With every new Black Panther clip released, it becomes even more clear that this is a Marvel Cinematic Universe movie like no other. The latest look at the movie shows just how futuristic the technology T'Challah (Chadwick Boseman) has access to is. Based on this small clip alone, it puts most of the toys the Avengers have to shame.
In the video, T'Challah's sister Shuri (Letitia Wright) springs into action in what must be the Black Panther's control center. With her brother in need, she manages to control a car from a remote location, allowing him to tail the bad guys. Beyond that, every bullet shot at the Panther, she says, builds up the hero's kinetic energy. He's able to use that energy to put a stop to the villains once and for all, before escaping in the car being driven by his sister.
While T'Challah may be the one on the front lines, it's clear that Shuri is the brains of the operation. "She's T'Challa's Q," director Ryan Coogler tells TotalFilm (via GamesRadar), comparing the hero to James Bond. "She's by his side with the technology he needs. The way she helps him is really cool."
It remains to be seen how much more technology Shuri will unveil in the movie. At this rate, though, perhaps the Avengers should hire her to redesign pretty much everything they do. Black Panther lands in theaters on February 16.
If you haven't followed the price of graphics cards lately, or are oblivious to the price of GPUs and are thinking about buying one, then we've got an important PSA for you: Now is a really bad time to buy a GPU.
Graphics card prices have skyrocketed because GPUs are so effective at mining cryptocurrency, which has gained a lot of traction in recent months. To get a gauge for the price discrepancy, let's look at the GTX 1080 Ti; the lowest you can find Nvidia's flagship gaming card online right now is $1,350, which is roughly twice the card's MSRP. The situation is arguably worse on the AMD side. The 4GB version of the RX 580, which carries an MSRP of $200, is going for roughly 2.5x as much online currently. The following chart encapsulates modern GPU MSRP against their current, lowest street prices.
GPU
MSRP
Street Price
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 Ti
$700
$1,350
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080
$550
$1,100
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 Ti
$450
$800
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070
$380
$900
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060
$250
$400
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 Ti
$150
$185
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050
$110
$140
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
$500
$1,500
AMD Radeon RX Vega 56
$400
NA
AMD Radeon RX 580 8GB
$229
$540
AMD Radeon RX 580 4GB
$200
$495
AMD Radeon RX 570
$170
$476
Lowest prices reflect time of publish.
As you can see from the comparative chart above, the pricing surge has affected all GPU sectors. Even lower-end cards like the GTX 1050 Ti and GTX 1050 are well above MSRP, albeit less so than the higher-end cards. Not only are GPU prices sky high right now, but cards like the RX Vega 56 are currently completely sold out everywhere.
While it's possible to find some high-end gaming GPUs near MSRP if you're vigilant, the windows of opportunity are small. One way to skirt around this issue if you are thinking about building a gaming PC with a new GPU is to buy a prebuilt system.
When we met with system vendor CyberPower PC at CES, the company revealed to us that it, along with many other system vendors, have strict GPU pricing guidelines. This effectively means they can't over-inflate the price of its systems based on the street prices of graphics cards.
Historically, it's generally been cheaper to build a PC than to buy a pre-built system, but that has changed in today's climate. While we think you should learn how to build a PC as it can be very rewarding and educational, there's no shame in purchasing a pre-built system, especially right now when they're largely unaffected by the current cost-prohibitive price of GPUs.
To exemplify this, we tried recreating CyberPower PC's Z370 i5 configuration. CyberPower PC's rig costs $1,169 and comes with AMD's 4GB Radeon RX 580 GPU. When we spec'd out the build ourselves using the cheapest prices found on Newegg and Amazon, our total came out to $1,322. That's $144 more than CyberPower PC's price. On top of that, it doesn't come with the company's warranty and customer support.
If you still really want to build a new gaming rig yourself, we suggest you use browser extensions like Honey to provide you with alerts on GPU price drops. As for when graphics cards will come down to normal MSRP levels, only time will tell.
The Royal Rumble is one of the "Big Four" original WWE pay-per-views, along with Survivor Series, SummerSlam, and WrestleMania. There have been 30 of them--the 31st will be this coming Sunday, January 28. And although its tropes are well-known at this point--30 participants, over the top rope, both feet touch the floor, title shot at WrestleMania--the match didn't start that way.
Like all innovators, WWE used lots of trial and error before figuring out what worked, what could work, and what did not. Here are 7 WWE Royal Rumble Facts You Might Not Know, starting with how it came to be.
Pat Patterson Conceptualized The Royal Rumble
Longtime WWE employee Pat Patterson pitched the Royal Rumble to Vince McMahon as a modified Battle Royal; instead of having everyone start the match in the ring at the same time, they would enter the ring individually at two-minute intervals, thus extending the match and creating anticipation for each new wrestler.
Vince McMahon didn't like the concept; he thought it would take too long, and fans wouldn't have the patience to endure such a long match. But during a meeting to plan the WWE's first show on the USA Network, Patterson pitched the idea to television executive Dick Ebersol, who loved it. McMahon agreed to run with the concept, so long as Patterson was wholly responsible for planning it.
The Very FIrst Rumble Match Was Untelevised
Before attempting such an ambitious match on a massive stage, where the chances for embarrassment were higher, Patterson staged a test run in St Louis in late 1987. So technically, this was the first Rumble. But because it was on a house show and it was not televised, it doesn't count "in canon."
The stipulation for this match was that the winner would get a title shot the next time WWE came to St Louis. There were 12 participants, and it came down to the Junkyard Dog and the One Man Gang. Both men went over the top rope together, and the One Man Gang was declared the winner. He lost his title match against Hulk Hogan the following month.
It was, by all accounts, a mess. Patterson wasn't even at the arena to choreograph things. And so the concept was dead in the water until Ebersol gave it new life.
The PPV Wasn't Always a PPV
The first televised Rumble was offered on the aforementioned USA Network, rather than on PPV. Hacksaw Jim Duggan won this contest after last eliminating the One Man Gang. The entire affair felt a bit rushed--it lasted 33 minutes, even though there were 20 entrants who purportedly entered at two-minute intervals. But it did set the bar. And it gave Bret Hart a key moment to shine as a singles competitor; he was the first entrant, and he lasted longer than anyone else that day.
It was also a ratings success. It ran opposite Jim Crockett Promotions' Bunkhouse Stampede PPV. Wrestling fans had a "tough" decision to make: pay to watch Crockett's show or watch the Royal Rumble for free. It's this sort of cutthroat approach to business that made WWE into the juggernaut it is today.
The Rumble Winner Didn't Originally Receive A WrestleMania Title Shot
Currently, the Royal Rumble is such an integral part of the "Road to WrestleMania," that's it's hard to imagine a time when it didn't matter nearly as much. But it used to be bragging rights accomplishment, similar to being crowned King of the Ring.
1989 Rumble winner Big John Studd never even got a main event push. When Hulk Hogan won the Rumble in 1990, he was already the champion. And the 1992 Rumble was for the vacant WWE Championship, which Ric Flair won. 1993 was the first year that the Rumble was explicitly contested for a title shot at WrestleMania. Yokozuna won that match and defeated Bret Hart at WrestleMania IX to win his first world title.
WWE Didn't Play Every Entrant's Theme Until 1996
Typically, prior to 1996, the No.1 and No. 2 Entrants were the only superstars who got played to the ring with their entrance music. Everyone else just ran out with no fanfare.
There are positives and negatives to having no music. On one hand, it draws the audience's attention to the ramp; the fans can no longer know what's coming next from auditory cues. It also adds to the spontaneity of the match and makes the entrances seem like actual run-ins.
But the net positive of having music outweighs its drawbacks. The Pavlovian response to hearing a bell chime or hearing glass break is is irreplaceable. It also allows for brief moments of meaningful disorientation; when AJ Styles made his debut along with his never-before-heard theme song in 2016, the several seconds of confusion elevated the audience's excitement.
Whenever WWE Deviates From The Classic Rumble, It Doesn't Work
The formula works, but that has never stopped WWE from trying to improve it. In 1995, WWE Creative cut the entrance intervals to 60 seconds. In 2011, they upped the number of participants to 40, ten more than the traditional 30 participants. Neither stipulation has ever been attempted again.
They've even toyed with the idea of adding hardcore elements to the match, like in 2001. But still, 30 men, 2-minute intervals, and over-the-top-rope eliminations have always worked best. The appeal of most Rumbles is how performers attempt to bend the rules, not when they break them entirely.
Pat Patterson Wants The Winner To Get A Trophy Cup
There's no physical prize for winning the Rumble, and Patterson would change that if he had his way. In his book Accepted: How the First Gay Superstar Changed WWE, he writes:
"You know what I would like to see done every year? I'd love to be introduced as the creator of the match and give a cup to the winner at ringside. It would be just like the Stanley Cup in hockey. You would have all the past winners' names on it and people could look for the names of their favorite Superstars on there. The winner could celebrate by drinking champagne from it. (We would need to go back in time and have the winner of every edition of the match engraved on it.) People could get their picture taken with the Cup when we do Fan Axxess at WrestleMania. You could sell replicas as well."
It's certainly an appealing idea (although WWE would have to engrave "Chris Benoit," which might cause some problems). But if the company can have a trophy for the Andre the Giant Battle Royal, why not the Royal Rumble? Bring on the Patterson Cup!
A new patch is out now for PUBG's test servers that includes some changes that developer PUBG Corp. says should improve the game's performance and more. It will arrive in the live game on January 24 or 25, depending on your time zone.
Starting off, the studio says server and client performance should be better now by way of changing the visible distance when your character is in the air. Additionally, no longer will all players spawn at the same place before matches, which should also help improve performance.
"Previously, all the players would spawn together at the same location awaiting the start of the match. Lots of interaction among multiple players in such a small area had a high impact on the servers," the developer said in an update posted on Steam today. "To solve this, we have introduced multiple areas where players gather before the match start. As a result, the performance, both server and client-side, has improved."
You can see the full patch notes for today's PUBG test server update below. These changes will make it to the live game very soon, according to the developer's official Twitter account.
In terms of future updates, PUBG Corp. said it is planning "additional modifications" regarding airplane performance, with more details set to be divulged "soon." On top of that, the studio said it is testing a new anti-cheat system. Right now, the team is collecting data to ensure stability and compatibility. This testing could lead to crashes, and if you encounter this, you're advised to post a screencap of the error screen in the PUBG forums here.
In other news, PUBG's main theme music is now available to stream and purchase because definitely what you want is more intense, driving music to keep you going.
PUBG Test Server Patch Notes (January 23)
Gameplay
Introduced multiple pre-match starting areas on both maps in order to optimize the server and game client performance
Removed weapons on starting island before the match start
Language
Applied new Russian, Japanese, and Chinese (simplified/traditional) fonts
Bug fixes
Fixed the issue where players were able to slide-jump from prone
Ubisoft has rolled out the latest update for Rainbow Six Siege, and it's a big one. The 4.2 patch, which serves as the Mid-Season Reinforcement patch for the current season, is now live on PC, PS4, and Xbox One, introducing a variety of buffs and nerfs to individual Operators.
As detailed earlier this month, patch 4.2 primarily deals with balance changes. Concussion effects are being reduced, and they'll no longer disable sprinting, a change that impacts both Ela and Zofia. Ela also takes a hit to the magazine size of her SMG, which drops from 50 to 40 bullets. Ash also sees a nerf to the damage done by her R4-C, while Twitch's Shock Drone ammo drops significantly, from 15 to 5. Additionally, Bandit gets one fewer barbed wire to deploy.
It's not bad news for everyone. Lesion's Gu mines will now refill more quickly, and Capitao's Para-308 sees a damage boost. Ubisoft previously explained why it's making all of these changes, but as you'd expect, it largely boils down to feeling certain characters were over- or underpowered.
Outside of balance changes, Ubisoft has released improvements to the Caster Camera. It's also added a new animation icon for when a teammate is disabling the Defuser. Perhaps more importantly, once the Defuser is placed, its progress is displayed in place of the round timer. Ubisoft said it plans to continue improving the Bomb mode and will share more details in the future.
The update is now available on all platforms. You can check out the full patch notes here. Ubisoft has already confirmed another year of content for Siege--the Year Three season pass is up for sale--but specifics on new maps or Operators have not been announced.
Coming from fighting game developer Arc Systems Works, Dragon Ball FighterZ rides the fine line between being an accessible yet complex enough fighter for hardcore players to sink their teeth into. While it may seem daunting to dive into the game as a newcomer, and certainly watching an average battle can be overwhelming, you'll come to find that the game does well to make sure fresh players can pick up the systems in no time. Still, there's plenty to learn about the game's more nuanced mechanics.
In this video above, we'll break down what you'll need to know when trying to test your mettle against Dragon Ball's strongest fighters. Much like other fighting games, Dragon Ball FighterZ's roster of characters--spanning the history of Akira Toriyama's anime and manga series--have their own unique strengths and weaknesses, along with their own unique styles of play. While you can certainly dive into the game and button-mash your way to victory on occasions, you'll need to learn the inner workings of FighterZ to survive on the harder difficulty settings and during online play.
For more of our thoughts on the game, which is set for its January 26 release on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC, be sure to check out our Dragon Ball FighterZ review. And if you're curious about what sort of Easter eggs and gags found their way into the game--including how Yamcha finally redeems himself--check out our full write-ups and videos about all the things that await you in DBFZ.
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Wildlands is about to get its third PvP expansion. The free update, called Extended Ops, will be available tomorrow, January 25, on PS4, Xbox One, and PC, and will bring exclusive new maps and a brand new game mode called Extraction. Check out the new trailer for Extended Ops below.
Extraction mode tasks one team with locating and escorting two "High-Value Targets" out of a conflict zone. Naturally, the other team is tasked with stopping them and keeping the hostages where they are. Ubisoft says it will take a lot of strategy to stay alive and win the round, regardless of which side you're on.
There are also two new maps coming to the game. Both the Institute and Garage maps will be available for Quickplay and Ranked. Like previous PvP expansions, there will be new gear introduced for both the base game and PvP modes. Extended Ops releases on all platforms on January 25.
The last free DLC for Ghost Recon: Wildlands was a Predator-themed expansion called Jungle Storm. It brought a limited-time mission to the game where you square off against the classic character the Predator, to mark the film's 30-year-anniversary. Jungle Storm also introduced new cosmetics, new maps, and two classes to the game.
By Anonymous on Jan 24, 2018 11:04 pm The GameSpot pirate crew gets all hands on deck to try to hunt as much treasure down as they can in the closed beta for Sea Of Thieves.
By Anonymous on Jan 24, 2018 10:48 pm Checking out the first hour of Monster Hunter: World including character creation, early quests, early monsters, crafting and more!
The Sea of Thieves closed beta has officially begun. The beta is going on now for select Xbox One and PC players, but it appears many are currently having issues accessing it.
Like the Sea of Thieves technical alpha that took place back in December, the closed beta is only available to those who either joined the Sea of Thieves Insider Program prior to December 1, 2017 or pre-ordered the game. Players who fell into the latter camp received the beta automatically if they pre-ordered Sea of Thieves digitally, while those who reserved the title at retail had to redeem a code in order to install the beta. However, it appears many pre-purchasers are being met with a "too early" error message when they attempt to launch the beta.
Developer Rare has addressed the problem on Twitter and says it is currently looking into a solution, though the studio didn't offer a precise timetable for when it expects the issue to be resolved. "We're aware some players are getting a 'too early' error when attempting to launch the Sea of Thieves Closed Beta. We're currently all hands on deck investigating and will provide updates ASAP," the developer tweeted. We'll update this story with any further details Rare shares.
Sea of Thieves is an open-world, co-op adventure in which players form pirate crews and search for treasure. The closed beta is currently scheduled to run until 12 AM PT / 3 AM ET / 8 AM GMT on January 29. Rather than featuring a portion of the full game, Rare says it crafted a tailored experience for the beta "that offers a true taste of the pirate life."
Ubisoft has embarked on some unusual projects--a Mario-Rabbids crossover that is basically XCOM wasn't something a lot of people saw coming--but its latest announcement is particularly unusual. The games publisher has revealed a new "personal gaming assistant" called Sam that will be housed inside the Ubisoft Club mobile app.
As you'd imagine, Sam's original inspiration was Siri, and that shows through its ability to answer basic queries made through text or voice. As seen in the images below, it can share the "weather" in various Ubisoft games and can respond to questions and requests related to those titles. Examples the company cited including asking for Far Cry 5's release date, to watch a trailer for Beyond Good & Evil 2, to get help in Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, or to hear a story recap of Assassin's Creed Origins.
That may all sound somewhat rote, but where Sam becomes intriguing is through its ties into Ubisoft's games. It can provide a breakdown of your play stats, recommend in-game challenges you should tackle next, or even suggest tip videos from YouTube. Eventually, the hope is that it will be able to analyze your play style to the point where it can even point out possible skill upgrades that would be of use to you.
Ubisoft also promised there will be no shortage of Easter eggs. One example is asking for the definition of insanity, which yields Voss's quote from Far Cry 3.
A beta of Sam debuts today in Canada through Ubisoft's app, which is available for free. The company plans to expand it to other countries in the "coming months."
The Bartlet Jones Supernatural Detective Agency, the studio led by Twisted Metal director David Jaffe, has experienced significant layoffs. Jaffe announced recently that the studio, which developed Drawn To Death for PS4, let go of many of its staff this week.
Jaffe announced the news on Twitter today, explaining that a canceled project resulted in the developer needing to downsize significantly. The "vast majority" of the gaming staff has been laid off, but Jaffe has yet to explain what the future of the studio will be.
"Wanted y'all to hear it from me before anyone else: we've had a project canceled and have been forced to lay off the vast majority of the Bartlet Jones staff gaming division," he wrote on Twitter. "More news to come but for now, that's what's up. Heart's breaking for the amazingly talented crew that's out of work."
Not much is known about the project that was canceled; neither Jaffe nor the studio had spoken about it prior to this week. The developer was relatively small prior to the layoffs, but it's unclear exactly how many people are out of work.
Drawn to Death launched last year, and, in spite of a striking style, met a lukewarm reception from critics and players alike. You can read more about Drawn to Death in our 4/10 review.
This week, developer Niantic added a new set of Pokemon to Pokemon Go, all from Generation 3's Hoenn region. Recently, the studio also revealed that, for a limited time, any egg you find will hatch a Pokemon from Hoenn.
This means that there's another way to grab Hoenn Pokemon that doesn't involve stumbling across them by chance. Niantic announced the news on Twitter alongside a video of an egg hatching into Torchic, one of the starting Pokemon from Ruby and Sapphire.
23 new Hoenn Pokemon were added this week. In the past month, Niantic has added 70 additional Gen 3 Pokemon. In addition, a Gen 3 Legendary, Kyogre, is also available right now. Players can encounter the Pokemon in Raid Battles until February 14.
In other Pokemon Go news, Niantic recently began a series of real-world events called Community Days. The first event, which took place last weekend, allowed players to try and catch a Pikachu that can use Surf. The next Pokemon Go Community Day will take place on February 24 and will focus on Dratini.
The new trailer for Pacific Rim Uprising is here. The sequel to Guillermo Del Toro's 2014 sci-fi action hit stars John Boyega and arrives in theaters on March 23, 2018. This latest promo gives us a bit more plot than the first trailer. It shows Boyega's character Jake Pentecost being released from prison to reluctantly take on the job of piloting a Jaeger in a new fight against giant, city-destroying Kaiju. There's tons of action too of course--check it out above.
Pacific Rim Uprising is directed by former Daredevil showrunner Steven S. DeKnight and also stars Scott Eastwood, Zhang Jin, Cailee Spaeny, and Jing Tian. The film has had a troubled development over the years, with Del Toro ultimately handing the directorial reins over to DeKnight but remaining on board as a producer. In April, Del Toro spoke about working with DeKnight and explained that he was a hands-off producer.
"It was such a great choice. I mean, I love [DeKnight], love what he does. I think he's really brilliant," Del Toro told Indiewire. "He's making it his own. I'm not breathing over his shoulder saying, 'What are you doing? What are you doing?' He's doing things differently, and I like that.
"When I produce, I try to produce the way I would like to be produced. I say to everyone I produce, 'If you need me, I will be there 100% all the time. If you don't need me, I'm not there. You show me the cut then we'll start interacting.'"
Bandai Namco's highly anticipated Dragon Ball FighterZ arrives on consoles and PC in only a few more days, but some players have another chance to try the game out ahead of its release. The publisher is holding another open beta for Dragon Ball FighterZ today, January 24, and unlike the most recent test, this round is available exclusively to Xbox One players.
The Xbox One beta is going on now and ends tonight at 9 PM PT / 12 AM ET, giving you a few hours to jump in and try out the Dragon Ball fighting game before it launches later this week. This beta includes the same roster and features as the previous round of tests, but Bandai Namco says it has "made the necessary improvements in order to enable X1 users to experience Dragon Ball FighterZ in all of its online multiplayer glory."
Dragon Ball FighterZ releases for PS4, Xbox One, and PC on January 26. The game has been very well received by critics. GameSpot's Peter Brown called it "a Dragon Ball fighting game that can go toe-to-toe with the best of the genre" in our Dragon Ball FighterZ review in progress and said, "Even if you think Dragon Ball is old hat, and even if you're intimidated by fighting games, there's a good chance you'll be drawn into the explosive action and personalities that expertly evoke the anime's infectious spirit."
The GameSpot pirate crew gets all hands on deck to try to hunt as much treasure down as they can in the closed beta for Sea Of Thieves.
Checking out the first hour of Monster Hunter: World including character creation, early quests, early monsters, crafting and more!
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