| Rig of the Month: DotaBox Posted: 17 Jul 2014 03:16 PM PDT 
A scratch-built case straight out of Defense of the Ancients Jonathan '-=SpH!Nx=-' Garlit isn't a professional modder, but we're convinced that he's got potential. He's a die-hard fan of Dota, but with a son on the way he's giving up the game to become a full-time father. The DotaBox is a memento that represents seven years and countless hours of Dota matches. Jonathan says he wanted something to commemorate his favorite game and we think he did it justice. Enough that we're happy to make it our July Rig of the Month. The scratch-built creation combines acrylic and wood in 4 distinctly recognizable renditions of the Dota 2 logo. Each is mounted onto the square chassis with backlit sheets of green acrylic cut to shape with a jigsaw and a rotary tool. It's not particularly powerful, but it doesn't have to be. Jonathan says he was on a tight budget and wanted a simple system that could handle Dota 2 and HD video. The AMD A10-7850K APU does both and is a great alternative to stuffing a giant graphics card into the 10x10x10-inch case. Two Cooler Master JetFlo 120mm fans join a 120mm Scythe Slip Stream and a giant 230mm Bitfenix Spectre fan to keep the system cool. There's a lesson to be learned here: airflow is important—even outside of gaming rigs. A 256GB SSD gives it speedy boot-ups with larger files relegated to network attached storage. A 450W Silverstone SFX Series power supply keeps everything running. Have a case mod of your own that you would like to submit to our monthly feature? Make sure to read the rules/tips here and email us at mpcrigofthemonth@gmail.com with your submissions. Follow Ben on Twitter and Google+. |
| Oculus VR Rumored to be Creating its Own VR Motion Controllers Posted: 17 Jul 2014 02:03 PM PDT  Competition for third-party developers?
Many third-party manufacturers are researching and developing motion control devices for the Oculus Rift such as the Virtuix Omni treadmill and PrioVR suit. However, according to CNET, Oculus VR is making its own VR motion controllers. The tech website claims that that Oculus VR has been developing its own motion controllers that will work in tandem with the Rift and allow users to manipulate objects in game with hand and body movements. In addition, the device will supposedly use the Rift's camera to track the position of a player's hands. It's a concept that Sony's own Project Morpheus will be doing through the utilization of the PlayStation Move controller and PlayStation Camera. However, there are no details about how much the unnamed motion controllers will cost, when it will be made available to consumers, or when Oculus VR will announce it. In the meantime, the developer has begun to ship out the final version of the development kit and even announced that it will be hosting its first development conference. Maximum PC editor Jimmy Thang, back in January at CES, bemoaned the fact that he couldn't see his hands while checking out the Crystal Cove prototype. When Jimmy pointed this out, at the 1:40 mark, the representative replied, "We'll get them there. Just give us time." Follow Sean on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| No BS Podcast #228: MSI Talks about the Current State and Future of Gaming Notebooks Posted: 17 Jul 2014 01:56 PM PDT 
MSI Product Manager Clifford Chun and Associate Marketing Manager Vincent Chen join the podcast We've heard your cries to bring on more industry experts and so we got some special guests from MSI's notebook division to talk about the current state and future of gaming laptops. In episode #228 of the No BS Podcast, the crew is joined by MSI Associate Marketing Manager Vincent Chen and Product Manager Clifford Chun. In the podcast, the two show off some new fancy notebooks for us and discuss numerous topics that include 3K/4K panels on notebooks, why we aren't seeing touch on gaming laptops, laptop modularity, and much more. And because we love you, we even managed to toss them a few of your reader questions as well!   
|
| Heinz Zemanek, Inventor of Europe's First All-Transistor PC, Dies at 94 Posted: 17 Jul 2014 10:31 AM PDT  Austrian computing pioneer created "May Breeze" with 3,000 donated transistors
Every so often we learn about the passing of a pioneer in the field of computing, and this time it's Heinz Zemanek, creator of "May Breeze" (or Mailüfterl in German) the first computer in Europe to run solely on transistors instead of vacuum tubes. With the help of students at the Vienna University of Technology (TUV), the Austrian engineer and programmer built the PC from 3,000 transistors donated from Philips, along with 5,000 diodes, 1,000 assembly platelets, 100,000 solder joints, 15,000 resistors, 5,000 capacitors, and 20,000 meters of switching wire. The transistors were slow and intended for hearing aids, Reuters reports. Nevertheless, they generated less heat and were much smaller than vacuum tubes, though May Breeze checked in at 4 meters wide by 2.5 meters high by 0.5 meters deep. May Breeze performed its first calculation in 1958 and stayed at TUV for several years before IBM swooped in and bought the system. In 1961, IBM built its Vienna Lab for Zemanek, where he remained as manager until 1976. During his time there, he directed the development of formal programming language descriptors and played a big role in Programming Language One (PL/I). 
Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| MSI Drops RAM Heavy GT72 Dominator Pro into Gaming Laptop Arena Posted: 17 Jul 2014 09:54 AM PDT  A desktop replacement that's short on compromises
Looking to replace your desktop system with a laptop but weary of the performance you might be giving up? If so, then you owe it to yourself to check out MSI's new GT72 Dominator Pro laptop line. Available in two SKUs, the Dominator Pro is a 17.3-inch laptop that wields an Intel Core i7 4710HQ processor (2.5GHz to 3.4GHz), Nvidia GeForce GTX 880M graphics, and gobs of RAM. More specifically, the GT72 Dominator Pro-010 sports 24GB of DDR3L-1600 RAM, along with two 128GB SSDs in a RAID 0 array flanked by a 1TB hard drive (7200 RPM), Blu-ray burner, Killer E2200 Game Networking, Killer N1525 Wireless-AC, SD card reader, Dynaudio speakers with subwoofer, half a dozen USB 3.0 ports, HDMI 1.4, two mini DisplayPorts, 1080p webcam, SteelSeries full color backlit keyboard, Windows 8.1, and a 9-cell battery. If that's not enough horsepower, the GT72 Dominator Pro-007 ups the ante with 34GB of DDR3L-1600 RAM and four 128GB SSDs in a RAID 0 array, along with everything included in the 010 model. All of this hardware goodness comes wrapped in a completely redesigned one-piece aluminum chassis that's less than 2 inches thick with customizable lighting effects. Both the GT72 Dominator Pro-010 and GT72 Dominator Pro-007 are available now for $2,600 and $3,000, respectively. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| Newegg Daily Deals: Toshiba 3TB Hard Drive, NZXT H440 Mid Tower Case, and More! Posted: 17 Jul 2014 09:32 AM PDT  
Top Deal: You've probably heard that we only use about 10 percent of our brains, though studies have debunked that myth. You actually use much more than you think, though one disadvantage to filling up that mysterious blob inside your skull is that you can't just hop online and order a bigger version. You can, however, upgrade your hard drive when it fills up, and like our brains, we tend to use more of our HDDs than we think until sudddenly we get a message saying we're low on space - do'h! Don't despair, you digital packrat -- just check out today's top deal for a Toshiba 3TB Internal Hard Drive for $105 with free shipping (normally $130 - use coupon code: [EMCPCWE27]). This retail drive sports a 7200 RPM spinkdle speed, SATA 6Gbps interface, 64MB of cache, and 3-year warranty. Other Deals: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory for $75 with free shipping (normally $83 - use coupon code: [EMCPCWE47]) New NZXT H440 Steel Mid Tower Case for $100 with free shipping (normally $110 - use coupon code: [EMCPCWE55]; Additional $10 Mail-in rebate) Corsair Hydro Series H80i High Performance Water/Liquid CPU Cooler. 120mm for $75 with free shipping (normally $90 - use coupon code: [EMCPCWE63]) Patriot LX Pro Series 16GB microSDHC Flash Card for $8 with free shipping (normally $11 - use coupon code: [EMCPCWE84]) |
| Microsoft Takes a Battle-Ax to Staff, Plans to Cut Up to 18,000 Jobs Posted: 17 Jul 2014 09:16 AM PDT  Microsoft prepares for the biggest round of layoffs in company history
Satya Nadella is going to make history at Microsoft, though not the kind he'll ever want to brag about. Following up on an open memo sent out to employees last week, the CEO of Microsoft confirmed in another open email to all employees that job cuts are on the horizon as the company looks to reduce its workforce by up to 18,000 workers. No other round of layoffs in Microsoft's history have come close to that figure. As was rumored prior to today's followup email, a large chunk of the job cuts will affect employees absorbed through Microsoft's acquisition of Nokia's mobile division. Of the 18,000 planned cuts, 12,500 will come from Microsoft's Nokia arm, comprising both professional and factory workers, Nadella said. Nadella is attempting to make Microsoft a more agile company that can move faster towards its goals. That entails fewer layers of management, both top down and sideways, to speed up the flow of information and decision making. When it's all said and done, Nadella hopes the remaining teams will have a greater impact and be more productive towards the company's goals. "Making these decisions to change are difficult, but necessary. I want to invite you to my monthly Q&A event tomorrow. I hope you can join, and I hope you will ask any question that's on your mind. Thank you for your support as we start to take steps forward in evolving our organization and culture," Nadella added. All workers affected by the cuts will receive some kind of severance package, as well as job transition help. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| Tesora's Tizona Mechanical Keyboard Features a Detachable Numpad Posted: 17 Jul 2014 08:41 AM PDT  A friendly plank for both lefties and righties
It's estimated that around 10 percent of the world's population are left-handed. If you whittle that down to PC gamers, the market quickly shrinks, though that doesn't come as any consolation to left-handed gamers lamenting the fact that most peripherals are geared toward right-handed users. Most, but not all. For example, Tesoro's Tizona mechanical keyboard sports an optional mechanical numpad that can attach to either side of the plank. "Taking its name after Spanish Hero, El Cid's sword, Tizona allows gamers to choose the setup they want, either a comfortable space-saving tenkeyless or a classic full sized board with the numberpad on either the left or right side," Tesoro explains. Alternately, you can attach dual numpads to the Tizona, one on each side, and go hog wild with macros. Regardless of how you configure the keyboard, Tizona serves up a mechanical typing experience with laser-etched keys. Other features include N-Key rollover support (it can be switched to 6-Key rollover if you prefer), three thumb keys (configured as multimedia keys by default), two USB 2.0 ports, 1.8mm braided keys, and a few other tidbits. Tesora says the Tizona keyboard and numpad will be available in North America soon for $90 and $40, respectively, or as a combo for $109. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| PC Gamer Serving Up One Million Gun Monkeys Steam Keys Posted: 17 Jul 2014 08:09 AM PDT  Week four of a five week, five million Steam key giveaway
For the past several weeks, our sister site PC Gamer in collaboration with Bundle Stars has been giving away millions of Steam keys for a new game each week. Past titles have included SpaceChem, Dino D-Day, and Really Big Sky. Ready to grab another one? Now in week four of a five week promotion, PC Gamer is giving away one million Steam Keys for Gun Monkeys, a procedurally generated, physics based, online deathmatch platform game. "In Gun Monkeys, you'll take charge of a modern-day power company. In the distant future, a catastrophic experiment into Perpetual Energy obliterates all human life, leaving the world choc-full of free-for-the-taking energy, but unpleasantly lacking in people to take advantage of it. Your job as CEO is to send a legion of pleasingly-expendable monkeys forwards in time to collect Power Cubes and return them to present-day, all from the comfort of your PC," the game's description reads. Since the maps levels are procedurally generated, you'll never play the same level twice. There's high-octane action in this always-online title, and if things are slow, there's an offline local play mode. 
Interested? If so, head over to PC Gamer and claim your key! Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
