IT News Head Lines (TweakTown) 8/19/2014

Intel Core i7-5960X Haswell-E CPU spotted in leaked photos
It shouldn't be long until Intel officially launches its new X99 chipset along with a slew of new high-end processors, with the star of the Haswell-E show being the upcoming Core i7-5960X processor. This new CPU has been spotted in some newly leaked photos that Hermitage Akihabara got its hands-on.

Intel's new LGA 2011-based Haswell-E processors are expected to be released on August 29, with three models to be unveiled: the Core i7-5960X, the Core i7-5930K and the Core i7-5820K. The top-of-the-line Core i7-5960X will have eight physical cores and eight provided through Hyper-Threading for a total of 16 threads - a monster of a consumer CPU.

The new Core i7-5960X will also feature 20MB of L3 cache, quad-channel DDR4 RAM support, and 40 PCIe 3.0 lands in total. The default clock speed on the Extreme CPU will be 3GHz, and it'll be built on Intel's 22nm process.









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The NSA can use the gyroscope in your smartphone as a microphone
Between some researchers from Stanford University and the Israeli defense research group Rafael, we are going to see how the gyroscope in common smartphones can be turned into "crude microphones" that are capable of picking up sound waves in an area.

Stanford Computer Security Professor Dan Boneh spoke with Wired, where he said: "Whenever you grant anyone access to sensors on a device, you're going to have unintended consequences. In this case the unintended consequence is that they can pick up not just phone vibrations, but air vibrations". It's not all doom and gloom though, with the research team only able to pick up bits and pieces of information, and not the entire stream.
The researchers had someone in a room recite 10 digits, similar to the numbers from a credit card, with the Gyrophone (yes, it has a name) only able to identify 65% of the spoken digits. The only reason it wasn't capable of reciting more is that the team hasn't had the time or money to invest into it, but if someone did have the time and money to do so, imagine the hacking possibilities.









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Oculus VR founder wants to see an Oculus Rift in every home
Palmer Luckey, the 21-year-old founder of one of the most exciting companies in the world, Oculus VR, has high hopes for the future of technology. With Oculus VR shipping its Development Kit 2, or DK2, Rift headset to consumers and developers over the last month, Palmer has had some interesting things to say in a recent interview with Kotaku UK.

Palmer said: "We see one in every home. [But], just at launch we need to be realistic. The people who are going to be buying this initially are going to be gamers, probably hardcore gamers, and they're going to be the ones with PCs most capable of running it". Palmer wants to see VR become something that expands past just pure gaming, with the Rift and VR in general becoming something for everyone. He continued: "As time goes on it'll become more and more mainstream, but at launch we're going to be targeting that core. Basically let's target it to the people whom we know are going to be buying and then let's go for the people who are going to take some convincing".

After testing out the Rift DK2 myself, I'd have to agree - I think VR will take off like smartphones did, selling tens of millions within the next five years. One in every home is a big statement, but there's a TV in most homes, isn't there? The Oculus Rift is cheaper than a cheap TV, so that statement, while it might sound prosperous to most, could happen - especially with the financial backing of Facebook.









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Australian Blu-ray Importing: August 2014 Buying Guide
Despite some ups and downs over the last the few months, the resilient Australian dollar has continued to defy economists and intervention attempts alike, flirting consistently a few cents below parity with the U.S. dollar. The United Kingdom pound has taken a bit of a dip, however, some rare titles bargains can still be found.
As such, the appeal of importation remains high with Australian Blu-ray fans eager for the newest and greatest Blu-ray from overseas. In this latest entry in the series, we'll take a look at the most recent batch of noteworthy and import-friendly titles, which haven't yet made their way to Australian shores.

Kindergarten Cop

Studio: Universal Home Entertainment
Country of Origin: United States
Purchase: Amazon.com
Region: A, B, C
"It's not a tumor!"
Through the 1980's Arnold Schwarzenegger quickly became established as one of Hollywood's biggest draw cards, but in 1988, having flexed his comedic muscle in Twins, with Danny DeVito, he returned a year later with Director Ivan Reitman to play the straight man against some frequently hilarious child actors in the hilarious and heartwarming film.
While Universal hasn't included any additional features other than a theatrical trailer, none have featured on previous VHS, laserdisc or DVD versions. While the opportunity to finally provide a special edition release goes wanting, it's just great to finally have the film in its original widescreen aspect ratio (the DVD release was cropped to pan and scan) and in reasonable HD quality, for a bargain basement price.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

Studio: Walt Disney Home Entertainment
Country of Origin: United Kingdom
Purchase: Amazon.co.uk
Region: B
OK, I'm cheating a bit here. The 1937 film, which was the first full length Disney feature, alongside being the world's first animated feature has actually been released before on Blu-ray, back in 2009. As is Disney's want, the film was put back in the so-called 'Disney Vault' soon after, meaning the disc was pulled from distribution and has been unavailable to purchase ever since.
However, for some reason, the film has been quietly re-released in Europe and the United Kingdom, for the first time signaling a reversal in the long-standing marketing practice. Whilst the film doesn't come with the second Blu-ray disc full of extra features that featured on the original release, for fans and families who are desperate for a physical copy of the film, this could be the ticket.

Looney Tunes: The Platinum Collection Volume 3

Studio: Warner Bros Home Entertainment
Country of Origin: United States
Purchase: Amazon.com
Region: A, B, C
For animation buffs, the Looney Tunes stable of characters and roughly 1000 Merrie Melodies shorts, represents the golden age of the art. Over the last decade, Warner Bros have been diligently remastering the vast majority of the catalogue, cleaning them up and turning back the clock on the worst of decades of damage but retaining the flaws and flourishes that are part of the original animation.
The third (and potentially) last collection of 50 Looney Tunes shorts to come to Blu-ray join the 100 shorts collected on the first two volumes of the Looney Tunes: Platinum Collection; sadly none of which have been released in Australia.
With hours upon hours of audio commentaries, featurettes, documentaries and other rare audio tracks, the Platinum Collection represents a treasure trove of materials which will please fans of classic animation, and are a far cry from much of the animated garbage that is aimed at children today.

Alexander: The Ultimate Cut

Studio: Warner Brothers Home Entertainment
Country of Origin: United States
Purchase: Amazon.com
Region: A, B, C
As they say, the third times the charm. Well, the 'Ultimate Cut' represents the fourth version of Director Oliver Stone's vision, which hopefully puts the Directors mind at ease.
Having been released theatrically back in 2004 to poor critical reviews, Stone revised the film in a Director's Cut back in 2005, which shortened the run time by 8 minutes. In 2007, he then responded to criticism that the film was now too short by throwing in an additional 46 minutes of footage. Whilst the disc sold in spectacular numbers for Warner, many of the same criticisms applied, including by some quarters who thought the film was not far too long and bloated. In 2014, Stone has returned to the title once more for its 10th anniversary, scaling back the runtime to 206 minutes and changing the order of many scenes.
This 'Ultimate Cut' represents arguably the strongest version of the film, however many of the flaws are ingrained to the material and thus remain. Still, it's an overwhelmingly engaging modern day epic and if nothing else is a film school on a disc in terms of how the edit suite can significantly alter a film.
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Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) Cinema Review

You'd be hard pressed to find someone who at least on a superficial level has at least heard of the character 'Iron Man'. Captain America? Ditto. The Hulk? Big green guy. Check. Thor? Yeah, I think so. Then we move down the list. Star-Lord? ... "Umm, from Star Wars?" Rocket Racoon? Err, nope. Groot? Never. Drax the Destroyer? Silence.
The reason why Hollywood loves sequels, remakes and book and comic adaptations so much is because they tap into prior public awareness, guaranteeing a day one audience - even if the film is terrible. As production and marketing budgets expand exponentially, it creates a safety net for the studio, and increasing confidence that they'll not only manage to recover their costs, but perhaps eke out some profit. Hopefully a lot. The problem that Disney and Marvel face with Guardians of the Galaxy is extremely low wide public awareness, which the studio needs to build it from the ground up. So, how successful have they been? Read on.

Having stolen a valuable orb of immense power, space mercenary Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) becomes enemy number one in the eyes of the evil Ronan (Lee Pace), who dispatches his henchman Korath (Djimon Hounsou) to retrieve the artifact at all costs. En route, Quill is attacked by Gamora (Zoe Saldana) who also wants the orb, which draws the attention of bounty hunters Rocket Raccoon (voice of Bradley Cooper) and Groot (voice of Vin Diesel). When the entire gang are arrested and incarcerated at an interstellar prison, Rocket, Quill, Groot, Gamora and a fellow prisoner Drax (Dave Bautista) team up to play their part in the shared goal, even if they are compelled to do so for very different reasons.

With ten films to the 'official' Marvel Cinematic Universe (not including the numerous Spider-Man, Hulk and X-Men films and spin-offs), Disney and Marvel have got swift efficiency to process their lucrative franchises into successful feature films, such that 2011's The Avengers holds the mantle for the highest grossing film of all time, at $1.5 billion, not including home video, comic and toy licenses. Yeah, just let that sink in a bit.
Unfortunately, in my eyes at least, they've become a victim of their own successes, with recent offerings such as Thor: The Dark World and Captain America: The Winter Soldier staying to script and playing it safe. With the latter, I felt no great sense of peril and little involvement, and therefore entirely detached from what was playing out on screen. My hopes for Guardians of the Galaxy were admittedly scant, with no prior exposure to the characters, no love for star Chris Pratt, and I couldn't even tell you what previous films Director James Gunn has to his name.

Despite this, I was pleasantly surprised by Guardians of the Galaxy... really surprised. To say that the film is a roller coaster of action, laughs, stunning visual effects and a nostalgic soundtrack simply doesn't do the film service enough. In short, the film's insane script, oddball characters and old school soundtrack gel cohesively in an entirely successful way that I neither expected, nor was prepared for.
The film's cast, led by TV comedian Chris Pratt, sci-fi vixen Zoe Saldana, WWE wrestler Dave Bautista, screen veterans Benicio Del Toro and Glenn Close and the voice talents of Bradley Cooper's wisecracks and Vin Diesel's three word vocabulary really sell the film and help to ground the interplanetary action in a sense of reality.
I admit to being naive to the history of James Gunn, but he's quickly risen to the high ranks as someone to watch in the future. He should be given top marks for executing his eccentric vision on screen so perfectly and for Marvel brass for having the cajones to allow him to do so.

As for Guardians of the Galaxy, with a worldwide gross of $340 million in a matter of two weeks, I think it's safe to say that Marvel's biggest leap of faith has paid off, ensuring the Guardians will be back on our screens in the very near future.

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Ultra Street Fighter IV PC Game Review

I'm probably not alone in that one of my first gaming memories is being taken by my friends to the local game outlet to play Street Fighter II at the arcade. It was that which introduced me to the famous series that is Street Fighter, and the second iteration still remains one of the most iconic video games of all time. Street Fighter IV has been and gone, and as is tradition, many different versions have been released after the main version. The latest (and apparently final) version of this is Ultra Street Fighter IV, a version which introduces new fighters, new outfits for the fighters and rounds off the SFIV series. Street Fighter IV has always been a solid game, but the Ultra version is not without its problems, especially on the PC.
Like its predecessors, Ultra Street Fighter IV has an overall story and one for each of the individual characters. In the arcade mode of the game, when you select a character to complete the story with, a few anime cut scenes play out, giving some background as to why this character is fighting. Some of these are incredibly cheesy and over the top, however, overall they fit the game well, and provide some much needed meat to the arcade side of the game for those who just want to play this game by themselves - which, of course, is generally not what SF is all about.

In terms of what has been added for the Ultra version, there are three main categories; characters, stages, and special moves. Ultra includes five new characters; Poison, Decapre, Hugo Andore, Elena, and Rolento F Schugerg. These characters seem loosely based on some previously existing characters with some of their special moves very much mimicking that of some long term stalwarts. Aside from characters, six new stages have been added to the game as well, however, the main change to the gameplay comes in the form of some new special moves.

Ultra adds the ability for a player to select both Ultra combos a character can have (leading to a reduced damage impact), which changes strategy somewhat. In fact, a lot of the changes are very much aimed towards the very high level competition play. For example, one of the additions is the ability to change the way your character recovers from being knocked over. This, in theory, throws top players off their combo moves. If you are a typical Street Fighter IV player, then this is likely to not mean too much to you. You can now also choose the version of your character you wish to play as from the Street Fighter IV range.
From a PC perspective, this game runs very well, even on moderately powerful hardware. Given that this game is a last-generation console game, this is of no surprise, but in an interesting move before you can go online for multiplayer, the game benchmarks your system. That benchmark is then displayed to opposing players for them to decide if they want to play you. For example, if someone has an 'E' class system, they may not want to play an 'A' class system. It's quite a strange thing, but the assumption is that a lower powered machine will have a disadvantage, against a higher spec system.
One area where we did feel a bit disappointed was what we experienced of the netcode. The game in general does run quite well, but there were a few stutters here and there. Even when playing against someone in the local country, there was an indication that the connection was very poor, which was surprising - so, playing intercontinental tournaments or fights is likely not going to offer a good experience.
As well as this, it takes a while for the games to connect, and we found sometimes the games would just drop out before even finalizing the connection.

There are numerous modes to play in the game, ranging from the typical basic arcade mode through to training, where you can practice your move sets. On the multiplayer side of the game, there are even more modes, including the ability for players to form teams and fight in groups or again perform training online. On the single player side, there is the usual arcade mode, but also 'challenges' makes a return, which actually is quite a meaty game mode for a fighting game. It also helps you become proficient at the game, in some ways even more so than the actual training mode.

On the visuals side, Ultra remains a 2.5D game, but it is still a stunningly-beautiful game. Street Fighter IV has always impressed with its visuals, and Ultra is no different. The new characters are animated extremely well and fit into the visual style. The new stages are also visually impressive with lots of action going on behind the actual fight. It really is a 2D fighting game that looks like a 3D one. The cut scenes played through the arcade mode are also animated well, and presented in an anime style. The only thing about the cut scenes is that the voice acting comes across as very run of the mill and cheesy.
The fact is that if you are a big Street Fighter fan, it is likely Ultra is a no brainer for you, and it's also a no brainer for those who want a fighting game, and have yet to pick up a version of Street Fighter IV. However, for those who already have SFIV or Super SFIV, it is a harder sell. Some of the changes are specifically aimed at very high level play, and the new characters, whilst adding something to the game, are not exactly must have additions.
PRICING: You can find the Ultra Street Fighter IV for PC for sale below. The prices listed are valid at the time of writing but can change at any time. Click the link to see the very latest pricing for the best deal.
United States: The Ultra Street Fighter IV [Online Game Code] retails for $29.99 at Amazon.
Canada: The Ultra Street Fighter IV PC Game retails for CDN$28.99 at Amazon Canada.

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