General Gaming Article

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• Driver Update Will Add DirectX 11.2 Support to AMD Radeon HD 7000 Series GPUs
• Delta Gives Out Windows Phone 8 Handsets to 19,000 Flight Attendants
• Roccat Kave XTD 5.1 Digital Gaming Headset Brings Its Own Sound Card to the Party
• McAfee Threat Report Highlights Rapid Rise of Android Malware
• Newegg Daily Deals: Cooler Master Storm Sniper, Thermaltake Tough Power 750W PSU, and More!

Driver Update Will Add DirectX 11.2 Support to AMD Radeon HD 7000 Series GPUs Posted: 22 Aug 2013 12:21 PM PDT Breathe a sigh of relief, Radeon 7000 Series owners You may have heard that AMD graphics cards based on the company's first generation Graphics Core Next (GCN) architecture -- namely, Radeon HD 7000 Series and OEM 8000 Series -- aren't compatible with Microsoft's upcoming DirectX 11.2 API. Well, you heard right, and unfortunately the current crop of HD 7000/8000 graphics will miss out on DX11.2 features when it launches with Windows 8.1, however there's good reason not to hang your head. AMD engineer Laylah Mah said that the incompatibility isn't due to the hardware, which fully supports DX11.2, but is on the driver level. That's because Microsoft's final specification ended up being just a tad different than what AMD was expecting, so it's a solvable problem, and it will in fact be solved with a future driver update, according to German language website Heise.de. In addition, AMD issued a statement confirming as much. "The Radeon HD 7000 series hardware architecture is fully DirectX 11.2-capable when used with a driver that enables this feature. AMD is planning to enable DirectX 11.2 with a driver update in the Windows 8.1 launch timeframe in October, when DirectX 11.2 ships," AMD said in a statement. "Today, AMD is the only GPU manufacturer to offer fully-compatible DirectX 11.1 support, and the only manufacturer to support Tiled Resources Tier-2 within a shipping product stack." So there you have it, nothing to worry about if you took advantage of one of AMD's Never Settle bundles and picked up a 7000 Series card. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Delta Gives Out Windows Phone 8 Handsets to 19,000 Flight Attendants Posted: 22 Aug 2013 09:29 AM PDT Well, that's one way to bolster Windows Phone 8 market share Traveling around the country and enjoying free flights aren't the only perks of working for Delta Air Lines. In an effort to "push for technological innovation," Delta today equipped 19,000 flight attendants with Windows Phone 8 devices that are intended to streamline on-board purchasing. It's part of a broader effort to improve the customer experience by investing in technology, Delta says. "Delta's 19,000 in-flight professionals are there for the safety and comfort of our customers, and equipping them with innovative solutions means they can better meet our customers' needs on board every flight," said Joanne Smith, senior vice president – In-Flight Service. "This is yet another way we're investing in technology to improve the customer experience." The Windows Phone 8 device that each of the 19,000 flight attendants received is a Nokia Lumia 820. With the device in hand, Delta can offer near real-time credit card processing for on-board purchases, issue eReceipts that can be emailed to customers, and a few other benefits. Sometime in the near future, Delta plans to be able to read coupons displayed on a customer's mobile device. It's a joint solution developed by Microsoft, Avanade, and AT&T that was based on feedback from flight attendants. The agreement includes plans to expand the offering over the next three years to newer Nokia devices. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Roccat Kave XTD 5.1 Digital Gaming Headset Brings Its Own Sound Card to the Party Posted: 22 Aug 2013 08:58 AM PDT Not your ordinary headset Roccat, a German manufacturer of gaming peripherals with an increasing presence in the U.S. market, unveiled its Kave XTD 5.1 Digital headset for gamers at Gamescom. It's the successor to the original Kave 5.1 and incorporates new and improved features based on community and customer feedback, the company claims. One of those feature upgrades is the addition of a built-in sound card. The Kave XTD 5.1 Digital comes with a gnarly looking desktop remote, which is where the "premium" 5.1 sound card resides. Also included in the remote is Roccat's Smart Link technology, which allows users to pair their smartphones to it using Bluetooth so that they can make and receive phone calls while gaming. You know, in case the urge to order a pizza during a frag fest takes hold, as opposed to fielding a phone call from your mother during an intense battle ("You dirty, cheating bitch! What?! No, not YOU mom! I'm playing League of Legends."). On the rear of the remote are 5.1 speaker ports so that you can hook up your existing speaker system to it and toggle between the headset and speaker output. You'll also find headset and system audio controls on the remote. As for the headset itself, there are three drivers in each earcup, all aligned at a 12-degree angle for a superior surround sound effect. It sports a completely reworked headband, and as a result, the unit weighs 25 percent less than the original Kave 5.1. The Roccat Kave XTD 5.1 Digital will be available in November for $170. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

McAfee Threat Report Highlights Rapid Rise of Android Malware Posted: 22 Aug 2013 08:24 AM PDT Be careful what you download For malware writers, everything's a numbers a game. So, the more popular a platform becomes, the more attention cybercriminals will pay to finding vulnerabilities they can exploit. It's really no wonder, then, that McAfee's Threat Report for the second quarter of 2013 noted a rebound in mobile threats, including a 35 percent growth rate in Android-based malware, the likes of which have not been seen since early 2012, the security firm reports. "Backdoor Trojans and banking malware were the most popular mobile threats this quarter," McAfee stated in its report (PDF). "We counted more than 17,000 new Android samples during this period. The year is certain to establish another record. New malware of all types exceeded 18 million this quarter, pushing our all-time tally to more than 147 million binaries." Cybercriminals are keeping themselves busy on multiple fronts. According to McAfee, AutoRun threats, which are often spread via USB drives, are still at record levels, and the same is true of password-stealing programs. Signed malware, which masquerade as legitimate software, jumped 50 percent this quarter and continues to set records. Ransomware is also on the rise. McAfee added 320,000 more ransomware samples to its database in Q2, which is twice as many as the previous period. "Not only do criminals make relatively safe money from this scheme, they often do not remove their malware -- leaving the poor victim's system as dead as before," McAfee says. Our advice to mobile users is the same as it's always been, Pay particular attention to downloads, and to play it safe, only download apps from trusted sources like Google Play and Amazon's App Store. Even then, double check the app you're downloading to make sure it's not a malware infested spoof. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Newegg Daily Deals: Cooler Master Storm Sniper, Thermaltake Tough Power 750W PSU, and More! Posted: 22 Aug 2013 07:39 AM PDT Top Deal: Suit up, soldier, enemy targets are all around us. You've stockpiled an impressive armory, we see -- is that Haswell? -- and all that's left is a suitable bunker for your parts before we dive into the thick of things. What's that, you don't have one? No problem! Today's top deal is for a Cooler Master Storm Sniper Black mid-tower computer case for $115 with free shipping (normally $140 - use coupon code AFNJ2433; additional $15 mail-in-rebate). One of our finest, the Sniper has 11 drive bays, top level security, and keeps its cool no matter what the situation. Other Deals: Thermaltake Tough Power 750W ATX 12V 2.3 & SSI EPS 12V 2.92 SLI/CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Active PFC Power Supply for $88 with free shipping (normally $110 - use coupon code: [TT20PAC2013]) Scosche Bluetooth Micro Portable Speaker Silver for $40 with free shipping (normally $50 - use coupon code: [0813BTS33]) Brother MFC-J870dw 6000 x 1200 dpi Color Print Wireless InkJet  All-In-One Color Printer for $75 with free shipping (normally $86 - use coupon code: [EMCXMWR53]) Zotac GeForce GTX 670 4GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card for $382 with free shipping (normally $410 - use coupon code: [HWIS358])

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