Apple's new 15-inch MacBook Pro features AMD Radeon R9 M370X GPU
Apple has unveiled its new 15-inch MacBook Pro with refreshed internals and Force Touch technology, as well as a new 5K-capable iMac. The addition of Force Touch technology on the new 15-inch MacBook Pro allows it to join the league of the 13-inch MacBook Pro that Apple unveiled not too long ago with its impressive new trackpad.
The new iMac features a 5K Retina panel, and starting at $1999 you'll get a quad-core Intel Core i5 processor at 3.3GHz. The refreshed iMac features a beautiful 5120x2880 resolution, which packs 67% more pixels than 4K at 3840x2160. Inside, there'll be 8GB of RAM and 1TB of storage, joined by four USB 3.0 ports and two Thunderbolt 2 ports that provide up to an insane 20Gbps, each.
Apple is making the new 15-inch MacBook Pro and 5K-capable iMac available on the Apple Online Store and Apple's retail stores throughout select countries.
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Jay-Z defends Tidal, while ripping Apple, Google, Spotify in freestyle
During a concert featuring rare songs, Jay-Z also took the time to rip into Tidal competitors, with jabs thrown at Apple, Spotify and Google. Tidal, which features a $20 per month subscription that is double the cost of most of its rivals, has drawn extreme criticism - and music fans aren't ready to spend the extra money.
"You bought nine iPhones and Steve Jobs is rich...
Phil Knight is worth millions, you still bought them kicks
Spotify is nine million, they ain't s**t"
"Jimmy Iovine offered a safety net
Google dangle 'round a crazy check
I feel like YouTube is the biggest culprit
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Autonomous vehicle evolution could lead to even longer commute travel
Autonomous vehicles will seemingly take over the open road one day, but no one is really sure when that will begin. However, passengers will no longer have to worry about fighting gridlock traffic, it's possible commute distances to and from work will increase.
Autonomous vehicles could change all of that in the coming years: Current standards indicate most people live about 30 minutes away from where they work, regardless of how they travel to and from the office.
"For Marchetti's constant to hold true as commuting speeds increase, these people, who currently live in the exurbs, must move even farther out," points out a recent article published on Slate. "This exodus seems especially likely given that the autonomous car commute will probably be not only faster, but also more pleasant than current options, enabling the driver to freely read, work, and eat behind the wheel."
The Audi RS 7 autonomous car reached 149 miles per hour - and a different model was able to beat a human driver on a closed track, with speeds safely reaching 120 mph.
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AMD Radeon R9 390X to include 4GB of HBM, with a reported MSRP of $849
According to the latest rumors, we should expect the Radeon R9 390X to launch with 4GB of HBM, while a dual-GPU version of the Fiji XT-based card will arrive with 8GB of HBM. For those who have been keeping up, this is a very, very interesting move, if the rumors are true. If you want to catch up on how revolutionary HBM will be, we wrote a detailed piece on High Bandwidth Memory yesterday.
The sources stated that AMD had plans to launch the Radeon R9 390X with a price of $799, but this is no longer the case. The sources also added that the R9 390X will be competing directly against the NVIDIA GeForce GTX Titan X, which launched at $999 and is still around the $999 mark on Amazon still. According to Fudzilla's sources, the HBM-powered Radeon R9 390X will win in some benchmarks, and lose in others against the GDDR5-based Titan X.
Then we have to consider the VRAM here, with the R9 390X featuring 4GB of HBM. With AMD launching a new architecture and some super-exciting, next-generation memory on it, I'm surprised to see only 4GB of VRAM. On one hand, AMD will get killed in marketing against NVIDIA and the 12GB of framebuffer found on the Titan X, but even at 4K, most games don't use over 4GB of VRAM. I would've expected AMD to launch the Radeon R9 390X in two flavors: 4GB HBM and 8GB HBM priced at $100-$150 apart. Second, the R9 395X2 will only have 4GB of VRAM - with 4GB of HBM per GPU, which can't be combined - that is, until DirectX 12 arrives with Windows 10.
We should know concrete details on the Radeon R9 390X in the next few weeks, with its launch to take place in the second half of next month.
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LG shows off 55-inch wallpaper OLED panel, just 0.97mm thick
Whatever TV you own right now, it's not as thin as LG's latest 55-inch wallpaper OLED panel, something the company just presented at its media event.
LG also took some time during its media event to showcase a new convex OLED panel that can be used for digital signage for large-scaling outdoor advertising. The South Korean electronics giant has also pushed for production of the OLED as its next big thing, with the advanced display shrinking TVs down, while making them lighter, as it "emits light itself based on the electric current without a backlight unit, unlike the liquid crystal display (LCD)", reports The Korea Times.
The head of LG Display's OLED division, Yeo Sang-deog, said that he plans to increase OLED production from Q3 2015 to a "substantial level that can meet clients' demand". He told reporters at the press conference: "We should be able to supply a satisfactory volume to our clients from July or August, which means we're hoping to buckle down production as well as promotion from the third quarter".
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If gamers want Japanese RPGs for the Xbox One, just keep asking
Phil Spencer, head of the Xbox division at Microsoft, has advice for Xbox One gamers interested in Japanese role-playing games (JRPGs): just keep asking for them.
@Stevo_safc It's a good and fair question. Keep asking until we show you something you like. I can't share specific plans now, sorry.
- Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) May 15, 2015
In late 2014, Spencer promised that gamers "will see JRPGs on Xbox One," but didn't offer additional details. However, gamers have asked for titles similar to Lost Odyssey, Blue Dragon, and other popular JPRGs - though have been disappointed with a lack of adequate game titles.
The Xbox One has been available in Japan since last September, but the console has been largely unable to compete against the Sony PlayStation 4. If there is enough gamer demand, expect to see some popular JRPGs hit the Xbox One in the future - especially if console owners remain vocal.
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Swiss researchers develop pocket-sized, origami-inspired drone
Researchers are working on a new drone that is able to automatically unfold itself and quickly go airborne, with the compact and foldable drone ideally suited for emergency first response. The custom quadcopter drone is able to launch in less than one second, and is easily transportable since it's the size of the palm of your hand.
"You can take it out of the box, switch on the motor, and it's ready to fly," said Dr. Stefano Mintchev, professor of robotics at Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne, in a statement to LiveScience.
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Energy drink companies turning to gamers to help boost sales
It's no secret that PC and console gamers tend to love energy drinks, guzzling the highly caffeinated drinks to extend gaming sessions. Traditional energy drinks are under increased scrutiny due to deaths and medical issues suffered by binge-drinking the sugary and caffeinated drinks - with some companies releasing what they say are healthier alternatives.
"Sales of caffeinated energy drinks have grown dramatically without adequate consideration of the cumulative intake of caffeine by teens and adolescents and, due to the law governing food additives, without any premarket review by FDA," said Michael Taylor, deputy commissioner for foods and veterinary medicine at the FDA.
Companies such as Monster, Red Bull and Rock Star are no longer marketing their products to children younger than 12 years old, due to dangerous health effects. However, it's still open season on marketing to teenagers, with government regulators and researchers concerned about a lack of understanding regarding energy drinks.
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Logitech rakes in another seven design awards
As seen in its latest press release, Logitech boasted another seven awards to add to the trophy shelves alongside another 43 in the last 16 months alone.
Logitech's CEO is obviously quote pleased with this achievement, commenting "our hard work is paying off," adding "Logitech strives to be a leading company in technology, but one with design at its core. Our goal is to bring products to market that consumers love."
Wondering what Logitech had to compete against? This was covered too, with the release further stating that "this year, IDA juries examined 1,000 entries from 52 countries and chose winners based on achievements in design, creativity, usability and innovation."
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Oculus teases 'Step into the Rift' event for June 11 in San Francisco
With E3 2015 just a month away now, Oculus VR has just announced a new "Step into the Rift" event for June 11 in San Francisco, where we should be introduced to the first consumer version of the Oculus Rift, CV1.
Some might remember the tag that Palmer Luckey used during the Kickstarter for the Oculus Rift, which was "Step into the Game". This new "Step into the Rift" tease is a nice throwback to the Kickstarter campaign, as we are about to learn about CV1. The unveiling of Rift CV1 is big enough that it needs its own event, so that it won't get lost in the sea of announcements during E3 2015, which runs between June 16-18.
We should expect to find out all the details on CV1 at the Step into the Rift event, which is exciting. What else will Oculus VR show off at the event, and then E3 2015 just days after, it's full steam ahead for VR and the Oculus Rift right now.
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Eye-tracking helping make virtual reality a hands-free technology
A growing number of companies want to break into virtual reality, and while most of the attention is on the Oculus VR Rift headset, there are opportunities for others in the market. One such company is FOVE, which hopes its hands-free virtual reality experience can yield an even more immersive experience.
Wilson also points out that new possibilities are opened when eye-tracking is used in VR, creating "really sensitive emotional experiences" that more closely mimic real life. The headset has two built-in cameras that are able to track eye movement - scanning the eyes and tracking iris movement.
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Worries of possible lethal use from emergency robots made for military
There are a growing number of companies in the United States fighting for lucrative government contracts focused on disaster recovery. The Pentagon is hosting a multi-million-dollar competition that will have robots compete in a rigorous series of tests to gauge how developed this technology is at its current level.
Even though DARPA - and governments across the world - are developing robots that could be deployed for disaster recovery, there is some concern that autonomous robots could be used for rather devious purposes.
We want to talk to the governments about how [the robots] function and understand the human control of the targeting and attack decisions," said Mary Wareham, coordinator for the Campaign to Stop Killer Robots group, in a statement published by the Washington Post. "We want assurances that a human is in the loop."
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Innodisk pushes DRAM-less SSDs for embedded applications
Innodisk claim its featured DRAM-less SSDs not only provide users with data loss prevention when sudden power failure is at play, but that its new 3ME3 series gives you "real-world performance" as stated in the latest issued press release.
Complete with new firmware and synchronous NAND flash, these drives will reportedly achieve 10/20K Random IOPS.
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Oculus VR won't block porn content aimed at Oculus Rift owners
Rejoice! Oculus VR won't block pornography on the Rift virtual reality headset, in a change of pace from Facebook's typical stance on adult-themed content shared through the social networking website.
Even so, Facebook will still have full control of all apps and software available in the Oculus Store - but won't block third-party apps that provide porn. The decision means adult entertainment producers can create their own channels to release Rift-based porn apps if they choose to do so.
The consumer edition of the Oculus Rift is set for release during Q1 2016, available to PC users before Mac and Linux.
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Exclusive: Razer changes up RazerStore give aways due to public outcry
After the RazerStore grand opening in the Syntrend Mall in Taipei was shut down due to overcrowding and safety concerns, Razer announced a change in their give away policy for upcoming days, stating that members of the public should come dressed in Razer promotional gear or products in order to win further free things.
The overall grand opening experience was explained to us by our source as "just a lot of aunts, uncles, grandma's crowding the place up," adding that "after the day's giveaway was done some people were mad that there was nothing available." We were told that there was some very good fighting games displays later on in the day.
It certainly makes sense, we just thought you might like to know.
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Free-to-Play Gaming: is it a sustainable ecosystem?
Is F2P a sustainable ecosystem?
A resurgence in PC gaming and massive console hardware sales helped give the video game industry a much-needed boost in the past few years. PC and console gamers now can choose from a growing selection of appealing titles, and while much of the attention is on paid games, the free-to-play (F2P) segment is growing.
Even though Electronic Arts pulled the plug on Battlefield Heroes, Battlefield Play4Free, FIFA World and Need For Speed World - all freemium game titles - the studio isn't quitting the market. EA still has FIFA Online 3 and Star Wars: The Old Republic, and future freemium titles could be available.
Games such as League of Legends and Dota 2, the most popular multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game titles, are free-to-play for gamers. The titles rely on micro-transactions, and keeping the game free has helped both evolve into extremely popular titles in the booming eSports market.
As for why a studio chooses to release a game for free, there are a number of different options available. TweakTown recently spoke with Grinding Gear Games, best known for the Path of Exile online action RPG:
"Free games have much wider reach. Not everyone can afford to pay an up-front cost to play a game, but may potentially be willing to pay after enjoying the game for free for a while," said Chris Wilson, managing director at Grinding Gear Games. "We also find that even players who never purchase anything are great to have because they're the people who the paying users can show off their cosmetic purchases to."
However, there are a number of misconceptions related to free-to-play video games, especially for the PC or console. Gamers don't want to invest time into a game title only to find they are unable to access certain levels or quests because they aren't interested in breaking out the credit card.
"We find that the downside of marketing Path of Exile as free is that it's often assumed to be like contemporary 'free to play' games that have pay-to-win elements or aggressive cash shops. We prefer to let players read about the game without necessarily knowing it's free, and then that it's [a] nice surprise for them when they do try to play it."
Even if there is some controversy related to free-to-play PC games, freemium games are extremely popular for smartphones and tablets. Casual games account for almost half of all mobile games, according to the Entertainment Software Association's 2014 report - and freemium games saw an average of $0.25 spent per household every day.
It's difficult to see where free-to-play games will go in the future, but expect PC games to follow the same trend now. It's especially helpful for smaller game studios to make a name for themselves, sharing titles via Steam - helping build a following prior to other title launches.
Some developers have shown great support for the free-to-play game model, while others are careful to steer clear. There is no easy answer in an increasingly competitive gaming market, whether we're talking about mobile, PC or console gaming. I have played some enjoyable free games, while others were complete nightmares - and that's one of the great aspects of freemium games.
What freemium games have you tried recently?
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