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benbeckmans-blog · 4 years ago

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How One Piece Of Hardware Took Down A 6 Trillion Stock Market

How One Piece Of Hardware Took Down A $6 Trillion Stock Market (Bloomberg) -- At 7:04 a.m. on an autumn Thursday in Tokyo, the stewards of the world’s third-largest equity market realized they had a problem.

A data device critical to the Tokyo Stock Exchange’s trading system had malfunctioned, and the automatic backup had failed to kick in. It was less than an hour before the system, called Arrowhead, was due to start processing orders in the $6 trillion equity market. Exchange officials could see no solution.

The full-day shutdown that ensued was the longest since the exchange switched to a fully electronic trading system in 1999. It drew criticism from market participants and authorities and shone a spotlight on a lesser-discussed vulnerability in the world’s financial plumbing -- not software or security risks but the danger when one of hundreds of pieces of hardware that make up a trading system decides to give up the ghost.

“Exchanges are a crucial part of market infrastructure and it’s unacceptable that trading opportunities were denied,” Finance Minister Taro Aso told reporters in Tokyo. “You’re dealing with machines so it’s always possible they will break. They need to create the infrastructure with that possibility of a breakdown in mind.”

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The TSE’s Arrowhead system launched to much fanfare in 2010, billed as a modern-day solution after a series of outages on an older system embarrassed the exchange in the 2000s. The “arrow” symbolizes speed of order processing, while the “head” suggests robustness and reliability, according to the exchange. The system of roughly 350 servers that process buy and sell orders had had a few hiccups but no major outages in its first decade.

Read: Tokyo Stock Exchange to Resume Trading Friday After Outage

That all changed on Thursday, when a piece of hardware called the No. 1 shared disk device, one of two square-shaped data-storage boxes, detected a memory error. These devices store management data used across the servers, and distribute information such as commands and ID and password combinations for terminals that monitor trades.

When the error happened, the system should have carried out what’s called a failover -- an automatic switching to the No. 2 device. But for reasons the exchange’s executives couldn’t explain, that process also failed. That had a knock-on effect on servers called information distribution gateways that are meant to send market information to traders.

Disappearing Data

At 8 a.m., traders preparing at their desks for the market open an hour later should have been seeing indicative prices on their terminals as orders were processed. But many saw nothing, while others reported seeing data appearing and disappearing. They had no idea if the information was accurate.

A minute later, the bourse made its first communication, informing systems administrators at securities firms that there had been an issue. At some brokerages, that didn’t immediately filter down to befuddled trading desks.

At about 8:05 a.m., Twitter -- often used by traders to communicate outside of more official communication channels monitored by compliance -- began to buzz with rumors of an issue. Traders described a growing sense of confusion as few answers came from the bourse.

“We didn’t know if it was our system or the exchange,” said Masaya Akiba, a broker at Marusan Securities Co.’s stock-trading department. “We only confirmed it when the exchange put out a release.”

At 8:36 a.m., the bourse finally informed securities firms that trading would be halted. Three minutes later, it issued a press release on its public website -- although only in Japanese. A confusingly translated English release wouldn’t follow for more than 90 minutes.

It was the first time in almost fifteen years that the exchange had suffered a complete trading outage. The Tokyo bourse has a policy of not shutting even during natural disasters, so for many on trading floors in the capital, this experience was a first.

Historic Decision

Some market participants fumed at the closure. Others, with nothing to do, occupied their time by reading research notes or trading commodities.

“I didn’t think much of it at first,” said Kiyoshi Ishigane, the chief fund manager at Mitsubishi UFJ Kokusai Asset Management Co. in Tokyo. “Previous outages were quickly resolved so I assumed orders would just be delayed.”

In 2012, after the switchover to Arrowhead, the exchange had quickly resolved limited issues. Many expected the bourse to do the same this time, too.

But as the hours passed, Hajime Sakai, the chief fund manager at Mito Securities Co., grew increasingly uneasy.

“I really couldn’t pay attention to much else,” he said. “I wasn’t like, ‘Open the market!’ It was more like, ‘whichever it is, make your call on it, fast.’”

The call was a daunting one. After the failed switch to the backup, the exchange had manually forced a switchover to the No. 2 shared disk device. At this point, the administrators had a choice: they could seek to restart trading, but this would have entailed a full reset of the system -- shutting down the power and rebooting.

Data for orders already received from securities firms would have been lost, without having been canceled. That would have led to anarchy, securities firms told the exchange. After speaking with market participants, the exchange made its decision: trading would be called off for the entire day.

Many in the market say they were relieved. A call to resume trading would have been chaotic, said one worker at a Tokyo-based brokerage, with no way to tell which existing client orders remained active, while also trying to process new asks and bids.

Technical Discussion

At 4:30 p.m. local time, four TSE executives, including Chief Executive Officer Koichiro Miyahara and Chief Information Officer Ryusuke Yokoyama, faced journalists at the exchange to explain the outage. In a briefing that lasted about 100 minutes, they bowed in apology in front of the crowded room before going into a detailed technical discussion of the breakdown.

If the bourse was criticized for its communications earlier in the day, it won praise for how it handled the press conference. The executives answered questions from the media with relative ease, discussing areas such as systems architecture in highly technical terms. They also squarely accepted responsibility for the incident, rather than trying to deflect blame onto the system vendor Fujitsu Ltd. It bore little resemblance to gaffe-filled briefings by other Japanese firms in the past. On Twitter, the Japanese public voiced its approval.

“Management explained very clearly during the briefing last night,” said Megumi Takarada, a senior analyst at Toyo Securities Co. in Tokyo. “The briefing provided some reassurance that management clearly understands the issue.”

Later in the evening, the announcement came that the bourse would restart trading Friday. While that passed without issue, many questions remain unanswered. The Financial Services Agency has ordered the exchange to issue a report on the outage, according to local media, which may give further insight on some of the issues.

But one of the biggest is whether the same kind of hardware-driven failure could happen in other stock markets. For one strategist, it almost certainly could -- but that’s not something to worry too much about.

“There’s nothing uniquely Japanese about this,” said Nicholas Smith of CLSA Ltd. in Tokyo. “I think we’ve just got to put that in the box of ‘stuff happens.’ These things happen. They shouldn’t, but they do.”

(Updates with FSA ordering report on the outage in 25th paragraph)

For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com

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shirlleycoyle · 4 years ago

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Apple’s Double Agent

For more than a year, an active member of a community that traded in illicitly obtained internal Apple documents and devices was also acting as an informant for the company.

On Twitter and in Discord channels for the loosely defined Apple "internal" community that trades leaked information and stolen prototypes, he advertised leaked apps, manuals, and stolen devices for sale. But unbeknownst to other members in the community, he shared with Apple personal information of people who sold stolen iPhone prototypes from China, Apple employees who leaked information online, journalists who had relationships with leakers and sellers, and anything that he thought the company would find interesting and worth investigating.

Andrey Shumeyko, also known as YRH04E and JVHResearch online, decided to share his story because he felt that Apple took advantage of him and should have compensated him for providing the company this information.

"Me coming forward is mostly me finally realizing that that relationship never took into consideration my side and me as a person," Shumeyko told Motherboard. Shumeyko shared several pieces of evidence to back up his claims, including texts and an email thread between him and an Apple email address for the company's Global Security team. Motherboard checked that the emails are legitimate by analyzing their headers, which show Shumeyko received a reply from servers owned by Apple, according to online records.

Shumeyko said he established a relationship with Apple's anti-leak team—officially called Global Security—after he alerted them of a potential phishing campaign against some Apple Store employees in 2017. Then, in mid-2020, he tried to help Apple investigate one of its worst leaks in recent memory, and became a "mole," as he put it.

Last year, months before the official release of Apple's mobile operating system iOS 14, iPhone hackers got their hands on a leaked early version.

At the time, people in the iPhone hacking community told Motherboard that the leaked iOS build came from a stolen prototype of an iPhone 11 that was purchased from gray-market vendors in China. Sensitive Apple software and hardware occasionally leaks out of China, and there is a thriving gray market of stolen iPhone prototypes that are marketed to security researchers and hackers interested in finding vulnerabilities and developing exploits for Apple's devices.

Apple is obviously not happy about any of this. But over the years, apart from the time it famously went after a Gizmodo journalist who found a prototype of an iPhone 4 in a San Francisco bar, the company has largely kept its response to leaks under wraps. In mid-June, Apple lawyers in China sent letters to a Chinese citizen who advertised and sold stolen devices, demanding they stop their activities and reveal their sources inside the company, as Motherboard reported last month.

“People trust me, and find me pretty likable, and so I’m capable of using that to my advantage”

The secretive Global Security reportedly employs former U.S. intelligence and FBI agents and is tasked with cracking down on leaks and leakers, but very little is known about the way it operates.

One of the ways the team tracks leaks and leakers is by cultivating relationships with people in the jailbreaking and internal community, such as Shumeyko. It's not the first time something like this has happened. As Motherboard reported in 2017, an Apple employee had infiltrated the early jailbreaking scene, acting as a double agent.

Shumeyko has never worked for Apple, but he assumed a similar role last year when he decided to give Apple information about the iOS 14 leak. He had obtained a copy of the leaked iOS 14 build himself, and said he also learned how the leak went down and wanted to share the information with Apple.

On May 15 of last year, Shumeyko reached out to Apple Global Security via email, according to an email chain he shared. He offered information about the person who allegedly purchased the iPhone 11 that contained the iOS 14 development build, the security researchers who got a leaked copy of the operating system, and a handful of people who apparently live in China and sell iPhone prototypes and other devices that appear to leak out of factories in Shenzhen.

"I think I found the mole who helped him orchestrate the thing," Shumeyko wrote to Apple, referring to the iOS 14 leak and the person who allegedly purchased the stolen prototype. "I've identified which one of the 3 Chinese hardware suppliers sent him the phone. I’ve received a package from that same guy in the past (still have the DHL tracking number), and I have his phone number. Would any of the above be of any aid?"

Do you work, or used to work for Apple? Do you research vulnerabilities on Apple's devices? We’d love to hear from you. You can contact Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai securely on Signal at +1 917 257 1382, OTR chat at [email protected], or email [email protected]

At the end of the email chain, an Apple employee asked if Shhumeyko was free for a chat.

"What’s the number you use for Signal/Telegram? We will assign a member of the team to reach out," the employee wrote.

Shumeyko said he was willing to help as a way to redeem himself for being part of that community, and to get some money out of it, according to him and his online chats with an Apple Global Security employee.

"People trust me, and find me pretty likable, and so I’m capable of using that to my advantage," Shumeyko told the Apple employee during their monthslong online chats. "I regret my involvement in all that stuff and I’ll do whatever you need me to redeem my past actions."

"I know I’ve been naughty, but my actions so far landed the right connections which I can use to help further the company. Getting into this whole thing was a mistake on my side," Shumeyko told the Apple Global Security employee.

What he shared was interesting enough to prompt Apple employees to keep the communications channel with Shumeyko open for almost a year.

Two people who are part of the Apple jailbreaking and internal community confirmed that Shumeyko was dabbling in it by advertising leaked data on Twitter.

“He is widely trusted to be an original source of that information.”

"He’s tweeted a lot with internal materials from Apple," one of the people in the Apple jailbreaking and internal community told Motherboard in an online chat. "I think he is widely trusted to be an original source of that information."

Another person, who also asked to remain anonymous as he, too, is involved in the jailbreaking and internal communities and fears retaliation from Apple, told Motherboard that Shumeyko "was most definitely involved in that community and he most definitely had some level of access to things he shouldn’t have."

According to the person involved in the jailbreaking community, "the 'Apple Internal Community' is just a bunch of kids on Twitter who find, buy, sell, and trade firmware or other such things without realizing the repercussions such things carry." But other than kids, there are also serious sellers, mostly based in China, who sell prototype iPhones for thousands of dollars, as a Motherboard investigation showed in 2019.

And Apple has been trying to crack down on them recently by sending them legal letters, which revealed that the company knows their names and home addresses, despite the fact that they only use nicknames online.

Last year, Shumeyko sent Apple investigators a PDF titled "The List," essentially a dossier where he shared personal details such as phone numbers, WeChat IDs, and alleged locations of three people who advertised and sold devices on Twitter, as well as a U.S. citizen who collects iPhone prototypes. One of the people listed in the PDF is the one who received the legal letter from Apple, Motherboard has learned.

Apple declined to comment for this article.

None of the people Shumeyko mentioned to Apple, and whom Motherboard spoke to, had any idea that Shumeyko had become a mole for the company.

When he was acting as a mole, Shumeyko wanted to keep his relationship with Apple a secret, "fearing I might damage that fragile thing we had going on," he said, referring to the company. But at this point, now that he’s coming out, Shumeyko doesn't care what anyone will think of him.

"Them knowing what I am doesn’t really change my life for better or worse. And, well, I just wanted to be heard for once, and the story I tell to be truthful," Shumeyko said.

Three iPhone prototypes. (Image: Giulio Zompetti/Motherboard)

Months after he first reached out, Shumeyko explained more about why he wanted to help Apple.

"I was inspired by the rumor that the raid on the journalist’s house during the iPhone 4 Gizmodo incident was conducted by Apple’s own ‘police’ team," Shumeyko told a Global Security employee. "So I assumed prosecuting [an iPhone prototype collector who also traded leaked information and hardware] and the Chinese would be easy then, and that I’ll get to walk away with a reward generous enough to jumpstart my life entirely."

Shumeyko said he expected Apple to "do something" with the information he provided, but it's unclear what the company achieved with Shumeyko's information. Despite asking many times for details about how the company was acting on his information, the Apple employee he was corresponding with never gave him any answers. Shumeyko also repeatedly asked if it would be possible for him to be paid for his information, citing financial problems he needed to take care of. In this case, too, the Apple employee was noncommittal, according to the conversation's transcript.

"I know I'm very much a part of the problem that I'm trying to report, and I really hate to be the Karen of this story, but still, I'm determined to fully follow through with this and I'm sorry for being a huge inconvenience," Shumeyko told the Apple Global Security employee, according to the chats viewed by Motherboard. "I know you probably can't answer all of my previous questions, so could you kindly get someone who can talk to me over email or this app? Again: 1) How helpful were the materials provided? 2) Should I try to obtain more information? 3) Do I get any protection at all as a whistleblower?"

Still, his constant flow of tips on people in the jailbreaking and internals community, as well as tips on Apple employees who were active online and were leaking information, were well received by the Apple Global Security employee.

"We appreciate the information you provide. Please feel encouraged to keep sharing what you have," the nameless Apple Global Security employee said. The chats between Shumeyko and the employee spanned almost a year, and the Apple employee consistently thanked Shumeyko for the information and asked for more information about specific materials and people.

In the summer of 2020, Shumeyko told his Apple Global Security contact that he’d been in touch with an Apple employee in Germany who worked on Apple Maps. Shumeyko alleged that the employee was offering to sell access to an internal Apple account used by employees to log in to their corporate emails and intranet. Shumeyko said he always kept contact with the employee, who eventually told him that he’d gotten fired.

“Do the right things to protect Apple. Keep it that way, you will be proud of yourself, so will we.”

Shumeyko said he was hoping that by helping Apple, the company would help him in return. But that, he said, never happened. And he's now questioning whether he should have helped in the first place.

"Now it feels like I ruined someone for no good reason, really," Shumeyko told me, referring to the Apple employee in Germany.

Weeks later, out of frustration, Shumeyko said he leaked the information he gathered from the employee to the Apple-focused blog 9to5Mac, which wrote an article based on the leaked data. Shumeyko almost immediately regretted it, telling his Apple contact,"I know that looks bad. And I apologize for that."

"Going forward if you plan to publish anything, please consult us (if you want to do the right things for yourself)," Apple Global Security's employee told Shumeyko.

"Please understand that our goal is to protect Apple. All our actions are guided by the premise of what is best for the company, our employees, and our customers (of which you are one). Therefore your help—and insights—in understanding possible threats to us are very important," the Apple employee continued. "My personal advice is that you continue to do the right things so that you can build a positive image for yourself. Do the right things to protect Apple. Keep it that way, you will be proud of yourself, so will we."

During his conversations with the Apple Global Security employee, Shumeyko shared the contact information and social media profiles of three alleged sellers of stolen devices in China, a person who collects these type of devices and who was allegedly involved in the iOS 14 leak, and the personal details and names of connections of someone who allegedly used to be an Apple intern and then became part of the jailbreaking community.

A year after Shumeyko started talking to Global Security, his relationship with Apple is basically nonexistent. Shumeyko said he last heard from Global Security on July 15.

Shumeyko told Motherboard that he is still struggling financially. He is also still on Twitter trying to sell Apple data in an attempt to finally cash out on years of being involved in Apple leaks.

A screenshot of a recent tweet by Shumeyko (Image: Motherboard)

"Don't really enjoy doing this," Shumeyko said in a recent chat. "But I also do need the extra money. Unfortunately, I have more pressing issues to be worried about other than Apple."

Meanwhile, one of the people who knew of Shumeyko and is part of the jailbreaking and internal community said Shumeyko's story as an informant will make people suspicious and less open to talk about leaks.

"I think it goes to show that you can’t openly and safely experiment with leaked Apple internal materials," he said. "These sort of events sort of enhance the hostile vibe sometimes felt in the community."

Subscribe to our cybersecurity podcast CYBER, here.

Apple’s Double Agent syndicated from https://triviaqaweb.wordpress.com/feed/

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annychristine831 · 4 years ago

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Apple Launches ‘AirPods Max’ Over-Ear Noise-Canceling Headphone

Apple has finally launched its hardware product of 2020, thereby putting an end to the endless amount of discussions, rumors, and leaks. The recently launched AirPods Max is the first-ever headphones by Apple. This over-ear gadget comes with active noise cancelation and supports Spatial Audio, Adaptive EQ, and more. The AirPods Max, no doubt, is available at a price comparatively higher than other well-recognized noise-canceling headphones that are currently present in the market.

Design

The AirPods Max is designed in a way similar to that shown in the leaked CAD renders. As per the leaks, they were assumed to be having the name “AirPods Studio.” The newly launched over-ear headphones by Apple feature a headband of stainless steel with a knitted mesh canopy. Apple states that this mesh design will reduce on-head pressure and easily fit various head sizes and shapes.

The memory foam premium-designed earcups carry a comfortable and shiny matte finish. They offer a feature similar to the one in the Apple Watches, which gives you the ability to play and pause the video alongside precise volume control. It also lets you accept/end calls, activate Siri, and skip tracks.

Sound Quality

As stated by Apple, the AirPods Max feature a custom acoustic design. Both the earcups come with an Apple-designed 40mm driver. They offer impressive sound with rich deep bass, accurate mid-range alongside a clean & crisp high-frequency extension. This has been published in a blog post by Apple.

AirPods Max is powered by the H1 chip of the company in both the ear cups. The H1 chip is a 10-core audio chip that can provide a computational audio breakthrough that produces over 9 billion operations in one second, thereby providing AirPods, a computational audio breakthrough.

Apple’s H1 chip offers a lot of impressive features on this newly launched active noise-canceling headphones. The AirPods Max supports Transparency mode, spatial audio, audio sharing, Adaptive EQ, and more. You will already be knowing about these features if you would have used the AirPods previously.

Features

Apple states that the ear cups are equipped with three outward-facing and one microphone on the inside. The three outer microphones help detect environmental noise and disturbances; the inner microphone monitors the audio that is reaching the listener’s ear. All the data gets combined, and further, it adapts the active noise cancellation based upon the fitting, noise, and movement.

Battery Life

Apple states that the AirPods Max offers up to 20 hours of playback. If you want to obtain more from playback time, you can disable the spatial audio and active noise cancellation feature. These AirPods can be charged from the proprietary Lightning port of the company and not with the USB Type-C.

AirPods Max: Price and Availability

To get your hands on the AirPods Max, you need to pay a price of $549. The headphones are now available for pre-orders and are all set to be launched for sale from December 15 onwards. You can opt from among five different color variants: silver, green, sky blue, pink, and space grey.

So, this was all about the recently introduced AirPods Max by Apple. These over-ear headphones are all set to compete with the well-known noise-canceling headphones, like the Bose 700 and Sony WH-1000XM4.

Source: Apple Launches ‘AirPods Max’ Over-Ear Noise-Canceling Headphones

#Apple #AirPods Max

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charger-batteries · 4 years ago

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New Nintendo Switch 2 release date, specs, leaks and more

Even with the PS5 and Xbox Series X finally out, anticipation for a Nintendo Switch 2 (or Nintendo Switch Pro) is still red-hot. According to recent reports, the next Nintendo Switch could be a beefed-up version of Nintendo's beloved hybrid console with new features and 4K gaming support.

Nintendo's next Switch likely won't deliver things like ray tracing or 8K gaming, but a more powerful Switch could help the company better compete with the latest next-gen consoles. And some rumors have pegged the Switch 2 as sporting some truly wild features, including potential dual-screen support.

Nintendo hasn't confirmed the existence of a new Nintendo Switch model, but the latest rumors indicate that a new Switch is all but inevitable. Here's everything we know about the New Nintendo Switch 2, including its possible release date, specs and features.

Latest Nintendo Switch 2 news (November 29)

The new GPD Win 3 gives us a taste of how a Switch Pro could work, with smooth 60 fps gaming on the go.

Taiwan's Economic Daily News reports that Nintendo is including a Mini-LED display on the Switch 2, and is gearing up to launch the console in 2021.

New Nintendo Switch 2 release date

Citing a Taipei-based report out of the Economic Daily News, The Edge Markets reports that a new version of Nintendo's popular hybrid console could arrive by early 2021. That was quickly followed up by a Bloomberg report that suggests that the new Switch could arrive next year complete with 4K support and an expansive new games lineup.

A subsequent Bloomberg report claims that developers are being asked to make their Nintendo Switch games playable in 4K, adding further weight to the possibility of an upcoming hardware upgrade.

Economic Daily News later reported that Nintendo was still planning a 2021 launch, and has been visiting companies in Taiwan to obtain displays for the new console.

Here's a look at when every version of the Switch has launched so far. Looking at these days, it's possible we could see an updated Switch by 2021 to coincide with the system's four-year anniversary.

Nintendo Switch: March 3, 2017

Nintendo Switch (upgraded battery): August 2019

Nintendo Switch Lite: September 20, 2019

Nintendo Switch 2/Nintendo Switch Pro: 2021 (rumored)

New Nintendo Switch 2 price

While there's no official price set for Nintendo's next Switch, it seems safe to assume it'll cost more than the $299 base model — and certainly more than the $199 Nintendo Switch Lite. In an interview with Gamesindustry.biz, Japan-based games consultant Serkan Toto predicts that the Switch Pro will cost around $399.

New Nintendo Switch 2 specs

The Switch Pro's rumored specs have varied based on different reports, with some claiming that the next Switch will be a modest upgrade and others hinting at a significant power boost for Nintendo's console. A sketchy, now-deleted 4chan post (via Inverse) suggests some major changes, including a custom Nvidia Tegra Xavier processor, a 64GB SSD, 4K video support, and two USB-C ports. This post also claimed that the Switch Pro would be a TV-only console, and won't be playable in portable mode.

Economic Daily News also claims Nintendo is set to include a Mini-LED display in the Switch 2, which is a big leap up from the 720p LCD display included in the original. Utilising Mini-LED tech would mean better responsiveness, contrast, and energy efficiency, all of which would be more than welcome on a new Switch.

However, a forum post on Korean website Clien (via TechRadar) suggests that the next Switch might not be a huge generational leap. The poster claims that Nintendo is working with Nvidia on a custom Tegra processor based on Nvidia's Volta architecture, and won't include the Tegra X1+ chip that many had expected the console to feature. As a result, 4K support may not be feasible for the Switch Pro.

The current Nintendo Switch packs a custom Nvidia Tegra X1 processor, a 6.2-inch, 720p display and 32GB of storage. In August 2019, the console saw a minor refresh, which bumped the battery life from an estimated 2.5 to 6.5 hours to 4.5 to 9 hours. In our own Switch battery tests, we found that the new model lasts nearly twice as long for games such as Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

The Nintendo Switch 2 may also feature Nvidia DLSS 2.0 support, according to an Nvidia job ad spotted by Wccftech. The posting seeks a software engineer on the Tegra team to work on "next-generation graphics" and mentions gaming consoles by name. Considering that the Switch is the only Tegra-powered console out there, it's possible that Nvidia is conducting work on a CPU for a new model. DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling) is an AI technology designed to boost framerates in games, which could lead to much smoother performance if it makes its way to the Switch 2.

But improved specs could just be the tip of the iceberg for the Nintendo Switch 2. A series of code found in the Switch's April 2020 firmware update reveals what could be support for a dual-screen console, suggesting that the next Nintendo Switch may be a two-display device.

This wouldn't be a first for Nintendo given the company's popular Nintendo DS and 3DS handhelds, but we'd be curious to see how dual-screen support would play into the Switch ecosystem. Perhaps you'll be able to play in handheld mode while beaming certain content to your TV, similar to how the Wii U operated.

There are also some recent mobile GPU breakthroughs that point to a promising future for upcoming handheld consoles such as the Switch 2. Samsung and AMD are expected to be working on a new Exynos 1000 chip with AMD graphics built-in, which could give the Switch 2 a massive power boost if Nintendo decides to opt for that CPU over the aging Tegra X1 found in the current Switch.

One of the most recent notable mentions of the Nintendo Switch 2 comes from the developers of Eiyuden Chronicle, a throwback role-playing game that's currently on Kickstarter. As spotted by Nintendo Life, Rabbit & Bear Studios mention "Nintendo's next generation console" as one of the platforms the developer plans to release the game for. While the studio was transparent about having no inside knowledge to Nintendo's plans, the company noted that porting the title to the relatively underpowered Switch while building it for next-gen platforms would be an expensive endeavor.

New Nintendo Switch 2 features

If Nintendo does make another Switch-like console, it seems safe to assume that it'll once again allow you to play in TV, tabletop and handheld modes. But some recent Nintendo patents hint at some other interesting features that could either make their way to the new console or serve as a complementary device.

Nintendo recently patented a unique health-tracking device, which would be able to track your sleep, monitor your mood via microphones and sensors, and even change the odor of a room. Interestingly, the patented device has its own dock (much like the Switch), and seems designed to work with health-related games a la Ring Fit Adventure. It's too early to tell whether such a device will even come to market, but it will be interesting to see if Nintendo ups its fitness-tracking game in time for the next Switch console.

What we want from the Nintendo Switch 2

If the Nintendo Switch 2 or Nintendo Switch Pro does become a reality, there are a handful of features we'd love to see that could make it a compelling high-end option for Nintendo fans.

1080p handheld gameplay: The Switch's 6.2-inch screen is limited to 720p in handheld mode, meaning you can't experience titles like Super Mario Odyssey and Pokémon Sword and Shield in their full glory. The ability to game on the go in 1080p would be a big reason to upgrade to a Switch Pro — if the console can muster 60fps at 1080p, even better.

4K or 1440p support for TV mode. Considering that 4K consoles are out there and that the PS5 and Xbox Series X will support 8K content, it'd be nice to see the Switch Pro get a resolution bump. The new console would likely need a beefy new dock to support 4K or even 2560 x 1440 resolutions, but just imagine how glorious it would be to play Breath of the Wild in 4K.

Better ergonomics. We recently got our hands on Alienware's Concept UFO, which is a Switch-like portable gaming PC that features standard controller-sized buttons, triggers and grips. If Nintendo can devise new Joy-Cons that are bigger and more ergonomic without being too massive, the Switch Pro could be the most comfortable way to play on the go.

True Bluetooth support. While the current Switch features Bluetooth 4.1 for connecting wirelessly to Joy-Cons and Pro Controllers, you can't pair other Bluetooth gadgets (like headphones) to the console without an adapter. Nintendo, I just want to be able to pair my AirPods to my Switch without any extra fuss — make it happen!

Why we want a Nintendo Switch 2

The Nintendo Switch is an absolute joy of a system backed by some of the finest games Nintendo has ever released. But its hardware is starting to show its limitations more than three years after release, largely when it comes to ports of major third-party games.

Kotaku's Ethan Gach recently got his hands on the new Switch port of The Outer Worlds, which reportedly "looks so bad on Switch I'm tempted to tell even people who have no other means of playing it to stay away." Based on Gach's screenshots, the port looks incredibly blurry, and suffers from framerate drops. Gamers have had similar issues with ports such as Pillars of Eternity and Wasteland 2.

While Nintendo games such as Breath of the Wild and Animal Crossing: New Horizons are optimized to look and run great on Switch, the console seems to be running into a AAA games problem. And that could prove especially challenging for Nintendo, especially with a new crop of third-party games built for PS5 and Xbox Series X that may be more graphically demanding than ever.

Nintendo doesn't necessarily need a system as powerful as Sony's and Microsoft's upcoming console (the Switch has done just fine against PS4 and Xbox One), but a significant power boost could make the company's hybrid console even more appealing for fans of big third-party franchises.

Should I wait for a Nintendo Switch 2?

Considering that the Switch 2 is still a rumor at this point, we wouldn't count on it coming out just yet -- at least not anytime soon. The Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch Lite are at the top of our list for the best handheld gaming consoles, and we expect them to continue to get supported for years to come. So if you've yet to jump on the Switch bandwagon, you can do so with confidence that it won't be replaced anytime soon.

Plus, if there is indeed a Switch 2 or Switch Pro, chances are it'll work with your existing Switch game library. Nintendo has a history of supporting its handhelds through multiple iterations, with the Nintendo DS/Nintendo 3DS family supporting the same game library for more than a decade. Given how popular the Switch is, we expect Nintendo to take a similar approach for its current console.

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aion-rsa · 5 years ago

Text

Why the Xbox Series X Smoking Videos Are a Poor Attempt to Reignite the Overheating Controversy

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

Just a day after the official launch of the Xbox Series X, one thing seemed to dominate the conversation around Microsoft’s next-gen console: a series of viral videos allegedly depicting a major overheating issue, as thick clouds of smoke were desperately expelled through the console’s top vents. The makers of the videos claimed that the Xbox Series X had grown so hot that the components inside were literally seconds away from catching fire.

I’ve spent the last two weeks with the Xbox Series X, testing out everything from its excellent load times and 4K 60fps visuals to its backward compatibility and game-changing Quick Resume feature. Throughout my time with the console, one thing I didn’t encounter were any major overheating issues. At the very least, there was never a moment where I nervously glanced at my fire extinguisher while using the console. The Xbox Series X can get a little warm when its pumping out 4K visuals, but that’s about it. Overall, the console’s single “whisper-quiet” fan does a great job of keeping the console cool, and the monolith-like shape and size of the console was clearly designed with airflow in mind.

(I didn’t have a fancy thermal camera to measure the console’s heat levels in precise degrees but you can check out this excellent breakdown from Digital Foundry, which reported no heat problems with the console.)

The point is that that the smoking videos, which I’m not going to bother posting here, had to be fake, a way to troll Microsoft, gain internet clout, send the Xbox hardware design team into a panic, or simply give the PlayStation 5 an early lead in the next-gen console war. Unsurprisingly, the videos were indeed debunked by one Twitter user who demonstrated who easily you could make it look like an Xbox Series X was “on fire.” All you really need is a vape:

CANSADO de las FAKE NEWS. Os dejo un video MIO explicando porque es Fake lo de la consola "Quemada" y como han logrado este efecto incluso estando la consola "APAGADA" pic.twitter.com/LfXzIBSu6N

— Xbox Studio (@XboxStudio) November 11, 2020

So with that nonsense out of the way, there’s a more important question worth asking: who would bother making up a blatant lie about the Xbox Series X and why?

I’m not really going to entertain the idea that there are militant PS5 fans who are trying to discredit the competition because that seems pretty silly. Soon enough, each side will have actual sales figures with which to brag, although we don’t think sales numbers are really the right measure of industry success anyway.

So it must be trolls. But why? Don’t gamers invest their hard-earned money in these consoles because they hope (and assume) they work properly? Certainly, regardless of what anyone claims online, all gamers benefit from great new consoles.

As I wrote in my review, the Xbox Series X is a powerful, very consumer-friendly console that features a series of huge quality of life improvements. And while we’re not quite ready to give a final verdict on the PS5, our early impression is that Sony’s console is a formidable next-gen upgrade with unique features and an impressive lineup of launch exclusives. You can’t really go wrong with either at the moment (unless you really care about the PlayStation exclusives you can’t play anywhere else).

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

Ultimately, the Xbox Series X smoking videos seem to be an attempt to reignite the rumors that first appeared all the way back in September about the console’s overheating “issues.” Many sites mentioned the rumors in news pieces, including Den of Geek before we had any hands-on time with the console, but some journalists, like The Verge’s Tom Warren, were quick to point out their own experiences didn’t seem to match what was being spread online.

lots of people keep asking me about Xbox Series X heat. I’m under embargo. Just consider this, Microsoft wouldn’t send these consoles to 100s of journalists, streamers, and youtubers if they had heat issues. They just wouldn’t let people touch the console at all ¯_(ツ)_/¯

— Tom Warren (@tomwarren) October 6, 2020

“The console will output system heat out of the exhaust, just as any other console will,” Xbox general manager of marketing Aaron Greenberg explained at the time on Twitter. “Our engineering team confirmed the heat leaving the console is not significantly different than Xbox One X. This matches my experience at home quiet, fast & impressive power for the size.”

Perhaps one could make the argument that the Xbox team has opened itself up to these kinds of viral posts due to the way it’s already embraced the biggest memes making fun of the Xbox Series X’s design. Just take the Xbox Series X-shaped fridge as an example. It’s a lovely bit of viral marketing born out of a joke made during the console’s initial reveal that has likely emboldened people online to try make even more viral content for attention.

The difference between the fridge memes and a video of a console almost catching fire is that the latter isn’t very funny. Hopefully, we can go back to silly memes as well as serious conversations about each console’s actual merits now that we’ve passed the “Xbox Series X burns down house” phased of the discourse.

This isn’t to say that there won’t be any faulty consoles or any issues for some users in the next few weeks. It’s entirely possible that at least a few people will encounter a malfunction or two. But Xbox and PlayStation will have undoubtedly taken the necessary steps to avoid any widespread “red ring of death” scenarios.

For now, go enjoy your next-gen console. And be nice!

The post Why the Xbox Series X Smoking Videos Are a Poor Attempt to Reignite the Overheating Controversy appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/3eSMJVS

#aion-rsa #Den of Geek

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paranoidsbible · 7 years ago

Text

Windows 7 Special - Getting Ready

===Windows 7 Special -- Getting Ready===

Non-profit and free for redistribution Written on January 3rd | 2018 Published on January 3rd | 2018

For entertainment and research purposes only ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

DISCLAIMER The Paranoid's Bible and its writers hold no responsibility for the acts of others. The Paranoid’s Bible is for research and entertainment purposes only. Please visit our blog for more PDFs and information: http://www.paranoidsbible.tumblr.com/ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

===Preface===

Windows 7 is most likely the last semi-user-friendly operating system to be released by Microsoft. This is mostly due to the fact that, unlike 8 and 10, the end-user can still take control of most things and retain some form of freedom on this proprietary system. Minor tweaks and configurations aside, a truly dedicated user or someone who’s desperate can secure 7 to such a state that it can become a nightmare for forensic analysts.

The purpose of this series of guides is to give the users of 7 a taste of what it takes to truly secure and protect their privacy when using anything by Microsoft. Besides that, we also want to get the reader used to digging around and customizing an OS to their needs and wants.

We know many within the privacy communities will find this useless or to be some form of faux pas, however we’re writing this for the uninitiated in mind. Many curious parties don’t want to jump feet first in the privacy pool, ergo we allow them to grow at their own rate by helping them customize and learn about something that they already are using—Windows 7.

It should be noted though that this doesn’t mean the Free Software Movement should be ignored, nor should any Open Source projects. The more people that get involved and work within these communities means we can see more user friendly software that could, in time, come to challenge proprietary software companies.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

===7 and Anti-Forensics===

While we know that anything by Microsoft is extremely unsecure, easy to root through and obviously made for the 5-eyes in mind, it can be however, to some extent, secured and made to leave less traces than the norm. While anti-forensics on Windows to some is usually just running Ccleaner and modifying some settings and--depending on who's writing the guide -- some modifications to registry. Windows and anti-forensic is simply a chore and won't do much to stop a determined specialist from digging up your chat logs, embarrassing fan-fics (that you thought were deleted) and the fact that you masturbate to anthromorprhic animals with spiked penises and 12 foot long prehensile tongues.

This is why we must assume, when using Windows, that we’re being spied on. Due to it being so widely used and popular amongst gamers, however, Windows is a good system to use in an air-gap setup and as an introduction in securing an operating system. This is also why it’s good to be used as a main OS for your “average user” setup, thus lessening some potential questioning by family, friends, or coworkers.

Using Windows for day-to-day activities, like banking, playing games, downloading or streaming movies and shows should help you pollute any results or leaks on yourself with a healthy dose of garbage data that some poor schmuck will have to dig through for anything useful in court or to use against you. The reason for this is that Windows is simply used by a lot of people who don’t know much about computers, thus a lot of forensic analysts get used to simply plugging into or taking someone’s rig and doing a few sweeps.

Now, with a few modifications, due diligence, encryption and a few others things… you can keep a lot of traces and tracks off of Windows so if you do mess up, and suddenly the ABCs are banging on your door...they’ll be busy with your Windows rig while you have your other devices hidden somewhere else or simply not on site.

===Resources=== https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UKUSA_Agreement https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alphabet_agencies https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-computer_forensics ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

===Why You Need to Practice Anti-Forensic===

It’s almost as if it is human nature to lie, cheat and accuse others of what we, ourselves, are guilty of doing. This is one reason why people, even a normal civilian, should fear the witch hunts that can be born from a single accusation. Within the lies spun, stories, conspiracies and rumors are created from the ether that can destroy a person’s social life, way of life, and ultimately ostracize them from society at large.

Simply put: People will project what’s most true of themselves onto others.

The zealot with dirty thoughts will accuse of others of dirty thoughts.

The rapist, masquerading as a male feminist, will accuse other men (feminist or not) of being rapists.

The ultra-left-leaning activist will accuse all others of being bigoted, while they, themselves, are bigoted.

This means that anyone ranging from an activist to a leaker to a journalist or civilian need to lessen not only their digital footprints but also the tracks left on their personal devices. Sure, OPSEC and INFOSEC are great starts, however if, for whatever reason, someone decides to paint a scarlet letter on your back… you’ll be up a creek without a paddle whenever they decide to seize your personal devices and whatever other piece of technology they deem needed or suspicious.

Again, this is why you need to look into anti-forensics--just in case you're ever accused of something you haven't done or want known. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

===Everyone Assumes, so Don’t===

A lot of people working for the ABCs and law enforcement in general have an ego and tend to power trip. They think themselves more intelligent or more physically suited for whatever it is they do. This is a benefit to many because they believe everyone’s an “average internet user” that doesn’t know the difference between a monitor and tower.

Use this to your advantage when building a “sticky rig” and setting it up.

===Note:=== Sticky rig is a rig created for day-to-day use under the assumption that it'll be the one targeted in case of a seizure or warranted search. This is due to it being the one connected to the internet the most and the most stationary owned piece of tech.

These people think that your average hobbyist believes that moving and renaming files will somehow halt investigations. No, it’s true (http://www.forensicmag.com/article/2015/09/countering-anti-forensic-efforts-part-1). While, yes, a lot of uneducated users and posers exists who try to gain some sort of “cred” by spouting off some asinine techno-babble they learned from whatever CSI show is in flavor, (some of) the people who do forensic analysis believe this to be everyone else with a computer.

Like any wise tactician, you really should investigate the competition. If there are forensic white papers or some loud mouth’s personal website or blog that discusses these things—dig through it. This will help you counter some but not all methods being deployed to dig through a rig and tech. However don’t become an egotistical little snot like other people. While it helps to be confident and prepared it also helps to play into their hand and lay about several false positives for them dig through.

The real thing here is to waste their time, energy, money and resources. While there are legitimate anti-forensic methods, with any propriety software you’re just preventing the inevitable. So while it pays in time to layer up your security on all your rigs, don’t be too shocked if you mess up down the line and they seize your rig if you end up in a SHTF situation.

Generally, read up on the competition before thinking you’re in the green. These people have better toys than most and are paid to sit around all day finding ways to incriminate you even if you accidentally visited that underage Thai lady-boy escort site.

===Remember: === Some of these people are so egotistical that they’ll claim running Bleachbit or Ccleaner as being anti-forensic. Let that rumble around your mind for a bit—they think basic maintenance is anti-forensic.

===Resources=== https://belkasoft.com/countering-anti-forensic-efforts-part-2 http://www.forensicmag.com/article/2015/09/countering-anti-forensic-efforts-part-1 http://cyberforensicator.com/ https://belkasoft.com/ https://belkasoft.com/en/sqlite-analysis https://www.usenix.org/legacy/event/fast11/tech/full_papers/Wei.pdf ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

===Preparing your Rig===

So, the first thing you must realize is that you need to do this on a fresh/clean install meaning that you’ve recently just installed 7. Any version works, in a sense, however Ultimate edition (64 bit) is recommended simply because it’s easier to work with and comes packed with a few more goodies than other editions.

The second thing you’ll need to realize is that Microsoft is putting all of its eggs in 10; ergo support is ending or has ended for most other versions of Windows. This means you need to either get your hands on an OEM copy or a pirated edition. While we don’t recommend piracy, it’s the sad state of things when it comes to Microsoft.

Third, once it hits 2020 support for 7 officially ends. No more updates, fixes, patches or anything. After that, whatever was done is done and you’re up a creek. So, please, really look into an open source/free software operating system, soon.

Finally, old hardware (2009 or older) is king as many will claim from a privacy enthusiast’s point of view. A lot of new hardware is already infected with corporate or government code. This can’t be removed or cleansed, it just exists. We must assume it’ll always exist simply because we never know what’s fully done to proprietary hardware, and that even if a source is released not everyone will be digging through it for flaws or exploits (or even willing to make them public).

So, to recap: Look toward grabbing an OEM copy of Windows Ultimate 64, some 2009 or older hardware (Focus on AMD and a board that supports ddr2 sticks that maxes out at 8 to 16 gigs). Then, obviously, focus on passive cooling (heatsinks, high-end thermal paste, powerful fans…etc) to help lessen the drawbacks of heat. This way you can avoid most (government or corporate) infected hardware and not worry about it broadcasting things to whoever paid or threatened its makers into giving them access.

While, yes, you can use newer tech and build yourself up a pretty decent gaming rig... anything serious should be done on a rig created from older-tech taken from pre-used rigs purchased from rummage sales and/or second-hand shops, like Goodwill or what have you. The other thing to remember is that if you purchase hardware off the net, there'll always exist the chance of a 3rd party tampering with it, government agents or not, in order to spy on you or infect your system or another party you share a network with.

=== Tip #1: === Use a hardwired connection, none of that wireless crap. This applies for anything, actually.

=== Tip #2: === Really research your choice of motherboard before committing to a build. The reason for this is that some boards' bios can be customized with unlocked/custom roms. This could potentially be helpful in the long run.

===Tip #3: === Don’t use SSD. Those things hold a lot information even after secured deletion and a wiping. Keep to platter drives like SATA or IDE. Not as powerful and modern but a good trade off for making a forensic geek work for their keep.

===Tip #4:=== Towers can be safely ordered online.

===Resources === https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/05/intels-management-engine-security-hazard-and-users-need-way-disable-it https://www.guidingtech.com/67821/microsoft-support-end-windows-7-8-10/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passive_cooling https://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2014/05/12/greenwald-nsa-plants-backdoors-in-foreign-bound-routers/ https://www.wired.com/2013/09/nsa-router-hacking/ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

===Air-Gapping and You===

While the civilian version isn't as involved or complicated (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_gap_(networking)), air-gapping is a major part of any anti-forensic plan. Simply restricting computers to specific tasks and keeping them unplugged when not in use can reduce a huge amount of potential traces from ever being made. This may seem like a waste of space, resources and time however in the long run it is a gift from heaven, especially when you take into account that it means less maintenance for you, which roughly translates to less wear and tear on your hardware.

You don't need to waste a lot of money, nor do have to reduce several rigs to a single task. The form of air-gapping that we're going to discuss is a dumb-downed version meant to help you reduce your tracks but also to reduce your overall potential for screwing up.

An example of this form of air-gapping works as thus:

- A more powerful rig/system used specifically for gaming, streaming and other intensive things like watching videos on YouTube.

- A similar rig as the above use specifically for editing of art, video or for similar projects (note: Usually seen as a burner rig/disposable rig if used for activism, protest, dissent or similar items).

- A lower-end rig meant for doing online shopping, banking, taxes and similar items.

- A memory intensive rig to serve as a "storage" rig, usually using RAID, for things like photos, videos and other items (note: these storage rigs are usually used for non-threatening or volatile items. E.G: Family photos, home videos, documents, tax backups...etc). This rig will always be disconnected from the internet and any network.

- A burner/throwaway top (Netbook or laptop) used for a variety of things, like dispersing content for activism, propaganda or for other similar purposes (or even nefarious means).

- A burner/throwaway top (Netbook or laptop) used for poon-vanning, which roughly translates to a disposable laptop and a series of high-capacity USBs used to leech off of open or unsecured WiFi networks to download pornographic content (note: can be applied to pirating parties or raids where a person uses the above to download music or movies).

- If you use Social Media, a burner top should be used.

- Printers should be bought in cash and from rummage sales. The cash only principle applies for printer ink and paper (Note: Printers have code that can show from what printer something was printed).

While basically compartmentalization, doing the above with the items we'll be discussing in the following guides should help you cut down on not only tracks but also resource waste. We've seen some people achieve boot-up times that are just under 10 seconds. This all depends on hardware and how well you maintain your system, however we'll discuss maintenance at a later date, but for now... move onto the next chapter.

===Remember=== If using a burner top, always turn it off and remove the battery before returning to your home. This doesn't mean do it in the garage or a block away. You need to do it right off the bat, ideally a few blocks away from your original starting location (which should be a few miles away from your home) when you first started to download or upload.

===Resources:=== https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Printer_steganography ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

===Mirroring===

While this chapter will discuss what mirroring is, we won't go into detail on how to do it, yet. That'll be done within another guide, however for now we feel its pertinent to bring up the fact that an un-discussed and often overlooked step of anti-forensics is knowing when to ditch your current HD for something a little fresher.

This is where mirroring comes in to serve as what some will call a time saving method. It's quite simple, actually. You get up to a certain point in preparing the OS, usually after Windows updates and installing your drivers and maintenance related programs. From there, after your first (or second) cleanup and optimization, you use any 3rd party software you like and mirror your HD's current state to one or more backup HDs.

This way, if you ever want to remove your current HD, for any reason what so ever, all you have to do is backup a series of miscellaneous files and transfer them to one of your mirrored HDs. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

===Recommended Programs===

As it says, recommended programs that we’ll list in an alphabetical order with a short description. This is what we’ve used on our test rigs and have found to work nicely. You may deviate as you may have your own.

The rule of thumb here is to replace 7’s default or built-in programs with others that work better or more open and free to use. Others are useful in their own ways, however you should only download and install what you believe you need.

The less programs installed means the less information you generate.

===Remember:=== Download and place on a USB. This way you'll have them on hand whenever needed.

===Note:=== Always download offline installers where you can, and to also always install your programs offline. Read through everything carefully, ensuring you uncheck/disable any extra-options like a program trying to force-install Chrome.

---Archivers\Unpackers:--- You only need one.

7 Zip: Unpack all the archives, also open source. http://www.7-zip.org/

---Antimalware & Anti-virus:--- Download the free versions, not the demos. Set all services to manual or disabled until you need to update and/or run scans.

Adaware SE: A multi-scan program that detects malware and some viruses. https://www.adaware.com/antivirus

Emsisoft Emergency Kit: Should remove most possible infections and other malicious items. https://www.emsisoft.com/en/software/eek/

Malwarebytes: Became somewhat more businesslike than before, still good. https://www.malwarebytes.com/

Malwarebytes Anti-Rootkit: You’ll probably need this. https://www.malwarebytes.com/antirootkit/

Spybot S&E: Has trouble finding some infections, however their immunization’s great. https://www.safer-networking.org/

Spyware Blaster: Immunize your computer from potential threats. https://www.brightfort.com/spywareblaster.html

---Anti-Spying:--- Stop spying and tweak settings. Always read the documentation. If it doesn’t need to update, block

Ancile: Spiritual successor of Aegis. https://bitbucket.org/ancile_development/ancile/downloads/

BeCyPDFMetaEdit: Purge meta-data from PDFs. http://www.becyhome.de/becypdfmetaedit/description_eng.htm

Blackbird: Similar to Ancile, should be ran after Ancile. http://www.getblackbird.net/

Destroy Windows 10 Spying: Redundant but still useful. https://github.com/Nummer/Destroy-Windows-10-Spying/releases

GWX Control Panel: Redundant but still good to have on hand. http://ultimateoutsider.com/downloads/

JPEG & PNG Stripper: Drag & Drop an image file or an entire folder, remove meta. http://www.steelbytes.com/?mid=30

Keyscrambler: Encrypt your keystrokes. https://www.qfxsoftware.com/

Ultimate Windows Tweaker: Redundant as most can be done by hand, still useful for the lazy. http://www.thewindowsclub.com/ultimate-windows-tweaker-v2-a-tweak-ui-for-windows-7-vista

XnView: A bit of an editor, better used to remove meta from images. https://www.xnview.com/en/

XP-AntiSpy: Automate some configs, easier to do for those with little time. https://xp-antispy.org/en/about/

X-setup PRO: Redundant and deprecated, still useful http://www.majorgeeks.com/files/details/x_setup_pro.html

Windows Access Panel: Lazy man’s toy, keep on hand. http://www.thewindowsclub.com/windows-access-panel-for-windows-7-vista

Windows Privacy Tweaker: Can do VIA manual configurations, still good to have on hand. https://www.phrozen.io/page/windows-privacy-tweaker

---Browsers:--- Surf the net.

Firefox: Was good, slowly becoming crap. https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/

TOR Browser: Best known for use by TORpedos, good for other things than the ugly. https://www.torproject.org/

---Cleaners & General Maintenance:--- Clean temp files, misc files, registry files and other misc items. Can repair some minor items, too. Only update by going to the programs sites, never allow it to auto-update

Bleachbit: Gets some things Ccleaner doesn’t. https://www.bleachbit.org/

Ccleaner: Bought up by Avast, however still useful. https://www.piriform.com/ccleaner/download

Clean After Me: Clean up some tough items, good for the lazy. http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/clean_after_me.html

Doc Scrubber: Purge meta data in documents. https://www.brightfort.com/downloads.html

Java Ra: Clean up crap left by Java installs. Fix and tweak some things, use it to uninstall and clean it up fully before installing the latest copy. https://singularlabs.com/software/javara/

Little Registry Cleaner: As it says on the box, however misses some items. https://sourceforge.net/projects/littlecleaner/

MRU-Blaster: Cleans quite a bit more than Privazer. https://www.brightfort.com/downloads.html

MV Regclean 7.0: Cleans registry. Disable its internet connection. http://www.velasco.com.br/produto.php?uid=0

MyDefrag/JkDefrag: Better than windows’ built in, has some decent advantages and even optimizes the system. http://www.majorgeeks.com/files/details/mydefrag.html

Ncleaner: Read the documentation and double check the settings you choose. Some setting tweaking, ignore their “Warning: blah blah setting”. http://www.majorgeeks.com/files/details/ncleaner.html

Privazer: Pretty decent and gets a whole lot of things cleaned in one swoop. Set everything for max privacy and at three wipes. https://privazer.com/

Privazer Shellbag Cleaner: Outdated but useful since the above doesn’t fully clean them. https://privazer.com/download-shellbag-analyzer-shellbag-cleaner.php

Steam Cleaner: Clean up all those junk files from Steam games. https://github.com/Codeusa/SteamCleaner/releases/

System Ninja: Removes a lot of files others miss. https://singularlabs.com/software/system-ninja/

TFC: Cleans Temp Files. https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/download/tfc/

Tron Script: Glorified batch files, helps automated things for cleaning. https://www.reddit.com/r/TronScript/comments/72gk69/tron_v1024_20140925_fix_ccleaner_vulnerability/

USB Oblivion: Remove traces of USB devices. https://sourceforge.net/projects/usboblivion/

Wise Cleaner: Gets a lot of things others don't, however be aware that the WinSxs backup option shouldn't be checked/enabled. http://www.wisecleaner.com/wise-registry-cleaner.html

Wise Registry Cleaner: Similar to the other two recommended reg cleaners, however catches things others don't. http://www.wisecleaner.com/wise-disk-cleaner.html

---Diagnostic:--- Benchmark, generate reports, check some items and become increasingly bothered by that random .dll

Belarc Advisor: Security auditor for Windows. https://www.belarc.com/products_belarc_advisor

Cports: Network monitoring made easy. http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/cports.html

Executed Programs List: Use to ensure settings stick, if files are shown here you’ll need to make adjustments. http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/executed_programs_list.html

Last Activity View: A good way to gauge if settings stick besides showing you things that need adjusting. http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/computer_activity_view.html

MUI Cache View: Use to view MUI items, can also purge them from here. http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/muicache_view.html

Nmap: A pretty straightforward and easy to use (Once you learn how) network mapper/scanner. https://nmap.org/

Open Save Files View: Use to ensure settings stick, will show what files you opened if the settings aren’t adjusted. http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/open_save_files_view.html

System Internals: A multitude of decent programs like Autoruns. Good to have on hand when doing some digging and diagnostics https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/sysinternals-suite

Turned on Times View: Another useful tool, lets you know when you’ve turned your rig on and off. http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/computer_turned_on_times.html

User Assist View: Yet another tool to use to gauge info on your rig http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/userassist_view.html

---Firewall:--- As it says on the box, Joe. Only need one.

Comodo: Free firewall, upsets the CIA due to its paranoid mode. https://www.comodo.com/

---IM & Chat:---

Mumble: Voice chat program that's open source, good alternative for the others. https://wiki.mumble.info/wiki/Main_Page

Pidgin: Simple program that allows you run multiple chat instances, like Skype, IRC or whatever else is supported (If you need to use something like Skype, this is a good alternative). https://pidgin.im/

TOX: Simple IM that offers end-to-end encryption that you route through TOR. https://tox.chat/

---Media players:--- Only need the two, really.

Combined Community Codec Package: Better to just use this to avoid anything odd or malicious when trying to get things to play. http://www.cccp-project.net/

Foobar2000: Foobar is love, Foobar is life. https://www.foobar2000.org/

Windows 7 GIF Viewer: Get back your .gif viewing ability, also returns a false positive. http://www.goofwear.com/windows/

---Preventative:--- As it says on the box, prevent things.

Hostman: Lazy-man's solution to editing, updating and managing host files on Windows. http://www.abelhadigital.com/hostsman

Peerblock: Think of it as a meta-firewall that allows you to block IPs VIA lists, whether you download them or make your own. https://code.google.com/archive/p/peerblock/downloads

Winpatrol: Monitors your system for changes, and also alerts you about said changes. https://www.winpatrol.com/

---Text editor & Word processor:--- Simple text editors, good replacements for Word and Office.

Notepad 2: Notepad replacement, decent enough for editing and fixing code even. http://www.flos-freeware.ch/notepad2.html

That's about it, however you can find more @ https://paranoidsbible.tumblr.com/RP ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

===Drivers and other Software You'll want on Hand===

One other thing to remember when installing Windows is that you'll need quite a few drivers to ensure everything's running as it should be, which usually translates to having an ungodly amount of versions of XNA framework and Visual C++ runtimes. While not exactly needed, to some extent, it does pay in dividends to download and keep several copies on hand of not only your hardware's drivers but some of the 3rd party software usually needed by games or other applications.

First and foremost, do research into your hardware. Look at manuals and use a program like CPU-Z to get the information you need, usually just names and version numbers. It's really important to also do your research on whether or not you should update, as some so-called "updates" can actually make your system unstable or brick it.

So, to recap: RESEARCH! RESEARCH! RESEARCH!

Your first step should be to find the appropriate drivers for your audio and graphics chipsets/cards. From there, double-check your hardware's documentation to see what other drivers you made need. You'll want to be doing this before setting up and working on your new rig. Finally, you'll most likely need the below software, especially if you're going to try using anything like games.

===Note: === Go ahead and get your latest bios, in case, however really do look into if you need to update or not. Screwing up bios can brick your rig.

.NET Framework: Another common 3rd party software games usually need or want. https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=21 https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=17718

Direct X: You should know about this by now. https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=35

Flash: Should be dead by now, honestly. https://www.adobe.com/support/flashplayer/debug_downloads.html

===Note:=== Just grab the Flash Player Projector if you really need to play or goof around with any .SWF files. Use a download add-on for Firefox to grab games or whatever it is you're looking for or want.

Java: A true horror story. https://www.java.com/en/download/

===Note:=== Download the latest offline installer. Never let it connect to the internet, nor should you let it auto-update. Use Java Ra to uninstall it before installing the latest version. Run Java Ra again to clean up random junk Java creates.

OpenAL: OpenAL is a cross-platform 3D audio API, used in games and other software. Grab both the Windows installer and SDK. https://www.openal.org/downloads/

PhysX: NVIDIA PhysX is a physics engine. http://www.nvidia.com/object/physx-9.17.0524-driver.html

Visual C ++: The demonic bastard from Microsoft that almost every game tries to install, especially if you download something from Steam. https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/2977003/the-latest-supported-visual-c-downloads

===Note:=== You'll want to grab all Win 7 supported downloads, specifically offline installers if they have them. You'll want mostly 64 bit, however a few games or applications will force 32 bit on their own. Don't fret, they'll usually push those versions themselves.

XNA Framework: Microsoft XNA is a freeware set of tools. https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=15163 https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=20914

===Note:=== Very rarely will you actually need the above. The same applies to anything before 3.1. Just grab the two above (3.1 and 4.0) to be on the safe side.

===Updates to make Windows Updates Work:===

===Notes:=== Ensure you get the proper versions for your OS (E.G: x64)

KB3102810: Speedup WU and increases its speed. https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=49540

KB3112343: Fixes. https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=50031

KB3138612: More fixes. https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=51212

KB4019990: More fixes. Choose the appropriate version. https://www.catalog.update.microsoft.com/Search.aspx?q=KB4019990

WindowsUpdateAgent-7.6-x64: Updates the client. Choose the appropriate version. https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/3138612/windows-update-client-for-windows-7-and-windows-server-2008-r2-march-2 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

===Afterword====

This is honestly just a quick primer to ensure you're prepared to what you're getting into and making sure you get your hardware and software prepared for what's to come. Once done with this, take a break, then start formulating your game plan. You're going to want to ensure that you've gotten all your software in order and backed up on a USB or two before even thinking about installing Windows 7. The reason for this is to ensure you're not scrambling and downloading anything while unprotected.

Before you move onto the next guide, please head over to https:// www.speedtest.net and record your net's download speed. This will be used for a later guide.

#windows 7 #anti forensic #paranoid's bible #privacy #infosec

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theforbiz · 5 years ago

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PlayStation 5 (PS5): Release Date, Specification & Price

Sony has confirmed that the PS5 is on the way. We tell you everything you need to know, from release date and price rumors to confirmed specifications and available games.

The PlayStation 4 continues to work well, especially thanks to the revitalization of the Slim, Pro and PlayStation VR models, which has expanded the gaming potential of the console, along with a wide range of fantastic titles that keep entertaining.

However, the PS4 is slowly approaching the end of its lifecycle and details are beginning to emerge about its long-awaited replacement.

Sony invited several media outlets to attend their California headquarters so they could see what to expect from the new generation of consoles. Some impressive results from a first version of the device were shown at the event, including a new CPU and GPU and the inclusion of an incredibly fast SSD that almost made loading times a thing of the past.

Since then, the Wired outlet has also released an exclusive on more console details, including hardware specs and, more excitingly, an official release date, while a patent leak gives us our first look at the next generation of DualShock 5 controllers.

We have all the details here, so read on if you want to know more about the new PlayStation 5.

When will the PS5 go on sale?

Sony has now confirmed that the 2020 holiday season would be the official launch date for the PS5, and yes, the company has also confirmed the PS5 as the official name (thank goodness).

We also now have a logo, the only thing Sony announced for the PS5 during its keynote address at CES 2020.

As we suspected, this puts it directly online to compete with Microsoft’s next-generation Xbox Series X, which will launch in the run-up to Christmas 2020. The battle for next-gen consoles is coming.

As for the full hardware reveal, there are a couple of rumors floating around the web right now. A rumor that the PS5 would be revealed at an event in New York on February 5, but obviously that did not happen.

“God of War” developer David Jaffe has also suggested that it will arrive in February, though later in the month. In fact, the developer claimed it would be revealed at an event on February 13 … which also didn’t happen. So basically nobody seems to know.

While Sony hasn’t revealed exactly when during the launch of “Holiday 2020” we should expect to see the console, but people seem excited by a tweet from Twitter user @PSErebus. By the count, the PS5 will supposedly be released on November 20, 2020 in the United States, and will cost $ 499.

Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) will launch PlayStation®5 (PS5

) in several countries in the holiday season of 2020 and will make PlayStation®5 (PS5

) available in North America on November 20, 2020 at a recommended retail price (RRP) of $ 499 pic.twitter.com/fe4jKlHmrH

The alleged price and release date sound realistic, and the Twitter user has a track record after correctly predicting the release date of the original The Last of Us 2, but we recommend that you take it more as a prediction than as objective data. .

It is not the only claim the Twitter user has made, as he has since tweeted that PS5 pre-orders will be available from March 5, not February as some rumors suggest.

One last thing to keep in mind: don’t expect to know more about the new console at this year’s E3 event. Sony has already confirmed that it is once again going to skip the biggest gaming fair of the year, so we won’t see any PS5 news there.

How much will the new PlayStation cost?

Without knowing exactly what is on offer, it is impossible to predict exactly how much the PS5 will cost. Taking into account that the PS2 that costs around 239 Euros, the PS3 425 and the PS4 365 pounds sterling, we can only assume that Sony will keep its price around 400 Euros.

The inclusion of a new generation of CPU and GPU, along with an internal SSD, could mean that it could be a little more expensive than we are used to.

However, due to the changing nature of the gaming landscape, Sony may not attempt to make money from the sale of its consoles at all, and may simply introduce it to as many homes as possible, and may be dependent on the sale of gaming after-sales services to generate income throughout the life cycle of each console.

What will the PS5 be like?

A LetsGoDigital report claims to have found a patent application for a console device with a V-shaped design. The website compares the patent application with another similar application from the PS4 in Brazil, as evidence that it could be a patent for the PS5. You can take a look at the patent in the next photo.

The patent application indicates that the designer of the unknown device is Yusuhiro Ootori, Sony’s technical director. The V could be in reference to the Roman number V, which is number five.

Obviously, this could be a design that the company does not end up using. It is indeed very different from the classic design of the PS4, and actually reminds us much more of the original Xbox that had an X-shaped design.

If this is not finally the design of the PS5, some of the conceptual images found on the web may be closer to its final design.

The PlayStation Now streaming service and digital downloads could be enough to remove the discs, so it could also be a more compact device.

Below we show an image of a conceptual design that we have found surfing the net.

What features will the PS5 have?

youtube

The PS5 will feature a CPU and GPU made by AMD.

The CPU is based on AMD’s third generation Ryzen series, and will contain 8 cores in the company’s new 7nm Zen 2 microarchitecture.

The GPU will be a variation of the Radeon Navi family and will support ray tracing, a graphics technology that allows for a more realistic rendering of the light path within a game, allowing for precise reflections in water and deeper shadows and with greater responsiveness.

Ray tracing technology was originally released by Nvidia with the launch of its RTX cards at Gamescom 2018, and you can see its effects in the following video.

The hardware upgrade most requested by developers and gamers alike is the SSD (Solid State Drive). As the games grow and the graphics improve, more and more of the hardware that stores the games is required.

The event showcased an early prototype of the future console that demonstrated the difference in loading times using the 2018 Spiderman title as an example. The fast travel feature requires the console to load a whole new environment, and on a PS4 this took almost 15 seconds, while on the new prototype console it took 0.8 seconds.

This massive increase in data transfer speed also allows developers to create experiences in which a character can move through a detailed world much faster than is currently possible.

Currently, Spiderman can only move around the world at its maximum belt speed because the console cannot build the world around it faster.

The demo showed a character moving at a speed closer to that of a fighter jet, with pauses to show the detailed world that was being loaded despite how fast the character was moving. This really opens up a lot of possibilities for the future of gambling.

The new AMD chip will also contain a custom drive for 3D audio, allowing for much more immersive audio as you can clearly hear sounds from all directions. This will be available through all speakers, but the gold standard will always be through headphones for the best audio experience.

The PSVR headphones will also be compatible with the new console and, being built on an architecture similar to the PS4, there will be a transition period in which titles will be released on both systems. It will also be compatible with previous versions so you can play PS4 titles on the latest generation console.

It is said that hardware will also be needed, despite the fact that the industry is undoubtedly shifting towards digital delivery methods and even a console-free experience will make streaming video game services like Google’s Stadia.

Will the PS5 offer support for VR (Virtual Reality)?

Sony has confirmed that the RV will be an essential part of its next-gen console, which won’t come as much of a surprise. However, we don’t have firm details on what exactly the strategy will look like as Sony is keeping it firmly under wraps for now.

The current PSVR headphones will be compatible with the latest generation console, so you won’t have to buy a new one. However, we would be surprised if at some point a new generation of headphones did not appear to make use of the new level of hardware that appears in the next console.

Will it be portable like the Nintendo Switch?

One of the other important questions surrounding the PS5 is whether Sony will follow in Nintendo’s footsteps and launch a handheld / home console hybrid like the Nintendo Switch.

There are some precedents, of course: Sony has previously released both the PlayStation Portable and the PlayStation Vita, and the latter can even connect to the PS4 and be used as a display and remote control for games.

Still, the disappointing sales of the Vita mean that Sony is unlikely to have much of an appetite to return to the handheld market. Also, the PS4’s current dominance is due in part to its position as the most powerful console on the market – we can’t see Sony making the kind of trade-offs for the specs necessary for the portable form factor to work.

However, John Kodera’s comments from May 2018 suggest that this idea could also be on the table. In an interview with Bloomberg, Kodera said:

“In my opinion, instead of separating portable games from consoles, it is necessary to continue thinking of them [portable games] as a method to offer more gaming experiences and explore what our customers want from notebooks. We want to think about many options”.

What video games for PS5 have been confirmed?

While we can speculate on many PS5 games – God of War 2 seems likely, and surely Spider-Man 2 – there are only two really confirmed so far: Godfall and Outriders.

Godfall, the Borderlands Gearbox publisher’s “looting” fantasy, was announced at the Game Awards 2019 and looks likely to be a launch title, with a “Holiday 2020” release date. It is an exclusive for the PS5 console, without the launch for Xbox yet, but it will also come to the PC. Check out the launch trailer right here:

youtube

Outriders is more of a People Can Fly looter-shooter game, but at least it does have a proper gameplay trailer that you can watch, though note that it was captured from PC, not from PS5.

youtube

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gamerscenters-blog · 5 years ago

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3 Reasons to buy PS5 and 5 Reasons to shop for a PS4 Pro

Should I expect the PS5 or buy a PS4 Pro today?

This is often a matter that I hear from friends, family,and coworkers and it’s something I can assist you with too. Now that we recognize a number of the foremost important PS5 specs and a few PS5 features it should also add up to attend, especially with a 2020 PS5 release date demonstrated and new controller details. It’s still a protracted wait, and if you don’t have already got a modern-day gaming console it would even be too long, but I’m avoiding for the PS5 and sticking with a PS4 for now.

I’ll stroll through what you wish to remember of before you create the choice to get a brand new console this 12 months or expect the PlayStation 5 launch date in 2020 and new features.

It’s handy to urge sucked into ready for following huge thing, just like the PS5, and there are some good reasons to attend, however it’s nonetheless a protracted time if you don’t a minimum of very own a model of the modern-day console generation.

The PS4 is almost six years ancient and also the PS4 Pro is three years old. The Xbox One X arrived about two years ago and is about for a replacement by using Xbox Project Scarlett in 2020 further.

One thing is needless to say, 2020 goes to be an enormous yr for console updates, but they're all occurring late within the year, so you have got a lengthy wait ahead. That’s one cause many shippers have to be compelled to reflect onconsideration on the PS4 Pro.

I’ll stroll through what you wish to remember of before you create the choice to get a brand new console this 12 months or expect the PlayStation 5 launch date in 2020 and new features.

It’s handy to urge sucked into ready for following huge thing, just like the PS5, and there are some

good reasons to attend, however it’s nonetheless a protracted time if you don’t a minimum of very own a model of the modern-day console generation.

The PS4 is almost six years ancient and also the PS4 Pro is three years old. The Xbox One X arrived about two years ago and is about for a replacement by using Xbox Project Scarlett in 2020 further. One thing is needless to say, 2020 goes to be an enormous yr for console updates, but they're all occurring late within the year, so you have got a lengthy wait ahead. That’s one cause many shippers have to be compelled to reflect on consideration on the PS4 Pro.

PS5 Release Date Information:- Sony established the PS5 launch date as Holiday 2020. there's no precise date, however this probable means early November. The last two predominant PlayStation launches took area on November fifteenth for the PS4 and PS4 Pro. We see pre-orders begin previously within the year, probably in May or June 2020.

PS5 Specs & Features:-

Sony jumps out beforehand of Microsoft with an early seem at the PlayStation 5 specs and PlayStation 5 features in an distinct interview with Wired.

within the interview, we study that one in all the features isn't any loading time, made feasible with wonderful specs. We also analyze that following PlayStation may additionally now not be called the PlayStation 5 or PS5, however we’re sticking with this name until we research more. With the little print arriving previous E3 2019, you'll expect to envision Sony put attentiveness on games at that match and avoid hardware talk. It’s also clear that the PS5 is not coming this year.

PS5 Specs

CPU: eight core AMD Ryzen based totally on 7nm Zen 2

GPU: Radeon Navi Base Raytracing

3D Audio Supports

8K Resolution Backwards Compatible (PS4)

Supports Physical Media SSD

PS5 Features These specs close to point out us a number of the PS5 features. With the SSD, you'll assume to envision load times drop dramatically. Sony confirmed Wired a PS4 Pro where it took 15 seconds to load a Spider-Man speedy travel so did the identical on an early dev package on low velocity and also the identical load time was once 0.8 seconds — that’s roughly 15X faster. We also understand that the new PS5 controller will use haptic remarks as another of a conventional Rumble. Wired reports that this will translate feelings of the track in Gran Turismo and shifting thru water to the thumbsticks.

We also understand that there's a better speaker within the controller and developers and adjust the resistance of the triggers to alter the anxiety for the duration of the sport. The PS5 is additionally succesful of aiding 8K graphics. While there aren’t that several 8K TVs out there yet, this may downscale to 4K and even 1080P like modern consoles can. this is often a future proofing feature which will possibly pay off within the long-standing time,

however it may well be very steeply-priced on day one. With Ray Tracing, the PS5 are in an exceedingly position to provide super snap shots resembling what you see on high quit gaming PCS. The video above indicates off Battlefield V with Ray Tracing, which are some things you just can’t get on the PS4. You can also assume to play your favored PS4 games, potentially with some aid for older PS3 games, however PS4 is a minimum of confirmed. You We also get 3D Audio which is able to permit you to immerse your self within the sport in new ways and acquire higher positional information. You can experience it with any headphones via viewing the video below. While there's loads of validated PS5 information, we still don’t comprehend everything. There are rumors of upper PS VR competencies and potentially a brand new controller. The PS5 might want to return with a brand new Horizon Zero Dawn installment, The Last of Us:Part 2, FIFA 21, Madden 21 and arrive in time to urge following Call of Duty Black Ops game. We don’t have any small print on the potential PS5 price, however with the proven information, do now not anticipate it to be cheap. With all of this in mind, this is often why you expect the PS5, and why you need to move into advance and buy a PS4 or PS4 Pro in 2019.

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heytheredevlopr-blog · 6 years ago

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10+ Best Reasons to Get Excited for Samsung Galaxy Fold 2

Samsung's second galaxy fold is now literally on the horizon and is looking so good that it might just be a day one switch from me here at the top six reasons why still as 2 things that have ME pretty upset the initial.

Galaxy fold what I've been using for a month now is a book a fern that folds out horizontally to make one large tablet displays the fold too is looking like it's gonna be a clamshell a fern that starts smaller and falls out vertically to make a normal-sized phone and that's a really good thing it'll mean a device that's way less large however additional significantly one that solves the ratio drawback see with the book type issue if you've 2 halves that area unit quite tall folding them outwards is gonna result is basically a square and a square is just not good for 90% of content movies games and most phone apps are designed to work on rectangular displays with a clamshell tho' as we have seen with the new Motorola Razr you'll be able to have a tiny low square screen on the front and that is fine as a result of the main screen on the within are tall a touch taller than we're wont to however that is much better than being too wide robot Authority. Recently did a poll on individuals's favorite folding and therefore the Motorola RAZR got regarding doubly as several votes because the Galaxy fold people just like the clamshell style of the razor and even off that group of people who picked the Galaxy to fold some of them only did so just because it's a better SPECT phone if you think about it the Galaxy fold too should have the best of both worlds the clamshell design of the razor and quite possibly even better specs than the original fold also this is a refined purpose however i feel the clamshell are some things that encompasses a higher likelihood of initiating sales-wise as a result of individuals area unit or deeds subconsciously aware of the concept 15 years ago nobody would have even questioned what the purpose of a flip phone was it was accepted and so if Samsung can come in with the flip phone reinvented i feel it's a neater sell then welcome to the book for reading then we have got one UI to Samsung's really named however fantastically redesigned little bit of code which is gonna help all of their phones but in particular this foldable you've got standard all-round improvements like less intrusive notifications and even smarter dock mode that works across more applications and simply typically additional customization however a giant focus here has been reaching ability if we have a tendency to area unit about to see this super tall show on the within of the next fold this update could not have come back at a more robust time.

It'll all of these UI components your fingers really want to act with nearer to the lowest to cut back the quantity of reaching you wish to try to you would possibly already know this galaxy fold uses a plastic show in spite of everything once glass gets super skinny it loses a great deal of its structural strength and simply typically as a cloth glass is not very bent friendly but it looks like.

Samsung has found how a neighborhood glass provider referred to as dawn sees I feel has opposed idli developed thereforelution|an answer} that's ultra-slim sturdy and versatile so this might be BIC one of the primaries criticisms of the first fold is its display it scratches easily and it's got this massive crease going down the middle now I never personally thought it had been a deal-breaker I got accustomed the crease pretty quickly however whenever I share this phone to some other person

it's one among the primary things they suggests in order that reasonably speaks for itself anyway this glass answer may solve each scratching and creasing issues promptly a lot of those reports i have been reading square measure inform towards the show size on fault to being six-point seven inches that is nice in my expertise with current phone thickness and edge size this can be concerning as huge as you'll be able to go whereas still being usable however I may see why this can be not a profit to everybody you may argue that there's one thing special concerning having the ability to hold around a seven-plus in. show therein smaller kind issue it's going to in all probability even be a hole-punch screen, not a full uninterrupted panel and this can avoid wasting thickness versus having to use a motorized pop-up for the front camera however speaking of cameras the particular camera Hardware on these Samsung flagships it hasn't had a significant push since the galaxy s7 one thing has reasonably favored style enhancements over camera upgrades that is getting ready to amendment in 2020 consistent with code found within the Samsung camera app they are already performing on a firm which will shoot not simply 8k video the 108 megapixel photos and this might line up dead with past leaks but also the fact that Samsung has actually launched a 108 megapixel sensor it's already a very real thing assuming then that the next the fold will still be positioned as a high-end device as a decent likelihood it's about to take pleasure in this - conjointly if you simply count the number of cameras on the initial fold you get 6 for 6 cameras and at any one time you're only ever using a maximum of three you've got one selfie camera for when you're using the front screen - selfie cameras for once you are victimization the most screen and 3 cameras at the rear it's simply a small amount inefficient they've effectively engineered constant camera system twice just so you can take selfies in both folded and unfolded positions which increase cost and thickness if they can find a way on this new fold to have just one camera. The system that you can use to take selfies while the phone is folded and then rear photos well unfolded that would be game-changing it would mean they could pour their entire resource pool into only one set of cameras rather than scattering their resources over 3 sets which you'll be able to take not simply mind-blowing rear shots however also selfies with constant quality and speaking of quality.

I'm extremely attempting to up the sport on YouTube thus if you may subscribe that will be wonderful currently it's wanting just like the second Galaxy fold isn't reaching to be a traditional successor and in fact instead of going up in price something is supposedly coming down if I had to guess I'd say around $1500 compared to 2,000 for this one there have been a full range of reports concerning this recently however the one factor I did notice that backs it up is that the proven fact that the code name of the second fold was leaked as being SMF 700 which if true suggests it would fit below the existing SMF 900 fold because this is such a new category of devices Samsung may be still figuring out where the fold fits in its lineup I can say one thing for sure at $2,000 there is no way the original fold was shipping at high volume numbers and so considering the incredible amount of R&D that would have gone into making this thing there's a good chance at the company's current foldable ventures of running at a loss, of course, it alone takes one hit product to turn all that around and The Fault too could very well be the one and what makes me especially hopeful is that Samsung has been in this situation before their original Galaxy S was seen by many people is just a cheap iPhone different however the Galaxy s2 that came next cemented its place as a real rival Samsung's initial incurvate phone the Galaxy spherical was an entire flop however it sealed the means for his or her future incurvate endeavors that while not universally wanted are a giant hit the corporate has quite developed a name for bouncing back okay two things i'm disturbed concerning and i am not talking concerning things sort of a lack of a earpiece jack or lack of water the resistance i believe these things are pretty major first of all as I mentioned very likely Samsung will make the fall to a cheaper phone but it still needs to have the absolute best specifications it's got to have the most recent chipset it's got to possess lots of RAM we tend to already expect these items from traditional flagships so what i am expression that this versatile kind issue can't come at the cost of performance now the the reason I am particularly worried about this is because Motorola thinks that it can they've discharged a firm that appears heaps like what Samsung has planned however they've opted for a few underwhelming hardware it's flower 710 chip 128 gigabytes of non expandable storage any 5-megapixel selfie camera the second thing is battery there's going to be a massive the trade-off here because I have no doubt that if this thing does eventually come out the manner, one thing goes to promote it one amongst the most commerce points goes to be that you simply will fold it up and it will be pocket-sized and so supported this and also the proven fact that Samsung incorporates a little bit of a name for giving merely enough battery there is a probability they will do constant here and give it merely enough battery so at the purpose of shopping for it once it's latest it's going to last a full day then again six months of serious use down one line you'll probably be reaching for the charger at 6 p.m. whilst I welcome a cheaper phone I think the for two needs to be in everything phone with pro users in mind, not a sleek-looking mid-range phone with a cool foldable gimmick function over form to put another way I would also add to this as a third minor concern that there is a the rumor that Samsung's also gonna put an S Pen inside of this thing and I don't think this is a particularly smart move the way I look at it is this you could see some customers as a Venn the diagram you've got people who want an S Pen in one circle and people who want a foldable in another circle and already both of these circles are fairly small these are niche ones but if something makes one flexible phone and this also is an S Pen focus device then they're catering primarily for just this tiny the overlap here for everyone else you're just getting a smaller battery a little bit extra cost and yet another thing that's going to drain your battery so that's the next fold it'll probably be announced March to April next year but I'll have more info before then so if you could subscribe that would be amazing I hope to examine a firm that is a lot of refined quicker and a lot of sturdy thus perhaps this point we can't even would like an avid video simply to inform you the way to take care of it thanks for reading and I'll catch you in the next one!

Via - https://www.maunohanan.co.in

Heytheredevlopr

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jeremyrowley-blog1 · 8 years ago

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UPCOMING ELECTRIC CARS

The little growing popularity of electrical motors has been due to a variety of factors, inclusive of influential industry backers, government subsidies, and the glaring economic benefits. But, the generation is yet to take over the mainstream automobile enterprise as is was hoping via industry gamers and environmentalists alike. As the electrical automobile company booms and new technologies stay launched, the time has never been higher to spend money on this endeavor of the future.

Have a look at some of the vehicles coming to the marketplace within the next few years.

2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV

(200+ miles of range; base price $37,500 before incentives)

General Motors, is definitely going to launch in electric-car technology, going to take an aggressive position in offering battery-electric cars as well as its Volt plug-in hybrid. Longest range of Volt plug-in hybrid except for BMW i3 Rex, which only travels about 75 miles on gasoline once its battery is depleted. Chevy will equip the future Bolt EV with a 60-kwh lithium-ion battery that gives it a wide range rating of 200 or more miles, making it decisively the first mass-priced 200-mile electric car.

Tesla unveiled its Model 3 this year and aims to begin production by the end of 2017

Tesla has revealed the model 3, the vehicle that CEO Elon Musk hopes will take the electrical automobile to the masses. Its first mass marketplace, long-variety automobile on March 31, however, the car won't go into production till 2017. on the unveiling of the version 3, this nighttime at the enterprise's design studio in Hawthorne, California, Tesla CEO Elon Musk stated the automobile will deliver as a minimum 215 miles of the range beginning at just $35,000 — that's a bold claim, and a crucial one for Tesla to meet. Musk is "relatively assured" that deliveries will begin through the cease of 2017, and "you may not have the ability to shop for a higher automobile for $35,000, despite no alternatives." And it is going to be one of the safest vehicles in the world, in step with Musk.

The automobile has a starting variety of extra than 200 miles per charge and may cross shape zero to 60 miles consistent with hour in just six seconds. The automobile will fee $35,000 before incentives and may be about 20% smaller than the organization's version S. but, it could still seat 5 humans quite readily.

215 miles of range, plus supercharger help is preferred. like the version S, the version 3 will are available both rear-wheel force and all-wheel force versions, and there may be a fifteen-inch landscape touchscreen internal — an interesting trade from the 17-inch portrait touchscreen within the version S and X. Autopilot hardware is widespread, and all protection features will be lively automatically.— "conveniently is the critical component here," says Musk.

However, do not assume to search out one any time quickly. The model three isn't predicted to begin manufacturing until late 2017, more than 18 months from now. Tesla will luckily take your preorder for a modest $1,000 down fee. Tesla plans to greater than double the dimensions of its dealership and carrier network by means of the end of subsequent yr, to promote and contend with all these new automobiles.

017 Hyundai Ioniq Electric

(110 miles of range; on sale early in 2017; base price TBD)

Hyundai's Ioniq lineup is the primary car in the international to be provided with the selection of a hybrid-electric, battery-electric powered, or plug-in hybrid powertrain—however no traditional gasoline model.

The organization expects the Ioniq Hybrid to sell fine, however, the electric model might be released 2d, rapidly after the Hybrid lands in dealers at the end of the year. The Ioniq electric is likely to be rated at approximately a hundred and ten miles of variety from its 28-kwh battery p.c., that's just like that used in the Kia Soul EV, however, makes use of distinct lithium-ion cells.

The percent is mounted beneath the rear seat and load bay of the hatchback body, in place of under the floor pan like the ones of the Nissan Leaf and Tesla Model S. But Hyundai hinted that perhaps the percent may be extended into the tunnel among the two seats if more capability have been wanted.nonetheless, the Ioniq electric powered may have basically the same variety because the 2016 Leaf, in addition to the up to date BMW i3 and Ford consciousness electric.

2017 BMW i3

(100-plus miles of range projected; on sale Sept 2016 or later; base price TBD)

BMW has been remarkably close-mouthed approximately the mid-cycle replace to its innovative i3 electric and variety-prolonged hatchback.

apart from an extremely garbled article ultimate November quoting HaraldKrüger--the corporation's CEO--there's been little posted about a variety boom expected to take the 2017 i3 over an EPA score of one hundred miles.but manufacturing of the new edition is rumored to begin in Germany in July, meaning that the first motors need to attain sellers in possibly September, with a national rollout over the fall.

modern inventories of this year's BMW i3 are low, and income to date have fallen extensively, indicating that BMW is cautiously managing the wind-down of the older model.That ought to, in theory, prevent it having to position many hundreds of dollars in incentives on the remaining 2016 models as soon as information of the longer variety 2017 variations breaks.

The longer-variety battery is anticipated to be used in each the battery-electric i3 (now rated at 81 miles of range) and the range-extended model (72 miles) that still has a small two-cylinder fuel engine powering a generator.The large question is whether BMW will make the brand new p.c. Retrofittable to older i3 variations, offering something of an improve down the street as % capacities decline.

2017 Ford Focus Electric

(100+ miles of range; on sale end of 2016 or early 2017; base price TBD)

Finally, the Ford Focus electric powered gets a brand new and longer-range battery percent. for the 2017 version 12 months, as discovered out overdue closing yr by its maker.

Contemporary electric powered version of the focal point hatchback has one of the lowest ranges of any electric powered vehicle offered (definitely 73 miles) and no capability for DC speedy charging. The 2017 version is predicted to be rated at one hundred miles or greater of variety. Ford has additionally devoted to providing the functionality of rapid-charging thru a mixed Charging gadget (CCS) socket to be presented at the updated cognizance electric. past that, little is known about the up to date recognition electric. However, it's far broadly predicted to continue as a low-quantity, restricted-availability compliance automobile. Any two-hundred-mile electric Ford will likely wait until at the least 2019 or 2020, while the corporation may also introduce a dedicated automobile referred to as the version E, together with a battery-electric version in addition to hybrid and plug-in hybrid variations.

#upcoming cars #auto #electric car

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entergamingxp · 5 years ago

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Xbox Series X Dashboard Will Reportedly Be the Same as Xbox One

June 14, 2020 5:48 AM EST

According to some unofficial sources, Xbox Series X will be using the same UI and dashboard in Xbox One with significant improvements in performance.

It’s been over six months since the announcement of Xbox Series X at The Game Awards 2019, and still, there are more to be revealed about Microsoft’s next-gen console. While some footage of the new Microsoft Store has been leaked recently with some big changes compared to the current version of the store, it seems the UI and dashboard of Xbox Series X will be similar to that of Xbox One.

As Tom Warren, senior editor of The Verge, claims on his new tweet, Xbox Series X will be using the same UI and dashboard that is currently available on Xbox One. According to Warren, there will be some minor changes to add the new console’s unique features to the current design, but generally, don’t expect a big revolution in how the new UI will look like. That said, thanks to the addition of SSDs and Xbox Series X’s powerful hardware, the next-gen version of the current UI and dashboard could be significantly faster.

I think it’s a good thing that the Xbox dashboard is aligned on Xbox One and Xbox Series X. There will be improvements in the coming months, and there’s a new Store app on the way. Things have been gradually improving on the dash, and will continue to do so

— Tom Warren (@tomwarren) June 13, 2020

While Tom Warren believes that the changes will be minor, Jez Cordon from Windows Central claims that the dashboard will be redesigned to look similar to the new Xbox Store. Probably, we won’t have a better understanding of those changes unless we see them ourselves in action.

not big redesign but theyll bring the design in-line with Xbox Store, Game Bar, and Xbox (beta) app, i.e. fonts, etc.

— Jez (@JezCorden) June 13, 2020

Xbox Series X is slated to launch in Holiday 2020 and Microsoft will be holding a new event in July to reveal the first-party titles coming to the new console. If the rumors turn out to be true, Microsoft will probably unveil a low-spec version of its next-gen console which is assumed to be called Xbox Series S. The price tag for both devices could also be revealed during July’s event, though some believe that Microsoft wouldn’t reveal the price for its next-gen platforms unless Sony sets the price for PS5 consoles first.

June 14, 2020 5:48 AM EST

from EnterGamingXP https://entergamingxp.com/2020/06/xbox-series-x-dashboard-will-reportedly-be-the-same-as-xbox-one/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=xbox-series-x-dashboard-will-reportedly-be-the-same-as-xbox-one

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aion-rsa · 5 years ago

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Spider-Man: Miles Morales Cover Showcases PlayStation 5 Box Art

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

Marvel and the PlayStation team have tweeted out images of the Spider-Man: Miles Morales cover which happen to offer our first look at what the basic box art for PlayStation 5 games will look like.

A sneak peek at what PS5 games will look like when you see them on store shelves starting this holiday: https://t.co/i2ByEdWYRS pic.twitter.com/TmB4FzFMJZ

— PlayStation (@PlayStation) July 9, 2020

Aside from the obvious presence of the PS5 name and logo, the biggest difference between this box art and PS4 box art is the white bar on top. On PS4 games, that bar is blue, not white. That seems to confirm something Sony already talked about which is that white is going to be one of the PS5’s primary design colors moving forward. While Sony may eventually release additional colors for the PS5 hardware, we imagine that’s how most PS5 game boxes will look from here on.

It’s also been noted that this box no longer features the “Only on PlayStation” tag featured on current PS4 exclusives. Most people are already assuming that the presence of the PlayStation Studios tag essentially conveys that same message without needing to clutter the box art with extra words.

However, there is another possibility. With Sony confirming their intentions to release Horizon Zero Dawn on PC and rumors suggesting that they may port other titles to PC if Horizon does well, this could be a way for Sony to open the possibility of titles such as Spider-Man: Miles Morales eventually appearing on other platforms. Sony hasn’t confirmed that’s the case at this time, but you have to believe that they’re more open to that possibility than they’ve ever been before.

It doesn’t seem that this box art reveals much more new information about future PS5 cases and covers (beyond the fact that the blue shell is apparently here to stay), but it does include a couple of interesting details about Miles Morales that are worth talking about. Not only does this cover give us a better look at Miles’ amazing suit, but it also seems like he’s channeling some kind of energy source into his fist. Either that’s a simple visual representation of his powers or it hints at some kind of threat Miles may face which could impact his abilities.

The fact that Sony chose to focus on Spider-Man: Miles Morales for this reveal would tend to suggest that they intend for Miles Morales to be a PS5 launch title, but with the PS5’s launch date very much up-in-the-air, it certainly doesn’t seem like they’re willing to commit to a launch lineup for the next-gen console just yet.

The post Spider-Man: Miles Morales Cover Showcases PlayStation 5 Box Art appeared first on Den of Geek.

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#aion-rsa #Den of Geek

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componentplanet · 5 years ago

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Nvidia May Be Prepping a Massive GPU With 7,936 CUDA Cores, 32GB HBM2

Nvidia's Volta uses HBM2, but there's no sign NV will adopt it for its consumer cards. GDDR6 is the expected memory standard for next-gen high-end cards.

Nvidia may be planning to bring massive new GPUs to market when it makes the jump to 7nm, possibly in a bid to protect its supercomputing market share from any products Intel might launch. A number of new Nvidia GPUs have popped up on places like Geekbench in recent weeks, all with massive core counts: 6,912, 7,552, and as of this week, 7,936.

Currently, Nvidia’s top-end GPU in terms of core count is the Tesla V100, with 5,102 cores. Even the 6,912-core card would be a 1.35x increase, while the 7,936-core GPU is a 1.55x increase. The chart below by Tom’s Hardware shows the relative configuration of each part.

Chart by Tom’s Hardware

Each of these chips has a lower base clock than Nvidia’s current Volta or Tesla products, but that’s not at all surprising. AMD and Nvidia both tend to target specific thermal envelopes with their products. It’s often more power-efficient to run a larger GPU at a lower clock as opposed to relying on a smaller GPU

at higher clock. It’s also possible that Geekbench isn’t detecting clock properly or that these cards are low-clocked engineering samples.

If we assume that these clocks are final, it would mean the 7,936-core GPU runs at 72 percent the speed of the Nvidia Quadro RTX 8000 (4608 cores, 1395MHz base clock), but offers 1.72x the cores. RAM capacity is significantly lower (32GB versus 48GB) but we can assume this hypothetical Nvidia GPU would have more overall memory bandwidth than the current top-end Quadro.

One of the ways to evaluate the likelihood of a rumor or leak is to consider whether a product makes sense in a company’s current lineup. Here, we see evidence that Nvidia may have used the 7nm node to dramatically increase the top-end number of GPU cores it ships. That tracks with 7nm offering a substantial density improvement over 12nm FinFET. Not everyone needs 48GB of memory — 32GB of ultra-high-bandwidth HBM2 might be a better fit for some workloads. Cutting GPU clock while boosting core count is a known strategy and ultra-wide GPUs tend to have lower clocks than their narrower cousins elsewhere in the stack. Finally, we know that Intel is planning to make a serious attack on the data center market. Nvidia has good reason not to sit on its laurels in 2020, and it looks like the company designed a part loaded for bear.

Of course, take this rumor with a grain of salt. Even if it’s a real GPU, the stats recorded here could be preliminary.

Now Read:

Leak: Intel is Planning a 400-500W Top-End GPU to Challenge AMD, Nvidia

Analyst: Nvidia Ampere Will Boost Performance, Slash Power Consumption by 50 Percent

Nvidia Launches GeForce Now: $5 Monthly Subscription, Free Tier

from ExtremeTechExtremeTech https://www.extremetech.com/computing/307018-nvidia-may-be-prepping-a-massive-gpu-with-7936-cuda-cores-32gb-of-hbm2 from Blogger http://componentplanet.blogspot.com/2020/03/nvidia-may-be-prepping-massive-gpu-with.html

#Nvidia May Be Prepping a Massive GPU With 7 #936 CUDA Cores #32GB HBM2

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maritzaerwin · 5 years ago

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The Beginner’s Guide to Day Trading for a Living (2020)

Although many see the stock market as a way to make long-term investments and secure (or multiply) funds for the future, there’s also a much more immediate way to make money through trading.

Day trading is the practice of buying and selling stock within a short period of time, most often during a single day. It’s an extremely lucrative form of trading due to two reasons.

For one, it offers almost-immediate results, whether they be positive or negative. And secondly, it offers, at least in theory, the possibility of huge earnings with a (relatively) small starting capital. Then, there is also the fact that it’s a fast-paced job that offers an adrenaline rush similar to gambling.

But the fact remains, day trading isn’t for everyone. It’s a job that requires a keen eye, fast fingers, and a lot of luck. It’s also one of the more stressful jobs out there. After all, only those willing to take the risk of losing more often than earning should try their hand at it.

If you believe that you have what it takes, and would like to give day trading a shot, here’s what you need to know in order to make it your living in the next decade.

How Day Trading Works

The idea behind day trading is to make a small profit on multiple buys and sells within a single day. Sometimes, it can even involve purchasing and selling the same stocks over and over again. More than anything, this type of action relies heavily on the market’s volatility and the way it fluctuates even within short periods of time.

Original Image Source – Depositphotos.com

When done right, this type of investing can bring in large profits. Unlike investing in shares of blue-chip stock, day trading focuses on the short-term, mainly based on the trader’s familiarity with the stock itself. Positive or negative events (news stories, annual reports, product launches) can greatly influence stock, even within a single day, so staying informed is key.

Furthermore, looking for certain patterns in the stock’s movement can be a way to predict how it’s going to behave during the course of the day.

Common Day Trading Strategies

There are several strategies day traders use interchangeably, and in order to make a profit, it’s recommended that they’re familiar with all of them. These include:

Original Image Source – Depositphotos.com

1) Momentum

The idea behind this strategy is that if a stock is moving up with increasing volume, it will continue to do so in the near future. Purchasing at a low price, letting it increase, then selling as soon as it starts to drop can create a profit.

2) Scalping

This strategy is one of the most popular among day traders. They purchase stock and sell it within minutes or even seconds – as soon as it becomes profitable. Because earnings are low, scalping is usually done with large quantities of stock. It does, however, require a lot of insight into what will make a sale profitable, as profits require traders to cover commissions, interests, and overhead costs.

3) Fading

A contrarian trading strategy, fading assumes that the trend of stock movement will change. This means buying stock moving downwards, or short-selling that with rapid upward movement. It’s a risky strategy that can be costly, so it’s best done with a stop-loss order in place.

4) Daily Pivots

Taking advantage of small daily movements, day traders can secure stocks at a support (low) level and sell at a resistance (high) level. Alternatively, they can attempt to short-sell, which can also provide a profit.

5) News Playing

Day traders will keep a close eye on multiple news outlets and may choose to make decisions based on the latest stories about companies, economic changes, or political events.

When news playing, the trader is buying with the announcement of news that is to drive the price upwards or short-selling at stories that have the potential to move down. It’s important to say here that rumors and insider data tend to influence stock ahead of news announcements, so again, keeping an eye on shares is a good way to go about news playing.

6) Algorithmic Trading

Finally, it’s important to note that a large percent of daily trades are made based on automated trading systems developed by large brokerage houses and hedge funds. These increase competition and lower profits for smaller traders.

What You’ll Need to Get Started in Day Trading

When getting started with day trading, you are going to make a few investments into the equipment required to make the practice a living. Some of the tech you may already have, but others you will have to purchase.

Original Image Source – Depositphotos.com

a) Computer

The most basic of your tools, you’ll need a reliable, relatively new computer you will conduct your business from. It’s best to invest in something powerful that will be able to keep up with all the software you require.

Furthermore, you’ll need it to run a Windows operating system, and most day traders prefer to work with at least two displays. But, that isn’t to say you can’t make do with your trusted laptop. It’s also not a bad idea to have a backup device, as hardware crashes can be costly.

b) Internet connection

Get a fast and reliable internet connection, again, preferably with a backup option. This will be critical, especially if you plan on following strategies such as scalping.

c) Trading platform

This is the software that you’ll be conducting your business on. Early on, while just getting started, try out a few, and see which one works best for your needs. Most will be free with a brokerage account (exact terms will vary), while others will cost more.

Generally, you’ll need to pay close attention to what each platform offers and choose the one which will work best for you. This will also depend on the type of trading you plan on doing.

d) Broker

Finally, you’ll need a broker who will handle your trades. This is probably the most important constituent of your setup, so be picky. You will want someone reliable, quick, with excellent customer service. Also, pay attention to all the fees, and look out for hidden costs.

Furthermore, look into the security details, and protection offered, as, ultimately, you’ll want someone trustworthy.

Your Initial Investment Capital to Start Day Trading

If you want to get into day trading, you’ll need a substantial amount of money. In fact, you’ll need more than ten times what you’d be required to hold in a typical margin account.

The reason behind this is SEC rules, which require all pattern day traders – those who make four or more trades within a five-day period – to have a minimum of $25,000 in their margin account. Once the account falls below this minimum sum, the trader will not be permitted to day trade until they deposit cash or securities. Some may try to avoid this rule by only doing three trades per week, but on the whole, that won’t generate enough profits to make a living.

Original Image Source – Depositphotos.com

Even more, the $25,000 is only the minimum requirement. Because day trading focuses on volatility and small profits on large quantities, much larger sums are often required in order to actually make money this way. It is for this reason that most experts advise having an investment capital of at least $100,000. For most people, this will be a large sum.

Now some may decide to borrow, but the risks associated with this type of buying and selling are high, and a word of caution is to only use the capital you can afford to lose.

How Much Can You Make While Day Trading?

The immediate return on well-performed day trades is the thing that attracts people in the first place.

Let’s say, for example, that you decide to purchase 1000 shares of a stock at the price of $10 per share, and the commission you have to pay your broker is $0.01 per share. Your cost will amount to $10,010. Then, later on, you sell at $10.20 per share, adding up to $10,200, minus the $10 commission, totaling a profit of $190. This means that your ROI is 1.9%. You can perform multiple such trades within the course of a single day.

Original Image Source – Depositphotos.com

With 52 weeks in a year, and each week having five trading days, this gives you the potential to make the same ROI over the course of approximately 260 days. In theory, that allows you to grow your starting capital by almost 500%. The benefits can be even greater if your starting capital is, say, $100,000. With this type of money, you could walk away rich within just a couple of years of day trading.

But in reality, things don’t tend to work out that well.

According to this study, only 3% of day traders actually make money, with even less of them earning more than $54 per day. Add to this the fact that making a living in this way often requires longer than 60-hour weeks, and you’ll begin to see how the fast pace can influence your day-to-day life.

Firstly, the practice necessitates preparation before the trading day begins, which can lead to sacrificing sleep in order to get ahead. Even more, the job entails huge amounts of stress which, in the long term, can lead to serious health consequences. Considering that it also requires extreme self-discipline, it becomes obvious that day trading as a primary source of income is only fit for a very few people.

Risk Management for Day Traders

That isn’t to say there aren’t strategies for managing risks, or even success stories. But in order to make it, you’ll have to invest a lot of time, patience, and do a huge amount of learning. It also helps to set some ground rules, and not to let your emotions (or an adrenaline rush) interfere with clear thinking.

i) Do Your Research

While a wild guess might make you money every once in a while, day trading for a living should always follow a clear strategy.

You’ll have to know the type of stock you’re dealing in, as well as to be well-informed at all times, so as to avoid making mistakes.

ii) Set Stop-Loss and Take-Profit points

Choose a trading platform that allows you to set up S/L and T/P points. These are automatic roles that limit your losses before they get out of hand but also prevent you from getting carried away on a high and missing the opportunity to sell when needed.

iii) Follow the 1% rule

Experts agree that you should only be willing to risk 1% of your capital on a single trade.

iv) Don’t gamble

Finally, it’s crucial that you keep a cool head at all times. Given the addictive nature of day trading, it’s probably the hardest of all the risk management strategies. But, ultimately, if you can’t control yourself, this type of job is probably not for you in the first place.

It’s also not a bad idea to consider other types of trading – ones that come with more manageable risk or require smaller investment capitals. Options are a great solution because they offer clear entry and exit points. Forex trading, on the other hand, doesn’t require big starting capitals (you can make do with as little as $50), yet still offers high volatility so you can make money based on well-researched guesses.

Is Day Trading the Right Career Path for You?

There is no catch-all answer to this question. Whether day trading is the right job for you greatly depends on whether you’re cut out for it. If you’re self-disciplined, don’t have an addictive personality, can keep a clear head in stressful situations, and are ready to do a lot of learning, then yes, it could be a way to make a pretty penny. But also, don’t forget that you’ll need a starting capital of at least $25,000 in the US, or you’ll have to work the foreign markets which might mean unconventional hours and a prolonged learning curve.

Original Image Source – Depositphotos.com

If despite all the risks, you’re still interested in it, then you have potential. Getting started, make sure that you give yourself time to become familiar with the practice. This means doing a lot of reading on the subject, as well as using trading software stimulators to get to know how everything works. It’s also not a bad idea to keep in mind that most day traders don’t remain in this line of business for a long time. So, it would be best if you didn’t quit your day job, or set some rules about how long you’re willing to pursue this career.

Finally, whether you give day trading a go will depend on your self-knowledge, but do try to keep to the ground rule of only using the capital you’re willing to lose.

The post The Beginner’s Guide to Day Trading for a Living (2020) appeared first on CareerMetis.com.

The Beginner’s Guide to Day Trading for a Living (2020) published first on https://skillsireweb.tumblr.com/

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topcbdresearch · 5 years ago

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Sony PS5 versus Xbox Series X: Release Date, Specs, Price, Storage, Everything to Know!

Both Sony and Microsoft are going at each other with their all-new next-generation consoles. Both are coming in by the end of 2020.

Microsoft is releasing the Xbox Series X at the projected timeline of late 2020, and Sony is looking at the same timeframe for its PS5. Of course, they are not merely competing just because they nearly have similar release dates. There are no exact release dates either, just a general estimated time frame.

With both Sony and Microsoft already revealing the details of each console, it is easier to see where they will be going head-to-head against each other. The companies have not revealed everything that console gamers will want to know, though, but this is where rumors fill in the blanks.

Here we will try to compare them according to major specs and design categories. First in line is their looks.

Design and Console Appearance

Based on the images (officially released for the Xbox Series X and leaked for the PS5), the two could not look more different.

The Sony PS5 will look like a spaceship. This, according to the analysts of the pictures rendered by different concept artists of what this console will look like, at least. Concept artists make these illustrations of the PS5 Devkit that were included in an official Sony patent application.

While some will definitely dig that, some will also be definitely put off with it. The spaceship look is not just for a conversation starter, though. The artists claimed that this might really be out of necessity as Sony needs to put in the fins and ventilation holes to ensure the powerful CPU and GPU will have enough cooling air. One can remember how noisy the PS4 Pro, and it is nice to note that Sony must have addressed this issue with the PS5.

On the other hand, Microsoft significantly deviated from how they designed their past engines with the Series X. The Xbox Series X now looks like a mini-tower PC instead of a gaming console. Like the Sony PS5, however, the design could be the result of the need to dissipate heat.

Processing Hardware and Graphics

Both the Sony PS5 and the Xbox Series X are going to be more powerful than their predecessors. This is stated as much as it is assumed, especially since these are the next-gen offerings. But by how much is what gamers want to know.

Sony is yet to mention how much the PS5 will be more powerful than the predecessors, but the Xbox already claimed that specifically. The Series X would already become four times more powerful compared to the Xbox One X. But, it can essentially be also assumed with the PS5 given its specs.

Sony already said that the PS5 would run on an eight-core AMD CPU. It will also run on AMD hardware, revealed mainly with its Radeon Navi architecture. Microsoft is much more straightforward with what its specifics concerning how powerful the Series X is compared to Xbox One. But one can see that it will also be utilizing the latest chipsets and architecture from the AMD, too. This means having relatively similar hardware specs and graphical capacities. The Series X will also feature 6GB of GDDR6 RAM.

Graphical Capacities

Both claim that they can reach and support up to 8K resolution for gaming. They both, too, can support 120fps frame rates. Some critics claimed that before truly delivering effective 8k resolutions, both should have HDMI 2.1 outputs.

This implies that regardless of which console you will get, you might also get a new TV for it, to maximize the image quality, they are both offerings. Very limited of the television sets that most people have in their houses support HDMI 2.1.

Storage and Memory

The two are also the same about storage and memory. Both will be having Solid State Drives for their storage. Both promise faster loading times.

According to Sony PlayStation’s Mark Cerny, the SSD inside the PS5 Devkit makes it capable of taking only 0.8 seconds to load something from Marvel’s Spider-Man. This normally takes 15 seconds with the PS4. The test was undertaken back in May and recorded by Wall Street Journal’s Takashi Mochizuki. The video has then spread through Twitter.

Xbox engineers, however, claimed that the SSD is a game-changer for its Series X. In the E3 2019 reveal video, they claimed that the SSD storage solution could act as a virtual RAM. This essentially means speeding up data access when games are running even without the gamers knowing. This means that they will not see slight stutters during open-world games.

What is not yet known about their respective storage is the actual storage space. SSD technology can be very expensive, especially at the large sizes of 1Tb and 2TB. Analysts claimed that it is highly likely that both Sony and Microsoft will utilize a hybrid drive system. Both will utilize the SSD for improved speed and better caching. At the same time, they will use the more traditional HDD to beef up the storage space.

Optimal Disc Drives

Both will still have the physical disc drive. Neither will be ditching it, even if they will come with 4k Blu-ray capability.

Cerny claimed that the PS5 would be the first of its consoles to adopt the 4k Ultra HD Blu-Ray. This, will, therefore, be a “finally!” moment for Sony console lovers. But they might also consider the Series X, given how Phil Spencer also said that this newest console would also have the 4k Blue-Ray capacity, even as the physical disc remains.

Cloud Gaming

So far, specs-wise, one can already say that the two are almost identical. However, the two are apparently different with regard to cloud gaming capacities.

The Xbox Series X will be able to utilize Microsoft’s upcoming cloud gaming platform called the Project X cloud. Essentially, this means the ability to access the thousands of Xbox One, PC, as well as older Xbox games streaming online.

The PS5 will, on the other hand, support PS Now. This cloud gaming service of Sony has long been available, already accessible for PlayStation 4 users. Project X Cloud, since it is new and upcoming, is likely to be a better platform. But Sony did already say that it is investing time and money to build the PS Now further.

Price and Release Date

Both have not announced the prices. One can only make speculations based on the prices of the previous consoles. As such, relatively, both machines can be priced, at least $500.

In terms of release date, the two are clashing it out in the market on “Holiday 2020.” The specific dates are unknown, but if they are going to come out one after another, in just a matter of weeks or days, console gamers are likely to think hard which one to get because they do not want to feel like they made the wrong decision.

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