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.

• GIGABYTE Introduces First Gaming Mouse from XTREME GAMING Lineup – the XM300
• SilentiumPC Announces the Fortis 3 HE1425 Malik Customs Edition
• Iiyama FreeSync Ready ProLite GB2488HSU-2 Released
• Spire Announces the TRICER 1408 Micro-ATX Tower Case
• Tt eSports Integrates Synaptics IronVeil Fingerprint Sensor into the Black V2 Mouse
• OWC Announces 2TB Mercury Electra SSD
• MSI Announces the Gaming 24 AIO Desktop
• AOC Launches C3583FQ, a 35-inch Curved FreeSync Gaming Monitor
• SanDisk Extreme 500 Portable SSDs Launches
• Ozone Announces the TriFX In-ear Gaming Headset
• EK Releases New EK-Tube ZMT Soft Tube for Liquid Cooling

By James Cobb @ The Wargamer

A literal English translation of the German adjective weltgeschichtlich is meaningless and clumsy: “world historical”. A better paraphrase is “world changing” In this sense, Operation Barbarossa, the 1941 German invasion of the Soviet Union, was a weltgeschichtlich event because the world changed because of it. No wonder so many wargames have been produced around this pivotal conflict. Yet, despite its importance, Matrix/Slitherine Games and VR Designs have made it the third entry into the Decisive Campaigns series. The developers have given the conflict a unique point of view distinguishing it from the usual hex-based war game paradigm.

Read on…

Players can join forces to unlock a special vessel and other in-game rewards

Wargaming today announced “Project R”, the brand-new community campaign for World of Warships, is now live. In “Project R”, players must reach various milestones to earn Pearls, which they use to rebuild the famed Japanese destroyer Kamikaze with unique camouflage, as well as unlock fantastic in-game rewards.

“‘Project R’ is a great opportunity for us to engage with the vibrant World of Warships community and provide great content in a fun way,” said Jacek Pudlik, Associate Publishing Producer, Wargaming Europe. “We’re all looking forward to seeing just what the fans of the game are capable of who the really standout players will be.”

To earn Pearls, captains must challenge special “Project R” in-game missions. By completing these missions and achieving various milestones, they can also earn credits, Premium Account, camouflage and other boosts which are based on an individual’s contribution. What’s more exciting: if the community reaches the milestone of 10 million, Kamikaze will be completed and 2,000 Japanese destroyers will be randomly given to participants who collected 150 Pearls or more.

“Project R” lasts for six weeks, giving the whole community a boatload of time to band together and scourge the oceans in search of awesome rewards. Action Stations!

To register to take part in “Project R” and for more information, please visit the official World of Warships 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.

• Corsair Unveils its Fastest Ever 128GB, 64GB and 32GB DDR4 Kits
• KFA2 Announces the GeForce GTX 970 EXOC Sniper Edition Graphics Card
• G.SKILL Expands Mechanical Gaming Keyboard Family with KM780R Models
• In Win Surprises With New Brushed Aluminum Hardware
• EVGA Announces the Z170 Classified-K Motherboard
• ASUS Announces Cerberus Gaming Keyboard, Mouse, and Mouse Pad
• EpicGear Announces the SonorouZ X Gaming Headset
• Microsoft Will Not Support Upcoming Processors Except On Windows 10
• Fractal Design Launches the Define Nano S Chassis

Alex takes a look at the alpha version of tactical helicopter shoot ‘em up, Heliborne

By Alex Connolly @ The Wargamer

Indie outfit JetCat Games are certainly playing my kind of Wagner in Heliborne. Based in Vilnius, Lithuania, they’re a six-strong studio comprised of Belorussian, Russian, Ukrainian and American developers, and bring with them an earnest love for the flexible nuances of the whirlybird. Heliborne is aiming squarely at the team-based military multiplayer market, currently dominated by World of Tanks, Armored Warfare, and War Thunder. I recently had the chance to throw the JetCat cofounders, Raman Ulasau and Diana Leer, and community manager Anthony Keeton some questions surrounding their debut project. The first question was, simply, why helicopters?

Read on…

By Jon Ryan, IGN

After almost three years of various trailers and demos, I wasn’t sure I understood exactly what type of experience The Division wanted to focus on. Was it strictly an open-world adventure? A traditional MMORPG? Or was it staying close to the classic Tom Clancy framework and focusing on being a tactical co-op/PVP shooter? After spending a few hands-on hours with it, I realized that it manages to be all of these things simultaneously – and it seems like it’s just the game I’ve been looking for.

Read on…

You will have the chance to be immersed in the 1937 Sino-Japanese War very soon as Morning Sun – the second expansion of the extraordinary wargame Order of Battle: Pacific – will be released on January 28th!

In Morning Sun you will revive this undervalued conflict, taking control over the Japanese forces fighting for territorial expansion and rich Chinese resources.

Expect all of the fantastic features that made Order of Battle: Pacific one of the most innovative wargames recently made, plus a new array of possibilities, like the chance to employ cavalry units and invaluable Construction Group units!

Stay tuned for further information and if you want to know more, please check out the product page here!

Order of Battle: Pacific – Morning Sun will be available also on Steam.

Source: Eurogamer

The family of Angolan rebel leader Jonas Savimbi have filed a €1m lawsuit against Activision over his portrayal in Call of Duty: Black Ops 2.

Three of Savimbi’s children claim Activision depicted their father as a “barbarian” during his appearance in the 2012 shooter, The Guardian reports.

“[He's portrayed as] a big halfwit who wants to kill everybody,” prosecution lawyer Carole Enfert explained. In reality, she continued, Savimbi had actually been a “political leader and strategist”.

Jonas Savimbi was the leader of an opposition movement against Angola’s communist-backed government (and thus had the support of the US) throughout the country’s bloody civil war that left 500,000 people dead.

He appears in Black Ops 2 during the level Pyrrhic Victory, where he encourages his troops to kill as many opponents as possible, while waving a grenade launcher.

Activision has, unsurprisingly, disagreed with the claims, and said its portrayal of Savimbi showed him to be a “good guy”.

It isn’t the first time Activision has been sued over someone’s appearance in Black Ops 2. In 2014, actual ex-Panama dictator Manuel Noriega complained he had been depicted as “the culprit of numerous fictional heinous crimes”, for which he wanted damages.

In that case, Activision sought to get the “absurd” lawsuit dismissed, and went to the lengths of hiring US Attorney and ex-New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani to help. A judge agreed with Activision, and the case was thrown out of court.

Source: UbiBlog

Tom Clancy’s The Division doesn’t arrive until March 8, but if you’re itching to jump in, you’ll get an early chance to explore Manhattan’s pandemic-ravaged streets starting January 28, when the closed beta goes live. Xbox One owners will get the first crack at the beta, with 24-hour early access, while PS4 and PC players can begin on January 29.

Beginning on Manhattan’s Chelsea Pier, the beta will take you through early story-driven missions that establish your foothold in New York. You’ll team up with other agents to battle for loot and outwit other agents in the PvP-enabled Dark Zone. The closed beta runs through January 31; you can sign up for a spot on the waitlist, or get guaranteed access on the platform of your choice by pre-ordering The Division.

Have more questions about The Division’s closed beta? Be sure to check out the official FAQ for answers.

Check out a new gameplay trailer here.

Arma 3 Apex now available for pre-order on the Bohemia Store

Entering its third year since official release, Bohemia Interactive today revealed some of their plans for Arma 3 in 2016. Via a new video blog, Creative Director Jay Crowe provides an overview of the ten most significant highlights of 2015, and a list of the ten most important things to look forward to in the upcoming year. Among the most anticipated items will be the release of the Arma 3 Apex expansion, which will bring players to the 100 km² South Pacific island archipelago of Tanoa. The Apex expansion will be supported by new vehicles and weapons, a co-op campaign – and a free platform update that will improve Arma 3′s graphics, audio, usability, and more.

In terms of updates, the year will be kicked of by the release of the free Arma 3 Eden Update in February. This update will introduce the Eden 3D Editor – a brand scenario editor which will enable users to place and edit objects, define waypoints, set mission objectives, and more, directly within the 3D game environment. This represents a massive leap forward from the classic scenario editor, which has been a staple of the Arma series since its conception. Another welcome addition will be the new Launcher-based Server Browser, which will make it much easier for players to search and join a multiplayer server of their liking. Another highlight of the Eden Update will be the audio improvements, which come in the form of new audio configurations and samples. The update will be further complemented by a variety of usability improvements. Among the changes will be the replacement of the in-game font, which should make in-game text better legible.

Next up in line is 2016′s Apex. Similar to previous Arma 3 DLC, the Arma 3 Apex expansion will deliver new premium content, and a free platform update available to everyone who owns Arma 3. In terms of premium content, Arma 3 Apex’ crown jewel is Tanoa – the new terrain which was first revealed at E3 last year. In addition, the expansion will include new vehicles and weapons, and a co-op campaign. While more specific details will be unveiled at a later date, new vehicle classes, namely Light Strike Vehicles and VTOL aircraft, have been confirmed to be among the Apex arsenal. To make the new content shine, the free platform update will provide a graphics upgrade that will apply to the entire game. The upgrade includes an overhaul of the game lighting configuration, and introduction of new Sea Shader and Screen-space Reflections technology.

Bohemia Interactive also plans to build upon their new (web-based) service, Arma 3 Units. Launched in basic form at the end of last year, Arma 3 Units aims to connect players and Arma community groups. In the near future, Bohemia Interactive will increase the functionality by enabling users to join units with their Bohemia Account, manage unit roles, schedule events, post announcements, and more. Further down the line, the studio intends to integrate parts of the service into the game itself.

The Arma 3 Apex expansion, and the supporting free platform update, is scheduled for release in the second quarter of 2016. As of today, enthusiasts will be able to pre-order the Arma 3 Apex expansion on the Bohemia Store (regular price: 29.99 EUR / 24.99 GBP / 34.99 USD – pre-order price (20% discount): 23.99 EUR / 19.99 GBP / 27.99 USD). Those who are new to Arma 3, but want the most complete experience, can choose to pick up the Arma 3 Apex Edition (price: 59.99 EUR / 44.99 GBP / 69.99 USD), which includes the Arma 3 Digital Deluxe Edition, all Arma 3 DLC released so far (Karts/Helicopters/Marksmen), and the Arma 3 Apex expansion.

For more information about Arma 3, please visit the games official website.