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That's €1702.24 for our readers in Europe. Stationary bikes are a good way to keep up with exercise while stuck at home. But what happens when your bike manufacturer drops support for their fitness app? After Flywheel Sports recently shut down their cycling app support, one maker not only solved the issue with the help of a Raspberry Pi but shared the solution for anyone else in the same boat. You don't even need a powerful model; the Raspberry Pi Zero will do just fine. The original app provided not only online classes and virtual courses to explore, but also real-time feedback about your current performance. While you can get plenty of exercise on the stationary bike as-is, much of the appeal comes with the benefits and features provided by the app. According to the blog post shared on ptx2, the biggest goal was to create cross-compatibility with various cycling apps using the Raspberry Pi. So far, the dev was able to create support for Zwift and would like to see future support for apps like Rouvy or TrainerRoad. If you want to learn more about the development of this project, check out the full post. You can also explore the final code in GitHub. Be sure to follow ptx2 on their official website for future updates.

You can try workarounds until Microsoft releases a patch Microsoft disclosed on Monday a flaw in all supported versions of Windows that is already being used in “limited targeted attacks.” There is currently no patch to fix the flaw, which Microsoft labeled as "critical." The vulnerability stems from the Adobe Type Manager Library, a Windows 10 DLL file used to manage fonts across various apps. When a hacker exploits the flaw, they can trick a user into opening or viewing a document then use one of two known remote code executions to plant harmful code in the victim's system. Microsoft didn't disclose which groups or individuals are exploiting the vulnerability or what damage the attacks have caused. It's also possible, as Ars Technica points out, that targeted attacks were only attempted but never succeeded in taking over a system. These attacks most likely targeted high-profile individuals, like government officials. “Microsoft is aware of limited, targeted attacks that attempt to leverage this vulnerability,” Monday’s admitted in an advisory. “For systems running supported versions of Windows 10 a successful attack could only result in code execution within an AppContainer sandbox context with limited privileges and capabilities.” Windows 10 flaw: What to do While there isn't an update to patch the vulnerability just yet, Microsoft says it's working on a fix and noted that "Updates that address security vulnerabilities in Microsoft software are typically released on Update Tuesday, the second Tuesday of each month." The company stopped short of promising an April 14 update, but we expect Microsoft is aiming for the second Tuesday of next month. Until then, Microsoft suggests a few workarounds: disable the preview and details pane in Windows Explorer, disable the WebClient service, and rename ATMFD.DLL or disable the file from the registry. Each of these actions has its advantages in preventing an attack, but they also cause some services to stop responding. For example, disabling the preview pane in Windows Explorer will prevent a malicious file from being viewed, but it doesn't stop local attacks and Open Type fonts won't be automatically displayed. Disable the WebClient service will block any remote attempts to exploit a system but attackers who are already inside the PC can run apps on the computer or LAN. You can read Microsoft's advisory for detailed steps on how to execute the workarounds, their potential impact, and how to undo them when a proper patch is released.

game information: Platforms:PlayStation 4, PC, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One Developers:DrinkBox Studios Publishers:DrinkBox Studios Features:Offline Co-Op Multiplayer Release Date:August 21, 2018 Guacamelee 2 often had me laughing out loud. And just as often, it had me gripping my controller and gritting my teeth, trying not to be too frustrated with myself as I learned the luchador skills needed to nail its most difficult platforming puzzles. But no matter what emotion it evoked, I loved nearly every minute of Drinkbox Studios’ fantastic follow-up, which offers a smart evolution of its revered predecessor that only briefly feels overly familiar. Picking up with a helpful reminder of how Guacamelee ended (which I needed, because it was first released way back in 2013) the sequel returns with plenty of humor and a surprising but welcome bit of pathos at the start of its eight-hour adventure. I was surprised at how affected I was to see Juan enjoy a peaceful life at home with his wife, two kids, and a diet that has caused his fighting physique to be lost to time, only for his happiness — in every possible timeline imaginable — to be disrupted by a new evil, Salvador. Yes, Guacamelee 2 tackles the well-worn trope of multiple timelines converging and endangering all of existence, but approaches it through the clever lens of the Mexiverse. I initially groaned a bit at that name, but Guacamelee 2 is not content to let an amusing portmanteau be the extent of its joke. The central conceit of the sequel works so well because Drinkbox wholeheartedly tackles the idea of multiple timelines, playing into established characters from the first entry while also finding clever new ways to use those to twist the gameplay, like temporarily transforming the adventure into a simple, but amusing turn-based RPG. It feels like a natural extension of the dimension shifting introduced in the original, with both character and gameplay implications that often had me chuckling in between sections of challenging platforming. Guacamelee 2 actually gives its referential humor substance this time around. And Guacamelee 2 is consistently clever and funny. The original’s humor is plentiful, but relies a little too much on tossing out as much referential humor as possible rather than making those references actually funny. Meme overload was a problem, and Drinkbox clearly recognized that and addressed it by adding depth to the gags. Posters referencing pop culture still po[CENSORED]te Juan’s Mexico, but they’re more evergreen and less focused on squeezing a hammy joke onto a signboard. Instead, the referential humor comes in the form of gameplay interludes referencing classic and indie gaming hits ranging from The Unfinished Swan to even Guacamelee itself. It would be a shame to ruin them for you, but rest assured nearly every one of them had me laughing along to their clever twists. Those subversions often include a one-off gameplay hook that, while often played for laughs, inject some nice variety and are always worth seeing through to the end. Guacamelee 2 does a great job of balancing all of this referential world-building with the beautiful, brightly colored style of the Mexiverse. I often found myself spending extra time in certain areas, flipping back and forth between the two realms just to experience the art styles of both the worlds of the living and the dead. From temples to the underworld to quiet pueblos pocketed by timeline-melding distortions, I adored watching the vibrancy of Juan’s world pop with earthy browns and forested greens in the land of the living and bright blues and shocking streaks of pink in the land of the dead. Drinkbox finds clever ways of playing with Juan and other characters. And my investment in it only became greater thanks to some smart story choices. Drinkbox finds clever ways of playing with Juan, his cantankerous mentor Uay Chivo, and other established characters – so much so that I came away surprised by how much I gave a damn about what happened to Juan when he was pulled away from his own home timeline. The story does miss a step in its exploration of the villain, Salvador, though. He’s initially set up to be a fascinating foil to Juan, but he only has a few paltry scenes in which to develop, including one incredibly exposition-heavy sequence that could have had so much more impact had Salvador and Juan interacted more often. That scene in particular sets up what should be a sympathetic character, only to end up feeling more forced than earned. Mucha Lucha Thankfully, the adventure is filled with a host of challenging and satisfying platforming and combat, all culled from Juan’s fighting style. It takes a little longer than I would have liked to reacquire his returning powers, which include suped-up headbutts, ground pounds, a reality-shifting ability, and more, but Drinkbox does a great job of peppering in a few new hooks alongside all of those moves. Guacamelee 2's platforming can be complex, but it never feels unfair. And I mean literal hooks — Juan can latch onto and launch from any number of eagle-shaped hooks strategically floating throughout the world. They add a new dimension to platforming, which, especially as the adventure goes on, can require some devilishly difficult timing. Jumping, punching, hook jumping, and dimension shifting all have to be strategically deployed to progress. Thankfully, the added complexity does not come at the cost of a sense of achievability. It’s often tricky, but Guacamelee 2 always feels fair in its construction, and is reasonably forgiving thanks to frequent checkpoint saves. A missed platform or a death at the hands of a room full of foes always came down to my timing, never the way levels or combat scenarios were crafted. A series of skill trees do a nice job of forcing you to use the full gamut of Juan’s moves in combat, but I would have liked to have seen more variance in Juan’s human moveset. Because so much of it is carried over from the first game, it begins to feel like more of the same as the adventure wears on. The biggest mechanical additions are for Juan’s chicken form, including an aerial dash, which can hilariously be used to ping-pong a chicken up or down a corridor. A subplot revolving around the chickens of Guacamelee offers a hilarious explanation, and while it’s less essential to see that all the way through I absolutely recommend doing so. While it’s a joy to explore Guacamelee 2 thanks to the clever writing snuck into every corner of the map, it’s also a rewarding thrill to complete its platforming puzzles, which can be quite the challenge, but by no means impossible. More than once, rooms that had me dimension shifting to jump between walls while avoiding lava below and spikey gears working their way around the room tripped me up enough to require a few breaks and episodes of Steven Universe to clear my mind. The road to 100% offers several more hours of challenging, rewarding content. For those who want a bit more punishment, the road to 100% easily offers that with three or so more hours of optional content… depending on how often you die, of course. I easily died over a dozen times at each of the most difficult platforming challenges, including a few that required me to hit multiple eagle hooks while dimension shifting to activate them all, only to then turn into a chicken to float above spike beds, and then hop back to Juan’s human form for more eagle hooks without missing a beat. But the work was worth it — not just for the extra treasure but for the pure satisfaction of overcoming its smartly designed obstacle courses, which forced me to master every one of Juan’s skills in combination with one another. That always felt achievable thanks to how gradually it layers on new mechanics, which inform both the fighting and platforming simultaneously. Tag Team Whether you’re overcoming a difficult jump or a hallway full of undead foes, up to three friends can lend you assistance if needed. I played a couple hours with a co-op buddy, and the presence of another player can turn into a difficult, synchronized ballet of flying fists and leaping luchadors. Figuring out how to properly hop, dimension shift, and punch our way through together made me think about Guacamelee 2’s puzzles in a new, fascinating way — he could handle dimension duties while I timed by jumps to his shifting, for example. That said, not all of these challenges are well-suited to multiple luchadors. Some of the most difficult parts demand perfect unity, and that… well, that’s really hard to achieve in the later and optional challenges. It simply became easier to let my friend die as I coasted through a difficult corridor rather than spend so much time nailing down timing on a relatively easy obstacle. It’s nice to have, but doesn’t add anything significant to the satisfaction of toughing out Guacamelee 2’s challenges alone. Verdict Guacamelee 2 is a hilarious, challenging, and rewarding follow-up to Drinkbox’s original. It expands on the first’s ideas in so many great ways, and marries a complex but understandable set of moves to both its combat and platforming. While a few more additional moves would have been nice, this new adventure offsets some of the saminess with wacky, one-off gameplay experiments that are often a blast to experience. The same can be said for the improvements in its storytelling, which come courtesy of a surprising amount of heart, and referential humor that’s is much more frequently earned and explored rather than left at surface level. Drinkbox has taken what could have been simply a rehash and pushed Guacamelee 2 to be better in nearly every facet. SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS MINIMUM: OS: Windows 10, 8, 7 Processor: 2 Ghz+ Memory: 1 GB RAM Graphics: Shader Model 5.0 (DX11 support required), 2 GB available graphics memory DirectX: Version 11 Storage: 2 GB available space Additional Notes: Supports Xbox 360 Controller and other XInput-compatible controllers

game information: Developers:Crowbar Collective Publishers:Crowbar Collective Features:Online Release Date:September 14, 2012 Black Mesa is unique in all of gaming history in that it’s a fan-remake of the original 1998 Half-Life that Valve has actually allowed to be sold as its own full game. That’s unheard of! It is unquestionably great to have a way to experience such a seminal first-person shooter with a little less of its 22 years of accumulated dust, and almost all of the liberties taken from the original design feel like improvements. That said, the project was in the works for so long – eight years! – that now that it’s finally been declared "finished" it feels like it’s a prime candidate for its own remake to bring it up to 2020 standards. As someone who hasn’t replayed Half-Life since Valve ported it to the Source engine (without updating any of the models or textures) back in 2004, playing Black Mesa and fighting off a familiar interdimensional invasion was like putting on some smudged-up rose-colored glasses. Everything looks a lot better than it originally did, for sure... but not as good as I willfully misremembered. Human character models and animations aren’t quite up to the standard Valve set with Half-Life 2 in 2004 (let alone the new bar about to be set in Half-Life: Alyx) and textures are pretty rough in a lot of places. The most jarring thing, though, is the loading screens. Just like in 1998, they too frequently freeze the action as you’re walking down a hallway for around five seconds, even on an SSD. This is an engine limitation the Black Mesa development team at Crowbar Collective likely had no way of working around, but it still makes it feel very old because you just don’t see that kind of thing anymore. Even so, the atmosphere and action that made the original game so brilliant is brought out and highlighted even more in this version. Welcome liberties are taken to cut out annoying segments of the original and add more of what works. There are noticeably more NPC interactions that are generally well-acted and include in-jokes that reference the original dialogue, along with tons of environmental storytelling for you to stumble across, telling small stories of the last moments of the Black Mesa Research Facility’s less fortunate scientists and security guards. It makes the sterile lab feel more like a real, lived-in (or at least worked-in) place. It’s great to have real physics here as well – after Half-Life 2 it’s hard to imagine a Half-Life game without them – even though they’re very rarely used in puzzles or combat. One addition I’m not wild about is the original music, which chimes in to mark most occasions in which you achieve a major goal. It’s not bad music, by any means, it simply strikes the wrong tone for Half-Life. At least, until you reach the alien homeworld of Xen, at which point it feels much more appropriate. And the weapons? They’re still as good as ever. And the weapons? They’re still as good as ever. The crowbar is absurd in how quickly and manically Gordon can swing it to bludgeon enemies or shatter the wooden crates you’ll find everywhere, but it’s certainly useful in a pinch. But what really stands out for me is the loud and powerful .357 magnum – it’s easily one of the best game pistols of all time. This hand cannon might be slow to fire and slower to reload its six-round capacity, but the thunderous sound it makes and the devastating impact on your target makes it more than worth all its limitations. The sniper crossbow packs a similar weighty punch, but from much farther away. And who wouldn’t love the guided RPG launcher that lets you circle a rocket around a helicopter and then come back to score a hit? Then there’s the Ghostbusters’ proton-pack-style Gluon Gun, which just wrecks everything and turns them into floating glowing chunks that eventually evaporate. Things get weird when you acquire alien weapons. They’re not all winners, though - weapons like the trip mine and the satchel charge feel like they were built for multiplayer rather than the single-player enemies, which rarely give you opportunities for setting elaborate traps. Black Mesa isn’t really a hard game as far as combat goes. Thanks to his iconic, hunting-vest-orange power suit, our boy Gordon is such an absolute beefcake tank when he’s fully charged up that he can go toe to toe with just about anything short of an actual tank. And the run-and-gun combat is still a lot of fun. It’s true, the soldiers you fight no longer feel like a wonder of AI like you might remember them from back in the day, but outside of a few artificial brain farts they usually put up a good fight and die well. Half-Life’s mix of alien creatures, soldiers, super-speedy spec ops troops, and bigger stuff really does remain exemplary to this day – and the long-fingered headcrab zombies will never not be creepy. The long-fingered headcrab zombies will never not be creepy. Most of the time, though, you’re sorting out how to get from point A to point B across a dozen different environments, ranging from the Research Facility itself to outdoor areas like canyons and military installations. Often, you’re doing this with very vague instructions as to how or even why you’re seeking out and pressing buttons to turn on various machinery. That leads to a lot of aimlessly wandering each area trying to figure out which control panel works, which valve to turn, which tiny gap in a barrier to squeeze through to reach your unknown objective. It’s a good thing Black Mesa is so atmospheric to explore! Taking into account getting lost and groping around for a bit you’re probably looking at around 15 or 20 hours to play through it – I found myself near the high end of that. A few times I’ve gotten pretty thoroughly stuck and have had to resort to consulting YouTube walkthroughs. Only a handful of those instances made me facepalm over how obvious the solution was – much more often it’s been more like, “How the heck was I supposed to figure that out?” Fortunately, the puzzles themselves are generally smart and varied, outside of a few obnoxious jumping sections that had me making extremely frequent use of the quick-save button. Black Mesa saves its biggest and most impressive revision for last: the completely reimagined Xen section is definitely the best looking of all of the levels – which makes sense because it’s the most recently constructed. It’s very much its own, distinctively alien setting, and exploring it was novel even for someone who’s played all the Half-Life games. Plus, it can only really be an improvement over the lifeless, floating rocks of the original. It’s definitely worth checking out. Finally, Black Mesa even includes several multiplayer modes… but basically no one is playing them at this point. Verdict Whether you played Half-Life back in the day or not, Black Mesa is definitely the best way to experience one of the crown jewels of first-person shooter history. It doesn’t look like a 2020 remake – because it’s not, really – but it still makes great use of the distinctively creepy atmosphere and excellent combat that left such a mark on this genre. And what better way to get ready for Valve finally returning to the Half-Life universe? SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS: MINIMUM: OS: Windows® 7 (32/64-bit)/Vista or Greater Processor: 2.6 Dual Core Processor or Greater Memory: 6 GB RAM Graphics: 2 GB Dedicated Video Card or Greater DirectX: Version 9.0c Network: Broadband Internet connection Storage: 20 GB available space RECOMMENDED: OS: Windows® 7 (32/64-bit) or Greater Processor: 3.2 Quad Core Processor or Greater Memory: 8 GB RAM Graphics: 4 GB Dedicated Video Card or Greater DirectX: Version 9.0c Network: Broadband Internet connection Storage: 20 GB available space

A more versatile fish As something that graces your head, the best gaming headset does more than offer good audio: it should feel good too. The Razer BlackShark V2 released today for $99.99 checks that box off thoroughly, boasting a lightweight build that adds very little pressure to your skull. With the option for a USB Type-A or 3.5mm connection, extensive mic and audio tweaking options and well-isolated earcups, Razer has a decent proposition in what it calls the “definitive eSports gaming headset.” Those excited about THX Spatial Audio for surround sound and game-specific audio profiles can expect varying experiences depending on the title. Razer BlackShark V2 Specs Razer BlackShark V2 Design and Comfort The original Razer BlackShark was one wild-looking headset. But it’s 2020, and today’s BlackShark V2 is ready for the new age with a toned down look that’ll invoke fewer head turns in a professional setting. I said fewer second takes, though, not zero. Razer hasn’t completely abandoned the green (there’s also a BlackShark V2 Special Edition with a green cable “coming soon”), but this is much further from looking like a helicopter headset. You still get splashes of green, courtesy of the earcup logos, exposed cable connecting the headband to each earcup and even under the mute button. But by ditching the metal and additional crazy cords, the BlackShark V2 is a lot easier on the eyes. One of the more striking parts of the design is the shape of the ear forks. They’re more like bars, and allow the earcups to pivot in and slightly out, but you can’t flip them out flat for easy storage. You can also pull the cups down more, exposing more of the wire, for more adjustment. Exposed wire is kept to a minimum and brings an appropriate pop of color to an otherwise muted headset. But I’m never thrilled to see exposed cabling because I worry about damage, and the design choice doesn’t even serve any functional purpose. However, the cable here is braided, and Razer told me it confirms headsets with this design can handle the daily grind through testing. When you first pick up the BlackShark V2 you’ll likely notice two things: how light it is and how budget it feels considering the price. The latter isn’t all the headset’s fault. There’s no brushed-metal finishes or RGB, and the earcups are dull, matte plastic. And the cushioned points are less dense than in some other cans. But that all contributes to a light weight, which is, of course, key to comfort. At 0.6 pounds, the BlackShark V2 is comparable to similarly priced headsets sporting USB and 3.5mm connectivity options. For example, the SteelSeries Arctis 5 is 0.6 pounds, the HyperX Cloud II is 0.7 pounds and the Razer Kraken Tournament Edition is 0.7 pounds. And while that light weight no doubt contributed to the BlackShark V2’s airy feel while wearing, Razer’s careful use of padding seemed to help too. The oval ear cushions use memory foam that isn’t as dense or resistant when you squeeze it as I’ve experienced with other cans. But it turns out that worked in the headset’s favor. There was barely any pressure on the sides of my head, and for someone with a lot of thick hair, that’s saying a lot. Razer packed the cups’ memory foam into cloth FlowKnit weaved fabric that didn’t trap heat as much (I could feel just a hint of moisture after hours of use in my hot and humid Brooklyn apartment) and stayed cool even after hours of use. Leatherette, however, would be helpful for fighting sound leakage, so the BlackShark V2’s earcups have leatherette lining the inside. The inner earcup measures 2.56 x 1.57 inches, according to Razer. Instead of memory foam, the faux leather headband uses plush padding, but this wasn’t completely damning, perhaps because the headset’s so light. In fact, I hardly ever noticed the headband on my head. Combined with the properly stuffed ear cushions that didn’t bother me in the heat, I could forget I was wearing the BlackShark V2 after a while. Hardware controls are on the left earcup only. The volume button is impossible to miss, since it juts out so powerfully. It spins smoothly with a tactile notch in the middle. The mic mute button is the other control and offers a lot of travel and a green base for an appreciated touch of green. The headset’s left earcup is also where the (non-removable) cable comes out and where you’ll find the mic port that’s shaped in such a way that you can’t mess up insertion. This keeps things simple. You’ll never hit the wrong button. However, I wish there was a way to toggle virtual 7.1 surround sound on or off, either on the earcup or via a USB control box like the HyperX Cloud II offers. Razer’s BlackShark V2 boasts a thinner braided cable, specifically a Razer Speedflex one that offers a lot of bend to fight cable drag. The cable ends in a 3.5mm jack, but you can plug it into the included USB sound card to enable THX Spatial Sound and mic and audio tweaking. Razer’s New Titanium-Coated Drivers The stars of the BlackShark V2 are the new 50mm drivers debuting with it, dubbed Razer Triforce Titanium. The eponymous drivers are supposed to work like three drivers in one and are coated in titanium. While typical drivers tune low, mid and high frequencies in the same section of the driver, Razer’s Triforce Titanium drivers have three distinct ports for each. Separating these audio frequencies is supposed to result in brighter sound with vocals that are more clear and crisp and treble and bass with more oomph. The BlackShark V2 also boasts thicker speaker cavities for more volume, as well as clarity in the mid and high range. A titanium coating tops off the diaphragm. The vendor told me that the element is lightweight and stiff, allowing the drivers to move to very high frequencies without getting into breakup mode, which is when the diaphragm starts distorting mechanicals and can lead to audible distortion. As such, the BlackShark V2 goes to a higher frequency than rivals (28 KHz, compared to the Arctis 5’s 20 KHz and Cloud II’s 25 KHz). Razer BlackShark V2 Audio Performance Overall, I was impressed with the performance of Razer’s new drivers. They were sufficiently loud, resulting in me typically opting for 50% volume when gaming and around the same amount when listening to music or voicework. Audio sounded rich and layered, whether listening to the booming shots of a gun turn into ringing and underscored by the sound of shells dropping, someone’s voice or the complex, dance-ready beats of ABBA. You can use the BlackShark V2 with a 3.5mm connection, making it suitable for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and mobile devices. But to access premium features, like audio tweaking and THX Spatial Audio virtual surround sound, you’ll need the USB connection. I did my testing with the USB connection. I first spent some time in the war zone with Battlefield V with the out-of-box settings and kept THX Spatial Audio off. The BlackShark V2 definitely brought an upgrade over my gaming laptop’s two 2W speakers, in terms of both clarity and max volume. Minute details, such as the gentle whisper of the wind blowing or the crunching of dirt beneath my crawling body, were present. I could also tell where sounds were coming from at times. That includes the echoing boom of an explosion on my left side that seemingly filled my left earcups. At max volume, gunshots were excitingly overwhelming, not just in volume and the bass-heavy booms, but also the shrill sounds accompanying them. The cans use leatherette lining to prevent sound leakage, but someone sitting 6 feet away from me reported hearing the gunshots and background music with the cans bumped to the max. At a much more comfortable 50% volume, they couldn’t hear a thing. The exploding sound of a tank firing still scared the crap out of me, so 50% is ample. THX Spatial Audio is supposed to deliver 360-degree audio that’s more immersive than even virtual 7.1 surround sound. The sad news is that the feature didn’t make a difference here, suggesting this mode is best reserved for one of the 18 games on Razer’s list with premade profiles. In addition to being able to apply THX Spatial Audio to any game or situation, the headset is debuting with the first ever THX Game Profiles (more headsets will receive them in the future). Supported games (additional titles are promised for this year) get one or two developer-approved audio profiles. THX Environmental Mode is closer to what the developer had in mind. THX Competitive Mode emphasizes gaming elements key to winning, like the sound of gunshots or footsteps, while minimizing background and other noises. Both work by optimizing for the room or space you’re character is in, making EQ adjustments and adjusting virtual surround speaker placement. However, the effectiveness of THX Spatial Audio’s game-specific profiles may vary. You could customize the experience by tweaking speaker locations. But I didn’t get a dramatic boost in audio quality, or even a very noticeable difference, when toggling the THX Game Profiles on and off. With Apex Legends, the difference was subtle, depending on what you were doing in the game. It wasn't like toggling between THX Spatial Audio being off, on or on with one of the two THX Game Profiles brought immediate, obvious changes. Instead, Competitive Mode quieted noises that don't aid in victory, like the sounds of wind gently blowing or the crackling of a nearby fire. Meanwhile, in Environmental Mode, the game sounded fuller with more detailed audio compared to when THX Spatial Audio was completely off -- it was subtle, but still a small improvement. Apex Legends already had a dramatic surround sound effect with, for example, audio focused out of my left earcup if a character to my left was speaking, so it's possible that the BlackShark V2 will bring larger gains in games that do this less well out of the box (so to speak). Metro Exodus only has THX Environmental Mode. While I thought the game sounded slightly louder and that I could hear the echo of my wheezy breath in a cave a little better, it was a small boost. I spoke to Razer about my experience, and a spokesperson told me that THX Game Profiles' "expected effects depends on the type of game." It also pointed to Valorant and Destiny 2 as games that especially benefited. When listening to podcasts and a variety of musical genres, the BlackShark V2 was accurate and layered. THX Spatial Audio changed how music sound slightly, making The Strokes' "Whatever Happened?" and "One Way Trigger" sound like they were playing toward the center of my ears instead of slightly behind them. I didn't get a big boost in movies with surround sound using THX Spatial Audio. But when it comes to general listening, the BlackShark V2 should do all your favorite forms of media justice Razer BlackShark V2 Mic The mic on the BlackShark V2 is a first for Razer. It’s the brand's first cans to use the Razer HyperClear Cardioid mic, which is detachable and also has noise cancellation for blocking out noises besides your voice. Razer claims a 100 Hz - 10 KHz frequency response and 60dB signal-to-noise ratio with sound picked up unidirectionally. The mic should be a welcome addition to your Discord chatting or conference calls. Compared to my PC’s built-in mic, for example, my voice sounded less muffled and more accurate in pitch. The HyperClear Cardioid mic also blocked out the sound of my TV better and didn’t pick up the sound of my PC’s fans at all. It won’t make your voice sound as warm as one of the best gaming microphones would, but its noise cancellation can rival standalone mics. If you’re using the USB connection, you can use Razer Synapse (more on that below) for mic tweaks, including mic volume and an equalizer with premade profiles for broadcasting, a conference call and mic boost. Razer BlackShark V2 Features and Software Besides the mic controls detailed above, Razer Synapse offers very extensive audio controls when the headset is attached to your PC via USB. As mentioned in the Audio Performance section above, there’s a section for toggling THX Game Profiles on and off. Here, you could also tweak the location of the virtual speakers within a circle and in terms of distance from your head. In addition to the mic tweaking functions discussed in the mic section above, you also get a general equalizer with options for bass boost, soundmalizaion and voice clarity. There are also premade profiles: Default, Game, Mobie, Music and Custom, plus the ability to save your own. Bottom Line The Razer BlackShark V2 is definitely more versatile than its predecessor. I can’t attest to the first version’s fit, but Razer’s latest is on the more comfortable side of the spectrum, due to its lightweight build and padding that barely adds any pressure to the cranium. Razer’s new drivers are also powerful, yet accurate. With its lack of lavish touches, like brushed metal, plastic earcups and less dense padding, you might not suspect the cans are as pricey or powerful as they actually are when first picking them up. And, as typical, your experience with virtual surround sound may vary. However, THX Spatial Audio can indeed prove effective in some games, especially those with THX Game Profiles, like Apex Legends. And Razer is planning on releasing THX profiles for more PC titles. If you’re looking for an alternative, the SteelSeries Arctis 5 is a similar price (sometimes cheaper) and adds a ChatMix dial and RGB. For powerful virtual surround sound, the HyperX Cloud Orbit S’ 3D audio and head tracking is more dramatic, but the cans are also much more expensive, even at the current sale price of $250. But for cans you could forget are there with a premium-level mic and drivers, plus the option to use with consoles or a smartphone, the BlackShark V2 could make a splash in your gaming setup.

Finally, next-gen consoles will get a price tag We know how they look, we know what is inside of them and we even know what games they'll play, and yet the price of the PS5 and Xbox Series X still evades us. Fortunately, the wait to find out how much money we'll be spending later this year on a next-gen console is about to end. As SlashGear reports, Kinda Funny co-host and former Game Informer editor Imran Khan says he's heard that Microsoft and Sony will talk more about hardware in August, and they might even reveal the pricing and availability of their consoles (via TechRadar). Additionally, both companies supposedly have more software to reveal, although Khan doesn't know if it will be showcased in August or after the consoles are released. You can hear Khan talk about Sony and Microsoft's plans in the Kinda Funny Gamecast YouTube video below at around the 56:30 mark. “Both have shows this month. From what I’ve heard, both have to talk about hardware this month – in terms of pricing, availability," Khan said. He goes on to say that both companies have something that will make people say ”oh shit, I can’t believe they are revealing that here.” Khan later confirms that Lockhart, aka the Xbox Series S, a low-cost alternative to the Series X, is "a real thing" and that Microsoft will reveal its more affordable price after Sony has priced the PS5. Does August make sense? Sony and Microsoft are now just a few months away from launching their respective consoles. Set for the Holiday 2020 season, the PS5 and Xbox Series X are expected to arrive in October or November (at the latest). We've already heard plenty of rumors about pre-orders becoming available soon. We got quite a scare last month when multiple leakers falsely claimed PS5 pre-orders would quietly become active. While those claims were wrong, they revealed PS5 product pages on various retailers that look poised to start accepting orders. And as for the Xbox Series X, it was reported earlier today that Australian telecom giant Telstra messaged customers who signed up for Xbox Series X updates to say console pre-orders would "open soon." With that said, we wouldn't be surprised if the PS5 and Xbox Series X's pricing and availability were revealed later this month. If you want an idea of how much to save, most guesses put the starting price of the Xbox Series X and PS5 at around $400 to $500.

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game information: Platforms:PC Developers:Nadeo Publishers:Ubisoft Features:Online Versus Multiplayer Release Date:July 1, 2020 Some games not only stand the test of time, they actively defy it. That’s undoubtedly the case for Trackmania’s over-the-top time trials and deep track editor – a simple but addictive combination that’s earned the series a dedicated community for nearly two decades. The latest entry, a remake of 2006’s TrackMania Nations simply called Trackmania, feels like a return to form in many ways. But an off-putting subscription system and poor tools to actually teach you its intricacies make it a bittersweet reunion. While there’s plenty of racing in Trackmania, the main event has always been variations on time trials. Whether you’re playing alone or against others online, you’re always really competing against your own skills. This can make a lot of Trackmania’s modes feel repetitive, whether its Time Attack, the team multiplayer of Chase or the traditional circuit-based Lap. But that drive to master a track is more than enough reason to keep coming back. Unfortunately, Trackmania has never explained itself particularly well, and 2020’s rendition is no different. An all too brief tutorial covers the basics, but you’re on your own when it comes to learning the mechanical subtlety behind getting truly fast times – tricks like nudging the jetpack-like reactor boost in midair to hover through midair checkpoints you didn’t see coming. That gives Trackmania a steeper learning curve than it ought to have. But once you zoom past those initial speed bumps, Trackmania can be hard to put down. Finishing any of its decent launch selection of 45+ official tracks can take less than 90 seconds a piece, but you’ll want to play them over and over to shave off seconds and find all the clever shortcuts hidden in plain sight. The potent sounds of your engine roaring backed by high energy music can even eventually become quite soothing, drawing you in as you boost, jump, and drift around each corner in perfect rhythm. It feels like you’re perpetually on the edge of losing control, making good runs exhilarating. That doesn’t mean that you’ll be calmly cruising to the finish line though. Trackmania’s cars always feel floaty around turns, and you often pick up speed faster than you think you should. That may sound like a bad thing, but it actually contributes to the feeling that you’re perpetually just on the edge of losing control, which makes it all the more exhilarating when you dial things in just right and hit the goal for a gold medal. Drifting Off The Main Circuit The other side of the Trackmania coin is its custom tracks, which remain as impressive as ever – partially thanks to an intuitive block-based editor. Even before release, there are already user-made tracks ranging from recreations of Mario Kart classics to car golf to a rudimentary version of bumper cars. One dark course full of lamp posts felt like a throwback to Night Driver on the Atari 2600. Another downward slope felt like a slide from a water park that could send your vehicle flipping and flying at any moment. You never really know what you’ll get as you rummage through Trackmania’s course selections, and that’s half the fun. Time will tell if custom servers can achieve the level of plugin-based madness seen in the days of Trackmania 2, but creators already seem to have the means to go nuts in all sorts of ways. Unfortunately, not everyone who plays Trackmania can utilize these tools thanks to its unappealing new subscription service. You can play on official tracks and use a simplified map editor entirely for free, but most other things require either the “Standard” or “Club” access subscriptions, which are $10 and $30 per year respectively. Without open access to custom tracks and other community features like chat, it’s less of a free-to-play experience and more of a glorified demo. Gating off access like this runs the risk of putting a damper on the community support that makes Trackmania shine long term. 2016’s Trackmania Turbo proved the community won’t automatically rally around the latest entry in the series just because it’s new, especially when you can load up new tracks in TrackMania 2 for the rest of your life at no extra cost. This new Trackmania is definitely a fun return with an impressive new coat of paint, but there’s not really enough that’s brand new to justify a recurring entry fee. Nadeo has committed to adding a new set of official tracks every season for all players, but that can only differentiate things so much compared to what the community cooks up. Whether you’re playing free or paid, Trackmania’s fancy new graphics at least makes everything look and feel fresh – it’s not going to stand up to the latest Forza or Gran Turismo, but this more lighthearted take on racing isn’t exactly trying to. Cars have a great sheen to them that persists even as you pick up speed and focus on the road ahead. Outside of the races, Trackmania doesn’t look as impressive. Its menus are poorly cobbled together – but as a longtime fan, that off-kilter feeling oddly seems like a core part of the Trackmania experience at this point, and Nadeo probably knows it. Maniaplanet may be gone, but the charm of strange font choices and obtuse settings reminded me exactly what game I was playing, even if those rough edges will probably keep newcomers at arms length. Verdict Trackmania’s mechanically nuanced time trials are as tense and addictive in 2020 as they were in 2006. The initial content selection of this latest entry is robust and a wealth of entertaining custom tracks are potentially just a click away… as long as both you and the community of talented track creators are willing to pay for its yearly subscription, that is. The idea that you’ll have to rebuy this version of Trackmania annually raises very real concerns about its longevity, but right now at least, it offers a well-modernized (if not revolutionary) take on a uniquely entertaining racing experience that threw out the rulebook years ago. System Requirements: (Minimum) CPU: Intel Core i5-2500k, AMD FX-6100 RAM: 8 GB OS: Windows 7/8.1/10 (64 bit only) VIDEO CARD: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 or AMD Radeon R9 270X (2GB) PIXEL SHADER: 5.0 VERTEX SHADER: 5.0 SOUND CARD: Yes FREE DISK SPACE: 2 GB DEDICATED VIDEO RAM: 2048 MB Recommended Requirements CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K, AMD Ryzen5 1500X RAM: 8 GB OS: Windows 10 (64 bit only) VIDEO CARD: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 or AMD Radeon RX 480 (4GB) PIXEL SHADER: 5.1 VERTEX SHADER: 5.1 SOUND CARD: Yes FREE DISK SPACE: 2 GB DEDICATED VIDEO RAM: 4096 MB

Why the sudden change of heart, ASRock? ASRock had previously released a new beta BIOS (3.60L) for the DeskMini A300 that brought support for the Ryzen 4000-series (codename Renoir) APUs to the DeskMini A300. For reasons unknown, the motherboard vendor has since removed the BIOS from the mini PC's support page. The fact that the system ever supported Renoir is surprising. The DeskMini A300 has an AMD motherboard with the A300 chipset, and Renoir only works on 400-and 500-series chipsets. According to Chinese publication HKEPC, ASRock's simple workaround consisted of dropping support for old Bristol Ridge chips to make room for the new Zen 2 APUs. Being a beta BIOS, stable operation is never guaranteed. However, HKEPC found the Ryzen 7 Pro 4750G working on the motherboard without hiccups. The 3.06L BIOS is no longer available for download at ASRock's website, but if you feel like experimenting, you could probably find it somewhere on the internet at your own risk. This could be related to recent sightings of a possible successor to the DeskMini A300. If you're not familiar with the DeskMini A300, the system employs the ASRock A300M-STX. So the sudden appearance of the ASRock X300M-STX with a Ryzen 7 4700G seemingly suggests that ASRock has already prepared a new DeskMini with an updated chipset. Restoring support for Renoir on the current DeskMini A300 would certainly earn ASRock some brownie points. However, it might not be a wise move from a business perspective, since current DeskMini A300 owners would have no incentive to upgrade to the next best thing. But it's still possible for one to just pick up the current DeskMini A300 and flash the BIOS to get it working with Renoir. On the other hand, if the updated DeskMini brings significant upgrades, there will be incentive to opt for the purported new model. It remains unclear if ASRock is actually planning on releasing a DeskMini A300 replacement. Considering that AMD has already released Renoir, we'd expect to see a new DeskMini before the year ends.

Turns out you can teach old malware new tricks. There's hardly a shortage of new malware floating around, but old malware doesn't just disappear completely either, and one piece of malware that got its start back in 2014 has resurfaced in a big way with a few new tricks up its sleeve. Emotet was originally a banking trojan, but over the years has turned into a malware botnet that is mainly spread using spam emails. As reported by BleepingComputer, it has recently upped its game with an attachment stealer module that can extract attachments, email content and contact lists for use in future efforts (via TechRadar). Using the stolen content, the individuals behind Emotet can then insert themselves into a reply chain and include malicious links or attachments (Word or Excel documents that utilize macros) in the original email thread hoping to capture users with their guard down in a familiar email chain. From here, the malware infects the system and spreads to other devices on the network. The malware has also been used to install additional malware, including TrickBot and now exclusively QakBot, which are both older malware used to propagate even more malware or ransomware to steal your information. The latest round of malicious spam started on July 17 after having been dormant for most of the year. The emails are typically being disguised as "payment reports, invoices, employment opportunities, and shipping information," according to researchers. How to protect yourself against Emotet There's no magic bullet to protecting against Emotet, but there are certainly some efforts you can make to defend your device and network. Keeping all of your hardware up-to-date with the latest patches and software is an easy preventative measure and malware often relies on users failing to do so. Obviously, be particularly careful with links or attachments. While the content will be lifted from previous emails, they shouldn't be coming from a familiar email address, so take a careful look at the domain before clicking on a link or opening an attachment. As Emotet is specifically dependent on using macros to infect your system, you can protect yourself by disabling macros. By default, Microsoft does disable macros, but Emotet will attempt to get you to re-enable them, often through misleading links within the document. Again, it's important to be wary and ensure you look at where a link is directing you before you click on it. And finally, if you are not using antivirus software already, you should definitely consider doing so; it will help to identify a problem before it becomes a catastrophe.

game information: Platforms:PC, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch Developers:Sirlin Games Publishers:Sirlin Games Features:Offline Versus Multiplayer, Online Versus Multiplayer Release Date:September 14, 2017 One of the questions I’m sometimes asked by friends is what the best entry-level fighting game is for someone who is new to the genre, but who also doesn’t want to spend hours in a training mode or immediately get completely blown up when they play online. My answer is generally, “such a game doesn’t exist, but the closest you’ll get is probably Fantasy Strike.” Fantasy Strike is a fun, easy to play fighting game with simple controls, tight and strategic fighting mechanics, a well rounded cast of 12 unique fighters, and some wonderful innovations in the genre that I wish other, bigger franchises would take note of. Visually, it’s very bland and lacks its own unique personality, but if you look beyond that, you’ll find one of the most daringly different fighting games of the last decade – not to mention it’s free-to-play, has great netcode, and full crossplay support between PC, PS4, and Nintendo Switch. Breaking the Rules Fantasy Strike throws the basic rules behind most fighting games out the window, instead writing its own with the goal of making things as intuitive and accessible as a traditional fighting game can possibly be. You can’t crouch, which eliminates all high/low mix-ups; the life bars are broken up into segmented chunks of HP, so you always have a clear idea of how many more hits are needed to win or lose; your super meter fills up automatically; there are no complicated input commands; you can counter throws by just standing completely still. The list goes on and on, resulting in a very distinct flavor of a familiar whole. Fantasy Strike uses a three button fighting system with each character largely sharing the same basic input commands for each of their moves. While on the ground, every character has three A attacks, one B, one C, and one super. While in the air they also have one attack for each button along with an aerial specific super as well. This makes it very easy to jump between and learn new characters, which is great because online ranked play requires you to create a three person team. Every character in Fantasy Strike feels like they have something unbelievably powerful that only they can do Despite the similar movelists, these characters all play dramatically different from each other, even those within the same archetype. Jaina, for instance, is a zoner who can fill the field with projectiles, but can also be incredibly nasty up close with some very tricky cross ups and respectable damage. Argagarg on the other hand, despite also being a zoner, focuses on poisoning his opponent and utilizing his projectiles to push his adversaries away and keep the poison active. Every character in Fantasy Strike feels like they have something unbelievably powerful that only they can do, which makes the entire roster very fun to play and also satisfyingly challenging to play against. Accessible By Design Even beyond the simplified inputs, one other area of accessibility that Fantasy Strike absolutely excels at is using visual cues to tell you everything you need to know about the properties of a move. You’ll never wonder why you got hit by something, or be confused as to how to counter a specific move. When enemies glow blue, they have armor; when they glow white, their attack is invulnerable; when they get you with a command grab, big bold letters appear that say “Jumpable,” letting you know that you could have jumped to avoid getting hit; when you see blue sparks after an attack is blocked, you have frame advantage; when you see red sparks after an attack is blocked, it’s punishable. It’s all incredibly intuitive, and the stuff that isn’t outright taught in its excellent intro tutorial is easy enough to pick up on with experience. There are so many design choices present to make things easy and accessible that you would think the depth of the gameplay would suffer as a result, but surprisingly, it doesn’t. Fantasy Strike successfully manages to lower the skill floor of all of its characters without ever dropping the skill ceiling, and it does so not only through excellent design of its movesets and character archetypes, but also by giving players the right tools to understand those movesets and archetypes. Embedded within Fantasy Strike are excellent spotlight videos for each character that go over everything one would need to know in order to be competent with that character. These videos are short, comprehensive, and most importantly, they’re presented in a way that makes it very easy to understand complex concepts like set-ups, cross ups, frame traps, and more. Within just an hour or so, I already felt comfortable enough with a character to jump online and start having competitive matches. After a few of those, I was on my way to winning my first ranked mini-tournament. These kinds of tutorial videos are absolutely something that should be standard among future fighting games. There’s no getting around Fantasy Strike’s bland style As good as all of this is, there’s no getting around Fantasy Strike’s bland style. Its roster, while very mechanically interesting, are among the most boring character designs I’ve played in a modern fighting game. Rook is just a stone golem with no distinguishing characteristics; Setsuki is a kunoichi with rainbow hair that feels randomly colored in with a paint bucket tool; and Grave is the prototypical Ryu-style character who just wants to improve and fight strong opponents, just to name a few. These boring looking fighters aren’t helped by a weak arcade mode that does very little to give them any much needed personality and is hampered by inconsistent voice acting throughout. Looks aren’t everything of course, but when the competition even among indie fighting games includes gorgeous options like Skullgirls, Under Night In-Birth, and Them’s Fightin’ Herds, Fantasy Strike’s isn’t even in the same league on the audio/visual side. For the solo players, in addition to arcade mode, there’s also a daily challenge mode, a standard survival mode, and an interesting twist on a Boss Rush mode that throws all concerns about character balance out the window by rewarding you for each victory with your choice of an incredibly overpowered perk after each fight. What’s great is that many of these power ups are specific to each character and designed to either cover their inherent weaknesses or ridiculously enhance their strengths. In one Boss Rush run, I had a Rook that could deal 6 damage off of a standard throw by just the third round, basically allowing him to one-hit KO a lower health enemy as soon as I got my hands on them. It’s an amusing distraction, but not one I felt the need to come back to after a few runs. All For Free Fantasy Strike’s actually been around since 2017 as a Steam Early Access game, but as of July 21, 2020 it became completely free to play with the full roster of 12 characters available immediately. That’s unprecedented in a genre where other free-to-play games lock most of their characters behind some sort of pay wall, and it truly makes Fantasy Strike the best entry point for newcomers interested in fighting games. You won’t get access to the single-player modes like Arcade, Boss Rush, or Survival without paying at least $20 for the Core Version, but you’ll still be able to access Fantasy Strike’s full suite of training modes, and most importantly, you’ll be able to play online in both casual and competitive playlists. However, if you’re playing for free, you won't have access to local versus multiplayer, and you won’t be able to start a private room with another person unless at least one of you owns a paid for version, which is a humongous bummer even in spite of all that Fantasy Strike offers for free. Instead of charging for characters, developer Sirlin Games has introduced a very unusual subscription service called Fantasy+ that gives players access to special Master level costumes that can’t be purchased in the shop, XP boosts on all characters (which is just a show of how experienced you are with a character and opens up the Master costumes at level 20), and access to Replay Theater. Replay Theater is the star here, and it is actually a pretty fantastic innovation on how players are able to view recorded matches, and though it doesn’t quite justify a $5 per month premium fee, it is a great perk for those who want to show support for the developers who are offering a substantial amount of value by keeping the whole roster free to play. Many fighting games have the ability to rewatch your own matches and replays of high level matches, but with Replay Theater, you can actually filter what you want to see based upon the rank of the players and the specific characters used in the match. You can even set the filter so you can watch only matches of one specific character vs another, which is super helpful if you find yourself having trouble with a particular matchup and want to see how high level players deal with it Verdict Fantasy Strike is a shining example of a fighting game that’s incredibly easy to play without sacrificing the mental chess and decision making that makes them so much fun. It’s very rough around the edges, with a roster of twelve characters that are much more interesting mechanically than they are visually, and a few interesting, though ultimately shallow single player modes. The inability to set up a private match with friends who are also playing for free is a tough pill to swallow, but its value as a free-to-play fighting game cannot be overstated. This truly is the best entry point for those who want to dip their feet into a traditionally difficult genre – and those who stick around will find it stands up as a great fighting game in its own right too. SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS: MINIMUM: Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system OS: Windows 7+ Processor: Intel Core i5-4302Y @ 1.6GHz, Celeron G1840 @ 2.8 GHz / AMD Athlon II X3 Memory: 4 GB RAM Graphics: GeForce GT 555M, 9800 GTX / Radeon R7, HD 8500 DirectX: Version 11 Storage: 6 GB available space Sound Card: - RECOMMENDED: Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system OS: Windows 7+ Processor: Intel Core i5-5200U @ 2.20GHz, Celeron G3920 @ 2.90GHz / AMD Athlon II X4 645 Memory: 8 GB RAM Graphics: GeForce GTX 960, Radeon R9 280X DirectX: Version 11 Network: Broadband Internet connection Storage: 6 GB available space Sound Card: -

Meet the new BE edition. Sapphire has released the Pulse Radeon RX 5700 XT BE, a cut-down variant of the brand's Pulse Radeon RX 5700 XT graphics card to appease buyers with tight budgets. As spotted by reported by TechPowerUp, the new BE version features a slightly modified shroud compared to the original. The exterior conforms to an all-black theme without the eye-catching red and silver accents. However, both graphics cards share identical dimensions. They adhere to a 2.3-slot design and measure 254 x 135 x 46.5mm. The BE version loses the red LED Sapphire logo but retains the all-aluminum backplate. Judging by the photographs, the Pulse Radeon RX 5700 XT BE has a different heatsink and heatpipe design than the standard version. It would appear that the BE version has one less heat pipe, but we can't say for certain. The Pulse Radeon RX 5700 XT BE lacks two main features: Quick Connect Fan and Dual BIOS. The first is a proprietary design that secures the cooling fan to the shroud with a single screw, allowing users to quickly remove, clean or replace it. The latter consists of having two different vBIOS performance profiles. The Pulse Radeon RX 5700 XT BE sports AMD's Navi 10 silicon, meaning you'll receive 2,560 stream processors (SPs) along with 8GB of 14 Gbps GDDR6 memory across a 256-bit memory interface. Despite being a budget-oriented version of the original, the Pulse Radeon RX 5700 XT BE enjoys the same clock speeds. The base, game and boost clocks for the graphics card are 1,670 MHz, 1,815 MHz and 1,925 MHz, respectively. The graphics card's power consumption is rated for 241W, so a 650W power supply is recommended. In terms of external power, the Pulse Radeon RX 5700 XT BE feeds itself with one 6-pin and one 8-pin PCIe power connectors. It can support up to a maximum of four monitors thanks to the three DisplayPort 1.4 outputs and a single HDMI port. The Pulse Radeon RX 5700 XT retails for $399.99 on Amazon. The BE version, on the other hand, is selling for $389.99, so we're looking at a $10 saving.

Microsoft Flight Simulator will be more immersive than ever Whish! That's the sound of the wind pummeling your window as you take off to the sky in Microsoft Flight Simulator. The hotly-anticipated flight-simulation software will be more immersive than ever, thanks to the game's support for VR. However, in a recent blog, the Redmond-based tech giant announced that MFS will only support one VR headset this year (via CNET). VR-compatible Microsoft Flight Simulator is coming to Steam In addition to Windows 10 and Xbox Game Pass PC, Microsoft Flight Simulator will also be available on Steam. On top of that, MFS fans will get to experience full immersion as they explore the world -- MFS will have TrackIR support for its day-one launch and VR support will be offered later this year. The Redmond-based tech giant noted that TrackIR and VR were the most requested features that MFS fans demanded from Microsoft, and now, the megacorp is fulfilling fans' desires. "TrackIR is the premier head-tracking solution delivering full six degree of freedom (6DOF) camera control for an ultra-immersive simulator experience," the blog said. With TrackIR, simmers will get to enjoy mouse-free, low-latency exploration of the 4K Microsoft Flight Simulator world. As for VR, Microsoft Flight Simulator will only support the HP Reverb G2 for now, but that may change in the future. According to Microsoft, the Reverb G2 features a bright, high-resolution display, incredible tracking and immersive audio. The headset will reportedly take full advantage of Microsoft Flight Simulator's stunning visuals and 3D soundscape. The HP Reverb G2 is slated to arrive this fall. Microsoft Flight Simulator is set to be released on Aug. 18, and we can't wait to fulfill our dreams of piloting a plane. Due to pandemic-related travel restrictions, MFS is a much-needed escape filled with flight and freedom.

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GAME INFORMATION: Platforms:PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, Macintosh, Nintendo Switch Developers:Cradle Games Publishers:TinyBuild Games Features:Online Co-Op Multiplayer Release Date:July 30, 2020 If you were to create a checklist of what makes a game a Souls-like, meaning it follows in the footsteps of FromSoftware’s massively po[CENSORED]r Dark Souls series, you’d get bullet points that look nearly identical to Hellpoint: respawn checkpoints in a labyrinthine world, the loss of all currency on death unless you can retrieve it, slow and methodical combat with light and heavy attacks, as well as challenging encounters punctuated by enormous boss monsters. It’s all here, for better and for worse, but its elaborate sci-fi setting gives it some character of its own and a strong combat system made suffering through the extensive bugs largely worthwhile. At the very start you’re plopped into a cloned body on a massive space station with zero explanation, left to fend for yourself against demonic entities and godlike beings. That’s the entire plot, basically, which feels like a waste of the potential for this immediately intriguing sci-fi universe. There are some books you can skim over, message terminals to read, and a handful of prompts at control stations here and there to peruse which add some flavor, but the majority of Hellpoint’s storytelling is suggested by its environments and enemies. Much like Dark Souls, it’s a world rich with palpable tension and mystery that lead you to pose questions constantly, even though it seldom gives you answers.' Visually, Hellpoint is quite stunning. When I’d exit a walkway and emerge onto a terrace that overlooks a sea of stars and spiraling colors I’d legitimately just stop and stare for a few minutes. Interiors are similarly stylized with bright, popping colors that contrast the dark and decrepit tone incredibly well. At one moment you could be exploring a nearly pitch-black hallway with enemies lurching at you from around corners and then it’ll feel like you’re walking across the bifrost to Asgard. And yet, despite the dramatic swings in color palettes and lighting, it all feels consistent and cohesive. A lot of love and care clearly went into the world building from a design perspective and it makes me immensely curious to see and learn more – which underscores the lack of a real story, as a side effect. A lot of love and care clearly went into the world building. During my approximately 20-hour playthrough I kept swinging back and forth between adoring the surreal, occultist-inspired atmosphere and getting utterly frustrated at the sheer lack of direction and communication. More so than is typical for this type of game, the station is an absolute labyrinth of interconnected passages and regions that are dizzying to explore and there’s little to no indication of where you should be going. Granted, it’s more or less standard for Souls-likes to not have a map screen, but here that omission makes Hellpoint seem more aimless than usual. Every single boss I fought, essential item I found, or critical path I discovered, was entirely by accident. Finding a random key card that grants access to crucial new zones five hours later is par for the course. Checkpoints (called Breaches) are scattered everywhere, but you’ve got to use an extremely rare “synchronization” item to open them up for teleportation between one another, so planning out which ones you want to use for fast travel is key. However, it’s basically impossible to do that intelligently without a map for planning. The result is that the fast travel system can’t be relied upon, so I was usually desperately hoping to find a shortcut connecting back to previous regions or just running back through entire zones to retrace my steps. Overall, though, I like the way Breaches work more than campfires in Dark Souls because not only do they heal you, but they do not respawn enemies. (Instead, enemies automatically respawn after a certain amount of time.) Because of that, backtracking was usually not as frustrating as in other Souls-likes since I didn’t have to kill the same enemies over and over as much. Breaches also don’t refill your healing item – instead, you recharge that (and your Energy resource) over time by landing melee attacks. It’s a good balance and incentivizes fighting aggressively if you’re close enough to a Breach to just run back and heal really quickly. Combat in Hellpoint is its strongest aspect, but not for the reasons I expected. When you do eventually die (and you probably will, a lot) not only do you drop all of your experience points, but a ghost version of your character spawns in the area to start hunting you down. Your ghost will always be equipped with whatever you were using at your time of death, which can often make it extremely fun and challenging to take down. Once I fell down a pit and died after clearing a big room full of enemies using a new axe weapon, so returning to that room with the addition of my ghost to contend with made it even more difficult than before. This isn’t the first time a game has used a “fight your zombie” mechanic, but it’s certainly something in the back of my mind each time I consider trying out new weapons. Ranged weapons are tricky to use well, but in the hands of a tricky AI ghost they can often be tough to deal with. Combat in Hellpoint is its strongest aspect, but not for the reasons I expected. Moment-to-moment gameplay felt floaty and a bit wonky at first, like the awkward jump mechanic that makes timing leaps across death pits difficult to control – especially compared to the weighty precision of Dark Souls. Even so, Hellpoint’s fluidity eventually grew on me. Dodging is extremely powerful here and happens super quickly, letting you immediately evade attacks and reposition. The biggest annoyance is that getting behind enemies is extremely difficult unless they’re lunging forward since they seem to use the same lock-on targeting you do. A huge part of what makes combat so satisfying is the progression system. Not only do you upgrade weapons at terminals to improve their overall stats and apply mods, but using the same weapon for a few hours will start to unlock special abilities. For example, one of my swords expands in length to do more damage, while my hand axe emits an ethereal glow that doubles as a thrown projectile. There’s a lot of weapon variety, from trusted one-handed melee items and shields to massive hunks of metal and spears, all the way to railguns. Yes, guns – it takes a while to find ranged weapons worth using and to get your stats high enough to fire them well, but they can be very powerful and change the pace of fights enormously. They all use your Energy meter for every shot – even the thrown weapons – so they likely won’t ever be your primary method of attack (since you need melee attacks to recharge Energy) but they’re useful for softening up a target before moving in for the kill. There’s some quality creativity here, just not quite enough quantity. There aren’t a ton of enemy types so there’s lots of repetition throughout, but the enemies that do exist are all vastly different. Fighting a hovering alien creature that looks like a giant, enraged beta fish that can shoot lasers is extremely different from going up against a cross-shield-bearing holy knight that can summon laser spikes from the ground to impale you. There’s some quality creativity here, just not quite enough quantity to feel like you’re constantly stumbling across new things. By the end I was just fighting weaker, smaller versions of full-on bosses I’d fought earlier. While I do intend to complete the 10 hours of additional post-game content and extra bosses for a full, true ending, if there are new enemies there I’ll be annoyed they were held back when they might’ve made the main campaign more diverse. A high level of difficulty is a big draw for Souls-like games but Hellpoint isn’t very consistent in that regard. Naturally, the first few zones are extremely deadly and challenging, in part because you’re still learning how combat works, but once things clicked I found the difficulty curve to be choppy and inconsistent, without a steady increase in difficulty. Some of the later boss fights I was able to handle on the first try after dying nearly a dozen times on some of the earlier ones. On the other hand, some non-boss enemies presented a real struggle even at late-game stages due to how frequently you face them and how relentless they can be in their attacks. It’s almost as if Hellpoint could sense my comfort and complacency so it’d come for me extra hard when I least expected it. I relish those fights, but they didn’t feel logically placed. Co-op works just like it does in Dark Souls, in that you place messages seeking help in the environment where other players can answer, though here those messages are indecipherable symbols and shapes, making them basically useless. You’re also subject to invasions by PvP attackers, or you can directly join a friend’s game using a unique code (or in local co-op). It’s fine, but there isn’t an understandable reason why these sorts of games can’t just have more stable and functional co-op that isn’t convoluted. Gratuitous bugs and performance issues make it feel like it’s struggling to deliver a fully-functioning game. The biggest things getting in Hellpoint’s way as it attempts to fully establish itself are the gratuitous bugs and performance issues that make it feel like it’s struggling to deliver a fully-functioning game. At one point when another player joined my session to assist, my framerate tanked into single digits and it felt like I was playing a slideshow. At another, I fell through the floor and everything was invisible other than floating weapons representing me and the enemies. And another time one of my menus was stuck on-screen and wouldn’t close, preventing me from attacking or even quitting out – I had to alt+F4 just to restart from the last Breach I visited. Not to mention the abhorrent texture pop-ins happening right in front of your face, unignorably interfering with the otherwise beautiful scenery. For a real laugh you can also turn off blood in the settings which inexplicably also removes sound effects ridding combat of any visceral impact. But then thrown weapons still would trigger blood splatter, so what even is the (Hell)point? Beyond that, some of Hellpoint’s more interesting features are never really introduced or used in interesting ways. For example, one big idea that is woefully under-explained is the black hole the space station orbits. As it turns out, depending on its position relative to the station (as indicated by the clock-like thing in the top left corner of the screen) different things can happen. For example, sometimes it will cause more or more powerful enemies to spawn, and so on. It would’ve been nice to have some introduction to that concept so I could’ve planned around it, but at the same time the events weren’t a big enough deal that I needed to be aware of it to succeed. Verdict Much of what Hellpoint lacks in original Souls-like gameplay mechanics it makes up for with its stylish sci-fi aesthetic, creepy atmosphere, and relentless focus on making you uncomfortable. The frequent bugs are a major hindrance, though, and it’s far too derivative to step out of the shadow of the genre greats that came before, but it does provide some decent, old-fashioned video game punishment with satisfyingly brutal combat. SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS: MINIMUM: Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system OS: Windows 7 Processor: 4 threads, 2.5+ Ghz Memory: 4 GB RAM Graphics: GeForce GTX 760 or better DirectX: Version 11 Storage: 6 GB available space RECOMMENDED: Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system OS: Windows 10 Processor: 4 cores, 3+ Ghz Memory: 6 GB RAM Graphics: GeForce GTX 1050 DirectX: Version 11 Storage: 6 GB available space

Will Intel get cold feet again? For a long time we had expected Intel's new Comet Lake-S CPUs to support PCI-Express 4.0, but then Intel nixed those plans. Then, we started hoping that its successor, Rocket Lake-S would get PCI-Express 4.0 support, and there appears to be hope. The chips at least are expected to feature PCIe 4.0, and motherboard vendors have also prepped their boards to support the interface. But up until now, there hasn't been any concrete proof that it will actually happen, and there is still a chance that Intel will nix PCIe 4.0 on Rocket Lake-S, too. But for now, a SiSoftware entry has been spotted by Gonzalo (known on twitter as @Tum_Apisak) where a Rocket Lake-S system can be spotted running on a PCI-Express 4.0 interface. So there it is. These entries aren't easy to fabricate, and this seems to be the proof we've been waiting for. It doesn't show a graphics card running over PCIe 4.0 yet, but as the storage system, it's quite a solid start. Of course, we have to note that it's still very possible that the plans will get nixed, just like on Comet Lake-S. Just because something works early on in development doesn't mean that it will stay this way for the final consumer end-product. However, given that there are a ton of pointers to PCIe 4.0 working on Rocket Lake-S, we're gaining confidence that Intel won't get cold feet this time around. The Rocket Lake-S platform is set to drop into the same Z490 motherboards as Comet Lake-S chips do, but will come with a whole new architecture. This is the same Willow Cove architecture Intel is using on Tiger Lake, but then backported to 14nm. This will limit the maximum core count, as Rocket Lake-S is expected to max out at eight cores, but they've been spotted boosting to 5 GHz, which paired with a new architecture would mean incredibly solid single-core performance, and that's what games are after anyway. Meanwhile, we still don't know when Rocket Lake will land, but we can count on it being quite a while.

Rewrite Suggestions can transform your writing Microsoft has been rolling out a number of updates to various Office apps and services surrounding the rebranding of Office 365 to Microsoft 365 and one particularly notable new feature is for Rewrite Suggestions in Microsoft Word online. The feature was originally announced at Microsoft's Build conference back in 2019 and previously offered writing suggestions based on selected phrases in your text, but the latest update has expanded it to cover full sentences (via Windows Central). Microsoft Word: What does Rewrite Suggestions Do? The goal with Rewrite Suggestions is for the software to offer you a revised version of your text that will retain your intent, but improve it on a variety of metrics based on its evolving AI. Again the big advancement here is that this feature can now tackle an entire sentence, rather than only a single phrase. It's a tremendously more valuable feature this way, helping to clarify and punch up your ideas. There are four types of suggestions that Rewrite Suggestions will offer you: improves fluency, concise phrasing, paraphrased sentence, and improves readability. The goal of the feature is to make your text easier to read and comprehend without sacrificing what it is you were trying to say. Microsoft Word: How to use Rewrite Suggestions To use Rewrite Suggestions you need to be using Word online and have an active Microsoft 365 (formerly Office 365) subscription, but if you have those two boxes ticked it's easy to use. Simple select the sentence by highlighting it or right-clicking anywhere within the sentence and click on Rewrite Suggestions in the resulting pop-up menu. The Rewrite Suggestions card will then appear and present you with one or multiple options to touch up your sentence based on one of the four categories we mentioned above. Select whichever version of the sentence that you prefer and return to writing.

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Walmart's new Onn tablets have decent specs for the price Walmart's Onn tablet is a decent Amazon Fire HD alternative if you're looking for a basic, cheap tablet. The retailer silently gave its tablets an upgrade to compete with Amazon's own recent hardware refresh. The latest Walmart Onn 8-inch Tablet Pro is Android-powered and priced at just $99. It features an 8-inch HD touchscreen, a 2.0 GHz octa-core processor, 2GB of RAM, and 32GB of microSD expandable storage. By comparison, Amazon's new $89 Fire HD 8 tablet has nearly the same specs except that it runs FireOS software and has a quad-core chip. Walmart's larger $129 Onn 10.1-inch Tablet Pro packs a 10.1-inch, 1080p display and 2.0 GHz octa-core CPU coupled with 3GB of RAM. Like the 8-inch model, it also has 32GB of storage, which you can boost via the device's microSD card slot. With specs like these, Amazon has cause for concern. The 10-inch Onn offers the exact same specs as its $149 Fire HD 10 tablet but for $20 less. And based on the positive user reviews, Amazon should be shaking right now. That said, the Onn tablet is worth considering if you're looking for an affordable tablet under $200.

2-on-1 handicap match A lot of excitement surrounds Intel's looming Xeon Ice Lake-SP chips, as they will be the first non-mobile CPUs to represent the chipmaker's 10nm process node. As spotted today by @TUM_APISAK, a fresh pair of 28-core chips have landed on the Geekbench 4 benchmark and could offer a glimpse of what to expect from Ice Lake-SP. Ice Lake-SP is destined to replace Intel's current Cascade Lake offerings. Besides exploiting the 10nm+ manufacturing process, these Ice Lake server chips are expected to usher in the Sunny Cove microarchitecture, as well as support for up to 64 speedy PCIe 4.0 lanes. The core-heavy processors will likely descend upon the Whitley platform, which commands the new LGA4189 socket. An unconfirmed slide from last year suggests that Ice Lake-SP will land with octa-channel memory support and natively embrace DDR4-3200 RAM modules. The processors were also said to be compatible with Intel's second-generation Optane DC Persistent Memory (Barlow Pass). The slide implies that Ice Lake-SP will stop at 38 CPU cores, meaning the alleged 28-core that we're seeing today might not be the flagship chip. Intel Ice Lake-SP Specifications The Intel system from the Geekbench 4 submissions is equipped with two 28-core Ice Lake-SP processors, totaling up to 56 cores and 112 threads. Each chip reportedly features a 1.5 GHz base clock, a maximum clock speed of 3.19 GHz and 42MB of L3 cache. The base clock speed appears to be a lot lower than the base clock on a previously leaked 24-core Ice Lake-SP. However, it's normal to see models with higher core counts come with lower clock speeds. In any event, the Ice Lake-SP samples in the submission could be engineering samples, and Intel hasn't confirmed them, so take the values with a grain of salt. The EPYC 7442 (codename Rome) is one of AMD's multiple 64-core monsters. The chip is the second fastest SKU, only lagging behind the EPYC 7H12. The EPYC 7442 checks in with 64 cores and 128 threads with a base clock of 2.25 GHz base clock and 3.4 GHz boost clock. There is also a whopping 256MB of L3 cache on the processor too.