Vulkan's multi-GPU muscle: now requires Windows 10

Anthony Garreffa | Video Cards & GPUs | Mar 17, 2017 12:51 AM CDT

Khronos Group has the technology and gaming worlds excited over its Vulkan API, which is a low-level API that provides more performance from your graphics card in games that utilize the API - like DOOM.

Vulkan's multi-GPU muscle: now requires Windows 10

But after their GDC 2017 slides were looked over, native multi-GPU support for NVIDIA GeForce SLI and AMD Radeon CrossFire setups now require WDDM to be set to "linked display adapter mode", something that is exclusive to Windows 10. This means that Vulkan and its multi-GPU goodness is locked to Windows 10, eyeing off Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 users with multi-GPUs, with a striking glare.

Game developers have to add multi-GPU, DX12, and/or Vulkan support in manually - so this isn't too much of a surprise, but whatever Khronos, Microsoft, NVIDIA, or AMD can do to make game developers' lives easier for multi-GPU goodness, they should be doing. This kind of feels like a step backwards.

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Surface Book 2 is coming, could be announced next month

Anthony Garreffa | Laptops | Mar 16, 2017 10:33 PM CDT

Microsoft had quite the surprise hit on its hands with its beyond impressive Surface Book, with its successor surely in the development stages - and it could arrive quicker than anticipated, with DigiTimes reporting that Microsoft could make a big change in Surface Book 2.

Surface Book 2 is coming, could be announced next month

According to the latest reports, Surface Book 2 might drop the 2-in-1 style with a clamshell-style product - this would mean we might not see Microsoft letting you use Surface Book 2 like a tablet. This is a good and bad thing, as people who use Surface Book as a tablet (at least sometimes) won't like the news - but it's a heavy device, and doesn't bode well in tablet use. As a laptop? Rock solid. Tablet mode? Not so much.

Inside, we should see Microsoft beef up the specs of Surface Book 2 with the new Kaby Lake CPU architecture from Intel, with Core i5 and Core i7 offerings - and I'm sure we'll see the use of NVIDIA's awesome GeForce GTX 10 series graphics card, too. The original Surface Book rocked a strange 3000x2000 resolution display, but I'm expecting MS to bump it up to a full 4K display on Surface Book 2.

Continue reading: Surface Book 2 is coming, could be announced next month (full post)

Nintendo Switch: stock NVIDIA Tegra X1 CPU, Maxwell GPU

Anthony Garreffa | Gaming | Mar 16, 2017 9:40 PM CDT

After reporting from a well placed source that NVIDIA would be supplying a Pascal-based Tegra design for Nintendo Switch (Derek's super detailed, super awesome review on the Nintendo Switch is here), we've been proven wrong - thanks to a new teardown by Tech Insights.

Nintendo Switch: stock NVIDIA Tegra X1 CPU, Maxwell GPU

The teardown shows that Nintendo used a stock Tegra X1 processor - not a custom Tegra processor, and a Maxwell-based GM208 GPU. Last October, NVIDIA teased that the Nintendo Switch would be powered "by the performance of the custom Tegra processor". But the teardown shows that it's nothing custom, and a stock Tegra X1 processor instead.

Tech Insights' report states: "After subsequent processing of the GPU from the Nintendo Switch, we have determined that the processor is the NVIDIA Tegra T210. The T210 CPU features 4 Cortex A57 and 4 Cortex A53 processor cores and the GPU is a GM20B Maxell core".

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Qualcomm redefines its Snapdragon branding

Anthony Garreffa | Business, Financial & Legal | Mar 16, 2017 8:30 PM CDT

Qualcomm is redefining what the Snapdragon brand is, with an announcement of a "new naming structure" for Snapdragon. The move will see the entire hardware and software platform on a Snapdragon-powered device being referred to as Snapdragon, and not just the processor.

Qualcomm redefines its Snapdragon branding

The company explains: "For decades, the semiconductor industry has used the term "processor" to mean the component that powers the most advanced devices. It's a word that Qualcomm Technologies has embraced over the years with our Snapdragon brand, or as we say-our Qualcomm Snapdragon processor. But the word is an inadequate representation of what the technology actually is, and the solutions that tens of thousands of Qualcomm Technologies innovators have worked on".

Qualcomm continues: "In truth, Snapdragon is more than a single component, a piece of silicon, or what many would misinterpret as the CPU; it's an anthology of technology, comprising hardware, software, and services that are not fully captured in a word like "processor." That is why Qualcomm Technologies is refining our terminology by referring to Snapdragon as a "platform" instead of a processor".

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AMD Radeon RX Vega spotted, looks slick as hell

Anthony Garreffa | Video Cards & GPUs | Mar 16, 2017 8:09 PM CDT

AMD hosted its technology summit in Beijing, China covering its new Ryzen 5 processor launch - with AMD CEO Lisa Su taking the stage to unveil the new price/performance champions in the Ryzen family - but there was a very slight, but very exciting tease of Radeon RX Vega.

AMD Radeon RX Vega spotted, looks slick as hell

As you can see from these images, the Radeon RX Vega reference design sports a super-slick white/red/black style that I'm really loving - but the video was shown to select journalists, so we don't know how real it is. This could be an elaborate fake, and if it is - they did a good job, if it's not - AMD has an awesome looking next-gen graphics card on its hands.

AMD's upcoming Radeon RX Vega has a beautiful Vega logo on the back, with a GPU Tach LED load indicator that will be super useful - the usual RADEON branding on top with red LEDs, and a dip-switch to change the color of the LEDs... awesome.

Continue reading: AMD Radeon RX Vega spotted, looks slick as hell (full post)

Windows 7/8.1 updates blocked on Kaby Lake/Ryzen CPUs

Anthony Garreffa | CPU, APU & Chipsets | Mar 16, 2017 7:47 PM CDT

If you're rocking Intel's new Kaby Lake CPU or AMD's super-fast Ryzen processors and running an older operating system like Windows 7 or Windows 8.1, well - you're out of luck. Microsoft no longer supports operating systems older than Windows 10 (because it's been out for so long now).

Windows 7/8.1 updates blocked on Kaby Lake/Ryzen CPUs

Microsoft is now gimping Kaby Lake and Ryzen CPUs on Windows 7/8.1, effectively forcing you to upgrade to Windows 10 - as they've thrown a processor check into the latest Windows Update for W7/8.1 - sneaky. This update prevents Kaby Lake and Ryzen CPU owners from downloading updates, with an error message that reads: "Your PC uses a processor that isn't supported on this version of Windows".

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Prey's Typhon aliens feel right out of the Twilight Zone

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Mar 16, 2017 6:04 PM CDT

The more I see and hear about Arkane's new re-imagining of Prey, the more I want to play it. Now we get a nice personal glimpse at the inky shadow-aliens that will be hunting us like the prey we are.

Prey's Typhon aliens feel right out of the Twilight Zone

While Arkane doesn't classify Prey as a horror game, it absolutely has cerebral and psychological elements: the game will get into players' heads (quite literally with neuromods) and has a definite Outer Limits or Twilight Zone vibe to it. This feeling is amplified in no small part by the Typhons, which are the vapor-like shadow aliens, who are almost incorporeal like a smoky fog--in many ways they seem like they might not be there at all, and Morgan Yu, the main character, could simply be going insane.

One of the most interesting cerebral mind-bending aspects of the Typhon is the Cacoplasmus, aka the Mimic. The Typhon come in all shapes and sizes, but none are so insidious as the Mimic: this Typhon can disguise itself as any nearby object like a chair or a box or even a coffee mug and patiently wait for its prey to walk by. Then, of course, it strikes.

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Google's next Pixel might come in three versions

Lana Jelic | Mobile Devices, Tablets & Phones | Mar 16, 2017 5:05 PM CDT

Earlier this year, Google confirmed that the Pixel successor will come this year, although considering that the current Pixel was launched in October last year, we won't see its successor anytime soon.

Google's next Pixel might come in three versions

What we know for sure about the upcoming Pixel is that the device will be more or less the same price as the original phone, meaning that we are looking at another premium device.

According to a new report, this year's Pixel might come in not two but three versions. Droid Life reports that Google is developing the devices under codenames "muskie," "walleye," and "taimen."

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Samsung Galaxy S8 will shoot 1000 fps videos

Lana Jelic | Mobile Devices, Tablets & Phones | Mar 16, 2017 4:04 PM CDT

Samsung will officially launch the Galaxy S8 and S8+ in just two weeks, and we have already seen numerous leaks about the specs and the design of the upcoming flagship.

Samsung Galaxy S8 will shoot 1000 fps videos

According to the latest leak, Samsung will stick to the 12MP main camera but shoot up to 1000 fps videos.

The Korean company also reportedly added DRAM to enable the high framerates.

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Samsung annonces Galaxy Tab S3 availability and price

Lana Jelic | Mobile Devices, Tablets & Phones | Mar 16, 2017 2:48 PM CDT

Samsung introduced a 9.7-inch tablet, the Galaxy Tab S3, at this year's MWC in Barcelona.

Samsung annonces Galaxy Tab S3 availability and price

The tablet, which comes with an S pen, will be available for pre-orders on March 17th with in-store availability starting on March 24th.

The Galaxy Tab S3 will be available at a price of $600 and in two colors - black and silver. You can also buy the keyboard cover separately for $130.

Continue reading: Samsung annonces Galaxy Tab S3 availability and price (full post)