Following up on recent relaunch of the aircraft carrier line of naval ships in World of Warships, Wargaming is pleased to announce that British aircraft carriers will be added to the game, expanding upon the currently available US and Japanese Carrier lines!

Starting February 27 with the launch of Update 0.8.1, three Royal navy aircraft carriers enter the fray through early access. Mighty tier IV Hermes, tier VI Furious, and tier VIII Implacable will be made available upon completing new missions and Directives of the “Fly! Strike! Win!” in-game event. A full release of the Royal Navy aircraft carrier branch will follow in the next month’s patch update.

British planes come with generous HP, which allows more daring attacks against ships with strong AA defenses. And while these aircraft are somewhat slower than the American and Japanese naval planes, they pack more of a wallop, thanks to extra rockets and high-level bombs, that makes them unique in this class.

Additionally, from February 28 to March 14, players who log in each day will receive free Air Supply containers in World of Warships. These containers include — Naval Aviation collection, camos, signal flags, resources, and combat missions that can help players earn additional ships.

Lastly, upcoming patch 0.8.1 will introduce three key new changes to the gameplay of World of Warships. These include changes to the way Search Radar works, along with interface updates, and a change to how ships suffer flooding damage. For more information, please see the developer diary video HERE.

For the latest game information, visit the official World of Warships website.

Ubisoft has fully revealed the details of Special Operation 4 for Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Wildlands, the last free major update for the second year of post-launch content. Special Operation 4 will be released on February 27th, on the PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system and the Xbox One family of devices including Xbox One X and Windows PC. The update will contain a brand new PvE mode: Guerrilla, the new Sapper PvP class and several highly requested features from the community.

Guerrilla Mode expands on the game’s PvE experience with a unique challenge testing players’ endurance, skills and tactics. The mode is available to play solo or co-operatively with up to four Ghosts. Players will need to defend key locations against increasingly deadly waves of Cartel and Unidad members. After each completed wave, players will have the opportunity to purchase and upgrade weapons, skills and attachments with resources gathered from dead enemies. Each choice will be impactful, meaning strategy will be essential to overcome the challenge.

In addition to Guerrilla Mode, Special Operation 4 introduces a wealth of new Ghost War PvP–focused content, including:

• One New PvP Class: The Sapper is a new Support class option that deploys a specialized drone capable of shooting “concussion” mines. These mines drain stamina from players as well as suppressing them, slowing down their rush.
• Two New PvP Maps

Two New PvP Events:

• Arms Race: Players spawn with only their pistols and are forced explore the map for better weapons.
• Danger Zone: Players are periodically bombed with ultrasonic blasts, forcing them to always be on the move.

In line with previous Year 2 updates, Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Wildlands will continue to receive community-requested features and improvements, including time of day setting for Solo Campaign Mode, a new bleeding notification in Ghost War, the addition of the compass HUD option to PvE, as well as the introduction of daily campaign challenges with increased rewards. Additionally, Special Operation 4 will add a new Heatmap view, where players will be able to see the most visited locations in the Wildlands and discover some they have never explored.

The Ghost Recon: Wildlands Year 2 Pass offers seven-day early access to the new Ghost War class, along with the exclusive Active Duty Pack starting tomorrow. All other players will be able to access on the new PvP class on March 6th.

Developed by Ubisoft Paris, Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Wildlands is a military shooter entirely playable in up to four-player co-op or single-player from beginning to end. Players have total freedom to accomplish their missions how they want and watch as the world reacts to their actions. Players can choose to move quietly in the night, go in hot at dawn or work together to execute a sync shot that takes out enemies in one fell swoop. Each choice has a consequence, and players must improvise or adapt their plans to ensure the completion and success of each mission. Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Wildlands Ghost War allows players to live the ultimate co-op experience in 4v4 modes. Featuring a growing roster of classes, maps and modes, Ghost War focuses on teamwork, strategy and tense tactical engagements.

For more information about Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Wildlands, please visit www.ghostrecon.com.

Source: Blue’s News

A new post on the website for Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 welcomes us to the open beta for the upcoming sequel, a bit prematurely, as the beta isn’t set to commence until Friday. Ubisoft is obviously worked up about this, though, as they accompany this with a new open beta trailer and they also offer another new post outlining everything that’s changing since the conclusion of the private beta. Finally, for those who can’t wait until the testing resumes, they also announce their “state of the game” livestreams are back, so we can tune in on Wednesday to see where things stand. They offer details on the Dark Zone, how Conflict mode will offer a sample of organized 4v4 PvP action, and the end game content the beta will include. Here’s an overview:

Welcome to The Division 2 Open Beta! If you did not get the chance to participate in our Private Beta phase, now is your chance! Available from March 1 – 4 on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC, we want to welcome you as you take your first steps into Washington, D.C. The beta introduces you to some of the unique features The Division 2 has to offer—main missions, side missions, open world activities, and one of the three Dark Zones—to name a few.

For everyone who has already participated in the Private Beta, here are the additional content highlights for the Open Beta:

• Character level cap increase to level 8
• An additional Story mission—Viewpoint Museum
• An additional Skill—Chem Launcher with two variants, Riot Foam and Explosive Vapor
• Two additional Settlement Projects with the second upgrade of the Theater
• An additional Skirmish PVP map—Capitol Ruins

You are limited to one character during the testing phase, and this character can be deleted. At character creation, you are able to cycle through presets of customization features to randomize your Agent. Remember that character progression is capped at level eight during this period.

Three main missions are available on Normal and Hard modes—Grand Washington Hotel, Jefferson Trade Center, and Viewpoint Museum—to offer a smaller piece of a much larger, compelling narrative we are telling from start to finish.

As you explore D.C., five optional Side Missions will also be available for everyone who prefer to branch out from the main storyline.

“No Mission Too Difficult. No Sacrifice Too Great. Duty First!”

Matrix Games has announced that, after several months of hard work, Close Combat: The Bloody First is ready to go officially in Beta!

Developers have put a lot of effort into creating one of the most realistic tactical wargames ever, improving and refining the overall gameplay experience.

Now it’s your turn to duty! If you think you have what it takes, enlist here and help us in giving the final touches to the game!

IMPORTANT:

If you have applied in precedence for the Alpha, you don’t have to apply a second time as you have been automatically added to the Beta.

Close Combat: The Bloody First is the latest release in the critically-acclaimed Close Combat series, and the first using the new 3D Archon engine. With this Close Combat: The Bloody First combines classic Close Combat tactical gameplay with battles fought across a wide variety of diverse 3D landscapes including craggy ridgelines, narrow valleys and dense villages. The switch to 3D also allows an increase in the level of detail (e.g. the specific types of ammunition used by each weapon are now modeled) with more realistic movement and projectile physics.

Following the career of the famed US 1stInfantry Division (forever known as ‘The Big Red One’) Close Combat: The Bloody First visits the battlefields of Tunisia and Sicily for the first time, as well as covering the Normandy campaign. 

With 3 theatres to cover Close Combat: The Bloody First places the focus firmly on the tactical level putting you in command of a 1st Infantry Division company (sometimes reinforced … and sometimes not!), leading your men through a series of linked operations and battles from Longstop Hill in Tunisia to Mortain in Normandy. You’ll have to look after your men, work out the best combination of fire and movement, know when they need bolstering with armoured vehicles and decide when to call in support from artillery and aircraft.

Game developer Icebreaker Interactive is launching a crowdfunding campaign to raise funds for development of their upcoming PC game Escalation 1985.

What would have happened if the cold war turned hot in 1985? The new first person shooter Escalation 1985 is offering a grand campaign spanning 5 European nations, locations such as Berlin’s Checkpoint Charlie, and the soldiers of 9 armies, including the US Army and the British Army of the Rhine.

The crowdfunding campaign offers players in-game rewards of rare and forgotten weapons.

Backers can also write their own lines for their characters which will be recorded by a professional voice actor or get their own or someone else’s face in the game.

And finally on the highest tier a backer can get their very own real-life BRDM-2 amphibious armored vehicle (video) delivered to their door in the EU or USA. It comes freshly painted in mint-condition from the Czech Republic and is road legal in most places.

It’s fully amphibious and can swim at 10 km/h for 17 hours. You can have a party on a lake with this thing or make the school run very exciting.

About Escalation 1985:

Experience what an armed conflict would have been like between NATO and the Warsaw Pact in 1985. Escalation 1985 features massive 50 v 50 battles set in iconic areas surrounding the iron curtain. Use finely detailed weapons, vehicles, and equipment used by forces on either side. Work with your squad to defeat the enemy team and gain control before the nuclear Armageddon!

Using VoIP for radio and proximity communication along with a morale and stamina system the player will feel as if he is actually there, his weapon along with his avatar will be an actual part of the world. Moving, firing, being close to friendlies, enemies or tanks, will all have an impact on how you as a player will interact with the environment around you. Experience the horrors of Nuclear, biological, and chemical warfare with accurate recreations of these events.

Drive a tank with your friends. Our armor features intractable interiors that are precisely modeled from their real life counterparts. Engage enemy forces using detailed fire control systems and ballistics.

Use exquisitely modeled weapons systems, from rifles to anti-air systems. Accurate bullet and missile physics let you experience the true power of these weapons.

Find out more about Escalation 1985 HERE. Visit the games official website where you can view the reveal trailer, screenshots and more.

By Hilbert Hagedoorn @ Guru3D

Last Friday we’ve published the first round of GeForce 1660 Ti graphics cards. In that article, we’ve already hinted towards a non-Ti model as well. The chatter on that is now getting more substantial, we’ve also mentioned a possible GeForce GTX 1650 as well, here again, a possible launch date has surfaced.

Sources from Digitimes now state that NVIDIA is would be launching the GeForce GTX 1660 on March 15 and a GeForce GTX 1650 on around April 30th, which will bear minimum price tags of US$229 and US$179, respectively.

This will follow the firm’s release of two medium- and low-end versions in the first quarter of 2019, including RTX 2060 in mid-January at a minimum unit price of US$349 and GTX 1660 Ti in late February with a floor price of US$279. The four new graphics cards, ranging from US$179-349, are expected to bring heavy pricing pressure on AMD’s mid-tier and low-end offerings such as VEGA 64/65 and RX590/580/570. With the launch of the four products bearing high price-performance ratios, NVIDIA is apparently seeking to refocus its graphics card business on the medium- and low-end market in the first half of 2019 to prevent its profits from falling further and drive AMD’s share in the market down to under 25% or even 20%, industry sources commented. The drastic shrinkage in demand for crypto mining graphic cards seen since the second quarter of 2018 prompted Nvidia to fast reduce its inventory in the following months, minimizing the impact on profitability.

Source: TechPowerUp!

AMD has released their latest Radeon Software Adrenaline 2019 Edition drivers. This latest beta, version 19.2.3, brings with it support for AMD Ryzen mobile processors with Vega graphics which see up to a 10% performance boost on average versus the 17.40 launch drivers. Titles included in the performance testing were; Destiny 2, Shadow of War, Rise of the Tomb Raider, Civilization 6, and the Witcher 3. Furthermore, various eSports title have seen performance gains of up to 17%, again when compared to the older 17.40 launch drivers. The games AMD used for testing were; Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Fortnite, Player Unknown’s Battleground, and World of Warcraft. The only other performance gains specifically mentioned in this driver release is a 3% boost in Dirt Rally 2 on the Radeon RX Vega 64.

AMD has fixed a few issues with this release as well including player character outlines being stuck on screen after being revived in Battlefield V being the most significant fix. Otherwise, all other fixes or changes are related to AMD software or features such as ReLive wireless VR, FreeSync, and fan tuning. That said, a few prominent issues remain some of which have been around for some time like mouse lag on multi-monitor systems when one display is turned off. Other problems include Radeon WattMan not applying settings changes on the AMD Radeon VII. Meanwhile, the performance metrics overlay may fluctuate giving inaccurate readings on the previously mentioned Radeon VII.

The new Radeon Software Adrenalin 2019 Edition 19.2.3 beta drivers are available online at the AMD driver download page.

New Sudden Strike 4 DLC adds new generals, missions and vehicles

Kalypso Media’s hit World War II real time tactics game, Sudden Strike 4, rages into the Pacific with The Pacific War DLC pack, is now available on GOG.com and Steam for PC, Linux, Mac, PlayStation®4 and Xbox One, priced at £14.99 / €19.99 / $19.99.

Along with introducing a new theatre of the conflict, The Pacific War DLC features ten missions set across two campaigns. Players will have access six new commanders including the Imperial Japanese Army’s Admiral Soemu Toyoda, the Southern Expeditionary Army Group’s Hisaichi, Legendary five-star US general Douglas MacArthur and Chief of Staff Richard J. Marshall. Also included in The Pacific War DLC are 51 new vehicles, including amphibious vehicles for land and sea combat, massive controllable aircraft carriers to rule the skies, advanced air combat planes for vicious dog fights and devastating flamethrowers to eliminate ground combatants in spectacular fashion. A new gameplay trailer is available showing the DLC in action.

In addition, update 1.15 has also been released today for the main game, which introduces three new bonus missions completely free of charge. Read the full PC and console changelogs for all the details.

Powered by 12th-Gen Turing Architecture, GTX 1660 Ti up to 3x Faster Than GTX 960, 1.5x Than GTX 1060; Available Today

NVIDIA today introduced the GeForce® GTX® 1660 Ti, a new gaming GPU that delivers a big step up in performance and power efficiency for today’s most popular games. It is available now worldwide starting at $279.

Based on the 12th generation Turing™ GPU architecture, the GTX 1660 Ti takes advantage of all of Turing’s shader innovations to deliver 2x the TOPS of the previous-generation Pascal™ architecture. It supports concurrent floating point and integer operations, a unified cache architecture with 3x the L1 cache, and turbocharged performance using adaptive shading technology.

1.4x More Power Efficient Than Pascal

The Turing architecture delivers 1.5x instructions per clock and 1.4x the power efficiency of Pascal, which previously set the standard for power-efficient GPUs. As a result, with a power envelope of only 120 watts, the GTX 1660 Ti delivers the best performance per watt of any GPU in its class.

120 Frames per Second in Competitive Games

The GeForce GTX 1660 Ti outperforms prior-generation GPUs and excels in modern games with complex shaders. It is up to 1.5x faster(1) than the GeForce GTX 1060 6GB and allows gamers to experience 120 frames per second at 1080p in popular online games such as Fortnite, PUBG and Apex Legends.

The GeForce GTX 1660 Ti features 1,536 CUDA® cores, 6GB of the new GDDR6 memory running at 12Gbps and a boost clock of almost 1.8 GHz, which can be easily overclocked for further performance.

With more than two-thirds of current gamers still playing on GPUs that only have the performance — or lower — of a GTX 960-class GPU that came out in 2014, the GTX 1660 Ti delivers up to 3x performance, making it an excellent and cost-effective upgrade for those who want to enjoy dramatically faster frame rates in their favorite titles.

Availability and Pricing

GeForce GTX 1660 Ti custom boards are available starting today from the world’s leading add-in card providers, including ASUS, Colorful, EVGA, Gainward, Galaxy, Gigabyte, Innovision 3D, MSI, Palit, PNY and Zotac. Pricing starts at $279 and will vary based on partner designs, features and region.

With NVIDIA’s release of its new NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti series mid-range graphic card, a large number of reviews are now available for you to find out all there is to know about this latest NVIDIA product. We’ve searched the web and posted the links to those reviews below.

• ANANDTECH
• ETEKNIX
• HOT HARDWARE
• TECHPOWERUP! (MSI VENTUS)
• GURU3D (ASUS – ROG)
• TECHPOWERUP! – (ZOTAC)
• GURU3D – (MSI GAMING X)
• TECHPOWERUP! – (EVGA)
• GURU3D – (MSI VENTUS XS)
• TECHPOWERUP! - (MSI GAMING X)
• GURU3D – (PALIT)
• KITGURU
• OC3D.NET
• PC PERSPECTIVE
• TOM’S HARDWARE
• VORTEZ
• TWEAKTOWN
• TECHRADAR