IOGear Chimera M2 - Wired/Wireless Dual Mode Mouse Review
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SteamBoy Resurfaces as SMACH Z, the World's First Handheld Steam Machine; Kickstarter Now Live
Depending on how good your memory is, you may recall an intriguing teaser during E3 2014 for a handheld device running SteamOS called SteamBoy. I hadn't heard much since my email correspondence shortly thereafter divulged a few more details, but now that all changes. Earlier today, a Kickstarter campaign launched for the world's first handheld Steam Machine, rebranded the SMACH Z.
The SMACH Z is powered by AMD's latest generation of Embedded G-Series SoC with a "Jaguar"-based CPU and GCN-based Radeon graphics containing 2GB of dedicated GPU RAM. The base model will feature 4GB of system RAM and up to 64GB of internal memory if a €1M Stretch Goal is reached (otherwise 32GB), while the PRO model will feature 8GB of system RAM and 128GB of internal memory. Both versions will handle expansion in the way of MicroSD, have a 5" touch screen at 720p or 1080p, depending on whether the latter's €1.25M Stretch Goal is reached, and feature USB 3.0 type C, configurable tactile gamepads, HDMI video output, and Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity. The PRO model will also support 4G mobile network connectivity and contain a front-camera. And while you'll obviously need a network connection on install the games, a network connection isn't required to play Steam games in offline mode, giving this a leg up on the NVIDIA SHIELD's GameStreaming functionality. That being said, you can also stream games from your PC over Wi-Fi if you're in your home network, thus taking advantage of your PC's likely beefier specs. All this with a promised five hours of battery life, with the option of doubling it by adding an extra battery that attaches to the back.
The layout of the device is "similar to the official Steam Controller, making use of two touch pads, a joystick, 4 action face buttons, 4 trigger buttons and 2 additional action buttons in the rear-back." But what's even cooler is the addition of what the team is calling Magic Z-Pads. Magic Z-Pads are adapters that attach to either touch pad, allowing you to configure the device to fit your needs or relive precious retro memories. That's right - along with the basic joystick, face buttons, and d-pad, there will also be Retro Magic Z-Pads available separately that feature such classic layouts like the GameCube, Genesis, and more. Imagine playing emulators on-the-go with the proper button configurations! If a €1.5M Stretch Goal is reached, the SMACH Z will ship with "plenty emulators ready to use." There's also a built-in accelerometer and gyroscope, giving you additional control methods.
The standard pledge starts at €299 (~$325 USD) for the vanilla version and €499 (~$487 USD) for the PRO, with several Early Bird options available as well. There are various tiers that offer additional items, such as an extra battery, Magic Z-Pads, a carrying case, and more; but as of the time of this writing, there is no mention of whether those things will be available as separate add-ons at all tier levels. I am guessing this is simply an oversight by the SMACH Team during all the excitement surrounding the launch of the campaign, so expect those optional accessories to appear as add-ons before the campaign ends. And speaking of, the campaign ends on Wednesday, January 15, 2016 at 12:05PM EST. That's more than a month to scrounge up the cash.
Source: Press Release and Kickstarter
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Grand Theft Auto Online Adds New Adversary Mode
Rockstar has announced the addition of a new Adversary Mode for Grand Theft Auto Online on the PC, PS4, and Xbox One called Every Bullet Counts. In this new mode, four players are each equipped with a Marksman Pistol and two bullets. Simple math dictates that you won't be able to eliminate all three of your opponents using the pistol and you are therefore left to hope for some help eliminating the competition or utilizing "crafty melee attacks with your Hatchet or Machete to make it out alive." Players are encouraged to stay on the move as idling for more than five seconds will cause your location to appear on the map for your opponents to see. Rockstar will be holding a stream on both YouTube and Twitch on Friday at 5PM EST to demonstrate the new mode with some yet to be announced guests.
Source: Rockstar Games
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Intel Skull Canyon NUC Could be Available Soon
The Next Unit of Computing (NUC) is Intel's entry into the small form factor prebuilt system market, and having just recently bought one I find it to be a great system for the price. Unfortunately, currently available NUCs rely on sub par integrated graphics and aren't the best choice for gaming systems. According to a leaked PDF obtained by CMT Labs, Intel is looking to change that with Skull Canyon powered NUCs in Q1 2016, providing the most powerful NUC graphics option to date. The Skull Canyon system would "boost the present Iris Graphics 540's potential by 50 per cent on a clock-for-clock basis, pushing potential throughput to over 1TFLOPS for the first time." If anyone out there is looking to buy a small form factor system in the near future, it might be worth waiting a little while to see if Intel delivers on the rumors.
Source: Hexus
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Internet Access Makes Us Doubt Our Knowledge
It is not uncommon for someone to pull out a smartphone or use a computer to quickly check some small fact. Is it possible that this use of the Internet is actually reducing our confidence in what we know? According to researchers at the University of Waterloo, this may just be the case.
The researchers performed a study where they asked two groups of people if they knew the answer to general-knowledge questions. One of the groups was allowed access to the Internet, and if they said they did not know the answer they were to look it up, while the other did not have access. Those in the group with Internet access were 5% more likely to report not knowing the answer, and in some cases even said they knew less than those without access.
The researchers suggest two possible answers, with the first being that Internet access makes us less acceptable for saying we know something, only to be wrong. The second is that we make choices to receive the reward of finding the answer when we do an Internet search, including doubting what we know.
Source: University of Waterloo
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Hardware Roundup: Wednesday, December 9, 2015, Edition
December is rolling along, as is the reviews we have for you. We have a review on the HIS R9 380X IceQ X2 Turbo video card, featuring a custom cooler and factory overclock to help you reach a new level in your games. There is another look at Corsair's new Carbide 600C case, sporting a different style than most others on the market and potentially appealing to many people. The Tt eSPORTS Cronos AD Gaming Headset gets put to the test to find out if this should be your next audio upgrade. Wrapping things up is a look at the Radeon Technologies Group Update 2016, covering FreeSync over HDMI and HDR.
Video Cards
HIS R9 380X IceQ X2 Turbo @ Madshrimps
Radeon Technologies Group Update 2016: FreeSync and HDR @ PC Perspective
Cases
Corsair Carbide 600C @ TechSpot
Speakers/Headphones
Tt eSPORTS Cronos AD Gaming Headset @ ThinkComputers
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Seeing Nanoscale Features with Optical Microscopes
There are many important steps to the production of computer chips, including inspection of the chips to check on any defects. As the features on the chips reach ever smaller sizes though, new techniques are necessary for inspecting them, and some of these are hard to implement in a production line. Ideally optical microscopes would be used, because they can very quickly examine an object and now researchers at NIST have found a way to make that possible.
Due to the wavelength of light there is a limit on how small a feature can be resolved, and with visible light having wavelengths in the hundreds of nanometers it cannot be used to see the ten nanometer features on a chip. However, light will still scatter when it strikes these miniscule features and instead of ignoring this scattering, the NIST method captures that scattered light and uses it to build a picture. Scatterfield imaging works similar to CT scans by taking slices of interfering light waves and processing them into images. It also benefits from knowing what it may be looking at, so it can compare what it captures against a modeled version.
So far this method has been able to measure features on a wafer some 30 times smaller than the light's 450 nm wavelength. Next the researchers want to translate this method to ultraviolet wavelengths, which will be able to see features as small as 5 nm.
Source: NIST
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COUGAR Attack X3 Arrives for Gamers
COUGAR is a leading brand in eSports and computer peripherals, and the company is looking to maintain its status with the arrival of the Attack X3 mechanical gaming keyboard. The keyboard features the standard components and features that other gaming keyboards enjoy, such as N-Key Rollover capabilities, a 1000Hz polling rate, and Cherry MX mechanical switches, but is unique in multiple ways. The first unique quality of the COUGAR Attack X3 is its ability to function with the COUGAR UIX System, which allows gamers to configure up to ten macro keys and define the function of any key. The onboard memory is capable of storing these settings, allowing gamers to take their configurations with them wherever they choose to play. The second unique quality of the Attack X3 by COUGAR is its aluminum frame that covers the keyboard and provides an elegant design, especially in conjunction with the strong red backlights.
The COUGAR Attack X3 is scheduled to be released this month in the European Union, while United States customers will have to wait until the first quarter of next year to purchase the gaming peripheral.
Source: Press Release
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Available Tags:Steam , Intel , Hardware , Gamers ,
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