The Nintendo Switch was launched in 2017. The global release of the world’s most revolutionary handheld gaming console was on the 3rd of March in 2017 specifically. Counting today, the Nintendo Switch, considering its v1 iteration, is now six years, three months, and 25 days old. To put that into context, the PlayStation 4 Pro, with significantly more powerful hardware than the handheld, was launched on the 10th of November 2016, just about four months prior to the Nintendo Switch. The PlayStation 5 was announced on the 4th of April 2019, about three years after the upgraded PlayStation 4 was released, and officially launched on the 12th of November of 2020, about a year later and four years after PlayStation 4 Pro. While it is fair to say that the gap between the original PlayStation 4 and the PlayStation 5 is about seven years, you must consider that the PlayStation 4 Pro came with a significant update enough that it looked more like the next-gen console over the original hardware. So yes, the Nintendo Switch is old even with the consideration of the OLED variant they announced just a few years ago, with no realistic announcement or indication of a replacement coming anytime soon.
While it is not Nintendo’s most successful hardware, it is one that really put Nintendo on the main map of mainstream gaming consoles while also pushing their own exclusive titles and existing assets to the next level. In that case, despite Nintendo’s poor history in product continuity, it only makes sense for Nintendo to prolong and expand the Nintendo Switch line-up especially with updated hardware. Their shareholders meeting notes from last week seems to confirm that, which is a relief to those of you that have been patiently waiting for Nintendo to update the Switch.
In the meeting notes, the President and CEO of Nintendo, Shuntaro Furukawa mentions that the next-generation console, whatever it will be called, will support games from the aging Nintendo Switch. That also means that if you have a Nintendo account with the switch, you should be able to transition to the new hardware system as smoothly as just signing in, pretty much like PlaySation and Xbox. Whatever you have bought from the Nintendo eStore will be carried over to the new system.
The same cannot be said with the cartridges you have bought previously though. They also did not reveal any specifics on the hardware of the next-generation console. There are also no real dates that have been mentioned for the next-generation console. Nintendo just had their Nintendo Direct announcement as well that showcased plenty of new games and DLCs for older games, which is further indication that the next-generation console will not make it to the shelves anytime soon. The meeting notes are confirmation though that they are working on a next-generation console, a consolation at least.
A Gamer’s Laptop strides a very fine line between being powerful and affordable. In recent years, the price point for gaming laptops has increased dramatically. In many cases, gamers are spending between MYR5,000 to MYR8,000 for a decently specced gaming laptop. On the other hand, they can spend up to MYR 15,000 just for a gaming desktop. Realising this, Lenovo has introduced a new gaming laptop sub-brand called LOQ, pronounced similar to LOCK.
Lenovo’s LOQ laptops are built to bridge the gap between entry and pro-level gaming setups. They provide a more affordable option while not compromising on the power that gamers need to run their AAA titles. However, these laptops may sidestep some gaming luxuries like per-key RGB.
The new lineup of LOQ gaming laptops making its debut comes with NVIDIA Laptop GPUs ranging from the NVIDIA RTX 3050 to the newly announced RTX 4060. They’re equipped with MUX switches which use NVIDIA’s Advanced Optimus feature to bypass the integrated GPUs during gaming and heavy GPU work. This allows the laptops to achieve higher frame rates as the GPUs interface directly with the display panel. When not gaming, these switches allow the integrated CPU to take over providing longer battery life.
These GPUs are complemented by either a 13th Generation Intel processor or a Zen4 touting AMD Ryzen processor. On the RAM side of things, there’s support for up to 16GB DDR5 RAM and up to 1TB of SSD storage. When it comes to display there are 15- and 16-inch variants with IPS displays with support for up to 165Hz refresh rate and 100% sRGB gamut coverage.
Design-wise, the LOQ gaming laptops draw inspiration from Lenovo’s successful Legion lineup. Crucial elements like the hinge, keyboard and mousepad placements are similar to the LOQ’s sister lineup. The keyboard has options for 4-zone RGB backlighting while maintaining Legion’s signature 1.5mm key travel and feel. The chassis has all the flair of a Legion device and even comes in the signature gunmetal black colour.
Pricing & Availability
The new Lenovo LOQ gaming laptops are now available in Malaysia via Lenovo Exclusive Stores and official stores on Lazada and Shopee with prices starting at MYR3,699.
A few days ago, NVIDIA released their GeForce RTX 4060 and RTX 4060 Ti to cater to gamers who are playing games on Full HD 1080p resolution. At US$ 299 (MYR 1,381*), they are still rather expensive to upgrade to. There are of course the benefits that come with an NVIDIA GPU like Ray Tracing engine, DLSS, and a myriad of support from NVIDIA. But what if US$ 299 is still a little rich for you? What if you want to spend a little bit less on your GPUs to get more bang out of the buck for your Full HD gaming rig? We offer you the AMD Radeon RX 7600.
Yes, this is the official replacement for the AMD Radeon RX 6600. Being a Radeon RX 7000 class GPU, the RX 7600 comes with RDNA 3 architecture as standard. That not only means improved GPU performance, but also improved ray tracing and upscaling (FidelityFX Super Resolution) engines. There is also an AI core in there somewhere that is not being utilized as of now, but that may come handy later. The new GPU also comes with AMD’s clever second-generation Infinity Cache technology that should prove useful in gaming and content creation situations.
It is designed to play games at Full HD, and better at that than the older GPU (obviously). At that, AMD claims a 29% performance bump over the Radeon RX 6600 on average. They also claim that the RX 7600 performs about 34% better than the older NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 8GB on average. With the new RDNA 3 architecture, they also claim that the GPU can push past 100fps in esports titles on Full HD resolution. You also have the advantage of AV1 support for better streaming experiences and DisplayPort 2.1 support for higher resolution displays. Then again, you might want to stick with Full HD resolution for this one.
At the heart of the AMD Radeon RX 7600 are 32 compute units with RDNA 3 technology. That is 4 compute units more than the older RX 6600 with RDNA 2. It still only comes with 8GB of GDDR6 VRAM, which they claim is enough for high-fidelity Full HD gaming and even upscaling to 1440p. The compute units are also clocked higher at 2.25GHz compared to the 2.04GHz from before. While that guarantees the bump in performance, it also means that the GPU draws more power than before at 165W TGP.
Price and Availability
The AMD Radeon RX 7600 is said to be available from AMD and their board partners today onward. AMD suggests a retail price of US$ 269 (MYR 1,243*) onward, but the prices will vary across manufacturers. Of course, you can expect manufacturers like ASUS and ASRock to come up with their “overclocked” versions of the GPU soon after. There are no indications on a 16GB variant anytime soon too, so if you are holding out for a 16GB AMD entry-level GPU, you might want to hold out a little bit longer for either their RX 7700 or RX 7800 to come out. More on AMD’s Radeon RX 7600 GPU can be found on their website.
*Approximately based on exchange rate of US$ 1 = MYR 4.62 as of 25/05/2023 on xe.com
They say if you are looking for a desktop PC, you do not buy a pre-built desktop set. While that may generally be true, we think that there are some exceptions. We think Acer’s Predator Orion gaming towers are part of that exception.
Pre-built desktop towers do have their place still in the personal computing market. It is for those who want the convenience of a PC tower without the hassle and knowledge of picking the right parts at the right prices and putting them together yourself. A pre-built gaming PC like the Orion set-up is made for those who just want the best plug-and-play gaming solution so that they can focus on the gaming instead of the whole process of putting a PC together.
Most of the time, when you buy a pre-built gaming tower though, you get a mid-size tower that can take up a little bit of space on your desktop. Not the new Predator Orion X that Acer has just introduced in their next@Acer 2023 though.
The Power of Orion
Source: Acer
Welcome to what is probably the most advanced Predator desktop tower ever made, the Predator Orion X. It is Acer’s most powerful gaming PC to date, and it is not hard to see why. It packs Intel’s very rare and very powerful Intel Core i9-13900KS Special Edition. Alongside the most powerful Intel processor you can buy today is also the most powerful GPU you can find on the market today – the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 GPU. You get up to 32GB in RAM and up to 2TB in storage. Those components are not just what made the Orion X the most advanced and unique Predator desktop to date though. It is the size of the Orion X that makes it the most unique Predator product to date.
It is packed in a rather small case, smaller than the outgoing Orion 3000, half of the Orion 3000 in fact. While small form factor PCs are not something new, how clever the Predator is though, the compact desktop industry could learn a thing or two from the construction of the Predator Orion X. The way Predator constructs the Predator Orion X allows easy access to the components for future upgrades and even cooling avenues for the powerful hardware.
No, the Founder’s Edition NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 GPU will not fit into this little case. Yes, the Founder’s Edition NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is the smallest air-cooled RTX 4090 card there is. Who said anything about air cooling the graphics card though?
Advanced Cooling Solution
Source: Acer
The Predator Orion X’s CPU and GPU are both liquid-cooled, a first in the Predator Orion line-up. The custom liquid-cooling solution allows the graphics card package to be a lot more compact than even the Founder’s Edition card for a package as small as the Orion X. It also keeps the CPU running happily to its limits without the worry of restricted airflow in a smaller case.
Predator’s think tanks have designed the chassis to have three distinct “zones” as they put it. They divided the chassis into three different compartments for both easy access and optimum airflow to each powerful component. Zone 1, or the first compartment, at the right side of the chassis is where you find the main motherboard and CPU components. Easy access to the mother board also allows you to conveniently replace or upgrade your SSD. You can also easily swap out your PSU (Power Supply Unit) from Zone 1. Then you have Zone 2, right behind Zone 1 where you can easily access the GPU unit. There are also 2.5-inch SATA SSD trays and slots here for you to add even more storage to the compact PC. Zone 3 sits at the top of the desktop tower. There, you get access to the fan and 240mm radiator for the custom liquid-cooled loop. The pump for this radiator set-up sits on top of the CPU cooling block to keep things even more compact.
Sci-Fi Level Access
Source: Acer
They say that the Predator Orion X is inspired by Sci-fi, more specifically a space capsule. The entire thing, including the liquid cooling system weighs only 9kg. With “sci-fi” in mind, they used plenty of aluminium on the chassis; the top and side panels are made of aluminium. The front has some aluminium that houses some RGB strips to create that signature Predator logo. It is covered by a glass panel just to add to the drama and sci-fi feel and look. To make it even cleverer though, all the essential panels can be disassembled without tools. The latches holding on to the top and side panels are conveniently and cleverly numbered, accessible from the front panel. The only thing holding the latches in place is the glass cover that attaches to the front panel via magnets, so that is tool-less too.
It is not like you are sacrificing much in terms of connectivity with the compact Predator Orion X too. The motherboard packs Killer Wi-Fi with Wi-Fi 6E support so that you can place the Predator Orion X anywhere in your house and game online without the fear of unstable connections. It is also especially useful for LAN parties, if we must point out. There are two USB 3.2 Gen1 USB Type-A and Type-C ports easily accessed at the front panel. The front panel also offers a 3.5mm combo jack in case you want a robust headphone set-up to go with your Orion X. Of course, if you prefer a more wired interface for the internet, theres is the usual RJ45 port at the back alongside three USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-A ports, and a USB 3.2 Gen2x2 Type-C port.
Price and Availability
The Predator Orion X will be available in the North American markets in September 2023 onward. No colour options to choose from here, just the signature black that any Predator Orion products come with. Prices will start at US$ 2,999 (MYR 13,310*). There are no confirmations on its availability date just yet in Malaysia. For more information on Predator Orion X, you can head over to their website.
*Approximately based on exchange rate of US$ 1= MYR 4.44 as of 22/04/2023 on xe.com
Predator just very recently launched their Predator Helios 16 and Helios 18 in Malaysia. These new laptops represent the best of the Helios line-up with their new-school design. They also come with Intel’s latest 13th Generation Core processors to boot and NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX 40 series GPUs for the best gaming experience you can find on a laptop. But what if the Helios laptops are a just a tad unwieldy, a little out of reach? Then you need the Triton series.
Predator Triton 17 X
You need a workstation, an all-in-one device you can work off from your desk. Most of the time, a desktop replacement at this size would be a little on the unwieldy no thanks to its size and heft. Predator’s Triton 17 X is a little different.
It is still a large 17-inch laptop meant to replace your desktop set-up at home, but it is also thin. It measures in at less than 22mm, thinner than most laptops packing the power that the Triton 17 X packs. The power packed inside the Triton 17 X adds to a lot of the heft though at 3kg. It is still lighter than most desktop replacements you can find in the market.
What kind of power, you ask? The Predator Triton 17 X is Acer Predator’s most powerful gaming laptop to date. On top of Intel’s latest 13th Generation Core i19-13900HX (up to) CPU, the Predator Triton 17 X is the only gaming laptop in Predator’s stables with NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX 4090 (up to) GPU inside the laptop. You pair these to up to 64GB of DDR5 RAM with up to 5600 Hz of transfer speeds. You also get up to 4TB of fast SSD storage with RAID 0 for even faster read and write speeds to keep up with the most demanding games of today.
All of these is projected to a 17-inch mini-LED display that offers WQXGA (up to) resolution with 16:10 aspect ratio. The Mini-LED panel is one of the fastest available of its kind in the market too at 250Hz refresh rate. For enjoyment in both movie watching and gaming, the Mini-LED display is one of the brightest in its class at about 1,000 nits for DisplayHDR 1000 certification. The DisplayHDR 1000 certified display also offers up to 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio for even more details even in a dark image. The panel also offers 100% of DCI-P3 colour gamut for lifelike colour reproduction and immersive experience like no other.
It is not an all-out workstation just meant for large and heavy tasks though. It is also a mobile workhorse designed to ensure that you still can get your work done quickly and conveniently. Thanks to NVIDIA’s Advanced Optimus technology, the Triton 17 X switches between the discrete GeForce RTX GPU and integrated graphics for extended battery life whenever it is necessary. Of course, if you need it, NVIDIA’s G-SYNC ensures that you get a tear-free gaming experience.
The kind of power this beast of a thing requires some very powerful yet clever cooling solutions too. To ensure that the Triton 17 X’s internals can be pushed to its full potential without destroying itself, Predator’s 5th Generation Aeroblade 3D with specially engineered metal fans is beefed up with three fans for up to 10% more airflow than before. The new vapor chamber heat pipe design with liquid metal technology ensures that thermal transfer happens as efficiently and as effectively as possible to keep the CPU and GPU running optimally for a long time.
Covering the powerful internals is a per-key RGB keyboard array with a large glass touchpad and fingerprint reader. There is also a powerful DTS:X Ultra audio system that is more powerful than before.
The combination of Intel’s Killer e3100G+ and Wi-FI 6E AX1690i ethernet and wireless connectivity ensures that lag and disruptions during online gaming sessions a thing of the past. If you are working with multiple set-ups at home, you get two Thunderbolt 4 capable USB Type-C ports that allows you to project to up to two 4K displays or a single 8K display while being charged at 100W. For the content creators, there is also an SD card slot to ensure that you can work on your media files seamlessly.
Predator Triton 14
If the Triton 17 X is a little too hefty still, especially for remote working, then the Triton 14 is for you. The Acer Predator Triton 14, to be fair, is not something too new. It is a follow up to the Predator Triton 300 series. It features the Triton 300 SE’s designs, that clean shiny silver look.
Of course, with a smaller real estate, it comes with certain compromises. You only get Intel’s Core i7-13700H (up to) CPU paired with up to an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070. You also get up to 32GB of DDR5 RAM for good measure. To keep everything nice and cool is Predator’s 5th generation Aeroblade 3D fan technology and Vortex Flow airflow optimization with liquid metal technology. All of this is packed into a package that is only 19.9mm thin.
The Windows 11 OS is projected via an impressive 14-inch Mini LED display that offers up to WQXGA resolution with up to 16:10 aspect ratio to make short work of your productivity needs. The 16:10 aspect ratio also offers a more immersive experience. At 250Hz, up to DisplayHDR 600 brightness, and 100% coverage in DCI-P3 colour gamut, you will not be missing a thing even in intense situations.
Price and Availability
The Acer Predator Triton 17 X will be available in the North American market in May 2023 onward with prices starting at US$ 3,799 (MYR 16,854*). The Acer Predator Triton 14 will also be available in North American markets May 2023 onward with prices starting from US$ 2,399 (MYR 10,643*). There are no mentions on their official availability dates or pricing just yet for Malaysia. We are guessing that they will be available in Malaysia in the coming months though. For more information on the Acer Predator Triton 17 X and Predator Triton 14, you can visit their websites.
*Approximately based on the conversion rate of 1 US$ = MYR 4.44 as of 20/04/2023 on xe.com
If you are looking for a flagship smartphone experience like no other, you are spoiled by choice today. You can choose between offerings from Samsung, OnePlus, OPPO, HONOR, Xiaomi, and even Apple, if you please. The thing is these manufacturers make rather similar smartphones. They always come in the same recipe – metallic frame, glass backing that houses a high-resolution camera, and a glass front that protects a rather large high-resolution display. They also always promised some sort of state-of-the-art cooling solution. If you are looking for something different, the flagship from these manufacturers might not cut it.
For a while now, if you have been looking for a different flavour on your flagship smartphone, you can go the route of gaming smarpthones from the likes of Razer, Blackshark, and most recently, Lenovo. But these manufacturers have sort of phased out too. There are no more Blackshark smartphones for 2023, Razer has not updated their Razer Phone line up, and Lenovo has yet to update their latest handheld gaming creation. The only one we can look to right now is ASUS and their ROG Phone. In that case if you want a unique flagship smartphone for 2023, ASUS’ ROG Phone series is the one for you.
Welcome to the ASUS ROG Phone 7 series, the latest creation from the skunkworks of ASUS. It is the latest and currently the most powerful gaming smartphone you have ever seen. As with any previous ASUS ROG Phone devices, it is one of the most striking looking devices you have laid your eyes on, at least amongst all the flagships you can find in the current market.
Formidable Power
Source: ASUS
Source: ASUS
Source: ASUS
It packs an immensely powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 platform. Alongside the powerful system on a chip (SoC) is a 16GB LPDDR5X RAM (up to) and up to 512GB of UFS 4.0 storage. All these are designed so that the top-of-the-line ASUS ROG Phone works through games as fast as the current technology allows. It is made to be the ultimate expression of a gaming handheld that is also a smartphone.
Wrapped around the powerful uniquely tuned internals is something ASUS calls the GameCool 7 thermal control system. That means you get even an even better gaming performance out of the ROG Phone 7 smartphone than any other flagship you can find in the current market. At the same time, the new cooling system keeps the smartphone running at a lower temperature over regular flagship smartphones while keeping power consumption lower than even regular smartphones. They say the new GameCool 7 system offers a new rapid-cycle vapor chamber design that offers 168% heat dissipation efficiency that the ROG Phone that came before.
Better Audio, Better Cooling, Better Controls
Source: ASUS
Source: ASUS
The result is a quite a beefy shell with a few tricks up its sleeves. Within the beefy device is a new stereo speaker that is said to be 50% more powerful than before. The new speaker system is also tuned by Dirac, an audio specialist. You can also turn it into a 2.1 channel system when you attach the new AeroActive Cooler 7 accessory to the device. If you prefer a more personal experience in a crowd, the Dirac tuned Dirac Virtuo 3.5mm headphone jack offers an unparalleled theatre-like spatial sound experience. If you prefer a more wireless approach, the Snapdragon Sound technology offers super-low-latency high-fidelity Bluetooth audio experience.
The new AeroActive Cooler 7 attachment is one of the things that makes the ROG Phone 7 series even more unique than ever before. It offers a cooling solution that does not just cool the glass surface of the device’s back, the new fan design allows for more effective basic active cooling, but a unique AeroActive Portal air inlet system allows the fan to cycle even more air throughout the device’s internals for even more efficient cooling.
ASUS also kept certain things that kept the ROG Phone unique since its inception. One of them is the Air Trigger ultrasonic buttons at the side of the device that offers even more control avenues and options of the ROG Phone device. It is also what gives users of the ROG Phone even more advantage in an already overpowered gaming device in games. It is not the basic haptic feedback touch buttons that they used to be in the first ASUS ROG Phone though. The latest AirTrigger offers a slew of gesture controls including Dual Action, Press and Lift, and even Gyroscope gaming, just like the Nintendo Switch and even the Steam Deck for fine tuning your aim. Within the ROG Phone 7 series devices are 10 motion controls and X-axis liner motors that offers powerful haptic feedback like no other smartphone can.
The Best Display Ever
All these things great hardware goes into creating the most immersive gaming experience you can have on a smartphone with a large Samsung AMOLED display that offers up to 165Hz in refresh rate. The panel also offers up to 720Hz in sampling rate for the lowest-in-class input latency, useful in gaming. The Pixelworks tuned AMOLED panel also offers ΔE<1 and a maximum of 1,500 nits in brightness for not only stunning, colour accurate visuals indoors, but also outdoors.
For the ASUS ROG Phone 7 Ultimate there is an additional matrix colour display that sits at the back of the device they call the ROG Vision. The feature, first presented in the ROG Phone 6 Ultimate offers users extra information like charging status, incoming calls, X Mode activation, personalized animations, and even more.
Price and Availability
ASUS Malaysia has confirmed that the ASUS ROG Phone 7 series will make its way to Malaysia by the 10th of May 2023. There is no official pricing just yet for Malaysia. In Europe though, prices start at EUR€ 999, which is about MYR 4,849*. It will be available in Phantom Black and Storm White colour options. For more information on the ROG Phone 7 series, you can always visit ASUS’ website.
*Approximately based on the exchange rate of EUR€ 1 = MYR 4.85 on xe.com as of 18/04/2023
Acer’s Predator Helios series of laptops are, in their own rights, some of the most powerful gaming laptops you can buy today. The Helios 300 platform with Intel’s 12th Generation Core processors alongside NVIDIA’s finest in the form of the GeForce RTX 30 series GPUs are some of the most potent combinations for gaming laptops. That was in 2022 though.
It is 2023, Intel and NVIDIA have moved on from their 12th generation and GeForce RTX 30 series components respectively. Intel have launched their even more powerful 13th Generation of mobile computing chips. NVIDIA have also announced their new GPU platform for mobile computers, the GeForce RTX 40 series. The Predator Helios 300 then, is outdated.
No matter though, Acer has just launched their latest Predator flagship laptop in Malaysia. The Helios name stays, but it is a little different. Welcome to the Predator Helios 16 and Helios 18.
Dropping off the 300 or 500 or 700 moniker, in our opinions, is a step toward the right direction in streamlining their products. Instead, the numbers behind now represents the laptop’s screen size. In the case of the Predator Helios 16 and Helios 18 then, you get a 16-inch and 18-inch Helios gaming laptops.
Predator Helios 18
We start with the big one, literally, the Predator Helios 18, the 18-inch full fat variant of the Predator Helios flagship. It is meant to be a desktop replacement though, so you should not stress about bringing it about. Yes, it is heavy at 3.16kg.
With a larger body though, comes more real estate for cooling systems. As with any other Predator product, the Helios 18 packs their 5th Generation 3D Aeroblade aluminium fan that keeps your gaming laptop cool in intense gaming conditions as well as ensuring that dust build up is not a problem. The cooling solution ensures that the 13th generation Intel Core i9 (up to) runs optimally even at high loads. It also keeps the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 (up to) Ada Lovelace chips as cool as they can be in this package. Alongside the powerful CPU and GPU, you can opt for up to 32GB in DDR5 memory paired with up to 2TB of speedy storage.
You get a beautiful 18-inch IPS display too to enjoy all kinds of AAA games you might want to play on the Helios 18. It fits in the body of a traditional 17-inch notebook thanks to the clever 16:10 aspect ratio. No, you are not getting a measly Full HD resolution display either. It is now a WQXGA display (2560 x 1600 pixels), which is just a little more than 1440p. The display even boasts a 100% coverage of the DCI-P3 wide colour gamut, meaning you are getting very lifelike colours and graphics offering an immersive experience like no colour. On top of that, you get up to 240Hz to ensure that you can keep up with the best in competitive titles. With up to 500 nits in brightness, you do not even have to dim your room to game.
The keyboard is a step up from before too. You now get mini-LED backlighting that offers more efficient backlight system. It is not the plain ol’ 4-zone RGB backlighting system too. Instead, it is a per-key RGB system that allows you to completely customize your keyboard to your heart’s content.
To control all of this, you have the new PredatorSense 4 control software. The new PredatorSense is designed to be more streamlined and cleverer than ever before. The software also allows you to store multiple profiles for different lighting setups for different games too. Moreover, NVIDIA’s clever Advanced Optimus offers the Predator Helios 18 even longer battery life by switching between integrated graphics and discrete GPU whichever is required at different times.
Predator Helios 16
The Predator Helios 16 may be small, but it is still no slouch compared to the Helios 18. You get to choose and opt for all the hardware the Helios 18 gets. That means you still get the power of the 24-core 13th generation Intel Core i9 (up to). You also get to enjoy the full might of a modern NVIDIA GPU in the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 (up to) all in a smaller, more portable body.
You compromise a little on the display though. Instead of 18-inch, you get 16 inches of IPS goodness. It still refreshes at 240hz and boasts WQXGA resolution at 16:10 aspect ratio. All of this just so that it fits in a laptop body that traditionally fits 15-inch displays.
Price and Availability
The new Predator Helios 16 and Helios 18 are both available for pre-order from now to the end of April 2023. The Helios 16 starts at 8,999 while the Helios 18 will set you back from MYR 9,999 onward. If you do pre-order your Predator Helios laptop, you are entitled to a free gift package worth MYR 1,627 in total. That package includes a 175hz refresh rate gaming monitor from Acer’s Nitro stables, the XV272U gaming monitor. For more information on Predator’s latest gaming laptops, you can visit their website.
You know Alienware as one of the first brands to cater its brand and hardware. Unlike Razer, Alienware delved into the PC gaming market by creating the most powerful PCs in its early days specifically for gaming purposes. This was back when games did not even look half as good as it is today. This was back when 3D graphics was still a blocky mess.
Back then as well, gaming peripherals were not really gaming peripherals at all. They were redressed regular mice, keyboards, and speakers for ‘gaming’ that has no real advantage or difference over regular peripherals. It is a very different story today.
Gaming peripherals are not just a more expensive version and RGB dressed regular peripherals. In 2023, they are purpose built gear to enhance both a gamer’s experience and performance in their chosen games. To think about it, while other manufacturers like ASUS ROG has been pushing their peripherals for a bit, Alienware has been silent about new gaming peripherals, until now that is.
Alienware Wireless Gaming Mouse (AW620M)
Source: Dell
Source: Dell
Source: Dell
Source: Dell
Source: Dell
Source: Dell
To start with, you want a reliable gaming mouse. Something that is ergonomic that fits perfectly in the palm of your hands. You want it to be an extension of your arms and you want it to feel like it is a part of your limb, for it to be as light as possible.
The new AW620M gaming mouse is Alienware’s latest wireless symmetrical gaming mouse. This is not made for the left-handers, unfortunately. It is made specifically to be wielded by right-handers. It is oddly shaped to ensure that your right palm gets the best grip possible with the mouse without feeling as much as a strain. The right mouse button is also slightly longer than the left mouse button to accommodate the naturally longer middle finger. The mouse also features a thumb rest below the two extra buttons on the side.
The new gaming mouse packs Alienware’s sensor technology below their magnetic-force keyplates. What that means is you get Alienware precision and speeds with every click of the buttons. It is highly accurate and flexible to work with too at 26,000 DPI, 650 IPS, and 50G max acceleration capabilities. While the best way to work the mouse is with a wired connection with your PC, the 2.4GHz wireless dongle offers 1000Hz polling rate for a near lag-free experience for up to 140 hours on a single charge.
Alienware Wireless Gaming Keyboard (AW920K)
Source: Dell
Source: Dell
Source: Dell
Source: Dell
Source: Dell
Source: Dell
Source: Dell
Source: Dell
Source: Dell
Source: Dell
Source: Dell
Source: Dell
Source: Dell
Source: Dell
Source: Dell
Source: Dell
Source: Dell
Once you settle in on a gaming mouse, you want your keyboard to also match your set up and speed. You want a gaming keyboard that can also work wirelessly to keep that clean look on your desk. You also want your keyboard all-in-one keyboard for not just gaming. You want a single keyboard to be the control center of your entire desk set-up. This one does just that.
Alienware’s first wireless gaming keyboard is a mechanical keyboard with CHERRY MX Red switches for fast and fluid strokes and near instant presses. Working the switches are Alienware’s PBT double-shot keycaps that are beautiful and durable. Of course, underneath the switches are per-key AlienFX RGB lighting that shines through the keycaps’ letters. There is also a new Programmable Rocker Switch right beside a programmable dial as well to control media. You can program them via Alienware’s new Command Center.
You can use it with a USB paracord cable included in the box. You can also turn it wireless with a 2.4GHz dongle and work with it for 42 hours in that mode. You can also make it your Bluetooth 5.2 keyboard for up to three devices with a simple switch at the back of the keyboard. There is also a Tenkeyless (TKL) variant (AW420K) of the wireless keyboard if that is what you prefer to work with.
Once you deal with your controls, you now want something that will sharpen and hone your senses. You need absolute focus and immersion when it comes to getting your senses tuned. You want a gaming headset that pulls you into the game world. You want an Alienware AW720H wireless gaming headset.
The AW720H Wireless Gaming Headset packs a powerful 40mm driver with hi-res certification and Dolby Atmos tuning for the most immersive experience you can get in a headphone. It offers 3D virtual surround sound for that all-important environmental awareness in your games. Attached to the headphone is an AI equipped noise-cancelling boom microphone for your communication needs. The mic reduces ambient sound in your physical environment to ensure that your speeches are extra crisp and clear even during an intense battle. If your teammates cannot hear you, you might want to get them to buy this pair of headphones too.
It comes with a 2.4GHz USB Type-C dongle to be plugged into your PC or your smartphone if you want. It will last up to 30 hours in wireless mode. If you prefer a wired connection, there is still the 3.5mm AUX jack. Or, you can go for the wired variant (AW520H) of the headset. There is no gesture control nonsense here either. There is a quick-access button array on either side of the ear cups to quickly control your headphones without exiting your games.
Price and Availability
Alienware’s latest Tenkeyless Gaming Keyboard AW420K is now available on their website at MYR 719. The new wireless gaming headset AW720H and wireless gaming mouse AW620M will be available by the end of March 2023 for MYR 679 and 369 respectively. You can choose between Alienware’s signature White or black colour option for the headset. The wired variant of the headset (AW520H) and the full-sized wireless gaming keyboard AW920K will be available in Q2 2023 onward with no price revealed. For more information on Alienware’s latest gaming peripherals, you can head to their website.
How will we connect with colleagues in five to ten years’ time? Will we all be interacting with holograms? Fully immersed in virtual worlds? Or will the reality be much closer to how most of us work from our laptops today?
Virtual worlds and immersive experiences could offer exciting new ways to connect with others – and our content. And with people more dispersed and working patterns more personalised than before, how we collaborate and get things done has never been more important.
It’s my team’s role to dig into future trends and technologies, experiment with solutions and reimagine experiences. Though immersive environments will play a role in the future of work, face-to-face meetings, instant messages, collaboration tools, and video calls aren’t going anywhere. That’s why we’re focusing on the user experience and honing in on everyday micro-moments that could be disruptive as we potentially bounce between physical, digital and virtual worlds in the future.
We’re asking questions like: How will people interact at the intersections of these worlds? What tools will people need to move between these locations seamlessly? What if people don’t want to wear a headset and dive into a virtual world for 8 hours a day – would they be excluded from future projects or collaboration opportunities?
Intelligent, familiar tools for future interactions
Using Concept Nyx’s ability to deliver compute all around, powered at the edge, we have been exploring how familiar devices and peripherals could be paired with Artificial Intelligence (AI) to work together as an ecosystem to deliver easily accessible and immersive experiences beyond gaming.
Our labs are packed with curated immersive demonstrations and concepts to help us test and explore how Dell could help people move between various spaces and tasks intuitively in the future. From fully immersive Virtual Reality (VR) builds to Mixed Reality (XR) experiences featuring displays and other tools that remove the need for a VR headset, these environments have helped us evolve concepts like the Concept Nyx Companion. As a lightweight tablet-style device that could be viewed and accessed in VR and XR environments, the concept could be a consistent tool throughout all these spaces and could ensure a user’s content is in one place as they move between spaces and tasks. No more taking photos of whiteboards or copying notes to be uploaded to a different space – users could just screenshot their project space and/or easily copy content for sharing across screens.
Together with the Concept Nyx Stylus, you could input notes by voice or via pen, and drag + drop them into digital and virtual collaboration spaces, and even use the voice activation for AI image creation – perfect for non-aspiring artists! All these tools could also seamlessly be used alongside the Concept Nyx Spatial Input in a future desktop environment with a keyboard and mouse, and possibly 3D displays too. We’ve been looking at creative ways to connect these traditional tools for a clutter-free space, and we’ve also been thinking about intuitive gestures for interacting with content – for example, using the tip of the Stylus for writing and the top of the Stylus for interacting with onscreen content or using the Spatial Input as a dial for a 360 view or for zooming in on details.
We’ve even been thinking through how people might show up in future digital and virtual spaces. We’ve all been on video calls where we need to step away for a moment to answer the door or tend to a pet or child off-camera. Instead of leaving a blank screen, empty seat, or static 2015 headshot, imagine with a wave of your hand, you could stay present as an intelligent avatar while you step away or stay off camera completely. To explore this, we’ve been experimenting with gestures and movement tracking and building on our imaging technology and video conferencing expertise to create the Concept Nyx Spatial camera, which when paired with AI software, could learn a user’s expressions and mannerisms to deliver a more authentic representation of them for future interactions.
Advancing the Concept Nyx Ecosystem
From infrastructure to devices, Dell is at the centre of present and future workplaces and is focused on developing the tools that will be needed to navigate these spaces. Right now, this means bringing tools to market like a new generation of UltraSharp conferencing monitors and intelligent webcams with motion-activated controls and presence detection, and building on technologies like storage, 5G, multi-cloud and edge that provide the advanced connectivity and infrastructure to allow organisations to shape how they work. In the future, productivity tools will be connected and intelligent enough to seamlessly move from experience to experience and task to task, helping to break down barriers and redefine how colleagues connect with one another.
My team continues to explore the future of compelling, immersive experiences in both work and play. Concepts play a huge role in allowing our designers, engineers, and strategists to test and tweak devices and solutions to inform future experience roadmaps. We’re excited to keep you updated on our journey!
Buying a gaming PC set-up is an exciting thing. You tend to get excited though. You tend to spend the bulk of your money on the tower for your gaming PC, which is not wrong. You do want to spend most of your budget getting a PC set-up that will last you the next few years and fit within your budget. The problem is when you spend nearly all your money there, you do not have much left to spend on other things that will make your gaming set-up work.
In those cases, your budget only allows you to buy a cheap monitor that is not designed for gaming, a regular mouse, and a regular keyboard. Here is the thing though, if you have MYR 400 set aside for your monitor, you still can get a gaming monitor. For MYR 379, you can get an Acer Nitro QG0 series gaming monitor.
The Acer Nitro QG0 series is not just any regular poor quality gaming monitor for the masses. It is designed with budget in mind, yes; it is also built with enjoyment and gamers in mind. Of course, you want to tamper your expectations a little bit.
You have two sizes to choose from – 27-inch and 24-inch. You do not get an IPS panel at this price, you instead get VA panels on the monitors. Still, that is not exactly a bad thing.
Across the three monitors they just introduced for 2023, the QG0 series monitors all offer 95% in sRGB colour gamut. While you do not get the vivid colour quality from IPS or OLED panels, you still get rather saturated and somewhat accurate colours from the monitor. In that case, games and movies will still look acceptably good on whichever Ntiro QG0 monitors you choose.
They are all fast panels too. The 27-inchQG270S3 and 24-inch QG240YS3 offer 1ms in response time. The QG240YH3 is a little slower at 4ms, but it is no slouch either at that speed. They also offer 180Hz and 100Hz refresh rates respectively, faster than the more premium Nitro VG270 E monitor. All the Nitro QG0 monitors comes with HDR10 certification too. All of them also comes with AMD’s FreeSync feature allowing for tear-free gaming.
While all of them only offer an old-school Full HD resolution, they include a DisplayPort on top of an HDMI port to fit more modern gaming set-ups. They also have an audio pass through feature via an Audio-Out 3.5mm jack. If you need something to fit your old system, the QG240YH3 comes with a VGA port rather than a DisplayPort.
Source: Acer
Source: Acer
Source: Acer
Source: Acer
Source: Acer
Source: Acer
Source: Acer
Source: Acer
Source: Acer
The Acer Nitro QG0 series is now available in Malaysia. You can get your hands on one from Acer stores, authorised partners, their online store, and even their online retaile partners like Shopee and Lazada. The VG240YH3 24-inch 100Hz monitor starts at MYR 379. If you prefer higher refresh rates, the 24-inch QG240YS3 will retail fro MYR 499, and the 27-inch QG270S3 will be priced at MYR 589. For more information on the new Acer Nitro monitors, you can head over to their website.
