Google Earth Gets New Features on 10th Birthday
Yesterday marked the 10th anniversary of the relase of Google Earth and Google celebrated with the additon of two new features to the software. Voyager allows users to "jump straight to the newest and most interesting imagery around the globe." The first relase of Voyager features Street View highlights including the Taj Mahal, Earth View of various "striking landscapes," 3D cities, the latest satellite imagery, and highlight tours of thousands of locations. Google has also updated Earth View which is a "library of some of the most striking and enigmatic landscapes available in Google Earth," to include 1,500 landscapes from around the globe. The images are available through the Chrome Extension and a web gallery with the option to download as high resolution wallpapers.
Source: Google
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NVIDIA Could Cut Prices to Better Compete With AMD Radeon R9 Fury X
AMD recently released its latest high end graphics card, the Radeon R9 Fury X, targeted at competing with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 series. The R9 was released at $649, the same price as the GTX 980 Ti, with performance between the cards remaining comparable. A price cut from NVIDIA could incite a price war between the two companies with NVIDIA potentially having the advantage. The NVIDIA GM200 core has been on the market for some time and doesn't depend on High Bandwidth Memory (HBM) while the AMD core is relatively new with a low yield and a dependence on HBM. It is unclear which manufacturer would benefit most in a price war, but it is certain that gamers in the market for a new high end GPU would welcome the price drops.
Source: WCCF Tech
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Mario Gets Some Unreal Treatment
Nintendo's iconic plumber Mario has been rendered in a variety of ways throughout the years, from 8-bit and 16-bit to 3D and even 2D paper. Now he gets a new twist, as YouTuber aryoksini has uploaded a video of Mario running in Unreal Engine 4. Everything is rendered with exceptional detail, with Mario gathering coins, performing jumps and flips, and all around looking and sounding like Mario. Well, except for the environment he's in, as it is rather realistic and Mario is still kind of cartoony. Luckily things don't stay that way for long, as aryoksini then puts Mario in a more fitting level, and one that looks phenomenal. Seriously, this is the best Mario has looked yet, and hopefully what Nintendo can accomplish on its next-generation NX console.
Source: YouTube
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Sorcerer King Exits Early Access on July 17
Sorcerer King, from game and software developer Stardock, will be exiting Early Access on July 17. Originally released October 2, 2014 to Steam Early Access, the game is a turn-based, fantasy 4X featuring asymmetric gameplay. Unlike traditional 4X games, your enemy, the Sorcerer King, has already won the war and conquered much of the world, and is now working to obtain godhood, while you fight to survive and gain the power to kill him while there is still time. The Sorcerer King and his minions are not your only adversaries though, as other factions are fighting over the resources you all need.
Being an Early Access title, you can purchase it now and start playing the beta immediately, ahead of the July 17, full release date.
Source: Sorcerer King Forums
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GTA Online Ill-Gotten Gains Update: Part Two Launches Next Week
Earlier this month we saw the release of the Ill-Gotten Gains Update: Part One for GTA Online and on July 8, the second half is going to be released. Like the first part, this update adds more vehicles, weapons, and clothes for rich characters to purchase. This update will also bring the PC-exclusive radio station, The Lab, to the consoles versions of the game. The second Ill-Gotten Gains Social Club Event Weekend will start on July 10, with details on that and the patch coming soon.
Last year's Independence Day Special for GTA Online is also going to return, at least in part, for anyone who could not get in on the fun.
Source: Rockstar Newswire
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Hardware Roundup: Tuesday, June 30, 2015, Edition
We have arrived at the final day of June, with a few items to help send it off right. There is a review on the PowerColor PCS+ R9 380 video card, a 4GB model with a custom cooler that should be a nice boost to gaming performance. If you need a new display, perhaps for one of the new AMD cards, then maybe the ASUS MG279Q 27" 1440p IPS monitor is for you, as its the first 1440p IPS display that supports AMD FreeSync, with a variable refresh rate between 35 and 90Hz. Finishing things off today is the Tt eSPORTS Commander Gaming Gear Combo, a budget-friendly mouse and keyboard combo that will help you control your games while putting more money towards other gear.
Video Cards
PowerColor PCS+ R9 380 @ LanOC Reviews
Monitors
ASUS MG279Q 27-in 1440P 144Hz IPS 35-90Hz FreeSync @ PC Perspective
Mice/Keyboards
Tt eSPORTS Commander Gaming Gear Combo @ ThinkComputers
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Augmented Reality Windshields Might Be a Bad Idea
Some people believe that augmented reality systems are going to come to define how we interact with the world, by providing information on top of the world around us. One of the more obvious applications for such systems is vehicle windshields, by having warnings, directions, cellphone activity, and more information displayed in the driver's view. While some see this as a way to improve safety, as the driver will not have to look away from the road, researchers at the University of Toronto have found in a new study that AR may make driving less safe.
What the study effectively boils down to is that the information thrown up on the windshield will actually split the driver's focus, because it takes some effort to recognize the information, identify it, and process it. To perform this study, the researchers used computer-based trials that would display randomly placed spots on a windshield. The participants would have to report when they saw the spots, and how many, but in some cases an additional shape would appear, and also had to be reported. When the shape was just a black-outlined square, and when it was a square, triangle, or diamond, the participants were much slower to reporting the shapes, and the number of spots. In some cases, they would just completely miss the shapes, and this grew worse when there were more spots on the screen.
While AR could be useful for driving, this study indicates that the information and warnings provided that way could actually make things worse, as that information competes for the driver's attention. Furthermore, the researchers point out that it is very possible that the times when the most information would appear, would also be when the driver needs to be most focused on their environment.
Source: University of Toronto
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Microsoft is Apparently Interested in Acquiring AMD
According to reports familiar with the matter, Microsoft approached AMD several months ago in an attempt to discuss acquisition details. While no relevant information concerning the talks has been released at this time, the idea of Microsoft acquiring AMD is something that may prove beneficial for both companies, especially AMD. It comes as no surprise that AMD is currently in a tough spot, with the GPU market being dominated by NVIDIA and the CPU market being led by Intel. Even the research and development budget for AMD was at a 10 year low just three months ago, and the company itself has a valuation that is three times lower than what AMD paid for ATI Technologies in 2006. Fortunately, Microsoft utilizes an AMD system-on-chip in its Xbox One, and based on current life-to-date sales of the gaming console, Microsoft has already paid AMD $1.26 billion for the chips. If the acquisition of AMD by Microsoft did actually happen, the software giant could save itself substantial money when it comes to its latest Xbox console and could boost the technological advances of products produced by AMD.
The news of Microsoft approaching AMD for a possible acquisition deal comes just days after it was reported that AMD could spin off into multiple businesses to make itself more competitive. AMD dismissed these rumors for the most part, however, with an AMD spokesperson addressing the news head-on.
Source: KitGuru
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