The Panzer Corps 10th Anniversary is coming soon, and we will start our celebrations with the release of the new DLC Axis Operations – 1942.

Axis Operations – 1942 continues the Axis Operations grand campaign to the pivotal year of 1942.

The 17 new scenarios will have you face the Red Army in some of the largest battles in all of World War II. From Rzhev to Stalingrad, your actions will decide the outcome of the war.

In fact, for the first time in the Axis Operations series, the 1942 campaign will have multiple endings and your performance as a general will matter more than ever.

Additionally, it introduces new units, new historical commanders, a new mission type… in short, it’s a must-have for all players of Panzer Corps 2.

Watch the new Panzer Corps 2: Axis Operations 1942 in 2 minutes video HERE.

Celebrate 10 Years of Panzer Corps with us.

As you may know, this weekend we will be celebrating 10 years of Panzer Corps.

Tune in to us tomorrow, on Friday 9th July, on our Twitch channel at www.twitch.tv/slitherinetv at 4 pm BST / 5 pm CEST for an exclusive stream. Alex Shargin, lead developer and designer of Panzer Corps, will be interviewed live, and we will be going through the past, present and future of the Panzer Corps saga.

Source: TechPowerUp!

The upcoming Update 5 for the Asobo Studio-developed Microsoft Flight Simulator will be a welcome boon to any and all players of the simulator. The development studio has issued an update via YouTube describing the performance improvements they’ve seen with their latest work into the game engine, which has integrated DX 12 capability – taking advantage of its “closer to the metal” capabilities so as to improve performance.

The update is dropping on July 27th, the same time that the game will be made available on the Xbox family of consoles. One can easily construe a scenario where Update 5′s DX 12 and performance optimizations were made mostly as a way to make the game perform better on Xbox console hardware – the game is absolutely capable of bringing the most powerful graphics cards in the world to their knees at high resolutions and highest quality settings. With the same hardware, quality settings and playable scenario, average performance went from 32-40 FPS before the update up to the 55-60 interval post Update 5 optimizations. The update sees CPU utilization dropping by 25%; memory usage drop by 50%; and GPU utilization climbs from 75% up to 100%. Look for the break for a video showcasing the latest version of Microsoft Flight Simulator – with Update 5 applied.

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 Announces ROG Crosshair VIII Formula Motherboard Waterblock Bridge
• ASUS ROG Strix LC GeForce RTX 3080 Ti OC Hybrid Liquid and Air Cooled OC Available
• MSI 3070 SUPRIM SE GODZILLA Officially Launches in Japan
• AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT Arrives this August
• MSI Launches its GeForce RTX 3080 VENTUS 3X 10G OC LHR
• Alphacool Introduces Shroud & Decoupling for Fans and 24-pin PSU Jumper
• Philips Announces 49″ 165 Hz 498P9Z Monitor
• TeamGroup Unveils 3 New ‘Extreme Speed’ USB Flash Drives
• Thermalright Introduces the Frost Spirit 140 BLACK V3 CPU Cooler
• Thermaltake Launches New Turquoise ToughRAM RGB DDR4 Variants
• Thermalright Rolls Out the AXP90-X36 Black CPU Cooler
• Thermaltake Releases New GF1 Series 1000W/1200W PSUs
• MSI Announces the SPATIUM M-series M.2 NVMe SSDs
• TP-Link Releases Archer GX90 and Archer AX4800 Routers with Dedicated Game Band
• Lian Li Launches New UNI FAN AL120
• ENERMAX Expands to a White Version of the LIQMAX III ARGB
• MSI Launch the New MAG CH130 Series Gaming Chair

Bill, Francis, Louis and Zoey from Left 4 Dead available as playable characters in free DLC for all players. The terrifying Abaddon Asylum campaign mission awaits for Season Pass owners and as standalone paid DLC

Renowned zombie slayers Bill, Francis, Louis and Zoey from the Valve smash hit, Left 4 Dead, are tooled up and ready to take on a new horde as they join Zombie Army 4: Dead War as brand new playable characters in the latest free DLC in Season 3 which is available now! In addition to the free characters, Season Pass owners can now visit the spine-chilling Abaddon Asylum in a new campaign mission which is also available as standalone DLC.

Watch the blood-curdling new trailer HERE.

Abaddon Asylum is the second mission in the ‘Return to Hell’ campaign, following the events of Terminal Error where you uncovered information about the location of Baron Umbra, the mastermind behind the dastardly occult scheme. You will have to fight your way into the Asylum before tracking down Baron Umbra and taking him out once and for all.

As well as the thrilling new campaign mission, the latest DLC drop also includes:

• World War 1 Joshua Outfit
• World War 2 Headgear Pack
• MP.1940 SMG Bundle
• Zombie Tank Weapon Skins

Developed by Rebellion in collaboration with Flix Interactive and Radical Forge, Abaddon Asylum is available now as part of Season Pass 3 and also available to buy separately, priced £5.59. In addition, all players can also download the Left 4 Dead Character Pack for free now on all platforms.

The entire Season Pass 3 is available to buy now, priced £29.99 with far more content yet to come.

Zombie Army 4: Dead War is available now on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Epic Games Store, Steam, Microsoft Store and Google Stadia. For more info, please visit ZombieArmy.com.

Source: TechPowerUp!

AMD today released the latest version of its Radeon Software Adrenalin drivers. Version 21.6.1 beta introduce support for the upcoming FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR) feature, AMD’s answer to the NVIDIA DLSS. The driver release notes don’t mention which exact titles support it at launch, so we’ll probably have to wait until a formal launch of the feature. In addition, the drivers also introduce support for the Radeon RX 6800M mobile graphics, and optimization for “Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance.”

Among the bugs fixed with this release are one which causes FreeSync to lock up during task-switching, an application crash with “Anno 1800″ in DirectX 12 mode; AMD Cleanup Utility accidentally mopping up non-graphics AMD drivers (such as chipset, storage, etc.); lower than expected performance with “Destiny 2″ on some products; and enabling raytracing in “Ring of Elysium” causing an application crash.

Anecdotal reports of fixed idle power consumption for AMD’s graphics cards are filling the internet following the release of their latest Radeon drivers, version 21.6.1. Besides introducing support for FSR (which we have already tested with a new special image comparison code from our resident W1zzard with great results), users are reporting reduced power consumption on idle or low-intensity workloads – something that we had already covered in our latest AMD reviews, which showcased higher power consumption compared to NVIDIA.

Users are reporting drops from around 30 W to ~8 W – nothing to scoff at, and getting AMD’s offerings in line with NVIDIA’s on that particular metric. While this remains anecdotal evidence for now, rest assured that we will be testing these new drivers so as to definitely claim an improvement (or the absence of it).

The Radeon Software Adrenalin 21.6.1 drivers are available online at the AMD driver download page.

Source: TechPowerUp!

NVIDIA today released the latest version of its GeForce Game Ready drivers. Version 471.11 WHQL comes with optimization for the upcoming patch of “DOOM Eternal” that enables DLSS support. The patch is expected to go live on June 29. The drivers also add optimization for “LEGO Builder’s Journey,” including RTX raytracing and DLSS support. Optimization is also added for F1 2021, and NVIDIA Reflex integration for “Escape from Tarkov.” In addition to these, the drivers add OS optimization for Windows 10 May 2021 Update (21H1).

Among the issues fixed with this release are random flickers with WoW Shadowlands; a blackscreen issue with GeForce GTX 980M SLI notebooks; FreeStyle not working on “Crossfire” (the game) after a game update; certain HDMI displays flickering in HDR mode; incorrect color rendering with the “sharpen” FreeStyle filter being enabled with HDR on RTX 30-series GPUs; and flickering and signal connectivity issues with launching a game on a machine with multi-monitor adaptive-Sync monitors.

You can download the GeForce 471.11 WHQL Game Ready drivers via GeForce.com.

Players can also expect a whole heap of new features, including a brand-new mode, the latest season of Battle Pass, reworked HE shells and more

One of the biggest updates in recent history has arrived in World of Tanks. Update 1.13 sees major reworking of core mechanics, such as HE shells and SPG (self-propelled gun) countermeasures, as well as other changes and additions, such as a brand-new mode, the eagerly anticipated Season 5 of Battle Pass and interface improvements.

Watch the Artillery and High-Explosive shells: Important Changes for 2021 video HERE.

The heaviest change that players will notice is the new capabilities they now have to combat those vehicles that rain shells from the sky. SPGs have changed a great deal since their inception in World of Tanks, and it became clear more artillery countermeasures were needed to level the playing field somewhat. With the latest update, tankers will now have 3 tactical features at their disposal: Sound Detection is a new Commander-only perk which will warn those in the danger zone that an artillery shell is incoming through a special indicator, brighter shell tracers will allow players to better gauge from where an SPG has fired and the field of fire markers will let tankers know where an SPG recently fired (this marker will appear on the minimap for 10 seconds).

However, SPGs aren’t missing out on the fun either. Artillery now have three available shell types, all with their own purpose in battle, trajectory and velocity, granting a greater variety of tactical opportunities to arty players. Two of these shell types will not stun vehicles, which will greatly reduce the overall stun time seen in battle. Additionally, the SPG ammo interface has been updated and the Intuition perk has been reworked, meaning quicker changes of shells for all vehicle types.

Update 1.13 also sees the introduction of the reworked HE (high-explosive) shell mechanics on the main server. Now, HE shells will deal damage at the point of impact, meaning that damage will be calculated at the point of contact with the armor, unlike before which was based on a shell-burst sphere. Those playing heavily armored vehicles will certainly appreciate this change, as HE shells will inflict less damage to their frontal armor from now on. Additionally, they will also now be able to penetrate screens, tracks and the wheels of wheeled vehicles as well as insignificant and/or destructible objects, like fences, for example.

And there’s still more coming with Update 1.13. A brand-new game mode, Recon Mission, will allow tankers to test maps that are in the later stages of development, a collection of Premium vehicles and Clan Wars reward tanks are being rebalanced (as well as the Minsk map), Season 5 of Battle Pass is ready to challenge players, and a selection of interface improvements have been introduced.

For more information on World of Tanks, visit the games official website or stop by the new World of Tanks Steam page.

By Tarinder Sandhu @ Hexus

More famous for chassis and coolers, NZXT strikes divisive aesthetic notes with its latest range of motherboards. Using almost full-coverage shrouds for a smooth, minimalist look, we took a look at the AMD B550 chipset version recently.

It follows that NZXT would extend the range to encompass Intel’s Z590 chipset, so without further ado, here’s the N7 Z590.

Read the Review Here

By Sebastian Peak @ PC Perspective

Positioned below the Z590 OC Formula in ASRock’s current Intel Z590 lineup, this latest Taichi builds on the Z490 version that we looked at last year. Besides the distinctive styling, the Z590 Taichi offers robust power delivery, a trio of Intel Killer networking products, the latest in high-speed connectivity including Thunderbolt 4, and what should be some impressive audio with both Realtek ALC1220 (rear multi-channel) and ESS ES9218 (front panel stereo) DACs.

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.

• Lian Li Brings Concept Case to Retail with the 3-in-1 All Aluminum Full Tower ODYSSEY X
• AOC Launches AG274QXM Monitor with Mini LED: 27″ WQHD, IPS, 170 Hz, 1 Ms, HDR 1,000
• HyperX Adds Pink Colorway to Cloud Stinger Gaming Headset Line
• ASUS Announces TUF Gaming AX5400 Gaming Router
• Samsung Expands Odyssey Gaming Monitor Lineup
• ASUS Intros the ROG Spatha X Wireless MMO Mouse
• Cougar MG140 Air RGB Mini-Tower Case Now Available
• EK Water Blocks Now Offers EK Lignum Walnut-covered RTX 30-series Water Blocks
• Thermaltake Intros Toughpower GF1 Full-modular PSUs
• COLORFUL RTX 3090 KUDAN Limited Edition Released – It’s VERY Expensive
• Creative Launches Sound Blaster X4 Sound Card
• Team Group Steps into the New DDR5 Era, Launches Team Elite DDR5 DIMM