Pelican Press

A white Steam Deck OLED can be yours for $679 A white Steam Deck OLED can be yours for $679 After briefly offering a transparent Steam Deck OLED last year, Valve has announced its next limited edition variant featuring a bold new ******: “white.” It’ll cost you $679 when it’s available on November 18, and it features the exact same hardware as the 1TB Steam Deck OLED. (Most importantly, it sports that gorgeous 7.4-inch display with HDR and a 90Hz refresh rate). There’s also a white carrying case, naturally. While the perils of white console hardware are hard to ignore (especially for a hefty portable that’ll surely trap plenty of hand grease), this new variant may convince early Steam Deck owners to make the jump. As we covered in our review, the Steam Deck OLED’s display looks significantly bolder than the original LCD models, especially with the addition of HDR support. This time around, Valve says it’s also shipping the limited edition white model worldwide where Steam Decks are already available (including Australia). “We’re curious to see what the response is, and will use what we learn to inform future decisions about any potential new ****** variants down the line,” Valve said in an e-mail. “We’ve always said our intent is to continually work on improving Steam Deck, and that’s true from both a software perspective (continuing to ship improvements) and a hardware one (Steam Deck OLED, as well as ongoing work toward the future of Steam Deck and other hardware plans).” Source link #white #Steam #Deck #OLED Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Trump transition official warns Justice Dept staff against ‘resistance’ Trump transition official warns Justice Dept staff against ‘resistance’ By Sarah N. ****** WASHINGTON (Reuters) – An attorney helping President-elect Donald Trump assemble his new administration warned career employees at the U.S. Justice Department on Monday that they could be fired if they tried to resist the ***********’s agenda. “If these career DOJ employees won’t implement President Trump’s program in good ******, they should leave. Those employees who engage in so-called ‘resistance’ against the duly-elected President’s lawful agenda would be subverting ********* democracy,” wrote Mark Paoletta, an attorney at Schaerr Jaffe who is leading Trump’s Justice Department transition team, in a post on X. “Those that take such actions would be subject to disciplinary measures, including termination,” he added. Paoletta could not be immediately reached for further comment. His post on X came in response to a Politico article which reported that many Justice Department career attorneys — civil servants who typically remain in their posts from administration to administration regardless of which party holds the White House — are alarmed by what a second Trump presidency will mean. Trump won a second term in last Tuesday’s presidential election. During his first term from 2017-2021, Trump regularly butted heads with government employees, particularly at the Justice Department. He said that his biggest mistake in office was hiring his first attorney general, Jeff Sessions, who then declined to shut down a probe into contacts between the 2016 Trump campaign and Russian officials. Justice Department employees protested many of Trump’s first-term decisions on multiple occasions. In 2020, a team of federal prosecutors handling the case against Trump loyalist Roger Stone withdrew. One of those prosecutors later told Congress the group left to protest what they felt was political pressure to reduce their sentencing recommendation. Critics also lambasted then-Attorney General Bill Barr for dropping the ********* charges against former national security adviser Michael Flynn and trying to force the ouster of then-U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman in Manhattan, whose office was investigating former Trump attorney Rudolph Giuliani. (Reporting by Sarah N. ******; additional reporting by Gram Slattery; Editing by Scott Malone and Jonathan Oatis) Source link #Trump #transition #official #warns #Justice #Dept #staff #resistance Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Indiana Jones And The Great Circle Extended Gameplay Reveals A Raiders-Like Adventure Indiana Jones And The Great Circle Extended Gameplay Reveals A Raiders-Like Adventure The Indiana Jones franchise began in 1981 with Raiders of the Lost Ark, a film that many would argue ******** the best movie in the series. Bethesda and MachineGames’ upcoming game, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, takes some influence from each of the three original films. But in the latest extended gameplay video, the Great Circle has more than a passing resemblance with Raiders of the Lost Ark. The parallels start early in the video, when Indy takes an idol from its perch and triggers a trap, much like the opening minutes of Raiders of the Lost Ark. It could be argued that this the incident that taught Indy to use a counterweight when swapping out idols, although that strategy still ******* him in Raiders. A good deal of the tone also feels like it was lifted from Raiders, including the sequence where Indy is at Marshall College, his home away from home when he isn’t hunting down priceless relics. The game’s heroine, Gina, echoes Indy’s first love, Marion Ravenwood, in part because the former has an agenda that doesn’t necessarily line up with his. Indy wants to stop the Nazis from uncovering the secrets of the Great Circle, while Gina is an Italian journalist who just wants to find her missing sister. No Indiana Jones story would be complete without a globe-spanning adventure, and the Great Circle has that as well. Indy’s primary weapons against the ***** guards are usually his fists, or anything that happens to be at hand. The video also teases some of the puzzles that Indy has to solve, as well as some sequences that move into third-person view while Indy navigates hidden tombs. That largely lines up with GameSpot’s early hands-on experience with Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, which emphasized stealth over combat. And Indy won’t ever ****** or punch a dog in the game. Nazis, however, are fair game for both. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle will hit Xbox Series X|S and PC on December 9. A PlayStation 5 port will follow in Spring 2025. Source link #Indiana #Jones #Great #Circle #Extended #Gameplay #Reveals #RaidersLike #Adventure Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Want to cash in on China’s stimulus? Here’s what the ***** expect next Want to cash in on China’s stimulus? Here’s what the ***** expect next ******** markets are back in the spotlight after a slew of government stimulus measures over recent weeks. Friday’s news of a five-year 10 trillion ******** yuan ($1.4 trillion) debt swap program disappointed investors, however, falling short of calls for more direct support for the economy. For many market participants — including Pella Funds’ Jordan Cvetanovski — this means taking a longer view when it comes to investing in the ****** powerhouse. “I think the right way of looking at what China’s up to, really, is to see it as a process,” he told CNBC’s “Street Signs Asia” on Monday. “The markets are always impatient. They want to see a big sugar high immediately, and they want to see a big bazooka … However, as we’ve discovered over many years, the ******** government … does things in a more measured fashion.” Cvetanovski, Pella Funds’ founder, chief investment officer and portfolio manager, added that “more patient, longer-term investors would be rewarded by looking at the ******* picture.” His comments come as China’s Ministry of Finance signaled Friday that more fiscal support could come next year . It also flagged its near-term focus on addressing local government debt. Looking ahead, Paul Cavey, founder and economist at research house East Asia Econ, said there will be more stimulus measures to come, especially given the potential for a hike in tariffs by President-elect Donald Trump. Carey is expecting two types of policies: fiscal support to “resolve some of the excess inventories in the property market,” as well as measures that help promote new segments of growth to cope with any extra tariffs on exports to the U.S, he told CNBC’s “Squawk Box Asia” on Monday. Stocks to watch As investors ponder how to navigate the ******** market, Bernstein said there are attractive opportunities in “growth and high volume stocks [aligned] with policy led rebound.” “Cheap valuations, declining equity risk premium, improving earnings support (Financials, Real Estate, Utilities, Healthcare, Tech, Materials showing signs of bottom in downgrades) and low positioning (GEM funds were -2.4% underweight China, 0.7% overweight India by Sept. end) still make ******** equities attractive,” the investment bank’s analysts wrote in a Nov. 6 note. Among the bank’s outperform-rated stocks are tech giants Tencent and Meituan . The bank’s analysts describe Tencent as its “top ‘set and forget’ stock idea in the sector, especially as the company’s capital returns grow with earnings over time.” Meanwhile, they view shopping platform Meituan as “the fastest growing name in the China Internet sector in the next few years.” Bernstein has a target price of 540 Hong Kong dollars ($69.47) on Tencent and 220 Hong Kong dollars on Meituan — giving them potential upside of around 30% and 18% respectively. Both Tencent and Meituan trade on the Hong Kong Exchange and in the U.S. as ********* Depository Receipts (ADR) under the ticker TCEHY and MPNGY . — CNBC’s Evelyn Cheng and Michael Bloom contributed to this report. Source link #cash #Chinas #stimulus #Heres #***** #expect Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Rogue Point: ****** Mesa Devs Reveal Four-Player Co-Op Shooter Rogue Point: ****** Mesa Devs Reveal Four-Player Co-Op Shooter Crowbar Collective, the team behind the infinitely successful remake of Half-Life named ‘****** Mesa’ has revealed an all-new cooperative shooter – Rogue Point. This intense shooter boasts tactical elements and a roguelite structure, with the squad at Crowbar Collective stressing that each mission has ‘hundreds of ways to play’. ****** Mesa to Rogue Point This is the first new release for Crowbar Collective in over ten years if you don’t count the definitive edition of ****** Mesa that dropped on Steam in 2020. ****** Mesa has been a roaring success since day one, securing more than 100,000 reviews on Steam with an overall rating of ‘Overwhelmingly Positive’, so there’s already a strong foundation there for what comes next. To publish Rogue Point, Crowbar Collective has partnered with Team 17, just to give the project an even more solid backing. In Rogue Point, players are pitted against tough and varied enemies across a range of maps. These environments will change with each new engagement, and the gameplay has been described as ‘constantly evolving’. With each match, players will need to manage their economy mechanics, upgrade their operators, and strategise with teammates. It’s a campaign-based cooperative title that plays almost like a round of Counter-Strike, which is pretty innovative. There are plenty of options for customisation, and on the surface, Rogue Point looks like a great shooter – but the proof will be in the inevitable test phases that’ll be pushed out before long. Presently, the game is slated to be released in 2025 in early access, and we know that it has been in development since at least 2022. Are you looking forward to Rogue Point? Let us know on the Insider Gaming forum. For more Insider Gaming coverage, check out the news that Overwatch 2 is getting 6v6 back for a limited time Subscribe to our newsletter to receive the latest news and exclusive leaks every week! No Spam. Source link #Rogue #Point #****** #Mesa #Devs #Reveal #FourPlayer #CoOp #Shooter Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Trump deportation policy run by ‘border czar’ with more power, fewer hurdles Trump deportation policy run by ‘border czar’ with more power, fewer hurdles President Donald Trump (C) holds a law enforcement roundtable on sanctuary cities, in the Roosevelt Room at the White House on March 20, 2018 in Washington, D.C. Trump was joined by Attorney General Jeff Sessions (L), and Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, and Thomas Homan, acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Kevin Dietsch | Getty Images President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to carry out his sweeping deportation plans may be able to operate with more power, and less oversight from Congress, than some of his own Cabinet members. That’s because the appointee, former U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement acting director Tom Homan, will not be put directly in charge of the Department of Homeland Security or a sub-agency tasked with addressing immigration issues. Homan will instead be the Trump administration’s “Border Czar,” a title that could grant him significant influence over immigration and border policy without the formal authority — and guardrails — that come with being a Cabinet secretary. Trump announced Homan’s selection in a Sunday night post on his Truth Social platform, putting the immigration hard-liner “in charge of our Nation’s Borders.” Homan will also “be in charge of all Deportation of ******** Aliens back to their Country of Origin,” Trump wrote in the post. Unlike Cabinet nominees — or the roughly 1,200 other federal roles that require Senate confirmation — Homan will not need congressional approval to serve under Trump. And he may be insulated from other forms of Legislative Branch scrutiny, experts told CNBC. “White House appointees are subject to less oversight than Cabinet and sub-Cabinet officials,” said Katherine Hawkins, senior legal analyst for the Project on Government Oversight. “It is much ******* for Congress to enforce subpoenas against White House officials, and they are more likely to cite executive privilege and refuse to testify and have that refusal upheld by courts,” Hawkins said. Those staffers may lack the formal authorization of Congress, but that does not necessarily mean they are subordinate to their Senate-confirmed counterparts. “Who is actually more powerful in practice depends on things like access to the president, and Cabinet and other agency officials’ willingness to refuse White House demands,” Hawkins said. A spokesperson for the Trump transition declined CNBC’s request for comment. Lee Gelernt, an attorney with the ********* Civil Liberties Union who has helped challenge immigration policies during the Trump and Biden administrations, agreed. Homan’s lack of an agency position “will not decrease his influence and may make it ******* to have meaningful checks on his actions,” he said. Faisal Al-Juburi, chief external affairs officer of the immigrant rights advocacy group RAICES, said czars can make major policy impacts “while simultaneously obstructing congressional oversight, which is critical to ensuring accountability of those acting on behalf of the U.S. government.” The posts “create opaque circumstances that make it difficult, if not impossible, to determine who maintains authority over policies that stand to have a wide-ranging impact on the ********* people,” Al-Juburi said. Leading the charge Taken at face value, Trump’s post gives Homan a massive amount of power. When the new administration takes control on Jan. 20, 2025, Homan will be in charge of implementing what was a central promise of Trump’s presidential campaign: deporting millions of undocumented immigrants. Homan’s purview includes, but is “not limited to, the Southern Border, the Northern Border, all Maritime, and Aviation Security,” Trump wrote. Carrying out a mass-deportation plan would involve unprecedented logistical challenges and require intricate, large-scale cooperation between federal government agencies, local law enforcement sources, host nations and other entities. The process of locating, detaining and removing that many people, including mixed-status families with children, would be fraught, and the costs would be astronomical, NBC News has reported. Homan, 62, has been one of the loudest supporters of the policy. A regular on Fox News and a speaker at the 2024 *********** National Convention, he reportedly vowed earlier this year to “run the biggest deportation force this country has ever seen.” Homan has been called the father of the Trump administration’s highly controversial “zero tolerance” border policy, which resulted in the separation of thousands of immigrant families and was reversed by Trump in 2018. When asked in a recent interview with CBS News’ “60 Minutes,” whether mass deportations could happen without family separation, Homan said, “Of course there is. Families can be deported together.” Gelernt said that given Homan’s actions during Trump’s first administration and his subsequent statements, he expects the appointment will “have far reaching anti-asylum, anti-immigrant implications.” Read more CNBC politics coverage How Homan will be able to wield his power is unclear. “It is extremely doubtful whether anyone on the White House staff, the sort of person sometimes called a czar, could actually exercise legal authority,” Professor John Harrison of the University of Virginia School of Law told Congress in 2009. But “as a practical matter,” those staffers can still wield significant influence over policy decisions, Harrison told CNBC in an interview Monday. Hawkins pointed to Trump senior policy aide Stephen Miller, saying he “was probably the single most influential policy voice on immigration and border issues” during the ***********’s first White House term. “DHS officials pushed back to some extent,” she said, “but Miller lasted the longest and was closest to Trump and usually got his way.” Miller is expected to be tapped as Trump’s deputy chief of staff for policy, NBC reported Monday. Source link #Trump #deportation #policy #run #border #czar #power #hurdles Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Valorant Makes Tons of Videos on Every Agent But 1 Agent is Treated Like an Outcast Valorant Makes Tons of Videos on Every Agent But 1 Agent is Treated Like an Outcast Valorant, Riot Games’ tactical first-person shooter, has become a phenomenon not just for its fast-paced and competitive gameplay but also for its rich, immersive narrative. In addition to sharp aim and tactical strategy, players connect with the game’s diverse cast of agents: each one with their own intricate backstory, motives, and personal struggles (that can be uncovered through voice lines and in-game dialogues). Players are curious about the lore behind the game and all its agents. | Image Credit: Riot Games From Phoenix’s fiery ambition to Sage’s deep sense of duty, each agent is uniquely crafted. Almost all of the agents have received tons of lore through in-game documents, voice lines, and even cinematic trailers. However, there’s one agent whose backstory seems strangely absent. And that agent is none other than Sova, who has been part of the game from the start. The Curious Case of Sova in Valorant While being one of the original characters, Sova doesn’t have much backstory. | Image Credit: Riot Games For those unfamiliar, Sova is a key recon specialist (initiator) in Valorant, known for his exceptional archery skills and his ability to track enemies with his bow. While his gameplay abilities and steady presence on the battlefield have made him a fan favorite, his personal story is notably underdeveloped compared to many of his fellow agents. In comparison to the rich backstories of other agents, Sova’s lore feels practically nonexistent. For instance, Phoenix’s narrative is filled with the challenges of mastering his powers and his ******* to prove himself, while Sage’s past is rooted in her solemn duties and deep emotional weight. Even Breach, who shares a similarly reserved nature, has more context around his explosive abilities and history. But Sova ******** an almost blank slate when it comes to narrative. This gap in his backstory becomes even more apparent when considering the character of Fade, one of the newer characters has a deep lore that delves into her dark, mysterious powers. This curious absence of details has left many players puzzled and even questioning whether Sova’s backstory is somehow less important to the larger narrative. The mystery behind him has sparked widespread speculation, and players are actively discussing it. Comment byu/Nimyron from discussion inVALORANT Comment byu/Nimyron from discussion inVALORANT Comment byu/Nimyron from discussion inVALORANT Comment byu/Nimyron from discussion inVALORANT The thread is filled with player sharing their opinion about the agent and suggesting that there is another agent they know less about. This discussion shows that players are engaged not only in the gameplay, but also want to know about the agent’s backstory. An Outcast or Just Waiting for His Moment? Players want to learn more about Sova and various new characters. | Image Credit: Riot Games While it’s clear that Sova’s lore is minimal compared to other agents, it’s important to remember that Valorant’s story is still evolving. With each new agent, map, and update, players are slowly piecing together more about the agents and their relationships with one another. This ongoing development could mean that Sova’s backstory is simply waiting for its moment to be revealed. Though Riot hasn’t delved deeply into his past yet, there’s potential for more to come. The few details we have learned suggest that Sova is one of the most honest and reliable agents. He was also the first to meet his counterpart from the Omega universe, an encounter that hints at a deeper story waiting to be told. For now, Sova ******** an outcast in Valorant’s narrative landscape. His enigmatic personality, combined with the sparse lore surrounding him, creates a sense of mystery that both intrigues and frustrates players hoping for more insight into his past. In the end, whether Riot Games decides to explore his story further or leave it as an unanswered question (deliberately) is still uncertain. But for now, Sova stands as one of the most intriguing and underdeveloped figures in the game’s rich narrative landscape. Source link #Valorant #Tons #Videos #Agent #Agent #Treated #Outcast Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Ex-West Coast Eagles player David Wirrpanda allegedly breached VRO by texting woman Ex-West Coast Eagles player David Wirrpanda allegedly breached VRO by texting woman Former West Coast player David Wirrpanda allegedly breached a family ********* restraining order by sending texts to a woman known to him. Source link #ExWest #Coast #Eagles #player #David #Wirrpanda #allegedly #breached #VRO #texting #woman Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Spyro Reignited Trilogy is flying onto Xbox Game Pass Spyro Reignited Trilogy is flying onto Xbox Game Pass Activision After a little tease earlier today, Xbox quickly confirmed that the Spyro Reignited Trilogy is coming to Xbox Game Pass shortly. Best of all, it’s hitting multiple tiers, including Game Pass Standard. Spyro Reignited Trilogy includes Spyro the Dragon, Spyro 2: Ripto’s Rage!, and Spyro: Year of the Dragon, and will be added to the subscription service on November 12 — so, tomorrow. It’ll be available on Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass, and Game Pass Standard. We knew the news was coming, but didn’t expect Xbox to announce it so quickly after an earlier post on X. The Xbox Game Pass account posted a 30-second video of a chest from the series, which the Spyro account responded to. — Spyro (@SpyroTheDragon) November 11, 2024 The platformer trilogy has been available on Xbox since 2018, and is currently available on the Xbox Store for Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S for $40. However, putting it on Game Pass gives it a boost in terms of newer players who might’ve missed the Spyro train. The original trilogy was developed by Insomniac Games, which is now owned by PlayStation Studios, so this at first seems to be an odd choice for Game Pass. There were other Spyro games released after the initial trilogy, but the Reignited collection was developed by former Activision studio Toys for Bob, best known for its work on ****** Bandicoot. While Toys for Bob was heavily impacted by the January 2024 Xbox layoffs following Microsoft’s acquisition of its parent company, it went independent in February and signed a deal with Xbox to publish its next game. While Game Pass players are focused on Call of Duty: ****** Ops 6 right now, there is a solid slate of other games coming to the service in November, including Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, StarCraft: Remastered and StarCraft II: Campaign Collection, and the new Metal Slug Tactics. Source link #Spyro #Reignited #Trilogy #flying #Xbox #Game #Pass Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Valve drops limited edition white Steam Deck OLED Valve drops limited edition white Steam Deck OLED While Valve may not be releasing a true Steam Deck successor immediately, but the company’s best gaming handheld is getting a new release soon, in the form of a limited edition Steam Deck OLED in white. Dubbed the “Steam Deck OLED: Limited Edition White,” the white Steam Deck OLED will feature the same specs as the existing 1TB model, though at $679 it will carry a $30 premium. The system will go on ***** next week, on Monday, November 18. Image 1 of 4 (Image credit: Valve) (Image credit: Valve) (Image credit: Valve) (Image credit: Valve) Beyond coming in white and gray, the Limited Edition White Deck will also ship with a white carrying case and microfiber cleaning cloth. This isn’t the first time Valve has experimented with ******. It launched the Steam Deck OLED with a limited edition smoky translucent shell, which sold out quickly (and also, unfortunately, was prone to small aesthetic cracks). This time around, though, Valve says the white Deck will ship wherever the Steam Deck is currently for *****, including the ******* States, Canada, the ******* Kingdom, Europe, and, most recently, Australia — as well as in Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and South Korea through its partner Komodo. Stock of the white Deck will be allocated “proportionally” across each of the regions. In an attempt to stave off scalpers, Valve is limiting orders to one white Steam Deck per account, and your Steam account has to have at least one purchase prior to November 2024 on it. In a statement to press, Valve said that the second limited edition Steam Deck OLED will help the company decide what colors to release later on: “We’re curious to see what the response is, and will use what we learn to inform future decisions about any potential new ****** variants down the line.” You don’t have to go for the Limited Edition White Steam Deck to get that ******. There are several companies, like Jsaux and dbrand, that sell alternate backplates or skins. But if you want it straight from the source, you’ll be able to get this Deck variant until Valve runs out of them. The company also teased the future of the Deck, saying that beyond alternate colors and constant software updates, there is “ongoing work toward the future of Steam Deck and other hardware plans.” From the photos, I’m getting a Wii U vibe (in a good way) crossed with an iPod. I’m curious to see if the new colorway will be enough to sway existing owners to purchase a new system. Get Tom’s Hardware’s best news and in-depth reviews, straight to your inbox. Source link #Valve #drops #limited #edition #white #Steam #Deck #OLED Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

One Injured After Russia Strikes Residential Region of Kramatorsk One Injured After Russia Strikes Residential Region of Kramatorsk At least one person was injured after Russian strikes hit parts of Kramatorsk, Ukraine, on Monday, November 11, according to officials. Vadym Filashkin, governor of Donetsk Oblast, said in a Telegram post on Monday that a 16-year-old boy was injured in the *******. The strikes also damaged private houses, an administrative building, and an infrastructure facility. Footage captured by photojournalist Alfons Cabrera shows crews working to extinguish flames engulfing a home in northern Kramatorsk. Credit: Alfons Cabrera via Storyful Source link #Injured #Russia #Strikes #Residential #Region #Kramatorsk Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

PS5 Pulse Elite Wireless Headset Gets First Notable Discount For ****** Friday PS5 Pulse Elite Wireless Headset Gets First Notable Discount For ****** Friday PlayStation’s Pulse Elite Wireless Headset for PS5, PC, and PlayStation Portal has received its first substantial discount since its launch earlier this year. As part of Walmart’s early ****** Friday *****, you can grab the Pulse Elite for $130 (was $150). Walmart’s ***** runs through November 17, but it’s very unlikely this offer will stick around for the entire event. We wouldn’t be surprised if the Pulse Elite sold out today, so PS5 owners should take advantage of Walmart’s deal while you can. $130 (was $150) Though initially marketed with the PlayStation Portal Remote Play handheld in mind, the Pulse Elite works wirelessly with PS5 and PC with the included PlayStation Link adapter. Capable of running for up to 30 hours on a single charge, the Pulse Elite more than doubles the battery life of the old Pulse 3D. It also features a retractable ***** microphone, onboard volume and mute controls, and premium planar magnetic drivers to kick out booming sound. The new headset also benefits from AI-enhanced noise rejection to improve your clarity when talking to teammates and comes bundled with a charging hanger so you can safely store the headset while not in use. Beyond PS5, the headset is compatible with PC, Mac, and PlayStation Portal. The Pulse Elite is a mid-range headset, but it offers solid value for the price, especially when you factor in the $20 discount. PlayStation’s older over-ear headset, the Pulse 3D, is available for $87 in Walmart’s ****** Friday *****. This is only a $13 discount off its usual $100 price, but the Pulse 3D rarely receives discounts. Walmart’s deal applies to the Midnight ****** edition. If you prefer earbuds, the Pulse Explore costs $200, but there’s a better official option that’s available for less. Sony’s Inzone Buds are discounted to $178 (was $200) at Amazon. Made by Sony Electronics, not PlayStation, the Inzone Buds are tailored toward PC gamers, but they work flawlessly on PS5 and take advantage of all of the console’s audio features. Inzone Buds have the best active noise cancellation of any gaming headset/earbuds we’ve tried, and they are fitted with the same audio drivers found in Sony’s WF-1000XM5 earbuds. Inzone Buds sync to PS5, PC, and other devices via a 2.4GHz USB-C dongle. The one major downside is the lack of traditional Bluetooth support; Inzone Buds only support Bluetooth LE, which is only featured in select Android phones (no iPhones). You can use them wirelessly on iPhone with the dongle, though. Source link #PS5 #Pulse #Elite #Wireless #Headset #Notable #Discount #****** #Friday Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Salesforce record highs — plus, a possible stock to buy after Tuesday earnings Salesforce record highs — plus, a possible stock to buy after Tuesday earnings Every weekday the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer holds a “Morning Meeting” livestream at 10:20 a.m. ET. Here’s a recap of Monday’s key moments. 1. The S & P 500 edged higher Monday, extending Friday’s postelection all-time highs. The tech-heavy Nasdaq was basically flat. Club chip names Advanced Micro Devices , Broadcom , and Nvidia were lower — so were the rest of our Super Six except for Alphabet . The megacap tech rally pause suggests the market rally is broadening out. Highlights for the week include two key inflation prints — the consumer price index Wednesday and the producer price index Thursday — and retail sales Friday. Club name Home Depot and Disney report earnings on Tuesday morning and Thursday morning, respectively. 2. Salesforce shares jumped to an all-time intraday high Monday after the company announced late Friday plans to hire 1,000 new salespeople for its Agentforce tool. That’s a “positive demand signal” for the artificial intelligence platform and a major turnaround from the weakness it saw earlier this year due to a slowdown in demand, said Club portfolio director Jeff Marks. Wall Street firm Jefferies boosted its Salesforce price target to $400 per share from $350, implying 40% updside from Friday’s close. The analysts said their industry checks indicate increased interest in larger deals after Salesforce’s annual Dreamforce conference in September. This year’s event showcased the company’s artificial intelligence capabilities. We haven’t “heard this sentiment around Salesforce for quite some time,” noted Marks. 3. Home Depot’s third-quarter results this week are expected to be soft, with same-store sales down year over year. Marks said, however, the Club would be buyers of any post-earning pullback in anticipation of a rebound once mortgage rates cool off. A new housing turnover cycle will likely spark demand for home upgrades playing right into Home Depot’s strengths. The stock was up more than 1% Monday, suggesting investors have already priced in the weaker print and were looking ahead to its recovery as the Federal Reserve continues to cut interest rates. (See here for a full list of the stocks in Jim Cramer’s Charitable Trust.) As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade. Jim waits 45 minutes after sending a trade alert before buying or selling a stock in his charitable trust’s portfolio. If Jim has talked about a stock on CNBC TV, he waits 72 hours after issuing the trade alert before executing the trade. THE ABOVE INVESTING CLUB INFORMATION IS SUBJECT TO OUR TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND PRIVACY POLICY , TOGETHER WITH OUR DISCLAIMER . NO FIDUCIARY OBLIGATION OR DUTY EXISTS, OR IS CREATED, BY VIRTUE OF YOUR RECEIPT OF ANY INFORMATION PROVIDED IN CONNECTION WITH THE INVESTING CLUB. NO SPECIFIC OUTCOME OR PROFIT IS GUARANTEED. Every weekday the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer holds a “Morning Meeting” livestream at 10:20 a.m. ET. Here’s a recap of Monday’s key moments. Source link #Salesforce #record #highs #stock #buy #Tuesday #earnings Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

All Street Fighter Ranks | How to Hit Master All Street Fighter Ranks | How to Hit Master · · November 11, 2024 Looking to rank up in Street Fighter 6? The popular fighting game has dominated the video game market since its release back in 2023 and has quite an immersive ranking system. Here is a list of all the Street Fighter ranks and how you can climb them quickly. All Street Fighter Ranks Here is a list of every rank in Street Fighter 6 from worst to best: Rookie Iron Bronze Silver Gold Platinum Diamond Master So, how does a player climb through these ranks to hit Master? Related: Top Esports Tournaments | What Are the Best Esports Tournaments? How to progress fast through Street Fighter ranks Every game has its own ranking system, some more unique than others, and Street Fighter is no stranger to uniqueness when it comes to its popular ranked system. Here is how you can move up and down in the official Street Fighter ranked system: Rookie: Players get a win streak bonus. No LP loss on defeat. Iron, Bronze, Silver and Gold: Players get a win streak bonus. No league demotion. One-time rank-down protection. Platinum and Diamond: No win streak bonus. League demotion enabled. One-time rank-down protection. Master: No win streak bonus. No league demotion. Each rank consists of five smaller ranks that players will have to climb before moving to the next. One good game in Silver will not progress you immediately to Gold. How to hit Master Climbing to Master in Street Fighter is no easy feat. In fact, quite a few gamers never even hit Platinum or Diamond. The game requires a heavy amount of dedication for those looking to make it all the way to the final rank. With league demotions playing a factor in Platinum and Diamond, it can be easy to go backward when trying to achieve the rank of Master. You will have to consistently win matches if you want to make it all the way to the final rank. Will you be trying to hit Master in Street Fighter? For more Insider Gaming guides on ranks, check out all the ranks in Overwatch 2 and how you could hit Top 500. Subscribe to our newsletter to receive the latest news and exclusive leaks every week! No Spam. Source link #Street #Fighter #Ranks #Hit #Master Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

How the Blue Screen of ****** became your PC’s grim reaper How the Blue Screen of ****** became your PC’s grim reaper There’s nothing more startling than your PC suddenly locking up and crashing to a Blue Screen of ******. Otherwise known as a Blue Screen, BSOD, or within the walls of Microsoft, a bug check screen, the Blue Screen of ****** is as iconic as it is infamous. Blue Screen of ****** is not a proper noun, but I’m going to treat it like one. It’s what you were met with during crashes on Intel’s 14th-gen CPUs, and it littered airport terminals during the recent CrowdStrike outage. Everyone knows that a Blue Screen is bad news — tack on “of ******” to that, and the point is only clearer. It’s a sign that something catastrophic has happened, so much so that the operating system can’t recover, and it needs to reboot your PC in order to save it. The Blue Screen of ****** we know today, fit with its frowning emoticon, is a relatively new development in the history of Windows. But a blue screen — this is why we had the proper noun distinction — dates back to the first version of Windows, and it has seen a lot of changes since then. Get your weekly teardown of the tech behind PC gaming Feeling blue What causes a Blue Screen of ******? Where do they come from in the first place? More importantly, why are they blue? I’ll start with that last bit because it’s actually a straightforward answer. Dave Plummer, a former operating system engineer at Microsoft, explained the origins in a detailed video on YouTube a few years back. Plummer attributes the creation of the modern Blue Screen of ****** with John Vert, showing up for the first time in Windows NT 3.1 in 1993. You might speculate that blue was meant to calm users after a stressful ******, or maybe to align with Microsoft’s blue ****** palate that it’s adopted. Nope. Things weren’t that deep back then. According to Plummer, Vert used a white text on a blue background because it was comfortable. The developer used SlickEdit for programming and a MIPS OS box, both of which used white text on a blue background. These crashes forced the display adapter into text mode, which only had a basic ****** palette, and Vert chose blue because he was familiar with it. This is what the original Blue Screen of ****** looked like in Windows NT 3.1. WikiMedia Commons Plummer also reveals some interesting nuggets of information throughout the video, including why the majority of BSODs happen in the first place. The retired engineer says the vast majority of them come from driver errors. There are a lot of causes for a BSOD, but the reason why they happen is that Windows is trying to protect your system. If there’s an error, such as a driver writing to a place in memory that would cause ***********, the BSOD steps in to prevent that *********** and crashes the system. The OS kernel is what interfaces between the hardware of your system and the OS proper, and kernel bugs can cause a BSOD. However, Plummer says that modern versions of Windows almost never encounter kernel bugs. In most cases, it’s a driver, operating at the same level of access as the kernel, where the ****** comes from. There are other reasons why you’ll see a BSOD, including issues with your hardware and overheating, but drivers are the main culprit. The origins of the blue screen Stack Exchange The first version of Windows had a ****** screen, but it wasn’t the Blue Screen. From the first beta release of Windows 1.0, the OS would boot with a blue screen showing an early Microsoft logo and some text in white. This continued throughout Windows 2.0 and 2.1, and in all of these versions of Windows, you could see a ****** on this screen. It would look something like what you see above, where an incorrect DOS version would cause the system to print a random string of characters. This didn’t happen if the PC crashed, however. It would just lock up. Going into Windows 3.0, you would see error messages on a blue screen, but these didn’t cause the computer to reboot. It was more of a notice screen, something akin to what you see with a User Account Control (UAC) pop-up in modern Windows. Windows kept running despite the error. Instead, if there was a hard ******, you would see a ****** screen saying: “Could not continue running Windows because of paging error.” The “blue screen of lameness” error as seen in Windows 95 Raymond Chen / Microsoft The origins of the Blue Screen of ****** are sometimes incorrectly attributed to former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer or Microsoft programmer (and author of The Old New Thing blog at Microsoft) Raymond Chen, but that’s not the case. It’s still John Vert. Chen, thankfully, cleared up this decades-long game of telephone concerning the Blue Screen of ****** earlier this year. Ballmer wrote the text for a blue screen that was the original destination of Ctrl + Alt + Delete in Windows 3.1; Vert wrote the code for a ****** screen now known as the Blue Screen of ****** in Windows NT 3.1; and Chen was the last person to touch the code in Windows 95 that would display blue screen errors, but would otherwise let you proceed to use Windows if you chose. The dynamic between the Blue Screen of ****** in Windows NT 3.1 and the “blue screen of lameness,” as Chen calls it, in Windows 95 is where things get messy. In Windows 95 and Windows 98, you’ll see Chen’s blue screen when a device driver crashes. This wouldn’t ****** Windows completely, however. Windows would stay running, and you could continue on, or you could press Ctrl + Alt + Delete to reboot your PC. There’s obvious crosstalk here, but Chen has made the distinction several times now that the Blue Screen of ****** came from Vert, while he last touched the blue screen of lameness in Windows 95. It’s really tough to say who coined the term Blue Screen of ****** originally, but it probably stems from those ****** screen errors in Windows 3.1 and older. You can see in a 1993 issue of Computerworld the first use of ****** Screen of ****** documented by Google Books, while the first use of Blue Screen of ****** was in the 1995 book PC Roadkill. Regardless of where the term originated, it was well within the vernacular by the time of the dot-com bubble and the turn of the century. Shifting to cerulean This is the basic Blue Screen of ****** that you’d see in Windows XP up to Windows 7. WikiMedia Commons We’ve spent 1,000 words just getting through the first Blue Screen of ******, and that’s because, past Windows 2000, things get a little boring. With Windows 2000, Microsoft did away with the NT branding for servers and workstations. So, instead of two different blue screens, we just got one. The blue screen that showed up in Windows 95 and 98 was retired, and the Blue Screen of ****** we know today was finally universal. From Windows 2000 up to Windows 7, the Blue Screen of ****** didn’t change much. The text and formatting was tweaked between Windows 2000 and Windows XP, but Microsoft stuck with the same basic design for many years. However, Microsoft made a big change with Windows Server 2012 and Windows 8. The Blue Screen of ****** went from blue to cerulean — at least, that’s how Plummer describes it — and the string of error information was replaced with a sad emoticon and the text: “Your PC ran into a problem that it couldn’t handle, and now it needs to restart.” This is the basic Blue Screen of ****** we’ve had since Windows 8, with Microsoft adding a QR code to the screen in Windows 10. Jacob ****** / Digital Trends This is the BSOD we all know and despise today, but it’s actually seen some significant changes over the past few years. Starting in Windows 10 build 14316, Microsoft added a QR code to the Blue Screen of ******, which redirected to a support page. In Windows 11, Microsoft originally changed the BSOD to a ****** screen, but it quickly reverted back to the familiar cerulean just a few months after release. In addition, you can see a green screen of ****** if you’re running an Insider preview build of Windows 10 or Windows 11. The Blue Screen of ****** has a long history, and certainly a messy one, but it’s one of the most significant images in all of computing. If you want to celebrate it, and even play around with different colors, you can download the NotMyFault tool from Microsoft, which will actually allow you to force a Blue Screen of ******. It’s a tool for debugging, not a toy, but I won’t tell you what to do with your software. Source link #Blue #Screen #****** #PCs #grim #reaper Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

BBC Match of the Day host to leave at end of season BBC Match of the Day host to leave at end of season ”Any good?” – Gary Lineker first presented Match of the Day, on 7 August 1999 Broadcaster Gary Lineker is to step down as host of flagship football programme Match of the Day at the end of this season, BBC News understands. His departure is expected to be announced officially by the BBC on Tuesday. The Sun, who first reported the story, also said the presenter would leave the BBC after leading coverage of the 2026 World Cup in the US, Canada and Mexico. Lineker’s representative has been approached for comment. The BBC press office declined to comment. Lineker, whose contract was coming to an end, entered negotiations with the BBC’s new head of sport in October. BBC News understands that Lineker was open to staying on at Match of the Day, but the BBC did not offer him a new contract for the show. The 63-year-old has hosted Match of the Day since 1999. He will have held the post for 26 years when he leaves at the end of the Premier League season in May 2025. Lineker told Esquire magazine in an interview published earlier this month that he accepted he will “have to slow down at some point”. Earlier in the year, the presenter joked about speculation he could leave the BBC. He opened a Match of the Day broadcast by saying it was his “final show”. After a pause, he added “before the international break”. PA Lineker is one of the corporation’s best-known presenters and its highest-paid star, of those whose salaries are declared, earning more than £1.3m a year. He has also presented coverage of major tournaments like World Cups and ********* Championships for the BBC, as well as BBC Sports Personality of the Year ceremonies. Lineker has worked for other sports networks during his time at the BBC, including US network NBC and BT Sport (now **** Sport). He has also branched out into podcasts, co-founding production company Goalhanger, which makes popular shows including The Rest is History, The Rest is Politics and The Rest is Entertainment. Alastair Campbell, who co-presents The Rest Is Politics podcast, said Lineker would be “a very hard act to follow”, Sky News reported. “He is an excellent broadcaster and a very good guy,” Campbell said. Lineker’s new contract has now been agreed and he will leave on a high at the biggest tournament in world football. But replacing a star presenter on a high profile show is always a risk. Some fans have suggested Match of the Day 2 host Mark Chapman should step into the role, but other football presenters including Gabby Logan and Alex Scott are also on fans’ lists as possible successors. Lineker has been involved in controversy at the BBC because of his social media activity. He was briefly suspended by bosses last year after an outcry over a post about the ***’s asylum policy. The incident led to a review of BBC social media guidelines, which concluded that high-profile presenters should be allowed to express views on issues and policies but stop short of political campaigning. Lineker described the new rules at the time as “all very sensible”. Before becoming a TV presenter, Lineker had a hugely successful career as a striker for England as well as Leicester, Everton, Tottenham Hotspur and Barcelona. Additional reporting by Steven McIntosh, entertainment reporter Source link #BBC #Match #Day #host #leave #season Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Are They Using Dynamic Game Pricing to Gouge Costs to Compete With the Formidable Xbox Game Pass? Are They Using Dynamic Game Pricing to Gouge Costs to Compete With the Formidable Xbox Game Pass? As subscription services have taken over the gaming world by storm, the comparison between Sony’s PlayStation Plus and Xbox’s Game Pass has always been a hot topic of debate. Each service brings something new and unique to the table and experiences that you’ll never forget. Sony has a new trick up its sleeve for PlayStation Store. (Image via PlayStation) However, it’s fair to say that Sony hasn’t been able to compete against Microsoft when it comes to the subscription service model. Even though they’re smashing it with PS5 consoles, the PlayStation Plus service hasn’t hit the mark within the community. However, it seems like Sony is now using the oldest trick in the book, dynamic game pricing, to put itself on an equal playing field with Microsoft’s Game Pass. Sony Seems to Be Adopting Dynamic Pricing Sttragey For PlayStation Store In the world of gaming, dynamic pricing allows developers to adjust the prices of their games based on various factors such as release time, demand, and player engagement. It’s a clever tactic that allows publishers to increase or decrease prices in real-time, allowing for profit maximization. It seems like Sony is also now on board with this strategy. Some PS5 gamers found the recently released Astro **** showing up on ***** in the PlayStation store. However, this discount isn’t available for all users, only a select few. The few lucky PlayStation users apparently received discounts ranging from 5% to 25% on Astro ****, while others could still only see the normal $59.99. It’s something similar to what Xbox has done in the past. Even Sony previously brought such targeted discounts for PS Plus Members who were returning to the subscription. We still don’t have a shred of an idea of what criteria Sony considers to qualify for this offer. However, it seems like gamers who have Astro **** on their wishlists have a high chance of getting the dynamic pricing. Another theory suggests that using the PS Stars mobile app after achieving the highest tier might be the requirement to get the discount. It’s clear that Sony is feeling the pressure from Xbox. Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision-Blizzard is already paying off, as ****** Ops 6‘s release brought millions of new users to the Game Pass service. However, the same can’t be said for PlayStation Plus, as all its recent game additions have been absolutely horrendous. By using dynamic pricing on popular games, Sony might be able to convince more players to switch to PlayStation. Sony’s PS5 Pro Might Be in Trouble Due to Trump Tariffs The PS5 Pro might hit the $1,000 price tag. (Image via PlayStation) While Sony’s subscription service for PlayStation is already in shambles, things are not looking good for its latest PlayStation 5 Pro console either. Sony’s latest console has already been a subject of criticism due to its high price tag. PS5 Pro costs $700, making it $200 more expensive than the disc version of the base PS5 and $300 more than the Digitial Edition. However, the console could become even more expensive in 2025 if President-elect Donald Trump imposes his proposed traffic. Trump has always favored high tariffs on imports, particularly on goods coming from China. He has suggested a 60% tax on all ******** exports. Even though Sony is a ********* company, some PS5 consoles and their components are crafted in China. Due to Trump’s high tariffs, many consoles might raise their prices by roughly 40% to make up for the increased export costs. For Sony’s PS5 Pro, it could hit the $1,000 price tag. The idea of a $1,000 console isn’t a comfortable one since it doesn’t even provide a substantial increase in performance. However, there’s always a chance that Trump won’t enact the high tariffs he proposed during his campaign. He could take a different path or provide exceptions for certain consoles. With that said, what do you think about Sony’s dynamic pricing for the PlayStation store? Let us know in the comments below. Source link #Dynamic #Game #Pricing #Gouge #Costs #Compete #Formidable #Xbox #Game #Pass Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

The M4 Pro performance downgrade no one is talking about The M4 Pro performance downgrade no one is talking about I’ve spent this whole week testing the new M4 chip, specifically the M4 Pro in both the Mac mini and 16-inch MacBook Pro. They are fantastic, impressive chips, but in my testing, I noticed something pretty surprising about the way they run that I haven’t seen others talk much about. I’m talking about the pretty significant change Apple made in this generation to power modes. First off, Apple has extended the different power modes to the “Pro” level chips for the first time, having kept it as an exclusive for Max in the past. The three power modes, found in System Settings, are the following: Low Power, Automatic, and High Power. The interesting thing, however, is that in my testing, the Low Power drops performance far more this time around. Low Power Automatic High Power Cinebench R24 (single-core) 154 166 178 Cinebench R24 (multi-core) 765 1622 1707 Cinebench R24 (GPU) 6039 9222 9294 The scores shown above came from on the M4 Pro Mac mini in Cinebench R24. The difference between modes in single-core is closer to what I’d expect, and closer to what they’ve been in previous generations. We’re looking at a 13% higher score for the High Power mode than the Low Power mode. Multi-core is where things get wild though. With the M4 Pro, you can see just how big of a disparity there is when running the system in Low Power. This Mac mini is 55% faster in High Power than in Low Power. That’s not much higher than the scores we see on the base M3 or M1 Pro chips. This massive drop in performance is also present on the M4 Pro MacBook Pro. For comparison’s sake, I ran this same test on the previous-gen M3 Max MacBook Pro. There, the High Power mode is only 33% faster in multi-core performance than in Low Power. In fact, although the M4 Pro gets an 8% faster score in multi-core than the M3 Max in High Power mode, the M3 Max is actually 27% faster in Low Power mode. Chris Hagan / Digital Trends Of course, this won’t cause any wonky performance changes for most people, since Automatic is the default mode, and Apple has kept the performance scaling between Automatic and High Power modes unchanged. I also haven’t tested the M4 Max yet, so it’s possible that Apple the lower performance in the Low Power mode is exclusive to the M4 Pro. Maybe it’s exclusive to the “Pro” chips. One possible explanation could be to optimize the efficiency curve. In order to stay at a reasonable power budget in Low Power mode, Apple may have needed to clamp down the cores, which would explain why the impact is so much stronger on multi-core than on single-core. I’ll be curious to see when I eventually get my hands on an M4 Max. Apple doesn’t seem to have distributed many M4 Max units for review, so very few have been tested so far. The other question that ******** is whether that Low Power mode extends battery life in the MacBook Pro more than it did in the past. Apple claims that these new M4 chips get extra battery life over their predecessors, but didn’t explain where that extended life came from. The size of the batteries hasn’t changed over the previous generation, after all. If it’s true that the more restricted Low Power mode was turned on during battery life testing, it could result in some extra battery life that wasn’t there before. That might sound like Apple would be fudging the numbers a bit to increase battery life claims, but in the experience of the user, that might not matter. So long as they know that when they’re on battery and using Low Power mode, they’re getting less than half the performance out of the M4 Pro. Source link #Pro #performance #downgrade #talking Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Third person charged after fatal ****** in stolen car Third person charged after fatal ****** in stolen car A third person has been charged in connection with a ****** that ******* a Queensland grandmother in a high-impact collision involving a stolen car. Source link #person #charged #fatal #****** #stolen #car Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Metacritic´s 20 Best Original Games of the 21st Century Metacritic´s 20 Best Original Games of the 21st Century We rank the highest-scoring “original” games (that aren’t sequels or remakes or based on existing IP) released since January 1, 2000. Source link #Metacritics #Original #Games #21st #Century Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Fortnite PC performance: best settings, fps boost Fortnite PC performance: best settings, fps boost Chapter 2 Remix of Fortnite is in full swing, and as you’re exploring everything that’s new, there’s no better time to refresh yourself on the best settings to use for your PC. After all, with higher frame rates come better reaction times for you, giving you a chance of getting that shot off before your opponent, which can sometimes make all the difference. Fortnite is a slightly more demanding esport than some of its older rivals, but that just means there’s more scope for performance improvements if you select the right settings. Here are the most important performance-enhancing tweaks you can make to Fortnite. The best settings for Fortnite We tested out the entire suite of Fortnite’s video menu to find the most optimized settings for the best performance and clarity. As this is a competitive game, the focus of tweaking settings is mostly designed to make the game run as fast as possible without making it look so terrible that it’s a distraction. We also considered turning down any settings that might make it ******* to spot your opponents. Immersion isn’t as important when you’re trying your best to win. Since there’s some element of personal preference with in-game settings, I’ll also include a few nods to settings that I just can’t do with, or without, but you can do with those what you will. Display Window mode: Fullscreen Resolution: Set to your monitor’s native resolution, probably 1920 x 1080 or 2560 x 1440 VSync: Off Frame rate limit: Unlimited, or match it to your monitor’s refresh rate Rendering mode: DirectX 12 or Performance Graphics Quality Anti-aliasing and super resolution: FXAA or off, depending on your preferences Temporal Super Resolution: N/A 3D resolution: 100% Dynamic 3D Resolution: Off Nanite Virtualized Geometry: Off Shadows: Off Global Illumination: Off Reflections: Off View distance: Medium Textures: Low Effects: Low Post processing: Low Hardware ray tracing: Off Nvidia Reflex Low Latency: On + Boost if you have an Nvidia GPU DLSS: On if you have an Nvidia GPU Running the game at your monitor’s native resolution is the best way to ensure the game performs well and looks good. If you have a 4K monitor, you could play at these lower resolutions for better performance, but the blurriness you’d get from playing outside of native isn’t worth it. You want VSync off because of its tendency to add input lag, although if you have Freesync or G-Sync on your monitor, using that is a better alternative anyway. Switch the frame rate to unlimited or the same as your monitor’s refresh rate, unless you want to reduce how hard your graphics chip is working. In that case, lower it down to whatever is appropriate. Set Rendering Mode to DX12 if your graphics card supports it, as if offers the best performance and stability. Most player reports the most consistent frame rate with DX12, even if it is slightly more demanding on their components. Only use Performance mode if your PC is particularly old, as it will make the game playable, at an extreme cost to visuals. You may also get wilder swings in terms of frames per second (fps). You can turn anti-aliasing off for maximum performance, but I really don’t like jaggies, so I prefer it on in some capacity in everything I play; Fortnite included. TAA is an option too, but it’s more demanding. There’s also the option of XeSS upscaling, which can improve frame rates, though most competitive players don’t like the artifacts it introduces, reducing visual accuracy, especially at range. You’ll need to judge for yourself whether the slight FPS bump is worth the trade off for you. These settings won’t make the game look amazing, but it still looks good enough to not be a distraction. Jon Martindale / DigitalTrends I set View distance to Medium because I was tired of spotting the pop-in, but you can switch it to near without much of an effect and it does give a light performance improvement. As pretty as hardware ray tracing, reflections, and nanite geometry are, they don’t help improve your competitive edge and have a sizable impact on performance, so leave them off. Set everything else to off, or low, unless you have an Nvidia graphics card, in which case you definitely want Reflex set to On + Boost, and DLSS set to On if you have it and want additional performance for free. Fortnite system requirements Fortnite’s system requirements are quite a bit more demanding than older esports games like League of Legends, or Rocket League, but they’re still shallow enough that most PC gamers will have enough performance to at least get the game running. Minimum system requirements CPU: Intel Core i3-3225 or newer Memory: 8GB Graphics: Intel HD 4000, AMD Radeon Vega 8 or better Operating system: Windows 10 64-bit The minimum system requirements are super lightweight and don’t even demand a dedicated graphics card. As long as your CPU is young enough to compete with the 11-year-old Intel Core i3, your onboard graphics should be enough to carry an entry-level Fortnite experience. Recommended system requirements CPU: Intel Core i5 7500U Memory: 8GB Graphics: Nvidia GTX 960, AMD R9 280, or better Operating system: Windows 10 64-bit The recommended system requirements are a higher bar to reach, but nothing most gaming PCs can’t handle. The graphics card recommendations are close to 10 years old, and the CPU was a midrange laptop chip when it debuted in 2017. Any recent-generation gaming PC can match these kinds of specifications. Epic Quality system requirements CPU: Intel Core i7-8700, AMD Ryzen 7 3700X, or better Memory: 16GB of RAM or more Graphics: Nvidia GTX 1080, AMD RX 5700 XT, or better VRAM: 4GB Storage: NVMe SSD Operating system: Windows 10 64-bit Like most games, playing Fortnite at Epic Quality settings does mean having a relatively up-to-date system. You still don’t need one of the best graphics cards to match these system requirements, though. Any midrange gaming PC from the past two to three years will easily outpace this. Fortnite can look very pretty with ray tracing and all the other settings at their maximums. Jon Martindale / DigitalTrends Fortnite benchmarks Most modern gaming PCs shouldn’t have too much trouble playing Fortnite at even high settings if they want to. Still, to show what kind of difference you can expect on a modern high-end gaming PC from adjusting settings, we recorded a number of benchmarks to see how Fortnite performs at several different settings. We used the following test system to check frame rates and settings in Fortnite: CPU: AMD Ryzen 7950X3D Motherboard: Asus Crosshair X670E Hero Graphics card: AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX Memory: 32GB Kingston Fury Renegade 5200MHz We recorded average frame rates and 99th percentile frame rates at our above recommended settings at both 1080p and 1440p, and with the game completely maxed out at 1440p for those with high-end PCs who want a game that performs well and looks great at the same time. Note: Since this is a PC with an AMD graphics card, we can’t enable DLSS and FSR is not available. Average fps 99th Percentile 1080p recommended settings 374 235 1440p recommended settings 326 209 1440p max settings, including ray tracing 88 68 With a system like this, settings tweaks in an esports game aren’t typically too dramatic, but we can see here that there’s quite a big difference between even 1440p and 1080p — although near 400 fps average is overkill for all but the most competitive of players. I’d be tempted to play at 1440p with some of the settings turned higher to make the game look prettier, with less jagged edges and richer colors. As you can see, though, ray tracing along with all the other settings can cause even powerful PCs like this to slow down. It looks great — much more like a AAA game than it has any right to — but it makes the game look much busier, too, with a lot more visual information, which is likely to distract from your ability to see and target your enemies. Want more tips for improving performance in Fortnite? Check out our guide to PC performance tweaking for a more in-depth discussion of various in-game settings. Keep your PC up to date Once you’ve adjusted your Fortnite settings for maximum performance and visuals, the only other way to improve your frame rate or how good the game looks is by updating or upgrading your PC. You can install a new graphics card or processor for a big boost in performance, but if you want to help boost your fps without spending anything, you should make sure your drivers are all up to date. Updating your graphics drivers is a great way to make the most of the hardware you have. Want to really min/max your PC’s Fortnite playing powers? Why not try your hand at overclocking? You’ll be on your way to higher frame rates, and hopefully, more wins. Source link #Fortnite #performance #settings #fps #boost Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Why severe weather events are a ‘tailwind’ for infrastructure Why severe weather events are a ‘tailwind’ for infrastructure Major hurricanes like Helene and Milton have caused significant infrastructure damage across multiple US regions this year, resulting in millions of dollars in repair costs. Advanced Drainage Systems CEO Scott Barbour joins Market Domination Overtime to discuss stormwater infrastructure challenges, and solutions. Barbour reports that his company has been “quite busy” with recovery efforts, particularly in Florida and the Southeast. Looking ahead, he explains that severe weather events often “provide a tailwind’ for new projects and regulations, creating opportunities to redesign neighborhoods with enhanced water management capabilities. Regarding infrastructure policy and support following Trump’s reelection, Barbour states, “I remain believing that water and water infrastructure is a bipartisan issue. Everyone is for clean water, everyone is for a neighborhood that doesn’t flood, [and] everyone is for a resilient community.” To watch more expert insights and analysis on the latest market action, check out more Market Domination Overtime here. This post was written by Angel Smith Source link #severe #weather #events #tailwind #infrastructure Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

How to complete The Heart of *********** quest in Dragon Age: The Veilguard How to complete The Heart of *********** quest in Dragon Age: The Veilguard Bioware The Heart of *********** is one of many sidequests in Bioware’s Dragon Age: The Veilguard,, but it’s one of the tougher of the bunch. Similar to how opening the Warden Vault takes a lot of brain power to solve puzzles, The Heart of *********** tasks you with defeating some of the game’s strongest enemies. Once you initially unlock The Heart of *********** and discover the strange locked gateways, you probably won’t have any clue how to get past them. Luckily, we’re here to help, even if it’ll inevitably take you a while to complete The Heart of ***********’s daunting tasks in Dragon Age: The Veilguard. How to start The Heart of *********** Beginning The Heart of *********** quest won’t take long in Dragon Age: The Veilguard. Just walk up to the tangled door with three circular locks in The Crossroads, specifically on Beacon Island. From there, you should have The Heart of *********** quest in your Journal. To unlock all three locks on the door, you’ll have to defeat three bosses in different regions. Not only that, but defeating these three bosses unlocks passages in The Crossroads leading to three more Revenant bosses that scale in difficulty. Where to find all Champion Essences Before you can unlock the door with the three locks in The Crossroads, you’ll first have to unlock three separate door, which each require a Champion Essence. To obtain these Champion Essences, you must defeat three difficult ogres in separate regions. Step 1: Defeat Desmal, Bloodbound to Elger’nan in Treviso, specifically on the rooftops. This ogre will be at level 25, so make sure you’re prepared for the ******. Desmal is weak to ***** damage, but resistant to Necrotic. With this in mind, it’s best to take a companion like Taash or Davrin with you, as they both have ***** skills. You should also have a support companion with you to help heal, so also including Harding or Bellara in your party is a good idea. Avoid Lucanis and Emmrich as they both use Necrotic skills. ******** Desmal will grant you a Champion Essence to unlock the Gate of Deep Sorrows in The Crossroads. Bioware Step 2: Defeat The Disciple-in-Ichor in the Hossberg Wetlands, specifically in The Old Crossroads, a swampy area filled with blight. This ogre will be at level 30, and is a lot tougher than the previous one. Just like Desmal, this boss is weak to ***** and resistant to Necrotic. The same team as last time should work: have Taash or Davrin with you to deal ***** attacks and either Harding, Neve, or Bellara for healing and support. After you take down The Disciple-in-Ichor, you’ll receive a Champion Essence to unlock the Gate of Parched Hopes in The Crossroads. Bioware Step 3: Defeat Amarell the Unwoven, also in the Hossberg Wetlands, specifically in Solitude’s Edge. Amarell will be level 35 and will also be vulnerable to *****, but resistant to Necrotic damage. Take on this ogre with the same team you’re used to. Have Taash or Davrin alongside a supporter like Bellara, Neve, or Harding, and you’ll survive. Once you take down Amarell, you’ll gain the last Champion Essence which will unlock the Gate of Pale Reflections in The Crossroads. Bioware How to get all Revenant Essences With those three gates finally open, Rook and party can defeat the final three bad guys. Unfortunately, it’ll be a lot tougher to beat these enemies, with the hardest boss set at level 50. Step 1: Betrayal of Felassan will be awaiting you in the Converged City at The Crossroads at level 32. It’s vulnerable to Necrotic damage, but resistant to Ice. The best team for this boss would be either Emmrich or Lucanis as your main Necrotic damage dealer, alongside a supporter like Neve, Bellara, or Harding. Upon defeating the Betrayal of Felassan, you’ll receive a Revenant Essence to unlock the door with three locks. Bioware Step 2: ********** of the Pillars is located in Elvhenan’s Haven at The Crossroads and is at level 37. This boss is also weak to Necrotic damag,e but resists Ice damage. Bring along a similar team to the one used with the last boss. You’ll want Lucanis or Emmrich for Necrotic damage, and a support companion like Neve, Harding, or Bellara too. After taking down the ********** of the Pillars, you’ll receive the second Revenant Essence for the locked door. Bioware Step 3: Finally, Fall of the Protector is at the Heights of Athim at The Crossroads, sitting at a whopping level 42. This boss is instead vulnerable to Ice damage, but resistant to *****. To combat this boss, take Neve with you as your main Ice damage dealer. Depending on whether or not Neve is hardened in your game (if you saved Treviso instead of Minrathous), she may not be able to heal, so if she’s hardened, make sure to bring Harding or Bellara as support. If she can heal, bring either Lucanis or Emmrich. Once you beat the Fall of the Protector, you’ll gain the final Revenant Essence to open that triple-locked door. Bioware Bioware How to beat the Revenant Dragon Past the triple-locked door is one of the toughest bosses in Dragon Age: The Veilguard, awaiting your party at level 50. Since this dragon is weak to *****, but resistant to Cold damage, it’s best to bring along either Taash or Davrin as your ***** damage dealers. Like before, you should also have either Bellara or Harding for support, but don’t bring Neve since she mainly uses Cold damage spells. Other tips you should know when tackling the Revenant Dragon are to focus on breaking its armor down using heavy attacks, especially when focused on the tail or legs. Trying to ******* the head is difficult as it’s easier to get ******* from the front. Most importantly, once it’s staggered, its heart will be vulnerable, so ******* the heart with as much damage as you can before it recuperates. Interestingly, if you’ve already completed the Regrets of The Dread Wolf quest and convinced Mythal to grant you her powers, she’ll actually show up during the ****** as a dragon to deal a decent amount of damage to the Revenant Dragon. You can complete this quest by discovering six of Solas’ statues, completing his sidequests throughout The Crossroads, and getting to certain parts of the main story. Source link #complete #Heart #*********** #quest #Dragon #Age #Veilguard Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Teardown of the M4 Mac mini reveals a huge surprise Teardown of the M4 Mac mini reveals a huge surprise Thanks to a video posted on social media showing the inside of the new Mac mini, we now know it has modular storage and the 256GB base model uses two 128GB chips. This is good news for tech enthusiasts who were disappointed with the M2 Mac mini’s single 256GB chip since it caused slower SSD speeds. Two chips allows for parallel reading and writing so jobs can get done faster, but it’s important to note that the difference isn’t noticeable for most day-to-day tasks. The problem only applied to 256GB models and was primarily a pain point for enthusiasts — but it’s still nice to know that Apple is willing to listen to customers sometimes (not always, though). Partial teardown of M4 Mac Mini /w 16GB RAM & 256GB SSD. Interesting revealation: Wifi chip & antenna on the back of bottom air intake. SSD on a daughter board. And even the base 256GB version comes in two chips. No compromise in speed. Theoretically also end user upgradable. pic.twitter.com/vA2vQwkl7J — ＨＧ 阿聻 𓆣 𓇽 (@ohgkg) November 8, 2024 The modular storage means that the chips aren’t soldered to the motherboard either, which almost sounds like users should be able to remove and replace them easily — but that’s not quite the case. While it’s easy to remove them, trying to swap them out for something else opens up a whole other can of worms. To put it simply, Apple silicon SSDs aren’t self-contained devices like typical SSDs, so you can’t just swap it out and expect everything to work the same as before. Whether this reason is a good enough excuse for Apple’s terrible upgradability and repairability practices is another question, however. The new Mac mini isn’t the first device to correct this mistake — the M3 MacBook Air also switched back to two chips instead of one — so it’s good to know the fix is happening across the Mac lineup. Source link #Teardown #Mac #mini #reveals #huge #surprise Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Trump’s pick for trade czar is apparently key to financial markets Trump’s pick for trade czar is apparently key to financial markets Chatter that President-elect Donald Trump could appoint former U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer to oversee trade policy is moving markets, from the dollar on currency exchanges to stocks that would be sensitive to tariffs. During Trump’s first term as president, Lighthizer was central to his protectionist policy and was in the U.S. trade representative role when Trump launched the trade war with China. The news that Lighthizer could be returning to this post, reported by the Financial Times late Friday, spooked the market — the greenback, for example, spiked in a knee-***** reaction to the headline. .DXY 5D mountain The Dollar Index over the poast five days. “Any clues on Trump’s appointments may be market moving,” Jim Reid, research strategist at Deutsche Bank, said in a note. “Case in point, the Dollar’s rise immediately after the FT reported late Friday afternoon *** time that Robert Lighthizer would be asked to be the US Trade Representative in the new administration.” The dollar had risen to the strongest level in a year last Wednesday after Trump defeated Vice President Kamala Harris in the presidential sweepstakes. Trump’s policy proposals to cut taxes and slap tariffs on imports are believed to undermine the currencies of some of America’s biggest trading partners. To be sure, Lighthizer’s appointment hasn’t been confirmed and outlets including CNN and Reuters have reported that the FT story was untrue. Bank of America tracks a basket of consumer stocks with high exposure to China tariffs, and these companies plunged Friday. The basket has underperformed the S & P 500 for six weeks running. “I would think there’s more of this volatility ahead given these stocks’ sensitivity to anything Tariff related,” the Bank of America trading desk said in a note to clients. It ******** to be seen if Trump will follow through with his campaign threat to impose tariffs as high as 60% on all imports from China, but any updates on this front are expected to move markets. Source link #Trumps #pick #trade #czar #apparently #key #financial #markets Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]