Noctua NH-U9S Review
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Grand Theft Auto IV 7-Years Later Review
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Star Wars: Battlefront's First Gameplay Trailer is Here
Star Wars Celebration has been going on since yesterday, and with it has come plenty of news. A new teaser trailer for Star Wars: The Force Awakens arrived yesterday, and today the first gameplay reveal for Star Wars: Battlefront. Whereas The Force Awakens is set years after the original trilogy, Battlefront is set during those movies, with the intense fighting between the Empire and the Rebellion boiling over into assorted battles. The action in the trailer below starts us off on the Forest Moon of Endor, with speederbikes soaring through the trees and Rebel soldiers trying to take them down. One speederbike crashes into a tree right before an AT-ST appears. Soldiers run for cover to avoid the laser blasts, and then two of the soldiers drop down a portable shield before one takes flight with a jetpack. The AT-ST explodes, but then an even more dreaded sight appears: an AT-AT. Luckily some Y-Wings are on hand to lay waste, yet the soliders now have to contend with Darth Vader.
Star Wars: Battlefront does not feature space battles, sadly, but does have dogfights in the planets' atmosphere. There will also be no prequel vehicles, characters, or anything else from that era; this is original trilogy through and through, with some parts from The Force Awakens, too. Nor will it make use of Battlelog, which some people may be happy to see. Gamers can play the game in either first or third-person mode and switch between the two whenever they choose. Battles are 20 vs 20 matches, with yes, Darth Vader, Boba Fett, and other heroes/villains being playable, just like in the previous games. There is also a co-op mode called Battlefront Missions to play with a friend via split screen or online, although full details aren't quite ready for that.
Star Wars: Battlefront arrives on November 17, 2015, for the PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One, just like last night's leak predicted. There is a DLC called Battle of Jakku that takes us to the planet seen in yesterday's The Force Awakens trailer, with that desert planet being called Jakku. It will be available on December 1 for anyone who pre-orders Battlefront regardless of platform, with December 8 for anyone who did not pre-order. A Deluxe Edition is also planned to arrive, which contains instant access to five in-game items: three weapons (DL-44 Blaster, Ion Grenade, and Ion Torpedo) and two emotes. The Deluxe Edition will set you back $69.99, while the regular copies are $59.99.
Source: YouTube, IGN, Bravo Intel [1], [2] & [3], NeoGAF, and Game Informer
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Temperature Observed in Quantum System
Never expect anything to be simple in quantum mechanics, but then somethings in classical mechanics can be very complicated as well. Temperature is one such example as that simple value describes absurdly complex and chaotic activity. Researchers at the Vienna University of Technology have at long last succeeded in studying how gases behave with temperature, when their quantum properties are brought out.
The molecules in the air around us are zipping around and bouncing off of each other and other objects so much that it would be impossible to track them all, but luckily scientists do not have to, in order to describe them. Instead they rely on statistical physics to determine the properties of the entire gas, but this has led to the question of how one gets from statistical mechanics to quantum mechanics. To answer that, the Vienna researchers used a microchip to catch and cool several thousand atoms to a little above absolute zero, to bring out their quantum properties. By manipulating the chip, the quantum gas could be manipulated as well, and the researchers found the gas could take on multiple temperatures at the same time. Though predicted, this behavior has never been observed before.
For now this research should lead to an improved understanding of quantum mechanics and its relationship to thermodynamics. Someday it may lead to new technological applications as well as how our classical laws of physics emerge from those of quantum mechanics.
Source: EurekAlert!
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Mushkin Announces TAKE CONTROL Campaign Alongside of Ghost Recon Phantoms
A new campaign has been announced by Mushkin Enhanced MFG, an industry-leading designer and manufacturer of high-performance and mission-critical computer products. The campaign, which is known as "TAKE CONTROL," is centered on the popular Ghost Recon Phantoms video game title from Ubisoft. On May 1, 2015, Mushkin plans on revealing a new mystery addition to their hardcore gamer-ready product line up that will allow gamers to keep the enemy at bay. Nicolas Villalobos, the Director of Global Marketing at Mushkin, stated that "For years now we have been the best bang for your buck memory and SSD manufacturer and I am excited to announce our latest additions on May 1st."
Interested gamers and consumers can find additional information on the campaign's official website.
Source: Press Release
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EA Announces August 25 Launch for Madden NFL 16
Electronic Arts has revealed that Madden NFL 16, the 27th edition of EA Sports' annual football franchise, will be available to consumers starting on August 25, 2015. The game is currently being developed by EA Tiburon, which is based out of Orlando, Florida, and is expected to come to current and previous generation gaming consoles upon release, though no official word has been given on specific platform support.
Source: EA Sports and Polygon
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Star Wars: Battlefront Release Date Leaks Out; November 17 for PC, PS4, and XBO
Yesterday came the first look at Star Wars: Battlefront's Stormtrooper in-game model, which shows an impressive level of detail. Today there's something a little different, as apparently the game's release date has been leaked. When you point your browser to the Star Wars: Battlefront website and examine the source code on the News & Media section, one line stands out in particular: "Available November 17, 2015 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC." That date doesn't appear on the website itself because it's a hidden description, just it probably should have been hidden a little better. Or at the very least, not even put into the website's source until after tomorrow, presumably. The date has since been removed, but you can see it for yourself in the screenshot below.
So, November 17, 2015, it is for the new Battlefront, at least for now. EA and DICE will be showing off the first gameplay of Battlefront during Star Wars Celebration tomorrow, which I imagine is when the release date will be official. If it holds out, Star Wars: Battlefront will be out around a month before Star Wars: The Force Awakens hits theaters. Perfect way to build up hype even more for Episode VII.
Source: Star Wars: Battlefront Website and Reddit
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Bing Captures 20% of United States Search Market
The Bing search engine from Microsoft now has a 20.1% share of the United States search market, passing the 20% mark for the first time. The rise of Bing has come largely at the expense of Search Alliance partner Yahoo, which is down to a 12.7% share. Yahoo was last above a 20% share the month before Bing was released in June 2009. Google remains the top search engine with a 64.4% share.
Source: Search Engine Land
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GeForce GTX TITAN X Water Block and Back Plate Introduced by Koolance
Koolance has officially introduced its GeForce GTX TITAN X water block and the accompanying functional back plate. The water block from Koolance is comprised of nickel-plated copper, and features a POM-acetal top, stainless steel inserts, and nickel-plated brass fittings, ensuring optimal thermal performance and longevity. The water block effectively cools the PCB, including the GPU, the VRM, and the memory chips. The back plate is made up of copper and has incorporated heat dissipating ridges, which further improve cooling performance.
The water block from Koolance, model VID-NXTTNX, features an MSRP of $129.99. The accompanying back plate, model ACC-PLTNXTTNX, features an MSRP of $34.99.
Source: TechPowerUp
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Probabilistic Programming Brought to Computer Vision
One of the many uses of machine learning is computer vision, whereby a computer analyzes a scene and identifies the objects in it, without them exactly matching known models. Building these algorithms can requires thousands of lines of code, but some are turning to probabilistic programming languages to simplify the work. In the case of the Picture language MIT researchers developed, those thousands of lines can be simplified to less than 50.
Probabilistic programming differs from deterministic programming by being based more on inference, which fits well with machine learning. Instead of requiring very specific descriptions, programmers can describe a vague model that the program runs through inference schemes to solve, using inverse-graphics reasoning. The MIT researchers have tested Picture by giving it the simple description of the human face as having two symmetrically placed eyes, with the nose and mouth positioned beneath them. Armed just with that knowledge and examples, the program was tasked with working through 2D images to construct 3D models, and was able to match the thousand-line programs, and in some cases surpass them.
Technically more code than 50 lines is involved behind Picture, as it draws on multiple inference algorithms, but the model for the task itself is still much simpler. This is actually one of the purposes of probabilistic programming languages, where the language is generic and can be used with many inference algorithms, depending on the task.
Source: MIT
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Razer BlackWidow Tournament Edition Chroma Launched
Razer, a world leader in high-performance gaming hardware, software, and systems, has launched the BlackWidow Tournament Edition Chroma. The latest gaming keyboard from Razer is simply a refresh of the already available BlackWidow Chroma, as it features the same switches and RGB lighting support but ditches the numpad, which reduces its size by roughly six inches. Being tenkeyless, the BlackWidow Tournament Edition Chroma is able to fit in areas that are limited on space, and is actually better suited to be a mobile keyboard solution for gamers.
The BlackWidow Tournament Edition Chroma comes with a hard carrying case and is available for immediate purchase, costing consumers $140.
Source: PCWorld
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Google Releases Google Handwriting Input
Google has officially released its latest keyboard known as Google Handwriting Input. The latest keyboard from Google is able to recognize scribbled text in 82 different languages, and is also capable of understanding smiley faces. According to the search engine giant, Google Handwriting Input supports both print and cursive writing, and can be configured as the default keyboard on Android devices running version 4.0.3 and above. While Google Handwriting Input will likely just be a fun experiment for smartphone owners and children who have access to such devices, the recognition that the keyboard product offers is quite amazing to say the least.
Source: PCWorld
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First All-Photonic Quantum Repeaters Designed
One day we may see the construction of a quantum Internet that will be far more secure than today's global network. This is thanks to quantum encryption, which protects data from being read and alerts users to eavesdroppers. For it to work though, we need the ability to transmit photons in a quantum state over great distances, and researchers at the University of Toronto have designed a technology to help with that.
Even modern optical communications require repeaters to ensure classical signals survive their travels, so more fragile quantum signals need special repeaters to preserve the information. The current technology for doing so is complicated, acting like a mini quantum computers, requires low temperatures, and is kind of slow. What the Toronto researchers have created is an all-photonic quantum repeater that comes with several benefits. Just by being all photonic the system is much simpler, as it no longer requires a physical quantum memory system, or an interface between matter and light. It is also able to operate at room temperatures, has a higher communication rate, and a superior fault-tolerance.
One aspect to this design that is particularly interesting is that its components have already had proof-of-principle demonstrations made. This work started as an attempt to transmit polarization over long distances, but then the researchers decided to try for the 'fancier' quantum teleportation, which teleports the entire state of a particle from one location to another.
Source: University of Toronto
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Batman: Arkham Knight Swoops in on June 23; No Further Delays
Batman: Arkham Knight was originally supposed to launch on June 2, but it was pushed back a little bit to June 23. If you're worried about it getting another delay, have no fear, as the game's director, Sefton Hill, confirmed June 23 was the official and final launch date. Developer Rocksteady didn't want to delay the game at all initially, but felt that little extra time would be well served. Given how the game looks, even in the PS4 gameplay video below, it was a deserved delay. Hill also revealed a couple of changes to the controls, where now holding the trigger button on a controller will send Batman into a "super fast dive" straight down off a rooftop. Tapping the trigger will cause Batman to slide. What the corresponding keyboard press will be wasn't mentioned, but is probably the same as past games. Oh, and the difficulty of Arkham Knight can be adjusted on the fly, so if you want to give yourself an even tougher challenge, you're now able to without restarting the game.
Source: Twitter via WCCFtech
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Get Your First Look at Star Wars: Battlefront's Stormtrooper
Many gamers are eagerly looking forward to Star Wars: Battlefront and hoping that it lives up to the legacy of the past titles. The game won't be out until later this year, but this Friday during Star Wars Celebration, EA plans to show the first gameplay reveal for Battlefront. However, we have a little teaser for you tonight in the form of the in-game Stormtrooper model. EA had been teasing the model for a little while and finally took the wraps off it, and it is impressive. The armor is spot-on to the original movies, but dirty and dingy as befitting someone fighting the Rebel Alliance. This Stormtrooper is also sporting a black enlisted trooper pauldron and a backpack with a hose connected to the helmet, possibly for extended operations or spacewalks. Overall the detail is outstanding, and given that this is an in-game model, should make for an experience pulled right out of the movies.
The full Star Wars: Battlefront gameplay reveal is still more than a day away, but we should be in for quite a treat when it happens. You can be sure to find all the information on it right here.
Source: EA's Instagram via WCCFtech
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