Month: March 2016

Source: TechPowerUp!

NVIDIA today pulled its latest GeForce 364.47 WHQL drivers for shipping with a critical bug in its installers that causes Windows to crash. Users swarmed to the company’s official GeForce Forums to report the bug to NVIDIA. Among the problems included a crash each time the machine wakes up from Sleep mode. A company rep responded that NVIDIA was able to internally reproduce the issue, and was working on a solution.

NVIDIA has meanwhile pulled 364.47 WHQL from its website, and is recommending users to either clean-install an older version of the driver, such as the 362.00 WHQL, or upgrade to the newer 364.51 Beta Drivers. Version 364.51 Beta can be downloaded from here. The rest of its feature-set appears to be identical to the 364.47 WHQL.

Source: techPowerUp!

AMD released the latest version of Radeon Software Crimson Edition, its software suite which provides drivers and system software for Radeon GPUs and IGPs. Version 16.3 improves performance for “Rise of the Tomb Raider” on Radeon R9 Fury X series GPUs by up to 16 percent (compared to version 16.2), and for “Gears of War Ultimate Edition,” by as high as 60 percent on the R9 Fury X series (compared to version 16.2.1), and by up to 44 percent on Radeon R9 380 series (compared to version 16.2.1).

Radeon Software Crimson Edition 16.3 also adds official support for the Vulkan API; 2-display Eyefinity, an accessible CrossFire status indicator, a new power-efficiency toggle for Radeon R9 300 series and R9 Fury series GPUs. With version 16.3, AMD is introducing the XConnect Technology, a new standard for external graphics enclosures over not just high-bandwidth interfaces such as Thunderbolt 3, but also the more accessible USB 3.1 interface. AMD is providing the software ecosystem that lets you plug-and-play external GPUs for instant boosts in performance and functionality. AMD is also adding/updating CrossFire profiles for “Hitman (2016)”, and “The Park.”

You can download the Radeon Software Crimson Edition version 16.3 here.

Independent developer and publisher Rebellion has revealed that the next game in the 10 million selling Sniper Elite series is launching this year for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC.

Set in the immediate aftermath of its award-winning predecessor, Sniper Elite 4 continues the series’ World War Two heritage by transporting players to the beautiful and diverse environments of Italy in 1943.

Covert agent and elite marksman Karl Fairburne must fight alongside the brave men and women of the Italian Resistance to help free their country from the yoke of Fascism, and defeat a terrifying new threat with the potential to halt the Allied fightback in Europe before it’s even begun.

If his mission fails, there will be no Operation Overlord, no D-Day landings, and no Victory in Europe.

True next-gen stealth

Running in native 1080p on both PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, Sniper Elite 4 is the first game in the series built without the constraints of older hardware and aims to deliver the definitive World War Two shooter for a generation.

From sun-drenched Mediterranean coastal towns to colossal Nazi megastructures, daunting forests and giddying mountain monasteries inspired by Monte Cassino, Sniper Elite 4 will offer breathless emergent stealth action and unrivaled sniping freedom across maps many times the size of those seen in Sniper Elite 3.

Key Facts / Assets

• Launching 2016 on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC
• Developed and published by Rebellion
• Features dedicated campaign, co-op and adversarial multiplayer modes.

For more info and to view the reveal trailer, head to the new Sniper Elite 4 website.

Source: Blue’s News

Ubisoft announces the release of Tom Clancy’s The Division, calling it an open-world action/RPG this time, and saying it should now be available for Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. This post on the game’s official website covers what to expect from a day one patch with a list of changes since the open beta. There’s a post about the release on the UbiBlog that features the previously released launch trailer, and the following details:

Have you been itching to take to the streets and restore order to an epidemic-ravaged Manhattan? The Division is ready for you, and you can now explore its online open world on PS4, Xbox One, and PC. Casting you as an elite sleeper Agent equipped with realistic weapons and futuristic tactical gear, The Division invites you to match wits with deadly roving gangs and other players while you fight to reclaim New York from chaos.

An action-RPG, The Division gives you not just the chance to freely roam Manhattan with up to three other players, but to customize your Agent to suit your play style and/or preferred role on the team. You’ll also encounter other teams in the quarantined Dark Zone, where – amid battling other threats – you’ll have the choice of working together or turning on other Agents for a chance at snagging rare weapons and equipment for yourself.

The Division arrives alongside its companion book, The Division: New York Collapse, which takes the form of a survival guide filled with scribbled notes and removable clues left by a survivor as she investigated the mystery behind the pandemic. To see excerpts from The Division: New York Collapse, take a look at our previous coverage.

Just Cause 3: Sky Fortress, the first content pack from the Air, Land and Sea Expansion Pass is OUT NOW for anybody who owns the Just Cause 3 Expansion Pass, with a wide release to follow on March 15.

Sky Fortress contains a brand new set of missions that introduce a new threat – the eDEN Corporation and their huge and terrifying Sky Fortress, with its army of deadly robotic drones. To tackle his deadly new adversary, Rico Rodriguez will use a new upgradeable, rocket-powered, weaponised ‘Bavarium Wingsuit’ fitted with shoulder mounted machine guns and auto targeting missiles – alongside his new ‘Eviction’ personal defence drone and ‘Bavarium Splitter’ assault rifle.

“The new content will fundamentally alter how our players approach the game – we’re really looking forward to seeing how fans adapt to the new Wingsuit,” said Tobias Andersson, Senior Producer at Avalanche Studios. “The new story missions, challenges and gadgets that can be taken into the main game really mix things up, and we can’t wait for players to revisit Medici and start getting even more creative.”

The Sky Fortress pack will be priced at $11.99 / €11.99 / £9.49 whilst the Air, Land and Sea Expansion Pass is available for $24.99 / €24.99 / £19.99. All three content packs will be available before the end of summer 2016 and released one week early to Expansion Pass holders.

More game information available at the official Just Cause 3 website.

Sim155 Ltd, developer of the flight and naval combat simulator Combat Air Patrol 2, has announced that the games Steam Early Access page has gone live! Check out the new page, along with some just released screenshots, and get the early access info here.

Combat Air Patrol 2 (CAP2) is a flight and naval combat simulator game for PC (Steam/Windows) where you pilot the AV8B Harrier II. After initial flight and tactical training you will be pitched into an immersive scenario against aggressive ground, sea and air based enemies. Use your skill as a pilot and your tactical awareness to engage in dogfights, carry out ground attacks and command your fleet to ultimately ensure the safety of your comrades and the final capitulation of the enemy. Strategic decisions such as commanding your fleet on the tactical map and your performance in the air will affect the final outcome: Go ‘gung ho’ with a full out assault and the outcome will be in the balance or plan ahead and the end result will be your ultimate victory.

You can follow the development of Combat Air Patrol 2 on Facebook. Find out more about Combat Air Patrol 2 at the games official website.

Source: TechPowerUp!

NVIDIA beat AMD to being the first with a WHQL-signed graphics driver Vulkan API support. The new GeForce 364.47 WHQL drivers include support for the new low-overhead API that gives game developers greater access to hardware features, and saps lower CPU overhead. The drivers are also game-ready for “Tom Clancy’s The Division,” the 2016 reboots of “Hitman,” and “Need for Speed,” and “Ashes of the Singularity.”

You can download the new GeForce 364.47 WHQL drivers from GeForce Experience and GeForce.com.

Check out these latest hardware announcements for today from around the web. Also included are some hardware news bits, and on some days, a few rumors tossed in for good measure. Click on the links below to read the official press release, visit the products web page, or to an independent news source.

• ASRock Finds a Way to Bypass Intel’s Non-K BClk OC Limits
• Corsair Announces Sabre RGB Gaming Mouse, SF600W and SF450W Power Supplies
• EpicGear Announces the Defiant Mechanical Gaming Keyboard
• Origin PC Chronos SFF Gaming Desktop Launched
• Thermalright Announces the Macho 120SBM CPU Cooler
• ID-Cooling Intros SE-904 Twin CPU Cooler
• ASUS Unveils 75W GeForce GTX 950 Graphics Card; Powered Entirely By PCIe Slot
• Club 3D Unveils USB 3.1 Type-C Display Adapters
• ASUS Intros MG24UQ 24-inch Ultra HD Monitor

Only a week has passed since Tigers on the Hunt’s release, and the community has already created a lot of original content! Several mods have been already developed, making the game more immersive than ever!

Take a look at the highlights below, but be sure to check the huge list of new scenarios, battles, maps, (and more!) – on the forum here!

Advanced Squad Leader Mod (created by Ritchie61): this mod changes the aspect of the units from the original version with (as the name suggests) the ones from the famous wargame!

New scenarios especially for release day (created by Jorgen): There are all three Tank Battle scenarios involving the mighty Tiger I!

• Scenario 026 – Tigers on their Own
• Scenario 027 – Tigers to the Rescue
• Scenario 028 – Pössels Picking

The Guards Counterattack Scenario (created by Bulldog): Remake of a classic. 5 turns of intense brawling and hard fighting!

Also there are 44 ASL ‘like’ map templates that can be used to build your scenarios (a big thanks to the never exhausted Ritchie61 for this!).

Source: Blue’s News

Steam News announces the release of the Windows edition of the Awakening DLC for Call of Duty: Black Ops III. Here’s a rundown on what it offers:

DLC 1 Awakening for Black Ops 3 with all new Zombies and MP content is available now!

The latest installment of Zombies picks up where The Giant left off, as the Origins characters head to Der Eisendrache on a mission to stop the zombie apocalypse.

Go guns up in Black Ops 3 Multiplayer, featuring 4 new maps: Skyjacked, Splash, Gauntlet, and Rise.

• Skyjacked: A reimagined classic that retains the same fast and frenetic gameplay from one of the most popular maps in Call of Duty history.
• Gauntlet: Plays up the core philosophy of Treyarch’s classic three-lane map structure with three distinct environments.
• Splash: Set in an abandoned water park, an imaginative environment with waterslides, a lazy river and a wrecked pirate ship.
• Rise: A Coalescence Corporation construction project catering to a mix of classic Call of Duty cover based combat.