know about the next Xbox.
Check out the video below to see more on the Xbox One X : Wild wild west Rockstar's Red Dead Redemption 2 took 2018 by storm, giving us the gun-toting, western open-world we were hoping for. You play as Arthur Morgan, a gunslinger in the notorious Van Der Linde gang as he navigates the trials and tribulations of the changing west. Red Dead Redemption 2 is certainly game which will keep you busy. Between story missions, mini-games, activities and side quests, you will find yourself sinking plenty of hours into this title without even noticing it. And with Red Dead Online in beta testing it won't be long until players can properly team up with a posse of friends to play.
A Grecian epic Assassin's Creed Odyssey is the latest edition to the action RPG franchise. Odyssey is set during the Peloponnesian War and sees you stepping into the sandals of either Alexios or Kassandra as they try to uncover the truth about their history while navigating the turbulent world of Ancient Greece as a mercenary. Odyssey is a graphically stunning title which will take you to the heart of Ancient Greece – just make sure you have the time to place it because there's over 100 hours of content in this Xbox One game. A refreshing jump back in time In the latest Battlefield game, DICE takes players back in time to World War One and by doing so completely rejuvenates the once stagnating franchise. It's a title well worth a place on our best Xbox One games list. The game offers a poignant and entertaining single-player campaign that sets a new standard for first-person shooter. Broken into six sections, each following a different character and front line location, the campaign never feels dull or repetitive – and even feeds neatly into Battlefield 1's multiplayer mode which, while familiar, also benefits from the much-needed breath of life that the change in setting gives. Graphically impressive, entertaining, and sometimes touching, Battlefield 1 is a return to form for the series. It's not long at all now until Battlefield V releases – November 20. So, here's everything we know about Battlefield V so far. Beautiful and frustrating in equal measure After a long development and lots of anticipation, Xbox indie exclusive Cuphead has finally been released. Was it worth the wait? It certainly was. Cuphead is a run-and-gun platformer with stationary boss fight levels thrown in, and it's certainly one of the best Xbox One games of the moment. With visuals and a soundtrack inspired by 1930s animation, but gameplay inspired by the platformers of the 80s, this game has had us torn since we first tried it at Gamescom. It's lovely to look at but its gameplay is challenging and you're going to find yourself frustrated... and dying a lot. We enjoyed Cuphead so much we named it Best Xbox Exclusive in our 2017 Game of the Year Awards. It's an indie experience that shouldn't be missed and you'll only find it on Xbox and PC. Master the remaster Dark Souls is an iconic series in the gaming world and with this remaster you have the chance to go back to where it all started in 2011 – only this time with improved visual fidelity and performance, all the better to see those horrific and punishing enemies. This is the same original game with all of its DLC but that's no bad thing. Dark Souls is a fantastic, must-play title and it's great to see it on the latest generation of consoles. The frame rate bump to 60 fps makes it a much smoother and more exhilarating gameplay experience, and well worth a mention in our best games for Xbox One list. A smart, stealthy, steampunk adventure Following the surprise 2012 hit Dishonored wasn't going to be an easy task, but Dishonored 2 has more than lived up to its expectations, earning a place on our best Xbox One games list. Picking up 15 years after the events of the original, Dishonored 2 takes players back to the Victorian Steampunk city of Dunwall. This time, though, you have the choice of whether or not you want to play as the original title's protagonist Corvo, or his equally-skilled protegee Emily. Dishonored 2 doesn't differ wildly from the first game, but there was nothing wrong with Dishonored in the first place. What we get is a vastly improved and close to perfected take on it. Anyone who likes their games filled with atmosphere, character, and a bit of wit and intelligence will find Dishonored 2 worth picking up. A retro-slash-modern romp through the underworld Take our word for it: DOOM is very, very good. Not in a "wow, that’s good for a remake" kind of way, either. It's genuinely a great shooter – so much so that we gave it a Game of the Year award in 2016. While Overwatch reinvented the wheel for first-person shooting games, DOOM impresses us by bringing us back to the time where dial-up internet was the only way to access AOL email: DOOM is, in so many ways, an excellent evolution of what the series was 20 years ago. It’s brutal. It’s bloody. It has devilish, frightening creatures that bleed when you slice them in half with a chainsaw. It’s the experience we wanted two decades ago but couldn’t articulate it because of the limitations of technology, and it's one of the best games for Xbox One. "Our weapons are fear, surprise, ruthless efficiency and gigantic sidequests." Inquisition is the proverbial RPG banquet – a 200-hour array of quests, magic-infused scraps, postcard landscapes and well-written character interactions that's perhaps a bit too familiar, at times, but makes up for it with sheer generosity. It puts you in charge not just of a four-man party of adventurers, but also a private army with its own castle and attendant strategic meta-game, tasked with defeating a mysterious demon menace. The choice of Unreal Engine makes for vast open environments and sexily SFX-laden combat – fortunately, you can pause the latter to issue orders if the onslaught becomes overwhelming. It's a genre giant and easily one of the top Xbox One X titles. The homecoming we waited seven years for All things considered, this is one of the best games Bethesda has ever made, and definitely one of the best games currently available on the Xbox One consoles. It ticks all the boxes: a massive, detail-oriented open-world; still-fantastic tenets of looting and shooting; a story filled with intriguing side quests and subplots that feel like they matter; and of course a classic soundtrack that brings it all to life. In many ways it's the game we've been waiting for since Fallout 3 steered the series away from its top-down role-playing roots. Not only is the world itself wider, but the plot is better, and more digestible, than any of the games before it. There's still a sense of mystery about what's happening, but you no longer have to dig forever and a day through terminals to piece it together. Welcome home, stranger. The best soccer sim on the planet keeps getting better When it comes to annual game franchises as big and as long-running as FIFA, it's easy to feel like there's just not enough new to warrant buying the latest version of the game. But, in the case of FIFA 19, you'd be dead wrong. This is the best the football sim has ever been. The addition of the Europa and Champions League steals Pro Evolution Soccer's last exclusive boon, and timed finishers weave in a little more finesse and tactical nuance to the age-old art of shooting at goal. There’s even a new layer of customization with the addition of house rules to Kick-Off mode and a new Champions Channel to show off the best plays and goals in the community. If you’re picking up the series for the first time there’s a wealth of content to keep you invested, while those more subtle changes will have long-time fans enjoying a welcome new challenge. Don't miss our full FIFA 19 review A free 1-vs-100 shooter set on an epic scale Fortnite Battle Royale is a certified gaming phenomenon. Pitting 100 players against each other on a single map, it melds fun, cartoonish gameplay with a fierce competitive streak, and has attracted millions of players across the globe. When starting up, you're thrown onto an island with no weapons or armor and you must scavenge for supplies and fight for your life to be the last man (or squad) standing at the end of the game. The catch is that the map closes in as the match progresses, forcing players into tighter skirmishes and often whiteknuckle encounters. Best of all, however, the game is available for free on Xbox One, with in-game purchases limited to purely cosmetic options. If you're relatively restricted financially and need something to tide you over until the next big release, Fortnite is better than all the rest. It's definitely worth a place on our best Xbox One games list. Where the rubber meets the road While the original Forza titles were about pristine driving skills around perfectly kept tracks, the Horizon series has a penchant for trading paint and isn't afraid to have you get down and dirty with off-road races from time to time. Forza Horizon 4, the latest game in the series, carries that tradition forward by taking us to the rolling hills of the English countryside and spoiling us with some of the most exotic cars on the planet. Like any good open-world game, it rewards exploration and offers both a structured campaign mode and plenty of distractions around the campaign. And the new setting feels like something of a love letter from Playground Games to rural Britain; charming, idyllic and made for cross-country road trips. It's really good fun, and well-worth buying. Don't miss our full Forza Horizon 4 review The Gears keep on turning for this excellent third-person shooter franchise Despite a new platform, a new development team and a new-ish set of muscled heroes on its box art, Gears of War 4 isn't some grand reimagining of the series that helped Xbox 360 go supernova back in 2006. But then again, such a revelation shouldn't come as a shock – this is the cover shooter that made cover shooters a fad-filled genre all unto itself, so messing too drastically with that special sauce was never a viable option. Instead, the Xbox One and Xbox One S get the Gears of War template we all know and love with a few extra features gently stirred into the pot. For a start, the jump to current-gen tech has made all the difference to The Coalition's first full-fat Gears title. Spend a little time in the previously remastered Gears of War: Ultimate Edition and you'll see how small and confined those original level designs were, even with a graphical upgrade to make it feel relevant again. It's more than just graphics, though. It's the return to form for the franchise; the focus on what makes a Gears game so great, that really won us over and got this title on our list of the best games for the Xbox One. There's no fear and loathing in Los Santos – just explosive entertainment Yes, including one of last generation's greatest games among this generation's finest is rather boring, but GTA V on Xbox One is too good to ignore, with HD visuals, a longer draw distance and a faster frame rate. Among other, more practical perks it includes a first-person mode, which genuinely makes this feel like a different game, though the missions, tools and characters are the same. The new perspective pushes Rockstar's attention to detail to the fore, allowing you to better appreciate the landscape's abundance of in-jokes and ambient details. GTA V's open world multiplayer remains a laidback thrill, whether you're stuntdiving with friends or teaming up to complete a heist (a long overdue addition to MP, but worth the wait) – it's probably the best place to hang out on Xbox Live right now. Halo multiplayer at its best A franchise that has defined Xbox as a platform for a long time is of course Halo, and Halo 5: Guardians is a worthy addition to the series and our list of the best Xbox One games. With both a single-player campaign and the usual thrilling multiplayer combat, this is the Halo game for Xbox One you don't want to miss. Though its single-player campaign isn't the best in the franchise in terms of story, this is Halo multiplayer combat at its most fun, and anyone that loves playing online with friends will enjoy what the various modes have to offer. Say hello to the triple indie Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice is developer Ninja Theory's first attempt at publishing its own game and it's quite an achievement. The game follows Senua, a Celtic warrior suffering from psychosis who travels to Hell to rescue her lost lover. The game uses an interesting mix of binaural audio and innovative visual techniques to communicate Senua's experience with her psychosis to the player, resulting in a game that's likely to be quite different from anything else you've played recently. Disturbing, insightful and extremely enjoyable to play, this is a game worth taking a look at and we're glad to see it makes its debut on Xbox One. Xbox One X owners will have the benefit of being able to choose between three visual modes which promote either resolution, frame rate or visual richness. You can read all about our experience with the motion capture tech behind Hellblade right here. A strong narrative and emotionally compelling Life is Strange is an episodic graphic adventure which tells the story of Max, who moves back to her hometown and reunites with her best friend Chloe – someone who is a bit more rebellious than she remembers. On top of trying to navigate the difficulties of teenage life, Max discovers that she has the ability to rewind time at any moment and only she can prevent a storm on its way to destroy her hometown. Rather than focusing on combat, the crux of Life is Strange is the choices Max (AKA you) makes and the effect these choices have on the overall story. A game for those who appreciate an engaging story. The prequel, Life is Strange: Before the Storm, is equally mesmerising. How many Snakes does it take to change a lightbulb? Okay, so Hideo Kojima's last game for Konami – and his last ever Metal Gear game – might be a little tough for the MGS n00b to get to grips with, but it's still one of the best stealth-action games ever crafted. The open-world shenanigans will satisfy all your behind-enemy-lines / Rambo fantasies and probably confuse you with crazy plot twists and a million characters all with the same gravel-toned voices. But hey, that's all part of its charm, right? Definitely one of the best Xbox One games we've ever sat down in front of. Bold, brilliant and brutal Middle-earth: Shadow of War is the sequel to the accomplished Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor and builds upon all of its strengths. Taking up the role of Talion once more, this game takes you back to a beautifully realized world that's bursting with originality. If you were a fan of the original game, we highly recommend that you pick of Shadow of War as it's an improvement in almost every way – and well worth a place on our best Xbox One games list. Read our full review here and check out our handy tips and tricks guide. Another brick in the wall Minecraft released nearly ten years ago, but it's still as popular as ever with adults and kids alike. The sandbox survival game allows players to build with blocks in a 3D-generated world, providing a perfect creative outlet for those artistically inclined. If you're less creative, there's also the option to explore the world, harvest resources, craft items and square-up to enemies. Check out the history of Minecraft. Friends who slay together, stay together You've probably heard of the Monster Hunter franchise before now – it's a classic that's been going a long time – but we haven't seen it on console for a while. Until now, that is. Monster Hunter: World is the franchise's debut on the latest generation of consoles and it's a true breath of fresh air, easily sliding its way into our list of the best Xbox One games right now. Giving players the option to play solo or team up with up to three other friends, this game invites you into a living, breathing game world to hunt down some monsters. For research. And fun. You'll face a learning curve with Monster Hunter: World and the dark-souls style of combat has the potential to frustrate, but this is the most accessible Monster Hunter game we've seen in years. If you've been looking for a chance to break into the series, this is it. In our review we called the game "a bold and confident new chapter" and gave it a "play it now" recommendation. Thinking of becoming a Monster Hunter yourself? Make sure you check out our full survival guide. A Metroid-Vania platformer with light RPG elements and loads of heart Although Ori was released early on in the Xbox One's life cycle, it remains one of the best platformers on the console, bar none. Shockingly beautiful and ultra-deadly, the world of Ori and the Blind Forest inspires and impresses in equal measure. Add to that the game's phenomenal, easy-to-learn-hard-to-master control scheme and light RPG elements, and you have the recipe for a timeless classic. Sure, there are some sequences that aren't as enjoyable as the rest of the game (we're looking at you, timed post-boss fight sequences) but ultimately this is a series that continues to enthrall long after you put the controller down. Not had enough Ori in your life? We've learned that the game will be getting a sequel in 2019 called Ori and the Will of the Wisps. It will pick up where are story left off (no spoilers, please!) and will see Ori platforming his way through the eponymous forest for a second run. The team-based shooter you need to buy on Xbox One Overwatch has, without a doubt, been one of our favorite games to come out on Xbox One, ever – it was even good enough to nab our Game of the Year 2016 award. It's a classic team arena shooter from Blizzard that sets two six-person teams of wildly different characters against each other in a bright and cartoonish science fiction universe. And while it feels similar to the Call of Duty you've played before, Overwatch turns traditional shooters on their heads by adding unique character abilities and cool-downs to the mix, forcing you to strategize every once in a while instead of blindly running from room to room. Great graphics, tight maps, and a good roster of characters to enjoy playing. Overwatch is good old fashioned fun, and we thoroughly recommend it. A chilling return to form Your gaming collection isn't really complete if it doesn't have a quality horror title in it, and if we had to suggest one it'd be the newest installment in the Resident Evil franchise. Resident Evil is the franchise that put survival-horror games on the map and though it lost its way slightly in later titles, the newest game is a return to form for Capcom. By going back to the survival-horror basics and getting them dead on, Capcom has made Resident Evil 7 a genuinely frightening and exhilarating gaming experience. If you have the stomach for the gore, it's absolutely worth playing. Don't miss our full review of the game. The name of the game is freedom in Lara's latest sprawling outing Despite being the sequel to a prequel about the young life of the Lara Croft, this still feels like a Tomb Raider game that has grown up. The reboot which saw a brave new direction for the franchise seemed a lot of the time to be little more than a bit of light Uncharted cosplay, but Rise is a far more accomplished game. There's now a genuine open world which feels like there is always something to do, and something more than just harvesting up collectibles in exchange for a light dusting of XP. There are also tombs: yes, that might seem a fatuous thing to say given the name, but the previous game gave them short shrift. In Rise though they are deeper and more plentiful. Rise also has one of the best narratives of any Tomb Raider game, penned again by Rhianna Pratchett, it's sometimes rather poignant. So come on, ditch Fallout 4's wasteland for a while and give Lara some love. It's undoubtedly one of the best Xbox One games you can get. Scallywags Rare's swashbuckling adventure Sea of Thieves lets players to take on the role of a pirate sailing the seas of a fantastical world – either alone or as part of a crew of up to four members. It's up to you whether you choose to focus on trading, treasure-hunting or plundering the loot of others. This is a great title for those who enjoy playing with others in an open-world environment, plus it doesn't look too shabby at all. One of the best Xbox One games of recent times. Here's all the latest Sea of Thieves news and updates. They had the technology to rebuild him, better than before The original Titanfall was a great game – so great that it long held a place on this very list. However, its sequel, Titanfall 2, improves on it every conceivable way: the motion is more fluid, there are more distinct titans to choose from, and (hold onto your hats here) there's actually a single-player campaign that might take the cake for the best first-person shooter story of the year. This game's pedigree is inherited from one of this generation's smartest and most unusual shooters. The original Titanfall married ninja-fast on-foot combat to the gloriously thuggish thrill of piloting giant mechs, which are summoned from orbit a few minutes into each match. The skill with which Respawn has balanced this mix of styles in the sequel is remarkable – Titans have firepower in excess but they're easy to hit, and maps offer plenty of places for infantry to hide. These ideas coalesce into one of this year's most remarkable entries in the genre and is well-deserving its own shot in the spotlight as well as a Game of the Year nomination. Stories don't come bigger than this Geralt didn't have the smoothest of entries to consoles, but after some heavy patching and a lot of angry words about visual downgrades, we're left with an RPG boasting tremendous scope and storytelling. Oh, and combat. And don't forget Gwent, the in-game card game. And there's the crafting to get stuck into. And the alchemy. This ticks a lot of boxes when it comes to the best games for Xbox One. You're rarely short of things to entertain yourself with in The Witcher 3's quasi-open world, then, and all the better that you're in a universe that involves the supernatural without leaning on the same old Tolkien fantasy tropes. Invigorating stuff. Superb in every sense Looking for an incredible single-player shooter? Look no further than the 2017 wonder that was Wolfenstein II. Picking up from where the original game left off, this game is a timely social commentary and a superbly silly adventure all rolled into one well-written package. With tight mechanics and a story worth caring about, this is one of the most satisfying first-person shooters we've played in a long time. In our full review we called it "expertly crafted" and recommended that you play it at your earliest opportunity. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Best WordPress themes (paid and free) of 2019 Posted: 28 Mar 2019 10:35 AM PDT The WordPress platform is one of the simplest ways to create colorful and well laid out webpages. Setup is usually performed with a few mouse clicks, so no coding knowledge is required. The platform supports thousands of various themes, some of which are suited to specific users such as small businesses, whilst others have a more general appeal. When starting out you may feel overwhelmed by the choices available, especially if you’re not sure if a premium theme is worth buying. In this guide, you’ll discover five of our very favorite free and paid WordPress themes. Whether you’re a freelancer on a tight budget or an established business, rest assured there’s a theme for you.
Hestia Hestia is the perfect theme for those with small businesses, startups, online agencies and firms due to its multi-purpose functionality. Users do not have to pay to download this theme. Installation and setup is designed to be user friendly. This theme is best suited to users who want to setup an ecommerce platform. Hestia integrates with WooCommerce, allowing users access to beautifully designed product listings. There is an easy to use drag and drop feature suitable. This theme comes with custom background settings which aid in adding photos to your site and making it your own. It has a multi-purpose one page design, a widget designed footer and a blog or news section. It integrates with Travel Map, Photo Gallery, Flat Parallax Slider and Elementor Page Builder. Hestia is responsive and uses Material Kit for design. As with most WordPress themes, there is a demo for users to sample before downloading. Some users have noted that the free version is buggy and convoluted to use.
X X is a paid WordPress theme suitable for all types of websites. The theme comes with four categories of built-in demos. Each of these themes cover a wide variety of potential projects. This means that no matter what you have in mind, X more than likely has a design suited to your needs. Cornerstone is included with X. This is one of the most popular WordPress web page builders. The drag and drop feature is easy to use. Users are able to see exactly what their page will look like live as they are building. This enables users to change and edit while building their site. There are a huge number of customization options, with which users can build a unique webpage. It's also constantly updated and you get features like custom font or inline editing. The newest version introduces Dynamic Content which helps a lot when building out content throughout your site X comes with a feature called ‘the customizer’. This is a handy tool as many premium themes come with their own theme options page that are not entirely compatible with WordPress. ‘The Customizer’ is highly intuitive. It integrates seamlessly with WordPress. It will help you to customize the look and feel of your website. The regular license for X is $59 (£44) which includes future updates and 6 months customer support. Users can opt to extend support to 12-months for an additional $17.63 (£13.2).
Allegiant Allegiant is a highly customizable WordPress theme that is most suited for small businesses that are just starting out. The theme itself is simple and well laid out. Across the top there is a large header to highlight your most popular services or products. The slides on the homepage can be displayed in any order. The theme offers several feature blocks which can be easily inserted onto your page with details about your business team or your past endeavours amongst others. These blocks come with the theme’s plugin ‘CPO Content Types’. The plugin is free and installs very quickly. These pre-built blocks also come with testimonial section. It is very easy to copy and paste information into the blocks. Allegiant integrates with other free popular WordPress themes such as WooCommerce, Yoast SEO, WPML and Contact Form 7. It’s also free to download from the WordPress website. Some online commentators mention that while the theme is customizable it is not easy to figure out how to do so. They don’t recommend Allegiant for newer users.
Astrid Astrid is the perfect choice theme for most businesses. The theme has an impressive array of built-in widgets that users can take advantage of. Widgets and page templates are available for services and employees amongst others. Astrid comes with a huge variety of fonts and color options. Users can easily edit the full width header to whatever they see fit. Users can also use a ‘call to action’ button with a message over it. The theme is translation ready meaning that it can still be accessed by those users who do not speak the same language as your business. Users can use visual graphs and displays to show their past work and experience. WooCommerce support is provided for selling products on your website. Astrid helps to make your site look well on tablets and smartphones. Astrid is free to download but those users who want more out of their theme can ‘Go Pro’. The ‘Pro’ option starts at $59 (£44.60) per year for a single plugin which includes one year of updates, one year of support and unlimited domain usage. All packages offer a 30-day money back guarantee. Some online commentators have mentioned that the site can be hard to navigate making it difficult to get started.
Sydney Sydney works well for freelancers and companies who want to create a strong online presence. It is highly customizable with many options to choose from such as Google Fonts and logo uploads. The theme has more than 600 Google fonts to choose from. For users who want to show off, there is a full screen promotional banner that can be edited to suit your needs. The custom elementor blocks can be designed as you see fit and to suit your promotional needs. Sydney can also display social media icons at the bottom of your page. The theme is translation ready and provides the necessary tools for a smooth translation process. Users have access to full color control, sticky navigation, header image and a full screen slider. Sydney also offers Parallax background affects. Users can add this to any row in the theme layout. Top Image Credit: Astrid / WordPress This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
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