Apple : Surface Book 3: what we want to see |
- Surface Book 3: what we want to see
- Microsoft Surface Laptop 3: what we want to see
- Microsoft Surface Pro 7: what we want to see
- Apple says it's sorry for using contractors to listen in on Siri conversations
- Xbox Project Scarlett release date, specs and games confirmed for Xbox Two
- Juventus vs Napoli live stream: how to watch Serie A football online from anywhere
- Lomachenko vs Campbell live stream: how to watch boxing online from anywhere
- Stop using outdated software like Windows 7, Kaspersky says
- Freshly leaked AMD Ryzen Threadripper benchmark curiously slower than before
- Fitbit Versa 2 brings Amazon Alexa to your wrist
- Fortnite Battle Royale update news, patch notes and more
- Borderlands 3 release date, trailers and new Borderlands characters
- Oppo Reno2 series with quad-camera goes official in India
- The Last of Us 2: release date, news, and rumors
- Is Amazon gearing up for a Prime VPN launch?
- PS5: all the games, specs, news, and rumors for Sony’s Playstation 5
- Generational differences in collaboration at work
- Original Chromecast unlikely to get another major software update
- WoW Classic server queues: the busiest servers, from Whitemane to Herod
- The Roku streaming stick is on sale and back down to $29 at Walmart
| Surface Book 3: what we want to see Posted: 28 Aug 2019 02:31 PM PDT The Surface Book 3 has big shoes to fill. When the original Surface Book hit the market, it was remarkably successful. Yet, as amazing as it was, we actually didn’t anticipate the sequel, the Surface Book 2, to improve on everything the original did, resulting in a machine that makes the MacBook Pro look like a cheap toy. It’s not surprising, therefore, that we’re thrilled to see what the Surface Book 3 will look like, though we're not sure when we'll see it. Microsoft has hinted at an upcoming event on October 2nd that might see a big hardware push from them. We'll see if there's any news regarding the Surface Book 3. Regardless, we can envision it now: a Surface Book 2 with a crisper, richer display, more powerful internals and Thunderbolt 3. In other words, the Surface Book 3 could end up being the best 2-in-1 laptop we’ve seen. With these features, it might be the perfect foil to Apple’s pro laptops. If Microsoft is able to extract what made the first two Surface Book devices so good, and distill it into the third model, then the Surface Book 3 might even end up as the best laptop to date. Regrettably, there is little to no tangible information about the Surface Book 3 right now. Still, that doesn’t mean we can’t at least speculate based on past releases and our tech expertise. With that in mind, let’s dig into what we think and hope the Surface Book 3 might look like. Cut to the chase
Image Credit: Microsoft Surface Book 3 release dateThe Surface Book 2 was released in late 2017 so it has a few years under its belt. However, if we look at the release pattern of Surface devices that aren’t the Surface Pro, we wouldn’t expect the Surface Book 3 until late 2019 or early 2020 at the earliest. Two new Surface devices were released in October 2018 – the Surface Pro 6 and Surface Laptop 2 – and there wasn’t any sign of a new Surface Book. Pair that with the fact that Microsoft has recently given the 13.5-inch Surface Book 2 a quad-core processor, we don't expect to see a Surface Book 3 coming out any time soon. Until we have more concrete information, or even rumors, we’re sticking with our late 2019 or 2020 Surface Book 3 release date prediction though we hopefully will know more on October 2nd.
Image Credit: Microsoft Surface Book 3 priceSadly, since there’s no concrete information about the Surface Book 3 right now, we don’t really know what to expect regarding cost. Still, if we look at the pricing of the Surface Book and the Surface Book 2, we can certainly speculate. Currently, due to a new lower-storage model, the 13.5 inch Surface Book 2 begins at $1,199 or £1,149, while the 15-inch iteration stays at its $2,499 or £2,349 (AU$3,649) price tag. If you ask us, that’s already plenty pricey. Fingers crossed that the would-be Surface Book 3 sticks well within that price range, as anything more would already be too expensive for our bank account.
Image Credit: Microsoft What we want to see in a Surface Book 3Since a Surface Book 3 release is seemingly so far away at this point, and we don’t have any solid information on what to expect, all we can do right now is put together a wish list, if you must, of what we would like to see improved in this follow-up. Here are the features we’d like to see in the Surface Book 3, based on speculation, leaks and rumors. More powerful internals Use the extra space accordingly Thunderbolt 3, please It looks like this might actually happen. Microsoft has patented a magnetic USB-C connector that would kind of function like the existing magnetic Surface charger. Whether or not it will actually support Thunderbolt 3 remains to be seen, but we don’t see why it wouldn’t. Better power management Also, regardless of who the next iteration is made for, it should come with improved power management so as to not dip into its battery reserves for extra juice. A 4K display would be nice All accessories included Black color option Just imagine, a Surface Book 3 that might not only give the MacBook Pro 2018 a run for its money, but one that has a more striking color option than the Space Gray on the latest Apple flagship.
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Microsoft Surface Laptop 3: what we want to see Posted: 28 Aug 2019 02:25 PM PDT Curious about what Surface Laptop 3 will bring to the table? Well, you’ve come to the right place. When the original Surface Laptop first came out more than two years old now, stuck with Windows 10 S Mode, it didn’t make that much sense compared to the rest of the Surface lineup. But, when the Surface Laptop 2 finally rolled out last year, Microsoft refined the formula enough and redefined the Surface Laptop image, and it became one of the best laptops on the market. So, that leaves us thinking: what will the Surface Laptop 3 look like?
Beyond obvious upgrades to the internals, like Intel Whiskey Lake or Ice Lake processors, a higher resolution and Thunderbolt 3 are the highest on our wishlist. However, Microsoft would likely have to be willing to abandon its proprietary Surface connector. Currently, we don’t have any solid information about the Surface Laptop 3 – although some are speculating that it might make an appearance at teased Microsoft October 2 event. Still, until Microsoft releases any concrete information about the next generation Surface Laptop, all we can do is craft a wish list of what we want to see in the Surface Laptop 3. Based on the past Surface Laptop releases, here are our Surface Laptop 3 speculations, predictions and rumors we heard through the grapevine. Be sure to keep this page bookmarked, and we’ll update it with any Surface Laptop 3 news or rumors comes our way. Cut to the chase
Surface Laptop 3 release dateUnlike something like the Surface Pro 7, there have only been two Surface Laptop releases, and it’s a product line that has only been around for less than two years. So, we have less info to work with when guessing at a release window. The original Surface Laptop came out in June 2017, along with the Surface Pro, but the Surface Laptop 2 saw an October 2018 release. So, while we might end up seeing the Surface Laptop 3 sometime in 2019, it’s hard to predict exactly what month it will get released. It is, however, very possible that we’ll see it launch in or before September, as it’s popular for students. However, if Microsoft does roll it out then, it’d have to use Intel Whiskey Lake processors instead of the next-gen Ice Lake chips, and that may not be a substantial enough upgrade from the Kaby Lake Refresh chips in the Surface Laptop 2. Since Intel has already started shipping out the Ice Lake chips on August 1, we could see Microsoft announcing the Surface Laptop 3 at their October event and releasing it a few days or weeks later. This is all speculation, of course, so you should take it with salt. We’ll update this section as soon as we hear anything about the Surface Laptop 2 release date.
Surface Laptop 3 priceThe original Surface Laptop came out with a $799 (around £560, AU$1,000) price tag, and an Intel Core m3 processor and Windows 10 S out of the box. The Surface Laptop 2, on the other hand, considerably raised the price of entry, charging users $200 more at $999 (£979, AU$1,499). But, to be fair, this higher price point did come with full-fat Ultrabook processors in every configuration – not to mention, the full Windows 10 Home. It’s highly likely that Microsoft will charge the same $999 (£979, AU$1,499) for the Surface Book 3, to keep it competitive with similar Ultrabooks, such as the Dell XPS 13.
What we want to seeThe Surface Laptop 2 already improved so much on the Surface Laptop that it’s hard to know what else Microsoft could do to make it even better. Still, we’ve come up with a few things we’d like to see in the Surface Laptop 3, using our tech expertise as our guiding hand. Faster processors There are technically faster Ultrabook-class processors out already, touting Intel’s Whiskey Lake chips. However, those deliver such a small upgrade in performance, that it really isn’t worth upgrading. At CES 2019, Intel announced its 10nm Ice Lake processors, promising to increase performance two fold in certain workloads. While Intel’s performance claims should be taken with a grain of salt, the gains to performance and battery life that a 10nm process would afford are still exciting. And, we’d love to see that in the next Surface Laptop. Thunderbolt 3, please Lucky for us, Microsoft has patented a new magnetic USB-C charger, that would have the best of both worlds. We just hope the technology is ready and on the Surface Laptop 3 before it hits the streets. Freshen up the design And, it’s not like Microsoft isn’t pursuing thinner designs. Microsoft has patented a thinner Type Cover, with a touchpad built right into the printed circuit board. This could possibly lead to the Surface Pro 7 having a smaller footprint overall, but we’d also be interested to see if this design philosophy would carry over to other Surface devices. Thinner laptops are always in demand, so a thinner and lighter Surface Laptop 3 is definitely possible. However, we have seen a recent patent from Microsoft that could make the fur-coated design of the Surface Laptop 3 make a little more sense. The patent describes a touch-sensitive fabric, that could give the Surface Laptop 3 more touch controls on the chassis of the device, maybe for volume or brightness. A fuzzy Touch Bar, perhaps? This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Microsoft Surface Pro 7: what we want to see Posted: 28 Aug 2019 02:19 PM PDT Microsoft has been regularly creating some of the best Windows tablets and 2-in-1 laptops for a while now with its Surface lineup. Unfortunately, when the Surface Pro 6 was unveiled back in October 2018, there were only small improvements over the 2017 model. So, we were starting to think we weren’t going to see more substantial improvements to the Surface Pro formula. Now, here comes the Surface Pro 7. We’re beginning to see all sorts of patents for the new Surface Pro coming out of the woodwork that might change the game for how we use Microsoft’s tablets. For example, there’s a brand new USB-C magnetic Surface charger, which we really hope comes to fruition. Pair that with Intel’s new Ice Lake processors that should, with any luck, arrive sometime this year – that is, if Microsoft doesn’t pack it with new ARM processors – and the Surface Pro 7 might end up being the most powerful model yet. However, because nothing is certain, these are all just educated guesses, though we may hear more once Microsoft's October 2nd event comes around. Still, we will continue to update this article with any new information that we hear. Cut to the chase
Surface Pro 7 release dateBecause the Surface Pro 6 only recently came out, it’s unlikely that we’ll see the next one be released before the end of 2019. The Surface Pro 4 and Surface Pro 6 both came on the market in October 2015 and 2018, respectively. However, the Surface Pro 2017 did get a June release date. It’s likely that the Surface Pro 7 could come out in October 2019, but the release schedule for Surface Pro devices seems to be about every 16 to 18 months. In other words, there may not be a Surface Pro 7 until Spring or Summer 2020. We may see it hit the streets in October, if Microsoft wants to stick to that annualized release, but we’ll believe it when we see it. Don’t worry, we’ll update this article just as soon as new information comes our way – official or otherwise – regarding the Microsoft Surface Pro 7 release date.
Surface Pro 7 priceThe Surface Pro 6 initially cost $899 (£879, AU$1,349) for the base configuration, a marked price increase over the Surface Pro 2017, the base model of which was $799 (£799, AU$1,199). So, the pricing of the Surface Pro 7 could go in one of two directions: either it will get another price bump of $100, or stay the same price as before. We doubt the price will drop, however. If the price does increase by another $100, and launches at $999 (about £770, AU$1,380), it’ll put the Surface Pro 7 at the same price point as computers like the Dell XPS 13 and the HP Spectre x360 – not to mention the new iPad Pro. Like anything else we’ve listed, we won’t actually know the real pricing of the Surface Pro 7 until Microsoft is willing to share it. But again, we’ll update this article if and when that happens.
What we want to seeSince the release of the Surface Pro 7 is so far away at the moment, it’s hard to foresee what exactly is in store for the next Surface device. Still, based on all the patents that Microsoft has filed lately, like an update to the Surface Pen that would make it more accurate, we put together a wish list of improvements that we’d like to see. Blazing speed Still, we’ve heard some rumors that Qualcomm Snapdragon-equipped Surface devices are “floating around”. It’s doubtful that the top-end Surface Pro 7 would utilize an ARM processor like this, as there would be possible problems with software emulation of x86 apps. Nevertheless, we might see an entry-level Surface device implementing these ARM chips. If the Surface Pro 7 does use these new processors, you should expect quite the improved performance and battery life across the board. Thunderbolt 3, please Happily, we have reason to think that Microsoft will reveal the Surface Pro 7 with Thunderbolt 3 support, or at the very least basic USB-C charging. Microsoft has patented a new magnetic charger with a USB-C input that would work like the current Surface charger. We’re not actually sure of whether Surface Pro 7 will support Thunderbolt 3, as it depends on Microsoft’s openness to exchanging its proprietary technology for Thunderbolt 3 that it will have to pay Intel to license. That is, unless USB4 becomes available in time for a release. An improved Type Cover Just like the charging capabilities, we may have an idea of what the next generation Type Cover could look like. Microsoft has patented a thinner Type Cover that could minimize the footprint of the device all around. It looks like Microsoft is planning on doing this by using a trackpad that’s integrated right into the printed circuit board. It might also utilize haptic feedback in the keys, to improve the tactile response of typing, which would be vital on a slimmer keyboard cover. It’s a strange move, but it’s caught our attention regardless – if Microsoft can make the Type Cover thinner without making the same mistakes as Apple’s Butterfly keyboards, it might be a game-changer. We’ve also seen a patent that would make the fabric covering the Type Cover smarter. It should feature touch sensitivity, so you can swipe through news stories and photos without needing to find the touchpad or the touchscreen. We’re not sure who was asking for this tech, but it’s still a cool concept. Image Credit: TechRadar This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Apple says it's sorry for using contractors to listen in on Siri conversations Posted: 28 Aug 2019 01:36 PM PDT At long last, Apple has fully addressed its part in the ill-advised, industry-wide practice of using human contractors to listen in on conversations between its digital assistant – in this case, Siri – and users. The company made a formal apology. Apple owned up to its practices and promised to end them in a comprehensive press release, detailing what it was doing, why, and how it will improve its Siri digital assistant without this assistance moving forward. This apology is the result of the company's promise a month prior to suspend its use of contractors while it reviewed the intricacies of its process. Now, Apple has promised to stop using contractors completely in the process that it calls 'grading', in which these contractors would evaluate audio transcriptions of Siri conversations for accuracy. "As a result of our review, we realize we haven’t been fully living up to our high ideals, and for that we apologize," Apple says in the press release.
Siri improvements via humans will be opt-inTo make amends, Apple has detailed three things it will do between now and its next major operating system updates in iOS 13 and macOS Catalina later this year. First, the company "will no longer retain audio recordings of Siri interactions," but will still use anonymized, computer-generated transcripts to improve the service. Secondly (and thirdly, really), all iOS and macOS users will have to opt in if they want to contribute to Siri improvements by allowing anonymized audio samples of their conversations to be reviewed by fellow humans. Those humans will be Apple employees only, not contractors. Of course, Apple hopes that you will continue to opt in for better Siri improvements in the future, knowing now that only Apple employees will be using these anonymized audio samples for that reason. (Not to mention Apple's self-proclaimed slavish devotion to user privacy.) However, with its nigh-limitless resources, we're sure Apple can figure out how to improve Siri with or without our voices.
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Xbox Project Scarlett release date, specs and games confirmed for Xbox Two Posted: 28 Aug 2019 01:14 PM PDT After years of speculation, Microsoft finally announced the Xbox Project Scarlett during its big E3 2019 keynote conference in June of this year. The next-gen Xbox promises to deliver native 4K games at 60 frames-per-second, a large solid state drive to ensure almost no load times and ray tracing on consoles. We only have a few details on Microsoft's next-generation hardwar so far– even the moniker 'Project Scarlett' is a codename for now - but we do know it's coming, when it's coming, and a handful of the features and specs we can expect when it lands. Faster and more graphically advanced than its predecessors, Xbox Scarlett promises to be the most powerful games console in the world by the time it launches late in 2020 – even more so than the PS5, which is due to hit shelves around the same time. If that tag line sounds familiar it's because Microsoft said the same thing about the Xbox One X a little over two years ago, and is now doubling down with its next-gen console. That said, Microsoft is claiming that Xbox Scarlett is up to four times as powerful as the Xbox One X and offer a number of performance upgrades. What does all this mean for lapsed Xbox One owners and former fanboys who went to Sony's console - well, it means that Microsoft is taking its next console seriously: “For us, the console is vital and central to our experience. A console should be designed, and built and optimized for one thing, and one thing only – gaming,” said Xbox boss Phil Spencer. “This decisive moment of discovery is etched in your gaming history. We on Team Xbox will always be dedicated to delivering the best new games for you to discover. This right now is the single most creative and energizing time in gaming history. Games and gamers can be a significant unifying force for the world.” For PC gamers eyeing up next-gen consoles, Project Scarlett is looking to be an incredibly powerful home gaming machine, with custom built components from AMD, and an SSD drive at its heart allowing for innovative game development techniques. It's unlikely to rival some of the top-end PCs when it launches next year (the PS5 certainly won't) but it should offer a good price-to-performance ratio. We likely won't hear more about it until E3 2020, but until then here's everything we know so far about Project Scarlett - the affectionately dubbed 'Xbox Two'. Xbox Project Scarlett: key facts
Xbox Project Scarlett internal hardware. (Image credit: Microsoft) Xbox Project Scarlett specsWith only a sizzle reel to go by, we don't yet know what the Xbox Project Scarlett will look like, let alone if it'll eventually be named the Xbox Two. But we do have a good idea of its internal hardware, and the Xbox Project Scarlett specs are already sounding quite special. Using custom-designed processor from AMD making use of Zen 2 and Navi architecture, Xbox Project Scarlett will be 4x more powerful than the Xbox One X. It'll be possible of running games at 120Hz frame rates, at potential 8K resolutions, while also showcasing fancy real-time ray-tracing tech. It's the works. An SSD will come as standard, as with the PS5, which will give it the option of using its storage system as virtual RAM, as well as lifting load time performance by a factor of 40x. That'll let developers stream in far more detailed worlds around a player. In terms of 'standard' RAM, the console will pack in a meaty GDDR6.
Xbox Project Scarlett components. (Image credit: Microsoft) Though gamers are increasingly shifting their purchase preferences towards the convenience of digital downloads, Xbox Project Scarlett will also have a physical disk drive. Speaking to Eurogamer, Xbox's Head of Microsoft Games Studios Matt Booty said: "Yes, Scarlett will have an optical disc drive. I still have films at home on physical media - not many, but a few of my favourites. We know people have an attachment to buying games on disc, to building a collection." It's also likely that the new Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2 that is available for pre-order right now and launching November 4 of this year will be the controller for this upcoming console. That could just be wishful thinking, but with the hyperbolic language surrounding this announcement, we would expect nothing less. Indeed, Microsoft has confirmed that all your current Xbox One accessories will work with Xbox Project Scarlett, including existing controllers and headsets. But we'd doubt that also includes the ill-fated Kinect motion tracker.
Halo Infinite will be a Project Scarlett exclusive. (Image Credit: Microsoft) In addition, benchmark results have appeared online for an AMD ‘Flute’ system-on-a-chip (SoC), leading some to speculate that this could be the hardware that will power Xbox Project Scarlett. The benchmark results were spotted by a a Twitter user, and while we’re not sure what the purpose of the chip is, we know that Microsoft is working with AMD to produce a custom SoC that combines a processor and graphics card for the next Xbox – in the same way Sony is working with AMD on its custom Gonzalo SoC for the PlayStation 5. If these benchmark results are real, and the AMD Flute SoC is indeed going to power the Xbox Scarlett console, then it gives us an idea of the console's specifications and potential power level – something Microsoft has been rather cagey about so far. According to the benchmark results, the AMD Flute SoC will come with eight Zen 2 cores, 16 threads and SMT capability. Interestingly, the base clock speed of the Flute SoC is just 1.6GHz, which is pretty low these days, with a maximum boost of 3.2GHz. This suggests that the Flute SoC will be a low-power part for use in compact systems – such as a games console, and is similar to AMD’s Jaguar SoC which powered the Xbox One. While on paper the Flute SoC’s processor doesn’t sound too impressive – especially when compared to modern desktop PCs’ CPUs – it looks like the Flute CPU will be at least two times faster than previous-generation Jaguar SoCs, and will be a big upgrade over the dated 28nm Jaguar SoCs found in the original Xbox One and PS4. The Flute SoC is also expected to be 7nm, which will also bring power benefits. As a system-on-a-chip, the AMD Flute looks like it comes with a graphics processing unit (GPU) as well, though clues about the graphics capabilities are harder to find. Apparently, it will be based on ‘NAVI 10LITE’ – which has been mentioned before when unreleased AMD Navi GPUs showed up in a Linux driver. It’s possible that this is a ‘Lite’ version of the Navi 10 GPU, which will have reduced or limited specs compared to the full version, including lower CU (compute unit) counts. Having a lower CU count means the GPU will be less power-hungry, again suggesting that the AMD Flute SoC, if it does exist, is designed for a device where power efficiency is important – such as a games console. Finally, the benchmark results also suggest the engineering sample uses 16GB of memory – though the type of memory is not mentioned. It could mean that the Flute SoC shares 16GB of GDDR6 memory between the CPU and GPU, in a similar way to how the Xbox One X shares GDDR5 memory. So, does this mean we have a better idea of what the Xbox Scarlett’s specs will be? Well, there’s some compelling evidence, but remember that this is from a leaked benchmark, and we’re not sure if the AMD Flute SoC is going to be used in Xbox Scarlett – if the SoC even exits. It’s also worth noting that this AMD Flute is apparently an engineering sample, which means this may not be its final specifications – and that could change if (and it’s a very big if) it ends up in the Xbox Scarlett when the console launches late 2020. "I think the area that we really want to focus on next generation is frame rate and playability of the games," Spencer explained in an interview with Gamespot. "Ensuring that the games load incredibly fast, ensuring that the game is running at the highest frame rate possible." In addition Spencer went on to explain that Microsoft is aiming to get Project Scarlett games to run at 60 FPS in 4K, calling the challenge a "design goal". "This generation, we've really focused on 4K visuals and how we bring both movies through 4K Blu-ray and video streaming," Spencer explained. "And with Xbox One X allowing games to run at 4K visuals will make really strong visual enhancements next generation." Xbox Project Scarlett gamesHalo Infinite will has been confirmed to be an Xbox Project Scarlett launch title, bringing back the Master Chief for the franchises' first outing since 2015. It will have been five years at that point since a new mainline Halo game, so fans will be chomping at the bit for fresh Halo action. The Halo franchise is widely regarded as the original Xbox’s first must-play games, so the move to launch a next-gen with a Halo game is both symbolic and quite business-savvy on Microsoft’s part. To coincide with the announcement, Microsoft and the game's developer 343 Industries unveiled a new Halo Infinite trailer, available below: If Halo is not your thing you wont be wanting for games to play at launch though – especially if you're an existing Xbox player. Xbox Project Scarlett will be capable of three generations of backwards compatibility. So, as well as Scarlett-era games, it'll also play games from the Xbox One, the Xbox 360, and the very first generation of the Xbox.
Xbox Project Scarlett priceMicrosoft won't be pinned down on a price point quite yet – unsurprisingly, given what a sore spot the price of the Xbox One was for fans. At launch the original Xbox One cost a whopping $499 / £429 / AU$599, which was quickly reduced when Microsoft realised people weren't forking out. Price will inevitably be determined by the cost of the components going into the console: Xbox Scarlett is going to be a lot more powerful than either the Xbox One S or Xbox One X, and that could mean we're looking at an even higher price tag. The move towards streaming, however, may lead to smaller hard drives – or maybe even the option to buy without a hard drive at all – which would certainly cut down costs. Jason Ronald, director of the Xbox platform, gave only a vague reassurance when speaking to Windows Central, saying that Microsoft knew "what reasonable price points are for a console and kind of what customers expect about that". Xbox Project Scarlett release dateExpect to see the Xbox Project Scarlett console launch in the 'holiday' window of 2020. That's between October and December of 2020, and just in time for Christmas. It's exactly the same sort of launch period we're expecting Sony to have for its PS5, too. Santa's going to be a busy guy next year. We'll have more soon – hopefully including a specific release date rather than a launch window, and a real name for the console. Keep in mind that all the rumors pointed to there being two new Xbox consoles on the way, codenamed Anaconda and Lockhart, the former being high end (likely what we've seen here) and the latter being a cheaper, streaming-focused solution. Time will tell if that's still Microsoft's plan, but one thing's for certain – it's throwing down the gauntlet for Sony's PlayStation 5 to take on.
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Juventus vs Napoli live stream: how to watch Serie A football online from anywhere Posted: 28 Aug 2019 12:55 PM PDT We reckon that the 2019/20 Serie A season is looking like one of the most intriguing yet, with this being the year that the scudetto may finally be prised from the hands of Juventus. If we're right, then their visit from Napoli is looking like an early title six-pointer. If you're excited by the new season as we are, then you won't want to miss a Juventus vs Napoli live stream - that's where this guide comes in. According to the bookies, it's these two teams that will be fighting it out for the title this year, and both started with away wins on the first day of the season - just in very different manners. Juventus had a regulation 1-0 stroll at Parma, while Napoli came through a 4-3 thriller away at Fiorentina. Whether Juve boss Maurizio Sarri likes it or not, his club remains dominated by one man - one Cristiano Ronaldo. But it was the strength of his bench last weekend that shows just why the Old Lady are quite still so intimidating - the likes of de Light, Dybala, Cuadrado, Mandzukic, Bentancur and Buffon would waltz in to most line-ups around the globe. But Napoli's team aren't exactly shy of star men either with Lorenzo Insigne, Dries Mertens, and Kalidou Koulibaly all attempting to dethrone Juventus this season. Can they start this weekend with a huge win in Turin? The good news is that you can watch this intriguing Serie A match (and, indeed, every televised Serie A match) from practically anywhere on Earth. To find out how, read on and we'll tell you the best ways to live stream Juventus vs Napoli.
How to live stream Serie A from outside your countryKeep on scrolling if your a citizen of the UK, US, Australia, New Zealand or Canada - we'll tell you your broadcasting option (spoiler alert, it's ESPN+ in the US). But the minute you try to watch the game on those networks from outside your borders, you'll discover that you can't. The stream will be geo-blocked. The only legal way we know of getting around this is to use a VPN, which certainly beats watching some dodgy feed you've found online.
How to watch Juventus vs Napoli soccer in the USAnd if you have ESPN+ but are trying to watch the match from overseas, then using a US VPN allows you to watch all your domestic sports coverage from abroad. - Discover our pick of all the US's best sports streaming sites
How to stream Juventus vs Napoli live in the UK
How to live stream Juventus vs Napoli soccer in Canada
How to live stream Juventus vs Napoli in Australia
How to watch the Serie A in New Zealand
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Lomachenko vs Campbell live stream: how to watch boxing online from anywhere Posted: 28 Aug 2019 12:48 PM PDT A treat is in store for boxing fans this weekend as pound-for-pound No1 Vasyl 'Hi-Tech' Lomachenko is set to step into the ring in London on Saturday night with a much awaited showdown against Hull's Luke Campbell. WBA (Super), WBO and The Ring lightweight titles are all on the line, and you won't need miss a second of the action, no matter where you are in the world, by following our Lomachenko vs Campbell live stream guide below. Lomachenko's reputation as a legend still operating in the ring will only grow further should he add a third world lightweight title to his collection at the O2 on Saturday. Widely regarded as the world's best boxer, the 31-year-old Ukrainian won a world title in his third professional fight, became a two-weight champion in his seventh and a three-weight world champion by the time of his twelfth - all this on top of his fearsome amateur record of 396 wins to one loss. Lomachenko's last outing in the ring saw him retain his unified lightweight world title in a dominating display against Anthony Crolla in April. This weekend brings another British challenger and a pop at the vacant WBC title, but former Olympic champion Luke Campbell should bring a greater challenge this time out. Campbell, (20-2, 16 KOs), 31, may have lost his only previous title fight two years ago against Jorge Linares for the WBA title, but he lost on a contentious split points decision and has shown plenty evidence he's ready for another stab at the top level. Below you'll find all the options for watching the fight. No matter where you are in the world you can get the Lomachenko vs Campbell live stream online. ESPN+ is showing it in the US, but you'll need our help and a VPN if you're somewhere that isn't showing the boxing.
How to watch the boxing with a VPN if you're away from your countryBelow we've listed all of the best places to live stream the Lomachenko vs Campbell fight online in the US, UK and Australia.
How to watch the Lomachenko vs Campbell live stream in the US
How to live stream Lomachenko vs Campbell in the UK
How to live stream Lomachenko vs Campbell in Australia
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Stop using outdated software like Windows 7, Kaspersky says Posted: 28 Aug 2019 12:00 PM PDT Despite the fact that running an unsupported or near end-of-life operating system increases security risks, new research from Kaspersky has revealed that many businesses and consumers are still using Windows 7 and some have yet to upgrade past Windows XP. Researchers from the cybersecurity firm analyzed data collected from Kaspersky Security Network users regarding what operating system they use and the results show that 41 percent of consumers still use obsolete systems including extremely old ones like Windows XP and Vista. At the same time, 40 percent of very small businesses (VSBs) and 48 percent of SMBs and enterprises still rely on these outdated systems.
When it comes to specific versions of outdated operating systems used, two percent of consumers and one percent of workstations used by VSBs run Windows XP even though it hasn't been supported for over 10 years. Less than half a percent of consumers (0.3 percent) and VSBs (0.2 percent) still prefer Windows Vista for which mainstream support ended seven rears ago. Surprisingly, a small number of consumers (1 percent) and businesses (0.6 percent of VSBs and 0.4 percent of SMBs and enterprises) missed their chance to upgrade to Windows 8.1 for free and continue to use Windows 8 although it has not been supported by Microsoft since January 2016. Outdated operating systemsWindows 7 remains a popular choice for both consumers and businesses even while the operating systems' End of Life is coming at the end of January 2020. Over a third (38 percent) of consumers and VSBs and 47 percent of SMBs and enterprises still run this version of Windows despite the known risks in doing so. Enterprise solutions manager at Kaspersky, Alexey Pankratov explained in a blog post that the cost of upgrading may be high for some users but in the long run it will be cheaper than dealing with a security incident later on, saying: “Statistics show that a significant share of users, both businesses and individuals, still use workstations running an outdated or approaching end of lifecycle OS. The widespread use of Windows 7 is concerning, as there is less than six months to go until this version becomes unsupported. The reasons behind this lag vary depending on the software in place, which may be unable to run on the newest OS versions, to economic reasons and even just down to habit. Nonetheless, an old unpatched OS is a cybersecurity risk – the cost of an incident may be substantially higher than the cost of upgrading. This is why we recommend that customers migrate to supported versions and ensure that additional security tools are in place during the transition period.” If you've yet to do so, it is highly recommended that you upgrade to the latest version of Windows to avoid putting your sensitive files and data at risk.
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Freshly leaked AMD Ryzen Threadripper benchmark curiously slower than before Posted: 28 Aug 2019 11:44 AM PDT AMD has already updated its lineup of Ryzen 3000 processors (CPUs), but we're all still waiting for new, 3rd-Gen Threadripper CPUs. Some benchmarks have already appeared, but a recently leaked Geekbench score seems to show the same chip new Threadripper chip we'd already seen but with far lower multi-core performance. The new Geekbench score shows a chip, codenamed "AMD Sharkstooth," with 32 cores and 64 threads, which lines up well with Threadripper. But, where past benchmarks (2) had shown chips with 3.6GHz base clocks and astronomical multi-core performance scores, the new leak shows a 2.2GHz base clock and similarly reduced multi-core performance. The previous two leaked benchmarks averaged 5,805 points in single-core performance and 94,058 points in multi-core performance. Both had scored in the same ballpark. But, the new CPU with its lower clock speeds managed just 5,523 in single-core performance and a still-solid – but dismal by comparison – 68,576 multi-core score.
Zen 2 and overclocking headroomAMD's push to a 7nm (nanometer) process with Zen 2 has brought about substantial improvements for its Ryzen 3000-series of processors. But, we've seen that those new CPUs are limited in overclocking. While past CPUs could often be overclocked to increase their performance beyond factory settings, the new chips appear as more of a "what you see is what you get" scenario. Despite that, there were some early, record-breaking overclocks of Ryzen CPUs, such as a Ryzen 9 3950X at 5GHz on all cores. Unfortunately, this only helps raise more questions about the benchmarks we're seeing for the next Threadripper CPU. The previous generation Threadripper 2990WX had a 32-core, 64-thread configuration and base clock of 3.0GHz. A new version having that same configuration (albeit on a 7nm process now) but a lower clock speed would seem odd to many, but its worth noting that even the benchmarks of the lower-clocked model still leap well ahead of the 2990WX's 30,330 multi-core score in Geekbench (which may have been limited by compatibility issues with so many cores at the time). Whether we're seeing a new CPU with lower base clocks than the previous generation and improved performance thanks to upgrades in efficiency, or seeing an odd duck out against the higher-clocked, higher-performance models is a matter of future leaks or an imminent release that will hopefully help sort this out.
Via Tom's Hardware This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Fitbit Versa 2 brings Amazon Alexa to your wrist Posted: 28 Aug 2019 11:40 AM PDT Fitbit just announced the Versa 2, which is an update to its best-selling smartwatch that brings a variety of new features to your wrist – as well as some under the hood improvements. The most exciting new feature is that the Fitbit Versa 2 comes with Amazon Alexa built-in. That means you're able to ask Alexa for details in a similar way to how you interact with an Amazon Echo speaker. You can just hold the button on the left of the watch down for a few seconds, and then ask Alexa your query. For example, say "what's the weather like in London today" and you'll get a similar response to the image above.
The design is similar to the last version of the Fitbit Versa, but the screen is 8% bigger allowing for a slightly amount more to appear on the watch's display. We've yet to the learn the exact specs of the screen, but we know it's an AMOLED display. Fitbit says the watch should last for over five days with regular usage, which is a whole day more than the estimate of the original Versa. The watch comes with Connected GPS – so you'll need to take your phone with your to track your location – as well as activity tracking and a 24/7 heart rate monitor too. Fitbit Pay comes on the watch as standard, but you'll need to make sure you have a compatible bank to be able to use it. It's also water-resistant too, so you'll be able to take this watch running with you. It comes running Fitbit OS software, which is set to see a variety of improvements including a new Sleep Score feature that gives you a clearer picture of how well your night's sleep went with a score of zero to 100. Hello, AlexaYou can also control Spotify on the watch with a Fitbit app, but there's currently no offline play available on the device. For that you'll have to upload your own tracks to the watch or use Deezer's playlist feature. September 15 is the Fitbit Versa 2 release date for those in the US, while the UK and UAE has been told it's coming in mid-September. There's currently no clear release date for Australia, but we're expecting to see the watch land there, too. The Fitbit Versa 2 costs £199.99 / $199.95 / AU$299.95 / AED899, plus there's also a special edition of the watch that costs more and comes with a different strap. Fitbit has also unveiled a new pair of smart scales called the Fitbit Aria Air that are more affordable than its existing Fitbit Aria 2. These will be able to monitor your weight and connect via Bluetooth. Fitbit is selling these for £49.99 / $49.95 (about AU$75) and these will be available from some point in October. Plus there's new service from the company that offers a full health program for you, and it's called Fitbit Premium.
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Fortnite Battle Royale update news, patch notes and more Posted: 28 Aug 2019 11:39 AM PDT In such a short space of time, Fortnite Battle Royale has become 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 across all ages and demographics. Season 10 is now officially live, and we've got details of all the latest updates. In Out of Time there are some map changes and a brand new time travel theme to contend with. To help you keep on top of what's new and what's coming up in Fortnite, we've put together this handy page which will be updated with all the latest announcements. So to get you ready for blast off, here's everything you need to know about Fortnite. What is Fortnite?There's been a lot of hype surrounding Fortnite since its release in July 2017. But what exactly is it? Fortnite is a battle royale game which sees you thrown onto an island with no weapons or armor and it's up to you to scavenge for supplies and fight for your life to be the last man or squad standing at the end of the game – with the added pressure of a shrinking map that closes in as the match progresses, forcing players into tighter skirmishes. The game is available for free on PC, Xbox One, PS4, Nintendo Switch, iOS, and Android, with in-game purchases limited to purely cosmetic options. Fortnite update news and Fortnite patch notes
Image Credit: Epic Games Fortnite is now into season 10 and patch 10.20. Mayhem As if Fortnite wasn't chaotic enough on its own, Borderlands is getting involved. The most recent Fortnite update sees the addition of a brand new Rift Zone that's based on the Borderlands planet of Pandora with themed challenges and cosmetic items to enjoy. This Rift Zone will be playable and explorable until September 10. Shield Bubble If you like to go on the defensive then you may very well like this new item. Shield Bubble conjures a dome under which you'll be completely protected from projectiles and explosives for 30 seconds. Players can fire their own projectiles out of the bubble which is great, but it's worth bearing in mind that it doesn't stop other players running through so you may be safe from an explosive but that won't stop someone marching up to you and causing some direct damage. This Rare item can be found in Floor Loot, Chests, Supply Drops and Vending Machines While Epic giveth in this update, it also taketh away so the items that have been vaulted are Storm Flip, Drum Gun and Storm Scout Sniper Rifle. Read the patch notes for this update in full on the official Epic website to find out more about bug fixes and smaller changes.
Can I play Fortnite on mobile?Yes you can! Well, maybe. After months of waiting, Fortnite is finally on both iOS and Android, though you'll need a phone that can actually run the game. iOS users can download straight from the App Store. As long as you're using iOS 11 on iPhone 6S/SE, iPad Mini 4, iPad Air 2, iPad 2017, iPad Pro devices or later you'll be fine. Oh, and you'll need an internet connection, naturally. Fortnite also hit Android phones and finally came out of beta in October 2018. You can see the full list of phones – and how to find the Fortnite Installer – on our Fortnite on Android page. Is it the full game? It is the full Fortnite game. There are some small differences: it’s not quite as visually impressive as it is on more powerful devices, the controls are touchscreen, and a lot of audio cues have been made visual so you can play comfortably in public without the need for headphones. But you won’t be missing out on any key features.
What's the deal with cross-play? A sweet deal is what it is. While previously Xbox One and PS4 owners couldn't play the game together, Sony's U-turn on the matter means that now everyone across Xbox One, PS4, Nintendo Switch, iOS, and Android can all take part in the crossfire. So if you've got friends that prefer PC, others that prefer console and you're off on holiday with your mobile, that's no reason for the fun to stop. There's also cross-progression. So, if you're logged into your Fortnite account on mobile and you later log into your console to play there, everything you did on mobile later that day is carried over. Sounds great, how do I get it? We have a guide on how to get Fortnite on mobile on TechRadar and we're constantly updating it with the latest rollout news. If your device isn't there yet, keep checking back and one day it probably will be. What's a Fortnite Battle Pass?The Battle Pass is a purchasable item in Fortnite that gives you access to exclusive in-game rewards. As players complete daily challenges and level up their rank, they earn Battle Stars which can then be used to unlock Tiers in their Battle Pass. Each new Tier you unlock will bring both Free and Premium rewards. Season 10 has also seen the introduction of missions to the battle pass. These are thematic objectives that span the island and on completing them you'll unlock additional rewards. Everyone that has a Battle Pass will get the Free reward they unlock, but only Premium Pass holders will get the Premium reward. Battle Pass Premium can only be purchased with in-game V bucks and not with real money. You can purchase a Battle Pass for around £7/$10 in the Battle Pass tab of the game’s menu. Twitch Prime benefits Those who use Twitch Prime and play Fortnite will be glad to know that they have access to free loot right now. Those with a Prime account can claim the Fortnite Twitch Prime Pack and the Fortnite Twitch Prime Pack 2 which include a host of cosmetic items and are available across all platforms. The first pack includes two exclusive gliders and outfits: the Havoc Outfit and Back Bling, plus the Sub Commander Outfit and Slipstream Glider. The second pack contains three exclusive items for Fortnite’s Battle Royale mode including the camouflage-heavy Trailblazer Outfit, the True North Back Bling, and the Tenderizer Pickaxe. There’s also a brand new dance emote for those that like the dance floor as much as the battleground. The packs can only be claimed on a single platform, but they can be shared across PC/console and mobile as long as you use the same Epic account across these platforms. You can’t however, share your loot across PS4 and Xbox One even if you are using the same Epic account. (Image credits: Epic Games) This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Borderlands 3 release date, trailers and new Borderlands characters Posted: 28 Aug 2019 11:23 AM PDT Borderlands 3 looks set to amp up the mayhem of what was already a pretty chaotic franchise. With brand new Vault Hunters to choose from, a devilish duo of enemies heading up a Psycho army – and some smart social media commentary to boot – and this latest take on Gearbox Software's loot-em-up looks set to earn the mantle of Borderlands 3. After so long waiting, it hardly feels real that the release date of Borderlands 3 is so close (we've even spent some hands-on time with the game now!) but with an imminent launch, and our eyes firmly on Gamescom 2019 for any possible updates, we couldn't be much more hyped than we already are. While Borderlands 3 will be exclusive to the Epic Games Store on PC, it will also launch on Xbox One and PS4, and make up the roster of Google Stadia games in November too. With larger-than-life characters, a lively and colorful alien planet to explore, tons of absurd weapons, and a wisecracking sense of humor, Borderlands has managed to blow some fresh air into an FPS genre that often sticks to 'gritty' visuals and dull urban environments. The next title looks to be more of the same in some ways, but will feel pretty new in others. Here's everything we know so far about the game, and when it's finally going to be landing on PC and consoles. [UPDATE: Attention PC players: the specification requirements for Borderlands 3 have been confirmed. Read on to find out what the minimum and recommended specs for Borderlands 3 are.]
Cut to the chase
Borderlands 3 release dateGearbox has now confirmed a release date of September 13, 2019. Nuff said. Borderlands 3 trailers and previewWhile we wait for the game to land, we do have a number of new trailers to pore over. The latest isn’t trying to tell you anything specific but it’s a real mood setter and you can tap your feet to The Turtles so it’s well worth a watch. E3 brought us an exciting amount of new footage including a new cinematic trailer and ten whole minutes of gameplay footage. You can watch both below: Gearbox took to the stage at PAX East (March 28-30) to show off the formal announcement trailer below. You get a good look at the new villains of the series (a brother and sister?), new shiny cities and creaking scrapyards, and series-favorite robot Claptrap doing some breakdancing. It looks... pretty much the same as any Borderlands game before it, which is both reassuring for fans and a bit disappointing for those looking for a new spin on the series. It's too early to judge before we've seen more, though. What we know for sure is that there'll be a lot of guns (over one billion, and even one with little machine legs) and a whole lot of looting in expansive sandbox environments. Oh, and a saxophone solo – because why not? There's also a separate announcement trailer for the release date, which also names the four vault hunters and the name of the villains: the Calypso Twins... The official announcement came only days after a 'Mask of Mayhem' teaser you can see below. It's packed with little clues and hints of the game to come, including everything from a morse code to braille, and what seems to be a broken-up redeem code (C35TB - WS6ST - TXBRK - JJH6H - TTTJT) that we imagine will be usable for some sort of DLC reward or exclusive skin for eagle-eyed viewers. What's more, we've been able to spend some time with the game thanks to a hands-on gameplay reveal event that TechRadar attended. The gameplay loop, at least, is familiar, with your job to take down enemies, look their corpses, and level up. It looks like Gearbox is putting plenty of detail and imagination into the weaponry this time around.
What's new is a focus on movement that's more fluid, and improvements to multiplayer, including the option for allies to revive each other. There's also "loot instancing", designed to level the playing field a little for groups of friends who've spend different amounts of time in the game. Borderlands 3 also gives you your very own spaceship, the Sanctuary 3. For a full rundown of everything we saw in our time with the game, check out our hands-on preview in full. Borderlands 3 characters / Vault Hunters
Like the games before it, Borderlands 3 will have four distinct Vault Hunter classes at launch, allowing you to play in your own unique way. Want to snipe from a distance, run in guns blazing, or let your animal companions maul your enemies to death? It's really up to you. The four Vault Hunters this time around are as follows:
These playable characters actually speak and engage with other characters, as well as each other. They can also combine abilities for ultimate effectiveness. Borderlands 3 news and rumorsSystem Requirements With only a couple of weeks until Borderlands 3 is released, the system requirements have been released. The good news for PC players is that they're not too taxing at all. Read the minimum and recommended specs for yourself below: Minimum requirements (1080p)
Recommended requirements (1440p)
There will be endgame content How long will it take to complete? Gun alternate shooting modes Mantle and slide Level-syncing
Ice-T is a fluffy pink teddy bear But what badass role is the legend taking on? Perhaps a gun-toting psycho? Or a wise-cracking vault hunter? Nope, Ice-T lends his voice to a fluffy pink teddy bear called Balex (his parents couldn't decide between Barry and Alex) who is having some trouble with an ex girlfriend. Plenty of customization options Exploring the galaxy
Visual capabilities Further to this, players will be able to choose between "favor resolution" and "favor performance" on 4K consoles. With the former, framerate will be capped at 30 but the resolution will look its absolute best. With the latter, as you'd expect, the resolution is held back slightly at 1080p while the framerate goes up to 60 frames per second. If you're using a 4K console but your TV only supports 1080p "the game will supersample from the higher resolution using the console's hardware" so you'll get the best 1080p image you can at the very least. 14 minutes of footage No cross-play at launch Vault Insider Programme The Vault Insider Programme is basically part of the marketing push ahead of Borderlands 3 so it probably won’t surprise you to know that points are earned after you set up a Gearbox Shift account and link it up to your various social media channels. You’ll get your points from watching the latest videos, visiting the Borderlands social media channels, essentially doing a lot of the things you might do anyway if you’re interested in the game. You can either spend your points on a randomised piece of loot or weaponry or save up for something specific. Accessibility improvements
There have also been improvements made to online match-making. Players will be able to search for a match in the background while continuing to play the game, and match preferences can be more specific than previously. This means you can find players at the same point in the story as you or set the mode you want to play in. Ping system Much like in Apex Legends, Borderlands 3's multiplayer will allow players to simply cover over an enemy or chest and then press a button to 'ping' it to your fellow teammates. In other words, it lets you highlight important things like hostiles, good loot and objectives. This feature will allow players to communicate easily and without having to deal with the stress of a stranger screaming down your headset. Of course, that option remains available. Check out a video of the new ping system in action below: E3 2019 Oh, and those rumors about a Borderlands 2 DLC bridging the gap to the third game? Those were true. Borderlands 2: Commander Lilith and the Fight for Sanctuary offers a 10-hour story which starts right at the end of Borderlands 2. Even better, it can be downloaded for free from now until July 9 on Xbox One, PS4 and Steam. After that it'll cost you £11.99 so if you have any interest in Borderlands 3 it's worth picking up right now. Reports of Borderlands 2 DLC - confirmed Details, details, details DLCs: quality over quantity Epic Games Store exclusive – to start Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford hinted at this back in December, when he voiced his support for the new marketplace. Epic has been courting various exclusives for its store, including Metro Exodus and The Division 2, so we're not overly surprised. Cross-platform co-op could be included A listing page for Borderlands 3 on the Microsoft store gave a hint to a very-cool potential new feature landing with the game – cross-platform multiplayer. Though the page in question has since been pulled, it showed the game's feature set to include play across consoles not limited to Microsoft's own. With the game initially an Epic Games Store exclusive, and that platform's biggest title, Fortnite, being cross-platform in many console scenarios, there's certainly the genesis of the infrastructure to support the feature if true. A representative for the game's publisher, 2K Games, told IGN that “Cross play is something we’re looking at closely, but don’t have anything to confirm or announce at this time.” Vault Hunter names Borderlands 3 confirmed – as well as a board-game
Image Credit: Gearbox 4K remasters (for free!) Hints, lots of hints Pitchford also took part in an IGN Unfiltered interview around the same time, when he said that if another Borderlands game were to be made, it would be more of a true sequel as opposed to another Pre-Sequel spin-off. Caught in the act Given that Psychos are a Borderlands enemy we’d say this tweet can be read with a fairly large nudge and wink. The GDC presentation He also revealed that this new tech is capable of simulating different physics depending on a planet’s properties. Specifically he said “there might be different physics and the sun and the moons might be in different positions than what we’re used to on Pandora.” That seems to have been pretty prophetic – as we know Borderlands 3 will be making use of some new environments beyond what we saw on Pandora in the previous games. Some changes Another change is that the voice behind Claptrap, David Eddings, has left Gearbox for Rooster Teeth so it’s unlikely he’ll be taking up the role again.
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Oppo Reno2 series with quad-camera goes official in India Posted: 28 Aug 2019 11:07 AM PDT Oppo on Wednesday unveiled Reno2, Reno2 Z and Reno2F to its shark-fin popping Reno-series. Oppo chose India as the country for the global debut which is a rare thing for Chinese brands. Having said that, Oppo is amongst the top five smartphone brands in India and is very popular in tier-2 and tier-3 cities. Oppo Reno2 is the purported successor to the Oppo Reno which was announced earlier this year. Not to be confused with the Oppo Reno 10x Zoom, which is still leading the Reno food chain. Oppo Reno2 price and specificationsOppo Reno2 has a 3D curved glass body features a 6.5-inch AMOLED screen with a 93.1% screen-to-body ratio. The display has a Full HD+ (2400 x 1000 pixels) resolution and a wide 20:9 aspect ratio. It is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 730G chipset with an octa-core CPU and Adreno 618 GPU. The SD730G chipset offers 15% increase in graphics performance and brings a few of Snapdragon Elite Gaming features along with it such as support for HDR gaming. This is paired with 8GB RAM, 256GB storage and the setup runs on ColorOS 6.1. The Reno2 comes with four cameras on the rear and a 16MP sensor tucked away in the pop-up "fin" mechanism. Oppo says that the front camera springs up in 0.8 seconds and supports bokeh effects for videos. The primary camera on the Reno2 uses a 48MP Sony IMX586 sensor with an f/1.7 aperture and support for optical image stabilization (OIS). There's an 8MP wide-angle lens which gives a 116-degree field-of-view and a 13MP telephoto sensor with 5x hybrid zoom and 20x digital zoom. The last camera uses a monochrome sensor and assists in creating pictures with bokeh effect. Oppo Reno2 has a lot of photography tricks up its sleeve such as ultra-dark mode, steady video and bokeh effects. It comes with a 4,000mAh battery and supports VOOC 3.0 fast charging solution. Oppo Reno2 has been priced at Rs 36,990 and will be available starting September 20 in India on Amazon. Oppo Reno2 Z and Reno2 F price and specifications
Oppo Reno2 Z features a 6.53-inch AMOLED display with a 91.6% screen to body ratio. The bottom bezel is pretty noticeable on this one as opposed to the Reno2. It has a quad-camera setup on the back which loses out on the telephoto lens and OIS. It instead makes do with two 2MP sensors-- one monochrome and one RGB, to assist in creating portrait pictures. The primary sensor and the wide-angle lens are the same as those on the Reno2. On the front, the Reno2 Z has a 16MP selfie camera housed in a pop-up module as unlike the shark-fin on the Reno2. The phone is powered by MediaTek Helio P90 chipset and is paired with 8GB RAM and 256GB storage. There's a 4,000mAh battery on board, just as on the Reno2. Oppo Reno2 Z is priced at Rs 29,990 and will be available starting September 6 in India.
Oppo Reno2 F has the same AMOLED display, pop-up camera, 4,000mAh battery and the 8MP wide-angle lens as the Reno2 Z. However, a major change comes in the form of the primary 48MP camera which uses Samsung's GM1 sensor instead of Sony's. The other change is that it is powered by MediaTek Helio P70 chipset which is paired with 8GB RAM and 128GB storage. Oppo hasn't revealed the price of the Reno2 F but said that it will be available in November. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| The Last of Us 2: release date, news, and rumors Posted: 28 Aug 2019 11:04 AM PDT You read that right: The Last of Us 2 is in development, and on its way in the coming year. The release date isn't quite pinned down – though Gamescom 2019 could correct that for us – but there's still plenty of rumors about when it might land, covered in the article below. As endings go, The Last of Us's was pretty conclusive. But as it turns out, that hasn't stopped The Last of Us developer Naughty Dog from cranking out a sequel in the form of The Last of Us 2 – or, The Last of Us Part II if we're using its proper name. Given the first game was hailed by players and critics alike as a masterpiece with excellent, emotional storytelling and engaging, realistic characters, we have to admit that the decision to release a follow-up isn't particularly shocking. We'd probably have been more surprised if there wasn't one. And yet, when The Last of Us 2 was first announced, we'd be lying if we said our hearts didn't skip a beat. The Last of Us 2 was first announced by Naughty Dog at PlayStation Experience in 2016 alongside a teaser trailer and the last significant news drop around the game came at E3 2018. As we're now well into 2019, we're now hoping to hear an official release date any day now. And it really could be any day - after Sony decided to bow out of E3 2019 it's become increasingly hard to predict when news around the game could drop. Regardless, as this year goes on it's looking increasingly likely that we'll have to wait until late 2019 or maybe even 2020 before we join Ellie in her new adventure. [Update: There are reports that some new footage from The Last of Us 2 has been shown at the GameStop managers conference behind closed doors. Read on to find out more.] Cut to the chase
The Last of Us 2 trailersThe most recent trailer we have for The Last of Us 2 was shown during E3 2018. This trailer finally gives us a look at Ellie in an intimate scene before cutting away to some of the brutal but stealth-based combat we can expect to see in the game when it's launched. The gameplay sequence gives us a look at Ellie fighting for her life in the wild. Success in a fight appears to require the right balance between stealth and all out attack as damage seems to have a more realistic impact. Ellie can move quietly between areas, taking weapons from bodies and crafting, before bursting out and taking down her enemies. It's a different creature in many ways to the original The Last of Us but it looks like something to look forward to, with more advanced enemies to challenge us and more complex gameplay to thrill us. See the gameplay for yourself below. The Last of Us Part 2 had another trailer drop during PSX 2017. During a panel it was confirmed that the game will be set in the city of Seattle and the darker themes we know are coming were touched upon. You can watch the panel for yourself below: Another trailer for the game was shown at Sony's press conference during the 2017 Paris Games Week. This trailer is around 5 minutes long, focusing on conflicts between the human factions in the game. It shows part 2 is going to have a dark story, perhaps even darker than the first, and the trailer is fairly harrowing to watch. Visually impressive though it is, do note that it's gory before you watch it for yourself below. The first look at The Last of Us 2 came with its announcement at PlayStation Experience in 2016. Despite the fact that the game was early in development, the trailer showed a full (non-gameplay) scene that features both Ellie and Joel. You can watch it below: The Last of Us 2 release dateThe Last of Us 2 has been in the works for a while but we're still waiting for a definite release date. Considering Naughty Dog has experienced the bad side of promising a solid release date and missing it before, it’s hard to blame them for not committing before being ready. In an interview with Vorterix, the game's composer, Gustavo Santaolalla, said that the game is going to launch in 2019. Naturally, this hasn't been confirmed so we'd take it with a pinch of salt. Making that 2019 release date seem less likely are the recent rumors suggesting we won't see The Last of Us 2 on shelves until early 2020, especially after another big PlayStation exclusive, Death Stranding, just had a November 2019 release date confirmed. It would be incredible to have two releases from PlayStation that are this big during the holiday season but it's unlikely. Adding fuel to the 2020 fire is a Between the Sheets interview with Ellie actress Ashely Johnson. When asked when the game is going to be released, Johnson appears to begin to say "February", which would tie up with the rumored release date after Death Stranding took the end of 2019 release slot. Of course, Johnson didn't actually get to finish what she was saying and a lot can change between now and February 2020. We won't know for certain until Naughty Dog makes it official. You can watch the interview with Johnson below (with that release moment being around the one hour and seven minutes mark). What we know so farGameStop Conference Some brand new The Last of Us 2 footage was apparently shown behind closed doors during the recent GameStop managers conference in Nashville. The footage, which will be available to the wider world "soon", was short and showcased some of the game's stealth aspects, including how clickers can be used to your advantage. When this "soon" that the footage will be released is isn't yet known but one opportunity for Sony and Naughty Dog to show some new footage would be during Paris Games Week in October if it doesn't drop even sooner. More from Troy Baker The teasing for The Last of Us 2 continues at Manchester Comic-Con. Troy Baker, voice of Joel, has once again been talking about the game and this time he’s said: “There is nothing about this game, nor the reveals, that hasn’t been 100% carefully crafted and methodically curated. All I can tell you is that as much as you’re clamoring for it, you’re not ready.” If that’s true then the careful curation possibly extends to Baker’s excellent hyping here. What that tells us is that we’re not going to hear anything about this game’s release date until Sony and Naughty Dog want us to and it could be a little while longer before we do. Troy Baker shedding some light Things have been a little quiet around The Last of Us Part II lately so Troy Baker, the voice of Joel, has caused some excitement merely by mentioning the game. During Manchester Comic-Con, Baker was asked what can be expected from the sequel and wasn't able to give away much. What he did say, however, was that "it's hands down the most ambitious game that Naughty Dog has ever done for sure. It's far larger than I thought was going to be possible." That's a pretty big statement to make and one guaranteed to leave fans salivating. When it came to the release date, though, Baker wasn't able to make any announcements. Not because he didn't want to (though obviously and understandably he didn't) but because he and his fellow cast members don't know the release date just yet. "Last time we announced, we slipped," he explained, "And they don't want to do that again." (Via PlayStationLifestyle)
Rumors of a delay There was much excitement on May 29 as a result of PlayStation exclusive Death Stranding finally getting its release date confirmed as November 8 2019. This has, however, had a ripple effect which is concerning fans of The Last of Us 2. With Death Stranding now slotted in as PlayStation's big exclusive release for the holiday season of 2019, it's been rumored (by Kotaku's Jason Schreier among others) that The Last of Us 2, also originally said to be looking at a late 2019 release, will now be pushed into early 2020. This has not been confirmed by Naughty Dog or PlayStation so it remains nothing more than rumor at the moment. It's also worth pointing out that The Last of Us 2 has never had a set-in-stone release date anyway. However, an early 2020 release date for The Last of Us 2 does not seem impossible at this point as PlayStation having two such huge releases close together at the end of 2019 would be a surprise indeed. A recent interview with Ellie actress, Ashley Johnson, has also added to those early 2020 rumors as, when asked by the interviewer when the game will release, she appears to begin to say February. However, nothing has been confirmed by Naughty Dog just yet so everything stands as rumor only at the the moment. Into the final stages News around The Last of Us 2 has been hotting up recently as the game inches closer towards completion. Naughty Dog has now confirmed that the final scene for the game has been shot and the game’s co-director, Anthony Newman, has tweeted out a recruitment call as the studio begins to “close out” the game’s development. As promising as these announcements are, they don't reveal anything about whether or not we can expect to see The Last of Us 2 this year or next. Regardless, development has reached a critical stage and though Sony won’t be attending E3 2019, that doesn’t mean it can’t make some announcements around the time of the show. In fact, recent rumors have suggested that we will see some kind of news around this time. Hopefully we’ll see a confirmed release date in the coming months. Mocap is underway Things have been quiet on the official news front for The Last of Us 2 but we've been glad to see some studio insiders and actors from the game posting images on social media which show that the game's motion capture is well underway. Actors Ashley Johnson and Shannon Woodward have both posted images of themselves wearing mocap suits. They didn't give much away but the fact that Naughty Dog is this far into the motion capture process suggests we might at least be closer to hearing about a possible release date. Troy Baker is impressed The Last of Us 2 is still in the works, but we now know that one of its lead voice actors, Troy Baker, has had an in-depth look and he thinks the game is 'awesome'. It's not clear whether Baker just saw some gameplay or had the chance to go hands-on himself but according to GameRant he said during MCM Comic Con at Birmingham “It’s a fantastic story. It’s a fantastic game. We just finished a playtest. It’s looking awesome. I can’t for it to be on shelves.” Though we can't be sure where exactly in the development process it is (during PSX, it was said that Naughty Dog had reached around the 50 to 60% mark) this playtest is an encouraging sign. Directors With Neil Druckmann having been promoted to Vice President of Naughty Dog, The Last of Us 2 now has two confirmed directors. Druckmann will, of course, still be heavily involved in the creation of the game but it's now being headed up by Anthony Newman and Kurt Margenau, both of whom were lead designers on Uncharted 4. Story Although it was no slouch in the gameplay department, it was the story told by The Last of Us that stuck with us for months afterwards. Naturally Naughty Dog had to give us some kind of hint about where the sequel would go. At the moment we know The Last of Us 2 will take place in the city of Seattle, five years after the end of the original game, with a 19 year old Ellie taking the starring playable role. Joel will still appear in the game but if the teaser trailer is anything to go by, he could be a much more passive presence. This time around, Ellie is extremely angry about...something. From what we saw from the teaser trailer she wants revenge, which to her appears to be a dish best served deadly. She does, after all, promise to “kill every last one of them.” It’s not clear who “them” is but it could signal that the Fireflies, the first game's well-meaning but morally grey antagonists, will make a return. Anger, hate and revenge are going to be key themes this time around so expect to be in for an emotionally heavy ride.
In the trailer for the game shown at Paris Games Week in 2017, we got a look at how dark the game is likely to be. The trailer focuses on the opposing relationships between human characters in the game and features some seriously cringe-inducing violence. It doesn't tell us much about any new characters of how they'll relate to one another but it does confirm that we're going into a dark game world in The Last of Us part 2. In a recent panel at PSX both Druckmann and Gross said that though the game's story will indeed be dark and there'll be a focus on the theme of hate, "there is hope" and there will be "lighthearted moments." We can't pretend we're not relieved to hear this after the game's controversial Paris Games Week trailer which, Druckmann said, was intended to highlight the game's exploration of the pursuit of justice. Ellie is one of the most real and refreshing characters we’ve seen in gaming so it’s exciting that Naughty Dog are going to take her story further and put her in center stage. The creative director of the game, Neil Druckmann has said that the story will be about Ellie and Joel’s relationship and that though the story would be complementary to the story of the first game, it would be much larger.
When asked at a PSX panel whether or not Joel or Ellie may die, Druckmann responded that "no one is safe" highlighting that the game's story really could go anywhere. Hopes are particularly high for this larger story as it’s been revealed that one of the writers of Westworld, Halley Gross, will be co-writing the game’s story. Having someone who’s written scripts for such an incredibly popular and successful show should be a boon for the game's story. Gameplay E3 2018 brought us our first proper look at the gameplay in The Last of Us Part 2. Given Ellie is now the leading playable character, it was expected that things would be a little different from the first game and the presentation at the show made this fairly clear. Ellie will have some moves similar to Joel but there are some things she'll be able to do that are completely different. For one thing she can jump - the new jump button should make the world of The Last of Us Part 2 more complex and more enjoyable to traverse. It also has the potential to make combat more interesting. Speaking of combat, Ellie doesn't really throw punches as her first form of attack, she has a stealthy knife. Melee combat generally appears to offer a little more than the original game, with evasions and an environment that can help as well as hinder your fighting. Not only has Ellie matured as a character, the enemies she faces have developed and they're more realistic than ever. The Infected in The Last of Us Part 2 are smarter and more reactive than their predecessors, making them a tougher foe to face. AI has improved, allowing enemies to communicate with one another and to look for Ellie when she's hiding. Expect some tense moments to arise from this.
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Is Amazon gearing up for a Prime VPN launch? Posted: 28 Aug 2019 09:38 AM PDT Amazon may be planning a major move into more software fields after it announced two new subscription offers for users of its popular Eero home mesh networking Wi-Fi system. Eero Secure and Eero Secure+ follow a path well treaded by others usch as Invizbox, Bitdefender or Norton Core or Cujo. In a nutshell, take a layer of hardware and add privacy-related software to it. $29.99 per year (or $2.99 per month) gets users the Eero Secure plan, which includes advanced security for all devices connected to the Eero system, content filtering and ad-blocking at hardware level.
Eero Secure + (formerly known as Eero Plus) costs $9.99 per month or $99.99 for a year and bundles a VPN from Encrypt.me, antivirus protection from Malwarebytes and password management from 1Password. Bought separately, the trio would cost you nearly $280 for a family of five. Assuming that Eero Secure + has no connection limits, that represents a saving of nearly 65 percent for that scenario. We have reached out to Amazon for more information about the above, but the launch could prove to be the start of something big for the ecommerce giant. Amazon VPN coming soon?VPN and antivirus were already part of Eero’s offering before Amazon bought it back in February 2019. Given Amazon’s clout and its immense subscription base via Prime - it has more than 100 million subscribers in the US alone - means that it could both the VPN and antivirus markets, very significantly. What’s more, Amazon is one of the largest owners - if not the largest owner - of compute, storage and networking resources in the world thanks to the millions of servers it hosts. That’s several orders of magnitude bigger than even the biggest VPN provider out there.
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| PS5: all the games, specs, news, and rumors for Sony’s Playstation 5 Posted: 28 Aug 2019 09:19 AM PDT We don't have a name for it yet, but the next PlayStation console is on its way, and it's set to a bigger, better and more powerful gaming machine than any PlayStation before it. Whether it ends up being called the PS5, PlayStation 5, or otherwise is anyone's guess – but now we know for sure that the console is coming. We heard from Mark Cerny, the chief architect on Sony's next-generation console, that Sony was working on the successor to the PS4 Slim and PS4 Pro, with a few choice details about what we could expect from its hardware. The PS5 will still play discs, for one – but as to the exact hardware specifications, and how it will link up with Sony and Microsoft's plans for game streaming, we're still largely in the dark. We've had some surprising leaks, in the form of a Sony-registered patent that seems to show off the PS5's general shape, button inputs, and cooling vents – though even an authentic design outline could change between now and the PS5's launch. Sony made the tactical decision to skip out on E3 2019 this year, with no big announcements at Gamescom 2019 later in the year either. Microsoft has been keener to show off its Xbox Scarlett console – which we know is landing at the end of 2020 – but these early days make the inevitable PS5 vs Xbox Project Scarlett battle still a hazy question to consider. But with the release date getting closer, Sony can only keep the finer details of the next-generation PlayStation so secret – and between the rumored specs, likely next-gen titles, and official features we are aware of, there's plenty to keep us busy for now. Here's everything we know about the PS5 so far, and what we hope will be revealed the closer we get to launch. [Update: A PS5 patent leak seems to show the look and design of the PlayStation console – and it's certainly different. Read on to find out more.]
PS5: FAQ
PS5 confirmed specs: things we know for sure
Death Stranding (Image Credit: Kojima Productions) A bespoke 8-core AMD chipset based on third generation Ryzen architecture, with a GPU taking the best bits of the Radeon Navi GPU family; a built-for-purpose SSD storage system; 3D audio; backwards compatibility with PS4 games and PSVR hardware; 8K TV support. It's all been revealed by PlayStation top-dog Mark Cerny, the man behind the construction of the PS4, and now in charge of the next-gen console's development. While the look of the console remains a mystery, its internals are coming into focus, and they're very promising. That AMD one-two-punch of CPU and GPU unlocks the powers of ray tracing, an advanced lighting technique that can bring next-level immersion to gaming visuals. It's a Hollywood technique that's used in big-budget CGI spectacles, putting into context the level of visual fidelity you can expect. With 8K TV support comes far more detailed textures, and much larger ones at that. The news of a bespoke SSD drive will be heartening then – just because the games will be becoming more complex, that doesn't mean they'll be slower to load too. It's estimated that the new SSD is 19 times faster than traditional SSD storage methods. Audio will reach a new "gold standard" on PS5 too, according to Cerny, thanks to a new audio engine that will deliver immersive sound – particularly if you're using headphones. While the details remain unclear, expect something resembling the experience seen with a Dolby Atmos set-up.
Ghost of Tsushima (Image Credit: SuckerPunch) Sony's PS5 next-generation console will also offer improved cloud gaming performance and "dramatically improved graphics rendering" power. That's the word straight from the company itself, as it showed off a sneak peak during a corporate strategy presentation. In a statement sent out following the presentation, Sony said the "two keywords for the future direction of PlayStation are 'immersive' and 'seamless'", with the 'immersive' experience "created by dramatically increased graphics rendering speeds, achieved through the employment of further improved computational power and a customized ultra-fast, broadband SSD". The company also reinforced the importance of its cloud-gaming plans with Playstation Now, and somewhat surprisingly doubled down on its underused Remote Play feature, saying the "evolution" of this would in the future "provide a seamless game experience anytime, anywhere". Remote Play is already available as part of the PS4 package, enabling you to stream a game direct from the console to a computer, smartphone, tablet or PS Vita handheld console. But Sony says that going forward it will be "leveraging the latest computing, streaming, cloud, and 5G technologies" to allow it, and the performance of PlayStation Now, to improve. Sony also showed off a demo of the custom SSD storage system that will be employed in its next-gen machine, again hammering home how it expects super-fast load times to improve the player experience: It appears to be the same demo that PlayStation hardware architect Mark Cerny revealed back in April, with Sony suggesting then that the SSD in use is 19 times faster than a standard issue one. In fact, a patent from Sony describes a type of loading software designed to essentially do away with loading screens altogether. The meeting comes off the back of two key pieces of the puzzle for the PS5 being revealed – firstly, that the next-gen machine will make use of a third-generation, 8-core AMD Ryzen CPU built with 7-nanometer Zen 2 microarchitecture, alongside a customized Radeon Navi GPU capable of ray tracing, and a surprising partnership with Microsoft to bolster the PlayStation Now cloud infrastructure. Sony has also confirmed the PS5's 'incredibly powerful' backwards compatibility will let you play online with PS4 players. There have also been rumors that the PS5 could be backwards compatible with the PS4, PS3, PS2, and original PlayStation, meaning its games library could stretch right back to the glory days of the mid 90s. The PS4 element of that rumor is now confirmed, as well as PSVR support. Sony has also confirmed that PS5 players will be able to play online with PS4 players thanks to this powerful backwards compatibility. When it comes to the rest of Sony's vintage catalog? That remains to be seen.
Uncharted 4: A Thief's End (Image Credit: Naughty Dog) Despite releasing some details on specs and features, Sony remains tight-lipped about some specific plans for the PS5: the PlayStation 5 release date remains a mystery, for instance. 2019 has been ruled out, but it will definitely be revealed in the coming months, thanks to Sony Interactive Entertainment's President and CEO Shawn Layden confirming as much in an interview with Golem.de. In addition, Sony president Kenichiro Yoshida had also previously confirmed the company is working on a next-generation console in an interview with the Financial Times. It's been four years in the making already. Back in May, Sony Interactive CEO John Kodera revealed to the Wall Street Journal that the PlayStation 5 would not be releasing until at least 2021. That now seems a reasonable guess, debuking a report from Ace Securities that claimed the PS5 could release as soon as Christmas 2019 - earlier than the Xbox Two. PS5 release date
Sony PlayStation 4 (Image credit: Sony) With no official word yet on a PlayStation 5 release date it's difficult to pin down exactly when we might get to see a PS5 console. Some analysts are predicting the PlayStation 5 release date could be around 2020 or 2021, for example, while others say 2019 – so just the three-year window, then. With 2019 now ruled out by the Wired interview, 2020 seemed the most realistic launch window. However Tech reporter Takahishi Mochizuki revealed details of a transcribed conversation during Sony's latest earnings call, which specified that "no next-gen PlayStation [would] launch over next 12 months." That means we won't be seeing the console before mid-2020. That rules out the rest of 2019 and the first half of 2020, with the usual holiday-schedule release for Sony's console systems (October / November) making late 2020 the most likely bet. According to a 'leaked internal email' from Sony (and posted to NeoGaf), the PS5 will be unveiled at a "PlayStation Meeting 2020" launch event on February 12, 2020. This meeting, according to the rumor, aims to showcase "the future of Sony PlayStation to the whole world". In response to a request for comment, a Sony spokesperson stated: "We don’t comment on rumour and speculation".
PS5 competition
PS4 dashboard (Image credit: Sony) Although we're hideously impatient for news of a PlayStation 5 release date, we can't fault Sony for taking another few years to really milk the last of the PS4, given its huge and loyal player base. After all, the PS4 Pro is still relatively new to the market and its direct competitor, the Microsoft's Xbox One X, is an even more recent release. It looks like Microsoft will release its next-generation console before Sony, which will give the next Xbox the edge on its competition. However, Sony taking longer to develop the PS5 may result in it being more successful long-term. In addition to the next Xbox, the PS5 will also have to contend with the Google Stadia – a streaming-focused gaming service from the kings of the internet. With streaming undoubtedly set to be a key component of any console going forward (and Sony's cloud streaming patent already being leaked), Google's expertise in internet infrastructure could make them a dark horse entrant into the gaming race. But Sony and Microsoft may end up eating their own offerings if appetite for streaming renders powerful home consoles somewhat redundant. PS5 news and rumors
Solid news on the PlayStation 5 is starting to come into shape, but as always, we do have rumors about what could be coming down the line – and we've collected and assessed them right here. PS5 patent leak – with a lot of cooling vents The V-shaped design also makes sense as a reference to the Roman numeral 'V', meaning '5'. You can also see USB ports for DualShock controllers and a thin line seeming to designate a disc drive. This could be a placeholder image, or a design outline open to change over the coming months, but it's given us our first good idea of what the PS5 could actually look like. Leaked reveal date? It's worth taking this rumor with a huge pinch of salt as it hasn't been verified that this is an official internal email. In response to a request for comment, a Sony spokesperson stated: "We don’t comment on rumour and speculation". Ghost of Tsushima PS5 launch exclusive?
God of War (Image credit: SIE Santa Monica Studio) PS5 could mark the end of loading screens after Sony patent Sony's patent, 'System and method for dynamically loading game software for smooth game play' outlines a technology that tracks the player's movement through their environment, loading relevant assets as you move into certain areas. The patent describes the process as follows: “A system and method are disclosed for dynamically loading game software for smooth game play. A load boundary associated with a game environment is identified. A position of a character in the game environment is then monitored. Instructions corresponding to a next game environment are loaded into a memory when the character crosses the load boundary, such that game play is not interrupted." Technically this patent is a continuation of a previous patent filed in 2012, but with added functions for when a player / character passes the aforesaid "load boundary". Those might be additional events triggered when passing certain points, certain sections of game environments being visible despite not being adjacent areas, or previous areas being loaded again when back-tracking through the boundary. This seems like a version of the technology used in games like God of War, which famously achieved a continuous camera shot throughout the whole game, without loading screens. Using dynamic ways to load or remove sections of levels, including the kinds of character, creature or enemy assets found there, is going to be increasingly crucial for ensuring an immersive experience that isn't regularly interrupted – ensuring that loading is something that happens dynamically in the background of your games rather than at set points that render the game unable to do anything else.
Marvel's Spider-Man (Image credit: Insomniac Games) PS5 will prioritize AAA games over indie games The comments were reportedly made by Sony Chief Executive Officer Kenichiro Yoshida at a strategy meeting according to The Wall Street Journal. According to Yoshida, instead of prioritizing indie developers, Sony will instead prioritize marketing for AAA content which will likely be key for the company to maintain its momentum after outselling Microsoft’s Xbox One two-to-one over the last five years. Sony's cloud streaming patent In other words, a cloud gaming service which could rival the Google Stadia (or a cloud streaming new Xbox) and could potentially launch with the PS5. Players would be able to stream a game through a hosting server. So if you have a device that connects to the internet, be that a mobile device, console, or PC, you can connect to that server and the game you're wanting to play will be streamed to your monitor or screen, allowing can play using your preferred input device. Imagine Netflix for gaming. Rather than downloading a game, it is instead streamed directly to your device and you would play real-time, cutting the need to delete games to make storage room on your device and reducing the hardware requirements - although you wouldn't technically own the title.
A diagram illustrating how the streaming service would work, included in Sony's patent (Image credit: Sony/ United States Patent and Trademark Office) Sony also points out that this cloud gaming service would benefit game developers as the service would prevent piracy (as the games exist only on the server) and developers would be able to design games to specifically utilize the service's capabilities. But how would player's pay for this service? Sony details two particular models in its patent. The first would see Sony itself collecting a subscription fee from users, then paying royalties to the developers. The second sees the developers themselves collecting a subscription fee from players, then paying Sony a fee for using the hosting service. However, neither model specified a price range. We expect Sony would implement this cloud gaming service alongside the PlayStation 5, although the company hasn't specified if this is the case. The next Xbox will be more powerful than the PS5 – say industry insiders Check out the tweet below: Bowden's claim hasn't been confirmed, so it's worth taking it with a pinch of salt. However when asked by a speculative Twitter user about the sources of this information, Bowden replied that the informants "have been accurate for years on leaks".
The Last of Us: Part 2 (Image credit: Naughty Dog) Patent suggests backwards compatibility – now confirmed Kenichiro Yoshida confirms next-gen PS5 game development is in full swing John Kodera talks life cycles During the meeting, Kodera made it clear that Sony is still very much behind the console but warned that sales are expected to slow, in line with expectations as market saturation approaches. As a console gets to this point in its lifecycle, it's natural to start looking forward to the next iteration. Kodera stated that the time passing from now until 2021 would be a period where Sony would hunker down – which suggests that a new big idea could be around the corner. Perhaps 2021 will be the time to expect the PS5? No E3 2018 appearance – and no E3 2019 showcase either
Cyberpunk 2077 (Image credit: CD Projekt Red) Eurogamer tech analysis Even if Sony did manage to push its console out more quickly, the cost of production would make the PS5 far too expensive, making it more likely that we won't see the console released until the end of 2020, if Sony has any intention of making it an appealing proposition. Andrew House talks the next generation In other markets, however, he thinks that streaming games will be a big part of the next generation of consoles - something which looks to be true considering Sony's leaked cloud gaming patent and the Google Stadia. House also stated that he thinks the PS4 and the PS4 Pro still have a long life in them yet. With the PS5 confirmed to be backwards-compatible with PS4 then the PS4 generation will remain relevant long into the lifecycle of the PS5. The SemiAcccurate report In addition to this, SemiAccurate also reports that Sony will use this console to push its VR efforts even further, with VR-tech baked in at the Silicon level, and will sport a GPU based on AMD's Navi architecture with a CPU that's potentially a custom item from AMD's Zen line. The Navi rumors have since been confirmed by Cerny, with the Sony guru also confirming that PSVR will work with the new machine.
PS4 on stage (Image credit: TechRadar) The PlayStation Plus news This is, of course, pure speculation but it's interesting that Sony would be willing to reduce its game offering to only two games (as it informed Polygon) without any other excuse than wishing to focus on titles for an already highly successful console. Whether Sony is truly making way for the PS5 or whether it's going to offer a higher quality of PS4 game is unclear and it seems we'll have to wait a while to find out what the final plan for PS Plus is. What the analyst says...
DualShock 4 controller (Image credit: Sony) We spoke to Matias Rodriguez, VP of technology for the Gaming Studio at Globant, about what it will take for Sony and Microsoft’s next-generation consoles to get the lead on the competition and, at this point, whether the next Xbox or PS5 looks to be more powerful. He told us: “While hardware advantages such as CPU and GPU are often criteria people look at when it comes to the business and sales performance of a console, more telling signs of the performance of a console include software SDKs, bindings to game engines (such as Unity and Unreal), and, most importantly, the toolchain that allows gaming studios and publishers to build content for the console’s platform. “Given this, and how statistically speaking, Xbox and PlayStation have taken turns being the reigning-supreme console, I predict Microsoft will take the lead this time.” But what are the key factors in the next-gen console war? Rodriguez gave us a rundown of the attributes he believes will sway players’ preferences when it comes to picking up one of the consoles.
God of War (Image Credit: SIE) Exclusives “His crusade proved successful with the addition of Obsidian and Ninja Theory studio – preparing Microsoft for next-gen consoles. It was also revealed that Microsoft will be delivering the new Halo game, Halo Infinite, which is expected to outperform and replace the current Halo that is on the esports ecosystem.” Currently Halo Infinite is one of the only first-party titles from Microsoft that we're expecting on the next Xbox (apart from perhaps Gears 5), and, while the series is definitely a huge draw to fans, it may not be enough to sway PlayStation players towards the next Xbox. Meanwhile the PS5 is offering the possibility of The Last of Us: Part 2, Ghost of Tsushima and Death Stranding as exclusives on its next-generation console. When it comes to exclusives, Sony seems to have the edge.
Death Stranding (Image credit: Kojima Productions) Backwards compatibility “Microsoft already has the current functionality for back compatibility, and seems to be partnering with Nintendo to deliver Xbox content to the Switch platform, which is assumed to be streamed.” Microsoft definitely has the upper hand when it comes to backwards compatibility. As Rodriguez points out, Microsoft already has backwards compatibility integrated, allowing Xbox players to play select Xbox 360 titles, and will no doubt implement the same strategy in making the next Xbox compatible with Xbox One titles. While Sony has said the PS5 will be backwards-compatible with the PS4, it still lacks the ability (as far as we know) to let us play PlayStation or PlayStation 2 titles – something which would go down a treat with players. Whether this is something Sony plans on allowing in the future is unclear, but it doesn’t seem likely right now. Cross-platform / progression It’s no secret that Sony isn’t a fan of cross-platform – the only titles which actually allow for full cross-platform play between PlayStation and other consoles are Rocket League and Fortnite. Despite Sony claiming it’s “open for business”, some developers have accused Sony of “playing favorites” (via Kotaku). Whether or not Sony is going to ease up on its cross-play restrictions isn’t clear, but mounting pressure from fans and developers may sway the company in the right direction. Meanwhile, Microsoft is pretty open to cross-platform play, allowing play between Xbox One and PC, Switch and even mobile in some cases. For players who love playing online with friends (without the restrictions of which platform that friend may be playing on) then cross-platform could be an important factor in choosing a next-generation console. Get with the times, Sony.
Th evolution of Tomb Raider (Image credit: Sony) Cloud game streaming While Microsoft does seem to be going digital with its disc-less Xbox One S All-Digital (and rumors of a disc-less next-gen console), Sony has just had a patent approved for a cloud gaming service that could rival both the Google Stadia and next Xbox. We don’t know much more about this streaming service from Sony (or whether it’ll launch alongside the PS5) but if it does then it will be a game-changer, and will potentially prevent the Stadia having the edge over its competition. Developer relationship / dev environment Arguably, Microsoft is the most friendly of the gaming giants when it comes to indie titles. The ID@Xbox program allows indie developers to self-publish titles for Windows and the Xbox One, and it’s likely the program will continue into the next-generation (or some form of it at least). In addition, Microsoft titles tend to run across both PC and Xbox One, making life easier for devs. If Sony can kick it up a notch and get the PS5 onto a PC level (which seems to be the case), then the platform may become more hospitable to devs and players alike. PS5: Can we have proper 4K gaming?
PS4 games (Image credit: Sony) The PS4 Pro offers a tantalising hint of what 4K gaming could be like. But the stark fact remains: it still doesn’t have the grunt to do native 4K consistently. Its “checkerboard” technique of taking single pixels and using each to render four pixels in 4K resolution is clever, and it can do native 4K output, but it often has to sacrifice resolution to keep performance consistent. Chris Kingsley, CTO and co-founder of developer Rebellion, dangles an even more ambitious technological carrot in front of a putative PS5: “Obviously new hardware should be able to support 4K TVs and possibly even 8K TVs at a push!” Native 4K support will be a basic requirement of the PlayStation 5. And, thanks to the Mark Cerny's confirmation, 8K will be supported in some form too. But 4K base-line visuals won't be all – it's been confirmed that the new console will support ray-tracing graphical capabilities. The past two GDC events gave us a glimpse of what the next generation of games might look like using the technology, and it's left us extremely excited for the PS5. Real-time ray tracing was revealed to be the next big thing in rendering while Epic Games gave us a taste of how it might be used to create the most lifelike characters ever. Using its capture technology, the Unreal Engine creator displayed a future with character models so realistic they bring us close to crossing the uncanny valley. Watch a performance from Andy Serkis below to see just how capable these new development technologies are: “Honestly, between five and ten years from now, I don't think you're going to be able to tell the difference between the real and the virtual world,” Epic CTO Kim Libreri told GamesIndustry.biz, “You'll see hardware that can support these kinds of capabilities pretty shortly, and then, finally, the greatest blockbuster with the most complicated effects, within ten years, you'll be able to do that in real-time.” PS5: The VR effectSony became the first console manufacturer to embrace virtual reality, thanks to the PlayStation VR, but if you examine PlayStation VR closely – and observe how it operates on the PS4 Pro – it invites speculation about how a PlayStation 5 console might take VR to a new level. Sony's Mark Cerny has confirmed that existing PSVR headsets will work with the next-generation PlayStation console, but wouldn't be drawn into confirming a PSVR 2 release just yet. Currently, PlayStation VR operates at lower resolution than the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive – but, as it stands, even its current incarnation almost pushes the base PlayStation 4 beyond its limits. Running a PlayStation VR on a PS4 Pro brings improved frame-rates, which are very handy indeed in terms of the overall VR experience, but even the PS4 Pro can’t overcome the resolution constraints set by the PlayStation VR headset.
So it’s a good bet that, seeing as PlayStation VR has proved incredibly successful, Sony will want to return to the market with a second, markedly higher-tech iteration: which would provide an obvious selling point for the PlayStation 5. And if a PlayStation VR 2 headset could be sold without an external black box, it should be markedly cheaper, further accelerating VR’s march into the mainstream. A recent report from SemiAcccurate, which claims that the PS5 will have virtual reality capabilities built-in at silicon level, suggests this will indeed be the case – a feature that was hinted at by Cerny, too.
PlayStation VR (Image credit: Sony) Rebellion’s Kingsley makes another good point about second-generation VR. “Anything that reduces the leads has to be a good thing,” he says. The umbilical cord which currently attaches VR headset-wearers to their consoles or PCs obviously goes against VR’s entire immersive nature, and we’re already beginning to see, for example, a third-party implementation for the HTC Vive that renders it wireless. Oculus is pushing the wire-free space forward to with its Oculus Go and Oculus Quest hardware. It’s a safe bet that the capacity for running a wireless PlayStation VR 2 will be built into the PS5. But Kingsley’s PlayStation VR 2 wish-list goes further: “Wide vertical and horizontal field-of-view would be top of my list, and of course, that would require 4K resolution per eye, and high dynamic range would be great too.” HDR and wider fields of view should be achievable but sadly, we don’t reckon full 4K VR is likely to be a possibility even for the PS5. As Kingsley points out, that would require 4K rendering per eye, which equates to 8K rendering overall, which we expect to be beyond the PS5’s capabilities. That said, perhaps Sony will find some clever technological bodge to get around that before it releases its fifth PlayStation console. Foveated rendering techniques, using eye tracking to render only the items you're focussing on in high definition while other elements are reduced in quality, could be one potential technique used. In addition, according to published patent (spotted by Upload VR), Sony is working on "prescription glasses with eye gaze tracking and electro optical signaling to a HMD". These Sony developed prescription glasses would be custom-designed for the wearer and gaze would be able to be detected by the VR headset via an encoded sensor. In other words, glasses-wearers could use VR much easier. We don't expect these glasses to come cheap, but the implementation of eye gaze software does mean we can probably expect it to arrive in the PSVR 2...
Gran Turismo Sport (Image credit: Polyphony Digital) While most of what we 'know' about Sony's next-generation VR is speculation and rumor, we do know that one developer is already thinking about what it would do with the power of PS5 VR. In a roundable interview with GT Planet, Gran Turismo series creator Kazunori Yamauchi revealed that, when it comes to harnessing the power of next-gen consoles, developer Polyphony Digital's focus is primarily on VR. “The first thing that’s going to be affected by more power is VR,” Yamauchi told GT Planet. “I don’t think that there’s anything else that requires that much processing power. I really like VR; I’m one to believe in the possibilities of it, and it’s very suited for a driving game.” As Gran Turismo is a PlayStation exclusive series, it's likely that the future of the racing franchise will be fuelled by PlayStation VR and its likely successor: PlayStation VR 2. While Sony hasn't officially confirmed that PSVR 2 is in development, Yamauchi's comments suggest that the company will be leaning into VR in a big way when it comes to the upcoming PS5. “VR is something that really depends on the evolution of GPU power, and the hardware for it, like display devices even," Yamauchi continued. "It’s something where you can never have enough computing power; there’s always going to be that hardware limit, and that limit is never going to be high enough for us! Obviously that’s going to gradually improve over time and we’ll make sure to follow that.”
Ratchet and Clank (Image credit: Sony) What form will the PS5 take?It has been suggested that future consoles like the PlayStation 5 could take radically different forms to current ones, thanks to advances in cloud computing and game streaming, doing away with the components that make today's devices so bulky. However, we reckon it's unlikely that Sony will take a more Nintendo-like approach and put the PS5 in a tiny box. One reason for that is that with the PS4, Sony has only just committed to using what are basically the innards of a PC – the first three PlayStation variants used proprietary components (and which in the PS3 impacted sales). Developers, certainly, were massively relieved that the PS4 took the PC route.
“Developers want the ability to make the best games using the minimum amount of effort. We want to focus on being creative and getting things to just work,” Kingsley says. “So the hardware should be based around current console hardware, which is in turn based on PC hardware. We always want fast CPUs and GPUs, but lots of fast RAM is also very important – it’s no use having fast processors if they are starved of data.” All the above are achievable, but will the PS5 still have a hard disk? It certainly will – but not the sort that you know currently. Sony has confirmed it will be employing a bespoke solid state drive in each PS5, allowing it to decrease loading times by an estimated 19 times compared to existing SSD technology.
PlayStation Now (Image credit: Sony) PS5 and streaming gamesOf course, if games were just streamed to the PS5 that high-res texture storage problem would disappear entirely, and Sony already has a game-streaming service in the form of PlayStation Now. However, we do know that Sony has a patent for a "system for combining recorded application state with application streaming interactive video output" (aka a cloud gaming service).
One of the biggest issues here remains around broadband speeds. Even 4K TV requires a minimum of 25Mbps broadband in order to provide satisfactory streaming, and it’s doubtful whether 4K game streaming – with extra information on top of the visual side – would even work reliably at such speeds. There would be nothing to stop Sony launching a small form-factor cloud-based version of the PS5 console for those with mega-fast broadband, perhaps with a mobile phone-style subscription model that has an upfront hardware costs (something Microsoft is thinking about). But for the PS5 to sell anything like its predecessors, there would have to be a conventional version with similar innards to the PS4, which going from the Cerny interview appears to be the case.
Uncharted (Image credit: Naughty Dog) PS5: optical discs or not?The rise of downloadable games, which continue to eat into the physical disc market, means that pundits have been predicting that consoles will go discless for about a decade now. However, PS5 won’t be the first system to risk venturing down that road, with physical media still confirmed to be supported. Sony has taken a lot of (justifiable) flak for not putting a 4K Blu-ray drive in the PS4 Pro – making it a less attractive purchase for film and TV buffs than the Xbox One S or the Xbox One X. Surveys continue to show that gamers are still attached to the possibility of buying games on physical discs – not least because they can then sell them (a practice that the games industry hates), and keep hard disk space usage at a manageable level. If Sony were to axe the Blu-ray drive from the PS5, gamers would expect several terabytes of storage in compensation. Kingsley gives a developer’s view on the topic: “I think the days of delivering films and games via disc are on the decline, as most people are going digital; however, some people like physical discs, so who knows whether that decline will level out and remain present but at a lower level than now?” Download figures have been on the rise over the last year but EA CFO Blake Jorgensen has said that he thinks consoles and disc drives will continue to stick around. “Consoles and disc drives probably stay around for a long period of time [...] I think it's the consumer deciding what's the easiest way for them to buy a game. “And it may mean they no longer have a store down the street from them so they decide to buy it [digitally] maybe it's easier for them to do.”
PlayStation 4 hardware (Image credit: TechRadar) What games can we expect to see on PS5?The entire PS4 library, including PSVR games, will be supported by the PS5. That much is known. But there are now games being developed specifically for this new PlayStation 5 console generation and the extra power it's likely to offer. Already we've seen CD Projekt Red mention that it's developing for this generation as well as the next, and alongside the rumors that there are already developers kits out in the open, we think there's a good chance that Cyberpunk 2077 will be one of the early PS5 titles. Likewise, a knowing glance from Cerny during his Wired interview pointed towards Hideo Kojima's Death Stranding being a cross-generation title, too. At this point, any first-party PS4 game in the pipeline – from Ghost of Tsushima to The Last of Us 2, would be prime candidates for PS5 cross-gen upgrades. We've also heard enough chatter around a Horizon Zero Dawn sequel and new God of War game to assume we'll be seeing both land on the PS5 console. Sony has also confirmed the PS5 will prioritize AAA games over indie games in an effort to focus on "serious gamers".
Check out our PS4 vs PS4:PSVR compared and explained video below.
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Generational differences in collaboration at work Posted: 28 Aug 2019 08:52 AM PDT Generation Z marked an important milestone last year, having entered the workforce for the first time. While at the other end, Baby Boomers are now having to work much longer until retirement. This information reveals a key observation – there are now as many as four generations working together under the same roof. Each generation has been heavily influenced by the world they grew up in, having experienced varying approaches to the way they work and collaborate, as well as the technologies that they use. As a result, there are considerable differences when it comes to the way each generation works together in the office. Yet, organisations need to ensure that they accommodate all of their employees in order to maintain a happy and productive workforce. Recent research from GoTo has revealed the thoughts and challenges of over 2,000 employees across the world and across generations. The study helps to better understand how collaboration trends and preferences vary between different age groups. The younger they are, the more tools they useYounger employees are much more likely to use videoconferencing and chat tools, and also use a greater variety of those tools. This shouldn’t come as a huge surprise given the younger generations grew up using Facetime and instant messaging. However, the difference is still pretty staggering. In fact, for chat and video tools respectively, the gap between the two age groups embracing these solutions shows a real disparity between generations:
Collaboration technologies now encompass so many different tasks and functions, from instant messaging, to video calls, to chat and phone. Companies often react by deploying individual solutions that cater to each of these needs. For instance, 60% of the younger age ranges (18-44) are having to use three or more tools per day just to collaborate with their colleagues. Younger generations are swamped by the multitude of appsWhile these solutions no doubt intend to ease everyone’s life at work, the use of disparate collaboration tools is unintentionally having the reverse effect. By switching between these apps, younger generations feel that time is in fact wasted.
Old vs young: Lone wolf or social butterfly?Given the younger generations’ increased use of collaboration tools, it’s no surprise that the survey revealed they expect more communication than older generations and are more likely to appreciate collaborative working. Employees 55+ are also more likely than employees 25-34 to prefer working on their own (41% vs. 33%). Meanwhile, younger employees are more likely to see communication among their co-workers lacking – meaning organisations should facilitate – even encourage – more communication among these team members. To nobody’s shock, businesses are busy. Advancements in collaboration technologies have played an integral role in helping workers keep up with increasing demands and improving the efficiency of operations. However, both older and younger generations of workers have a message for IT leaders: the buffet of solutions has brought us this far, but it’s time for a new evolution in the workplace. Those who have been in the workforce for a long time aren’t embracing multiple solutions, and younger workers report the constant juggling of solutions is hurting productivity. Implementing solutions that accommodate every generation is a sure way to drive effective collaboration in the workplace. Having one holistic solution in which workers can both connect with their phones or chat via desktop or video will give teams a seamless experience. Switching from tool to tool just to communicate with your co-workers only serves to waste time. Rather, unified collaboration solutions, which can easily integrate within the workflow, allow workers to actually benefit from the tech. By having all of the desired capabilities under one solution, every generation of workers can feel empowered to work in the way that suits them, regardless of age.
Sion Lewis is VP of EMEA at LogMeIn. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Original Chromecast unlikely to get another major software update Posted: 28 Aug 2019 08:52 AM PDT Hopefully you’re happy with how your Chromecast works because, according to Google, it’s unlikely to ever see another update outside of bug and security fixes. This news comes after 9to5Google spotted that original Chromecast was running an older version of web browsing software than the newer 2nd and 3rd-Gen devices, prompting the publication to reach out to Google about the device's potential obsolescence, which Google then confirmed in a statement. Of course, this only applies to the original Chromecast – the rigid stick-shaped streaming device that launched back in 2013 – and not either of the two newer Chromecasts that have a round body, both of which will continue to get updates. Considering that Chromecast is now on its sixth year of life and approaching the limitations of its hardware, it makes sense that Google is choosing to sunset the device. Google's streaming dongle should continue to function just as it has previously despite not seeing a major update ever again – which is good news for anyone who still uses one on a daily basis. That being said, if you're the kind of person who wants to have the latest and greatest features on your devices, you can always upgrade to the 3rd Generation Chromecast for just $35 / £30.
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| WoW Classic server queues: the busiest servers, from Whitemane to Herod Posted: 28 Aug 2019 08:49 AM PDT Were a few days in after the launch of World of Warcraft Classic, and the server queue wait times are still significant. If you're looking for the latest WoW Classic server queue news, across both the US and EU, you've come to the right place. You'll find here the current stats for each server, from busiest server to almost-empty ones. To be frank, the WoW Classic server queue wait times haven't been this demanding since World of Warcraft (and the MMORPG genre as a whole) was at the height of its popularity. In some ways it's fitting – a historically accurate glimpse at what it was like to play World of Warcraft at its most popular, warts and all, including the long wait times you'd experience when Blizzard lifted the lid on something new. Some players looking to go back and re-experience vanilla WoW are having to wait up to three hours in order to enter the realm of their choice, with players estimated to number more than 2 million looking to get online at once. In the most extreme (and, to be fair to Blizzard, likely buggy) cases, some players were looking at wait times of more than 11 hours. As you'd imagine, it's got some fans of the game very rankled:
A post from developer Blizzard's World of Warcraft Classic forums. So, what do you do if you want to quickly get levelling in WoW Classic? Below you'll find a quick guide to what servers are experiencing the most strain at the moment, and which you'll be able to jump into straight away.
WoW Classic server queues: high wait timesNote that the below WoW Classic serve queue wait times are accurate as of 16.45 BST, August 28. We've updated to include EU server stats across English, German and French-speaking servers. Picking a server, especially on WoW Classic, is a delicate art – you want it busy enough to feel alive (and one that your friends are on, as there's no transferring if you want to team up later), but not so busy as to be a chore to enter. A server that's too busy could lead to problems with quests as you queue in-game to find spawning monsters and quest-specific items. So consider steering clear of the over-populated ones for the time being. Listed below are the insanely-popular servers, according to the excellent Wowhead.com, listed by server name, number of players queues, and Blizzard's estimated wait time: US Servers:
EU Servers: English
German
French
All other servers should either have a) a more palatable wait time, while still having a decent server population, or b) have no wait time at all, with very low player counts. WoW Classic server queues: low wait timesIf you're looking for a server where you can get playing straight away, check out these servers below, where there's currently no wait time at all. Remember, of course, that World of Warcraft is best played with pals, so make sure you've got a crew with you before venturing out into the more desolate servers, as you may struggle to finish some of the group-based activities otherwise. The following servers, at the time of writing, have zero players in their queues and zero minutes wait time: US Servers
EU Servers English
German
French
As the launch period settles, Blizzard adds more servers, and (inevitably) players drop off as the rose-tinted glasses fall off and they start to realise just quite so hard WoW Classic was (or should that be is?), these numbers will start to look a bit more sensible. But if you're desperate to get playing straight away, those tips above should help you get out and into Azeroth far more quickly.
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| The Roku streaming stick is on sale and back down to $29 at Walmart Posted: 28 Aug 2019 08:34 AM PDT If you're looking for a cheap way to upgrade your television into a smart TV, then you're in luck. For a limited time, Walmart has the Roku Express HD streaming stick on sale for just $29. That's a $10 discount and the best price we've found for the streaming media player. If you're interested in 4K streaming, Walmart also has the Roku Streaming Stick+ on sale for $49. If you're looking to stream content in 4K Ultra HD resolution, Walmart has the Roku Streaming Stick Plus on sale for $49. Shop more deals with our roundup of the best Labor Day sales of 2019 This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| You are subscribed to email updates from TechRadar - All the latest technology news. To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, United States | |
No comments:
Post a Comment