Die Woche im Video: Peng, peng, kawumm!

Wir ballern auf der CES 2018 mit der Nerf-Gun für Profis, bis das Licht ausgeht und befingern auch jede Menge andere Technik. Derweil versuchen andere Schadensbegrenzung bei Prozessoren. (Golem-Wochenrückblick, Internet)

Wir ballern auf der CES 2018 mit der Nerf-Gun für Profis, bis das Licht ausgeht und befingern auch jede Menge andere Technik. Derweil versuchen andere Schadensbegrenzung bei Prozessoren. (Golem-Wochenrückblick, Internet)

2017 in Review: PS4 Still in Sales Lead, but Switch Catching Up

Sony has announced that 74 million PS4s have already been sold, with the game console having a great holiday period with 5.9 million unit sales.But Sony’s lead in this current console generation may not hold, as the Nintendo Switch is quickly catching …



Sony has announced that 74 million PS4s have already been sold, with the game console having a great holiday period with 5.9 million unit sales.

But Sony's lead in this current console generation may not hold, as the Nintendo Switch is quickly catching up, already selling more than 10 million units in just 9 months after release.

These are global sales numbers, with North American sales numbers for the Switch breaking the record for the fastest selling console after 10 months, selling 4.8 million units in that time. Incidentally, the previous record was also held for a Nintendo console, the original Wii.

If the trend holds, then the Switch could outsell Wii and the PS4, even though Sony's console does have a head start in terms of having been released 4 years earlier. The PS4 is currently the 10th best selling console of all time, just ahead of the Nintendo 3DS and below the PlayStation Portable.

As for the other console in the current generation, the Xbox One and all its variants, Microsoft is keeping quiet on exact sales figures for the console, although most analysts believe it is selling around half the number of units as the PS4. Microsoft says that the Xbox One is selling above their expectations and is selling at a faster rate than its previous consoles, including the wildly popular Xbox 360. 

[via Forbes #1Forbes #2VGChartz]

Epic Games Sues Cheater Over ‘Stealing’ Fortnite V-Bucks

Game developer and publisher Epic has filed another copyright infringement lawsuit. This time it’s against a person who ‘stole’ from the company by generating free V-Bucks. In a complaint filed at a California Federal court, Epic demands damages from the alleged perpetrator.

Source: TF, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, torrent sites and more. We also have VPN discounts, offers and coupons

Last fall, Epic Games released Fortnite’s free-to-play “Battle Royale” game mode for the PC and other platforms, generating massive interest among gamers.

This also included thousands of cheaters, many of whom were subsequently banned. Epic Games then went a step further by taking several cheaters to court for copyright infringement.

While the initial targets were people who coded, used or promoted cheats to gain a clear competitive advantage, this week Epic sued a different type of cheater. In a complaint filed at a California Federal court, the game publisher accuses a New Zealander of creating an exploit that allows users to get free V-bucks.

V-bucks are the game’s currency and can be bought through an online store, starting at $9.99. The virtual coins allow players to purchase skins for their characteras well as other game tools.

According to Epic, people who create and use these kinds of free-money exploits are stealing from the game publisher.

“Players who search for and promote exploits ruin the game experience for others and undermine the integrity of Fortnite. Players who use exploits to avoid paying for items in Fortnite are stealing from Epic,” the complaint reads.

V-bucks

The alleged perpetrator is identified as Yash Gosai, who’s a resident of Auckland, New Zealand. Epic believes that Gosai developed the exploit which was then promoted through YouTube.

“On information and belief, Gosai developed an exploit for Fortnite’s Battle Royale mode that enables players to obtain V-bucks without paying for them. Gosai created and posted a video on YouTube to advertise, promote and demonstrate the exploit,” the complaint reads.

While the game company managed to get the video taken down, they’re not done with the New Zealander. They accuse Gosai of copyright infringement, breach of contract, as well as conversion.

“Defendant’s videos demonstrating the exploit infringe Epic’s copyrights in Fortnite by copying, reproducing, preparing derivative works from, and/or displaying Fortnite
publicly without Epic’s permission, the company writes.

Epic asks the court for damages and wants the defendant to destroy all Fortnite copies and any related works.

As mentioned before, this is not the first lawsuit Epic has filed against a cheater. Thus far, it has reached at least three settlements behind closed doors. Minnesota resident Charles Vraspir signed an agreement early December. Philip Josefsson from Sweden and Artem Yakovenko from Russia followed soon after.

A copy of the complaint against Gosai is available here (pdf).

Source: TF, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, torrent sites and more. We also have VPN discounts, offers and coupons

MX Low Profile im Hands On: Cherry macht die Switches flach

Mit seinen neuen Low-Profile-Switches will Cherry flachere Tastaturen bei gleichbleibendem Keyfeel ermöglichen. Mit einer um 35 Prozent geringeren Höhe ist der neue Switch erstaunlich kompakt und bietet dabei sogar noch die Möglichkeit einer LED-Beleu…

Mit seinen neuen Low-Profile-Switches will Cherry flachere Tastaturen bei gleichbleibendem Keyfeel ermöglichen. Mit einer um 35 Prozent geringeren Höhe ist der neue Switch erstaunlich kompakt und bietet dabei sogar noch die Möglichkeit einer LED-Beleuchtung. Ein Hands on von Tobias Költzsch (CES 2018, Eingabegerät)

IDC: PC shipments down for 6th year, but the market is stabilizing

Over the past decade smartphone shipments have skyrocketed, while shipments of traditional PCs have declined. In fact, research firm IDC reports that 2017 marked the 6th straight year where PC shipments declined. But there’s some good news for PC…

Over the past decade smartphone shipments have skyrocketed, while shipments of traditional PCs have declined. In fact, research firm IDC reports that 2017 marked the 6th straight year where PC shipments declined. But there’s some good news for PC makers (and folks who want to make sure companies continue cranking out PCs): that decline wasn’t […]

IDC: PC shipments down for 6th year, but the market is stabilizing is a post from: Liliputing

ECS unveils Liva One, Liva Q2 mini PCs with Gemini Lake chips

The ECS Liva Z2 isn’t the only new mini desktop from Elitegroup Computer Systems coming this year. AnandTech went hands-on with some of the company’s new computers at the Consumer Electronics Show this week, as did HardwareLuxx, and the sit…

The ECS Liva Z2 isn’t the only new mini desktop from Elitegroup Computer Systems coming this year. AnandTech went hands-on with some of the company’s new computers at the Consumer Electronics Show this week, as did HardwareLuxx, and the sites reports that ECS is also updating last year’s Liva Q with a new model called […]

ECS unveils Liva One, Liva Q2 mini PCs with Gemini Lake chips is a post from: Liliputing

Deals of the Day (1-12-2018)

There are thousands of portable battery packs with USB or Lightning ports that let you charge your phone, tablet, or other gear on the go without stopping to plug into a wall jack. But what if you want to charge a laptop or another device that doesn&#8…

There are thousands of portable battery packs with USB or Lightning ports that let you charge your phone, tablet, or other gear on the go without stopping to plug into a wall jack. But what if you want to charge a laptop or another device that doesn’t use a USB or Lightning cable for charging? […]

Deals of the Day (1-12-2018) is a post from: Liliputing

GM wants to ditch the manual controls from its test cars in 2019

Regulations say you need a steering wheel airbag, but what if there is no wheel?

Enlarge / Notice anything wrong with this picture? It's a little disconcerting to see the interior of a Bolt EV without the driver controls. (credit: General Motors)

General Motors is getting ready to ditch the driver for good—at least in its newest R&D vehicles. In 2019, Cruise—the self-driving startup acquired a couple of years ago by GM—wants to begin testing the fourth generation of its autonomous vehicle, the Cruise AV. (This is a modified Chevrolet Bolt EV, no relation to the Chevrolet Cruze.)

The company has filed a safety petition with the US Department of Transportation requesting permission to deploy the fourth-generation Cruise AV, which will be completely driverless, without any steering wheel, pedals, or other form of manual controls.

According to The Verge, part of the request has to do with ensuring passenger safety despite the car not conforming to the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard regulations. For instance, it lacks a steering wheel, therefore it lacks a steering wheel-mounted airbag. As GM President Dan Amman explained, "[w]hat we can do is put the equivalent of the passenger side airbag on that side as well. So it's to meet the standards but meet them in a way that’s different than what’s exactly prescribed, and that’s what the petition seeks to get approval for.”

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GM wants to ditch the manual controls from its test cars in 2019

Regulations say you need a steering wheel airbag, but what if there is no wheel?

Enlarge / Notice anything wrong with this picture? It's a little disconcerting to see the interior of a Bolt EV without the driver controls. (credit: General Motors)

General Motors is getting ready to ditch the driver for good—at least in its newest R&D vehicles. In 2019, Cruise—the self-driving startup acquired a couple of years ago by GM—wants to begin testing the fourth generation of its autonomous vehicle, the Cruise AV. (This is a modified Chevrolet Bolt EV, no relation to the Chevrolet Cruze.)

The company has filed a safety petition with the US Department of Transportation requesting permission to deploy the fourth-generation Cruise AV, which will be completely driverless, without any steering wheel, pedals, or other form of manual controls.

According to The Verge, part of the request has to do with ensuring passenger safety despite the car not conforming to the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard regulations. For instance, it lacks a steering wheel, therefore it lacks a steering wheel-mounted airbag. As GM President Dan Amman explained, "[w]hat we can do is put the equivalent of the passenger side airbag on that side as well. So it's to meet the standards but meet them in a way that’s different than what’s exactly prescribed, and that’s what the petition seeks to get approval for.”

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Microsoft opens the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update floodgates

100 million people are already running the latest Windows version.

Enlarge / Oddly, Microsoft's Mixed Reality house has no windows. (credit: Microsoft)

After being out for a little under three months, Microsoft has moved the Fall Creators Update to full availability, signaling that the company believes it to be ready for corporate deployments.

Microsoft rolls out the big Windows semi-annual updates on a staggered basis, making the update available to an ever larger range of users as the company builds a clearer picture of any hardware and software incompatibilities. Once it's satisfied that any of these wrinkles have been ironed out, Microsoft offers the update to every machine that's compatible. With the Fall Creators Update on 100 million machines, Microsoft has decided that the update is ready for its full deployment.

This development process has been refined over the last few years; the 2016 Anniversary Update raised a number of problems, causing Microsoft to be more conservative subsequently. The previous update, the Creators Update, took about four months to reach this same stage. The decision to make the Fall Creators Update, version 1709, widely available in less than three months shows that the company is more confident in this release and its wider deployment.

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