The best Prime Day deals: how to get the best Amazon deals in July

Amazon Prime Day deals are coming your way in July and we want to help you find the best deals in what is usually the sales event of the summer.

Thanks to a leak we exclusively uncovered last week, it looks like Amazon Prime Day is probably going to start at midday on July 16th and carry on until midnight the following day on the 17th. That's one hell of a long 'day' Amazon. The date has not been confirmed officially yet but we've got all our money firmly placed on those days.

We love a good deal here at TechRadar and we've been bringing you highlights of the best prices for years now around Prime Day, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Boxing Day, Memorial Day, bank holiday sales and every day in between too. And yes, we've got you covered for this weekend's 4th of July sales too. So if you want to see the best deals rounded up by seasoned pros instead of seasonal enthusiasts, we'd very much like to see you right here on July 16th.

For now though, take a look at our top tips on how to get the most from the best Amazon Prime Day deals so you can get ready in advance to have a stress free shopping experience on the day. And you don't even have to leave the house. Remember those days, when you had to go out to buy things? What an awful time.

How to get the best Amazon Prime Day deals:

1. Come back to TechRadar.com for the best deals

We'll be pointing you towards the best Amazon Prime Day deals throughout the event here at TechRadar with our dedicated 20-strong team of deal hunters tracking down the best bargains. 

We're looking for deals all year round, not just Prime Day and Black Friday, so we're pretty handy at spotting the genuine bargains over the fake discounts that aren't worth your time. So feel free to bookmark us if you want to stay up to date with the finest deals.

2. Get Amazon Prime membership beforehand

To get the best Prime Day deals from Amazon you'll have to be a member of Amazon Prime. Signing up doesn't take long at all, but considering some of the deals can potentially sell out in minutes, it's a step you really don't want to be doing on the day.

Pro tip? If you've never signed up before, you can actually sign up for a free 30-day trial right now, which will last right through the sale in mid-July. You can enjoy all the membership benefits straight away too like fast delivery and the excellent Prime Video streaming service. We've actually written extensively about the benefits Amazon Prime offers. Here are some links to the free trial in the following countries:  US, UK, Canada, India and Australia.

3. Compare previous prices with CamelCamelCamel

An odd site name for sure, but CamelCamelCamel.com is a fantastic resource for checking just how good a deal is. Simply copy/paste in the Amazon URL on the site of an item you're thinking of buying and you'll see an extensive price history for it on Amazon stretching back over a year. This way you can see if that day's deal is really the best ever price, or how often it gets a similar discount and how likely it is you'll see a similar price in a few months' time.

4. Remember, you don't have to buy it

With so much hype around Prime Day deals it's easy to get swept away by the huge amount of deals and supposed big discounts. So yes, use CamelCamelCamel like we mentioned above, but even if it is the lowest price yet, that doesn't mean it's the right deal for you.

If you've set aside a budget and you know it's important to not overspend, try and stick to your guns. Prime Day is not the final sale of the year, hell it's not even the final sale of the summer, there will be plenty of other fantastic deals and it's our job to find you the best ones all year round in our Deals section. So while that exact TV might not be available at that price again for a while, you can be sure some nigh-on identical ones will be before the kids go back to school.

5. But don't wait too long to buy

The best Lightning Deals on Amazon Prime Day could be gone in matter of minutes, so be sure to check how many have been sold with the information provided on Amazon's site. Deals of the Day will have an expiry date, but some will sell out long before they reach that time. Game consoles and 4K TVs are especially popular on Prime Day, so if you see a price you like on your lunch break, you're risking it being gone by the time you get home from work.

6. Use the desktop version of Amazon if you can

While the Amazon app and mobile sites are pretty reliable most of the time, Prime Day last year saw quite a few buyers struggle to complete purchases with adding items to the basket being as issue.

We're confident Amazon will be better equipped to deal the huge numbers of traffic this year, but all the same, we'd recommend browsing the deals on a laptop or PC if you can as the desktop version of the site might be a bit more stable.

7. Make sure delivery date promises are kept

In the UK many items will be eligible for free next day delivery or two business days in the US and Australia. Now as a Prime member, you're paying for that delivery promise, well unless you're on the free trial, then it's free. 

But if your delivery doesn't turn up on the day it's supposed to, then you need to put in a complaint to Amazon. This has happened to us a small number of times over the years and Amazon is keen to make it right. We've had an extra month added to our Prime membership for free as an apology and even had the whole cost of some cheap items refunded in full without having to return it. Naturally, if you're not home when Amazon try to deliver on the original date that's on you. You'll find a nice orange slip informing you what to do next though.

8. Don't forget about the other retailers

While Amazon will be the main focus of course, last year we saw a wide range of rival retailers cash-in by having a sale of their own too. So it's certainly worth checking to see if they've price-matched Amazon or have maybe gone even lower.

And unlike Amazon Prime Day deals, you won't have to be a 'member' at other stores to get the deals. Or if you have a points-card elsewhere, it might be a good opportunity to bag a decent haul. We'll be keeping an eye on other retailers for you to give you as many options as possible on the day.

June 30, 2018 at 06:20PM
Brendan Griffiths

Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus (Nintendo Switch) review

Late last year, developer Panic Button worked wonders by transplanting id Software's hellish FPS DOOM to the Nintendo Switch. Visual downgrades aside, it was an incredibly accurate conversion of relatively recent AAA shooter, and proof that Nintendo's system – despite its relative lack of grunt when compared to Sony and Microsoft's home consoles – was capable of handling visually intense multi-format releases. Unsurprisingly, it established Panic Button as one of the Switch's most exciting developers.

Fast-forward to the present, and publisher Bethesda has once again entrusted Panic Button with porting duties for a second high-profile shooter: MachineGames' Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus. The result is yet another impressive entry on Panic Button's burgeoning CV, even if some of the concessions that have been made render it slightly less appealing than its home console iterations, which launched in October last year.

The New Colossus follows on directly from the events of the 2014 title Wolfenstein: The New Order, which – if you're a seasoned Nintendo veteran – you may not have had the chance to play, as it was only available on Xbox One, PS4 and PC. The New Colossus does a commendable job of summarizing the events of that game in its introduction sequence – it even allows you to relive a distressing (but important) choice which impacts the narrative of the sequel you're about to play – but it's a real shame that Switch owners have to jump into this one totally cold, as you're missing out on vital character development that gave The New Colossus some of its most emotional (and shocking) moments.

Reich here, Reich now

Stepping into the boots of William Joseph 'B.J.' Blazkowicz, you find yourself crippled and wheelchair-bound aboard the stolen Nazi U-boat Eva's Hammer. You've been in a coma for months following the catastrophic conclusion of The New Order, but your respite is cruelly cut short by an attack by the unhinged Frau Engel, a key protagonist from the first game who has good reason to want your head on a stick. 

It's a brave move to place the player in the role of a character who has limited movement from the off, but it sets into motion a breakneck pace that doesn't let up, even as you hijack Nazi flying fortresses, plan a revolution in the ruins of Manhattan and stalk through the slums of New Orleans.

The storyline veers from utterly shocking to hilariously silly in the blink of an eye, but it's a mix that somehow holds together – thanks in no small part to some excellent scripting and stellar voice acting, especially on the part of the gruff-voiced Brian Bloom, who turns the previously one-dimensional Blazkowicz (lest we forget, his tour of duty began way back on 1992 in Wolfenstein 3D) into a relatable hero. It's also impossible to deny the satisfaction one can gain from taking down hordes of nasty Nazis, and the game never shirks from giving you an opportunity to enact revenge on members of the hated Reich.

Speak softly and carry a big stick

While your path through the carnage is largely a linear one, the environments are usually big and maze-like enough to encourage you to consider a different strategy to the tried-and-tested 'all guns blazing' approach. Nazi officers will signal for help when alerted to your presence, which means that silent takedown kills – executed by pushing the 'R' stick down when in range of an enemy – are preferable, especially when you're low on health and ammo.

Of course, there are moments when stealth simply isn't an option, and it's here that the game's superbly-crafted gun-play becomes apparent. All of the weapons – from the smallest pistol to the largest laser-spewing rifle – have a lovely heft to them, and projectile-filled battles with streams of Nazi soldiers – all of who will try to use cover intelligently and outflank you – are never anything less than thrilling. The opportunity to dual-wield certain weapons adds to your destructive power.

DOOM on Switch was vastly improved by the addition of motion controls, and thankfully The New Colossus is blessed with these from the very start. Nintendo fans who lived through the Wii U era will already know what a difference motion-aided aiming can make; it almost feels like having a third analog stick with which you can fine-tune your shots. We honestly don't know if we can go back to standard single-stick aiming after playing this; it's that good.

AAA gaming on the go

What's truly remarkable about Panic Room's Switch port is that despite a blindly obvious downgrade in visual fidelity, the action is faithful to that seen in the other versions of the game. The developer has wisely decided to sacrifice detail for responsiveness and speed, and as a result The New Colossus on Switch runs at around 30fps at all times. Lighting effects and motion blur help mask the much-reduced pixel count, and it would seem that Panic Room has employed dynamic resolution scaling to help Nintendo's console cope with packed scenes.

During slower moments, though, the cutbacks are plain to see – textures are muddy and everything lacks detail thanks to the lower resolution. In both docked and handheld mode, it often seems like you're playing The New Colossus through a thick film of vaseline, and if you've played the game elsewhere then the downgrade might be off-putting.

On the plus side, the Switch's 720p screen does a good job of hiding these shortcomings, and being able to play such a recent AAA console game on the move is nothing short of a miracle; the main thing is that Panic Button has transferred the essence of what makes The New Colossus great to Switch successfully.

There's sadly no multiplayer to speak of (there wasn't any in the original release, either) which means that once the end credits have rolled there's little reason to return, unless you fancy taking on one of the harder difficulty levels.

Verdict: Play it now

Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus is an incredible ride while it lasts, and proof positive that Nintendo's hybrid console is more than capable of hosting faithful ports of big-name third-party releases – even if some of the visual spectacle has to be dialed back in the process.

The concessions made by developer Panic Button make sense in the grand scheme of things, and being able to blast away Nazis in portable mode is something of a game-changer – even if you've already experienced this adventure on PS4 or Xbox One.

June 30, 2018 at 05:32PM
Damien McFerran

Xbox Two: what we want to see out of a new Xbox

[Update: Microsoft didn't bring any new Xbox hardware to E3 2018, but it was mentioned. Taking to the stage, Phil Spencer said "Our hardware team is deep into developing the next generation of Xbox consoles, where we will once again deliver on our commitment to set the benchmark for console gaming." We have no details other than that, but at least we know there's more hardware in the works. Given the amount of attention the PlayStation 5 has been getting recently, we think now was probably a good time for Spencer to give the next Xbox some hype.]

For the past few years, the next Xbox was nothing more than a fanboy's dream. We had hoped Microsoft was working on something new, even suspected that might be the case, but until recently, we weren't sure.

Now we can confidently say that not only is Xbox Two (a.k.a. Xbox Scarlett) now in development, but it's closer than it's ever been to being unveiled.

The official story starts just a few months ago when Xbox Chief Phil Spencer told the thousands of attendees at E3 2018 that the console - or, rather, series of consoles is in development: "Our hardware team is deep into developing the next generation of Xbox consoles, where we will once again deliver on our commitment to set the benchmark for console gaming." 

Since Spencer's announcement details have slowly bubbled up all around the net on the purported system. First we got a codename - Xbox Scarlett - and now we've heard rumblings of the first games to be designed for the next-gen Xbox: The Elder Scrolls 6, Cyberpunk 2077 and Halo Infinite. If these all manage to launch on the console when it releases somewhere around 2020 or 2021, it could be enough to put Microsoft back on top of the gaming world.

While it'd be nice to have a new console ready for E3 2019, work hasn’t gone so far that we can expect to see the console any sooner than 2019. According to  Windows Central’s Jez Corden, 2 years would be too soon to expect the new console but it would likely still be backwards compatible with the rest of the Xbox family. 

Interestingly, 2019 to 2020 is around the time that analysts are predicting Sony will launch the PlayStation 5. 

If  you ask us, we think it's unlikely that Microsoft would let Sony launch a brand new console without answering with its own within a year, but we don't think the company would try to beat Sony to the post given Microsoft’s first foray into true 4K gaming hasn't even been on store shelves even a year yet.

That said, however, that's not going to stop us from thinking ahead to the next Xbox and what it’ll bring - corroborated by information scoured from across the web.

Xbox Two news and rumors

It will house some impressive tech

A new job listing suggests that Microsoft is hard at work on the next Xbox. The company is looking for a senior electrical engineer to "come be a part of what's next" in Xbox hardware. 

Xbox is seeking for an engineer to “lead the DRAM solutions for the Xbox console hardware development team" adding that the “DRAM solutions include DDR3, GDDR5, GDDR6 and future DRAM technologies."

This person will be working on "currently shipping and future Xbox design projects." It was already suggested by Jez Corden in 2017 that the next Xbox is being designed and this gives greater credence to that.

Andrew House talks the next generation

Former PlayStation chief, Andrew House, has been talking about the future of consoles at GamesBeat Summit in California recently. Though House wasn't willing to go into specifics on the next PlayStation itself, he did say that he thinks physical media will be around for all consoles for some time to come, thanks to the need to continue breaking into new markets. One would assume this is something that would also be relevant to any future Xbox console. 

In his interview, House said, "I don’t have any firm knowledge on this, but my sense is that you will see the disc around in the industry for a while. If you’re going to tap into some of these [developing] markets, then allowing for that more traditional physical purchase model as an option is probably no bad thing."

Despite this, though, House also believes that streaming will be big in the future of gaming – an opinion which ties neatly with Microsoft's Phil Spencer's who emphasised the need for a 'Netflix for video games.' This would be, one would imagine, a natural extension of the download-based Xbox Game Pass in the next generation.

What will the new Xbox be called?

The hardest part of this future-gazing is actually trying to guess what the console might be called, given the naming progression that’s come before. Microsoft isn't going to abandon the Xbox brand anytime soon, surely, but the subtitle is a little harder to pin down. 

If it’s a brand new console generation it’d make sense to call it Xbox Two, but Xbox 720 made a retrospectively perplexing amount of sense at one point so let’s not be too confident in that. 

If we're going to really get our tinfoil hats on, looking at the naming progression we can see the latest console is the Xbox One X. If X were to be read as ten, the next console would be the Xbox One II or Xbox II (2). Okay, we're just kidding. Regardless,Microsoft is a hard company to predict when it comes to console naming. 

What will it the new Xbox be capable of?

What’s slightly easier is predicting the features that are likely to appear in this new Xbox. 

The Xbox One X is a huge step forward for Microsoft, bringing native 4K gaming and near-PC power into a console. It's currently the most powerful console on the market so where can Microsoft go from here?

We can only imagine. So that’s exactly what we’re going to do; join us won’t you?

A powerful console focused on games

We like to think Microsoft has learned a lot of lessons from the difficult launch of the Xbox One. The Xbox One didn’t have the advantage of being the only HD console option on the market like the Xbox 360 did, and additionally its launch ended up being marred by a Kinect bundle that pushed its price way higher than it should have been.

As a result, the PlayStation 4 took (and has maintained) a commanding lead in terms of market share. 

Microsoft has definitely addressed a  lot of these issues with the Xbox One X. It's  a piece of hardware that's almost entirely focused on games, and it's not bundled with any superfluous hardware. In fact, Microsoft's gone so far as to drop the Kinect port entirely. We imagine this focus will continue into the future. 

• The best PS4 Pro deals right now

Budget and premium options

With the One S and the One X Microsoft is embracing both an iterative and a tiered model. The company is not only launching incrementally better pieces of hardware over time, but it's also supporting previous versions of the console and allowing them to exist as budget options.

As a case in point, the One X is still expensive (much more so than the PS4 Pro), but the Xbox One S is still being presented as a worthy and attractively priced 4K upscaling alternative that will still be capable of playing all the same games, not just from this generation but the previous generation too.

However, after each console has had its chance at being the budget model, they've each fallen away into obscurity. We've already seen this with the original Xbox One, and it's likely that the Xbox Two will eventually have the same effect on the Xbox One S.

We imagine Microsoft may want a certain degree of market saturation for the Xbox One X (or at the very least 4K TVs) before launching the Xbox Two but when the console does launch it’s less likely to feel like the same leap that moving from Xbox 360 to Xbox One did. 

Trial and error, rather than a jump into the unknown

In some senses we feel that it’s reasonable to assume we’ll be slowly drip-fed a lot of the technology that will end up in the Xbox Two. 

This has the big advantage of allowing Microsoft to establish what works and what doesn't work over time rather than having to take a big leap of faith with a brand new piece of hardware. 

VR and AR support is likely

We've learned that certain things are unimportant for consoles this generation, like motion-sensing and touch-screen, but the new technologies like VR and AR are proving to be very exciting fields for developers.

Microsoft has already confirmed that the Xbox One X will support Windows 10 virtual and mixed reality headsets but it’s not being forceful with pushing them. They were notably absent from the console’s presentation at E3 2017 and we still have plenty of questions.

• Get a great deal on a 4K TV

If PlayStation VR continues to grow in strength we expect Microsoft will be more clear about the Xbox One X’s stance on these headsets and much more active about developing the technology for its successor. Xbox Two could very well be the HoloLens console. If the technology flops, Microsoft can easily phase it out from its next generation plans like the Kinect but much more neatly and less to the detriment of initial sales.

Meanwhile, if the Xbox One X’s 4K visuals fail to make the console appeal as much as Microsoft hopes they will, we don’t doubt they’ll still be a feature of the Xbox Two, but they may be less of a focus in the overall marketing. 

The latest and greatest audio visual technology

Recently Microsoft has been really keen on integrating the latest audio visual technologies into its consoles - Dolby Atmos support, 4K and HDR are all here. This is something we can see continuing into the next generation. 

It’s clear Microsoft wants gaming on Xbox to be a full sensory experience and it’s possible that the next console will include some kind of projection system similar to Project Ariana that Razer showcased at CES 2017 whereby gaming environments were extended beyond the screen and into the player’s room. With something like this, Xbox Two has the potential to be an immersive gaming machine and we already know technology of a similar ilk was being considered in the Illumiroom project from back in 2013.

• The best Xbox One S deals you can get right now

An increasingly cross-platform ecosystem

In the way that Nintendo is bridging the gap between its handheld and home console divisions with the Switch, we can see Microsoft moving its PC and console users closer as we move onto the Xbox Two. 

Cross-platform play, accounts and digital purchases are being encouraged in the Windows 10 and Xbox stores and this is something we can see Microsoft continuing to push into the new generation, particularly if it’s going to continue to manufacture consoles that boast near-PC specs. 

Learnings from the PC

It’s likely that the new Xbox will likely have more of a Steam-esque interface that puts games first and doesn't confuse the customer. A system with a more indie- and mod-friendly focus is also important (we’re already seeing this with Indie@Xbox), and if the console consumer base doesn't jibe with mid-lifecycle console upgrades, perhaps a more PC piecemeal approach with more swappable parts will be in order. 

When will the next Xbox be released?

So we can agree we’re almost certainly going to get another console but will we have to wait eight years like we did between the previous generation and this one? It might end up that way, actually, but thanks to iteration it certainly won’t feel like it.

Though it won’t come as soon as two years from now, we think it’d be reasonable to expect the Xbox Two in three years, perhaps releasing in 2021. This would be eight years after the release of the original Xbox One and a good time, perhaps, to move onto the new generation. It'd also be around the time, or one year after, analysts are expecting Sony to release the PlayStation 5.

With the steady and considered steps Microsoft is making and the way the company seems to be listening to feedback from its users more than ever, we anticipate that the Xbox Two could be its most considered launch yet. In the meantime, a lot hinges on the Xbox One X.

• We've also done some speculating about the future of the PlayStation, check out everything we want to see from the PlayStation 5. 

June 30, 2018 at 05:35AM
Emma Boyle,Nick Pino

11 best open world games on PC today

In 2018, the best open world games are the gift that keeps on giving – and they’re not going anywhere. These days it seems like even game franchises that used to be linear experiences are embracing the open world. From shooters like Far Cry to expansive RPGs like the Witcher 3, we can see why everyone seems to love the best open world games on PC. 

It’s not hard to see why some developers are abandoning more linear experiences – just look at how franchises like Metal Gear and Final Fantasy benefited from the ‘open world’ treatment. They didn’t lose anything, and they gained everything. We love it.

In recent times, there have even been plenty of unconventional indie games embracing this open world style. Titles like the Long Dark, Neo Scavenger, Rust and more embrace open maps and player freedom – and are some of the best open world games you can buy today.

But we've picked our favourites out of the best wide worlds gaming has to offer. Disagree? Shout at us on Twitter.

Gabe Carey has also contributed to this article

I mean, you know what this is about. There isn't a gamer reading this today who isn't aware that Minecraft consists of; exploration and crafting in a blocky, bright 8-bit world. And when night falls or when you go deep underground, monsters come out... and that's not just on the multiplayer servers.

Though it's now on every last platform going, from iOS to Linux and even to Amiga, its fundamentals are the same - a large open world to explore, with no purpose beyond the one you which you create yourself. If you want to create a moving replica of Mark Hamill's face or the hanging gardens of Babylon or just a suburban house built exclusively of dynamite, Minecraft can do it.

If you're bored of Minecraft, you're bored of life. But if you really are bored (of Minecraft and/or life), either try the 2D Minecraft Terraria, its sci-fi sibling Starbound or wait for Subnautica. They're lifesavers.

Yes, Fallout 4 is the latest, most mechanically-complex and least ugly of the series, but Fallout: New Vegas is, for me, the best of the games. It brought back the weirdness and smarts of the original titles to post-apocalyptic America - perhaps because as many of the team members from developer Obsidian worked on Fallout 2.

The series always drops the player in an open world wasteland, where you must fight and talk to survive, often exploring the bizarre vaults beneath the desert or battling the mutated creatures that scrape by. Its combat system called VATS is divisive (i.e most people think it's rubbish), but it introduces tactical flexibility to an otherwise brutally-hard game.

In Fallout: New Vegas, you play as an anonymous Courier. Left for dead, you roam the strange wastes around Arizona, Nevada and California, hunting for your killer, or exploring weird side quests. Turning on the hardcore game mode also means that food, water and sleep are essential, making it into a classic open world survival game, like S.T.A.L.K.E.R.

The first two titles in the Witcher trilogy were compelling and strange, but only enjoyed minor success. However, all the word of mouth about the first two games paid off when the Witcher 3 came out and absolutely blew up. It was a massive step up in quality, as well, and probably one of the best RPGs of the last decade. You step in the role of Geralt a mutated monster hunter, or witcher, searching for his adoptive daughter in a medieval world ravaged by war.

The open world setting of the game is uniquely well-realized, completely blowing something like Skyrim away. Geralt can walk, ride, or sail across the war-ravaged lands of Novigrad and Velen, or sail across the monster-riddled and frost-ridden islands of Skellige in the North. He can forage for herbs, explore under the seas or the back alleys of cities, and encounter all kinds of folk and creatures.

And the other elements of the game are spectacularly polished as well - limber, agile combat, a deep levelling system, and a storyline with some unusually-smart storylines.

We know that Grand Theft Auto V is one of the best open world games out there. It's a huge pastiche of L.A. that you can drive across, or hop on a train, or a boat or a plane - an amazing achievement, and the fact it works in multiplayer is astounding.

Saint's Row IV is more limited, we accept. But where GTA V seems to have a dislike for all its characters, Saints Row IV manages to love its cast. It's also uproariously funny throughout, with throwaway jokes about Mass Effect, Prototype, Crackdown, The Matrix, and Metal Gear being built into ridiculous missions.

As the (criminal) President of the United States, you receive superpowers, fail to fight off an alien invasion, and end up exploring a simulation of your giant home city of Steelport where you must rescue your pals from their own personal hells.

The plot may have made less sense than a mumbling monkey with a mouthful of marbles, but Hideo Kojima's swansong was a masterpiece of layered open world mechanics.

In its twin deserts of Afghanistan and Angola, your character Big Boss has a range of objectives to achieve. He traverses these areas on foot, horseback, or in a variety of ground vehicles. You can take either lethal or non-lethal weapons, and a variety of strange AI companions.

The world itself is believably bleak, weather-torn and heavily-guarded. Uniquely, it learns from your behaviour - overuse a particular tactic, and enemies will adapt. For example, rely too much on headshots and they'll start to wear metal helmets.

Away from the frontline, you can develop Big Boss' base, by building new facilities and airlifting enemy soldiers, prisoners, resources, vehicles, animals and anything else you want to from the battlefield.

Klei's indie survival horror game takes the drawing style of Edward Gorey, the twisted monstrosities of the Binding of Isaac, and the crafting mechanics of Minecraft and creates an unholy, dark 2D world for players to explore. Suffice to say, it's a joy.

As players explore the world, they encounter (and die at the appendages of) its various flora and fauna. Eventually, the player might have enough knowledge to not die from starvation, not to be eaten by monsters, not to die of thirst… and then they might learn how to survive winter.

Beyond that, Don't Starve has tremendous replay value from unlockable characters, the Together expansion that allows for multiplayer survival, and the Shipwrecked expansion which introduces a whole new area to be eaten by monsters in.

The inaccessible indie open world game par excellence, Dwarf Fortress' world is open in space, but more importantly in time. Before you even start playing, the game's engine generates thousands of years of history for its huge fantasy world, then narrows in on a tiny slice of its history and geography.

Players can then either take control of a single adventurer, exploring this generated world or a caravan of dwarfs, setting off to found a colony in the history-saturated wastelands. Taking the latter mode, you have to establish supplies of food, beer, weaponry and a hundred other essentials for a comfortable dwarf dwelling.

Inevitably, they come under attack by hideous monsters, either wandering through the world or having been unearthed by Digging Too Deep. And then they all die or go insane.

If you're looking for a much more accessible version of the game, you could try Keeper RL - which allows players to take control of dungeon full of monsters attempting to wipe out humans, dwarves and elves.

An entirely text-based open world? In 2016? Well, sure. Failbetter's Fallen London story world has been developing for seven years and by now probably has more text in it than the Bible. And it's better written too.

Despite that, it was the Fallen London spin-off, Sunless Sea, that has won the studio plaudits. Failbetter has taken the same choose-your-own adventure model and built it into a game where you're exploring an underground sea adjacent to Fallen London.

The shipping and combat is so-so, but the game is driven by its amazingly rich storyline, full of charming devils, malevolent icebergs and soul-filled great apes. There's no peace in Sunless Sea's dark waters, just endless storylines to explore - and you will.

Far Cry 5 might just be a benchmark of what the best open world games  on PC will look like in 2018. Far Cry 5 is unique in the fact that it allows you to truly go anywhere on the map – and do anything. And, it doesn’t water this freedom down by limiting the amount of space you have open to you either, it’s perhaps one of the biggest game maps we’ve ever experienced. 

You’re dropped into the middle of the Montana wilderness, and while it does feature a loosely connected plot involving cultists or something, that all falls into the background as you wander around and get lost in the massive world Ubisoft crafted here. We still haven’t ‘finished’ this game, but we don’t think you’re supposed to.

Now that a ton of Yakuza games are coming to PC, PC gamers can finally experience the insanity that is so unique to the Yakuza series. 

Yakuza 0’s map isn’t as capacious as some of the other games on this list, but it is dense with activities. Everywhere you turn either has a mini game, a side quest, or some other kind of content that you can interact with. If you’ve never played a Yakuza game, do yourself a favor and try Yakuza 0 on for size – it’s unlike anything else you’ve ever played, we promise. 

Where to begin with Assassin's Creed Origins? Have you ever wanted to explore Ancient Egypt, from Memphis, along the Nile to the steps of the Library of Alexandria? We think 'yes' is a safe assumption to make. 

This is the most truly open world game ever released in the Assassin's Creed franchise and it's stunning, rich and completely alive. There's endless amounts to see and do while you traverse a country that's been created with an incredible attention to detail by the Ubisoft team. Even better, with the game's free Discovery Mode you can purely explore this glorious open world and learn about the history behind the game. 

June 30, 2018 at 03:00AM
Dan Griliopoulos,Bill Thomas

Global T20 Canada gets a free live stream: see how to watch the cricket from anywhere

It's weird. There hasn't been much fanfare around the inaugural of the Global T20 Canada cricket tournament. It may be because it's in that not-so-proud cricketing country of Canada, but the quality of the players heading to North America to play is substantial. And unlike most cricket these days, the Global T20 is completely free to live stream.

The biggest story around the Global T20 is that shamed Australians Steve Smith and David Warner are making their return to competitive cricket at the brand new Twenty20 tournament. And other cricketing superstars such as Shahid Afridi, Chris Gayle and Lasith Malinga will also be travelling to Canada to play for the six competing teams.

The Global T20 is being held at the Maple Leaf Cricket Club in Toronto and runs from June 28 with the final taking place on July 15. And the great news is that little-known Freesport.tv is showing the whole thing free of charge, with one or two matches most days from 4pm local time (9pm BST, 4pm ET, 1pm PT, 6am AEST).

• Discover how to watch the FIFA World Cup for FREE

Free Global T20 live stream

You can access the Freesport online live stream by going to the free and legal streaming service TVPlayer.com.

If you're out of the UK, you'll find that your access is region blocked. You don't have to let that stop you though, as you can always download and install a VPN to let you watch from anywhere. A VPN - or Virtual Private Network - let's you effectively relocate your laptop or mobile device's IP to somewhere else in the world. In this case, you can change it to the UK and pick up the TVPlayer.com stream as if you were sat in London!

We reviewed hundreds of VPNS to make sure we recommend the right one to you. Check out our best VPN services page - our favorite at the moment is ExpressVPN, thanks to its ease-of-use and ridiculous amount of server locations.

June 29, 2018 at 11:16PM
Adam Marshall

Best mining PC 2018: the best desktop PCs for mining Bitcoin, Ethereum and more

Amid the mining of blocks and chains currently keeping PC components alive, you’re best off to refrain from building your own computer for the time being, so if you're keen on getting into mining, you'll want to check out our list of the best mining PCs that you can buy right now.

Because the demand for the best mining GPUs is so high, it means getting your hands on a graphics card can be difficult - and expensive. This has led to a rather bizarre situation where it's actually cheaper to buy a whole new PC for mining, rather than a single graphics card!

Also, if you're not interested in fiddling around with wires and components, it means you can get a ready-made desktop PC that can start mining cryptocurrency as quickly as possible.

So, here are the best mining PCs you can buy in 2018.

• Understanding Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies
• Bitcoin explained: what is Bitcoin?
• How to buy Bitcoins in 2018
• Bitcoin vs distributed ledger vs Ethereum vs blockchain
• The best Bitcoin exchanges 2018

The best mining PCs 2018

If you don't mind spending (a lot) of money, then the Origin Millennium PC is a worthy choice for the ultimate mining PC. This is because you can deck it out with some seriously impressive components, such as two EVGA GeForce GTX 1080 Founders Edition graphics cards and the Intel Broadwell-E Core i7-6950X processor, which gives you an excellent base for mining with. If you're canny with your mining and cryptocurrency choice, you could even end up making a decent profit after paying off the cost of this beast.

Read the full review: Origin Millennium

• If for any reason you aren't able to get this PC: check out a fine alternative in the Overclockers 8Pack Asteroid.

The Dell XPS Tower Edition is a compact and almost plain-looking PC, but hidden beneath this exterior is an impressive array of components. Inside you’ll find your choice of the latest in GPU tech, in addition to a blazing-fast 7th generation Intel CPU and a spacious hard drive and/or SSD. Now, the Special Edition is only available in the US, but our readers in the UK and Australia will still be able to buy the regular Dell XPS Tower and beef it up to the same level through Dell’s configuration page. This is definitely a great mining PC that allows you to tweak and configure without having to know about building your own PC.

Read the full review: Dell XPS Tower Special Edition

The Lenovo ThinkCentre M900 is an excellent desktop PC for cryptocurrency mining use, as it combines speed and power with an excellent build quality and reliability which is essential for PCs that will be left on for long periods of time. The Lenovo ThinkCentre M900 comes in a range of configurations, with the top-end model boasting a huge amount of power. This flexibility lets you build a Lenovo ThinkCentre M900 that suits your needs, and there's plenty of room to upgrade and expand this desktop in the future. 

This is another fantastic gaming PC that also doubles as a versatile mining PC. Thanks to its powerful components, you'll be getting some good returns when you put it to mining, and the excellent cooling system of this PC means it can run for long periods of time without overheating - or getting too noisy. It's another expensive outlay, but one that could quickly pay off if you mine wisely.

Read the full review: MSI Infinite A

•  If for any reason you aren't able to get this PC: check out a fine alternative in the Overclockers 8Pack Asteroid.

• While you’re at it, we’ve also found the best gaming desktop PC you can buy
• Check out also the best VPN services of 2018 that we've nailed down.

June 29, 2018 at 10:11PM
Matt Hanson

Samsung Galaxy Book 2018 spotted: but is it Qualcomm or Intel inside?

Not long after Qualcomm teased a Windows 10 device from Samsung using its latest Snapdragon 850 chipset, a Samsung Galaxy Book that uses the operating system has been disclosed through a Russian Inspection Bureau EEC certificate.

First published on June 27, the certificate directly mentions a “Samsung Galaxy Book Windows tablet” and possible model numbers are listed: Samsung SM-W737 and SM-W738 and its variants: SM-W737A SM-W737N SM-W737V SM-W738N, as Dutch website LetsGoDigital reports.

Qualcomm and Samsung announced a few weeks prior to this that a Windows device using the chip maker’s latest system-on-a-chip for the platform was in the works. Could this be what they were talking about?

So, will it be Intel or Qualcomm inside?

With the Galaxy Book traditionally being a device that is primarily used as a tablet, like most Windows 10 devices that run on Snapdragon hardware, this Galaxy Book may be the tablet device that Qualcomm has been previously talking about.

Alternatively, Samsung could go with an Intel CPU, as it has with some of its other Windows tablets and laptops in the past (though likely using a Qualcomm modem for the LTE connectivity, anyway). Of course, the final outcome could be that Samsung delivers both options, much like the HP has done with the Envy x2.

If Samsung chooses the latter option, it better be careful so as to not confuse customers. As we all should know by now, most folks out there don’t know their processor from their memory, much less the brand names.

At any rate, we'll now be watching the Samsung Galaxy Unpacked event in early August with bated breath.

• Behold! The very best laptops of 2018

Via MSPowerUser

June 29, 2018 at 09:49PM
Joe Osborne

What could a Google gaming platform look like?

Google is reportedly looking at entering the video game market, with a streaming platform set to rival Xbox and PlayStation.

Codenamed ‘Yeti’, the under-wraps project would look to offload the processing requirements of high-end games to its own off-site server, allowing standard smart TVs or even budget PCs to replicate the performance of much more advanced hardware.

A report from Kotaku suggested Google may have held meetings with developers at GDC and E3 this year to gauge interest in its streaming platform, and to attempt to bring studios in-house to work on its own Yeti titles.

What we may see is a possible Netflix-style streaming service for games, one that could sit alongside other media apps on your Google Chromecast or similar hardware – or even be played in a tab on the Google Chrome browser.

Room for one more?

Some of you may be thinking, do we really need another home console? And it’s a fair question to ask.

But the runaway success of the Nintendo Switch has certainly shown there’s room for more than two major consoles on the market, as long as players are being offered something distinctly different.

Gaming companies are certainly keeping an eye on the future of streaming, which could potentially kill off the need for expensive home consoles. Both Sony and Xbox already offer subscription services for access to a wide library of titles, though Xbox Game Pass still relies on downloads for offline use, and Sony is looking to replicate that feature with their own PlayStation Now.

We've been here before

There’s a reason why these streaming platforms don’t exist in a big way yet, and that’s because it’s really very hard to get it to work.

Games simply require a lot more bandwidth than TV shows or films. Sony’s PlayStation Now service already allows PS owners to stream titles into their homes, but it requires a very stable, fast internet connection. The capability of someone’s internet still varies hugely depending on their provider, router, and where in the country – and in what country – they live.

A high-profile attempt at a Netflix-for-games model came by way of OnLive, a dedicated streaming service for games that generated a lot of hype – and capital – with its plans to bring high-end gaming to standard PCs, Macs, and smart TVs. But the service suffered with numerous connection and video compression issues, and was eventually subsumed by Sony in 2015 in order to help develop its own PlayStation Now service.

Google is likely looking at the long-term, with internet speeds gradually increasing worldwide, and the promise of 5G set to vastly improve over-the-air downloads. But unless Google can create a seamless streaming experience and overcome the connection issues still facing countless gamers worldwide, it’ll face an uphill battle getting Yeti into people’s homes.

• Ubisoft boss thinks there'll only be one more generation of consoles

June 29, 2018 at 07:11PM
Henry St Leger

The best PS4 Pro deals and bundles in June 2018

If you're looking for a PS4 Pro deal or bundle to dive into the world of 4K gaming, we're here to find you the absolute best price out there. At this time of year, we're seeing some healthy discounts. They're selling fast though, so if you see a deal you like, be sure to bag it before it's too late. If today's deals are a bit over-budget for you, you might have better luck on the upcoming Amazon Prime Day.

Below you'll find all of the latest and best PS4 Pro prices from the big name stores in our comparison chart. There's not too much difference in price between retail stores this time of year, but we're constantly on the lookout for the latest deals and bundles. Looking to buy in Australia? You'll want to take a look at our AU page.

If you'd prefer a standard PS4, then check out our PS4 bundles page. Don't forget to top up your subscription with one of our discounted PlayStation Plus deals too.

So keep this page bookmarked to stay informed of the latest PS4 Pro bundles when they arrive. If you're looking for more information on the PS4 Pro, take a look at our handy Q&A below the bundles.

PS4 Pro bundle deals (USA)

PS4 Pro bundle deals (UK)

Need an extra controller on the cheap? Take a look at the best DualShock 4 deals. We also have a guide to the best PlayStation VR deals too.

Cheap PlayStation Plus deals

If you're buying a PS4 Pro, you'll probably need a cheap PlayStation Plus deal too. PlayStation Plus (aka PS Plus or PS+) allows you to play PS4 games online, along with access to the Instant Game Collection, a bunch of free games for PS4, PS3 and Vita each month. The default price for a year is £40. We've shopped around for you though and found a range of prices. So check out our guide of you want the best PlayStation Plus deals.

What is the PS4 Pro?

Essentially, the PS4 Pro is an upgrade of the PS4, rather than a 'next-gen' console. The keywords to take in from the PS4 Pro are 4K and HDR. The new machine will allow game developers to include 4K options in their games, so expect the like of Uncharted 4, Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, Days Gone, Horizon: Zero Dawn and more to look even better on a 4K TV.

HDR, or High Dynamic Range is the other buzzword to be excited about as the PS4 Pro will allow for extra detail to be seen on a range of games and also a wider range of colors not usually displayed by traditional HD TVs.

Will my old PS4 games work on PS4 Pro?

Absolutely. If you're planning on upgrading to a PS4 Pro from an older PS4, all of your games will still work. Not every title will be patched to take advantage of the new 4K/HDR capabilities, but the default upscaling (if you have a 4K TV) will more than likely see some improvement to the visuals and the improved console power may give the frame-rate a boost on some titles.

What else can I watch in 4K/HDR on PS4 Pro?

The PS4 Pro is compatible with 4K and HDR, and the content options for both are increasing all the time on services like Amazon Prime Instant Video and Netflix. Sony has already confirmed there will be hundreds of hours of 4K Netflix content at launch. There's a lot of free 4K content on the YouTube app too.

Does the PS4 Pro support 4K Blu-rays?

No. This was a surprise if we're honest, especially as the new Xbox One S console does. It's a bit of a gamble for Sony, but at the same time, 4K Blu-rays are very expensive for now and many consumers look to digital services to provide their 4K movies and TV content.

Do I need a 4K TV to run a PS4 Pro?

No, the PS4 Pro will still work on a regular 1080p TV, you won't get the benefits of upscaling or HDR though. You may see a slim amount of extra detail, or frame-rate boost, but we wouldn't expect a massive leap.

If you are thinking of buying a 4K TV soon, then it's probably a good idea to splash out on the PS4 Pro instead of the regular or new PS4 Slim as it'll future proof you for a while. Be sure to look out for a TV that supports HDR too, in order to take full advantage of the PS4 Pro's capabilities.

Will PlayStation VR be better on the PS4 Pro?

Early reports say yes. The PlayStation VR frame-rate is better on PS4 Pro and the resolution gets a bit of a bump too. PlayStation VR will certainly work on the older PS4s, you don't need a PS4 Pro to get involved there.

Does the PS4 Pro have optical audio support?

Yes! The optical audio output has been removed from the PS4 Slim though, which is a massive shame. PS4 Pro owners though will still be able to use optical connections for their soundbars and sound systems.

What are the best games on PS4 Pro?

We've dived through our back catalog of PS4 games that have received a PS4 Pro update patch to see which ones look the best and have a noticeable difference. Take a look at our extensive feature - The best PS4 Pro games.

June 29, 2018 at 09:34AM
Brendan Griffiths

Xbox One could get game mod support in a matter of weeks

Xbox could be getting a huge new fleet of modding features, according to internal documents leaked from Microsoft.

The leaked presentation lays out a five-point plan for fostering a modding community on the Xbox platform, pointing to an increased focus on ‘UGC’ (user-generated content), a ‘catalog’ for browsing available mods, and ‘social integration’ to notify and share content with friends.

• Xbox One keyboard and mouse might not be far off

The presentation also set out a vague timeline for the new features, citing a launch some time “later this summer”, so we're guessing late July or August.

Let them have mods!

Modding is a practice primarily associated with PC gaming, allowing users to create and share their own in-game content, whether that’s cosmetic items, new weapons or character skins, or whole other maps and gameplay modes. 

There's currently no uniform system for creating and selling mods on the Xbox platform, requiring developers to create their own in-house tools if they wish to offer a modding service through their games. 

Usually this means only major studios have the resources to do so, with notable names like Fallout 4, Skyrim, and Halo 5 providing some sort of modding capability to its users.

• The best Xbox One deals and bundles right now

• Via Windows Central

June 29, 2018 at 04:50PM
Henry St Leger

New Razer Huntsman gaming keyboards work via lasers – seriously

The best small business servers of 2018

if you have a growing small or medium sized business, then you'll want to make sure you have the best server for your business needs. These are essential tools for a modern company, and while cloud-based servers are gaining popularity, on-site servers that you operate yourself can still be the best way to go.

It also means it's easier, and more affordable, to expand your SMB server as your business grows.

In this top 10 list of the best SMB servers, we've selected the crème de la crème of servers, ranging from those aimed at small businesses to the sort that bigger enterprises depend on.

So here, in no particular order, are the top servers for small and medium businesses

A bewildering array of SKU (stock keeping units) mean that you sometimes have to sift through entire price lists in order to find the needles in the proverbial haystack. Take the T30 from Dell: You can buy it either as a barebones or as a fully configured server. Aimed at the entry-level/SoHo market, the T30 manages to squeeze a lot of expansion potential into a compact, quiet mini-tower chassis plus it comes with a wealth of server features by default making it an ideal alternative to an office workstation.

Servers do not have to be massive or expensive. Take the PowerEdge T20 for example; it has benefited from a wealth of knowledge derived from the 20 years of experience Dell has building servers. While the barebones version doesn't have a hard drive, it's certainly cheap – in the recent past, it has been priced at less than £100 (with cashback offers, that is – it’s always well worth keeping an eye out for these).

It has a Haswell-based Pentium processor that can clock up to 3GHz and supports up to 32GB DDR3 ECC RAM (note that this model comes with 4GB). Expansion capabilities include four SATA ports (32TB if you use 8TB hard drives), four I/O slots and 10 USB ports. Astoundingly for a PC of this price, you also get two DisplayPort connectors, a VGA one, two PS2 and one serial port. Other than a Gigabit Ethernet port, the other points of interest are a 290W PSU and an Intel-based RAID controller.

Read the full review: Dell PowerEdge T20 [barebones]

Lenovo took over IBM's x86 server range back in 2014 and has built on the best of the ThinkServer tradition. The TS150 is now the most affordable of the range and is a 4U enterprise-class server that competes with the Dell T20. It comes with support for RAID 0,1,10 and 5 (via an on-board controller). Like the competition, this one can accommodate up to four 3.5-inch HDDs in total, which means that it can go up to 40TB of storage when loaded with the relevant hard drives. The relatively-recent Intel Xeon E3-1200 v6 processor should be powerful enough for small and medium enterprises.

Lenovo also claims that the acoustics of the TS150 are even quieter than a typical library at 26 decibels. As is the case for the competition, you also get an impressive array of ports and connectors: eight USB ports, four PCI/PCI-e slots, three video connectors (including a pair of DisplayPorts), Serial, Gigabit Ethernet and three audio connectors.

There is sometimes a very fine line between workstations and servers and there is probably no better example than the 5039A-IL from Supermicro. It is part of its SuperWorkstation range but works just as well as a server with acres of upgrade space. Given that it is a barebones solution, the 5039A-IL is especially suitable for small businesses with niche needs like creative houses that might want a server that's a bit more than just a print or file server.

This single socket, mid-tower behemoth (it weighs in at 18.1kg without any parts) offers some impressive tech on board: You can specify Skylake processors (Xeon or Core i3/5/7), up to 64GB of DDR4 ECC memory, plus there's USB 3.1, HDMI, and twin Gigabit ports on the connectivity front, and 7.1 audio to boot. Its expansion capabilities are also breath-taking: DVI/DisplayPort/VGA, serial, eight SATA ports, six PCI/PCI-e slots and support for up to eight (yes, eight) hard disk drives, all powered by a 500W PSU. Supermicro, while not a household name, is one of the biggest server and workstation manufacturers out there with decades of experience.

When you think about servers, Fujitsu is probably not the first vendor which springs to mind. And yet, the Japanese manufacturer is one of the very few (if not the only one) that can claim to be involved in anything from SMB servers to, well, supercomputers. The TX1310 is its entry-level, SMB-focused server and comes with some pretty solid credentials plus an unmatched, industry-leading reliability guarantee. If your server breaks down within the first year of purchase, not only will Fujitsu fix or replace it, the company will also refund you the amount you paid for the server.

Like pretty much everyone at this end of the market, it is designed to run silently 24/7 and offers RAID 0/1/10 but not 5. This model incudes an Intel Xeon E3-1226 v3, two 1TB hard drives and 16GB of RAM. We like the fact that it comes with an optical drive and has two Gigabit Ethernet ports for redundancy. With four DIMM slots and four storage bays, this server supports up to 32TB of storage and 32GB of memory.

One of the fastest growing segments of the server market is dominated by a single company. HP Enterprise's Proliant Microserver Gen8 has successfully managed to fend off competition – thanks to an attractive feature mix and plenty of discounts – and ultimately own this market. These tiny servers have found a market well outside their niche with prosumers buying them en masse and touting their obvious advantages over NAS (network attached storage).

Despite being very small (less than 13l in volume) and light (less than 7kg), this machine packs some impressive capabilities. We're talking support for Intel's Xeon E3 family, up to 16GB of RAM, on system management processor, two Gigabit Ethernet ports, one PCIe slot, support for RAID 0/1/10, a DVD writer, up to four hard disk drives, an internal microSD card slot, an integrated Matrox G200 graphics chip and seven USB ports. It only has a VGA port, though, and has just two memory modules.

Read the full review: HP Proliant Microserver Gen8

If you want something a bit beefier than the aforementioned servers, then consider the TS460. It is far more expensive but then again you get a server that's in another league. For a start, it is far bigger than the previously mentioned servers with a 50 litre volume and a 25kg weight. This 5U server runs on Intel's Xeon E3 models with Turbo Boost technology plus it offers a three-year onsite warranty.

It supports up to 64GB of RAM and its integrated RAID controller offers the four main RAID types. You get a DVD writer, four fans, a 300W PSU and two Gigabit Ethernet ports. Up to eight hard disk drives can be installed and there are a whopping eight USB ports as well. There's a lockable door, support for ECC memory, plus a serial and a VGA connector.

Pitching in the same category as the TS440 is the ML350. This is an expensive piece of kit but just look at the feature list and it actually seems like a very decent deal. Other than the fact that it has a dedicated, integrated graphics card (Matrox G200), it offers a three-year onsite next business day warranty, four Gigabit Ethernet ports and support for 12Gbps SAS (note that it takes only 2.5-inch drives).

But there's more – this server runs an Intel Xeon E5-2603 v3 processor (not the usual E3 CPU) and supports two CPUs. The E5 has six cores which makes it particularly well-suited for more taxing tasks. We're also impressed by the amount of memory slots (24) that it has, allowing it to hit 3TB of memory once 128GB LRDIMM roll out. Oh and other than a lockable front door and a storage controller, this server earns brownie points for having dual redundant, hot-swappable 500W PSUs.

A powerful server doesn't have to be expensive – that's essentially what Scan wants to convey to prospective customers. Specifically designed for the SMB market, this 3XS offering is engineered to be compact and as quiet as possible. The UK-based vendor provides real-time tracking at every stage of the server build process (the servers are built to order, and production includes a 24 hour burn test and 88 point QC check ). Each comes with a three-year onsite warranty; what's more, you get a free recovery USB stick with diagnostic utilities.

If that wasn't enough, the components used in the system are amongst the best in our round-up. Two Broadwell-based Intel Xeon E5-2603 v4 processors provide a total of 12 cores and 30MB of cache. Then there's 64GB of DDR4 ECC RAM from Samsung, a 1TB WD Enterprise-class hard disk drive, two Intel Gigabit Ethernet ports, a 1000W Gold PSU and support for eight hard disk drives. Built by Corsair, the case has a door and all the panels are lined with noise damping material.

Like Supermicro, Asus is not well known for its servers. Instead, the Taiwanese company, one of the biggest component vendors in the world, is popular for a wide range of consumer products including its motherboards. Its TS500-E8-PS4 is a mainstream pedestal 5U tower server perfectly built for both workstation and server dual use.

It features the latest Intel Xeon processor E5-2600 v3 product families, eight DDR4 DIMMs (supporting half a terabyte of RAM), six expansion slots, three 5.25-inch media bays and a single 500W 80 Plus Bronze power supply. There are four 3.5-inch hot-swap SATA/SAS HDD bays which is also upgradable to eight HDD bays for flexible storage requirements.

In addition, with Intel's Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI) 2.0-compliant ASMB8-iKVM module in the TS500 you'll be able to monitor, control and manage the server remotely. Other key specs include 10 SATA ports, a DVD writer, eight USB ports, a PS2 port, a VGA one and three Gigabit Ethernet ports. Note that this is a barebones server, but obviously that gives you plenty of flexibility - something this machine offers in spades.

June 28, 2018 at 10:36PM
Desire Athow

Team TechRadar's Amazon Prime Day deals wishlist

With Amazon Prime Day fast approaching we're getting ready to bring you all the best deals throughout the sale when it starts at midday on July 16 and right through Prime Day itself on the 17.

There will be hundreds, if not thousands of deals to choose from and we'll be rummaging through the lot to find you the best deals on TVs, laptops, games, consoles, smart home tech, Amazon devices and lots more besides.

As we're keen tech buyers too though, we'll also be on the lookout for a few bargains  to treat ourselves on the day. So we've had a little roundup around the TechRadar office to show you what items we're planning on buying on Amazon Prime Day if the price is right. I'll get the ball rolling then.

Brendan Griffiths: Deals Editor

I’ve made my peace that the Kindle Oasis just isn’t coming down to a sane price anytime soon. Instead, I’m hoping Amazon Prime Day is going to give me a chance to finally go full Android and by that I mean buy a Chromebook. Seeing as I use my work laptop at home too, my home laptop wasn’t exactly getting much use, but I was still pretty annoyed when the most recent Windows update bricked it. So replacing it with something cheap seems like the sensible option. 

That being said, I’d like something new rather than the same old laptop experience. So, seeing as I’m buried deep into Google’s ecosystem now, the stripped-back OS and synchronicity of Google's suite and Play Store apps is really appealing. Ideally, I’m hoping for something that doesn’t weigh a ton, with a brushed steel finish and 4GB of RAM so hopefully it won’t fall over every time I open three apps at once with a stupid number of Chrome tabs open permanently too. So ideally, I’d love to see something like this Acer Chromebook CB3-431 for £200. That or I’ll ply our IT guys with beer and Haribo and ask them to fix my old laptop.

Matt Hanson: Computing Editor

I’ve recently moved into a new house, and its back garden was covered in pebbles. Just in time for the summer, I’ve got rid of the pebbles and sprinkled grass seeds, which have sprouted and grown at an alarming rate. So now I’m thinking of ways to cut the new grass without stomping all over the virgin lawn (which is much nicer than any of my neighbours', I’ve noticed with joy). So, I’m asking Father Bezos to leave a robotic lawn mower in my stocking this Amazon Prime Day. The Flymo 1200R Lithium-Ion Robotic Lawn Mower looks like it will do the job splendidly, so I am hoping it gets a nice discount on the day. It’s currently listed as one of Amazon’s Choices, and while I am not really sure what that means, I hope it results in a bit of a price cut.

Cat Ellis: Downloads Editor

I’m death to laptops. I don’t leave them on cafe tables or spill tea all over them – I’m simply a heavy-handed typist and few notebooks can handle such a hammering. I should probably invest in something you could safely run over with a tractor, but if an IdeaPad 320S saw a hefty discount this Amazon Prime Day, at least replacing my latest victim would be inexpensive. A great deal on a little coffee machine would help keep my eyes open for those long typing sessions as well (and stop me falling asleep on the keyboard). With the right Amazon Prime Day deal, a cute little Nespresso Vertuo Plus could provide the caffeine hit I need to meet my word targets.

John McCann: UK Phones Editor and Licensing Lead

Last year I got very excited over the announcement of a new computer game. Two Point Hospital is the brainchild of the folks behind the legendary Theme Hospital, and it looks to bring the iconic action bang up to date. There is a problem though. It’s a PC game and the only computer I have at home is a humble, first-gen Chromebook. There’s no way I’ll be able to run the game, which means I need an affordable, modest laptop to get my gaming fix. If the Dell Inspiron 15.6-Inch Gaming Notebook can shed another few hundred from its price tag then I’ll be curing patients til the cows come home.

Joe Osborne: Senior Editor

Since I’ve made the smartest decision of my life in relegating the horrid tasks of sweeping and mopping to a Roomba and Braava Jet, respectively, I’m chomping at the bit for the chance to automate my most hated chore: mowing my lawn(s). Yes, like my buddy Matt Hanson, I just really want a Roomba for lawns, and in particular the Worx WG794 Landroid robotic lawnmower. This beauty costs a small fortune, but can mow your lawn at 40 minutes per charge, able to return to its charger automatically to prepare itself for the next mow. This means more time to spend with my family on Sundays and less time pushing a gas guzzler around the yard. The product would be a perfect candidate for a summer Amazon Prime Day sale with all of those lawns to mow across the US.

Adam Marshall: Subscriptions and Services Editor

Ever since sitting next to a couple of dentists at a wedding last summer (more fun than it sounds), I’ve been conscious that my filling-riddled set of not-so-pearly whites are at risk from deteriorating further by my insistence on using a classic manual toothbrush. I missed out on bagging a new electric brush during Black Friday, so I’m hoping Amazon will deliver a bargain brush on Prime Day. Using the best electric toothbrush guide produced by our friends over at T3, I’ve got it narrowed down to either the Oral-B Genius 9000 or Philips Sonicare HX9332 - if either come in under the £100-mark, then I’m sold.

James Peckham: Wearables Editor

A robot vacuum and an Amazon Echo Dot are how far I’ve managed to get along the road to making my flat into a fully automated smart home. It may not be a tech filled paradise just yet, but the next stepping stone is plugging in some smart lights. This Amazon Prime Day feels like the perfect opportunity to grab my first Philips Hue Starter Kit to connect up to my Echo Dot and be one step closer to never having to leave my bed again. As much as I’m looking forward to a price drop on the Starter Kit, I hope Amazon doesn’t have a flash sale for all of its smart home products as I’m not sure if my bank balance will be able to take it...

Phil Hall: Photography Editor

Sony’s just launched the rather excellent but very pricey RX100 VI high-end premium compact camera. Now, I’m not expecting it to be heavily discounted this Amazon Prime Day, but older RX100 series cameras don’t die, they just get cheaper, and as we saw on Black Friday, there were some fantastic deals to be had on these powerful pocket cameras. Hopefully that means we’ll see the RX100 IV and RX100 V nicely discounted. 

My old Garmin Forerunner 910XT multisport watch is starting to look a bit tired and taking an absolute age to find a satellite when I switch it on, so with a bit of luck I’ll be able to nab a Garmin Forerunner 735XT for under £200.

Fingers crossed this lot gets a discount on Prime Day then! If you want to know what the best deals are on the day be sure to bookmark our Amazon Prime Day 2018 hub.

June 28, 2018 at 08:30PM
Brendan Griffiths