Source: Blue’s News

SQUARE ENIX announces that the Sky Fortress expansion for Just Cause 3 will be released on March 8th for owners of the AIR, LAND AND SEA expansion pass for the action sequel, and that the pack will go on general sale a week after that for those who prefer to buy things after they already exist. They use the occasion to reveal plans to release a patch tomorrow to pave the way for the expansion and also address some issues like long load times and crashes due to memory leaks and other bugs. On a final related note, a new Power of DX12 video from Microsoft revels in the fast adoption of DirectX 12, and reveals a number of titles that will receive makeovers with the new Windows 10 exclusive API, including Just Cause 3. Here’s a recent Sky Fortress trailer, and here’s word on the plans:

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, all of which can be carried over into the main game.

“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 & 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.

In preparation for the new content, the main game will also be receiving a new update on Friday March 4th that includes the following fixes:

• Reduced initial loading time and in-game loading screens by 20-50%
• Fixed several memory leaks resulting in crashes
• Reduced a number of random crashes
• Improved streaming of game world
• Some performance optimizations related to hitches and stuttering
• Implemented DLC system in preparation of the Air, Land and Sea packages

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

By  E. Fylladitakis @ AnandTech

Fortron Source (FSP) is one of the oldest computer PSU manufacturers in the market, and is the OEM behind a number of rebranded products. Their designs are usually found in advanced mid-range units, such as the Be Quiet! Dark Power Pro 10 series, but FSP has also developed interesting high-wattage designs, some of which they have been selling under their own brand. To that end, today we’ll be taking a closer look at one of thier first-party PSUs, the FSP Hydro G 750W.

Read The Review Here

Source: Hardware Heaven

AMD released the latest version of Radeon Software Crimson Edition. Version 16.2.1 is marked “non-WHQL” and hence should be a beta. The driver comes with a CrossFireX profile for “Far Cry Primal,” along with a variety of game-specific bug fixes for “Fallout 4,” and “Rise of the Tomb Raider.” It also fixes an issue of choppy display on systems with both FreeSync and CrossFire being enabled. You can download the latest driver 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.

• MSI Announces the Z170A Krait Gaming 3X Motherboard
• Acer Predator XB321HK G-Sync Gaming Monitor Now Available in the United States
• BIOSTAR Takes to the Tracks to Launch New Motherboard Series
• TESORO Launches Advanced Ascalon H7L Infrared Optical Sensor Gaming Mouse
• EK Waterblocks Releases Brand New P Series Liquid Cooling Kits
• Samsung Introduces World’s Largest Capacity (15.36TB) SSD for Enterprise Storage Systems
• Lian Li Hosts Facebook Giveaway for its First Ever Brushed Aluminum Keyboards
• Samsung Portable SSD T3 Now Available for Purchase
• New DisplayPort 1.4 Standard Can Drive 8K Monitors Over A USB Type-C cable
• AVEXIR E100 SSDs Launches

Battlestate Games, the creators of hardcore online shooter Escape from Tarkov, today revealed the second in its ongoing series of developer diaries, this one dedicated to the creation of 3D in-game assets and how they are bringing “hardcore realism” to life. The developers describe the process of creating a rich and devastating world – from architectural elements to weapons and characters.

Watch the second Escape from Tarkov developer diary here. (Unless you are an expert Russian speaker, be sure to turn “on closed captioning” and choose “English” in the settings for English subtitles.)

JOIN JACOB AND EVIE FRYE IN A NEW 10 MISSION STORY ARC

Today, Ubisoft announced that The Last Maharaja add-on content for Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate is now available on the PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system, Xbox One and Windows PC.

Twin Assassins Jacob and Evie Frye join Duleep Singh as he fights to reclaim his birthright as the last Maharaja in this entirely new story for Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate. In his quest to reclaim his heritage, Duleep, with the help of the Frye twins, will take on the Templars while testing his friendship with the queen.

The Last Maharaja is available as part of the Season Pass, which includes: Jack the Ripper, A Long Night Season Pass exclusive mission, the Streets of London gameplay pack, two top-tier sets of gear and weapons, and an exclusive XP boost.The Last Maharaja is also included in the Gold Edition of the game and is available for purchase separately. Watch the official launch trailer here.

For more information on Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate and The Last Maharaja downloadable content, please visit the games official website.

Source: Blue’s News

A new patch is now available for Rainbow Six: Siege, updating the tactical shooter to version 2.2. Included are some measures intended to combat cheating, including a ranked kill cam, and the new version also includes spawn kill countermeasures, matchmaking improvements, and bug fixes. All the details are in the Ubi Forums, and here’s word on the anti-cheating stuff from the UbiBlog:

Rainbow Six: Siege is about to become a harsher environment for cheaters because Patch 2.2 is bringing a new wave of fixes designed to deter cheats and exploits, with a special eye toward keeping players from being killed as they spawn. The biggest addition is a “Report” button players can use to flag behaviors they think are suspicious. To help eliminate any confusion about whether an opponent cheated, kill cams are being introduced to ranked matches, letting players see for themselves whether any foul play was involved in their deaths.

Also, tweaks are being made to multiple spawn points across eight maps, in some cases altering scenery to protect Attackers from being immediately killed by Defenders. For example, the Oregon map’s Construction Site now features added fencing and a higher, now-bulletproof wall to keep Defenders from firing on Attackers at the start of the match.

Source: NVIDIA

In a week’s time Tom Clancy’s The Division will hit the streets, giving the keys to the game’s dilapidated New York City to the many people itching to play the massively multiplayer shooter after the record-breaking open beta.

On PC, The Division will be rendered at glorious detail at resolutions up to and including 4K, with extra effects, higher-quality assets, and PC-exclusive NVIDIA GameWorks technology that further improves fidelity and immersion. Get a great look in the Tom Clancy’s The Division GeForce GTX Technology Trailer here.

PC players will also receive the usual and expected benefits, such as faster framerates, ShadowPlay support, SLI support, G-SYNC support, DSR support, and multi-monitor support. There’s also the option to completely configure the in-game HUD, color blindness display modes, support for certain LED keyboards and keyboard effects, and support for Tobii EyeX eye-tracking, which is built into select GeForce GTX notebooks and can be purchased separately as a standalone device.

And of course, GeForce Experience Optimal Playable Settings will be available from launch, helping you configure the 90 detail levels found in The Division’s 20-plus settings with a single click.

Mare Nostrum Arrives in Port Soon

If you control the sea lanes, you control the trade. If you control the trade, you control the world. It all sounds so easy. But first you need guns and ships and men to man them. It’s one thing to protect your coasts, but another to project power beyond them. Are you ready to make the ocean yours?

Mare Nostrum is the new expansion DLC for Paradox Development Studio’s best-selling historical grand strategy game Europa Universalis IV. For those of you not up on your Latin, “mare nostrum” was the old Roman term for the Mediterranean – it means “our sea”, reflecting the Roman goal to dominate the sea to protect the food and riches that were rowed into its ports.

Mare Nostrum, therefore, takes its name from the major changes made to the naval game in Europa Universalis. For example, your coastal provinces produce sailors who will be needed to man and repair the warships and transports you have come to rely on. A new mission system for naval orders simplifies naval management, and the Barbary Coast nations of North Africa can now raid their neighbors for gold and sailor conscripts.

Other features of Mare Nostrum will include:

• Condottieri: Rent out your soldiers as mercenaries to give an underdog a fighting chance while filling your treasury
• Trade Leagues: For merchant republics, the power of the purse is amplified by creating economic and military alliances
• Share Maps: Instead of waiting for the world to come to you, ask your friends if they have discoveries they are willing to share.
• PLUS changes to diplomacy, subject nation management and much more, including the usual major patch that will be a FREE upgrade to all EU4 owners.

Mare Nostrum will be available soon from major digital retailers and the Paradox store.

View the Europa Universalis IV: Mare Nostrum announcement trailer here.

Author: Daniel Dobrowolski @ HardOCP

GIGABYTE’s GA-Z170X-SOC FORCE is touted as the ultimate Z170 “Super OverClock” solution from GIGABYTE. It also offers an impressive array of features for the enthusiast and gamer alike. 22 phases of digital power, cool new OC Touch buttons, metal shielded PCIe slots, pretty lights, and an impressive set of three PCIe Gen3 x4 M.2 Connectors!

Read The Review Here