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.

• InWin Announces Availability of the 216 PC Chassis
• GELID Solutions unleashes a BATTLE STATION X (a PC Chassis)
• HP Announces the Omen 27i Monitor: 27″ QHD, Nano IPS, 165 Hz, 1 ms, Adaptive Sync
• Zadak Reveals Low-profile Twist Series DDR4 RAM
• ASRock Launches the Z490 AQUA Flagship Water Cooled Motherboard
• SilentiumPC Intros Spartan 4 MAX EVO ARGB CPU Cooler
• MSI Teases Z490 Gaming Motherboard With Integrated EKWB Monoblock
• Enermax Launches its Libllussion LL30 RGB Case
• ASUS ROG Zephyrus G15 Now Available
• MSI Intros Codex R 10th and MEG Trident X Gaming Desktops with 10th Gen Core Processors
• Deepcool Refreshes GAMMAX X 400 Towards EX with Improvements and Dual Fans

Armed to the teeth with machine guns and a 75mm cannon, B-25s played a key role in World War II as low-level bombers and strafers.

By Stephan Wilkinson @ History.net.com

The North American B-25 Mitchell was present for the overture of the Pacific War and was still onstage as the curtain fell on the final act. On April 18, 1942, 16 B-25Bs flew one of the first American offensive missions of the war—the famous “Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo” Doolittle Raid. On August 19, 1945, four B-25J gunships escorted a surrender-negotiation delegation aboard two Mitsubishi Betty bombers from Japan partway to Manila and back.

Read on…

A time-limited event called “Pentagon vs. Euro Forces vs. Minoboron” will be available this weekend

Gaijin Entertainment announces that the military online action game War Thunder will get a special event planned specifically for the peaceful combined training of US, European and Russian helicopter and ground vehicles crews. Modern Abrams and T-80U tanks, BMP-3 and Bradley APC’s, Mi-28 and Apache helicopters, as well as European vehicles like Leopards and Leclercs from the French, Italian, Swedish, German and UK armies will clash at the virtual battlefields this weekend. The designated training grounds will be Alaska, Finland, Middle East, Mozdoc and the Sea Terminal maps.

Anton Yudintsev, the founder of Gaijin Entertainment, said: “We read an article at the US Army website describing how the quarantined tank crews choose to use War Thunder as their preferred remote training tool. We decided to support this initiative and help all crews of modern tanks and helicopters to keep in good combat shape and boost the morale of soldiers, while safely staying at home to avoid the new coronavirus infection”.

The participants of the special event “Pentagon vs. Euro Forces vs. Minoboron” will choose one of three available sides, and all the relevant tanks, APC’s, helicopters and self-propelled anti-aircraft systems will be provided automatically without any need to unlock them in the game. While we hope that this initiative will be useful for the military personnel, any experienced War Thunder player will have access to this event – the only requirement is to have at least one rank V combat vehicle of the relevant countries.

The full description of the event is available at the official War Thunder website.

Source: Blue’s News

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Campaign Remastered is now available for Windows and Xbox One, offering the chance to reenlist for another tour of duty in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, the military shooter first released in 2009. The Activision Blog has details on the release along with the previously released Official Trailer showing the update look (though this is mostly cinematics). The PC version can be picked up through the Blizzard Shop and runs through Battle.net. Here are details on the remaster and the bonuses provides for players of the new Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and Call of Duty: Warzone:

One of the most iconic, blockbuster video game story experiences in gaming entertainment history is now available for Xbox One and PC. Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® 2 Campaign Remastered is a complete enhancement of the critically-acclaimed single player experience that includes the full campaign with stunning high-definition visuals – up to 4K resolution and HDR support on console; and, additionally, uncapped framerate as well as ultrawide monitor support on PC via Blizzard Entertainment’s Battle.net® platform.

Players who purchase Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Campaign Remastered will also receive, Underwater Demo Team Classic Ghost Bundle for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare including the UDT Ghost Operator skin inspired by the ‘The Only Easy Day…Was Yesterday’ campaign level that featured an action-packed hostage rescue attempt from an oil rig in in the arctic. Alongside the Ghost Operator skin, players will also receive two weapon blueprints, a weapon charm, new finishing move, voice quip, animated calling card, emblem and two Battle Pass tier skips all for immediate access in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and the recently released Call of Duty: Warzone.

Wargaming set to commemorate 75th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe with first-ever online live-streamed navy parade

Wargaming will join a host of nations this May in commemorating the end of World War II in Europe – with a virtual navy parade. This unique live event organized by the World of Warships’ development team in close partnership with the community will take place on May 6. Instead of battling each other at the open sea, community members and volunteers will now have a different, more peaceful role, navigating the victorious ships in a specific choreography.

The World of Warships’ parade will be live-streamed on Twitch to a worldwide audience and will feature some of the most iconic Allied warships with commentary from navy experts and New York Times bestselling author and naval historian James D. Hornfischer. Alongside Hornfischer, popular influencers The Mighty Jingles, Drachinifel and Wargaming’s very own Chieftain will present more details about selected ships while providing a historical context and highlighting the ships’ accomplishments during World War II.

The unique parade came to fruition after many nations truncated or canceled their World War II commemorations traditionally taking place in early May due to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic. Being widely recognized for its efforts to popularize history through immersive gaming experience, Wargaming took on a role of commemorating the 75th anniversary of Victory Day virtually, by preparing a special treat for all those home-bound history buffs.

During the parade, random prize drops for any World of Warship player watching will also occur, gifting VE permanent camouflages and ships.

Visit the official World of Warships website now for more game info and to sign up for World of Warships for free!

Unable to physically record actors in his studio, series composer Robert Euvino turns to the Stronghold community with a new competition

London, UK – April 30, 2020 — Firefly Studios, creators of the upcoming ‘castle sim’ RTS Stronghold: Warlords, is asking series fans to submit their own screams, grunts, shrieks, hollers and groans to be featured in the final game. Unable to source actors and record audio in person, Firefly is hoping their players will be willing to warm up their vocal chords and scream into a microphone in hopes of hearing themselves perish in-game:

Come scream with us: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4FihZ7Cke8

While in the past Firefly has invited fans to vote on weapon designs, armour and even which deceased animals can be thrown by trebuchet, submitting screams is new for the developer. The current global pandemic is presenting developers of all shapes and sizes with unique challenges, but Firefly are hoping they can get closer to their community by letting it all out and bursting a few ear drums in the process.

“These are troubling times. People are concerned about their health, loved ones and jobs” said Robert Euvino, Composer and Sound Designer on Stronghold: Warlords. “It got me thinking, this might be a good opportunity to have a little bit of fun with fans of the game and include them in a manner which we’ve never really tried before.”

Players can take part by joining the #screams-of-stronghold channel on the official Stronghold Discord server, where they can find out more about the submission process and technical requirements to make their screams useable in-game: https://discord.gg/qMG7Zae

If their death screams end up being used, players will be able to hear themselves die in Stronghold: Warlords when the game launches on Scream Steam later this year. For more information and the latest updates players can visit the game’s official website.

Today, Ubisoft announced that the next installment in the Assassin’s Creed® franchise, Assassin’s Creed® Valhalla, will release Holiday 2020 on Xbox Series X, PlayStation®5, Xbox One, PlayStation®4, Stadia, and for Windows PC exclusively on both the Epic Games Store and the Ubisoft Store. The game will also be available on UPLAY+, Ubisoft’s subscription service.

Developed by the team behind Assassin’s Creed® IV Black Flag® and Assassin’s Creed® Origins at Ubisoft Montreal, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla invites players to live the saga of Eivor, a fierce Viking raider raised on tales of battle and glory. Offering a captivating Viking experience, the game brings players to a dynamic and beautiful open world set against the brutal backdrop of England’s Dark Ages. In this latest iteration, players can take advantage of new features including raids, growing their settlement, building their power and expanding their influence.

“We can’t wait for players to experience the incredible Viking journey ahead of them,” said Ashraf Ismail, Creative Director of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. “Being in Eivor’s boots as both a Viking raider and a clan leader, players will face the conflicts of establishing a new home in the midst of a power struggle for control of England.”

Players will be able to choose to play as either a male or female Eivor, and will have access to customization tools including the ability to customize hair, tattoos, clothing, war paint, and gear. Political alliances, combat decisions, and dialogue choices can influence the world of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, so players must choose wisely to protect their clan’s home and future.

Driven from Norway by endless wars and dwindling resources in ninth century AD, players will lead Eivor’s clan of Norsemen across the icy North Sea to the rich lands of England’s broken kingdoms. Players must carve out a new future for their clan, reliving the ruthless fighting style of Viking warriors with a revamped combat system that includes the ability to dual-wield weapons against a greater variety of enemies than ever before. To secure resources, players can lead raids to select locations using their longship to earn much-needed riches and supplies. As the Vikings begin to settle in their new home, they encounter resistance from the Saxons, including King Aelfred of Wessex, who denounces them as heathens and looks to be the sole ruler of a civilized England. Against all odds, Eivor must do what is necessary to keep Valhalla within reach.

View the World Premiere Trailer HERE.  Watch the Developer Commentary Trailer HERE.

Additionally, the Gold, Ultimate and Collector’s editions of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla were announced along with Ubicollectibles products:

• The Gold Edition will include the base game and the Season Pass.
• The Ultimate Edition will include the base game, the Season Pass and the Ultimate Pack, giving players access to exclusive customization content: the Berserker Gear Pack, the Berserker Settlement Pack and the Berserker Longship Pack, along with a Set of Runes to improve weapons or gear.
• The Collector’s Edition will include the base game, the Season Pass, the Ultimate Pack, a high-end Ubicollectibles replica of Eivor and her longship (30 cm high), a Collector’s Case, a SteelBook with unique artwork, a numbered certificate of authenticity, a Viking Statuette of Eivor with his raven and Dane axe (5 cm high), exclusive lithographs as well as a selected soundtrack of the game. The Collector’s Edition is available exclusively from the Ubisoft Store.
• The stand-alone Ubicollectibles products will include the Eivor Wolf-Kissed Figurine and his Hidden Blade Replica.

Fans who pre-order Assassin’s Creed Valhalla will receive an additional mission at launch, The Way of the Berserker, in which players will join a legendary Norse Berserker on his quest for revenge.

Finally, fans will be able to step even further into the world of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla with the original novel published by Tor Books, available Holiday 2020.

For more information on Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, please visit: assassinscreed.com

For the latest news on Assassin’s Creed Valhalla and all of Ubisoft’s games, please visit: news.ubisoft.com

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.

• Intel 10th Generation Comet Lake Desktop Processors and 400-Series Chipsets Announced
• EVGA Announces Z490 DARK and Z490 FTW Motherboards
• MSI Announces its Intel 400-series Chipset Motherboards
• ASUS Announces Z490 Series Motherboards
• GIGABYTE Launches Z490 AORUS Motherboards
• COLORFUL Launches iGame Z490 VULCAN X V20 and CVN Z490 GAMING PRO V20 Motherboards
• BIOSTAR Announces Intel 400 Series Chipset Motherboards
• EK Water Blocks Announces EK VRM Bridge for Maximus XII
• Philips Launches the 275B1, 245B1 and 242B1 Monitors
• EK Introduces Offset Mounting Brackets For Pumps, Reservoirs, & Combo Units
• Phanteks Announces Glacier G2080 ASUS GPU Waterblock
• ASRock Launches Complete 400-series Motherboards
• Abkoncore Unveils Cronos Zero Stone Noise Case with Acoustic Dampening
• MSI Has Announced the Optix G27C5 27″ Curved Gaming Monitor – 165 Hz Refresh Rate on a 1080P Resolution
• ID-Cooling Announces SE-224-XT RGB CPU Cooler
• MSI Announces MAG X570 Tomahawk WiFi Motherboard
• be quiet! Announces Pure Rock 2: High-compatibility Tower Cooler for the Masses
• Genesis Gaming Announces Thor 300 RGB Mechanical Keyboard
• Origin PC Announces The Ludicrous PC: High-End Custom PC Inside a Tesla-inspired Chassis
• Antec Releases Signature 80 PLUS Platinum and Titanium Power Supply Lines
• Bitspower Intros Lotan VGA Water Block for ASUS Turbo GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER EVO
• Jonsbo Reveals Surprisingly Cheap TW2 PRO 360 AIO Cooler
• GIGABYTE Launches New Gaming Series Monitors
• GIGABYTE Launches the AORUS K1 Mechanical Gaming Keyboard
• Cooler Master Launches MasterLiquid ML120/240L RGB V2
• Thermaltake Launches TOUGHRAM Z-ONE Memory Series
• EK Waterblocks Unveils VTX-Powered Kinetic Reservoir+Pump Combo Units
• Alphacool Intros Eiszyklon Aurora LUX PRO 2 Digital RGB Fan
• EVGA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti XC Hydro Copper Now Available

By Hilbert Hagedoorn @ GURU3D

Interesting feature huh? Right now the skies would be quite empty though. But yea, next to ading real-time weather Microsoft Flight Simulator will use real flight information to simulate real-time air traffic.

This is confirmed by Sebastian Wloch, director of Asobo, in the latest video in the series of new features. The flight information will simulate “most, if not all” of the planes that fly over the world at any time, and when the game is offline, an AI will take over piloting them. Meanwhile, if players activate Live Players mode, the weather will also be simulated based on real-world information. For example, if you fly over Paris in the middle of a storm, that’s because there is indeed a storm in Paris.

Live Players mode will be the main simulation of the game, but there is also the All Players mode, which allows you to control practically everything in the simulation, including weather. The latter will be more attractive for those who only want to fly and enjoy the landscapes of the world without paying much attention to reality.

Update April 22nd: the specs have been released as to what is recommended PC wise. Obviously you’ll need a beefy PC. Flight Simulator requires at least 150GB of storage. Just 8GB of ram and an AMD Ryzen 3 1200 or Intel Core i5-4460 processor at a minimum, with 2GB of VRAM from a graphics card — with Microsoft requiring an AMD Radeon RX 570 or NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770 graphics card.

If you really like some eye-candy, you’ll need a Ryzen 5 1500X or Core i5-8400 with 16GB of system RAM paired with a Radeon RX 590 or GeForce GTX 970.

The “ideal spec” is a Ryzen 7 Pro 2700X or Core i7-9800X / 32GB of system RAM and a something like a Radeon VII or GeForce RTX 2080 graphics card. Interesting that a Radeon VII is listed, likely in the best graphics conditions the simulator will eat up lots of VRAM.

Watch the Feature Discovery Series Episode 7: Multiplayer Trailer HERE.

Set between January 1942 and April 1943, Order of Battle: Red Steel covers the battles of the Soviet Union at the most crucial moment of World War II, and it is out now on PC and Mac. Watch the new gameplay trailer HERE.

After slowing down Operation Barbarossa, the Red Army has launched a series of counter-offensives during the winter. Losses in terms of men and materials are horrendous on both sides. German high command has a new, ambitious plan to renew its offensive in the coming spring. Can the Red Army stop the Wehrmacht and save the Motherland?

Red Steel is Order of Battle’s second DLC, focusing on the German invasion of Russia. After the initial German success seen in the Red Star DLC, it’s now time for the counterattack.

You can now purchase OT-34 flame tanks, T-70 light and KV-1 m1942 heavy tanks, improved 45mm 1942 AT guns, and the new ZiS-3 field gun which can also be used in an AT role. In the air, you’ll need the improved models of aircraft like Yak-9D and La-5F fighters, or Il-2M or Pe-2FT tactical bombers to keep up with the Luftwaffe.

But the enemy is also fielding brand new equipment: the Germans have new and improved Panzer 38 G, Panzer IV G, and Bf-110 G vehicles. Their Romanian allies now deploy R-2 tanks and IAR-80 fighters, whilst the Hungarians are using a derivative of the Italian Reggiane 2000 fighter under the name MAVAG Heya, plus more equipment from Germany.

Don’t forget that you’re still in time to take advantage of the Order of Battle sale, lasting until Monday! You can see all the offers here.