No Man’s Sky has finally made its way onto the PlayStation VR. As Hello Games and its team continue to regain the trust of the gaming community, No Man’s Sky’s own, Sean Murray, has announced the development of No Man’s Sky for the PlayStation VR.
When the game first came out we were awed to find out that No Man’s Sky would not support any Virtual Reality experiences. However, it seems like that may be overruled.
Unlike Batman VR and Iron Man VR, No Man’s Sky would be a simple extension to the original No Man’s Sky game. The game would be available in late 2019 with the Founder, Sean Murray, expecting the update to be the best-selling PSVR title, period. In addition to that, No Man’s Sky would not require all of the PlayStation VR accessories either. A simple PlayStation VR headset and DualShock 4 controller would be sufficient.
Since No Man’s Sky’s PSVR port would act more like an extension, Sean Murray has announced that the update would be available to all existing owners of the title. He further added that the title would immerse you even further with major updates such as No Man’s Sky Beyond and No Man’s Sky NEXT. Sean Murray’s words summarized our feelings.
Grab the joystick and thruster to fly your starship over an unexplored alien planet as you peer out of the cockpit at the view below. Reach into your backpack to grab your multitool, touch it to switch to terrain manipulation, and carve out intricate shapes with unprecedented control. Play in multiplayer and casually wave to your non-VR friends or fist bump your PS VR peers.
Sean Murray, Founder Hello Games
A release date hasn’t been revealed yet. However, it seems like the PlayStation VR update should be making its way to PlayStation 4 consoles in Summer. Let’s hope No Man’s Sky continues to thrive as Hello Games clears their image from all the debacles in the past.
Following the incredible launch of Batman VR, Iron Man VR is beginning to make headlines following the launch of an announcement trailer for the title.
The folks behind the new title are Camouflaj Studios, aiming to make Iron Man VR the best title they’ve made so far. So far, the folks from Camouflaj haven’t revealed much details about the game’s plot. However, they do mention that Iron Man would be going up against the “ghosts of his past”, nothing too specific. And as the title denotes, the game would be a PSVR exclusive that has been under development for the past two years.
Being a full-fledged PSVR exclusive, to play the game, not only would you have to rely on the PSVR headset, but you would also have to stack up on Sony’s PlayStation Move controllers as well as the PlayStation camera to make the experience playable.
The folks over at Camouflaj have promised to release more details as we head deeper into 2019, with an apparent release date not confirmed as of yet. As the generation comes to an end and as companies like Microsoft and Sony begin to work on the successors to their existing consoles, Sony’s making some final pushes to make their take on VR compelling which is great to see.
Samsung has finally launched the Samsung Galaxy A70 out of the blue. Following a series of leaks over the past month or two, the Galaxy A70 has finally been released.
Samsung Galaxy A70 Released – Features A 4500mAh Battery, A 6.7-inch Display, And Three Cameras On Its Rear
The Samsung Galaxy A70, like the Galaxy A30 and A50, shares a ton of design cues in common. However, where the A70 shines is in the specs department. The new Samsung Galaxy A70 features a larger-than-ever 6.7-inch Full HD Super AMOLED display featuring the all-too-classy waterdrop notch Samsung has become accustomed to. Just like the Galaxy A50, the Samsung Galaxy A70 comes with a triple rear camera setup consisting of a 32MP f/1.7 main camera, an 8MP f/2.2 ultra-wide camera and a 5MP f/2.2 depth camera at the back as well as a 32MP f/2.0 shooter up front for those selfies.
Furthermore, the device is said to pack either 6/8GB RAM, 128GB of storage as standard, an under-display fingerprint sensor, and a 4,500mAh battery with “Super-Fast Charging” support. Out of the box, the device would run on Android 9 Pie out of the box and would come in four colors at launch, that is, Blue, Coral, Black, and White. Since the Asian market is Samsung’s target market for the Galaxy A70, the Samsung Galaxy A70 comes with dual sim card slots as well as a dedicated MicroSD card slot for folks who want to pop in a 512GB MicroSD card.
As per usual, Samsung made sure that they didn’t skimp on their extra-added features. Aside from the great specs, the Samsung Galaxy A70 comes with Samsung Bixby, NFC-powered Samsung Pay support, Samsung Health, and a few more Samsung-centric apps.
Regarding the SoC, Samsung has yet again managed to conceal the choice of SoC on the Galaxy A70. Being the more controversial launch of the earlier two Galaxy A launches, Samsung decided not to reveal the SoC of choice on the Galaxy A70. The SoC on the Galaxy A70 is an octa-core CPU, featuring a dual and hexa-cluster layout. Two of the cores on the Galaxy A70 are said to be for high-performance applications thanks to its faster 2.0Ghz clock speeds, while the rest of the six cores are reserved only for when they’re needed to most to reserve power. Rumors have previously stated that the Galaxy A70 would come with a Snapdragon SM6150/SM7150 SoC. However, that claim may remain in limbo until anything further is confirmed. As far as we have done our research, Samsung hasn’t released a CPU with the above specs before. So it very well may be one of the Qualcomm SoCs mentioned above.
Samsung hasn’t revealed the pricing of the Galaxy A70 yet. However, given how well the Galaxy A30 and A50 are priced at, we would suggest that the Galaxy A70’s pricing may be in the ballpark of around US $350-$400.
With the Galaxy A70 now out of the way, we’re left wondering what the three devices dedicated for the Galaxy A series would be. Can’t wait to see what Samsung has in store.
Apple’s iPhone SE was Apple’s second attempt at a mid ranged flagship. Despite the manufacturer targetting the premium end of the spectrum things were definitely looking interesting when the iPhone Special Edition was announced. Luck for enthusiasts the classic smartphone is back in stock at the Apple’s clearance sale.
The Standard Edition offered the exact same chipset as the iPhone 6S but held the classic and brick style form factor of the iPhone 5. The iPhones SE upon release was an instant success. The phones themselves are available in limited stock however but offer immense value for how much they cost. The 32GB model comes in around $250 while the 128GB model comes in at just $300. Considering the fact that you only have to pay an extra $50 for the 128GB model is definitely a perk and users would mind availing an Apple device at just $300.
The iPhone SE at this price point becomes the cheapest option for an enthusiast to join the Apple ecosystem which folks definitely desire. The iPhone SE despite being fairly old and housing dated internals still hold up quite well amongst modern budget devices. Although users might not find the hardware of the phone interesting and on par with Android phones the same price but the software experience and the battery optimization is phenomenal.
The phone itself stacks up well against the modern flaws of modern devices struggling to minimize the bezels and trying to achieve a perfect 100% screen to body ratio. The classic brick style design also allows users with small hands to enjoy a single-handed experience and the display itself looks beautiful.
All in all the iPhone SE deal seems a win win for an enthusiast wanting to join the Apple eco system and wanting to have a clean and care free experience. One thing to note here is the fact that this deal is valid for the USA and select terms and conditions apply which you can read here.
Samsung would be announcing its latest fleet of Galaxy A-series of devices next month. With the name of the devices remaining uncertain until Samsung officially teases their devices, devices such as the Samsung Galaxy A60, A70, and A90 are being thrown around. In the latest series of leaks we’ve just managed to get our hands on, Samsung’s alleged Galaxy A60 and A70 have emerged online, more specifically, on Tenaa’s database.
Samsung Galaxy A60 Leak Suggests A Small 3410mAh Battery & A Punch-Hole Display
Beginning with the Galaxy A60, with the devices now certified, it seems like something is wrong here. According to the images released by the Chinese certification authority, Tenaa, the Samsung Galaxy A60 would come with a physical fingerprint sensor rather than an under-display one like the Galaxy A50. As unorthodox it seems, not only would the Galaxy A60 come with a punch-hole display featuring a selfie camera, but the selfie camera would be housed on the left side of the device rather than the right side of the device.
Based on the report by Tenaa, the device seems to be packing a smaller 3410mAh battery as well as a 6.3-inch display paired with a teardrop notch up front. The model number of the Samsung Galaxy A60 is the SM-A6060.
Regarding the other details, it seems like Tenaa hasn’t managed to negotiate with the folks at Samsung yet. SoC, RAM, storage and other factors remain a mystery for now. However, leaks have suggested that Samsung would be debuting a Snapdragon SoC rather than an Exynos one, dubbed as the SM6150 and SM7150.
Samsung Galaxy A70 Features An Incredibly Large Battery & Under-Display Fingerprint Sensor
The second device to make its way to Tenaa’s database was the Samsung Galaxy A60. The Samsung Galaxy A60 features the usual bells and whistles of the Samsung Galaxy A50, including the under-display fingerprint sensor.
What you would be delighted to know is that the Galaxy A70, while featuring a physical fingerprint sensor, is the fact that the 4400mAh battery. In addition to that, the leak suggests that the Samsung Galaxy A70 would feature a 6.7-inch display and SM-A7050 as its model number.
Surprisingly enough, the Samsung Galaxy A70 features a water-drop notch like the rest of its cousins. And unlike the Galaxy A60 revealed above, it seems like the Galaxy A60 may very well be an experimental device limited to certain markets.
Just like the Samsung Galaxy A60, the rest of the specs of the Samsung Galaxy A70 remain in limbo. Although, like the A70, we would expect the Samsung Galaxy A60 to feature Qualcomm’s Snapdragon SM7150 SoC. What we know is that the Galaxy A70 would feature a triple-camera setup on its rear as well as a single selfie camera up front.
Release Date & Speculations
Rumors have suggested that development of a ton of Galaxy A devices. Ranging from the Samsung Galaxy A10, all the way to the Galaxy A90, excluding the Galaxy A30 and A50. Seeing such specs leak of the Galaxy A60, we’re disappointed to see that the Samsung Galaxy A60 features a smaller battery than the likes of the Galaxy A30 and A50. Further leaks have suggested that the Galaxy A40 would be featuring a 3400mAh battery which is quite sad to see.
Regarding the launches, since there is a total of seven devices rumored to launch soon, we’d suggest that the upcoming Samsung Galaxy A-series event would reveal three devices only, given the teaser they had published a while ago. Couple that with a long year ahead, and Samsung may very well release the rest of the devices over the course of this year.
SteelSeries is a name every PC gamer is aware of. The company has been around in the peripheral market for more than a few years now, catering to the needs of gamers. Their high-end gaming mice are renowned as some of the best in the market.
Today, we have their Rival 600, their premier gaming mouse featuring, some of the best implementations of RGB, dual sensor harmony and TruMove 3 mouse sensor. Retailing for about $89 with a ton of other high-end mouse competing for your desk, is the Rival 600 even worth it?
01 | Design & Build Quality
The SteelSeries Rival 600, like any other mouse. is built of plastic. However, most of the mouse is covered in a matte finish, adding to the whole premium feel and experience.
The mouse is divided into three detachable sections. Two sections of the mouse could be detached to enable you to customize the weight of the mouse. While the middle section of the mouse houses all the core components of the mouse such as the sensors and RGB strips. Weights could be added and removed in increments of 4 grams customized by installing them on either sides of the mouse. The base of the mouse weighs about 96g but could be extensively customized up to 128 grams. However, it doesn’t end there. Not only could you customize your weights, but you could customize the mouse to adapt to a bias on either side thanks to its double-sided weighting system.
On the left-side of the mouse features three buttons as well as a large rubber grip to accommodate your thumb. All three buttons are customizable via the SteelSeries Engine 3. On the right-side of the mouse, you’ll find a humped side along with grips divided into two sections. The rest of it is fairly simple. Nothing else to see here.
However, what did delight us when the commercials first came out had to be the RGB effects SteelSeries had going on the Rival 600. The two angular RGB strips on either side of the mouse with the addition of the Steelseries logo at the palm of the mouse and the RGB effects at the scroll wheel of the mouse made the mouse look unique and incredible.
The mouse measures 43mm x 131mm x 27mm from the right side. As expected, the hump of the mouse is 43mm tall, while the shortest point of the mouse is located towards the front of the mouse at just 27mm.
The mouse has a total of seven customizable buttons. It features three buttons of its left side, a right and left click, a DPI button in the middle of the mouse, and a scroll wheel. As mentioned earlier, SteelSeries Engine 3 should allow you to customize these buttons, as well as allow you to play around with the rest of the settings of the mouse.
One complain that did arouse over time has to be one of the grips over on the right-side of the mouse where we realized that the grips on the mouse had begun to melt off, especially the smaller grip on the right side of the mouse. These issues have plagued the Rival 600 and its users for more than a while all-the-while SteelSeries watches closely about all of the complaints. Apparently, users of Reddit reported that the 3M glue used on the Rival 600 melts at body temperatures.
Once we had our unit affected by the issue, SteelSeries immediately offered us a replacement on the condition of breaking our original Rival 600 unit. We did get in touch with them asking them details of the issue and if they had fixed it since the mouse has been out in the while for more than a year. However, we haven’t heard back from them yet. Regardless, it was shocking to see SteelSeries overlook such a major issue.
02 | Performance & User Experience
The SteelSeries Rival 600 features 12,000 CPI TruMove 3 sensor. However, the Rival 600 is the second mouse from SteelSeries lineup that features a second sensor. Second sensor you may ask? The second sensor is actually an optical depth sensor to detect lift-off movements.
Regarding how well it glides across the surface, we found the SteelSeries Rival 600 feet drag across the mouse pad too freely for our taste. After a year of usage, we did notice that the fraction had improved, and therefore became a whole lot more usable over time.
Tracking was incredible on the Rival 600 and just like any high-end mouse managed to keep track of everything. CSGO is a very twitchy game, especially when it comes to flick-aiming. And thanks to the fairly lightweight construction of the mouse without the weights, we had an incredible time. Sure, we would have loved to mouse to be even lighter. However, the weight was just fine. We then decided to test the acceleration on the mouse itself, and as usual, we found no acceleration across the board.
Thanks to the optical depth sensor, we begun to appreciate the Rival 600 even more. Unlike many other mice with single sensors, the low lift-off distance coupled with the customizability of the SteelSeries Engine 3 made our CS:GO experience a whole lot more enjoyable.
Speaking of the SteelSeries Engine 3, we absolutely loved the Rival 600 due to how extensively you could customize the Rival 600. Couple that with the Steelseries Engine 3’s RGB tricks and customization and you would realize how well SteelSeries had prepared their RGB experts for the Rival 600 specifically. From specific zones to RGB integration with some of your very best games, it works incredibly well.
Apart from the sensors and customization, there’s also a ton of points regarding the body to appreciate about the Rival 600. From the soft-touch matte coating on the body to the excellent, yet large grips on either side of the mouse, they’re incredible. And thanks to the large hump on the mouse, palm-grip users would absolutely appreciate the design of the Rival 600 to the last bit.
03 | Pricing & Conclusion
The SteelSeries Rival 600 is no cheap mouse, that’s for sure. Since it’s launch, it’s price has stayed consistent at $89. And we’re absolutely delighted to pit it against the likes from Razer, Logitech, Zowie, and Corsair any day of the week.
Sure, improvements could be made. Improvements to its weight, friction, and grips. However, the advantages and features are far outweighing the minor criticisms of the mouse. We’re talking about a mouse that has a unique angular look, excellent RGB, a ton of customization, the best lift-off distance detection in the business and a whole lot more.
In our books, we would definitely recommend the Rival 600. And if you’re planning to go wireless, you would be happy to meet the Rival 650 that features the exact same body, with the exception of being wireless and being considerably heavier than the Rival 600.
Chrome Devs have added dark mode (also known as night mode) support to the beta version of chrome. Chrome is also supposed to get universal dark mode soon that shall not only have a dark theme for the browser itself but will also take most websites into dark mode. This shall please a lot of users but might piss off some developers.
Every person who surfs the web late into the night knows that dreadful feeling of that white webpage being burnt into our eyes. Browsing the internet late at night and encountering very bright white pages can be very harmful to your eyes and in some cases irritate them. Even developers have started to implement dark mode into their apps and websites. Sites like Twitter, Youtube, and Reddit have a dark mode baked into their websites and even apps. But, Dark Mode is not universal and not on every app or website. Facebook, Whatsapp, and Instagram do not have it either on their websites or apps. There have been ways to mitigate this at our side with tools and extensions that take your browser and webpages into dark mode.
Currently, we can use a dark theme to put chrome itself in a dark mode suitable for the night time. Recently, the Chrome team has added a couple of themes to the Chrome Web Store themselves which also includes a ‘Just Black ‘ theme that you can use to achieve a dark UI. After the browser itself is dealt with, we can use an extension called ‘Dark Reader ‘ to universally invert all of the web pages we load. Which gives a pretty good night time browsing experience.
Chrome Devs have finally decided to input a dark UI theme by default with their latest Chrome Beta. The dark UI theme does not seem to have a manual toggle. Instead, it detects if you have selected universal dark/light mode toggle on windows and adjusts it’s own user interface accordingly. The beta also works on Mac OS Mojave which also has a universal dark/light mode toggle like windows that you can toggle in its settings.
There is also a possibility of a Universal Dark Mode happening as well that should allow you to dark mode your entire internet browsing experience with a single click. There have been reports of Dark mode in Chrome being present for Android and Webview which should darken web pages. The ‘Dark Mode’ is available for users to in Chrome Canary. Canary is the most unstable branch of Chrome as they made for developers to test, not users, and are very unstable.
From initial images, it looks very neat! It can darken any webpage you view. However, darkening the webpage without breaking some elements of it will be a challenge. Universal Dark Mode for chrome seems to be very early in development but, so far it seems promising.
Battlefield V has had a solid Launch Year with loads of content to go along with it. Recently it even joined the Battle Royal trend with the Firestorm update. Now, the developers of the game have revealed a complete roadmap of all the content and changes we should expect this year and boy does it look promising.
Battlefield V’s Roadmap for 2019
Building on the success of last year where the game saw many updates in the form of two different chapters, Chapter 1: Overture and Chapter 2: Lightning Strike. These two chapters added a lot of content to the game with new game modes, weapons, vehicles, cosmetic items, unique collectibles, and more than 130 new missions. Safe to say that Battlefield V players have seen a healthy amount of content to play through.
Now, EA has revealed their roadmap for 2019 and it includes major updates in the form of 3 new chapters, Chapter 3: Trial by Fire, Chapter 4: Defying the Odds, and Chapter 5: Awakening the Giant. Let us take a vrief view over each chapter real quick.
Chapter 3: Trial by Fire
If you have not figured it out just by looking at the name, Chapter 3 introduces Firestorm the Battle Royal update to the game. The update will drop players into a huge Battlefield where you shall fight it among 64 different players to stand out on top. Play like a lone-wolf and go solo or fight the war with your best of buds and win through teamwork.
While this may seem like EA joining the Battle Royal trend, which it is, the game is sure to be a little different than most other Battle Royal games with its large maps with destruction upon each step. The game has a lot of ways to fight and a lot of weapons to use, this will make it wildly different to play than other Battle Royal games.
Chapter 3: Trial by fire has more than just Firestorm in store for players. It shall also contain a new Co-oP mode where players will be able to take on challenges with your friends. Combined Arms will include matchmaking, two new missions, and a Hardcore mode for when you and your friends feel like taking on a challenge together. They just need to add a zombie mode now and I can play with my friends all weekend and have a blast.
Later on, Chapter 3 shall be getting a new Mercury map which will advance the dynamics on the battlefield by taking the fight to the Mediterranean and having possible aerial fights. This will be based on real-life events of Operation Mercury apparently which is very cool. EA seems to be really committed to providing players with a historically accurate World War II experience in Battlefield V. A new game mode is also to be expected where you will secure and build objectives to ensure your team gets enough soldiers to see through the fight.
Chapter 4: Defying the Odds
While the vast and big Battlefields of World War II is great and all, some people want to get real up and close for that competitive gameplay. Chapter 4 shall introduce a new game mode where you will have 5-vs-5 matches on tight areas. A new multiplayer map named Marita will also be introduced. The map is set in Greece in late 1940. More details about Chapter 4: Defying the Odds will be revealed along with the reveal of EA PLAY in June later this year.
Chapter 5: Awakening the Giant
Chapter 5 could possibly be the biggest chapter in the series this year. The chapter will come around the same time the game celebrates its first anniversary. Judging by the name we could assume that the update shall tell the store of Asia, more specifically, the fight between Japan and the US. The chapter will come this fall, no other details have been revealed as of yet.
Rumors had been floating on the internet over the past week or two suggesting that Nokia had been sending personally identifiable data to a remote server based in China. After a ton of backlash, HMD Global has dismissed all the claims and has given an explanation of the issue.
Nokia said that all the murmur had to do with the fact that a single batch of Nokia 7 devices had been running Nokia’s Chinese-specific device activation client. This meant that some folks had their devices send device activation data to the remote servers but were never processed and that no person could be identified with the data send to those servers.
They further added that they had taken notice of the issue last month and had pushed a patch onto all Nokia 7 Plus devices to get rid from the Chinese device activation client. According to HMD Global, the update made its way to every single Nokia 7 Plus device and pretty much every Nokia 7 Plus has been patched of the issue.
HMD Global then decided to dismiss a number of other rumors that had aroused with the Nokia 7 Plus debacle. They said that other devices weren’t affected by the issue, and therefore, never had their data sent to such servers. They said that Nokia stores all of its information personally on Amazon servers based in Singapore, excluding the Chinese variant of their devices.
For folks who want to make sure they received the update on their Nokia 7 Plus, you could head over to Settings > System > About Phone > and then Scroll down to “Build Number”. If your phone shows “00WW339BSP03” or “00WW322CSP05” as the “Build number”, you have already installed the fix on your Nokia 7 Plus. And if you haven’t, simply check for an update on your Nokia 7 Plus.
Having placed between a upper mid ranged price bracket, the Nokia 9 acts as a direct competitor to the Galaxy S10e and the iPhone XR yet holds a totally different mindset. Having a whopping 5 camera setup the phone has tilted a lot more towards its photographic abilities but that leaves its other areas lack luster. This can be proved by the fact that the fingerprint sensor under the display is one of the most inaccurate of this generation.
Upon testing, by quite a few tech enthusiasts it was found that the fingerprint sensor of the Nokia 9 is just not on par with modern day smartphones. Despite releasing in 2019 when the display technology perfected the Nokia 9 offers a very weak and inefficient sensor which forces users to switch to the inaccurate face sensor. The phone features a classic light sensor under the hood which when triggered shines a bright beam of light to capture the fingerprint.
The Nokia brand has been making its way in the modern smartphone market ever since its association with HMD Global. The Scandinavian tech giant has started off a fresh page and has produced remarkable Android smartphones these past couples of generations. The Nokia 9, announced recently is the company’s flagship grade device which is available now to enthusiasts.
Now, Samsung, on the other hand, has opted for a more accurate and more secure ultrasonic sensor but it definitely does not justifies such a dink in performance. Although the device holds potential and if these sort of issues continue to pop up then all the reputation built by the previous Nokia device would end up in the gutter.
The actual flaw here is yet unknown but chances are that the sensor itself is the culprit. Due to lack of testing and quality control one of the most important aspects of a phone, its security feature is left unattended. There still is a possibility that the light sensor is not shining enough light on the finger which allows the result to be imperfect and if that is the case then Nokia would certainly want to address it via software update as soon as possible.
A lineup on AMD’s new X570 motherboards are being brewed behind Asus’s curtains at the moment. The folks over at VideoCardz have managed to get their hands on the list of motherboards Asus would be revealing alongside the launch of AMD’s new 3rd-Gen Ryzen processors.
These new chipsets from AMD would be succeeding AMD’s flagship X470 chipsets and are expected to introduce PCIe 4.0 support for the consumer market, allowing AMD to hold its bragging rights for the months to come.
As expected, all of the motherboards leaked represent the best of Asus’s target consumer, PC enthusiasts. The motherboards are expected to belong to Asus’s ROG, Prime, and TUF series. The list of X570 motherboards AMD would be revealing are;
ROG CROSSHAIR VIII FORMULA
ROG CROSSHAIR VIII HERO
ROG CROSSHAIR VIII HERO (WI-FI)
ROG CROSSHAIR VIII IMPACT
ROG STRIX X570-E GAMING
ROG STRIX X570-F GAMING
ROG STRIX X570-I GAMING
PRIME X570-P
PRIME X570-PRO
Pro WS X570-ACE
TUF GAMING X570-PLUS (WI-FI)
TUF GAMING X570-PLUS
As expected, all of these motherboards would support overclocking out of the box and would be able to cater AMD’s new lineup of SoCs. Furthermore, the inclusion of a AM4 socket should allow older CPUs to be compatible with these new boards, that is, unless AMD wants to follow Intel’s suit.
Apart from the new features Asus would be introducing with these new boards, AMD’s new Ryzen lineup would be the stars of the show. Rumors have suggested that these new CPUs would come with at least 6 cores and 12 threads. However, if you’re crazy about CPU power, AMD is also rumored to introduce a new lineup of Ryzen CPUs, dubbed as their Ryzen 9 lineup.
Prices are expected to blow Intel’s stiff competition away, that is, unless Intel has some retaliation prepared. Prices are expected to be nearing the $100 at least for the base Ryzen 3 CPU, with the question of overclocking support still remaining a mystery.
Intel had a lot to show off at their GDC 2019 keynote. From the confirmation of new 9th-gen core Intel Core Notebook CPUs to software introductions with their new GPU command center and anti-bullying initiative.
Intel first released their 9th-Gen Core desktop CPUs back in Late 2018 with some additional chips following shortly after in early 2019. Now, they have announced the 9th-Gen Core CPUs for Notebooks as well. Not many details have been announced as of yet. But, Intel does confirm that the lineup will include new Core i9 mobile CPUs that definitely will be used for the highest end gaming and workstation grade notebooks.
While no specifications were revealed regarding the new Notebook CPUs, Previous reports have suggested towards new models of Notebook CPUs in the Core series lineup. Core i9-9980HK stands at top of the food chain with 8 cores, 16 threads, and a boost clock of 5GHz. A cut-down version of the previous i9 will be available with a Boost Clock of up to 4.8GHz.
The amount of cores we can now pack into Notebooks is just amazing. With 8 Cores and 16 Threads running at speeds of up to 5GHz, this year’s Notebooks shall make for some total beasts in terms of performance. Cooling is going to be one issue here as that many cores running at 5GHz will require hefty cooling. Not to worry though as Intel will have people covered with their i7 and i5 chips that still pack a punch when compared to chips from just a few generations ago while keeping the cooling situation a bit in control.
Similar to the i9 chips, two i7 chips will be available with 6 cores and Hyper-Threading also enabled – the CPUs shall have Boost Clocks of 4.6Ghz and 4.5Ghz respectively. Continuing the trend we have the i5 lineup coming in with 4 cores and Hyper-Threading which will have Boost Clocks of up to 4.3GHz and 4.1GHz respectively. These are the chips that will most likely be found in thin and lite gaming machines and portable workstations as their cooling will be more manageable.
The new CPUs are expected to improve on the performance and power consumption aspects over last Gen CPUs. This will provide more powerful Notebooks allowing for better quality in games and performance in power heavy applications for longer durations. The new Notebook CPUs will also support the new generation of wireless connectivity with Gigabit-class Wi-Fi 6 and faster storage with Intel Optane Memory.
The craze for PUBG Mobile continues on at a steady rate as the title crosses past its 1st anniversary. The title has gained a lot of traction in the mobile market despite tough competition. With gamers spending a huge chunk of their time on the game itself, PUBG Mobile has decided to test a 6-hour limit in India.
It was not long when the UN considered gaming a health disease and taking a look at Mobile gamers these days, it really shows how such addiction can manipulate the minds of young folks. The new feature shows a health reminder once a player has spent over 6 hours on the game. The message reads,
“You’ve played the game for 6 hours today, please come back tomorrow at 5.30AM”
Some might argue that a 6-hour time limit is still a lot considering that it takes up about one fourth the time of a day. But the fact is that many have embraced the game as their sole goal and have gone all out pro. With professional tournaments going on solely for PUBG Mobile, a six-hour time limit definitely seems a short time. Some folks think that the developers have taken a positive step to address the situation and stopped the addiction to escalate however there are two sides to every story.
Tencent has taken a positive step nevertheless, for an addiction constantly increasing among younger gamers it definitely needed to be addressed and has set the bar at 6 hours seems fair and square. Many have contradicted the decision stating that the limit should be around the 3-hour mark. The decision itself is definitely worth noting but won’t really stop addicts from playing the game. Unfortunately making a new PUBG Mobile account is pretty straight forward and enthusiasts would take every measure to bypass the ban. What Tencent would need to do is either block the IP of the user or hardware ban the device used to play the game.
Microsoft would be offering three free-to-play games for Xbox Gold members. Xbox One Gold subscribers could finally get their hands on and try-out three games this week as a part of their Free Play Days program.
Titles going on sale include NBA 2K Playgrounds 2, Vigor, and MX vs ATX: All Out. The event begins now and would allow players to experience all three of these games for free, all the while, gaining gamerscore points and more. The event is said to end on March 24th, with folks being able to finally chose and pick any of the three games for major discounts.
NBA 2K Playgrounds 2 and MX vs ATV: All Out would be the two titles receiving a major discount following the event. After the event, players who did experience any of the two games would be able to pick up NBA 2K Playgrounds 2 and MX vs ATV: All Out for $15 (NP: $29.99) and $16.50 (NP: $49.99), respectively.
Regarding the last game called Vigor, you would be able to experience a post-war Norway as a game preview for just $19.99. Buying the game during the event would allow you to unlock the game’s Founder Pack, along with full access to the game once it releases.
So for folks who have been anxious about these titles and are Xbox Gold subscribers, you could pickup the game for hefty discounts right now. However, if you’re the usual Triple-A fanatic gamer, you could wait for the next sale that may introduce much more meaningful games for you next month.
As 2019 continues on with major gaming announcements being made, Sony has had a fair bit to say. Their best selling console, the PS4 is undoubtedly one of the most important pieces of the console market. Today, Sony has announced a live event to discuss the future of its consoles and the future of the Playstation 4 to be precise.
The PS4 has been performing exceptionally with a great balance between great content and features. The console not only is on top of its competitors but offers a quality experience which cannot be found anywhere else. One of the highlights of the console is its exclusive titles which have been the backbone of the console. The broadcast event would most likely give users an outlook of what to expect this year on the PS4.
As the console nears its final years, Sony has to be working on something special for the PS4. It is also revealed that more intro and footage about upcoming titles would air and would give a clear message to players on what to expect. With that on the side, one thing which is still hasn’t matured over the years is PS VR. The VR experience on the PlayStation is definitely mediocre and when compared with the likes of HTC Vive and Oculus Rift just lags behind. With the State of Play broadcast, we expect Sony to step it up a notch and bring in massive improvements to the platform.
The first episode kicks off this Monday, March 25th at 2pm PST. Sony claims to continue these sort of events throughout the year with more and more insight to what they’ve been up to. Enthusiasts would be able to watch the whole broadcast on YouTube, Twitch and more.
Samsung is expected to revealed it’s mightiest flagship of the year next month. Following the debut of the Samsung Galaxy S10 family, Samsung felt the need to tease everyone regarding their beastly Samsung Galaxy S10 5G. With the S10 family finally hitting shelves since the beginning of March globally, a Korean news agency has confirmed that Samsung would be revealing its upcoming Samsung Galaxy S10 5G at an event in South Korea.
The event is expected to go live on April the 5th, launching the company into the 5G stratosphere. As companies begin to catch on, Samsung would finally have the bragging rights to call itself the first brand to accommodate 5G speeds in an extremely narrow selection of areas.
Samsung is expected to topple everyone with the Samsung Galaxy S10 5G, and with the device representing the upper echelon of Samsung hierarchy, we could expect the Samsung Galaxy S10 5G to be as expensive or even more expensive than the maxed out Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus. For specifics, the news agency suggests that Samsung may price the device at just US $1322. However, just like many Samsung devices, once they hit the international market, all we’re talking about is inflations by the time the device hits the European market. We’d go as far to suggest a US $1500 price tag.
For internals, we’re looking at a beastly Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 SoC, 12GB RAM, 1TB of internal storage, a quad-camera setup for the rear alone, a dual selfie camera setup for the front, an even larger 6.7-inch QHD+ behemoth of a display, and a whole lot more.
For folks in South Korea who do register their interest between April the 5th and 16th, they would be able to snag the new Samsung Galaxy Buds, a wireless charger, and a 50% discount on screen repairs.
And while Samsung would be revealing the device in Korea first, we would be interested to see if Samsung reveals any roadmaps for when they would be launching the device for the European and American markets. By the looks of it, the device should be landing for the European market before the US.
Developed and published by Ubisoft, Space Junkies is a game all about that Space warfare. Set in space this VR multiplayer shooter seems very promising. The game supports a multitude of a couple of headsets that include PSVR, Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, and Windows Mixed Reality. The support for a wide range of VR headsets also allows the game to be cross-platform, which it is, across the PS4 and the PC on Windows.
The game has very good gameplay that lets you play the way you like. You can choose to fight in your own style with the option to choose between 15 different characters, each having different attributes and abilities. You six different types of equipment that should help to customize a loadout that fits your playstyle. You also get 6 different maps to play on in this Open Beta.
You can play fast with Bugout who is the fastest character in the game or become a slow-moving tank that can take massive loads of damage by going with Junker. Equip different weapons like the solar sword to get up and close with your enemies or equip yourself with the photon shield which will take and all enemy fire so you can walk straight on ahead.
You get to battle it out in Space with the most beautiful view you can have while shooting down your enemies. The maps are made with low gravity in mind and still allow you to play somewhat tactically as well. You have explosions happening, you have laser guns, and you are in space fighting your enemies alongside your teammates. All of this is sure to make for a fun experience.
Space Junkies is currently in Open Beta on the PS4 and PC. The game also supports a multitude of VR headsets with more possibly coming as Oculus and HTC/Valve have 2 new headsets announced and on their way. The Final release is set to debut on March 26th. The Open Beta also comes with its own trailer that shows some gameplay. The trailer is named Never Give Up and watching it truly makes you want to keep on going.
Xiaomi has managed to garner a ton of attention over the past month or two. Thrilled by the launch of the Mi9 series, the Redmi Note 7 and Redmi 7 series, Xiaomi has shifted its focus towards its upcoming Android One devices.
Leaks regarding the supposedly Xiaomi Mi A3 suggest that Xiaomi may be including an under-display fingerprint sensor. However, unlike the Mi A2 and Mi A2 Lite, there’s a good chance we may be seeing the Mi A3 series consisting of a total of three devices. As XDA Member, Franztesca notes, there would be a total of three devices being developed by Xiaomi, two of which are supposedly going to be a part of Xiaomi’s Android One program. The three devices are named, “pyxis,” “bamboo_sprout,” and “cosmos_sprout.”
Given that Xiaomi’s Mi A1 and Mi A2 series of devices were largely based around their Xiaomi counterparts, we would speculate that the two Android One powered devices would most likely share spec sheets from Xiaomi’s Mi 9 and Mi 9 SE, excluding the SoC. We’re talking about an SoC choice between the Snapdragon 712 or the 670 paired with either 4GB or 6GB of RAM for folks who want to go with the Mi A3 or Mi A3 Lite as we would suppose these devices would be called. However, we wouldn’t get hyped up this early into the race. After all, the Redmi Note 7 series is doing incredibly well.
Coming from the largely successful Mi A2, the Xiaomi Mi A3 would continue enhancing Xiaomi’s co-operation with Google as they move forward. Google is also rumored to be working with Xiaomi for their upcoming Google-branded device, set to release over the next few months. Whether the Mi A3 series of devices would resemble that upcoming device is yet to be seen. However, we wouldn’t be surprised to see if it doesn’t work out either.
Now that we have at least two devices that feature the “sprout” codename as the suffix in two of the three devices, we wouldn’t mind to see Xiaomi including some incredible features on these devices to keep Google and the audience entertained. After all, maintaining a strong presence in China and India is Xiaomi’s core focus, and by the looks of it, that’s exactly where Xiaomi is heading.
Valve is feeling the pressure with Epic Games and their store that rivals Steam. Because of this, Valve has been making a couple of very exciting announcements this past month. They did a couple of talks and made announcements at their GDC keynote. The keynote included Steam’s Redesigned Library Page, New Steam Events Page. Just a week earlier Valve also announced Steam Link Anywhere which was a great move by them.
With the GDC Keynote, we get a first look at the newly redesigned Steam Library and Event Pages. Previously, a lot of rumors and leaked mockups were going around about possible changes to be made to Steam. This is only a redesign of the Library Page with the addition of the new Events Page, and nothing else. Steam will not be getting an entire refresh to it’s UI. Late last year Steam received an update that completely revamped their friends and chats system which brought a new breath of life to their chat system.
The new Steam Library Tab shall have a ‘Home’ page where you get information on all of the games in your collection. You get to see the recent games you have played with little icons beneath each games banner showing you which one of your friends are in that game at the moment. Below that, you see any recent game updates on all the games in your library. Below that, you have all of your games listed in the form of tiles. You can sort your games by different attributes. This could be like the achievements you have earned in each game. At the top right, you have friends activity. This lets you see what games your friends are playing currently and what are their states in each game.
Below the Home page, you have your games listed just like before with your favorite games being first except they are categorized by genre now. By using the tags that have been present in the store, you now get a library that is better-organized. You also get much better visibility and better-implemented search feature. Now you can search through your massive library quickly and easy. Click on a game and you are presented with a page with all the info you need on the right side. You get to view any recent events and update for the game. You also get to see who is currently playing that game right now and which one of your friends own the game and play it. Scroll down a bit more and you get a list of all the activities, achievements, trading cards, and screenshots you have done or made in many hours you have played the game.
Overall, the new redesign looks much better than before allowing better visibility and access to much more important information about your games right where you need them. Be it browsing through your library of games much easier or getting a quick overview of what’s new within your game library at a quick glance with the new home page. Any update that would include these changes does not yet have a specific release date set. But, a beta release is to be expected this summer with a full release probably following shortly after the beta.
February has been massive for the folks over at EA. Apart from the massive Apex Legends launch, EA also enjoyed massive success with their latest title, in collaboration with BioWare, Anthem.
According to the report by the NPD, EA’s Anthem was the best-selling game in February 2019. Ever since it’s launch, Anthem has not only wowed fans all across the globe for its incredible graphics and gameplay, but has, on the other hand, received a ton of flak on a number of issues. Regardless, EA managed to make it through, that too, without taking PC sales numbers into account.
Second, third, and fourth place have been occupied by Bandai Namco’s Jump Force, Kingdom Hearts 3 and Ubisoft’s Far Cry: New Dawn. And while sales numbers aren’t something NPD releases to the public, they did reveal how well sales have been for the games from the beginning of the year.
Rank
Rank Last Month
Title
Publisher
1
NEW
Anthem^
Electronic Arts
2
NEW
Jump Force
Bandai Namco Games (Corp)
3
1
Kingdom Hearts III
Square Enix Inc (Corp)
4
NEW
Far Cry New Dawn
Ubisoft
5
6
Red Dead Redemption II
Take 2 Interactive (Corp)
6
2
Resident Evil 2 2019
Capcom USA
7
5
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate*
Nintendo
8
NEW
Metro: Exodus^
Deep Silver
9
8
NBA 2K19
Take 2 Interactive (Corp)
10
4
Call of Duty: Black Ops IIII^
Activision Blizzard (Corp)
Based on their charts, Kingdom Hearts 3 continues to be the best-selling title since the beginning of 2019, followed closely by Anthem and Jump Force taking second and third place globally. Red Dead Redemption is still holding a respectable fifth position, finally trumping Nintendo’s Super Mario Bros. Ultimate and Call Of Duty: Black Ops 4 in the following positions.
Rank
Rank Last Month
Title
Publisher
1
1
Kingdom Hearts III
Square Enix Inc (Corp)
2
NEW
Anthem^
Electronic Arts
3
2
Resident Evil 2 2019
Capcom USA
4
NEW
Jump Force
Bandai Namco Games (Corp)
5
6
Red Dead Redemption II
Take 2 Interactive (Corp)
6
5
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate*
Nintendo
7
4
Call of Duty: Black Ops IIII^
Activision Blizzard (Corp)
8
3
New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe*
Nintendo
At this very moment, standings seem to be well done. However, it’s only after E3 2019 that we’ll able to find out what major titles would be dominating 2019’s gaming charts in terms of sales. With that being said, we have our eyes peeled for the upcoming E3 2019 event in the upcoming months and can’t wait to see what Xbox and Sony have in store for the upcoming generation of consoles.
Today, Ubisoft has revealed the system requirements needed to run the game smoothly. The remastered version now uses a brand new engine with support for HDR and 4K resolutions. Although the game targets a better visual experience, the system requirements are not that demanding. With the lowest of settings at 1080p 30 FPS demanding an FX-6350/i5-2400 paired with an R9 270X/GTX 660 all the up to the 4K preset demanding Ryzen 1500X/i7-4790 & RXVEGA 64/GTX 1070 the game satisfies a wide variety of hardware systems and proves to be extremely cooperative.
The Assassin’s Creed franchise is unknown to none and is one of the most revolutionary franchises in all of the gaming industry. The franchise has aged well with yearly sequels being released. The recent Assassins Creed titles have come a long way with a shift from action adventure to a hardcore RPG title.
Ubisoft recently announced that Assassin’s Creed III, a classic part of the franchise would be remastered by today’s standards. Now, the news instantaneously gave hope to classic gamers wanting to enjoy the game to the fullest. Although the game itself wasn’t quite old yet the graphical technology used was dated.
Assassin’s Creed III set in Boston,Massacheusets is one of the most unique titles in the genre. Having the storyline and animation go along like bread and butter makes it a very pleasing experience and Ubisoft has done just that but better. The remastered edition would come with all the DLCs released with the original one plus its counterpart game, Assassin’s Creed Liberation.
The remastered edition makes its way on the XB1, PS4 & PC on March 29 this year and is expected to release on the Nintendo Switch on May 21.
Oh boy, Razer’s back again at it with its RGB craze. Following the incredible launch of Apex Legends last month, Razer has included a number of RGB-effects for Apex Legends players who own Razer’s line of peripherals, notebooks and other devices.
This means that Razer’s RGB-enabled keyboard and mice would now react based on what’s displayed on the screen. The Razer Choma effects are activated in a number of sequences while playing the game such as;
Opening Apex Packs and rewards
Notifications as you fire, heal and take damage
Alerts when your Ultimate is ready
Smoke trails when skydiving
Pick up loot of different rarity (i.e. white, blue, purple, gold)
All of these effects are well-done extensively and do not seems to be needing any more updates any time soon. For folks who love to grind in Apex Legends, these additions would make their experience a whole lot more enjoyable.
To enable these effects, simply login into the latest Razer Synapse build and enable Razer’s Chroma effects to be able to see the new effects in action.
Samsung recently revealed its fleet of Galaxy S10 devices with a ton of improvements over last year. Having stepped up in practically every way possible Samsung has brought brand new trends to the smartphone market. One of the variants showcased at the Samsung event was the Galaxy S10 5G. While not much was discussed about the phone and apart from its specifications but Samsung did reveal that the phone would debut later this month.
As the month of march proceeds to its ending days, Samsung has now officially confirmed that the Galaxy S10 5G would release on April 5th as a report by Yonhap News. The delay in release is because of the ongoing discussion between carriers and the Korean government as reported. Samsung has been very secretive about the 5G S10 and not much is known about the phone except the internals. The device is to host higher end internals than all the other S10s but the pricing is yet unknown.
The phone itself has now officially been given the green light and is ready to hit markets. Although the pricing of the phone is yet uncertain, the phone is expected to cost around $1300. Moreover the device’s launch is scheduled almost a week before a Verizon’s launch event. The US based carrier has partnered with Motorola to launch a 5G device accompanied by the 5G mod while the S10 offers a sleek solution.
5G is a topic of much importance these days especially since not a single full fledged 5G device is ready for consumers. With almost every major manufacturer taking 5G as a major benchmark for upcoming smartphones, the demand and worth of 5G is to increase dramatically. On top of that, being the first to hand over a 5G ready phone would take Samsung on top of its competition which the brand struggled to do in 2018.
With this change of pace, Samsung has definitely gained a lot of popularity and the upcoming 5G S10 would further throttle sales. Recently we discovered that Samsung sales grew by almost 360% in China just by the release of the S10 and having the 5G variant would further boost them in coming days.
The Samsung Galaxy Fold and Huawei Mate X have
revolutionary foldable designs – but which is better?
Foldable smartphones have moved from fascinating
prototypes to full-fledged, market-ready devices. Samsung and Huawei are
emerging as the two pioneers of the technology, as the rest of the world
watches to see how the designs (and ensuing price tags) are received by the
public.
Last month, Samsung finally revealed the
Samsung Galaxy Fold at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) show in Barcelona, after
initially hinting at its innovative foldable phone in November at a Samsung
developer conference. It features a 7.3-inch folding display, with a smaller
4.58-inch display for use when closed.
The phone may be launched in the U.S. on April 28th through AT & T and T-Mobile.
Chinese smartphone manufacturer Huawei is continuing their challenge of smartphone heavyweights like Samsung, unveiling a genuine competitor in their Mate X – an ultra-luxury 5G phone that also boasts a foldable screen. Introduced at MWC in Barcelona last month, this smartphone has a flexible OLED display that unfolds outwards to become an 8″-inch tablet screen, larger than the Galaxy Fold.
Both phones unfold into tablet-sized
screens and are 5G compatible. Since
the two devices are in direct competition, it’s worth comparing both models
based on the available information to see which could be the most impressive
for consumers and possibly predict which of the two models will be most sought
after.
Samsung Galaxy Fold vs. Huawei Mate X
Folding Screens
Samsung’s Galaxy Fold unfolds like a book, with its screen on the inside protected by an outer cover, with the outer cover featuring a display. Some criticism of the Samsung Galaxy design has been that it doesn’t close flat, there is a small gap that remains when it is closed. On the other hand, Huawei’s Mate X has a screen hugging the frame allowing users to view it even when it’s closed. Mr Richard Yu, CEO of the company’s consumer business group said Huawei engineers have spent three years working on the patented hinge design, which doesn’t leave a gap when shut. You might need to see demonstrations of each model to work it all out and clear up any confusion.
Galaxy Fold screens
6.4-inch exterior
7.3-inch interior screen
Huawei Mate X screens
8-inch OLED display
In the “closed” position, the front screen is 6.6 inches, and the rear screen is 6.38 inches.
Lit-up screen switches when you turn the phone.
Performance
Samsung Galaxy Fold features a high-powered,
next-generation AP chipset, a massive 512GB storage and 12GB RAM for PC-like
performance. It has two 3,100mAh batteries, making it capable of charging
itself and another device simultaneously.
Mate X is
powered by Huawei’s Artificial
Intelligence (AI)-enabled Kirin 980 processor. It also has 512GB storage but
operates on 8GB RAM. The Mate X comes with a 4,500mAh dual battery with a new
superfast charging capability that claims to reach 85 percent in just half an
hour.
The Mate X will come only in 5G configuration,
while Samsung will have both 4G and 5G configurations.
Cameras
Samsung Galaxy Fold has six cameras: Two on
the front, one on the cover, and three on the back – a 12-megapixel wide-angle
lens, 16-MP ultra-wide lens, and 12-MP
telephoto lens. When folded, a 10-MP selfie camera points at the user. Open the phone, and there are two more lenses –
a 10-MP selfie camera and an 8-MP depth sensor. Inside cameras are housed in a notch, dipped in the right of
the Fold’s Infinity Flex display.
Mate X keeps things less complicated. Teasers
suggested the phone features three cameras – a 40-MP wide angle lens, 16-MP ultra-wide
angle shooter and 8MP telephoto lens. However, Huawei confirmed there are four
cameras. And unlike the Galaxy Fold, all camera lenses in the Mate X are
available all the time due to their positioning in the sidebar, regardless of
the phone’s orientation.
Price and availability
The Galaxy Fold is expected to be released on
April 26 with a starting price of $1,980, with the 5G phone costing even more.
The Mate X is likely to be launched in June, and the only information about
pricing is that it will start at €2,299.
The Best Foldable Phone
At first glance, the Huawei Mate X appears to
have winning hardware features over the Samsung Galaxy Fold. Both devices come
with a large screen, a second display on the back when unfolded, long battery life and no gap between the
screens when folded.
Samsung Galaxy Fold touts more polished
software, as revealed by the demos watched from afar. However, a lot more
features of both devices are yet to be seen.
From what we currently know, we can say the Galaxy Fold may win over the Mate
X. It should be more readily available, have slightly better features, and
could be cheaper.
The real test will be after the release date
when the phones are in the hands of consumers – which for lovers of new
technology can’t come soon enough.
