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Submission + - Blizzard Bans 100,000 Cheaters In Massive 'World of Warcraft' Ban Spree (hothardware.com)

Submitted by MojoKid
MojoKid writes: Like many MMORPGs, World of Warcraft can be a grind. To sidestep the time commitment required to continually level up a character, gather resources, improve skills, or whatever else is desired, some gamers turn to bots, software that automates the process. The only problem is, Activision Blizzard isn't so keen on this behavior and has dropped the ban hammer hard on gamers who've been using them. Activision Blizzard didn't specify exactly how many people it booted, saying only that it was a "large number of World of Warcraft accounts." However, a screenshot of a conversation between a player, Game Master, and Activision Blizzard employee suggests that over 100,000 World of Warcraft accounts were identified and booted.

Comment Re:Is MojoKid shilling for HotHardware allowed by (Score 0) 72

by MojoKid (#49702765) Attached to: A Look At GTA V PC Performance and Image Quality At 4K
Seriously? The majority of stories submitted to Slashdot are from people that are associated with the publications they're sourcing, and I think Slashdot's management is astute enough to know. Finally, virtually all of the sites you named also rely on the same "privacy-invasive" ad services you mentioned. Thanks for the pointless observation.

Submission + - A Look At GTA V PC Performance And Image Quality At 4K (hothardware.com)

Submitted by MojoKid
MojoKid writes: Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto series has been wildly successful for many years now, offering some of the edgiest story lines, game play tactics and objectives the gaming industry has ever seen. With psychopathic main characters, you are left in the depraved communities of Los Santos and Blaine County, to walk a path few would dare choose in real life. And it's rather entertaining of course, that you're tasked with leaving a virtual world worse off than you found it, consequences be damned. But what does it take to run GTA V at 4K (3840X2160) resolution? This article takes a look at that, as well as how it scales over multiple NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 GPUs, along with some screen shots that look at image quality at Ultra HD resolution. It's safe to say one strong, high-end GPU will get the job done, but two in SLI or CrossFire are better of course, if you want to max out all IQ settings.

Submission + - Intel NUC5i7RYH Broadwell Mini PC With Iris Pro Graphics Tested (hothardware.com)

Submitted by MojoKid
MojoKid writes: In addition to ushering in a wave of new notebooks and mobile devices, Intel's Broadwell microarchitecture has also found its way into a plethora of recently introduced small form factor systems like the company's NUC platform. The new NUC5i7RYH is a mini-PC packing a Core i7-5557U Broadwell processor with Iris Pro graphics, which makes it the most powerful NUC released to date. There's a 5th-gen Core i7 CPU inside (dual-core, quad-thread) that can turbo up to 3.4GHz, an Iris Pro 6100 series integrated graphics engine, support for dual-channel memory, M.2 and 2.5" SSDs, 802.1ac and USB 3.0. NUCs are generally barebones systems, so you have to build them up with a drive and memory before they can be used. The NUC5i7RYH is one of the slightly taller NUC systems that can accommodate both M.2 and 9.5mm 2.5 drives and all NUCs come with a power brick and VESA mount. With a low-power dual-core processor and on-die Iris Pro 6100-series graphics engine, the NUC5i7RYH won't offer the same kind of performance as systems equipped with higher-powered processors or discrete graphics cards, but for everyday computing tasks and casual gaming, it should fit the bill for users that want a low profile, out-of-the-way tiny PC.

Submission + - Ubisoft Debuts Assassin's Creed Syndicate Trailer (hothardware.com)

Submitted by MojoKid
MojoKid writes: Ubisoft posted a trailer today for the latest installment in the Assassin's Creed franchise, called Assassin's Creed: Syndicate, which will launch first on the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 On October 23, and later this fall for the PC. Syndicate is set in Victorian London in the year 1868. The story will revolve around twin gangster assassins: Jacob and Evie Frye. That's right, you'll be able to control either a female or male protagonist to create mayhem. Or as Ubisoft puts it, "You will recruit your gang to fight for justice on behalf of the oppressed working class." Although there will be no multiplayer in Syndicate, players will have the ability to hijack and ride atop carriages and hitch a ride on trains to explore the open world of London. In addition, you'll also be introduced to a revised recruitment system which will allow you to build your gang and take part in massive street brawls.

Submission + - MediaTek Goes For Smartphone Bragging Rights With 10-Core Helio X20 SoC (hothardware.com)

Submitted by MojoKid
MojoKid writes: MediaTek introduced the first true octa-core mobile processor back in 2013 at a time when most flagship Android smartphones were packing quad-core processors. Today we're learning that, just as today's Android flagships have come around to octa-core CPUs (HTC One M9, Samsung Galaxy S6), MediaTek is preparing to launch a 10-core mobile processor later this year. The MediaTek Helio X20 (MT6795), which is built on a 20nm process, will feature 10 cores bundled into three distinct groupings, aka a "Tri-Cluster." There will be two, quad-core groupings of processors that will handle low-power tasks (four 2GHz Cortex-A53, four 1.4GHz Cortex-A53). The final grouping will include a dual-core, 2.5GHz Cortex-A72 that will handle all the heavy lifting when high performance is required. MediaTek U.S. marketing chief Mohit Bhushan states that the Helio X20 can "run more power efficiently without losing any performance" and can be up to 30 percent more power efficient than ARM's typical big.LITTLE arrangement.

Submission + - You've Got Mail: Verizon Scoops Up AOL For $4.4 Billion (hothardware.com)

Submitted by MojoKid
MojoKid writes: We learned this weekend that AOL's dial-up business still has over 2 million customers who pay on average just under $21 per month for service. Regardless of how strange that seems to those of us that salivate over the prospects of gigabit Internet, folks are still clinging to 56k modems are adding millions to AOL's bottom line. However, also recall that AOL has a massive digital advertising platform with a heavy focus on the mobile sector and also owns a wealth of popular web destinations including Engadget, TechCrunch, and The Huffington Post. With this in mind, it shouldn't be too surprising that Verizon has offered AOL a marriage proposal. Verizon is acquiring AOL for an estimated $50 per share, which brings the total value of the transaction to $4.4 billion. Verizon is banking on the deal to boost its rollout of LTE wireless video and over-the-top (OTT) video. AOL will also strengthen Verizon's position in the Internet of Things (IoT) market.

Submission + - CHIP, World's First $9 Computer Could Give Raspberry Pi A Run For Its Money (hothardware.com)

Submitted by MojoKid
MojoKid writes: When the first Raspberry Pi model came out just over three-years-ago, who would have guessed the kind of spark it'd have on the market? Since its release, there have been numerous add-ons available for it, a ton of different software crafted for it, follow-up models, and of course, lots of competition. Up to this point, however, there hasn't been competition quite like 'CHIP'. CHIP is a brand-new device that aims to get some computing power into the hands of anyone, something its mere $9 price tag should help with. Each CHIP sports a 1GHz processor, 512MB of memory, 4GB of storage, 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth 4.0. CHIP may not boast monsterous performance, but its developers say that it can run a variety of software without issue — even the full-blown LibreOffice office suite. Other examples are VLC, Audacity, GIMP, Transmission, and Chromium.

Submission + - MIT's new defect sealing technique may enable faster, more durable water filters

Submitted by jan_jes
jan_jes writes: Scientists have successfully sealed leaks in graphene in a two-step process. The team used a process it developed previously to create tiny, uniform pores in the material, small enough to allow only water to pass through. Now, the team fabricated graphene on a copper surface using a process "atomic layer deposition" to deposit hafnium to seal intrinsic cracks. After lifting the graphene and depositing it on a porous surface, the transfer creates further holes and tears. So they plugged the remaining holes with nylon, via interfacial polymerization. The preliminary tests suggest that graphene may be a viable alternative to existing filtration membranes, although techniques to seal its defects and control its permeability will need further improvements.

Submission + - Fastest 4.5 Watt Core M 5Y71 In Asus T300 Chi Competitive With Full Core i5 CPUs (hothardware.com)

Submitted by MojoKid
MojoKid writes: Asus unveiled its latest addition to the Transformer series at CES in January, the Transformer Book Chi, which just recently began shipping. Available in three sizes, the new Transformer Book Chi Series features a 2-in-1 detachable design. The flagship Transformer Book T300 Chi offers a 12.5-inch screen, an Intel Core M processor, and a fanless cooling solution. The 2-in-1 detachable design employs a magnetic hinge that supports four usage modes: Attached, Detached, Flipped, and Tented. The T300 Chi measures about 0.65 inches when docked, making it slightly thinner than an Apple Macbook Air. Asus claims the T300 Chi is the world's thinnest Windows tablet, measuring just 0.28 inches thick. More interestingly, perhaps, is that Asus built this machine with Intel's fastest Core M chip, the Core M 5Y71. In the benchmarks, it competes well even with full-sized ultrabooks, though battery life does take a hit due to the system's mechanical limitations and smaller 31Whr battery.

Submission + - MIT Report Says Current Tech Enables Future Terawatt-Scale Solar Power Systems (computerworld.com)

Submitted by Lucas123
Lucas123 writes: Even with today's inefficient wafer-based crystalline silicon photovoltaics, terawatt-scale solar power systems are coming down the pike, according to a 356-page report from MIT on the future of solar energy. Solar electricity generation is one of "very few low-carbon energy technologies" with the potential to grow to very large scale, the study states. In fact, solar resources dwarf current and projected future electricity demand. The report, however, also called out a lack of funds for R&D on newer solar technology, such as thin-film wafers that may be able to achieve lower costs in the long run. Even more pressing than the technology are state and federal policies that squelch solar deployment. For example, government subsidies to solar are dwarfed by subsidies to other energy sources, and trade policies have restricted PV module and other commodity product imports in order to aid domestic industry. Additionally, even though PV module and inverter costs are essentially identical in the United States and Germany, total U.S.residential system costs are substantially above those in Germany.

Submission + - It's Time to Close La Guardia Airport

Submitted by HughPickens.com
HughPickens.com writes: George Haikalis writes in the NYT that last week, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey put off, yet again, deciding between two proposals for a nearly $4 billion project to rehabilitate the dilapidated Central Terminal Building at La Guardia Airport. But piling billions of taxpayer dollars into upgrading La Guardia, which has been likened to an experience “in a third world country," won’t solve its fundamental problems. "It can’t easily expand," says Haikalis. "Its two runways and four terminals are surrounded on three sides by water, making landing difficult and hazardous. Parking is a nightmare."

There are precedents for replacing airports close to the center city with modern, more outlying airports. Hong Kong and Denver are two examples; Berlin will soon follow suit. With the consolidation of the major United States airlines and the sluggishness in the global economy, the much larger Kennedy and Newark airports could accommodate La Guardia’s passenger load, by adding more frequent service and using larger aircraft, if the F.A.A. were to lift the caps on the number of flights allowed there. Kennedy, with its two sets of parallel runways, could handle many more flights, particularly as new air-traffic control technology is introduced in the next few years. The money budgeted for the La Guardia upgrades would be better used to create a long-proposed one-ride express-rail link between Manhattan and J.F.K., by reviving a long-disused, 3.5-mile stretch of track in central Queens and completing the modernization of the terminals at Kennedy. "By avoiding the costly replacement of outmoded terminals at La Guardia and by creating a new express rail link and upgrading terminals at Kennedy, the increased economic activity could more than make up for the lost jobs," concludes Haikalis. "New York’s importance to America’s economy demands a first world vision to shutter this third world airport."

Submission + - AMD Announces "Zen" Processor Core And Next Gen Radeon Graphics With HBM (hothardware.com)

Submitted by MojoKid
MojoKid writes: AMD kicked off its first Financial Analyst Day in three years, this afternoon. During the hiatus, AMD had a change of leadership and the company has seen its market share erode in the processor and GPU markets. However, on the x86 side, AMD is pushing forward with the 2016 launch of processors based on its new Zen core. For starters, Zen-based processors will bring with them a significant boost in overall performance and a roughly 40% IPC improvement. We will also see a shift from Clustered Multithreading (CMT), which is currently employed in Bulldozer architecture, to Simultaneous Multithreading (SMT). Although AMD didn't offer specifics, it touts Zen as having a "high-bandwidth, low-latency cache system" and that it will be built on a 14nm FinFET process. Surprisingly, the first processor out the door will be geared for gaming enthusiasts as an FX processor with DDR4 memory support. AMD is claiming the new core technology will bring back "X86 competitive" performance versus Intel. In addition, AMD will be launching a next generation Radeon graphics architecture in Q2. Perhaps the biggest enhancement comes from what AMD claims is the world's first implementation of High Bandwidth Memory (HBM). AMD's 3D-stacked HBM greatly improves memory bandwidth while at the same time reducing power consumption. AMD is claiming its HBM gives it a 3x performance-per-what advantage over existing GDDR5 memory solutions and an impressive 50 percent power savings.

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