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Overwatch: 5 Characters That Need Nerfs & 5 That Need Buffs

To help Blizzard make its online shooter Overwatch a more balanced experience, we name five characters that could use a buff, and five others that should be nerfed.

In the digital age of gaming, developers have the benefit of improving games long after they hit store shelves. For online multiplayer games, these improvements often come in the form of balancing updates that “nerf” (weaken) or “buff” (boost) characters or weapons in an attempt to make the game fairer for everyone playing. Like many other modern day shooters, the 2016 Game of the Year, Overwatch, has had its fair share of balancing updates since its launch last May.

Almost a year after Overwatch released to the masses, and Blizzard is still tweaking characters to balance the game. Sometimes these tweaks consist of simple stat changes, but other times Blizzard significantly reworks characters, giving them new abilities or taking away broken ones.

Despite the many updates that have already been released for the game, Blizzard is still trying to figure out how to make Overwatch as balanced as possible. While there are likely many other changes that could be made to achieve that goal, buffing and nerfing the following 10 characters could help Blizzard in its quest to balance Overwatch.

[Source:- GR]

Overwatch: 5 Characters That Need Nerfs & 5 That Need Buffs

To help Blizzard make its online shooter Overwatch a more balanced experience, we name five characters that could use a buff, and five others that should be nerfed.

As it stands, Mercy’s healing and damage boosts seem to be at acceptable levels, but the problem is with her ultimate ability, Resurrect. In its current form, Resurrect has too small of a radius, meaning that if the team is even slightly spread out when they die, Mercy can only hope to resurrect one or two allies at best. Mercy’s ultimate can be a game-changer, so Blizzard shouldn’t buff it too much, but a slight increase in radius could make it much more useful in the thick of battle.

Sombra

Blizzard itself realizes that Sombra needs a buff, and is already testing a couple of buffs that should be added to her in the coming weeks. One makes it so Sombra can hack enemies quicker and another reduces the charge time on her abilities, but we think it should be taken a step further. Even though Sombra is listed as an offense character, right now she doesn’t do enough damage to be used effectively in that role. Many players, outside of those that are exceptionally skilled when it comes to using her abilities, struggle with Sombra, and a slight damage increase could see her become more commonly used in Competitive play.

Torbjorn

On consoles, Torbjorn is a well-balanced character, and can be devastating on Defend maps in the right hands. On PC, Torbjorn is another story entirely, with the character dying too quickly and his turrets easily destroyed by enemy players. When it comes to Torbjorn on PC, it would be nice to see him get a buff that increases his health or armor, as well as makes his turrets a bit sturdier.

[Source:- GR]

The Walking Dead: A New Frontier Episode 1 & 2 Review

Episodes 1 and 2 of The Walking Dead: A New Frontier improve upon the series’ existing formula, offering an emotionally trying story and a new coat of gameplay polish.

The Walking Dead: A New Frontier is Telltale Games’ third core series entry to its take on the long-running graphic novel. Gamers who have played any of the prior iterations of the franchise will find that A New Frontier is familiar territory, following the same general formula of decision-making and emotional upheaval, but with enough tweaks to make the game feel a bit fresher than prior entries.

The Walking Dead: A New Frontier hands the reins to a brand new main character, Javier. Doing so was probably a risk, since players have become quite invested in the story of Lee and Clementine, dating back to the very first season of The Walking Dead. However, the hand-off is arguably a success, with Javier emerging as a likable guy who’s just trying to do right by his family in the walker apocalypse, while still retaining enough character flaws to be relatable.

Thankfully for series veterans, Clementine has a strong presence in the first two episodes of the game. Players are allowed to use their saves from season 1 and 2 in order to create a custom Clementine, or they can use a story generator to make decisions regarding her character development. As a result, Clementine is still the same girl players have come to know and love, although she’s become hardened from the events between the end of Season 2 and the start of A New Frontier. The Walking Dead: A New Frontier fills in these gaps with frequent flashbacks, also uncovering the fate of baby AJ, and Kenny or Jane, depending on who Clementine was last traveling with.

During these flashbacks, players take control of Clementine, but for the remainder of the game, Javier is the sole playable character. It allows for a bit of nostalgia for series veterans, but also helps to provide balance to characters’ capabilities. In season 1 and 2, the main character was often tasked with performing an action while the remaining NPCs stood around being generally useless. Here, Clementine often feels like an extension of the main character, even though she’s generally not controlled by the player. She often engages in actions while Javier is busy with something else, moving the story along and making it feel less like everyone except for the main character is helpless and utterly relying on the main character to do everything.

The basic gameplay in The Walking Dead: A New Frontier is nearly identical to the entries to the series that have come before it, but it’s been tweaked enough to feel more fluid and enjoyable. This is due in part to the fact that the game is primarily set four years after the beginning of the outbreak, so surviving characters are more skilled in survival and combat. As a result, combat is fluid, quick, and satisfying, although it does still essentially boil down to reactionary button mashing and point-and-click shooting segments.

In addition, the main character tends to spend less time slowly wandering around an area inspecting objects and talking with people to progress. While there are still plenty of opportunities to thoroughly examine and discuss everything should the player so choose, this process has been made less tedious. There’s less backtracking, and the areas players can explore are smaller and partitioned off so finishing a task takes less time.

Visually, The Walking Dead: A New Frontier has received a bit of an upgrade since Season 2 and Michonne’s three part mini-series, probably due in part to using the new game engine it and Telltale’s Batman both use. Although the game still sticks to a cel-shaded style to emulate the appearance of the graphic novels, lighting and textures have more depth now, giving characters a more three-dimensional appearance. Characters facial expressions are a bit more subtle this time around, too, which is an improvement over the sometimes over-the-top reactions that were prevalent in Season 1 and Season 2.

In terms of story, The Walking Dead: A New Frontier is just as harrowing as fans of the series have come to expect. Javier, his family, and Clementine are thrown into a series of events involving an antagonist group referring to itself as The New Frontier. Although the tension is palpable between characters prior to The New Frontier appearing on the scene, events quickly take a turn for the worse from their involvement, leading to some of the most shocking moments the game has to offer. Unfortunately, each episode clocks in at around an hour, leaving very little time to explore the motivations driving The New Frontier.

Overall, The Walking Dead: A New Frontier is off to a solid start. Fans of the series will definitely have plenty to enjoy here – and emotionally suffer through – and players who found the game to be too clunky and slow previously may appreciate this entry more. While The Walking Dead: A New Frontier doesn’t radically change the gameplay formula Telltale Games has developed, it keeps what worked all along and fine-tunes it further to create a genuinely enjoyable – albeit brief – gaming experience.

[Source:- Gamerant]

Destiny Reveals New Rise of Iron Legendary & Exotic Weapons

New screenshots show legendary and exotic weapons that are coming to Destiny in Rise of Iron, including new sets for the Vanguard, Crucible, vendors, Trials of Osiris, and Iron Banner.

Destiny‘s developer Bungie has already revealed that the Year One exotic rocket launcherGjallarhorn is making a comeback in Rise of Iron. But Destiny: Rise of Iron, the game’s fall expansion, will bring a full weapon refresh across vendors, factions, and activities.

In a collection of screenshots released by Bungie and Activision, fans can get a glimpse of some of the weapons they will be hunting down this September when Rise of Iron launches. Here they are:

Vanguard, Crucible, & Factions

Occam’s Razor

The blue and orange, V-shaped paint scheme on the body of the gun, plus the full Vanguard insignia right below the sight pretty much solidifies that Occam’s Razor is a Vanguard shotgun, likely available from the Vanguard Quartermaster and a possible drop from Legendary Engrams.

Each New Day

This fusion rifle could be either the paint scheme for the new collection of Crucible weapons or it could be a slight alteration of the blue and orange that was on Occam’s Razor above. Expect to find this weapon at the Crucible (or Vanguard) Quartermaster.

First Citizen IX

This heavy machine gun is clearly the property of the New Monarchy faction. And with the newly revealed feature of being able to choose between weapons and armor for faction rank up packages, players should have a clear avenue to this weapon if they so choose.

Iron Banner Weapons

Iron Banner is getting an overhaul in Rise of Iron. The reputation system and bounties are being adjusted with the goal that hitting Rank 5 will take less time but that players will be incentivized to keep playing to get post-match loot drops.

The weapons and gear are also taking a huge departure in design from what has previously been seen in Destiny‘s first two years. The weapons look especially old, adorned with chainmail, blades, and spikes. It is fitting with the Viking and Arthurian legend inspired theme of Rise of Iron that points to the expansion’snarrative involving the Iron Lords.

The Unbent Tree

The Lingering Song

Saladin’s Vigil

But Not Forgotten

The Titanium Orhid

Winter’s End

[Source: Gamerant]

PC Games Summer Sale Offers Big Price Cut on The Division & Thousands More

The GMG Summer sale has come to an end. While those deals are over, you may be interested in a few new deals in the GamesPlanet PC Gaming Summer Sale. Full sale breakdown hereor below are our best picks in US Dollars.

If you enjoy window shopping, we’ve got a treat for you today. Earlier this morning we entered the “encore phase” of GMG’s 2016 Summer Sale. For the next 48 hours a little over a thousand of PC games were added to the discount menu. A breakdown of the sale in terms of top editor’s pick can also be found here. You’ll also find a similar, more succinct list below.

Perhaps the best deal in the sale is a new low on Tom Clancy’s The Division – seeing its first price break under $40. Since its March 7th debut, the MMO has rarely come below $50, but is now 36% off falling to $38.29. Other notable discounts include 43% off the February released Street Fighter V and 42% off the Grand Theft Auto V. Finally, Warhammer Vermintide at only $13 is also a great pick. you might say this GMG sale is not a bad way to pick up recent co-op titles on the cheap.

GMG is a little tricky on displaying discounts. For everyone they will display a public discount, but in order to see the best discount you’ll need to be logged into an account (or just create one). Logging in or creating a new account will display member prices, which we’re listing below for some of their best deals today:

[Source: Gamerant]

New fifth-gen Apple TV 2016 release date & features rumours: ‘Something bigger’ on the way for Apple TV, says Tim Cook | Apple TV 5 launch rumoured for late 2016

When will Apple release the next Apple TV – the fifth-generation Apple TV – in the UK? And what new features, tech specs and design changes should we expect from the new 5G Apple TV for 2016 or 2017?

The fourth-gen Apple TV – the first Apple TV device to allow users to install apps – was unveiled by Apple at the iPhone 6s launch event on 9 September 2015, and went onsale weeks later. Nearly a year later, we’re looking ahead to the launch of the next, fifth-gen (5G) Apple TV. Indeed, there are already rumours that a next-generation Apple TV might arrive in late 2016, although Apple could also be waiting until next year to release a special 10th-anniversary model.

In this article we gather all the evidence related to the fifth-gen Apple TV’s launch date, as well as reporting on all the rumours and clues about the 2016 Apple TV’s new features, tech specs and design changes. However, if you’re (understandably) still interested in the Apple TV that’s available right now, we’ve got plenty of information about the 2015 Apple TV, including pricing and the best places to buy.

Updated, 27 July 2016, to discuss Tim Cook’s enigmatic comments about the future of the Apple TV at Apple’s Q3 financial results call.

New Apple TV 2016 release date rumours: When will Apple release the 5th-gen Apple TV?

Our money is on autumn 2016, although Apple may choose to hold it back until the start of 2017 and make more of the product’s 10th anniversary.

Here’s when the four generations of Apple TV launched:

1st-gen Apple TV: January 2007
2nd-gen Apple TV: September 2010
3rd-gen Apple TV: March 2012
4th-gen Apple TV: September 2015

Evidently, Apple updates its Apple TV less often than its iPhones, iPads and Macs: there was a three-and-a-half-year wait between the first and second models, and between the third and fourth. Based on that, it would be reasonable to expect the 5G Apple TV to appear in 2018 or even 2019, and we certainly don’t have firm evidence to dispute that.

But our instincts tell us that the Apple TV’s position and status in the company’s portfolio of products has changed. It used to be a sideline and a hobby, but with the growing importance of streaming media and smart-home applications, and with the arrival on the platform of games and its own App Store, Apple TV is moving to centre stage.

And we’re not the only ones to think Apple is likely to start updating the TV more frequently from now on.

A report (link for subscribers only) in DigiTimes last year predicted that the fifth-generation Apple TV would go into trial production as early as December 2015, with volume production starting in the first quarter of 2016. Changes were said to include a dramatically improved hardware performance and new functions “to help it no longer serve only as a set-top box”.

Q3 2016 earnings call comments: ‘Something bigger’ on the way

Tim Cook made some non-specific but intriguing comments about the future of the Apple TV at Apple’s Q3 2016 earnings conference call. He made it very clear that Apple has big plans for its TV division, and plans to build “something bigger” with the product and surrounding ecosystem.

Near the end of the hour-long call, a question was posed by Kulbinder Garcha, the managing director of Credit Suisse:

“I think about some of the comments you’ve made about the TV market and how it’s been stuck in the sixties and seventies, and the experience hasn’t changed,” Garcha said. “I understand that you’ve got the Apple TV box out, but in terms of driving actual video-on-demand services, is that something Apple wants to do themselves, do you want to partner, could you even build content? How do you think about that as an actual business opportunity, as opposed to, here’s an Apple box and we sell some units but it’s not that meaningful to the overall company in terms of size?”

Tim Cook’s reply was enigmatic.

“The introduction of Apple TV and tvOS in last October and the subsequent OS releases and what’s coming out this fall… think of that as building the foundation for what we believe can be a broader business over time,” he said.

“I don’t want to be more precise than that but you shouldn’t look at what’s there today and think we’ve done what we want to do. We’ve built a foundation that we can do something bigger off of.”

New Apple TV release date: WWDC 2016 and tvOS 10

Back in spring we argued that the 5G Apple TV was unlikely to be launched at WWDC 2016, since the event came round less than a year after Apple rolled out the fourth-gen model and none of the previous Apple TVs had launched in summer. Indeed, Apple launched no new hardware at the event whatsoever. But the new version of the Apple TV’s operating system, tvOS 10, got considerable stage time. As we often observe when discussing new iPhones and iPads, many of the most significant updates come not from new hardware but from free software updates.

Siri gets some big improvements in tvOS’s new update: it can now search the Apple TV’s movie and TV database with more complex queries. It can search YouTube, too, and any live streaming channels can be launched by saying “watch” and then the name of the channel. There’s a new dark mode for Apple TV, which makes the background black instead of the bright white we’re used to. And the Apple TV Remote app has been redesigned; it now offers all the Siri remote features and can be used for Siri queries using the built-in mic.

(Speaking of the Remote app, did you know that there’s a SiriMote app that’s been designed to let you control your Mac with an Apple TV Siri Remote? You’ll be able to use the app and Siri Remote together to control playback on your Mac, but accordingto Apple Insider the setup is difficult. The app is free and works with El Capitan. You can download it from Eternal Storms at eternalstorms.at.)

One last thing Apple didn’t mention, but has since come to light in Apple support documents, is that the requirement for Siri Remote compatibility for Apple TV games has been relaxed. That means they can focus on MFi game controllers, which are much more game-friendly than the Siri remote. See: Best Apple TV game controllers.

Read our Complete guide to tvOS’s new features for more information on the software update.

New Apple TV release date: 10th-anniversary Apple TV

Looking again at those launch dates above, we feel like the looming tenth anniversary of the Apple TV might be a tempting occasion for a big update. Apple tends to dislike historical wallowing – famously refusing to build a museum in its new headquarters because “we’re focused on the future, not the past” – but there is a precendent for an anniversary product in the form of the Twentieth Anniversary Mac (number 4 in our article The 5 weirdest Macs of all time).

[Source: Macworld]

2015 iMac release date, specs, price & features: Apple launches 21.5in Retina iMac, updates 27in iMacs with Skylake

As predicted, Apple has updated its entire range of iMacs to bring the Retina screen to the smaller models for the first time and give the bigger models new Skylake chips. Here, we bring you everything you need to know about the new 2015 iMac line-up, including their release dates, price and specs as unveiled by Apple on 13 October.

It’s been over two years since Apple last updated its four original non-Retina versions of the iMac (if you don’t include the cheaper iMac which Apple introduced in June 2014 – now more than a year old). The big surprise was that Apple left the 21.5in iMacs (which previously lacked a Retina display option) completely untouched despite recently adding a new, cheaper 27in Retina model to its line-up.

We had originally expected new iMacs to be shown off during WWDC 2015 back in June, and then during Apple’s 9 September event, but the company has instead chosen 13 October to quietly launch the updates.

“From the first iMac to today, the spirit of iMac has never wavered – deliver the ultimate desktop experience with the latest technologies, gorgeous displays and cutting-edge designs,” said Apple’s SVP of Worldwide Marketing Philip Schiller in Apple’s press release. “These are the most stunning iMacs we’ve ever made. With our gorgeous new displays, more powerful processors and graphics and all-new Magic accessories, the new iMac continues to redefine the ultimate desktop experience.”

As ever, Phil’s words are a bit on the dramatic side there, but there have been some significant improvements and changes to the iMac line-up so read on to find out more.

To discover what we think about the original Retina 5K iMac, take a look at our Retina iMac review. If you are in the market for a new Mac, read our iMac or Mac mini – Mac desktops compared and Best Mac to buy: Mac Buying Guide.

2015 iMac release date: When are the new iMacs coming out?

Apple’s new 27in iMac with Retina 5K comes in three models, each available to buy today from Apple’s website, retail stores and Apple Authorised Resellers, as are the two new models of non-Retina 21.5in iMac and the all-new 21.5in iMac with Retina 4K display.

Each new iMac will ship with Apple’s new Magic Keyboard and Magic Mouse 2 (which we’ll talk about later in this article) and there’s the option to order the new Magic Trackpad 2 at checkout.

2015 iMac price UK: How much do the new iMacs cost?

The 2015 models of the 21.5in iMac are priced as follows:

1.6GHz processor, 1TB Storage: £899
2.8GHz processor, 1TB Storage: £1,049
Retina 4K display, 3.1GHz processor, 1TB Storage: £1,199.

The 2015 models of the 27in iMac (all of which come with Retina 5K display) are priced as follows:

3.2GHz pricessor, 1TB storage: £1,449
3.2GHz processor, 1TB storage (Fusion Drive): £1,599
3.3GHz processor, 2TB storage (Fusion Drive): £1,849

The great news is that prices haven’t changed. Even the new 4K 21in iMac costs the same as the equivalent model did previously.

2015 iMac specs: What new features and tech do the new iMacs have?

Apple’s 21.5 iMac is now available with a Retina 4K display for the first time, offering a resolution of 4096 x 2304, which equates to a total of 9.4 million pixels on the top of the range model. That’s more than four times the number of pixels in the standard 21.5in iMac models, of which two remain.

All three of Apple’s new 27in iMac models now have a Retina 5K display, which boasts 14.7 million pixels. Previously only two of the 27in iMacs offered a Retina display. Plus, Apple says that it’s improved the colour gamut in its Retina displays too, for 25 percent larger colour space. Apparently, these displays are capable of displaying 99 percent of the P3 colour space.

Aside from the new Retina displays, all of the new iMac models look the same as their predecessors, with the now-familiar design that’s impressively thin at the edges.

Beneath those Retina displays, the new 27in iMacs have Intel’s sixth-generation Core processors, otherwise known as Skylake. That’s paired with AMD Radeon R9 graphics with 2GB video memory.

Apple has opted to update its 21.5in iMac models from fourth-generation Haswell processors to fifth-generation Broadwell rather than sixth-generation Skylake, but Apple says this is because Intel hasn’t yet made Skylake available with integrated graphics processors. The Broadwell processors in the new 21.5in iMacs sit alongside enhanced Intel Iris Pro Graphics.

The base configuration for the new 21.5in iMacs is a 1TB 5,400 hard drive, which seems a shame because you’ll find it’s much slower than the Fusion Drive option available if you cough up some extra cash (something we’d strongly recommend doing in this case).

One final thing, it had been so long since the 21in iMacs had been updated that they still used Thunderbolt 1 ports. Now they have been updated to Thunderbolt 2.

Read more about the specs of the new iMacs in our review of the new 21.5in 4K iMac.

2015 iMac specs: How to get 64GB RAM for the new 27in iMac

According to Apple’s build to order page for purchasing the new 27in iMac it is possible to upgrade the new models to take 32GB RAM, in four 8GB slots. 32GB of RAM costs £480 as a build to order option from Apple.

However, it has emerged that it will be possible to update the new 27in iMacs to take 64GB RAM, in four 16GB slots, just as soon as the compatible memory becomes available, according to 9to5Mac.

The good news is that where the RAM in the 21in iMacs is soldered on, the RAM in the 27in iMacs is user upgradable plug-in RAM, so, after purchase users will be able to purchase the upgrade kits from the likes of OWC, and, we expect, Crucial. OWC has announced that it will be selling a 64GB RAM kit for $1195 and a 48GB RAM kit for $729. German reseller Memphis has been in touch to confirm that they will be selling 64GB RAM for the new iMac on Amazon UK – you can buy the 64GB RAM-Kit here for £575.

New Magic accessories: Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse 2 and Magic Trackpad 2

In addition to the launch of new iMacs, Apple has also introduced new wireless accessories including the all-new Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse 2 and Magic Trackpad 2. Apple says they’ve each been developed to feel more comfortable than every, and they also feature rechargeable batteries for the first time. Plus, the Magic Trackpad 2 boasts Force Touch technology like that found in the trackpads of some of Apple’s new MacBooks.

The new Magic Mouse 2 is lighter and sturdier accodring to Apple, ans should have a smoother glide than the original, while the Magic Keyboard is 13 percent smaller than its predecessor with an even lower profile. It uses a new scissor mechanism for the keys too.

More to follow (we’re updating this article right this moment).

On page two is everything we wrote before today’s iMac announcement. Read on to find out how much of the speculation was accurate.

[Source:- Macworld]

New Mac mini 2016 release date, specs & feature rumours: Mac mini update due soon

Apple has given nothing away about the new Mac mini yet, but based on past experience and the existing specs of other Macs, it is easy to surmise what to expect from the new Mac mini. We are also pretty sure that the Mac mini will be updated soon as it wasn’t touched at all in 2015. We’ve got all of the new Mac mini rumours and speculation for you right here, so read on for possible specs, features and release date.

If you’re still not certain which Mac is right for you, visit our Mac Buying Guide.

Mac mini 2016 release date: When is the new Mac mini coming out?

Apple last updated the Mac mini on 16 October 2014 after a two year wait, but Mac mini fans are now waiting for the next iteration of the smallest and cheapest Mac, hopefully coming this year. We had expected Apple to announce a new Mac mini in the autumn of 2015, possibly alongside the new iMac with 4K Retina display, or at the same time as the El Capitan launch, but those opportunities have been and gone.

We’re getting impatient, not least because Apple has added new processors to its laptops and desktops, and new Skylake processors have launched since then so even those updated Macs are outdated.

You might also like: Apple rumours and predictions for 2016

We had hoped that Apple’s 21 March event would see the launch of the new Mac mini, but Apple chose not to launch new Macs at all then. Instead, we saw the unveiling of the iPhone SE, the iPad Pro with 9.7in screen and new Apple Watch straps.

The next expected Apple event isn’t until June at WWDC 2016, but Apple could choose to sneak out an unexpected Mac mini before then without hosting a special event to do so. We’ll keep you updated with all of the Mac mini release date rumours right here.

Mac mini 2016 price: How much will the new Mac mini cost?

There are currently three models of the Mac mini available, depending on your budget and your specification needs. The cheapest model currently costs £399, the middle model is £569, and the priciest model is £799.

These prices ware significant because they marked a reduction of £100 compared to its price before the Mac mini came out, previously the cheapest Mac mini was £499, for example. Of course, you’ll need to factor in the price of a monitor, keyboard and mouse with the Mac mini, though.

However, we don’t anticipate Apple reducing the price further with the new model when it launches, so you can expect similar pricing, but hopefully better specs.

What is the Mac mini?

It’s understandable that you might not be aware the the Mac mini even exists – sometimes it looks like even Apple isn’t aware of its presence (if the long gap before the 2014 model was launched is anything to go by).

The Mac mini is Apple’s smallest desktop Mac and also its cheapest Mac, at £399. It’s a full-blown OS X desktop that fits into a self-contained chassis no bigger than a set-top box. An inexpensive living room Mac that lacks the power of even some MacBooks and comes with no keyboard, mouse or display, but one that works perfectly as the centre of your digital home – not least because it comes with HDMI sockets making plugging it into a modern TV a doddle.

There used to be a Mac mini with OS X server available for £849 but Apple removed that option from the line up in October 2014.

Click for slideshow — *Don’t forget: when you buy a Mac mini you also need a screen, mouse, and keyboard…*

New Mac mini 2016 specs and features: Processor & RAM

It seems likely that Apple had been waiting for Intel to ship the new Skylake chips before launching the new Mac mini, although it is still possible that Apple will opt for the Broadwell chips instead, which would still represent a power boost over the current Haswell processors.

Right now, the entry-level Mac mini features just 4GB RAM as standard, which we think should be ramped up to 8GB in the new entry-level model.

The other big change we hope to see in the new Mac mini is more flash drive options. Currently the 2.8GHz model comes with a Fusion Drive, or you can add 256GB flash storage to that model, or the 2.8GHz model.

While the 500GB hard drive in the current entry level model (and the 1TB hard drive as standard in the £569 model) might appear attractive to some flash, memory is so much faster that we believe it is well worth the compromise of storing additional files on an external hard drive.

However, it seems unlikely that Apple would do away with the hard drive storage option all together as many workgroups choose the Mac mini as a server and will need the extra capacity and lower prices that HD storage makes possible.

New Mac mini 2016 rumours: Design

It’s possible that the Mac mini will get a new design. We’re not expecting a major visual or build redesign, but it is certainly possible that it could get thinner and smaller, especially since it no longer has to accommodate a CD drive.

Right now the dimensions are 3.6cm high, 19.7cm wide, and it weighs 1.22kg. How about a Mac mini that has similar dimensions to an Apple TV (9.8cm wide, 2.3cm high, 0.27kg).

There was some speculation that the reason for the long delay prior to the Mac mini update in 2014 was that Apple was looking at redesiging the Mac mini along the lines of the Mac Pro.

This was probably intended as an April Fool’s Day prank, but we like this render of a flat Mac mini, as seen on Apple User.

Even better, how about a Mac mini that was also an Apple TV! Adding Apple TV functionality to a Mac mini would be a great way of getting the Mac mini into people’s living rooms as a home entertainment device.

[Source:- Macworld]