General Gaming Article

General Gaming Article

Newegg Daily Deals: Yamakasi 28-Inch 4K Ultra HD Monitor, Intel Core i3-6100, and More!

Posted: 16 Mar 2016 01:45 PM PDT

Yamakasi 4K Monitor

Top Deal:

Thinking about making the jump to 4K Ultra HD? We don't blame you, the added screen real estate can be a real boon, and if you have the graphics hardware, gaming on 4K is pretty awesome, too. The caveat is price, of course, though if you're looking to upgrade to a 4K panel for not a lot of coin, then check out today's top deal for a Yamakasi M280PU Real 4K UHD 28-inch LED 3840x2160 60Hz 10Bit DP HDMI PC Computer Monitor for $279 with free shipping (normally $320). This is a large size display with a 10-bit panel and PIP and PBP support.

Other Deals:

LIVA X 2GB/32GB Mini PC for $115 with free shipping (normally $210; additional $40 Mail-in rebate)

Intel Core i3-6100 3M 3.7 GHz LGA 1151 Desktop Processor for $120 with free shipping (normally $130 - use coupon code: [EMCEHFJ24])

Samsung 850 EVO 2.5-inch 500GB SATA III 3-D Vertical Internal Solid State Drive for $120 with free shipping (normally $150 - use coupon code: [ESCEHFJ59])

Corsair HXi HX1000i CP-9020074-NA 1000W Power Supply for $170 with free shipping (normally $230; additional $30 Mail-in rebate)

GDC 2016: uSens Blends AR and VR to Create a 'Super Reality' Platform [VIDEO]

Posted: 16 Mar 2016 11:59 AM PDT

A super reality platform for developers

uSens HMD

You might remember a Kickstarter project for a mixed reality headset by a company called uSens. What it does is blend virtual reality and virtual reality, hence the mixed reality nomenclature, though Mark from uSens prefers to call it super reality. Terminology aside, we had a chance to sit down with Mark at GDC to talk about the company's technology.

The first thing to note is that uSens isn't really targeting the hardware market. It's going after developers with a mixed reality / super reality platform for them to build their own applications. The headset, called Impression Pi, is sort of a proof-of-concept device to showcase the technology, and also to fulfill the company's Kickstarter obligation.

Similar to Samsung's GearVR and Google's Cardboard HMDs, the uSens headset uses your smartphone to provide visuals. What's different about the Impression Pi is that it has cameras on the front, including infrared cameras to track your skeleton (such as hand movements) and RGB cameras to provide positional tracking (depth cameras, in other words).

In one demo that we experienced, there was a statue sitting on a table. When we put the Impression Pi on, it transformed the statue into a different one that was sort of like a cartoon. This is a mild example of the sort of things that are possible when combining AR and VR.

Find out more in the full interview:

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GDC 2016: Survios Studios Details Cooperative VR Shooter Raw Data [VIDEO]

Posted: 16 Mar 2016 11:24 AM PDT

VR doesn't have to be a single player experience

Survios Studios

Much of the attention being paid to virtual reality games and demos up to this point has focused on single user experiences. There's nothing wrong with that—we've seen some fantastic uses of VR—but what about the multiplayer aspect that's become so popular in gaming today? Survious Studios addresses that in Raw Data. a VR shooter that optionally pairs you up with a buddy.

Built from the ground up for the HTC Vive, Raw Data tasks you with destroying waves of androids intent on your demise. There are lots of different ways to do that in this co-op first person shooter (you can also play it in single-player), such as hand-to-hand combat, swinging swords, firing guns, throwing grenades, using a bow and arrow, and more.

One of the neat things about Raw Data is that it blends canned animation with actual motion tracking. For example, you can twirl a gun around on your finger and into your hand like you've seen in countless different action movies. Even though you might not be able to pull off that trick in real life, a simple motion in Raw Data activates the canned animation by your character's avatar, which in turn can make you "feel more badass."

Our own Jimmy Thang had an opportunity to try out Raw Data. He was paired with a teammate in another room, though the immersive experience works so well that he felt like he was in the same room. At one point, he even felt crowded by his teammate. That's a testament to how well the technology works in this case.

Check out the full interview:

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GDC 2016: VirZoom's Motion Controller Brings Exercise to VR [VIDEO]

Posted: 16 Mar 2016 10:53 AM PDT

Exercise made fun

VirZoom Bike

The highlight of virtual reality is tricking your brain that you're actually in a virtual world. This is achieved through headgear that blasts your eyeballs with fantastic visuals and head tracking technology, though VirZoom takes it a step further with an interesting motion controller.

It's essentially a fancy stationary bike. The obvious application for such a thing would be a biking simulation that would have you have riding a bike through exotic locales, though interestingly that's something that doesn't exist yet. Instead, VirZoom has focused on demos showing off its controller's capabilities by having gamers power a horse a in race, man a tank in battle, and take the form of a fire-breathing dragon flying through mountains.

VirZoom came up with the idea for a stationary bike as a solution to some of the problems inherent with motion in VR.

"When VR came out, we immediately saw a locomotion problem and the fact that if you move through these worlds without a physically intuitive way to do it and you violate a lot of the head motion problems, people don't feel good," Eric from VirZoom explained to Maximum PC.

As a bonus, games that use the stationary bike can provide physical exercise in a fun way.

"So instead of feeling bad about spending an hour playing a game, you can feel good about it," Eric added.

Check out the full interview here:

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GDC 2016: Tasty Beverage Studios Shows Off a Fast Paced VR Title [VIDEO]

Posted: 16 Mar 2016 10:29 AM PDT

Playing fast with VR

Bank Limit

Our illustrious Online Managing Editor Jimmy Thang has been toiling away at the 2016 Game Developers Conference (that lucky dog) getting up and close and personal with several VR players. One of them is Ben from Tasty Beverage Studios (500 geeks points right off the bat for a cool name), who was demonstrating a fast-paced VR game called Bank Limit: Advanced Battle Racing.

What is Bank Limit? Straight from the horse's mouth, it's a "futuristic magnet racer where combat is key." Racing strategy also plays a big role in the title, which will be exclusive to VR.

Ben confirmed to us that Bank Limit is inspired by F-Zero, Wipeout and similar titles, which seems evident at a glance.

"Everything that went fast we checked out before making the game," Ben told us.

The goal with Bank Limit was to make it the fastest game ever. Such a goal in VR risks making users suffer from motion sickness, but Tasty Beverage Studios was undeterred in its mission. It focused first on speed, then went back and took various measures to prevent gamers from upchucking their lunch, such as tweaking the art style and adjusting the size of various objects (Ben says a lot of research went into these sorts of things).

Check out what else Ben had to say about Bank Limit:

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Microsoft Backpedals on Bitcoin Ban, Will Continue Accepting Cryptocurrency

Posted: 16 Mar 2016 09:44 AM PDT

Microsoft takes a mulligan

Bitcoin

Seemingly out of nowhere, Microsoft earlier this week quietly added an entry to one of its support pages announcing that it was no longer accepting Bitcoin currency for purchases in the Microsoft Store. This came as a surprise in part because Microsoft didn't offer up a reason for its ban on Bitcoin, but it's all moot now because the company has apparently changed its mind.

Actually, it seems to have been a mistake of some sort, for which Microsoft apologized, adding that the update should have never been posted in the first place.

"We continue to support Bitcoin for adding money to your Microsoft account which can be used for purchasing content in the Windows and Xbox stores. We apologize for inaccurate information that was inadvertently posted to a Microsoft site, which is currently being corrected," Microsoft told TechCrunch.

The original statement, which has since been removed (though is still accessible through the Wayback Machine—fist bump to CNBC for the heads up), informed customers that they can no longer redeem Bitcoin in their Microsoft accounts. It also stated that existing balances could still be used to make purchases, but that no refunds would be given.

Bitcoin is one of the more popular (if not the most popular) cryptocurrencies in existence. It's temporary ban from the Microsoft Store prompted some to speculate that perhaps Microsoft was turned off by the currency's volatile swings in value, though it's been rather stable as of late.

Microsoft started accepting Bitcoin currency in late 2014 as a way to purchase games and apps. Then just two months ago, Microsoft gushed in a blog post about the number of transactions BitPay was processing for merchants as a whole.

"With a majority of merchant processing volume flowing through BitPay, we wanted to share some insights on the transactions that involved consumer purchases," Microsoft said.

"BitPay has seen transaction volume increase by 50 percent just in the last two months and by 110 percent in 12 months. We saw record months for bitcoin transactions in November and December, with more than 100,000 BitPay invoices processed each month. At these rates, every 25 seconds a shopper somewhere in the world was spending bitcoin at a BitPay merchant," Microsoft continued.

Microsoft didn't clarify how exactly it inadvertently banned Bitcoin for a short period of time, but if you're a fan of the cryptocurrency, all that really matters is that Bitcoin is still being accepted.

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Technolust: Workshop Accessories

Posted: 16 Mar 2016 12:00 AM PDT

Whistle while you work

One of the things about working on weekend projects is that they are often labor intensive, but frequently not big concentration hogs. So, when I work on a project I enjoy listening to music while I do so. It can help me focus, reduce stress, and give a kind of rhythm to the work.

The problem is, I don't enjoy wearing headphones while I walk around the house. When I'm working with power tools, it can help drown out noise, sure. But if my fiancee calls me, or I want to keep an ear out for what the dogs are doing, it's much better to have music played over speakers.

Adam Audio ARTist 5 Powered Monitor

ARTist5

I'd really, really love a set of powered speakers for the garage. But, since the garage is full of dirt, dust, and spiders, it's not a place that I'd want to keep a pair of brand-new speakers that only get used once in a while.

The solution is to replace the speakers I'm using in the living room. Right now, the sound for my Netflix addiction emanates from a pair of Samson MediaOne 4a Active Studio Monitors. I bought these when I first got into DJing, and my trusty pair of air pushers has served me for about six years. While these noisemakers are great, I'd still love to upgrade.

If there is one bookshelf speaker that I'd replace my Samsons with, it's the Adam Audio ARTist 5 powered monitor. With a Kevlar tweeter and carbon fiber diaphragm, this speaker kicks ass. I know this, because I tested them out one night while we were building the 2015 Dream Machine. At $600 per speaker, the ARTist 5 series is a home stereo derivative of Adam Audio's celebrated line of high-end studio monitors.

Pardon me, there's drool on my desk.

What would the ARTist 5 give me what I don't have now?

The ARTist 5 would push my home stereo audio to a whole new level. Getting a pair of these monitors would also free up my old Samsons for garage duty, giving me great workshop sound that I wouldn't be paranoid about breaking.

Pyle PDWR64BTB

Pdwr64btb

The garage isn't the only place work gets done. Sometimes, I do work outside, cutting things with saws or moving dirt from one place to another. Having music play over my huffing and puffing would make the work seem easier.

I looked around for an outdoor (read: weatherproof) powered Bluetooth speaker and came up with the Pyle PDWR64BTB. Sure, you can find better speakers, but the vast majority of outdoor speakers are passive. That means I'd have to run wires, and set up an audio receiver and amp that can take the Bluetooth input. It's not the worst thing in the world, but sometimes simplicity is best.

At $204, the 6.5-inch Pyles push 800W of audio, so the description says. While the audio won't be on par with the Adam Audio speakers, outdoor speakers have survivability as one of their key design features. After all, when is the last time you took your fancy monitors outside in an El Nino rainstorm?

Yep, I can't think of one either. These things are built to take that watery hell that few electronics brave.

How else am I supposed to listen to Neurosis while hacking away at weeds?

Canon imagePROGRAF iPF6450

iPF6450

If there's one thing that's completely unnecessary for most photographers, it's a large-format printer. These printers are massive, expensive, and can chew through ink like a honey badger high on PCP would take on a beehive. God forbid you need a new print head, which cost over $500 apiece. Yeouch.

On top of that, large-format printers need to "exercise" (run test print jobs) once per week, to keep the print heads clear of clogs.

But after all of that, the image producer in me still lusts after a printer like this. The Canon imagePROGRAF iPF6400 produces images with a maximum width of 24-inches, and has a maximum resolution of 2400x1200 dpi. It prints on a variety of media, including banner vinyl and canvas. Basically, this $2,500 printer is drool-worthy in all the right ways.

At 154 pounds, it isn't going to be sitting on a desk, and probably won't move often. That's okay, because you'll come back for huge, beautiful prints. They always come back.

What will the imagePROGRAF offer me that I don't have now?

It would offer me the ability to print my images on nearly any medium, with a huge format. While there are printers that offer 36-inch width, 24 inches is plenty wide enough for most noncommercial print jobs.
Posted by Shri Krishna

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