Antec shows off its new goodies at Computex 2023 including prototype mATX case
Antec is another company I always get excited about visiting. Having reviewed quite a bit of Antec products in the past, we wanted to see what they had to offer during our trip to Taipei, Taiwan for Computex 2023. In the image above, you will notice the Performance FT 1 case that we had previously reviewed, and loved. Antec is releasing a white version soon with ARGB fans and lighting, as well as one without. Available in Q3 2023, price of about $159.99 US.
The Antec Cannon, is a full-tower ATX case.
The Cannon, while not new, was on display with a really high-end Intel build, complete with a custom hardline water-cooling loop.
The NeoEco line is getting a few more ATX 3.0 PSUs added to the product line, the NE850G M, NE1000G M, and the NE1300G M. All NeoEco PSUs come with a 10-year warranty and are 80 Plus Gold rated. A single 12VHPWR connector is also present on every model in the NeoEco series of PSUs. Available July 2023.
Apple just brought FaceTime to your TV with tvOS 17
Now that the WWDC 2023 opening keynote is over we can all take stock of what was just announced - and there's one tvOS 17 feature that is particularly interesting - support for FaceTime.
FaceTime has long been the go-to video calling option for iPhone, iPad, and Mac users but the Apple TV hasn't been able to get in on the act. The lack of a built-in camera is obviously an issue, but with the Mac able to use an iPhone as a webcam via Continuity Camera it was only a matter of time before the Apple TV was able to make use of the same feature. With tvOS 17, that time is now.
Apple announced the new FaceTime support as part of the larger tvOS 17 update, but the biggest change is certainly the video calling feature. Apple says that people will be able to start a call on something like an iPad or an iPhone and then seamlessly switch to the Apple TV when they want to take the call to the big screen.
Continue reading: Apple just brought FaceTime to your TV with tvOS 17 (full post)
The M2 Ultra Mac Studio is here with cores galore
A relatively late addition to the WWDC 2023 rumor mill was the arrival of an updated Mac Studio and it turns out that the rumors were spot on. Apple has now announced the new Mac Studio powered by the M2 Max and an all-new M2 Ultra.
Mac Studio - image:apple.com
The new Mac Studio was joined by the first Apple silicon Mac Pro and a new 15-inch MacBook Air in the new-Mac section of the WWDC 2023 opening keynote. And it's set to become a popular option for people who need Mac Pro levels of power but don't need the expansion options that the high-end machine affords.
The new Mac Studio looks identical to the old model and comes with M2 Max and M2 Ultra options. The former comes with a 12-core CPU and up to a 38-core GPU configuration that maxes out at 96GB of unified memory with 400GB/s bandwidth.
Continue reading: The M2 Ultra Mac Studio is here with cores galore (full post)
Apple's Mac Pro finally ditches Intel for super-fast silicon
Apple has finally announced a new Apple silicon Mac Pro, its first since the transition away from Intel chips began in June 2020. That transition was supposed to take two years, and for the most part, it did. But the Mac Pro was the last holdout - and now it's finally been refreshed.
Apple Mac Pro - image: apple.com
The very first Mac Pro to be powered by Apple silicon was announced during the WWDC 2023 opening keynote on June 5, and it's set to be quite the powerhouse.
Apple's new Mac Pro is powered by the equally-new M2 Ultra chip, complete with support for PCIe expansion - something that the Mac Studio couldn't offer than to the smaller, sealed form factor. That expandability is a key part of what makes the Mac Pro a big deal for specific workflows, particularly those that require dedicated expansion or acceleration cards.
Continue reading: Apple's Mac Pro finally ditches Intel for super-fast silicon (full post)
Apple's 15-inch MacBook Air confirmed at WWDC 2023
All the rumors were true - Apple has now announced its biggest-ever MacBook Air at the company's WWDC 2023 opening keynote. The new 15-inch MacBook Air is set to be available in four colors, while Apple also confirmed that the 13-inch MacBook Air is getting cheaper.
Apple MacBook Air - image: apple.com
The new 15-inch MacBook Air will start at $1299, Apple confirmed via press release. The news means that the 13-inch M2 MacBook Air is now set to sell for $1099 while the M1 13-inch MacBook Air will retail for under $1000, but only just - it can be yours for $999.
The brand-new 15-inch model will be available in midnight, starlight, silver, and space gray with Apple noting that its 15.3-inch display can provide one billion colors and 500 nits of brightness. That's 25% brighter than a comparable PC laptop, we're told.
Continue reading: Apple's 15-inch MacBook Air confirmed at WWDC 2023 (full post)
Ken Levine reveals why he stopped making BioShock games: 'I trapped myself'
BioShock creator Ken Levine reveals why he left the franchise and started working on Judas, his new shooter.
In a recent interview with the Sacred Symbols podcast, BioShock visionary Ken Levine gave key insight as to why he decided to leave the series behind. Levine highlights the compounding stress of major success and how developers and creatives are pressured to continually push out big hits that one-up their previous games.
After BioShock Infinite, which Levine says he wanted to be Irrational's own blockbuster version of Call of Duty, the creator essentially felt trapped by his creations. Levine didn't want to feel like he had to compete against himself and up the ante each time, so he chose to work on a different game--one that took many, many years before it was revealed.
Hideo Kojima impressed with Apple's gaming tech, will bring future games to Mac
Today Apple and Hideo Kojima announced that Death Stranding Director's Cut is coming to the Mac in 2023, and Kojima also plans to bring future games to the platform as well.
Apple is mostly known for productivity and not gaming, but the introduction of its new Metal 3 tech has attracted some developers to release newer titles on Mac, including Capcom with Resident Evil Village. Now Kojima Productions is bringing Death Stranding to Mac.
Apple's latest WWDC 2023 showcase highlighted a new feature called Game Mode that's coming to Macs this year. Game Mode optimizes and prioritizes CPU and GPU to help streamline frame rates, while also reducing controller input latency by doubling Bluetooth sampling rates. Apple also announced a new Metal game porting toolkit that makes it "even easier for developers to port their games from other platforms" through simpler conversion processes.
Apple Vision Pro: No controllers, $3499, coming in 2024
Apple's new AR headset is called the Vision Pro, and pre-orders start in 2024 for $3,499.
Today Apple announced its new spatial computing platform with the Apple Vision Pro, a headset that aims to revolutionize the worlds of productivity and entertainment. Unlike other headsets, the Vision Pro has no external inputs like controllers and remotes. Instead, the Vision Pro relies solely on your eyes, voice, and hand gestures to navigate, create, and use applications.
The Vision Pro has seamless pass-through so that wearers can always see the real-world around them, and can display apps, movies, and games on digital screens. Apps can be launched in layered formats and three-dimensional objects can sit in front of or behind the digital screens.
Continue reading: Apple Vision Pro: No controllers, $3499, coming in 2024 (full post)
Fallout 2 originally had a Library of Alexandria run by wasteland monks
Tim Cain, the lead programmer of the original Fallout cRPG from the 1990s, gives rare insight into the content that didn't make it into the final games.
Just because a game is out in stores doesn't mean it's complete. Games are actually never complete, and developers typically shave off significant amounts of content from a dev build to make things fit into a finalized version. That was also the case with the first Fallout games.
So what kinds of things were left on the cutting room floor in Fallout? In a recent video, Tim Cain outlines some interesting concepts, stories, and features that didn't miss the axe. One piece of content was a kind of Library of Alexandria for the wasteland that was based on Walter Miller's classic dystopian novel A Canticle for Leibowitz.
Elon Musk reveals Twitter has discovered a hidden layer of 'censorship'
During an interview with The Babylon Bee at Twitter headquarters, Elon Musk has discussed censorship by private companies such as Google and if new laws should be introduced that protect users from private companies censoring their users.
The Babylon Bee asked the SpaceX and Tesla CEO if he believes there needs to be new laws introduced to protect users from private companies looking to censor their freedom of speech. These laws would be similar to how the first amendment protects citizens from the government censoring speech. Musk began by explaining that a lot of censorship takes place that many people aren't aware of and that most of this censorship is happening at Facebook and Google.
Musk replied to the question by saying that he believes that it would be "good" if all social media companies were forced to open source their algorithms, as that would reveal to the public what the company is/isn't suppressing and would prevent companies from secretly suppressing pieces of content.