Thursday 31 December 2020

UK Contest: Win a custom Twin Mirror Xbox controller and a copy of the game

In today’s contest, UK residents can win a Twin Mirror custom Xbox controller, along with a free copy of the game!

Are all you chaps in the UK sad that you can never win physical prizes because most of the contests are US-based? Well, let’s change that up a little bit!

We’ve got this really awesome custom-made Twin Mirror Xbox controller to give away to one lucky UK resident. In addition to the gamepad, you’ll also get a digital copy of the game to test out that new bad boy!

UK Contest: Win a custom Twin Mirror Xbox controller and a copy of the game screenshot

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That Is One Big Pile of Savings: The Hisense L5 100" 4K Laser TV Projector Is $1,600 off at BuyDig

Hisense 100" L5 4K HDR Laser TV | $2,399 | BuyDig | Promo Code QQA210

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Amazon’s first TV is only available in India

If you want a first-party Fire TV experience, there are a lot of ways to go about getting one. But as far as dedicated TV sets that come with Fire OS preinstalled, Amazon has preferred to work with partners through its Fire TV Edition program rather...

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15 courses on how to become quality management-certified

Companies must improve their output quality and eliminate waste if they want to reach maximum efficiency. Hiring quality management professionals certified in Lean Six Sigma allows them to do that, ultimately saving them time and money. That makes Le...

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Puerto Rico commits $8 million to rebuild Arecibo telescope

There’s a glimmer of hope for the collapsed Arecibo Observatory telescope as 2020 draws to a close. El Nuevo Dia reports that Puerto Rico Governor Wanda Vázquez has signed an executive order approving $8 million to help rebuild the radio telescope. I...

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A year of tech events without tech events

In late October, Huawei did something different to mark its latest smartphone launch: It hosted a “drive-through’ press event. It hired a fleet of luxury cars to taxi me and other reporters to a warehouse in the south-east of London to showcase the n...

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The State Of The Sims 4 In 2020

We are six years into The Sims 4, and with 2021 around the corner, it will be exciting to see what’s next from this franchise. But before we enter a new year, I want to reflect on the best and worst aspects of Sims 4 content this year. The main game has improved in some subtle yet excellent ways, but the numerous…

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Today is the last day you can play the original 'FarmVille'

Now’s your last chance to squeak in some web game nostalgia. As Zynga warned in September, today is the last day to play the original FarmVille. The developers are shutting down the 11-year-old game after December 31st, 2020, in sync with Adobe endin...

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Tesla launches the world's largest Supercharger station in Shanghai

Tesla has launched the world’s largest Supercharger station in China, the company announced on Wiebo. The 72-stall facility in Shanghai easily bests the 56 stall station the company opened last month in Fresno county, California, as Electrek noted. U...

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2021 could be a great year for 'alternative' consoles

Despite the pandemic, it’s been a pretty great year for video game hardware. Microsoft launched the Xbox Series X, a powerful obelisk packing a 12-teraflop GPU, and the smaller Series S, which can run games natively at 1440p resolution. Sony, meanwhi...

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Nathan Grayson's Top 10 Games Of 2020 (That Aren't From 2020)

Wow, what’s a year it’s been. I memorized the pattern of tiny paint bubbles on the wall behind my computer monitor. I also re-watched the same three TV shows one thousand times. I’ve become convinced that the outside world is a hologram, and I’m about to embark on a lucrative YouTube career persuading flat earthers to…

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NieR's Yoko Taro and Yosuke Saito are currently working on two new titles

Developers Yoko Taro and Yosuke Saito, best known for their work on the dramatic adventure franchise NieR, have announced that they are currently in the process of creating two brand new titles, one of which Saito appears to have serious regret about adding to his resume.

Speaking during Famitsu's "Games Industry Chit-Chat 2020 Year-End Party" live stream, the pair told a tale of how the two mystery projects came about, with Taro forcing Saito to sit through an hour-long presentation in order to agree to making one of the titles in particular. While Saito eventually came on board, he still displays open reluctance, suggesting during the stream that he'd rather just bail on the project and leave it entirely to Taro. Curious.

No specific details were revealed about either game, with no clues offered to titles, branding, genre, platforms, or release date. But it must be said that convincing a colleague to work on something they adamantly don't want to work on sure makes for a teasing and interesting way to announce your new wares. Should these two titles come to fruition, we'll no doubt be hearing more about them soon. For now, it's all over bar the guesswork.

Yoko Taro and Yosuke Saito working on two new titles [Gematsu / Games Talk]

NieR's Yoko Taro and Yosuke Saito are currently working on two new titles screenshot



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The Internet Archive now has better scans of Computerworld magazine

The Internet Archive announced that it has made Computerworld’s print issues from 1967-2014 available online in better quality than ever. The publication provides a historical record of sorts for computing, as it launched during a key period in the i...

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Apple removes more unlicensed games from the App Store in China

The App Store is reportedly looking a little different in China today. According to Reuters, Apple has removed roughly 39,000 games owned by developers and publishers that don’t have an ISBN (International Standard Book Number) from the Chinese gover...

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The Morning After: Intel, AMD and Apple made 2020 a big year for CPUs

Very, very soon, 2020 will be over. Did it take an eternity to get here, or did the year fly past for you? We’ve commissioned a run of end-of-year stories that touch on what happened in tech over the last 12 months, how we’re on the brink of a proces...

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FCC orders phone companies to help trace illegal robocallers

The FCC has been adopting more and more measures to combat robocalls, and the latest set of rules (PDF) it’s implementing include limiting even non-telemarketing calls made to residential phones. Non-commercial, commercial and nonprofit organizations...

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Ticketmaster pays $10 million fine after hacking a startup rival

Ticketmaster has agreed to pay a $10 million criminal fine to avoid prosecution over charges that it illegally accessed a rival’s computer system, Reuters has reported. “Ticketmaster employees repeatedly — and illegally — accessed a competitor’s comp...

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Google's Pixel phones only use adaptive charging if there's an alarm to guide it

Adaptive Charging is one of the most useful features Google rolled out this month for Pixel phones. It makes sure the device’s battery gets filled slower than usual if you leave it plugged in overnight, which is something that can help maintain the b...

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Brave's privacy-focused browser rolls out a version for Apple's M1 Macs

If you have a new M1-powered Mac and you’re looking for a non-Apple, non-Google, non-Mozilla browser, then good news, Brave has updated the release channel of its privacy-focused browser with native Apple Silicon support. At the moment, the Microsoft...

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Wednesday 30 December 2020

GM's CES keynote will reportedly show off an electric Chevrolet pickup

Last month, GM announced that it was ramping up its electrification efforts and aiming to have 30 EVs on the market by the end of 2025. Turns out we might see some of those vehicles very, very soon: according to Bloomberg, the automaker will give us...

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A new update makes it easier to move apps between the LG Wing's displays

If you’re the proud owner of an LG Wing, your quirky dual-screen phone is about to pick up new features. As spotted by Droid Life, Verizon (Engadget’s parent company) has released a new update that builds out the Wing’s unique functionality and shoul...

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LG Display's transparent OLED puts a screen between you and the sushi chef

As per its annual tradition, LG Display is preparing to show off some new display tech demos for CES 2021, with the latest focus set on showing where transparent OLED may fit in the pandemic age. The Korean company is setting up a few physical demos...

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Contest: Win 9 Monkeys of Shaolin for PS4 or Steam

In today's contest you can win classic beat 'em up 9 Monkeys of Shaolin for PS4 or Steam!

It's almost the New Year! In most of the world, anyway. I think Chinese New Year is still a few months away, so there goes my good segue for this one. Oh well, just pretend my idea was clever and timely.

We've got some copies of classic beat 'em up title 9 Monkeys of Shaolin to give away, just in time for the [not] Chinese New Year!

Contest: Win 9 Monkeys of Shaolin for PS4 or Steam screenshot

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'S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2' gameplay teaser previews the game's 2021 launch

S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl was announced in 2001 and didn’t ship until 2007, so news that S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 is preparing for a 2021 release more than ten years after it was originally announced is fitting. Presumably first-person shooter play...

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Your TV Speakers Are Terrible. Amplify Your Audio With the Best Soundbars, According to Gizmodo

Even a cheap TV will give you pretty great picture quality these days, but as sets have gotten thinner and better, the speakers have become tiny and awful. Want explosions that put a boom in your room? Your TV won’t cut it; those speakers can barely deliver solidly intelligible dialogue. Given all that, a soundbar is…

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Devolver has a lot of new games in 2021, but you don't get to know what they are

With the most matter-of-fact teases, Devolver has told us that it has a lot up its sleeve next year. That's it. That's the post, there's not really any more information.

Okay, there's a bit more. Devolver plans to launch five games in 2021 that aren't yet announced:

Devolver has a lot of new games in 2021, but you don't get to know what they are screenshot

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Peloton buys the rights to three exclusive Elvis remixes

Peloton will be the only place anyone can hear a trio classic Elvis Presley songs remixed by DJ Dillon Francis, Big Boi and Chromeo. The songs, Do The Vega, Catchin’ On Fast, and Clean Up Your Own Backyard, will play out as part of Peloton’s Artist S...

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Learn how to sell products using Amazon and Alibaba for $30

If you’ve dreamed of running a profitable side gig or escaping your 9-to-5 entirely, you might want to consider running an eCommerce store on a marketplace like Amazon or Alibaba. You can make a killing once you learn how to source products overseas...

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I tried to play 'Unsung Story' and fell for 'Mario Party' instead

Six years ago I bought into the hype and backed Unsung Story, then touted as a spiritual sequel to Final Fantasy Tactics. I loved the latter title for its gameplay, music and character designs — especially Agrias, as I have a thing for women in plate...

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Koei Tecmo Shuts Down Forums Following Data Hack

The Japanese publisher Koei Tecmo announced over the Christmas holiday that some personal data from 65,000 users of its English language website was hacked, leading the company to take its US and UK websites offline for the time being.

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Fahey's Top 10 Games Of 2020

In the 2020 gaming judgment system, year-end lists are determined by two separate but equally important groups: the players who play the games, and the games they enjoy playing. These are their stories. Bah-Dum.

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2020 put us on the edge of a processor revolution

In this episode of our explainer show Upscaled, we took a look back at the year in CPUs. From one perspective 2020 feels like the new normal for CPUs. Intel put out another high-end chip, 10th-gen “Comet Lake”, which added a few cores but is still ba...

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Google experiments with surfacing TikTok and Instagram videos in search

It might soon be easier to track down a favorite social video without launching the relevant app. TechCrunch has confirmed reports from Brian Freiesleben, Search Engine Roundtable and others that Google is testing a search feature that highlights cli...

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(Update) Holy Elder Scrolls bug: Cyberpunk 2077 saves over 8MB are getting corrupted

[Update: CD Projekt Red has "fixed" the save issue, but not really; because that's just how this game rolls.

According to hotfix 1.06's notes, they have "removed the 8MB save file size limit, but it will "not fix save files corrupted before the update. Welp, goodnight everybody! Good luck if you were impacted.]

In my review of Cyberpunk 2077, I was able to test the game on PC; which was devoid of many game-breaking bugs that are present on the console editions. But naturally, a few are popping up.

This one actually impacts all platforms (even Stadia!), but should be very familiar for anyone who has played Elder Scrolls titles, from Morrowind to Skyrim. It's none other than the bloated save file bug, which makes saved games unusable after certain parameters are met (it rises above 8MB). The actual in-game text is "saved data is damaged and cannot be loaded."

This isn't an isolated issue, as it seemingly was just a ticking time bomb. Doing things like crafting and acquiring more items/gear triggers the bug, which pushes save files over the 8MB edge: it was only a matter of time until it happened.

Mind, this bug was officially acknowledged over on the CDPR forums, where the current fix on PC is to back up all your saves, repair the game, then erase the corrupted saves and replace them. As a forum moderator recommends, "keep doing this" as you troubleshoot, as "it can often be the loading process, not the save process" that corrupts the save. "Keep doing it" eh?

Right now, the CDPR support center statement is that a future patch "might" increase the save file size limit. "Might" eh? There's a lot of uncertainty in this for a studio who is knee deep in refunds right now. Maybe it'll be in the "January" patch. Good luck playing it over Christmas break, I guess!

Save files are corrupted [CD Projekt Red]

(Update) Holy Elder Scrolls bug: Cyberpunk 2077 saves over 8MB are getting corrupted screenshot



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Modeling the bizarre remnants of a supernova

When stars of a certain large size and energy run out of fuel, the result is a supernova explosion that can be spotted with the naked eye just once in a lifetime. Some leave behind a relatively spherical supernova remnant. However, others expand with...

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Apple pulled an app that promoted potentially COVID-unsafe parties

Apple has pulled an iOS app called Vybe Together that promoted private parties in New York City and elsewhere during the COVID-19 pandemic, The Verge has reported. The app quickly gained notoriety yesterday following critical tweets by New York Times...

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Top 10 Secret Pets You Can Obtain in World of Warcraft

warcraftSecret Pets in that put the “WoW” in World of Warcraft One of these pets can be your best friend in Azeroth! No adventure through Azeroth’s vast expanse would be complete without a trusty pet by your side. While you can practically pick up any pet to accompany you, it’s only natural to want unique […]

The post Top 10 Secret Pets You Can Obtain in World of Warcraft appeared first on Daily Game.



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The Best WoW Classic Feral Druid Build

Playstation bundleVersatility is key The Druid can be considered the ‘jack of all trades’ class in WoW Classic. After all, they can do what other classes can—though not at the same level that specialized classes can. It’s the price they pay for their versatility. When a class can do anything, how can you choose a build […]

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The Morning After: Boston Dynamics' dancing robots are back

Today, we’ve got stories on Apple’s “ultra” security measures, someone squeezing entire movies on floppy disks and a deep dive on the ways we might connect, without touch, in a post-pandemic world. But for this opening salvo, let’s home in on a famil...

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Apple suffers a loss in lawsuit against maker of iPhone emulators

Apple sued security start-up Corellium last year, accusing it of violating copyright law for offering researchers access to “virtual” iPhones that can help them find bugs in iOS products. Now, a federal judge in Florida has tossed Apple’s copyright c...

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Fire Emblem Heroes gets in the party spirit with New Year's update

Not content with a slew of recent festive updates, the endless adventures of Nintendo's mobile battler Fire Emblem Heroes is getting set to ring changes, (and heads), with the arrival of its New Year's event. The new update offers a quartet of returning characters, bedecked in finery fitting the occasion.

The "New Year: Special Heroes" event sees the return of Fire Emblem Heroes' dream-master Plumeria, along with grumpy wolf-gal Velouria and narcissistic fox-boy Kaden from Fire Emblem Fates. Rounding out the quartet is a new Dual-Hero in the form of Ljósálfar Peony and Dökkálfar Triandra - the latter of whom seems a little uncomfortable stripped of her typically Gothic attire.

Fire Emblem Heroes gets in the party spirit with New Year's update screenshot

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NASA approves two missions to better understand space weather

NASA will take part in two heliophysics missions that could give us the data needed to better understand solar winds and explosions, or space weather as a whole. The agency has officially announced its participation in the Extreme Ultraviolet High-Th...

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Tuesday 29 December 2020

Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War and Warzone Get Double XP Over the New Year

Following hot on the heels of the multiplayer free play week that’s just happened in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, developer Treyarch has revealed another double XP period for both their game and Call of Duty: Warzone. Players can make use of the New Year’s break to level up even quicker than usual.

Even though the promotion is being called a double XP weekend, the period actually lasts for four days. The XP bonus begins at 10am PT on December 31 and ends at 10am PT on January 4 in both Black Ops Cold War and Warzone. It’s time to head towards Prestige Master and grab those Prestige Keys to use in the Prestige Shop added earlier this month. As progress is synced between the two games and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, you may as well make use of the Double XP to grab stuff in the latter game too.

Earlier today, a returning game mode went live in Black Ops Cold War. 3v3 Gunfight Snipers Only features the same ruleset as the conventional 2v2 Gunfight mode, only players have sniper rifles. Each team deathmatch round lasts for 40 seconds, with a ten second Overtime period taking place if neither team has been eliminated during that period. In the Overtime period, a team can win by either killing the remaining members of the other team or by capturing the Overtime flag. The winning team is the first to six rounds.

3v3 Gunfight Snipers Only joins five other playlists in the current Black Ops Cold War period; those are Face Off, Raid 24/7, Nuketown Holiday 24/7, 2v2 Gunfight, and Prop Hunt. Over in Warzone, the new Rebirth map shifted to Mini Royale Quads, sending Rebirth Resurgence away for the time being. With the new modes and maps added with Season One on December 16 as well, there’s plenty to keep players occupied as they make the grind to Prestige Master that little bit shorter.

[Source: Treyarch Studios on Twitter]

 

The post Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War and Warzone Get Double XP Over the New Year appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.



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Google is selling the Home Max smart speaker again, for now

Despite Google’s Home Max being officially retired and pulled from sale a couple of weeks ago, the Google Store is once again offering the speaker for sale. While flashing a message saying the device is sold out and prompting customers to try out a p...

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Samsung's HDR10+ Adaptive takes your room's lighting into account

Last year one of our Best of CES awards went to Dolby Vision IQ. It expanded on the display spec that already tweaked HDR output to look its best from scene-to-scene by taking into account the lighting conditions. That way content can look the way it...

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Tesla uses three free months of 'Full Self-Driving' to push year-end sales

The “Full Self-Driving” system that Tesla sells as a $10,000 option isn’t available in subscription form yet, but the car company is already using that idea to boost sales. Reported earlier by Electrek and confirmed in a tweet by Elon Musk, “All Tesl...

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The Coolest Star Wars Collectibles of 2020

Look, considering the “Skywalker Saga” (to be clear, you’re absolutely a narc if you call it that) came to a close last December, 2020 was still a banner year when it comes to Star Wars merchandise. Between The Mandalorian merch finally hitting in full force after a slight delay, a whole bunch of killer releases to…

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Contest: Win Wingspan for Nintendo Switch

In today's contest you can win a copy of Wingspan for Nintendo Switch!

Apparently, Wingspan was a pretty big hit in the realm of board games. Who'da thunk that a game about collecting birds would wind up as such a banger? It's wild.

Anyway, enough stallin' -- we've got some Switch copies of the official video game adaptation to give away!

Contest: Win Wingspan for Nintendo Switch screenshot

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Google removed the Pixel 5's and 4a 5G's ultrawide astrophotograhy mode

When Google came out with the Pixel 5 and 4a 5G earlier this year, you could use the company’s astrophotography mode with any one of their primary cameras. But that’s not the case anymore. After Google updated its camera app in November, the Pixel co...

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Poison Suspected In Death Of Yoozoo Games' Founder Lin Qi

Lin Qi, the billionaire founder of China-based League of Angels developer Yoozoo Games, died on Christmas, several days after being admitted to the hospital. Shanghai police are now investigating the 39-year-old’s death as a possible poisoning, according to the Associated Press.

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Guilty Gear Strive's Anji Mito will be joining the New Year celebrations

Arc System Works has announced that it will release the trailer for Anji Mito - the latest character to join the roster of upcoming fighter Guilty Gear Strive - late on December 31. There's nothing quite like making a timely entrance.

The handsome and hot-blooded fan-fighter debuted within the Guilty Gear franchise in 2000 entry Guilty Gear X, one of the few remaining humans of Japanese descent, Anji travels the globe in a dogged quest to find "That Man", keeping one step ahead of his opponents via his artistic and flamboyant fighting style, which combines acrobatic dancing with vicious attacks from his enchanted fans, a mythical artifact known as "Zessen".

Anji Mito's trailer will premiere December 31 at 16:00 PT / 19:00 ET / 01:00 BST. Guilty Gear Strive launches on PS4, PS5, and PC in April 2021.

Guilty Gear Strive's Anji Mito will be joining the New Year celebrations screenshot

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