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The latest news and reviews of PCs, laptops, chips and accessories.
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The Morning After: 'Call of Duty: Warzone' joins the free battle royale trend
Hey, good morning! You look fabulous. This week, Westworld is back and despite my issues with how season two unfolded, I'm ready and waiting for season three. Aaron Paul and Marshawn Lynch are interesting additions to the cast, and with the robots venturing out of the park for the first time, its incredible visuals should go to another level. Still, the big question is if this show can offer viewers something more than just another game -- with teasers that reference our current fears about AI, personal data and privacy, the potential is clearly there. -- Richard
Apple may expand mouse support with iPadOS 14
It appears that Apple may bring mouse support to iPad OS 14. Apple added some compatibility for external mice as an Accessibility setting in iOS 13, but 9to5Mac has spotted code that suggests mouse-compatibility could be the norm beginning with iOS 14 (iPadOS 14).
'Call of Duty: Warzone' is a free battle royale game launching tomorrow
As expected, Activision has announced Call of Duty: Warzone, a brand new free-to-play battle royale based on its popular first-person shooter franchise. If you already own a copy of Modern Warfare, you'll be able to play the game starting tomorrow at 11am ET on PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Everyone else gets to join at 3pm ET.
Best Buy discounts the entry MacBook Air to its best price yet
Best Buy has a pair of good deals on the MacBook Air. You can currently get the 128GB gold model for $850, down from its usual price of $1,100. If gold isn't your thing, both the silver and space gray models are also on sale, though they're only $200 off as opposed to $250. $850 is the lowest we've seen a retailer sell the base model MacBook Air for, but for most people 128GB is likely not enough storage.
Behringer is building a free digital audio workstation
When it comes to producing music, a digital audio workstation (DAW) is one of the most important tools of the trade. This software is where musicians record and edit tracks, add effects, and play virtual instruments. Behringer -- which is well-known for its hardware-based synthesizers -- confirmed on Facebook that it will create its own DAW, which will hopefully be out sometime next year. But the company won't be going head-to-head with the likes of Apple's Logic Pro or Avid's Pro Tools: Behringer's DAW will be free.
Apple’s iPad and Keyboard Folio is all I need
I owe you, dear readers, an explanation. After the launch of the seventh-generation iPad, I got mad at Apple charging $160 for the accompanying keyboard folio. For a slate designed for school kids, I thought it was outrageous to charge that much to make a $329 tablet useful. It made no sense morally, or economically, to start gouging folks who may not be in the position to spend more. Then I bought one.
AMD CPUs for the past 9 years are vulnerable to data leak attacks
It's not just Intel chips that are vulnerable to hard-to-fix security flaws. Researchers at the Graz University of Technology have detailed a pair of side channel attacks under the "Take A Way" name that can leak data from AMD processors dating back to 2011, whether it's an old Athlon 64 X2, a Ryzen 7 or a Threadripper. Both exploit the "way predictor" for the Level 1 cache (meant to boost the efficiency of cache access) to leak memory content. The Collide+Probe attack lets an intruder monitor memory access without having to know physical addresses or shared memory, while Load+Reload is a more secretive method that uses shared memory without invalidating the cache line.
The Morning After: The Nintendo PlayStation prototype sold for $360k
Hey, good morning! You look fabulous. The word for the week is "canceled." As additional cases of the new coronavirus continue to pop up, companies and event planners took steps to try and avoid creating environments where it might spread rapidly. On Friday evening the city of Austin declared a local disaster and called off the 2020 SXSW festival, making it just the latest on the list. Other companies scaled back on travel and encouraged employees to work from home, while some delivery firms like Instacart and Postmates unveiled new no-contact options. -- Richard
Windows 10 gives users more control of what diagnostic data they share
In another attempt to give Windows 10 users more control over their data, Microsoft is making a few changes to its Settings app and Group Policy settings in the latest Windows 10 preview build (19577). In the Settings app, basic diagnostic data will now be known as "required," and full diagnostic data will be known as "optional." Theoretically, Windows 10 will make it easier to switch between sharing required and optional diagnostic data with Microsoft.
Researchers discover that Intel chips have an unfixable security flaw
Security researchers have discovered another flaw in recent Intel chips that, while difficult to exploit, is completely unpatchable. The vulnerability is within Intel's Converged Security and Management Engine (CSME), a part of the chip that controls system boot-up, power levels, firmware and, most critically, cryptographic functions. Security specialists Positive Technologies have found that a tiny gap in security in that module that could allow attackers to inject malicious code and, eventually, commandeer your PC.
Does the Xbox Series X make gaming PCs obsolete?
The Xbox Series X is going to be a beast. On paper, its sheer power blows away most gaming rigs today -- but what does that mean for PC enthusiasts? To be honest, there's still plenty we don't know about the Series X or what the state of PC hardware will be later this year. But based on Microsoft's spec dump last week, we can start making some educated guesses.
XPS 13 laptop drops to $799 during Dell’s semi-annual sale
If you've been eyeing the XPS 13 laptop, now's the time to grab it. As part of Dell's semi-annual sale, the company lowered the price of its flagship laptop to $799. This particular model includes a 10th-gen Core i5 processor, a 13.3-inch 1080p touchscreen, 8GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage. XPS 13 laptops rarely dip below $1,000, and if they do, it's usually the base models you'll see on sale. While this isn't quite as powerful of a model that was on sale last month on Amazon, it's not the base XPS 13 either (which has a measly 4GB of RAM and 128GB of storage).
'The Outer Worlds' is about to get a fix for its tiny in-game text
If there's one major criticism of The Outer Worlds, it's surely the bewilderingly tiny text size used for menus and dialogs. Squinting and scooching does not make for enjoyable game play, and for those with visual impairments, it renders the game unplayable. But that's about to change.
The Morning After: Sony's PlayStation 2 turns 20
Hey, good morning! You look fabulous. Even 20 years after PlayStation 2 launched in Japan, everyone probably has their PS2 story. For me, it includes the first time someone set the system up in our dorm room to play Ridge Racer or Madden NFL 2001, but as a dedicated Sega fan, I stuck with my Dreamcast for Sega Rally and the 2K sports games. All that fanboy dedication disappeared a couple of years later, though, when five minutes with Grand Theft Auto: Vice City convinced me this was a system I needed to own. For Kris Naudus, the PS2's most memorable feature is how it made DVDs mainstream -- and I can remember The Matrix spending as much time in my system as anything else. Since the PS2 debuted four years before this website appeared, we never gave it an official review. To fill the gap, we asked Engadget readers to contribute memories of their own system, which include the places they tucked its slim frame and the game franchises that still stand out today. Take a minute to flip through the reader reviews or contribute some memories your own as we prepare for the dawn of a new PS5/Xbox Series X console era in just a few months. -- Richard
Valve's Index VR headset will go back on sale March 9th
If you're itching to buy a Valve Index to get the 'official' Half-Life: Alyx experience, you'll soon have another chance... if you move quickly. A Valve spokesperson talking to Engadget has confirmed an earlier report that Index kits will once more be available to buy on March 9th at 1PM Eastern. However, it expects "high demand" to clear out stock of the VR headset that same day. Miss out on this batch and you'll have to settle for inventory on a first-come-first-serve basis, which could leave you waiting a while when the coronavirus outbreak has reduced production.
Twitter tests 'Fleets' that delete themselves after 24 hours
Twitter is finally dipping its toe into ephemeral content. The company is testing a new feature, called "fleets," which allows users to to post tweets that automatically disappear after 24 hours. For now, the experimental feature is only live in Brazil, but Twitter says it could eventually land in other countries. If fleets do end up becoming widely available, it could fundamentally alter how people interact on Twitter.
'Call of Duty: Modern Warfare' has a Tamagotchi that's hungry for kills
Companion pets are a fairly standard feature in a lot of games – from Fortnite to Skyrim, you've got the option to have a furry friend accompany you on your adventure. And now Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is joining the fray. Don't expect any cute and cuddlies, though. Your operator's companion comes in the form of a Tamagotchi -- or in this case, a Tomogunchi. And you feed it with death.
The Morning After: Amazon's accelerated one-day shipping
Hey, good morning! You look fabulous. Amazon is offering faster same-day delivery that could get your order to you in a matter of hours. There will apparently be up to three million items marked "Today by" available to order for speedy same-day delivery to Prime members in Philadelphia, Phoenix, Orlando and Dallas. Amazon will even deliver packages while you sleep. Given the company CEO's recent comments on global warming and controversy over its contracted "delivery partners" it seems an odd service to announce. The orders will apparently ship from local fulfillment centers, meaning less air freight and reduced driving distance. Amazon says, "while it may seem counterintuitive, the faster delivery speeds enabled by these facilities actually help us lower carbon emissions." That is if your shopping list is entirely from local centers. We should take those better-for-the-environment claims with a pinch of salt, as the convenience of getting something to your door could outweigh a short walk to local stores or businesses; it could also lead to more frequent orders, more deliveries, more trucks. But if we're doing the ordering, Amazon can claim it's not its fault. Market forces at work. -- Mat
'Halo: Combat Evolved' remaster is now available for PC
It took a while, but the remastered version of the original Halo has finally reached PCs. Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary is now available as part of the Master Chief Collection through Steam, the Microsoft Store and the Xbox Game Pass PC beta. It boasts the requisite visual tune-ups, including support for 4K and ultra-wide displays, but also throws in modern creature comforts like text chat, customizable key layouts and a 3D model view for customizing your Spartan. You can even flip between classic and Anniversary audio in multiplayer matches, depending on how nostalgic you're feeling.
The next 'Destiny 2' season tasks you with saving the Last City (again)
Now that the next season of Destiny 2 is a week away, Bungie is finally ready to shed light on just what it entails through a roadmap and a trailer. The Season of the Worthy's main story challenges you with nothing less than saving the Last City... yes, again. The Cabal have sent the Almighty (the star-destroying ship you crippled in the original D2 campaign) on a crash course with humanity's refuge, and you'll need to power up the Rasputin AI to take the spacecraft out of commission. In addition to the core missions, there will be public events (Seraph Towers), bunker activities and a Grandmaster difficulty level for the Ordeal Nightfall strike.