Up until now, NVIDIA's PhysX technology hasn't been used in games all that well. Even today, it's still just a technology demo, and a technology acquisition by NVIDIA, but they continue to keep their heads down and work on the physics technology.

There's a new simulation using PhysX, which you can check out in the above video. The demo is the result of research by Miles Macklin and Matthias Muller. They have a paper published about it, which you can read here, with some details below:

AMD have released some new drivers, getting ready for May, with the Catalyst 13.5 Beta drivers. The new drivers support the latest dual-GPU Radeon HD 7990, so if you're fortunate to have one of those, you'll need to acquire these drivers.

The following improvements are offered up on the Radeon HD 7000 Series GPUs:

• Far Cry 3: Improves performance up to 4% with Anti-Aliasing enabled
• Shogun II: Improves performance up to 20% with 8x Anti-Aliasing enabled
• Tomb Raider: Improves performance up to 6%
• Bioshock: Improves performance up to 6%
• Borderlands 2: Improves performance up to 17%

You can grab the Catalyst 13.5 Beta drivers here.

We still have very little concrete information about the upcoming Xbox 720 that Microsoft will officially unveil on May 21. We do know that Sony is pushing the sharing of in-game video aspect with the PlayStation 4 and we doubt that Microsoft will miss out on the opportunity presented by this feature.

According to Polygon's sources, Microsoft's version will be a bit different. The Xbox 720 will feature DVR-like recording, allowing users to rewind and watch or share highlights. This feature will be able to be turned off or set to occur when certain triggers occur, such as a headshot or Achievement.

If Microsoft does tie this DVR feature into the Achievements system, it could be really cool. It would also mark one of the largest overhauls of the Achievement system, which currently does very little. These captured videos would then, of course, be able to be shared on sites such as YouTube.

Like all things, until an official confirmation is made, take this with a grain of salt.

LivingSocial, the company that helps users get better deals, announced that they have been hacked. The company notes that the hackers did not gain access to any credit card information. As a precaution, LivingSocial is sending out an e-mail to 50 million of its users informing them of the hack.

LivingSocial hasn't detailed how the hack occurred, but they have said that names, birthdays, e-mail addresses, and encrypted passwords were compromised. Given enough time and the correct tools, those encrypted passwords can be decrypted. Combine the password with the e-mail and the hackers could gain access to other sites.

If you use the same e-mail/password combination on any other sites, you're encouraged to change your passwords right away.

A group of researchers from the University of Wyoming Carbon Management Insitute have discovered a "vast new lithium resource" located near Rock Springs in Wyoming. The discovery was made during a geological carbon dioxide storage site characterization project that was sponsored by the US Department of Energy.

Lithium is an important component in the construction of lithium-ion batteries, the current battery technology used by smartphones, laptops, and hybrid cars. The US currently imports about 80 percent of all lithium used domestically. Estimates for the 25-square-mile area surveyed place the total amount of lithium at about 228,000 tons of lithium, which is enough to meet annual US demand.

To help put this number in perspective, the lithium reserves at Silver Peak, Nev. -- the largest domestic producer of lithium -- total 118,000 tons in a 20-square-mile area. In a best-case scenario, the 2,000-square-mile Rock Springs Uplift could harbor up to 18 million tons of lithium, equivalent to about 720 years of current global lithium production.

I highly recommend checking out source #1 below to see the full press release from the University of Wyoming.

Nintendo of America announced via Twitter that the Wii U Virtual Console is now live on the eShop. The Virtual Console, for the uninitiated, allows Nintendo consoles to play classic games. In this instance, the Wii U will be getting access NES and SNES games, with Game Boy Advance and N64 games coming at a later date.

Users will have to re-download previously purchased Virtual Console titles, with an associated charge between $1.00 and $1.50. This should help Wii U sales, at least somewhat, as it widens the game library available to the console, which has been a point of contention and something Nintendo has blamed for weak sales.

A regulatory filing shows that Francsico Partners is currently in talks with Corsair Componenets over a possible buyout. Corsair had previously indefinitely postponed an IPO after the IPO flop that befell Facebook. At the time, they said they would "relaunch when equity conditions are more favorable."

It now appears that they are choosing a buyout over an IPO. Corsair could be heavily affected the current downturn in the PC market, resulting in the need for a cash infusion. As an interesting aside, Francisco Partners was part of the Blackstone Group-led consortium that decided to not make a formal buyout offer for Dell.

It's very possible nothing could come of these talks. On the other hand, Corsair could end up being bought out. This could result in changes in the company or products that they make and sell. For now, nothing has changed. We'll be sure to report if or when a buyout agreement is reached.

iFixIt has managed to get their destructive hands on a Samsung Galaxy S 4 and have treated the device to a full teardown. What they found will be surprising to some: the Samsung Galaxy S 4 is relatively repairable, with the exception of the screen, which is fused to the front glass.

To see the full teardown, head to source #1 below. iFixIt notes that the Galaxy S 4 is easily repairable, save for the display. Due to everything being built on the back of the display, the entire phone must be disassembled to replace a cracked screen. Furthermore, the screen is fused to the glass, which means both have to be replaced, resulting in higher repair costs.

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Samsung is planning a rugged version of its flagship Galaxy S 4 smartphone. In addition to a rugged Galaxy S 4, the WSJ reports that Samsung will also be debuting a new eight-inch tablet that is also designed to stand up to harsher environments.

The new devices are aimed at government and business users who need to be able to use devices in environments that aren't friendly to electronic devices. The Galaxy S 4 device, possibly known as the Galaxy S 4 Active, will be dust proof and waterproof, yet hopefully remain the look and feel of the newly released Galaxy S 4.

Samsung is also said to be working on a miniaturized version of the Galaxy S 4, one that would feature a screen of just 4.3 inches. This is tentatively set to launch in July.

VR-Zone has posted up a picture of what appears to be box art for the upcoming Intel line of processors known as Haswell. Intel is really pushing a conceptual computing and creativity aspect this year, so the box design definitely fits within that strategy. But, is it the actual box art?

The box art shown above departs from the typical box art used by Intel. For instance, the top part of the front of the box features a wider case-badge instead of the typical small badge. We likely won't know for sure until Haswell launches at Computex in early June, which we reported earlier today.

Nintendo has released an update for its Wii U gaming console. This update, claims Nintendo, brings with it better performance, decreased boot times, and decreased load times. The Wii U, while an innovative console, has failed to sell in quantities that Nintendo would be happy with.

Nintendo has published the following list of changes:

• The time required to start the Wii U console, launch built-in applications, exit software and return to the main menu, jump between applications, and jump between software and Miiverse has been reduced.
• While the Wii U logo is being displayed during the system startup, users can directly transition to the Wii Menu by holding down the B Button on the Wii U GamePad.
• Users can install games and applications from the Nintendo eShop in the background while other software is being used.
• When powering off during a download, Wii U will go into a standby mode, then power off when all downloads and installations are complete.
• Users can transfer and copy data between two USB storage devices in Data Management. This allows users the opportunity to upgrade or replace a current USB storage device that is connected to the Wii U Console.
• Users can control the priority of their downloads when downloading multiple items at once.
• Improved account selection when powering on the system now displays Nintendo Network IDs to clearly distinguish accounts.

At least one Google Glass Explorer Edition owner has been doing some digging. Jay Lee, a hacker who got his hands on a pair of Google Glass, managed to connect Glass up to Google's ADB software and dig through the debug data to find out what operating system and hardware was powering the wearable device.

According to the ADB printout, Google Glass Explorer Editions are running Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich. They are powered by an OMAP 4430 CPU, which is a dual-core in the same family as the processor used in the Galaxy Nexus smartphone. The ADB printout returned that the system has 682MB of RAM, though Lee believes it's more likely 1GB with some reserved for hardware.

We'll surely be getting more information as Glass gets into the hands of more developers and hackers. Until then, feel free to dig through the information Lee has posted on a Google Drive.

Apple has never been very good when it comes to Internet-based activities. MobileMe and other offerings by Apple have often fallen by the wayside as Google and others produced better--and cheaper--alternatives. Apple's iMessage service makes use of the Internet to transmit text messages between iPhones and other Apple devices.

Apple's iMessage is also suffering from an interesting, if not too problematic, glitch that results in the last word of phrases to be replaced with spaces. The glitch only affects certain phrases and it's not clear why the glitch is even occurring. Even more interesting, if you copy the message and paste it into the compose window, the full, unadulterated phrase will be shown.

To trigger the bug, you have to use certain phrases with a trailing space. For instance, "I could be the next Obama" results in Obama being removed and replaced with spaces. You can also try "the best prize is a surprise". If you find any other phrases that trigger the bug, let us know!

This morning a Russian publication has leaked specifications on a new Galaxy smartphone set to launch from Samsung. Known as the Galaxy Core, this smartphone is said to be built with the budget conscious in mind.

Rumor has it that the Galaxy Core will ship with a 4.3-inch 800x480 display and feature a 1.2GHz unknown processor. It is also said to feature 768MB of system RAM, which is a very odd number, considering convention is done in multiples of 512MB. The phone will supposedly handle photo capturing with a 5MP rear camera and will be dual SIM capable.

The smartphone is expected to ship with Android 4.1 and will run TouchWiz. The phone's specifications are very similar to those of the Galaxy S II Plus as well as the Galaxy Win that is set to release in China.

An official launch has not been set, but the rumor mill says that it should blast off in Russia next month at about 14,000 Ruble or about $450 USD.

It is just about time for all of those products that were shown off at CES to begin arriving on store shelves. Today Panasonic announced the release of its Lumix DMC-XS1 compact digital camera.

Featuring a 16.1MP imaging sensor, the Lumix DMC-XS1 is a very formidable entry into the compact point and shoot camera market. A 24mm 5x zoom lens brings everything into focus up front, while a 2.7-inch TFT display on the back lets you check for the perfect capture.

The Lumix DMC-XS1 is capable of 720p video capture at 30 FPS. A 690mAh rechargeable battery is also stuffed inside the 17mm thick package, which should provide for about 300 images, before needing to be recharged. Panasonic has created 10 unique case designs for the Lumix DMC-XS1 which should appeal to the younger market.

This morning Google implemented changes to its terms and conditions to ensure that apps can no longer push updates from outside the Google Play Store. This update comes not long after both Facebook and Adblock Plus began pushing updates to their apps independent of Google and Google Play.

"An app downloaded from Google Play may not modify, replace or update its own APK binary code using any method other than Google Play's update mechanism", reads the new sentence in Google's terms and conditions.

While this change will have very little effect to Facebook, it seems like another major roadblock for Adblock Plus who was using the independent update method to keep its banned app updated.

This morning Sony has released a new video that shows off its DualShock 4 controller. Sony mentions that they worked tirelessly with developers to create a next-generation controller that is truly the best it can be.

While the DualShock 4 may look similar to its predecessor in form, the whole controller has been fine-tuned with improvements made to the analog sticks, the sensitivity of the triggers, as well as a new light bar on the front of the controller that tells the PS4 your position in the room and adjusts your split screen, relevant to your location.

A new touch pad has been added to the controller, as well. Sony says that this was a major request from game developers and features multi-touch sensitivity and is comfortable to use with your thumbs or fingertips. Additionally a speaker has been added to the controller that is said to bring forth a new dynamic of sound to gameplay.

Rounding things out is a new "Share" button that when pressed instantly allows the user to capture a screenshot of an epic kill, or even begin recording video of the gameplay.

After a very successful first quarter for the Snapdragon 600, Qualcomm is moving forward with production on its next-generation system on a chip processor for mobile devices. A Qualcomm exec has confirmed with Engadget that the Snapdragon 800 is expected to move into mass production beginning late May.

Based around the Krait 400 architecture, the Snapdragon 800 is a quad-core beast that could likely see clock speeds as high as 2.3GHz with very low power consumption. An internal Adreno 330 GPU will be capable of 4K playback at 30fps. 802.11 B/G/N Wi-Fi, USB 3.0 and 4G LTE are also built into the chip, alongside a quick charging circuit and voice command capabilities.

Qualcomm is keeping quiet on which handset manufacturers have placed orders and as such, there is no official word, or speculation on which upcoming smartphones will feature the new SoC. We will tune an ear to the market as always and report back once we get word on any upcoming devices featuring the Snapdragon 800.

This morning Intel announced via its Facebook page and Twitter account that it would be unveiling its next-generation Core processor family at Computex on June 4th. Codenamed Haswell, the new processor family is no secret at this point, though.

Haswell architecture is designed to optimize the power savings and performance benefits from the move to FinFET transistors on the improved 22nm process, and feature a fully integrated voltage regulator, moving the power scaling duties from the motherboard and onto the processor itself.

The new king of speed is said to be the Core i7-4770K, which is a quad-core, eight thread 3.9GHz beast. While the middle of the road low power consumption chip is said to be the Core i5-4670T that runs four cores at 3.8GHz.

Our own Anthony Garreffa posted a complete lineup of the upcoming Haswell processors back in December.

Last week I covered a story about Intel's CEO Paul Otellini predicting that Microsoft Surface tablets would soon see a price drop to $200. Now we are hearing a different story coming out of Intel, and the word is that it will be Android based notebooks that will sell at the $200 price point.

In an interview with CNET, Intel executive VP Dadi Perlmutter said that the $200 touchscreen devices will predominantly be Android based notebooks running on Intel's Atom mobile processors. While this news is still quite exciting, I still believe a $200 Microsoft Surface tablet would see massive sales. On the other hand, I will still be all in for a $200 Android based notebook.

When asked about Microsoft selling $200 tablets, Perlmutter had the following to say:

"We have a good technology that enables a very cost-effective price point. The price of Windows 8 laptops depends on how Microsoft prices Windows 8. It may be a slightly higher price point."