Apple is increasingly focusing on building its own devices and expanding its ecosystem by taking steps towards a more native experience for users and relying less on third-party accessories. While the Cupertino-based tech giant's HomePod and AppleTV have left quite the mark in the smart home category, it generally relies more on outsourcing cameras and other hardware for smart homes. Now, a new report suggests that the company intends to create a fully integrated experience by developing its own smart home accessories. Gurman hints about Apple working on making smart home products like security cameras for a more integrated experience […]
We’re continuing our Best of Black Friday posts today with a look at the best current deals on power stations and their respective bundle options. Folks across the country and beyond have been steadily investing more and more in the industry for a vari...
Blizzard has announced that two decades after its release, World of Warcraft is finally going to let players build a home and live in it. The feature has long been requested by WoW players and now it’s finally coming in the game’s next expansion.Read m...
Guild Wars 2: Janthir Wilds will receive the Godspawn update, adding a new 50-player boss battle, a new 10-player raid, and a legendary spear. Guild Wars 2: Janthir Wilds is getting the first major update "Godspawn" on November 19th, expanding the story with new story chapters The MMORPG Guild Wars 2 by ArenaNet is receiving its first major update for the Janthir Wilds expansion soon. It's the first of three major updates, and it'll land on November 19. The update will add new content to the game for the players. The Janthir Wilds expansion DLC was released in August this year, […]
Microsoft has published a new patent that showcases a pixel-dimming technology for displays that can be helpful for gamers. Microsoft's "Pixel Luminance For Digital Displays" Lays Out Display Pixel Dimming Technology For Gamers The patent explains the control of luminance of digital displays that feature rows of pixels by reducing their input voltage. Dimmer pixels are said to work great to conserve power and more importantly, in environments where ambient light levels are higher, the luminance can also be increased. The former advantage can benefit devices that are running on a battery such as laptops and smartphones. In particular, such […]
In recent months, there’s been a lot of debate and concern about the future of the Xbox brand, with Microsoft seemingly tip-toeing away from exclusives and the traditional console business. In a recent “business update,” Xbox boss Phil Spencer and other execs sought to calm fears, saying major exclusives like Starfield are staying put (for now) and Microsoft is working on powerful new hardware, but fans have been skeptical in the face of “flatlining” demand for Xbox consoles. Well, Spencer sat down for an interview with Polygon at GDC, and it seems he has a new pitch – in Spencer’s […]
Reportedly, some third-party video game publishers aren’t sure why they should keep making and supporting games for Xbox consoles due to poor sales in Europe. Read more...
While Microsoft has tried to put a happy face on things, the future of Xbox – at least Xbox as a distinct brand with its own hardware and exclusives – has never been more in question. Last month Microsoft tried to calm worries with an Xbox Business Update, in which they revealed several older, smaller-scale games were going multiplatform, but that others, like Starfield, aren’t for now. Furthermore, they vowed to continue working on new hardware which will, apparently, deliver the “largest technical leap ever” (how they plan to deliver on that boast, I don’t know). That all sounds good, […]
The Elder Scrolls, Bethesda’s immensely popular open-world RPG franchise, turns 30 years old today. To celebrate, the company posted a short history of the series and its innovations on social media. However, it also briefly talked about the future of ...
A few weeks ago, Toys for Bob unexpectedly split from Activision and Microsoft to become an independent developer once again. However, even in that announcement, the studio based in Novato, California mentioned that they were exploring a partnership with Microsoft for their next game. According to Windows Central, that deal has since been reached. Their sources mention an internal townhall meeting where Matt Booty, who was recently nominated President of Game Content and Studios since he now oversees not only Xbox Studios but also ZeniMax's and Activision's, confirmed the agreement has been finalized. Microsoft also said this was a way […]
The Chinese government has blocked the use of Intel and AMD CPUs in government computers, creating new hostilities in the tech industry. China Bans Intel, AMD & Microsoft Usage In Government PCs, Promoting The Adoption Of Homegrown Solutions The US-China enmity has taken the tech markets by storm, especially for US chip manufacturers like NVIDIA and AMD, which have created a dominant consumer base in the region. It seems like China has made the next move here. The Financial Times reports that the government has banned using Intel and AMD chips in their systems, citing privacy concerns and ensuring their […]
Multiple Xbox handheld prototypes are being worked on at Microsoft, according to rumors circulating online. Speaking during the latest episode of the Xbox Two podcast, Windows Central's Jez Corden revealed how the company currently has multiple Xbox handheld prototypes for a system meant to play Xbox games natively. The fact that there are multiple prototypes, however, doesn't mean that the device will go to market, as devices are canned all the time, and Microsoft itself did so with the Surface Mini. While there's the possibility that the Xbox handheld may never make it to market, Jez Corden believes that it […]
Microsoft has proposed a new method to make ray tracing in games faster with future DXR API updates by leveraging SSDs to limit VRAM usage. Ray Tracing Has Become The Gaming Standard & Microsoft Aims To Make It Efficient & Faster By Investing In New Techniques Such as Utilizing SSD To Limit VRAM Usage In DXR API Updates More and more games are now utilizing ray tracing or path tracing techniques to deliver immersive and realistic visuals to gamers but all of this comes at a cost. In the paper "Systems and methods for ray tracing acceleration structure level of […]
This week, one of the biggest stories in gaming involved updates to an eight-year-old game. Yes, Stardew Valley developer ConcernedApe trickled out a series of details about the game’s latest patch that had fans hanging on every word in anticipation. W...
Microsoft has published a new patent that showcases a pixel-dimming technology for displays that can be helpful for gamers. Microsoft's "Pixel Luminance For Digital Displays" Lays Out Display Pixel Dimming Technology For Gamers The patent explains the control of luminance of digital displays that feature rows of pixels by reducing their input voltage. Dimmer pixels are said to work great to conserve power and more importantly, in environments where ambient light levels are higher, the luminance can also be increased. The former advantage can benefit devices that are running on a battery such as laptops and smartphones. In particular, such […]
In recent months, there’s been a lot of debate and concern about the future of the Xbox brand, with Microsoft seemingly tip-toeing away from exclusives and the traditional console business. In a recent “business update,” Xbox boss Phil Spencer and other execs sought to calm fears, saying major exclusives like Starfield are staying put (for now) and Microsoft is working on powerful new hardware, but fans have been skeptical in the face of “flatlining” demand for Xbox consoles. Well, Spencer sat down for an interview with Polygon at GDC, and it seems he has a new pitch – in Spencer’s […]
Reportedly, some third-party video game publishers aren’t sure why they should keep making and supporting games for Xbox consoles due to poor sales in Europe. Read more...
While Microsoft has tried to put a happy face on things, the future of Xbox – at least Xbox as a distinct brand with its own hardware and exclusives – has never been more in question. Last month Microsoft tried to calm worries with an Xbox Business Update, in which they revealed several older, smaller-scale games were going multiplatform, but that others, like Starfield, aren’t for now. Furthermore, they vowed to continue working on new hardware which will, apparently, deliver the “largest technical leap ever” (how they plan to deliver on that boast, I don’t know). That all sounds good, […]
The Elder Scrolls, Bethesda’s immensely popular open-world RPG franchise, turns 30 years old today. To celebrate, the company posted a short history of the series and its innovations on social media. However, it also briefly talked about the future of ...
A few weeks ago, Toys for Bob unexpectedly split from Activision and Microsoft to become an independent developer once again. However, even in that announcement, the studio based in Novato, California mentioned that they were exploring a partnership with Microsoft for their next game. According to Windows Central, that deal has since been reached. Their sources mention an internal townhall meeting where Matt Booty, who was recently nominated President of Game Content and Studios since he now oversees not only Xbox Studios but also ZeniMax's and Activision's, confirmed the agreement has been finalized. Microsoft also said this was a way […]
The Chinese government has blocked the use of Intel and AMD CPUs in government computers, creating new hostilities in the tech industry. China Bans Intel, AMD & Microsoft Usage In Government PCs, Promoting The Adoption Of Homegrown Solutions The US-China enmity has taken the tech markets by storm, especially for US chip manufacturers like NVIDIA and AMD, which have created a dominant consumer base in the region. It seems like China has made the next move here. The Financial Times reports that the government has banned using Intel and AMD chips in their systems, citing privacy concerns and ensuring their […]
Multiple Xbox handheld prototypes are being worked on at Microsoft, according to rumors circulating online. Speaking during the latest episode of the Xbox Two podcast, Windows Central's Jez Corden revealed how the company currently has multiple Xbox handheld prototypes for a system meant to play Xbox games natively. The fact that there are multiple prototypes, however, doesn't mean that the device will go to market, as devices are canned all the time, and Microsoft itself did so with the Surface Mini. While there's the possibility that the Xbox handheld may never make it to market, Jez Corden believes that it […]
Microsoft has proposed a new method to make ray tracing in games faster with future DXR API updates by leveraging SSDs to limit VRAM usage. Ray Tracing Has Become The Gaming Standard & Microsoft Aims To Make It Efficient & Faster By Investing In New Techniques Such as Utilizing SSD To Limit VRAM Usage In DXR API Updates More and more games are now utilizing ray tracing or path tracing techniques to deliver immersive and realistic visuals to gamers but all of this comes at a cost. In the paper "Systems and methods for ray tracing acceleration structure level of […]
This week, one of the biggest stories in gaming involved updates to an eight-year-old game. Yes, Stardew Valley developer ConcernedApe trickled out a series of details about the game’s latest patch that had fans hanging on every word in anticipation. W...