TECHY GAMERZ

In this video image released by Activision, a scene is shown from the video game, "X-Men Origins: Wolverine."  (AP Photo/Activision) For guys who game, researchers have good news and bad news. The good news is that guys who play video games "chronically," which at least for the purpose of one new study is defined as more than an hour a day, are less likely to ejaculate prematurely than their non-chronic gaming counterparts. The bad news, researchers report in the  Journal of Sexual Medicine , is that they're also less likely to be interested in sex. Researchers can't fully explain what's happening—it might have something to do with increased stress levels from playing—but they suspect both findings are related, reports Vice's Broadly. "I think that video games might be similar to physical exercise in these regards: occasional use might have beneficial effects, but when some threshold between 'occasional use' and 'chron...

All the details on EA’s latest entry in the long-running Need for Speed series, releasing in November 2017. At E3 2017 EA revealed that NFS Payback will include Relics, abandoned classic cars that can be found and customized. This sounds a little like the hidden cars in the Forza Horizon series.  Shown in action publicly for the first time, E3 gameplay showed a sequence taking place in broad daylight in which the driver had to catch up to a truck before it reached a tunnel - the goal being to steal a car. That plan goes wrong and the pursuit continues with numerous cars turning up to aid the truck. Eventually the driver pulls up alongside the truck and passenger Jess leaps onto a ladder, takes a car and heads off just as the truck tips and crashes. It’s hard to know how representative of the final game the sequence is, but it suggests Payback is going to be far more cinematic than the games that have come before, delivering tiny cutscenes during gameplay. Need for Sp...

Playing video games could help young people be more successful at university, according to a new study. A University of Glasgow trial found gaming improved communication skills, resourcefulness and adaptability. Researchers suggest this could impact on education success, with students seeing increases in attributes which help employability. Lecturer Matthew Barr said many video games encouraged "critical thinking and reflective learning". These are central to "graduate attributes", which are seen as desirable by employers hiring people after university. "The findings suggest that such game-based learning interventions have a role to play in higher education", Mr Barr said. "Graduate attributes are those generic skills such as problem-solving, communication, resourcefulness or adaptability which are considered desirable in graduates, particularly where employability is concerned. "Modern video games often require players to be...

SOME TRULY terrifying new Nintendo Switch experiments are being conducted in the same week we found out some shock news on the Classic SNES mini and Nintendo 3DS handheld. It’s been a bit of a rollercoaster ride for Nintendo fans since the launch of the company’s latest console . Having received a mixed reception in January, the Nintendo Switch avoided any early Wii U comparisons by flying off shelves. And it appears that isn’t the only place Nintendo Switchs have been moving fast. The latest Nintendo games experiments have confirmed that the hybrid console can remain functional after being dropped from a great height. A new video posted on YouTube channel UnlockRiver reveals a durability review, including a 1,000-foot drop to the ground. The new clip will prove terrifying for any handheld, or mobile phone owner who has perfected the frantic juggling technique of trying to stop your favourite piece of tech smash into the ground. But a...

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A reader celebrates how easy it is to buy video games for virtually nothing, so that even the most cash-strapped gamer can keep playing. Gamers rejoice! Recently for personal, boring, non-gaming reasons I have been slightly short on cash. In the past, a time such as this would have spelt the end, or at least temporary postponement, of my gaming obsession. This situation has hammered home to me the fact that, as gamers, we are lucky to be alive ‘n’ gaming in 2017. This weekend I have picked up Metro: Last Light for £2 (CeX… sorry), Castlevania: Lords Of Shadow for £1, and Resident Evil 6 for £1 – the last two from a car boot sale (all for Xbox 360). I know Resident Evil 6 has it’s many disappointed customers, but for a quid? Surely, I will squeeze out 100 pennies worth of enjoyment?! So far I have dipped into Castlevania. I’m pleasantly surprised and, for £1, you are always going to be getting value for money (Not a patch on the Game Boy Advance pinnacles of course). I haven’...

Scarily good I received PlayStation VR as a Christmas present and finally thought I’d write in to share my experience after six months with the headset. Although it isn’t perfect it is very impressive, especially when you take into consideration the price. I imagine it will work even better with the inevitable PlayStation 5 release, which I’m sure will allow for higher resolution. The first software I tried in the VR was Resident Evil 7’s Kitchen demo. The thing that immediately struck me was the incredible depth, it really felt as though I was sitting in the room strapped to the chair. Overall, I have been most impressed with Resident Evil 7, again the sense of depth is incredible, but also impressive is the fidelity of the visuals. The Star Wars X-wing missions was also very impressive, and handled the controls very well. Resident Evil 7 played in err… reality, is plenty scary but with the VR headset it’s magnified. Not only have I jumped out of my seat several times, but I’v...

Intel Core i9-7900X hits 5.7GHz and crushes Cinebench record Intel was not about to let AMD steal all of the headlines with Threadripper. To counter the attack in the enthusiast sector, Intel lifted the curtain on its new high-end desktop (HEDT) processors, including several new Core i9 Skylake-X processors. In the short time that has passed, an overclocker has already taken the least expensive Core i9 chip and pushed it all the way to 5.7GHz where it was able to set a new Cinebench record. The chip in question is the Core i9-7900X. While it is the least expensive model in the Core i9 family, it still costs a hefty $999. What users get return in a 10-core processor with Hyper Threading support and 13.75MB of L3 cache. At stock clocks, the Core i9-7900X has a base clockspeed of 3.3GHz, which can ramp up to 4.3GHz via Turbo Boost 2.0 and 4.5GHz via Turbo Boost Max 3.0. A well known overclocker who goes by the online handle Elmor managed to push the processor past the 5....