Saturday, September 21, 2019

Apple : Reports suggest Intel Core i9-9900KS could boast 127W TDP

Apple : Reports suggest Intel Core i9-9900KS could boast 127W TDP

Reports suggest Intel Core i9-9900KS could boast 127W TDP

Posted: 21 Sep 2019 12:07 PM PDT

As we’re gearing up for the launch of the Intel Core i9-9900KS ­– with some motherboard manufacturers already releasing motherboard firmware ­to support the new processor – new documentations surface to suggest that the more powerful iteration of Intel Core i9-9900K could potentially hit the streets with a 127W TDP (thermal design power).

Sharp-eyed Redditor Urotho noticed that Asus has updated the processor support list for its ROG Maximus XI Code gaming motherboard, listing the Core i9-9900KS with a 127W TDP.

Of course, this specification has not been confirmed by Intel. Additionally, it looks like Asus has since taken the Core i9-9900KS off the motherboard’s CPU support list, perhaps until the chip hits the streets in October. However, Tom’s Hardware also pointed out that Russian retailer DNS Shop corroborates this information on its Core i9-9900KS landing page.

What this higher TDP means to consumers?

We already know that the forthcoming CPU will boast a 4GHz base clock and a 5.0GHz boost clock across all cores, over i9-9900K’s 3.6GHz and 5.0GHz base and boost clocks. But, other than that, there’s not much difference in their specs, as the Core i9-9900KS is reported to have the same number of cores and threads, among other things.

If the rumor mill is right, however, the Core i9-9900KS will boast the highest TDP rating on an Intel mainstream desktop processor. Its 127W TDP, which is 33.68% higher than that of the i9-9900K’s 95W, also means that the chip could potentially offer better performance.

On the downside, it will also mean that it will generate more heat and have more power consumption, so it might require a heftier thermal cooling solution. That’s without mentioning the fact that not all motherboards on the market will be able to support the Core i9-9900KS.

We will, of course, have to wait until its October release to confirm all this. The good news is, it won’t be long now until we get our hands on the Intel Core i9-9900KS to see how it performs in real world scenarios.

Still no word, however, on how much it will cost.

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Hulu vs Netflix: which TV streaming platform do you choose?

Posted: 21 Sep 2019 08:30 AM PDT

Hulu or Netflix? Netflix or Hulu? In an increasingly crowded TV streaming market, it’s harder than ever to suss out exactly what each platform does differently, and which one might be best suited to your own tastes, needs, and budget. Each has different shows and films to choose from, after all.

This question will only get harder with the launch of Apple TV Plus and Disney Plus in 2019 – especially since the latter will offer some tempting bundles with Hulu and ESPN+ subscriptions.

But if you’re looking to sign up to either Netflix or Hulu – or thinking of making the jump from one to the other – we’ve got everything you need to make that terrifying decision that little bit easier. Spending money is stressful, ok?

Hulu vs Netflix: basic overview

Both Hulu and Netflix are TV streaming platforms, with content libraries packed with TV shows, and films, and documentaries. Both are accessible through either browsers or dedicated apps on mobile, PC or consoles, with a lot of possible portals for beginning your streaming journey.

Both offer a number of newly-produced shows alongside older classic sitcoms and TV series, and aim for a broad selection to attract viewers. Hulu is also majority-owned by Disney, with signs of synergy between Hulu and the Disney Plus platform already visible.

Netflix is the closest thing we have to a ‘default’ TV streaming service, with over 140 million subscribers worldwide – though that doesn’t mean it’s necessarily the right option for you.

Hulu vs Netflix availability

Hulu is technically only available in the US, though some of you may have considered a Hulu VPN to access it from other territories. Netflix, on the other hand, streams to over 190 countries, including the US, UK, and Australia.

Hulu vs Netflix pricing plans

netflix

Price is always an important consideration, especially given that platforms like these are prone to hiking up subscription costs now and then. But Hulu and Netflix handle their subscription plans somewhat differently.

Netflix has a three-tier pricing structure, from the $8.99 per month Basic Plan with SD streaming for one user, and $12.99 per month Standard Plan for HD streaming for two simultaneous users, to the $15.99 per month Premium plan for 4K HDR streams and four simultaneous users. All Netflix plans are ad-free.

Hulu offers 4K HDR streaming on even its cheapest pricing plan, which will cost you $5.99. To remove ads, however, you’ll need to bump that up to $11.99 per month (and you’ll still get them on a handful of shows, due to rights issues). Both plans only allow for a single user at a time, too.

Hulu has various upgrade and bundle options for including live TV or content from other services like HBO – you can see the whole list in our Hulu review – making for a truly versatile payment structure. When Disney Plus launches in November 2019, there will also be a Disney Plus / Hulu / ESPN+ bundle for only $12.99 a month.

There's also Hulu with Live TV that can act as an alternative to cable for $44.99 per month if you want to cut the cord without losing the traditional channel setup.

Hulu vs Netflix features and user interface

While Hulu has more flexibility in add-on content bundles, though, Netflix is a clear winner for the ease of its interface and user-friendly features.

To start, Netflix is a lot more lax about allowing various users to stream at once, if you’re on anything higher than the Basic Plan. You also have the option to download shows for offline viewing – highly convenient for watching on the go, say, while commuting to work, when you won’t have reliable internet.

Hulu’s lack of offline viewing is still a major issue – despite promising the feature as far back as 2017 – and something we hope it will amend soon.

Hulu vs Netflix content

Stranger Things is just one of Netflix's high-profile exclusives

As you’ll be using these services primarily for the TV shows and films in each library, it’s important to compare what each one offers.

Netflix has around 8,000 titles, ranging from hard-hitting documentaries and biopics to some of the biggest sitcoms and TV series available to watch today. Netflix Originals like Bojack Horseman, Glow, When They See Us, Russian Doll, Stranger Things and Orange is the New Black are all exclusive to the service, but the platform also licenses classic shows like Seinfeld and The Office. There’s a huge range of content, even if a lot of it – outside of the big hitters mentioned – will be missable or not relevant to your tastes. Who has time to watch 8,000 Netflix series and films?

Hulu has close relationships with ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox, streaming big-name shows from each network the day after they premiere. There’s also plenty of content from the likes of Bravo, Comedy Central, and FX and a large back catalogue. Notable shows include Saturday Night Live, The Handmaid’s Tale, and Marvel’s Runaways. 

The breadth may be more limited than Netflix, but there’s a lot of content you won’t get on Netflix either – including a host of anime titles from Funimation, though there are better options for the best anime streaming service.

Takeaway

Both Hulu and Netflix offer a lot to the average subscriber – not least a wide array of shows on demand, and tiered pricing to cater to different budgets.

It’s a shame that Hulu still won’t support offline viewing, as it would be a highly convenient feature that Netflix and Amazon Prime Video both offer to their subscribers.

However, as things currently stand, Netflix wins on quantity thanks to its number of award-winning shows. The counterpoint here is that Hulu has more of the shows and channels you want – especially live TV – and could offer a better value when the upcoming Hulu / Disney Plus / ESPN+ bundle becomes available later this year.

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Australia vs Fiji live stream: how to watch today's Rugby World Cup 2019 match from anywhere

Posted: 21 Sep 2019 07:02 AM PDT

With the Rugby World Cup 2019 now upon us, Australia will be hoping for a bit more consistency, following an indifferent showing in their warm-up games. With plenty of power through the team, Fiji offer a tough start for Australia and are more than capable of pulling off an early shock. We'll give you the low down on how to get a Australia vs Fiji live stream below, no matter where you are in the world.


The Wallabies have only managed ten wins in their last five games, and while a win against New Zealand at home last moth impressed, their erratic recent form was perfectly illustrated by the thrashing handed it out to them by the All Blacks in the return fixture. If they're to add to their two World Cup titles, the Aussies will need to become more ruthless, starting today with a game that they'll be expected to win.

Having been handed a tough draw, Fiji know that their qualification for the 2023 World Cup is at stake. They've previously made it to the the quarter-finals on two occasions, (back in 1987 and 2007). Placed in a group that also includes Wales and Georgia, should Fiji make out of the Pool phase this time out, it'll be a huge achievement.

Can the Aussies avoid a shock? You can watch all the action from pretty much anywhere on Earth by following our Australia vs Fiji live stream guide for the Rugby World Cup below.

How to watch the 2019 Rugby World Cup from outside your country

If you're abroad for any of the Rugby World Cup and don't want to miss out on catching the coverage from your home country, you'll inevitably find it geo-blocked when you try to stream online. But don't sweat. With the option of a VPN, you can tune into those fixtures no matter where you are in the world without resorting to some dodgy feed on Reddit. And best of all, it's really easy to do. Read on for details on how to stream coverage from the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the USA: 

How to watch Australia vs Fiji live stream in Australia for free

How to stream Australia vs Fiji live in the UK 

How to watch Australia vs Fiji live in New Zealand

How to live stream Australia vs Fiji in the US

  • Hulu with Live TV $40 per month - Hulu with Live TV includes CBS, Fox, NBC and ESPN.
  • FuboTV $35 for the first month - FuboTV gives you the first month at a discounted rate but after that the price increases to $45 a month. The service includes CBS, Fox, NBC and the NFL Network but does not come with ESPN.
  • DirecTV Now $50 per month - DirecTV Now includes CBS, Fox, NBC, ESPN and for $5 extra you can add the NFL Network.
  • YouTubeTV $40 per month - YouTubeTV gives you access to CBS, Fox, NBC and ESPN.

Divider

Live stream Rugby World Cup 2019 match in Canada

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Fortnite Battle Royale update news, patch notes and more

Posted: 21 Sep 2019 06:29 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

  • What's new? Fortnite Season 10 is live and we're now on v10.31. Read on to find out about the new Batman crossover and more new additions!

Image Credit: Epic Games

Fortnite is now into season 10 and patch 10.31.

Batman Crossover

To celebrate the 80th anniversary of Batman, Fortnite is introducing a Batman crossover event which will run until October 6. This event will see Tilted Towers transformed into Gotham City, with players given their very own Batman capes and Glider Redeploy abilities. 

Batman-themed items including a Grapnel Gun and an Explosive Batarang will appear in the game, which the Fortnite store will have themed outfits and more items available for purchase. 

Both the Grapnel Gun and the Batarang will be in Mythic variants and available from Floor Loot, Chests, Llamas and Supply Drops. The Grapnel Gun will allow players to propel themselves great distances, with 10 charges for each gun. The Batarang, meanwhile, is a consumable which can be thrown and will explode when near opponents. If it hits an environment it'll stick, instead, and wait for someone to come near before exploding. Any explosion will do 50 damage to players and 200 damage to environments. 

Party Hub

Party Hub is a new feature that's been introduced just for mobile. It allows players on any platform to use their mobile see which of their friends are online, start a party and use voice chat. 

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.  

Fortnite update patch notes

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)

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Fortnite is celebrating Batman Day with a caped crossover event

Posted: 21 Sep 2019 06:16 AM PDT

It’s the 80th anniversary of Batman and to celebrate Fortnite creator Epic Games has announced a caped crossover. 

With a blog post and a video announcement, Epic Games confirmed that the long-rumored event will run until October 6 and will see the Rift Zone transform Tilted Towers into Gotham City. 

Aside from this themed location, the Batman crossover will also see players given their very own Batman cape and the power of Glider Redeploy so they can play from heroic heights without a worry. 

Fortnite Forever

As far as Batman-themed items are concerned, the game will introduce the Batman Grapnel Gun and the Explosive Batarang. 

With the Grapnel Gun, available only in Mythic variant, players will be able to fire it and then launch themselves towards the point of impact, with the bat cape providing a little more control and distance for landing. 

The Explosive Batarang, also in Mythic variant, is a touch more destructive. When this is thrown, it will home in on your opponents and explode when it gets close to them. If you miss a person and hit an object instead then the Batarang will stick and behave like a proximity mine, waiting until someone comes near to explode. It’s worth pointing out that eagle-eyed opponents can actually pick up a Batarang stuck to an environment and disarm it for a return throw. 

The Fortnite store is also celebrating with a Batman Caped Crusader pack which will include two outfits among other themed items. There are individual items available for purchase too, including a Catwoman suit.

Outside of the cosmetics, Fortnite will be starting up some Batman-inspired heroic Challenges which will be available until October 1 and the chance to earn free rewards from the Welcome to Gotham City bundle.

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Three Mobile has already drastically cut the prices of its best iPhone 11 deals

Posted: 21 Sep 2019 04:00 AM PDT

With iPhone 11 pre-orders finally coming to an end, it looks like Three is celebrating. Cutting the costs of its best offers on the iPhone 11, 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max, Three Mobile is looking like the best place to go for Apple's latest trio of phones.

The offers Three has so generously cut the price of all carry a massive 100GB of data. And, with prices starting from £44 a month, these deals are now surprisingly affordable for Apple - a brand notorious for its high prices.

It's hard to imagine just how much data 100GB is but with the ability to watch 200 hours of SD video, access roughly 60,000 web pages or download around 250 apps, it is easily enough to get you through each month.

Below you will find these three iPhone deals and a mini review for each so you can decide which one fits your needs best.

What makes the iPhone 11 range so good?

The iPhone 11 is the cheapest of the three phones and yet, really isn't much of a downgrade. You still get Apple's new incredibly fast CPU, a 6.1-inch screen, IP68 rating and even a 3046mAh battery, enough to keep you going all the way through the day on one charge.

Read our full iPhone 11 review

Stepping up in both price and specs, the iPhone 11 Pro is the middle of the three phones. That means 3190mAh battery, the same super powerful CPU but weirdly, the smallest screen of the three. If you like the iPhone 11 and its price but want something a bit stronger, this could be the phone to go for.

Read our full iPhone 11 Pro review

For those looking for the best in life, the iPhone 11 Pro Max is just that. It currently stands as the best (and most expensive) iPhone on the market but it is clear to see why. A 3969mAh battery, a camera night-mode to compete with the best and even Apple's own Super Retina XDR OLED screen - a fancy way of saying 'very high definiton'.

Read our full iPhone 11 Pro Max review

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Windows 10 Game Bar gets cool new features including frame-rate counter

Posted: 21 Sep 2019 02:12 AM PDT

Windows 10’s Xbox Game Bar has just witnessed the introduction of some smart new capabilities: namely a frame-rate counter, and an achievements overlay.

The former displays your current frames per second so you can see exactly how smoothly (or jerkily) the game you’re playing is running, and the Xbox achievements overlay lets you view what you’ve unlocked at a glance.

These are nifty touches that gamers have been wanting for a while now, and according to a tweet from Mike Ybarra, who is corporate VP of Xbox Live (as well as lots of other Xbox stuff), these features are now live in the Game Bar.

Or at least they are in his Game Bar after updating it from the Microsoft Store. However, we’ve seen other comments online (including that Twitter thread) to the effect that folks have updated the app, but still aren’t seeing these new capabilities yet.

Rolling out?

So this might be only partly rolled out thus far, or possibly only available to Windows preview testers (or maybe even just the fast ring). Sadly, no clarification has been given yet as to the exact status of availability.

Still, rest assured that if you haven’t got these goodies, they are seemingly on the cusp of being delivered.

The Xbox Game Bar has been receiving updates regularly in recent times, including juicy bits such as extra overlay options for Spotify and audio in general, as well as the introduction of a powerful Looking for Group (LFG) feature.

Via Windows Central

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Unbeatable Nintendo Switch Lite bundle adds Zelda: Link's Awakening for free in UK

Posted: 21 Sep 2019 02:01 AM PDT

Update: Well that didn't last long. Yesterday, Currys was throwing the game in for free, but today it will cost you £20 on top of the base price of the Nintendo Switch Lite. You're saving £30 though and this is still the best Nintendo Switch Lite bundle offer in the UK today.

Wait..what? The Nintendo Switch Lite has just gone on sale today in the UK for the first time and costs £199 on its own. However, one other retailer is throwing in a heavily discounted game too. We're not talking about an older cheap title either, but the just-released The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening.

This incredible deal from Currys is available on all three colours of the newly-released Nintendo Switch Lite.

The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening is a full-on remake of the classic 1993 Game Boy title with modern graphics and elements that would have blown our tiny heads clean off our shoulders back in the 90s. 

As for the Switch Lite, this is a cheaper handheld-only mode of the Nintendo Switch Lite that can not be played on a TV. But if you already have a regular Switch to compliment this or are only interested in playing away from a TV it's a great purchase. Want to learn more? We've broken down all the differences over on our full-sized guide to the best cheap Nintendo Switch Lite prices and deals. If you'd prefer to look at the full-sized console then head on over to our guide for the best Nintendo Switch deals and bundles.

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Gearbox reveals Borderlands 3's free Halloween-themed event

Posted: 21 Sep 2019 01:20 AM PDT

A mere week after Borderlands 3’s release, developer Gearbox has started detailing its post-launch content plans for the game. First up is a free limited-time event called Bloody Harvest.

The event was confirmed during the first episode of the new Borderlands Show livestream series which has been created by Gearbox itself. Across the course of the hour and a half episode, Bloody Harvest was revealed  to be an event for Halloween which will launch in late October and run for around six weeks.

During the event, players will be able to enjoy new weapons, new enemies and a brand new location. 

Vault Haunters

To get access to the Bloody Harvest map you’ll need to have accessed Sanctuary III and be able to venture around space in the main game. When the event begins, you’ll notice that space is littered with new Haunted enemies with the ability to inflict a new Terror debuff which obscures your vision and hampers your shooting abilities. Killing these enemies will allow you to harvest their Hecktoplasm which can be used to get to the new map.

Once you’ve accessed the Bloody Harvest area you’ll be able to engage in a haunted boss battle with the Baron of Bloody Harvest, Captain Haunt, and earn event-exclusive rewards which include two new guns, a new shield and a bunch of new skins. 

No exact launch date other than late October has been confirmed for Bloody Harvest but we’re likely to hear more closer to the time. During the stream, Gearbox did however confirm an exact release date for Borderlands 2 VR on Steam: October 22.

Post-launch content for Borderlands 3 will continue to feature on the Borderlands Show, the next episode of which will be uploaded around October 22.

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Animal Crossing: New Horizons release date, news and features

Posted: 21 Sep 2019 12:34 AM PDT

Nintendo has finally given Animal Crossing fans what they want. During a Nintendo Direct in September 2018, the company announced (via a short teaser trailer) that Animal Crossing is coming to the Nintendo Switch sometime in 2019.

Unfortunately, however, that news was overturned when Nintendo's Yoshiaki Koizumi announced that the game would be delayed until March 20, 2020 during the company's E3 2019 Nintendo Direct presentation. 

While the Nintendo Direct and Koizumi brought us some disappointing news at the show, they also brought us our first look at actual gameplay, plus some needed story details of what we're doing on the island and why.

Bringing Animal Crossing to the Switch will entice fans old and new, plus we think the game is a perfect match for Nintendo’s hybrid console. Animal Crossing’s sandbox nature makes it ideally suited to long play sessions on your TV, as well as shorter on-the-go bursts on the Switch’s handheld mode. 

Here's what we know so far about Animal Crossing: New Horizons.

[Update: Nintendo has released a new gameplay trailer for Animal Crossing: New Horizons. It's five minutes of idyllic island life and you can watch it below in our trailers section.]

Cut to the chase

  • What is it? The latest addition to the Animal Crossing series
  • When can I play it? March 20, 2020
  • What can I play it on? Nintendo Switch

Animal Crossing: New Horizons release date

Both a huge disappointment for fans and a huge relief for those working on the game, Nintendo recently announced that New Horizons will be available on March 20, 2020. We'll likely hear more about the game later this year, probably around September and October when Nintendo drops its next Nintendo Direct.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons trailers

September 2019 brought a brand new gameplay trailer which gives us a better idea of what we can expect from life on the island between crafting, decorating and shopping. 

While it doesn't hold a lot of information, the game's first trailer was shown off back in September of 2018 – promising a late 2019 release date that we now know won't happen. Still, it serves as a nice introduction to the game and one of its most illustrious characters, Tom Nook.

The arguably much more important trailer came to us during E3 2019, when Nintendo dropped a slew of new details about the game. Based on the trailer we know that crafting will now play a major role in the game, and subtle tweaks like being able to place furniture anywhere on the island will really help make everyone's home base look different from one another – a huge step in the right direction for a franchise that can come off as a bit too vanilla. 

Check out the E3 2019 trailer below: 

Animal Crossing: New Horizons news and rumors

Nook Miles

In a September 2019 gameplay trailer we got a look at Nook Miles, the game's new currency which will sit alongside Bells. You can earn Nook Miles by doing tasks around the island and you can then exchange them for things like recipes and items, though what the full range of things you can get with Nook Miles isn't confirmed just yet.

Multiplayer
In an interview with IGN, the Animal Crossing development team confirmed that there will be both local and online multiplayer elements in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. In local multiplayer, up to four players will be able to play together on an island, each using a single Joy-Con. Players will all appear on one screen rather than a split-screen set up.

On online multiplayer, things get bigger as up to eight players will be able to play on the one island. As far as talking to one another goes, Animal Crossing will be compatible with the Nintendo Switch Online app.

Saves
Animal Crossing will support an autosave feature, meaning there's no longer any need to fear Mr. Resetti coming after you when you accidentally reset the game without saving.

Region Setting
A neat feature for Animal Crossing fans living in the southern hemisphere was revealed during the Nintendo E3 Treehouse livestream: region setting! Yes, in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, players will be able to set the region they're living in, meaning that the seasons in-game will actually reflect those you're experiencing in real life. 

Crafting
We never thought we'd say this, but crafting will play a major role in the next Animal Crossing game. Shown off in the New Horizons trailer up above, we see the villager collecting sticks, woods and stones over to Tom Nook's crafting bench to create new items like axes and, assumedly, fishing poles. Without a shop setup on the island, we assume this is the way we'll get new furniture and tools in-game.

Farming
While it's not necessarily as in-depth as the farming system seen in Harvest Moon or the indie darling Stardew Valley, Animal Crossing does have a minor farming mechanic going on. In the trailer we can see the villager harvesting plant petals from around a tree, which we assume are either used as crafting materials or used to plant more flowers around the island. 

Expanding the home
One of the key gameplay mechanics in Animal Crossing is building up your abode – something we'll continue to see in New Horizons. First thing you'll have to do when you get to the island is setup your tent. Similar games in the franchise have started in this way, but it looks like you'll be keeping the tent for a longer period of time in New Horizons.

Officially announced
Nintendo officially announced Animal Crossing for the Switch during a Nintendo Direct in September, 2018. 

Nintendo’s trademark
In January 2018 it was revealed that Nintendo had applied for a new Animal Crossing trademark in Japan for a wide range of purposes, including software for a home video game machine, portable electronic game machine, and smartphone devices. Now, we already have the smartphone device application in the form of Animal Crossing Pocket Camp, but we’ve yet to see the portable and home game machines. A Nintendo Switch release will tick both of those boxes. 

As well as this, the trademark also covers stuffed animals, game machine controllers, board games, playing cards, protective carrying cases, and trading card games, so it’s clear that Nintendo still has big plans for the series. 

It’s been a long time since the last mainline release 
The last mainline Animal Crossing release was New Leaf all the way back in 2012. That’s now seven years ago and, given before this the usual release gap for mainline titles was around three to five years, we’re inclined to say we’re due a new game.

What’s also interesting is that the Wii U never received a mainline title (no, Amiibo Festival absolutely does not count) despite the fact that many fans expected to see one. It’s possible that Nintendo started work on an Animal Crossing Wii U or settled on waiting to launch one for the Switch.

The success of previous releases
Previous DS and 3DS Animal Crossing releases have sold extremely well for Nintendo – both Wild World and New Leaf each surpassed 11 million sales. While there is the caveat that previous home console releases for GameCube and Wii haven’t done nearly as well, we’re inclined to say that the Switch will buck the trend here thanks to its hybrid nature, and Nintendo will have a hit on its hands. 

Given one of Nintendo’s most staunchly handheld titles, Pokemon, is now confirmed to be coming to the Switch, we don’t think it’s likely the company will keep Animal Crossing languishing on the 3DS for much longer. 

What we want to see from Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Animal Crossing on Nintendo Switch

Wider, more dynamic, cast
We love our Animal Crossing neighbors, but there’s no denying that they can become somewhat samey. It's a problem that’s not helped by repetitive interactions. We’d love to see a new Animal Crossing introduce even more new faces to the neighborhood and perhaps include a few more ways to get to know them. Seeing more dialogue and more well-rounded personalities would make us very happy players.

More furniture 
Decorating in Animal Crossing is one of the biggest and best parts of the series (just look at Happy Home Designer for evidence of that). But, we’d like to see even more pieces of furniture appear in a new game. New styles and themes would be welcome, perhaps with more customization options.

Bigger spaces or more areas
With the power the Switch offers, we think we could get the biggest and most expansive Animal Crossing ever. Although we love that Animal Crossing is all about being in a small town, we also enjoyed the move towards a city vibe that came with New Leaf. In Animal Crossing on Switch we wouldn’t like to take this a lot further, but it’d be nice to see some new areas or districts in town that offered a few more amenities or places to visit.


More chances to craft your own story
Moving into the mayoral role was one of the best aspects of New Leaf, but we’d like to see something a little different in the next installment. Perhaps more choice in what role you play in the town. Pocketcamp allows players to take up the role of a holiday camp owner, so perhaps in a new mainline game we could see a few more career options. 

Of course, for those interested in continuing along the mayor route that would still be there, but it’d also be exciting to see shopkeeper or cafe owner paths open up. Creating your own designs or crafting furniture to sell to the locals, or collecting ingredients from your town and others to add some interesting flavors to your cafe menu – all of these sound like enjoyable pursuits in an Animal Crossing world. 

Mobile tie-in
Animal Crossing Pocket Camp was a welcome release after we hadn’t seen anything from the series in a while, but it doesn’t scratch the itch quite enough for us due to its shallowness. However, that doesn’t mean we’d like to see the mobile game abandoned entirely when a mainline release launches. 

It’d actually be nice if Nintendo managed to tie the mobile and console releases together in some way so that players can get more depth out of the mobile game, and give us another way to enjoy the console release. Whether that’s unlocking and transferring items, earning money or improving relationships, we’d just like a way to keep playing even on days where we can’t carry our Switch. Now that we've seen it's possible with Pokemon Let's Go, our hopes are even higher. 

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Dragon Age 4: everything we know so far about the open secret of a sequel

Posted: 21 Sep 2019 12:25 AM PDT

They say good things come to those who wait and we’re hopeful that will be the case for Dragon Age fans who are patiently hanging on for news of the fourth instalment in the franchise. 

After being an open secret for so long, Dragon Age 4 has now been confirmed by executive producer Mark Darrah and we’ve even been teased by a minute-long trailer. 

At the moment we’re cautiously calling the game Dragon Age 4 but this title isn’t confirmed and the series’ naming pattern makes it hard to predict for certain whether we’ll be looking at a named or a numbered game. 

What we do know, though, is that Dragon Age is definitely coming so we think it’s only appropriate to keep an eye on the latest news and begin piecing together a picture of what the game might look like when it finally takes flight. As such, we’ve put together this this hub of news and rumors to keep you on top of the latest happenings from the land of Thedas. 

[Update: BioWare has reconfirmed Dragon Age 4's development in a September blog post. Read on to find out more.]

Cut to the chase

  • What is it? The fourth instalment in the popular RPG franchise, Dragon Age
  • What can I play it on? Not confirmed but it's likely to be Xbox One, PS4 and PC
  • When can I play it? At least a couple of years away 

Dragon Age 4 trailers

The Game Awards 2018 had plenty of reveals but one of the biggest was a teaser trailer for Dragon Age 4. At only a minute long, the trailer doesn’t give much away but the hashtag TheDreadWolfRises as well as the appearance of Inquisition’s Solas is enough to pique any fan’s interest. 

You can watch the teaser trailer below:

Dragon Age 4 release date

Despite the fact that the game’s development has long been a very open secret, Dragon Age 4 has only just been officially announced by BioWare. But, even now, BioWare isn't ready to say much about the game.

"Hey everyone, we have been working on a new Dragon Age game for quite a while now and I am pleased to finally tease the existence of this project," said Mark Darrah, executive producer on a BioWare blog post. "While we won’t be sharing any details for now, I can tell you we have been building a new team around a core of Dragon Age veterans, people I’ve worked with on Dragon Age, Jade Empire, and some of whom I’ve worked with since the Baldur’s Gate days.

"I’m so excited to show you more!" 

Back in May 2017, writer Alexis Kennedy revealed that he was working on a part of the game’s story in an interview with Eurogamer. This part of the story, he revealed, is “well-segregated from other parts of the game”. At this point in time, the game was still clearly in the very early stages of development. 

A later report from Kotaku suggested that some of the Dragon Age development team had been pulled off the title to focus on creating Anthem which would understandably cause delays to the game's development. 

In addition, a report by Venture Beat suggests Dragon Age 4's release date is at least three years away and a title for the fourth installation hasn't even been chosen yet "according to sources familiar with the studio".

Basically, it looks like Dragon Age 4, if that is its real name, is still early in its development and it could be a while before BioWare open the curtains on any kind of release window. At the moment we’d expect the game will release on PS4, Xbox One and PC but it’s hard not to note that preparations for the next generation ramping up and it’s uncertain whether consoles such as PS5 and Xbox Two will be here by the time Dragon Age 4 is released. 

Dragon Age 4

Dragon Age 4 news and rumors

September Update

If the silence around Dragon Age 4 since its initial teaser has left you feeling nervous for the game's future, worry not as BioWare's Casey Hudson has made reference to the game's ongoing development in a BioWare blog post. 

The post went into more detail on games like Anthem and Star Wars: The Old Republic, while Dragon Age 4 came under the "super-secret" category so not much can be said. Hudson did, however, say that "one of our projects has a large and growing team in Edmonton working through pre-production, and based on the progress I’m seeing, I can confirm that indeed the Dread Wolf rises." It's not much but it is confirmation that progress on Dragon Age 4 is still being made. 

Fernando Melo departure

On the heels of Anthem's lead producer, Ben Irving, Dragon Age 4 lead producer, Fernando Melo has left BioWare. Melo worked on Dragon Age: Origins and Dragon Age 2 before being appointed lead producer on Dragon Age 4 (codenamed 'Morrison'.)

In a thread of tweets, Melo explained that he is taking "time to disconnect" after 12 years at BioWare and in an email to his colleagues he said that "Morrison is well underway to becoming the definitive Dragon Age experience" which bodes well for fans. 

Gamescom 2019
BioWare isn't attending Gamescom 2019 so don't expect any news on Dragon Age 4 at the gaming show.

Setting to be teased by new short story collection
Dragon Age: Tevinter Nights is a new set of tales by a handful of BioWare authors, edited by Dragon Age's current lead writer, Patrick Weekes. He took to Twitter to clarify his position as editor of the new collection, and to give a shout out to those involved:

Beyond the authors working on the book, there's little to go on so far as to what the collection will contain. However, its title "Tevinter Nights" seems a certain tease as to where the Dragon Age franchise is headed next.

Each Dragon Age game so far has, more or less, focussed on one region or area of the continent of Thedas, in which the games are set. So, Dragon Age Origins introduced Ferelden, Dragon Age 2 focused on the single city of Kirkwall, and Dragon Age: Inquisition spanned the Orlesian Empire.

Regularly referenced is the Tevinter Imperium, an area where magic is less strictly policed than in other realms of Thedas, with its mage population often seen as antagonists in the Dragon Age universe. 

The title of the new short story collection adds weight to the rumour that Dragon Age 4 will be set in the Tevinter Imperium. Not only has BioWare previously used books to set up forthcoming locations and characters in its games (Weekes, for instance, wrote a book called "The Masked Empire", which was published prior to the release of Inquisition and introduced ancillary characters and quest lines), but also Dragon Age Inquisition's final DLC scene saw the player character Inquisitor stab a knife into the heart of the Tevinter Imperium on a map.

Live Service elements may be included but they aren't likely to be like Anthem
Back in January 2018 a report from Kotaku suggested that Dragon Age 4 could include live elements, stirring some fan concern that this could mean an always-online multiplayer approach. 

However, in Kotaku’s most recent April 2019 report it’s been suggested that while Dragon Age 4 game could potentially include Anthem-like live elements, it won’t simply be “Anthem with dragons”. One developer told Kotaku:

“The idea was that Anthem would be the online game and that Dragon Age and Mass Effect, while they may experiment with online portions, that’s not what defines them as franchises. I don’t think you’ll see us completely change those franchises.”

This suggests that any live plans for Dragon Age aren’t likely to take the form of a shared online world exactly like Anthem’s and will still be suited to the single-player adventuring Dragon Age is known for. 

In a tweet in January 2018, Casey Hudson also stated that the “live” elements being considered are actually ways of continuing the game’s story after the main story has been completed. 

A big take away from Kotaku’s report is that at this early stage in the game’s development, as with any game, very few things are absolutely set in stone, with another developer stating: “They have a lot of unanswered questions. Plus I know it’s going to change like five times in the next two years.” 

So, regardless of what Dragon Age 4’s live elements look like now they could change drastically over the next few weeks, months or even years.

Dragon Age 4

Official announcement
After years without an update, BioWare officially announced during The Game Awards 2018 that it will be returning to Thedas in a new Dragon Age title. 

The Game Awards 2018
According to a report by Venture Beat (and understood to be correct by Eurogamer), we expected an announcement regarding Dragon Age 4 during The Game Awards 2018. 

What that announcement turned out to be, interestingly, was the game's first 1-minute-long teaser trailer that re-introduced Fen'Harel, the elven god of betrayal, and Solas from Dragon Age Inquisition. 

We didn't get any gameplay or story details but, for now, the confirmation from BioWare is enough to keep the hype train chugging.

Roundabout confirmations
Regardless of whether or not BioWare had confirmed it, Dragon Age fans were pretty certain that another game was going to be in the works. Partly because they had faith in the power of their sheer force of will and partly because over the last couple of years there have been hints from BioWare that something would indeed be happening. It’s the secret that was never really a secret. 

The most recent non-official confirmation has come from executive producer Mark Darrah, who tweeted in January 2018 that he’s working on both Dragon Age as well as BioWare’s next big IP, Anthem. 

Though he’s now left the company, BioWare veteran Mike Laidlaw was tweeting that there was still another couple of games in Dragon Age series yet back in mid-2017. Even before that, Alexis Kennedy became the writer that launched a thousand headlines after comments he made in an interview with Eurogamer were taken as a semi-official confirmation of the game’s existence and his place in it. 

In the interview Kennedy teased that he's been "given considerable autonomy to work on a storyline bit of lore which is well-segregated from other parts of the game.“ 

”I don't want to exaggerate the degree of the chunk [I'm writing],“ Kennedy he was at pains to add. ”It's nothing that grandiose, but it is distinct. It's a bit of lore which has not been addressed much to date in Dragon Age.“

Story and character
Every game in the Dragon Age franchise has had a heavy emphasis on story and character and fans will be glad to know that Dragon Age 4 isn’t likely to be any different.

After Mark Darrah tweeted that he was working on the game, BioWare general manager Casey Hudson chipped in with his own elaborative tweet. In this tweet he said it was “too early to talk details” but the game would be “story & character focused.”

It’s not clear whether this will be a brand new standalone game or whether it’ll continue on directly from Inquisition. Certainly, the end of Inquisition's Trespasser DLC suggests there is a story thread to follow with Solas, which would see the Inquisitor chase the elf down to stop his plans. The teaser trailer from The Game Awards 2018 also hints heavily that this will be the case.

We already know there are writers working on lore and side quests, following Alexis Kennedy’s interview with Eurogamer in 2017 in which he confirmed he was working on a part of the game that’s “well-segregated” from the rest and focuses on some lore that’s not been widely addressed. 

Kennedy, who has worked on titles such as Sunless Sea and Fallen London, said the subject matter would not be surprising to those familiar with his work. To us this implies that his quest (or quests) will include thoughtful choices, themes of tragic love and desire and an underlying sense of unease. 

New live elements
In the January 2018 Kotaku report on Anthem and Dragon Age, it was mentioned that sources had informed Kotaku that Dragon Age had been “rebooted” in order to implement more “live elements” into the game.

Dragon Age 4

Naturally, there was some fan panic in response to this given EA’s increasing penchant for service-based games. Fans expressed concern that BioWare was going to take the Dragon Age series down a Destiny 2, always-online multiplayer route. 

That doesn’t appear to be the case, however. In his tweet, Casey Hudson also stated that the “live” elements being considered are actually ways of continuing the game’s story after the main story has been completed. This is something we’ve already seen in games such as Assassin’s Creed Origins. 

Things we'd like to see

A world like Dragon Age: Inquisition
We hope that the next Dragon Age game has a map similar to the one in Dragon Age: Inquisition, by which we mean we hope it's big and open without being overwhelming. It was the perfect follow-up to the closed and repetitive maps of Dragon Age 2 and we’d like this approach to continue. 

Dragon Age 4

Explore more of Thedas
There’s one very notable part of Thedas that players have yet to be allowed to explore and that’s the Tevinter Imperium. Once the most powerful nation in Thedas, the Imperium is a shadow of its former self. Its history, stratified social structure and maintenance of a magocracy would make it an immensely interesting and different part of Thedas to allow players to explore, while allowing the franchise to continue to explore themes of social injustice, power and prejudice.  

The fact that the area is references throughout other Dragon Age games is enough to make us think it’s a viable setting for Dragon Age 4. However, the ending of Dragon Age: Inquisition’s Trespasser DLC makes us think it even more likely, as it sees the Inquisitor stab a dagger into a map of the Imperium with a vow to track down Solas.

Solve that cliffhanger
Our previous point brings us to this one – we’d really like that Solas storyline to continue to be explored. He’s the perfect focus for the next game and the player’s approach to him is the perfect narrative crux. 

(Image credits: BioWare)

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France vs Argentina live stream: how to watch today's Rugby World Cup 2019 match from anywhere

Posted: 20 Sep 2019 10:04 PM PDT

Having underwhelmed during this years Six Nations with defeats England, Wales and Ireland, France come into the 2019 Rugby World Cup with low expectations. Argentina's recent results have been similarly poor, but their performances in last month's Rugby Championship at least showed some promise.

With everything to prove at this World Cup, We'll give you the low down on how to live stream France vs Argentina in the rugby - no matter where you are in the world.

It may be early in the tournament, but today's game is a crucial one for both teams. With England clear favourites to top Pool C, today's game brings together the two teams most likely to join them in the next round.

With France having chopped and changed their line-ups through out their warm-up campaign, its hard to predict what team coach Jacques Brunel will send out onto the pitch in Tokyo. One name almost certain among those on the team sheet will be inspirational hooker Guilhem Guirado, and his tendency to lead from the front will be vital against a tenacious opponent.

Similarly, Argentina will be pining hopes on the form of their inspirational hooker Agustin Creevy. Few players are as adept at robbing the opposition of possession and their sometime-skipper is key to Argentina's breakdown play.

You can watch all the action from pretty much anywhere on Earth by following our Rugby World Cup France vs Argentina live stream guide below.

How to watch the 2019 Rugby World Cup from outside your country

If you're abroad for any of the Rugby World Cup and don't want to miss out on catching the coverage from your home country, you'll inevitably find it geo-blocked when you try to stream online. But don't sweat. With the option of a VPN, you can tune into those fixtures no matter where you are in the world without resorting to some dodgy feed on Reddit. And best of all, it's really easy to do (or read on for details on how to stream coverage from the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the USA).

How to stream France vs Argentina live in the UK 

How to watch France vs Argentina: live stream in Australia

How to watch France vs Argentina live in New Zealand

How to live stream France vs Argentina in the US

  • Hulu with Live TV $40 per month - Hulu with Live TV includes CBS, Fox, NBC and ESPN.
  • FuboTV $35 for the first month - FuboTV gives you the first month at a discounted rate but after that the price increases to $45 a month. The service includes CBS, Fox, NBC and the NFL Network but does not come with ESPN.
  • DirecTV Now $50 per month - DirecTV Now includes CBS, Fox, NBC, ESPN and for $5 extra you can add the NFL Network.
  • YouTubeTV $40 per month - YouTubeTV gives you access to CBS, Fox, NBC and ESPN.

Divider

Live stream Rugby World Cup 2019 match in Canada

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Gigabyte's Aorus Gen4 AIC crams four M.2 SSDs into a single card

Posted: 20 Sep 2019 04:47 PM PDT

After showing off its new Aorus Gen4 AIC at Computex earlier this year, Gigabyte has officially unveiled its new quad-SSD PCIe 4.0 adapter card.

The card itself is designed to house up to 4 NVMe SSDs and it functions as a multi-way M.2 adapter that allows four SSDs to run from a PCI 4.0 x16 slot. The Aorus Gen4 AIC also includes an active cooling system to help the drives run at consistent speeds even while under high loads.

Gigabyte has outfitted the device with four 2TB m.2-2280 SSDs based on Phison's PS5016-E16 controller as it is the only client SSD controller with a PCIe 4.0 x4 interface.

To keep the card cool, the company has equipped it with a sophisticated cooling system made up of a large copper heatsink, a 5cm ball bearing fan, a baseplate and eight thermal sensors that monitor the drives temperatures. Aorus Storage Manager software is used to monitor the device and it can also configure the card's cooling with a silent, balanced and performance operating mode for the fan.

Sacrificing graphics for storage

In RAID 0 mode, the Aorus Gen4 AIC SSD 8TB can provide up to 15 GB/s sequential read and write speeds as well as 430k/440k read and write IOPS.

The card's performance is certainly impressive but there is a huge potential downside. AMD's Ryzen 3000 is the only platform that supports PCIe Gen 4 and the company's CPUs only support 24 PCIe 4.0 lanes with x16 available for an add-in-card, x4 available for an NVMe SSD and X4 to connect to the chipset.

This means that to make full use of the Aorus Gen4 AIC SSD 8TB, users would have to give up their motherboard's only PCIe 4.0 x16 slot for the SSD and would not be able to use a dedicated graphics card. While this may be okay for some workloads, graphic designers, video editors and others who need dedicated graphics to do their jobs won't be able to take full advantage of the new card.

However, the Aorus Gen4 AIC SSD 8TB would be a perfect fit for a workstation using AMD's EPYC 7000-series processor as it has up to 128 PCIe Gen 4 lanes.

Via AnandTech

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Tesco shutters parking app following license plate image leak

Posted: 20 Sep 2019 04:03 PM PDT

British supermarket chain Tesco has closed down its parking validation web app after The Register discovered tens of millions of automatic number-plate recognition (ANPR) images left unsecured in a Microsoft Azure blob.

The images themselves consisted of photos of cars taken as they entered and left 19 of the company's car parks spread across the country. While the drivers of these vehicles were not visible in the photos, their license plate numbers were.

The Azure blob which powered Tesco's outsourced parking validation web app had no login or authentication controls and was completely accessible. The company admitted to The Register that these timestamped images were left exposed during a data migration exercise.

Ranger Services, which operated the Azure blob for Tesco's web app, is still investigating the extend of the breach. The firm is now called GroupNexus after its recent merger with rival parking operator CP Plus.

Exposed ANPR images

The Azure blob contained live ANPR images which were stored as timestamped JPEGs and the time at which customers parked their cars was also included within the image filenames. Anyone able to correctly figure out the format of the required HTTP POST request could have harvested the images in bulk for illicit use.

A spokesperson from Tesco explained what happened to The Register, saying:

“A technical issue with a parking app meant that for a short period historic images and times of cars entering and exiting our car parks were accessible. Whilst no images of people, nor any sensitive data were available, any security breach is unacceptable and we have now disabled the app as we work with our service provider to ensure it doesn’t happen again.” 

According to the company, the Azure blob was left open during a planned data migration exercise to an AWS data lake. It has since been secured but Tesco would not reveal how long it was left open for.

Since Tesco purchased the parking lot monitoring services from a third party, the company says that the third party was responsible for protecting the data it collected and stored under the law.

Via The Register

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