The Fighter Collection and Eagle Dynamics announce DCS: F-86F Sabre, saying the next installment in their combat flight simulation series will take off in July of this year. They offer this teaser video showing the how the seminal jet fighter will appear in the game. Here's word:

The Fighter Collection and Eagle Dynamics in cooperation with Belsimtek to release DCS: F-86F Sabre as a digital download in July 2014

The North American F-86F Sabre was the most capable western fighter of the early- to mid-1950s. This swept wing, single engine jet was the most important western aircraft of the Korean War and often tangled with Russian-made MiG-15s over the infamous “MiG Alley”. It was a hard struggle not only for the Korean sky, but also between two excellent aircraft builders of the East and West. In addition to its primary role as an air-to-air fighter, the Sabre could also carry bombs and air-to-ground rockets to attack ground targets.

The Belsimtek simulation of the Sabre is by far the most authentic recreation of this famous warbird to date. Feel what is to fly the Sabre with a professional level flight model, an interactive cockpit, fully functional weapons, a detailed damage model and a richly detailed aircraft. Experience the strengths and weaknesses of the Sabre in combat and find out why seasoned fighter pilots often look back at the Sabre as the most enjoyable aircraft they ever flew.

As part of DCS World, fly the F-86F Sabre in a fully realized combat environment with working weapon systems and capable air and ground threats.

Key Features of the DCS: F-86F Sabre:

• Unmatched flight physics that allow you to truly feel what it's like to fly this legend
• Highly detailed, six-degrees-of-freedom (6 DOF) cockpit
• Interact with cockpit controls with your mouse
• Fully modelled weapon system
• Accurate F-86F Sabre model, squadron markings, and weapons.
• Detailed modelling of the F-86F Sabre instruments, weapons, engine, radios, fuel, electrical and hydraulic systems
• Battle the MiG-15, the Sabre’s nemesis

Continue here to read the full story.

The Rise of Nations franchise that was sold as part of the 38 Studios bankruptcy was apparently bought by Microsoft, as there's now a listing on Steam for Rise of Nations: Extended Edition, saying this will be released next month with MS as publisher. The extended edition includes the base version of Big Huge Games' real-time strategy offering along with the Thrones and Patriots expansion, along with the following enhancements new to the extended edition:

• Improved Visuals
  • Improved water
  • Improved textures
  • Full-screen anti-aliasing
• Full Steamworks Integration
  • Multiplayer with ranked matches (ELO)
  • Achievements
  • Trading Cards
  • Cloud saves
• Extended Features
  • Twitch Integration

Steam News announces the release of the just revealed updated version of Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition which replaces GFWL with Steamworks for multiplayer support. Word is for the next day the game and its DLC are on sale for 75% off:

The critically acclaimed franchise further redefines the fighting game genre with a host of new and returning characters, beefed up online modes, and more. As of Friday, May 30th, the game features full Steamworks integration. To celebrate, the game, complete pack, and all DLCs are 75% off!

Qtracker offers more on their multiplayer support for games impacted by the GameSpy shutdown, saying this is accessible to developers of other applications. Here's word:

Gamespy is about to shut down. If you haven’t yet, get your game server and game client switched over to use Qtracker so you can still play. There are still tons of games to add support for, but the list is growing.

Also, to make life easier on other developers, and eliminate the need for multiple solutions to the Gamespy issue, all of Qtracker’s server listings are now publically accessible to other application developers. The server listings are in the standard text-based ip:port format we’re all accustomed to.

• Aspyr Weekend Sale on Macgamestore.com.
• 101 Days of Summer Daily Deals on ShinyLoot.
• Franchise Hockey Manager 2014 on Steam. Save 50%.
• RPG Maker on Humble Weekly Bundle.
• Three Dollar Treasures on GOG.com. Save up to 70%.

• BioWare Base 2014 Season. North America Community Team 2014 convention schedule.
• QuakeCon and AT&T Come Together to Provide Ultimate Gaming Experience.

• Metro Redux on CVG.

• Elite Dangerous on Blue's News.
• Metro Redux on Blue's News.

• State of Decay: Lifeline (DLC) Now Available for Xbox 360.
• Xbox Live Games with Gold for June 2014.
• Here’s How to Join Xbox at E3 2014.
• GTA Online Rockstar Verified Jobs: 3 New Deathmatches and a New Capture plus a Few Familiar Faces.
• Xbox One screenshot sharing feature in the works.

• Scientists Solved the Mystery of Why Rechargeable Batteries Go Bad.
• Google to close American Motorola smartphone factory.
• Report: Samsung working with Oculus on phone-based VR headset.
• A new app clone grifter shows App Store’s weakness.

• Google Search removal request under European Data Protection law. Thanks HARDOCP.

• The Mystery Of TrueCrypt's Disappearance.

Thanks j.c.f.

• Cisco purchase of CIA-funded company may fuel distrust abroad.
• TrueCrypt security audit presses on, despite developers jumping ship.
• Spy platform zero day exposes cops' wiretapped calls.
• Siemens Fixes DoS Flaw in Rugged OS Devices.
• SAP NetWeaver flaw spews user tables.

• Congressman bankrolled by ISPs tries to halt Internet regulation.
• "Six Strikes" Results Show High Number of Persistent Pirates. Thanks HARDOCP.

• Former Mythic boss eulogises the fallen Warhammer studio…
• Being a Troll in the World of Watch_Dogs. Thanks Ant…
• Zelnick: 2K Marin now "responsible for" Bioshock franchise…

Link of the Day: Czech police chase a bicyclist doing 60 mph on a highway. And they can't catch him. In the rain.

The Elite: Dangerous website now offers access to the Premium Beta for Elite: Dangerous, Frontier Developments' upcoming space combat remake. You can purchase access to the beta on this page for a cool $150.00, and here's word:

Play now and be part of the Elite: Dangerous development team!

Get access to the first Beta stage of the game and help us shape Elite: Dangerous!

• Beta online multiplayer PLUS Single Player Combat missions to develop your Sidewinder skills
• Automatic access to all the Beta development stages
• All major downloadable expansion packs as they are released
• A download copy of the released game

The FULL Premium Beta is OUT NOW.

Bohemia Interactive has released Arma III Karts as the first paid DLC for Arma III, their military shooter sequel, a pack that originated as an April Fools' joke which they now offer as "a little sidestep in a typically military sandbox." They say a portion of the proceeds from the DLC will be donated to the Czech Red Cross. They also explain this allows paves the way for "the first proper military DLC" for the game as they work out a system that prevents DLC releases from fracturing the multiplayer community by allowing players to play together in spite of level of DLC ownership. This involves the delicate balance of allowing players access to premium content they haven't purchased while maintaining some benefit to those who own the DLC, which will involve some form of nag screens they say will not be advertisements. They offer specific examples of how things will work, and here's a summary:

While the new strategy is somewhat experimental, Bohemia Interactive's plan is to make all Arma 3 downloadable content available to all owners of Arma 3, with reasonable restrictions applied to those who have not purchased them.

Consequently, Bohemia Interactive’s approach will enable those who do and do not own Arma 3 DLC to play together. Furthermore, it provides players with a generous try-before-you-buy system. Players will also be able to purchase the DLC directly from in-game, which will unlock the content immediately without having to download additional data. Alternatively, people can also still buy the DLC out-of-game, directly from the Steam Store. Besides offering advantages to players, the new strategy also benefits the Arma 3 development team, who no longer have to maintain multiple sets of data, and will not need to test every single combination of ownership for every game update. Plus, with regards to future playable content, the development team can, to some degree, rely on all players having access to DLC content and features.

A series of tweets (one, two, three, four) from Sebastien Viard talks about performance of the Windows edition of Watch Dogs, as the game's graphics technical director reveals a patch to improve this is in the works (thanks MCV). Here they are batched together:

Watch Dogs can use 3+ GB of RAM on NG consoles for graphics, your PC GPU needs enough VRAM for ultra options due to the lack of unified mem

If you experience lag/stutter on a fast PC, try to lower one of those settings to reduce the GPU VRAM usage: texture quality, AA, resolution

Making an open world run on NG & CG consoles + supporting PC is an incredibly complex task, the team did a fantastic job. Congrats guys! :D

And finally, our PC progs are also currently working on a patch to improve your experience thanks to your reports, stay tuned :)

Slitherine announces Pandora: First Contact is now available on Steam, offering another way to acquire this 4X space strategy game, which is now on sale for 10% off. They mark the occasion with the release of a free new expansion for the game called Return of the Messari, which will also be offered for free to all owners of the game, though it's not yet listed on the game's product page. Here's word on the new add-on:

Return of the Messari features a brand new alien faction that will play a main role in the later stage of the game. This ancient civilization that disappeared from the Pandora planet ages ago, comes back to its birthplace to recover its property. Therefore not only the players will have to fight their way to survive on the hostile Pandora’s environment but also deal with another aggressive enemy who comes with powerful units like gigantic mechs and motherships. The Messari will target the stronger factions as a priority which will probably confuse the issue and change the balance of power on Pandora. As a result the players will have to take into account this new gameplay element to take advantage from this fearsome alien invasion.

Hi-Rez Studios is kicking off a an Ultimate God Weekend for SMITE, where all the champions in their MOBA game are available to all players in all play modes. The recession has struck even the weekend in this case, however, as this will run for 24 hours "from 9am UK time Saturday until 9am UK time Sunday." They have just added a new god to the game called Janus, god of Portals and Transitions, and he will be available as well. You can check out Janus in this recent video and there's a look at the process behind the character's creation in this clip. Continue here to read the full story.

• Heavy Gear Assault - Last call for alpha access. New screenshots and art here. Thanks Jason.
• Trainz: A New Era pledges end June 6th. After that you can just keep your money.

• Ex-Sony CEO Jack Tretton Will Analyze E3 Press Conferences For Spike TV.

• How Game Developers Can Be a Force for Positive Change - EA News.

• Sniper Elite 3 on Shacknews.com.

• FIFA 14 World Cup Kick Off mode released on Xbox One and PS4.
• Worms Battlegrounds is Now Available on Xbox One.
• If Project Beast is Demon’s Souls 2, here’s what must happen.

Thanks Ant.

• YouTube Search & Discovery - Computerphile.
• YouTube holds a karaoke party to celebrate 9th birthday.
• Find out if your Internet service provider plays YouTube in HD. Thanks HARDOCP.
• How To Pay Less For Cable TV.

• Minutes-long Michael Jackson hologram show cost “multiple millions”.
• Criminals Are Selling Your Steam Data For Just $15.

Thanks Ant.

• Microsoft launches myBulletins, web-based list of security bulletins.
• 6 things security pros keep getting wrong. Thanks Linux Security.
• Java SE Runtime Environment 7 update 60. Thanks DSLReports.

• Patent reform is dead, but can Congress kick trolls out of the ITC?

• War, the Game on Armchair General.
• Watch Dogs on Techgage.

• ASUS PB287Q monitor on The Tech Report.
• CPU Air Cooler Roundup on Modders-Inc.
• ECS L337 GANK Drone Z87H3-A3X on Overclockers Club.
• EVGA Supernova 850 G2 Power Supply on AnandTech.
• Gamdias Demeter GMS5010 Gaming Mouse on Benchmark Reviews.
• Netgear EX6200 AC1200 Wi-Fi Range Extender on TweakTown.
• Phanteks Enthoo Pro Case on Neoseeker.
• Thecus N2310 SOHO NAS Server on PC Perspective.
• Thecus N7710-G on techPowerUp.
• Transcend 8XDVDS Portable USB 2.0 DVD Writer on TweakTown.

• Good Game Spawn Point - Series 5 Episode 15. Thanks Ant…
• Watch Dogs - Funny Moments #1 - First Impressions and Watch Dogs - Funny Moments #2 - Poker & Chess (NSFW). Thanks nin…
• Glenn Beck thinks Watch Dogs teaches you how to hack the real world. Mainstream ignores him, so now he's trolling gamers…

• Criminals selling dumps of stolen Steam passwords for less than £10. Thanks The Escapist.

Last week's experiment with an earlier update on Friday as a "summer hours" deal did not seem to cause any problems or raise any objections, so let's try that again this week shall we? Yes? Grand!

Grand Links:	Thanks Ant and Acleacius.
Play:	Dangerous Adventure. Dukes and Dirigibles. Endless Night.
Stories:	Former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer buys the LA Clippers for $2 billion. The 2014 Spelling Bee Was Basically The Mountain vs The Red Viper. MGM, Warner Bros. Launching 'Stargate' Trilogy With Roland Emmerich to Direct.
Science:	The whole world is fat, and getting fatter. Study: Stop Being So Cynical, You Could Give Yourself Dementia. Thanks Slashdot.
Media:	LEGO Fargo. DIY X-Men: Pyro flamethrowers. Japanese Mercedes Ad Features the World's Most Handsome Mario.
Follow-ups:	Bryan Cranston Says Breaking Bad Isn't Necessarily Over. The one who re-knocks. Thanks nin. ISEE-3 spacecraft makes first Earth contact in 16 years.
The Funnies:	Brevity Comic Strip, May 30, 2014. It’s an Art Cartoon - Savage Chickens.