Month: October 2019

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.

• G.SKILL Announces Extreme Low Latency DDR4-4000 CL15 32GB Memory Kits
• XIGMATEK Unveils the ZEUS Spectrum Edition Open Tower Chassis
• BIOSTAR Launches AMD RYZEN 3000 Ready RACING X570GTA Motherboard
• ARCTIC’s Mammoth Freezer 50 TR CPU Cooler For AMD Ryzen Threadripper CPUs Launched
• Lamptron Outs SM436 Sync Edition PCI RGB-Fan and LED-Controller
• iBUYPOWER Announces New MR Series of Cases
• AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3960X, 3970X and 3990X Launch Dates Leaked

Update 0.8.9 sees early access launch of new nation, while also kicking off Halloween celebrations with return of Saving Transylvania and Sunray in the Darkness Operations

Wargaming has today rolled out the latest update for World of Warships – 0.8.9 – which sees the launch of the brand-new Italian cruiser line into early access of the popular online naval combat game. The introduction of the Italian cruisers comes with new mechanics, a game event with new directives, the new Taranto Port, and much more.

A new video for update 0.8.9 can be viewed HERE.

Update 0.8.9 also kicks off the Halloween celebrations with the return of the popular Saving Transylvania and Sunray in the Darkness Operations. The second Halloween phase will be available from October 31st and will bring to light a new game mode “Raid for the Filth” allowing players to do battle against otherworldly forces while their own ships slowly transform from man-made machines into gigantic sea monsters.

A new developer diary taking an in-depth look at update 0.8.9 including the new cruisers of the Italian Navy and the Halloween event, can be viewed HERE.

The Italian warships included in update 0.8.9 present the first researchable branch of the Italian Navy. Players can now get early access to the first Italian cruisers with the introduction of the Raimondo Montecuccoli (Tier V), Trento (Tier VI), Zara (Tier VII) and Amalfi (Tier VIII). The new cruisers are notable for their maneuverability and powerful 203 mm guns on Tier VI ships and upwards. Two new mechanics are also introduced:

• Semi-armor-piercing (SAP) shells combine certain characteristics of both AP and HE shells to steadily inflict large amounts of regular damage to enemy ships, but are unable to start a fire.
• The Exhaust Smoke Generator is a unique consumable that can conceal a player’s ship without it having to reduce speed.

A new game event gives players the opportunity to earn special rewards, including new containers and a new temporary resource: Italian Tokens. These can be exchanged in the Armory for permanent and expendable camouflages, signals, days of Warships Premium Account, credits, Random Bundles or event containers for a chance to unlock early access to the Italian Cruisers. Finally, players will have the opportunity to admire their recently acquired ships in the brand-new Taranto Port.

The spookiest day of the year, Halloween, will see the start of the new “Raid for the Filth” game mode. Players will be able to research and command magic-infused ships across three different branches: destroyers, cruisers, and battleships. They will face off against other human opponents as well as hordes of dark forces controlled by AI. The main objective is to gather Filth, a special resource, both from set locations or from defeated enemies before escaping through a centrally situated portal. Filth can then be exchanged in the Armory for valuable rewards such as credits or random bundles for new permanent camouflages, signals, XP and much more.

Finally, in Update 0.8.9, players can keep on celebrating Halloween as long as they want with a new set of creepy, monster-styled permanent camouflages.

Visit the official World of Warships website now to sign up and play World of Warships for free!

New map for Tannenberg features the ‘breadbasket of the empire’!

A new map is live now for WW1 Eastern Front shooter Tannenberg!

Join the battle across the border in the Ukraine!

Ukraine was not yet an independent nation at the time of the First World War. Instead the territory was split between the Russian Empire and the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Ukrainians fought on both sides in the conflict, with 3,500,000 fighting for Russia and 250,000 for Austria-Hungary. A great cost was paid by the civilian population, who were distrusted by both Russia and Austria-Hungary and often became victims of harsh reprisals for opposition real or imagined.

M2H co-founder Matt Hergaarden said: “We’re pleased to release a free new battlefield for all Tannenberg players today! The Ukraine map is inspired by a key section of the Eastern Front which saw heavy fighting during the Brusilov Offensive, Kerensky Offensive, and major counter-attacks by the Central Powers. Our mappers did a great job turning the reference material into a playable map while keeping the authentic historical feel of the location.”

In Tannenberg, Ukraine is an open map, with good sight lines for heavy machine guns. Between the lines of trenches and barbed wire are areas of limited cover. NCO smoke barrages and the recently added smoke grenades are highly recommended when assaulting across such exposed terrain!

Watch the trailer and get a look at the trenches and gun pits of the new Ukraine map!

Tannenberg is available on Steam!

Source: Blue’s News

EA and DICE remind us that the next free trial weekend for Battlefield V is now underway on Origin. Here’s a briefing on the battle plan:

Weekend 2: Infantry-Focused Conquest
Engaging in the flag-capping rumbles of Conquest is the most classic way to experience Battlefield’s all-out war. You’ll be able to try the mode on the infantry-focused maps Operation Underground, Rotterdam, Devastation, Marita, and Arras. Complete tasks to earn a coveted weekly reward: the Trench Carbine.

The WW2 turn-based strategy launches on October 25

Starni Games studio is delighted to reveal the release date of Strategic Mind: The Pacific. The historical turn-based strategy will leave Early Access and head to the full launch on October 25. To celebrate the release Starni Games releases a new story trailer.

Watch the Strategic Mind: The Pacific - The trailer of the game Full Version HERE.

In Strategic Mind: The Pacific you’ll face the waging war between the USA and the Empire of Japan in the Pacific Ocean – with mindblowing historical accuracy and attention to detail. The game offers an immersive experience of commanding both sides of the conflict, allowing you to gain a unique understanding of the situation through the eyes of both sides’ real-life commanders.

Build up, train and equip your troops with the newest weaponry available to maximize their efficiency and set sail for victory. The core element of the game is large scale naval battles with numerous carrier ships bringing aircraft into the battle for seizing control over the ocean. Upon overtaking the sea you will have to set foot on hostile land through a series of costly landing operations.

You will have to make your naval, aerial and amphibious forces act as one flawless mechanism – a task only a truly strategic mind can achieve.

Key features

• Two full campaigns featuring both sides of the conflict;
• Unreal Engine-based graphics with historically accurate models of all units;
• Over 60 minutes of plot-driven cinematics;
• Full English voiceover for all the characters;
• Rich upgrades and equipment system;
• Thought-through tactics;
• Complex naval battles mechanics allow you to damage various ship systems – armament, hull, engine, flight deck, etc;
• Headquarters traits system;
• Heroes you can assign to a particular unit.

Head on over to the Strategic Mind: The Pacific Steam page for more game info and to purchase the game on October 25th.

Source: Blue’s News

Ubisoft announces the release of Episode 2 – Pentagon: The Last Castle for Year 1 Pass holders in Tom Clancy’s The Division 2. This comes with a reminder that Thursday will bring the opportunity for those who don’t own the game to try it for free. This page has details on the free weekend, an accompanying sale, and how progression in the game will carry over for those who decide to buy it. Here’s word on the content of Episode 2 and the accompanying title update for the base game:

“Episode 2 – Pentagon: The Last Castle” features escalation in Washington D.C. for Division Agents, as Black Tusk forces continue to wreak havoc around the city. In Episode 2, players must fight to solve the ongoing outbreak crisis. It will be up to Agents to uncover the secrets inside the Pentagon before it falls into the hands of The Black Tusk.

Watch the Tom Clancy’s The Division 2: Episode 2 Overview Trailer HERE.

Content featured in “Episode 2 – Pentagon: The Last Castle” includes:

Two New Main Missions
At the beginning of Episode 2, players will investigate a transmission from a fellow Agent scouting the Pentagon for the perfusion bioreactor. Securing the bioreactor would allow Agents to replicate the antiviral samples recovered at Tidal Basin. Agents must navigate flood damage and Black Tusk forces to take back The Last Castle. After securing their safe house, players will be able to access the two replayable main missions of Episode 2.

• First Main Mission – Pentagon: Agents will discover the location of the perfusion bioreactor inside the Pentagon’s underground research facility. The Black Tusk have already infiltrated the lab and are attempting to extract the reactor.
• Second Main Mission – DARPA Research Labs: Players must make their way through the Pentagon and into the DARPA Labs, as the Black Tusk are in the process of transporting the perfusion bioreactor through an abandoned Cold War tunnel network.

New “Technician” Specialization: Effective October 15, Year 1 pass holders and UPLAY+ subscribers will instantly unlock the Technician Specialization. Players who do not own the Year 1 pass can unlock the specialization by completing a series of objectives. Additional rewards, including a signature weapon skin, are also available once the specialization is unlocked. The latest specialization includes:

• Signature Weapon: P-017 Launcher – a multi-missile launcher. Agents can lock-on and hit up to six enemies (depending on available ammo). With a simple push of a button, six missiles are unleashed to seek out their targets.
• Sidearm: Maxim 9
• Skill Variant: Artificer Hive
• Grenade Mod: EMP Grenade

Classified Assignments (Exclusive only to Year 1 Pass holders and UPLAY+ subscribers): Agents can take on two new Classified Assignments at a Boathouse and Embassy.

• Marina: Outcasts have been moving weapons and supplies into a boathouse on the Potomac River, which was used as a transport depot during the outbreak to move assets to the Potomac Center and Roosevelt Island. Agents must investigate and seize all the weapons they can find.
• Embassy: A Joint Task Force helicopter filled with supplies was shot down by the Outcasts and crashed through the roof of the Mexican Embassy in Washington D.C. Agents will be tasked to locate the helicopter, rescue the pilot and secure the supplies before the Outcasts get there.

The Return of Expeditions: Expeditions, along with the new Mastery system, is also part of Title Update 6, with all investigation areas at Kenly College being open at the same time for the next two weeks. After two weeks, Expeditions will then close for two weeks, and return again for one week. The “two weeks down, one week up” cadence allows players to regularly jump into Kenly College each time it opens to acquire the Mastery rewards, and guaranteed access to the elusive Diamondback.

The latest title update also brings an unprecedented number of fixes and improvements, as well as a brand new PvP mode.

Read the Title Update 6 – Episode 2 Patch Notes HERE.

New kind of ray tracing technology developed by Wargaming and Intel will improve the visual fidelity of World of Tanks on any PC supporting DirectX 11 and above; even on notebooks with the latest generations of Intel integrated graphics

Introduced in March 2018 as part of Update 1.0, the Core graphics engine significantly improved the visual fidelity of World of Tanks. Now it’s time to move forward and integrate new technologies into the core engine. One of them will be a new form of ray tracing that will bring close to displaying real-life shadows that can be run on any graphics cards that supports DirectX 11. That means that it could be even enabled on the latest notebooks with the latest generations of Intel integrated graphics without a special graphics card with hardware ray tracing support.

The correct implementation of shadows has been one of the industry’s biggest problems for a long time. In Wargaming’s case, it was implementing correct vehicle shadows and being in a constant balance between quality and performance. At one point the vehicles in World of Tanks became more detailed than their shadows and it was time for a change.

Intel had a library called Intel Embree for a long time. It specializes in quick BVH building and has been mostly used in offline applications, the movie industry, computer-animated films and so on. During the collaboration and consulting Intel’s advanced rendering team, Wargaming comes with a solution and implemented the multi-core technology and solutions for concurrent rendering in update 1.4, the Intel Embree technology which took less than a week.

It visually will get close to displaying real-life shadows as they will be sharp or soft in those very places where they should be, as they will try to mimic real-life shadow behavior. “Ray tracing is a true revolution in video game graphics that is happening before our eyes—and we at Wargaming are among the revolutionaries,” says Bronislav Sviglo, World of Tanks Render Team Lead. “The development of ray-traced shadow tech with the help of our partners from Intel is just the beginning. Take a look at the fruits of our labor today—download World of Tanks enCore RT!”

These shadows are only the start and much more can be done with the help of this new technology. Realistic reflections ambient occlusion, global illumination and the whole frame, in general, can be generated using it, but billions of rays for one frame need to be processed to do so. Currently no computer can do it in real-time and it will be a long time until it’s possible, but you will be already able to enjoy the ray-traced shadow in World of Tanks in the very near future.

We decided to use World of Tanks enCore as we did before the update 1.0 release. World of Tanks enCore will now let our players try ray tracing in-game, you can already download the World of Tanks enCore RT app. Launch it, adjust the rate tracing quality, check if your computer can handle it and see the visual difference.

From October 15, World of Tanks enCore RT will be available to download at: https://wotencore.net/en-eu/

Take a look at the video where those behind the ray tracing tech explain how it works.

For more information on World of Tanks, visit the games official website.

By Christian Eberle @ Tom’s Hardware

The Aorus CV27F 27-inch display is a VA panel with a 1500R curvature and a 165 Hz refresh rate (without overclock). With FreeSync 2, you can even enjoy HDR content with an older AMD graphics card, like the AMD Radeon R9 285 we have in one of our test rigs. No, it won’t run HDR at 3840 x 2160 above 30 frames per second (fps) like some of the best 4K gaming monitors. But it can run HDR right up to 165 fps at 1920 x 1080. And the price is far more attractive too. The Aorus CV27F sells for around $350 at this writing. And while it won’t quite deliver the image quality of something like the Asus PG27UQ, a $1,500 HDR gaming monitor with a full array backlight with local dimming, it sells for less than a quarter of the price.

Read The Review Here

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.

• NZXT Joins the ASRock Phantom Gaming Alliance with H510i Variant
• EK Releases Radeon RX 5700 (XT) D-RGB Aluminum Water Block
• Sharkoon Announces the RGB FLOW Chassis
• ‘Hi, I’m Alice!’ InWin Announces Unique, Ultra-Light PC Chassis with Colorful Covers
• Razer Introduces the World’s First Optical Laptop Keyboard
• CORSAIR Expands Gaming PC Lineup with New Models of CORSAIR ONE and CORSAIR ONE PRO
• Abkoncore Introduces the Helios 500 Sync PC Case
• EVGA Announces GeForce RTX 2070 Super Ultra+ Series with Overclocked Memory
• New TP-Link Archer AX10 Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) Router drops under 100 EUR / 80 USD
• Give Your Performance a Boost with the New PCIe Gen3x4 M.2 NVMe SSD from Silicon Power
• Corsair Readies Carbide 110Q Entry-level Quiet Mid-tower
• Jonsbo TR03 is a Triangle PC Case with Diagonally Mounted Motherboard
• Bitspower Launches New Summit M CPU Block with OLED Display for Intel and AMD Platforms
• MSI GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER GAMING X & VENTUS XS Pictured
• Possible XFX Radeon RX 5500 THICC II Pictured
• MSI Bundles Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Breakpoint With Game Monitors
• NETGEAR Expands the Orbi Family with New Dual Band Mesh System – Slim and Sleek Design with Powerful WiFi

Ubisoft’s latest tale of Ghosts is an overly familiar romp with too many pieces that don’t work together for an ultimately disjointed open-world shooter

By Brandin Tyrrel @ IGN

Taken at face value, Ghost Recon Breakpoint has been assembled from all the pieces it needs to be a success. And that’s its biggest problem. Ubisoft’s entire open-world playbook has been dumped in, alongside many of the games-as-service elements you’d expect to find in a game you’re intended to play for a long time. There are just too many ideas crammed in without a reason to exist and too many annoying bugs and glitches to get a consistent feel for what Breakpoint is aiming to be. It contradicts its good first impression with its reliance on an all-too-familiar shoot-and-loot formula and a collect-a-thon that wears out its welcome before the end.

Read on…