| Valve Releases Steam Discovery Update, Steam Store Gets Revamped Posted: 22 Sep 2014 06:41 PM PDT  Over 100 million active Steam accounts
While Steam is the largest digital distribution platform for video games, its store homepage presentation and search function has been in need of renovation for a while. And it has finally received one. Valve has launched the Steam Discovery Update that has improved the Steam Store's appearance, made it easier to search for games, and adds a new Curator feature. "We have made great efforts to increase the number of titles we can publish on Steam, which means more choices for customers," said Valve UI designer Alden Kroll. "This update introduces multiple features and functionality to help customers explore Steam's growing catalog and find the games they are most interested in playing." Steam, which has over 100 million active accounts now, has become a bit of a chore to navigate when looking for new PC games to purchase. But with the Steam Discovery Update, it has that is no longer the case There are new filters that makes browsing through Steam's catalog of 3,700 titles, 1,300 of which have been added over the last nine months according to Valve, easier. For example, users are now able to filter out games they already own, Early Access releases, and non-gaming software from their search results. Consumers will also have access to customization options that will show the products they would be interested in purchasing. In addition, users will receive recommendations based on their recent gameplay, past purchases, suggestions from friends, and recommendations from Curators. Steam Curators are the new "tastemakers," as Valve puts it, of the Steam Community. Curators is another form of a Steam Community group capable of making recommendations that will show up on a follower's homepage. To become a Curator, you will need to create your own Steam Community group or be an officer/moderator of one. Then make at least 10 recommendations on Steam in order to shop up on lists to other users that are searching for Curators to follow. So what do you think of the redesign? Do you like it or do you prefer the old layout? Sound off in the comments below! Follow Sean on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| Razer Announces Open Beta for Razer Synapse: Stats & HeatMaps Software Posted: 22 Sep 2014 04:34 PM PDT  Track your mouse clicks and key presses
Razer has been rather busy with adding a new feature to Chroma and, more recently, releasing Razer Cortex to help players find the best video game deals. If that weren't enough, Razer has announced an open beta for Razer Synapse: Stats & Heatmaps. Stats & Heatmaps is a new software feature for Razer Synapse, the company's cloud-based settings network, which will allow users to collect data that tracks and shares their mouse clicks, keyboard presses, and more. The information collected can then be shown as raw data or as an overlay over a default or custom in-game screenshot that will show your mouse movements and clicks. Those wishing to share their statistics with other gamers will be able to share it on Facebook and Twitter. "This is a fun and unique way that we can add value to our industry-leading products after purchase," said Razer ceo Min-Liang Tan. "We're able to visually show gamers, empirically, how they interact with their favorite games. This information can help with anything from improving hotkey and mini-map usage to mouse mat selection and mouse DPI settings, in addition to the multitude of uses it could have for developers when they design game interfaces. Unfortunately it's next to impossible to ensure compatibility with the thousands of games out there, so we're counting on our millions of software users to help us test and expand game compatibility." Razer plans to add the ability for users to record actions-per-minute at a later date through Stats & Heatmaps. Follow Sean on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| 9 Things We Want in Windows 9 Posted: 22 Sep 2014 03:06 PM PDT 
We want better 4K support and more from Windows 9 If we're being totally, completely, 100 percent honest, we settled for Windows 8. That's not easy to admit, especially after applying some well needed Updates (previously known as Service Packs) that zapped some of our original complaints. Don't get us wrong, it never was, nor is it still a terrible operating system -- the comparisons to Windows ME or even Windows Vista's early days are off base -- but certainly Microsoft didn't have our best interests in mind. By "our interests," we're talking about power users, enthusiasts, and generally anyone tech savvy enough to know the difference between RAM and a hard drive. Hell, Windows 8 designer Jacob Miller admitted as much several months ago (Microsoft's good at coming clean after the fact). Truth be told, Microsoft catered to the lowest common denominator -- the ones who call you up every 3-4 weeks because their PC is riddled with pop-up ads again -- and attempted to hold their hands as Redmond walked them through its vision of what would one day become a beautiful walled garden where new and experienced users frolicked happily among the colorful tiles singing songs of praise. Our apologies if you just threw up in your mouth a little bit. Here's the thing -- we've grown accustomed to Windows 8, and having spent copious time with it, we no longer feel the rage we once did every time the Start screen would load. That's partially because we're now able to boot directly into the Desktop, but the bigger reason is the one we stated above. We settled, plain and simple. With that said, Windows 9 is on the horizon, and this is Microsoft's chance to atone for Windows 8 and earn back some street cred with power users. It's a do-over, and no, it's not too late. If Windows 9 comes out and blows our minds with levels of awesome we've never seen before, all will be forgiven (just as we've done before). But in order for that to happen, Microsoft has to get it right. That's no easy task, so to help our friends at Microsoft, we came up with a list of 9 things we want to see in Windows 9. Are you reading this, Redmond? Good, because these 9 wishlist items conveniently assembled into a photo gallery collectively represent your golden ticket back into our good graces. Let's begin! |
| Humble Bundle is Gifting Tropico 3 for Free Today Only Posted: 22 Sep 2014 01:45 PM PDT  Can't beat the price!
Why pay for a game when you get it for free? That's not an invitation to go pirate a PC title via BitTorrent or any other method, we're just wondering if you like free stuff. The answer? Of course you do! The reason we ask is because if you act fast, you can grab Tropico 3 for free from the Humble Bundle Store. The deal is good for one day only and is set to expire tomorrow at 10AM Pacific / 1PM Eastern. There are no major strings attached to the deal, unless you consider Steam's digital distribution platform a string (you also have to fork over your email for the deal). Simply click on this link, enter your email address, click on the URL that gets emailed to you, and activate the license on Steam. When you're finished, you can go back to the original link and refresh the page, only this time check the "This is a gift" box when entering your email. You'll be emailed a URL to give to your buddy. While you're moseying about the Humble Store, you can check out a bunch of discounted titles as part of the End of Summer Sale encore. Some notable standouts include Far Cry 3 Deluxe Edition ($7.99, down from $39.99), South Park The Stick of Truth ($19.99, down from $39.99), Batman Arkham City GOTY Edition ($4.99, down from $19.99), Batman Arkham Asylum GOTY Edition ($4.99, down from $19.99), and Hitman Absolution ($4.99, down from $19.99), to name just a few. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| Intel Plans to Spend $6 Billion Upgrading Chip Plant in Israel Posted: 22 Sep 2014 11:37 AM PDT  The deal calls for an Israeli grant of $300 million over five years
Intel has hammered out a deal with Israel's finance and economy ministries to invest $6 billion towards upgrading its chip manufacturing plant in the region. That figure qualifies as the largest single investment by a foreign company in Israel, and in return, Intel will receive a government grant of $300 million over five years. The chip maker will also be eligible for a corporate tax rate of just 5 percent for the next 10 years. "Intel's investment is a strategic asset for Israel's industry," Finance Minister Yair Lapid said in a statement, according to Reuters. "This is the biggest investment by a foreign company ever in Israel and is further proof that Israel is at the forefront of technology and innovation." After upgrades, Intel's chip plant is expected to be the most advanced fab in the world. It will also result in 1,000 more workers being hired at the plant by 2023, in addition to the 2,500 currently employed there. Intel collected $3.8 billion in export revenue from the plant in 2013, and $4.6 billion the year prior. Image Credit: Intel Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| Asus and Gigabyte May Lower Motherboard Prices to Reach Shipment Goals Posted: 22 Sep 2014 11:09 AM PDT  Watch for lower priced motherboards in Q4
We've already mentioned that Asus and Gigabyte may engage each other in a price of war of sorts as each one attempts to ship more motherboards than the other. However, weaker than expected demand in China combined with soft retail channel orders ahead of the country's National Day holidays are likely to cause both companies to fall short of their shipment goals. As a result, Asus and Gigabyte might be even more aggressive with motherboard price cuts than previously anticipated. According to Digitimes, Asus and Gigabyte are both expected to ship around 5.6 million motherboards in the third quarter. That figure is below what each company was expecting, as the two firms hoped that Intel's new Haswell-E processor launch and 9 Series chipsets would spark a replacement trend among consumers. Even with Haswell-E on the table, motherboard sales are falling a bit short. In order for Asus and Gigabyte to reach their stated 20-22 million motherboard shipment goal by the end of the year, the companies will need a strong fourth quarter. Sources tell Digitimes that price competition among the two is expected to "grow even fiercer." Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| No BS Podcast #232: GeForce GTX 980, Haswell-E, Minecraft, and Windows 9 Posted: 22 Sep 2014 10:31 AM PDT |
| Newegg Daily Deals: Corsair HX Series 750W PSU, Asus 23-inch LCD Monitor, and More! Posted: 22 Sep 2014 10:11 AM PDT |
| Biostar Tries Going High-End with Hi-Fi Z97Z7 Motherboard Posted: 22 Sep 2014 08:44 AM PDT  How do you like the view up here, Biostar?
Quick, blurt our the first brand that comes to mind when you think about high-end motherboards. Did you say Biostar? Lies! We would have accepted several brand names, though Biostar isn't one that's typically associated with premium boards (to be fair, the company has released a few top dwellers). We don't know if that's going to change, and apparently neither does Biostar, which "launched the first development of what might become a possible series of high-end gaming boards." That's how Biostar describes its new Hi-Fi Z97Z7 motherboard. Might? Possible? C'mon Biostar, if you're going to play with the big boys, you need to bring a barrel of confidence with you! Biostar's hesitation aside, the company's newest board is based on Intel's Z97 chipset with support for Intel socket 1150 CPUs (hello Haswell, but not Haswell-E). It's a full size ATX mobo with four DIMM slots supporting up to 32GB of DDR3-2800 (OC) RAM, a single PCI-E x16 3.0 slot, a single PCI-E x16 2.0 slot, two PCI-E x1 2.0 slots, two standard PCI slots, four SATA 6Gbps connectors, a SATA Express connector, four USB 3.0 ports plus a header, two USB 2.0 ports plus a header, GbE LAN, HDMI and DVI connectors, and various other odds and ends. It's not the most feature-rich board on the planet, though it does have some higher end goodies, such as "super durable solid caps," a "super durable Ferrite choke," a "super durable box header," 8-phase power design, moisture proof PCB, ESD protection, Hi-Fi audio with a built-in amp and 110dB+ rating, "Super Rapid Debug 3" for providing POST code information, and more, all of which you can read about on the board's product page. And then there's the price -- Biostar says its Hi-Fi Z97H7 has an MSRP of $120, which seems reasonable to us. No word yet on when it will be available. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| Corsair Gaming: A New Brand Designation for Gamer-Centric Peripherals Posted: 22 Sep 2014 08:12 AM PDT  Watch out Razer, here comes Corsair Gaming
Call it a marketing play if you will, but Corsair is determined to demonstrate its commitment to PC gamers by creating a new division called Corsair Gaming. It's under this new title that Corsair will release new and rebranded peripherals for gamers, starting with three RGB keyboards (K95 RGB, K70 RGB, and K65 RGB), two RGB mice (M65 RGB in black or white color options), and a pair of headsets (H1500 and H1500). "For 20 years, Corsair has equipped gamers with high performance, precision hardware to build their dream PCs. Corsair Gaming now introduces new ways for PC gamers to optimize how they play," said Andy Paul, Corsair President and CEO. "We've brought together our engineering expertise and our passion for gaming to build a line of products that delivers performance, customized for however you play." The RGB keyboards headline the new Corsair Gaming brand. All three use only German-made Cherry MX RGB mechanical key switches available in red, blue, or brown (K65 RGB only comes with Cherry MX red key switches). They also sport aircraft-grade aluminum baseplates. So, what's the difference between the three? The K65 RGB features a standard keyboard layout and media keys; the K70 RGB sports a compact design with the number pad removed and media keys removed; and the flagship K95 RGB offers an additional arry of 18 dedicated macro keys and dedicated media keys. 
Corsair's M65 RGB mice come housed in a durable aluminum unibody chassis and feature an 8,200 DPI, Omron switches rated for 20 million clicks, and adjustable weight system, and eight "strategically" placed buttons, including a sniper button. 
As for the headsets, the H2100 is a wireless solution and the H1500 comes with a cord. Otherwise, both purport to offer Dolby 7.1 surround sound and have 50mm neodymium drivers, micro-fiber wrapped memory foam earpads, and unidirectional noise-cancelling microphones. Pricing breaks down as follows (MSRP shown): - K95 RGB: $190
- K70 RGB: $170
- K65 RGB: $150 (available only at Best Buy in the U.S.; other retailers worldwide)
- M65 RGB (white or black): $70
- H2100: 100
- H1500: $80
You can find out more at Corsair Gaming's website. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
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