Discrete and integrated GPUs working together with DX12 provides gains

Anthony Garreffa | Gaming | May 2, 2015 9:35 PM CDT

We've known for a while that DirectX 12 will be providing some serious gains in performance, as well as the ability to join GPUs and their VRAM, but over the last few days we've been learning more about DX12 thanks to Microsoft's Build 2015 conference.

The company showcased their new DirectX 12 "Multiadapter" feature, something that allows unused hardware inside of a PC to be fully utilized. This provides the ability to use integrated GPUs on CPUs - something that would otherwise be completely unused - to be utilized alongside the GPU for additional performance.

This premise isn't anything new, as the likes of AMD, LucidLogix Virtu and other technologies have tried this - but it has never taken off like DX12 will. Microsoft's new DirectX 12 Multiadapter technology creates a specialized coherent link between every GPU available inside of the PC, and lets them work together to provide as much performance as possible.

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The first DirectX12 powered CryEngine tech demo is here

Anthony Garreffa | Gaming | May 2, 2015 7:24 PM CDT

A couple of engineers working at Snail Games took just six weeks to port King of Wushu from DirectX 11 to DirectX 12 in CryEngine, with the results of this work in the video below.

As you can see, King of Wushu is a new 3D martial arts based MOBA, with some very delicious graphics and physics. There's some impressive age contact collision and motion capture animation that can be spotted, but it's the DX12 side of things that has us excited.

There are over 10,000+ drawcalls in the DX12 tech demo of King of Wushu, over 20,000+ polygons per character, with one of the big differences between the DX11 and DX12 versions of the game being CPU and GPU utilization. Under the DX11 version of the game, CPU utilization is fine at around 99%, but GPU utilization hovers at an average of 83%. Once DX12 is enabled, the GPU usage shoots up to 98-99%, which is a sizeable jump in performance from switching APIs.

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New 'Jurassic World' featurette rides high on nostalgia

Ben Gourlay | Celebrities & Entertainment | May 2, 2015 6:44 PM CDT

With the much anticipated release of 'Jurassic World' just a few weeks away, Universal Studios is doing everything it can to remind audiences why they still love the franchise - even if the last film was released 14 years ago (and was .. well, a bit crap). But in the latest release of 'Jurassic World' media, the company is doing its best to tie it to the classic 1993 Spielberg original by trotting out the film's stars to wax lyrical over their honour at taking a role in the series.

'Guardians of the Galaxy' star Chris Pratt reveals that "every now and then [on set] we'd take a moment to look at each other, very light under our breath, be like 'What are we doing here? This is kind of crazy. We kind of feel like we snuck into the party", while the legendary Spielberg says "To see Jurassic World come to life is almost like seeing Jurassic Park come true". High praise indeed.

Seeing huge success with 'Furious 7' since its release, the company no doubt has high hopes for the latest entry - but can it top the international grosses of it's 'Jurassic' predecessors, or even top the amazing 'Furious 7' haul? That remains to be seen.

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Analyst: Apple will find a way to 'iron out' problems with Apple Watch

An issue with the Apple Watch's taptic engines has slowed the wearable's rollout, but Apple will resolve the problems and move on, according to an analyst. This is the first new product under CEO Tim Cook's leadership, so expect reported problems to be thoroughly investigated.

"Apple always has produced a phenomenal product. They are driven to produce a high-quality product, so I think they will iron out all these issues and bring a quality product to market," said Ivan Feinseth, analyst and chief investment officer at Tigress Asset Management, in a statement published by CNBC.

The popular Silicon Valley company is closely watched by consumers, analysts, and the media, typically fixing issues with its products sooner rather than later. Analysts still believe millions of Apple Watch units will be sold this year, helping give a major boost to the wearables market in 2015.

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Researchers create ape-inspired robot that could explore the moon

National space programs have shown new interest in lunar exploration, and it's possible robots could roam the moon's surface. The German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI) has created an iStruct Demonstrator, also known as "Charlie," a robotic ape that can you different locomotion styles.

Using four-legged locomotion adds stability, but bipedal is best for speed and ability to maneuver - so having the robot be able to choose how to move is absolutely huge.

"We chose the ape because it allows us to study several locomotion modes," said Daniel Kuhn, DFKI researcher, in a statement to CNN. "For example, they have quite good quadrupedal walking abilities but they can also perform stand-up motion and walk on two legs - their ability to do this is greater than other animals. This change in posture and walking form interested us."

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Russian military said to be developing mind-controlled exoskeleton

Military technology has become absolutely fascinating in the past few years, with autonomous drones, robots, smart technology, and exoskeletons advancing nicely.

The Russian military is reportedly developing mind-controlled exoskeletons, multiple Russian news outlets claim. If there is any truth to the reports, soldiers could carry up to 600 pounds of additional weight. What makes this announcement curious is the idea that Russia is five years away from being able to include a neuroelectronic interface so the suit's wearer has a unique controlling mechanism.

"The Russian Army is set to receive mind-controlled exoskeletons," the Russian Sputnik media source said. "The wearable robots will be controlled by brain waves and will increase the strength and endurance of the serviceman wearing it by several times."

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Boeing 787 Dreamliner glitch can make it lose power, FAA reports

Chris Smith | Software & Apps | May 1, 2015 9:41 PM CDT

In a bid to make skies safer, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) warned that a software fault could result in loss of power mid-flight on the gigantic Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft.

Discovered by Boeing themselves in private testing circumstances (not real flight), this issue can occur if the aircraft is not powered down between trips, resulting in the generator systems on board switching to fail-safe mode and seeing all AC power cut - mid air or not.

This issue is said to take 248 days of usage for the fault to occur, rendering it as an unlikely thing to happen in real-world circumstances. However, this model of aircraft has reportedly experienced some other issues resulting in extended boot up times.

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AMD fights back at NVIDIA by slashing Radeon R9 285 pricing

Chris Smith | Video Cards & GPUs | May 1, 2015 8:24 PM CDT

We have just seen reports of AMD once again trying to better NVIDIA, reportedly trying to take would-be GTX 960 owners under their wing.

The method they've decided to take is cone again that of a price cut, seeing their R9 285 video card see a drop to 180 Euro ($201 US) when compared to the pricing of a GTX 960 at 192 Euro ($215 USD).

AMD's option does have the issue of slightly higher power consumption and noise ratings, so is the saving of $14 US enough to entice you away from the big green?

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Robots in UCSF hospital utilize 'virtual railroad' to get the job done

The 'Eve' robot is being utilized at the University of California, San Francisco, Medical Center at Mission Bay, a new facility that opened in February. The robots can help humans, make test sample deliveries, and ensure each room has supplies as needed.

UCSF purchased 25 robots from Aethon for $3.5 million, and then invested an additional $2.5 million to prepare the robots and hospital. The hospital expects to break even within two years on its robotic investment, while also freeing up staff to conduct other tasks.

"The hospital is set up almost as a virtual railroad... if they encounter an obstacle along the way, that's when they use their various sensors, laser, sonar and infrared to navigate around those items and continue on their path," said Brian Herriot, director of Mission Bay operations planning for the UCSF Medical Center, in a statement published by NBC News.

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Sony Xperia Z5 should feature QHD display, 14nm processor and more

With Sony unveiling the Xperia Z4 for Japan only, it's a big surprise to begin hearing about its successor so early. The upcoming Xperia Z5 is said to feature a beautiful QHD display, with a resolution of 2560x1440, and Qualcomm's Snapdragon 820 processor.

Other rumored specs include the Snapdragon 820 processor being built on Samsung's 14nm FinFET technology, 4GB of RAM, an improved 21-megapixel rear-facing camera with Sony's new and improved IMX230 sensor with OIS, and a Sense ID fingerprint sensor.

Right now this is just rumors, but Sony has been playing the smartphone market well, except the company doesn't seem to be swirling up any huge sales numbers unfortunately.

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