General Gaming Article |
- Newegg Daily Deals: Corsair Raptor K30 Keyboard, MSI GeForce GTX 960, and More!
- Microsoft's One Day Sale Sees Markdowns on Surface, Phones, and More
- Amped Wireless Launches Titan-EX Wi-Fi Extender to Obliterate Dead Spots
- Nvidia Launches GeForce Experience "Share" Early Access Beta
- Lian Li Announces Tri-Chamber PC-X510 Mid-Tower Case for $399
- Review: KOR-FX Gaming Vest
| Newegg Daily Deals: Corsair Raptor K30 Keyboard, MSI GeForce GTX 960, and More! Posted: 16 Sep 2015 12:15 PM PDT Top Deal: That $8 keyboard you picked up at K-Mart in the clearance bin might be fine for basic typing chores, but for gaming? Not a chance! A carpenter is only as good as his or her tools, and so it is with gaming. If you need a better plank than the one you're crushing, then check out today's top deal for a Corsair Raptor K30 Red LED Backlit Keyboard for $40 with free shipping (normally $60). It's not a mechanical keyboard, but it does have six programmable G keys, an adjustable backlight, anti-ghosting circuitry, onboard profile storage, and it's cheap! Other deals: G.Skill Ripjaws 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory for $42 with free shipping (normally $56) MSI GeForce GTX 960 2GB 128-Bit GDDR5 Video Card for $180 with free shipping (normally $185; additional $20 Mail-in rebate) Seagate 6TB 128MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5-inch Internal Hard Drive Retail Kit for $230 with free shipping (normally $260 - use coupon code: [ESCAXKS39]) Asus 27-inch 5ms HDMI Widescreen Monitor for $220 with free shipping (normally $250 - use coupon code: [EMCAXKS54]; additional $30 Mail-in rebate) |
| Microsoft's One Day Sale Sees Markdowns on Surface, Phones, and More Posted: 16 Sep 2015 11:58 AM PDT Savings all around Today's the last day to save up to $200 on select Surface Pro 3 models and receive a sleeve (up to $79 value). It's also the beginning and end of a "One Day Sale" in the Microsoft Store that sees markdowns on several items, including laptops, 2-in-1 devices, smartphones, and other items. If you're in need of a low power 2-in-1, the Asus Transformer Book T100 Signature Edition is currently selling for $297 at the Microsoft Store, down from its original price of $449. It has a 10.1inch Full HD touchscreen display, Intel Atom Z3775 CPU, 2GB of RAM, 64GB of eMMC storage, and up to 8 hours of battery life. In case you're not aware, "Signature Edition" PCs in the Microsoft Store are free from junkware and third-party trialware. The T300 enjoys an even bigger discount -- it's selling for $497, down from $699, and includes a 12.5-inch Full HD touchscreen display, Intel Core M-5Y10c processor, 4GB of RAM, and 128GB SSD, also with up to 8 hours of battery life. A sampling of other items on sale:
Some of the items on sale are likely to be refreshed next month as Microsoft is planning to launch new hardware on October 6. According to previous rumors and leaked info, a second generation Microsoft Band and Surface Pro 4 are expected to be announced. You can browse Microsoft's One Day Sale here. |
| Amped Wireless Launches Titan-EX Wi-Fi Extender to Obliterate Dead Spots Posted: 16 Sep 2015 11:37 AM PDT Better Wi-Fi coverage If you've followed our router coverage, including a couple of roundups, then you know that not all routers are created equal. However, even the best routers aren't immune to dead spots, depending on the size of the home and how many obstructions are in the way. One way to fill those dead spots and expand your Wi-Fi coverage is with an extender, and Amped Wireless just launched a new one that supposedly stretches Wi-Fi signals up to an additional 14,000 square feet. It's called the Titan EX and it's a high power AC1900 Wi-Fi range extender with 14 amplifiers (three 2.4GHz high power amplifiers, four 2.4GHz signal reception amplifiers, three 5GHz high power amplifiers, and four 5GHz signal reception amplifiers), four high gain 5dBi antennas, a 1GHz dual-core processor, and 128MB of DDR3 memory.. "The Titan-Ex is the most powerful range extender we've ever released. Now, Wi-Fi users can benefit from up to 14,000 square feet of uninterrupted Internet coverage," said Lacey Limbrick, Brand Marketing Manager. "Fourteen amplifiers and four high gain antennas combined with untouchable AC1900 speeds make the nightmares of dropped connections, buffering videos and slow downloads distant memories." In addition to extending your router's 2.5GHz and 5GHz bands, the Titan-EX features five gigabit ports for connecting wired devices, such as game consoles and smart TVs. The caveat is the price --Amped Wireless set the Titan-EX's MSRP at $190. |
| Nvidia Launches GeForce Experience "Share" Early Access Beta Posted: 16 Sep 2015 09:37 AM PDT Nvidia announced on Wednesday that the early access beta of GeForce Experience's "Share" feature is now open for business. This free service allows Nvidia gamers to share their compatible streaming PC games with friends no matter where they are. The Share service also introduces a number of new features such as an in-game overlay, instant replay, and more. According to the company, friends can watch you play a PC game in a 1:1 stream. They can also play in a co-op mode if the streaming game supports more than one controller, or simply take over the controls if you're having a tough time completing a level or boss fight. However players and friends use the new service, they can communicate with each other thanks to the built-in voice chat. "GameStream Co-op uses the Internet, the performance of GeForce GTX PCs, and the low-latency, low-overhead streaming components of GeForce GTX Kepler and Maxwell GPUs to solve the problem, enabling you to invite friends into your game over the Internet," Nvidia said back in August. In addition to the updated GameStream Co-op update, the Share beta also introduces a new in-game overlay that provides quick access to Twitch and Recording tools. Users can also save, edit, and upload captured gameplay directly to YouTube. The overlay even provides a Gallery feature that allows the gamer to view and upload recent video clips. This overlay can be accessed by typing Alt+Z in the game or on the Windows desktop. The company also mentioned an Instant Replay mode that acts like a DVR, allowing the player to save from five to 20 minutes of gameplay after clicking the Instant Replay button on the in-game overlay. Nvidia says that thanks to the Kepler- or Maxwell-based Nvidia GPUs, gamers shouldn't notice any performance issues when recording gameplay in the background. Video can be captured in resolutions up to 3840x2160 and framerates up to 60fps. As for system requirements for GameStream Co-op, Nvidia desktop customers need a GeForce GTX 650 GPU or higher, an Intel Core i3-2100 CPU or better, 4GB or more of RAM, a network bandwidth of 7Mb/s or higher (upstream), and a Wireless-G router (dual-band Wireless-N is recommended). The guest PC will need to meet the same hardware specs save for the GPU, which doesn't have a minimum requirement. The new GeForce Experience beta can be downloaded here. This early access is provided so that Nvidia can get feedback on the new features before they're baked into the main GeForce Experience software later this year. |
| Lian Li Announces Tri-Chamber PC-X510 Mid-Tower Case for $399 Posted: 16 Sep 2015 09:33 AM PDT Mid-tower case at a premium price Our apologies if you spit a swig of coffee on your monitor after reading our headline. That's not a typo, folks -- Lian Li is asking $399 for its latest mid-tower computer case, the PC-X510. How does it attempt to justify the premium price tag? The primary selling point is the case's tri-chamber design. Lian Li separates the "spacious interior" into three distinct chambers "for optimal cooling" and slapped a plate of tempered glass on the side to show off its guts. Three 120mm intake fans suck air in through the front of the case, while two more fans expel hot air from the back of the case, one in the middle chamber and one up top. Removing the three intakes makes room for a 360mm liquid cooling radiator. The PSU sits by itself in the bottom section. There are two removable drive trays mounted on shock-absorbing rubber grommets in the top section. Each of the trays support up to to 2.5-inch or 3.5-inch drives for a total of four. Removing the trays frees up room for higher-end cooling options -- up to two more 120mm fans or a 240mm liquid cooling radiator. If going that route, one of the trays can be mounted behind the motherboard tray. And if not, you could purchase a separate tray from Lian Li for a total of six drives up top and behind the mobo. The main (middle) compartment holds two more drives, which are mounted on top of the PSU enclosure. That brings the total to eight potential drives, or six without purchasing an additional tray. Full size components fit inside the PC-X510. There are eight expansion slots with support for cards up to 330mm (~12.99 inches). The case also supports CPU coolers up to 180mm (~7.08 inches) and power supplies up to 245mm (~9.64 inches) in length. Other features include removable fan filters, a built-in fan controller, and a slider cover on the top panel that hides four USB 3.0 ports and HD audio in/out. Is it enough to warrant at $399 price tag? Lian Li's going to find out when the case becomes available later this month. In the meantime, take a closer a look in this quirky video. |
| Posted: 16 Sep 2015 12:00 AM PDT At a GlanceRumble pack: Makes firefights more intense; relatively easy setup. DualShock: Acoustics-to-haptics system is wonky; no USB headset support. It's a Rumble Pak… for your bodyIn an attempt to make gaming more immersive, Nintendo introduced the Rumble Pak for the N64 way back in 1997. Kickstarter-funded company Immerz hopes to up the ante, and the haptic feedback, with its Kor-FX "immersive gaming vest." Shahriar Afshar, a physicist with a background in neuroscience, came up with the concept of embedding two vibrating transducers into the vest and using what he calls 4DFX technology to convert acoustic signals into haptic feedback. The two transducers are located along the chest region of the vest. There's one each for the left and right sides of your body, and they're spaced roughly ear-distance apart. The theory here is that, when you talk, most of the vibration comes from within your chest. Thus, the internal vibrations here are what the vest is trying to emulate. The vest itself is relatively comfy, though with any gaming peripheral that you have to wear, it's a slight hassle to put it on. You'll also look extremely dorky wearing it. Luckily, it fits a wide variety of body types with its two Velcro straps that you can adjust to your anatomical needs. We really liked that the vest is wireless. We didn't like that the four AA batteries needed to power the vest weren't included, however. The vest syncs up to your PC via a square-ish dongle that measures roughly 3x2 inches. This dongle blasts out an RF signal to the vest and hooks up to the computer via a Mini-USB cable. The dongle can also be powered by four AA batteries, if you wanted to go down the wireless route there. Set up is relatively simple. Once you've got the dongle powered, you simply plug in a 3.5mm auxiliary cable (included) from the dongle into your PC's audio jack. From here, you can plug your analog headset into the dongle. And that's largely it. There's no software or driver for you to download. That doesn't mean you can't customize the experience, however. The vest has several physical buttons on it. When wearing it, you'll find two buttons on the left side of the vest that allow you to adjust the intensity of the vibrations. The right side of the vest has buttons to turn on the vest, pair the vest with the dongle, and different sensitivity presets. These presets determine how sensitive the vest is at converting audio to vibrations. While there are three different presets, Immerz admits that the differences are extremely subtle. We couldn't really feel any difference between them. In regard to how it feels overall, the closest analogy we can use is that of the sensation you get when you're sitting in a movie theater with some kick-ass speakers, and a loud explosion goes off. The thunderous vibrations make you feel somewhat connected to the experience. Explosions and firing a machine gun in an intense first-person shooter with the vest feels good for the most part, and contributes to the sensation that you're in the thick of the action. Our favorite moment thus far has been trying to defuse a bomb in Counter Strike: Global Offense, only to have the bomb explode. It gives the game a slight higher sense of intensity, and we suspect some people will really get a kick out of it. That's not to say that the experience is perfect. Because the 4DFX system simply converts audio to vibrations, you'll sometimes feel vibrations when you shouldn't. Music, footstep noises, and, to a lesser extent, dialogue can trigger unwanted haptic feedback, for instance. You can mitigate this somewhat by disabling music in games that allow for it. Ideally, there would be different presets tailored toward specific games, and Immerz tells us it's working on that. The jury is still out on how well that will work, however. The two transducers are also a bit limiting. For instance, getting shot in the back in an FPS will trigger vibrations on the front of the vest. We would have also appreciated it if you could crank up the vibrations up a bit, you know, for the adrenaline junkies. Another gripe we have with the device is that, at the moment, the dongle only takes in analog headsets. Immerz says it's working on an optical line in, but the company has no plans to incorporate USB headsets, because of the challenges those pose with their independent sound cards. While understandable, it's kind of a shame, considering most wireless headsets use USB. Finally, Immerz says that there are interference possibilities with home Wi-Fi signals, but we didn't experience any of that on our end, through your mileage with it may vary. At the end of the day, do you really need the Kor-FX vest? No. Does it make game experiences more immersive? Sure. It can make firefights in first-person shooters more intense. It can also make you jump out of your seat in scary games a little more, too. Where we see it making the biggest impact, however, is with VR; here, it could add a sense of tactility to what has otherwise been non-tactile world. But due to its imperfections, we can only really recommend the vest to the hardest of the hardcore. |
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