Big sporting events are about to get more interesting – particularly if you have an interest in eSports. It’s been a long time coming, but eSports is becoming more mainstream with the increasing number of events that are becoming recognised. A growing number of games are being included in large, global and regional sporting events. The Asian Games are the latest to join the foray.
eSports has long been sidelined by mainstream sports and athletics cause of their perceived lack of “training” and “athleticism”. But that’s been changing in recent years. With the establishment of international tournaments like “The International” (TI), The World Cyber Games (WCG) and the Electronic Sports League (ESL), there has been more awareness cultivated of how eSports athletes train and how intense and precise each match can be.
The industry has scored another big win with PUBG Mobile being recognised as a medalled event at the upcoming Asian Games. The event, held once every four years, is recognised by the International Olympic Committee as the second largest event of its kind; only second to the Olympics itself. PUBG Mobile joins a list of elite games selected for the event.
Source: Tencent Games
PUBG Mobile has seen tremendous growth in the years since its launch. It has since spawned 14 new leagues and a cumulative prize pool of USD$15 million this year alone. It joins an exclusive list of games that have been recognised as medalled events for the upcoming Asian Games. As of now, the list consists of Arena of Valor Asian Games Version, DOTA 2, Dream Three Kingdoms 2, EA SPORTS FIFA branded soccer games, Hearthstone, League of Legends, and Street Fighter V.
The Asian Games will be taking place in Hangzhou, China from 10th to 25th September 2022. The upcoming games will mark the 19th Asian Games and the first to have eSports as recognised, medalled events.
Pokémon’s trading card game is arguably one of the most popular trading card games that has made its mark both physically and digitally. The franchise is probably only second to Magic the Gathering at this point. For the longest time, the online experience for the Pokémon trading card game has been sorely lacking. However, that was supposed to change with the release of Pokémon TCG Live later this year but it looks like we’re going to have to wait a little longer.
The Pokémon Company has announced via its PokémonTCG Twitter that the new, improved Live app will be delayed into 2022. The Pokémon TCG Live app was meant to have an initial rollout in Canada with a global beta for the desktop app sometime this year, however, it looks like there may be some development setbacks. In its tweet, the Pokémon Company states that it’s looking to provide a more polished experience for “trainers”. A new date or time frame for the soft launch and beta have not been announced just yet.
Additionally, some of you may have recently received code cards with Pokémon TCG Live branding as part of some Pokémon TCG products. Though Pokémon TCG Live is not available at this time, please know these cards are still redeemable in Pokémon TCG Online.
That said, Trainers have begun getting code cards with Pokémon TCG Live branding on them as part of their booster and starter packs. The Pokémon Company also announced in a subsequent tweet that these codes are useable with the current Pokémon Trading Card Game Online app. If you’re worried about carrying these cards over to the new TCG Live app, The Pokémon Company announced that all cards from the HeartGold & SoulSilver series onwards will be ported over with your profile when you eventually migrate to the new TCG Live app.
Niantic, the studio behind Pokemon GO, has just announced that it will be shuttering its AR Harry Potter game. Harry Potter: Wizards Unite was the studio’s second foray into creating real-world AR games for a large franchise. The game debuted back in 2019 hot off the heels of Pokemon GO.
However, it looks like the Harry Potter game isn’t fairing as well as its predecessor. The company announced that wizards and witches still immersed in the game will be casting their last spell on January 31, 2022. The game will be delisted from the Google Play Store, App Store and Galaxy Store come December 6, 2021. In-app purchases will be disabled on the same day. This means that you will no longer be able to download the app or buy any in-game items come 6 December.
Source: Harry Potter: Wizards Unite Facebook
That said, Niantic isn’t simply leaving players high and dry when it comes to content. The studio guarantees that it will be wrapping game storylines before shutting down. In its blog post, the company detailed a number of events that will be playable leading up to January 31, 2022. Events will kick off starting in November.
The events are listed below:
November
Dolores Umbridge Lethal Adversaries Event
Half-Blood Prince Brilliant Event Part 1
Lucius Malfoy Lethal Adversaries Event
Half-Blood Prince Brilliant Event Part 2
December
Bellatrix Lethal Adversaries Event
Horcrux Hunt Part 2
Voldemort Lethal Adversaries Event
Deathly Hallows Brilliant Event Part 1
Holiday Event
Deathly Hallows Brilliant Event Part 2
In addition to these events, Niantic will also be making changes to gameplay to allow players to complete pending quests in anticipation of the closure. The first few changes have come into effect on November 2, 2021. This includes increased rewards, quicker brewing times and increased spell energy and ingredient spawns.
Harry Potter: Wizards Unite players will have until January 31, 2022, to complete the game and use up their in-game items. Niantic notes that beyond this date, players will be unable to access anything from the game as servers will be taken offline. In addition, it is saying that there will be no refunds for in-game purchases.
It seems like months mired in legal woes is beginning to affect Blizzard far more than they initially anticipated. The company has already announced that their much anticipated annual conference, BlizzCon, wouldn’t be happening this year. However, players and fans of Blizzard’s have more bad news as it’s been revealed that more delays have come as a result of the lawsuits.
Two of the most anticipated titles from Blizzard – Diablo IV and Overwatch 2 – have been delayed until further notice. The announcement of the delay comes following an Investor call. While we know for a fact Diablo IV wasn’t ready for primetime in 2021, players were still hopeful that Overwatch 2 would be. That said, it comes as no surprise that the titles were delayed as both have lost senior developers to the lawsuits. Both were ensnared in sexual harassment allegations.
Overwatch seems most affected by the lawsuits as one of its main characters. Gunslinger, McCree, is getting renamed. In light of the character’s namesake, Jesse McCree, being embroiled in legal woes, the character has been given an updated story that changes his name. The sharpshooter formerly known as McCree is now Cole Cassidy. In Blizzard’s announcement of the change, they revealed even more details of the character. Cassidy’s updated story reads:
“The first thing a renegade loses is their name, and this one gave up his long ago. Running from his past meant running from himself, and each passing year only widened the divide between who he had been and what he had become. But in every cowboy’s life, there comes a time when he has to stop and make a stand. To make this new Overwatch better – to make things right – he had to be honest with his team and himself. The cowboy he was rode into the sunset, and Cole Cassidy faces the world at dawn”.
In addition to the delay in production for Overwatch 2 and Diablo IV, Blizzard also lost its co-lead, Jen Oneal, who announced that she would be leaving the company at the end of the year. In light of this, she will be transitioning to an unnamed role in the company.
Blizzard’s BlizzCon is arguably one of the biggest gaming events of the year. However, in light of the pandemic, the gaming conference has evolved into BlizzConline for its past iteration into an online BlizzConline. In fact, earlier this year, the game developer announced a new approach for BlizzCon which would span both online and offline, in-person experiences. However, it looks like that may not be happening after all.
The company has taken online to announce to the community that the upcoming BlizzCon planned for February 2022 will not be happening. In their statement, the company states that, “we would also like to take the time to reimagine what a BlizzCon event of the future could look like”. That said, it was the same words used earlier this year in their announcement for the 2022 BlizzCon. The event is one of the company’s crowning achievements that have allowed fans of game franchises like Warcraft, Diablo and Starcraft to rally and feel part of the Blizzard experience. The absence of the convention, in any form, could prove to be more a quandry for Blizzard.
Source: Blizzard
However, Blizzard isn’t leaving fans without updates and announcements. In their update, the company states, “One more thing we wanted to make clear: even though we aren’t holding BlizzConline in February, we’ll still be making announcements and updates for our games. We’re proud of our teams and the progress they’ve made across our games. We have a lot of exciting upcoming news and releases to share with you.”. Fans will have lots to look forward to come February 2022 by the sounds of it.
The cancellation of Blizzard’s annual BlizzCon seems to be one of the latest casualties in their unfolding legal saga. Blizzard has recently come under fire for a myriad of reasons including employer misconduct and sexual harassment. BlizzCon was ground zero for some of the most egregious sexual harassment allegations thanks to the “Cosby Suite”. Since then the allegations and issues that have arisen have become a hot topic in the gaming industry which is currently undergoing a renaissance.
Alienware has been creating gaming-focused systems for 25 years! I’m pretty sure there are a good number of our readers who remember the company’s early offerings. It’s safe to say that they’ve come a long way from their early days. The biggest updates this year was the introduction of their new Legend 2.0 design language and the introduction of the Alienware X series. The new design and new offering seem to be only the beginning of the company’s 25th-year celebrations.
That said, Alienware is also introducing a new, refreshed look to its Aurora desktop lineup. The new take on the Aurora desktops introduces design cues from their new Legend 2.0 design language. Their mid-tower desktop redesign focuses on increasing airflow, keeping noise levels low and accessibility. However, the size of the Alienware Aurora remains relatively unchanged.
The biggest change anyone will notice is the increase in vents that will allow for better airflow in the Aurora. Alienware is calling this its first “open-air” design. The new Aurora desktops have larger chassis volumes. The new Aurora is up to 50% larger than even the Aurora R10 and R12. They will ship with a minimum of two 120mm fans – one intake and rear exhaust. On higher configurations, there is an option to double up on these 120mm fans. The new design has allowed Alienware to minimise acoustic noise by 9% compared to the R12.
The design changes aren’t just to ensure more airflow. The overall design has been refined. The Aurora’s design is now more fluid with curves accenting it. The front panel of the desktop also continues the design language but also keeps to Alienware’s signature aesthetic. There will be an option for a transparent side panel as well. Users will be able to use this to show off their setup with the eight RGB Zones. Users can even customise the colours through AlienFX. The updated chassis is also the most accessible yet. You won’t need any tools to access the guts of your setup. The right side door is fitted with cable management features that allow the cables to be mechanically and thermally isolated. There is also an optional magnetic back to help with hiding those cables.
Pricing & Availability
The new Alienware Aurora desktops will be available in Lunar Light or Dark Side of the Moon. Alienware has not announced any details on pricing, configurations or availability just yet.
Acer has been busy creating a new image for Predator with some products that are out of the left-field like the Predator Shot. However, their expansion into the gamer lifestyle space also includes collaborations like the Predator Gaming Chair. This time Acer is completing your setup with their new Predator Gaming Desk.
Source: Acer
The Predator Gaming Desk is a large 55-inch gaming desk that is available in two finishes. The first is a custom Predator mouse pad finish which provides a resilient surface. The finish makes it easy for you to use your gaming mouses. The second option is a carbon fibre finish which is not only durable but easy to maintain and clean.
The gaming desk is kitted out with two cable management cutouts making it easy for you to channel your cables. It allows you to maintain your clean, minimalist set-up easily. It also has a cup holder so you won’t have to battle watermarks when you’re battling the orcs and demons. You’ll also be able to stow away knick-knacks in the built-in storage tray. Your headphones will also have a hook to call home on the new Gaming Desk.
The frame of the Gaming Desk is made to be sturdy. The steel structure should be able to weather pretty much anything. It’s able to hold 120kgs on the top. However, if you’re looking for something height-adjustable, it’s the only feature that hasn’t made it to the Predator Gaming Desk. However, if you have the Predator Gaming Chair, it’s the last piece to complete your gaming set-up.
Pricing & Availability
The Predator Gaming Desk will be available in two finishes: Carbon Fiber and the customer Predator Mouse Pad surface.
The Gaming Desk will be available in Europe, Middle East and Asian regions starting in December 2021. Prices will start at €UR229 (MYR1101.67).
Acer’s Predator Gaming lineup has been one of the popular gaming brands out there. It really comes as no surprise with the company pushing quality products like the Orion 3000 and X34 GS gaming monitor. This time, the company is really upping the ante with new products and refreshes that bring new, more immersive experiences to the table.
Predator LED Gaming Projectors – Bigger, More Immersive Visual Experience
There’s nothing that gives you a more immersive experience that when you’re wrapped by the graphics you interact with. Acer’s Predator line up already has some of the best monitors, but the company is turning things up to 11 with two new Gaming Projectors: the Predator GD711 and the Predator GM712.
Predator GD711 (Source: Acer)
The two new LED Gaming Projectors are able to project in 4K UHD. Both are capable of resolutions up to 3840×2160 pixels. The projectors are able to produce true 4K resolution thanks to Acer’s decision to incorporate TI XPR technology which allows for true 4K resolution with 8.3 million pixels regardless of the native resolution of the DMD chip. The Predator Gaming Projectors project natively in a 16:9 aspect ratio. That said, they have support for 4:3 resolution as well.
Both the Predator GM712 and the Predator GD711 are equipped with a Quad cored Cortex A53 processor with clock speeds of up to 1.3GHz. This is complemented by a Mali 450MP2 graphics processor with support for OpenGL ES 1.1 and OpenGL 2.01. Both have 2GB RAM and 8GB onboard memory. The projectors also support WiFi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac on both 2.4GHz and 5GHz bandsas well as Bluetooth 4.2. They also have a single 10W speaker. They also share the same number of inputs – 2 HDMI 2.0 ports adn 1 USB Type A (2.0). The GM712 has an additional component video input and PC Audio Jack.
Predator GM712 (Source: Acer)
The Predator GM712 is able to project a 75-inch display at 2 metres throw distance while the GD711 is able to do 74-inches at the same. However, Acer did say that they are capable of throwing images of up to 300-inches. The GM712 is equipped with a Philips 245W lamp with up to 12,000 hours of lamp life while the GD711 has an RGB LED with up to 30,000 hours of lamp life. The former also has up to 3,600 ANSI lumens of brightness while the latter has up to 1,450 ANSI Lumens.
Predator Orion 7000 – Bigger, Better, Sleeker and More Powerful
The Predator Orion line up is being expanded with a new Orion 7000 desktop. The new desktop is a mid sized tower which ditches the familar design of the Orion 3000 and Orion 9000 for a sleeker, more streamlined design. While it retains the hard lines of the Orion series, it adopts a more angular, square design which is a welcomed refresh to the line up.
Source: Acer
It comes with configurations supporting up to the 12th generation Intel Core processors and either the NVIDIA GeForce RTX3090 or RTX3080 graphics cards. On the RAM side of things, it can have up to 64GB of dual channel DDR5 4000 MHz RAM. For storage, it has 2 M.2 2280 NVMe SSD slots and 2 3.5-inch SATA3 HDD Slots. This gives support for up to a total of 8TB of internal storage. It also supports PCIe Gen 5. It comes with Killer E31000G 2.5G Ethernet and Intel WiFi 6E 2×2.
The Orion 7000 will be cooled by Predator’s FrostBlade 2.0 fans and a Predator AIO CPU liquid cooler. Acer is also introducing the IceTunnel airflow management system to help keep the Orion 7000 cool. Of course, the Orion 7000 is equipped with all the ARGB you could ever want!
It will be launching with Windows 11 Home.
Pricing & Availability
The Predator GD711 Projector will be available in the Europe, Middle East and Asian (EMEA) regions starting in December 2021 for €1,499 (MYR7,210.32) and in Q1 (January – March) 2022 in China for CN¥ 11,999 (MYR7,761.53).
The Predator GM712 Projector will be available for €1,399 (MYR6,730.09) in the Europe, Middle East and Asian regions starting January 2022. It will be available in China starting in November for CN¥ 10,999 (MYR7,114.69).
The Orion 7000 willl be available starting in Q1 2022 in China and EMEA. North America will see the new desktop starting in Q2 (April – June) 2022. Prices will start at CN¥20,000 (MYR12,934.32) in China and €2,199 (MYR10,574) elsewhere.
If you have been looking for a gaming monitor or even a secondary monitor for your gaming or work from home set up, BenQ will be one of those names that should come up quite often. This brand is one of the most recognisable names in the display market. They are known not only for their value offerings though. They also make very high-end displays that is regarded to be some of the best for the competitive gaming scene. Their Zowie series monitors have been a staple in Counter Strike: Global Offensive international stages, for example.
But some might say that the Zowie series has been built to cater to a niche market segment. In that sense, the Zowie is too purpose built for some. To be fair, it is marketed as such as well with its various technologies that gives its users an added advantage. What if competitive gaming is not what you are looking for. What if you are a casual gamer that enjoys the occasional competitive online gaming, but also enjoys the vast openness of single-player games like the Tomb Raider series? What if you are willing to trade some refresh rate performance for some added features that would save you the trouble of getting extra gear?
Welcome to the MOBIUZ series from BenQ. The BenQ MOBIUZ is really pretty much something made of dreams. The latest EX3415R especially, packs everything that a gamer wants in their AAA gaming PC.
Source: BenQ
If you cannot tell by its codename yet, the MOBIUZ EX3415R is a 34-inch display. It is also an ultra-wide monitor with 21:9 aspect ratio. It boasts 3,440 x 1,440 (WQHD) from its ultrawide panel. Of course, ultrawide also means it must be a little curved for your convenience. It has a pretty shallow 1900R curve, but it is enough for a good immersion for yourself.
At the same time, the IPS panel boasts 98% coverage of the DCI-P3 colour gamut. This is not just a gaming monitor anymore; it is a content creator’s dream set-up. It boasts HDR10 at 1000:1 contrast ratio and VESA DisplayHDR 400 at up to 400nits standards too, which also means that colour grading videos on the MOBIUZ EX3415R should be a piece of cake.
Of course, colour accuracy in a gaming monitor is really more of a bonus feature than its selling point. For a gaming monitor to be a gaming monitor you really want at least 120Hz in refresh rate. This has 144Hz.
You also want it to be a fast-reacting display for not just the best competitive advantage, but for the best immersion as well. The lower the numbers are here, the better. The BenQ Mobiuz EX3415R boasts 1ms MPRT and 2ms Gray-to-Gray response times. That also means that the display reacts almost instantly to any move you make on your joystick or mouse and keyboard. All of that, on top of a tear-free experience that is the AMD FreeSync technology.
Source: BenQ
For it to be an all-rounder, it now needs a powerful speaker set-up and be a USB hub. This does both of that too. It has two additional USB 3.0 ports so that you can plug in whatever USB devices to it. It also a BenQ treVolo set-up with dual 2W speakers with an additional 5W subwoofer for the widest possible dynamic range and sound staging from a monitor. In that sense, you do not need a headphone or additional speakers for the monitor.
The BenQ MOBIUZ EX3415R 34-inch ultrawide monitor with HDRi will be available for MYR 4,688. You can get your hands on one from their own official online store, Shopee, and Lazada. The eCommerce site quotes a shipping delay of 2-9 days after you order your unit though, so be patient. For this kind of money, you might be able to get yourself a decent TV. The gaming experience that you get from the MOBIUZ EX3415R is unlike any large 4K TVs though.
The ASUS ROG Phone 5s was launched in Taiwan just last month. Technically the device only became available in Taiwan very late last month on the 30th of September 2021. Then again, the ROG Phone 5 Ultimate just landed in Malaysia not that long ago too.
Still, while the ROG Phone 5 Ultimate remains fresh, ASUS decided its time to launch their latest most powerful ASUS ROG Phone to date in Malaysia. If you have forgotten about the ASUS ROG Phone 5s, you get Qualcomm’s latest and greatest Snapdragon 888+ platform. Yes, it will be marginally more powerful than the ASUS ROG Phone 5 series.
Source: ASUS Malaysia
Source: ASUS Malaysia
Source: ASUS Malaysia
Source: ASUS Malaysia
Other than the System on a Chip platform that differs from the ROG Phone 5s and ROG Phone 5, there is not much else that separates the two devices. They virtually look the same, and you might think that they might be the same devices put side-by-side. The ROG Phone 5s also comes one regular variant, and one Pro variant, very much like the older ROG Phone 5. There is no Ultimate variant for this though.
You can regard the 5s Pro as the replacement to the ROG Phone 5 Ultimate though. The Pro variant comes with an overkill 18GB of RAM space and 512GB of storage. That is alongside the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888+. You also get the little customizable ROG Vision OLED display at the back of the device with the ASUS ROG Phone 5s Pro.
Variants
Retail price
Availability
Warranty
Remark
Colour
SD888+/8GB Ram/128GB Storage
RM2,999
Oct-21
1 Year
Not included: AeroActive cooler
Phantom Black & Storm White
SD888+/16GB Ram/256GB Storage
RM3,799
Oct-21
1 Year
Not included: AeroActive cooler
Phantom Black & Storm White
Pro SD888+/18GB Ram/512GB Storage
RM4,999
Oct-21
1 Year
Included: AeroActive cooler ROG Vision: Coloured
Phantom Black
Accessories
Price
Availability
Warranty
ROG Kunai 3 Gamepad (for ROG Phone 5)
RM499
Oct-21
3 Months
LIGHTING ARMOR CASE (ROG5)
RM199
Oct-21
3 Months
AeroActive Cooler 5
RM149
Oct-21
1 Year
ROG Clip
RM149
Oct-21
3 Months
ROG Phone 5 Screen Protector
RM79
Oct-21
nil
ROG KUNAI 3 BUMPER
RM69
Oct-21
3 Months
ROG 1.8M USB-C TO C CABLE
RM59
Oct-21
6 Months
The ROG Phone 5s series will be available in Malaysia from the 21st of October 2021 onward. The device will be available in two colours – Phantom Black and Storm White. The top-of-the-line Pro variant will be available only in one colour option though, the Phantom Black. You also only get the AeroActive cooler bundled with the Pro variant. The regular device starts at MYR 2,999 (8GB + 128GB). There is also a second option (16GB + 256GB) that retails at MYR 3,799. The range-topping Pro variant meanwhile will be sold for MYR 4,999. For more information on the ASUS ROG Phone 5s and its Pro variant, you can visit their website. Or, you can pre-order your ASUS ROG Phone 5s or ROG Phone 5s Pro now.
