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Acer's 21-inch gaming laptop will cost you a staggering $8,999
You knew Acer's wonderfully overdone Predator 21X gaming laptop was going to cost a pretty penny, but probably not this much. The PC maker has revealed launch details for its 21-inch desktop replacement, and the system will cost a mind-numbing $8,999 when it ships in February. You may have to choose between this and a nice used car. There are plenty of reasons for the over-the-top price tag, at least. In addition to the signature 21-inch curved 1080p display and mechanical keyboard, you're getting an overclockable 7th-generation Core i7-7820HK processor, 64GB (!) of RAM, dual GTX 1080 graphics chips, Tobii eye tracking, as many as four 512GB solid-state drives in a RAID stripe and a 2TB hard drive. You probably won't need to consider a replacement for a long, long while. And don't worry if this is absolute overkill, as there's a vaguely affordable model in the mix.
Acer's 21-inch 'laptop' gives ridiculous a new name
Acer's made gaming laptops before, but none of them are quite like this. The behemoth you see here is the Predator 21X, which is the most redonkulous notebook I've seen in my life. The term desktop replacement is quite literal here, as it has a massive 21-inch curved display. Indeed, it's apparently the world's first laptop to have such a distinction. And if that isn't ridiculous enough, it actually has two NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 graphics cards with SLI under the hood. Two.
Acer's latest PCs include the first curved screen laptop
You no longer have to stick to your desk to enjoy a flashy curved display. Acer is unveiling flood of new laptops at Germany's IFA show, and the highlight by far is the Predator 21 X -- according to Acer, the world's first curved screen laptop. As the name suggests, opening up this gigantic gaming portable reveals a 21-inch curved, ultra-wide display that promises more immersion than you're used to with portable gaming. It 'only' touts a 2,560 x 1,080 resolution, but NVIDIA G-Sync support should give you smoother, game-friendly output.
Acer reveals new Predator gaming desktop, notebook and display
Acer is made a truckload of PC announcements at its NYC event today, and new gaming gear was part of the news. The company pulled the wraps off of a trio of Predator series devices, including the Predator 17X gaming notebook, Predator G1 gaming desktop and Predator Z1 monitors. The trio joins Acer's gaming line that already includes a pair of gaming laptops, desktops, displays and even an 8-inch tablet. Let's take a closer look at each of the new machines, shall we?
Predator drones could soon hide under dielectric 'invisibility cloaks'
America's fleet of Predator UAVs could soon become even harder to shoot down (or even detect for that matter) thanks to a new kind of camouflage developed at UC San Diego. UCSD professor Boubacar Kante and his team published their findings last month in the journal Progress In Electromagnetics Research and will submit a separate report to the Department of Defense later this month, according to reports from the Army Times. The material, dubbed the "dielectric metasurface cloak," builds on earlier work from Duke University in 2006. It's essentially a thin layer of Teflon studded with ceramic particles and capable of modulating wavelengths of energy along the electromagnetic scale (including both visible light and radar).
Acer has a gnarly gaming phone with a deca-core processor
Acer's at IFA in force this year, showing off a wide array of gaming PCs, laptops, tablets and now, a phone. The Predator 6 looks a lot like the company's new gaming tablet, with some super-gnarly black-and-red styling and four front-facing speakers. Details are thin on the ground at the moment, but inside is an unspecified (but probably this) MediaTek deca-core processor with 4GB of RAM and dual haptic feedback motors for rumbles. It has a 6-inch HD display; it runs Android; and around the back there's a 21-megapixel camera. We don't have pricing or a release date on this just yet, but rest assured we'll keep on poking Acer until someone gives us more info.
NASA tests sense-and-avoid system for commercial UAVs
NASA's testing a sense-and-avoid system that will allow fully-autonomous, commercial UAVs to operate in civilian airspace. The trials are being held at the Armstrong Flight Research Center in California as part of the agency's Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration in the National Airspace System (UAS-NAS) project.
Acer's building an Android gaming tablet to go with its Predator PCs
It's safe to say that Acer's gone a little batty this morning - the company crammed announcement after announcement into a press conference overlooking the New York City skyline, but some of the most interesting stuff didn't get much detail. Case in point: The company's working on an Android-powered Predator tablet to go along with its series of angular, red and black gaming PCs and it's going to launch by the end of 2015.
Call of Duty: Ghosts 'Devastation' DLC brings the Predator to Xbox Live today
Call of Duty fans can square off against movie star and noted extraterrestrial hunter the Predator in the new "Devastation" DLC pack released today for the Xbox One and Xbox 360 versions of Call of Duty: Ghosts. The Devastation pack adds the new Ruins, Collision, Behemoth, and Unearthed maps to Ghosts' multiplayer component, along with the second chapter in the game's ongoing Extinction storyline. Players who complete the Ruins map's Field Order will earn the ability to become the Predator in combat, gaining access to the alien's dual wrist blades, shoulder-mounted plasma cannon, and infrared target-seeking capabilities. The Devastation DLC pack is priced at $14.99, and is included as part of Call of Duty: Ghosts' Season Pass. [Image: Activision]
Teaser suggests The Predator will soon stalk Call of Duty: Ghosts
When Activision releases the Devastation DLC for Call of Duty: Ghosts on April 3, the addition may include a familiar face - or, more specifically, a familiar shimmering outline. If you pay a visit to the Call of Duty Instagram account (or click through the break below), you'll find a short teaser clip that bears all the familiar hallmarks of the extraterrestrial hunter first made famous in the 1987 Arnold Schwarzenegger action classic Predator. The vignette depicts a humid jungle, a crashed helicopter and the familiar staccato clicking of that film's titular creature. Though we're never given a good look at The Predator, the clip ends with a visually distorted, nigh-invisible creature rushing toward the camera. While the inclusion of a classic cinematic monster might have seemed odd a few months ago, Call of Duty: Ghosts has been gradually moving away from strict realism and into the realm of pure entertainment spectacle. The Onslaught DLC pack, which debuted in January, brought horror icon Michael Myers to the shooter, while the game's ongoing Extinction DLC storyline pits human soldiers against hordes of aliens in the wastes of rural Alaska. [Image: 20th Century Fox]
Skyrim at the Movies enters the jungle of Predator
Hot on the heels of their recreation of Superman in Tamriel, Skyrim at the Movies outfit Tyrannicon have recreated the classic Arnold Schwarzenegger vehicle Predator using Skyrim. Huaghhhh get down!
Resident Evil 6 multiplayer DLC now on PS3, Mercenaries map bundle in March
PlayStation 3 players can get their hands on Resident Evil 6's multiplayer DLC modes, which have been available on Xbox 360 since December. 'Predator' tasks one player with being the Ustanak, a giant bioweapon, while other players band together to take it down. 'Survivor' can be played in solo or with a team, with downed players resurrected as zombies to hunt human prey. Finally, 'Onslaught' pits two players against each other as they battle waves of enemies, each kill chain sending that many more enemies to the other player's area. Each mode is priced at $3.99 on PSN.On top of the DLC modes, Capcom has also dated a collection of all released Mercenaries maps, including maps that were previously exclusive to pre-order customers. This one-stop Mercenaries map pack bundles together Rail Yard, Catacombs, High Seas Fortress, all available now for 80 MSP ($1) each, plus Stage Map Pack A (160 MSP/$2) and Map Pack B (160 MSP/$2). This collection will be available on Xbox Live worldwide and PSN in North America on March 5; European PS3 owners can snag the pack on March 6.
Elder Scrolls Online's dreugh is one ugly mutha... shut yo mouth!
If you've a taste for anthropomorphic bugs with faces that only a Predator could love, you'll probably enjoy the latest Elder Scrolls Online update. ZeniMax has posted a new entry on its website detailing the creation of the game's dreugh (emphasis on ugh) that features a bit of lore and a brief video clip of the creatures in action. "Dreugh are primarily found in the eastern areas of Tamriel," ZeniMax explains, "but can likely also be found anywhere coastal. Land dreugh can be found as far inland as Cyrodiil." If you've played Morrowind and Oblivion you've likely encountered earlier versions of the dreugh, and if not, well, what are you waiting for? Head past the cut for the clip and then to the official site to learn more. [Thanks to Paul for the tip!]
Resident Evil 6 multiplayer DLC drops Dec. 18, Xbox gets first dibs [update: videos, patch info]
Three new multiplayer modes are headed to the Xbox 360 of Resident Evil 6 on Tuesday, December 18: "Predator," "Survivors" and "Onslaught."Predator casts one player as the bioweapon Ustanak, while all other players attempt to bring the great beast down. Survivor mode augments regular solo/team vs. mode by making felled humans rise as zombies, who must chomp on some noggins before being able to respawn as a person.Lastly, Onslaught sounds like a weird combination of Gear of War's Horde mode and Dr. Mario's multiplayer, where two players attempt to survive separate waves of enemies, with kill combos sending more zombies to the opponent's side.Each mode will set you back 320 MS Points ($4) if purchased individually, or 720 MS Points ($9) if purchased as a bundle. No word on when this content will become available on other platforms.Update: Capcom has uploaded some footage from each new mode – feel free to vault past the break to check it out. Also, Capcom-Unity confirms that a patch will come to Xbox 360 and PS3 at the same time. This free update allows players to adjust the camera's field of view, and adds co-op to the Ada campaign and the No Hope Left difficulty mode.
Habbo accused of harboring predators, CEO fights back
Habbo, a popular children's virtual world, is under fire today by UK's Channel 4 News. The station aired a special report suggesting that the social network as a haven for pedophiles and child predators and promising to expose "the extent of sexually explicit material on the social network." Habbo (formerly Habbo Hotel) is shedding investors with the news; Habbo's parent company Sulake lost its second largest shareholder, Balderton Capital. The former shareholder released a statement saying, "We were given some information a week ago that profoundly shocked us. We had to ask ourselves whether we were comfortable being investors in a business where children were not being adequately protected." Habbo CEO Paul LaFontaine fought back against the accusations by saying that Habbo is "one of the safest online communities" and has a large team of moderators that tracks the millions of messages sent between the network's users "To keep users safe, we filter content and block inappropriate users," LaFontaine said. "We work with child safety organisations and local police forces to address inappropriate behaviour. Habbo's leading safety systems were recognised as making the service one of the safest social networks in a 2011 European Commission report."
Acer dips its toes into Ivy Bridge, refreshes two of its desktops with new processors
Now that the Ivy Bridge cat is out of the bag, you can expect to see a deluge of press releases from PC makers over the coming weeks, each of them saying that this computer or that is getting refreshed with Intel's latest processors. From Acer, at least, we expect multiple announcements: it's only ready to talk about a couple of desktops today, with news around laptops and Ultrabooks coming later. Right now, you can choose from several configurations of the Predator AG3620 gaming tower, with the top-shelf $1,200 model packing a 3.4 GHz Core i7 3770 CPU, NVIDIA GT630 graphics, 16GB of RAM and 2TB of storage space. On the budget end, the $799 Gateway D4860-UR14P will feature a 3.1 GHz Core i5 3450 processor, 6GB of RAM and a 1TB hard drive. Both are available now -- you know, if you've been waiting for precisely this sort of thing.
Acer announces Predator G5910 for the UK with up to 8TB of storage, 'combat-machine' design cues
Acer's been mighty busy the past few days, trotting out laptops, desktops, a media streamer, and a multitouch monitor, to boot. But the company wasn't ready to call it a week just yet -- the outfit also announced the Predator G5910 gaming rig for the UK gaming crowd. As you might gather from its reddish accents and claw-like doors -- a "combat-machine" aesthetic, according to Acer -- this is a power tower. These bad boys pack quad-core, desktop-grade Core i5 and i7 processors, up to 16GB of memory, 10 USB 2.0 ports, a 12-in-1 memory card slot, two swappable hard drive bays, and as much as 8TB of storage spread across four SATA drives. In terms of graphics, the most specific thing Acer is saying is that it's compatible with NVIDIA GeForce and AMD Radeon cards, and that it's NVIDIA 3D Vision-capable. You can also overclock this guy using Intel's own Extreme Tuning Utility, but only if you opt for a K-series CPU. This would mean the machine has a P67 chipset -- which is what retailers in other European countries are listing -- and not the H67 listed in the press release. As final flourishes, Acer threw in a handle on the back, and an angled deck on top to keep your inevitable morass of cables under control. UK shoppers can find it in mid-July starting at £599 VAT. PR after the break.
The Game Archaeologist plays with MUDs: Your journeys, part 2
This is the end, my only friend, the end. Of our elaborate plans, the end. Of everything that MOOs, the end. No safety or aggro radius, the end. Man, listening to The Doors early in the morning does not put you in a happy state of writing, let me tell you! In any case, we've extended our MUD/MU* month here on the Game Archaeologist Channel to include a few more first-hand testimonies of Massively readers' favorite text-based MMOs. As much as anything else we've talked about in this column, it's vital that we not forget the roots from which our current MMOs were born nor neglect to take the opportunity to expose a whole new generation to a graphically simpler but textually richer experience. So let's kick the tires and light the fires of nostalgia as we talk with five of the baddest MUDders you'll ever know!
Stepto on Xbox Live hacker: 'He's not trying to help'
"He got an old cell phone [number] of mine, and yeah, he called it occasionally," Xbox Live director of policy and enforcement Stephen "Stepto" Toulouse told us of the contact he'd had with the apparent hacker known as "Predator," who took control of Toulouse's Xbox Live account this past weekend. "I can play you a voice message if you want, to show you the nature of his contact with us." What followed was ... not suitable for printing. Expletives and derogatory terms were all that we could make out in the mess of a message. Multiple voices could be heard, too. "I have a six minute one where he and his friend discuss all the different ways they're gonna have sex with my wife." Not exactly what Predator characterized as "reaching out" to Microsoft to offer his help resolving the security issues he's claimed to have exploited. "I would say 'reaching out for contact' is an extremely generous phrase," Toulouse said. "Most of the stuff that he leaves on there is flat out harassment. It's not contact. He's not trying to help or do anything. He's mostly just insulting me. And I get that from time to time. It's just the nature of my role. The kids sometimes try to go after me -- it's not that big a deal." In terms of what actually happened, Toulouse was quick to point out that his Xbox Live account wasn't "hacked" per se, but rather his personal site's web host failed to protect his information. The actual issue, he said, is social engineering (Predator's ability to manipulate the web host in order to reset Toulouse's password) -- an issue that "no one has solved."
Xbox Live hacker: 'All accounts are open' to attacks [update]
He only had access for a limited period, but a self-proclaimed "hacker" managed to finagle his way into Xbox Live policy enforcement lead Stephen Toulouse's Xbox Live Gold account over the weekend. The hacker calls himself "Predator," and has created a six-minute video showing off his exploits. Predator allegedly used "social engineering techniques" and didn't employ any "programs," he told Joystiq this afternoon. Predator was able to alter Xbox Live account information after resetting Toulouse's password, all through Toulouse's personal website host, Network Solutions. But despite his actions, "Predator" says he didn't go do it for malicious reasons. "I'm simply letting them know I'm willing to help them secure accounts from future hackers," he explained. "All accounts are open for hacking." That last statement rings especially true in light of last year's hacking of Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb's Xbox Live account. And this isn't his first success, Predator claims. "I've done many illegal things on Xbox -- I've taken Trixie360's account, 15 Original Gamertags, 4 H3 Pro's [Halo 3 pros], and a few randoms," he told us. He also notes in his video (which has been pulled) that he's had "over 35" console bans, and points out that, as a result, Toulouse "had it coming, man." Predator, however, remains unconcerned about his own fate. He notes after explaining his past exploits that nothing has happened to him so far. Predator says his offer to help with Xbox Live security stands. Update: We spoke with Stephen Toulouse, who offered his comments on the incident. Additionally, the video after the break has been removed as it is no longer available on YouTube.
