It has been some time since we last looked at a power supply from German brand be quiet! Today we analyse their latest Power Zone 2 which is due for release this week. This new series comprises four power supplies in 750W, 850W, 1000W and 1200W capacities, and we look at the flagship unit today. This supply has both Platinum 80 Plus and Cybenetics certifications, is fully modular and is supported with a 10-year warranty.

These new units ship with 90-degree angled 12V-2×6 connectors and have PCIe 5.1/ATX 3.1 compatibility. There is also a semi-passive zero-RPM mode to keep noise levels down when enabled.

Highlights:

• Available in 1200W, 1000W, 850W and 750W models
• 80 PLUS® Platinum and Cybenetics Platinum efficiency rating (up to 94.3%)
• Semi-passive zero-RPM cooling
• Fan runs on for 2-5 minutes to avoid frequent starting noise
• Pure Wings 3 140mm fan for quiet and efficient cooling
• 90° angled 12V-2×6 connector and PCIe 5.1/ATX 3.1 compatibility
• Advanced voltage regulation and stability thanks to LLC technology
• One massive high-performance 12V-rail
• Unique look with an unmistakable mesh design
• 10-year manufacturer’s warranty
• Product conception, design and quality control in Germany

Last week, Ubisoft announced yet more internal changes to its business, alongside the cancellation of six games, including the highly anticipated remake of The Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. Now, it appears that a round of layoffs is up next, with plans to cut as many as 200 roles at its Paris HQ. 

In a statement sent to IGN, Ubisoft confirmed its plans to cut as many as 200 roles in Paris, but it isn't jumping straight into layoffs right away. First, the company will offer a “voluntary mutual termination agreement”, hoping that 200 people effectively quit before they have to resort to official layoffs.

At this time, this is a proposal and has yet to be agreed upon by employee representatives or validated by French authorities. Based on reports last week, there are a number of developers looking to move on from Ubisoft following their recent restructuring efforts, so this goal may not be as difficult to achieve as it first appears.

Ubisoft shares dropped a further 30% last week, reaching a 15-year low, although it has rebounded a small amount since then. Moving forward, Ubisoft will be structured as a series of mini-companies, with each in charge of certain sectors, with one in charge of main franchises like Assassin's Creed and Far Cry, another for ‘casual and family friendly games', another for live-service titles like Rainbow Six Siege and so on. This new structure could also make it easier for Ubisoft to break-off and sell portions of the business without impacting its remaining studios.

KitGuru Says: Very few gamers still have faith in Ubisoft at this stage. The cancellation of a beloved classic like Prince of Persia may have a much bigger impact than Ubisoft executives suspected. 

Last night Highguard officially launched but the initial reception to the game hasn't exactly been great. Thousands of players jumped in last night when the game officially went live, leading to an influx of negative user reviews on Steam. 

The overall score for Highguard on Steam currently sits at ‘Mostly Negative', with just 32% of English language reviews being positive. The total number of reviews currently sits at around 14,500, although some of these are from players having issues with things like SecureBoot and TPM 2.0 requirements, as well as some from players who were not able to log in during the first hours of the game going live due to lengthy player queues.

The reviews from people who have clearly played the game all carry common complaints. The map is too large and unpopulated for a 3 vs 3 game mode and the ‘flow' of matches could do with some work. Those are things that can be fixed, either by shrinking the size of the map, or by introducing a larger game mode with more players on each side.

While Highguard has not exactly had a glowing reception to its launch, Wildlight Entertainment does have big plans for the game in the months ahead. There is a full year of monthly content updates mapped out, involving new heroes, new maps, new gear and even a limited-time game mode. I do think that the developers should make some adjustments based on the launch feedback though, at this stage, a new game mode with more active players should probably take priority over something like a ‘limited time' game mode, or maps just as large as the initial launch map.

KitGuru Says: Did you try Highguard out last night? What did you think of the game so far?