Here’s HyperX Latest PC Peripherals From Gamescom 2019

In addition to the new HyperX FURY DDR4 RGB memory that was introduced, the company also took the time to reveal their latest PC peripherals at Gamescom 2019. It includes the new HyperX Alloy Origins which uses the company’s new Aqua mechanical switches, latest gaming headset in the form of the HyperX Cloud Alpha S and HyperX Cloud Flight S wireless headset, HyperX Pulselfire Dart wireless gaming mouse, as well as the new HyperX ChargePlay Base Qi wireless charger.
(From left) HyperX Cloud Flight S, HyperX ChargePlay Base Qi, HyperX Pulsefire Dart
Starting off with their wireless offerings, first up is the new HyperX Cloud Flight S Wireless gaming headset. It offers up to 30 hours of battery life and features custom-tuned HyperX 7.1 surround sound with built-in game and chat mixer. It uses a 2.4GHz wireless frequency and comes with three-pole analog audio connection support.
Following that is the new Pulsefire Dart which is HyperX’s first wireless gaming mouse. It utilizes Pixart 3389 sensor with three preset DPI setting with LED indicators, with native DPI settings up to 16000 DPI. In addition to that, it uses Omron switches that offers 50million click rate per switch. As for its battery life, the company has said that it can last up to 50 hours on a single charge.

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Finishing off their wireless product is the ChargePlay Base Qi, which you can use the Pulsefire Dart and Cloud Flight S to charge with. It can simultaneously charge two Qi enable devices at 10W per charging pad. To check on your device’s battery, there a separate battery indicator that displays their status.
HyperX Cloud Alpha S
The new HyperX Cloud Alpha S comes with an adjustable bass slider that allows for three levels of bass fine-tuning and a custom-tuned audio control box with HyperX 7.1 surround sound. Other than that, it comes with dual chamber technology that delivers accurate in-game sound with great range and tone. It allows the headset to separate bass from the mids and highs.
HyperX Alloy Origins

Last on the list os the new Alloy Origins mechanical gaming keyboard. Previously the HyperX Red switch was unveiled at Computex, now the new HyperX Aqua switch enters the market as a tactile switch that features 45g actuation point, shorter travel time, and is rated to last 80 million clicks.
The Alloy Origins offers up to three custom lighting profiles that can be saved directly on the on-board memory. Adding to that, HyperX’s NGENUITY software allows LED lighting and per key RGB customization.
Pokdepinion: I wish there was a chance to test out the new Cloud Alpha S. I previously owned one of their headsets and the quality was awesome. Though they’ve added more wireless options this time around, I’d still go for wired though.
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HyperX Cloud III Review – Lightweight Value King

Unboxing the HyperX Cloud III
HyperX Cloud III Review – Box

Starting off our HyperX Cloud III review with the unboxing, the packaging looks like your standard HyperX peripheral box design, clad in white and red. In fact, you might mistaken it for the older Cloud II if you don’t look properly. You have a bunch of description of the gaming headset written around it. Inside the box, you can find the following items:
HyperX Cloud III Review – Box content

USB dongle
USB-C to USB-A adapter
Detachable microphone
Quick Start Guide
The HyperX Cloud III gaming headset itself

Specifications

Drivers
53mm Neodymium Drivers, Dynamic

Frequency Response
10Hz – 21kHz

Sensitivity
-42dBV (0dB=1V/Pa at 1kHz)

T.H.D.
< 2%

Headphone Type
Closed back, circumaural (Over ear)

Connector
1 x 3.5mm audio output
1 x 3.5mm to USB-C
1 x USB-C to USB-A

Audio Formats
Stereo, DTS® Headphone:X® Spatial Audio

Microphone
Yes, detachable electret condenser mic,
Uni-directional, noise-canceling,
-42dBV (0dB=1V/Pa at 1kHz) sensitivity

Cable Length
1.2m headset cable
1.3m USB dongle cable

Noise-cancelling
No

Material
Aluminum frame, memory foam and premium leatherette cushions

Dimensions
190 x 154 x 86 mm
303.9g, 317.5g with microphone

Microphone

https://pokde.net/assets/uploads/2023/07/Recording-64.mp3
One of the things that made this gaming headset series popular is the microphone, and the HyperX Cloud III doesn’t disappoint. As you can hear from the recording above, it doesn’t sound like your average headset microphone as my voice has clarity and depth in it. It’s not broadcast studio-grade audio by any means, but it’s certainly much better than your average telephone call voice quality. Even though I have a fan and air conditioner running in the room I was recording in, you can’t hear it in the recording, which is great. I would’ve liked it to be a little louder but it’s still within usable levels.
HyperX Cloud III Review – Microphone
In case you’re wondering, the microphone is a unidirectional condenser capsule with built-in noise-canceling, and an internal mesh pop filter. It’s also detachable, making it easier to replace if it ever breaks down, and it even has a red LED to let you know if it’s muted, which is very useful to have. If we could get a wireless variant, an earbuds variant, or even a TWS variant with a microphone that sounds just as good as this one, I’m sure they will be selling like hot cakes.

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The Good
HyperX Cloud III Review – Plush leatherette cushioning
There are a good number of reasons to consider getting the HyperX Cloud III. For starters, it’s lightweight and very comfortable to use. 300g doesn’t feel like much on the head but it’s also distributed rather evenly so you don’t have any odd sections that feel heavier, even with the microphone plugged in. The clamping force feels just right, being secure enough that it won’t easily fall off your head but not strong enough that it can cause headaches. Lastly, there’s more than enough cushioning, making it feel like your ears are being hugged by small pillows.
While it generally looks the same as its predecessor, it does have some subtle differences here and there that gives it a more refined look. While it’s clearly a gaming headset, it doesn’t come with your over-the-top gamer aesthetic like with RGB lighting, which I believe makes it more versatile as it looks more natural to use it outside of your gaming setup at home.
HyperX Cloud III Review – 3.5mm to USB adapter
Speaking of versatility, you can pretty much use this on any device you can think of today. The reason for that is because it uses a 3.5mm connector, but it also comes with a USB-C adapter. Moreover, it even comes with a USB-C to USB-A adapter as well. This means you can use it with the PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC, Steam Deck, ROG Ally, smartphones, and tablets. In fact, you can use any of the three connection options on PC, letting you pick which one suits you best based on what port is available to you.
As for how the HyperX Cloud III sounds like, it’s certainly leaning more towards the low end. However, the bass isn’t so overpowered that it starts muddying up the mids and highs, though I personally feel that the mids could be improved upon as it feels a little hollow. It doesn’t have noise cancellation but its passive noise isolation is actually pretty good. It’s enough to block out most sounds unless someone is drilling holes into the wall or blasting loud music on their speakers nearby. There’s a little more I could go on about this but I’ll save it for the next section.
HyperX Cloud III Review
Generally, for what you’re getting, the HyperX Cloud III is a pretty attractive gaming headset, mostly because of its price. It’s retailing for RM399, which is affordable for what is practically a straightforward gaming headset. Unless you are looking for a wireless one or are willing to spend more, you’d be hard pressed to find something as good at this price point.
We had a first look at this headset in HyperX’s booth at COMPUTEX 2023. Click right here to see what they had in store at the expo.
The Bad
HyperX Cloud III Review – Wearing the headset
As good as the HyperX Cloud III is, it does have its fair share of drawbacks. For starters, it may be one of the more comfortable gaming headsets around, it can get rather warm if you’re wearing it for long hours. It’s not particularly bad but the breathability of the material could use some improvements. If you’re using it in an air conditioned room, it’s not much of an issue but if you’re in a room with just a fan, especially in this summer heat, you’ll likely be putting it off and on often enough.
Next up, the headset itself is effectively stereo, but it does have virtual surround via DTS Headphone:X. Unfortunately, the virtual surround barely did anything to the overall audio. I’m not sure if it had poor implementation with this headset or if it’s limitations due to its narrow soundstage but if you’re looking for something that can give you a clear directional audio experience, this is not it. You should still not have trouble discerning locations in FPS games like Valorant, but do temper expectations with the virtual surround feature.
HyperX Cloud III Review – Lying down
For those of you who plan on bringing this out and about, the lack of a folding / swivel mechanism means it’s not travel-friendly. While the detachable microphone design will make it look like you’re bringing around a regular pair of headphones, you will likely have to keep it around your neck for the most part as putting it in the bag will see it take up a lot of space. If a folding mechanism is too much to ask for, a swivel mechanism will make it noticeably more portable as it can lay flat on any given surface.
HyperX Cloud III Review – Software
Lastly, and this is the part that baffles me with this headset, is the software. It uses HyperX NGENUITY, which doesn’t give you a lot of options to tinker around with. For starters, you have volume sliders for the headset and microphone, which can already be done in Windows’ Sound settings. Then we have the spatial sound setting, which we’ve mentioned earlier about it barely making a difference, microphone monitoring, and equalizer.
The only thing of value the software brings, the one that seems to work at least, is the equalizer as the difference can be heard clearly. Almost everything else can be adjusted directly on Windows, which makes me wonder why is there a need to use this software to begin with. On the plus side, the headset does work without the software, so it is still a plug-and-play gaming headset, but I’m bringing this point up because I hope HyperX brings major improvements to it so people would actually want to use it.
HyperX Cloud III Verdict
HyperX Cloud III Review
The HyperX Cloud III builds on their legacy of gaming headsets, giving gamers an affordable but powerful audio gear to consider. It’s not the best around, and there are other options to consider around the same price, but it’s hard to find a headset that gives this much value. The only reason why I would look past this is if you need a wireless headset, or you need something with better directional audio capabilities.
At the end of our HyperX Cloud III review, I award this gaming headset with our coveted Gold Pokdeward.

Big thanks to HyperX for sending us this gaming headset for the purpose of this review.
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Redmi Buds 3 Pro Review – You can’t beat this value

The Redmi Buds 3 Pro was just launched recently in Malaysia and includes attractive features like ANC, in-ear detection and 6-hour battery life. Is it good though? Read the review below to read what we think of it.
Unboxing

The Redmi Buds 3 Pro comes in a very simple black packaging with the Redmi Buds 3 Pro logo and a picture of the earbuds themselves on the front. Turning it over, you will find a list of specifications of the Redmi Buds 3 Pro.

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Inside the box, you will find:

The Redmi Buds 3 Pro earbuds and charging case
USB Type-C charging cable
3 pairs of replacement eartips
User manual and warranty certificate

Appearance

The Redmi Buds 3 Pro we have here is the Glacier Gray version and uses an in-ear buds design that fits quite snugly in your ear. The outside of the earbuds has a nice transparent thick plastic layer on the top which also houses the Redmi Buds 3 Pro’s touch sensors.
The case comes with an oval-shaped design that is quite comfortable to hold. It has a button and indicator LED on the front and a USB Type-C charging port at the bottom. The case has a matte finish that has a coating that feels somewhat like rubber but it’s made fully from plastic.
Redmi Buds 3 Pro Specifications

Drivers
9mm

Frequency Response
N/A

Impedance
32Ω

Chip
N/A
Supports AAC, SBC

Microphone Sensitivity
N/A

Headphone Type
True wireless, AirPod-style earbuds

Connection
Bluetooth 5.2
USB Type-C

Wireless Range
10m

Noise-cancelling
Active Noise Cancelling

Battery
Earphones
35mAh, Up to 6 hours
Charging Case
470mAh, Up to 28 hours

Colour
Glacier Gray and Graphite Black

Ingress Protection
IPX4

User Experience
Pairing

Pairing is pretty straightforward and simple. All you have to do is open the case and press and hold the button down until you see the Redmi Buds 3 Pro pop up on your Bluetooth settings. You will also find a special animation that pops up when you pair the earbuds to a Xiaomi phone, in this case, my Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro. I tried it on my ASUS Zenfone 5Z and the animation was nowhere to be found. Future connections will simply require you to open the case, and the Redmi Buds 3 Pro will connect to your device automatically. The earbuds can be used together or separately.
They can also be paired to multiple devices at the same time. This makes it possible to use the earbuds on both your smartphone and your PC simultaneously which is very useful. To pair to a second device, just repeat the process above. You can pair the Redmi Buds 3 Pro to the other device even when they’re already connected to the first device.
Sound

The sound quality on the Redmi Buds 3 Pro is actually pretty good. It’s got good, punchy bass that (thankfully) does not overpower everything else. The highs are nice and clear while the mid-tones sound pretty great and rich. The ANC function also works though it does cause a feeling of pressure in my ears that I find completely uncomfortable. This is a shame because the ANC on these earbuds works great. They block out a lot of the outside noise very well, leaving you in complete isolation with your music.
The earbuds also have in-ear detection, which means that when you remove one bud out of your ear, it will immediately pause whatever you’re listening to.

Call quality is a bit of a mixed bag. In terms of clarity, my voice comes across clear however there were a few instances where people commented that my voice dipped in and out during calls. At first, I chalked it up to potentially spotty reception on either party but it happened again and again during different calls which led me to believe that this was a problem with the Redmi Buds 3 Pro’s microphone rather than my reception.
While gaming with the Redmi Buds 3 Pro is actually pretty decent, I wouldn’t really recommend them to hardcore gamers. Latency is largely a non-issue when I tried the earbuds out for a few rounds of COD Mobile, however, there were instances of severe dips in latency where sound would only come out a second after button press. Which is a huge issue especially if you’re playing fast-paced games like an FPS game.
Comfort

The Redmi Buds 3 Pro were generally quite comfortable to wear though I did suffer from fatigue after prolonged use which made me take the earbuds out of my ears more times than I normally would with other earbuds. Not to say this is a bad thing but for those with smaller ears than mine, you might want to take note. The earbuds also have no issues staying in my ears even with vigorous headbanging to my favourite tunes or during workouts.
I experienced no issues with the touch sensors at all as they work just as Xiaomi intended. You can pause or play music, skip tracks and accept or end calls with the touch controls. Though it’s a shame that the Redmi Buds 3 Pro does not come with support for Voice Assistant. I use Google Assistant quite a lot so this is a bit of a bummer for me.
Below are the full touch controls found on the Redmi Buds 3 Pro.
For music:

Tap twice on either side to play or pause music.
Tap three times on either side to skip a music track.

For calls

Tap twice on either side of the earbuds to accept a call.
Tap three times on either side to end or decline a call.

To toggle between Transparency Mode and ANC:

Press and hold the touch sensor until you hear the prompt.

Battery Life

I have to say that unlike with other earbuds I have tested, I did not manage to fully drain the earbuds in a single workout session. Though I did try it out for about a session or two per day that lasts around an hour or two. For the whole week I’ve spent testing the Redmi Buds 3 Pro, I only charged the case once which was the day I got it and have yet to charge the case since.
This is a pretty good indication as Xiaomi says that the Redmi Buds 3 Pro is rated to last up to 28 hours per charge. The Redmi Buds 3 Pro can be charged with USB Type-C and also comes with Qi wireless support.
Redmi Buds 3 Pro Verdict

I like the Redmi Buds 3 Pro. It’s not perfect but for the price you’re paying, it’s a really good pair of TWS earphones. It’s got ANC, in-ear detection, IPX4 water resistance and substantial battery life. The touch controls are also pretty good and the ability to simultaneously pair with two devices is a huge plus point.
My biggest complaint with the Redmi Buds 3 Pro is the ANC. I wish that it didn’t make me feel pressure in my ears as if a mime is trying to shove a silent fist into my ear canals. I also think that the design needs a bit of tweaking in order to improve the overall comfort of the earbuds. On a lesser note, I wish that the case was made differently without that weird rubber-like coating. The scuffs and scratches visible on this thing can be a bit of an eyesore.
The Redmi is available now with a retail price of RM239 and can be gotten at the official Xiaomi stores on Lazada and Shopee.
And with that, I award the Redmi Buds 3 Pro with the silver Pokdeaward.

Huge thanks to Xiaomi Malaysia for providing us with the Redmi Buds 3 Pro for this review.
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Celcom stops charging SST for prepaid services — hurrah for consumers?

As of 1st September, telcos have started charging prepaid users SST, thus giving consumers less mobile credit than they have paid for. Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng has stepped up to say that telcos should not charge prepaid subscribers SST, and Celcom is probably one of the first to step up to the plate and announce that they are making their prepaid services exempt from SST.
They previously offered free credit with every reload, which wasn’t all that attractive. For one, the credit is only applicable for calls. While most users nowadays would most probably use their credits to purchase packages, the credit can only be used for calls. And to makes things worse, it’s valid only for calls to other Celcom numbers.

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If that is not bad enough, the credit is only valid for 24 hours. That means if you do not finish using your credit within the 24-period, Celcom would just forfeit the remainder. Well, that’s all in the past now.
It’s nice to see Celcom step up to the plate and not charge SST to consumers. Waiting for the rest of the telcos to follow.
Pokdepinion: Great move, Celcom!
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OPPO Mid-Year Sales Returns with Giveaways and Free Gifts

OPPO Mid-Year Bonanza Sale 2022 Returns With A One-To-One Giveaway And Free Gifts Worth Up To RM2 Million

OPPO is launching its Mid-Year Bonanza Sale from 10 June to 17 June, offering up to RM2 million in free prizes, insane bargains, and one-to-one giveaways.
In addition to the prizes, bargains, and giveaways, customers of the Reno7 Series will be entitled to discounts of up to RM200.

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Model
Retail Price
Flash Deal
Discount

 Reno7
RM1,999
RM1,799
RM200

 Reno7 Z
RM1,699
RM1,599
RM100

Furthermore, buyers who purchase selected smartphones will be rewarded as follows:

Find X5 Pro customers will receive one-year screen protection worth RM399.
Reno7 Series customers will receive one unit of the Reno Backpack worth RM109.
A96 customers will receive one unit of the A96 Giftbox worth RM99 and one unit of TWS Earbuds worth RM109.

Customers who purchase any of their products during the Mid-Year Bonanza Sale will be allowed to acquire one unit of Enco Air 2 at a 50% discount. This promotion is only valid in their Brand Store and My OPPO Space.
The above promotions are accessible through authorized dealers, e-commerce sites, telco partners, and their online store, as well as its offline Brand Store and My OPPO Space shop.
Visit OPPO Mid-Year Full Speed Bonanza for more information by clicking on the link here. For a more detailed list of the terms and conditions, feel free to visit the page here.
Pokdepinion: Be sure not to miss out on OPPO’s sales if anyone is looking for a new phone!
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We now have the preview for Episode 2 of Telltale’s The Walking Dead: Final Season, showing a bit of what we can expect next after a major cliffhanger.
Telltale’s The Walking Dead: Final Season Episode 2 Preview is Out

Usually after playing through an episode of Telltale’s The Walking Dead, you’ll be treated to a preview of the next episode. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case at the end of Episode 1 of The Final Season. Now, we have a preview for Episode 2 straight from PAX West.
The preview of episode 2, “Suffer the Children”, shows Clementine waking up from a terrible nightmare as AJ is sitting up awake and on the lookout, seemingly harboring a knife. With how the previous ended, there’s a good reason why he’s feeling so anxious and alert as he wants to protect Clem, but he is reminded that he’s still just a little boy.

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Episode 2 of Telltale’s The Walking Dead: Final Season will be coming out on 25th September 2018. The game is currently available for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC, with only Episode 1 available. If you’re a fan of the series, you should give this a try, even if the previous season ended up disappointing for you. It’s definitely worth it.
Pokdepinion: I really can’t wait to see how the story will turn out. I am about pretty sure a major death is in store at the end, but I’m not sure if I have it in me to see Clementine die.
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MSI To Launch Concept Store At BB Park – Set To Be The World’s Largest!

MSI is set to launch their new concept store in Bukit Bintang. What makes it a big deal you might ask? Well the grand opening of the store will make it the biggest MSI concept store in the world!
MSI Grand Opening Concept Store
To give local gamers an experience they will never forget, MSI will be holding the grand launching of the concept store at the BB Park on the 16th of October 2017. There’s some fun activities in store for those who attend the launching. There will be a game section where you can game with gaming idols and celebrities or even the Dota 2 Live tournament by Malaysia’s popular team. The best part about this is, there’s no entrance fee or what not!
Visitors can come and test out the new gaming laptop and VR equipment by playing their favorite game with their gaming and Youtube celebrity such as;

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Baby Oling – Dota 1v1
HanxiiaoAii – VR zone zombie game
Songsen, Roy, Zadpumpkin, and Lunacy – Street Fighter V
Gummy – Racing car simulator

Besides the launching of the store, MSI will be introducing their very first console-sized gaming machine, the Vortex G25.
Vortex G25
The MSI Vortex G25 packs the latest Intel 8th Gen Core i7 8700 with a full 6-pack of cores and 12 processing threads for unprecendented computing power in such a small package, 16GB of DDR4 RAM for all your Chrome tabs, plus a NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 8GB GDDR5 to handle the graphics side of things.
All these powerful hardware are cooled by the Cooler Boost Titan, with its dual Whirlwind Blade fans and a whopping 8 heatpipes to channel heat away from the CPU and GPU. While it may be tiny on the outside, there is ample space inside with a blazing fast 256GB PCIe NVMe SSD and a 1TB 7200rpm SATA HDD for all your games and educational videos.
The Vortex G25 will be retailing at RM11,299.00 and will have 2 years worth of warranty.
Pokdepinion: Really excited for the launch, especially to see the new Vortex G25!
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Liquid Devil & Red Devil Radeon RX 6900 XT Ultimate announced with specially binned GPUs

While the AMD Radeon RX 6000 series GPUs are marginally easier to snag than their NVIDIA counterparts, you might still have a hard time getting these. Both the PowerColor Red Devil Radeon RX 6900 XT Ultimate and Liquid Devil Radeon RX 6900 XT Ultimate are reportedly offering a higher bin of the flagship Navi 21 XTX GPU.
Both the cards pack specially-binned Navi 21 XTXH GPUs, which means that they are selected from the best of the Navi 21 XTX GPUs.. The H in the naming presumably means “high” to denote its higher performance tier, or might also mean “hard”, for hard to get. But I digress. The PowerColor Red Devil Radeon RX 6900 XT Ultimate and Liquid Devil Radeon RX 6900 XT Ultimate are clocked quite significantly faster than the standard PowerColor Red Devil Radeon RX 6900 XT, which itself is already pushed much faster than the reference clocks for the RX 6900 XT.

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PowerColor tweaked the power delivery system too to deliver up to 303W to the GPU in the Red Devil Radeon RX 6900 XT Ultimate, and 332W in the Liquid Devil Radeon RX 6900 XT. The reference AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT is designed for a total board power of 300W, so this increase is actually quite significant as I assume that PowerColor doesn’t include the power to the memory and other componentry on the graphics card in its rating. I am not exactly sure how does it stack up against the PowerColor Red Devil Radeon RX 6900 XT though, which is also rated for a whopping 480W of power.

I would assume that they would be in the same ballpark though, as it seems that PowerColor hasn’t changed the cooler on the cards by much, with the PowerColor Red Devil Radeon RX 6900 XT Ultimate boasting the exact same dimensions as its non-Ultimate brethren. Interestingly enough, PowerColor decided against the USB-C port that was a differentiating factor for the Red Devil Radeon RX 6900 XT Limited Edition, and instead goes with three DisplayPort 1.4 and one HDMI 2.1, just like the standard Red Devil Radeon RX 6900 XT. The Liquid Devil Radeon RX 6900 XT gets the USB-C port.
PowerColor Liquid Devil and Red Devil Radeon RX 6900 XT Specs

PowerColor Red Devil Radeon RX 6900 XT Ultimate
PowerColor Liquid Devil Radeon RX 6900 XT Ultimate

GPU
AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT (Navi 21 XTXH), 7nm

Clocks
Game Clock: 2235MHz (+220MHz over ref.)
Boost Clock: 2425MHz (+175MHz over ref.)
Game Clock: 2375MHz (+360MHz over ref.)
Boost Clock: 2525MHz (+275MHz over ref.)

Cores
5120 stream processors
80 Ray Accelerators

Memory
16GB GDDR6

Memory speed
16Gbps

Memory bus
256-bit

Display output
3 x DisplayPort 1.4
1 x HDMI 2.1
2 x DisplayPort 1.4
1 x HDMI 2.1
1 x USB-C

Power connectors
3 x 8-pin

Dimensions
320 x 135 x 62 mm
266 x 162 x 42 mm

PowerColor recommends a 900W PSU for both these GPUs, so you should definitely be prepared with a strong build to handle them. It’s also definitely not going to come cheap, so make sure you have an equally strong wallet as well.
Pokdepinion: Pushing GPUs well past their optimal performance-to-power curve has been a thing for AMD’s RTG to compete against NVIDIA’s offerings in the past… But with the Radeon RX 6900 XT offering better value and similar performance to the GeForce RTX 3090, I am not sure why did they decide to release this.
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Lexus Slide — it’s a hoverboard

What appears to be a prop out of a sci-fi movie is actually a real piece of hardware that will be shown to the public for real this August 5th.

It relies on some magical combination of magnetic levitation and liquid nitrogen (which explains the smoke). A downside to magnetic levitation is that you will need magnets on or under the surface you want to hover over with the Slide.

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Oh well. A nerd can dream.

SOURCE: Lexus

Pokdepinion: I want a hoverboard!
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iPhone 12 mini Has Reportedly Ceased Production

The iPhone 12 mini has not been selling as Apple would have expected compared to the rest of its lineup. Now it seems that the company has decided to stop the model’s production, at least according to reports.
iPhone 12 mini has stopped production

Trendforce has reported that the model is no longer in production which means that the iPhone 12 mini is at the end of its cycle. They’ve wrote “Apple is expected to focus on driving sales of the three non-mini models in the iPhone 12s series in view of the fact that the iPhone 12 mini (which reached End-of-Life ahead of time in 2021) suffered disappointing sales performances compared to other models in the iPhone 12 family”.

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Doing a quick check at the local Apple website, the iPhone 12 mini is still available for sale. Listed from the price of RM3,399, the phone is the smallest, thinnest, and lightest 5G device in the market currently and also the most affordable in the iPhone 12 series.
Aside from that, it is reported that the phone only provided roughly 5% of all iPhone 12 sales, which is alarming. It is rumoured however that Apple will look to present a successor to the device this fall.
For more on the latest tech and gaming news plus reviews, stay tuned to Pokde.net.
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Pokdepinion: I really wonder if they’ll come up with a successor to the phone, seeing how it wasn’t successful in the first place. I wouldn’t mind getting a device the size of that, but at the same time, it seems like too much of a price tag for me.
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Alienware Launches AMD Advantage Laptops with 480Hz Display Technology

With the debut of the most powerful 17″ AMD Advantage laptops, the first-ever 16-inch Dell G Series laptop, and the standard-defying 480Hz panel technology, Alienware achieves new benchmarks with these laptops.
Alienware m17 R5
The m17 R5 features AMD Radeon RX 6000 series GPU, Ryzen 6000 series CPUs, and new AMD Smart Technologies. The AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT 12GB GDDR6 GPU has been added to the configuration lineup with today’s release.
Furthermore, the Alienware m17 R5 features AMD Smart Technologies such as the AMD SmartShift Max which helps in dynamic power shifting between a Radeon GPU and APU and boosts performance for gaming, rendering, and content creation. The AMD SmartAccess Graphics helps with enabling separate Radeon graphics or Ryzen graphics to handle rendering and presentation while retaining AMD FreeSync will increase frame rates, decrease latency, and conserve battery life.

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More AMD Smart Technologies like the AMD Smart Access Memory help the Ryzen CPUs in utilizing all of the RAM on your Radeon graphics card. Lastly, AMD FreeSync Premium balances the refresh rate of your visuals and your display.
480Hz Displays in Alienware m17 R5 and x17 R2
The Alienware m17 R5 and Alienware x17 R2 gaming laptops feature FHD (1920 x 1080) 480Hz 3ms panels and offer a wide range of gaming advantages, such as animation smoothness, ghosting reduction, and lower system latency. For those who would choose a higher-resolution panel over a quicker refresh rate, Alienware offers UHD, 3840 x 2160, 120Hz 3ms displays on its m17 R5 and x17 R2 laptops.
While the smooth frame rates these 480Hz panel offers are beneficial to all gamers, competitive players who play fast-paced games. Both AMD FreeSync and NVIDIA G-SYNC with Advanced Optimus are supported by these screens.
The Alienware x17 R2 have a starting price of RM12,099 and is now available in Malaysia.
For more information, feel free to visit Alienware’s official website.
Dell G16

The G16 features a 16-inch panel in a 15-inch chassis with a 16:10 aspect ratio and is enhanced by three-sided low bezels and a QHD+ (2560×1600) 165Hz display that strikes a balance between high resolution and fast frame rates. The G16 can use Advanced Optimus to swap between the integrated GPU and the separate NVIDIA RTX graphics card as needed, which can assist improve battery life and providing a seamless gaming experience.
The G16 features a 12th Generation Intel Core i7-12700H 14-core processor and up to an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU. The laptop also features Alienware software such as the Alienware Command Center for simple access to game settings, peripheral illumination settings, Dolby Audio, and a game library, and CherryMX being one of the new keyboard alternatives.
Pokdepinion: The laptops will bring gaming to a whole new level, 480Hz is going to be an experience!
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MSI Vortex W25 Announced – World’s First 2.5L Desktop Powered By Quadro P5200!

MSI has introduced their new Vortex W25 workstation, which is the world’s first 2.5L desktop which is powered by NVIDIA’s Quadro P5200 GPU. They have also updated their WT75, WS63 and WE series of mobile workstations.
MSI Vortex W25

As mentioned earlier, the Vortex W25 is the world’s first 2.5L desktop powered by the NVIDIA Quadro P5200 graphics. It comes equipped with an Intel 8th generation processor, where it comes with six cores offering 30% more power than the previous generation. The new Vortex W25 is ideal for high-end 3D or VR tasks.

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It is cooled by MSI’s Cooler Boost Titan, providing stability and ensuring better thermal performance. With its small size, the Vortex W25 can be kept hidden in the office easily. It supports VESA mount, allowing it to be easily attach to the back of monitors to save you even more space.
There are three variations to the Vortex W25. Prices begins at RM10,377 for the standard model that packs Quadro P3200 6GB GDDR5, 16GB DDR4 RAM, 256GB NVMe PCIe SATA SSD and also a 1TB HDD. It is set to come out in June 2018.
WE Series Update
The WE series has also been updated with equipping them with the newest Intel 8th Gen processors as well as Quadro GPUs. In addition to that, the WE series will be available with Intel Xeon processors, making them durable for long-term use. It also features a Windows Hello Certified fingerprint lock.
For the updated WE series, they will be made available later this summer. For more info on MSI’s products, you can click on the link here to go to their official website.
Pokdepinion: ….Look at the size of the Vortex W25! I mean seriously. Sometimes big surprises comes in smaller packages… Well at least, that seems to be the case here with the new Vortex W25 from MSI.
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Redmi Note 11S Review — Mid-range Contender?

The Redmi Note 11S is one of the latest device from the Redmi Note 11 series. Coming in as a mid-range smartphone, what exactly does it have to offer to the table? Well that’s where we come in with this Redmi Note 11S review. Let’s get started.
Redmi Note 11S Unboxing

Starting out with the unboxing, you can expect the following items to be included with your smartphone:

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Redmi Note 11S
Soft case
Documentations
SIM ejector
33W fast charger
USB-C cable

Appearance

The device, which runs on the new MIUI 13, sports a 6.43-inch AMOLED display which also supports up to 90Hz refresh rate. As you can see, it has a single punch-hole camera right in the upper middle section.

Underneath the device is where you can find it’s microphone, USB-C port, and first speaker grille.

The power button as well as the volume rockers are located at the right hand side of the device. They’ve used plastic as the material of choice to cover the frame.

On the opposite left, there’s only the SIM tray to be found.

As for the top, there’s the second microphone, IR blaster, second speaker grille and finally a 3.5mm headphone jack.

Turning over to the back, you can see that we have the black variant of the device. There’s the Redmi branding at the lower left corner. The main camera has a cut out of its own while the other three lens are in one of their own, which is accompanied by the phone’s flash.
Redmi Note 11S Specifications

CPU
Helio G96, 12nm FinFET
2 x Cortex-A76 @ 2.05 GHz + 6 x Cortex-A55 @ 2.0 GHz

GPU
Mali-G57 MC2

Memory
8GB (+3GB through RAM expansion)

Storage
128GB UFS 2.2

Display
6.43″ FHD+ (2400 x 1080) AMOLED display, 90Hz refresh rate

Audio
Dual speakers

Camera
108MP f/1.9 main camera, PDAF
8MP f/2.2, 118-degree ultra-wide
2MP f/2.4, macro
2MP f/2.4, depth
AI Camera, Auto HDR, Pro Mode, Portrait, Beauty, Panorama

Selfie camera
16MP f/2.4 selfie camera

Connectivity
WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
Bluetooth 5.0
USB Type-C 2.0
3.5mm headphone jack

Software
MIUI 13 based on Android 11

Battery
5000mAh
33W fast charging

Dimensions
159.9 x 73.9 x 8.1 mm

Weight
179g

Ingress protection
N/A

Performance

The Redmi Note 11S is a mid-range device that’s powered by the MediaTek Helio G96 chipset. Kicking off with Antutu V9’s test, we see that it doesn’t highly on the list, at least compared to the rest that’s on the list.

Over at Geekbench 5, we see a slight improvement compared to the previous Redmi Note 10S that we’ve also reviewed in both Multi-Core and Single-Core tests.

Heading to graphical performance in 3DMark, we see that it doesn’t perform too well in the synthetic test, scoring lower than a handful of mid-range devices that we’ve tested before.

We see a similar trend at PCMark Work 3.0, where it’s a slight improvement from its predecessor. It also falls short in the list here too however when pitted against others.

Lastly we head to the battery section and from our standardized settings, it seems that the phone managed to last 10 hours and 3 minutes. It’s not exactly bad but I expected a better score than that seeing how the Redmi Note 10S lasted longer. That being said, the phone did ran in 90Hz so that did take extra juice from the battery.
As for personal usage, I find that the phone nearly lasts me for two days before I’d go and head to my charger, based on my daily use. If you are curious on how fast exactly the 33W charging brick is, well it managed to gain 43% in a 30-minute charging period.
User Experience

The phone does feel nice and compact on the hands, especially with its matte finish. Yes, fingerprints and stains can still get on it but it’s easier to clean and definitely a better material than a glossy finish in my opinion.
Weighing in at 179g, it’s one of the lighter smartphones that I’ve tested this year and I had no issues of bringing it around and it fits perfectly fine in my pockets.

For the display, it sports an AMOLED DotDisplay panel that comes with a 90Hz refresh rate. While in most cases it works just fine, I find that sometimes it is not lit up enough when I’m outdoors. You could however negate this by manually setting the brightness but that seems just like a hassle to me.
It does come with a dual speakers and that’s always something awesome in my book. Not to forget, there’s the good old 3.5mm headphone jack, should you need it. It’s nice to have options.

We have the latest MIUI 13 running on the device, making it one of the first smartphones to feature it. That being said, there’s not much difference that we’ve spotted compared to the previous MIUI 12.5. So if you’re used to Xiaomi’s skin by now, you can expect something similar. User experience wise, I find no issues with it, the unit we had packs 8GB RAM so it was all fine and dandy.

You can probably tell that the camera UI is just the same as well. It’s pretty straightforward and easy to use. Adding to that, if something’s not to your liking, you can also edit what modes to be available on the camera home menu.

The phone does decently in good lighting environments and low-light doesn’t seem bad at all. That being said, I find the Night mode to be… lacking. If you compare the two low-light photos, you’d be surprised that the brighter clouds is actually without the mode switched on. I strongly believe that it does better without it. Other than that, the macro mode makes the colour tone too grainy. It might need some software optimization I believe.
You can check out the full-sized images by heading to the link right here.
Redmi Note 11S Verdict

The Redmi Note 11 Series has increased in price if you compare to the previous gen. While I think the Redmi Note 11S is still decent enough, I sincerely think that they could do more. Seeing how the Redmi Note 11 Pro is just RM100 more (for the same storage configuration), there is arguement that you might as well go for that.
With the Pro version, it runs on the same chipset but comes with a bigger display with 120Hz refresh rate plus a faster 67W fast charger instead. It doesn’t seem too bad of a deal if you went a bit extra and get the Pro instead.
If you are interested on the Pro version, be sure to stay tuned to Pokde.net as we are in the midst of reviewing it.
We would like to thank Xiaomi Malaysia for providing us the Redmi Note 11S that was used in this review.

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NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Founders Edition Review — the big $499 upgrade you have been waiting for?

Finally we have the opportunity to test out a Founders Edition card! We usually get to test graphics cards from NVIDIA’s partners like ASUS and GIGABYTE, but today we will be checking out the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Founders Edition, which should most closely represent NVIDIA’s performance targets. With that said, let’s dive right into what the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Founders Edition offers.
Unboxing

NVIDIA opts for very simple graphics on the packaging. With just NVIDIA’s logo, the GeForce RTX 3070 text and dark silver diagonal lines cutting across the packaging, it’s enough to convey what NVIDIA wants you to know about what’s inside, while looking awesomely minimalistic.

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In the box lies the card that’s held in place by dense foam. Nothing else is visible. Just the sweet NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Founders Edition.

Once you lift the graphics card out off the box, there’s a little box that contains the 8-pin to 12-pin adapter, some documentation and a reminder to not to use third-party 12-pin adapters lest you fry the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Founders Edition. The unfortunate thing is that the adapter only has six pins wired up, so the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Founders Edition could easily have not come with a 12-pin adapter, and instead just use the 8-pin PCIe power connector. But then again I guess NVIDIA wanted to keep it consistent across the lineup…
Appearance

Design wise, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Founders Edition keeps the gunmetal gray frame as well as the blacked-out fins from its bigger brothers, but unlike the GeForce RTX 3090 and GeForce RTX 3080 Founders Edition, both fans are on the same side. The gunmetal frame also do not form an “8” which is visible with the higher-end Ampere Founders Edition cards, as the fan does push hot air out the sides here.

The backplate sports a ribbed texture, as well as a large cutout for hot air to exhaust directly out the backside of the card. There’s also the only mention of its identity here.

For outputs, you get three DisplayPort 1.4a outputs and a single HDMI 2.1 output. The rest of the two-slot backplate is mainly a large exhaust vent for the fans to blow out of. This is no blower card, but the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Founders Edition will help dump at least some of its heat output out of the case.
And that’s it. The card is a very minimalistic 2-slot card, with a width that barely extends beyond the PCIe bracket. Speaking of minimalism, there isn’t a single LED on the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Founders Edition, which might be a bummer for some. This is probably the ideal card for ITX gamers, owing to its diminutive dimensions. A small cooler usually means poorer thermals, but we will get to that in a bit.
Specifications
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Founders Edition

GPU
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 (GA104)
Samsung 8N

Clocks
Base Clock: 1500MHz
Boost Clock: 1725MHz

Cores
5888 CUDA Cores
184 Tensor Cores
46 RT Cores

Memory
8GB GDDR6

Memory Speed
14Gbps

Memory Interface
256-bit

Display outputs
3 x DisplayPort 1.4a
1 x HDMI 2.1

Power connector(s)
1 x 12-pin

Recommended PSU
650W

Interface
PCIe 4.0 x16

Multi-GPU support
No

Dimensions
24.2 x 11.2 x 3.8 cm
(2-slot)

Test Machine

CPU
Intel Core i9-10900K @ 5.1GHz

Motherboard
MSI MEG Z490 Unify

Memory
2 x 8GB T-Force Xtreem ARGB 3600MHz CL14

Storage
120GB Kingston UV400
960GB Kingston UV500 SATA SSD
1TB Seagate FireCuda SSHD

Power Supply
Cooler Master V1200 Platinum

Monitor
BenQ EL2870U

GPU Driver
NVIDIA GeForce Graphics Drivers 456.96

Performance
Synthetic

In Superposition, we actually see the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Founders Edition fall in behind the GeForce RTX 2080 Ti, indicating that you won’t get a win in all scenarios versus the last-gen flagship. But then again, NVIDIA never claimed that, instead claiming that you will see performance that’s on par with the previous generation.

In 3DMark Time Spy we see the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Founders Edition come out ahead, which is indeed quite interesting. However this is the only synthetic benchmark we have that sees it come out ahead of the GeForce RTX 2080 Ti.

It does seem pretty close in 3DMark Port Royal too, which indicates good performance in raytraced titles. But of course, gaming is probably a better indicator of the performance.
Gaming

At 1080p, you will be enjoy absolutely amazing performance, which is to be expected of a GPU of this caliber. Gaming at 1080p will let you take advantage of your high refresh rate monitors, especially in esports titles like Rainbow Six Siege, which we decided to leave out of the charts because it runs at a ludicrous 416FPS and would definitely skew the chart to oblivion.

Stepping up a rung, 1440p sees the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Founders Edition pump out above 60FPS in virtually all the games tested, even when DXR is enabled. This indicates that this is the sweet spot for the GeForce RTX 3070, especially once DLSS is enabled.

Unfortunately, 4K is slightly beyond what this card is capable of, with it now delivering below the 60FPS threshold that is the minimum of what I consider playable. Some games even dip below 30FPS, which is not an enjoyable experience at all. Of course, it goes without saying that you can turn off a few graphics settings, and you should be able to enjoy playable frame rates at 4K with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Founders Edition.
Thermals

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Founders Edition definitely fits right under the 220W TGP limit, with the average power consumption being 215W throughout the 30-minute Superposition stress test. The average clocks achieved were at 1817MHz. Temperatures were under 76°C at all times, which is better than NVIDIA’s previous blower designs, but still not as good as their partner designs, which is definitely expected.
The fans started spinning at 60°C, ramping up all the way to 1929RPM as temperatures rose, although noise levels were still low enough to not be a hindrance, even in an open bench. After the stress test ended, the fans continued to spool down until the GPU temps hit 34°C, at which point the fans stopped. Given the design of the card, the fans will usually spin for quite some time after the end of a GPU workload before shutting down, although as mentioned earlier, the noise levels were very inoffensive.
How much faster is it versus the GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER?
We know, we know. NVIDIA made some pretty big claims comparing it to the GeForce RTX 2080 Ti, and we will be sure to see what we can do to pit the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Founders Edition versus one. But for now, we can see how much faster it is versus a GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER, NVIDIA’s mid-cycle refresh for the $499 price segment. Do note that our ASUS ROG Strix GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER Advanced Edition comes with a small factory overclock and superior cooling, so the delta might be slightly smaller than what you would get if you pitted the Founders Edition cards versus one another.

We are looking at up to 62% performance improvement at 4K, with an average of 29%, although I can safely say that neither card is really suited for 4K gaming. For example, in Control with DXR enabled, the GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER only puts out 13FPS, while the GeForce RTX 3070 pumps out 21FPS, neither which are actually playable. Still, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Founders Edition does represent a massive leap forward in the $499 category, with 4K being almost playable once DLSS is enabled.

At 1440p, the gap narrows down to just 25% on average, although up to 43% improvements are seen in games that take advantage of the enhanced raytracing capabilities of the newer card. With these figures, we can pretty safely say that the GeForce RTX 3070 will indeed trade punches with a GeForce RTX 2080 Ti, although we will definitely wait until we can actually re-run some of our tests on the GeForce RTX 2080 Ti to give our final word.
User Experience

While NVIDIA’s partners chuck in everything and the kitchen sink into their cards, NVIDIA decided that a single BIOS and a single power connector is sufficient for the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Founders Edition. Which brings me to my sole complaint about the design of this card. While the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Founders Edition’s bigger brothers probably can take advantage of how the 12-pin connector wastes less PCB space than dual 8-pin PCIe power connectors, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Founders Edition only needs one 8-pin connector, which isn’t that much bigger than the 12-pin connector. Now, you will have to wait for a set custom sleeved 12-pin connectors, where otherwise you could easily just plug in your pre-existing set of sleeved 8-pin cables.
Conclusion

For those looking for a strong 1440p graphics card to upgrade to from their Pascal or older GPUs, this is the card to get. While the GeForce RTX 2080 or the GeForce RTX 2070 definitely got most of the way to a good 1440p experience, the GeForce RTX 3070 is where it’s at, with framerates in excess of 60 FPS in most our tested titles at 1440p, even with all the settings dialed up. And it is only $499, making it a very strong GPU for the price.

Unless you can find a GeForce RTX 2080 Ti for more or less the same price as a GeForce RTX 3070, this is definitely the card to get if you are planning to take the next step up from 1080p. Heck, even 4K is possible with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Founders Edition, if you turn on DLSS in the games that support it. It is also worth mentioning that we are only looking at the Founders Edition here. We will be checking out an overclocked version very soon too, namely the ASUS TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 3070 OC Edition, so stay tuned for that.

Our thanks to NVIDIA for sending us the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Founders Edition for review.

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Apple supplier hit by $50 million ransomware, detailed diagrams of MacBook Air M1 released

The REvil ransomware which was used against Acer, is now used against Apple supplier, Quanta. The hackers are demanding a $50 million ransom, failing which they will then release confidential product designs obtained from the attack.
Aside from Apple, Quanta is also the ODM for brands like Dell, HP, Lenovo and Microsoft. They are currently the world’s second-largest ODM for laptops, so there might be quite a number of designs that Quanta and their partners would not want to be made available to the competition.

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REvil has reportedly leaked out a number of schematics and diagrams for the MacBook Air M1 on their dark web leak site, although at the moment there are reportedly no new Apple products involved in the leak yet.

Quanta has revealed that their information security team is working with external IT experts to address the attack. They apparently report “no material impact” on their business operations, and the attack was contained. The data is being recovered and the services affected by the attack are apparently back to normal now.

It will be quite interesting to see what will REvil do with all that information, considering that Apple leaks are actually quite popular. Not sure if they can get Quanta’s other partners to bow down to their requests though.
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Pokdepinion: I wonder how many companies are hit without the attacks being disclosed to the public…
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Sony HT-X8500 Soundbar Review – The Easiest Audio Upgrade You Can Make

Unboxing the Sony HT-X8500 Soundbar

With every purchase of the Sony HT-X8500, you are expected to get the following items:

Power cableAC AdapterHDMI cableRemote control2 x AAA batteries for remote controlUser guideWarranty cardThe Sony HT-X8500 soundbar itself
Appearance

The Sony HT-X8500 soundbar is a simple looking audio device. All you basically have here is a single soundbar with nothing else needed to attach to it. In this case, Sony has moved away from a soundbar and subwoofer arrangement in favour of a single device.
It measures at 89cm wide, making it a bit wider than some of the soundbars out there. However, it still doesn’t take up much space given that it isn’t tall or thick. You can easily place it right below your TV without blocking the view. If you have a wall-mounted TV, you can also opt to mount the soundbar to your wall, which is made easy with its integrated wall fixtures.

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Looking at the front, you have the mesh grille which covers the 2.1 channel drivers. It doesn’t have sharp corners as it curves around the corners and edges for a rounded finish. At the end of each side, there are holes for the subwoofer to pump up the bass.

On the top of the soundbar, you have the touch-sensitive input for power, Bluetooth and volume. It also has LED indicators right above it for Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, Vertical S, TV, HDMI, and Bluetooth. On the far left here, you have a Sony logo and on the far right, you have a couple of stickers highlighting the 2.1 channel layout and Vertical Surround Engine.

Moving to the back, you have two HDMI ports, an optical audio port, the proprietary power port, wall-mount holes, and logos for Sony, Dolby Atmos, and DTS:X.
Our review unit did not come with a remote control. Instead, Sony passed us a universal remote as it is needed to toggle certain settings such as surround sound. As such, we’ll be skipping that for this section of the review.
Overall, it’s a slick-looking soundbar that should easily fit any home entertainment setup. The simplicity in its design also makes it user-friendly, so anyone looking to step up their audio game won’t have to worry about headaches like individual speaker placement for surround sound. Moreover, there will be less clutter as you won’t have much wires going around.
Specifications
Amplifier TypeDigital Amplifier, S-Master3 channelsInterfaceUSB Type-A (Firmware update only)HDMI (ARC / eARC) with Bravia Sync, HDMI CEC, HDR, and Dolby VisionBluetooth 5.0HDCP2.2Audio FormatsHDMI InputDolby Digital, Dolby Digital plus, Dolby True HD, Dolby Dual mono, DTS, DTS HD High Resolution Audio, DTS HD Master Audio, DTS ES, DTS 96 / 24, DTS: X, MPEG2-AACHDMI eARCDolby Digital,Dolby Digital plus,Dolby TrueHD,Dolby Atmos,Dolby Dual mono,DTS,DTS HD High Resolution Audio,DTS HD Master Audio,DTS ES,DTS 96 / 24,DTS: X,MPEG2-AACOptical InputDolby Digital,Dolby Digital plus,Dolby Digital plus / Atmos,Dolby Dual mono,DTS,LPCM 2ch,MPEG2-AAC Bluetooth (Receiver)AAC, SBCSound FunctionSound ModeAuto Sound, Cinema, Music, Game, News, Sports, StandardSound EffectsNight Mode, Voice ModeVirtual Surround TechnologyS-Force PRO, Vertical Surround Engine (Dolby Speaker Virtual / DTX Virtual:X)Speaker Layout2.1ch (built-in subwoofer)Power32WDimensions890 x 64 x 96 mm, 3.1 kg
User Experience

Getting the Sony HT-X8500 soundbar up and running is pretty easy. All I had to do was power it up and connect it to my TV via HDMI, specifically the port that supports ARC (audio return channel) / eARC (enhanced audio return channel). From there, the soundbar is treated just like the built-in speakers.
If your TV doesn’t support ARC / eARC, then you will need to use the Optical audio port. This can be connected directly to a PC, set-top boxes, and game consoles like the PlayStation 4. If you want to connect to your smartphone or Bluetooth audio players, just hold down the Bluetooth button on the soundbar and proceed to pair it. It’s quick and easy to do so.
Behind the sticker is another HDMI port for HDMI input.
It’s so easy to setup as you only need two cables; one to power it up and the other for audio. Regardless of whether you choose the ARC or optical audio route, you can get it up and running within minutes and there’s less wires to worry about. If you’re very particular about having a neat home entertainment setup, you will love the Sony HT-X8500.

The buttons on the Sony HT-X8500 soundbar is pretty straightforward and easy to use. However, you’re most likely going to be using the remote control and not touch this at all, especially since you have more options with the remote. While the LED indicators are helpful, I expected Sony to include some form of display for easier navigation, especially for the price.
I noticed immediately that there is a big improvement in sound quality compared to my TV’s built-in speakers. It sounds a lot more wholesome and surprisingly punchy bass. At no point did the treble sound harsh and it managed to produce even the finer details surprisingly well, like wind noise.

However, it’s not the best audio experience you can get. From movies, music, and gaming, the bass overpowers the midrange and it makes voices / dialogues sound muddy. Simply put, it does a great job with cinematic audio, music, and sound effects but it’s not the best when it comes to hearing voices.
Furthermore, it feels like it’s lacking in volume so this may not be suitable for mid-to-large rooms. In fact, you’re most likely going to be hearing more bass than anything else in high volumes. While you can tone down the bass, the result is an audio experience with a lack of definition for standalone speakers. It’s still better than relying on built-in speakers, that’s for sure.

As far as surround sound goes, it does a decent job but it’s not as immersive as I thought it would. I have tried optimizing by changing placements but it didn’t do too well. It’s a virtual 7.1.2 surround sound which tries to emulate a 3D soundfield but personally, it’s hard to feel. It’s not to say that it doesn’t work, just that it’s not as immersive as I hoped it would be.
Sony HT-X8500 Soundbar Verdict

The Sony HT-X8500 soundbar is a simple, yet effective audio upgrade for any home entertainment setup. It is user-friendly, space-saving, has less wires to worry about, and is far better than any built-in speakers on a TV / monitor.
However, it’s also not the best one around. While cinematic audio sounds great, voices / dialogue sound muffled, the bass can be overpowering, and the surround sound effect isn’t effective enough to be immersive. If you simply want an audio upgrade without the hassles and takes up little space, you won’t regret getting this.
At RM1,599, it can be a bit of a pricey investment. However, you can get it for slightly cheaper nowadays and it’s worth considering for its ease of use. With that, I award the Sony HT-X8500 with our Silver Pokdeward.

Big thanks to Sony Malaysia for loaning us the Sony HT-X8500 soundbar for the purposes of this review.
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TNB fiber optic infrastructure to bring high speed broadband to 150 000 homes by mid-2021

TNB will be putting their 18 000km fiber optic infrastructure to good use by providing high speed broadband (HSBB) connectivity to 150 000 homes by Q2 2021. This is by no means a new target, as Allo Technology Sdn. Bhd., a wholly owned subsidiary of TNB, has already mentioned a similar number earlier this year.
As previously reported, Allo will not be only be a standalone ISP under the City Broadband brand which mainly serves Cyberjaya, they will also be working as a Retail Service Provider (RSP), partnering up with other providers like Astro, Digi and Maxis to expand the reach of their fixed broadband services, using the TNB fiber network. On top of that, Allo is expecting to finalize agreements with Celcom and TM as well.
As of now, Allo is providing 17 000 homepasses in Melaka, and an additional 9800 in Menglembu, Perak. They are planning to provide HSBB connectivity to 41 000 homes in Perak by the end of this year, and add 26 800 homes in Kedah by early 2021. Over in Johor, Allo plans to provide access to their network to 40 300 homes by Q2 2021. On top of that, they aim to expand their services in Negeri Sembilan and other regions of Selangor too.

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Their current network can deliver up to 1Gbps speeds to their users, which is probably a pretty significant upgrade from whatever they were previously using, especially considering that Allo mainly targets suburban areas.
Source
Pokdepinion: I am surely looking forward to them bringing fiber connectivity to my hometown in Perak as well!
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Kingston Breaks 100 Million Mark For Overclockable RAM Shipped

The milestone was reached in the span of over 20 years, since 2002.

Kingston today announced it has shipped over 100 million overclockable RAM modules since its entrance to the enthusiast RAM market in 2002, or about 21 years ago. Originally, the high performance modules bear the HyperX branding, and has since been the better known brands among the RAM market until it gets spun off to HP in 2021. Despite the sale of HyperX, the memory business remained under Kingston with the new name: Kingston FURY.

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In 2005, Kingston was granted a US patent on a proprietary dynamic burn-in tester – a first of its kind. This enables the company to rigorously test its server-grade memory modules for speed and reliability, and this year, the brand has released a new line of overclockable datacenter RAM in the form of Kingston FURY Renegade Pro DDR5 RDIMM. The consumer lines continues to be served with the mainstream Kingston FURY Beast DDR5 and Kingston FURY Renegade DDR5, both of which now come with white colorways as well.
“Kingston is committed to designing and manufacturing products that offer consumers unparalleled style and performance,” said Kingston. “This milestone demonstrates Kingston’s market leadership, supporting users in every segment of our industry by providing world renowned customer service and the highest quality products, with reliability to match. It takes an entire team to achieve this feat and we thank and share this accomplishment with our partners, vendors, and customers.”
Pokdepinion: Big achievement. Although that overclockable RDIMM is something I haven’t seen before (looks like overclocked RDIMMs are very new?)
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RF.OneMoreStep Crowned Champions; GSC Cyber Games National Finals Result

Over the weekend, there was a GSC Cyber Games FIFA Online 3 tournament, where competitors played on the GSC Maxx Screen. Here’s what went down.
RF.OneMoreStep Crowned Champions of GSC Cyber Games

RF.OneMoreStep scored a famous 2-1 (0-3, 2-0 ,2-0) victory on GSC Maxx Screen, the biggest cinema screen in Malaysia, during the EA Sports FIFA Online 3 GSC Cyber Games National Finals at Golden Screen Cinemas in MyTown Shopping Centre, Cheras.

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From July to August, as many as 64 teams from different states participated in cinema qualifiers held in multiple GSC cinema locations with a chance at securing a Top 4 slot with an RM20,000 prize pool on the line for the finals. Among the grand finalist teams, the GSC Cyber Games Top 4 featured Fight Until The End (Northern Qualifier), Orange RF.Hoyyosh (East Coast Qualifier), eMaster_A (Central Qualifier) and RF.OneMoreStep (Central Qualifier).
Walaowei, Fern, Y U IN ALL PICS?
Fern, Why?
Why~?
In the Best of Three (Bo3) Double Elimination format, RF.OneMoreStep was represented by Shawqie ‘Shaw7’ Mazlan, Ryan ‘NiamaGa1’ Kan and Shahrizan ‘KaiZokuuu’ Shahrim. NiamaGa1 was the player to watch as the talented player was on the back of a personal championship streak after winning 1st place at Selangor Cyber Games 2017.
According to Garena eSports Associate, Chun Jan Bong, he said:
The GSC Cyber Games has brought eSports to unexpected heights with through this collaboration with Golden Screen Cinemas. Apart from being a unique sport itself, this collaboration shows that eSports can truly become a bonafide spectator sport as well as can be seen with the amount of cinema seats booked for this event.

The victory saw RF.OneMoreStep walk away with a cheque worth RM10,000 in 1st place. The champions were followed by eMaster_A in 2nd place, Fight Until The End in 3rd place and Orange RF.Hoyyosh in 4th place.

Pokdepinion: Congratulations to the winners of the GSC Cyber Games tournament. For the others, even if you didn’t win, the most important part  here is that you tried. I’m sure you’ve learned so much from the loss and it can be used as a drive to further improve yourselves.
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Black Shark 4 To Launch With Better Cooling And Snapdragon 888

If you’ve been waiting on the newest Black Shark device, well the Black Shark 4 is set to launch next week, specifically on Tuesday (23 March). The company has shared a short teaser video on the device revealing several features on the device.
Black Shark 4 teased

It appears that the device will return with new physical shoulder triggers aside from packing a flagship Snapdragon 888 chipset. They’ve said that the Black Shark 4 will come with improved cooling, where it can reduce CPU temperatures by up to 18-degrees Celsius, supposedly.

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Though it’s not yet confirmed what the camera setup is, we can see that they are lined up horizontally and there’s a big Black Shark logo that glows at the back.
Reports suggest that the gaming smartphone will be sporting a 6.67-inch display that comes with 120Hz refresh rate. Under the hood is a 4500mAh battery which comes with a 120W fast charging. Aside from that, the Pro variant is said to come with triple cameras at the back as well as 8/128GB of RAM and internal storage.
For more on the latest tech and gaming news plus reviews, stay tuned to Pokde.net.
Source
Pokdepinion: Hmm, considering what we’ve seen from a Snapdragon 888-powered device, I’m a bit concerned about the battery life of the Black Shark 4. Seeing it is a gaming smartphone, you’d probably want it to last long. Hopefully there’s no issues there.
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KLEVV DDR5 U-DIMM Standard Memory DDR5-4800 CL40 Review — overengineered “value” RAM?

DDR5 is probably a bit more mature by now, with the 12th Gen Intel Core processors available since October 2021. With that said, many people have probably yet to upgrade to the new memory standard. We will be taking a quick look at the KLEVV DDR5 U-DIMM Standard Memory, which runs at the DDR5 JEDEC spec of DDR5-4800 CL40. Let’s see how far we can go with this rather unassuming looking kit!
Video
If you prefer watching the video review of this product, we made one for you.

Packaging

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Packaging wise, the KLEVV DDR5 U-DIMM Standard Memory comes in a standard blister pack. You can see the memory right through it, and there are some mentions of its features, like the lifetime warranty, capacity and speed along the side. Not much to look at here.

Over on the back we see KLEVV list out some of the basic features of DDR5. Not much to talk about round here either.
Appearance

As the KLEVV DDR5 U-DIMM Standard Memory is a “naked” kit without a heatspreader, we get to look at the on-module power management (PMIC) in the center, with the memory ICs flanking them. The KLEVV DDR5 U-DIMM Standard Memory only has components on one side, with the other side being entirely blank. The position of the notch in DDR5 is different versus DDR4 too, so you can’t “accidentally” put DDR5 RAM into a DDR4 slot, or vice versa.

Here’s a closer look at the components that make up the KLEVV DDR5 U-DIMM Standard Memory. We have the SK Hynix H5CG48MEBD-X014 memory ICs here, which are rated for DDR5-4800 at 1.1V. The die density is 16Gb, which is why eight of them makes up the 16GB we have on each stick. KLEVV went with a crosshatch pattern on the matte black PCB, which I surely appreciate over plain, glossy PCBs.
Specifications
KLEVV DDR5 U-DIMM Standard Memory

Memory dies
16Gb SK Hynix H5CG48MEBD (M-die)

PMIC
Renesas P8911-Y0Z011GR-2131KT

Frequency
DDR5-4800

Primary Timings
CL40-40-40-77

Voltage
1.1V

Capacity
16GB x 2

Dimensions
31.25(H) x 133.35(L) x 3.18(W) mm

For those who are interested, I found this breakdown of how SK Hynix labels their memory dies in their Part No. Decoder, which you can download from here. So for our example here, the SK Hynix H5CG48MEBD-X014:

H5C: DDR5 Component
G4: 16Gb density
8: x8 organization
M: 1st generation
EB: 4800 40-39-39 bin
D: 0~95 °C operating temperature (consumer temperature)
X: reserved
014: 16Gb, 82-ball, 1-die stack

Test System

CPU
Intel Core i9-12900K

Cooler
ROG Ryujin II 360

Motherboard
ASUS ROG Maximus Z690 Hero (BIOS ver.1403)

GPU
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Founders Edition

Memory
2 x 16GB KLEVV DDR5 U-DIMM Standard Memory

Storage
Kingston NV1 1TB
Kingston UV500 1TB
Seagate FireCuda SSHD 1TB
Kingston KC2500 1TB

Power Supply
Cooler Master V850 Platinum

Case
Vector Bench Case

OS
Windows 11 Pro

Overclocking
Do note that this is our first time pushing DDR5 memory beyond XMP. Not like this kit has XMP, but as you will find out soon enough, the KLEVV DDR5 U-DIMM Standard Memory doesn’t quite need one as overclocking it on our ROG Maximus Z690 Hero test bench was so easy it really scares me. I will be adding some active airflow with a 120mm fan over the kits, as I didn’t feel comfortable pushing such high clocks without some form of cooling for them. It’s not necessary for daily use, but hammering the RAM for over an hour definitely drives temperatures up.

Right out of the box, I had to make sure that the KLEVV DDR5 U-DIMM Standard Memory were stable, as well as to establish a baseline. Needless to say, we got beyond 200% HCI MemTest without issue, with excellent performance numbers versus DDR4-4600. Latency is definitely a lot higher, but that can also be addressed simply be enabling the ASUS Enhanced Memory Profile (AEMP) feature on the ROG Maximus Z690 Hero.

With the memory set to DDR5-4800 CL32, without any finetuning aside from enabling AEMP, performance noticeably improves across the deck. After all, CL40 to CL32 is nothing to scoff at. And the best part is that the voltage did not need to be raised at all.

We got to DDR5-6000 CL40 at 1.1V, which yields yet another bump in performance. DDR5-6200 was a no-go at 1.1V, so we had to bump up the VDD and VDDQ voltages up to 1.3V lets us hit DDR5-6200 CL40 easily.

DDR5-6400 CL40 was pretty close to meeting the passing mark, but just fell short. I guess a slight voltage bump would have allowed for it to be stable, but I am not exactly feeling adventurous to push for even higher voltages at this point in time. As such, I decided to tighten the timings.

As we gradually tightened the timings, I found that at DDR5-6200 34-38-38-62 I was unable to further tighten the primary timings. With the tuned timings, we actually see it outperform the unstable DDR5-6400 CL40 in terms of bandwidth and also latency. So as we went from DDR5-4800 CL40 to DDR5-6200 CL34, what kind of performance improvements are we talking about?
Gaming

When it comes to gaming performance, selection of RAM barely affects the average FPS, with us seeing it improving by a mere 8% from DDR5-4800 CL40 to DDR5-6200 CL34. However the minimum FPS does increase quite substantially, with a 15% difference at DDR5-6200 CL34 versus the stock settings. Of course, this also heavily depends on your game. I picked Rainbow Six Siege because it usually ends up being bottlenecked by the CPU at the lower resolutions, which will help highlight the difference.
With all this data, I believe the most notable data point would be the gap between DDR5-4800 CL40 to DDR5-6000 CL40. That move required no tweaking on the KLEVV DDR5 U-DIMM Standard Memory whatsoever aside from changing the frequency, and yet yielded a good 7% improvement in terms of the minimum frame rate. For gamers, that would probably be the perfect setting, if you have an identical kit.
Conclusion

While it doesn’t come with a heatspreader to help wick heat away from the PMIC and also the memory ICs, the KLEVV DDR5 U-DIMM Standard Memory performed very admirably. With just a voltage bump, the KLEVV DDR5 U-DIMM Standard Memory was able to go to DDR5-6200, no problem. Performance also increased quite substantially. I wouldn’t be too surprised if KLEVV just decides to slap the KLEVV DDR5 U-DIMM Standard Memory under a heatspreader, program a conservative XMP profile and market it as “gaming memory.” Yup, it’s that good.
At RM1279, the KLEVV DDR5 U-DIMM Standard Memory is priced quite competitively, and especially so if you consider the amount of overclocking headroom we have here. It literally goes from basic DDR5-4800 memory to DDR5-6200, which is as fast as most premium kits are running. And hey, while there’s no heatspreader, the waffle-like pattern does look quite good, if you can look at your RAM closely enough to see it in your build. For the ease of overclocking and also exceptional overclocking headroom, I would like to give it the Silver Pokdeward. If only it came under a KLEVV CRAS XR RGB’s heatspreader…

Our thanks to ESSENCORE for sending us the KLEVV DDR5 U-DIMM Standard Memory for review.
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Gran Turismo 7 on PC Not Happening Just Yet, Says Yamauchi

As Sony begins to release many of its exclusive titles to PC platforms, the million-dollar question becomes whether Sony’s flagship franchise, Gran Turismo, may eventually land on PC platform as well. Turns out, not yet.

Few weeks ago it was widely reported that Gran Turismo 7 on PC was being actively considered per the statement of its creator, Kazunori Yamauchi:

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Yes, I do think so. Gran Turismo is a very finely tuned title. There are not many platforms that could run the game in 4K/60p natively, so one way we make that possible is to narrow down the platform. It’s not a very easy subject, but of course, we are looking into it and considering it.
– Kazunori Yamauchi responding to GTPlanet on the possibility of PC release at Gran Turismo World Finals in Monaco
However, the recent interview with Japanese magazine Dengeki Online – which published today – has seen Yamauchi-san denied such statement. He maintains that the possibility remain open, though nothing concrete is being done at the moment.
That is not correct. I said that “as a developer, we stay open to all possible options”. So, the probability for a Gran Turismo 7 PC version may not actually be zero, but if you want to know what we’re actually doing regarding a PC version, the answer is nothing. There’s nothing to talk about.
– Yamauchi-san responding to Dengeki Online regarding the progress of PC release
One thing to note though, Gran Turismo 7 PC was spotted in the list of GeForce NOW leak which had since predicted many of the game announcements correctly – it’s not entirely out of the question whether GT7 may land on PC in sooner time.

In that interview he also mentioned the development tidbits of the game. Each car in GT7 is created with roughly one million polygons, and modelling a single car would require up to 270 days from a single person – which has given the models extreme levels of detail compared to other contemporary racing games. The staff team has since grown to 250 employees, he noted.
The interview was conducted in line with Gran Turismo’s 25th Anniversary – which has since achieved 90 million copies sold from its first title in 1997.
Source: Wccftech
Pokdepinion: The wait continues…
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AMD AI Noise Suppression Tech Teaser Surfaced Online
Picture credits: Tweaktown

The highly anticipated AMD AI-powered noise suppression technology appears to be close to launching as the red camp “accidentally” published a teaser video of the feature on YouTube.
Some users have quickly taken screenshots of the video, albeit in rather low resolution, but it gives you an idea of what you can expect. In theory, it should work very similarly to NVIDIA RTX Voice, where it uses AI to clean up your audio. We should be inching closer and closer, especially with new RDNA 3 GPUs coming in the next few months.

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From what we understand, the AMD AI-powered noise suppression technology should available under the Audio and Video tab within the AMD Software Adrenalin driver. Of course, there will be more features as well but we will report more on it as soon as information becomes available.
Source
Pokdepinion: Better late than never. I just hope the performance is at least on par with RTX Voice but since it’s AI-based, it may need more time to gather data.
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OPPO Malaysia reduces retail prices; Both R9s and A77 are even more affordable now!

In the moments of rising costs of living, we rarely hear news about prices going down. But that’s exactly what OPPO is doing. They have just announced that there has been another major price readjustment for their R9s and A77. The R9s will be reduced from RM1,828 to RM1,798 while the A77 will be reduced from RM1,398 to RM1,298.
Both devices are designed for you if you are one that takes plenty of pics on your smartphone. This is a perfect time to get one of these if you are eyeing for a new smartphone for the coming Hari Raya.

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If that’s not enough for you, e-commerce customers who purchase the R9s from OPPO’s online store, Lazada, 11street or Shopee will be eligible for a complimentary laser-engraving service until 28th June 2017. You wanna make this personal to you, you know what to do.

If even that is not enough, for e-commerce shoppers during the Mothers’ and Fathers’ day period, if you purcahse any OPPO camera phone (except refurbished ones) before 20th June, you will stand a chance to win an attractive prize.                          For more information, please visit OPPO’s website.
Pokdepinion: What more reasons do you need to get the OPPO phones? Go get yours right away and make sure you buy from e-commerce stores, especially Lazada.
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Techninier Super Jones Mobile Game Review – Good Throwback to a Classic Arcade Game

What is Super Jones About?

Super Jones is an arcade-style puzzle game developed by Techninier where you drill your way downwards to obtain the best score possible. Players obtain points by drilling into blocks with precious jewels, subduing the monsters using the drill, and venturing further into the mine. Players will only have three hit points, and the game will end upon the third hit. Furthermore, there is a time limit for every round, further adding pressure to the players in the game.
The game is currently available for Android and iOS. If you want to give it a try, click right here.
If you want to learn more about Super Jones or Techninier, click right here.

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A Fond Reminder of Arcade Classics
Mr. Driller (on the left) compared to Super Jones (on the right).
When I first started playing Super Jones, it gave me that feeling that I’ve played the game before a long time ago. Something about the premise seems oddly familiar. Then it hits me. Super Jones is quite similar to the Namco arcade classic, Mr. Driller.
Of course, there are some differences in game elements but the premise is essentially the same. You drill your way downwards as far as possible and collect as many items as you can. Instead of having limited oxygen and collecting oxygen tanks, you have a very limited time in Super Jones which can be supplemented by a stopwatch block, which adds five seconds to the clock.

There are plenty of obstacles in the game, so just spam drilling your way downwards is almost always a poor choice of action. You will most likely be obliterated by fireballs, spikes, monsters, and more. That’s what I love about the game, you have to strategize and think as many steps ahead as possible to survive and get the best possible score. Some blocks will require you to drill multiple times before it breaks, adding further depth to the gameplay.
At times, it feels like you have to go against your instincts and reflexes to survive or simply not take a hit. Especially during portions of the stage where there are spikes, any gamers’ immediate reaction is to avoid spikes by landing on a relatively safe block. This will only work only on the first spike for that particular portion as the next row of spikes will be under you, and the safe block is under the spike on the existing row that you are on. What do you do then? Drill the spike on the existing floor.

Chances are, you won’t figure that out immediately and it is something done out of experimentation. This is especially tricky to figure out as the safe blocks near the spikes are fragile and will break in a matter of seconds upon standing on them. This clever game design is also hinting the players that with every obstacle presented to you, there is always a solution. You just have to be on your toes and think with a sharp mind.
Special Tools to Get That Needed High Score

When you’ve gotten used to the game, there is a very likely chance that you find yourself stuck within the same score range and not be placed in the leaderboard. This can lead you to wonder as to what you’re doing wrong and if there’s some sort of secret to the game that will give you better playthroughs. There are two actually that you may or may not be aware of; the Giga Drill power-up and Ability Upgrades.
The Giga Drill power-up works by collecting three Gears by drilling through Gear Blocks. When you have three of them, you can use the Giga Drill power-up, which will land a powerful vertical hit downwards the mine and eliminate any monsters and dangerous obstacles within your sight.

As for Ability Upgrades, you can spend Gems to upgrade your character’s hit points, drill damage, Giga Drill duration, and add more time. Players can purchase the Gems via microtransactions, or simply collect two of them every few hours for free. These Gems can also be used to give your character the chance to continue in a particular round when you’ve lost all your hit points. Essentially, Gems are a very precious resource in the game which, when used correctly, can lead you to obtaining the much-needed high score.
Super Jones Verdict
Avenger s: Endgame-style Poster for Super Jones by Techninier.
Super Jones is a simple game in concept, but is surprisingly very addictive. Each round won’t take long so you can easily play this when you need a five-minute break or can’t afford to game too long. It can get a bit frustrating at times, which actually adds to the entertainment factor in my opinion, but you simply need to be patient and soldier on. My only complaint is that every time I lose, the first thing that pops up is the option to use my Gems to continue. I wished they’d combine that with the Game Over screen for faster and easier retries.
The visuals you get here are pretty much standard with every other mobile game out there. It’s appealing enough but nothing that can be considered even remotely jaw-dropping. Like with every game, the appeal should always be the gameplay and not the graphics. The gameplay itself is something I feel can easily appeal to both casual and hardcore mobile gamers. It can also be a good fit for those who have a busy lifestyle, and those who want to continue playing for hours on end due to how short each round is.
With that, I award Super Jones with our coveted Gold Pokdeward.

The game is currently available for Android and iOS. If you want to give it a try, click right here.
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Kirin 970 slated to power Huawei Mate 10; 10nm process, 12-cluster GPU

Huawei will be launching their Mate 10 pretty soon, and it seems that it will be powered by a new chipset. It is no surprise as Huawei has been launching their Mate series with a new in-house chipset for quite some time already. This year, the Kirin 970 is set to be the one powering the next flagship from the Chinese company.

The Kirin 970 is expected to be built on TSMC’s 10nm process, an improvement from last year’s TSMC 16nm process used to build the Kirin 650 series and Kirin 960 SoCs. The jump to 10nm will bring it up to compete with the Snapdragon 835 and Exynos 8895 which are manufactured on Samsung’s 10nm process. This move will hopefully lower the power consumption of the upcoming Kirin chipset, as battery life issues plagued its predecessor.

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According to the rumors, the Kirin 970 will once again pack Cortex-A73 cores in its performance cluster and A53 cores for its efficient cluster, but with the smaller process node it may be possible to clock them higher for better performance without affecting battery life. The GPU will see a bigger upgrade, moving up from the eight-cluster Mali-G71MP8 to a 12-cluster Mali-G71MP12. An improvement in performance over last generation’s Kirin 950 will definitely be apparent, but it will still lag behind the competition, with the Exynos 8895 having a Mali-G71MP20 and still barely besting Qualcomm’s Adreno 540 GPU.
Overall, the Kirin 970 doesn’t look like it will blow minds with a massive jump in efficiency or performance, but more of an iterative upgrade with a process shrink. The Kirin 970 is expected to debut in the Mate 10 sometime in October.
Source: CNMO.com
Pokdepinion: It looks like this is going to be a iterative upgrade instead of a big jump like the Kirin 960.
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Garena Announces Free Fire Battlegrounds; PUBG-like Battle Royale for Mobile

In the midst of the popularity of the Battle Royale genre, Garena has officially announced the addition of Free Fire Battlegrounds to their games offering. The game seems familiar, doesn’t it?
Garena Announces Free Fire Battlegrounds

The folks over at Garena has officially announced the latest addition of a survival shooter mobile game, Free Fire Battlegrounds, to their line of games published under the Garena banner.

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In Free Fire Battlegrounds, you parachute onto a remote island with 49 other players. It is then a battle for survival as you search for weapons and put your combat skills to the test with only one simple goal; to be the last person standing.

There’s a myriad of way to win, from ambushing your opponents in a game of stealth, snipe them with a 4x scope before they get vision of you, or grouping up with your friends and face the opposing squads head on. Launched on 4th December 2017 and developed by Garena, Free Fire Battlegrounds feature a fast pace gameplay, intuitive controls and smooth graphics optimized for most devices.
According to Garena, Free Fire Battlegrounds became the No.1 mobile game in over 23 countries, and is among the top 5 mobile games in more than 50 countries, either on the iOS App Store or on the Google Play Store.

This is what Garena had to say about the game:
When we officially announced that Free Fire would be published under Garena, we also promised a higher level of service and commitment from the entire Garena team. We have set up an official fan page dedicated to Malaysia and Singapore, where players can expect more localised content and events exclusive to the community here.
In terms of gameplay, players can look forward to many upcoming features that will make Free Fire an even more unique survival shooter game. When the community speaks, we always listen. In the upcoming update, many of our fans will be able to see their wishes come true.

Free Fire Battlegrounds is currently available for iOS via the Apple App Store and Android via the Google Play Store. We may be doing a giveaway for this game very soon so stay tuned ;)

Pokdepinion: Want to play PUBG but don’t want to pay for it or just want to have a more convenient way of playing the game? Give Free Fire Battlegrounds a try for your smartphones.
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Sony Introduces New SF-G Series TOUGH SD Card — World’s Toughest And Fastest SD Card?

Sony Malaysia has announced today a brand new innovation in storage with the launch of the SF-G series TOUGH specification UHS-II SD card.
Sony SF-G Series TOUGH SD Card

The new SD card from Sony addresses the needs of photographers who are reliant upon their photos to remain safe when their SD card is removed from the camera. It combines the world’s fastest read and write speeds with an ultra-rugged design that is bend proof to 180N and drop proof to 5 meters.

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In addition to that, they also prepared a range of SD cards that are also waterproof with an IPX8 rating and dustproof with an IP6X rating.
The new SD cards are 18 times stronger than the standard cards with the world’s first monolithic structure and materials of high-grade hardeness. They are protected against typical physical damage that can affect your card such as a broken plastic casing, broken data protection lock and broken connector ribs.
If you want to transfer high capacity photo and video files, it is made simple with the new cards, thanks to their read speed of up to 300MB/s.
Besides that, it also include SD Scan Utility, a feature that allows you to check that the card is in good condition. There’s also the File Rescue Software which can recover data and photos that might have been accidentally deleted. Other than that, the SF-G series TOUGH SD cards are also X-ray proof, magnet proof, anti-static, temperature proof and feature UV Guard.
The SF-G TOUGH series will be available in 32GB, 64GB, and also 128GB. While the prices of the cards is yet to be confirmed, they will launch in Asia from October 2018.
Pokdepinion: There you have it guys. If you are looking for something that’s durable and performs, you might want to wait for the SF-G series soon when it comes out.
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