Sapphire HD 7970 Vapor-X GHZ Edition Review
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Silicone to Protect Silicon Solar Cells
A small peeve of mine, which does not come up often, fortunately, is people flipping silicon and silicone. Silicon is a semiconducting element while silicone is a polymer comprised of multiple elements. You would never use silicone to make a CPU and silicon oven mitts would not work well, but we may soon be finding both in solar cells. Researchers at the Fraunhofer Center for Sustainable Energy Systems have discovered that laminating silicon solar cells with silicone makes them more resilient.
Because silicon is so fragile, solar cells are laminated with ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) to protect them. Different material offer different levels of protection, so the researchers decided to test silicone, with the help of Dow Corning Corporation. It turns out silicone does a very good job of protecting the cells, even at temperatures as low as -40 ºC.
While the laminate may not greatly impact the efficiency of a solar cell, they do have a major impact on if a design is economically viable. The cells are already expensive, so any means to protect them from damage is immediately valuable and can even reduce costs. Some of the thickness of the silicon is there for strength but if the laminate can assume that role, less silicon can be used, which will drop the price.
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PowerColor Unveils the Devil 13 HD 7990 - First Video Card with Two Tahiti XT Cores
PowerColor, one of the leading AMD video card manufacturers, has taken the wraps off its newest creation, and this one is a monster. The Devil 13 HD 7990 video card has just been unveiled by PowerColor, which packs two Tahiti XT cores onto one PCB. This is effectively a 7970x2 video card, one that is designed to handle the demand of the latest video games. Each core runs at 925MHz stock but can be boosted to 1000MHz with a press of the dual BIOS button. The 6GB of GDDR5 memory comes in at 1375MHz (5500MHz effective). The Devil 13 is built to stay cool with its three fans and ten heat pipes wicking away any heat. The card features a 12+2+2 power phase design, along with digital PWM, super cap, UHB, and PowerIRstage in order to keep everything running nice and stable.
The PowerColor Devil 13 HD 7990 needs three 8-pin PCIe power cables and a minimum 850W power supply to keep you gaming long into the night. The rear of the card features a DualLink DVI-I port, a SingleLink DVI-D, HDMI, and two miniDisplayPorts. The HDMI and miniDP outputs are capable of 4096x2160 resolution, so you can play games in 4K provided you have the proper TV. The card also features CrossfireX support, but considering it comes in at a little over 5.5" wide and 12.4" long, I hope you have an E-ATX motherboard for the pair.
Included with every Devil 13 HD 7990 is the Wiha Tool Kit and PowerColor PowerJack, which is an 11 piece set of screwdrivers to fix any machine and a support bracket to keep the card from bending, respectively. There was no mention of a price or release date for the Devil 13, but hopefully we find out both soon.
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Study of Stealth Gameplay Trailer Launches for Dishonored
Bethesda and Arkane Studios have slowly been showing off different aspects of Dishonored, the upcoming supernatural assassin game. We have seen videos on the possible ways to approach a target, a few creative ways to eliminate enemies, and even how to escape if things go poorly. Today we have another video on Dishonroed, but this one shows off how the stealth system works in the game. There are many different ways to play Dishonored, however this video highlights the stealthy approach for those who prefer it. You will need to remain out of sight to avoid detection, but luckily the Dark Vision power will allow you to see where the enemies are looking. Darkness and silence can be your ally in the game, so make sure to blow out any candles and move slowly to keep hidden. Patience will most certainly be a virtue for the stealth approach, but it looks to be a highly rewarding playstyle.
Dishonored arrives on October 9 in North America, October 11 in Australia, and October 12 in Europe for the PC, PS3, and 360.
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Frankenstein Lives! (As Malware)
Frankenstein or The Modern Prometheus is a classic story in which a doctor creates life through technology in the form of a creature assembled from the parts of dead men. While this biological idea exists only in fiction, researchers have recently used it to craft a very ingenious piece of malware.
The Frankenstein malware is a simple program that on its own, is not a threat, but one it is exposed to other programs, it can become quite malicious. You see it takes gadgets from software and assembles it into a monster which will then wreak havoc on your computer. As it uses gadgets from safe programs, it has the potential to get around anti-malware software which is not able to recognize it as dangerous. Also it will differ from machine to machine because the computers' installed software will be different.
Just as Victor Frankenstein had the knowledge of the human body to guide him though, so too does the Frankenstein malware have a blueprint, and this may be what enables a defense to it. The blueprints tell it what kinds of gadgets it will need, along with the ultimate goal of the malware. Anti-malware software that monitors the actions of software, instead of just searching for malicious code, may still stand a chance at catching and defeating Frankenstein.
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Journey into Star Wars Hell in this Star Wars 1313 Web Documentary
GameSpot has posted a new web documentary for Star Wars 1313, entitled "Descent to the Underworld". In the video, some of the designers and artists working on the game describe the game's seedy environment, and aside from some gameplay, we get glimpses of some rather impressive concept art, including one showing off "a city on the floor and a city on the ceiling." If you'd like to see more, you can also check out the gameplay trailer posted last week.
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PlayStation 4 to Support 4K Resolutions, According to Report
When rumored details on the PlayStation 4 emerged this past March, one of the capabilities was resolution support up to 4096x2160 for games. Nothing much was heard since then, until a new report emerged saying Sony's PlayStation 4 will indeed support 4K resolutions. The idea is for the 4K support to help drive sales of 4K TV sets, like the upcoming Sony XBR TVs. This is similar to Sony pushing Blu-ray and 3DTVs by way of the PS3, so it would make sense to do the same with the PS4. I do not know what kind of a sales push it will have until 4K TVs drop below the $10,000 threshold, so this goal will have to be a far-reaching one. Games and movies in 4K will look stunning, but the technology will need to be affordable for everyone first. This is all just unconfirmed reports until Sony reveals solid details on the PS4, but it would make sense for the upcoming system to be ready for the future.
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Moon Spider Studio Announces Platformer Racing Puzzle Game, Harold
There are quite a few platformer racing games, but Moon Spider Studio's debut title is a bit different. In Harold, players don't actually control the character racing, but rather a guardian angel tasked with guiding him. As title character Harold's guardian angel, "players will be able to manipulate the environment around Harold in a variety of ways, giving him access to a number of different paths and race advantages, while simultaneously sabotaging the course for Harold’s opponents."
Harold will be released on the PC and consoles in 2013. You can watch the debut trailer below, as well as enjoy a few screenshots.
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Evercool Launches Silent Shark Fan SSF12
Evercool has announced the release of a new cooling fan, the Silent Shark Fan SSF12. The 120mm fan features fan blades that resemble the fins of its namesake, the shark. In addition to looking cool, the fin design provides high air pressure and airflow. The fan is adjustable for noise and for performance allowing users to tailor it to their specific needs. The inclusion of Ever Lubricate bearings will help to keep the fan running for up to 40,000 hours.
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Microsoft Debuts New Logo for First Time in 25 Years
The familiar Microsoft logo that has greeted Windows users for the past 25 years has received a face lift at long last. Microsoft unveiled its new logo today and said "now is the perfect time for a change." New versions of virtually all Microsoft products will launch this year and the company wants to present a unified look for all of them. From Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 to Xbox servies and the new Office, everything will have a similar look and feel to make you feel at home. The new products represent a new era for Microsoft, and it wants an updated image to welcome everything.
Microsoft's new logo eschews the curved and titled tiles of the old for a perfect square composed of the colored tiles. The font used is different as well, as Microsoft has opted for the Segoe font, which appears in its products and marketing material. Three Microsoft stores have already been upgraded with the new logo, while the other stores will change over the next few months. It will also appear at the end of every Microsoft television ad throughout the world, and of course, on all Microsoft products. The old logo may still appear from time to time as the folks in Redmond convert everything, but for the most part it will be all new from here on out.
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I Am Alive Coming to PC September 13, Despite Earlier Claims Otherwise
When survival horror game I Am Alive was in development, word came that a PC version would not be released. When PC gamers started complaining and wonering why, Ubisoft of course blamed piracy, saying it wouldn't be worth the time and money. Now comes the surprise announcement that a PC version is indeed coming, and soon – September 13, to be exact. I Am Alive received mixed reviews when it launched on Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network earlier in the year, but the PC version isn't a mere port. Ubisoft claims the PC version has been enhanced with improved visuals, as well as two new game modes: "Easy" allows infinite retries and a "smoother introduction" to the game, while "Replay" lets players go back and play through previous levels in order to uncover secrets they may have missed.
A lot of sites are blasting Ubisoft for being hypocrites, treating PC gamers like dirt, etc. I'm not sure those claims are entirely warranted, but the announcement certainly comes as a surprise. One thing that may make it easier to stomach is the price tag – I Am Alive will be available on Steam, UbiShop, and other digital distributors for a mere $15. The PC announcement trailer can be viewed below.
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New 2D Material Discovered
Graphene is a fairly common topic in the science news sources I monitor, because this two dimensional material has many unique properties, which researchers want to understand. Of course, it is not actually two dimensional, but at just one atom thick, it is as close as you can get. Sadly one glaring issue with graphene is its lack of a band gap, which is required for making transistors. Now a slightly thicker two dimensional material has been found, and it does have that band gap.
Actually the material, molybdenum disulfide (MoS2), has been known about for a long time, but it was only last year that its 2D form was made at EPFL. As you can tell by its chemical formula though, it is a compound made of molecules, unlike graphene which is made of atoms. This makes it slightly thicker than graphene, but at just one molecule thick it still behaves as though it were two dimensional.
Researchers at MIT have successfully used MoS2 to create several basic electronic devices including a NAND gate and memory device, thanks to its band gap. Potentially this material, which could prove easy to manufacture as it is already mass produced but not in a 2D form, could be used in displays, walls, and clothes.
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Borderlands Demake Now Available to Play in Your Browser
There is a certain undeniable charm associated with classic video games. I mean ones from the eight and 16-bit era when graphics had not truly recognized rounded edges or 3D models. Modern video games have a lot more to them, but if you have wondered what a modern game would look like in 16-bit graphics, wonder no more. Gearbox Software has unveiled a demake of Borderlands that lets you play a top-down, 16-bit version directly in your browser. Called The Border Lands, everything is controled with the arrow keys and space bar as you see Pandora in a completely different light. Gearbox wants you to journey back to 1989 to play the "original" game and see how it all started. I imagine a lot of time will be spent in The Border Lands, and should have you ready to go in the modern game's sequel on September 18.
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Removing Energy Loss in the Power Grid with New Material
Minimizing energy loss is an important goal for many fields, especially electronics. To just transmit power along a power grid can result in a 10% energy loss, or more, so researchers are working to find ways to fix this. A common focus is on superconductors, which carry electrical currents without resistance, but researchers at RIKEN and the University of Tokyo have demonstrated a magnetic topological insulator that can also reduce energy loss to zero.
The quantum Hall effect has been used to create lossless electric channels before, but typically requires extremely powerful magnetic fields to do so. What the researchers have done is use the quantum anomalous Hall effect in a magnetic topological insulator to do the same thing, but without an external magnetic field. This effect arises in those materials because of the interaction between magnetic ions and the particles that actually carry the current through the material, Dirac fermions, which acts as though they have no mass.
This research was just a proof of concept for using the magnetic topological insulators like this and required the material by at extremely cold temperatures. However, by redesigning the material to make its magnetic properties more stable, it should be possible to reach higher temperatures that do not require cryogenic cooling.
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Steam Now Offering Sleeping Dogs Demo
Sleeping Dogs is turning out to be an outstanding game in its own right, but what if you're still undecided if it's worth your time and money? Square Enix has got you covered with the Sleeping Dogs demo that's now out on Steam. The PC version is obviously the best-looking compared to its console counterparts, and the demo gives players a vivid taste of the digitized Hong Kong metropolis that even has some slow motion gunplay thrown in for good measure. Buying the full version is well worth the $50, as the devs have lined up some Sleeping Dogs content in the next six months, starting next week on Steam with the 80′s-inspired Retro Triad Pack. While the game looks absolutely cutting edge thanks to its DirectX 11 support, folks with modest PC hardware can still run Sleeping Dogs easily.
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