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Christmas Comes to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter

2017/11/17
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Geek News, News

Universal City, CA, November 16, 2017 – Universal Studios Hollywood celebrated the opening of “Christmas in The Wizarding World of Harry PotterTM,” transforming HogwartsTM castle with a breathtaking animated light projection show, choreographed to a musical arrangement from the Harry Potter movies as The Entertainment Capital of L.A. kicked off the yuletide season.

The evening program introduced Karen Irwin, President & COO, Universal Studios Hollywood, as she welcomed the land’s new holiday festivities. Following an original a cappella Frog Choir performance of “Christmas at Hogwarts,” Irwin and a group of children—clad in attire representing each of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry houses—wielded wands and cast a spell that revealed the light projection spectacular:  “The Magic of Christmas at HogwartsTM Castle.”

“We are delighted to welcome ‘Christmas in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter’ as a new Universal Studios Hollywood holiday tradition,” said Karen Irwin. “Millions of guests visiting from around the world have already experienced the incredible offerings of this immersive land. This exciting new holiday program further expands the Harry Potter universe by bringing some of the holiday spirit from the films to life for guests to experience for themselves.”

The all-new “Christmas in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter” experience will take place daily from November 24, 2017 through January 7, 2018.

Hogsmeade village also shines brightly as the quaint town celebrates with festive décor uniquely themed to each of the individual storefronts, along with holiday-themed fare served at Three Broomsticks and the eagerly-awaited seasonal return of hot Butterbeer.

The newly-introduced Holiday Dinner features a sumptuous roast turkey with gravy platter that includes pigs in blankets, a medley of vegetables, braised red cabbage and roasted potatoes served with cranberry sauce, along with Christmas Pudding.

As night falls on Hogsmeade village, the familiar sounds of Harry Potter music will resonate throughout “The Wizarding World of Harry Potter.”  Multiple times an evening, colorful projection mapping will illuminate Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry with “The Magic of Christmas at Hogwarts Castle.”

The a cappella Frog Choir, comprised of Hogwarts students and their giant throaty frogs, will also perform original holiday themed songs over the course of the seasonal event.

From stockings to ornaments, the addition of specialty keepsakes and gift-giving items complement the land’s immersive holiday festivities as the theme park continues to envelope guests in the captivating world of Harry Potter.

A wide selection of all-new custom-made Christmas ornaments created especially for “The Wizarding World of Harry Potter” are available this holiday season. Collectibles include a variety of decorative Hogwarts castle snow globes, Hogwarts crest and mascot ornaments representing each of the houses, as well as a collection of unique tree toppers and house pennant garland. Wizard robes and wands and an array of Quidditch game accessories are perfect for gift-giving.

Inspired by J.K. Rowling’s compelling stories and characters that were brought to life in the Warner Bros. films, “The Wizarding World of Harry Potter” at Universal Studios Hollywood is a masterful recreation, faithful to the visual landscape of the films, including its iconic focal point, Hogwarts castle.

From its snow-capped roofs and cobblestone streets to the historic British sensibilities that characterize the whimsical look and feel of the land, “The Wizarding World of Harry Potter” transports guests of all ages to the very places they watched on the silver screen.

The architecturally stunning land also includes the captivating and highly acclaimed “Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey” thrill ride, now enhanced with 4K-HD and ride film projecting at an astounding rate of 120 frames-per-second for an even more immersive glimpse into Harry Potter’s world, as well as “Flight of the Hippogriff™,” Universal Studios Hollywood’s first outdoor family coaster.

“The Wizarding World of Harry Potter” resonates with immense detail, inviting guests to revel in J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World with the opportunity to enjoy authentic food and beverages at multiple locations, including Three Broomsticks and Hog’s Head pub, as well as the Magic Neep and Butterbeer™ carts.

A foray through the shops adds to the authenticity of the land with nine retail venues and locations, including Honeydukes™, Ollivanders™, Owl Post™, Zonko’s™ Joke Shop, Wiseacre’s Wizarding Equipment, Dervish and Banges™, Gladrags Wizardwear, Filch’s Emporium™ of Confiscated Goods and the Hogsmeade™ Station.

Additional information on Universal Studios Hollywood is available at www.UniversalStudiosHollywood.com. Join the conversation online using #UniversalHolidays and #WizardingWorldHollywood. Like Universal Studios Hollywood on Facebook and follow @UniStudios on Instagram and Twitter.

Dynasty Warriors 9 Launch Date

2017/11/16
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Geek News, News, PlayStation 4 News, Windows PC News, Xbox One News

Burlingame, Calif. – November 16, 2017 – KOEI TECMO America eased fans’ anticipation today by announcing that Omega Force’s upcoming open-world epic, DYNASTY WARRIORS 9, will be released across the western regions on February 13, 2018 for the PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system, Xbox One, the all-in-one games and entertainment system from Microsoft, and Windows PC via Steam®. DYNASTY WARRIORS 9 will venture into new territory as the classic, time-tested “one versus thousands” action, iconic to the Warriors series, is expanded to its first true open world installment.

KOEI TECMO America has put together an exciting bundle of bonus content for gamers opting to pick up the physical or standard digital version. Comprised of seven costumes for fan-favorite characters, the bundle includes an imposing Beijing opera-style costume for Zhao Yun and six costumes inspired by traditional Chinese undergarment styles – one each for Guan Yinping, Diaochan, Sun Shangxiang, Lu Lingqi, Wang Yi, and Wang Yuanji.

Offering a first look at this exclusive bonus content – showcasing more returning characters, features and a brand new entry into the Dynasty Warriors roster, Xin Xianying – KOEI TECMO America has released a batch of new artwork, costume designs and screenshots.

MSI Unveils Infinite X Gaming Desktop

2017/11/16
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Geek News, Hardware News, News

City of Industry, Calif. – November 16, 2017 – MSI, world leader in gaming hardware, announced today the availability of the Infinite X gaming desktop. The newest member of the Infinite line of desktops brings the power of an Intel Coffee Lake i7 processor and NVIDIA GTX 1080Ti graphics card with the innovation of a new liquid cooling system. The Infinite X was also honored under the “CES Innovation Honoree at Gaming” category for the 2018 CES Innovation Awards.

The MSI Infinite gaming desktop was inspired by a never-ending desire to game and for gamers who want endless possibilities to game the way they want. This desktop delivers the best gaming performance by equipping MSI’s renowned graphics cards to give games just that little more in-game advantage. The newest unlocked processor from Intel gives it the speed and performance gamers require, including the ability to overclock. All this is cooled by MSI’s exclusive Silent Storm Cooling 3 PRO thermal design.

The Infinite line gives gamers the ability to easily upgrade components – for gamers looking for a high-performing gaming PC now and into the future. It features two 3.5” HDD and three 2.5” SSD/HDD bays, supports up to 64GB of RAM and the graphics card is mounted vertically for safe transportation and optimized airflow in a small case. The exterior also features MSI accents like a tempered glass side panel (a classic black side panel is also available) and RGB Mystic Light so gamers can customize their desktop.

At the heart of the Infinite X is the powerful 8th generation Intel Core K-series processor that can be overclocked without any complicated software or without having to open the case. Using the intuitive MSI software, the hardware inside can be amped up in speed and performance, making games and other demanding computing tasks run even smoother.

MSI’s Silent Storm Cooling 3 PRO is a unique way to keep the system as cool and quiet as possible. The system individually cools the most important heat-generating hardware using separated chambers. When performance really matters, the Infinite X delivers powerful gameplay without annoying gamers with noisy ventilators or overheating hardware.

Specifications and Features:

Model:  MSI Infinite X
Processor:  Intel® Core™ i7 -8700K Processor
CPU Cooler – MSI Liquid Cooling
Operating System:  Windows 10 Home
Chipset:  Intel® Z370
Graphics:  Up to MSI GeForce® GTX™ 1080 Ti 11GB GDDR5X
Memory:  16 GB DDR4 2400MHz (2 x 8GB) – Expandable to 64GB
Storage:  512 GB (2x 256GB NVMe M.2 PCI-E SSD RAID 0 (2280))
2TB HDD (3.5″ SATA)
Communication:  WLAN: 801.11 b/g/n/ac (Intel AC3168)
LAN: Intel WGI219V 10/100/1000
Bluetooth V4.2
Optical Drive:  DVD Super Multi
Power supply:  550W 80 plus Bronze
Dimensions:  19.22 x 17.72 x 8.27 (in.)
I/O Overview:  Front: 1x USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-C, 1x USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-A, 1x USB 2.0 Type-A, 1x Mic in, 1x Headphone out
Rear: 4x USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-A, 2x USB 2.0 Type-A, 3x HDMI out, 3x DP, 1x DVI-D, 5x Audio jack, 1x S/PDIF 1x RJ 45, 1x PS/2

The MSI Infinite X gaming desktop is available now at Newegg and Amazon starting at $1,699.99.

For more info about MSI’s award-winning products, follow us at:

MSI official website: us.msi.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/msicomputercorp/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/msiUSA

New HTC Vive Tracker Bundles Announced

2017/11/16
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Geek News, News, Tech News

New York, NY, November 16, 2017 – HTC VIVE™, the leader in room-scale VR, today launched a slate of Vive Tracker bundles and announced the consumer availability of the Vive Tracker for the first time. Each Tracker retails for $99.99 and can be used with dozens of VR titles and multiple new accessories including Hyperkin’s Hyper Blaster, the Racket Sports Set and Rebuff Reality’s TrackStrap, which are now available for either pre-order or purchase.

The Vive Tracker is an interchangeable motion tracker that enables consumers, arcades and developers to take advantage of third-party hardware and software that improves VR experiences. One Vive Tracker can work with any number of VR accessories and software applications.

“With Vive Tracker, we’ve already seen the tremendous tools and experiences that the development community has created and unleashed into VR,” said Daniel O’Brien, GM US, Vive. “As we launch Tracker to consumers, we’ve lined up a number of developer and hardware partners that are committed to making VR on Vive more immersive than ever before. The Vive Tracker opens up a whole new set of experiences that can take advantage of full body tracking and a number of peripherals that set VR experiences on Vive apart.”

The first Vive Tracker accessory bundles will launch for pre-order on November 16 with expected arrival dates of mid-December.

  • Hyper Blaster with Duck Season
  • Racket Sports Set with Virtual Sports

A third partner bundle featuring straps to enable full body tracking, is available today.

  • Rebuff Reality’s TrackStrap with Redfoot Bluefoot Dancing

Hyper Blaster

The Hyper Blaster brings a retro light gun to VR for the first time. When paired with Vive Tracker, the Hyper Blaster serves as both a gun and motion controller in integrated games such as Duck Season, Arizona Sunshine, The American Dream VR, Operation Warcade, TacticalAR, and Practisim VR. The Hyper Blaster will be sold exclusively through Amazon and includesDuck Season as a pack-in title, and one Vive Tracker, all for $149.99. Duck Season, by Stress Level Zero, is a throwback to the golden age of 1980’s gaming and movies with a hint of horror in a Spielburgian universe.

Unique to Duck Season, the Blaster is virtually represented within the game world.

In addition to the six titles integrated at launch, Vive is working with 10 additional developers to integrate the Blaster by Q1.

Racket Sports Set

Custom-molded and weighted to feel like real paddles and rackets, the Racket Sports Set is packaged for both Ping Pong and Tennis games.  Connected via a simple screw, the handles are integrated with five titles. The bundle will sell for $149.99 and includes both Ping Pong and Tennis handles, a Vive Tracker and a pack-in redemption code for Virtual Sports from Vive Studios. Virtual Sports brings Vive owners realism ping pong and tennis that is only possible on the Vive. Pre-orders are available today via Amazon, Abt Electronics, BH Photo, Fry’s, Gamestop, Micro Center and NewEgg with additional retailers expected

In addition to Virtual Sports, the Racket Sports Set is integrated with six titles today and expect an additional five by end of year.

TrackStrap

The Vive Tracker takes SteamVR tracking to another level of accuracy, easily adding feet, wrist, hip or leg tracking movement to VR experiences.

Rebuff Reality is selling TrackStrap, which easily attaches to Vive Trackers to your feet and other body parts to enable full body tracking. A pair of TrackStraps is available now for $24.99 via rebuffreality.com  and includes a pack-in redemption code for Redfoot Bluefoot Dancing on Steam, inspired by Dance Dance Revolution (DDR) and Audioshield.

Dozens of developers have integrated body tracking into their experiences, including CloudGate Studios’ Island 359, which will launch a “Virtual Self” update on December 1, using Vive Trackers for full body tracking and movement.

Additional compatible titles include Climbey, Holodance, High Fidelity and more.

Additional Vive Tracker Integrations

Vive continues to recruit developers interested in working with these peripherals and future accessories for Vive Tracker. For information on integration with these accessories, please contact the Vive Business Team: support@htcvive.com.

FFXV Multiplayer Expansion Launch Trailer

2017/11/15
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Geek News, News, PlayStation 4 News, Trailers / Videos, Xbox One News

LOS ANGELES (Nov. 15, 2017) – Beginning today, FINAL FANTASY® XV players can band together and join the Kingsglaive elite force in the game’s first ever online multiplayer expansion, “Comrades.” Taking place after the events of Chapter 13 in the main game, Comrades puts fans in the shoes of the remaining survivors of the Kingsglaive as they fight to restore the Light to the world during Noctis’s absence. To commemorate the release of the expansion, a new game update was also implemented recently allowing players to accept multiple hunt quests at one time and adding new cooking recipes.

In Comrades, players can create and customize their own avatar and partake in epic quests in a world engulfed by darkness. As members of the Kingsglaive, players will equip royal sigils that grant special powers from the rulers of old, strategize with one another and create a balanced team in battles against formidable foes and beasts. In addition to multiplayer quests, players can experience the story unfold in a thorough single-player campaign. By using the base of operations in Lestallum, the player can undertake a variety of exciting quests and encounter familiar faces.

The new FINAL FANTASY XV MULTIPLAYER EXPANSION: COMRADES launch trailer is available to view on YouTube:

FINAL FANTASY XV MULTIPLAYER EXPANSION: COMRADES is available now for players who purchased FINAL FANTASY XV and the FINAL FANTASY XV Season Pass. The expansion can also be purchased separately from the Xbox Games Store or PlayStation®Store separately for $19.99 through the following links:

● Xbox Games Store – http://sqex.to/XboxFFXV

● PlayStation®Store – http://sqex.to/PlayStationFFXV

BenQ Announces First 4K UHD HDR Home Theater Projector

2017/11/15
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Geek News, News, Tech News

COSTA MESA, Calif. — Nov. 15, 2017 — BenQ America Corp., an internationally renowned provider of visual display solutions, today announced the launch of the CineHome HT2550 DLP® projector, offering movie aficionados 4K UHD HDR cinematic quality right at home and at an incredible value. The HT2550 comes fully loaded with true 8.3-megapixel UHD 4K resolution, 96% Rec 709 CinematicColor™ accuracy and projection-optimized HDR for stunning true-to-life image quality.

“Homeowners today want to replicate the magic of the big-screen 4K digital cinema at home,” said Lars Yoder, President, BenQ America Corp. “The HT2550 makes that possible, delivering striking 4K resolution for spectacular movie nights. Engineered with advanced audio and video enhancements and HDR capabilities, it’s an incredible value for the finest home cinema experience.”

Stunning 4K Comes to Life
Producing 8.3 million distinct pixels for true 4K UHD performance, BenQ’s HT2550 projector uses 0.47″ single-DMD-chip DLP technology. This minimizes the projector’s profile for a sleek, compact design that fits modern lifestyles. Its pure, 4K-optimized optical system produces ultimate image precision and color accuracy without artifacts that are known to plague LCD projectors. In addition, it employs exclusive BenQ CinematicColor technology and a RGBRGB color wheel to meet the film industry’s highest standards of color accuracy. With over 96% coverage of Rec. 709 color gamut with precise Delta E<3 performance, it faithfully reproduces exactly what filmmakers intended.

Advanced Technology for Uncompromising Entertainment
The HT2550’s pristine 4K video quality is supercharged by high dynamic range (HDR10) support, offering greater brightness and contrast with auto image optimization to bring out every lifelike detail and breathtaking realism for cinematic enjoyment. Powered by the same durable 2015 Academy Award of Merit Oscar®-winning DLP technology used in 90% of the world’s digital cinemas, HT2550 delivers long-lasting picture quality with precise colors and razor-sharp clarity without maintenance or degradation. Its performance is further enhanced by motion-adaptive edge pixel enhancement, sophisticated color algorithms, accurate flesh tone rendition and proprietary CinemaMaster Video+ and CinemaMaster Audio+ 2 technologies, giving even modest spaces the likeness of world-class cinemas. With full support for the latest HDCP 2.2 copy protection, it allows users to enjoy all the fast-growing choices for 4K content.

Contemporary Design and Easy Setup to Fit Any Space
Blending beautiful aesthetics with flawless function, HT2550’s lightweight design, sleek profile and compact footprint blend perfectly into any décor. It’s designed to set up fast with auto keystone correction and powerful 1.2X big zoom, overcoming any installation hassles with ease. In addition, the HT2550 quickly becomes a smart projector by simply connecting an HDMI dongle, such as Google Chromecast, Roku, or Amazon Fire TV Stick, to instantly stream TV shows, movies, sports, and even video games to the big screen.

The BenQ HT2550 will be available in North America in Jan. 2018 for under $2,000 retail. To find out more, please visit http://www.benq.us/product/projector/HT2550.

Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire Closed Backer Beta Launches Today

2017/11/15
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Geek News, News, Windows PC News

IRVINE, CA – November 15th, 2017 – Obsidian Entertainment, developers behind Fallout: New Vegas, South Park: The Stick of Truth, and many award winning role-playing games, along with publisher, Versus Evil, announce the launch of the closed beta for their upcoming, record breaking, crowdfunded title, Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire.

The closed beta will allow players to try out Deadfire’s new features, such as multiclassing and its overhauled combat system. Obsidian is committed to revealing new features over the next few months, giving those who opted in to the Backer Beta an early peek at the world of the Deadfire. Backers with access to the Backer Beta are encouraged to provide feedback, helping Obsidian make Pillars II an even better experience.

“It’s no surprise, but we love RPGs here at Obsidian. So, it’s awesome to be able to bring the beta of Deadfire to our backers this far out from launch.” commented Feargus Urquhart, CEO Obsidian, “Showing off all the new things we have added to Pillars of Eternity over the last two years is both exciting, and a bit scary. However, it’s key to who we are as a developer to find out what our backers think, and then using that feedback to make Deadfire an even more amazing game.”

The Backer Beta is available to those who pledged at higher tiers during the original Fig campaign, or purchased it separately as an add-on, which is still available. Backers will have the opportunity to choose either Steam or GOG as their preferred platform for the Backer Beta. Those who want to get in on the closed beta can still do so by adding the Backer Beta to their pledges on Obsidian’s official Pillars of Eternitybacker portal at http://eternity.obsidian.net/backer.

Sequel to the million unit selling Pillars of Eternity I, Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire is a massively deep, single-player, role-playing experience offering the choice, consequence, and powerful storytelling that Obsidian has delivered time and time again. While players explore these depths, they will voyage across the Deadfire Archipelago hunting down a god to save their own souls.

Fans and RPG enthusiasts alike are encouraged to create an Obsidian.net account so they can become aware of closed betas, get access to content early, and other fun special events from Obsidian.

Razer BlackWidow Ultimate Improved with Water and Dust Resistance

2017/11/14
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Geek News, News, Peripherals News

SAN FRANCISCO, (Calif.) – Razer™, the leading global lifestyle brand for gamers, introduced a newly improved Razer BlackWidow Ultimate mechanical gaming keyboard to its best-selling keyboard line-up today.

Augmented with water- and dust-resistant features, the latest Razer BlackWidow Ultimate is redesigned to be the most resilient gaming keyboard to date. With an IP54 rating, the keyboard has been tested to protect against accidental water spillage and harmful dust particles.

“We’ve never stopped making improvements to our gaming keyboards,” says Min-Liang Tan, Razer co-founder, and CEO. “The Razer BlackWidow Ultimate is now more durable than ever and our first mechanical keyboard to incorporate water- and dust-resistant features.”

The Razer BlackWidow Ultimate continues to boast individually backlit keys. Each green LED is easily customizable through Razer’s Synapse software, which offers a wide range of dynamic lighting effects which include: Wave, Ripple, Reactive, Starlight and more. Gamers are able to create various lighting profiles via the advanced lighting effect configurator.

The Razer BlackWidow Ultimate also comes equipped with the award-winning Razer™ Mechanical Switches, the world’s first key switch designed specifically for gaming. Available for this keyboard in a single switch variant – the Razer Green Switch – Razer continues to lead the industry with gaming-optimized actuation and reset responsiveness. With a rated lifespan of up to 80 million keystrokes, the Razer Mechanical Switch is engineered for durability and reliably delivers top performance with every key press.

For more information, please visit https://www.razerzone.com/gaming-keyboards-keypads/razer-blackwidow-ultimate

A Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia Announced

2017/11/14
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Geek News, News, Trailers / Videos, Windows PC News

LONDON – November 14, 2017 –SEGA® Europe Ltd. today announced the new historical strategy game Thrones of Britannia, the first title in the new ‘A Total War™ Saga’ series from its studio, Creative Assembly.

It is 878 AD, and the Viking Invasion of Britain is over. The Norse warlords are firmly established, but the ambitious kings of England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales have aspirations of their own – not least the great King Alfred of Wessex. Britannia is a furnace of possibilities, from which the template for modern Britain will be forged, across the most detailed Total War campaign map ever made.

“Our aim with Total War Sagas is to explore key flashpoints at distinct places and times in history”, said Series Director, Mike Simpson. “Unlike our era-spanning titles, we’re putting defined geographical areas under the microscope, building super-detailed campaign maps with a strong cultural focus and flavour that players can dive into. This will complement our broader-scope titles perfectly”.

A Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia will be available for PC in 2018, visit the store page on Steam here: http://store.steampowered.com/app/712100. And watch the announce trailer here:

For the latest news about this title and the other Total War games, subscribe to Total War’s Youtube Channel for future news about gameplay videos.