| Microsoft Uses PCs to Showcase Xbox Game at Gamescom Posted: 14 Aug 2014 05:26 PM PDT  Caught again
Over the past few years it seems that both Sony and Microsoft have, at one point or another, demonstrated console games on PCs instead of on consoles at gaming events. This time, CentrumHer caught Microsoft using PCs to showcase an Xbox game at Gamescom. CentrumHer was able to take a couple of pictures that showed a demonstration of the game Ori and the Blind Forest crashing to a Windows 7 desktop rather than the company's current operating system Windows 8. But that isn't all. The pictures taken also showed that the PCs were most likely using Nvidia GPUs rather than AMD GPUs. An interesting thing to note, considering that the current generation of consoles are all equipped with AMD GPUs. In one of the pictures, you'll see a notification at the bottom right corner of the screen informing the user that "An updated version of GeForce Experience is available." Showing games on PCs at events such as Gamescom and E3 are common practice when it comes to developers like Ubisoft. Developers and publishers want to show off a product in the best possible way and that is on the PC. To be fair, though, Ori and the Blind Forest is expected to be released on the PC platform as well as the Xbox 360 and Xbox One. Follow Sean on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| 11 Awesome Tips and Tricks to Become a Google Maps Guru Posted: 14 Aug 2014 03:07 PM PDT 
Never get lost again with Google Maps Assuming you have an Internet connection and can read this -- and who doesn't these days? -- then there's a strong possibility you're at least a little bit familiar with Google Maps. Maybe you use it to look up driving directions before heading to a concert at the other end of the state, or fire it up to find a gas station when the needle creeps uncomfortably close to E. But did you know you can use Google Maps for suggestions on what to do when you're in a new area? Or zoom in or out with one hand? Google Maps is constantly changing (for the better), with new and enhanced features being added at an almost breakneck pace. It's pretty mature at this point, but if all you're doing is typing in directions, you're missing out on just how slick this piece of software is. The good news is, you've come to the right place. We've put together a gallery of 10 gnarly tips and tricks that will level up your Google Maps-fu to Guru status. Let's get started! |
| Intel's DirectX 12 Demo Highlights Impressive Power Savings and Performance Gains Posted: 14 Aug 2014 01:21 PM PDT  Big performance gains are possible using DirectX 12
Intel is turning heads at SIGGRAPH 2014 by showcasing its upcoming DirectX 12 API. This year's SIGGRAPH in Vancouver is the 41st intentional conference on computer graphics, and one of the highlights is a demonstration comparing DX11 versus DX12, the latter of which underscores the relationship between performance and power. In the demo, simply switching APIs results in up to a 70 percent boost in graphics performance. The chip maker is using a Surface Pro 3 with an Intel Core i5 processor to run the demo. Intel's demo tasks the CPU and integrated graphics with rendering a scene filled with 50,000 fully dynamic and unique asteroids in two different modes -- maximum performance and maximum power saving. To compare DX11 and DX12, the app allows the user to switch between the two modes with the tap of a button. In performance mode, the application runs as fast as possible within the thermal and power constraints of the platform. Using DX11, it pushes 19 frames per second. Switching over to DX12 sees a massive 70 percent jump in performance to 33fps. How can that be? Intel explains the performance jump by pointing to a power graph showing the distribution of power between the CPU and GPU. "DirectX 12 is designed for low overhead, multi-threaded rendering. Using the new API we have reduced the CPU power requirement and thus freed up that power for the GPU," Intel explains. 
In this demo, DX12 reduces the CPU workload by about half when compared to DX11. It does this by spreading the work across more CPU cores at a lower frequency rather than running a single thread at a high frequency. In addition to benefiting the user with a cooler device and longer battery life, it allows more work to be offloaded to the GPU, which improves graphics performance. According to Intel, an increase in CPU power efficiency can be used for more performance even if an application is not CPU bound. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| T-Mobile to Throttle Unlimited Data Subscribers in Certain Circumstances Posted: 14 Aug 2014 12:46 PM PDT  Wireless carrier to crack down on P2P file sharing
T-Mobile said it knows which subscribers are "heavy data users" and engaging in disallowed activities such as peer-to-peer file sharing and tethering outside of the wireless carrier's terms and conditions. Beginning August 17, T-Mobile will throttle 4G LTE data connections to unlimited subscribers who use the service in ways the company doesn't allow. That includes using the service for continuous webcam posts. "Using the Service in connection with server devices or host computer applications, including continuous web camera posts or broadcasts, automatic data feeds, automated machine-to-machine connections or peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing applications that are broadcast to multiple servers or recipients, 'bots' or similar routines that could disrupt net user groups or email use by others or other applications that denigrate network capacity or functionality," T-Mobile told employees, according to tmonews.com. Subscribers not signed up to an unlimited plan don't need to worry themselves -- they'll hit their cap before it becomes an issue, so T-Mobile is willing to turn a blind eye. Throttling only applies to those signed up to the old $70 unlimited or newer $80 Simple Choice plans. This doesn't appear to be a widespread issue. According to Recode, T-Mobile is reaching out to less than two dozen customers about running afoul of the rules. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| Lenovo Reports $10.4 Billion in Quarterly Revenue, Reaches Record High PC Market Share Posted: 14 Aug 2014 11:06 AM PDT  Lenovo's strategy for the surviving the so-called "post-PC" era is to keep selling PCs
The number one supplier of PCs in the world continues to outperform the sector as a whole, while simultaneously taking advantage of the mobile market. Suffice to say, Lenovo has things figured out, though if you need hard numbers to drive the point home, you need only look at the company's results for its first fiscal quarter ended June 30, 2014. Continuing where it left off last quarter, Lenovo posted quarterly revenue of $10.4 billion, up 18 percent year-over-year, along with a 23 percent year-over-over bump in earnings to $214 million. Lenovo maintained its ranking as the world's largest PC maker for the fifth consecutive quarter. Interestingly, Lenovo's laptop shipments declined 3.7 percent compared to last year, though that's far better than the 13 percent decline it suffered two years ago. Nevertheless, consolidated revenues for Lenovo's laptop business totaled $5.1 billion, up 12 percent versus last year and representative of 49 percent of the company's total revenue. Meanwhile, desktop PC shipments increased 12.1 percent year-over-year, far outpacing the industry average of a 2.4 percent gain. Lenovo collected $3 billion in revenue from its desktop PC sales, which is up 20 percent compared to last year and representative of 29 percent of the company's total revenue. Lenovo also saw gains in its Mobile Device Business, including smartphones and tablets. Revenue from these items jumped 32 percent year-over-year to $1.6 billion. In China, Lenovo is the leading smartphone maker, and it's the third largest maker of tablets in the world with 2.3 million devices shipped last quarter. "This has been a quarter of milestones for Lenovo – record PC share, a number three ranking in worldwide tablets for the first time, and an even stronger number four global smartphone position," said Yuanqing Yang, Chairman and CEO of Lenovo. "As the PC industry recovers, the smartphone market continues its shift from premium to mainstream, and our acquisitions of Motorola Mobility and IBM x86 proceed toward completion, we see even more opportunity to keep growing rapidly. Lenovo continues to outperform the market and meet our commitments to improve profitability in our core businesses, while building strong pillars for future growth across our entire portfolio." Another tidbit to file away is that Lenovo shipped more smartphones than PCs for the first time ever with a record 15.8 million units, up 29 percent. Under different circumstanced, we'd be worried that Lenovo might choose to abandon or reduce its focus on PC sales, but given that it's performing exceptionally well in both areas and is the top PC maker in the world, it's not a concern. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| Tesoro Launches Kuven Pro 5.1 Headset for Gamers Posted: 14 Aug 2014 09:38 AM PDT  Audio from the helm of Hades
Tesoro today announced the release of its Kuven Pro 5.1 surround sound gaming headset. Armed with eight drivers (four in each ear cup), Tesoro advertises true 5.1 and virtual 7.1 surround sound capabilities, along with the ability to fully customize each channel (voice, front, rear, center, and subwoofer). As for the funky name, it's a shout out to the helmet that Hades wore in Greek mythology (more accurately spelled "KυνÎη"). "Named after the helmet of the Greek god of the underworld, Hades, the Kυνen allowed its wearer to turn invisible to gain the tactical advantage in battle. Much like the mythological Kυνen, the Kυνen.pro allows its wearers to gain the advantage over their enemies by letting gamers pinpoint enemy movements, such as footsteps, before the enemy sees them," Tesoro explains. Alrighty then. As for features and specs, the headset sports an adjustable headband with a memory sponge head pad and leather finishing, noise canceling microphone, purple LEDs, and foldable earcups for easy transport to LAN parties. The Tesoro Kuven Pro will be available at the end of August for $109 MSRP. In the meantime, you can visit the headset's product page for more information. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| MSI Goes Gold with Limited Edition GS60 Ghost Gaming Laptop Posted: 14 Aug 2014 08:31 AM PDT  Gaming laptop brings the bling
Gold seems to be the 'in' thing among mobile devices these days, so why not extend the color option over to laptops? That must have been what MSI was thinking when it conceived limited edition versions of its GS60 Ghost Pro 3K and GS60 Ghost gaming notebooks. Each one packs high end hardware inside a "luxurious golden chassis" measuring 15.35 inches by 10.47 inches by 0.78 inches and weighing 4.36 pounds. "Our Golden GS60 Ghost gaming notebooks are designed for mobile gamers wishing to obliterate the opponent in class," says Andy Tung, president of MSI Pan America. "The gold exterior will turn heads, the svelte design will amaze, and the combination of smoking speeds, deadly graphics and amazing customization power will render anybody speechless." The less expensive of the two models -- GS60 Ghost -- runs $1,900 and sports a 15.6-inch Full HD 1080p (1920x1080) display, Intel Core i7 4700HQ (2.4GHZ to 3.4GHz) processor, Nvidia GeForce GTX 870M graphics, 128GB M.2 SATA SSD + 1TB (7200 RPM) HDD, 12GB (8GB + 4GB) DDR3L 1600 RAM, Killer E200 Game Networking, 802.11ac Wi-Fi, SD card ready, four Dynaudio Tech Speakers + subwoofer, three USB 3.0 ports, HDMI output, Full HD 1080p webcam, SteelSeries full-color backlit keyboard, 6-cell battery, and Windows 8.1. 
For $2,200 you can upgrade to the GS60 Ghost Pro 3K. It bumps the display up to 3K (2880x1620), upgrades the processor to an Intel Core i7 4710HQ (2.5GHz to 3.4GHz), increases the RAM to 16GB, and adds a second 128GB SSD in RAID 0. MSI's limited edition GS60 Ghost laptops are available exclusively at Newegg. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| Newegg Daily Deals: EVGA GeForce GTX 780, Intel Core i7 4770K, and More! Posted: 14 Aug 2014 06:52 AM PDT |
