Gaming in county San Diego. Reviews, Walkthroughs, News

A small research group recently examined the performance of 25 AI 'people', using two large language models created by OpenAI, in an online Turing test. None of the AI bots ultimately passed the test, but all the GPT 3.5 ones were so bad that a chatbot from the mid-1960s was nearly twice as successful as passing off as a human. Mostly because real people didn't believe it was really AI.

If you were to drive over to goblin.bet you would find an entertaining bit of internet fluff: pixel art monsters fighting it out amongst themselves for your amusement and fake betting pleasure. The monsters use the Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition ruleset and stats, in their System Reference Document (SRD) form for legal reasons. The fights are all completely automated, arranged into brackets, going from a challenge rating of 1/8 to up to 15 and above. Monsters that win a bracket advance up until the next, until an overall winner is crowned. And then it all starts over again.

Apple has been making attempts to develop in-house solutions for its suite of products for years. One of the most notable inventions has been the lightning port, which was the Cupertino-based tech giant's proprietary charging solution on its iPhone, iPad, and other devices. However, not all of it has worked out. Its FireWire technology didn't even take off before being shelved. But that hasn't stopped the company from innovating. The Apple Silicon chipsets are one of the best in the business, known for offering great battery life alongside supreme performance. Apple has also been reportedly working on bringing its own 5G modem to iPhones in an attempt to reduce its reliance on Qualcomm, with which it has continued a feud. However, those plans are in jeopardy. On the other hand, Apple 6G development seems to have taken off as per a new finding. Know all about Apple's 6G plans.

Samsung has reportedly lost out on a grand opportunity to partner with Qualcomm to mass produce its next flagship chipset, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4, to TSMC. The Taiwanese semiconductor giant will utilize its 3nm ‘N3E’ technology next year, with other companies such as MediaTek also expected to take advantage of this manufacturing process.

Red Dead Redemption series writer Michael Unsworth has joined Rockstar co-founder Dan Houser's Absurd Ventures studio as head of story and creative management.

Tesla Inc.'s next vehicle, the all-electric Cybertruck, was on display in several US showrooms during the retail event known as Black Friday, drawing throngs of shoppers eager to see the stainless steel-clad truck up close.

After SAG-AFTRA officially ended its 118-day-long strike, a number of casting rumors about Marvel Studios’ started circulating online as the search for the highly-anticipated movie’s cast continued. Following reports of Javier Bardem and Mads Mikkelsen’s rumored casting as Galactus and Doctor Doom, another acclaimed actor has been mentioned for a potential villain role in the new Fantastic Four movie.

Nearly 15 years ago, Rockstar Games announced a brand-new game: Agent, which ultimately never saw the light of day. And according to a former Rockstar employee, the would-be title had to be dumped in favor of Grand Theft Auto V. 

Remember Rockstar’s Agent? Announced in 2007 for the PlayStation 3, it was touted as a stealth action title set during the Cold War. It would receive sporadic updates before the trademark was eventually abandoned and it was removed from the developer’s website. However, new details are available thanks to former Rockstar North technical director Obbe Vermeij, who worked from 1999 to 2009.

GTA 6 developer Rockstar Games were once working on a zombie survival game set on a Scottish island, which sounds like a mixture of GTA: Vice City and legendary Arma mod DayZ. That's according to former technical director Obbe Vermeij, who joined Rockstar North in 1995 back when it was called DMA Design, and left in 2009 following the release of GTA 4. In the run-up to the GTA 6 trailer reveal this month, he's started blogging about the development of several Rockstar games, from GTA through grotty snuff film simulator Manhunt to cancelled projects such as the zombie title and Cold War stealth fest Agent.

Apple recently renewed its 5G licensing agreement with Qualcomm because it continues to face development challenges with its in-house solution. With the contiguous delays, the technology giant will reportedly not launch the custom 5G modem by the end of 2025 or early 2026, with the first batch likely debuting in the new iPhones. However, even with the launch being successful, a new report states that Apple will continue to rely on Qualcomm’s 5G modems, but not necessarily for the iPhone.

Starting December 21, unwrap all the best content available in Season 6, making every previous Set eligible again for play in MLB The Show 23. Create your lineups from Sets 1 through 5, and develop your all-time best squad from every player item available in MLB The Show 23.

Content note: This story contains discussions of children being propositioned for sexual actions and receiving sexual messages. 

Destin Daniel Cretton is reportedly no longer directing Avengers: The Kang Dynasty.

Apple has not been scheduled to launch its next low-cost handset, the iPhone SE 4, for a long time, but a barrage of rumors continue to pour through, updating the industry on the successor of the iPhone SE 3. This time, thanks to a series of renders, we get a cleaner and more in-depth look at how it would appear, and according to the latest images, the newer version shares similarities with the iPhone 14, with a few modifications, of course.

180 employees in Amazon's video game division are being let go today, according to Aftermath's Nathan Grayson. 

Amazon has announced plans to lay off another 180 employees from its video games division.

By Jay Peters, a news editor who writes about technology, video games, and virtual worlds. He’s submitted several accepted emoji proposals to the Unicode Consortium.

A cohort of parents filed a new civil lawsuit against Roblox, claiming that monetary losses were suffered due to its lack of child safety precautions.

By Luis Joshua Gutierrez on

Qualcomm recently posted its fourth-quarter earnings, and despite a slowing smartphone market, the San Diego firm managed to beat expectations. While the company might have narrowly avoided a pummeling in this three-month period, there are a myriad of challenges that await the chipset maker going into 2024, with Huawei likely on the top of that list. Fortunately, Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon stated in the earnings call that these events and the emergence of another player will not affect its relationship with other smartphone brands in China.

We’re back again. PlayStation Studios is taking part in our annual Extra Life livestream event for the second year in a row. Join Bend Studio, Guerrilla, Insomniac Games, and San Diego Studio for a four-day event of games, fun, and amazing prizes to raise funds for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. 

Qualcomm is said to be charging its customers more for the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, but these price hikes are not going to stop at this chipset release because the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 has been hinted by a company executive to be even more expensive. It appears that the San Diego firm needs some way to financially make up for the custom Oyron cores since that is reportedly the magic behind next year’s chipset.

Video games have provided the basis for many movies over the years — from the awful but iconic flicks of the '90s (Super Mario Bros and Street Fighter) to more modern surprise hits like Sonic the Hedgehog.

A previous leak may have revealed the majority of the information that Qualcomm provided today, but that did not prevent the chipset maker from officially announcing its next flagship silicon, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. Armed with a host of performance boosts over the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, the latest SoC means business, and more importantly, the latest release is a prime example of just how serious Qualcomm is taking AI, as smartphones featuring the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 will also support on-device artificial intelligence capabilities.

2023's mass eradication of the games industry continues with reports of layoffs at Sony Interactive Entertainment and PlayStation Studios. It's unclear how extensive these losses are - Sony have yet to provide comment, at the time of writing - but they appear to include staff at PlayStation's Visual Arts studio, based in San Diego, which supports developers like The Last of Us creators Naughty Dog and Spider-Man 2 creators Insomniac.

PlayStation's Visual Arts is the latest gaming company to have been hit by layoffs.

Several developers have announced that they have been laid off from PlayStation’s Visual Arts group.

We don’t hear Rick or Morty talk for the entire cold open of Rick and Morty season 7. For those attuned to behind-the-scenes upheaval — of co-creator and star Justin Roiland being fired after allegations of domestic violence and troubling professional behavior surfaced — it seemed like a slow play. For months, the creators behind Rick and Morty talked about hiring “soundalikes” to step into the lead roles (both played by Roiland), but wouldn’t say who they were. At San Diego Comic-Con, executive producer Steve Levy would only say that they sound the same, and “the characters are the same characters. No change.”

Qualcomm is said to trim its workforce by 2.5 percent, with the layoffs reportedly happening in its Santa Clara and San Diego offices. After previously laying off 415 employees, the chipset manufacturer is being forced to reduce its personnel headcount once more. Industry experts have commented that the comeback mounted by Huawei, along with the failed suppression efforts from the U.S. on China, has affected firms such as Qualcomm, and 2024 is not expected to make things any brighter.

In a landscape where movies based on comic books rake in billions of dollars, there’s an assumption that anyone in the comic book business is making tons of money. The reality is an entirely different matter: Since its earliest days, the American comics industry has been built on the exploitation of workers.

More than a thousand Qualcomm employees are set to lose their jobs in California on or around Dec. 13 this year.

The MLB Postseason is underway, and MLB The Show 23 is bringing you special content to play as the heroes of the Fall Classic. Also, at the end of October, sink your fangs into spooktacular Halloween-themed content.

According to a government copyright listing for, Marvel Studios has already enlisted the voice cast for its forthcoming animated series, which will explore an alternate timeline in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, where Norman Osborn becomes Peter Parker’s mentor instead of Tony Stark.

Apple has grappled with the development of its in-house 5G modem for years now, and even acquiring Intel’s business for $1 billion did not aid the company’s endeavors. Finding negligible success in this area, the California-based giant had little choice but to extend its partnership with Qualcomm for three more years, but there was a slight chance that Samsung would be brought into the fold, too. Sadly, talks of a deal never went past a certain point, with one report stating that the Korean manufacturer was experiencing supply issues.

Patch 1.03 for Red Dead Redemption has sneaked in a 60fps mode for those playing on PlayStation 5.  When the game launched on PlayStation 4 in August many people questioned why the game was not running at 60fps and 4K.

Patch 1.03 for Red Dead Redemption has sneaked in a 60fps mode for those playing on PlayStation 5.  When the game launched on PlayStation 4 in August many people questioned why the game was not running at 60fps and 4K.

Rockstar Games has released the version 1.03 update for the PlayStation 4 version of Red Dead Redemption, which adds a 60 frames per second toggle in the “Display” options menu when played on PlayStation 5.

Samsung and TSMC have yet to see yield improvements in their respective 3nm technologies. Though the Taiwanese foundry has already secured Apple as a long-term client, with future SoCs said to be mass produced on the updated N3E process, Samsung’s 3nm GAA node has yet to pick up steam, with a report stating that Qualcomm will not place orders if those yields do not climb to 70 percent.

The Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 is reportedly Qualcomm’s first SoC entrant that will ditch ARM’s core designs and switch to custom Oryon cores that have been codenamed Phoenix. Though the new chipset will arrive with a ton of expectations on its shoulders, the latest word on the rumor mill is that the San Diego company appears to be running into power consumption problems with its new silicon. Thankfully, with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 unveiling happening before, Qualcomm has plenty of time to tackle these setbacks.

Mortal Kombat fans are already getting through the latest installment available. After Mortal Kombat 11, the development team over at NetherRealm Studios opted to do something a bit different. We’re getting a reboot with Mortal Kombat 1, where the focus is on a brand new timeline. As a result, there are several changes, such as new alliances for different characters. Fortunately, NetherRealm Studios is known for delivering new characters into the Mortal Kombat games after they release, and the same trend will continue with Mortal Kombat 1.

Huawei’s self-sufficiency allowed it to circumvent the U.S. sanctions and launch the Mate 60 Pro with the Kirin 9000S, which is gaining immense traction in China. With reported shipments said to reach 20 million units this year, the flagship is apparently selling like hotcakes, all the while benefitting Apple’s supply chain.

Apple has been reported on multiple occasions to officially unveil the M3 later this year, and it will be the company’s second 3nm chipset after the A17 Pro. Unfortunately, the company’s demand for its next-generation SoCs will be below expectations as shipments of its MacBook and iPad lineup continue to fall, with an analyst reporting that the Work-From-Home (WFH) trend has run its course.

For those who want to take another stab at High on Life, its first DLC, High on Knife, just got an official release date – and just in time for spooky season.

Adult Swim shared a new trailer for Rick and Morty season 7 Monday, offering a first glimpse at the Sanchez family’s forthcoming shenanigans across the multiverse, and most importantly, the premiere of the new voices behind the series’ titular duo.

 Wildfires fueled by climate change have ravaged communities from Maui to the Mediterranean this summer, killing many people, exhausting firefighters and fueling demand for new solutions. Enter artificial intelligence.

Three months after its July 2022 debut on the Nasdaq, FaZe Holdings Inc. threw an exclusive party at a San Diego nightclub, hiring the rapper Travis Scott to promote its stable of video-game stars and YouTube personalities.

“Step into my office,” says Joanna Fang. OK, but to the untrained eye it's a kleptomaniac's hoard: rolls of Astroturf, mud and moss, wooden planks, violin bows, smashed keyboards, plastic boxes brimming with shoes, a full armory of axes and swords, a sand pit, a bamboo fence, rocks, half a bike, smashed iPhones, a boat's anchor chain, a grimy car door. “Never trust a clean foley stage,” she says.

Qualcomm was earlier said to be running into undisclosed problems with the Snapdragon 8cx Gen 4, which is allegedly the company’s first SoC to ship with custom Oryon cores that were made possible with the Nuvia acquisition. There appears to be progress with the chipset in terms of performance, with a rumor claiming that it is slightly better than the Apple M2. However, its estimated launch timeline may take away the advantage, especially with the M3 unveiling right around the corner.

Lyft is adding a Women+ Connect option, which aims to match female and nonbinary drivers with more women and nonbinary riders.

Apple Inc. is extending an agreement to get modem semiconductors from Qualcomm Inc. for three more years, a sign that its ambitious effort to design the chips in-house is taking longer than expected. Qualcomm shares surged on the news.

It is a terrible day for Apple and Qualcomm, as both companies lost significantly in share price and market value following news that China banned the use of iPhones among government employees. While the San Diego chipset maker was effected by the ban, its share price down was also due to a report doing the rounds that Huawei will exclusively switch to Kirin SoCs in 2024, leading to up a loss of 60 million silicon orders for Qualcomm, translating into revenue that is reduced by the billions.

The U.S. sanctions may have forced Huawei into a corner as far as its smartphone business is concerned, but the Chinese firm has remained relentless and managed to circumvent those trade limitations with the Kirin 9000S, its first custom SoC that materialized after a brief hiatus and is found in the newly released Mate 60 Pro 5G.

Former chairman of PlayStation Studios Shawn Layden has Thoughts and somewhat dire warnings about the videogame industry's future, though what exactly he means by "the videogame industry" is a little open to guesswork.

It’s been a strong year for comics so far in 2023, albeit not always from the usual players. If the Big Two of Marvel and DC sometimes seem to be stuck in a holding pattern for their next Big Event Series, the graphic novel baton has been more than capably picked up by any number of players from across the medium: from graphic novelists like Deena Mohamed to bonkers “dudes rock” cartoonists like Daniel Warren Johnson and beyond.

Marvel has reportedly shifted the dates for Agatha: Darkhold Diaries, Echo, What If...?'s second season, X-Men '97, and more amid the ongoing strikes and changes to Disney+'s strategy.

The Season 4 Rewards Program in MLB The Show 23 kicks off today*, and it brings all-new content and rewards for you to enjoy, including the stylish Snapshot Series player items, as well as new Programs, Collections, Events, and much more.

An undergraduate engineering degree costs a lot of money: about $44,072 for a state school, $144,524 for a private one. To recoup that cash, you’re going to want to attend one of the schools whose graduates earn the most. 

Qualcomm’s custom Oryon cores were announced back in 2022 and were positioned to be Apple’s first and only real M-series competitor. Unfortunately, it turns out that developing in-house cores is easier said than done, and though the chipset maker dominates the 5G baseband market, it is rumored to be running into problems in this area, which can potentially delay the Snapdragon 8cx Gen 4 launch.

Keeping the peace with your neighbors can be tricky, and anyone who has joined their community's Nextdoor group knows people have a lot of opinions. But there are a few types of issues that really get people going, a new study of Nextdoor posts reveals.

There are a lot of Funko Pop! figures out there - more than 13,000 different designs at last count - spanning a number of different fandoms. There's one character I can almost guarantee even the most avid Pop! collector doesn't have, though. You. Funko has been focused on turning MCU heroes and video game characters into Pop! figures for the past 25 years, but thanks to the introduction of the figure maker's new Pop! Yourself experience, now it's your turn.

Are you ready for a heaping helping of solicits from the House of Ideas? Marvel Comics has released its full November 2023 solicitations, as well as an early look at nearly two weeks of December 2023 solicitations right in the same package.

The Mortal Kombat 1 pre-order beta went live for Xbox and PS5 players on Friday, bringing with it multiple new characters for players to try as well as some returning stalwarts. The most popular of them so far seems to be Johnny Cage, who is winning over fans with big celebrity energy, big combos, and surprise sunglasses finishers.

With Marvel's Venom, Stern wants to evolve pinball into even more of a video game.

Qualcomm is rumored to exclusively use TSMC’s 4nm N4P process for its upcoming Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, but it may have to change sides for the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 and switch to Samsung’s foundry for 2024 due to ongoing capacity issues. Apple is reported to have secured the majority of the TSMC’s 3nm wafers, leaving just 15 percent available for Qualcomm to utilize, which would be unacceptable to the chipset maker.

Qualcomm put its partners in a tough spot, including Samsung, as it is apparently rumored to have charged $160 for the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. This makes the San Diego’s chipset more expensive than what Apple was paying for its A16 Bionic. Unfortunately, things may not improve with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 launch, as one tipster claims that the latter will be pricier than its predecessor.

Earlier today, reports started to emerge that the existence of Borderlands 4 had been leaked by an actress adding the game to her resume, but Genvid Entertainment has since clarified the situation.

Gearbox boss and co-founder Randy Pitchford first teased that «the big one» was in development back in 2021.

Everybody’s favorite blue hedgehog has been having a good few years thanks to the success of the Sonic the Hedgehog films and the excitement surrounding the upcoming Sonic Superstars game. Sega recently launched a campaign, called Fast Friends Forever, to celebrate the millions of fans the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise has amassed over the decades.

Intel fixed the security flaw known as "Downfall(Opens in a new window)" this week, which is described as a "critical weakness found in billions of modern processors" by the researcher who discovered it.

This year, only Apple is said to unveil the world’s first 3nm chip, while Qualcomm is said to stick with TSMC’s N4P process for the upcoming Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. However, one report from an analyst states that the San Diego company may have to rekindle its partnership with Samsung as it explores the option of dual-sourcing for the development of its own 3nm chip.

WrestleQuest, Mega Cat’s love note to both pro wrestling and old-school role-playing games, will now launch Aug. 22. Mega Cat and publisher Skybound Games made the remarkable delay announcement just three hours before the game’s original launch date of Aug. 8.

This week’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhemmarks the seventh big-screen outing for Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello, and Michelangelo, who never go on hiatus — the heroes in a half-shell have almost always had a TV show or comic keeping their turtle power going between movies.

God of War art director Rafael Grassetti is adding his talents to the Marvel Universe this November with a badass, beefed up Daredevil variant cover that showcases the Man Without Fear in his cult-classic '90s armored costume.

Qualcomm could be catching up to Apple when it comes to adding satellite connectivity to future Android flagships. According to one rumor, a ‘special version’ of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 could launch in the future, supporting this feature.

Hasbro has apologized for claiming that Activision has lost their copies of their Transformers video games.

After one Hasbro rep suggested that Activision Blizzard had lost the hard drives that held the code for the well-loved Transformers games it published, Hasbro's PR is now saying that statement was made in error.

The promised beta test for MK1 preorders now has a set date.