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Samsung's new Exynos 9 chip: 4K 120FPS camera tech
Samsung has just officially unveiled its next-gen Exynos 9 Series of processors, led by the Exynos 9 Series 8895 - Samsung's first processor to use 10nm FinFET technology.
Samsung's new Exynos 9 Series 8895 is the first processor to have a gigabit LTE modem that supports five carrier aggregation, or 5CA. This means Exynos 8895-powered smartphones will be capable of 1Gbps downlink speeds, and 150Mbps uploads.
The new Exynos 8895 has an 8-core processor at its heart, with 4K video support thanks to ARM's latest Mali-G71 GPU, and when teamed with the advanced MFC (multi-format codec) it will support video recording and playback at a huge 4K 120FPS. This is a huge deal, as it means Samsung's new Galaxy S8 might be capable of 4K 120FPS support... which would be, in the words of Ron Burgundy, that would be "kind of a big deal".
Continue reading: Samsung's new Exynos 9 chip: 4K 120FPS camera tech (full post)
The latest photos and details on AMD Radeon Vega
AMD launched its new Ryzen CPUs with a brief tease of Radeon Vega, in the form of the new Radeon Vega logo being shown on the year to come for AMD.
The company had some of its new Radeon Vega graphics cards on show at its Ryzen Tech Day event, with some great photos taken by ComputerBase.
The company had a Radeon Vega graphics card in plain sight, rocking an 8+6-pin PCIe power setup.
Continue reading: The latest photos and details on AMD Radeon Vega (full post)
AMD reboots itself with Ryzen, and Vega is next
AMD is hitting a new stride, unlike anything the company has seen before. We know their history leading into last year, starting this new direction with the GPU division splitting off into Radeon Technologies Group. RTG launched the mid-range Radeon RX 400 series, led by the Radeon RX 480. It was a great hit for AMD, but the CPU side of their business wasn't doing so well - until now.
AMD launched their much anticipated - seriously, have you seen any CPU in history apart from Intel's first Core series have this much hype? - Ryzen processors with a massive thud, dropping the Ryzen 7 1800X with 8C/16T @ 4GHz for just $499. Intel would be scrambling right now with how they're going to combat this, but in the meantime AMD is enjoying the #1 and #2 best-selling CPU spots on Amazon right now.
The Ryzen 7 1800X is breaking world records on Cinebench multi-threaded benchmarks, oh and the #4 best-selling CPU on Amazon is the Ryzen 7 1700. If the winning continues at this rate, AMD will be hitting a Donald Trump level of winning - where there'll be so much winning, we'll be begging AMD to stop. That's until Vega - that is.
Continue reading: AMD reboots itself with Ryzen, and Vega is next (full post)
'Rogue One' Blu-ray announced, extras detailed
Fresh from its hugely successful theatrical run which bagged Lucasfilm another lazy billion dollars, the 'Star Wars' spin-off 'Rogue One' is headed to the small screen with multiple Blu-ray, DVD digital releases.
Releasing on digital a few weeks earlier on March 24, the 3D and 2D Blu-ray packages will hit retail shelves on March 4 (a day later in Australia). The physical release will include the film in it's original 2.39:1 widescreen aspect ratio, with DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 sound, plus an additional disc of bonus features including multiple featurettes; 'A Rogue Idea, 'Jyn: The Rebel', 'Cassian: The Spy', 'K-2SO: The Droid', 'Baze & Chirrut: Guardians of the Whills', 'Bodhi & Saw: The Pilot & The Revolutionary', 'The Empire', 'Visions of Hope: The Look of "Rogue One', 'The Princess & The Governor', 'Epilogue: The Story Continues' and 'Rogue Connections'.
Unfortunately, it seems the commentary track that Director Gareth Edwards revealed he's already recorded, along with all the deleted scenes we know exist, plus theatrical trailers won't be included this time around.
Continue reading: 'Rogue One' Blu-ray announced, extras detailed (full post)
I want one: AMD Ryzen CPU review kit looks AMAZING
AMD has made its Ryzen CPU family official with three SKUs unveiled so far: Ryzen 7 1800X, Ryzen 7 1700X, and the Ryzen 7 1700. The media that attended received a Ryzen review kit, which includes:
I think the review kit is awesome, with a few notes: I want one... really bad. Second, the inclusion of VENGEANCE memory is a nice stab at Intel... nice work there, AMD.
Continue reading: I want one: AMD Ryzen CPU review kit looks AMAZING (full post)
NVIDIA to reveal GeForce GTX 1080 Ti on February 28
Anyone who loves GPU technology, graphics cards, or gaming will mark February 28 on their calendars as the day everything changes. AMD is hosting their second annual Capsaicin event during GDC 2017 where we're going to see "exciting new details" on Radeon Vega, with NVIDIA choosing the same day to host their own Editor's Day to unveil the GeForce GTX 1080 Ti.
NVIDIA is now teasing the GTX 1080 Ti on their official GeForce.com website, teasing a video that runs in the background saying "It's Almost Time #UltimateGeForce" with the 'Ti' in 'Time' being highlighted. Ti = GTX 1080 Ti for the uninitiated.
VideoCardz.com checked out the HTML code of the website, and noticed that it was actually called "GTX 1080 Ti Countdown"... so, there you have it. GTX 1080 Ti will be unveiled in a few days time, as well as more details on Radeon Vega. I seriously, can barely contain my excitement.
Continue reading: NVIDIA to reveal GeForce GTX 1080 Ti on February 28 (full post)
AMD Radeon Vega details coming on February 28
AMD held their Ryzen Tech Day in San Francisco a few days ago, unveiling 3 new Ryzen CPUs in the form of the Ryzen 7 1800X, Ryzen 7 1700X, and the Ryzen 7 1700. It looks like we'll be introduced to more details on Radeon Vega, AMD's next-gen GPU architecture that uses HBM2 and the exciting HBC (High Bandwidth Cache) - as well as the Vega GPU architecture itself.
The company has now confirmed the second annual "Capsaicin Live" event in San Francisco during GDC 2017, which kicks off on February 28 at 10:30AM PT. In the press release, AMD teases: "Hosted by Radeon Technologies Group's Senior Vice President and Chief Architect, Raja Koduri, the show will be a celebration of PC gaming, the technology steering its future, and the developers who work tirelessly to transform their imaginations into tomorrow's blockbuster games".
AMD continues: "The one-hour live event will offer PC gaming enthusiasts and developers around the world a preview of AMD's latest graphics and processor technologies, reveal exciting new details surrounding Vega, and showcase the summer's most anticipated PC and VR games from visionary game developers. Named after the legendary component in chili peppers that adds an addictive kick to spicy foods, "Capsaicin Live" explores the essence and creative power of the graphics processing unit (GPU), evoking the magic that game and VR developers create every day when they turn raw code into exciting, memorable, and addicting experiences".
Continue reading: AMD Radeon Vega details coming on February 28 (full post)
NASA finds 7 Earth-sized planets that could sustain life
NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has revealed the first known system of seven Earth-size planets around a single star, called TRAPPIST-1. The system is named after The Transiting Planets and Planetesimals Small Telescope (TRAPPIST) in Chile, which first discovered three of these planets.
At their press event, NASA has confirmed that three of those planets are located in the habitable zone. All of the seven planets could have liquid water, meaning there is a chance that some form of life might have developed on them. Scientists believe that the highest chances of finding extraterrestrial life are the three planets in the habitable zone.
The discovery also sets a new record for greatest number of habitable-zone planets found around a single star outside our solar system.
Continue reading: NASA finds 7 Earth-sized planets that could sustain life (full post)
Huawei officially announces Honor V9
Huawei has announced the Honor V9 smartphone just ahead of MWC in Barcelona.
The V9 comes with a 5.7-inch QHD display, and rocks a dual 12MP+12MP camera. For selfies, there is an 8MP selfie camera.
The Phone is powered by Huawei's Kirin 960 processor, the same that powers the Mate 9. The V9 comes with 6GB of RAM, and you can choose between 64GB or 128GB of internal storage, expandable with a microSD card.
Continue reading: Huawei officially announces Honor V9 (full post)
Nintendo unboxes the Nintendo Switch
Nintendo officially unboxing their fresh console-handheld hybrid reminds us of one thing: the system launches in nine days. It's really happening!
If you've been paying close attention to our Nintendo Switch coverage you'll realize the unboxing doesn't really tell us anything new. But it's still interesting to see the device out in the wild, and we do get to see the tablet and the JoyCons sized up in two different handsizes, giving use perspective on the actual size of the system itself.
Remember that the Nintendo Switch doesn't come with any games or actual game software pre-loaded onto it, so the $299 price just gets you the system by itself. The Switch comes with 25.9GB of usable storage memory, two JoyCon controllers, JoyCon straps, a JoyCon Grip that doesn't charge the JoyCons, the Switch tablet "console," a dock that's required for TV Mode play, an HDMI cord, and an AC adapter for charging the Switch on-the-go and supplying power to the dock.
Continue reading: Nintendo unboxes the Nintendo Switch (full post)
NieR: Automata PC release date 'accidentally' revealed
Up until now Square Enix and PlatinumGames have been pretty cagey about NieR: Automata's PC release. All mention of the PC port was scrubbed from multiple official game sites, leading many to question a delay or cancellation. Now we can confirm the PC port is indeed coming, and we know the reason behind the silence: the PS4 may have timed exclusivity.
In a recent gameplay video, Square Enix accidentally revealed that NieR: Automata's PC version will launch on March 10, 2017 on Steam. The game will launch first on PS4 and then three days later on PC. Shortly after the video went up, Square Enix yanked it and replaced it a revised video that scrubs out any mention of the PC port. See a side-by-side below.
So what's going on here? It appears Square Enix and PlatinumGames signed a deal with Sony to not discuss the PC port's release date until after the game has shipped on PS4. I long thought that this was a marketing deal, especially since scrubbing any mention of a competing platform from a site just reeks of an exclusivity deal.
Continue reading: NieR: Automata PC release date 'accidentally' revealed (full post)
Nintendo Switch launch game exceeds console's storage
The Nintendo Switch will launch with Dragon Quest Heroes I & II in Japan, and if you want to play it digitally you'll have to invest in expandable Micro SD cards: the game is literally too big to fit on the system's onboard storage.
Nintendo's new Switch handheld-console hybrid has a paltry 32GB of onboard NAND flash memory, which converts to 29.8GB, and 4GB of that is taken up by the Switch's OS. This leaves gamers with 25.9GB of memory that's actually available for game downloads, saves, screenshots and other content.
Although most Switch games are small, if you plan to download your games digitally you'll want to make use of the Switch's supporting up to 2TB Micro SDXC cards and pick up some expandable memory.
Continue reading: Nintendo Switch launch game exceeds console's storage (full post)
AMD's new Ryzen 7 1800X: 8C/16T @ 4GHz for $499
We heard about the price of the Ryzen 7 1800X quite a while ago, where we reported the very early rumors of the $499 pricing - and I still remember AMD asking me "do I really think my report on $499 pricing is correct" - and I always backed it up.
Now we're here at the launch of Ryzen, with a 52% improvement in IPC performance - led by the flagship Ryzen 7 1800X. AMD's new Ryzen 7 1800X has 8C/16T of CPU performance with Base and Boost clocks of 3.6GHz and 4GHz, respectively.
We have their SenseMI technology, something we've gone into detail with - with AMD using a smarter CPU architecture that is actually smarter. It adaptively controls your CPU for lower power consumption, but will ramp right up with Precision Boost - overclocking your Ryzen processor in 25MHz increments (100MHz with Intel) on-the-fly.
Continue reading: AMD's new Ryzen 7 1800X: 8C/16T @ 4GHz for $499 (full post)
AMD Introduces Ryzen CPUs
Yesterday, AMD's CEO, Lisa Su, welcomed a room full of industry partners, analysts, and press with open arms and a cheerful attitude to officially introduce AMD's top three Ryzen SKUs. I was in attendance, and I will go over their slides and demos that I can share publically today.
For starters, AMD's goal for Ryzen IPC increase was 40%. AMD was happy to report they exceeded their goal, and improved IPC 52% over their previous generation products. That is a huge increase, and we probably won't see an increase like this ever again from either camp. AMD also shared the first die shot of the 8-Core Ryzen CPU.
AMD's "Ryzen 7" lineup will include three CPUs, the 1700, the 1700X, and the 1800X. The presentation started with the 1700X, and it will have a base clock of 3.4GHz, a boost up to 3.8GHz, and a 95-watt TDP. AMD claims that the 1700X offers 4% higher performance than the Intel i7-6900K and 39% higher performance than the i7-6800K.
Intel teases next-gen Optane tech, requires Kaby Lake
Intel's upcoming Optane memory technology is one of the most exciting products of the last few years, with the company developing the technology with Micron.
Intel and Micron use 3D XPoint technology that promises super-fast speeds with high capacity, and now we're getting closer to Optane becoming a reality. Intel recently revealed you will need a new 200-series chipset motherboard with specific M.2 slots, and a Kaby Lake-based processor. You'll also need to make sure your motherboard has a BIOS that supports Intel's Rapid Storage Technology (RST) driver v15.5 or higher.
The required 200-series motherboard also need to have an M.2 type 2280-S1-B-M or 2242-S1-B-M storage connector linked to a PCH Remapped PCI-E controller with two or four lanes and B-M keys meeting Non Volatile Memory Express (NVMe) v1.1 standards.
Continue reading: Intel teases next-gen Optane tech, requires Kaby Lake (full post)
HyperX ships more than 2 million headsets in three years
Today HyperX announced that it has smashed the 2 million headsets shipped milestone.
HyperX audio headsets are a popular choice for gamers on a budget, with their HyperX Cloud II Pro headsets providing amazing audio for a fraction of the price of its competitors. The company's latest Cloud Stinger headset just won the iF Design Award for its quality build and audio performance in an attractive price ratio.
Due to this popularity the Kingston audio division reveals its shipped more than two million headsets in the last three years. "Since the original Cloud launched in 2014, HyperX has shipped over two million headsets around the world within three years," HyperX revealed in the latest Cloud Stinger press release.
Continue reading: HyperX ships more than 2 million headsets in three years (full post)
Samsung to unveil four new VR/AR projects at MWC 2017
Samsung will be unveiling something different at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain next week - from their in-house tech incubator C-Lab.
We should expect four devices shown off with Relúmĭno, Monitorless, VuildUs, and traVRer. These four different technologies are all intriguing, a nice direction for Samsung to see what could stick around in a few years.
Samsung's strangely named Relúmĭno is a "smart visual aid" for the Gear VR that will benefit the visually impaired so that they could read and watch TV with "new levels of clarity".
Continue reading: Samsung to unveil four new VR/AR projects at MWC 2017 (full post)
Del Toro says 'Hellboy 3' is dead
Sad news for 'Hellboy' fans today, with director Guillermo Del Toro taking to Twitter to confirm the project is officially dead.
In recent times, fans had been buoyed by optomistic comments from Del Toro and star Ron Perlman that a third 'Hellboy' might eventuate, but now it seems that all hope is lost. The original 'Hellboy' was a financial disappointment that couldn't crack $100 million worldwide off a $66 million budget, while the sequel garnered an improved $165 million gross which also failed to satisfy studio bigwigs.
Del Toro is now focused on delivering his next feature 'The Shape of Water', which finds a janitor at a secret government facility falling in love with an aquatic man who's being held captive for testing.
Continue reading: Del Toro says 'Hellboy 3' is dead (full post)
The Galaxy Note7 might be coming back with a new battery
Back in October last year, Samsung ended the production of the Galaxy Note7 due to faulty batteries.
Samsung is now working on a project to bring the Note 8, and the device is expected sometime this year. However, that doesn't mean that the Note7 is dead just yet...
A new report from South Korea claims that the refurbished Galaxy Note7 might return to the market as early as June this year. According to the report, the Note7 might show up in emerging markets such as Vietnam and India.
Continue reading: The Galaxy Note7 might be coming back with a new battery (full post)
Nier: Automata on PC likely delayed due to piracy fears
Platinum Games and Square Enix have been pretty cagey about Nier: Automata's PC release date and now we know why: piracy. The game likely won't release until an adequate DRM solution is found, and Square Enix may not go with Denuvo this time.
Nier: Automata's PS4 version is set to release in two days in Japan and March 7 in the West, but nor the publisher or devs have locked in a PC release date. The Steam port is still listed as "2017". In fact, any mention of the PC version is missing from the game's official North American site, the Japanese site, and even Platinum Games' official gamesite. This led many to believe the game may be cancelled on PC.
But Nier: Automata's game producer Yosuke Saito confirmed that the PC port is still happening. Saito goes on to say there may be a "slight delay" for the PC version until the team can find an adequate anti-piracy measure. Saito also wants to ensure the game runs smoothly on PC, claiming that "certain recent games" ran badly on the platform, and this isn't acceptable for Nier (Saito is likely talking about Mutants in Manhattan, which was locked to 30FPS on PC).
Continue reading: Nier: Automata on PC likely delayed due to piracy fears (full post)











