Month: February 2019

By Antony Leather @ Bit-Tech

There’s usually a lot of variation in terms of features as you dip down below £200 for an Intel Z-series motherboard, with manufacturers taking quite different approaches to cost cutting. MSI managed a fairly balanced approach with the MAG Z390 Tomahawk, dropping audio and Wi-Fi in favour of a fancy integrated I/O shield, USB 3.1 Type-C ports, plus the full complement of audio outputs. Today we’re looking at ASUS’ similarly-priced TUF Z390-Plus Gaming (Wi-Fi), which takes another very different approach.

Read The Review Here

Gaijin Entertainment today announces the imminent release of the major content Update 1.87 for its military vehicle combat game War Thunder. Its release will push the boundaries of ground vehicle technology represented in the game even further, allowing players to go into battle with vehicles of the late 20th century, some of which entered service well after the end of the Cold War. Besides a new rank of modern ground vehicles, the new additions include many new aircraft and ships.

The new Ground Forces Rank VII will contain tanks and combat vehicles created between the late 1980s and 1990s, many of which participated in armed conflicts of their time. Some of the new vehicles, their features and unique combat capabilities will be detailed in the forthcoming War Thunder Developer Diaries, the first of which was recently released.

In it, players can read all about an icon of modern-day tank combat, the British main battle tank Challenger 2. In its current iteration, it is the most modern MBT to have ever served in the British Army. With Update 1.87, players of War Thunder will be able to command the Challenger 2, one of the world’s best tanks, in virtual battles all over the globe. Developed in the mid-1980s to replace the Challenger 1, it is has been on active service since the late 1990s and participated both in peacekeeping missions, as well as in military conflicts in Iraq.

Like its predecessor, the Challenger 2 in War Thunder boasts a great combination of mobility and firepower. Now featuring Chobham armour, it is one of the best protected vehicles in the game, and especially dangerous in frontal engagements. It will be a formidable enemy, even to the strongest vehicles the other War Thunder nations have to offer.

Learn more about Rank VII for Ground Forces, the Challenger 2 main battle tank and other upcoming vehicles and additions of Update 1.87 in the War Thunder Developer Diaries.

Source: Blue’s News

At yesterday’s Six Invitational 2019 tournament, Ubisoft unveiled details about Year 4 Season 1 for Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Siege. The first look at Operation Burnt Horizon the other day with the release of a new Gridlock & Mozzie trailer, and they follow this with a new CGI trailer called “The Hammer and the Scalpel.” There’s a post on the Ubisoft website with more on the plan another trailer showing off gameplay. For those who cannot wait for this new content to officially launch, a test server is going up today with a chance to help vet this before it’s ready to go live. Here are the details:

Today, at the Six Invitational 2019, Ubisoft announced the full details of Season 1 of Year 4 of Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Siege. Operation Burnt Horizon introduces an all-new Attacker and Defender from the Australian SASR Mobility Platoon, Gridlock and Mozzie. These two new operators come with a new map, Outback, a homage to all the lonely service stations and motels along the forgotten highways across Australia’s beautiful sun-soaked land. Year 4 Season 1 also brings a new Elite Set for Operator Hibana, including an Onkochishin uniform and a new victory animation and weapon skin.

Operation Burnt Horizon brings two new Operators, the Attacker Gridlock and the Defender Mozzie, both friends for years in the Australian Special Air Service Regiment (SASR) Platoon. Gridlock uses Trax Stingers, a portable version of road spikes that when activated, deploys a hexagonal cluster of spikes. When Defenders step on them, the Trax Stingers deal damage and slow them, making this gadget a good map control tool. In the meantime, Mozzie can deploy a Pest Launcher. When launched, the Pest latches onto the nearest enemy drone and obscures its camera. The Pest then initiates an override sequence to hack the drone and grant full control to Mozzie.

Alongside these two new Operators, Burnt Horizon introduces the map Outback, a lonely service station forgotten on one of Australia’s iconic motorways. Outback is divided into three distinct sections – the Garage, the Motel, and the Restaurant – all of which are unique and distinctly recognizable, even from a distance. Outback is a medium-sized map, so players won’t need to go far to find alternative routes. Packed with twists, turns, and Australiana, Outback is filled with unexpected corners and souvenirs from the Great Southern Land.

The Test Server for Operation Burnt Horizon will go live on February 18th. The Test Server is an alternative version of Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Siege, allowing players to test upcoming gameplay features that will make their way into the main game itself. Since this is a testing environment, a consistent gameplay experience is not guaranteed on the Test Server. Players are invited to submit the issues they encounter on the Test Server on the R6 Fix platform. The Test Server is exclusive to Windows PC.

For more information about Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Siege, please visit rainbow6.com.

By Steven Lynch @ Tom’s Hardware

If “normal” isn’t your thing, the Antec Torque might be just what you are looking for. With its open-air design, aluminum alloy construction and superbike styling, it’s is safe to say this chassis will stand out, wherever you put it. It could be the foundation for an impressive high-performance system build, but you’ll need to look past several shortcomings, plus a price that’s much higher than similarly designed alternatives.

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.

• EK Water Blocks Co-develops a Heatsink for the Intel Optane 905P M.2 SSD
• Thermaltake Commander C Cases come with 200 mm ARGB Fans and Tempered Glass
• MSI GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Gaming And Armor Turing Graphics Cards Leaked
• EKWB Releases Vector RTX Series Water Blocks for ASUS ROG Strix Series Graphics Cards
• ID Cooling Unveils IS-30 Low-Profile 30-mm Cooler for 100 Watt CPUs
• Zotac Offers Liquid-Cooling Ready GeForce RTX 2080 Ti ArcticStorm Graphics Card

Ubisoft has announced the release of Far Cry New Dawn, the newest installment of the award-winning Far Cry franchise. Set in a breathtaking post-apocalyptic world, Far Cry New Dawn is now available for PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system, the Xbox One family of devices including Xbox One X and Windows PC.  You can watch the Launch Gameplay Trailer HERE. Far Cry New Dawn for Windows is now available on Steam, with a retail price of $39.99, and on the games website for all gaming platforms. A Deluxe version is available for $49.99.

Developed by Ubisoft Montreal with support from Ubisoft Shanghai, Ubisoft Kiev and Ubisoft Bucharest, Far Cry New Dawn is a first-person shooter set in a completely open world. Far Cry New Dawn thrusts players into a brilliant post-apocalyptic setting where they will encounter a dual threat – The Twins, Mickey and Lou. Players can recruit an eclectic cast of Guns and Fangs for Hire, or a Friend for Hire for co-op play, to experience unpredictable, unforgettable Far Cry Moments where anything can happen.

Seventeen years after a global nuclear event dramatically transformed the world, Far Cry New Dawn thrusts players into a wildly beautiful and dangerous environment reclaimed by nature and characterized by a vibrant superbloom. As the captain of security for a man named Thomas Rush, players will arrive in Hope County to help the Survivors of the nuclear catastrophe fight back against a marauding band of Highwaymen. The new villains, The Twins Mickey and Lou, grew up in the lawless post-apocalyptic frontier and their only philosophy is to live for today. Each with their own distinct approach, together The Twins provide both the brains and brawn to lead the Highwaymen and solve the problems they face… in any way they see fit.

Players must help the Survivors grow stronger by upgrading the Homebase, called Prosperity. As players progress, they can upgrade the Homebase to craft more powerful weapons and gear, as well as face off against higher ranking enemies through Far Cry New Dawn’s “light RPG” gameplay mechanics. Along the way players will encounter a mix of new and familiar faces, including new furry companions Timber the Akita and Horatio the boar. New to the franchise, players can also venture to replayable locations called Expeditions, set in unique locations across America. These snatch-and-grab missions will let players acquire valuable resources and get out – quickly.

The latest video, Far Cry New Dawn: How To Upgrade Your Home Base can be viewed HERE.

By Christopher Livingston @ PC Gamer

You’d think a nuke being dropped on Montana would have changed it somewhat, but Far Cry New Dawn’s post-apocalyptic version of Hope County is essentially the same one we know from Far Cry 5. Once again the locals are being terrorized by armed gangs speeding around in infinite trucks while furious bears and homicidal turkeys leap from the bushes to claw at anything that moves. New Dawn adds a couple new twists to the series’ formula—at times you can leave Montana to visit other states—but nothing to make it feel like a wholly different game. This is Far Cry 5 again, just on a smaller scale and with more pink flowers.

Read on…

Deep Silver and 4A Games are proud to announce the worldwide release of Metro Exodus for Xbox One, the all-in one games and entertainment system from Microsoft, the PlayStation® 4 computer entertainment system, and PC.

Five years in the making, Metro Exodus sees Artyom and a band of Spartan Rangers flee the Moscow Metro and embark on an epic, continent-spanning journey across post-apocalyptic Russia.

Inspired by the novels of Dmitry Glukhovsky, Metro Exodus weaves a powerful narrative through its huge single-player campaign that blends ferocious combat, exploration, survival and stealth in one of the most atmospheric, immersive gaming worlds.

Metro Exodus has been met with widespread critical acclaim from specialist and mainstream media alike, and will thrill gamers looking for a rich, story driven experience.

To celebrate the release of Metro Exodus, watch the launch trailer HERE.

Visit the official Metro Exodus website for more game information.

Developer 4A Games’ irradiated genre mish-mash is one of the most ambitious games on PC

By Harry Shepherd @ PCGamesN

In my sojourn through the post-apocalyptic wastes of Russia in Metro Exodus, I can’t help but think of competitive cooking show Masterchef. No, Chef Ramsay isn’t holed up in a makeshift bunker of a TV studio after the knife-wielding contestants took criticism the wrong way. Rather, Metro reminds me of the philosophy of UK hosts John Torode and Greg Wallace: a simple formula must be executed to nothing less than perfection, but the ambition of a dish that involves many complex moving parts mean that certain flaws can be overlooked.

Read on…

Ubisoft® has announced that players who pre-order a PC digital version of Tom Clancy’s The Division® 2 before March 14th, 2019* will receive a free copy of the PC digital standard edition of their choice from the following acclaimed titles among Ubisoft’s portfolio: Watch Dogs® 2, Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon® Wildlands or Far Cry® Primal. Players can pre-order the PC version of Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 from the Epic Games Store or the Ubisoft Store.

Once players pre-order Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 and it appears in their Uplay games library, they have until March 31st, 2019 to choose their free digital game by following instructions at www.thedivisiongame.com/freegame. Players can access their chosen free digital game from March 15th, 2019.

This offer is available for players who pre-order any PC digital edition of Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 (Standard, Gold or Ultimate Edition), from the Ubisoft Store or any other Ubisoft distribution partner. Players who have already pre-ordered their PC digital copy are also eligible to claim this offer.

For those looking to get hands-on with Tom Clancy’s The Division 2, the Open Beta will be available from March 1st to March 4th. For the latest news about the Open Beta, please visit: www.thedivisiongame.com/beta.

Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 releases worldwide on March 15th, 2019, on the Xbox One family of devices including the Xbox One X, PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system and Windows PC.

More game information can be found on the official Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 website.