Master

343 Industries has confirmed that plans for microtransactions in Halo: The Master Chief Collection have been scrapped. Back in June, it was announced that 343 Industries would be looking to introduce the ability to purchase Spartan Points in The Master Chief Collection. Spartan Points are used to unlock cosmetic items in the game and are currently only available through play. At the time, it was said that the microtransactions would be aimed at “players who are new to MCC, or who may not have dedicated much time…

THE train was slowing down for Keegan. A whistle from the locomotive ahead had warned the two alert young men in the smoker to that effect, and they arose to leave the train. Both were neatly and quietly dressed. One carried a medium-sized camera with the necessary tripod and accessory satchel. The other carried no impediments of any sort. Both were smoking cigars, evidently not of expensive variety, judging by the unaromatic atmosphere thereabouts.Astounding StoriesDare to dream. Dare to go where no other has gone…

Today's best Cooler Master MasterLiquid PL360 Flux dealsCooler Master has expanded its product lineup in recent years to include peripherals of all stripes, even gaming chairs and monitors. But the company built its brand on coolers like the classic Hyper 212 EVO and behemoth cases like the HAF 700. And the company hasn’t taken its eye off its core competency. The Cooler Master PL360 Flux is a large 360mm AIO with lots of RGB. We’ve previously tested this cooler with an i9-10850K, and it handled the 10th generation i9…

Cooler Master has launched a new lineup of performance optimized fans called Mobius featuring both non-RGB and ARGB flavors in a 120 mm form factor. Cooler Master has employed a new architecture it is calling Ring Blade Design, that connects all the fan blades together. This reportedly improves airflow, while eliminating unwanted vibrations at the same time.The company says the fans are available today, but didn't make pricing immediately available. Cooler Master is releasing two 120 mm variants right now, in both a…

Paul Schrader is back with another variation on his signature theme, although now it feels like a fifth-generation Xerox. Here again is the lonely, driven male – derived from the philosopher-hero of Bresson’s Pickpocket – broodingly writing his journal of an evening in conditions of monkish austerity, haunted by the existential revelations of crime and a violent past, trying to transform or subsume his trauma into some new vocational obsession.Master Gardener has been described as the third film in a trilogy with First…

343 Industries is still contemplating adding microtransactions into Halo: The Master Chief Collection due to the game’s current progression system and number of available cosmetics.  The developer penned a post discussing the current state of cosmetics in the game and outlining what solutions it is considering for earnable items (via Kotaku). At present there are over 1000 individual cosmetic items in Halo: The Master Chief Collection, with some released during specific seasonal updates. Back in June 343 Industries…

Battlefield 2042 is getting a major new update in time for Season 2. Titled Master of Arms, Season 2 has an August 30 release date and a 1pm BST UK launch time. As you can see from the patch notes below, the latest Battlefield update adds a brand new map Stranded, which is set in and around a beached container ship in Panama. The map launches alongside a new Battle Pass, as well as a new Operator, vehicle and multiple weapons. With the update available to download now on PS5, PS4, Xbox and PC, you can check out the patch…

There’s a passage in Vasily Grossman’s Life and Fate in which the author imagines the parallel lives of a man and his murderer. “If one man is fated to be killed by another,” he writes, “it would be interesting to trace the gradual convergence of their paths. At the start they might be miles away from one another … and yet eventually we are bound to meet, we can’t avoid it…” This is the idea that animates Robert Harris’s latest novel, Act of Oblivion, which, although it is set in the 17th century, sends the reader on a…

It’s good to have William Orbit back. After a brief and unrewarding dabble with drug addiction, the veteran English musician had a comeback of sorts with 2021’s patchy Starbeam EP, but The Painter is a more satisfying return. Orbit’s definitive work is surely All Saints’ Pure Shores, where sleek, subliminal layers of electronic effects add depth and wonder to its gorgeous melodies. While there’s no sign of Orbit resuming that imperial phase when he was first-pick producer for Madonna and U2, his distinctively…

StackCommerceThe following content is brought to you by ZDNet partners. If you buy a product featured here, we may earn an affiliate commission or other compensation.Whatever kind of work you do, whether it's business or data analysis, the odds are good that you will need to use Microsoft Excel at some point. From keeping track of invoices to complex data analytics, Excel can do it all, given you have the right skills. The only question is how to get those skills, and right now, there's an attractive option for…