Tech News
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Twice as many people are playing Borderlands 2 as Battleborn @ GamesRadar
Ouch
Gearbox’s Battleborn has barely been out 20 days and has already dropped its price and brought forward a free DLC character, but that hasn’t stopped it not being played very much. Head on to Steam DB and you’ll find its peak players over 24 hours currently sitting around the 4182 mark, nearly half of Borderlands 2’s 8057, which was also from Gearbox.
In the latest episode of the Hardware Asylum Podcast I talk briefly about Borderlands 3 and touch on the Battleborn Beta. Overall I wasn't impressed with Battleborn mostly because I couldn't figure out what it was supposed to be. The Gearbox marketing didn't help either so I'm 100% not surprised that *nobody* is playing it.
Overwatch on the other hand, looks interesting but I have no plans to put money down on the game so even though it is TF2 inspired I'd prolly fire up TF2 instead.
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Toshiba OCZ RD400 PCIe (M.2. NVMe) 512GB SSD Review @ Guru3D
The natural progression in the computer hardware world is to make things faster. Many average users a quick to forget this fact and really don't care or understand "what" makes your system do what it does.
NVMe is the cornerstone of storage performance and works on conjunction with the speed of PCI Express and modern NAND flash used in SSDs.
A M.2. SSD that reads at 2600 MB/s and writes at 1600 MB/s. We just caught your attention didn't we? We review, test and benchmark the new Toshiba OCZ RD400 PCIe NVME SSD. The product series is among the fastest storage unit we have had in our lab. Priced attractively Toshiba seems to have the crown jewels of storage performance in their hands.
I would like to get some more SSD storage solutions in the lab for testing and these new NVMe drives from Toshiba look really tasty.
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MSI expected to ship 21 million motherboards/graphics cards in 2016
What is the best way to increase the bottom line? Yep, make more money!
It would seem that MSI has already set their goals for 2016 and plans to ship 21 Million "units" including motherboards and video cards.
Micro-Star International (MSI) is expected to ship 21 million motherboards and graphics cards combined in 2016 including both own brand and OEM shipments, while the company's gaming notebook business is also enjoying strong shipments and profits. MSI is currently a top-three gaming notebook vendor worldwide.
Since its entry into the gaming notebook market, MSI's profits have been growing every year and its EPS have already grown from NT$2.34 in 2013 to NT$4.39 in 2015.I hope they can make this happen and with any luck we will see more Lightning cards in the lab. Maybe of the GTX 1080 variety.
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World’s First Modular Gaming Mouse with OLED Display
SteelSeries Rival 700, World’s First Modular Gaming Mouse with OLED Display and Tactile Alerts Now Available in North America
Taking Orders Exclusively on SteelSeries.com Starting Today
CHICAGO – May 24, 2016 – SteelSeries, leader and innovator in gaming peripherals, ships the Rival 700, the world’s first gaming mouse equipped with a fully customizable onboard OLED display, real-time tactile alerts, and interchangeable components. Available exclusively at SteelSeries.com to customers in North America for $99.99, gamers can now head into battle with a mouse that adapts to personal preferences and provides in-game alerts to enhance performance and increase gaming immersion.
“To have my Rival 700 notify me when my cooldowns are up is a total game changer,” said Jonathan ‘LodA’ Berg, Professional Dota 2 player currently playing for team Alliance. “The Rival 700 not only gives me an edge during intense battles, but also adapts to my moods and preferences.”
OLED Display
Powered by SteelSeries Engine, gamers can now personalize the OLED display to track game stats, change profiles, see their CPI settings, as well as set custom logos and animations. The Rival 700’s OLED display provides vital information on-the-fly, allowing gamers to gain an edge without having to navigate cumbersome options and menus.
Tactile Alerts
The Rival 700 gaming mouse is no longer an input device, but a tool to dominate opponents. Gamers can now customize and feel in-game events and alerts through subtle pulses, aiding them with decision-making during crucial times. The Rival 700 can notify gamers when cooldowns are up, ammo is low, or even if health is peril without affecting precision or accuracy.
Maximum Personalization
The SteelSeries Rival 700 is ready to dominate today and the future with a modular design that supports a plethora of customization options. It comes with a state-of-the-art optical sensor with up to 16,000 CPI, but allows gamers to easily swap their preferred or the latest sensors without having to purchase a brand new mouse. The Rival also features interchangeable faceplates available in different designs and surfaces, and Prism RGB illumination with millions of color options and lightning effects.
The Rival 700 comes with two cable options, a 3ft rubber cable for notebook gaming and a 6ft braided nylon cable for desktop warriors. To purchase a Rival 700 or for more information about SteelSeries’ entire selection of gaming accessories, visit www.SteelSeries.com
About SteelSeries
SteelSeries leads the market in building gaming peripherals with quality, innovation and purpose. The company’s passion has been the driving force behind many first-to-market innovations and technologies that continue to become the industry standard and must-have necessities for gamers. The global brand continues to support the growth of competitive gaming tournaments and electronic sports leagues through professional team sponsorships, partnerships and community support. The company surrounds itself with the passion and the commitment to being the best. It is with this mentality that SteelSeries chooses to partner with some of world’s most respected and recognized brands that work together to push the growth and evolution of the gaming industry into an even greater proposition.
To learn more about SteelSeries’ complete line of products, visit http://SteelSeries.com or follow us on social media for the latest updates at http://facebook.com/steelseries and be a part of the conversation on Twitter @SteelSeries. -
Thermaltake Core X31 Case Review @ ThinkComputers
One of the most impressive case I saw at CES 2016 was the Thermaltake X31. Sure TT had other cases on display with even more features but, for me when it comes to cases there is a difference between a good case and one that might be good but is also too big to be practical.
Core X31 is just the right size.
Thermaltake introduced their Core X Series back in January at CES. The case that really eclipsed the others out of the series was the Core X71 full tower, but let's face it, most people do not have the need to such a large case. For most of us we want a mid tower that has ample space inside, great cooling support, and looks pretty good. Well look no further as today we have Thermaltake’s Core X31. This mid tower has room inside for long graphics cards and power supplies, two 360 mm radiators, tall CPU coolers and much more. The motto of the Core X Series is “Your Build. Our Core” and Thermaltake really stands behind this as the internal components of the case can be removed if you don’t plan on using them. Let's jump in and see if the Core X31 is the perfect mid tower for you!
I was hoping to do a mod in the Core X31 similar to what I did for the Core V51 last year so stay tuned for that article.
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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 vs Titan X vs R9 Fury vs GTX 980 Ti vs GTX 980 vs R9 390X @ HiTech Legion
Some of my readers may have noticed that I am very strict in how I test video cards and I also don't like wasting time on something that just doesn't matter.
For instance, when I review a video card I'm looking at the relative performance against whatever else is in the review. That might be a GTX 980Ti or a Radeon R7970 or even a G200 the idea is the same, which is faster. Over the years I have noticed a growing trend in the review community where the readers have started influencing how reviewers compile their articles, sometimes the complaints makes since while most of the time it is just someone pissed off they clicked on a link.
The way I see it a video card review is a review of that video card, not a "round up" of video card performance. HiTechLegion has rounded up some big players in the video card space and decided to see how much faster a GTX 1080 is over what you already have.
(or did they)
The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 not only outperforms the GTX 980 which it will be replacing, its performance eclipses that of the Titan X which until now was the performance king.
I'm pretty sure the Pascal is the obvious winner here but the burning video combined with a broken article is really lowing my confidence level.
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SeeMeCNC visit and 3d printing rundown @ LanOC Reviews
3D printing is a popular way to prototype parts especially for people who might not be able to create things in the traditional methods. Heck, some of the stuff you can 3D print cannot be created.
LanOC has a short article posted about their visit to SeeMeCNC.
It’s a combination of the kid in me and the maker in me but getting a 3D Printer has been on my short list of things I want to get for years now. I’ve spent a lot of time with things like my plotter designing and making my own stickers as needed. Frankly though 3d printer always felt a little unobtainable both because of the cost and because it seemed like you might need an engineering degree to build and maintain one. Well a few months ago my interest was renewed and I decided that I was going to get one and from then on I spent day and night learning as much as I can, reading anything and everything. I had a few printers in mind but couldn’t decide. One of the companies I was keeping a close eye on was SeeMeCNC, they had been involved with printers for custom PC builds with Darth Beavis, on the Vanilla Ice Project, and even involved with PDXLAN. The problem was for my first printer at least; I wasn’t really looking for a build it yourself kit. I feel capable of doing that, but I just really wanted to dive into it quickly rather than a long build time prior. The other problem was even in the kit form their printers were a bit higher than I was budgeting. Well when looking at them I found out that they are actually within a drive away and I reached out about visiting. It just so happened that they were also introducing their long awaited Eris, a smaller, cheaper, and more portable model that comes factory build. I went and visited their factory and picked up the first Eris and have been getting a feel for it all. Today I’m going to give a quick run through on what 3d printing is all about, go over my visit with SeeMeCNC, then tomorrow I will dive into the Eris and my overall experience with it.
I have to be honest when I say that 3D printing is fun to watch but I still cannot find a practical use for it. At least in the stuff I want to create but, I'm also an artist and like using my hands to create amazing things.
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GeForce GTX 1080: Most Bizarre Secret Paper Launch Ever @ [H]
Don't call it a paper launch, we have been here for years ~nvidia cool j (not really)
Kyle over at HardOCP posted an editorial that pretty much sums up what everyone was thinking about GTX 1080 but was too excited to notice.
As Kyle says the fact that GTX 1080 had three independent dates indicates two things.
- It is a paper launch, meaning they announced a product that you can't buy
- Nvidia is also launching their reference design "Founders Edition" before the board partners.
So basically if you want one, you have to wait, and if you really want one you have to pay extra. Seems reasonable.
One thing Darren and I talked about in the Hardware Asylum Podcast is that the launch coencides with Computex and as much as it pains us having cards released right before the show is a really good move.
I personally get both sides of what the Founders Edition cards are supposed to be, but suffice it to say, I would suggest that 90% of HardOCP readers have seen this simply as an "Early Adopter's Tax." And quite frankly, it is hard for anyone to argue differently given NVIDIA's track record with delivering TTM (Time To Market) "reference" cards to market since the introduction of TITAN and its fancy cooler a few years ago. NVIDIA has set a very solid precedent of selling its "reference" cards at MSRP. The way this has worked in the past was that reference cards were all that was available on launch day; hence the "Founders Edition" branding. It all makes sense to me and most people in the community.
Kyle also covers some more interesting facts including the 2.1Ghz shown during the livestream. As it turns out NVIDIA overclocked their card using EVGA Precision so that the EA demo would run, smooth. Not a bad thing but they should have mentioned it was overclocked, bad or not.
The final interesting thing was about the SLI situation. This is something I wrote about claiming that it was really up to NVIDIA to decide. Well, as it turns out if you want to run more than two cards you have to download an unlock key, "Enthusiast Key" from NVIDIA which will then enable the older technology.
I suspect this is a "trial" to see how many people download the key and what more, they will likely impose a survey to ensure you really do have three cards to help put value behind the logs.
Be sure to check out Kyle's editorial for more information and give my version a read if you are curious.
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NVIDIA GTX 1080 Launch Day
It would appear that more details on the GTX 1080 are surfacing today.
Web Reviews
- The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Review @ Hardware Canucks
- NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 8 GB @ techPowerUpGiven how many editors and video jockeys attended the #Dreamhack event I would have expected more reviews to have come in.
I guess give it time!
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Google will start blocking Flash content in Chrome
We have all heard this before and at the last minute the movement is pulled in favor of a patch to fix some bug in the Flash system. Thing is Flash is huge when it comes to how people consume their media and if Google starts blocking it and there is no replacement for the YouTube player then a good portion of the Chrome userbase will be moving to another browser.
That is of course assuming they kill the plugin completely or just not allow it to be the default plugin for showing certain content.
Google calls this approach “HTML5 by Default.” Chrome has shipped with a bundled version of Flash player for several years now, and it will continue to do so. This was never an endorsement of Flash, merely a recognition of the security risk. At least by bundling the latest version with Chrome, users wouldn’t be running old and insecure builds. When Google flips the switch on this plan, that plugin won’t load automatically Flash content when you just happen across it. That’s only feasible because you see much less Flash on the web now.
I like HTML5, it is a good framework for doing things on the web. In the early days when I was building websites if someone had an issue it was "What browser are you using?" and "What plugin do you have installed?" Now with HTML5 the plugin problems are gone but bring up issues of installed software and an endless list of things that could be going wrong.
Luckily HTML5 implementations are pretty standardized which is good for making things work and bad for when things go wrong.
