Western Digital Corp. has announced that it has reached an agreement with Toshiba Corporation over the divestment of certain assets.

This divestments takes place in order to address the requirements of the regulatory agencies that have conditionally approved, or are continuing to review, the company’s planned acquisition of Hitachi Global Storage Technologies. The covering of certain asset packages by this agreement will allow Toshiba to produce and sell 3.5″hard drives for the desktop and consumer electronics markets and will enhance its ability to manufacture and sell 3.5″ hard drives for near-line (business critical) applications. As for the divestiture transaction, it is subject to review by regulatory agencies in certain jurisdictions.

Also reported by Western Digital is the agreement to purchase Toshiba Storage Device (Thailand) Company Limited (TSDT) as subject to the completion of the divestiture transaction. TSDT’s function was the manufacture of hard drives but it is still on hold following the recent Thailand flooding. The main assets of TSDT are its Thailand property, facilities and employees. Western Digital plans to integrate these facilities and employees into its Thailand operations. The financial terms of the two agreements were not disclosed.

The closing of the transactions with Toshiba is conditioned on WD’s closing of its planned acquisition of Hitachi, currently remaining subject to several closing conditions which include the receipt of certain remaining antitrust approvals. After the acquisition of the latter, the company plans on closing the transactions with Toshiba in March 2012.

Source: Press Release

Revealed today by Koch Media are four more aircrafts that will be placed in the upcoming action flight simulator Jane’s Advanced Strike Fighters. During the campaign, the player will be able to take place in the cockpit of more then 30 different aircrafts including the Soviet fighter jets MiG-21 and MiG-29 as well as the American fighter jet F-4 Phantom II and the stealth versatile fighter aircraft F-35 Lightning II.

First brought on the battlefield in 1959, the supersonic jet fighter aircraft MiG-21, also known under his NATO nickname “Fishbed”, was used by more than 50 countries with over 11,000 units produced since World War II, making it one of the world’s most used fighter aircrafts.

Produced by the same company Mikojan-Gurewitsch, the MiG-29 “Fulcrum” was developed as a counter piece for the American aircrafts F-15 Eagle and F-16 Fighting Falcon. Amongst other things it is used to defend airports and cities.

The all-weather, long-range, supersonic fighter jet, doubling as fighter bomber when required, American F-4 Phantom II was used by the USA between 1961 and 1995 and is still used by other countries today. The F-4 Phantom II reaches a top speed of more than 2,300 km/h and can carry up to 8.400 kg.

The F-35 Lightning II is an improved version of the experimental aircraft X-35, the winner of the “Joint Strike Fighter Progam” of the Department of Defense of the USA. Nowadays, it is considered the first stealth multirole fighter.

Jane‘s Advanced Strike Fighters takes place in a fictitious state called Azbaristan where the players will struggle to end a civil war. Immersed in 16 missions covering 65,000 square kilometers with terrain ranging from mountains, deserts and urban landscapes, the player will be at the heart of the action.Within the multiplayer modes of the game, up to 16 fighter pilots or between two to four players in co-op mode can take up various challenges to solve the conflict.

Jane’s Advanced Strike Fighters will be released for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Windows PC on March 2, 2012.

Source: Press Release

Activision and Microsoft hashed out a deal before Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3’s release, which meant that DLC would hit the Xbox 360 before the PS3 and PC versions of the game. Well, now it’s time for PlayStation 3 Elite Premium members to get their fix, with the first content drop for the service.

Today marks the release of the Liberation and Piazza maps on the PS3. Here’s what Activision has to say about them:

“Call of Duty Elite Drop 1: Liberation, a militarized Central Park in the heart of NYC, features a vast landscape ripe for long-range sniper and LMG kills. Mounted turrets on opposing ends of the map offer overwhelming firepower to anyone brave enough to man them. Elite Drop 2: Piazza, set in an idyllic Italian seaside village getaway gone rogue, offers blind corners and a complex network of branching pathways that pose danger at every turn. Visceral close-quarters combat dominates in Piazza, and attacks from above and below are an ever-constant threat.”

Source: Gameinformer

Bethesda released a new game patch for the Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim today for PC.

Version 1.4.27 is now available on Steam. Below are the patch notes:

LAUNCHER

Fixed issue with downloading mods when you are subscribed to more than 50 mods
Fixed crash when loading a subscribed mod that has been removed from Workshop by the author
Mod load order functionality

BUG FIXES (PC only)

Fixed occasional crashes when loading a save that relies on plugins/master files that no longer exist
Fixed issue where controls would become unresponsive while charging an enchanted weapon
Fixed issue where controls would occasionally become unresponsive while switching from third to first person while using the Arcane Enchanter
Fixed issue where controls would become unresponsive if activating a crafting station with autorun active
Fixed issue where keyboard would fail if Rename Item was selected before choosing the number of charges, while using Arcane Enchanter
Fixed several issues with remapping buttons while using an Xbox 360 controller
Fixed issue where pressing Escape button after fast traveling but before the loading would cause certain menus to stop working properly
Followers now sneak properly when player is sneaking

Source: Bethesda

Mojang has hired the server-mod making Bukkit team to help build an official API (application programming interface) for the Minecraft community.

“Today we can announce that the four main developers of Bukkit – a community-based Minecraft server implementation – have joined ranks with Mojang to bring you the same flexibility and versatility to the official Minecraft server.” announced lead Minecraft developer and game designer Jens Bergensten on the Mojang website.

“The four – Warren Loo, Erik Broes, Nathan Adams and Nathan Gilbert – will work on improving both the server and the client to offer better official support for larger servers and server modifications.

“The plan is to build a fresh server API, and then extend it to support client-side modding (in one way or another).”

Bergensten outlined that Mojang will try and make it “easy” for Bukkit users to convert, but shared that backwards compatibility “is not guaranteed”. Bukkit will be compatible with Minecraft 1.2.

Bukkit team member Warren Loo announced the news on the Bukkit website, in a long post about the open source project’s history.

“I am extremely pleased and proud to announce that, as of today, the Bukkit team has joined Mojang”

“When discussing the possibility of a modding API publicly, Mojang was concerned it would be unable to provide the community with a suitable and powerful enough solution, and we honestly feel our experience building Bukkit will help them do so.

“Thanks to our work with Bukkit, we have a years worth of experience, failures and lessons to help us develop a proper modding API and intend to do whatever it takes to produce one that satisfies the needs of the community.

“Now that we have an opportunity to design the official Minecraft API, we intend to make it a suitable replacement for Bukkit, if not a significantly better one, while bukkit.org will remain a community for modders for the foreseeable future.”

Phenom II is technically ‘dead-and-buried’ now, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t still stock (and demand given the better core-per-core performance of Phenom architecture over that of Bulldozer). In an effort to clear remaining inventories AMD has enacted a wide range of price cuts which will make the Phenom II processors an even more attractive proposition price wise. The cuts affect: a single dual core model, six quad core models and two hex core models. The largest price cut takes the AMD Phenom II 965 X4 processor from $135/£85 to $115/£72 which would surely tempt any budget gaming enthusiast to stick with AMD. There was also an 8.8% price cut on the 1075T taking its price from $181/£113 down to $165/£103 which is extremely good value for a hex core processor. You can see the full extent of the Phenom II price cuts in the table below:

Source: CPU World

Genius today announced the Imperator Pro, a professional gaming keyboard for MMO/RTS gamers. The newest addition to the GX Gaming Series, the Imperator Pro allows gamers to personalize their gaming experience. The Imperator Pro’s 6 programmable macro keys under 3 game profiles allows gamers to assign up to 18 macros giving users the ability to cast spells or specialized commands in a single keystroke. The fully customizable 16 million RGB backlight with three levels of brightness aids gamers under low light conditions, ensuring they never miss a key in the dark. To further enhance the gaming ambiance, the Imperator Pro also features a pulsating mode with three speed settings: slow, medium and fast. Both the backlight and pulsating functions can be easily disabled, if desired.

When switched to gaming mode, the windows key is deactivated making sure gameplay is not unexpectedly interrupted. The Imperator Pro is designed to have up to 18 anti-ghost keys. Additionally, the on-board memory prevents command block.When not gaming, users can take advantage of the six easy access media keys for simple control of movies, videos and audio. The Imperator Pro has an optimal 3.8 mm key travel distance resulting in perfect elasticity. During long gaming sessions, the palm rest support helps gamers stay comfortable. Smooth, stable connections are guaranteed with the GX Gaming Series Imperator Pro. The durable braided cable with an anti-corrosive gold-plated USB jack ensures long-lasting, high quality connections. The Imperator Pro even gives gamers more places to plug in their USB-powered peripherals with its 2 built-in USB ports.

Product Features

– Full speed professional gaming keyboard for MMO/RTS gamers
– Up to 18 macro keys assignment
– Full color 16 million pulsating RGB backlight with 3 levels of brightness and speed
– Designed with up to 18 anti-ghost keys
– 6 easy access media keys
– Blue LED power indicator
– 2 USB ports for additional peripheral connections
– On-board memory to prevent command block
– MSRP: US$99.90

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZzyJFH39xCM[/youtube]

Source: PR

ADATA today announced the introduction of the DashDrive Durable HD710 portable hard drive. The DashDrive family is the newest addition to the company’s impressive lineup of storage devices, signifying mobile, rapid, and dependable data access.

The housing of the HD710 is comprised of a unique silicone material, and the drive incorporates military-grade shockproof and waterproof (IPX7) construction with an ultra-fast USB 3.0 interface. Its sporty outlook and dynamic design match the requirements and style of sports and outdoor enthusiasts, with color options including blue, yellow, and black.

ADATA was one of the first companies to bring this level of ruggedness to portable hard drives, and the responses from consumers worldwide were overwhelmingly positive. This latest Mil-Spec compliant drive is capable of handling the toughest conditions, and still deliver the fast USB 3.0 transmission speed consumers have come to expect. It is looking to be an outstanding fit to the Durable class, representing durability and toughness, of the new DashDrive storage line.

The USB cable tucks into a wraparound exterior slot in the drive casing, providing an elegant storage solution that matches the highly practical characteristics of the device. The DashDrive Durable HD710 is available in capacities of 500 GB, 750 GB, and 1 TB.

Availability

The DashDrive Durable HD710 is now available through selected distributors and resellers. More information can be found on the company’s website.

Source: PR

Lancool, a manufacturing branch of Lian Li that makes mid to high-end computer chassis’, announces their new mid-tower PC chassis, the PC-K65. Designed for ATX, Micro-ATX and Mini-ITX motherboards.

Highlights of the Lancool PC-K65

• Made for ATX/Micro-ATX/Mini-ITX motherboards
• Modular HDD cages, with two modules for three 3.5″ HDD cage
• Four 2.5” tool-less HDD mounts
• Removable top module allowing for 415mm length VGA cards
• Two 140mm front panel fans with washable air filters; one 120mm rear panel fan
• Easy-to-use cable management system

MSRP: $99 / €99 (VAT not included, available now in selected countries)

Equipped with 2 modular HDD racks, the Lancool PC-K65 supports up to six 3.5-inch HDDs and four 2.5-inch HDDs or SSDs, which can be set to face forward or backward. For those who prefer longer VGA cards the top cage module can be removed, giving users a full 415mm of interior space. The racks’ tool-less design allows users to easily install their hard drives with the included thumbscrews. Vibrations are kept to a minimum with the rubber suspension.

The two front 140mm fans equipped with washable air filters and the rear 120mm fan keep hardware at optimum operating temperatures. For more cooling options the side panel has space for or two additional 140mm or 120mm fans. Adding even more cooling versatility, the PC-K65 has two holes for water tubes for users wanting to install a liquid cooling system.

Standard 5.25” optical drives are tool-lessly mounted on the PC-K65. The expertly designed cable clamp system keep wires neat and secured, allowing cool air to flow unobstructed throughout the interior.

With the strong and durable SECC steel body and easy-to-remove detachable aluminum front panel, the Lancool PC-K65 adds elegant aesthetics to its versatility and tool-less features making it an ideal choice for any computing environment.

For more information see here.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqSSB5tAduw[/youtube]

Source: PR

The internal memo emailed to GAME and Gamestation staff this morning which broke the news that the company will not be stocking Mass Effect 3 at any of its stores has been leaked online.

The first half of the email is for store managers explaining the situation, while the latter includes a list of instructions for how to break the news to pre-order customers who have already given GAME their money.

GAME will not stock EA titles as the company is “committed to only stocking products on which we could get the right credit terms”, something it has apparently failed to do for Mass Effect 3.

As a “gesture of goodwill”, customers will be able to claim £5 worth of Reward Points and a full refund – although previous information provided to Eurogamer suggests this refund will be store credit, not cash.

The memo also states that the company will not take any further deposits or pre-orders for forthcoming EA titles FIFA Street, Tiger Woods 13 and Sims 3 Showtime.

The full memo lies below.

“Last week we held an event for our publishers in the industry and explained the challenges we are facing in the short term – and we asked for their support.

“We asked them to trade with us using manageable credit terms, and for them to continue to do that whilst we work through the strategic review and refinancing of our business.

“We gave the industry commitments – we committed to integrity and openness in our dealings, and working with everyone equally.

“We committed to only stocking products on which we could get the right credit terms, regardless of the title or the supplier. We will not stock products if the terms are not right for our business – a position we believe is critical to our long term health as a business – we have taken the very difficult decision to not stock EA’s March releases, including Mass Effect 3.

“As a specialist retailer dedicated to games and gaming, it is never easy to make a decision not to stock a title, particularly one with such a strong fan base. But it is imperative that we treat every supplier evenly, that we stick to our commitments, and that we don’t sign up to payment terms that will hamper us further in the future.

“It is even more critical that we manage this appropriately with our loyal customers. We know that they will be disappointed regarding Mass Effect in particular and in recognition of this, we will be contacting our Mass Effect pre-order customers and as a gesture of goodwill we will be offering them £5 of reward card/ elite points.

“I know that many of your will have to manage customer and supplier feedback directly, and I would like to thank you in advance for your support and am happy to answer any questions you have directly – just grab me as I walk around.

“- Tom Devine

“For Preorder Customers Keep it simple

“Unfortunately we are not in a position to supply you with your copy of Mass Effect 3. As dedicated gamers, we know how disappointing this will be for you, and we apologise sincerely for the inconvenience that this will cause.

“We’d like to offer you the following gesture of goodwill. We value you as a customer very highly and want to demonstrate that to you by adding £5 worth of Reward points to your balance and, of course, if you have placed a deposit with us, you’ll receive a full refund.”

Source: Eurogamer

A new Baldur’s Gate game is in development, a new website has teased.

Yesterday a teaser site at BaldursGate.com launched with the series’ trademark skull symbol.

On the website is a quote, from Forgotten Realms prophet Alaundo: “The Lord of Murder shall perish, but in his doom he shall spawn a score of mortal progeny, chaos will be sown by their passage.”

The website also features the stirring theme song and images from the 1998 original.

So, who’s behind this new Baldur’s Gate?

GameBanshee reports the developer is Beamdog, a company co-founded by BioWare veteran Trent Oster. Oster worked on Baldur’s Gate, lead the development of Neverwinter Nights and its expansions, and worked for two years as the Director of Technology and lead the development on BioWare’s Eclipse Engine, which powers Dragon Age. He left BioWare in June 2009.

Beamdog issued a statement confirming an announcement proper is on the way. It does not relate to the rumoured Steam re-releases of the original series.

Source: Eurogamer

Microsoft may be keeping tight-lipped about the Xbox 720, but you can always rely on the job listing boards of game companies to let slivers of future console news slip out. Case in point: Lionhead, the team behind the Fable games. Apparently the company is looking to tool up with a top new lead programmer to work on console specs that don’t quite exist yet.

Lionhead, the development studio famed for creating the Fable series under the guidance of artistic auteur Peter Molyneux, has posted a job listing for a lead engineer to work on an as yet ‘unannounced title.’

The game in question will need someone with experience in working with DirectX 11, which is why this particular ad is so interesting: DirectX 11 isn’t used in the either the Xbox 360 or the Sony PS3.

It is, however, a technology heavily rumoured to appear in the Xbox 720. Depending on which rumour camp you sit in, Microsoft is set to announce the Xbox 720 either at this year’s E3 or at some point over the next two years.

All speculation of course, but the evidence is steadily building up these last few months of the future of our beloved consoles.

Source: ElectricPig

OnLive is bringing Indie games to the masses, from today until March 11, users of the streaming game service in the UK and US will be able to sample the 16 Independent Games Festival nominees and honourable mention for free.  Trials last thirty minutes, same time as their current setup for demos.

For users not familiar with the service, you can sign up for free at the OnLive website and the games stream to you much like a YouTube video does, so no installs, no downloading, awesome!

After playing a game, you’ll be able to ‘Like’ your favourite titles on OnLive’s Facebook page. It will reveal which game got the most ‘Likes’ and which was the most played on March 12.

The full list of games to sample is as follows:

• Atom Zombie Smasher (Blendo Games)
• Be Good (DigiPen Institute of Technology)
• Botanicula (Amanita Design)
• Dear Esther (The Chinese Room)
• Dustforce (Hitbox Team)
• English Country Tune (Stephen Lavelle)
• Frozen Synapse (Mode 7 Games)
• FTL (Justin Ma and Matthew Davis)
• Lume (State of Play Games)
• Nitronic Rush (DigiPen Institute of Technology)
• Once Upon a Spacetime (RMIT)
• POP (Rob Lach)
• SpaceChem (Zachtronics Industries)
• To the Moon (Freebird Games)
• Toren (Swordtales)
• WAY (CoCo & Co.)

Earlier this week we had a teaser of Jet Set Radio HD, this week we have confirmation from Sega, that the Dreamcast classic is getting a makeover and being made available for digital download on XBL, PSN & PC, although no release date has yet been given.

Jet Set Radio drew attention at its original release in 2000 for its then-innovative use of cel-shaded graphics, its graffiti-inspired style, and its soundtrack. The Dreamcast favorite is now well over a decade old, but fans remain excited for a chance to revisit the rebellious urban world. For players who missed the Dreamcast era, the Sega blog outlines the game:

If you’re unfamiliar with the story, Jet Set Radio lets players join the GGs, an up-and-coming street gang in the futuristic city of Tokyo-to, fighting for the right to self-expression against an overbearing, corporate-controlled police force. Rolling and leaping through crowded urban environments on magnetically driven inline skates, players take control of gang leader Beat and his growing posse of deviant artists as they steal turf from the local gangs by covering the city with colorful graffiti. Guided by Professor K, DJ for the hottest pirate broadcast in town – “Jet Set Radio” – the GGs will ultimately uncover the sinister plot hatched by the controlling powers of Tokyo-to.

Source: Kotaku

Microsoft today announced the Xbox 360 Special Edition 4GB Kinect Family Bundle for $299.99.

The bundle includes a glossy white Xbox 360 4GB console, white Kinect sensor, white Xbox 360 wireless controller, and a copy of Kinect Sports and Kinect Adventures as well as a three month subscription to Xbox Live Gold.

The white Xbox 360 wireless controller will also be available for purchase separately in the U.S. for $49.99.

Source: Major Nelson

When Dear Esther turned a profit in six hours it was already obvious that it would exceed expectations. Dear Esther’s Indie Fund backers were originally unsure about funding Dear Esther, but it looks like their faith has been well placed. It sold 16,000 copies on Steam on day one. A week on, it’s sold more than 50,000.

Developers, Thechineseroom made their sales public over on the Dear Esther blog, saying that the 50,000 figure is “an extraordinary amount for an indie release.”

“It shows that there’s a real audience for this type of work, and responses have been amazing. Not only have we received amazingly positive reviews, but the response from fans has been outstanding,” they add.

Dear Esther’s success is bound to inspire others interested in crafting contemplative, narrative games, but also proves that this sort of work can draw a profit. It helps that the chineseroom have pushed the Source engine far enough to create the extraordinary screenshots and evocative trailers that piqued player interest ahead of release. Dear Esther has elegantly paired artistic intent with strong technical ability to create a package polished enough to justify that price tag. Hopefully other indie developers looking to replicate Dear Esther’s success can pull off the same trick. PC gaming will be the richer for it.

Source: PC Gamer

TRENDNet has introduced not a first, but its own USB to Serial converter with the TU-S9.

Due to the legacy interfaces such as RS-232 serial having become obsolete and clearly phased out of PC motherboard standards, those who still require the interface find themselves in a troublesome situation. Thanks to this device, people who still use the serial interface for connecting MODEMs, telecom equipment, robotics and other can now use their devices as a USB connection thanks to the TU-S9.

There is no real fancy buttons or lighting, this is just an adapter cable with a USB connector on one side and a RS-232 9-pin male connector on the other. It may not be the nicest accessory on the market, but it does what it’s supposed to do. The cable length provided is of roughly 7 cm.

The operating systems supported are Windows, from 98 to 7, as well as Mac OS X, from 10.1 to 10.6. Now available, the TU-S9 is priced at $12.99.

Source: TechPowerUp

XSPC has finally readied its water block for the AMD Radeon HD 7970 and HD 7950 graphics cards (reference PCB).

The block is designed to fully cover the the card and provide liquid  cooling to all the hot components on the obverse side of the PCB while maintaining a profile that will keep within the size specifications of a single expansion slot.

The cooler measures 220 x 142 x 9 mm (18 mm at ports). Coverage of the cooler includes the GPU, the 12 GDDR5 memory chips, and the VRM. The part of the cooler covering the GPU is ridged with copper micro-fins to increase the dissipation of heat to the coolant. Mainly made out of copper, the portion covering the VRM is milled out of aluminium while the top is made out of CNC-cut stainless steel.

The block is ready for CrossFire setups with four G1/4″ ports and two G1/4″ plugs that come included.

Now listed online (although currently out of stock), the XSPC Razor 7970 is priced at £82.67 (US $131).

Source: TechPowerUp

Sony says that the PlayStation Network will be down on March 1 for nearly a day to undergo maintenance.

Maintenance is expected to last from just after 8:00 am PST until approximately 10:00 pm PST. Below is Sony’s full statement:

Unlike typical maintenance events, consumers who are already signed-in to PSN will be signed-out, and consumers will be unable to sign in for the duration of the maintenance window. During this time, users won’t be able to access the PlayStation Store, PlayStation Home, Account Management or play online.

PSN enabled websites will not be able to service users, including this one. Please stay tuned to the PlayStation Twitter feed for a notice when PSN is fully back online.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

Source: PlayStation Blog

Developers at Hydrophobia creator Dark Energy Digital claim the Manchester-based studio has given notice to enter administration.

Eurogamer was contacted by the representative of 18 employees at DED who claim they have gone unpaid for three months.

“I believe that if this information is publicly known then it will help all those that are owed money to make a timely claim with the administrator before it can be fast tracked using a prepack administration”

Staff members know an administrator has been appointed, but its identity remains unknown. “We believe DED will close down,” our source said.

DED is run by husband and wife combo Pete and Deborah Jones.

It released downloadable game Hydrophobia on Xbox Live in 2010 to high anticipation, but disappointing review scores dampened enthusiasm around the company’s Hydro Engine, developed over three years to accurately simulate flowing water.

In 2011 DED announced the PC and PSN versions of Hydrophobia, called Hydrophobia Prophecy. They were designed to address many of the criticisms of the original, but, again, failed to impress critics.

Little has been heard of the studio since. Eurogamer was told by a source that the license to the pool game the developer was working on has already been transferred to a new company called Dark Energy Publishing.

DEP will, apparently, re-employ the current staff and take the game to completion.

So, why is DED in such trouble?

“The failure of Hydrophobia is probably key to the financial troubles of the company,” our source said. “I believe the company has considerable debt and investors were put off by this debt.”

Source: Eurogamer

Not so long ago we had the details of the upcoming GeForce Kepler 107 revealed, now it seems that some one with an engineering sample of the video card itself couldn’t keep the secret to himself and had to show off his own pre-release version.

Even though not able to keep the secret, there is no real reason to complain as it gives us a preview of what is in store from the company who expected more from its rival.

As you can see from the screenshot below, the Nvidia GK107 engineering sample with the early drivers scored P3818 on the performance preset of 3DMark11 with an Intel Core i7-3960X processor. While our test bed at eTeknix features an Intel Core i7-2700k, the 3DMark11 test of the AMD Radeon HD 7770 XT 1GB graphics card from our review does reveal to score P3547 on the performance preset.

On the other hand, the Physics score in the benchmark result looks extremely low, so more than probably something is going on there, but we don’t know what and hope to find out more soon.

As for the information currently available, only the price remains to be known and then we can classify the GK107 into the Nvidia product lineup. Based on the score seen here, it is likely that the GK107 would prove to be a replacement for the GeForce GTX 550.

For a video of the leak head over to INPAI.COM.CN.

Source: LegitReviews

Mass Effect 3 publisher EA yesterday launched two weather balloons full of goodies from locations near London, England.

They were filled with copies of Mass Effect 3, hoodies, even branded water bottles.

But what became of these prize-filled payloads?

Launched hours apart near the sleepy market town of Saffron Walden, both balloons soon sailed southwards. The first landed in Beacon Wood Country Park near Dartford, the official Mass Effect 3 Twitter announced at 3.50pm.

Gamers expected to be able to track the balloon via EA’s Mass Effect 3: Space Edition website, but technical problems left EA posting coordinates via Twitter.

Four minutes after confirming the first balloon’s location, ME3’s Twitter confirmed the prizes had been claimed. “Balloon has been recovered and fans are on the scene,” EA said. “We apologize for the technical hiccups, earlier today.”

Twitter user “@ToDoMe” was one of the first on the scene, almost an hour before. At 3.11pm he claimed: “We have the balloon. It’s over, it landed. Why hasn’t anyone listened to me yet?”

The second balloon was launched later in the afternoon and landed in apparent no-man’s land: south of the M25, not far from Tonbridge.

“Don’t have coords yet but the team says it landed in a farm. Will recover and take to a more friendly location,” EA’s feed claimed just after 7pm.

“Ground crew being attacked by cows,” EA added. “Remember this balloon doesn’t have copies we have to mail them to you. Cows did not eat copies.”

The London launches follow successful missions in Las Vegas and New York.

But two days after Mass Effect 3 blasted off over the skies of San Francisco, fans are still unable to retrieve the parcel. “We’re figuring something out, but it landed on private property,” EA tweeted.

French fans have also been disappointed – the planned Parisian launch had to be called off entirely. “Due to regulations beyond our control we were unable to execute the Paris Space Edition Launch,” EA claimed.

German friends get the final balloon launch tomorrow. Fingers crossed.

Source: Eurogamer

Not even on the market yet already making quite some noise, Intel’s next generation Ivy Bridge microprocessor has reached incredible speeds while overclocked, going for two times higher than its default frequency.

Reported by the Bright Side of News web-site, enthusiasts have managed to obtain a quad-core Intel Core i7-3770K microprocessor and get it going from 3.50GHz to an incredible 7.063GHz.

How these enthusiasts got their hands on a yet unreleased-and-delayed Ivy Bridge CPU is rather unclear. The cooling system used for this overclock is uncertain as well. All in all, some mysteries are still circulating around this OC session.

Last we checked, the highest clock-speed that was achieved with a a PC microprocessor was 8585MHz, made possible by Andre Yang who overclocked an AMD FX microprocessor using Asus Crosshair V Formula mainboard and liquid nitrogen cooling system.

With Ivy Bridge will come a boost of performances that will improve by around 20% in general applications compared to the current generation Sandy Bridge processors. The new line of CPU will also bring new graphics core with DirectX 11 and OpenCL 1.1 support as well as new video processor and display controllers which will provide 30% higher performance compared to the predecessor. Not to forget is the PCI Express 3.0 x16 interconnection and PCIe 2.0 x4 controller.

Source: Fudzilla