CES 2017 - At the CES 2017 show floor in Las Vegas, TweakTown's storage editor Jon Coulter found a nice surprise: Phison's new enterprise class Element AIC SSD can hit an insane 2 million IOPS in a steady state.

According to Jon, 2 million IOPS (Input-Ouput Operations Per Second) is the best we've ever seen. The Element AIC SSD can rock up to 8TB of NVMe high-performance flash memory with blistering fast speeds of 7GB/s.

It'll be interesting to hear more about Phison's SSDs in the future, and be sure to keep a look out for more exciting coverage from this year's Consumer Electronics Show on TweakTown's homepage.

During its CES 2017 keynote NVIDIA revealed that GeForce Now, its cloud-game streaming service that beams games to its NVIDIA Shield TV microconsole, is coming to PC and Mac. Since Nintendo's new Switch handheld-and-console hybrid features similar Tegra-based architecture as the Shield TV, what if Nintendo opened up its own games rental service?

Nintendo offering cloud streamed game rentals might sound like an insane idea, but bear with me. I know that Sony tried a la carte games rentals with PlayStation Now, which ultimately failed and forced the company to adopt a subscription-based plan instead. But Nintendo's new Switch hybrid uses a highly customized Tegra processor, so it shares similarities with the Shield TV, and could very well be compatible with its own Nintendo-branded fork of GeForce Now.

And there's also the Switch's Supplemental Computing Device (SCD). Remember that thing? The SCD was first mentioned in Nintendo Switch patents, and is essentially an external console upgrade box that boosts CPU power to facilitate higher internet bandwidth--the kind of bandwidth you'll need to, say, stream a game. The interesting part of the SCD is that it actually let users rent out their own internet connections for specific rewards. So Nintendo could even do internet connection rentals as well as game rentals, which would be something that no other console-maker has really done before.

CES 2017 - BioWare revealed key details about Mass Effect: Andromeda tonight, showing how its new jack-of-all-trades class-less system will work. We break down the info in easily digestible chunks to show you what to expect when the game launches in March.

BioWare has already confirmed Mass Effect: Andromeda won't have set classes. Instead, as a Pathfinder, players will be able to switch between classes like Vanguard and Infiltrator on-the-fly. Here are the included classes that will be available in the game:

Now these classes don't have their own skill trees--the skills are separated. Rather than having trees of specific skills like the other Mass Effect games, the classes give you specific buffs like extra damage, health regeneration, and specific little additions like drones and items that will buff you in combat.

Our previous coverage was right on the mark, and the Titan Books leak was 100% accurate: Mass Effect: Andromeda will release on March 21, 2017 on PS4, Xbox One and PC.

BioWare will showcase the first ever Mass Effect: Andromeda PC footage during NVIDIA's CES 2017 keynote address (which goes live tonight at 9:30pm EST / 6:30 PST). We could even see the game running on NVIDIA's new GeForce GTX 1080 Ti graphics card. In fact, Mass Effect: Andromeda might be launching quite closely with the Nintendo Switch, so we could see the game crossover, despite clickbaity articles that say otherwise (remember, EA has said that it'll bring "one or two" of its biggest games to the Switch).

Here at TweakTown we've covered Mass Effect: Andromeda extensively, so be sure to check out our extensive catalog of news for the latest info on the game. BioWare has confirmed that Andromeda will be the biggest and best Mass Effect ever, and that it'll run at an uncapped frame rate on PC with 21:9 support, and possibly even a performance boost on NVIDIA video cards.

CES 2017 - Faraday Future has finally unveiled their highly anticipated electric vehicle - the FF 91. The FF91 is their first production vehicle, and the company plans for it to compete directly with Tesla.

The company teased their first electric vehicle in the month leading up to the official launch, and one of the most interesting things they showed was that the car could beat Tesla's Model S P100D, the quickest production car in the world. Now, the numbers have confirmed that the new sheriff is in town - Faraday Future's FF 91 beats Tesla's car by a bit.

Tesla's Model S P100D Ludicrous mode can achieve 0 to 60 mph acceleration in 2.5 seconds, which is quite impressive. Faraday Future beats that just by bit since their car can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 2.39 seconds.

CES 2017 - Something that caught my eye early on at CES this year was that Amazon has been working with Seiki Digital, Westinghouse, and Element Electronics - who are all by the way, owned by Chinese company Tongfang Global - with Alexa-powered 4K TVs.

This means Amazon's Fire TV Edition will be something worth paying attention to, as the TVs are 4K-capable, sport 3GB of RAM and 16GB of expandable storage, Bluetooth/Wi-Fi/Ethernet connectivity, and will arrive in sizes between 43 inches and 65 inches.

They all rock the latest and greatest Fire TV interface (which looks great in person) - as you can use voice commands to switch between 4K Blu-ray through one of the HDMI ports, or even rename one of the HDMI ports with voice commands. You can switch to traditional TV, different outputs, or tell the remote what show you want to watch next.

CES 2017 - Nintendo might not have much of a presence here at CES 2017, but its partners do - peripheral maker Snakebyte is teasing some of their upcoming Nintendo Switch accessories right now.

There's a foldable headset and starter kit, power adapter and extension cable for the NES Classic on their way, but the Switch accessories caught my eye.

First up, we have Snakebyte's Nintendo Switch carrying bag.

CES 2017 - LG continues to push the boundaries of its OLED TV technology, with their new W-series 4K TVs being teased as a "Picture on Wall" experience - and well, they're right.

Engadget reports LG's new W-series 4K OLED TVs are just 2.6mm thin across the entire frame, and can be wall mounted. We have 4 x HDMI ports, 3 x USB connections, and an optical audio port. LG includes Dolby Atmos-capable soundbar, which is a nice touch.

LG is making their new W-series TVs available in both 65-inch and 77-inch, but no details on pricing or availability just yet. The G-series sets started at $4999, so these models should be more expensive.

CES 2017 - AMD's unannounced Radeon RX 500 series graphics cards have made a surprise appearance here at CES, with Lenovo unveiling their new Y520 laptop that can be optioned with NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 1050, GTX 1050 Ti... or the Radeon RX 560M with up to 4GB of RAM.

It was most likely a mistake on Lenovo's part - because none of these graphics cards have been unveiled yet, but we should expect the Radeon RX 500 series part in question - with the Radeon RX 560M in question, possibly being a rebranded RX 460M as VideoCardz calls it.

AMD could use a new Polaris 12 GPU as well, but I'm taking away from this is that it's a lower-end SKU that won't be a Vega part. This means the RX 500 series should include a larger stack of cards, leaving the Vega cards to be branded as just that - Radeon Vega, like the Radeon R9 Fury line of cards from 2015.

CES 2017 - Patriot has upgraded its Viper keyboard lineup to include two more performance models: the high-end V770 and the starter V730.

The Viper V770 features full per-key scintillating RGB illumination with 16.8 million color combos to match the color schemes of any rig. Kailh Red switches with 2mm actuation provide tactile feel, and full N-key rollover ensures precision during gaming, typing, and regular use. The Viper V770 also features a total of 108 programmable macro keys and five custom profiles that can be switched on-the-fly. Dedicated multimedia keys, a volume scroll wheel, and audio/USB pass-through further add utility to this RGB keyboard.

"Our new RGB V770 keyboard is a high-end, feature rich keyboard, designed with the serious gamer in mind. With thoughtful design, on board media controls, dedicated macros, and a high degree of customization, the V770 is a great compliment to any high-end rig," said Roger Shinmoto, Patriot's Vice President of Product Development.

G.SKILL today revealed its latest TridentZ DDR4 RAM specifications optimized for Intel's latest seventh-gen Kaby Lake processors and new Z270 motherboards.

These TridentZ modules not only feature full RGB illumination and enthusiast-grade, blistering-fast memory frequencies, but also tout tighter CL timings. G.SKILL has announced two memory kits with impressive speed and timings: a 16GB kit (8GB x 2) with 4266MHz with CL19-19-19-39, and a 32GB kit (8GB x 4) for enthusiast overclockers that hits DDR4-4133MHz at CL19-21-21-41 timings.

"Extremely high frequency memory kits often are achieved at the sacrifice of unsightly CL timings. Not anymore! With a more streamlined and efficient CL19-19-19-39 timing memory kit at 4266MHz, the limits have been increased under the latest 7th Gen Intel Core processor."

While most retailers like EB Games Australia command outrageous $725 Nintendo Switch pre-order prices, GameStop Italy has opted for a more conservative price of just 399 Euros.

GameStop Italy has listed Nintendo's new Switch handheld-and-console hybrid for 399 Euros, which could indicate the system's actual launch price. In this case, the MSRP of specific hardware is typically priced the same across Europe and the U.S., so if the Switch costs 399 Euros, it'll be priced at $399 in the United States as well. However, it is worth noting that GameStop Italy doesn't confirm the actual pricing, and this could be a placeholder: "the official release date will be announced later. In the event that the price will be lower it will be refunded the difference," reads a disclaimer on the listing.

We've originally reported the Nintendo Switch could release in two SKUs--a $249 basic bundle and a $299 deluxe bundle--but $399 is the same price of a PlayStation 4 Pro that offers upscaled 4K gaming and performance that, quite frankly, will likely wipe the floor with the Nintendo Switch.

Super Mario Run has earned an impressive $30 million in its first two weeks of available on Apple's iOS platform, but Nintendo could've magnified those earnings by tenfold if they played their cards right.

Although Super Mario Run saw widespread downloads and peak engagement for the Nintendo brand, the game is only living up to a fraction of it potential. This is strongly due to Super Mario Run's free-to-try business model, which allows anyone to download the game and play its first few levels for free, then locking the game behind a $10 paygate. Other factors, like the game's always-online requirement that eats through LTE data plans, continue to deter gamers. So while Nintendo has enjoyed stalwart downloads, Super Mario Run isn't achieving where it really counts--in the pocketbook.

In fact, the game has a dismal purchase conversion rate of only 3.4% ; out of the 90 million users who have downloaded the game, only 3 million or so have actually paid the $10 to buy the full experience. That's a lot of wasted money on the table, and investors know it--Nintendo's shareholders actually predicted this would happen as soon as the game released.

CES 2017 - ASUS's new VivoPC X melds VR gaming horsepower with the minute footprint of a small form factor PC.

The VivoPC X is lightweight and clocks in at just below five pounds, but although its small, it has some pretty decent specs: the $799 SFF PC houses a dedicated NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 video card (VRAM unknown at this time) alongside a seventh generation Intel i5 Kaby Lake CPU, 8GB of system RAM, and a 512GB SSD for storage. Two HDMI ports, four USB 3.1 ports and two USB 2.0 ports ensure plenty of space for VR peripherals and input.

The ASUS VivoPC X SFF PC can also be used for traditional gaming, of course; the small chassis features two HDMI ports and a single DisplayPort for NVIDIA G-Sync supported displays. Although the VivoPC X uses an GeForce GTX 1060 built on NVIDIA's new 16nm Pascal graphics architecture, there's still some worries about heat, especially with performance-driven VR games.

CES 2017 - To compliment its insane $9000 21-inch dual GTX 1080 Predator 21 X notebook, Acer has rolled out two more budget-friendly gaming laptops equipped with NVIDIA GTX 10-series video cards and Intel 7th-gen Kaby Lake processors: the Aspire V Nitro and Aspire VX 15.

The Acer Aspire V Nitro gaming notebooks come in two flavors: the Aspire V Nitro 15, which sports a 15.6-inch IPS display, and the Aspire V Nitro 17, which rocks a 17.3-inch IPS panel. Both models can be upgraded to 4K displays as well. The Aspire V Nitro 17 can also be upgraded to include Tobii eye-tracking technology.

As far as specs go, Acer allows buyers to customize their build to meet certain needs and price points, with hardware specs rocking up to an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 GPU with 6GB of GDDR5 VRAM, an Intel 7th generation Kaby Lake i7-7700HQ CPU, 16GB of dual-channel DDR4 system memory, 512GB PCIe Gen 3 at 8Gbps and 512GB NVMe at 6Gbps SSD storage, and 2TB 2.5-inch 5400 RPM HDD storage options.

CES 2017 - Acer has announced its new Aspire GX desktop PC aimed at both mainstream and performance gamers.

The Acer Aspire GX desktop can be tailor-made in various flexible price-per-performance configurations to meet the needs of various consumers, offering builds with specs up to an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070, Intel i7 Kaby Lake CPU, 64GB of dual-channel DDR4-2400 RAM, and 3TB HDD storage with a 256GB SSD.

The Aspire GX starts at just $899, but a quick look at the spec sheet below shows the graphics options go as low as a GeForce GTX 745 video card, so don't expect to get a lot of bang for your buck at the starting price. The desktop will launch in North America in March 2017.

CES 2017 - HyperX today announced a trio of new peripherals will join its performance gaming lineup: the flavorful Alloy RGB and Alloy FPS mechanical keyboards, and the Pulsefire gaming mouse.

HyperX's new Alloy gaming keyboards come in two flavors: the scintillating Alloy RGB which rocks 16 million LED color combos, media keys, and dynamic color profiles, and the Alloy FPS, which trades the current Alloy's Blue switches for either Cherry MX Brown or Red switches for a more responsive tactile feel. The Alloy FPS will cost around $100, but HyperX has yet to reveal pricing on the Alloy RGB.

The HyperX Pulsefire gaming mouse is relatively accessible at just $50, and rocks four flexible DPI preset settings including 400, 800, 1600 and 3200 DPI that can be adjusted on-the-fly via the DPI switch below the mouse wheel.

In a very Microsoft kind of move, it appears Windows 10's new Game Mode feature will only work with PC games tied to Windows 10's UWP ecosystem.

Windows Central seems to have confirmed my initial prediction: Windows 10's upcoming Game Mode feature--which allocates system resources on an OS and hardware level and optimizez them specifically for gaming, thereby boosting game performance--will only work with UWP-enabled PC games. This means only PC games purchased on the Windows Store can leverage the benefits of Windows 10 Game Mode, so everyone's entire library of Steam games may not work.

"Previously, we were unable to ascertain whether Game Mode would be a feature restricted to games built for the Universal Windows Platform (UWP), but it does appear that this could be the case. Our information states that games developed for the Windows 10, Xbox One, and Project Scorpio ecosystem specifically need to be "Game Mode enabled" Universal Windows Apps (UWA)," reads Windows Central's report.

Microsoft's new "beastly" high-end 4K-ready Project Scorpio console may leverage a new Windows 10 Game Mode feature that allocates system resources specifically for gaming.

Earlier we reported on Windows 10's new Game Mode functionality, which essentially flips a switch to optimize key OS resources, CPU and GPU hardware for gaming experiences. Now Windows Central is reporting that Microsoft's Xbox ecosystem and it's new enthusiast-grade Project Scorpio will benefit from Game Mode as well.

This isn't really a surprise considering the Xbox One, Xbox One S and Project Scorpio are now running Windows 10 via a new custom OneCore OS, with the systems being tethered to Microsoft's Universal Windows Platform (UWP) ecosystem. This means that all UWP apps can be used across the full ecosystem, and the Xbox consoles are now compatible with specific UWP apps and programs.

Mass Effect: Andromeda will release on March 31, 2017 on all platforms, according to Microsoft's Xbox LIVE Rewards page.

If you've paid attention to our Andromeda coverage, this release date won't be a surprise; we originally reported the game would launch in March 2017. This might be a slip-up on Microsoft's part, but March 31 is usually a placeholder. However this lines up with BioWare's "Spring 2017" launch window, and underlines our previous reports as well.

Although BioWare has showcased Andromeda running in 4K 30FPS on a PS4 Pro, the devs are optimizing the game to leverage high-end enthusiast PCs as well; the game won't have an FPS cap on PC, and will likely tap NVIDIA GeForce GTX 10 series GPUs for extra performance and features. It will also support UltraWide 21:9 resolution on release.