International News, Tips, Tricks & Ideas

A newly unearthed and frankly staggering internal Valve study from 2018 claims the gaming giant was, at the time, generating more revenue per employee than tech giants like Amazon, Facebook, Apple, and Microsoft.

The Strong National Museum of Play has announced the 12 games nominated in 2024 for the World Video Game Hall of Fame: Asteroids, Elite, Guitar Hero, Metroid, Myst, Neopets, Resident Evil, Tokimeki Memorial, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, Ultima, and You Don’t Know Jack.

Geoff Keighley will host the Summer Game Fest 2024 showcase on June 7 at 2:00 p.m. PT / 5:00 p.m. ET at YouTube Theater in Los Angeles, the event announced. You will be able to watch it on YouTube, Twitch, TikTok, X, Steam, and a variety of international partners.

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Monster Hunter World is a monster hit for Capcom, selling over 25 million copies since going on sale in 2018.

Elden Ring is the gift that just does not stop giving, as every week there's a new discovery, exploit, or item description that has new context due to the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC's latest trailer. Last week, there was the revelation that Walking Mausoleums can be pushed around with a certain spell, but this week's is one hell of a find from a dataminer called Sekiro Dubi, who has reconstructed an alternate intro for the game.

Wartune Ultra, the popular web MMORPG by developer 7road International HK Limited, is finally set to launch on Android and iOS platforms later this year. An official release window is unknown at this time. However, pre-registration is now open for players across both platforms.

After SMIC was reportedly setting up chip production for Huawei to start mass production of 5nm wafers later this year, China’s biggest semiconductor manufacturer is now rumored to be assembling a team dedicated to 3nm chip development. For obvious reasons, the company will seek aid to help achieve this monumental goal and, in the process, obtain complete autonomy from foreign companies and the tight grip that the U.S. has on them.

NASA's Crew 7 mission is poised to conclude its six-month residency aboard the International Space Station (ISS), with seven astronauts preparing to return to Earth. Throughout their extended stay, these astronauts have been diligently engaged in conducting several scientific experiments and technology demonstrations aimed at benefiting humanity and advancing NASA's readiness for future space missions.

If you've got a PlayStation 5 and play quite a lot of games on it, you've probably noticed that you can fill up its 825GB of storage very quickly with just a few downloads. Luckily, Sony has made it so that you can expand your PS5's storage capacity by adding an extra Solid State Drive (SSD). Expanding your available storage space this way isn't particularly complicated, either — though it's nevertheless a delicate process best done by an adult in a clean and prepared environment. If you'd like to add an SSD to your PS5, check out our list of the best PS5-compatible SSDs, pick one you like, and then follow the instructions below.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman will return to the ChatGPT-maker's board along with three new directors, the company said on Friday. Below is a timeline of the events in a tumultuous few months for the artificial intelligence company. Date Event Nov. 17, OpenAI board fires CEO Sam Altman and 2023 President Greg Brockman quits. Mira Murati named as interim CEO Nov. 18, Altman's firing was over a "breakdown in 2023 communication between Sam and the board," and not "malfeasance", COO Brad Lightcap says in an internal memo Early investor Khosla Ventures says it wants Altman back at OpenAI, "but will back him in whatever he does next" 

Microsoft has admitted that a January cyberattack allowed hackers to eventually gain access to the company's «source code repositories and internal systems.» Microsoft says the attack was carried out by hacking group Midnight Blizzard, which is supported by the Russian government.

The M3 MacBook Air offers little internal changes compared to its direct predecessor, but now, Apple’s latest chip is not only mass produced on TSMC’s cutting-edge 3nm architecture but also supports technologies such as hardware-accelerated ray tracing. However, how do all of these improvements translate into gaming performance? The short story is that while the newest MacBook Air can become somewhat of a portable gaming machine, it is best to keep expectations realistic, according to the latest framerate numbers shared.

A Samsung SSD guarantees that you will not just receive a quality product, but the software support and the seamless transition of data from one drive to another make the company’s products a ‘must buy.’ Today, we have not one, but two high-capacity PCIe NVMe Gen 4 drives, the 990 PRO and the 990 EVO, that are not just discounted on Amazon, but one of them also comes with a $20 discount that can be applied before checkout to help you out with the storage upgrade financially.

After a few incendiary statements from development and community figures poured kerosene on the debates dominating the Helldivers 2 player base after its recent balance patch, Arrowhead CEO and game director Johan Pilestedt stepped in to assure players that such snippy remarks are "not a message that the studio stands behind."

Final Fantasy 14's brand new race nearly had a cuter final design, but its game director chose another version for the "strong and nimble" build you see today.

"As a level 50 player with the platinum trophy, I honestly hated playing this game after the update - the meta only existed because most other options needed a buff," one player posted to the Helldivers 2 subreddit, echoing a sentiment the community has been sharing since yesterday's patch.

Sony has announced that Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut is coming to PC on 21st May, with internal porting specialist Nixxes Software handling the port.

NASA has called for new astronauts, offering the opportunity to journey to the moon and potentially even Mars! With applications due on April 2, U.S. citizens with a passion for space exploration are encouraged to apply for this prestigious role that promises to push the boundaries of human discovery.

Sony has announced that Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut is coming to PC on 21st May, with internal porting specialist Nixxes Software handling the port.

Back in 2022, Vera Drew’s highly personal, incredibly irreverent stylized memoir movie The People’s Joker made a splashy debut at the Toronto International Film Festival — in that immediately after its premiere, DC Comics’ parent company, Warner Bros., filed a cease-and-desist order against the movie, shutting down all subsequent screenings and throwing the movie’s future into doubt. It’s taken years for the film to see the light of day, outside of the occasional festival screening. I saw it at the 2023 Fantastic Fest, where Vera Drew was present to talk about the experience, but was careful not to address the question of whether her film might ever get a real theatrical run. But now, according to the poster, it’s “coming soon. Legally. Seriously.”

The Amazon Games team is headed once again to Game Developers Conference in San Francisco from March 18-22! We’re counting down the days until we can discuss the latest trends shaping the future of our industry, to catch up with old friends and to make new ones.

Blizzard has posted This Week in WoW which unfortunately includes no 10.2.6 or Season 4 news.

The so-called ransomware group that recently claimed to have hacked Epic Games has admitted it was a hoax.

World Cup-winning footballer Hugo Lloris thought moving to his new team in Los Angeles would be no big deal, because he'd played so much Grand Theft Auto. 

If you want to purchase Microsoft Office legitimately, it's worth checking verified sellers for a cheap Microsoft Office key. Some of them may have some great Microsoft Office 2021 deals, and others may even list Office for a lower price than Microsoft itself. For example, the Microsoft Store currently lists Office 2021 Pro at $440, but how much is Microsoft Office on, say, another website? We strongly recommend Keysoff - a senior retailer specializing in MS keys! Because Keysoff can provide cheap and genuine software keys. During International Women’s Day, Keysoff even holds the Women's Day Hot Sale, where you can get MS keys over 90% off!

Apple has finally announced the new M3 MacBook Air with an upgraded processor. The company was initially expected to unveil the new machines by the end of this month at its Spring event. However, the company saw fit to announce the upgrade via press release. The latest release features a plethora of upgrades over the previous version in terms of performance and connectivity.

In the bustling world of smartphones, Oppo has recently introduced its latest contender, the Oppo F25 Pro, in the Indian market at a starting price of Rs. 23999 for the base variant. The Oppo F25 Pro 5G boasts a vibrant 6.7-inch full-HD+ display with a smooth 120Hz refresh rate. It operates on ColorOS 14.0, based on Android. The device is equipped with a powerful octa-core MediaTek Dimensity 7050 SoC.

SpaceX rocket was successfully launched from NASA's Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral, along Florida's Atlantic coast today and it is heading to the International Space Station. The spacecraft consists of a capsule called Endeavour which is carrying four astronauts in a 16-hour flight to the ISS. Crew members are expected to reach the ISS on Tuesday if everything goes as planned. Know more about the SpaceX rocket launch and the Crew-8 mission here.

From genomic information to internet-connected cars, the United States is rethinking its data protection policies -- with further trade curbs aimed at China in the cards -- as tech like AI brings new risks.

Actor Jonathon Bailey was "determined" to continue voicing a beloved Final Fantasy 14 character, even after finding international fame.

Mortal Kombat 1 fans think that the latest season of Invasions, which is named "Season of Chaos" in the game's files, has mixed up Mileena's theme with Havik's.

Fortnite giant Epic Games has said that claims it has been the victim of a cyberattack aren't legitimate.

It recently came to light that Apple had canceled its car project, which was internally referred to as ‘Project Titan,’ and with the abandonment, the company has re-assigned the 2,000 employees formerly stationed at the self-driving vehicle division to proceed with work on generative AI.

News has reached Chinese EV makers that Apple has shuttered its self-driving car development that was internally called ‘Project Titan.’ Xiaomi, the world’s third-largest smartphone brand, recently entered this category, and it, plus other players, have expressed their thoughts on the latest development. While some companies are shocked at this revelation, others agree with Apple’s decision, stating that there are other areas in which the technology giant can thrive in.

The Pokémon Company revealed a new virtual card collecting game called Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket on Tuesday. After the reveal, fans online expressed concern that the game would contain non fungible tokens (NFTs). However, it now looks like NFTs won’t play any part in the new game. In a statement issued to Polygon, a representative of the Pokémon Company said it has “not developed or approved” any Pokémon NFTs.

The rumored Nintendo Switch 2 has been making waves lately due to reports of an internal delay to the first quarter of 2025. After Nikkei corroborated the same and revealed the new launch date as March 2025, leaker Midori further validated it by stating, “It is correct information.”

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth has almost 30 minigames, including one developed by an internal team of "hardcore card game fans."

Ahead of the MWC 2024, Chinese consumer electronics maker Xiaomi on Sunday launched for international markets its new AI-enhanced and photography-geared 14 Series smartphone, along with other wearable gadgets at a launch event held in Barcelona, Spain. At the event, William Lu, Partner and President of Xiaomi Corporation and President of Xiaomi International Business Department showcased its newly upgraded group strategy "Human X Car X Home" smart ecosystem too.

Leaked internal Microsoft documents emerging last September spilled the beans on the company’s plans to release an all-digital variant of the Xbox Series X, and a new report published on Exputer by known insider eXtas1s claims that that console is set to be released in a few months’ time.

Destin Daniel Cretton (Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, American Born Chinese)will write and direct Lionsgate’s long-gestating live-action movie based on Masashi Kishimoto’s Naruto.

Last week, Hello Games released the OMEGA update for No Man's Sky. On the occasion, the British independent studio also made the game free to play that weekend, hoping to attract new players.

Blizzard has heard the community's feedback regarding the Oracle Hero Talent Tree and announced that they will be revamping it, especially regarding the focus on replacing Power Infusion. Check out AutomaticJak's review of the previous Oracle Hero Talent Tree. Oracle Hero Talent Review

FromSoftware boss Hidetaka Miyazaki is "happy" so many people want a Bloodborne remake, but isn't ready to confirm one just yet.

For some of us, it’s a good day to subscribe to Nintendo Switch Online as Mother 3 heads to the service for users in Japan.

An international law enforcement operation led by Britain's National Crime Agency and the FBI has arrested and indicted members of the Lockbit ransomware gang, in an unprecedented police operation that has struck one of the world's most notorious cybercrime gangs.

This week in WoW, the Dragonflight Mythic Dungeon International continues on February 23rd and Classic Hardcore Self-Found goes live on February 29th!

Fellow Traveller and Copychaser games have announced a closed beta for their upcoming robot journalist game, Times & Galaxy. The beta will run from February 26 to March 11 and consists of the first 30% of the final game.

Honor of Kings, Tencent’s massively popular mobile game, has its eye set on the international market in 2024.

Sony recently announced that the PS5 has sold 54.8 million units worldwide, and while that’s quite an impressive number for a console that’s only just entered the fourth year of its lifecycle, it has missed the company’s internal sales target by quite a bit. Sony has, as such, revised its forecast for total PS5 units shipped during FY 2023/24 (which ends on March 31) from 25 million down to 21 million, and the company is now feeling the immediate repercussions of that.

An earlier rumor was disseminating information that Apple had halted work on its foldable iPhone because there were durability concerns regarding the display. Now, a new update claims that the technology giant is actively developing the device and has actually reassigned some key personnel hailing from the Apple Vision Pro team to work on this new form factor.

Earlier today, Xiaomi shared the official camera specifications of the upcoming Xiaomi 14 Ultra. At that time, I pointed out how it is easily the best camera phone in the market with a really powerful Sony LYT-900 sensor under the hood. The rest of the cameras are just as impressive, mind you. All of this combined makes the new phone one of the best in the business.

Last year, Insomniac was hacked by a ransomware group called Rhysidia. It threatened to release the stolen data unless Sony paid $2 million in Bitcoin, leading to a historic 1.6 terabyte leak that included a playable build of the yet to be released Wolverine game. Given the enormous size of the hacked data, people are still digging through it months later.

The Xiaomi 14 series is all but official in the international markets, and we know for a fact that the Xiaomi 14 Ultra is going to be the star of the show. The phone will launch in China on 22nd February, followed by an international release on 25th February, later this month. As expected, Xiaomi is not shying away from talking about the phone, and today, the company has revealed some more details about the phone--mainly the camera that will be found on the flagship.

The global smartphone market is finally going to have some more competition as Xiaomi is set to unveil the Xiaomi 14 series in international markets on 25th February, later this month. The star of the show, of course, is going to be the Ultra variant. This time around, the company has decided to cut the Pro variant from the international markets, so we are just going to get the base and Ultra offerings. Now we know a little more about the Ultra variant and its release date.

Infinix has just launched its latest smartphone, the Infinix Hot 40i. Company says smartphone packs groundbreaking features and boasts an unbeatable price tag. What does it really offer to users? Check out the specs and features below to find out.

ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen has treated the world to a mesmerizing timelapse video of the journey from space back to Earth. In a stunning timelapse video shared recently, viewers can see the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft gracefully undocking from the International Space Station (ISS) before its splashdown near the coast of Florida.

Sony’s PlayStation 5 continues its impressive run since it was launched more than three years ago, and if you haven’t bought the console yet, or you’re looking for discounted games and accessories, you should take advantage of this year’s PS5 Presidents’ Day deals. There are massive savings in store for gamers this holiday as various retailers have launched their own sales, but you’re going to have to be quick if you want them because stocks aren’t expected to last long, particularly for the more impressive bargains — some of which we’ve featured below.

Now that Google has dropped the first Android 15 Developer Preview for Pixel users, a lot of non-Pixel users have started to think if and when they will get access to the latest update. Samsung, being one of the biggest Android manufacturers, comes to mind because the company has a huge portfolio of devices that may be eligible for Android 15. In this article, we are going to list down all the devices that should get the update.

Mini PC manufacturer, AOOSTAR, has unveiled its brand new GEM10 Mini PC which offers AMD Ryzen 7 7840HS APUs with OCULINK in a compact shape.

In a surprise reveal, Anya Taylor-Joy made an appearance at the world premiere of Dune 2, hosted in London – and in the process confirmed rumors that she has a role in the sci-fi sequel. 

If you thought the cast for Dune was stacked then wait until you see the sequel, with several big names joining the all-star line-up for the highly anticipated Part Two. One of these is none other than Florence Pugh, the Oscar-nominated star of hit films including Little Women, Oppenheimer, and Don't Worry Darling. 

Xbox president Sarah Bond has said the next-generation Xbox will mark the biggest jump in hardware capability we've ever seen from one console generation to the next.

A new report suggests that the threat of dozens of layoffs looms at ZA/UM, as the studio has canceled the development of a standalone expansion to its beloved RPG Disco Elysium.

Beginning February 16, the keystone timers will count down for the 2024 Dragonflight Season 3 Mythic Dungeon International! Watch the Groups Stage Tournament on Twitch and YouTube to see how fast the dungeoneers can go!

UAE backs Sam Altman's vision, aims to lead the world on AI regulation; IBM report reveals 59% of Indian enterprises actively using AI; Microsoft pledges $3.44 billion investment in Germany, focusing on AI boost; Google unveils internal AI 'Goose' to accelerate employee coding efficiency- this and more in our daily roundup. Let us take a look.

When Embracer Group’s $2 billion deal with Saudia Arabia’s Savvy Games Group fellow through last year, with a sudden need to balance its numbers, the company announced in June that it was initiating an internal restructuring program that would entail widespread layoffs, studio closures, and project cancellations.

There isn’t much of the games industry that hasn’t been impacted to some degree by the wave of layoffs it’s been suffering for more than a year at this point, but very few companies have contributed to that damage as much as Embracer Group has. Embracer announced an internal restructuring program in June last year after it failed to close a $2 billion deal with Saudi Arabia’s Savvy Games group, and since then, across all of its studios, it has laid off a startling number of people.

During last week's rumored Xbox town hall meeting, Xbox President Sarah Bond reportedly told employees that every screen is an Xbox.

Build-a-Bear, the customizable plush toy store, is facing a lawsuit from the manufacturer of Squishmallows, accusing the company of intentionally copying Squishmallows with one of its recent plush releases. The lawsuit emerged shortly after the introduction of Build-a-Bear's Skoosherz plush line of toys.

An internal Xbox meeting is continuing to generate headlines, as a new report on the event suggests that Microsoft's gaming division aims to make "every screen" an Xbox.

Blizzard has released A New Dawn, a trailer video by famed machinima artist IKedit for the upcoming Mythic Dungeon International 2024 tournament!

The MDI 2024 starts this Friday, February 16th! Here's what you need to know.

Games and accessories often appear with discounts in Nintendo Switch deals, but the console itself mostly only gets a price cut during special occasions. If you can’t wait for the next big sale, the good news is that there’s a rare offer from Walmart for the Nintendo Switch that drops its price from $300 to $260. We’re not sure how much time is remaining for the $40 in savings, but given the device’s popularity, we don’t expect it to last very long. If you want to get the console for a cheaper price, you should push through with your purchase as soon as you can.

It’s a long, cold wait between seasons of Taskmaster, especially after an entry as stellar as series 16. Luckily, the hilarious British panel show has kept its growing international audience entertained between seasons by uploading episodes of one of its many licensed spinoff series to its YouTube channel. Taskmaster New Zealand’s first two seasons are now onthe official Taskmaster YouTube account, including the incredible season 2, which originally aired in 2021 and is one of the best seasons of any version of Taskmaster. If you consider yourself a Taskmaster fan, you owe it to yourself to check it out.

Amazon has discounted the Samsung EVO Select 512GB Micro SDXC Card down to $24.99, a 30% price drop from its original $35 MSRP. This is an excellent price for a 512GB Micro SDXC card from a well-known and respected brand. I's fully compatible with the Nintendo Switch, Steam Deck, and ASUS ROG Ally portable handhelds. It also comes with a SD adapter for devices that only take full-sized SD cards. Check out all of the best Nintendo Switch deals for sales on other games and accessories.

One of the bigger stories to come out of 2023’s Toronto International Film Festival was Bertrand Bonello’s science fiction movie The Beast, a dizzying, surreal story about a woman, Gabrielle (Léa Seydoux), reliving three past lives as part of a process to purge her memories and emotions. In each of these lives, she encounters Louis (George MacKay of 1917 and Marrowbone) in a series of emotional relationships that lead in dangerous directions. Critics’ responses were split between strong positives and dubious negatives, but they seemed to agree that it’s a remarkably image-driven, idea-packed film that’s sensual and challenging. The comparison to the Wachowskis’ Cloud Atlas seemed obvious, too, given the separate but linked stories of people echoing across time together.

Is Mark Ruffalo in Captain America 4? Well, the actor seemed to accidentally confirm he'd be appearing in the upcoming fourquel, but that has been swiftly debunked.