Category Archives: Gaming

Computers, Gaming, News

[Next@Acer] New Predator Gaming Laptops & Monitors Bring Even More Immersive Experiences

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Acer’s Predator Gaming has become one of the industry’s mainstays when it comes to the gaming scene. It comes as no surprise that Acer has opted to expand and streamline their lineup this year at their biannual Next@Acer event. Together with new naming schemes, the lineup is also updating the specifications and power in their gaming arsenal.

A Streamlined Predator Helios Lineup

The all-new Predator Helios lineup is not only coming with updated specifications. Acer has streamlined its naming dropping the 300, 500 and 700 series monikers. Instead, they’ve opted to use the screen sizes to denote each model of the laptop in the Helios lineup.

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This year’s Predator Helios lineup consists of the Predator Helios 16 and Predator Helios 18 – for now. The two laptops bring the latest and greatest processors and GPUs from Intel and NVIDIA respectively. Together with configurations supporting up to the Core i9 or i7 HX processors and the RTX4080 Laptop GPU, the laptops are built for gaming. They also support up to up to 32 GB DDR5-4800 MHz RAM and up to 2 TB PCIe Gen4 NVMe SSD storage.

Mini LED Makes its Helios Debut

Both laptops are also the first in the Predator Gaming lineup to sport Mini LED panels. These panels bring deeper blacks and higher contrast than previous Helios laptops. The 1,000,000:1 contrast and the 100% coverage of the DCI-P3 gamut promise better colour reproduction and more immersive gaming. This paired with NVIDIA’s Ada Lovelace architecture, DLSS and NVIDIA’s Reflex create one of the best systems to experience cutting-edge AAA games. Both versions come with a 16:10 aspect ratio. However, the Helios 16 comes with options for a WQXGA (2560×1600) display with 165Hz or 240Hz refresh rates or a Mini LED panel with a 250Hz refresh rate. The Helios 18 on the other hand comes with an additional WUXGA (1920×1200) with a 165Hz refresh rate.

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The cutting-edge specifications also come with an enhanced cooling system. The new laptops come with dual custom-engineered 5th Generation AeroBlade 3D metal fans and rectangular vector heat pipes for better heat absorption and dissipation. This is paired with liquid metal thermal grease for even better cooling.

The new Helios 16 and Helios 18 also come with a newly redesigned chassis. The redesign brings together clean edges and a slimmer silhouette. The displays are also surrounded by thinner bezels for a more immersive experience. Of course, it’s completed with a mini LED backlit keyboard with 1.8mm key travel and anti-ghosting N-key rollover. The laptops also come with a complete set of ports on the back and the latest wireless connectivity including WiFi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2. They also have support for Thunderbolt and Intel Killer Ethernet.

New Predator Gaming Monitors

Together with the new laptops, Acer also announced two new Predator Gaming Monitors. The new Predator X45 and Predator X27U feature OLED displays with 98.5% coverage of the DCI-P3 gamut and support for HDR10. Both also have support for AMD FreeSync Premium technology and sport 240Hz refresh rates and 0.01ms pixel response times.

The Predator X45 comes with a 45-inch UWQHD display with a resolution of 3440×1440 pixels. The curved monitor sports an 800R curvature giving a more immersive gaming experience. It also has a metal stand with a sleek, sturdy metal base. The Predator X27U on the other hand is a 27-inch flat panel with a WQHD resolution of 2560×1440 pixels.

PREDATOR X27U Product Standard 01
PREDATOR X45 Product Standard 01

Both of the monitors come with come outfitted with DisplayPort 1.4 and two HDMI 2.0 ports. They also sport KVM switches which allow you to switch between desktop and laptop while maintaining the same keyboard and mouse setup. They also sport a USB Hub with USB Type-C for all the gadgets.

Pricing & Availability

ItemNorth AmericaEMEAChina
Predator Helios 16USD$1,649.99 (MYR7,236.42)
starting in March 2023		EUR2,399 (MYR11,082.19)
starting in February 2023		RMB17,999 (MYR11,475.34)
starting in February 2023
Predator Helios 18USD$1,699 (MYR7,455.84)
starting in April 2023		EUR2,499 (MYR11,544.15)
starting in March 2023		RMB20,999 (MYR13,388.00)
starting in February 2023
Predator Helios X45USD$1,699 (MYR7,455.84)
starting in Q2 2023		EUR1,799 (MYR8,311.27)
starting in Q2 2023		RMB12,999 (MYR8,287.57)
starting in Q1 2023
Predator Helios X27UUSD$1,099 (MYR4,822.67)
starting in Q2 2023		EUR1,099 (MYR5,077.31)
starting in Q2 2023		RMB7,999 (MYR5,101.30)
starting in Q1 2023
Computers, Gaming, News

[CES 2023] Dell’s Concept Nyx Gains the “One Controller to Rule Them All”

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Dell took the stage last year with their eye-catching Concept Nyx. The concept device took a jab at gaming on the edge. With Concept Nyx, Dell was looking at creating a new gaming and living room experience with edge connectivity. Edge connectivity or connectivity at the edge of the network is something we’ll be hearing more and more about with 5G becoming more mainstream.

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Source: Dell Technologies

With Concept Nyx, Dell Technologies is looking to enable remote gaming with WiFi and 5G connectivity. They’re looking to accomplish this with a device or box that provides remote access to gaming libraries like Steam and more. This device can be placed in spaces like the living room and can support more than one instance. So, you’ll be able to play HALO while your sister plays Valorant at the same time on the same screen. It can even support multiple instances of the same game allowing you to play together.

The One Controller To Rule Them All

This year, Dell Technologies is taking Concept Nyx a little further. They’ve introduced the Concept Nyx Game Controller – the “One Controller to Rule Them All”. So, what makes this controller so different? The first thing that sets it apart is an integrated fingerprint sensor which will allow a myriad of personalization. The integrated fingerprint sensor could unlock personal settings or launch the last game that you played with a single touch.

Dell Concept Nyx 013
Source: Dell Technologies

Dell is also experimenting with haptics in the controller. The controller is looking to incorporate variable resistance into their thumb sticks. The variable resistance can be set to either player preference or adapt to game specific settings. Imagine playing God of War and feeling the tug when you pull down barriers or slam enemies into the ground. The X-triggers could also incorporate the same.

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In addition, the Concept Nyx Controller comes with shift buttons for additional options on front buttons and innovative scroll wheels which could be used to quickly scroll through your game weapons. There’s also an intelligent touchpad for instant access to customisable controls. It also comes with a fully customisable intelligent on-screen controls and overlays which will make sure you don’t get them buttons mixed up.

Taking Concept Nyx to the Next Level

While the big advancement this year is the Concept Nyx Controller, Dell isn’t just pushing hardware. Devs working on Concept Nyx have expanded what was shown last year with a better, more simplified dashboard. In addition to this, Concept Nyx is also being expanded to multitask more efficiently like connecting to multiple headsets; each with a unique audio stream. This also includes better splitscreen experiences. AI is also looking to make its mark on Concept Nyx with Dell experimenting with AI for things like dynamic listening to allow players to know when they’re being called.

Dell Concept Nyx 011
Source: Dell Technologies

While there’s no commercially available product just yet, Concept Nyx is quickly being moulded by gaming. That said, you may see some of Nyx’s features make its way to products in Dell’s portfolio.

Computers, Gaming, News

[CES 2023] ASUS ROG Brings Even More Power to its Desktop Lineup

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ASUS has made a name for itself when it comes to desktop components. It should come as no surprise that the company also has a lineup of pre-built desktops. This year, the desktop lineup is more focused and streamlined. There are three new entries into their offerings this year with each one taking laser focus on a feature to champion.

ROG G22CH – Redefining “Small but Mighty”

When it comes to desktops, it’s generally been a battle between space and performance. However, with the ROG G22CH, ASUS is proving that both aren’t necessarily mutually exclusive. The small 10L chassis small form factor PC packs a punch with the latest generation 13th Generation Intel Core processors with configuration supporting the Core i9-13900K. Together with this, the G22CH comes with NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX 40 Series GPUS with up to 32GB of DDR5 4800MHz RAM and up to 2TB of PCIe 4.0 SSD storage.

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Together with the power-packed internals, the G22CH is designed with a focus on airflow. The new pre-built desktop system supports both AIO liquid coolers and traditional air cooling for the CPU. It even features an internal power supply in its minute chassis. It’s also easy to upgrade and access with its toolless design.

ROG Strix G16CH – Made to Game

The ROG Strix G16CH is a mid-tower gaming desktop built for multitaskers. The system supports configurations that cap out with the Intel Core i7-13700KF and the NVIDIA RTX 4080 GPU. On the memory side of things, the setup supports up to 3TB of storage and a whopping 128GB of DDR4 RAM.

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However, it’s not just about the insides, the Strix G16CH comes with some of the best ventilation-focused designs. The front panel and top exhaust allow for plenty of airflow. It’s also built to accommodate a high-performance 240mm liquid cooler for the CPU. It’s also built with all the signature ROG design cues including the ROG Slash aesthetic, an integrated headset holder and a reinforced double D ring strap.

ROG Strix G13CH – Air Flow for Maximum Cooling and Performance

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The Strix G13CH follows suit with ASUS’s focus on better cooling and airflow with a redesign which marries both ROG’s signature style and improved airflow. It comes with configurations which support up to the Intel Core i&-13700 and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 40 series GPU. Complementing this is up to 64GB of RAM and up to 2TB of storage.

Pricing and Availability

No pricing or availability has been announced just yet.

Computers, Gaming, Mobile, News

[CES 2023] NVIDIA Brings RTX 40 Mobile – RTX 40 Series Studio Laptops, Here We Go!

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NVIDIA’s RTX 40 series GPUs are finally making their way to the mobile computing space, just as Intel’s 13th generation CPUs are also making their way to the mobile computing space. Alongside the new hardware, Ada Lovelace on mobile also comes with a slew of updates that was also brought along from the RTX 40 series for the desktop market. Alongside NVIDIA introducing the laptop market to Ada Lovelace, they also launched their new NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti.

Unsurprisingly, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 40 series for laptops focus more on the content creation aspect more than anything. To be fair, while gaming performance on a laptop has never been better with the RTX 40 series, content creators are the ones who will get the biggest bump in benefits with Ada Lovelace this time around. That said, there are still some interesting developments from NVIDIA for games with the new Max-Q Ada Lovelace architecture.

Thanks to some clever implementation for the Studio platform, NVIDIA brings RTX Remix made mostly for gamers. The technology allows more creative gamers to quickly create mods for older titles with full ray tracing technology to modernize those games. You even get enhanced details ad materials with DLSS3 and NVIDIA Reflex. All of these and you never needed to learn to code or knowledge to work in the 3D design space in the first place. NVIDIA is also bringing official RTX support to Portal Prelude, a Portal mod.

Back to the more content creator aspect of things. NVIDIA is introducing a new Studio driver to update their new and existing GPUs too. With The new Studio platform comes an improved NVIDIA Omniverse, a connected world where 3D artists can collaborate in real-time with the power of NVIDIA’s RTX engines. The have expanded the Omniverse with better support for Blender, a rather popular 3D rendering tool. Users can also experiment with regenerative 3D tools alongside Universal Scene Description assets added into Omniverse to create even more life like 3D scenes than ever before.

If you are more of a videographer, or a streamer, the new NVIDIA Studio suite offers improved NVIDIA Broadcast and Canvas apps. Broadcast new features a new eye-tracking and replacement tool that cleverly and naturally makes it look like you are actually looking into your webcam instead of your screen in both video conferences and game streams. Canvas allows you to work with 360-degree images that can be used as environment maps in 3D apps like Blender. On top of all of these, Ada Lovelace also comes with AV1 support which should allow for a more efficient video workflow in compatible apps.

If you are not into any of that, there are still some benefits to using NVIDIA’s RTX 40 and RTX 30 series GPUs. They are bringing their upscaling technology to the masses with RTX Video Super Resolution. The feature uses AI to improve videos from any sources, including your browser. The algorithm removes compression artifacts and upscales video resolutions to improve its sharpness and even overall detail so that you watch online contents at your display’s native resolution even if the YouTube video only offers up to 480p in resolution. The feature will only be available for Chrome and Edge browsers in February 2023, for now.

The other added benefit of Ada Lovelace is its power efficiency. That also means that gaming and studio class laptops can be made thinner with smaller and more power efficient fans. On top of enhanced battery life as well, the power bricks can be made smaller than ever.

Availability

NVIDIA has teased the first few laptops that will get their RTX 40 series treatment. They named the Razer Blade, MSI’s Stealth series, and ASUS’s Zenbook Pro series laptops for now. For now, NVIDIA has teased the availability of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 and GeForce RTX 4090 series for mobile computing, but we are convinced you will see the likes of the GeForce RTX 4080, and GeForce RTX 4060 series Max-Q GPUs when laptop manufacturers release more details about their next-generation content creator and gaming laptops soon. More about Ada Lovelace architecture can be found on their website.

Computers, Gaming, News

[CES 2023] NVIDIA Launches the GeForce RTX 4070 Ti, Unlaunching the RTX 4080 12GB

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At NVIDIA’s next-generation GPU launch the last round, Jensen Huang unveiled two new flagship class GPUs; the GeForce RTX 4090 and GeForce RTX 4080. The range-topping GeForce RTX 4090 packs more Ada Lovelace architecture CUDA cores than the GPU it replaces and 24GB of GDDR6X RAM for performance like no other. The slightly lower end GPU, which is still a powerful flagship class GPU, the GeForce RTX 4080 packs just over half the CUDA cores of the flagship and about 16GB GDDR6X RAM.

Alongside these two GPUs, the team in green teased another GPU that is meant to be a more budget friendly version of the GeForce RTX 4080 with less CUDA cores and less RAM. For the longest time, the GPU is known as the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 12GB. With a smaller potential asking price for it, the rumoured GPU is a highly anticipated one.

For CES 2023, they launched the GPU for US$ 799. Except, they did not launch the GeForce RTX 4080 12GB. They launched the GeForce RTX 4070 Ti ahead of the regular GeForce RTX 4070.

NVIDIA’s latest GeForce RTX 4070 Ti is the exact same GPU that is the unlaunched GeForce RTX 4080 12GB. It packs 7680 CUDA cores, less than half of the GeForce RTX 4090 GPU. Its 12GB RAM RAM is also exactly half the top-of-the-line RTX 4090 flagship GPU. It is still a fast GDDR6X RAM that you get from the RTX 3090 and RTX 4090. In the grander scheme of things, the new GPU is targeted squarely as a mid-range GPU that should prove to be one of the more popular GPU choices for the more value conscious gamers.

In terms of features, the GeForce RTX 4070 Ti packs the latest DLSS 3 algorithm for upscaling that is better than before. They also say that the RTX 4070 Ti is supposed to be a more powerful GeForce RTX 3090 Ti that was replaced by the GeForce RTX 4090. In NVIDIA’s benchmarks though, the newly launched GPU looks like it performs about the same as the RTX 3090 Ti in non DLSS titles. The benchmark has not accounted for the improved ray tracing performance from the Ada Lovelace architecture though. According to NVIDIA as well, the GPU is supposed to be more efficient than before too with 226W TDP.

4070 Ti Partner Board
Source: NVIDIA

The new NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti will be available in the market worldwide 5th of January 2023 onward. NVIDIA suggests a starting retail price of US$ 799 (MYR 3520*). The pricing is really just a guideline though since they also mentioned that there will not be a Founders Edition GPU from NVIDIA for this one. In that case you can expect GPUs from board partners like ASUS, Colorful, Gainward, GALAX, GIGABYTE, INNO3D, KFA2, MSI, Palit, PNY, and ZOTAC. More information on their new GPU can be found on their website.

*Approximately based on exchange rate of US$ 1=MYR 4.41 as of 04/01/2023 on xe.com

Computers, Gaming, News

[CES 2023] Samsung Announces new Line-up of Monitors, Including the new Odyssey

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CES 2023 is nigh, and Samsung took part. Not that it is a surprise. They announced a bunch of new home electronics that works with Smart Things. That was expected, especially if you did not miss Samsung’s CEO’s editorial on their upcoming CES 2023 showcase. What was not expected is the line-up of new PC monitors they introduced for CES 2023, and how nice they are.

Odyssey Neo G9 – the ‘U’ in UHD Means Ultimate Gaming Experience

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    Source: Samsung
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    Source: Samsung

They introduced yet another Odyssey Neo G9 to replace the old one, which was not that old in the first place. This is even better than before though, and more power hungry than before. Instead of dual QHD 1440p, this time you get twice more resolution at dual 4K UHD resolution.

Of course, with more resolution, you need a bigger canvas to really appreciate the resolution. You get 57-inch this time, an 8-inch upgrade over the older monitor. It is still a 1000R curve, which still means you sit the same distance as before and get more immersion out of the display.

Of course, you get everything that was great about the older monitor too. The 4K UHD panel is a quantum mini LED panel, which also means colours are just as vivid as before. With VESA Display HDR1000 specifications, your eyes will still be screaming in pain when you crank it up all the way.

You want to make sure your PC offer the latest HDMI 2.1 port or DisplayPort 1.4 to take advantage of the Odyssey Neo G9’s resolution. On top of an HDMI 2.1 port, you get a future-proof DisplayPort 2.1 port on the display for you to really get your games to 240Hz with the dual UHD panel. Then again, you do want to get yourself the latest and most powerful GPU to get even close to that speed with virtually two UHD monitors strapped on it.

Odyssey OLED G9 – It Is All About the Colours

  • CES Monitor Lineup PR dl3 Odyssey OLED G9
    Source: Samsung
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    Source: Samsung

57-inch is also quite large for a 1m viewing distance. 49-inch is still a lot to take in still for your desk, dual QHD at 240Hz is still plenty to take in for not just yourself, but even the most powerful PCs you can find today. Quantum mini LED technology may look great, but it will still have nothing on an OLED panel, especially a quantum dot OLED panel.

The OLED display offers a pixel-by-pixel lighting control, allowing for an even lifelike image darker blacks than ever and crisper HDR images than before. The OLED panel also offers up to 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio, for even better detail even when in the dark spots. OLED technology also offers a response time like no other at up to 0.1ms. It still offers 240Hz, which is plenty enough to handle for even the most powerful GPUs today.

The 49-inch 1800R ultra-wide monitor is also even better if you want to keep your entertainment simple with just one primary monitor. There is a Smart Hub packed into the 49-inch monitor so that you can enjoy contents from Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, and even YouTube even without a PC hooked up to it. You can even game without a PC with this one; Samsung’s Gaming Hub offers access to Xbox’s gallery of cloud enabled games, and NVIDIA GeForce Now cloud gaming library.

ViewFinity S9 – Colour Calibrated for the Professionals

  • CES Monitor Lineup PR dl4 Viewfinity S9
    Source: Samsung
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    Source: Samsung

The ViewFinity series is new from Samsung. They are not new to highly calibrated and colour accurate display though. That also means that Samsung taking this long to offer a calibrated display for the professionals the real shock.

The ViewFinity S9 offers 5K resolution from a 27-inch panel. The 5,120 by 2,880 pixels offers up to 99% DCI-P3 colour gamut coverage for the best colour reproduction you can get on a monitor. It offers Delta E ≤ 2 as well for the most accurate colour reproduction. If you need to make more calibration to your monitor, there is a smartphone app for it, which is unsurprising coming from Samsung.

For some flexibility, the monitor offers USB Type-C and Thunderbolt 4 connectivity for your PC. That means that the ViewFinity S9 is now a Thunderbolt 4 hub for your connected PC. Offered with the ViewFinity S9 is also a 4K SlimFit camera that offers native connectivity to Google Meet meetings even without a PC connected to it. Yes, it packs Samsung’s Smart Hub too so it can be your entertainment hub all the same.

Smart Monitor M8 – The All-in-One Personal Hub at Home

CES Monitor Lineup PR dl5 Smart Monitor M80C
Source: Samsung

A gaming and professional calibrated monitor are very specific things. They are quite costly items too for overly specific purposes. You might need a regular monitor optimized for work and does everything else on the side. You need a Smart Monitor M8.

You can choose between either a 27-inch or 32-inch variants. Both sizes offer 4K in resolution. You can also pick between Daylight Blue, Spring Green, Sunset Pink, and Warm White colour options for it to really fit your house décor. It even has a height adjustable stand with tilt support so that the monitor can be perfect for you. If you prefer a monitor arm, it is VESA compatible.

Obviously it offers Samsung’s Smart Hub that offers Netflix, Prime Video, and YouTube without a PC connected to it. It also offers SmartThings Hub, now it is a control hub for all your smart home devices in your house. With upcoming Matter functionality, it is not just Samsung’s IoT devices that you can hook up to your smart home system. You can even use a mouse to navigate through Smart Hub and SmartThings Hub; yes, without a PC. It also has a 2K SlimFit webcam that works nicely with Google Meet.

Availability

Samsung’s new Odyssey, ViewFinity, and Smart Monitor is available for showcase in CES 2023. There are no mentions on when the displays will be available for purchase. We are betting that it will be available within 2023. There are no mentions on prices either. It is Samsung we are talking about though, and they are pretty high-end monitors, so we are guessing ‘premium’ would be the way to describe their asking prices.

Gaming, News

OnePlus surprises with gaming monitor announcement

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OnePlus continues its foray into the gaming space with the announcement of two new gaming monitors.

OnePlus X27
OnePlus forays into gaming tech with two new monitors; The X27 and E24. Image source: SoyaCincau

A worthy gaming monitor entry; OnePlus X27

The two OnePlus gaming monitors announced are the high end X27 and the more budget friendly E24. The X27 is the premium offering, with a 27-inch 2560 x 1440 QHD resolution IPS panel with 165Hz refresh rate. Claims have been made for 1ms response time and support for VESA’s DisplayHDR 400, standard offerings of current gaming monitors. Rounding out the specs are support for AMD Freesync, 10-bit colour and coverage for 95% of the DCI-P3 colour gamut. The design of the X27 is more similar to modern productivity monitors with slim bezels. You won’t find any bold design decisions with the “gamer” aesthetic of funky back panel designs or color accents here.

There is, however, a good array of ports along the back panel. These include a high power 65W USB-C port that can charge your devices, even power your laptop. There is also an HDMI 2.1 port, a DisplayPort 1.4, two USB-A 3.0 ports and a 3.5mm headphone jack. It comes with a stand that is height adjustable with pivot, tilt and swivel functions. It can be mounted with a VESA 75mm mount. While looking pedestrian, the OnePlus X27 packs some decent specifications for a gaming monitor.

Gaming on a budget with the OnePlus E24

OnePlus E24
The E24 is more budget friendly but expect more modest specifications. Image source: SoyaCincau

The budget variant of OnePlus gaming monitors, the E24, packs understandably lesser specs than the X27. The 24-inch IPS panel supports a 1920 x 1080 FHD resolution and lower refresh rate of 75Hz. It does not carry neither AMD Freesync support nor VESA’s DisplayHDR 400 or colour coverage of the X27. The stand is only tilt adjustable and there are lesser ports; a 18W Power Delivery (PD) USB-C port, a HDMI 1.4 port, a VGA port and a 3.5mm headphone jack. With these harware concessions, will the price point be able to justify it?

At the moment, the OnePlus X27 is only available in India, retailing at INR 28000 (approx. RM1500) while there is no price or availability details on the E24. With many concessions in hardware, we do expect a significantly reduced price. With OnePlus already announcing a mechanical keyboard in the making, can we expect more gaming tech from OnePlus? Only time will tell

Source: SoyaCincau, Android Central

Gaming, Lifestyle, News

God Of War TV Series Coming to Amazon Prime Video

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God of War is coming to life thanks to a deal between PlayStation Studios, Sony and Amazon Prime. Amazon Prime broke the news in a single tweet which read “God of War is coming”. The announcement comes barely a week after God of War won six awards at the Game Awards.

According to Deadline, Prime Video has been in negotiations with Sony and PlayStaion to bring the critically acclaimed game to the silver screen since its first report in March. It appears like negotiations have gone well with some of Hollywood’s best TV Fantasy talent coming onboard. The God of War series is apparently going to be helmed by Rafe Judkins who has worked on titles like Amazon’s “The Wheel of Time”, “Agents of SHIELD” and “The 4400” to name a few. He’ll be working with the creators of “The Expanse” Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby. The series has already been in production since March according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Fan of the series will definitely be excited to see where the series takes its inspiration as God of War as a franchise has a rich library of tales to tell. According to the report from Hollywood Reporter, the story will be taking its queue from the game after Kratos hangs up his blades and retires to the Norse realm of Midgard. Of course, if the game is any indication, we’re in for loads of adventure and thrills as Kratos and Arteus discover that his late wife’s last wish was a quest in disguise. The father and son duo will be facing the minions of Hel and take on new gods and mythical creatures as they seek to save the world.

God of War

God of War is the latest game in Sony’s library to get the Hollywood treatment. It joins the ranks of Unchartered and, most recently, The Last of Us. There’s no indication when the series will be released nor any news of the cast just yet.

Accessories, Computers, Gaming, News

[CES 2023] LG UltraGear Goes Fastest in the World with 240Hz OLED Gaming Monitor

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Gaming monitors need to be fast. In the early days of fast gaming monitors, OLED technology is quite unheard of. The reason is because OLED panels can only go so fast in terms of refresh rate. While OLED monitors offer colour accuracy and vibrance like no other, they are rather dimwitted in terms of refresh rate until a few years ago. Now though, OLED panels are some of the most sought after in gaming. Pretty soon you are going to be able to get you hands on one with 240Hz in refresh rate, faster than anything that came before it.

The monitors in question are LG’s latest 27-inch and 45-inch models introduced for CES 2023. You get the new 27GR95QE and 45GR95QE gaming monitors. While both have their similarities, they are built to serve different segments.

Both gaming monitors offer 240Hz in terms of refresh rate. Both monitors also offer 0.3ms in GTG response time, faster than almost anything that you can find in the market currently. Both are also NVIDIA G-Sync and FreeSync Premium compatible, making them rather versatile for whatever GPU you might have in your PC. At the same time, they both offer a DCI-P3 colour gamut coverage of 98.5%, something even content creators can highly appreciate. Both are capable of producing images at HDR10 standards with a contrast ratio of 1,500,000:1 for a higher level of detail than any gaming monitor you can find in their classes. Of course, they both sport the latest HDMI 2.1 standard alongside a DisplayPort 1.4 port.

UltraGear 45GR95QE lifestyle 02
Source: LG

Their difference lies in the shape and size of the panels. The 27-inch monitor is a flat screened 16:9 monitor that most gamers can appreciate. 27-inch is a rather standard size for gaming monitors and 16:9 is currently the most popular aspect ratio for most gamers. It is also the current standard size and aspect ratio in esports, which also means this would be suitable for most esports titles like Dota 2, or Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO). At the same time, its QHD (2,560 x 1,440) resolution is widely accepted as the most optimal resolution for displays at its size and for gaming purposes. Most GPUs today are also optimized for gaming at this resolution which also means that this might be the more popular option for the most serious gamers anyway.

If you want to take things a little further and get even more immersed in your games, you want the 45-inch behemoth that is the 45GR95QE. It is a curved display monitor with an 800R curvature (0.8m radius) That also means that it is more curved than almost anything that you might get in the market. Its shorter optimum distance also means you get to be closer to the action for an even more immersive experience than ever before. It packs WQHD (3,440 x 1440) resolution too to ensure that you still get all the details you need in the ultra-wide monitor.

  • UltraGear 45GR95QE lifestyle 01
    Source: LG
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    Source: LG
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    Source: LG
  • UltraGear 45GR95QE product 03
    Source: LG

LG’s UltraGear 27-inch and 45-inch OLED gaming monitors will be showcased in CES 2023 happening on the 5th of January 2023 all the way to the 8th of January 2023. There is no specific information regarding the market availability of the monitors currently. That also means we currently do not have any pricing information too. We are keeping our ears close to the ground for any updates though, so do watch this space. More information on LG’s range of UltraGear gaming monitors can be found on their website.

Computers, Gaming, News

AMD’s rDNA 3 unleashed with Radeon RX 7900 series

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UPDATE 16th November 2022: Both cards are now available at AMD.com and in retail, with the Radeon RX 7900 XTX priced at USD 999 (approx. RM 4420) and Radeon RX 7900 XT at USD 899 (RM 3980).

AMD has released their first generation of rDNA 3 architecture cards, the RX 7900 XTX and RX 7900 XT to be available from mid-December 2022.

amd radeon 7900 with rDNA 3
The RX 7900 XTX and RX 7900 XT sports the new rDNA 3 architecture.

Chiplet design in rDNA 3 brings the most efficient performance possible

Announced in November, the RX 7900 series cards are the first chiplet design graphics cards available on the market. The chiplet design uses multiple dies interconnected using similar technology to the Ryzen CPU’s, resulting in improved performance with up to 54% better power efficiency as claimed. The most anticipated feature is of course performance that the rDNA 3 architecture brings. AMD has claimed that it delivers up to 54% more performance per watt than the rDNA 2 cards, a significant improvement.

Enhanced 4K gaming experience with Display Port 2.1

Being top tier graphics cards, they are geared towards 4K gaming and fans can expect significant improvements. For a direct comparison, the RX 7900 XT has up to 1.7X higher 4K performance than the previous generation Radeon RX 6950 XT, highlighting the generational uplift of rDNA 3. Being one of the first cards to support DisplayPort 2.1 with UHBR 13.5, expect high refresh rates on 4K gaming (up to 480Hz) and 8K gaming (up to 165Hz).

Enhancements and availability of RX 7900 series

FSR3
FSR 3 and AMD Advantage for Desktop promises better gaming performance in 2023

Alongside the new cards, AMD has also announced the latest iteration of temporal upscaling technology, FidelityFX Super Resolution. AMD plans for the new technology to be available in 2023 alongside the new AMD Fluid Motion Frames technology. Collectively, these enhancements are expected to build on the current FSR 2.2, though no exact details on how it works have been revealed just yet. AMD also announced the AMD Advantage for Desktop PCs to the benefit of both gamers and streamers. The feature further enhances gaming and streaming performance by combining the Ryzen 7950x processors and RX 7900 XTX graphics cards.

The Radeon RX 7900 XTX and RX 7900 XT are available now at USD 999 and USD 899 respectively from AMD.com and in retail.