BioWare Montreal’s gamble with the Mass Effect franchise did not pay off, and the studio is still paying for it: leftover staff members have now been moved to EA’s Motive Studios, which is working alongside DICE on Battlefront II, as well as a brand-new IP. I initially used words such as “dissolved” and “assimilated,” but it sounds like BioWare Montreal still exists, at least in name.



…EA Chief Financial Officer Blake Jorgensen said BioWare Montreal has been moved into the EA Motive studio to help Jade Raymond’s team develop a new IP. “We’re building out a new studio in Montréal, as we’ve told everyone. And we’ve hired over 100 people into that studio that are brand-new to EA. This is to build the new IP around Jade Raymond’s team that she’s been building. I was in that studio last month. And it’s a wonderful new addition to our team. And we brought our BioWare Montréal team into that same facility. So they now all sit in one new studio together,” Mr. Jorgensen said during the call.

Discussion

Source: [H]ardOCP – BioWare Montreal Has Been Integrated into EA Motive

Micron has uploaded a behind-the-scenes look at how they create their memory products, from the early design and development stages all the way to fabrication, assembly, and packaging. Those who enjoy watching various manufacturing hardware at work may want to check this out.



From laptops to mobile phones to connected cars and homes, memory and storage are helping change how the world works, plays, communicates and connects. Check out this behind the scenes look at Micron’s state of the art fabrication process for how memory chips are made – from initial design all the way through testing and packaging.

Discussion

Source: [H]ardOCP – Micron Shows You How Memory Chips Are Made

The BBC has announced that it will begin broadcasting eSports through its online-only BBC Three channel, starting with a run of Gfinity’s Elite Series: those who tune in will be treated to four hours of Rocket League, CS:GO, and Street Fighter V on iPlayer every weekend for the next six weeks. Some folks have already begun mocking the endeavor, however, encouraging gamers to get off their lawn.



As part of a wider commitment to eSports across the BBC network, BBC Three begins showing Street Fighter 5, Counter Strike: Global Offensive, and Rocket League matches at weekends from this evening at 9pm. Although a traditional TV network jumping on the eSports bandwagon isn’t necessarily new, the fact that it’s coming from a public service broadcasting network with nearly 100 years of history has certainly shocked some of its more conservative viewers.

Discussion

Source: [H]ardOCP – BBC Begins Broadcasting eSports, but Ignorant Old Farts Aren’t Happy

The official RX Vega reveal is tomorrow, and a page on the Eurasian Economic Commission (translation required) confirms Vega 10, Vega 11, Vega 12 and Vega 20, with showing some OEM cards for Dell, the Frontier Edition, as well as Vega 20 part numbers with 32GB of RAM. The part number for the Frontier Edition does match what is listed on retailer’s websites, so the information here is quite solid.



Very cool stuff, especially the 32GB cards, wonder if they’re for AI or the like. Recently we conducted a blind test of RX Vega Freesync vs a 1080ti G-Sync, with interesting results, with this new data I’m curious as to what flavor of Vega was in the test.

Discussion

Source: [H]ardOCP – AMD Vega 10, Vega 11, Vega 12, and Vega 20 Confirmed By Eurasian Economic Commission

PlayStation Plus saw a price hike in the US ($50 to $60 for one-year memberships, $18 to $25 for three-month memberships) back in September, and now it’s Europe’s turn. In terms of the UK, the changes appear similar (the annual price goes up by 25 percent, from 39.99 to 49.99 GBP, while the quarterly price goes up from 14.99 to 19.99 GBP), but the monthly plan is also increasing from 5.99 to 6.99 GBP. This will go into effect on August 31.



Sony said it will automatically alter the price of a Plus membership from 31st August, so if you’re an existing member, all recurring subscription fees payable by you on or after 31st August will be charged at the new price. This also means that up until 31st August, you can buy a subscription at the current price, which will then be stacked on your current membership period. A PlayStation Plus subscription is required for online gaming on PlayStation consoles, but it also nets you a number of free-to-download games each month.

Discussion

Source: [H]ardOCP – PlayStation Plus Price Hike Announced for Europe

In order to comply with local laws, Apple is terminating virtual private network (VPN) services from its app store in China. VPNs allow users to bypass the country’s “Great Firewall,” which restricts access to overseas sites, but it sounds like iOS users abroad will have to find another way to access the unrestricted Internet. Beijing has already shut down dozens of China-based providers.



VPN provider ExpressVPN said on Saturday that it had received a notice from Apple that its software would be removed from the China App Store “because it includes content that is illegal in China”. “We’re disappointed in this development, as it represents the most drastic measure the Chinese government has taken to block the use of VPNs to date, and we are troubled to see Apple aiding China’s censorship efforts,” ExpressVPN said in a statement. Another provider, StarVPN, said via its Twitter account on Saturday that it had also received the notice from Apple.

Discussion

Source: [H]ardOCP – Apple Removes VPN Apps from China App Store

Windows blogger Paul Thurnott has decided to subject himself to using W10 S every single day between now and the middle of August, and he doesn’t seem to be having a great time so far: calling it a “painful” experience, he discusses a number of problems that potential users will encounter, which include apps crashing, being forced to use Edge to browse the web, and mandatory Microsoft accounts.



…in an attempt to figure out which failings are big enough to require a compromise on Microsoft’s part, and which are just me being normal and set in my ways, I’m going to undergo some pain. I’m going to try and make this work. Again, I know this won’t go well. But I’m really going to try and fight through it. And it’s already been a fight. The first 36 hours of using Windows 10 S haven’t exactly been tear-inducing, but they’ve been painful. Aggravating. Irritating. And exhausting. I’ll get to that, and I’m sure I’ll be ruminating more as we move forward about the work flow changes that this system may require of us all.

Discussion

Source: [H]ardOCP – Living with Windows 10 S

Many were led to believe that iRobot would begin selling data acquired by their Roomba vacuums, but chief executive Colin Angle has clarified that the company intends to do no such thing: iRobot has called the whole thing “a misinterpretation,” saying that “[Angle] never said that iRobot would look to sell customer maps or data to other companies. iRobot has not had any conversations with other companies about data transactions, and iRobot will not sell customer data.”



First things first, iRobot will never sell your data. Our mission is to help you keep a cleaner home and, in time, to help the smart home and the devices in it work better. There’s no doubt that a robot can help your home be smarter. It’s the data it collects to do its job, and the trusted relationship between you, your robot and iRobot, that is critical for that to happen. Information that is shared needs to be controlled by the customer and not as a data asset of a corporation to exploit. That is how data is handled by iRobot today. Customers have control over sharing it. I want to make very clear that this is how data will be handled in the future.

Discussion

Source: [H]ardOCP – iRobot CEO Says They Will Never Sell Your Data