Thursday, May 5, 2016

IT News Head Lines (Overclockers Club) 06/05/2016

Overclockers Club



Built-in Ad Blocker Now Live for Opera
Back in March, Opera announced that it was releasing a development version of its web browser that had built-in ad blocking. The company has now moved this version to the official release channel for all to utilize. CEO Lars Boilesen reiterated the companies stance on the issue stating, "We do this because we want to provide people with the fastest browsers in the market. Our speed test shows that online ads slow down the browsing experience." Opera only controls a very small share of the Internet browser market, with recent estimates at around 2% according to Net Applications, and users of other browsers will still have to rely on third party software. It will be interesting to see if this will increase the usage of Opera and, perhaps more interesting, if it will spur other companies to adopt a similar policy for their browsers.
Source: Computer World


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Star Wars Action-Adventure Game in Development at Respawn Entertainment
In honor of Star Wars Day, which occurs yearly on May 4, Respawn Entertainment has announced that it has been developing an action-adventure game set in the Star Wars universe for the past two years. Respawn is best known for its work on Titanfall, and the upcoming sequel. The studio hasn't released any other substantial information about the game, but has said it will bring "a whole new adventure to the galaxy." I would love to see something similar to Knights of the Old Republic, especially if it expands on the Star Wars universe instead of focusing on areas covered by the existing movie and television properties.
Source: Ars Technica


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Journey Off the Coast of Maine in Fallout 4 - Far Harbor; Arrives May 19
Journey Off the Coast of Maine in Fallout 4 - Far Harbor; Arrives May 19
The final piece of Fallout 4's three initial DLCs has finally been revealed, as the official trailer for Fallout 4 - Far Harbor has arrived. Far Harbor is a massive new add-on for Bethesda's latest RPG, as a new case from Valentine's Detective Agency puts us on the trail of a young woman and a secret colony of synths. We make for the coast of Maine and the island of Far Harbor, a place where the radiation levels were far higher and mutated the wildlife that much more. This is a feral world, a deadly world, and I just hope the plants aren't trying to kill you. It's going to be bad enough with the mirelurks, ghouls, these strange lizard/newt-like creatures, an angler fish monstrosity, and whatever else awaits us on the island. Oh, and let's not forget about the residents, Children of Atom, and the synths that call Far Harbor home.
Far Harbor is Bethesda's largest landmass for any add-on it's ever made, and it already looks like there is plenty to see and do on it. A growing conflict between the human and synth inhabitants might require intervention on your part, especially as you try to find this young woman and (presumably) bring her home. New factions, faction quests, settlements, higher-level weapons and armor, and new dungeons all await us on Far Harbor. Plus those dangerously lethal creatures on it, too.
Fallout 4 - Far Harbor arrives on May 19 for the PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. Once it arrives, the wait begins again for news on the next pieces of DLC for Fallout 4.
Source: Bethesda.net


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Steam Review System Seeing Significant Changes
Game reviews, whether they are multi-page articles or one line recommendations, can be very important to people before making a purchase, but while they do provide valuable information, the state of the game may have changed since then. To address exactly that issue with Steam Customer Reviews, Valve has changed how the system works to emphasize more recent reviews.
With how the system originally worked, newer reviews were not always as visible as older reviews that were deemed 'most helpful.' Now recent reviews will be featured more prominently, to give customers a more up-to-date view of the game. Additionally the review scores that are listed at the top of the product page have also been tweaked to be based on reviews from the past 30 days (if there are enough reviews from that period and the game is at least 45 days old). The overall score that includes older reviews are still listed, should you want to see them.
There is a bit more information at the source link if you want to read it. Personally, I am fairly happy to see these changes. I have experienced many games changing significantly post-launch from new content being added, bugs being fixed, and performance optimizations. A system to help capture these changes in reviews should benefit everyone who chooses to look at them, and the developers who invest the effort to make those changes.
Source: Steam News


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Hardware Roundup: Wednesday, May 4, 2016, Edition
Today is Star Wars Day, when nearly everybody takes the journey to that galaxy far, far away. We do have a couple of items to help bring you back, like a review of the Corsair Carbide SPEC-ALPHA case, the company's latest model. This case features a unique design that may seem small, yet can fit a ton of hardware inside while not breaking the bank. Our other item for the day is the Phiaton BT 110 Bluetooth Headset, a water-resistant model that can keep your tunes going regardless of the weather or workout intensity, and still make your calls when needed.
Cases

Corsair Carbide SPEC-ALPHA @ TechSpot
Speakers/Headphones

Phiaton BT 110 Bluetooth Headset @ Benchmark Reviews


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Mighty No. 9 Goes Gold; Launch Date Revealed
Late last year, it was reported that Mighty No. 9 was expected to be released to gamers on February 9, 2016. That date has long come and gone, and those interested in the game still have not been able to play the exciting video game title. Fortunately, Keiji Inafune has just recently revealed to the public that the game now has a concrete launch date of June 21, 2016 for North America and Asia, and June 24, 2016 for all other regions of the world. Inafune also noted that Mighty No. 9 has officially gone gold, and that the video game is in the final stages of development before it can be purchased from retail outlets or digital channels.
Despite the game launching in late June of this year, Inafune revealed that portable versions of Mighty No. 9 for the PlayStation Vita and Nintendo 3DS will be available at a later point in time.
Source: Mighty No. 9 Official Site


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Endless War Returns in Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War III
Endless War Returns in Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War III
The time has come once again to wage endless war, as Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War III has been officially announced. Developed once again by Relic and this time published by Sega, following THQ's bankruptcy part out, Dawn of War III sees the Space Marines, Orks, and Eldar fight on a galactic scale. Little else is known right now about the game, except those three races are joined by a fourth race that Relic is keeping tight to its chest. Maybe we'll see the Tyranids or the Forces of Chaos once again, or perhaps the Tau or Necrons instead. Relic does promise Dawn of War III will be its biggest game yet, with base-building, epic heroes, gigantic units, and huge battles. It looks to bring us back more to the style of the first game, while also keeping in aspects of the second game, too.
Battles should be easier to follow, with laser blasts clearly showing where the fights are happening and finer unit details easier to pick out. It also looks to have more of a tabletop flair with bright unit colors, so no more ultra grimdark gameplay here. The previous entry was fantastic, but sometimes it was hard to see what you were doing, so here's hoping Dawn of War III corrects that. Hero units return, with them taking on the role of individual heroes (like Gabriel Angelos), elite squads like Assault Terminators, or even super units like an Imperial Knight walker (a one-man version of WH40K's massive Titan units). As mentioned before, base-building is back, producing your everyday troops to wage war and capture requsition points, work units for power generator building, and even drop pods for the Space Marines to load into and deploy across the battlefield. Nothing says death from above quite like a drop pod full of Space Marines crashing into a horde of Greenskins. Orbital laser cannons, a revamped cover system, and more await us in the battlefields of endless galactic war.
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War III has no release date just yet, but it is real and it is coming.
Sources: PC Gamer and the Official Website


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Hardware Roundup: Tuesday, May 3, 2016, Edition
Tuesday is here, bringing with it a few items to help get you through the day. There is a look at the ECS Z170-Claymore motherboard, which has plenty of enthusiast-level features for a price that is budget friendly. For those needing a new phone, perhaps the InFocus M560 Smartphone, featuring an octa-core SoC, Android 5.1, and a Foxconn design, should be on your list. Ending things for today is a look at 20 of the worst PC setups seen during the month of April.
Motherboards

ECS Z170-Claymore @ PC Perspective
Mobile

InFocus M560 @ Madshrimps
Miscellany

20 of the Worst PC Setups - April 2016 @ ThinkComputers


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Dawn of the Singularity (eBook) Available for Pre-Order
Dawn of the Singularity (eBook) Available for Pre-Order
For anyone interested in some more of the story behind the recently released Ashes of the Singularity, you will soon have an opportunity to explore it. On May 12, David Simpson's new book, Dawn of the Singularity releases for the Amazon Kindle, but you can pre-order today for $4.99 or purchase the print version, also on Amazon, for $12.99. You might already know David Simpson as the author of the bestselling Post-Human series
Dawn of the Singularity is set a near future, long before Ashes of the Singularity takes place, and examines what may happen as humanity reaches the technological singularity. With a strong AI surpassing humans taking shape, some people will welcome it as a new friend and ally, while others will consider it a sign of doom. This is the first book in The Singularity Saga and the first from Fearless Publishing, which is located in Plymouth Michigan, where Stardock, the publisher of Ashes of the Singularity, is also located.
Source: Press Release


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Dead Facts Trailer Released for Dead Island Definitive Collection
In March, Deep Silver and Techland announced the Dead Island Definitive Collection. This package includes Dead Island, Dead Island: Riptide, and all of their DLC rebuilt in the latest version of Techland's Chrome engine. This means updated graphics, improved performance, and availability on Xbox One and PlayStation 4.
Today we are getting another look at the collection with the "Dead Facts" trailer, which reminds us of the fun of a zombie apocalypse. The collection launches May 31 for $39.99 for PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4 and includes the mini game Dead Island Retro Revenge. The definitive editions of the two main games will also launch that day, for both the Xbox One and PlayStation 4.





Source: Deep Silver


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Latest Game Ready Drivers Available Ahead of Battleborn Launch
NVIDIA continues to follow its pattern of releasing Game Ready versions of its GeForce video card drivers for upcoming or recently released games with the Game Ready 365.10 WHQL drivers. The focus of this update is Battleborn, which combines "first-person shooting with MOBA-style gameplay" and is available tomorrow, and these drivers hope to provide the "best possible framerates and frametimes in Battleborn's high-stakes multiplayer matches." NVIDIA is also throwing in some improvements for a trio of upcoming game betas including Forza Motorsport 6 Apex, Overwatch, and Paragon. All three games will host open betas starting May 5, May 4, and this weekend, respectively. Head over to the NVIDIA website to get your hands on the drivers now.
Source: NVIDIA


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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Could Have 6GB of RAM
Details surrounding the next generation of NVIDIA graphics cards, rumored to use the 10X0 naming convention, have been trickling out over the past few months. In March, rumors began to spread that the card would be available near the end of this month with the high end GTX 1070 and 1080 mentioned specifically. Images leaked last month showed a cooling shroud with GTX 1080 clearly visible. We have now got our hands on some details about the mid range card, known as the GTX 1060, with the expectation that it will utilize 6GB of GDDR5 video RAM. Also included in the details is that the "GTX 1060 (or Ti) will be using the GP104-150-A1 GPU while the GTX 1080 uses the GP104-400-A1 and the GTX 1070 with its GP104-200-A1 GPU."
Source: Tweak Town


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Hardware Roundup: Monday, May 2, 2016, Edition
May is here at last, bringing with it several items to start the month off right. We have a review of the AMD Radeon Pro Duo, a dual GPU card packing two Fiji XT cores onto one PCB for what should be some impressive performance numbers, if you can stomach the $1500 price. Switching things up, the Intel 750 Series 400GB NVMe SSD gets reviewed to see what this little PCIe card can do. If you need to hear your games better, maybe the SteelSeries Siberia 350 Gaming Headset, with its affordable price, is for you. Wrapping things up for today is a look at how buying an older flagship smartphone might be the better option than picking up a new budget phone.
Video Cards

AMD Radeon Pro Duo @ PC Perspective
Storage/Hard Drives

Intel 750 Series 400GB NVMe SSD @ ThinkComputers
Speakers/Headphones

SteelSeries Siberia 350 Gaming Headset @ Madshrimps
Mobile

Better Buy: Older flagship smartphones are better than current budget offerings @ TechSpot


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Available Tags:Opera , Steam , Hardware , NVIDIA , GeForce , GTX

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