Apple Announces M1 Ultra: Combining Two M1 Maxes For Workstation Performance

As part of Apple’s spring “Peek Performance” product event this morning, Apple unveiled the fourth and final member of the M1 family of Apple Silicon SoCs, the M1 Ultra. Aimed squarely at desktops – specifically, Apple’s new Mac Studio – the M1 Ultra finds Apple once again upping the ante in terms of SoC performance for both CPU and GPU workloads. And in the process, Apple has thrown the industry a fresh curveball by not just combining two M1 Max dies into a single chip package, but by making the two dies present themselves as a single, monolithic GPU, marking yet another first for the chipmaking industry.

Back when Apple announced the M1 Pro and the already ridiculously powerful M1 Max last fall, we figured Apple was done with M1 chips. After all, how would you even top a single 432mm2 chip that’s already pushing the limits of manufacturability on TSMC’s N5 process? Well, as the answer turns out to be, Apple can do one better. Or perhaps it would be more accurate to say twice as better. As for the company’s final and ultimate M1 chip design, the M1 Ultra, Apple has bonded two M1 Max dies together on to a single chip, with all of the performance benefits doubling their hardware would entail.

The net result is a chip that, without a doubt, manages to be one of the most interesting designs I’ve ever seen for a consumer SoC. As we’ll touch upon in our analysis, the M1 Ultra is not quite like any other consumer chip currently on the market. And while double die strategy benefits sprawling multi-threaded CPU and GPU workloads far more than it does more single-threaded tasks – an area where Apple is already starting to fall behind – in the process they re breaking new ground on the GPU front. By enabling the M1 Ultra’s two dies to transparently present themselves as a single GPU, Apple has kicked off a new technology race for placing multi-die GPUs in high-end consumer and workstation hardware.

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Halo Infinite Tactical Ops Event: All Cosmetics And Challenges

Halo Infinite is back with another free multiplayer event, Tactical Ops. This is the fourth major event to come to the game since its multiplayer beta launched in October. Another 10 totally free cosmetics are yours to unlock, provided you can tackle the Tactical Ops challenges to level up your event pass. Here’s all you need to know about the Halo Infinite Tactical Ops event.

Tactical Ops challenges

Tactical Ops is live in-game and will stay that way until March 22 at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET. During these two weeks, you’ll have 10 challenges to complete, and each one will unlock another level (and cosmetic) on your event pass. To complete Tactical Ops challenges, you must be playing in Tactical Slayer mode, the limited-time mode that comes alongside the event. In this mode, there are no overshields and no mini-map. Think of it as Halo’s hardcore mode.

Here are the 10 challenges you’ll need to complete to finish your event pass.

Kill enemy Spartans with the Battle Rifle in Tactical Slayer (7) – 300 XPEarn distinct killing sprees in Tactical Slayer (1) – 300 XPKill enemy Spartans with a headshot in Tactical Slayer (25) – 350 XPComplete Tactical Slayer matches (1) – 300 XPKill enemy Spartans with a headshot in Tactical Slayer (7) – 300 XPStop enemy killing sprees in Tactical Slayer (3) – 400 XPStop enemy killing sprees in Tactical Slayer (1) – 300 XPWin Tactical Slayer matches (2) – 350 XPKill enemy Spartans with the Sidekick Pistol in Tactical Slayer (10) – 350 XPKill two enemy Spartans in rapid succession in Tactical Slayer (7) – 400 XP

Note that these appear to be displayed out of proper order in-game. So long as you complete them when they’re each active in your challenge log, you should have no issues collecting all of your free cosmetics.

Tactical Ops cosmetics

Speaking of those aesthetically pleasing freebies, here’s what you can unlock for completing the challenges in Halo Infinite’s latest live event, including a lot of new options for the Mark VII armor.

Claw Patrol stancePhalanx visor (Mark VII)Emile charmLone Wolf backdropMark V Zeta helmet (Mark VII)TAC / AHD Type 3ZY chest (Mark VII)Mat-2550 Grenade Pack utilityTigris gloves (Mark VII)Scorpion Punch coating (Mark VII)UA / Mauros helmet attachment (Mark VII)These cosmetics will cost you only time, not money.

Gallery

So long as you’re playing in Tactical Slayer mode, your rewards should come with time as they merely demand you perform rather typical in-game feats such as killing sprees and headshots. Be sure to wrap up all objectives before March 22 at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET. Good luck, Spartan!

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Best Nintendo Switch Accessories In 2022

Whether you’re shopping for a controller, headset, or carrying case, it can be hard to make decisions when it comes to Nintendo Switch accessories. There are simply hundreds upon hundreds of accessories to choose from across a bunch of different categories. We’ve rounded up the best Nintendo Switch accessories to hopefully make your buying decisions a bit easier. Our list of 20 accessories includes everything from excellent third-party controllers to a graphics upscaler that really does improve the picture on your TV. We aimed to include accessory options from all of the key categories. After all, as a hybrid home and portable console, the Nintendo Switch has a lot of unique accessories to choose from.

For more in-depth looks at a myriad of Switch accessory categories, check out some of our other Nintendo Switch best lists:

Best Nintendo Switch ControllersBest Nintendo Switch Carrying CasesBest Nintendo Switch HeadsetsBest Nintendo Switch GripsBest Nintendo Switch DocksBest Nintendo Switch Screen Protectors

The best Nintendo Switch accessories

There are now three main Switch models: the standard Nintendo Switch, the Switch Lite, and the Switch OLED. Some accessories, like screen protectors and cases, have separate Switch and Switch Lite versions available. Aside from screen protectors, form fitting cases, and grips, the same accessories that work for the standard Switch should work for the Switch OLED as well.

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You Can Pause In Elden Ring, Apparently, But It Probably Won’t Save You

Elden Ring doesn’t come with a pause button, and while there is a mod that lets you pause, a Twitter user and Elden Ring player has figured out a way to pause without external help.

As IronPineapple noted on Twitter, players can pull up the menu explanation in the Inventory screen. Doing so will freeze the background action. I tested it out on PC, and it does indeed effectively pause the game. GameSpot also verified this works in the Xbox version of the game.

On PC, players need to pull up the Inventory, go to Help, and then press menu explanation. On the Xbox, players can press Start, A, Select, and scroll down two spots to menu explanation.

guess what, Elden Ring DOES have a pause button
just open “Menu Explanation” while on the inventory screen
this isn’t a meme, it actually works lmao pic.twitter.com/0tNLFaWwC7

— Iron Pineapple (@IronPineapple_) March 8, 2022

On PC or Xbox, it’s a bit unwieldy to press these buttons when you’re mid-combat. I tried pausing while fighting a giant crab, and the monster still decimated me as I fumbled unsuccessfully for the sequence of buttons. The best use of this pause is probably when you’re idling on Torrents in a safe place and need to step away from the game for a second.

Elden Ring was released in February and has enjoyed widespread success. The game is massive with plenty of tricky areas, so if you want some pointers, check out our Elden Ring guide hub. You can find out if you should let Fia hug you, where to get the Guts claymore, and more.

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Niantic Announces First-Ever Pokemon Go Safari Zone Event In Spain

Niantic has announced tickets are now available for Pokemon Go Safari Zone Seville, the first-ever live Pokemon Go event in Spain.

The event will be held from Friday, May 13 to Sunday, May 15 at the Parque del Alamillo in Seville, located in southern Spain. Tickets can be purchased one of two ways: a 21 Euro ($22.91 USD) option that unlocks the event from 12 PM to 6 PM local time on each day, or an early-access ticket for 26 Euro ($28.36 USD) that opens up the event three hours earlier.

The next Pokemon Go Safari Zone event has been revealed.

The official blog post announcing the news did not give much detail on what this unique Safari Zone experience will entail, but it does mention that “participating Trainers will be able to encounter a plethora of Pokémon that embody the spirit of Seville’s fabled founder: Hercules!” Pokemon included in the post’s image (above) include Miltank, Tauros, Deino, and Solrock, offering a glimpse at which Pokemon will be available during the event.

Pokemon Go Safari Zone: Seville is the latest live community event planned for Pokemon Go, following the Pokemon Go Tour events in Monterrey, Mexico and Kaohsiung City, Taiwan. Spain playing host to this event could be a veiled clue into another part of Pokemon’s future, the upcoming Scarlet and Violet, which are heavily implied to be taking place in a region inspired by Spain and Portugal.

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Dead by Daylight’s Ringu-Inspired Sadako Rising Chapter Is Out Today

Dead By Daylight’s newest chapter, Sadako Rising, is now available on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X | S, Nintendo Switch, Google Stadia, and PC. Based on the 1998 Japanese horror film Ringu, the latest expansion adds two new characters to the asymmetrical survival horror game’s ever-expanding roster of killers and survivors: Onryo Sadako Yamamura and Yoichi Asakawa.

Cast adrift in her ocean of rage, hope will swiftly sink into the abyss.
Sadako Rising is available now. 👉 https://t.co/CDeS2H59mO pic.twitter.com/C1aHufdh7U

— Dead by Daylight (@DeadByBHVR) March 8, 2022

Referred to as The Onryō in the game, Sadako is sure to be a familiar face (er, head of hair) to horror fans. The main antagonist in both Japan’s Ringu and its American adaptation, The Ring, Sadako is widely recognized for her eerie crawl out of television sets and jerky movements–both of which are featured in Dead By Daylight. Yoichi Asakawa, on the other hand, is an original character inspired by Ringu’s Yoko Asakawa. While its unknown how exactly Yoichi fits into the narrative, his move-set makes it clear he is more of an empathetic, caregiver type. Yoichi uses two moves–Parental Guidance and Empathetic Connection–to help aid and heal his teammates.

In addition to Sadako and Yoichi, Sadako Rising adds a lot of bug fixes and six new achievements to the game. Three of these achievements require players to purchase Sadako Rising’s new character, while the other three have been made available to everyone. Sadako Rising is Dead By Daylight’s first new chapter of 2022, and follows the game’s recent Resident Evil and Hellraiser collaborations.

However, while Sadako Rising might be the first new bit of Dead By Daylight content this year, it certainly seems like it won’t be the last. Just last month, it was revealed that Dead by Daylight developer Behaviour Interactive had filed a trademark application for a dating spin-off game called called “Hooked On You: A Dead By Daylight Dating Sim.”

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Destiny 2 Season Of The Risen: Seasonal Challenges Guide (Week 3)

The third week of Destiny 2: The Witch Queen is now officially live, which means that it’s time to pull up a new selection of seasonal challenges. For Week 3 of Season of the Risen, you’ll be mopping up more Hive threats in Operation Elbrus, taking on activities at Hero difficulty or higher, and visiting the EDZ for some patrol duty.

Completing these challenges is well worth the effort, as you’ll gain a substantial amount of experience in the process. That in turn helps you fill up your season pass sooner, grabbing even more loot in the process. It’s a win-win situation.

Even better, you can pursue these seasonal challenges at your own leisure, as they’ll only expire once a season concludes. If you decide to take a break from Destiny 2 for a week or two, you can return and complete multiple challenges at the same time. For more on the game, you can check out our Destiny 2: The Witch Queen review the latest Iron Banter column, and our Season of the Risen guides hub.

Season of the Risen Weekly Challenges – Week 3

Operation Elbrus: week 3

Complete Week 3 of Operation Elbrus and use Psychogenic Intel to decode three Runic Chests at the end of PsiOps Battlegrounds.

Challenge of the Disciple

Complete a weekly mission from The Witch Queen on Hero difficulty or higher.

Weapon Shape II

Extract a Resonant element from a Deepsight weapon.

Severed Vow

Complete each encounter in the “Vow of the Disciple” raid in Savathun’s Throne World.

EDZ Patrol

In the EDZ, earn progress by completing bounties, patrols, public events, and Lost Sectors.

Power Broker

Reach Power Level 1550 by earning powerful rewards and engrams.

Long-Range Calibration

Calibrate long-range weapons–pulse rifles, bows, and trace rifles–in the EDZ. Bonus progress in Lost Sectors.

Primeval Entourage

Defeat Taken in Gambit. Earn bonus progress for defeating tougher opponents.

Scorched Earth

Defeat Guardians in Team Scorched. Charged detonations in midair or on surfaces earn bonus progress.

Ultimate Champion

Defeat Champions in any Nightfall strike on Hero difficulty or higher. Earn bonus progress at higher tiers.

Week 1

Psychogenic Decoder

Collect Psychogenic Intel by playing strikes, Gambit, Crucible, public events, and more. Collect Risen Umbral Energy by decoding Runic Chests in PsiOps Battlegrounds.

The Informant’s Informant

Reach Rank 15 with Fynch in Savathun’s Throne World.

Operation Elbrus: Week 1

Complete Week 1 of Operation Elbrus and defeat combatants with Machine Guns in PsiOps Battlegrounds.

String Theory

Complete 3 Evidence Board investigations in the Mars Enclave.

Into the Throne World

In the Throne World, complete bounties and earn progress by completing patrols, public events, and looting Lost Sectors.

Taking All Challenges

Complete weekly playlist challenges.

Mid-Range Calibration

Calibrate mid-range weapons–Hand Cannons, Auto Rifles, Fusion Rifles, and Machine Guns–in the Throne World. Bonus progress for rapidly defeating combatants.

Dredgin’ Up Victory

Complete Gambit matches. Earn bonus progress for wins.

Momentum Crash

Defeat Guardians in Momentum Control. Earn bonus progress with Zone Advantage.

Hive Slayer

Defeat Hive combatants in Vanguard playlists or strikes. Earn bonus progress for defeating tougher combatants.

Week 2

Operation Elbrus: Week 2

Complete Week 2 of Operation Elbrus and defeat combatants in PsiOps Battlegrounds. Defeated Champions grant bonus progress.

Tug of War

Defeat a Hive Warden of the Spring and a Scorn Lightflayer in the Wellspring.

Weapon Shape 1

Craft a weapon using the weapon crafting system.

Run The Worms

Complete the Exotic quest “Of Queens and Worms” to obtain a new Exotic weapon.

Back Home Again

In the Cosmodrome, earn bounties by completing bounties, patrols, public events, and Lost Sectors.

Lost In The Legend

Complete a Lost Sector on Legend or higher.

Close-Range Calibration

Calibrate close-range weapons–sidearms, submachine guns, shotguns, glaives, and swords–in the Cosmodrome. Bonus progress for rapidly defeating targets.

Bank, Kill, Repeat

Earn points by banking Motes, defeating Blockers, and defeating Guardians in Gambit.

Flourish Of Power

Defeat Guardians in the Mayhem playlist with Super abilities.

Scorn Pest Control

Defeat Scorn combatants in Vanguard playlists or Strikes. Earn bonus progress for defeating tougher combatants.

How Do Seasonal Challenges Work?

Seasonal Challenges can be accessed from the Quests tab in your main menu, which is where you’ll find tasks that revolve around eliminating certain enemies with a specific element, taking part in one of the game’s new activities, or completing a Raid. Each challenge can be completed once per account, and each week will usually add around 10 new challenges which will be active for the duration of the season.

Completing Season of the Risen’s challenges will fulfill the requirements for the Master of All seasonal challenge, which in turn will net you a large Bright Dust reward that can be spent in the Eververse store on select cosmetics, emotes, and items.

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The Apple “Peek Performance” Event Live Blog (Starts at 10am PT/18:00 UTC)

Join us a bit later today for Apple’s spring product launch event, which for this year is being called “Peek Performance“.

The presentation kicks off at 10am Pacific (18:00 UTC) and should be packed with a barrage of Apple product announcements. In previous years these events have covered new Macs, iPads, and even iPhones, and this year should be much the same. So it should be interesting to see what Apple has in store, especially as the company continues its multi-year transition in the Mac from x86 CPUs to their own Arm-based Apple Silicon chips.

Join us at 10am PT for more details!

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8BitDo Announces New Ultimate Controller For Xbox, Preorders Now Available

8BitDo has revealed a new controller for Xbox Series X and Xbox One. The 8BitDo Ultimate Wired Controller for Xbox is now available for preorder on Amazon. The gamepad is slated to ship on May 31 at a price of $45, and it offers many of the same features found in the popular 8BitDo Pro 2 for Switch and Xbox.

Best of all, you can save game-specific settings using the 8BitDo Ultimate Software and toggle between them on the fly. It also includes a standard 3.5mm jack and the same premium build quality found on other products in the 8BitDo library.

Shipping doesn’t start until May 31, although anyone interested in the new Xbox controller should strongly consider reserving their unit ahead of time. 8BitDo controllers are usually a hot commodity, and with ongoing supply chain issues, we have a feeling this one might be hard to find after launch.

If you prefer the analog stick layout of PlayStation controllers, the 8BitDo Pro 2 released for Xbox late last year. It’s also available to purchase for $45 and features mappable back buttons.

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PS5 System Update Out Now, Doesn’t Do Much

If you powered on your PlayStation 5 console today, you were likely prompted with a message to download and install the latest firmware update that goes by the exotic name of Version: 21.02-04.51.00.

Just like the last several updates, this one doesn’t do much besides improving system performance. It has been a while since Sony introduced a substantial update to the console, with the last notable release coming in the Version: 21.02-04.00.00 patch back in September 2021.

That allowed for an M.2 SSD drive to be installed into the console’s expansion slot and recognized, 3D audio support for speakers, and for games to more clearly differentiate which console version you were about to install. Social interaction through the game base was also enhanced, and trophy-hunting fans had more options available to them for keeping track of their in-game accomplishments.

There are still a number of other features on PS5 fans’ wishlist currently, such as emulation of older games, holding down the PlayStation home button to bring up power options, and dedicated folder organization. Some of us really want to be able to create a folder that’s just for our Yakuza game collection.

As for what’s next for Sony, you can tune into this week’s PlayStation State of Play to see a lineup of Japanese-published games coming to both PS4 and PS5. Sony says the livestream will run for 20 minutes and will showcase new games, provide updates on previously announced titles, and can be accessed via Twitch and YouTube.

For more details on the schedule, you can check out our how to watch PlayStation State of Play feature.

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