General Gaming Article

Google Acquires Motion Control Software Flutter
Zalman MS800 Plus Review
No BS Podcast #211: IDF, Ivy Bridge-E, Surface II, AMD takes on the GK110, and SteamOS
AMD Catalyst 13.10 Beta 2 Driver Adds Single and CrossFire Game Profiles for Battlefield 4
Dell Debuts a Bunch of Venue Tablets and XPS Laptops Running Android and Windows 8.1
Grand Theft Auto Online Gets Stuck in Traffic
Microsoft Now Accepting Pre-orders for Windows 8.1 (Full Version)
Trendnet's Travel Router Keeps Everyone Connected on the Go
Newegg Daily Deals: Intel Core i7 4930K, Samsung 840 Evo 120GB SSD, and More!

Google Acquires Motion Control Software Flutter

Posted: 02 Oct 2013 05:35 PM PDT

Google tries its hand at motion control

The company behind motion control software Flutter has been acquired by Google. Company CEO Navneet Dalal announced the acquisition on the Flutter website, thanking users and promising the continued availability of the app.

Flutter large logo

If you're unfamiliar with the service, think of Flutter as a software-only implementation of the Leap Motion. Hold your hand in front of your webcam and Flutter gives you basic control over your computer. You can skip tracks in Pandora, pause videos on Netflix or YouTube, or just wave at your computer for fun.

Google's no stranger to acquisitions and many of its greatest products are the culmination of companies that have been absorbed by the search provider. Outgoing Microsoft Chief Steve Ballmer has even gone so far as to call Google a monopoly.

It's at least a tad ironic that Google's 2011 April Fool's joke was Gmail motion control because it looks like we might actually get to wave our hands in front of our computers to read email.

If you want to try your hand—literally—at Flutter, grab it here.

How do you think Google will use motion control moving forward? Let us know in the comments below!

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Zalman MS800 Plus Review

Posted: 02 Oct 2013 02:59 PM PDT

A budget case that's trying to escape

Zalman's MS800 Plus aspires to accomplish much for its super-inexpensive price of a cool $100. And on paper, it does.

However, a case is more than just its spec sheet, and the MS800 Plus is a perfect example of a chassis that looks a bit flashier on the printed page than underneath your desk. At its core, the MS800 Plus is a budget case; it suffers the same budget drawbacks you see in a number of cases in this price range, which lessens the impact—or "cool factor"—of the otherwise interesting elements that Zalman adds to the mix.

The MS800 features pricey features on a budget.

Popping off the case's side panel (with its larger-than-expected window) is easy enough, thanks to the chassis's thumbscrews. The first fun bit you'll encounter is the case's large "VGA guide," which runs vertically over the top of the motherboard tray for all the case's 21 inches. It's there to support huge GPUs that can stress slots during movement, or it can be used to hold an extra 9.2cm fan (included). Such a feature on a budget case is questionable, though, as overly heavy GPUs tend to cost five to 10 times as much as this case. Nevertheless, you can still install a motherboard without issue.

Tabs located on the front bay covers mar the case's overall aesthetic a bit, but they make installing and removing up to six 5.25-inch devices a complete breeze. We appreciate that Zalman offers twist-lock devices instead of screws for installation, but these locks do feel flimsier than competing push-button mechanisms.

Unique to the MS800 Plus (versus its companion chassis, the plainer MS800) are the case's three hot-swap bays located at its very bottom-front. We love the addition, though we wish we had a wee bit more room for hard drives instead of 5.25-inch devices. In addition to the two 12cm fans, one on top and one in back, a single 9.2cm fan also sucks air in over the HDDs. We'd have preferred a 12cm on the drives, too, but space is already tight with the oddly placed 9.2cm fan. You could always connect the hard drive fan to one of the six available connections on the case's built-in fan controller. It joins the case's two USB 2.0 ports and two USB 3.0 ports, along with audio jacks, on the top of the case's front. Our only complaint is that the controller uses a low-to-high decal to show you where the knob's dial corresponds with fan speeds (as if the noise alone wasn't enough). We would have liked a prettier light or visual indicator much more.

Two elements of the MS800 Plus that leave us a bit concerned are the case's cable management and water-cooling support. The right-most side panel runs perilously close to the rear of the motherboard tray, leaving little recourse for those used to mashing a spider's nest of cables against their side panel. You get a bit of a reprieve near the drive bays, but we wish we had that space all around. Additionally, the case needs a few more cable-routing holes cut closer to the power supply.

As for water cooling, the case comes with rubberized holes for tube routing. However, we could find no way to pop off the case's top panel that didn't make us feel as if we were going to break something important. This mars our dreams of top-mounting a radiator in the chassis.

Zalman's MS800 Plus offers some compelling features—namely, a fan controller and hot-swap bay—at a low cost. But we're not quite sure if some of the funkier elements, such as the out-of-place VGA guide, the case's screw-laden PCI covers, its (practically) bolted-on roof, or its tight cable management, are worth the trade-off.

$100, www.zalman.com

No BS Podcast #211: IDF, Ivy Bridge-E, Surface II, AMD takes on the GK110, and SteamOS

Posted: 02 Oct 2013 11:53 AM PDT

Intel Developer Forum, Ivy Bridge-E, Microsoft's second generation Surface and more!

The Maximum PC Staff returns for episode #211 of the No BS Podcast to discuss September news highlights. Gordon starts off with his thoughts on the hardware presented at IDF including the new Quark and Ivy Bridge-E. Next, the staff tackles Microsoft's second attempt at the Surface tablet, AMD's new Hawaii chip and Valve's SteamOS. Your questions are answered, editors picks are given and Gordon finishes with his signature rant.

New beta drivers arrive just in time for the Battlefield 4 beta

For those of you eligible for early access, the beta for Battlefield 4 on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC went live yesterday. If you're not eligible for early access, you only have to wait a couple more days until the open beta, which is scheduled for Friday, October 4th. Either way, AMD has a new set of beta drivers available for Radeon graphics card owners, and among the additions are game profiles for single GPU and CrossFire setups for BF4.

AMD Catalyst 13.10 Beta 2 is the second set of beta drivers, and all the features and fixes found in the original are also included in this latest update. In addition, AMD updated its CrossFire profile for Total War: Rome 2, resolved some known issues, and updated its Enduro technology application profiles for Radeon HD notebook users.

The original Catalyst 13.10 Beta driver introduced performance improvements in a few titles as well as frame pacing improvements in Tomb Raider, Metro Last Light, Sniper Elite, World of Warcraft, Max Payne 3, and Hitman Absolution.

You can download the second set of beta drivers for Windows or Linux.

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Dell Debuts a Bunch of Venue Tablets and XPS Laptops Running Android and Windows 8.1

Posted: 02 Oct 2013 09:35 AM PDT

There's something here for almost everyone

While Michael Dell is celebrating the impending acquisition of the company he co-founded, which he'll take private once the deal is complete, it's still business as usual for Dell, the world's third largest PC maker. On tap from Dell are more than half a dozen portables designed for Android or Windows 8.1, including four Venue tablet products and three XPS laptops of various sizes and configurations.

Starting with the XPS line, Dell today announced refreshed XPS 11, XPS 13, and XPS 15 laptops built around Intel's 4th Generation Core processor (Haswell) line. These systems all have upgraded displays, including an 11.6-inch UltraSharp QHD (2560x1440) touch panel on the XPS 11, 13.3-inch Full HD 1080p (1920x1080) display with optional touch support on the XPS 13, and either a 15.6-inch Full HD 1080p panel or 15.6-inch UltraSharp QHD+ (3200x1800) display on the XPS 15, both with touch support.

The XPS 11 is billed as a 2-in-1 system with a display that twists and lays flat on the chassis, thereby transforming it into a tablet. Meanwhile, the XPS 13 and XPS 15 are slim systems like Apple's MacBook Air, only better equipped and running Windows 8.1, of course.

For the tablet crowd, Dell announced the Venue 7 with a 7-inch display (1280x800), Intel Atom Z2560 processor, 2GB of LP-DDR2 RAM, 16GB of eMMC storage, dual-band 802.11n Wi-Fi + GPS, Bluetooth 4.0, 4G/HSPA+ (optional), VGA webcam, 3MP rear-facing camera, microSD card reader, micro USB 2.0 port, headphone/mic combo jack, and Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean.

The other Android tablet is the Venue 8, a slightly larger slate with the same resolution and similar spec sheet, except that it runs an Atom Z2580 processor and has a 32GB eMMC option,

Dell Venue Tablets

On the Windows 8 side, Dell announced the Venue 8 Pro and Venue 11 Pro. The former ships with a 1280x800 resolution, Intel Atom Z3470D processor, 32GB or 64GB of storage, 2GB of DDR3L-RS 1600 RAM, dual-band 2x2 MIMO 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, HSPA+, 4G LTE, 1.2MP webcam, 5MP rear-facing camera, microSD card slot, and Windows 8.1.

The Venue 11 Pro has a 10.8-inch display with a 1920x1080 resolution, various processor options up to an Intel Core i5 3400Y, up to 256GB of solid state storage, up to 8GB of DDR3 1600, stereo speakers with SRS premium audio, dual-band 2x2 MIMO 802.11n Wi-Fi, NFC support, Bluetooth 4.0, 4G LTE, HSPA+, full-size USB 3.0 port, and various other odds and ends.

Pricing and release dates have not yet been announced.

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Grand Theft Auto Online Gets Stuck in Traffic

Posted: 02 Oct 2013 09:08 AM PDT

It takes patience to be a criminal

Rockstar Games issued an update yesterday morning that unlocked Grand Theft Auto V's online gameplay component, but rather than smooth sailing once it flipped the switch, the debut of Grand Theft Auto Online proved a rocky road for many gamers, myself included. It's a two-fold problem of technical issues on Rockstar's side, and an influx of traffic from scores of gamers who eagerly awaited the update.

"For those trying to get into GTA Online today, please bear with us on some day one technical connection issues that we're working to stabilize ASAP," Rockstar Games posted to its Twitter account yesterday.

Pretty much as soon as Rockstar Games granted access to online gameplay, users began reporting problems logging into the service and loading missions. In my case, the game got stuck loading after creating a character, which is an issue others have reported running into as well.

In a blog post last week, Rockstar Games warned that there would likely be "teething problems" at the outset, and given the game's popularity and record breaking sales, these kinds of issues are hardly surprising, albeit annoying.

The latest update to GTA V not only adds online gameplay to the mix, it also fixes a handful of issues, including one where vehicles saved in garages would go missing.

And no, there's still no word on when Rockstar Games will get around to porting GTA V to PC -- boo!

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Microsoft Now Accepting Pre-orders for Windows 8.1 (Full Version)

Posted: 02 Oct 2013 08:39 AM PDT

Don't worry Windows 8 users, the update is still free

Anyone rocking a legal copy of Windows 8 is eligible to receive an update to Windows 8.1 free of charge when it's made available on October 17, 2013 (two weeks from this Thursday), though if you haven't made the leap to Microsoft's touch friendly operating system, you can jump straight to Windows 8.1 for $120. That's the cost of the full version of Windows 8.1, and it's now available to pre-order.

Bear in mind that Windows 8.1 is not intended for installation on machines running Windows XP or Windows Vista. If you're running one of those OSes, you can purchase a copy of Windows 8 and receive and the Windows 8.1 update free of charge when it's available.

For those of you running Windows 7, Microsoft promises your files will "easily transfer" when installing the full version of Windows 8.1

Windows 8.1 brings several improvements to Windows 8, not the least of which is the return of the Start button (though not the Start menu). It also introduced an improved browser in Internet Explorer 11, more control over tiles, improved multitasking support, and more.

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Trendnet's Travel Router Keeps Everyone Connected on the Go

Posted: 02 Oct 2013 06:27 AM PDT

Turned wired Internet into wireless with a wall socket

Trendnet announced the availability of its N150 Wireless Travel Router (TEW-714TRU), a compact device that makes it possible to share a single Internet connection with multiple users when away from home. It's an interesting concept considering that Wi-Fi is fairly ubiquitous these days, though you may run into an older hotel or visit a family member that's still rocking a wired connection. These are situations where the Travel Router would come into play.

To use it, you just plug the Travel Router into a wall socket (it comes with American, European, and British style electrical plugs), connect the Ethernet cable, and set it to Router Mode. To share a single wireless hotel (or other) Internet connection, you'd set the Travel Router to WISP Mode and enter the provided Username and Password.

As an added bonus, you can charge mobile gadgets on the Travel Router's USB port, as well as share content from those devices, so it's more than just a one-trick pony.

The N150 Wireless Travel Router will be available later this month for $60 MSRP.

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Newegg Daily Deals: Intel Core i7 4930K, Samsung 840 Evo 120GB SSD, and More!

Posted: 02 Oct 2013 05:53 AM PDT

Intel Core i7 4930K newegg logo

Top Deal:

So you took a page out of the handbook of Polly Prudence and avoided Intel's Haswell refresh until the early adopters had a chance to discover any niggling bugs, is that it? That's not a bad strategy, and your reward for your patience is that Ivy Bridge-E has come onto the scene, giving you yet another option to consider. Want bragging rights over your dual- and quad-core wielding buddies? Then have a look at today's top deal for an Intel Core i7 4930K processor for $580 with free shipping (extra savings with coupon code: DYMCPU20). This is a six-core Ivy Bridge-E processor clocked at 3.4GHz with a heaping 12MB of L3 cache.

Other Deals:

Samsung S24B150BL Black 23.6" 5ms LED Backlight LCD Monitor for $130 with free shipping (normally $150 - use coupon code: [AFNJ2615])

G-Technology G-Drive 500GB 2.5-inch USB 3.0 Mobile Hard Drive for $100 with free shipping (normally $120 - use coupon code: [GHH19])

MSI GeForce GTX 670 2GB PCI Express 3.0x16 Video Card for $325 with free shipping (extra savings with coupon code: [DYMVGA18P]; additional $20 Mail-in rebate)

Samsung 840 Evo 120GB SATA III Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) for $110 with $3 shipping (extra savings with coupon code: [DYMCPU20])

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