Saturday, August 10, 2019

Apple : Argentina vs South Africa live stream: how to watch today's Rugby Championship 2019 match from anywhere

Apple : Argentina vs South Africa live stream: how to watch today's Rugby Championship 2019 match from anywhere

Argentina vs South Africa live stream: how to watch today's Rugby Championship 2019 match from anywhere

Posted: 10 Aug 2019 10:52 AM PDT

With a one-point lead over New Zealand in the table heading into the final weekend, South Africa could claim their first Rugby Championship title in ten years today with a win against Argentina. To discover whether they can prevail, keeping reading to discover how to get yourself an Argentina vs South Africa live stream - no matter where on the world you are.

A bonus-point win in Salta today will make certain of the title for Rassie Erasmus' side. The Pumas, meanwhile, will be looking to end an unwanted run of their own, coming into the match on a eight-game losing streak.

Having been narrowly beaten by Australia in their last Rugby Championship encounter - their second tight loss in a row following a brave display against the All Blacks in their opening game - Argentina will be going all out to notch up an overdue win in front of their own fans. Agustin Creevy left a big hole for the Pumas when he was ruled out against Australia but the hooker has been declared fit to face the Springboks today.

The Springboks are set to shuffle their front row pack for this clash with Tendai Mtawarira, Bongi Mbonambi and Trever Myakane all set to come into the side.

We're in for a fascinating face-off,  so keep scrolling down to see how you can catch a 2019 Rugby Championships live stream of Argentina vs South Africa.

How to watch the 2019 Rugby Championship from outside your country

Down below, there's the local broadcast options if you're in Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, as well as the UK, US and Canada.

But if you're away from home this weekend and try to live stream the Rugby Championship online, you'll be annoyed to discover that it won't work due to geo-blocking. Crucially, using a VPN service allows you to watch the rugby union no matter where in the world you are. It's surprisingly easy to do.

How to watch the Springboks in South Africa

How to watch Argentina vs South Africa in New Zealand

How to live stream Argentina vs South Africa in Australia

How to stream Argentina vs South Africa live in the UK 


How to watch Argentina vs South Africa: US live stream

How to live stream the Rugby Championship 2019 in Canada

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Huawei gears up to fully open its Huawei Mobile Services to global developers

Posted: 10 Aug 2019 09:06 AM PDT

Huawei has grown into an industry giant and has developed preliminary capabilities necessary to build a smart ecosystem.

Now, Huawei is going to fully open its Huawei Mobile Services (HMS) to global developers, allowing them to quickly access the HMS ecosystem for resource sharing.

At the Huawei Developers Conference, the second-largest smartphone player announced that it will open 14 types of HMS Core capabilities, 51 services, and 885 APIs to developers worldwide, in hopes of building an intelligent ecosystem for all scenarios.

Today, the Huawei HiAI open platform has more than 2,500 partners and over 140 million IoT devices worldwide that support HiLink protocols.

115% growth in apps

Currently, there are more than 43,000 applications connected to HMS Core as of July this year.

Dr. Wanag Chenlu, president of software engineering department at Huawei Consumer Business Group, said that apps have grown 115% when compared to 20,000 during the same period a year ago.

He said that Huawei aims to empower more users to benefit from its new user interface – EMUI 10.

Emotion UI is Huawei’s user interface build on Android and EMUI 10 is based on Android 10 (Q).

The Chinese player expects 150m users to use EMUI 10 compared to 120m users for its EMUI 9 and 90m users for EMUI 8.

EMUI has 500m daily active users

Chenlu said that EMUI has 500m daily active users across 77 languages and in 216 countries

With Huawei’s new Ark compiler, he said that app performances are 60% smoother. The compiler has already collaborated with more than 40 top apps.

“Huawei Mobile Services is growing rapidly. We now have 910,000 global developer registrations as of July, an increase of 102% when compared to 450,000 during the same period last year,” he said.

Moreover, he said that Huawei will provide more support for developers by offering more diverse tool kits and sharing more platform capabilities.

“We will build ecosystems and attract partners as apps developers need to develop the apps only once instead of different apps for different screen sizes,” he said.

EMUI 10 now supports TVs, smartphones and tablets

To accelerate the intelligent development of devices other than smartphones and enhance user experience in different scenarios, Huawei launched the HiLink & LiteOS & chip suite, which covers the device and cloud service open platform, operating system, and the chip.

The HiLink & LiteOS & chip suite helps resolve the IoT industry development difficulties in an end-to-end manner, making IoT development simpler and more efficient.

Chenlu said the combination of HiSilicon chips including LiteOS, Gigahome and Honghu will provide developers with underlying technology optimisation for device intelligence.

Moreover, he said that Huawei is bringing Hollywood movies, in theatres, TV series and variety shows, science, technology and education and documentaries to the Huawei Video service.

Huawei's Head of Software Marketing Jonathon Zhang said that the EMUI 10 is at present designed for TVs, smartphones and tablets.

“PCs will come later. 27 smartphone models, including some Honor models, to be upgraded to EMUI 10. The P30 devices will get EMUI 10 beta in the middle of next month and for Mate 20 series and Honor V20 in October,” he said.

Salient features of EMUI 10

  • Full-colour Always-on Display 
  • Magazine unlock AI beauty algorithm
  • Morandi style textured impression in low saturation
  • Magazine layout for an enhanced reading experience
  • Dark mode, even for third-party apps
  • Private connection between home devices for encrypted transmission of call content
  • Multi-screen collaboration
  • Seamless data transfer between devices
  • Drag and drop, support for third-party apps
  • More rounded icons and new animations
  • More clock and calendar styles
  • HiCar video lets users pair their phone to control music, navigation and even functions like A/C on the car infotainment dashboard

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Start university with a saving thanks to this 9-month fibre student broadband deal

Posted: 10 Aug 2019 08:31 AM PDT

You've confirmed your university on UCAS, you've chosen your halls or living arrangements, you've even invested in an entire IKEA kitchen set (oh, you keen student you). But one thing that might not have even crossed your mind is what to do about your broadband deal.

The major difficulty of choosing your broadband as a student is the knowledge that most broadband packages are 12 or 18 months. That means you'll be paying not just through term-time, but also through the summer while you're back home.

Luckily, we have a solution for you. An exclusive TechRadar broadband deal with a contract of just 9 months. And, costing just £18.99 a month, you're not even having to pay much to get this offer - especially considering you get to share the cost between you.

So whether you're a wide-eyed first year sorting your new house or a final year student tiredly stumbling into the new term, you can see this offer in full below. Or see a full list of the best student broadband deals with our dedicated guide.

This exclusive 9-month student broadband deal

What other student broadband options are there?

The only real issue with this offer is the speeds that you'll be getting. At 17Mb, this is technically fibre but it doesn't quite match the speeds you can expect elsewhere. With that in mind, if you still want to cling on to the flexibility but want some faster speeds, Virgin could be the way to go.

Offering a collection of 1-month rolling plans with speeds starting at 213Mb, Virgin could be ideal if you're moving into a large house share. Unlike the Onestream deal, where this falls short is in its pricing.

With prices starting at £40 a month, this will most likely benefit big houses where bills can be split across a good few people.

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Steam gamers warned of Windows 10 security risk

Posted: 10 Aug 2019 08:10 AM PDT

Valve's popular PC gaming platform Steam is vulnerable to a hugely damaging zero-day security vulnerability, experts have warned.

According to new findings, around 72 million Windows users are at risk of having their systems taken over by an attacker who could then install malware, steal data, compromise passwords and more.

The vulnerability was disclosed by security researcher Vasily Kravets, who discovered a privilege escalation vulnerability which could allow an attacker with minimal user permissions to gain the same levels of access as the system admin.

A threat actor could take advantage of this by launching malware using those raised privileges, Kravets explained, saying:

"Some of the threats will remain even being run without administrator rights. The high rights of malicious programs can significantly increase risks, programs could disable antivirus, use deep and dark places to hide and change almost any file of any user, even steal private data." 

Steam Client Service

The vulnerability itself affects the Steam Client Service which launches with full systems privileges on Windows. Kravets discovered a way to modify the system registry so that the Steam service could be used to execute another application but with the same elevated privileges.

Unfortunately proof of concept code has already been made available by security researcher Matt Nelson and this makes the vulnerability even more serious as potential attackers now know how to exploit it.

Kravets disclosed his findings just 45 days after submitting his report on the matter to Valve. Typically researchers wait 90 days before publicly disclosing a vulnerability as it gives the affected businesses time to fix the vulnerabilities in their software.

The vulnerability has not been fixed already because Kravets initially reported it using the HackerOne bug bounty system. His report was initially rejected by HackerOne for being out of scope because the attack required “the ability to drop files in arbitrary locations on the user's filesystem” according to The Register. After Kravets convinced HackerOne that the vulnerability was both valid and serious, his report was sent to Valve and rejected again a few weeks later.

Since the proof of concept code has already been published, it is likely that we'll see the vulnerability exploited in the wild soon.

To prevent falling victim to the attack, it is recommended that users follow standard security protocols including not using pirated software, not reusing passwords for multiple sites and services, employing two-factor authentication and applying the latest system updates and patches since an attacker would need access to a user's system to exploit the vulnerability in the first place.

Via Forbes

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The upcoming Apple iPads are tipped to feature more camera lenses

Posted: 10 Aug 2019 08:00 AM PDT

If you actually must take photos with a tablet then we've got some good news for you: the next refresh of Apple's iPad and iPad Pro lines are being tipped to come with upgrades in the camera department.

Japanese blog Mac Otakara, which has a reasonably good record in terms of Apple tips and rumours, says the next iPad Pro will feature a triple-lens rear camera and the next iPad will feature a dual-lens rear camera.

In fact the slates are predicted to get the same sort of rectangular rear camera housing that we're expecting to see on the iPhone 11 models when they show up in September.


Up until now, even the most expensive of the iPads have only come with a single-lens rear camera (it's a 12MP one in the latest iPad Pro), so this would be quite a step up for Apple and the photo-taking capabilities of its iPads.

iPad leak

According to the supply chain source speaking to Mac Otakara, new iPads and iPad Pros are due to be launched this October, though for now we'd take the rumors with a little pinch of salt.

It's the first time we've heard something like this, and while it's certainly possible that Apple wants to upgrade the iPad cameras, these devices are hardly going to appeal to professional photographers.

What it would do is allow the iPads to make use of Portrait mode effects, blurring the background while the subject remains in focus. Extra lens would also help with augmented reality apps.

Aside from speed bumps on the inside, we're not expecting too many changes on the next round of iPads, although this might just be the year that the entry-level iPad ditches the Home button and adopts Face ID.

Via Apple Insider

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The Apple Watch Series 3 is back down to its lowest price ever

Posted: 10 Aug 2019 05:31 AM PDT

Back to school sales at Walmart and Best Buy are in full swing, and it's a perfect opportunity to find discounts on laptops, tablets, headphones, and more. It's also a fantastic time to find deals on smartwatches, and Walmart and Best Buy have the Apple Watch Series 3 on sale for $299. That's an $80 discount for the smartwatch that includes cellular and GPS technology.

The Apple Watch 3 is a health-focused smartwatch that also keeps you connected with the ability to make calls, send messages and receive notifications. The Apple Watch also tracks steps, popular workouts, calories burned, and offers continuous heart rate monitoring. The Series 3 will even notify you when an irregular heartbeat is detected and provides a breathing app to help manage day-to-day stress. The Apple Watch is waterproof and has an impressive battery life of up to 18 hours.

This particular model includes GPS technology and LTE connectivity. This allows you to get internet and phone connectivity on your watch even when your iPhone is far away. We don't know how long Walmart and Best Buy will have the Apple smartwatches on sale, so you should take advantage now before it's gone as it's only just come back in stock again.

Apple Watch deals:

Find more Apple watch deals with the best cheap Apple Watch prices and deals that are currently available.

Interested in other smart watches? We also have the best cheap Fitbit sale prices and deals that are happening now. 

Shop more offers with our roundup of the best back to school sales 2019: deals on laptops, backpacks, tablets, & more.

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Now TV Sky Sports pass gets £140 discount deal for the new season - start watching today

Posted: 10 Aug 2019 04:23 AM PDT

With the Premier League footy season finally kicking off, you really should get your coverage sorted and you can save an epic £140 via this excellent Now TV Sky Sports pass deal. Get a move on and you could be live streaming Premier League football today.

Ten months of access to Now TV's Sky sports package would usually set you back £339.99, but today you can save over 40% and get it for a stunningly cheap £199.

That'll cover you for the 2019/2020 Premier League season, The Championship and the Carabao Cup. It's not just about the footy though, there's a serious amount of other sport to enjoy with this Now TV pass too. You can start streaming The Ashes cricket series and a bunch of F1 Grand Prix are coming over the next few months too. 

Actually, while the promotional page over at Now TV is mainly shouting about the footy aspect of this 10-month pass, you actually get all 11 Sky Sports channels. This includes Premier League, Football, F1, Racing, Cricket, Golf, Sky Sports News, Mix, Action, Arena and Main Event.

Now TV deals are a great way to access Sky's excellent content without signing up to a long contract. You can pick and choose access to packages like Entertainment, Sky Cinema, Sky Kids and of course Sky Sports channels on a rolling 30-day deal. We've gone into greater detail on all of these options in our regular Now TV passes and offers page.

We know plenty of people that use the Now TV service as a beta test to see what's available on Sky's channels before signing up to a regular Sky TV deal with options for even more channels, recording live TV, HD and 4K viewing and potentially bigger savings with a longer contract. If you'd like to check out these options, be sure to take a look at our guide below:

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Sonos looks to be adding Bluetooth to its next speaker

Posted: 10 Aug 2019 04:00 AM PDT

Whatever Sonos is planning for its next speaker, it would appear to include Bluetooth connectivity, according to new devices filed with the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

Two new pieces of hardware have been logged with the FCC, the Verge reports, and one of them comes with Bluetooth on board. It would be the first Sonos speaker to launch with Bluetooth as well as Wi-Fi capabilities.

At the moment you need to hook up Sonos speakers to your Wi-Fi network at home in order to beam music to them from a phone, tablet or laptop on the same network. Bluetooth would allow direct phone-to-speaker connectivity.

The Sonos One does have Bluetooth on board, but it's only used during the setup process – you can't use it to send audio streams direct to the speaker from an app (as you can, say, with an Amazon Echo speaker).

Extra audio capabilities

Beyond the model number, which is S17, and the Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity, the filing suggests the new speaker will come with a blue strip on it – no doubt to indicate its enhanced Bluetoothness.

With Sonos events already in the calendar for August 26 and 27, as per press events, it seems that this new hardware might appear before the month is out (and could well get shown off at IFA 2019).

The speaker maker continues to expand its product portfolio, adding AirPlay 2 to its most recent products, as well as support for Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. It's also been working on speakers in partnership with Swedish furniture makers.

Bluetooth would extend the capabilities of Sonos speakers even further, allowing users to stream audio from any app on their phones or laptops – not just those apps specifically supported by the Sonos platform.

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Ireland vs Italy live stream: how to watch rugby international match online from anywhere

Posted: 10 Aug 2019 03:09 AM PDT

Ireland head into the World Cup with plenty of work to do following an underwhelming Six Nations campaign in which they finished third. While Italy coach Conor O'Shea has an even bigger task ahead. Now's the time to pick things up and you can live stream Ireland vs Italy - from absolutely anywhere - with the help of this handy guide.

Having beaten the All Blacks at the start of the year, the Irish had been installed as one of the favourites to take home the Webb Ellis Cup later this year, but recent defeats to England and Wales have tempered expectations somewhat.

Ireland look set to run out a somewhat experimental side for today's game, with Munster star Jean Kleyn set to make his debut for the home side.

Italy on the other hand have hinted that the side that plays today will likely closely resemble their first choice line up for the action in Japan.

Despite playing what a strong side, today's game looks like a daunting prospect for the Azzurri, particularly when taking into account that the Italians have lost their last eight encounters with the Irish. And having lost all five of their matches at the Six Nations, they're on a horror run of seven games without a win.

It's a key warm up game for both clubs ahead of the World Cup and its a match you can watch live and in full, no matter where in the world you are, by following our Ireland vs Italy live stream tips below.

How to live stream Ireland vs Italy in the UK for free

How to live stream rugby union when you're not in your country

If you're outside your country of residence - whether that be the UK or anywhere else (see your other options below) - and try to start streaming the rugby via your native broadcaster, you'll soon discover that you can't as it is location restricted. Fear not, the action is still within your reach. All you need to do is download and install a VPN to effectively trick your computer into thinking that it's back home. That way you can enjoy your home coverage (as long as you do so in compliance with the broadcaster's Ts&Cs) without delving into the dangers of an illegal stream.


Live stream Ireland vs Italy in Australia

Live stream Ireland vs Italy in New Zealand

usa

How to watch an Ireland vs Italy live stream in the US

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West Ham vs Man City live stream: how to watch today's Premier League football online

Posted: 10 Aug 2019 02:31 AM PDT

Manchester City kick off their Premier League 19/20 campaign with a tricky lunchtime kick-off away to West Ham United, with Pep Guardiola facing off against Manuel Pellegrini, his predecessor at City. Check out our guide below on how to obtain a West Ham vs Man City live stream - regardless of where you are in the world.

Having only won the league by a single point last season, Man City boss Pep Guardiola will be acutely aware that his side can ill afford a slow start as they look to defend their title.

Never ones to rest on their laurels, Man City have laid out almost £140 million during the summer, primarily on strengthening at the back, with João Cancelo and Angeliño joining the champions. Sergio Aguero looks set to start up front having been rested for the Community Shield last weekend, but Leroy Sane - who may well have joined Bayern Munich earlier this week - looks set to be ruled out for much of the season with a knee injury.

On paper at least, West Ham look to have been one of the shrewdest operators in the transfer market during the close season. Having shipped out ageing high earners like Andy Carroll and Adrian, as well as the disruptive influence of Marko Arnautović, the Hammers have brought in exciting young talent like Pablo Fornals and French striker Sébastien Haller for a relatively modest net spend. Going forward they look set to be one of the most exciting teams to watch this season. On the basis of their pre-season showing, however, they'll likely be shipping plenty at the other end of the field.

It's a game that's almost guaranteed to provide goals. Keep reading to discover all the details you need in order to live stream West Ham v Man City, regardless of where in the world you are. And to find out how to watch the rest of the weekend's games and beyond, check out our guide on how to live stream the 19/20 Premier League football season. 

Use a VPN to watch Premier League football from outside your country

If you're abroad this weekend but still want to watch your home coverage, you'll need a VPN to do so. That's because your normal coverage will be geo-blocked. It's really easy to do and stops you having to tune in to some dodgy stream you've heard about on Reddit.

How to stream West Ham v Manchester City in the UK 

How to watch West Ham v Man City: US live stream 

How to watch a Premier League live stream in Canada

How to live stream West Ham v Manchester City in Australia

How to watch West Ham v Manchester City: New Zealand live stream 

How to live stream West Ham vs Manchester City in India

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Save up to £100 on Huawei phone deals - Mate 20 Pro and P30 Pro included

Posted: 10 Aug 2019 02:20 AM PDT

Despite a bit of a blip in its relationship with Google, Huawei has been a force to reckon with in 2019 offering some of the best mobile phone deals we've seen in the last few months. And now, every single one of those Huawei phone deals just got better.

How can every single Huawei contract get better you may ask. Well, Huawei has just pulled out the big guns, offering cashback of up to £100 across its five newest devices - the Huawei P30 Pro, P30, P30 Lite, Mate 20 Pro and P20 Pro.

The even better news here is that this is available over both SIM-free and contract deals, saving you cash no matter how you want to buy. We've included a full list of partaking retailers below but all of the big names are there - Carphone Warehouse, Amazon, Mobiles.co.uk and more.

But with hundreds of thousands of deals featuring cashback, where do you start? We've cherry picked the standout Huawei phone deals from this promotion, the ones that really deserve the limelight and listed them below.

Or, if Huawei can't turn your head, even with all of this cashback, then check out our mobile phone deals guide for the rest of the market's contracts. With this offer coming to an end on September 4, you have plenty of time to grab one.

How to get your cashback

So you've ordered your new phone and now you want your money. Understandable, and luckily very easy to sort.

Simply head to this link at least 14 days after your phone has arrived and complete the online form. Your cashback will then be yours within 30 days.

Which retailers are offering cashback with Huawei?

None of the deals above appeal to you? There are still a range of offers available. You can get cashback on the Huawei P30, P30 Lite, P30 Pro, Mate 20 Pro and P20 Pro from these retailers:

SIM-free:
- Amazon
- Argos
- John Lewis
- Very

Contracts:
- Affordable Mobiles
- BuyMobiles
- Carphone Warehouse
- e2save
- Fonehouse
- iD Mobile
- Mobile Phones Direct
- Mobiles.co.uk
- Sky Mobile
- Three
- Vodafone

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Australia vs New Zealand live stream: how to watch today's Rugby Championship 2019 match from anywhere

Posted: 10 Aug 2019 02:05 AM PDT

Even with the Rugby World Cup just around the corner, it feels like today's match between Australia and New Zealand is a big one. As well as the finale of the 2019 Rugby Championship, it's also the first leg of a Bledisloe Cup double header. Any rugby match between these giants is worth a watch, and this guide will explain how to live stream Australia vs New Zealand - no matter where on Earth you are.

The Optus Stadium in Perth, Australia is ready to play host to the Bledisloe Cup - a trophy the home side haven't not won since 2002. Having lost their first Rugby Championship match against South Africa, the Aussies now have their tails up following their second match victory over Argentina. New Zealand go into today's match looking to get back to winning ways after their hard-fought draw against South Africa.

The big team news for Australia is James O’Connor's emergence from the international wilderness, earning his first test start since 2013 at outside centre. Wallabies coach Michael Cheika has also called in Allan Alaalatoa, Tolu Latu and Nic White to his starting XV. They'll all be eager to impress with the World Cup now only a few weeks away.

Having won 10 of their last 11 matches against the Wallabies, the All Blacks will no doubt go into the game full of confidence, but Steve Hansen looks set to field a much-changed side. Brodie Retallick is ruled out with a dislocated shoulder and is set to be replaced by the fit again Scott Barrett, while Ardie Savea and Aaron Smith both look set to start.

It's set to be a full-bloodied encounter between two of rugby's biggest rivals. Read on to see how you can catch a 2019 Rugby Championship live stream of Australia vs New Zealand.

How to watch the 2019 Rugby Championship from outside your country

Down below, there's the local broadcast options if you're in Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, as well as the UK, US and Canada.

If you're abroad this weekend and try to live stream the Rugby Championship online from your country's broadcaster, you'll be annoyed to discover that it won't work due to geo-blocking. Thankfully, using a VPN service will allow you to watch today's rugby union action no matter where in the world you are.

How to live stream the Wallabies in Australia

How to watch the All Blacks in New Zealand

How to stream Australia vs New Zealand live in the UK 

How to live stream Australia vs New Zealand in South Africa


How to watch Australia vs New Zealand: US live stream

How to live stream Australia vs New Zealand in Canada

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Apple MacBook Pro 16-inch could go on sale as soon as September

Posted: 10 Aug 2019 01:29 AM PDT

Apple’s rumored incoming MacBook Pro 16-inch could be out next month, at least according to the latest bit of speculation on the machine.

This comes from analyst firm TrendForce, which made the observation in a report about the laptop market, and the outlook for the third quarter therein.

As spotted by Mac Rumors, TrendForce observed that along with strong demand for Chromebooks as the Back to School season rolls around, “we see new products hitting shelves, such as Apple’s 16-inch MacBook”.

If the new MacBook is indeed real and being prepared for a Q3 launch (an on-shelf launch, not a paper one), that means it will be on sale in September (the final month of that quarter).

We’ve heard other recent buzz about Apple’s purported laptop, including comments from Jeff Lin at analyst firm IHS Markit, who reckons that the MacBook Pro 16-inch will be revealed and go into production in September – pointing to a possible launch following shortly thereafter.

And DigiTimes also recently chipped in predicting a September launch, potentially with the on-sale date being slightly later. Another source, Taiwan’s United Daily News (UDN), has previously indicated that the MacBook Pro 16-inch will land in October.

It’s clear enough, then, that there is certainly a growing weight of speculation suggesting Apple is looking at pushing out this new machine perhaps as soon as September or October. And all this churning from the rumor mill is unlikely to be without cause…

Out with the old

Interestingly, Jeff Lin also contends that the launch of this 16-inch model will mean that Apple kills off the current 15.4-inch version of the MacBook Pro, effectively replacing it with the new product.

Rumor has it that while the MacBook Pro 16-inch will have a bigger screen, it will have much slimmer bezels, enabling Apple to keep the chassis the same size as the current MacBook Pro 15-inch.

Further predictions for the alleged new MacBook Pro include that it will keep the same Intel Coffee Lake-H Refresh CPUs as used in the current MacBook Pro 15-inch, and that it will run with an LCD screen featuring a resolution of 3,072 x 1,920 pixels (and won’t adopt OLED tech as a previous rumor indicated).

The keyboard will also ditch the controversial Butterfly switch, according to another report, in favor of a scissor switch mechanism in an effort to boost reliability.

Again, all of this is speculation, including the existence of a MacBook Pro 16-inch, but we should find out soon enough whether this chatter is on the money.

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These are the top five Samsung Galaxy Note 10 deals you can pre-order this weekend

Posted: 10 Aug 2019 12:13 AM PDT

The Samsung Galaxy Note 10 is now officially here and we know that you smartphone fanatics and flagship devotees will want to get your hands on Samsung's latest and greatest ASAP.

Well, luckily we've done the hard work for you and trawled through all of the best Note 10 deals since the phone dropped. And now, after dedicating ourselves to the analysis of all of these deals and contracts, we have finalised a list of what we believe to be the five best Note 10 deals currently available.

With everything from unlimited data to the best overall value, these Samsung Galaxy Note 10 deals should cover all basis, no matter what you're looking for. We've even discovered the best EE option for all of you lovers of superfast 4G speeds.

You can find these top offers down below, with all of their pricing and data caps. Or, if none of these fit your ideal contract, consult our guide to the best Samsung Galaxy Note 10 deals to see all of the options currently available.

1. Unlimited data at an affordable price

2. A Note 10 with affordable monthly bills

3. The best EE Samsung Galaxy Note 10 deal

4. A big data bargain on the Note 10

5. Cheap Note 10 bills with Sky Mobile

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Phil Spencer confirms that single-player games will continue to launch on Xbox

Posted: 09 Aug 2019 11:53 PM PDT

Head of Xbox Phil Spencer has confirmed that single-player focused games will continue to launch on the Xbox platform in the years to come.

The statement has come via Twitter where, when Spencer was asked whether more single-player games are in the works, he responded that “With the additions to XGS [Xbox Game Studios] we have a lot of teams that have built strong SP focused games and we want that to continue.”

As the popularity of online multiplayer games soars, this will be welcome news to those who prefer the option of a more solitary gaming experience on their console. 

Xbox has not traditionally shied away from championing the multiplayer game, in fact it’s become more known for that than its single-player titles. However, consumer demand for single-player games is still there, especially in times of backlash against loot boxes and micro transactions, and Xbox seems to be listening to fans across the board in order to strike a balance.

It’s also notable that Spencer’s response makes reference to the Xbox Games Studios which would suggest that the company is not just relying on multi-platform releases from third-party developers to bolster its single-player offering. 

In the past few years, Microsoft has acquired a significant number of studios—Ninja Theory, Obsidian and Double Fine among them—which are known for their strong single-player games. These acquisitions have made it seem likely that Xbox has every intention of strengthening its exclusive single-player game output. 

This will be especially important in the run up to the start of the next generation and the release of Project Scarlett in 2020. Microsoft will want a well-balanced and enticing exclusive launch catalogue that will appeal to a wide array of gamers to keep its new console ahead of the competition.

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Pokémon Sword and Shield release date, trailers, and brand new features

Posted: 09 Aug 2019 10:57 PM PDT

After releasing some of the best games in franchise history on the Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo and Game Freak are finally ready to bring the main Pokémon games to the Nintendo Switch – the first of which are called Pokémon Sword and Shield.

The games will release globally on Nintendo Switch this November and will bring with them a brand-new region, features and Pokémon for trainers to swoon over. The official Pokémon YouTube channel has been dripping feeding us with snippets of gameplay and Pokémon designs too – though not everyone is happy with what's been shown so far (more on this below).

The Sword and Shield games will be set in the Galar Region (basically, a Pokémon-ified version of the United Kingdom) and will include a number of creatures including three new starting Pokémon, Scorbunny, Sobble, and Grookey. We'll also see a new mechanic called Dynamaxing that will replace Z-Moves and Mega-Evolutions – and apparently even Poké Jobs that help your Pokémon gain experience.

So how does Sword and Shield stack up to Pokémon Let's Go: Pikachu and Eevee on Switch? Those games acted as a sort of reboot of the original Red and Blue titles for the Nintendo Gameboy, and for many didn't count as a 'core' Pokémon experience. Players will be looking to Pokémon Sword and Shield to bring the true Pokémon experience to Nintendo Switch, and expectations are much, much higher.

So what do we know, and what are we hoping to see when Pokémon Sword and Shield launch this year? Read on to find out.

[Update: There's been some brand new Galarian region Pokémon variants announced, as well as a reveal of that region's villainous team and some brand new jobs for your Pokémon. Read on to find out more.]

Cut to the chase

  • What is it? The eighth-generation of Pokémon games
  • When can I play it? November 15, 2019
  • What can I play it on? Nintendo Switch

Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield

Image credit: Nintendo

Pokémon Sword and Shield release date

During a special Pokémon Sword and Shield focused Nintendo Direct on June 5, Nintendo revealed that Pokémon Sword and Shield will release globally on November 15, 2019. 

In addition, Nintendo announced pre-orders for a double-pack edition of the games will be available soon.

Pokémon Sword and Shield trailers

A new day, a new trailer. We were expecting possibly more of an in-depth Pokémon Direct, but this two-minute clip does give us a look at some new Pokémon designs – as well as some 'rivals' you'll be facing off against in the game.

Check out the video below:

Another recent Pokémon Sword and Shield trailer gave us a closer look at Dynamaxing, new Pokémon and the Galar Pokémon League. Check it out below:

The best glimpse we've had of Pokémon Sword and Shield was during a special Nintendo Direct in June. The Nintendo Direct shed a lot of light on what new features we can expect alongside some new Pokémon pals. 

Check out the video below:

The first Pokémon Sword and Shield trailer didn't give too much away, but you can see the first glimpse of the environments and art style.

You also get a first look at three new starter Pokémon: the fire-rabbit Scorbunny, twig-monkey Grookey, and a sad-looking tadpole (sadpole?) called Sobble.

Check the trailer out below:

The last video, released right around the time of E3 2019, highlighted some of the geographical features of the Galar Region and introduced us to raid battles – a mechanic taken from the Pokémon Go mobile game.

Pokémon Sword and Shield screenshots

Pokémon Sword and Shield news and features

Pokémon have jobs now

An official listing on the Pokémon Sword and Shield's website shows a way of earning experience points by freelancing your Pokémon out to random employers. Exploitation, or a fun summer job? At the very least it's a great way of ensuring your boxed Pokémon aren't languishing while you take your main team on your adventure as can sometimes happen. It seems something of a shame that you can't go along with your Pokémon and take part in a mini game for some jobs but either way it's a great way to keep your Pokémon training and to bring in some special items as rewards. 

Region variants

Regional variations of familiar Pokémon always make exploring new areas even more fun. The region variants for the Galarian region really play up that U.K inspiration. 

There’s Galarian Weezing which is clearly drawing heavily on the Industrial Revolution with its chimney pipe hat and Victorian factory-owner vibe. 

Meanwhile Zigzagoon and Linoon have taken on a more badger-like appearance.

There’s also an entirely new Pokémon confirmed for the Galar region: Morpeko. This little hamster-like creature is adorable until It gets hungry. In perhaps the most relatable Pokémon behaviour ever, when Morpeko enters hangry mode, it goes from electric type to dark type and looks utterly merciless. 

The bad guys

Pokémon grunt organisations are very rarely subtle and Team Yell are continuing that trend with their name, their fashion and their utter adoration of Marnie. 

Marnie is one of your main rivals in Sword and Shield and she’s hell bent on becoming a champion. Team Yell are her followers who will get in your way in order to help her get there. 

Bede is your other rival. He’s a little more mysterious than Marnie (and looks a little more like a grandmother too). While he’s also aiming to become champion, he’s got other motives you’ll be aiming to uncover. 

Brand new models

The Pokémon Sword and Shield development team has been facing ire from fans following the news that every single Pokémon ever won’t be available to catch in the new games with the latest rumors suggesting that Game Freak has been utilising old 3DS creature models for the Switch game in order to cut costs. This theory has been shot down by an older Famitsu interview with Junichi Masuda and Shigeru Ohmori (via Polygon) in which it’s stated that the models for the new game have been created from scratch. 

It was also said that the more intensive graphics of the Switch has lengthened the time needed to render Pokémon so the limited Pokédex would have come at some point. 

Version-exclusive Gym Leaders

Pokémon Sword and Shield will have version-exclusive Gym Leaders. In Pokémon Sword you will battle karate prodigy Bea, while in Pokémon Shield, you take on emo king Allister.

Gigantamaxing

Previously we had heard of the Dynamax feature that allows Pokémon to become super-sized during battles, however Nintendo has now revealed the "phenomenon" of Gigantamaxing. 

While Dynamaxing can only occur in specific areas of the Galar region, and is a common occurrence for Pokémon from the region, Gigantaxmaxing is only specific to certain species of Pokémon and kicks things up a notch by not only increasing a Pokémon's size but also its appearance.

In addition, Gigantamaxing boosts the power of the Pokémon and allows it to use a unique move known as a G-Max Move - each G-Max Move is particular to a specific species of Gigantamax Pokémon.

More new Pokémon

In a recent trailer Nintendo introduced us to some more new Pokémon we'll be encountering in Galar, including the walking ice-cream sundae Alcremie, adorable puppy Yamper, coal chunk Rolycoly and steel dragon Duraludon.

Pokémon Sword and Shield

Image credit: Nintendo

Doubling Down

Pokémon producer Junichi Masuda has reiterated the news that not all Pokémon would be available to catch in Sword and Shield in a statement to fans on the official Pokémon site. In the statement, Masuda thanked fans for their love of the Pokémon series but reaffirmed the decision to limit Pokémon in the game to those within the Galar region. 

He did, however, add that "even if a specific Pokémon is not available in Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield, that does not mean it will not appear in future games."

Fan backlash against the news has been severe but it seems that Game Freak is sticking to its guns. Masuda added in his statement that the Galar region will see “the world of Pokémon continues to evolve. The Galar region offers new Pokémon to encounter, Trainers to battle, and adventures to embark on. We are pouring our hearts into these games, and we hope you will look forward to joining us on this new journey.“

Can't catch 'em all 

It's been confirmed that Pokémon Sword and Shield will not feature every Pokémon from the franchise so far, making them the first mainline games to do so. Given there are now more than 800 species of Pokémon this is, perhaps, not all that surprising.

The reason, according to Game Freak producer Junichi Masuda (via Famitsu), is that on reaching generation eight there will be more than a thousand Pokémon in the Pokédex. Such a large number means "it has become extremely difficult to make Pokémon with a new personality play an active part and to balance their compatibility" as well as to make sure they'll all be balanced in battle.

Not only that, it would be too difficult to have so many in-game models with a high enough graphical quality. 

Though the choice saddens Masuda, he says that it's a decision he "had to make some day" and that he's opting to "choose the quality". 

Poké Ball Plus

Pokémon Ball Plus

We didn't hear much about Pokémon Sword and Shield during Nintendo Direct at E3 2019, but it was teased that the Pokémon Ball Plus can be used to take your in-game Pokémon for "a stroll". However, the ball cannot be used as a controller.

In addition, it was teased that "good things" will happen if you build up a strong connection to one Pokémon in particular.

Release date revealed

Nintendo held a special Pokémon Sword and Shield focused Nintendo Direct on June 5 that revealed both games will release globally on November 15, 2019.

Max Raid Battles

Much like Pokémon Go, Sword and Shield has a feature which allows trainers to team up with up to three others online to take on more powerful Pokémon.

Legendaries

Pokémon Sword and Shield's wolf-like Legendary Pokémon are Zacian (sword) and Zamazenta (shield).

Dynamax Mode

This new mode allows trainers to make their Pokémon giant and super-powered. This mode can only be activated once during a battle and lasts three turns before a Pokémon reverts to normal size.

Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield

Image credit: Nintendo

More new Pokémon

Alongside the starter Pokémon, Nintendo has also revealed a few more new Pokémon joining Sword and Shield: Wooloo (sheep Pokémon), Gossifleur (a fancy lady Pokémon that evolves into Eldegoss), Drednaw (who resembles a snapping turtle) and Corviknight (a raven and glorified taxi service for the Galar region).

Wild Area

Galar features a Wild Area where trainers can explore, battle and capture Pokémon. Which Pokémon appear depends on the environment and weather.

Stadiums

Trainers will battle Pokémon leaders in Stadiums rather than the usual gyms. These stadiums are huge and packed with a cheering audience. 

New characters

Nintendo revealed your new rival is Hop, whose older brother is the Pokémon champion of Galar. Meanwhile Professor Magnolia and her assistant Sonia will act as your guides.

Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield

Image credit: Nintendo

Trainer outfit customization will be a feature

While it's not a brand new feature, trainer outfit customization has been popular with Pokémon players since it was introduced in X and Y. And it's a feature which a recent Uniqlo competition has confirmed will be in Pokémon Sword and Shield. 

In a collaboration with The Pokémon Company, the clothing brand asked fans to design a top which would then be sold in stores. Now that the winning entry has been chosen (a design featuring Magikarp and Gyrados) it's been revealed that the top will also be wearable in Pokémon Sword and Shield as a trainer outfit.

Just how many more outfit options there'll be in the games isn't known yet, but we're hoping to catch a glimpse of some more if Nintendo shows us some new Sword and Shield footage during its E3 conference this year. 

Made for handheld

While the Pokémon Let's Go games were developed with TV mode in mind, Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa has stated that Pokémon Sword and Shield will "emphasize the fun of playing Nintendo Switch in handheld mode." Furukawa made the comments during Nintendo's March 2019 Financial Results Briefing (via Nintendo Life).

Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield

Image credit: Nintendo

A whole new world

We know the game is set in a brand new region of Galar, rather than a rehash of Kanto or a previously visited territory. Galar seems to be loosely inspired by England's cities and countryside, with rolling hills and brickwork cities to explore.

The trailer also showed glimpses of jewel-encrusted mines and what might even be a football stadium (see the kit below), though we're waiting to see whether competing in a Pokémon-themed Football World Cup will be possible for players.

Brand new Pokémon

Yup, this is a new generation of Pokémon, meaning you'll be seeing a lot of new faces – as well as a lot of old ones. The trailer gave us a mix of familiar Pokémon like Pikachu and Hoothoot along the new starters, and we're hoping Game Freak manage to keep the new designs interesting (no ice cream or candelabra Pokémon, please.)

Modern to the core

Sword and Shield look to retain the look and 3D animation style of the Pokeémon Let's Go games that launched on Nintendo Switch last year.

Pokémon games haven't been flat 2D games in years, and has increasingly been moving towards full-size avatars and 3D environments. Some may miss the old-school pixel charm of the earlier games – and find the 3D creature models a bit bland – but for better or worse this is what we're getting.

Pokémon Stars what?

What still confuses us is that we've been waiting for the long-rumored Pokémon Stars game for over two years now, Eurogamer. published a report in late 2016 that said multiple sources had confirmed a new version of Pokémon Sun and Moon was being developed for the Switch under the code named Pokémon Stars. 

While it never materialized, 'Stars' could well have been a code-name for what eventually became the Let's Go games, or could still prove a Switch port for the Sun and Moon games.

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The Last of Us 2: release date, news, and rumors

Posted: 09 Aug 2019 10:49 PM PDT

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: Troy Baker has been talking about The Last of Us Part 2 at Manchester Comic Con. Read on to find out what he had to say.]

Cut to the chase

  • What is it? The sequel to the critically acclaimed post-apocalyptic game The Last of Us
  • When can I play it? It’ll be a while from now, late 2019 or early 2020
  • What can I play it on? PlayStation 4

The Last of Us 2 trailers 

The 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 date

The 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 recent Variety 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 far

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. 

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Luigi's Mansion 3: release date, news, and features

Posted: 09 Aug 2019 10:46 PM PDT

It’s been six long years since Nintendo last released a game in the Luigi’s Mansion series, and with fans beginning to give up hope of another, the announcement that a sequel will hit Nintendo Switch in 2019 is very welcome news indeed.

Announced with a trailer during a Nintendo Direct on September 13, 2018 the tentatively named Luigi’s Mansion 3, is set to be released on Switch this Halloween - very spooky indeed.

During Nintendo Direct at E3 2019, we did get a bunch of new details about what we can expect from the next game in the spooky series. Here's everything we know so far about Luigi's Mansion 3.

[Update: There will be more Luigi's Mansion 3 footage shown during Gamescom. Read on to find out more!]

Cut to the chase

  • What is it? The third entry in Nintendo's spooky series
  • When can I play it? October 31st, 2019
  • What can I play it on? Nintendo Switch

Luigi's Mansion 3

Image credit: Nintendo

Luigi's Mansion 3 release date

Luigi's Mansion 3 will launch for Nintendo Switch on October 31st, 2019 (AKA Halloween!). It's a very fitting release date for such a spooky title.

Luigi’s Mansion 3 trailers

Nintendo dropped a more in-depth gameplay trailer for Luigi's Mansion 3 during E3 2019. Check it out below:

Although the first trailer doesn’t give away much, it does give us a sneak peek at the high quality graphics and gameplay. Check it out below:

Luigi's Mansion 3 news and rumors

Gamescom 2019

If it feels like it’s been too long since the last Luigi’s Mansion 3 update, worry not because there will be more news at Gamescom. 

Nintendo has confirmed its plans for the August event in Cologne and it will involve some brand new Luigi’s Mansion 3 footage. 

Nintendo will be streaming footage from its upcoming Switch lineup which includes Luigi’s Mansion 3 between August 20 and 22 so if you’re not attending the show you’ll be able to tune in online. Those attending the show themselves will be able to get hands on with the game itself at Nintendo’s booth on the show floor. 

Releasing this Halloween
Nintendo has confirmed Luigi's Mansion 3 will launch on October 31st, 2019 (AKA Halloween).

ScareScaper mode
This co-op and competitive mode sees you clearing rooms, taking on ghosts and completing challenges to collect coins. Can be played online or couch co-op.

Lots of rooms in the hotel
Including a greenhouse, film studio, and theatre stage.

Gooigi
Luigi can now summon a flubber-like version of himself that can slip through bars and walk over spikes. Even better, a friend can control Gooigi and you can co-op.

Luigi's Mansion 3

Image credit: Nintendo

New functions
Including Slam (which slams ghosts on the ground), Suction Shot (which attaches the plunger to an item before pulling it away, destorying it), and Burst (an air pressure group attack).

Story
Luigi's Mansion 3 sees Luig being invited to stay in a hotel alongside his friends Mario, Peach and co. But unfortunately the hotel isn't quite what it seems and things take a dark turn when he arrives. There are some ghost guests who refuse to check out and they're not exactly friendly.

Poltergust G-00
Luigi's got a brand new vacuum, in the form of the Poltergust G-00. This new super sucker can fire plungers, use jet propulsion to increase jumping, and use the Strobulb.

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Xiaomi Mi A3 rumored to launch in India on August 23

Posted: 09 Aug 2019 07:30 PM PDT

Xiaomi’s extensive lineup of budget smartphones is soon going to get a new member with the Mi A3. This Android One device could launch in India as soon as August 23.

In 2017, Xiaomi surprised the world by unveiling a smartphone that ran on stock Android instead of MiUI. Come 2019, we have the all-new Mi A3 ready to make its way to India. Smartprix reports that the Indian launch will take place on August 23. For the uninitiated, the Mi A3 is a rebranded Mi CC9e that was unveiled in China recently.

 Xiaomi Mi A3 specifications 

Since the device is already launched in China and a few European markets, we already know most of what to expect from this device. Unless Xiaomi India decides to change a few specifications, the Mi A3 will be powered by the octa-core Snapdragon 665 with 4GB of RAM. 

Aesthetically, the Mi A3 has a gradient glass back in colours such as white and blue with the triple camera module. On the front, we get a 6-inch Super AMOLED display with an HD+ resolution and a dot notch for the front camera. The display is covered by Gorilla Glass 5 and has an in-display fingerprint scanner too.

The triple camera setup on the rear consists of a 48MP f/1.8 primary camera, an 8MP ultrawide camera and a 2MP depth sensor. The Mi A3 can record 4K video at 30fps. The front camera is a 32MP shooter.

The battery is rated at 4,050mAh and supports QC 3.0 over USB Type-C. The Mi A3 also has a 3.5mm headphone jack.

 Xiaomi Mi A3 price 

In Spain, the Mi A3 is priced at EUR 249 (INR 19,000) for the 64GB storage variant and EUR 279 (INR 21,000) for 128GB, whereas the Chinese pricing for the Mi CC9e starts at CNY 1,299 (INR 13,000).

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Rugby Championship 2019 live stream: how to watch every rugby game online from anywhere

Posted: 09 Aug 2019 02:35 PM PDT

This year's Rugby Championship has served as an intriguing precursor to the forthcoming World Cup in Japan, with Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Argentina once again lock horns for bragging rights across the southern hemisphere.

With the tournament reduced to three rounds the winner could easily spring from any of the Wallabies, All Blacks and Springboks going into the last weekend.

We're in for a fascinating last weekend  of Test rugby so keep scrolling down to see how you can catch a live stream of the 2019 Rugby Championships.

Use a VPN to watch the Rugby Championship from outside your country

If you're abroad and in a country that's not showing the Rugby Championship, or if you're not by a TV come kick-off time for those games – don't sweat. With numerous online channels and, crucially, the option of a VPN service, you can tune into each fixture no matter where you are in the world. And best of all, it's really easy to do: 

How to live stream the Rugby Championship in Australia

How to watch the Rugby Championship 2019 in New Zealand

How to live stream the Rugby Championship in South Africa

How to stream the Rugby Championship 2019 live in the UK 

How to watch the Rugby Championship: US live streams

How to live stream the Rugby Championship 2019 in Canada

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