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Backbone has started shipping an Android counterpart to its popular Backbone One iOS controller. For $99, users can attach the split gamepad to the sides of a smartphone for an experience akin to a Nintendo Switch or connect the controller wirelessly through Bluetooth. The Android version includes the same buttons and other inputs as the iOS original but replaces the lightning connector with USB-C. The gamepad is compatible with several Google Pixel and Samsung Galaxy models and many other Android devices that support USB-C and Android 8....

Rust was sponsored and supported by Mozilla as a way to build a new, more secure and better performing web browser. Now, Google will soon start using the language for its own Chromium project, which means Mountain View is seemingly preparing a more secure future for the ubiquitous Chrome browser. Chrome Security Team member Dana Jansens announced the new development through Google’s Security Blog. Moving forward, the Chromium project is going to support libraries written in Rust....

Cards such as the HD 7970 (R9 280X) and GTX 770 are more than capable of delivering perfectly smooth gameplay and there are many GPUs that will offer 40fps, such as the R9 270X and GTX 760. For a console-like 30fps you’ll only need a lowly GTX 750 Ti or HD 7850, though realize that you’ll recieve considerably better image quality with the ultra settings in place and 4xMSAA....

The agency’s recent public service announcement notes that the FBI has observed several instances nationwide of scammers conducting computer-technical support scams. It involves the same technique that’s been used for many years: victims are contacted via phone or email by someone claiming that an annual subscription service, often a computer protection plan or a warranty, is about to renew, usually at a very high cost of between $300 and $500....

What happened? That’s for you to try and find out. A remake followed in 2013, rolling even more endings and content into what became a standalone game. An Ultra Deluxe version was announced in 2018 and scheduled to launch the following year on a variety of platforms but ultimately, more development time was needed (some say, demanded). The pandemic hit shortly after, casting even more uncertainty over the project. “Early in development, the plan was just to bring The Stanley Parable to consoles with a few small tweaks, but as time went on we kept getting more and more excited about what else we could do with the game, developer and publisher Crows Crows Crows said in a prepared statement....

5G-based edge computing was supposed to deliver all kinds of futuristic applications. It was the promise of these new applications that arguably triggered some of the initial excitement and hype around the latest generation mobile network standard. But now that the time has come to turn these concepts into reality, there’s a great deal of uncertainty as to how that’s going to be achieved. Don’t get me wrong, I expect to see a huge amount of discussion and even product announcements around 5G edge computing coming from MWC....

The left panel contains a number of menus starting with one titled System Information where you can view general information such as CPU activity, fan speed and up time along with the status of countless services. The System Management menu lets you set the time and date, upgrade firmware, schedule on/off times, set the admin password, save/restore system configurations, reset to factory defaults, shut down and reset among other things....

The Radeon HD 5870 averaged just 22fps at 1080p while the HD 6970 was a little over 40% faster at 31fps. The HD 7970’s average frame rate of 38fps was 23% faster than the 6970 and the jump from the 7970 to the 7970 GHz Edition only yielded an 8% increase for 41fps, but the R9 290X managed to top the GHz Edition by 41%, which was the same gap between the 5870 and the 6970....

Last week, the developer of Dolmen said that the upcoming sci-fi action game will feature Intel’s XeSS image upscaler along with DLSS and FSR. That makes it one of the first opportunities to test XeSS and compare it against the other two when it launches in the summer alongside Intel’s Arc Alchemist desktop GPUs. Intel already lists which games will support XeSS at launch. Comparing Intel’s page with AMD’s official FSR roster and Nvidia’s selection of DLSS-supported titles tells us which games will see them directly compete....

Reducing the in-game quality from very high to just high has improved performance considerably. Previously the R9 280X averaged just 56fps and now it’s cranking out 74fps. At the opposite end of the scale, the GTX 750 Ti has moved from relatively unplayable at 30fps to a more comfortable 40fps. That’s around a 33% performance increase for both cards. We added a few lower-end cards like the GTX 650 Ti, GTX 560 Ti and HD 7770, but all three struggled to provide playable performance....

Deep Silver Volition already revealed Saint Row’s minimum PC requirements a couple of months ago. Now, it’s confirmed what’s needed for different resolutions/framerates. The bare minimum 1080p@30fps asks for an aging Core i3-3240 or Ryzen 3 1200, GTX 970 or Radeon RX 480, 4GB of VRAM, and 8GB of memory. This is the only setting that allows for DirectX 11 and 50GB of hard drive space, rather than DirectX 12 and a solid-state drive....

This week, Tile announced a new feature that lets users of its app scan for unfamiliar Tile fobs or Tile-enabled products traveling near them. Essentially it works like one of the safety features in Apple’s AirTags. The new “Scan and Secure” feature can be used by anyone who has downloaded Tile’s iOS or Android app and doesn’t require a Tile account. Upon first downloading the app, the scan feature can be seen at the top right corner of the sign-in screen....

I think I know what my favorite moment in Titanfall is. I’m in a Titan when my display tells me an enemy pilot has crawled up my back. My Titan’s near death anyway and I know there won’t be time to hop off and shoot the pilot down. Besides, my Titan is prepared for this exact moment. Earlier, I equipped it with a kit that would eject me, cloaked, just before it was set to explode....

But as tablets become more popular and continue to chip away at the mobile computing market, the idea of leaving the notebook behind in favor of a slate certainly seems attractive. On the pros side you have portability, instant-on capabilities, longer battery life, a touchscreen, and in the case of most modern tablets like the iPad 3, an HD video camera. Sure, there would be some obvious concerns and compromises depending on what you need to accomplish, but at the same time, there are a wealth of accessories designed to make your tablet experience more computer-like....

Speaking at a tech symposium earlier this week (via Bloomberg), TSMC boss C. C. Wei highlighted the issue of persistent shortages of chips costing between 50 cents and $10 holding up production in key segments of the supply chain. Wei cited ASML Holding NV as an example. The Netherlands company is struggling to obtain $10 chips for its extreme ultraviolet lithography systems (EUVs). ASML is the world’s largest supplier of lithography machines used in the chipmaking process....

On Friday, Twitter initiated a shareholder rights plan (also called a poison pill strategy) to thwart Elon Musk from gaining control. A poison pill strategy is when the target company allows existing shareholders (except for the acquirer) to buy more stock in the firm at a discount. This tactic dilutes the company’s stock and devalues the acquirer’s shares, making the buyout more expensive and less attractive. The poison pill strategy causes the stock to plummet (hence the name) but is considered a reasonably effective defense against a hostile takeover....

The USTR office has reinstated 352 expired product exclusions from US “Section 301” tariffs on Chinese imports, writes Reuters, which is fewer than the 549 eligible exemptions it had been considering. The products cover a range of the $370 billion worth of Chinese imports former president Trump hit with tariffs of 7.5% to 25% during the US-China trade war. In among the items are electric motors, certain car parts and chemicals, backpacks, bicycles, vacuum cleaners, and PCBs....

“By operating vast server farms that sell virtual currency mining capacity internationally, these companies help Russia monetize its natural resources,” Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian Nelson said in a press release earlier this week, via CNBC. Russia has been slammed with international sanctions since it invaded neighbor Ukraine at the end of February, but cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin have helped offset the damage caused to the country and its economy....

It was only last Friday when the first Valve Steam Decks began arriving in players’ hands. People started complaining about joystick drift on the handheld consoles in just a matter of days. It’s is not an uncommon problem, but even the Nintendo Switch went almost a year before manifesting such issues. On Wednesday, a few people posted videos to Reddit demonstrating the problem using the Steam Deck’s built-in stick calibration app....