Month: May 2019

One of the Most Iconic Series in Gaming History Returns in Ground-Breaking Experience

Prepare to go dark, Modern Warfare is back! The most celebrated series in Call of Duty will make its highly-anticipated return when Call of Duty: Modern Warfare launches October 25th in a powerful experience reimagined from the ground-up. The all-new title, published by Activision and developed by Infinity Ward, engulfs players in a modern-day conflict, where split-second decisions could affect the global balance of power. The new Modern Warfare features a unified narrative experience and progression across a heart racing, epic single-player story, an action-packed multiplayer playground, and new cooperative gameplay.

View the Official Call of Duty: Modern Warfare – Reveal Trailer HERE.

“This is an all-new Modern Warfare reimagined in every way,” said Dave Stohl, co-Studio Head, Infinity Ward. “We are creating an emotionally charged experience that’s inspired by the headlines in the world today, where the rules are grey and battle lines are blurred. Players will join a varied cast of international special forces and freedom fighters in gripping and heart-pounding missions through iconic European cities and volatile expanses of the Middle East. It’s intense, it’s exciting, and we can’t wait for our fans to play this October.”

“Every design decision has been made with our players in mind,” said Patrick Kelly, Creative Director and co-Studio Head, Infinity Ward. “With the launch of Modern Warfare, we’re taking steps to unite the community. First, we plan for Modern Warfare to be played together across PC and console through cross-play support. Second, we’re eliminating the traditional season pass, so that we can deliver more free maps and content as well as post-launch events to all players. This is just the beginning – there’s much more to come.”

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare features a new engine delivering an immersive and photo-realistic experience. The new technology utilizes the latest advancements in visual engineering, including a physically-based material system allowing for state of the art photogrammetry, a new hybrid tile based streaming system, new PBR decal rendering system, world volumetric lighting, 4K HDR, DirectX Raytracing (PC) and more as well as a new GPU geometry pipeline. Spectral rendering delivers thermal heat radiation and infrared identification for both thermal and night-vision in-game imaging. The technical investment provides a cutting edge animation and blend shape system, while the new suite of audio tools supports full Dolby ATMOS, on supported platforms, along with the latest in audio simulation effects.

Starting today, fans can pre-order the digital version of the new Modern Warfare and receive a prestige token to be used immediately in-game in Call of Duty: Black Ops 4*.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is scheduled for release globally October 25th on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. The title features a fully-optimized PC version, developed in partnership with Beenox, which will be available exclusively on Blizzard Battle.net®**, Blizzard Entertainment’s online gaming platform. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is published by Activision, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Activision Blizzard (NASDAQ: ATVI) with development led by award-winning developer, Infinity Ward, with additional development support from Raven Software.

Winner of numerous awards and honors following its release in 2007, including the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences “Game of the Year,” the original Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare received worldwide acclaim as it won the hearts of fans everywhere. With the two sequels that followed, the Modern Warfare series has left an indelible mark as one of the most iconic and decorated gaming series in history.

*Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 game on pre-order platform required. Sold separately.
**Battle.net is a trademark or registered trademark of Blizzard Entertainment, Inc., in the U.S. and/or other countries.

New Update Introduces Second Stage of the Victory Competition, Ranked Battles Return, and Dynamic Environments for Ports

Today developer and producer Wargaming has released their latest major update 0.8.4 for its popular naval combat game World of Warships. The next installment of the cycle dedicated to Soviet battleships marks the full release of the new tech tree and brings the second stage of the “Victory” competition, a new season of Ranked Battles, and dynamic environments in your Ports!

The new Kreml, Sovetsky Soyuz, Gangut and Knyaz Suvorov join the battleships that became available in Early Access last month, and will be heavily armoured ships of war with powerful weapons, best used at a close to medium range. Designed for aggressive play, these ships are designed for battlefield leaders, allowing players to penetrate enemy lines and deal huge damage to their opponents as they do.

As part of the continuing “Victory” event, alongside these new battleships comes a special new Soviet Hero commander, Nikolai Kuznetsov, leader of the Soviet Navy during WWII and the 3rd commander with unique abilities in the game, after Halsey and Yamamoto. Players will be able to unlock him through new temporary resource – Provision tokens. Beside Commander Kuznetsov, Provision tokens can be exchanged for popular Tier V premium ship Murmansk or new “In the Service of the Motherland” containers. Besides regular rewards, containers will also contain elements of the new Soviet collection, which pays homage to Soviet naval architects, and their legacy as shipbuilders.

Today’s update introduces the new map, Greece, for Tier IX and X battles. Inspired by Santorini Island, this map features low islands, making it possible to attack the ships hiding behind them.

Update 0.8.4. will also feature a new season of Ranked Battles, where the teams will be composed of seven Tier X ships each and the battles will take place in the “Domination” and reworked “Epicenter” modes, where the center and rings can now be captured separately. One of the key features of the new season is the return of aircraft carriers into Ranked Battles alongside with the introduction of free ship rentals, which will give more players the opportunity to participate.

Finally, in-game Ports have also been updated, and will now feature dynamic environment. With this new feature, players will be able to view traditional Ports in new colours, day will succeed night in “night-time” Ports, Saint Petersburg will be hugged by a cozy mist, and in the Ocean Port, the sun will roll off into the horizon and set.

Further details on the update 0.8.4. are available in the latest video patch notes.

For the latest game information, and to sign up for World of Warships for free, visit the games official website!

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.

• Thermaltake Go Big With Loads of Computex Product Launches
• ASRock Shows Off Taichi and Phantom Gaming VGA Concept Coolers, Likely For Navi Based Graphics Cards
• Cool Master Shows Loads of Cooling – Incl MasterLiquid AIO with Two Pumps
• Cougar at COMPUTEX 2019: Conquer 2, Gemini S, Gemini M, and Blazer Essence Chassis
• Phanteks at COMPUTEX 2019: Enthoo Luxe 2, Eclipse P360X and P400A, Evolv Shift Air PC Chassis
• Phanteks at COMPUTEX 2019: AMP Series PSUs and Glacier Coolers, Evolv Speaker
• New Pure Base 500 Chassis and Power Supply Units from Be Quiet!
• InWin Launches the 905 Series Premium PC Case
• ASRock Unveils $1000 X570 Aqua Motherboard for Zen 2
• Zalman Debuts All New Fanless and RGB Spectrum Power Supplies
• Antec at Computex 2019: Neptune ARGB CPU Liquid Coolers, Signature Series PSUs, Katana ARGB DDR4 Memory Modules
• GIGABYTE Releases the AORUS NVMe Gen4 SSD Bringing Forth the PCIe 4.0 Era
• SteelSeries Launches Keyboards with Adjustable Actuation
• Microsoft Remakes the Pro IntelliMouse for Gamers
• G.SKILL Showcases Extreme DDR4 Kits – Up to DDR4-4000 384GB & DDR4-5200 16GB
• GIGABYTE Advances To PCIe 4.0 With X570 AORUS Motherboards

25 Japanese ships, new French tanks and an Anime-style helicopter

Gaijin Entertainment today announced the release of the “Imperial Navy” Content Update for the free-to-play vehicle combat game War Thunder. It sees the debut of the game’s first Japanese navy lineup with 25 different ships ranging from fast escorts like the T1 torpedo boat to the powerful heavy cruiser Furutaka, as well as two playable ships of other nations, 10 tanks, 13 aircraft and one new helicopter in total.

The Heavy Cruiser Furutaka, which is the first heavy cruiser represented in War Thunder, was originally constructed in the 1920s. In-game, it is featured in its late version, after the modernization it received in 1937. This exact variant of the Furutaka took part in the Battle of Savo Island, which was one of the Imperial Japanese Navy’s biggest victories. Other interesting Japanese ships include the submarine chaser Karo-Tei Type 2, which was hunting US-American submarines near Okinawa and the Philippines in the final stages of World War II.

Another guest that reaches War Thunder from the Land of the Rising Sun is the AH-1S, the first helicopter of the Japanese Self-Defense Forces available in War Thunder. Just as in real life, it also sports its Anime-style camouflage depicting the character “Wakana Kisarazu”, one of the four cute fictional girls who in 2012 became symbols of the JSDF’s Camp Kisarazu. Combat helicopters decorated with pictures of those characters created a huge buzz among media and military fans. They are also featured in the Japanese social game called “Rick G Earth” and have inspired a series of plastic models. Now, thanks to an agreement between Gaijin Entertainment and Zoo Corporation, all War Thunder players can use the official Wakana Kisarazu camouflage as well as the female pilot modeled after this character in-game.

Update also has plenty in stock for the other branches and nations represented in War Thunder. The game’s last content update introduced the first SAM (surface-to-air) missile system, the Soviet 2S6 Tunguska. Now, competing nations receive similar vehicles as well, e.g. the US-American Bradley ADATS tank, which is capable of attacking both air and ground targets with cannons and 8 guided missiles. Another example is the British Stormer HVM that is equipped with 16 guided missiles, each capable of separating itself into three guided, explosive-filled tungsten rounds.

Fans of modern armored vehicles will receive access to the French Leclerc S1, the first variant of France’s current main battle which is still in service both in France as well as the United Arab Emirates. Fast and well-protected, the Leclerc S1 will offer serious competition to vehicles like the M1A1 Abrams, Soviet T-80U or similar. Another option is the new Japanese Type 16 MCV, a wheeled tank destroyer of the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force that entered service only a year ago, while the fast British jet fighter Hunter F.6 with experimental SRAAM rockets will surely receive a warm welcome by pilots that prefer to fight aggressively. Fans of aviation history will also be able to lay their hands on the unique Messerschmitt Me 264, a prototype German strategic bomber developed as part of the “Amerikabomberprogramm” (“America Bomber” project), which was designed to attack land targets within the United States of America by crossing the Atlantic ocean.

More information on the Update “Imperial Navy” is available on the official War Thunder website.

Latest Steel Division 2 Beta to Feature 18 Divisions and Over 600 Units with Solo, Multiplayer, Co-op and More

Independent developer and publisher Eugen Systems announced today the launch of the biggest closed beta yet for Steel Division 2, the sequel to the critically acclaimed real-time strategy title Steel Division: Normandy 44. Starting today and scheduled to remain open and playable until the final game launches on June 20, 2019 (June 18, 2019 for players who pre-ordered the Digital Deluxe Edition of the game), the Steel Division 2 closed beta on Steam will offer players the most in-depth look at the title to-date.

As part of their extensive pre-order bonus offerings, the pre-order beta will feature 18 Divisions, and more than 600 units, giving players access to every unit and division that will come with the game when it launches.

Additionally, players of the pre-order will received two exclusive Divisions. These two Divisions are the Skijäger-Division, a heavily mechanized elite infantry division. It features the famous Sturmpanzer KV-2® heavy tank and the Panzerjäger Gazelle Exclusive Units. The next is the 3rd Guards Tank Corps, a fantastic Armored Division featuring the state-of-the-art 85mm AA/AT guns, as well as the very last of the IS-2 family, the IS-2 obr.44.

For full details on the launch of today’s Steel Division 2 continuous closed beta, please head to the page on Steam. For full details on pre-order bonuses for Steel Division 2 and immediate access to the current closed beta, please head to the official website at buy.steeldivision2.com.

Key Features for the Steel Division 2 Closed Beta on Steam include:

Four Game Modes

• Conquest
• Closer Combat
• Breakthrough
• 5-Player Online Coop

Five Maps

• Orsha North
• Vitebsk East
• Tsell
• Lyakhavichy
• Autobahn zur Hölle

18 Divisions

• 2nd Guards Tank Corps
• 29th Tank Corps
• 3rd Guards Mechanized Corps
• Manoeuver Group “Tyurin”
• Manoeuver Group “Bezugly”
• 9th Guards Cavalry Division
• 26th Guards Rifle Division
• 44th Guards Rifle Division
• 184th Guards Rifle Division
• 5. Panzerdivision
• 20. Panzerdivision
• 78. Sturmdivision
• 28. Jägerdivision
• 14. Infanterie-Division
• Gruppe Harteneck
• Köruck 559
• 1. Lovas Hadosztály
• 12. Tartalékos Hadosztály

Steel Division 2 is the sequel to the critically acclaimed real-time strategy title Steel Division: Normandy 44. Set during Operation Bagration on the Eastern Front in the summer of 1944, Steel Division 2 pushes the limits of the World War II tactical experience, delivering new 1:1 scale Dynamic Strategic Campaigns. Command entire armies during Operation Bagration, covering the Soviet counter-attack against Axis forces in Byelorussia. Battle in the multiple skirmish modes on 25 maps and customize your battlegroups in the brand-new deck system, allowing for an unprecedented level of customization.

Steel Division 2 players can also look forward to a special surprise that will happen during the closed beta and are encouraged to follow the team at Eugen Systems. To stay up to date on the latest regarding Steel Division 2, be sure to visit the game’s official website.

New Chapters Advancing the Epic Narrative, New Game Modes and Anticipated Moscow Map

In the modern tank shooter Armored Warfare, a new season is ready to unfold as commanders follow war-hardened Magnus Holter, the former mercenary of a military corporation, betrayed and seeking revenge on the nefarious Clayburn Industries. Global publisher and developer My.com proudly announces the third entry to Armored Warfare’s seasonal content, the European-themed “Moscow Calling“. Unlike previous seasons, which split the story into two parts, players will be treated to its full story arc and be introduced to four new missions as well as a number of epic achievements, customization options, and a special co-operative gameplay mode that is sure to challenge commanders of all skill levels! For players willing to embark on this exciting new addition, Moscow Calling will present the most thrilling Armored Warfare missions to date!

Season Three “Moscow Calling“ features:

An All-New Special Operation

During players’ previous adventures in the desert and in the far north, they have dealt a crippling blow to Clayburn Industries. With the main driving force behind its expansion, CEO Sebastian Grimm, out of the picture, its resistance crumbles everywhere as, all around the world, its assets are being seized by the ISD. A great summit is called to Moscow to make peace with the largest corporations on the planet once and for all and the players, as a key actor of the events of the last two years, are invited…

Moscow PvP Map

A new large urban PvP map awaits all tank commanders, based on one of the largest boulevards in Moscow. No one sleeps on this rainy night as various armored vehicles slug it out in the pale streetlights under the gaze of the rich and privileged watching the action from their high-rise apartments surrounding the area.

Despite its city setting, the map will be fairly open with wide streets offering a lot of room to maneuver. Some areas such as tunnels and various construction sites, will, however, offer a lot of cover, making the map suitable for all kinds of vehicles.

Endgame

One of the main focuses for this season is giving the players more things to do after they have expanded their vehicle collection. Apart from the upcoming Battle Path campaign, a number of activities and improvements, such as a new war games mode, additional vehicle progression and improved contact mission rewards have been added to ensure plenty of spoils and awards for even AW most seasoned players to achieve.

Gameplay Mechanics Improvements

And last but most definitely not least, season three will be introducing several bug fixes and mechanics enhancements including commander progression systems, daily bonuses, smoke visuals and the armor viewer. For more details on the changes please read more about them here via the Armored Warfare website.

On May 30, the fight moves to the Mediterranean as a brand-new map becomes part of the ever-evolving Battlefield V. Prepare for a violent struggle along a beautiful coastline. This is Mercury.

Map Overview

Based on the events of Operation Mercury in 1941, this map lets you deploy on the coast of Crete where the British take on the invading German forces. Gameplay-wise, Mercury is all about verticality, all-out war, and asymmetrical vehicle forces; British troops have tanks and only a small number of planes while Germans will control the skies. Leverage the rocky slopes for intense vertical gameplay and close quarters gameplay.

Watch the Battlefield V – Mercury Map Official Reveal Trailer HERE.

Mercury at a Glance

Units:

• Infantry
• Aircraft
• Vehicles

Size:

• Medium-Large

Tempo:

• Moderate-Fast

Playstyle

Mercury caters for many different playstyles. It’s built to be a proper all-out war map, where players will be pushing with tanks, holding out for air support, or desperately defending a flag position. Battlefield veterans will see shades of three classic maps from older titles: Guadalcanal from Battlefield 1942, the Altai Range map from Battlefield 4, and Battlefield 1’s Monte Grappa.

Due to the size and verticality of the map, tempo will vary. Find holes in the defense to flank or engage in a hot firefight around one of the flags. There’s a place in the map for SMGs to clash with shotguns, while Recon players can snipe at Support players, who in turn suppress enemies with their LMGs.

More info about the new Battlefield V  Mercury Map can be found HERE.

Source: TechPowerUp!

NVIDIA has released its GeForce 430.86 WHQL graphics drivers. These drivers come with day-one “Game Ready” optimization for “Quake II RTX” and “Assetto Corsa Competizione.” Support is also added for Oculus Rift S and HTC VIVE Pro Eye HMDs, and three new monitors have been added to the G-Sync certification list. The drivers also change a few things around. “World of Warships” is no longer supported by GeForce Experience Freestyle. Several application crashes noticed on Adobe Premier Pro were fixed. Performance issues noticed on “Resolume Arena 6″ with GeForce RTX 2080 Notebook have also been fixed.

You can download the new GeForce 430.86 WHQL drivers through GeForce Experience or via 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.

• CORSAIR Announces Hydro X Series DIY Liquid Cooling Hardware
• COLORFUL Announces First AMD X570 Motherboard with New CVN X570 GAMING PRO V14
• AMD Announces 3rd Generation Ryzen Desktop CPUs, AMD X570 Chipset and Radeon RX 5700-series Graphics Cards
• CUK Makes a Splash This Computex
• ASUS Announces 240 Hz Portable ROG Monitor
• ASRock Showcases Latest Motherboards, Graphics Cards and Small Form Factor PC at COMPUTEX 2019
• ASUS Unveils the Prime X299 Edition 30 and Prime Utopia Concept Desktop
• MSI Shows Multiple AMD X570 Mobos, and X570 Godlike in MEG700 a Curved Chassis?
• NZXT Announces the H510 Elite Compact Premium Mid-Tower
• ASUS at Computex 2019: TUF Gaming VG27AQ Monitor, ROG STRIX 650 W Gold Power Supply
• EK Announces Lignum Nature-inspired Water Blocks
• NZXT Refreshes the Award-Winning H-Series Cases
• SPC Gear Presents Durable Endorphy Cordura Mousepads
• Corsair Announces AMD X570 and PCIe 4.0 Force Series MP600 M.2 SSD at 4950MB/sec
• ASUS Announces Mini-LED Powered ROG Swift PG27UQX G-Sync Ultimate Monitor
• Lian Li Chassis Announces New Fans, CPU AIO, Motorized Desk
• EK Releases EK-Vector FTW3 RTX 2080 Ti Block for EVGA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti FTW3 Graphics Cards
• ADATA Enters the PSU Market with XPG Core Reactor Series
• ADATA XPG Battlecruiser and Invader Cases Pictured
• Cooler Master To Offer MM831 Mouse with 32000 DPI and Wireless Charging through Qi
• Cooler Master Showcases New Chassis at Computex – Cosmos C700P Black Edition, Silencio S600 & Silencio S400
• Mad Catz Ship All-New Range of S.T.R.I.K.E. Professional Gaming Keyboards

What if humanity suddenly encounters extraterrestrial intelligence on Earth?

Bohemia Interactive is excited to present: Arma 3 Contact – a spin-off expansion for their military simulation game Arma 3 (watch trailer). Scheduled for release on Steam (Windows PC) on July 25, the Arma 3 Contact expansion features a military science fiction singleplayer campaign, which will arrive together with a fresh new sandbox terrain, factions, weapons, vehicles, gear, and more.

In the “First Contact” singleplayer campaign, players will assume the role of NATO drone operator Aiden Rudwell, who is deployed to Eastern Europe as part of a military training exercise. When a massive alien vessel suddenly enters the atmosphere, you are sent to investigate the extraterrestrial visitors and determine their intentions. However, amid the tension and chaos, armed conflict inevitably unfolds. Over the course of the campaign, players will engage in field science, electronic warfare, and combat reconnaissance, in an experience delivered in authentic Arma style.

Although conventional infantry engagements can be expected, a significant portion of the campaign will focus on non-shooting gameplay. This involves operating a mini UGV sampling laser and CBRN defense equipment to study strange alien anomalies, as well as controlling the electromagnetic spectrum with the aptly named Spectrum Device. This advanced modern tool – depending on what antenna is fitted – can be used for navigation, intelligence gathering, and deception.

Besides its story-driven campaign, the upcoming Contact expansion also brings various additions to the greater Arma 3 sandbox. One highlight is the massive new 163 km2 terrain set in the fictional Polish-speaking country of Livonia. With this new locale come two smaller yet capable fighting forces: Livonian Defense Force and Russian Spetsnaz. These new factions are equipped with their own combat fatigues, vests, and helmets. Furthermore, the expansion packs 5 additional weapons, 2 new vehicles plus variants, extra gear, and more.

“Many of us have wondered if humanity is alone in the universe. I, for one, want to believe we are not. The premise of intelligent life visiting Earth from outer space has fascinated me since childhood, and combining that with the military authenticity of Arma 3 always seemed like it would make for a very cool and unique experience“, said Arma 3 Contact Project Lead, Joris-Jan van ‘t Land. “After our team’s previous project – Laws of War DLC – proved that players enjoy gameplay that’s a little different, our team felt motivated to go for it. I am personally very grateful for the opportunity to explore this theme, and I want to thank all Arma 3 players for their support and making it possible for this dream to come true.”

Key Features of Arma 3 Contact

• Singleplayer campaign “First Contact” – You are a member of a NATO training deployment to a remote region of Livonia, presented with a mysterious event that will forever change the face of human history.
• 163 km2 Livonia terrain – A temperate summer environment set in a partly abandoned militarized region of the (fictional) Eastern European country of Livonia.
• 2 Factions – Livonian Defense Force and Russian Spetsnaz, who are equipped with their own gear, and made complete with reskinned variants of existing Arma 3 assets, new character faces, and Polish or Russian radio protocols.
• 5 Weapons – Promet Assault Rifle, RPK-12 Light Machine Gun, AKU-12 Carbine, Mk14 Classic Hunting Rifle, and Kozlice Shotgun – most of which come with various attachments and camo paints.
• 2 Vehicles – ED-1 Mini UGV (a small electric tracked robot with a modular chassis and swivel arm that comes in both a Science and Demining variant) plus the Tractor.
• Gear – CBRN clothing, masks and backpacks, Spectrum Device, radio backpack, blindfold, and tin foil hat.
• Multiplayer Scenarios – Additional Zeus Game Master, Combat Patrol, and Warlords scenarios for the new Livonia terrain.
• Free Bonus Content – NATO woodland camouflage, civilian clothing, 100+ decorative props and terrain objects, and more. These will be made available for free to all owners of Arma 3.

The Arma 3 Contact expansion is scheduled for release on July 25 and will be distributed as DLC for Arma 3 on Steam. It is already available for pre-purchase on Steam and the Bohemia Store for 24.99 EUR / 27.99 USD / 21.99 GBP (with a temporary 10% discount up until one week after release). Those who pre-order will also receive Sneak Preview Access to the new Livonia terrain as of today.

People who are entirely new to Arma 3 can also decide to pick up the Arma 3 Contact Edition on Steam or the Bohemia Store, which bundles the Arma 3 base game and Contact expansion at a much lower price than when both are bought separately. Fans might be interested in the Bohemia Store-exclusive Arma 3 Contact Collector’s Edition (available here). This limited-edition also includes the base game (Deluxe Edition) and Contact expansion, plus more than five unique collector’s items such as a rugged field case, topographic map, two-way radio transceivers, tin foil hats, and more.

For more information about Arma 3 Contact, visit www.arma3.com/contact. Here you will also find the system requirements for Arma 3 and answers to some of the most Frequently Asked Questions about the new expansion.