F-35 head continues to defend his program, amid major budget issues
Air Force Lt. Gen. Christopher Bogdan, head of the chaotic and expensive F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program, has consistently heard criticism and complaints. Bogdan says the F-35 program is better than what the public perceives, despite schedule delays, technical and design issues, and huge cost problems.
Lockheed Martin, the F-35 JSF manufacturer, and Pratt & Whitney, the F-35 engine maker, are fighting for support - and urging the Pentagon not to slash budgets.
The cost of production has more than doubled, and the problem doesn't seem to be getting any better. Once the kinks are worked out, the F-35A for the Air Force will cost upwards of $110 million each, an F-35B for the USMC will be $134 million, and the Navy F-35C has a $129 million price tag.
Continue reading: F-35 head continues to defend his program, amid major budget issues (full post)
More classic 'X-Files' characters board revival
It was only a week ago that Fox announced the return of TV's 'X-Files' for a limited run of 6 new episodes, but events are moving fast, with David Duchovny announcing more original stars will re-appear - many for the first time in 13 years.
Speaking to David Letterman yesterday, Duchovny has confirmed that the mysterious Cigarette Smoking Man (William B. Davis) and FBI Assistant Director Walter Skinner (Mitch Pileggi) have both signed on, while TVNews are reporting that Robert Patrick and Annabeth Gish, who filled the void in later seasons, will also return.
It now looks that everything is falling into line to make the first new 'X-Files' stories since 2008's 'I Want to Believe'. The X-Files' is expected to return sometime next year for the six episode limited series revival.
Continue reading: More classic 'X-Files' characters board revival (full post)
Report: Mobile games for Nintendo could generate millions in sales
Nintendo's decision to fully support mobile gaming could have major financial results for game studios, as there are millions of dollars at stake. The first DeNA-Nintendo mobile title will be available before the end of the year, while Nintendo continues to outline its strategy into mobile gaming.
"We want to create games that will be played by hundreds of millions of people," said Isao Moriyasu, CEO of DeNA, in a statement to Reuters. "We haven't talked to Nintendo about targets, but at DeNA, our best-selling game brought in 3 billion yen ($25 million) a month, and we want to surpass that."
DeNA will diversify and focus on releasing a catalog of game titles it hopes will be popular among mobile gamers - and hopes DeNA will be able to generate massive revenue for itself and Nintendo in the future.
Continue reading: Report: Mobile games for Nintendo could generate millions in sales (full post)
LG begins promoting 8K, with its massive 7680x4320 resolution
While 4K isn't exactly mainstream, LG has started talking about 8K and that "the world is turning to 8K". In a press release, the company has teased that 8K is coming, and it'll be here in the coming years.
When the BBC took control of broadcasting the 2012 olympics, they said "Since 8K resolution is the highest resolution that the human eye is capable of seeing, it will put an end to the resolution discussion,' predicting that 'ultimately, 8K images will overtake the market". 8K sees a huge 7680x4320 resolution, pumping out four times the pixels that 4K offers, and 16 times what 1080p provides at 1920x1080.
LG has announced that it has "expanded the UHD lineup and is showing off diverse range of screen sizes with super-high resolution displays such as 8K". The South Korean giant showed off its 98-inch 8K UHD display at CES 2015 earlier this year, but are teasing that they will be making "great strides" into the super-high resolution display era.
Continue reading: LG begins promoting 8K, with its massive 7680x4320 resolution (full post)
Sony unveils limited edition Batman: Arkham Knight PS4 console
Batman fans are going to go bananas for the new limited edition Batman: Arkham Knight PS4 bundle, which sees Sony's console featuring custom artwork for the Batman: Arkham series.
The new bundle will feature an MSRP of $449.99, and will include a limited edition Steel Grey PS4 system chassis with a "custom Batman: Arkham Knight faceplate, a matching DualShock 4 wireless controller in Steel Grey and the explosive finale to the award-winning Arkham trilogy, Batman: Arkham Knight".
There's a second bundle that will include "Batman: Arkham Knight PS4 Bundle available for $399.99 (MSRP), which includes a PS4 system and DualShock 4 controller in Jet Black and Batman: Arkham Knight".
Continue reading: Sony unveils limited edition Batman: Arkham Knight PS4 console (full post)
ASUS make GTX 980 Gold Edition official, fastest GTX 980 in the world
We heard the rumors, but ASUS has just made its new GTX 980 20th Anniversary Gold Edition official: the world's fastest GeForce GTX 980 video card. The company has used its impressive DirectCU cooler with 0dB-fan technology that allows for games like League of Legends and StarCraft to be played in total silence.
The all-important fact here is that it has a Boost Clock of 1431MHz, which is 215MHz above the reference Boost, providing an additional 15% performance. 4GB of GDDR5 is splashed on top, with three DisplayPort outputs, one HDMI and one dual-link DVI. One of the more unique parts of the VGA card is that it has a beautiful gold and black cooler, which is going to look incredible in gamers' PCs.
ASUS has told us that the GTX 980 20th Anniversary Gold Edition is a "short run, exclusive limited edition card", with its clock speeds beating even the best GTX 980s on the market from EVGA and its Kingpin GTX 980 and GALAX HOF 980 cards. We have reached out to our contact at ASUS to try and secure a sample, so check back for a review here at TweakTown soon.
Continue reading: ASUS make GTX 980 Gold Edition official, fastest GTX 980 in the world (full post)
LG asks to "save the date" for April 28, G4 unveiling?
It looks like LG will unveil its new Snapdragon 808-powered G4 smartphone on April 28, as it is asking various media outlets to "save the date" for a press night in New York, London and Paris on April 28, and in Seoul, Singapore and Instanbul on April 29.
The email that LG sent out includes an image that has them teasing "See the Great. Feel the Great" while using the G logo from its series of flagship handsets. All of this is printed onto a leather backing, which teases that the G4 could feature leather in way one or another.
We don't know much about the G4 apart from the rumors we recently posted, which see it featuring a Snapdragon 808 processor, 3GB of RAM and a 5.5-inch QHD 2560x1440 display.
Continue reading: LG asks to "save the date" for April 28, G4 unveiling? (full post)
Epic new 'Mad Max: Fury Road' trailer hits the web
It's been a painfully long wait for the latest installment of the 'Mad Max' saga (the last entry came out in 1985) and filming wrapped over two and half years ago, but now the reboot/sequel (requel?) is only weeks away and the marketing machine has turned on the nitrous tank. Now, Warner Bros have released the final trailer for the film and only word can truly describe it - epic.
'Fury Road' sees Tom Hardy take up the role of Max Rockatansky along with Charlize Theron, Nicholas Hoult and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley. The film is a risky proposition for the studio; a sequel to a film that was released before anyone from the target demographic was born, has been rated R for "intense sequences of violence" and "disturbing images" - substantially narrowing who can view it in cinemas and with a huge $150 million budget.
'Mad Max: Fury Road' is scheduled for release on May 14th in Australia and the 15th in the United States in 3D and 2D.
Continue reading: Epic new 'Mad Max: Fury Road' trailer hits the web (full post)
NVIDIA acquires Valve, announces Half-Life 3 release for 2016
NVIDIA has announced that it has acquired Valve for an undisclosed sum of money, securing the rights behind the digital distribution platform Steam, as well as original IP like Half-Life, Counter-Strike, Dota 2, and Left 4 Dead.
NVIDIA has announced that Half-life 3 will be released on the 3rd of March 2016, or 3/3/16. It will be released onto the Steam VR-powered HTC Vive headset, as well as the Oculus Rift. It'll be released onto Windows and Steam OS, with full support for DirectX 12. We are going to see full PhysX built into it with a next-generation physics engine within the Source 2 engine.
Of course, this is only an April Fools Day fun post, but if I could make Half-Life 3 be announced, I would. I'm swimming in my own tears here.
Continue reading: NVIDIA acquires Valve, announces Half-Life 3 release for 2016 (full post)
Alcatel Onetouch Watch pre-orders now open, Apr. 30 launch date
Alcatel is honoring its effort to announce a product at CES and make sure it gets to consumers quickly, as the Onetouch Watch is now available for pre-order. The wearable officially goes on sale April 30, and will be available for just $149.99.
The device, supported by Google Android and Apple iOS, will allow for users to track their steps, calories, sleep metrics, and heart rate tracking. Some basic phone functions will also be included when the watch is paired to a smartphone.
There seems to be optimism among wearable manufacturers for the upcoming Apple Watch launch. It will help draw attention to smartwatches, with plenty of competing products available. Alcatel hopes to cater to interested consumers with a cheaper product than the Apple Watch.
Continue reading: Alcatel Onetouch Watch pre-orders now open, Apr. 30 launch date (full post)