General Gaming Article |
- Report: Valve Steam Link Arrives; Streams Really Well
- Comparing Specs: Surface Book vs MacBook Pro vs Dell XPS 13
- Newegg Daily Deals: HP 8610 Printer, Thermaltake 850W Power Supply, and More!
- SteelSeries Throws Cost Conscious Gamers a Bone with $40 Rival 100 Mouse
- Lian Li's PC-18 Mid Tower Combines Old School Looks with Modern Amenities
- Samsung and Ubisoft Team Up with Assassin's Creed: Syndicate Bundle
- Nvidia's Changing the Driver Game with GeForce Experience Update
- How To: Adobe After Effects Beginners Guide
| Report: Valve Steam Link Arrives; Streams Really Well Posted: 15 Oct 2015 02:38 PM PDT There's nothing more visually annoying than seeing cables draped along the bottom of the wall and snaking their way up the table and into your HDTV. This is especially true when you're wanting to play your favorite titles on a bulky gaming rig that's located in a nearby room. Thankfully Valve has now eradicated the need for crazy-long HDMI cords with its passport-sized Steam Link micro-PC that's slated to arrive on November 10. As previously announced, Steam Link can do 1080p video at 60 frames per second. On the back of the device are two USB 2.0 ports, a 100Mbit/s Ethernet jack, an HDMI output jack, and a power jack for an AC adapter. There's also an additional USB 2.0 port on the side, Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity, and "Internal wireless Steam Controller pairing capability." You can purchase the box on its own for $50 or add the Steam Controller for $100. "Setup is easy. Just connect your Steam Link to your TV and home network, where it will automatically discover any computer running Steam," reads the product page. "All that's left to do is grab your favorite controller, kick back, and enjoy your collection of games from the comfort of your couch." Engadget recently wrote a hands-on review regarding the upcoming Steam Link and confirms that the device is indeed simple to set up and use. When connected to a Steam-based gaming rig, the device will offer a one-time passcode to enter on the computer. After that, the box streams the Steam Big Picture interface to the connected HDTV and provides complete control over the PC. While easy setup is nice, what about the performance? According to the report, at first the Steam Link device was a bit underwhelming at 30 to 45 frames per second, but the framerate kicked up to full blast (60 fps) when Engadget enabled hardware encoding. This feature is not enabled by default because it can cause issues for computers without "the correct equipment." Although Valve insists that customers should use Steam Link on a wired network, Engadget tested the device over a 2.4 GHz wireless connection and saw no change in the framerate of Steam's video feed. That's good news for consumers who don't want to drape 50 feet of Ethernet cable from the router to the Steam Link box. The drawback, according to Engadget, was that the audio and video quality of the games were affected. "I ran a few additional tests -- attempting to stream from one of my Windows-based media tablets and an old ThinkPad -- and confirmed the glaringly obvious: Steam in-home stream quality is heavily reliant on the capabilities of your home network and your host computer," Engadget reports. Valve Software's Steam Link is part of the company's quest to take the living room back from the console crowd. Given Engadget's report is a hands-on review, Valve seems to have lifted a possible NDA, allowing sites to discuss their views about the upcoming hardware. Expect additional reports about the Steam Controller and Steam Machines to begin spreading across the Internet starting today. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Comparing Specs: Surface Book vs MacBook Pro vs Dell XPS 13 Posted: 15 Oct 2015 01:17 PM PDT Three-way battleThe laptop market has been flooded with low-cost options, and that's fine if you're in the market for something cheap and affordable for general purpose computing chores. Where things get a little more interesting is at the high end, and with Microsoft rolling out what it considers the "ultimate laptop," otherwise known as the Surface Book, you might find yourself wondering what the best option is. To help figure that out, we've decided to compare the Surface Book to the Apple's MacBook Pro, and also Dell's XPS 15 because, well, why the heck not? These are all professional grade machines (of varying degree) aimed users who desire a whole new level of performance than what's offered at the low end of the spectrum where Chromebooks like to hang out. Since we don't have a Surface Book on hand to play with and benchmark, we have to limit our comparison to the known specs and analyze things from there. We'll have benchmarks in due time, but for now, let's see how these three systems stack up. Spec SheetsBefore we dive into a deeper analysis, let's have a look at each system's component and feature selections.
Processor, RAM and GraphicsStarting with the Surface Book, this is the system that's built to be a "creative workhorse," according to Microsoft. It sports 6th Generation Intel Core i5 and i7 processor options (that's Skylake), both of which are dual-core chips with Hyper Threading support, has up to 16GB of RAM, and can be configured with an optional discrete graphics chip from Nvidia. Details are pretty sparse on the discrete GPU option, though according to PCWorld, Microsoft and Nvidia have both stated that it's a custom Maxwell part with 1GB of GDDR5 of onboard memory. We fully expect it to trump onboard graphics options, but by a measure of how much remains to be seen. While we wait to find out, here's a closer look at the CPU options:
Dell's XPS 13 is also rocking dual-lake Skylake processor options, which are paired with 4GB to 8GB of RAM and integrated Intel HD 520 graphics, the same as the Surface Book if deciding against paying extra for Nvidia's mystery GPU. Here's a closer look at the Dell XPS 13's CPU flavors:
Apple hasn't updated its MacBook Pro models to Skylake just yet. It undoubtedly will at some point, but if you're shopping for a high-end laptop today, future plans don't matter much, not without a DeLorean anyway. As it currently stands, the MacBook Pro runs last generation Broadwell hardware, 8GB to 16GB of RAM, and Intel Iris 6100 graphics. Even though the MacBook Pro is running previous generation CPU options, its integrated graphics sports 48 execution units for up 844.8 GFLOPS versus 24 execution units and up to 403.2 GFLOPS on the Intel HD 520. As for the processors, here's a quick rundown:
Summed up, the MacBook Pro brings better integrated graphics to the tablet, but previous generation CPUs (albeit higher clocked) with higher thermal footprints. Storage and PortsAll three systems use solid state drives. The XPS 13 offers two capacity options, 128GB and 256GB, while the Surface Book and MacBook Pro add a 512GB SSD to the mix. However, it doesn't come cheap on the Surface Book. Only the top-end SKU allows for 512GB, and that costs $2,699, versus $1,799 for the cheapest MacBook Pro that offers 512GB. You get a higher overall configuration with the Surface Book, but if you're primarily concerned with storage, you're forced to pay for other upgrades that you may or may not want. There's also a 1TB option on the MacBook Pro starting at $2,299. If you want 1TB on the Surface Book, it's going to be available, just not right now. To see it, you have to go through a questionnaire on a separate micro-site and choose 1TB when asked how much storage you think you'll need. Based on how you answer other questions, Microsoft will eventually recommend a 1TB Surface Book model that starts at $3,199, and then redirect you to the Microsoft Store, which doesn't yet list the 1TB model. You get a pair of USB 3.0 ports regardless of which system you choose. You also get an SD card reader, headphone jack, and a mini DisplayPort on the Surface Book. The same goes for the XPS 13, which also adds a Thunderbolt 3 port and HDMI and VGA output. On the MacBook Pro, you also get an SD card reader, headphone jack, and HDMI output, plus two Thunderbolt 2 ports. Out of the three ,the XPS 13 is the most robust, though it'd be nice if all three offered more USB ports. Design and DisplayAesthetic appearance is a subjective thing, though what's not is the function of each laptop's design. Only the Surface Pro allows for the display to detach from the keyboard. What's also unique is its Dynamic Fulcrim Hinge. Fancy terminology aside, it's a flexible hinge that helps the Surface Book maintain a laptop-first design while giving users the ability to fold the display all the way back. The 13.5-inch display boasts a 3000x2000 resolution, comparable to the optional 3200x1800 on the XPS 13. It also packs more pixels than the MacBook Pro's 2560x1600 panel, and it's the only one of the bunch that supports touch by default (touch support is optional on the XPS 13). We haven't tested a Surface Book yet, though it looks like the keyboard is a definite upgrade over the Type Cover's plank for the Surface Pro 4. This is necessary if the Surface Book is to be taken seriously as a high-end laptop, as its price points dictate, and to compete with the keyboards on the MacBook Pro and XPS 13 PriceThe Surface Book offers an impressive set of hardware and features starting at $1,499, a reasonable price for a high powered laptop. As you add more storage and switch to a discrete GPU, the price tag climbs in accordance -- it costs $1,899 or more to swap the integrated graphics for Nvidia's hardware. If you want 512GB of storage, the price jumps to $2,699, and eventually $3,199 for 1TB. That's the equivalent of a high-end gaming laptop and could be a tough sell for Microsoft. It's also roughly in line with the MacBook Pro's pricing. A fully decked out model runs $2,699 and includes 1TB of storage, but doesn't have discrete graphics and the CPU is Broadwell, not Skylake. As for the XPS 13, it tops out at $1,650, but it's a lesser configuration with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. It does, however, sport a 3200x1800 display with touch support. Which system is the best buy? Since you can't configure any of the laptops to your exact needs, it's about which particular setup fits your budget with the fewest compromises. For our money, one of the most compelling options is the $1,899 Surface Book SKU with an Intel Core i5-6300U processor, 8GB of RAM, 256GB SSD, and Nvidia graphics. It keeps you under the $2,000 threshold but still offers a compelling set of hardware. We just wish Microsoft and Nvidia would share more details about the GPU. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Newegg Daily Deals: HP 8610 Printer, Thermaltake 850W Power Supply, and More! Posted: 15 Oct 2015 12:47 PM PDT Top Deal: One of the unsung heroes of the PC is the printer. Without it, those TPS reports and Lost Cat flyers would have to be hand written or punched out on a typewriter (remember those things?). If you need one (a printer, that is), check out today's top deal for an HP Officejet Pro 8610 e-All-in-One Printer for $75 with free shipping (normally $100 - use coupon code: [EMCKAKR24]). It offers 2-sided printing, up to 19ppm for black prints and up 14.5ppm for color prints, scan-to-email functionality, and a bunch of other tricks. Other Deals: MSI Z170A Gaming M7 LGA 1151 Intel Z170 Motherboard for $197 with $3 shipping (normally $230 - use coupon code: [EMCKAKR28]) Thermaltake 850W 80 Plus Gold Certified Active PFC Power Supply for $100 with free shipping (normally $117; additional $30 Mail-in rebate) Seagate Barracuda 3TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5-inch Internal Hard Drive Bare Drive for $80 with free shipping (normally $90 - use coupon code: [ESCKAKR22]) EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB 256-Bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 SLI Support ACX 2.0 Video Card for $290 with free shipping (normally $325; Free Rainbow Six Siege or Assassin's Creed Syndicate, limited offer) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SteelSeries Throws Cost Conscious Gamers a Bone with $40 Rival 100 Mouse Posted: 15 Oct 2015 12:31 PM PDT This mouse doesn't cost a lot of cheddar Peripherals makers like to put the squeeze on gamers, don't they? It seems that a surefire way to command a premium on a product is to slap the world "gaming" on it and BAM, it's an instant high dollar item. We're not saying all gaming products are overpriced, but surely there's room in the market for affordable peripherals, right? SteelSeries thinks so, hence the Rival 100, a new gaming mouse with "unbeatable tracking accuracy" and, perhaps just as importantly to some, a comparatively friendly price tag. The MSRP on this thing is $40. The Rival 100 is ergonomically designed for right-handed users (sorry, lefties!) and is supposed to accommodate any grip style. It has a soft-touch surface with sculpted side grips that are textured for added comfort, and also friction in case you're the type to whisk your mouse right off your desk in the heat of battle (has that ever happened to anyone?). You can remap all six buttons as well as adjust the custom engineered optical sensor, which sports eight CPI steps up to 4,000. SteelSeries also touts zero hardware acceleration for true 1:1 tracking accuracy, plus a low lift-off distance. According to SteelSeries, it all translates into 40 percent higher tracking accuracy and 33 percent faster movement tracking than the "top competitive mice." "We determined early-on that we weren't going to sacrifice anything when designing the Rival 100. In fact, it was our goal to develop a multi-button gaming mouse, with features and performance beyond any similarly-priced mouse," said Ehtisham Rabbani, SteelSeries CEO. "We are confident that this is the mouse gamers are demanding." Using the accompanying software, you can customize the rodent's illumination with over 16 million color options. Along with other settings, these can be saved and auto-deployed when launching a specific title. The Rival 100 is available now direct from SteelSeries. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lian Li's PC-18 Mid Tower Combines Old School Looks with Modern Amenities Posted: 15 Oct 2015 10:45 AM PDT Appreciating the classics There are some downright wild case designs out there. Heck, Lian Li makes some of them, though its new PC-18 mid-tower chassis is a brushed aluminum enclosure with an intentionally minimalist aesthetic. Lian Li said it was going for a classic look, hence the rectangular shape without any crazy deviations or color options -- just black and silver. But while the case's form is subdued, Lian Li says there's a high level of function starting with the cooling options. There's a porous mesh screen on the front to allow air to enter the case, which is sucked in through a pair of 120mm fans. There's also a swing-out, side-mounted fan tray that can hold three 120mm or two 140mm fans. When the case is opened, the tray swings open on its front hinge, and when closed, it's held against the inner side panel with vents. Here's a look at it: You can also use the side-mount to install a liquid cooling radiator, and up top there's room for another 140mm fan. There are two 5.25-inch drives bays up top. That might seem like a lot considering fewer people use optical drives these days, but they can also be filled with things like audio boxes and fan controllers On the bottom of the case towards the front is a removable tool-less drive bay that can hold three 3.5-inch drives and a single 2.5-inch drive. Two more drives can be installed behind the motherboard tray, either 3.5-inch or 2.5-inch. With the drive cage in place, there's enough room for graphics cards up to 285mm (around 11.22 inches), and if you yank it out, clearance jumps to 410mm (around 16.14 inches). Both CPU coolers and the power supply can up to 160mm (~6.29 inches) tall. Finally, the top panel hides two USB 3.0 ports and HD audio ports behind a sliding door. Lian Li says the PC-18 will be available soon for $150 MSRP. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Samsung and Ubisoft Team Up with Assassin's Creed: Syndicate Bundle Posted: 15 Oct 2015 10:44 AM PDT Samsung announced today that they have partnered with Ubisoft to bundle the upcoming Assassin's Creed: Syndicate (ACS) with select Samsung SSDs and monitors. The latest title in the long-running Assassin's Creed universe, Syndicate is scheduled to ship November 19 for PC and October 23 for PS4/XB1; obviously, this bundle is for the PC version—console gamers need not apply. The bundle doesn't officially kick off until November 1 (and it runs through January 2, 2016), so you should be able to download the game with the provided code on day one. (If this sounds a bit familiar, there was a similar Samsung/Ubisoft bundle last year for Assassin's Creed: Unity.) If you're already looking to upgrade your storage or monitor, and you're interested in ACS, you can potentially kill two birds with one stone now, but there's a catch—there's always a catch, right? The catch is that the bundle is only for select SSDs/displays. The specific SSDs consist of the Portable SSD T1 (500GB/1TB), 850 Pro 2.5-inch SATA (512GB/1TB/2TB), 850 EVO 2.5-inch SATA (500GB/1TB/2TB), 850 EVO mSATA (500GB/1TB), 850 EVO M.2 (500GB), and the upcoming 950 Pro M.2 (512GB). What you'll immediately notice is that no SSDs smaller than 500GB make the cut, but that's not too surprising as margins tend to be better on the larger drives so there's more room financially for a bundle. As for monitors, the UE590 (23.6- and 28-inch), SE590CS (23.5-inch), SD590C (27-inch), SE591C (27-inch), SE790C (29-inch), SE590CS (31.5-inch), and SE790C (34-inch) will also be participating in this offer. Only the UE590 is a flat (non-curved) display, while the least expensive display is the 23.5-inch 1080p SE590CS at $250 MSRP. Bundles are always nice, but only if you're already planning on buying the hardware. If you only want the game, the cheapest hardware bundle will be the 500GB SATA 850 EVO. At $169, that's actually the most compelling 500GB-class SSD on the market right now, and a drive we have repeatedly recommended. The 512GB 950 Pro is also slated to launch in the near future, boasting impressively high performance thanks to NVMe. Either way, you could get more solid-state storage for yourself and give the game away as a Christmas gift. Then again, considering the way Assassin's Creed: Unity shipped last year, you might want to hold off before testing your friendship with such a gift. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nvidia's Changing the Driver Game with GeForce Experience Update Posted: 15 Oct 2015 09:23 AM PDT Registration required Nvidia's doing its best to transform its GeForce Experience software from something supplementary into an integral part of the gaming experience. One way it's doing that is by changing how gamers receive title-specific drivers on a game's day of release. Beginning sometime in December, automatic access to Game Ready drivers that provide optimizations specific to newly released titles will require that you enter and verify an email address. For the past two years, Nvidia has been issuing Game Ready drivers for specific blockbuster games like Witcher 3 and Battlefield Hardline. These releases typically feature code designed to wring the best performance out of whatever title they coincide with and not much else. Nvidia will continue to offer Game Ready drivers for an optimal day 1 experience with the latest games, just not to the general public. If you don't plan on playing a newly released AAA title, you can sit back and wait for general driver updates, which Nvidia will still provide on its website without the need to enter an email address. For hardcore gamers who play the newest titles the moment they become available, having to register might not sit well, though there are benefits that go beyond immediate optimizations. Registered users will also be eligible for prizes and game codes, Nvidia says. Streaming and BroadcastingOther changes are coming to GeForce Experience as well, and they're available to preview in today's beta release. One of them is 4K streaming. Using GameStream, the GeForce Experience beta allows gamers to stream and play at 4K resolution on their supported television through the Shield TV box. It supports 60 frames per second at that resolution, and 5.1 surround sound is also added to the mix. Nvidia's also showing some love for YouTube Live's new gaming channel. The GeForce Experience beta lets you broadcast to either YouTube or Twitch, the latter of which was already supported, only now you can do it at 1080p and 60 frames per second at a maximum bitrate of 9Mbps. If either of those upgrades sound intriguing, you can download the GeForce Experience beta here. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| How To: Adobe After Effects Beginners Guide Posted: 15 Oct 2015 12:00 AM PDT Adobe After Effects is a popular tool for adding images and visual effects to video, but can be daunting to those unfamiliar with it. In this how-to, we'll cover the basics so that you can start experimenting without feeling completely lost. First though, we should cover some of the lingo. Composition This is simply a grouping of assets and effects. You can think of it as the video you create from the assets it contains. A composition can contain just about anything, including videos, images, and other compositions. There is generally one primary composition—the one you render into a video—made up of several smaller compositions. Solid This is an opaque colored layer. Solids are used for backgrounds and for applying certain effects. The LayoutAssuming you're using the standard layout, after creating a new project you'll see that After Effects is divided into seven sections. At the top you will find the toolbar. Just below the toolbar on the left side, you'll find the project panel. This panel will contain all of your assets: videos, images, compositions, etc. To the right of the project panel is the composition panel. Here you will be able to see and interact with your compositions visually. At the bottom is the timeline panel. This also allows you to interact with your compositions, but in a more granular way along a timeline. The last three sections are grouped together in the top right. The topmost section contains the info and audio panels. The bottom section contains the libraries and effects panels. The middle section is the preview panel. When using the preview panel, keep in mind that your work must render to RAM before it can play in real time; a process that is directly affected by the performance of your PC and the complexity of your work. Also, by grabbing the bottom section of the preview panel and dragging down, you can access more detailed elements of this panel. Getting FamiliarNow that you know where everything is, let's hit the ground running. You can right-click the project panel to import assets, create new compositions, or add folders to help organize your assets. You should start by creating folders for your assets. Although this may seem unnecessary for such a small project, it is easier to start this way than it is to play triage after your project balloons in complexity.
Digging into the TimelineNow that we've covered the fundamentals, we can start making changes in the timeline. The timeline uses layers, so what is at the top of the list will appear on the top in our composition.
Adding an EffectOK, great, but what about the effects? This is After Effects isn't it? The next thing we will do is add a basic effect to the video. One common problem with videos is a shaking camera, so we'll add a stabilizing effect.
Tracking MotionOur stationary image may look good on one frame, but video demands motion. With the video now stabilized, our next goal is to make adjustments to the position and scale of our image so it appears as a part of the video.
Using SolidsThe image now moves with the video, but the colors don't match up well with the video. We can use a color correction effect to fix that.
RenderingNow that you've completed your project, you'll want to render it to video. You can render with Adobe After Effects, but for most situations you're better served by Adobe Media Encoder.
What Next?While there is a great deal we didn't cover here, you should now be comfortable enough with After Effects to start experimenting. You could try out some of the other effects like "CC Snowfall," add some dancing text, or even modify the background with the "Roto Brush Tool." Who knows, flying whales at your kid's baseball game might be coming soon to a home theater near you. |
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