If you’re feeling nostalgic for a physical game release and you’re interested in Microsoft Flight Simulator, you’re in luck: Aerosoft has announced that it has partnered with Microsoft to offer a physical version of the game — on 10 DVDs. Sadly, it doesn’t look as if the game is playable on DVD, which means modern gamers won’t get to enjoy the Full Floppy Experience, but swapping all those discs ought to get older stick jockeys feeling a bit nostalgic. One of the peculiarities of 1990s gaming was the enormous gulf between CD capacity and the humble 1.44MB floppy.
With so much happening in a given week, it’s easy for stuff to fall through the cracks, even amazing deal posts here at ExtremeTech. We understand…but that doesn’t mean we have to like it. So instead, we’re bringing back some of the best deals we saw this week so you can get one last chance to get onboard before these offers disappear. From laptops to tablets to monitors to all sorts of accessories, these deals can each save you up to around $1,800, so give ‘em a look. Apple iPads It’s iPads galore as Apple is opening the vault on a host of certified refurbished and new iPad Mini 4 models, each sporting some healthy savings.
There’s been a rumor going around this week about a new, 64-core Threadripper CPU from AMD. Dubbed the 3995WX and debuting under the “Threadripper Pro” brand-name, this chip is supposed to debut with an eight-channel memory configuration with support for up to 2TB of RAM. Up until now, the chip has just been a rumor, but a recent photo of the core popped up on Chiphell, pointing towards a definite introduction/launch at some point. The image has since been removed, but hat-tip to Guru3D for the news. I’ve spent a lot of time with the in various evaluations.
Speculation has been rampant as rumored release dates for the Google Pixel 4a have come and gone without a word. Now, we might finally know what Google’s planning for its 2020 phone releases, but not because it told anyone. Strings in the latest Google app for Android include what may be the retail names and code names for three Pixel phones, .” Google traditionally launches Pixel phones in the fall, but last year it added the 3a to the roster in spring at Google I/O. There was no I/O this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and then Apple released the iPhone SE 2.
In the mid-1980s, Flight Simulator was one of the biggest PC titles in the business — and Microsoft is gearing up to launch the beta for Flight Simulator 2020, a game that surprised pretty much everyone by existing when Microsoft first announced it a year ago. The new beta version of the game is scheduled to drop . Current alpha testers will be granted automatic access, while the company is also preparing a new wave of beta invites. Access to the beta is handled through the Xbox Insider program, which you can sign up for . If you haven’t seen what the next version of Flight Simulator is going to look like, or you can’t figure out why anyone would pay to fly commercial and hobbyist planes from A to B, check out the launch video below.
Today you can get Apple’s premium wireless AirPods Pro headphones with a $30 discount from Verizon. This makes these high-end earbuds just $219.99, which is the lowest price we’ve seen on them to date. Apple’s AirPods Pro utilizes a new design that’s different from the company’s older AirPod earphones. The key new feature that these earphones have is active noise cancellation. Each earphone also uses a custom driver and a high dynamic range amplifier to improve sound quality. You can snag them with a $30 discount from Verizon that drops the price from $249.99 to $219.99, which is the lowest price we’ve seen on them to date.
About five years ago, the computer industry brought forth a new USB cable standard, conceived with the best of intentions and dedicated to the proposition that all ports should be equal. Then, all hell broke loose. In perhaps the most perfect example of getting exactly what one asked for (which wasn’t at all what anybody wanted), the USB-IF working group created USB-C, a truly universal cable standard, with a dizzying number of internal implementation options and a very real problem: Plugging the wrong cable into your USB-C device can literally . Five years later, Intel is cleaning up the implementation mess of USB-C, at least in part.
Microsoft is reportedly urging developers and publishers to adopt its Smart Delivery system and to offer current console owners a free upgrade to the Xbox Series X version of a game. The company has reportedly told publishers that they are not allowed to charge players to upgrade an Xbox One game to the Xbox Series X as an alternative to delivering that upgrade for free via Smart Delivery. Here’s what this means in practice: If a developer wants to sell you two different versions of the same game, one for each console, that’s fine. 2K is taking this path with NBA 2K21.
Curiosity has been on Mars since 2012 and exploring Mount Sharp since 2014. While the rover has long since exceeded its design life, NASA isn’t taking any chances with its only active Mars rover, particularly when the Perseverance launch has been . To reach the next section of Mount Sharp, is setting off on a that will avoid a dangerous sand trap. Curiosity began on the floor of Gale Crater, which it explored for two years before beginning its climb up the side of Mount Sharp. That’s the central peak within the crater, composed of sedimentary layers that built up over time.
