Corsair Vengeance M90 and K90 Review
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Editorial: Used Games - Here to Stay or Gone for Good?
If you have been keeping up with rumors on the next PlayStation and Xbox, you have probably seen that neither will support used games. These rumors are not entirely baseless as plenty of used console games now require an extra fee just to play online, but is there sense in completely getting rid of used games?
If you believe the rumors, both Sony and Microsoft have a technology that can determine whether or not a game disc is new or used. How Sony and Microsoft will do this, if true, is still up in the air, but at least with the Sony console used games could still be played albeit at a severely reduced functionality. Gaining full access to the game requires you to purchase it at full price, which would make buying used no longer an option. Companies have been against used games for some time due to the loss of revenue, but could the inability to play used games be a reality? Should it be?
Used games have become a part of the gaming segment, and with the advent of CD keys for computer games, it is limited to console and handheld games. New game sales go (mostly) to the publisher, but used game sales go directly to the store selling it. The fact that publishers see no money from used game sales is one reason online passes have come around, since even $10 or $15 is more than zero dollars. You may think you are getting a deal with a used game priced at $50 versus $60, but when you have to pay an additional $10 just to play online, are you really saving any money? While online passes are typically associated with EA and Activision, Sony also has something similar on certain titles. Blocking used games on its console would make sense at that point.
If Sony and Microsoft do have a way to limit or outright block used games, this would ensure everyone buys new discs or even digitally. Currently, buying digitally is more for convenience than anything else since prices are the same as a brick and mortar store. Digital storefronts do have sales from time to time, but Sony and Microsoft fall behind Valve's Steam in terms of frequency (and even price). Still, if the consoles want to outright remove brick and mortar stores and used game sales, dropping the prices all around on digital items is the best bet. We have already seen Sony do this with the digital copies of PlayStation Vita games, and if the PS4 and Next Xbox follow suit, would certainly make buying digital more attractive.
The inability to play used games would not only hurt stores like GameStop, but also rental service Gamefly. Gamefly is essentially the same as Netflix, but for games instead of movies and TV shows. You have a small monthly fee with Gamefly and receive games in the mail to play as much as you want. This is a far cheaper option than simply buying a new or even used game, but if the next consoles block used games, Gamefly would be dealt a serious blow. Luckily it has branched into the PC game market, so it could survive on that, but its selection of PC games is small compared to Steam. I do not know what kind of impact Gamefly has on game sales compared to GameStop or even Amazon.com, but its whole business is built on delivering games to customers for a low fee.
I have been using Gamefly for years now and buy used games when I can. A good amount of my purchases are new games, but if a used copy has a disc with minor (or no) scratches, then why not save yourself some money? I also trade some games in, but not as many as other people do. I feel if I play a game enough to grow tired of it, why not trade it in and let someone else experience it? To get back on the subject of Gamefly, I like what it has done to expand into the PC market, but I use it almost exclusively for console and handheld games. There are some titles I check out, play for a while, and if I do not like it, I send it right back to get the next game on my list. There was one game I received with decent reviews, but I did not like my experience with it. I sent it back to Gamefly and did not have to lose out on dropping $40 on it if I purchased at retail. Gamefly saved me money in that instance and I am sure other gamers have similar tales.
I am a fan of consoles and handhelds because those are how I got into gaming. I started with the Nintendos and then moved to Sony and Microsoft. I regularly play games on my PS3 and PC equally, but if the Next Xbox and PlayStation 4 restrict or outright bar used games, I do not think I will pick one up. My Gamefly subscription will then drop to the lowest possible fee just so I can continue using it for the PC games. This crackdown or war on used games is bad for business. Online passes are bad for business. The mere thought of shutting out a revenue stream or even gamers should not be on the agenda of Sony, Microsoft, EA, Activision, and any other company talking or implementing features to restrict used game sales.
Feel free to voice your opinion in our newsletter discussion thread.
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Orcs Must Die! 2 Due this Summer
One of the smash hits last year was Orcs Must Die! This action-strategy game pitted you against wave upon wave of orcs intent on escape. At your disposal were some weapons, spells, and a variety of traps. It was your job to kill the orcs and rack up points, but was sadly just a one player affair. However, all of that will soon change when Orcs Must Die! 2 launches this summer. Robot Entertainment is adding in co-op play, a new campaign, more enemies, more defenses, a redesigned upgrade system, and allowing you to buy new items based on how you play. Orcs Must Die! 2 only allows for two players, but that should be more than enough to slay the orcs. The sequel picks up right after the first game and the War Mage is joined by a new, if questionable, ally in the Sorceress, an ex-War Mage responsible for the destruction of the Order.
Owners of the first game will unlock special content in the sequel, and PAX East attendees will be able to check it out this weekend. Orcs Must Die! 2 will launch exclusively on the PC.
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Bethesda Announcement on the Way - First Skyrim DLC?
Today is rumor central around here, and this time we may have something for a game. Bethesda Game Studios may be gearing up to release some The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim DLC later this month, and something for RAGE as well. Posting on Twitter, Bethesda's Pete Hines said for Skyrim and RAGE fans to "stay tuned" for some "cool news and surprises." For Skyrim, that would point towards a DLC pack, maybe something with the registered Redguard or Dawnguard name. The DLC, if it does come out in April, would be exclusive to the Xbox 360 for the first 30 days, so odds are PC and PS3 gamers will not see the content until the middle of May at the earliest. As for RAGE, well, John Carmack and id Software did say mod tools and a 64-bit version are still on the way, so perhaps we will get one or both of those.
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Capri: The Game to Ease Rush Hour and Award Players
Getting stuck in rush hour is never fun. Waiting for a chance to inch forward is not only hard on you but it is hard on the environment as fuel is still being used. Researchers in Bangalore and Singapore have studied the possibility of using a game to remove commuters from rush hour, and Stanford University is not running just such a game.
Congestion And Parking Relief Incentives, or Capri, is Stanford’s attempt to get people to come in during off-peak hours by giving them the opportunity to get a reward. The way our minds work with rewards is not always logical. If the program just gave a person ten cents every time they came in when before or after rush hour, no one would change their routine, but if you are entered to win a larger prize, suddenly there is interest. This raffle effect has been extensively studied in the past and is at the heart of Capri. Using a special ID tag on a car’s windshield, scanners can record every time a participant enters the campus during off-peak hours, and this equates to an entry in a raffle. The exact reward for the raffle is something the researchers are going to play around with, as they look for the optimal amount.
Capri is not just targeting rush hour though, as parking in less used areas is a way to enter. The idea is to shift traffic away from the most frequented parking areas, so people will spend less time driving around looking for an opening, or waiting for someone to leave.
Not everyone at Stanford can enter the Capri program though, as people who live on campus or are already required to come in on off-peak hours, would have an unfair advantage. That still leaves some 12,000 drivers eligible though, which could make quite a dent in the regions CO2 emissions, not to mention people’s wallets. Less gasoline used means less gasoline bought.
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Next Xbox Requires Active Internet Connection, Packs Blu-Ray Drive
Reports from anonymous tipsters keep pouring in about the next consoles, and this is no different. Another anonymous source (maybe the same on the PS4 rumors) has told VG247 the Next Xbox will require an active Internet connection at all times and use a Blu-ray drive. The Blu-ray drive coincides with earlier reports, but also goes against another, but the always-on Internet echoes the PS4 rumor. The Internet requirement is billed as an anti-piracy measure, although I am sure it could also prevent used games. The Next Xbox will also have Kinect built directly into the console, with enough hardware to power it all. The source said the system will have a "four or six" core CPU and two AMD GPUs, but it will not be anything like a Crossfire system. The two GPUs are said to work independently of each other and can generate content at the same time, with performance of each similar to an AMD 7000 card. Earlier reports said the Next Xbox would use an AMD HD 6670, so once again a conflict arises.
The Next Xbox would ship in the 2013 holiday season, potentially after Sony launches the PlayStation 4.
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Smart 'Sand' For Copying Shapes
Want to read about a magic trick? I present to you a box, and in it is what just appears to be sand. If I pick up a handful, it will run through my fingers. Now would someone please give me an object, any object will do. I will just bury this in the sand, and with a press of a button and a little patience, I will pull out not only your object (thank you very much) but an exact or scaled up duplicate, made of sand.
Even without calling it a magic trick, this may seem like one, but researchers at MIT are working to make it real. Presently we do not have the technology to fit a self-sculpting system into a grain of sand, but the researchers did make centimeter wide cubes that do the trick. Within each cube is a small microprocessor with 32 KB of program code and 2 KB of working memory, and four electropermanent magnets. (Unlike electromagnets, electropermanent magnets keep their magnetism, or lack thereof, after power is shut off.) Due to size limitations, the cubes can only duplicate two dimensional structures, but the researchers found the algorithm for 2D duplication works in three dimensions as well, by stacking layers.
After an object is placed in amongst the sand or cubes, the devices can start polling each other, to identify their neighbors. If a device cannot find a neighbor on each side, then it must be on the edge of the container or the object I buried. This information allows the devices to create a map of the shape, which is then transmitted far enough away so a duplicate can be made without intersecting the original shape. The electropermanent magnets are used to hold together the devices that make the duplicate, as well as transfer information between the devices.
Someday we may see smart sand out there, but for now more work has to be done to miniaturize the technology. Until then, I will have to find a different act for my magic show.
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PlayStation 4 Slated to Launch Before Next Xbox, According to Report
It was not all that long ago when Sony announced it would be the last to announce a next-gen console. Now, things may have changed as another anonymous source told VG247 the PlayStation 4 will launch before the Next Xbox. The tipster said the design goals of the PS4 were set "at least" two years and Sony is "confident" the system will ship before Microsoft's next console, with both scheduled for a holiday 2013 release. The tipster also said select partners (Ubisoft was mentioned specfically) have known about the PS4 and are working on software for the system. Parts of the PlayStation Vita hardware were redesigned in order to provide more interaction between it and the PS4. The source said the Vita's analog sticks and touchscreen can be used as a controller for the PS4, much like the Wii U and its tablet/controller.
More developers will be pulled into the PS4 circle by the end of this year, with some scheduled to meet this summer. The PlayStation 4 is expected to utilize AMD hardware instead of the Cell processor, which would mean the PS4 uses DirectX. If that is true, the development of PS4 games would essentially be the same as PC and Xbox games, which should make everyone happy. Sony and Microsoft are both expected to announce new consoles at E3 this year, even though earlier reports said otherwise. All of this is just rumor, so take from it what you will.
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Bringing Plasmonics to Semiconductors
Electronics have dominated technology for decades but this reign may soon end as the coming technologies of spintronics, plasmonics, and quantum computers are developed. Of course, some of these technologies can be integrated with electronics, to give us the best of both worlds. Published in the Optical Society of America’s Optical Materials Express journal is research that will greatly aid in bringing plasmonics to modern semiconductor technology.
Plasmonics use quasiparticles called plasmons in a similar way to how electronics use electrons. Plasmons are actually an electron and photon coupled together with new properties. For example, a photon cannot be any smaller than half of its wavelength, but when in a plasmon, it can be 100 times smaller. This allows an optical signal to travel along nanoscale paths, like electrons do, but requires far less energy to do so reliably.
To create a plasmon, researchers have to shine a laser onto a piece of metal, and normally they use gold or silver, with silver being the best choice. Unfortunately, neither of these materials interacts well with semiconductors, so plasmonics-electronic hybrid technologies are not a possibility using them. The research in the journal though discusses using titanium nitride, a ceramic material, for the creation of plasmons. This material is already used in electronics as a barrier, so it will play nice with semiconductors, unlike the metals.
Of course if the material is not very good at producing plasmons or transmitting them, then this would be useless. This is not the case though. The researchers find titanium nitride has as strong of plasmonics capabilities as gold, with silver still in the lead. However, only pure silver is superior, and pure silver films are easily degraded in the air, making them less potent.
This is a very important discovery for the future of plasmonics, as it may bring them to the world much sooner. Titanium nitride may also prove useful in the creation of metamaterials too, which also take advantage of plasmons. Pure silver would still be the choice for invisibility cloaks, but metamaterials can do more than just hide things.
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Lian Li Announces Two New Cases
Lian Li has announced two new cases that will be part of the Q Series, the PC-Q12 and PC-Q18. Both cases are designed around the small form factor mini-ITX motherboards. The PC-Q12 can hold four 2.5" hard drives while having dimensions of just 3.46” x 14.37” x 8.19”. The small dimensions do limit other areas, and video cards and internal optical drives are a no go. However, an external slim optical drive can be clipped to the back of the case. A 300W 80-Plus PSU and 80mm fan are included. The case will be available in both black and silver and will have an MSRP of $159.99.
The PC-Q18 features four hot swappable 3.5" hard drive bays and a bottom cage capable of holding an additional two 3.5" or three 2.5" drives. The PC-Q18 is larger than the PC-Q12, at 7.83” x 11.42” x 14.37”, and is able to hold a bit more hardware as a result. A single 5.25" slot is available, and video cards up to 13.39" in length will also fit. A CPU cooler up to 6.3" will add to the cooling power of the two included 140mm fans. The PC-Q18 is also available in both black and silver and shares an MSRP of $159.99.
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TFE Transistors Closer to Replacing Modern Transistors
There is a rapidly approaching wall in computer technology. According to Moore’s Law the number of transistors on a chip will double every two years, but according to physics, this cannot continue indefinitely. Transistors can be thought of as a wall that an electric signal will either jump over or be stopped by. This design has worked well for a long time now, but is not very efficient. Energy is leaking out and when you have millions or billions of transistors all near each other, it builds up as heat, which then impairs performance.
A potential solution to this problem is to change that wall so that electrons cannot jump over it, but instead tunnel through it. Tunneling Field Effect Transistors (TFETs) use quantum tunneling to achieve the same effect as modern transistors, but should require far less power. As of yet though, TFETs are still less efficient than modern transistors, but work research from the University of Notre Dame and Pennsylvania State University are closing the gap. In fact, the researchers believe that TFETs will be ready when modern transistors have hit their limit.
Though quantum mechanical effects are fairly complicated, to produce TFETs will not be difficult for the computer industry. These devices can be made using current methods and tunneling is already used in some electronics, such as flash drives.
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Say Goodbye to the Start Button in Windows 8
Despite numerous complaints with the Start button's absence in the Windows 8 Consumer Preview, it appears that Microsoft will still push through with excluding it in the final retail version. Sources indicate that the latest build's reliance on the new UI was comfortable when used with touch-based controls, but remains a cumbersome experience for a regular desktop-based user. Most of the gripes stemmed from an unintuitive interface that left desktop users guessing on how to navigate the new Metro UI.
Microsoft's Tami Reller, CFO and marketing head for Windows and its Windows Live Division also confirmed that the ubiquitous Start Button as officially non-existent on the upcoming OS. Desktop users will instead be provided with a tutorial aimed at familiarizing themselves with the new commands of the OS, so that they won't feel "lost when they first encounter the product."
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Raidmax Announces Raptor Case
Raidmax has announced a new case, the Raptor, that is designed to accommodate both ATX and m-ATX motherboards. The case features a unique airfoil design modeled after the back of a sports car. The translucent fins allow for users to see the LED fans spinning and lighting up. The case will be available in both red and black, and blue and black color configurations. The modular HDD cage allows for the installation of five 3.5" or 2.5" hard drives, and the cage can be removed to accommodate video cards up to 430mm in length. Three 5.25" drives can also be installed, and all drives feature tool less installation. The case also has three rubber holes on the back panel to easily route water cooling tubing to the external part of the case. Four 120mm fans are included, and there is space for an additional fan at the front of the case. The front I/O panel has connections for one USB 3.0 port, two USB 2.0 ports, adjustable controls for both fan speed and LED brightness, and audio out and microphone in. It will be available in the USA and Canada in May at a MSRP of $99.99.
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