Deal: Grab the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip With Over RM1,500 Discount Now

When it was first launched in Malaysia back in March 2020, the
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip
 retailed at a whopping RM5,888; the price was then revised to RM3,999 in February this year. Now, you can grab the foldable phone
for only RM2,499
 – that’s a huge RM1,500 discount.

This deal on the Galaxy Z Flip is currently offered by
Samsung’s LazMall flagship store
 on Lazada in conjunction with the e-commerce platform’s Mid-Year Sale. Unfortunately, it appears only the Mirror Black model is available; the Mirror Purple and Mirror Gold colour options are not offered.

Still,
for RM2,499
, you’re getting a high-end smartphone with a unique foldable display. It’s powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855+ chipset – even though it was released back in 2019, it’s still a capable processor – along with a 6.7-inch 2636 x 1080 Dynamic AMOLED “Infinity Flex” Display.

If you’d like to learn more about the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip, check out our hands-on of the foldable phone
right here
. Of course, be quick if you want to get this unique phone
for only RM2,499
 – there’s no telling how long it will remain in stock.


Acer Nitro 5 Review: Most Affordable RTX 3080 Gaming Laptop!

Acer’s range of Nitro gaming laptops had always offered really good value for money, but none of its configurations were particularly high-end. But that changes with the new Acer Nitro 5: not only does it offer a beefy RTX 3080 GPU, it still retains its excellent value proposition.

If you’re looking for the most affordable RTX 3080 gaming laptop in the market now, look no further than the Nitro 5. However, there is an important caveat to this, which we’ll get into in this review.

What It Is

Display
15.6-inch QHD IPS (2560 x 1440), 165Hz
Processor
AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX (8C/16T, 3.2GHz with boost up to 4.4GHz)
GPU
Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 8GB GDDR6 (85W TGP)
RAM
16GB DDR4
Storage
1TB PCIe NVMe SSD
Camera
720p
Battery
57.5Wh
Dimensions
363.4 x 255 x 23.9 mm
Weight
2.2kg
Audio
Bottom-firing stereo speakers
Ports
2x USB-A 3.2 Gen 1
1x USB-A 3.2 Gen 2
1x USB-C Gen 2
1x HDMI 2.1
1x RJ45
Price
RM8,999

That’s right, this RTX 3080 gaming laptop with a fast Ryzen 9 5900HX processor and an equally fast 165Hz QHD screen costs only RM8,999, but as I’ve mentioned, there is a caveat here. Even though the RTX 3080 GPU sounds impressive on paper, it’s only rated at 85W TGP.

Basically, an RTX 3070 GPU with a higher TGP will be able to outperform this RTX 3080 GPU because of the TGP difference – crazy, isn’t it? We’ll get to this in more detail in the next section.

The Good Stuff

Obviously, we have to talk about the gaming performance of the Nitro 5 first, which is, as expected, really good. Judge for yourself with these benchmarks below – all of the games were running at the laptop’s native 2560 x 1440 QHD resolution.

Games (max settings @ 2560 x 1440)
Average FPS
Borderlands 3 (DX11)
53.40
Control (DX11)
44.751
Witcher 3 (HairWorks disabled)
75.805

Now, there’s no denying that these are good numbers, but…other gaming laptops with an RTX 3080 GPU can output higher numbers. Because it only has a 85W TGP, the Nitro 5’s RTX 3080 can’t quite deliver the same level of performance. Even the RTX 3070 GPU in the
Lenovo Legion 5 Pro
 – with a much higher 140W TGP – can deliver higher frame rates.

That’s not to say the Nitro 5 is not a powerful gaming laptop, because it still is. In fact, powered by a Ryzen 9 5900HX processor, it offers more than enough processing power for most users. I put it through its paces in Cinebench R20, so see how it compares to other gaming laptops in the table below.

Processor
Single-core test
Multi-core test
AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX (Acer Nitro 5)
561
5042
AMD Ryzen 7 5800H (Lenovo Legion 5 Pro)
554
5116
AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX (Asus ROG Zephyrus Duo 15 SE)
566
5461
AMD Ryzen 9 5900HS (Asus ROG Flow X13)
572
4922
AMD Ryzen 9 4900HS (Asus ROG Zephyrus G14)
481
4173
AMD Ryzen 7 4800H (Asus TUF Gaming A15)
481
4106
Intel Core i7-11370H (Asus TUF Dash F15)
581
2749
Intel Core i7-10875H (Acer Predator Triton 500)
483
3773

Complementing the high performance of the Nitro 5 is its 15.6-inch 2560 x 1440 IPS screen with a fast 165Hz refresh rate. The high refresh rate lend to excellent motion clarity in fast-paced games, and even just browsing the web with the fast panel is a pleasant experience.

As for the panel quality itself, it’s really quite good. While I do wish the IPS screen was a tad brighter, it does offer vibrant colours with wide viewing angles. All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed gaming and watching shows on this display.

System noise of the Nitro 5 is surprisingly good too. Even when the system is pushed to its limits, the fans don’t get obnoxiously loud. It’s rare for a beefy gaming laptop like this to have such minimal system noise.

In terms of thermals, the Nitro 5 continues to impress. Though the CPU does get toasty under load – hitting a peak temperature of 91°C – the GPU only got up to 76°C. The palm rest area also stays relatively cool in long gaming sessions, so I can still game comfortably.

The Bad Stuff

Given that the Nitro 5 is meant to be a budget-friendly gaming laptop, it does have some shortcomings here and there. Its design and build quality, for example, aren’t particularly great. It has large screen bezels, the lid is a fingerprint magnet, and the bottom plastic chassis doesn’t exactly inspire confidence either.

Aside from that, packed with only a 57.5Wh battery, the Nitro 5 doesn’t have particularly great battery life. Outside of gaming, the laptop only lasted me about four to five hours on a single charge. Evidently, the 165Hz QHD display draws quite a bit of power, along with the beefy GPU, of course.

Last but not least are the soft speakers of the Nitro 5. Even at maximum volume, the speakers are just much too soft for any kind of content consumption.

Is It Worth It?

Even though the Acer Nitro 5’s RTX 3080 GPU doesn’t quite offer the level of performance one might expect, it’s still a very fast, very capable gaming laptop with good value for money. Its list of positives easily make up for the laptop’s shortcomings too.

If you’re not interested in this RTX 3080 model, there are also other (more affordable)
AMD variants of the Nitro 5
, including an RTX 3060 configuration for only RM4,899. It’s great to see that Acer is expanding the Nitro series beyond the mid-range gaming laptop segment, and we expect even more variants of the Nitro 5 to hit the market in the near future.


Genshin Impact New Version Preview Happening on 9 July – Inazuma Coming?

Mihoyo just announced that it will be doing a preview for the next version of
Genshin Impact
 this Friday on 9 July. Looking at the teaser image, there’s a good chance the region of Inazuma will be added to the game in the new update.

As you can see in the teaser below, what appears to be a Statue of the Seven – which depicts the seven “Archons” in the world of Genshin Impact – is shown in the image. What’s interesting is the fact that it doesn’t look like any of the statues found in Mondstadt or Liyue, the two regions that are currently available in the game.

Chances are, this is a Statue of the Seven found in the yet to be released region of Inazuma. After all, if we look back at the story teaser of Kazuha, it was revealed that the Raiden Shogun (the Electro Archon) is a female character, leading credence to this theory.

Aside from that, Mihoyo has also been teasing Inazuma in the past couple of livestreams with a number of concept arts. The developer even revealed three upcoming characters from Inazuma: Kamisato Ayaka, Yoimiya, and Sayu. These three characters are expected to be available in the next version of Genshin Impact.

Concept arts of Inazuma

Nonetheless, we’ll find out for ourselves once the new version preview of Genshin Impact is
live on Twitch
 at 8PM this Friday on 9 June for us here in Malaysia. The recording of the program will also be
released on YouTube
 at 12AM on 10 July (Malaysian time).


2022 Honda Civic Malaysian Debut Was Set for Q3 2021

Previously, the
2022 Honda Civic
 was teased to be arriving in Malaysia
as early as this year
 by the President and Chief Operations Officer of Honda Malaysia, Sarly Adle Sarkum. However, this may no longer be the case in light of the
multiple COVID-19

lockdowns
 in our country.

According to
WapCar
, which quoted sources familiar with the matter, the 2022 Civic was originally set to debut in Malaysia in late Q3 or early Q4 2021. In fact, Honda Malaysia was supposedly set to preview the new Civic in Malaysia not long after the C-segment sedan is launched in Thailand later this month.

Of course, there’s a chance that the all-new Civic will still be launched in Malaysia sometime this year, but we reckon it’s difficult for any carmaker to estimate exactly when they can launch new models in the current COVID-19 lockdown.

After all, most of the automotive sector is still not allowed to operate right now. The production of vehicles and components are only set to resume in
phase two of the National Recovery Plan (NRP)
, and so far, only six states are in the second phase: Perak, Penang, Pahang, Kelantan, Terengganu, and Perlis.

Nonetheless, if you’ve got your eyes on the 2022 Honda Civic – and you’re not in a rush to get a new car – it may be worth it to wait for the C-segment sedan to make its Malaysian debut, which could still happen this year. If it does launch here by the end of 2021, it will be able to enjoy the
sales tax exemption
, which has been extended to 31 December 2021.


Shopee’s Shop Malaysia Online Campaign Offers Discounts, Cashback & More From Local Sellers

Shopee’s Shop Malaysia Online campaign is back again this year. The aim of the campaign is to encourage Shopee users to purchase items from local sellers, and it’s doing so by offering discount vouchers, cashback, and even free shipping subsidies.

Of course, these offers will only be applicable to sellers with the “ShopMalaysia” label. There are several ways to find products in this category; Shopee even prepared an infographic for this below.

Other than that, the Shop Malaysia Online campaign focuses on physical retailers too. Through the
Deals Near Me
 feature, users can find cashback vouchers from nearby businesses, including food and beverages, convenience stores, and even pharmacies.

Naturally, you can get discounts and cashback of more than RM3 with this feature. All you need to do is just purchase ShopeePay vouchers from 1 sen and redeem them with ShopeePay to enjoy these deals.

More information on Shopee’s Shop Malaysia Online campaign can be found
here
. You can also claim exclusive discount vouchers for the campaign over there.


Another Yes 4G Phone Caught on Fire – Third Reported Case

It appears yet another Yes 4G phone caught on fire, making this the third reported case. Though the phone model was not revealed, it’s likely the same Yes Altitude 3 phone, which was said to be
safe to use
.

The images of the burnt phone were shared to the
Yes 4G Community Unofficial
, a private Facebook group. Though the original post was deleted,
screen captures of the post
 already went viral.

Though it’s difficult to discern the model of the phone based on the two images, a glimpse of the Yes 4G logo can be seen in the back. According to the original post, the device was only used for two months when it caught on fire.

Prior to this third reported case, YTL Communications (YTLC) said that its Yes Altitude 3 phone is safe to use. The battery of the phone is pinpointed to be the cause of the fire in the previous two incidences, so there’s a chance that this is the case here too.

YTLC has gotten in touch with the original poster to investigate the issue. Previously, the company reminds its customers to only use original chargers supplied with its phones, and to use SIRIM-certified charging cables that are in good condition. It remains to be seen if a third-party charger or cable is the cause of the fire in this particular incident.


Acer Nitro 5 With Intel Tiger Lake-H & RTX 3060 Now in Malaysia From RM4,799

Acer just unveiled a new variant of its budget-oriented gaming laptop, the
Acer Nitro 5
. Powered by Intel’s latest Tiger Lake-H processors with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 GPU, it’s a reasonably powerful gaming laptop.

Two Intel variants of the Nitro 5 are available in Malaysia. The base model with a Core i5-11400H processor paired with 8GB of RAM retails at RM4,799, while the faster Core i7-11800H configuration with 16GB of RAM costs RM5,699.

Aside from the different processor and RAM capacities, but models of the Nitro 5 have the same specifications, including the same RTX 3060 GPU with 6GB of GDDR6 memory and 85W TGP. Even though the TGP isn’t particularly high, it should be able to run most, if not all AAA games with no issue.

Other hardware of the Nitro 5 include a 15.6-inch 1920 x 1080 IPS display with a 144Hz refresh rate, 512GB of SSD storage, a 23.9mm chassis that tips the scales at 2.2kg, along with a two-year local warranty; the first year is an international warranty too.

The RM5,699 Core i7 model of the Acer Nitro 5 is now available for purchase in Malaysia, and those who get it by 9 July will also receive a complimentary Acer Gateway FAE-i5 pro wireless earbuds worth RM239. The RM4,799 Core i5 configuration of the gaming laptop, on the other hand, will arrive here by the end of July 2021.


Huawei Nova 8i With 66W Fast Charging & Snapdragon 662 Lands in Malaysia for RM1,299

Just as promised
, the Huawei Nova 8i has just been launched in Malaysia. Sporting a fast 66W fast charging with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 662 chipset, it’s quite a sleek-looking mid-range smartphone too.

Only one variant of the Nova 8i is offered in Malaysia. The sole 128GB variant with 8GB of RAM retails at RM1,299, and it is offered in three distinct colours: Interstellar Blue, Moonlight Silver, and Starry Black.

As mentioned, one of the main highlights of the Nova 8i has to be its 66W fast charging. According to Huawei, the phone’s 4,300mAh battery can be charged up to 60% in only 17 minutes. A full charge, on the other hand, takes only 38 minutes.

In the camera department, the Nova 8i features a quad camera configuration. It’s made up of a 64MP primary sensor, an 8MP ultra-wide angle shooter, a 2MP macro lens, and a 2MP depth sensor. All in all, a reasonably good camera setup for a mid-range smartphone.

Other specifications of the Nova 8i include a 6.67-inch 2376 x 1080 screen with a impressive 94.7% screen-to-body ratio, a Snapdragon 662 chipset paired with 8GB of RAM, 128GB of internal storage, as well as a 16MP selfie camera.

To recap, the Huawei Nova 8i retails at RM1,299, and it will be
available for pre-order
 from tomorrow onwards on 7 July.


Huawei MateView & MateView GT Arrive in Malaysia; Premium Monitors From RM2,488

Launched alongside the Nova 8i are two Huawei premium monitors, the Huawei MateView and Huawei MateView GT. The former is a premium 4K monitor, while the GT is a curved ultrawide gaming monitor.

Out of the two, the MateView GT is the more affordable monitor.
Retailing at RM2,488
, it sports a 34-inch 3440 x 1440 VA panel with a wide 21:9 aspect ratio. It also has a 1500R curvature, and given that this is a gaming-centric monitor, it features a fast 165Hz refresh rate as well. Interestingly, it has a built-in stereo soundbar too.

As for the MateView 4K monitor, which is
priced at RM2,988
, it’s catered to creative professionals who need accurate colour reproduction. The MateView’s 28.2-inch 3840 x 2560 IPS screen with a 3:2 aspect ratio covers 98% of the DCI-P3 colour space, and it supports HDR400 as well.

Other notable features of the MateView include an impressive 94% screen-to-body ratio – which lends to a sleek, modern-looking design – a maximum brightness of 500 nits, and just like the MateView GT, this monitor has built-in speakers too (along with dual microphones), though it’s not a soundbar.

Both the Huawei MateView (RM2,988) and Huawei MateView GT (RM2,488) will be available for pre-order in Malaysia from tomorrow onwards on 7 July. Early birds who pre-order either one of these two monitors will also receive a RM100 instant rebate, along with a complimentary Huawei WiFi AX3 (Dual-Core) router.


Nintendo Switch (OLED Model) Announced – Bigger OLED Screen, Bigger Price Tag

This is the new Nintendo Switch (OLED Model). As its name suggests, this updated Switch features a larger OLED screen, along with a number of other changes, such as a higher price tag.

Unlike its predecessor, which had a 6.2-inch LCD screen, the OLED Switch features a larger 7-inch OLED panel with thinner bezels. As a result, it is also slightly larger and heavier than the previous Switch. On top of that, it has twice the amount of internal storage (64GB) now too.

The stand of the OLED Switch sees a design revision as well. Instead of the original Switch’s fragile-looking stand, this new Switch uses a much sturdier, wider stand that is also adjustable. This makes it easier to find for the right angle when the Switch is in tabletop mode.

Other changes introduced in the new OLED Switch include a new dock with a wired LAN port, “enhanced audio” from the system’s onboard speakers, and between 4.5 to 9 hours of battery life – the same quoted battery life as its predecessor.

Two colours of the Nintendo Switch (OLED Model) are available: this new white model with a matching dock, and the usual neon red/neon blue colourway with a black dock. The updated Switch will be available on 8 October for $350 (about RM1,455), making it $50 more expensive than its direct predecessor.


Infinix Hot 10S With 6,000mAh Battery Starts From RM499 in Malaysia

Infinix just revealed the Malaysian pricing of its latest affordable smartphone, the
Infinix Hot 10S
. Set to go on sale on 13 July, the Hot 10S will retail from only RM499 locally.

Of course, RM499 is for the base model of the Hot 10S, which features 64GB of storage and 4GB of RAM. The 128GB configuration with the same amount of RAM, on the other hand, is priced at RM549. Two colours are available: Morandi Green and “95° Black.”

One of the main appeals of the Hot 10S is its very generous 6,000mAh battery, which should be able to offer very good battery life. Aside from that, it also has a 6.82-inch IPS screen with a reasonably fast 90Hz refresh rate and 180Hz touch sampling rate, though it is only a 1640 x 720 panel.

Rounding out the specifications of the Hot 10S are a MediaTek Helio G85 chipset paired with up to 6GB of RAM, 64GB or 128GB of expandable storage, a triple camera system (48MP primary + 2MP depth + “AI lens”), an 8MP selfie camera, a rear fingerprint sensor, and Android 11 out of the box.

We were told that the Infinix Hot 10S will be available to be added to the cart
on Shopee
 from today onwards, though the product listing is not live yet at the time of writing. Anyway, it will go on sale in Malaysia next week on 13 July at RM499 and RM549 for the 64GB and 128GB models respectively.


MSI Creator Z16 Premium Laptop With RTX 3060 Coming to Malaysia Soon

MSI’s most premium laptop yet seems to be making its way to Malaysia. Enter the MSI Creator Z16, a slim, high-end laptop with some pretty beefy hardware under the hood, including Intel’s latest Tiger Lake-H processors and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 GPU.

While we were going through SIRIM’s database, we noticed that both Ingram Micro Malaysia and VSTECS Astar recently registered the Creator Z16 with the certification body. This suggests that the laptop will be made available in Malaysia soon – all electronics have to be registered with SIRIM first before they can be officially sold here.

Even though the Creator Z16 is marketed as a machine for content creators, it can easily double as a gaming laptop, thanks to the RTX 3060 GPU under the hood. It can also be configured with a Core i7-11800H or Core i9-11900H processor; two very capable chips that will be able to meet the demand of most users.

Other specifications of the Creator Z16 include a sharp 16-inch 2560 x 1600 IPS screen with a 120Hz refresh rate and 16:10 aspect ratio – perfect for productivity tasks – up to 32GB of RAM, three NVMe SSD storage options (512GB, 1TB, 2GB), as well as a very generous 90Wh battery packed into a 15.9mm slim chassis.

No word yet on the Malaysian availability of the MSI Creator Z16, but given that it has been registered with SIRIM already, we reckon it will make its local debut very soon.


Spy Shot: 2021 Proton Persona & Iriz Facelift Shown in PDRM’s Live Video

It’s been a while since we’ve seen any spy shots of the upcoming 2021 Proton Persona and Iriz. This time around, we got a look at the two upcoming models undisguised, courtesy of a Facebook live video from the Perak Police.

That’s right, these images of the facelifted Persona and Iriz (courtesy of
Paultan.org
) were taken from the
Perak Police
‘s live video on Facebook, which has since been taken down. Though it’s not easy to make out all the details in the video, it does confirm a number of previous leaks and rumours.

LED headlights, for one, are confirmed for the Persona and Iriz, though they’re likely reserved for the higher-end trims. The updated 16-inch alloy wheels can be seen too, along with the new Infinite Weave grille and circular Proton logo.

The previously leaked
floating infotainment system
 of the Iriz – and effectively, the Persona too, given their similarities – is shown in the video as well. Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be any footage of the
Iriz Active
, which is believed to be the crossover version of the B-segment hatchback.

Previously, Proton said that the ongoing lockdown in Malaysia is putting a damper on its plans to
introduce new models
, so it remains to be seen exactly when the 2021 Proton Persona and Iriz facelift will be launched.


8 – 14 July Fuel Price: RON 97 up 1 Sen

The price of RON 97 continues to increase this coming week. RON 97 is set to go up by 1 sen per litre this midnight, while the prices of RON 95 and diesel remain the same, given that the price ceilings of the two have been reached.

For this coming week, the price of RON 97 is set at RM2.70 per litre (up from RM2.69). The price of RON 95, on the other hand, remains the same at RM2.05 per litre. As for diesel, it still costs RM2.15 per litre.

These prices will be in effect from 8 to 14 July next week. New fuel prices will now be announced every Wednesday, so stay tuned to Nextrift next week on the same day for future updates!


Nintendo Switch (OLED Model) Is Unexciting, But It Will Still Sell

Nintendo dropped a surprise announcement yesterday for its brand new console, the
Nintendo Switch (OLED Model)
 – yes, that’s the official name of the new product. The main highlight of the updated Switch is the addition of a larger, more vibrant OLED screen, along with a number of other changes.

But beyond the screen upgrade, this OLED Switch is…well, largely the same as its predecessor, for better or worse. While it’s not quite as exciting as it was
rumoured to be
, the new console will still sell quite well. The thing is, there’s no real need for Nintendo to upgrade the Switch any more than this to keep consumers interested.

This is not a new strategy for Nintendo either. In the past, it has released many different iterations of its consoles in the same generation. Take the Nintendo 3DS: there are a total of
four
 different versions of the portable console. Well, six, if the Nintendo 2DS and Nintendo 2DS XL are also taken into account.

Each new iteration of Nintendo’s consoles bring incremental upgrades, and unsurprisingly, the same applies to the OLED Switch. Compared to the previous version – which may continue to be sold alongside this OLED model – the biggest upgrade is the 7-inch 720p OLED screen from a 6.2-inch LCD panel of the same resolution.

You also get slimmer bezels with the OLED Switch, a sturdier, wider stand that is now adjustable, as well as a new dock with a wired LAN port. Oh, despite its larger display, the OLED Switch still has the same quoted battery life between 4.5 to 9 hours of use on a single charge, so that’s neat.

And…that’s it. Unlike what rumours have suggested, there’s no 4K support when the OLED Switch is hooked up to a TV; it still only outputs up to 1080p resolution like the current Switch. Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS) support for improved graphics performance is not available either.

In a statement to
The Verge
, Nintendo even clarified that the OLED Switch has mostly the same internals as the current model. Well, aside from the larger 64GB built-in storage instead of 32GB.

If you’re an existing Switch user – especially if you purchased the revised 2019 model – there’s little reason to upgrade to this OLED version. After all, most of the upgrades are focused on the handheld experience of the console.

Once the OLED Switch is connected to a TV, you get exactly the same gameplay experience; even the Joy-Con controllers are the same. Unless you absolutely need the LAN port of the new dock, the updated Switch won’t really appeal to current owners.

The new dock has a LAN port right below the HDMI input

However, those who own the Switch Lite may find the OLED Switch compelling for its superior handheld experience, though the latter is a much bigger system. More importantly, it’s an especially attractive option if they’ve been waiting for an excuse to get a new Switch that can be connected to a TV – this was one of the disadvantages of the handheld-only Switch Lite.

Besides that, the OLED Switch may just be the one to convince potential owners to pick up the system, regardless of how incremental the upgrade is over the current model. Speaking from personal experience, I wanted to get the Switch for the longest time, but I didn’t want to purchase the older model when a new version is just beyond the horizon.

In fact, that’s exactly what happened when I got myself the original 3DS XL. It was only a couple of months after I got the console when the “New” 3DS XL was introduced.

Now, if I hadn’t bought the revised Switch back in 2019, I would definitely be interested to pick up this OLED model instead, even if it costs slightly more over the existing model. For context, the current Switch retails at $300 (about RM1,250) in the US, while the OLED version is set to go for $350 (approximately RM1,455) once it is available on 8 October 2021.

Yes, the upgrades that the OLED Switch bring aren’t exactly game-changing, but as I’ve said earlier, Nintendo don’t exactly need to update this handheld console any more than what it already did for the Switch to fly off the shelves. It’s already a very successful product as it is.

By releasing the OLED Switch, the Japanese company can continue to maintain the sales momentum of the console, and maybe move
even more
 units with the bigger, better system.

As “unexciting” as the Nintendo Switch (OLED Model) is, I’m confident the new console will still be well-received. While I was personally hoping the Joy-Con controller would be updated accordingly – my right Joy-Con is already drifting a little bit – the new Switch is still a great addition to Nintendo’s lineup.

Hopefully, once the OLED Switch is available here in Malaysia, it won’t be priced too high due to limited stocks – that’s what happened when the revised Switch and Switch Lite arrived here back in 2019.


SP-Star Luminous Cyber Review: Clacky Linear Switch That Literally Glows

The switch of a keyboard is a very personal choice when building a custom keyboard, in my opinion. While some like switches with a deep, thocky sound profile, others (like myself) prefer switches with a clacky, higher-pitched sound signature.

If you’re the latter, then you’d want to check out the SP-Star Luminous Cyber switch. Not only is it a clacky linear switch with very little stem wobble, it also has a unique all-polycarbonate housing…that glows in the dark. I’ve used it for quite some time now, and it is easily one of my favourite linear switches.

What It Is

There are two switches in the SP-Star Luminous series: this Cyber colourway with a light green housing and black stem, as well as the Starry Night version with a blue housing and yellow stem. Beyond the different colour scheme, these two switches are identical to each other.

Both SP-Star Luminous switches are linear switches with a 62g gold plated spring. Unlike most switches in the market, both the top and bottom housing of the Luminous are made of polycarbonate, which likely contributes to its clacky sound profile. These two switches also have a five-pin design.

Aside from that, the Luminous also has some light factory lubing out of the box, so it does feel quite smooth right off the bat.

The SP-Star Luminous Starry Night (left) and Cyber

Pricing wise, I got the Luminous Cyber from
Keys on Shopee
. I purchased 100 units, so I basically paid RM2.50 per switch. This puts it in the same price range as more premium switches such as the
Cobalt POM
, and it certainly performs like one – more on that in the next section.

The Good Stuff

Thanks to the light factory lube, the SP-Star Luminous Cyber is quite smooth out of the box. The downstroke does have a slight bit of scratch to it, but once I’ve lubed it with some Krytox 205g0, it’s just as smooth as the best linear switches in the market.

I’m also impressed with the lack of wobble on the stem of the Luminous Cyber. This makes for a very, very stable typing experience, and not many switches can compete with it in this respect. In fact, it’s very comparable to the
Gazzew Bobagum
; a silent linear switch with very little stem wobble too.

Of course, there’s also the clacky sound profile of the Luminous Cyber, which reminds me quite a bit of the NovelKeys Cream – minus the scratch of course. Compared to the Cream, the Luminous isn’t quite as loud either. The acoustics of a switch is a subjective matter, but if you like a clacky sound signature, you won’t be disappointed with this switch.

What lends to the clacky sound profile of the Luminous Cyber is its all-polycarbonate housing. The housing of a typical MX-style switch has a polycarbonate top with a nylon bottom for a more solid bottom out. The fact that the Luminous has an all-polycarbonate housing instead is what gives it such a clacky sound profile.

Oh, as its name suggests, the Luminous Cyber glows in the dark as well. Yes, once the switch is installed on a keyboard with keycaps on, it won’t be visible, but it’s still a unique feature. I mean, just look at how nice it looks in the dark.

The Bad Stuff

While I love the clacky sound profile of the SP-Star Luminous Cyber switch, I’m sure there are folks that do not share my sentiment. If you want a switch that thocks instead of clacks, you’d be better off with a different option, such as the
Cobalt POM
 with its long stem pole.

Other than that, in its stock form, the Luminous Cyber does have some leaf noise; it definitely needs to be lubed to eliminate this leaf ticking. While you got the switch opened up for lubing, consider filming it as well. Even though it has very little stem wobble, the top housing does move slightly with some applied pressure.

Last but certainly not least is the asking price of the Luminous Cyber. A couple of local sellers on Shopee do carry the switch, but retailing at around
RM2.65 per switch
 – RM2.50 if you get a minimum of 100 units from
Keys
 – it’s not a budget-oriented switch.

That being said, you do get your money’s worth with the Luminous Cyber.

Is It Worth It?

If you want a switch with a clacky sound profile, very little stem wobble, and a unique housing that glows in the dark – yes, I consider this a selling point – then the SP-Star Luminous Cyber is absolutely worth it. You do need to lube and film the switch to bring out its full potential, but once you do, it’s easily one of the best linear switches in the market now.

SP-Star is not quite as popular as more established switch manufacturers like JWK and Gateron, but I do think it has what it takes to be one of the top brands if it keeps producing switches like the Luminous series. Who knows, maybe it will put out a thocky switch in due time – I’ll be keeping a close eye on SP-Star’s future releases.


Custom Keyboard – Hotswap vs. Solderable PCB; Which Is Superior?

There are quite a number of different parts to consider when you’re
building a custom mechanical keyboard
, and one of the most debated options is the choice of PCB: should you go with a hotswap or a solderable PCB? Is one better than the other?

To that end, we will list out the advantages and disadvantages of the two PCB options in this article. The short answer is, there is no “superior” PCB – it all comes down to preference, which really defines the custom keyboard hobby.

Advantages of Hotswap PCB

The biggest advantage of going with a hotswap PCB is the ease of switch installation, making it very beginner-friendly. All you need to do is just ensure that the two pins of a switch are straight, install it to the PCB, and…you’re good to go! You don’t have to go through the trouble of soldering each individual switch to the PCB.

Another reason why a hotswap PCB is ideal for those who are new to the hobby is the fact that it allows beginners to try various switches seamlessly. It’s important to figure out what kind of switch you like and don’t like when you’re new to the hobby, and a hotswap PCB facilitates this stage of…discovery, if you will.

Other than that, a hotswap PCB makes keyboard tuning and maintenance much, much easier as well. Say you’ve been using your keyboard for a couple of years now, and you need to relube your switches – yes, you need to relube your switches after some time.

With a hotswap PCB, you can just pull the switches out of your keyboard without the need to desolder them.

Tuning your stabilisers is not quite as difficult with a hotswap PCB either, assuming you’re using screw-in stabilisers. The thing is, in order to access the screw-in stabilisers on your keyboard, you usually need to completely disassemble it. That requires you to remove every part that is connected to the PCB, including the switches and plate.

Trust me, while you may have tuned your stabilisers very well in the initial assembly, they could start ticking somewhere down the road. Granted, you can inject lube directly into the stabiliser housing to try and solve this, but sometimes – most of the time, in my case – this doesn’t solve the ticking.

Disadvantages of Hotswap PCB

Right off the bat, if you go with a hotswap PCB, you’re stuck with only one layout. Of course, certain keyboards – such as the
Ikki68 Aurora
 – does offer slightly more layout options, but it still doesn’t compare to the sheer flexibility of a solderable PCB in this regard.

On top of that, you cannot do half plate builds with a hotswap PCB either. As the switches are not “attached” to the PCB as well as soldered switches are, it’s not recommended to use a half plate with a hotswap PCB.

Basically, a half plate (as its name suggests) does not cover the alphas of a keyboard. So if you’re using a hotswap PCB with such a plate, the switches in the alphas portion are basically “suspended” without any support from the plate – you risk damaging a hotswap PCB by doing so.

Advantages of Solderable PCB

As mentioned in the previous section, a solderable PCB allows you to set your layout to your liking with almost no limitations. Want to use a longer 7u spacebar instead of a 6.25u spacebar? No problem. Prefer a split backspace instead of a full one? Done.

Of course, you can also use a half plate with a solderable PCB, which gives you a softer typing experience. As the alphas portion of a half plate is exposed, you’re typing directly on the PCB itself. If the PCB has flex cuts, you’ll get an even softer, less harsh typing experience – you don’t get such flexibility with a hotswap PCB.

Aside from that, a solderable PCB doesn’t cost as much as a hotswap PCB either. The price difference isn’t particularly big – it’s about $10 more in most cases – but it’s definitely something worth pointing out. However, that’s not the whole picture; I’ll get to this in the next section.

Disadvantages of Solderable PCB

Even though a solderable PCB doesn’t cost as much as its hotswap counterpart, you need more items to assemble it, including a soldering iron and desoldering tools. Depending on whether or not you have such items already, these do drive up the “cost of ownership” of a solderable PCB.

That also means it requires more work to assemble a keyboard with a solderable PCB, as you need to solder each individual switch to the PCB. If you’re inexperienced with a soldering iron, you may even damage the PCB in the assembly process.

But in my opinion, the biggest disadvantage of a solderable PCB is its inability to easily swap out switches. This makes a number of keyboard maintenance much harder, including stabiliser tuning, relubing switches, or even troubleshooting any issue with the keyboard.

So there you have it. Depending on your preference, you may prefer a hotswap or solderable PCB. Personally, I always go with a hotswap PCB for the ease of installation, even if that means I’m limited to a single layout or I can’t do a half plate build.

Besides, I
review keyboard switches
 on a regular basis too – having a hotswap PCB makes this process a lot easier.


Qualcomm Launches Its Own Phone With Asus for RM6,280

If you’ve always wanted a smartphone from Qualcomm itself, you can get one now. Developed in collaboration with Asus, the “Smartphone for Snapdragon Insiders” is sold directly to members of the Snapdragon Insider fan community…for a cool $1,500 – that’s about RM6,280.

Despite its steep price tag, the Qualcomm-branded phone is just your standard flagship smartphone. On top of that, it only features a Snapdragon 888 chipset instead of the newer
Snapdragon 888+ SoC
, which offers faster CPU and AI Engine.

But to Qualcomm’s credit, this is one of the first Android phones to feature the new Snapdragon Sound classification; it promises high fidelity music playback at up to 24-bit 96kHz. The company is even bundling a pair of “premium” Master & Dynamic wireless earbuds with a charging case to take advantage of this feature.

Other specifications of the Qualcomm-branded phone include a 6.78-inch 1080p Samsung AMOLED screen with a 144Hz refresh rate, 16GB of RAM, 512GB of internal storage, a triple camera system (64MP primary + 12MP ultra-wide angle + 8MP telephoto with 3x optical zoom), a 24MP selfie camera, as well as a 4,000mAh battery with support for 65W fast charging.

Qualcomm’s Smartphone for Snapdragon Insiders will be available sometime in August 2021. It will be sold through Asus, though it remains to be seen if it will also be offered locally here in Malaysia.


Sony Xperia 1 III Costs RM5,799 in Malaysia – Available This Month

Sony Malaysia previous told us that its latest flagship smartphone, the
Sony Xperia 1 III
, will be sold here in July this month. Well, the phone has now been listed on Sony Malaysia’s website along with its local pricing.

Given its positioning as a premium, high-end smartphone, it’s no surprise that the Xperia 1 III retails at a whopping RM5,799 in Malaysia. For that kind of money, you’re getting 256GB of expandable storage and 12GB of RAM.

One of the main highlights of the Xperia 1 III is its “variable telephoto lens” system that allows the 12MP telephoto sensor of the to change its focal length between 70mm to 105mm. The system is also paired with a “Dual PD sensor,” which promises fast autofocus speeds, even when switching between different focal lengths.

Complementing the telephoto lens of the Xperia 1 III is a 12MP primary sensor, along with a 12MP ultra-wide angle shooter. Other specifications of the flagship phone include a sharp and vibrant 120Hz 6.5-inch 4K OLED screen, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 chipset, an 8MP selfie camera, a 4,500mAh battery, IP65/IP68 rating, and Android 11 out of the box.

Even though the Malaysian pricing of the Sony Xperia 1 III has been revealed already, we haven’t heard yet from Sony Malaysia on exactly when it will be sold here. Rest assured, we’ll keep a close eye on the local availability of the high-end phone.


Sony Xperia 5 III Coming to Malaysia August 2021 for RM4,599

Aside from the Xperia 1 III, Sony Malaysia also listed the more compact Sony Xperia 5 III flagship smartphone on its website. Given its more compact form factor and slightly different hardware, it’s quite a bit more affordable too.

Compared to the Xperia 1 III much dearer RM5,799 asking price, the Xperia 5 III retails at only RM4,599. Of course, it’s still quite a steep price tag, but it does share a lot of the Xperia 1 III’s hardware, including the variable telephoto lens system.

The Sony Xperia 1 III (left) and the Xperia 5 III

Basically, this allows the 12MP telephoto sensor of the Xperia 5 III to change its focal length between 70mm to 105mm. Paired with a “Dual PD sensor,” it promises fast autofocus speeds too, even when switching between different focal lengths. This phone also features a 12MP primary sensor and a 12MP ultra-wide angle shooter.

Rounding out the hardware of the Xperia 5 III are a 6.1-inch 1080p OLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 chipset paired with 8GB of RAM, 256GB of expandable storage, an 8MP selfie camera, a 4,500mAh battery, as well as an IP65/IP68 rating.

Sony Malaysia previously told us that the Sony Xperia 5 III will be sold in Malaysia
sometime next month in August 2021
, so we reckon this is still the plan.


Sony Xperia 10 III Mid-Ranger Retails at RM1,999 in Malaysia – Available August 2021

Sony Malaysia updated its website with
quite a number of

new product listings
, including the
Sony Xperia 10 III
 mid-range smartphone. With that, we now know the local pricing of the mid-ranger once it goes on sale here next month in August.

For the Malaysian market, the Xperia 10 III retails at RM1,999 – quite a steep price tag for a mid-range smartphone. This doesn’t come as a surprise of course, given that its predecessor, the
Xperia 10 II
, went for RM1,799 at launch.

For that kind of money, the Xperia 10 III features a Qualcomm Snapdragon 690 chipset, which should be faster and more power-efficient than its predecessor’s Snapdragon 665 chipset. After all, it’s built on an 8nm process instead of the Snapdragon 665’s 11nm process, which should translate to better battery life.

Other specifications of the Xperia 10 III include a compact 6-inch 2520 x 1080 OLED screen, a triple camera system (12MP f/1.8 primary + 8MP f/2.4 telephoto + 8MP f/2.2 ultra-wide angle), an 8MP f/2.0 selfie camera, 6GB of RAM, 128GB of expandable storage, a generous 4,500mAh battery, and an IP65/IP68 rating.

The Sony Xperia 10 III should be arriving in Malaysia next month in August 2021. Although its RM1,999 price tag is quite high for a mid-range smartphone, you don’t often see a device with such a feature set – such as its compact form factor and water resistance – in this segment.


Death Stranding Director’s Cut Coming to PS5 24 September for RM209 – RM50 to Upgrade From PS4

At PlayStation’s latest State of Play event, the release date of Death Stranding Director’s Cut for the PlayStation 5 has been revealed. Set to arrive on the next-gen system on 24 September, the PS5 version of the game brings a number of improvements.

Naturally, Death Stranding Director’s Cut is fully remastered and expanded for the PS5. These include new weapons, monsters, equipment, and even new storylines. I’m personally excited for more story content, which I consider to be the
best part of the game
.

Of course, there are a number of PS5-only enhancements as well. Death Stranding Director’s Cut will take advantage of the DualSense’s adaptive triggers and refined haptic feedback to deliver a more immersive experience, not to mention two graphics options: Performance Mode (upscaled 4K resolution at 60fps) and Fidelity Mode (native 4K). There’s even support for HDR and ultrawide aspect ratio.

You can also transfer your PS4 save of Death Stranding to the PS5; upgrading from the PS4 version costs only RM50 too for the Digital Deluxe Edition. The Standard Edition of the game, on the other hand,
goes for RM209
, but if you want the Digital Deluxe Edition instead, that will
set you back RM249
.

Death Stranding Director’s Cut will be available on the PlayStation 5 on 24 September 2021. If you’d like to learn more about the game, check out our review
right here
 – it’s a bizarre game, but it’s also an absolute joy to play through.


Video: PRISM+ X340 Pro 165Hz Review

PRISM+ released
quite a number of gaming monitors
 with very good value for money, and the
PRISM+ X340 Pro 165Hz
 is no different. After all, it’s a 34-inch curved ultrawide gaming monitor with a sharp 3440 x 1440 VA panel running at 165Hz…for only RM1,799.

Really, the X340 Pro 165Hz offers really, really good value for money. Not only does it have a pleasant screen to look at, the ultrawide nature of the display also makes it ideal for gaming and productivity tasks. The 1500R curvature of the screen lends to a more immersive gaming experience too.

If you’re in the market for a 34-inch ultrawide gaming monitor, then watch our video review of the PRISM+ X340 Pro 165Hz above! Want to read our written review instead? It can be found
right here
. You can also purchase this gaming monitor at
PRISM+’s official website
 as well as
Lazada
.


Genshin Impact Version 2.0 Arrives 21 July – Adds Inazuma Region, New Characters, Cross-Save With PlayStation

Mihoyo just announced
Genshin Impact
‘s biggest expansion yet. Not only will the Version 2.0 update add the region of Inazuma – the third major city in the game – three new playable characters are also coming. And get this: cross-platform progression with PlayStation will be implemented too.

Let’s start with the region of Inazuma. Come 21 July, players will be able to journey to the six main islands of Inazuma. As you can see in the video trailer below, the new region will add new mechanics, enemies, bosses, as well as new quests.

Ayaka
Yoimiya
Sayu

Aside from that, three new playable characters will also be added in Genshin Impact Version 2.0. Kamisato Ayaka, a 5-star Cryo sword user, will have her event wish first, followed by Yoimiya (5-star Pyro archer) and Sayu (4-star Anemo claymore user) in the same banner.

Last but certainly not least is the addition of cross-platform progression with PlayStation. If you’re currently playing Genshin Impact on the PS5 or PS4, you’d be happy to know that you can continue your progress on other platforms in Version 2.0, including Android, iOS, and of course, PC.

Genshin Impact Version 2.0 will go live on 21 July; Ayaka’s event wish should be available on the same day as well. It’s great to see Mihoyo continue to improve the game long after its initial launch back in September. Genshin Impact is certainly shaping up to the one of the biggest live service games in the market.


Genshin Impact Version 2.0 Trailer Is Amazing – Teases Upcoming Characters

Genshin Impact
 Version 2.0 was previewed by Mihoyo yesterday, and it’s jam-packed with new content. The region of Inazuma – the third major city in the game – will finally be accessible in the new update, along with the addition of
nine
 new characters.

Out of these nine characters, three are confirmed to be playable: Kamisato Ayaka, Yoimiya, and Sayu. That being said, we reckon there’s a good chance the others will also be playable sometime in the future.

The Raiden Shogun
Kujou Sara
Sangonomiya Kokomi
Yae Miko
Thoma
Gorou

Anyway, the six characters that will make an appearance in the new Inazuma story include Yae Miko, Kujou Sara, Sangonomiya Kokomi, Thoma, Gorou, and of course, the Raiden Shogun herself, who is the Electro Archon.

Of course, the video trailer above also gives us a speak peek of the storyline for the Inazuma region. In my opinion, Genshin Impact tells a
very compelling narrative
, so I’m excited to see how the story will progress in the new update.

Kamisato Ayaka
Yoimiya
Sayu

Genshin Impact Version 2.0 will be
available on 21 July
. Ayaka’s event wish should go live on the same day as well, followed by Yoimiya and Sayu; both of them will be featured in the same event wish.


Genshin Impact Weapon Pity Improved in Version 2.0

Genshin Impact
‘s weapon event wishes has a pity system that’s quite punishing, but this changes in the
Version 2.0 update
 that’s coming on 21 July. Thanks to the new “Epitomized Path” mechanic, you’re now guaranteed to get the featured 5-star weapon that you want.

Of course, the new mechanic does have a number of caveats. For one, you are only guaranteed the featured 5-star weapon that you have chosen once you have received two 5-star weapons that you didn’t initially pick. Basically, the third 5-star weapon you get will be the one that you’ve selected or “charted.”

In order to take advantage of the new Epitomized Path system, you need to “chart a course” to the 5-star weapon that you want before you start wishing. Once you’ve done that, you will receive one “Fate Point” when you obtain a 5-star weapon that’s not the one you chose.

And once you have collected two Fate Points, the next 5-star weapon you get is guaranteed to be the one you have chosen in the beginning. Do note that Fate Points will reset when a particular event wish rotates out, so you need to use them up before the next event wish is live.

The Fate Points can be seen in the lower left screen

Of course, the pity system for the
character event wish
 is still better; you’re guaranteed the featured character the second time you receive a 5-star unit. Nonetheless, the new Epitomized Path mechanic does give more incentives to roll in the weapon banner now. More details on this new system can be found
here
.


Genshin Impact PlayStation Cross-Save – What You Need to Know

Genshin Impact
 will finally introduce cross-platform progression for the PlayStation platform once the
Version 2.0 update
 is live on 21 July. It’s quite a big deal, as it now enables PS4 and PS5 players to continue their progress on other platforms seamlessly.

However, there are also a number of details that you need to know before you start linking your accounts, especially if you plan to play on multiple platforms. Before the Version 2.0 update is live, here are a number of important details you need to be aware of in regards to the new PlayStation cross-save for Genshin Impact.

Linking Your PSN and Mihoyo Accounts Can Get Tricky

If you want to link your current Genshin Impact account on PC, iOS, or Android – also referred to as a Mihoyo account – to PlayStation Network, you must ensure that you have never logged in to the game on your PSN account. If you’ve played the game with your PSN profile before, it will not be possible to perform the link, unfortunately enough.

According to Mihoyo, account linking cannot be done in this case because a PSN account “automatically registers a Mihoyo account after logging into Genshin Impact.” The same goes for linking your PSN account to another email address to continue your progress on other platforms – it has to be an email that’s not associated with any Mihoyo account.

If you’ve never played Genshin Impact with your PSN account, great! You can just launch the game once Version 2.0 is live, and follow the instructions on the pop-up window to link your Mihoyo account to the respective PSN profile.

Of course, make sure that you
do not
 skip the pop-up notification. Otherwise, the PSN account will log into the game and register for a brand new Mihoyo account, disabling the ability to link your current account to your particular PSN profile.

The linking process to continue your progress on other platforms from PlayStation is a little easier. All you need to do is just login to the game on your PS4 or PS5, head on to Settings > Account > User Center > Link Account, and click on the option to link your account to an email address that is
not associated
 with a Mihoyo account.

And that’s it: you can use the email address to login to Genshin Impact on PC, Android, or iOS. Oh, make sure that you’re logging into the correct server region when you’re playing on other platforms. This is dictated by the region the PSN account is set to – refer to the table below to find out which server you’re in.

It’s worth noting that once you’ve linked your Mihoyo account to a PSN profile and vice versa, they cannot be unlinked. Aside from that, if you’re continuing your progress from other platforms to PlayStation, any relevant trophies will be automatically unlocked once the account linking is done – that’s quite cool!

Genesis Crystals Are Not Shared Across Platforms

Genesis Crystals, the premium in-game currency of Genshin Impact, do not carryover to different platforms. Say you have 600 Genesis Crystals in your PlayStation account: that amount will not be reflected on PC, iOS, or Android.

Simply put, the same pool of Genesis Crystals are shared among PC, iOS, and Android platforms; only PlayStation has its own pool of Genesis Crystals. This is an important thing to keep in mind, lest you’ll end up with two separate collections of Genesis Crystals.

Granted, you can always convert your Genesis Crystals to Primogems. Unlike the former, the amount of Primogems you have in your account are actually shared across every platform. Of course, purchasing the Blessing of the Welkin Moon or the Battle Pass on any platform shouldn’t matter either; only Genesis Crystals need special attention.

PlayStation-Only Rewards Won’t Work on Other Platforms

Currently, Genshin Impact players on PlayStation have access to two exclusive items: the Wings of Descension wind glider and the Sword of Descension 4-star sword. Unfortunately, the wind glider won’t be available for use on other platforms – it is only accessible when playing the game on PS4 or PS5.

Interestingly, the Sword of Descension will be available to equip when you’re playing the game on other platforms, but the “Descension” passive effect will not be applicable. Needless to say, you’ll need to be on PlayStation to make full use of this weapon.

Despite some of these limitations, it’s great that Genshin Impact’s cross-platform progression – which is
one of the best aspects of the game
 – is finally coming to PlayStation. We imagine this will even attract more players to the live service game, especially for PS4 and PS5 owners that do not want to be limited to only one platform.

To recap, cross-save with PlayStation will be available once Genshin Impact Version 2.0 is live from 21 July onwards. The region of Inazuma will also be added in the new update, along with
nine
 new characters
.


Proton Begins Vaccination of Employees – Fully Vaccinated by August 2021

Proton just confirmed in a press release that it has begun vaccinating its employees from today onwards. Staff of the national carmaker who have not been vaccinated yet have been notified of their appointments through the MySejahtera app; the vaccination exercise will be taking place over the next few days.

In an effort to vaccinate its employees, Proton has repurposed its sports complex at the Tanjung Malim plant in Perak to be an industry vaccine dispensing centre (PPVIN). It’s capable of administering 800 doses of vaccine daily, and it will be operating for six days to ensure that Proton staff – as well as its vendors based there – will be vaccinated.

As for Proton’s staff at its Shah Alam headquarters, they will be vaccinated at the Shah Alam Convention Centre (SACC) instead. This is because there’s no space large enough at the carmaker’s Shah Alam headquarters for a temporary PPV that complies with SOP requirements.

“Proton hopes that by vaccinating our staff, we will contribute to reducing the number of COVID-19 infections in Malaysia. With other companies undertaking similar initiatives, this should help in efforts to restart the automotive industry that has been put on hold by lockdown measures,” said the CEO of Proton, Dr Li Chunrong.

This vaccination exercise will be repeated three weeks later for the second dose of the vaccine. With this in mind, Proton expects most of its employees to be fully vaccinated by the first half of August 2021.


This Game Sold for an Eye-Watering RM6.5 Million

Collectibles can go for an astronomical amount of money, and this could very well be the most expensive game to ever be sold. A sealed copy of Super Mario 64 for the classic Nintendo 64 console went for auction yesterday at Heritage Auctions, and it sold for
a whopping $1,560,000
 – that comes up to about RM6.5 million.

This sealed Super Mario 64 cartridge is said to be the “highest graded copy of the single best-selling video game on the Nintendo 64.” It’s worth noting that it also had a $100,000 starting price for the auction, which is already quite high.

Just a couple of days prior to the sale of this incredibly expensive copy of Super Mario 64, another Nintendo game – The Legend of Zelda for the NES – was sold at the same auction house. This particular game went for
a cool $870,000
, which is approximately RM3.65 million.

The sheer rarity of these two games definitely play a part in driving up their prices in the auction, not to mention their significance in the video game industry. If you’ve got any classic games in your collection, you may want to check if they’re worth any serious amount of money.


Deal: Get the Sony WH-1000XM4 for Only RM1,039 Now

It’s been almost a year since the
Sony WH-1000XM4
 was launched here in Malaysia, so it’s only natural for its price to drop quite a bit. In fact, you can now get the wireless headphones
for only RM1,039
.

To put this deal into context, the WH-1000XM4 went for RM1,599 at launch, so you’re
saving exactly RM560
. This listing is offered by Cubic Pacific on Lazada, and naturally, it comes with a one-year warranty from Sony Malaysia itself.

At the time of writing, only the Black model is available; the Silver colour option is unfortunately sold out. Still, this is a fantastic deal for an equally fantastic pair of wireless headphones with excellent active noise cancellation.

There’s no telling how long the Sony WH-1000XM4 will be offered
for only RM1,039
, so you may want to act fast if you want to get it at this price point. Not quite sure it’s the wireless headphones for you? Then check out our review
right here
.


Secretlab Titan Evo 2022 Chair Unveiled – 3 Sizes, Magnetic Armrests & Pillow, From RM1,545

Secretlab is known for its range of high-end gaming chairs, and the company is streamlining its product lineup with one brand new chair. Enter the Secretlab Titan Evo 2022 series: not only is it touted to be the company’s most “technologically advanced chair to date,” it is also available in three sizes.

Instead of offering different chairs at different sizes – I even reviewed a smaller Secretlab chair dubbed
Throne
 in the past – there is now only the Titan Evo in three sizes: small, regular, and XL. The smallest one retails from S$499 (about RM1,545), while the regular and XL models start at S$549 (approximately RM1,700) and S$639 (around RM1,980) respectively.

What makes the Titan Evo particularly unique is its use of magnets for two major components: the armrests and head pillow. That’s right, the memory foam head pillow no longer uses straps to be affixed to the chair; it will just snap into place with the help of custom embedded magnets. It can be adjusted up or down to find for the best fit too.

As for the magnetic armrests, they just snap onto the full-metal 4D base with the use of neodymium magnets. This makes it easy to change the material of the armrests to whatever catches your fancy as more materials are introduced by Secretlab in the future – it’s quite an ingenious design.

Just like the Titan, the new Titan Evo has a built-in lumbar support as well, though it uses an updated design. The new 4-way L-ADAPT lumbar support system can be moved up and down – as well as in and out – with a knob to the side of the chair. Using a “lattice of living hinges,” it promises total support for your back for maximum comfort.

Other features of the Titan Evo include a proprietary sculpted pebble seat base for optimal ergonomic support, three choices of material (PU leather, higher-end Napa leather, or SoftWeave Plus fabric) which determines the price of the chair, and of course, the use of cold-cure foam mix that lends to a firm, comfortable sitting experience.

The Secretlab Titan Evo 2022 series is now available for purchase in Malaysia in a wide variety of designs and material choices, though the Napa leather option is currently unavailable. If you’re keen to get this chair, you can do so over at the company’s
online store
.


Revisiting the Glorious Panda Switch – How Does It Compare to Gazzew Boba U4T?

The
Glorious Panda
, modeled after the popular Holy Panda, is quite a popular tactile switch. After all, it’s one of the most accessible “Holy Panda variants” in the market now, and for the most part, it’s really quite a good tactile switch.

But since the Glorious Panda made its debut back in September last year, a slew of new tactile switches have also entered the scene, including the excellent
Gazzew Boba U4T Thocky
. With that in mind, how does the Glorious Panda compare to the U4T? Well, let’s find out!

Tactility

The Glorious Panda is known for its strong, pronounced tactile bump, and this remains true…to an extent. While it definitely belongs in the “highly tactile” end of the spectrum, the Boba U4T offer an even more pronounced tactile bump.

Granted, there have always been switches that offer…well, almost finger breaking tactility. But what makes the Boba U4T relevant in this comparison is the characteristic of its tactile bump. Much like the Glorious Panda, the U4T has a rounded tactile event, instead of a sharper bump that you find in, say, Zeal PC’s Zealio tactile switch.

So while the Glorious Panda offers a pronounced, rounded tactile bump, the Boba U4T has a noticeably stronger tactile event while still maintaining its rounded feel. So if you want an even stronger tactile switch than what the Glorious Panda offers, the U4T is a good choice – it’s slightly more affordable too.

Smoothness

Out of the box, the Boba U4T is definitely smoother. That’s not to say the Glorious Panda is scratchy; even though there’s an audible scratch throughout the downstroke, its tactile bump does hide any amount of scratchiness quite well.

Aside from that, after lubing, both switches are about the same in terms of smoothness. But if you plan to use either one of these two switches in stock form, the U4T is the better choice.

The Boba U4T Thocky
The Glorious Panda

Sound Profile

This is really the biggest shortcoming of the Glorious Panda. Without lubing, it doesn’t have the best sound profile. As I’ve mentioned before, it has an audible scratch, compounded by the spring pinging at faster typing speeds, not to mention the fact that some switches have rather loud leaf ticking.

In comparison, the Boba U4T doesn’t suffer from
any
 of these issues. While it does have a bit of audible scratchiness, it’s not quite as prominent as the scratch of the Glorious Panda. More importantly, the U4T’s spring doesn’t ping, and there’s no leaf ticking either – all without the help of lubing.

Speaking of which, I tried lubing and filming the Glorious Panda to see if I can eliminate these unpleasant sounds. While the scratchiness and spring pinging are gone, certain switches still have very noticeable leaf ticking. This is unfortunate, as it detracts from the snappy, pleasant clack of the Glorious Panda.

If you want a deeper, lower-pitched sound profile instead, the Boba U4T offers just that. Personally, I quite like the clackiness of the Glorious Panda – it reminds me of the signature Holy Panda sound.

Wobble

In this regard, the Boba U4T
easily
 takes the win. Thanks to its tight tolerances, there’s barely any stem wobble. The Glorious Panda, on the other hand, has much more noticeable stem wobble, both horizontally and vertically.

Even with a switch film installed, the stem wobble of the Glorious Panda still cannot compete with the Boba U4T. Of course, not everyone cares about this aspect, but a switch with little stem wobble will offer a more “stable” typing experience as the keycaps wobble less, for what it’s worth.

Pricing and Availability

Now, this is a little bit harder to evaluate. Here in Malaysia, the Glorious Panda is much easier to get, thanks to the fact that it is distributed by Sun Cycle. As for the Boba U4T, the closest vendor that offers the switch is Pantheon, which is based in Singapore.

The Glorious Panda (left) and Boba U4T

But what the Boba U4T lacks in availability, it makes up in pricing. Pantheon offers 10 of this switch
for S$8.50
 (about RM26), so you’re paying around RM2.6 per switch. In contrast, the Glorious Panda
costs RM109
 for a box of 36 switches; that’s approximately RM3 per switch.

Although a 40 sen difference doesn’t sound much, it does add up quite a bit as you get more switches required to populate, say, a 65% keyboard. You need about 70 switches for a keyboard this size – with a few switches to spare in case anything happens – so that’s a difference of RM28.

But wait, what about shipping to Malaysia from Pantheon? Well, that’s the thing: the vendor offers free shipping. At least, that’s the case to West Malaysia. If you want to get faster delivery, you can opt to use Ninja Van, which costs S$9; that’s about…RM28.

Of course, as you get more switches, the Boba U4T will cost quite a bit less than the Glorious Panda.

Is the Glorious Panda Still Worth It Then?

Of course. Even though the Gazzew Boba U4T Thocky is superior to the Glorious Panda in several aspects, you may not want the deep sound profile or more pronounced tactile bump of the U4T. In that case, you may find the Glorious Panda’s clackier nature more appealing, along with a strong – but not overly so – tactile bump.

My biggest qualm with the Glorious Panda is the fact that some switches have noticeable leaf ticking. But beyond that, it’s still a really good tactile switch, though you do need to lube and film it to really bring out its full potential.


Custom Keyboard Buyer’s Guide – What Size Should You Get?

Choosing the right custom keyboard kit for yourself can get quite overwhelming, especially if you don’t know what to look out for. In this article, we’ll help you decide on which keyboard layout to go for – this really should be the first thing you consider when making your decision.

Four major layouts found in the custom keyboard scene will be covered in this article. Depending on what keys you need, you’ll definitely find one layout more appealing than the other. Without further ado, let’s get to it.

60%

If you want the absolute smallest keyboard without sacrificing too much on practicality, a 60% layout is just for you. This layout offers most of the keys that you need for a functional keyboard, including alphas, modifiers, and the number row. For most folks, a 60% layout will do the job just fine.

Well, unless you need arrow keys. I personally love the compact, portable nature of a 60% keyboard, but most keyboards with this layout does not have arrow keys. Some PCBs, such as the
DZ60 RGB V2
, does have arrow keys, but that particular PCB sacrifices the question mark key to fit in the arrow cluster. That’s not exactly ideal.

The Wilba.tech Salvation

Anyway, if you want a compact keyboard – and you don’t need arrow keys – go for a 60% keyboard. It’s a relatively popular layout too, so you won’t have much trouble looking for a 60% keyboard. My personal favourite board with such a layout is the
Wilba.tech Salvation
.

65%

While 60% keyboards are quite aplenty, I’d argue the 65% layout is even
more
 popular. Off the top of my head, I can think of at least five custom keyboards with such a layout. These include the
KBDfans KBD67 Lite
, NovelKeys NK65 – both the
Entry
 and
Aluminium
 Editions – the
Mode Sixtyfive
, and of course, the ever popular
Vega
.

The KBD67 Lite

Compared to a 60% keyboard, a 65% layout has an additional column on the right side of the keyboard to accommodate the arrow keys and some navigation keys. Thanks to the addition of these keys, a 65% keyboard arguably the best balance between portability and practicality. This is why it is my personal favourite layout.

75%

One size up is the 75% layout, which is essentially a 65% keyboard with the addition of the function row. While not quite as popular as the aforementioned layouts, we are actually seeing quite a number of new 75% keyboards. We have the
Jelly Epoch
, the
GMMK Pro
, and even the upcoming
Keychron Q1
.

The Jelly Epoch

But because it has the same layout as a 65% keyboard with the F-row added to the top of the board, a 75% keyboard may look…well, disproportionate. Though it also depends on how a keyboard implements the layout, a 75% keyboard usually looks too tall. If you don’t quite like this aesthetic, consider the next layout.

80% / TKL

Last but certainly not least is the 80% layout, or more commonly known as TKL. That stands for tenkeyless, because an 80% keyboard is essentially a full-size keyboard without the numpad. Out of all the layouts mentioned here, an 80% keyboard is the least prevalent layout, though sometimes there are new keyboards with this layout, such as the
Mode Eighty
.

The Mode Eighty

Compared to a 75% layout, an 80% keyboard adds on full navigation keys right above the arrow cluster. This effectively widens the board, giving it a more balanced, proportionate look. It does increase the overall footprint of the keyboard, but practically speaking, the size difference between a 75% and 80% keyboard isn’t that substantial.

Wait, There’s No Full-Size Custom Keyboard?

Unfortunately, it’s not very common to find a full-size custom keyboard. I personally have not come across a custom keyboard with such a layout yet, though it’s definitely not impossible by any means – so long as someone is willing to design such a keyboard.

Plus, if you really need a numpad, you can just get a dedicated macropad. In fact, it’s much easier to find a macropad – such as Space Cables’
Stellar12
– than a full-size keyboard in the custom keyboard scene.

The Stellar12

Do note that as you go up in size, so does the price of the keyboard. After all, more raw material is required to manufacture a larger keyboard. This could be the reason why compact keyboards are more popular in this hobby, but this is just an educated guess on my part.

So there you have it: four common keyboard sizes that you can find in the custom keyboard scene. Now, this is by no means an exhaustive list, as there are quite a bit more layouts in the market. These include 40% – it’s just like a 60% keyboard, but with the number row removed – ortho, and even split layouts.


Singa Kohaku – Malaysian-Designed Custom Keyboard Goes on Pre-Order 24 July for RM2,450

Singa, based here in Malaysia, makes some of the most premium custom keyboards, and it is releasing a new 65% keyboard on 24 July. Dubbed Kohaku, this keyboard is designed by the owner of Singa, Elaine. It’s really quite a sleek-looking keyboard, and only 300 units are up for grabs.

That’s right, only 300 units of the Kohaku will be available for purchase – Singa keyboards have always been sold in limited numbers. The pre-order for the Kohaku will also be done as a raffle: only the first 1,000 entries will qualify for the raffle, and out of those entries, 300 will be randomly selected to pre-order the keyboard.

One of the most unique features of the Kohaku has to be its copper weight on the bottom with a Kōhaku Koi motif; that’s the inspiration for the name of the keyboard. Beyond that, it also uses a gasket mounting system with an aluminium case. There are two plate options too: a leaf spring aluminium plate, or a regular polycarbonate plate.

Now, let’s talk about the pricing of the Kohaku. The keyboard kit itself costs RM2,450, and it will include the Kohaku case, a hotswap or solderable PCB, a plate of your choice, as well as a hard carrying case.

You can get extra parts as well: an extra PCB costs RM200 or RM250 for the solderable and hotswap PCB respectively, RM165 for the plate (both aluminium and polycarbonate), and RM22 for an extra acrylic piece for the brass weight.

The Singa Kohaku raffle will be taking place on 24 July at 10AM Malaysian time. The details of the raffle can be found
right here
, along with more information on the keyboard. Delivery of the Kohaku will take place sometime in Q1 2022, which is really quite quick for a custom keyboard.


15 – 28 July Fuel Price: RON 97 up 3 Sen

The price of RON 97 continues to increase this coming week, and by a bigger margin this time around. RON 97 is set to go up by 3 sen per litre this midnight, while the prices of RON 95 and diesel remain the same, given that the price ceilings of the two have been reached.

For this coming two weeks – instead of the usual one week period – the price of RON 97 is set at RM2.73 per litre (up from RM2.70). The price of RON 95, on the other hand, remains the same at RM2.05 per litre. As for diesel, it still costs RM2.15 per litre.

These prices will be in effect from 15 to 28 July. New fuel prices will now be announced every Wednesday, so stay tuned to Nextrift in the next two weeks on the same day for future updates!


Custom Keyboards Lack So Many Features, So Why Should You Get One?

What do you look for when you’re shopping for a high-end, premium pre-built keyboard? Chances are, you would want features such as RGB lighting, wireless support, and for gamers, switches with “lightning fast” actuations to eliminate latency for the best response time.

The thing is, these features are not typically found on custom keyboards, even ones that cost
three times
 as much. Although they are not quite as “feature-packed,” I would still argue custom keyboards are superior to pre-built ones – let’s break down why in this article.

RGB Doesn’t Matter With High-Quality Keycaps

While a backlit keyboard would be useful in a dark environment, you need shine-through keycaps for that, which are…well, not the best quality. Really, even the most expensive pre-built keyboard doesn’t have particularly great keycaps. At least, in comparison to “proper” keycap sets from GMK or ePBT.

Now, these keycap sets are not see-through, so it doesn’t really matter if a custom keyboard has RGB lighting or not; you won’t actually benefit from it. Granted, some custom boards do have RGB lighting – such as
KBDfans’ KBD67 Lite
 or the
NovelKeys NK65 Entry
 – but believe it or not, more premium custom offerings don’t even have any backlighting.

What GMK or ePBT keycaps do offer, however, is
quality
. Trust me, the difference in quality between a proper, premium keycap set (especially ones from GMK) and keycaps found on pre-built keyboards is huge. These include feel, sharpness of legends, and even sound profile – yes, keycaps do affect the sound profile of a keyboard.

Given that the keycap is one part of the keyboard that you touch the most, it’s worth investing in a good set. And that brings us to the next point.

Superior Typing Experience

With a high quality keycap set, the typing experience of a custom keyboard will be much, much better than that of a pre-built board. On top of that, it is also much easier to tune stabilisers on a custom keyboard – rattly, noisy stabilisers is one of the most prominent shortcomings of a pre-built keyboard.

Really, a ticking spacebar or backspace will make even the most premium keyboard (custom or not) feel bad to type on. Most custom keyboards are designed to be relatively easy to assemble and disassemble, so tuning stabilisers is a much more seamless process. You also have the option to purchase a wide variety of stabilisers, even in specific colourways.

Of course, it’s still possible to tune the stabilisers of a pre-built keyboard, but more often than not, these boards are harder to disassemble to get to the stabilisers. There are a few exceptions to this, such as Keychron keyboards with a hotswap PCB – these boards usually use plate-mounted stabilisers, which are easier to access and tune accordingly.

Aside from stabilisers, what lends to the superior typing experience of a custom keyboard is the mounting system. Take the KBD67 Lite: even though I got it for only $109 (about RM455), it is a gasket-mounted keyboard with a polycarbonate plate, which offers a softer, more comfortable typing experience.

This is an important distinction: pre-built keyboards are usually tray-mounted to the bottom of the case with screws. Not only does this make for a much stiffer typing experience, you also get inconsistent typing feel across the board. It’s especially evident near screw points.

Sound profile of a keyboard is affected by the mounting system of a keyboard too. Generally, tray-mounted keyboards – with a couple of exceptions, such as the
Wilba.tech Salvation
 – do not sound great. In contrast, most custom keyboards are designed to sound good, which (in my opinion) contributes to a superior typing experience.

Tons of Customisation Options

The word “preference” is thrown around in the custom keyboard scene quite a bit, but that’s really one of the most defining aspects of the hobby. Almost every single part of a custom board can be customised to your liking, including the keycap, switches, stabiliser, plate material, and of course, the keyboard itself.

All of these customisation options allow you to really personalise a custom keyboard to suit your aesthetics – not something you can do with a pre-built keyboard.

But Pre-Built Keyboards Do Have Their Advantages

In the spirit of “preference,” pre-built keyboards do have their own advantages. They don’t cost as much money, they’re much more readily available – a big shortcoming of the custom keyboard hobby, if I’m being honest – and pre-built boards have certain features not commonly found in the custom scene, such as wireless support and fancy RGB lighting.

The Asus ROG Claymore II

Depending on what you want out of a keyboard, a pre-built one may be the better option than a custom keyboard. But if you want the
absolute best
 typing experience with a healthy amount of budget – and a lot of patience – consider building a custom keyboard; here’s
what you need to know to get started
.


The Sleek Ikki68 Aurora x Stargaze Custom Keyboard Now Live in SEA – 50 Units Only

The
Ikki68 Aurora
 custom keyboard from Wuque Studio has received quite a number of special edition colourways, but none of them (in my opinion) is quite as sleek as this latest one. Enter the Ikki68 Aurora x Stargaze, which is now
available for pre-order in SEA via iLumkb
 – only 50 units are available.

Limited to only one order per household, the Ikki68 Aurora x Stargaze retails at S$246; that’s about RM760. For that kind of money, you’re getting the Ikki68 case itself, a hotswap PCB, an aluminium plate, a storage case, a coiled USB cable, as well as stabilisers with matching colours.

Aside from the unique Stargaze theme – it’s worth noting that the back of the keyboard glows in the dark too – this special edition Ikki68 Aurora is not all that different from the regular version. It’s still a gasket-mounted keyboard which can be customised to offer a soft or firm typing experience; it’s quite a unique implementation.

Other features of this special edition Ikki68 Aurora include a polycarbonate case, support for screw-in stabilisers – this is generally preferred over plate-mounted ones – as well as underglow RGB lighting. If you want, you can even get the Tromso PCB as an add-on, which offers Bluetooth connectivity.

The Ikki68 Aurora x Stargaze is now
available for pre-order on iLumkb
 for the SEA region; it’s set to start shipping to vendors sometime in February 2022. Given that there are only 50 units up for grabs, you may want to act fast if you like how this custom keyboard looks.

Alternatively, you can also purchase the Ikki68 Aurora x Stargaze from
Wuque Studio itself
, though shipping to Malaysia will naturally cost more than iLumkb, which is based in Singapore.


Some Malaysian Retailers Are Accepting Bookings for Nintendo Switch OLED

Even though the
Nintendo Switch (OLED Model)
 was unveiled just last week, a number of Malaysian retailers are already accepting bookings for the new console. Given that the updated Switch will only hit store shelves on 8 October, these bookings are definitely open quite early.

With that in mind, only place a booking for the OLED Switch with trustworthy retailers, such as the ones highlighted in this article. These include
Impulse Gaming
,
Otakuya
, and
Jiro Game
 – all of them are renowned local retailers. A RM100 booking fee is required to secure your order from these stores.

Unfortunately, only the Neon Red/Neon Blue model is available for booking right now; the White model seems to have sold out. Anyway, compared to its predecessor, the new OLED Switch features a larger 7-inch OLED panel with thinner bezels. Aside from that, it has double the internal storage too at 64GB.

The stand of the OLED Switch sees a design revision as well. Instead of the original Switch’s fragile-looking stand, this new Switch uses a much sturdier, wider stand that is also adjustable. This makes it easier to find for the right angle when the Switch is in tabletop mode.

Other changes introduced in the new OLED Switch include a new dock with a wired LAN port, “enhanced audio” from the system’s onboard speakers, and between 4.5 to 9 hours of battery life – the same quoted battery life as its predecessor.

If you want to be one of the first in Malaysia to get the new Nintendo Switch (OLED Model) once it’s available on 8 October, you can place your booking for the new console with the retailers listed above. Do note that local pricing has not been revealed yet, but for context, the new Switch costs $350 in the US – that’s about RM1,465.


Sony WF-1000XM4 Malaysian Delivery Delayed to August Due to EMCO

Originally set to start shipping in the middle of this month, Malaysian delivery of the
Sony WF-1000XM4
 has been pushed back to August. According to Sony Malaysia, the current Enhanced Movement Control Order (EMCO) in KL and Selangor has delayed the delivery of the wireless earbuds.

This was announced by Sony Malaysia on its
Facebook page
. According to the post, the new delivery estimate is set to begin on 16 August now, so it could be delayed further – especially if the current EMCO is extended.

Anyway, what makes the WF-1000XM4 particularly interesting is its active noise cancellation (ANC). It is said to be the best in the market now for a pair of wireless earbuds, thanks to a new V1 chip. On top of that, even with ANC activated, the XM4 can last up to eight hours on a single charge – two more hours than its predecessor’s quoted battery life.

In terms of sound quality, the WF-1000XM4 now supports high-resolution audio courtesy of LDAC, so it should be able to deliver better audio quality. On top of that, the
WH-1000XM4
‘s “Speak-to-Chat” feature has been implemented to these wireless earbuds too. Basically, when you start speaking, it will automatically let in ambient sound.

Other noteworthy features of the WF-1000XM4 include IPX4 water resistance – you can use it for your workouts or in the rain without issue – as well as a 40% smaller charging case. The case supports wireless charging, and it can fully charge the earbuds twice, giving you effectively 24 hours of battery life in total.

The Sony WF-1000XM4 is still
available for pre-order
 in Malaysia at the time of writing; it’s estimated to start shipping from 16 August onwards. Retailing at RM1,099, it is exactly RM150 more costly than
its predecessor
, but you do get a number of improvements with the new WF-1000XM4.


New Lenovo Legion Phone Duel 2 Variant May Retail at RM2,999 in Malaysia

The
Lenovo Legion Phone Duel 2
 was launched in Malaysia just a few weeks ago, but come next month, a new, more affordable variant of the gaming phone will be arriving here. Set to be available sometime in early August 2021, it’s a unique phone with two physical cooling fans.

Currently, the Legion Phone Duel 2 is offered in two configurations: 512GB + 16GB (RM3,899) and 256GB + 12GB (RM3,299). The new model that will be available here next month, on the other hand, has half the internal storage at 128GB with 12GB RAM for only RM2,999, though we were told this is a tentative pricing.

For that kind of money, you’re getting a powerful gaming smartphone. The Legion Phone Duel 2 is powered by a fast Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 chipset, and it is complemented by an equally fast 6.92-inch 1080p AMOLED screen with a 144Hz refresh rate for an even more enjoyable gaming experience.

Other specifications of the Legion Phone Duel 2 include a side-mounted 44MP pop-up selfie camera, a dual camera system (64MP primary + 16MP ultra-wide angle), as well as an absolutely generous 5,500mAh battery with support for blazing fast 90W fast charging. This can supposedly charge up the phone to 50% from empty in only 12 minutes.

To recap, the new Lenovo Legion Phone Duel 2 model with 128GB of storage will arrive here in Malaysia sometime in early August 2021 next month for (possibly) RM2,999. If it does eventually retail at that price point, it’s really quite competitive for a gaming phone of this calibre.


Sony Xperia 1 III Malaysian Pre-Orders Open for RM5,799 – Free WF-1000XM3

The Malaysian pricing of the Sony Xperia 1 III was revealed just last week, and Sony Malaysia is finally opening pre-orders for the flagship smartphone. To attract early birds, the company is even throwing in a free
Sony WF-1000XM3
 wireless earbuds with every pre-order of the phone.

Retailing at RM5,799, the Xperia 1 III is quite a costly flagship smartphone, though you do get a number of unique features. For that kind of money, you also get 256GB of expandable storage and 12GB of RAM; decent capacities. There are also two colour options: Frosted Purple and Frosted Black.

One of the main highlights of the Xperia 1 III is its “variable telephoto lens” system that allows the 12MP telephoto sensor of the to change its focal length between 70mm to 105mm. The system is also paired with a “Dual PD sensor,” which promises fast autofocus speeds, even when switching between different focal lengths.

Complementing the telephoto lens of the Xperia 1 III is a 12MP primary sensor, along with a 12MP ultra-wide angle shooter. Other specifications of the flagship phone include a sharp and vibrant 120Hz 6.5-inch 4K OLED screen, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 chipset, an 8MP selfie camera, a 4,500mAh battery, and an IP65/IP68 rating.

The Sony Xperia 1 III is now
available for pre-order in Malaysia
 for RM5,799. Those who place an order for the flagship device by 15 August will also receive a WF-1000XM3 wireless earbuds worth RM849 for free.


Walk-in COVID-19 Vaccination for Those Over 60 Happening Soon

Those who are over the age of 60 will soon be able to receive their COVID-19 vaccinations by simply walking into private clinics or hospitals that offer the jab. This was announced by the Health Minister, Adham Baba.

However, this initiative will only be implemented in KL and Selangor for the time being. It will eventually be introduced in other states as well, though it remains to be seen exactly when this will happen.

Aside from that, the health minister also said that industrial PPVs will be allowed to operate on a 24-hour basis in KL, Selangor, and Negeri Sembilan. This is done to increase vaccination rate in the greater Klang Valley area, which are currently recording high COVID-19 daily cases.

No word yet on exactly when the walk-in COVID-19 vaccination for those over 60 will be implemented in KL and Selangor – we will update this article once we learn more about the initiative.

Read more:

Walk-in COVID-19 Vaccination Starts on 17 July – For Those Over 60 in Klang Valley


Malaysia Will Stop Using Sinovac COVID-19 Vaccine After Supplies Run Out

Once supplies of the Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine has run out, Malaysia will stop acquiring more stocks of the vaccine. This was revealed by the Health Minister, Adham Baba, in a press conference.

According to the minister, this is done as Malaysia has sufficient number of other COVID-19 vaccines for the National COVID-19 Immunisation Programme. He elaborated that the Pfizer-BioNTech mRNA vaccine will be increasingly used moving forward.

In fact, Malaysia has ordered over 45.7 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine. In comparison, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said that Malaysia has secured 16 million doses of the Sinovac vaccine to date.


Asus ROG Zephyrus M16 With Almost Bezel-Less Screen Now in Malaysia From RM8,999

One of Asus’ sleekest gaming laptops yet is now available in Malaysia. This is the Asus ROG Zephyrus M16: thanks to its impressive 94% screen-to-body ratio, this laptop barely has any bezels surrounding the display. On top of that, it’s a lightweight, slim gaming machine too.

Two variants of the Zephyrus M16 is offered in Malaysia. The base model with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 GPU (95W TGP), 16GB of RAM, and a 1TB SSD retails at RM8,999. The higher-end RTX 3070 (100W TGP) configuration with 32GB RAM and a 2TB SSD, on the other hand, costs RM11,499.

Beyond the different GPU, RAM, and SSD capacities, other hardware of these two Zephyrus M16 models are the same. Both are powered by the new (and fast) 11th generation Intel Core i9-11900H octa-core processor with a peak clock speed of 4.9GHz. Needless to say, it will be able to keep up with the RTX 3070 or RTX 3060 GPU.

As mentioned, the Zephyrus M16 is also a lightweight, slim gaming laptop. After all, it measures only 19.9mm thin with a 1.9kg chassis. Another highlight of this gaming laptop is its Pantone Validated 16-inch 2560 x 1600 IPS screen with a 16:10 aspect ratio and 165Hz refresh rate – perfect for gaming or productivity tasks.

The RTX 3060 variant of the Asus ROG Zephyrus M16 is now available for purchase in Malaysia for RM8,999. As for the higher-end RM11,499 RTX 3070 configuration, it will arrive here sometime in August 2021 next month.


Video: Anubis Switch Sound Test on ai03 Vega

We got ourselves the Anubis tactile switch by Mechs on Deck! This is our early sound test with the extremely thocky, all-nylon switch on the ever popular
ai03 Vega
. So far, we’re really quite liking this tactile switch with its strong, pronounced tactile bump.

Currently sold by
iLumkb
 for the SEA region, we got the Anubis for about RM3 per switch; it’s sold as a pack of 10 switches for S$9.50. That puts it in the same price point as other popular switches, including the
Gazzew Boba U4T Thocky
 and
Glorious Panda
.

As mentioned, the video above is just our early sound test of the Anubis switch on the Vega. Stay tuned for our full review of the switch! We will also be comparing it against the excellent Boba U4T in the upcoming review.


Xiaomi Now Number 2 Smartphone Vendor Worldwide, Overtaking Apple

According to a new report from
Canalys
, Xiaomi is now the second largest smartphone vendor in the world, right behind Samsung. The Chinese company overtook Apple for the spot with 17% of global market share in the second quarter of 2021.

To put this into perspective, Samsung is currently sitting at 19%; that’s only 2% ahead of Xiaomi. Apple, on the other hand, acquired 14% of global market share in Q2 2021 with a year-on-year growth of just 1%.

We've moved up one more spot! Just in from
@Canalys
, we are now the 2nd largest smartphone brand worldwide in terms of shipments. This amazing milestone couldn't have been achieved without our beloved Mi Fans!
#NoMiWithoutYou
RT with ✌from your Xiaomi smartphone 🙂
pic.twitter.com/kKfuTK8K7J
— Xiaomi (@Xiaomi)
July 15, 2021

Impressively, Xiaomi grew by a whopping 83% year-on-year, while Samsung improved by 15%. According to Canalys, this exponential growth is attributed to increase in shipments in several regions. These include Latin America, Africa, and Western Europe.

It’s worth noting that in the same report, Canalys mentioned that Xiaomi was able to achieve this level of growth by selling far more affordable phones than both Samsung and Apple by 40% and 75% cheaper (on average) respectively. Evidently, the Chinese company’s more budget-friendly devices are vital to its growth.


Valve’s Steam Deck – Nintendo Switch Killer? Not Really

Valve just announced its very own “handheld gaming PC,” the Steam Deck. It looks strikingly similar to the
Nintendo Switch
, and one of its main appeals is the ability to play your PC games on Steam anywhere; it’s a reasonably powerful machine too.

Given its similarity to the Nintendo Switch, can the Steam Deck take it on? Well, not exactly. After all, both of these systems cater to different crowds, and I would even argue that the Switch is still the more attractive gaming system of the two for a number of reasons.

That’s not to say the Steam Deck doesn’t have its advantages, of course. For starters, it’s a far more powerful handheld. Powered by an AMD APU with a Zen 2 quad-core CPU and a GPU with eight RDNA 2 CUs – capable of outputting 1.6 teraflops – it is able to run even AAA games quite well on the 7-inch 1280 x 800 touch-enabled LCD screen with a 16:10 aspect ratio.

To put this into context, the PlayStation 4 offers 1.8 teraflops of performance, while the Xbox One S can do 1.4 teraflops. Granted, the RNDA 2 architecture of the Steam Deck is a more modern design, so it’s not entirely accurate to say it is slower than the PS4, but it does gives us an idea on the performance level of the handheld.

Based on these comparisons, there’s no denying that the Steam Deck is much more powerful than the Switch; but graphics power is not everything. What sets Nintendo’s console apart from the Steam Deck is one major thing: exclusivity.

This is the strength of the Nintendo Switch. Even though it’s not the most powerful console, it more than makes up for this with a number of exclusive games. Just to name a few, there’s
Monster Hunter Rise
,
Animal Crossing: New Horizons
, and of course, the ever popular The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

Aside from that, I reckon the Switch would be a more comfortable system to play with for long periods of time. First of all, it’s a lighter machine: the new OLED Switch with a similarly sized 7-inch screen weighs about 420g. The Steam Deck, on the other hand, tips the scales at 669g.

Sure, a 249g difference may not sound like much, but you’ll definitely feel the extra weight in longer gaming sessions. On top of that, the ergonomics of the Steam Deck doesn’t look particularly great either, given that the controls are located quite high up on the system to accommodate the trackpads on either sides of the screen.

Speaking of comfort in longer gaming sessions, the Switch has better battery life too. Nintendo’s quoted battery life for the current Switch – as well as the new OLED Switch – is between 4.5 to 9 hours. As for the Steam Deck, it’s said to only last between 2 to 8 hours on a single charge, depending on the game.

Then again, the Steam Deck does have much more powerful hardware under the hood, which understandably draws more power. Chances are, it will be possible to extend the battery life of the Steam Deck by reducing a game’s graphics settings.

To the Steam Deck’s credit, it is also a much more flexible handheld system. For one, it can be connected to an external screen without the need for a dock, though a dock it is available as a separate purchase. Anyway, as long as you have the right cable to connect the system to a TV or monitor, you’re good to go.

It’s also worth noting that the Steam Deck is essentially a PC in a portable form factor. Although it runs on SteamOS, a custom Linux operating system, it is possible to install Windows on the handheld. Granted, it remains to be seen just how well Windows would run on a handheld system, but it
will
 run.

Pricing wise, the Steam Deck is a much more expensive system compared to the Switch. The Switch Lite, for example, retails at only $200 (about RM840); even the upcoming OLED Switch isn’t overly expensive with a $350 (approximately RM1,475) price tag.

In contrast, the Steam Deck starts at $399 (around RM1,680) for the base 64GB model with eMMC storage. As for the more practical 256GB and 512GB variants with much faster NVMe SSD storage, they go for $529 (approximately RM2,225) and $649 (about RM2,730) respectively.

Without a doubt the Steam Deck is a costly handheld, but it’s important to look at it as a reasonably powerful gaming PC in a portable form factor. After all, it can even run demanding AAA games such as Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and Control.

The Steam Deck is set to start shipping sometime in December 2021. Unfortunately, those of us here in Malaysia cannot place a reservation for the handheld gaming PC. If you’re located somewhere else, you can check if you can reserve the Steam Deck
over here
.


Walk-in COVID-19 Vaccination Starts on 17 July – For Those Over 60 in Klang Valley

Initially announced yesterday
, those who are over the age of 60 will will be able to receive their COVID-19 vaccinations by simply walking into any PPV. However, this is only limited to those who are in the Klang Valley area.

This was revealed by Khairy Jamaluddin, the coordinating minister for the National COVID-19 Immunisation Programme. In order to be eligible for the walk-in COVID-19 vaccination, those over the age of 60 must not have an appointment yet in the MySejahtera app.

"Bermula esok (Sabtu, 17 Julai), warga emas sama ada yang telah berdaftar atau belum berdaftar, yang belum menerima janji temu akan dibenarkan untuk walk-in ke mana-mana PPV untuk vaksinasi di Lembah Klang" –
@Khairykj
— Vaksin COVID-19 🇲🇾 (@JKJAVMY)
July 16, 2021

"Bagi warga emas yang telah menerima janji temu, mereka diminta agar hadir ke PPV mengikut tarikh janji temu yang telah diberikan. Kesemua janji temu yang telah diberikan sehingga kini adalah bertarikh sebelum 1 Ogos ini." –
@Khairykj
— Vaksin COVID-19 🇲🇾 (@JKJAVMY)
July 16, 2021

However, those in this age group who have already received an appointment are advised to follow it instead. Khairy added that appointments that have already been given out will be dated before 1 August 2021 as well.

Aside from that, Khairy also announced “Operation Surge Capacity,” which aims to vaccinate all adult residents in KL and Selangor with their first doses by 1st August. This will begin from 26 July onwards in the two states.

We have just announced ‘Operation Surge Capacity’ for KL & Selangor. All adult residents in KL & Selangor will receive their first dose by 1st August. This will be done with increased supplies & capacity. Between 26 July and 1 August KL & Selangor will need to do 272k/day.
pic.twitter.com/eqcEdmR1oz
— Khairy Jamaluddin 🇲🇾🌺 (@Khairykj)
July 16, 2021

To reach that capacity, over 272,000 COVID-19 vaccinations need to be administered every day from 26 July to 1 August in KL and Selangor. To check if you’ve received an appointment, check your
vaccination page
 regularly in the MySejahtera app.