Mi Mix 2S Unveiled – Bags the highest DxOMark Mobile score ever!

Xiaomi have today unveiled their brand new Mi Mix 2S in Shanghai which was broadcasted live on Youtube just moments ago.
Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S Unveiled
The new flagship device from the company feature a dual lens camera that combines a 12MP wide angle lens paired with a 12MP telephoto lens. In addition to that, it will also feature AI, a trend that is getting more common in today’s smartphone market.
Mi Mix 2S features a near bezel-less design, coming in with a ceramic body and an aluminum frame. While lately there’s been a surge of phones coming in with a notch at the top of their device, Xiaomi has not adopted it and instead opted to shrink the bezels above and below.

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The device features an AMOLED screen which offers a resolution of 2,160 x 1,080 pixels. Powering the device is the latest Snapdragon 845 processor which comes in two RAM variants, 6GB and 8GB of RAM. In the unveiling, the company demonstrated that the device has an AnTuTu score of 277,178, which they claimed that the device beats its competitors.
Storage wise, it comes with 3 variants which includes 64GB, 128GB, and 256GB. The device will run on Android 8.0 on the go when it comes out with Xiaomi’s MIIUI.
The company couldn’t help but try to compare its device with the iPhone X (well who wouldn’t, right?) as they emphasized on the camera department a lot in the unveiling. The camera’s sensor features a Sony IMX363 sensor inside that comes with large 1.4µm pixels, offering performance in low light conditions.
In addition to that, it was announced that the Mi Mix 2S managed a score of 97 at DxoMark, which is an impressive score to say the least.
With the addition of AI, there are new voice controls that you can utilize. The device supports Qi wireless charging for its 3400mAh battery.
The standard model of the device that comes with 6GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage costs 3299 Chinese Yuan (that’s around RM2036) where else the the high end variation of 8GB and 256GB of storage comes at a price tag of 3999 Chinese Yuan (RM2469) and comes with fast charging 7.5W Qi wireless charging pad.
Pokdepinion: I’m just hoping that the device will make its way to our shores here in Malaysia. For those specifications, the price is quite the price.
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Plextor MP8eY 256GB PCIe SSD review – Great NVMe drive with reasonable price tag

In 2009, Plextor entered the SSD market with the introduction of the PX-M1 series SSD which are available in 64GB and 128GB capacities. After years of research and development, Plextor has launched its first M.2 with PCI Express Gen 2 x2 interface SSD. Plextor M8PeY PCIe SSD is the successor of the M6e, engineered with NVMe controller in order to take full advantage of PCIe lane.
I had a chance to review the Plextor M8PeY 256GB PCIe SSD together with our friends at Tech-Critter. I would like to give a big shout out to Plextor for making this review possible.
Unboxing the Plextor MP8eY

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The M8Pe comes in a black box with some red gaming accent on it. Nothing much on the front except for Plextor’s True Speed and True Protect technology feature highlights. The M8Pe we got here is a 256GB in capacity, NVMe, and backed with a 5-year warranty.

Sequential and random transfer speeds are important when searching for a good SSD. On the back, Plextor has provided a brief explanation in a table, showing differences between transfer speed and capacities. That, along with more information on the SSD such as power consumption, weight, physical dimension and list of contents.

In the box we have the Plextor MP8eY PCIe SSD itself, a low profile bracket, user manual and screw.
Appearance

Instead of an aggressive design like its predecessor M6e(A) PCIe SSD, this new MP8eY comes with a sleek design along with LED lighting for better aesthetics.

Clean and smooth black PCB at the back, there’s nothing much except for the Plextor logo, label sticker, and a warranty void sticker.

On the top part, we can see the LED strips and a SATA power connector. Based on the details written on the back of the box, the MP8eY power consumption is 24 watts MAX as the X1 PCIe lane is just able to provide a maximum of 10W.
Specification

Capacity
256GB

Controller
Marvell 88SS1093

Flash
Toshiba 15nm Toggle MLC

DRAM Cache
512MB LPDDR3

Form Factor
Standardized PCl Express Card with Half-Height/Half-Length

Interface
PCIe Gen 3 x4 with NVM Express

Power Connector
DC 12V PCI Express Slot

Data Connector
PCI Express Slot

Dimension (L x W x H)
182 x 121.04 x 22.39 mm / 7.17 x 4.77 x 0.88 inch

Weight
230g / 8.11oz (Max.)

Testing Methodology

The Plextor MP8eY 256GB PCIe SSD is tested as a storage, operating system, and a drive for gaming. I ran several tests and some real world tests to determine the transfer speed and real world performances.
Test Machine

Processor
Intel i7 6900K

Motherboard
MSI X99A Xpower Gaming Titanium

Memory
Avexir Blitz DDR4 (4 x 8GB)

Power Supply
Aerocool 600W

Before we tested the drive, we are told to make some adjustments on Windows settings to allow the SSD to perform at its peak performance.
Performance
Synthetics

Let’s start the benchmark with the most common SSD benchmark tool, CrystalDiskMark. Clearly, the Plextor MP8eY is a blazing fast storage solution.

AS SSD benchmark is said to be the best benchmark for SSDs. The result was a bit slower as the AS SSD tool simulates the worst possible scenario on transferring files.

Anvil’s Storage is the new tool that I decided to put in our benchmark list. The Anvil’s is said to have the complete set of tests that would be worthy to note for reviews.
Real world performance
A new addition for our reviews, we included several real world performances from yours truly. For the test, I tested game load times and file transfer speeds.
Game load test

Cost perGB

Conclusion
The Plextor MP8eY did very well in performance tests but it’s not one of the bests around. The price is reasonable at USD 199 (approximately RM829) and might be a good option for gaming system to boost the game load without any buffer time. It can also give a huge benefit for video editors, as loading the software and opening huge video files will not be a problem at all.

Compared to generic SSDs in term of price, it needs a more solid reason to justify why people should pick this over the rest. If I make a living with video editing, I might consider to get the Plextor MP8eY to improve my productivity as the price is reasonable for its performance. I awarded the Plextor MP8eY with the Silver Pokdeward.
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HUAWEI P40 Pro+ To Land In Malaysia This 26 June

The highest end of the HUAWEI P40 series, the HUAWEI P40 Pro+ is about to hit our shores here in Malaysia on the 26th of June 2020.
HUAWEI P40 Pro+ coming soon
If you don’t know what the device is all about well the HUAWEI P40 Pro+ features a 6.58-inch Quad Curve Overflow Display and can run up to 90Hz.
It is equipped with a Kirin 990 5G chipset and it packs 8GB RAM that’s mated with 512GB of internal storage. For cameras it offers a five camera setup at the back, featuring a 50MP Wide-Angle Ultra Vision camera, a 40MP Ultra-Wide SuperSensing Cine camera, an 8MP SuperZoom Camera with 10x Optical Zoom, an 8MP Telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom as well as a 3D Depth Sensing camera.

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There’s a 4200mAh battery under the hood, which you can utilize its 40W HUAWEI SuperCharge. Adding to that, the phone can support the brand’s 40W Wireless HUAWEI SuperCharge technology too.
Available in White Ceramic, you can get the HUAWEI P40 Pro+ at RM4,999. There’s also freebies worth over RM1,300 which includes the HUAWEI FreeBuds 3, one HUAWEI SuperCharge Wireless Charger Stand, free access for up to 3 months for HUAWEI Video VIP, dimsum entertainment, Qello Concert, and The Explorers, while stocks last. On top of that, there’s also a free 50GB storage of HUAWEI Cloud and one-year extended warranty plus one-month screen crack protection offered.
If you would like to learn a bit of how the HUAWEI P40 Pro+ is like, you can check out our full review of its sibling, the HUAWEI P40 Pro right here.
Pokdepinion: It’s definitely cheaper here in Malaysia compared to its converted release price, which is a good thing. Adding the fact that they’ve added some freebies as well, that’s nice to see.
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NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Laptop GPU Features 7424 CUDAs, +42% Over Predecessor

A Geekbench entry courtesy of one yet-to-be-released Acer Predator laptop shows sizeable performance uplift over RTX 3080 Laptop GPU.
Source: Videocardz (Geekbench)
The laptop in question, codenamed “PH16-71” is seen paired with Intel’s upcoming flagship-class Core i9-13900HX CPU and the GPU in question is listed as “NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Laptop GPU”. The GPU features 12GB of VRAM – a much-needed upgrade over the predecessor’s 8GB with games increasingly reaching the limits of available capacity. That in turn should translate to a bus width of 192-bit (384-bit is extremely unlikely due to RTX 4090 Laptop likely having 256-bit, plus the extra L2 cache is more lenient on VRAM bandwidth requirements).
RTX 4080 Laptop GPU OpenCL score. Source: Videocardz (Geekbench)
This GPU is said to feature a GA104 die, with 7,424 CUDA cores (58 SMs) on tap. In this particular benchmark, the GPU is seen clocked at 2.01GHz. The OpenCL test produced 178,038 points for the 4080 – while not necessarily reflected in gaming performance, we see a 30% improvement over NVIDIA’s current-best offering, the RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU, at 136,008 points. The lead extends to 42% when compared against its direct predecessor, the RTX 3080 Laptop GPU.

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The RTX 40 Laptop GPU series is expected to be revealed in the upcoming NVIDIA CES 2023 “GeForce Beyond” keynote on Jan 3, 2023.
Source: Videocardz
Pokdepinion: Knowing how powerful RTX 40 is on high resolution gaming, expect RTX 4080 to get quite a jump in performance on 1440p+ gaming.
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Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 Lands In Malaysia, Now Available In Acer Stores

Acer has launched its newest gaming laptop, the Predator Helios Neo 16 (PHN16-71), in Malaysia. The laptop comes with up to Intel Core i7-13700HX CPU and up to NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU (up to 140W TGP), making it a fairly capable gaming machine. Additionally, the device comes with 16GB of DDR5-4800 RAM and a 1TB PCIe NVMe SSD. It also features a 165Hz 16-inch display (up to QHD+ 16:10) driven by NVIDIA Advanced Optimus and G-SYNC, plus 100% sRGB gamut coverage.
The laptop’s custom-engineered all-metal AeroBlade fan technology and liquid metal thermal grease helps with heat dissipation; on the outside, the Predator Helios Neo 16 with laser-etched encrypted codes on its black anodized cover that “encourages gamers to decipher the hidden message”, though it’s unclear what message is hidden in there – but knowing the Internet, it won’t be long until someone manages to decipher it.

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The laptop is now available at Acer eStore and Acer official stores on Shopee and Lazada, with prices starting at RM4,899. Additionally, customers who place their orders before 8 May 2023 at selected concept stores will receive freebies worth over RM900, including a Predator Urban Gaming Backpack V2, a Predator Cestus 330 Gaming Mouse, a Predator Snapback Cap, and an Acer SuperCare 2 that provides 3 years on-site warranty with accidental damage and theft coverage.
Pokdepinion: I/O looks pretty good to me, especially with Thunderbolt ports (granted, docks aren’t cheap).
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Grab Riders And Drivers Rejoice As PSV Licence Requirement Is Delayed For 3 Months

Previously e-hailing drivers needed to get their Public Service Vehicle (PSV) licence (supposedly by today), the regulation has now been extended to 3 more months as it was announced by Malaysia’s Transport Minister, Anthony Loke.
Why did they chose to extend it you may ask? Well it seems that they’ve made the decision seeing how only 10% of active Grab drivers have gotten their hands on the PSV licence.
With the news, it means that drivers without the licence will be able to drive during the extended period, if they choose to. Despite that, they will still receive a warning as well as a reminder to get the licence itself.

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It appears that Gabungan Teksi SeMalaysia (GTSM) wasn’t too happy with the announcement. Their president, Kamarudin Mohd Hussain, has said that the Ministry of Transport should’ve remained firm in the policy and the decision (to extend) would compromise “the country’s sovereignty”. In what seems to be a threat, he said that they (GTSM) will rally if the Ministry of Transport goes back on their word.
If you like to learn more on the regulation, do check out our previous post right here.
Pokdepinion: Whoops, looks like someone is triggered with the decision..
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AMD confirms that Zen 3 is still on track for 2020 launch

After much rumors floating around about AMD delaying the launch of the Zen 3-based Ryzen 4000 series of desktop processors, AMD has stepped up to go on record to mention that the rumors were untrue, and that they were in fact, on track to launch the next generation of processors in 2020.
The rumors did seem pretty legit at first, considering that AMD does not really have much competition as of now. Delaying the launch could allow AMD to price them more competitively against Intel’s offerings, when they appear, while also allowing AMD to immediately draw more attention to themselves when prospective CPU buyers are checking out their options.

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The confirmation that AMD is still on track with Zen 3’s launch came after the Ryzen 3000XT’s series announcement, which might have raised some eyebrows. After all, why would you release a refresh when you are going to release a whole new series a few months later? Well, I guess AMD saw it fit to do so.
Zen 3 is expected to be manufactured on an improved TSMC 7nm process, while also offering architectural gains. The combination of both should deliver better performance and efficiency than the Zen 2 processors we have in the market today.
Pokdepinion: Probably the last upgrade on the AM4 platform… Looking forward to it!
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New “Home Sweet Home Alone” To Release On Disney+ Hotstar On 12 November

20th Century Studios’ “Home Sweet Home Alone,” an all-new adventure comedy from the iconic ‘Home Alone’ holiday film franchise, will premiere exclusively on Disney+ Hotstar on November 12 this year.

Three months until we’re #HomeSweetHomeAlone. The all-new Original Movie starts streaming November 12 on #DisneyPlus and stars Ellie Kemper, Rob Delaney, Archie Yates, Aisling Bea, Kenan Thompson, Tim Simons, Pete Holmes, Devin Ratray, Ally Maki, and Chris Parnell. pic.twitter.com/kXhI7qzAk5
— Disney+ (@disneyplus) August 12, 2021

“Home Sweet Home Alone” coming to Disney+ Hotstar this November 12
Here’s a brief description of what the new “Home Sweet Home Alone” movie is all about.

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Max Mercer is a mischievous and resourceful young boy who has been left behind while his family is in Japan for the holidays. So, when a married couple attempting to retrieve a
priceless heirloom set their sights on the Mercer family’s home, it is up to Max to protect it from the trespassers…and he will do whatever it takes to keep them out. Hilarious hijinks of epic proportions ensue, but despite the absolute chaos, Max comes to realize that there really is no place like home sweet home.

“Home Sweet Home Alone” stars Ellie Kemper (“Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”), Rob Delaney (“Deadpool 2”), Archie Yates (“Jojo Rabbit”), Aisling Bea (“Living with Yourself”), Kenan Thompson (“Saturday Night Live”), Tim Simons (“Veep”), Pete Holmes (“The Secret Life of Pets 2”), Devin Ratray (“Home Alone”), Ally Maki (“Toy Story 4”), Chris Parnell (“Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues”) and is directed by Dan Mazer (“Dirty Grandpa”).
The screenplay for “Home Sweet Home Alone” is by Mikey Day and Streeter Seidell (“Saturday Night Live”), story by Mikey Day and Streeter Seidell and John Hughes (“Home Alone”) based on a screenplay by John Hughes. Hutch Parker (“X-Men: Dark Phoenix”) and Dan Wilson (“Patriots Day”) serve as producers, with Jeremiah Samuels (“Stuber”) serving as executive producer.
Pokdepinion: I love both Home Alone and Home Alone 2! I remember watching them a lot as a kid especially during the Christmas season when TV3 aired the two movies almost every year. Don’t really like the other sequels as they are just terrible (even one of my favourite actors French Stewart couldn’t save Home alone 4).
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Transcend Introduces New 2TB Rugged Portable Hard Drive With USB Type-C Connection

Transcend has lift the lids of their new StoreJet 25M3C, the latest USB Type-C portable hard drive in the brand’s lineup. What’s so special about it? Well it comes in a rugged three-stage shock protection that’s coupled with a native Type-C port that offers performance both external and internally.
Transcend StoreJet 25M3C 2TB portable hard drive
The Transcend StoreJet 25M3C features the USB 3.1 Gen 1 interface and a Type-C port for faster transfer rates. It also comes with both a USB Type-C cable as well as a Type-C to Type-A cable, just in case you need that extra compatibility. It can even be used on your smartphone with it offering support for OTG (On-The-Go) function.
Other than that, it comes equipped with a one-touch auto-backup button that instantly backs up your data with just a single press. The button also allows you to connect the hard drive to your PC without the need to unplug and insert it in. To do so, you’d need the Transcend Elite software, which is available on Mac, Windows, as well as android devices.

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Transcend StoreJet 25M3C is available in 2TB and is backed by a three-year limited warranty. With it, you’ll also get a USB Type-C cable as well as a USB Type-C to Type-A cable. As for it’s release in Malaysia as well as the pricing, it has yet to be confirmed. Stay tuned for more details.
Pokdepinion: It’s kind of pointless these days to have a big storage without fast speeds. Hopefully, this doesn’t disappoints.
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Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Series May Retain The Exynos 990

Picture credits: Max Weinbach

With 5th August 2020 coming closer and closer, we’re starting to learn more about the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 series. According to a notable tipster, there is a good chance that the series will be retaining the Exynos 990 SoC from the Galaxy S20 series.
Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Series To Use Exynos 990 SoC?

Can confirm. I have found no references to any new chip other than Snapdragon 865+ in the firmware’s I have on hand.
The Exynos 990 will be used in the Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra. https://t.co/AGee7eHv8F
— Max Weinbach (@MaxWinebach) July 11, 2020

According to tipster Max Weinbach, the only new SoC to be referenced in the upcoming One UI 2.5 is the overclocked Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 Plus. Previously, there were rumours of a newer Exynos SoC coming for the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 series, the Exynos 992. With that now being unlikely, it looks like markets where the Snapdragon variant won’t be available will most likely retain its use of the Exynos 990 SoC.

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Samsung fans who are looking for a performance boost might not like this piece of information. This is especially the case as many were expecting to be powered by the upgraded Exynos 992, an SoC built on Samsung’s 6nm fabrication process. Weinbach believes this will be highly unlikely to happen.
The Exynos 990 SoC isn’t a bad chipset on its own. We personally reviewed the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G and it performed pretty well. With that being said however, we do prefer the Snapdragon 855 Plus that’s running on the Galaxy Z Flip, a foldable smartphone that we also reviewed, thanks to its efficiency.
For now, nothing has been officially confirmed yet so do take this information with a grain of salt. We will be reporting more on this as soon as information becomes available so stay tuned.
Source
Pokdepinion: Kinda wished that they would bring the Snapdragon versions here in Malaysia. Either way, I’m still looking forward to the Note 20 series.
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WhatsApp Reworking Privacy Settings To Hide Last Seen Status from Specific People

WhatsApp is still a widely used messaging app across the globe. As privacy concerns started to grow, the developers started to think of more ways to improve on it. The latest potential addition is the ability to hide your Last Seen status from specific people.
WhatsApp Reworking Privacy Settings

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WhatsApp is reworking their privacy settings to allow users to hide their Last Seen status from specific people. Currently, the only way you can hide it is to not let anyone see it, but they are aware that there are a good number of users who only want to hide it from a certain group of people.
According to WABetaInfo, the feature is currently being developed, and we have a screenshot of an iOS version with the feature. There will be a 4th new addition to the option which says “My Contact Except…”, alongside Everyone, My Contacts, and Nobody.
This is especially useful to prevent prying eyes from spying on you. A good example of this is for people who uses the same mobile number for personal and work purposes. Another example is for people to push away people who have the tendency to read up too much on a person, a.k.a. potential stalkers.
At the moment, there is no word on when exactly this feature will be launched. It will certainly be made available for both Android and iOS versions of WhatsApp, but there’s also a chance that it may arrive at different times. We will report more on this as soon as information becomes available so stay tuned.
Source
Pokdepinion: I don’t really care too much about my status anyway. I think it’s a big power move if people know that I’m online and I choose not to reply. But I can understand people who’d rather avoid unnecessary trouble over this.
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[Computex 2018] ROG Strix SCAR II and Hero II First Impressions – Imagine Zephyrus in a refined and reduced package

While the ROG Phone is all the buzz and fever of the day at Computex 2018, the next best thing that you can get your hands on are the ROG Strix SCAR II and ROG Strix Hero II gaming laptops. The names descended from the previous GL503 based ROG Strix SCAR and ROG Strix Hero that we reviewed last year. Continuing the success, the twin beasts bring even more attitude to satisfy FPS and MOBA Esports gaming.

The ROG Strix SCAR II and ROG Strix Hero II have all the reasons to fall in love with them, but probably the best reason among all is their world’s first 144Hz super-narrow-bezel display with an ultrafast 3ms gray-to-gray (GTG) response time for accurate targeting. Matched with quick-responding desktop-style keyboards, it ensures precision control, and lifespan of 20-million keystrokes. The patented RangeBoost multi-antenna system delivers unprecedented reliable, wide-ranging Wi-Fi coverage.

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When the heat builds up, both the ROG Strix SCAR II and ROG Strix Hero II will harness the cooling from its HyperCool Pro thermal system that delivers extreme cooling that is needed to juice the 8th Generation Intel Core i7 processor that is coupled to the Nvidia GeForce 10-series graphics.

Notable differences between the ROG Strix SCAR II and ROG Strix Hero II machines against their older counterpart are the enlarged ROG logo on the lid, front light bar, transparent WASD keycaps, and semi-transparent key sides. The palm rest comes with a Kevlar-like finish to add aggression to the outlook of the ROG Strix SCAR II. The lid has two contrasting brushed finishes that meet to create a dynamic diagonal slash across its lid, much like the katana cut on the Strix motherboard, minus the emboss. The anodized Gunmetal Gray finish and deep-black heatsink mimic the dark feel of an assault rifle, defining the FPS gamer in you.

You might be wondering the bulk that the ROG Strix SCAR II and ROG Strix Hero II would carry assuming the features seem heavy for a machine as portable as it. Then again, if I tell you that the machine itself weighs only around 2.4kg in a 15″ shell, 300g lighter than its past generation, you would only be staring at these beautiful machines in awe.

Then you might be wondering if ASUS jeopardized on its performance? Sweat not, running Intel Core i7-8750H CPU, coupled to 2666MHz DDR4 SDRAM, pushing graphics on Nvidia GeForce GTX1060/1070 will make you think otherwise.

In the storage department, we have an M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD alongside 2.5″ SSHD/HDD based on country specific model. Below are the generic specifications that have been announced at Computex 2018 as the local specifications for Malaysian models have yet to be finalized. When we have that, we will provide further updates along with local pricing.
Specifications

ROG Strix SCAR II
ROG Strix Hero II

CPU
Intel Core i7-8750H
Intel Core i5 – 8300H
Intel Core i7-8750H
Intel Core i5 – 8300H

GPU
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060
Nvdia GeForce GTX1070
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 6GB GDDR5 VRAM

RAM
Up to 32GB DDR4 2666MHz SDRAM
Up to 32GB DDR4 2666MHz SDRAM

Display
15.6″ IPS-level Full HD (1920 x 1080), 144Hz, 3ms, 100% sRGB with VR capabilities
15.6″ IPS-level Full HD (1920 x 1080), 144Hz, 3ms, 100% sRGB with VR capabilities
15.6″ IPS-level Full HD (1920 x 1080) 60Hz, 100% sRGB

Storage
SSD
M.2 NVMe PCIE Gen 3 x4 (128GB/256GB/512GB)
HDD
2.5″ 5400rpm 1TB SSHD or 2.5″ 5400rpm / 7200rpm 1TB HDD
SSD
M.2 NVMe PCIE Gen 3 x4 (128GB/256GB/512GB)
HDD
2.5″ 5400rpm 1TB SSHD or 2.5″ 5400rpm / 7200rpm 1TB HDD

Keyboard
Backlit chiclet keyboard with RGB 4 zones and Aura Sync
Marked WASD keys
Hot keys: Vol Up / Vol Down / Mute / ROG Gaming Center
1.8mm Travel distance
0.25mm Keycap curve
Backlit chiclet keyboard with RGB 4 zones and Aura Sync
Marked QWER keys
Hot keys: Vol Up / Vol Down / Mute / ROG Gaming Center
1.8mm Travel distance
0.25mm Keycap curve

Audio
2 x 3.5W speaker with SmartAMP technology and Array microphones
2 x 3.5W speaker with SmartAMP technology and Array microphones

I/O Ports
1 x USB 3.1 Gen 2 (Type-C)
1 x USB 3.1 Gen 2
2 X USB 3.1 Gen 1
1 x mDP 1.2
1 x HDMI 2.0
1 x RJ-45 jack
1 x 2 in-1 card reader
1 x 3.5mm headphone and microphone combo jack
1 x Kensington lock
1 x USB 3.1 Gen 2 (Type-C)
1 x USB 3.1 Gen 2
2 X USB 3.1 Gen 1
1 x mDP 1.2
1 x HDMI 2.0
1 x RJ-45 jack
1 x 2 in-1 card reader
1 x 3.5mm headphone and microphone combo jack
1 x Kensington lock

Power
180W power adapter
230W power adapter
180W power adapter

Wi-Fi / Bluetooth
802.11ac 2×2 Wave 2 WLAN
Bluetooth 5.0
802.11ac 2×2 Wave 2 WLAN
Bluetooth 5.0

Dimensions
36.1cm x 26.2cm x 2.61cm
36.1cm x 26.2cm x 2.61cm

Weight
2.4kg
2.4kg

That’s pretty much the sum of what the refreshed ROG Strix SCAR II and ROG Strix Hero II has to offer. We will be updating local specifications and subsequently review both of these units very soon, so do watch this space.
Pokdepinion: If you have owned any of the previous generation ROG Strix SCAR or ROG Strix Hero, you would know what these beasts are capable of. Now imagine giving them some steroids, that’s what the II gives you.
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BlackBerry Ghost to feature a big 4000 mAh battery — and just like a ghost, you may never see one in your life

BlackBerry just recently launched the KEY2 for international markets, but BlackBerry has licensed their brand to more than one manufacturer. India’s Optiemus is set to introduce the BlackBerry Ghost, which will be exclusive to the Indian market. The BlackBerry Ghost is also allegedly a flagship-class device, unlike the premium mid-range BlackBerry KEY2.

One more Ghost tidbit: it’s got a 4,000mAh battery, which would be one of the largest in a flagship-class device.
— Evan Blass (@evleaks) July 5, 2018

Renders of the BlackBerry Ghost have surfaced earlier in February, but more details has just been leaked out by renowned leaker Evan Blass. The BlackBerry Ghost is apparently going to pack a huge 4000 mAh battery and a dual rear camera setup. There is also a higher-end BlackBerry Ghost Pro that is also expected to be revealed soon.

Remember BlackBerry Ghost? Of course you do (and if not, just expand this thread). Well here’s another upcoming handset from Indian licensee Optiemus to haunt you: the BlackBerry Ghost Pro. pic.twitter.com/1TcyhE3CsL
— Evan Blass (@evleaks) March 22, 2018

The leaked renders has revealed that this would be BlackBerry’s first device with edge-to-edge display. What do you think? Would you get the BlackBerry Ghost if it makes it to this side of the Indian Ocean?

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Source: GizChina
Pokdepinion: This doesn’t really look like a BlackBerry, but if it offers the enhanced security BlackBerry is renowned for, it might be a hit with the more conscious users out there.
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Intel Z170 motherboard list — It’ll will cost you money, obviously.

A few days the hottest news were all about the new Intel Z170 motherboard line-ups from various manufacturers. There are so many models from each manufacturer offered but here is a list that I have curated to share with you guys and hopefully most if not all will be available in Malaysia market. I only picked several brands and selected models because there are so many boards offered for the Z170 chipset by companies already in the Malaysian market like ASUS, Gigabyte, MSI and ASrock. If I did miss any brand or model please let me know in the comment section below.

Intel Z170 motherboard Chipset

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Before we go to the list, I would like to sum up some general specifications regarding the Intel Z170 motherboard chipset. Basically it’s a new chipset to support the latest Intel 6th generation Skylake which is using a new socket, LGA 1151. The Z170 is the highest-end part for LGA 1151 and the only chipset that allows for CPU, RAM and iGPU overclocking. If you need more details, visit Intel’s site about the Intel Z170 chipset. With support for dual channel memory, it supports up to a maximum of four memory slots. Display wise, the iGPU will be capable of powering up to 3 monitors, which will utilize DVI, HDMI and VGA connectors. But who will be using this setup anyway if you are going to game? Discrete GPU is the way for it.
Talking about discrete GPU let move about the expansion options, the Intel Z170 chipset also has no PCI lane, so if you are still relying on PCI peripherals you must be aware of this. The chip enables a maximum of 20 PCIe lane, so it will support PCIe configurations of either one ×16, or two ×8, or one ×8 and two ×4.
Regarding Input and output, the Z170 supports up to 10 ports USB 3.0 and 14 ports USB 2.0, that’s pretty normal except the USB 3.0 ports are gradually increasing.

Compatibility
Okay I believed that’s all what we need to learn about the chipset and move on to the next topic. Talk about compatibility, the Intel Skylake will only be supported on the newest LGA 1151 motherboard, as pin wise the LGA 1150 CPU will not be working on the LGA 1151 motherboard, so don’t ever buy LGA 1150 processor and stick it in LGA 1151 motherboard. Memory wise, so far I’ve noticed that only ASUS offers DDR3 and DDR4 variant board. The other manufacturer stick with only DDR4. This is a good initiative by ASUS due to DDR4 prices still very costly, plus with our weakening currency, it’s not a brilliant idea to get a DDR4-based system at the moment.
Now let’s go take a look at the full list of boards I’ve painstakingly curated which includes ASUS, Gigabyte, MSI and ASrock.

ASUS

Lets start with ASUS ROG line-up, shall we. The most anticipated motherboard among ROG fans. ASUS rolls out three models under the ROG label, the ASUS ROG Maximus VIII Hero,ASUS ROG Maximus VIII Ranger and ASUS ROG Maximus VIII Gene.

ASUS ROG Maximus VIII Hero
ASUS ROG Maximus VIII Hero
ASUS ROG Maximus VIII HeroASUS ROG Maximus VIII Ranger
ASUS ROG Maximus VIII Ranger
ASUS ROG Maximus VIII RangerASUS ROG Maximus VIII Gene
ASUS ROG Maximus VIII Gene
ASUS ROG Maximus VIII Gene
Since ASUS itself released 13 motherboard for the Z170 chipset, you can check the full product comparison table here.
ASUS Z170 motherboards will be available in Malaysia from mid of August 2015:
• Maximus VIII Hero – RM 1,199
• Maximus VIII Ranger – RM 965
• Maximus VIII Gene – RM 1,065
• Z170-Deluxe – RM 1,609
• Z170-K – RM 681
• Z170-P D3 – RM 625
• Z170M-Plus – RM 601
• Z170 Pro Gaming – RM 799

Gigabyte

Joining the game with their G1 Series, Gigabyte really did a commendable job with the motherboard design. The GA-Z170X-Gaming G1 and GA-Z170X-Gaming 7 is Gigabyte’s bet for the Intel Skylake market.

GA-Z170X-Gaming G1
GA-Z170X-Gaming G1
GA-Z170X-Gaming G1GA-Z170X-Gaming 7
GA-Z170X-Gaming 7
GA-Z170X-Gaming 7
For more models from Gigabyte for LGA 1151, please head to this link.

MSI

Not forgetting about MSI gaming series motherboards,you are spoiled for choice by MSI’s arsenal. With a total of seven I found on the website, there were 6 with red and black theme while the Titanium edition comes with white accents. I want to mention something that has quite been a hot topic among some PC enthiusiast who went to the recent Computex, they tried MSI’s latest feature, the Nahamic audio enhancer that work really great in terms of improving sound-stage. MSI show us 7 motherboard which is the Z170A XPOWER Gaming Titanium Edition , Z170A Gaming M9 ACK , Z170A Gaming M7 , Z170A Gaming M5 , Z170A Gaming M3, Z170A Gaming PRO  and Z170A-G45 Gaming.
Z170A XPOWER Gaming Titanium EditionZ170A XPOWER GAMING TITANIUM EDITIONZ170A Gaming M9 ACKZ170A Gaming M9 ACK Z170A Gaming M7 Z170A Gaming M7 Z170A Gaming M5 Z170A Gaming M5 Z170A Gaming M3 Z170A Gaming M3 Z170A Gaming Pro Z170A Gaming Pro Z170A Gaming G45 Z170A Gaming G45

ASROCK
ASrock is better known for producing cheaper motherboards that serve their function among the beginner DIY PC builder. Actually ASrock also has some punch in some of their products. If you are looking for good and cheap motherboards, ASrock is a good choice. On ASrock’s side, I would like to share only four motherboard from them. Seriously there are so many board for Z170 which has made me a bit lazy to go through every single board by the manufacturers. I really want to share some sort of information here.
ASrock joins the battlefield with their Fatal1ty series boards which are the Fatal1ty Z170 Gaming K6+, Fatal1ty Z170 Gaming K6 and Fatal1ty Z170 Gaming K4. On their extreme line-up ASrock readied about more than five variant if I’m not mistaken. But I just share the highest end part the Z170 Extreme7+.
Z170 Extreme7+Z170 Extreme7+Fatal1ty Z170 Gaming K6+Fatal1ty Z170 Gaming K6+Fatal1ty Z170 Gaming K6Fatal1ty Z170 Gaming K6Fatal1ty Z170 Gaming K4Fatal1ty Z170 Gaming K4

Pokdepinion : Skylake CPU is not worthwhile to buy or upgrade if you are using a 4th generation Intel system currently. Performance wise, the difference in gaming is not that huge. For new builders, you might want to go with ASUS motherboards with support for DDR3 since they have boards supporting DDR3 memory, as this can save you a lot of your money. For power users who desire to push the chip to the limits, Skylake might be a good chip to play with. Worthy of mention also is Intel Skylake processors will not come with a stock cooler and you might need to prepare an aftermarket cooler for it. Also, with the barrage of Z170 boards by the manufacturers, the other members of the X100 chipset might be coming a lot later, so those looking for cheaper alternatives without an interest in overclocking may hold on to their money for a while.
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MSI MAG Z690 Tomahawk WiFi Overview — value DDR5 + PCIe 5.0 motherboard?

Anyone who has been following MSI’s MAG series of motherboards will probably have noted that they usually offer quite good bang for buck. While they won’t offer you the cutting-edge features that you would expect from premium motherboards, they often bring value for money with pretty much all you need for a performant gaming PC build. With that said, let’s take a look at the MSI MAG Z690 Tomahawk WiFi, the latest addition to the lineup.
Unboxing

The packaging of the MSI MAG Z690 Tomahawk WiFi is quite clearly military-inspired, just in case the “TOMAHAWK” in the name wasn’t enough to tip you off to that. Instead of boasting of their features, MSI decided to highlight TPM 2.0 and Windows 11 compatibility on the front, aside from the Lightning Gen 5 emblem. Interesting decision.

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Over on the back we have more mentioned features. This is actually a variant of the MSI MAG Z690 Tomahawk WiFi with DDR5 support, instead of DDR4. There’s also USB 3.2 Gen 2×2, 2.5Gbps LAN and WiFi 6E, which are definitely rather premium features for a member of the MSI MAG family.

The contents are pretty sparse though, with the MSI MAG Z690 Tomahawk WiFi having more documentation than actual accessories. You do get a USB drive for the usual drivers and stuff instead of a DVD drive, and I really appreciate that. Along with that, you get two WiFi antennas, a hard case sticker and two very interesting EZ M.2 Clips that we will get into in a bit.
Appearance

MSI has clearly targeted a cleaner look with the MSI MAG Z690 Tomahawk WiFi, and I would say they largely succeeded. The darker color scheme and understated aesthetic reminds me of the MEG UNIFY series of motherboards, instead of the more striking design of the MAG Z590 Tomahawk WiFi. I definitely commend MSI for offering a premium look at a more value-oriented lineup.

The VRM heatsinks above and beside of the socket aren’t connected with a heatpipe, which is pretty much the norm at these price brackets. You might notice the dark outlines here, which is where you can stick the included camo stickers included in the box, in case you think that this beautiful black finish is not aggressive enough for your PC build.

For better or worse, MSI numbered all the M.2 bays. The contrasting sandblasted and brushed finishes look great, and the PCH heatsink shares a similar design theme as the VRM heatsinks, with a mixed of curves and flat surfaces. You can also see that MSI added a touch of flair with a cutout near the SATA ports.

The back of the board might be quite a bit more boring, although you might appreciate some details like the highlights around the screw points telling you to “avoid collision.” Something worth mentioning is that MSI also used SMT DIMM and PCIe 5.0 slots, which improve the signal integrity to support the higher speeds that DDR5 and PCIe 5.0 run at.

The rear I/O is pretty good, with a nice assortment of USB ports. I do appreciate the USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 port here, as it works with stuff like the Kingston XS2000 external drive, whereas Thunderbolt 4 ports are usually limited to just 10Gbps. Speaking of 10Gbps, there are three 10Gbps ports here, along with two more USB 3.0 ports and two USB 2.0 ports. Overall, I do think that there are sufficient ports here. My only minor complaint is the relatively hidden Flash BIOS button that can quite easily be missed unless you knew what you were looking for.
MSI MAG Z690 Tomahawk WiFi Specifications

CPU support
Intel LGA1700
12th Gen Intel Core, Pentium Gold, Celeron Processors

Power
1 x 24-pin ATX
2 x 8-pin EATX 12V
MPS MP2960 PWM controller + MP2940A
16 x MPS MP87992 (70A) powerstage for VCore
1 x MPS MP87992 (70A) powerstage for VGT
1 x MPS MP87992 (70A) powerstage for AUX

Chipset
Intel Z690

Memory
4 x DDR5 DIMM, max. 128GB un-buffered memory
Up to DDR5-6400+

Multi-GPU Support
N/A

Expansion slots
PCIe 5.0 x16 (x16 electrically – from CPU)
PCIe 3.0 x1 – from chipset
PCIe 3.0 x16 (x4 electrically – from chipset)
PCIe 3.0 x16 (x1 electrically – from chipset)

Storage
6 x SATA 6 Gb/s, supports RAID 0,1,5,10
1 x M.2 PCIe 4.0 x4 – from CPU
1 x M.2 PCIe 4.0 x4 – from chipset
1 x M.2 PCIe 4.0 x4/SATA – from chipset
1 x M.2 PCIe 3.0 x4/SATA – from chipset

Network
Intel Wi-Fi 6E AX210 (802.11ax) + Bluetooth 5.2
Intel I225-V 2.5GbE LAN controller

USB
Rear I/O:
1 x USB 3.2 Gen2x2 Type-C (20Gbps)
3 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A (10 Gbps)
2 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5 Gbps)
2 x USB 2.0
On-board headers:
1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C (10 Gbps)
1 x USB 3.0 (5 Gbps) (2 ports each)
2 x USB 2.0 (2 ports each)

Audio
Realtek ALC4080 CODEC
5 x audio jacks (rear)
1 x Optical S/PDIF out
1 x front panel audio connector

Display output
1 x HDMI
1 x DisplayPort

Other onboard connectors
1 x CPU fan header
1 x Pump fan header
6 x Chassis fan headers
1 x RGB headers
3 x ARGB headers
1 x TPM module connector
1 x Thunderbolt connector
1 x chassis intrusion connector

Overclocking features
EZ Debug LED
BIOS reset jumper
Tuning Controller connector
Flash BIOS Button

Included accessories
User’s manual
Quick installation guide
Driver USB Drive
WiFi Antenna
2 x SATA 6Gb/s cable
2 x EZ M.2 Clip
Case badge
MAG Stickers
Product registration card
Reward Program / Shout Out Flyer

Form factor
ATX (30.5 x 24.4 cm)

A Closer Look
VRM

As the 12th Gen Intel Core processors can draw quite a bit of power, the two 8-pin EPS power connectors is a nice touch. I do believe that a 8+4-pin configuration would probably suffice, but I guess it’s better to err on the safe side, especially when power is involved.

Here’s the sizeable VRM heatsinks. The two chunks are pretty hefty, and the rear I/O shield is integrated into the VRM heatsink that extends across the back of the board as a I/O cover. Functional and good looking, definitely something I always like to see.

Here we have the array of 18 MP87992 powerstages. The CPU is fed by 16 powerstages in a Duet Rail Power System configuration, which sees two powerstages per phase. With each of the MP87992 DrMOS powerstages rated for 70A each, there’s plenty of power handling capability here, even if you plan on overclocking your Core i9-12900K. The graphics and auxiliary power rails are fed by a single MP87992 powerstage each.

And this here is our PWM controller, which is the MP2960 from MPS, that I couldn’t find any documentation for. This controller handles the VCore and iGPU power rails, while an additional MP2940A handles the auxiliary rail, lower down on the board.
Audio

When it comes to audio, the MSI MAG Z690 Tomahawk WiFi is right up there with the flagships with its Realtek ALC4080 codec and Nippon Chemi-Con capacitors. The Realtek ALC4080 supports up to 7.1-channel setups and 32-bit/384kHz audio, which are pretty much all you can ask for from on-board audio solutions anyway. The landing page for this board also mentions a “dedicated headphone amp”, although I didn’t see it anywhere on the board.
Storage

One very odd quirk I noticed when taking the board apart was that one of the M.2 heatsinks screw holes are threaded, while the one on the rear end of the heatsink has a captive screw. I am not sure why MSI decided to add threads, as usually designs involve a screw that passes through the heatsink to attach to the slot. It’s not a major flaw or annoyance, but I just found it odd. I would have greatly preferred a captive screw on both ends though, just for the peace of mind.

The MSI MAG Z690 Tomahawk WiFi definitely offers more M.2 slots than its predecessor, primarily because the Intel Z690 chipset offers more lanes. One thing that I definitely found interesting was how MSI decided to just give users three M.2 PCIe 4.0 x4 slots, instead of splitting it up for the PCIe slots. Aside from the primary PCIe 5.0 slot that is connected to the CPU directly, all the PCIe slots you see here are PCIe 3.0 ones, connected to the chipset.
M.2_3 is the only M.2 PCIe 3.0 x4 slot, with both the third and fourth M.2 slots supporting M.2 SATA SSDs as well. None of these are overlapping with the SATA ports, so you can max out the storage configuration anyhow you want, and not run into any issues with disabled ports whatsoever. Pretty cool move by MSI to take full advantage of what Intel has to offer with the Intel Z690 chipset.
If I were to nitpick, I would probably ask for a PCIe 4.0 slot that shares its PCIe 4.0 lanes with one of the M.2 slots, just in case I have a PCIe 4.0 add-in card that can take advantage of the extra speed. No one really needs three PCIe 4.0 SSDs anyway… Or at least that’s what I think.

Now, moving on to the slots themselves, we have these cool EZ M.2 Clips. Remember how easy it was to lose your M.2 retention screws? Well, now they are no longer a worry with MSI motherboards! You can secure your M.2 drive with these clips, and there are actually two extra in the box for the second and third M.2 slots, in case you want to use M.2 SSDs that are shorter than 80mm. Those slots will have the SSDs rest on the standoff that the M.2 heatsinks screw into if you use M.2 2280 SSDs, so I believe most people won’t ever use them, as most consumer M.2 SSDs in the market are of the M.2 2280 form factor.

While I absolutely love the M.2 arrangement, I can’t exactly say the same for the SATA port layout here. We have two right-angled ones, along with four straight facing ones. Cable management for the four will definitely be slightly more challenging. Not impossible, but definitely a bit harder.
Connectivity

This is a USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C header, giving you 10Gbps to your front panel. Some of the more premium designs are starting to offer USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 front panel headers, but this is already plenty fast enough for most users. I definitely am happy as I only own one USB 3.2 Gen 2 external SSD enclosure.

For wireless connectivity you have the Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX210 adapter, which gives you WiFi 6E for some sweet 2.4Gbps speeds and 6GHz action. The included antenna mount onto the rear of the motherboard directly, which can be both a good thing or a bad thing, depending on how your home WiFi setup is configured. It may be better to have a extended antenna, but it can also result in desk clutter… So yeah.

Meanwhile for wired connectivity you also have an Intel I225-V 2.5GbE NIC. Regardless whether you decide to go with LAN or WiFi, the MSI MAG Z690 Tomahawk WiFi has got you covered, and I really appreciate that.
Others

Just like the MSI MEG UNIFY motherboards, the MSI MAG Z690 Tomahawk WiFi actually doesn’t have any built-in RGB. But they still decided to give you this physical LED switch, just in case you suddenly decide that the devices connected to the three 3-pin ARGB headers and single 4-pin RGB header is becoming an eyesore. So yes, a single flick to make it all go away.
Conclusion

There really isn’t much for me to complain about on the MSI MAG Z690 Tomahawk WiFi. The blacked-out, understated aesthetic is fantastic. I also like the way that we have all the PCIe 4.0 lanes from the chipset dedicated to the M.2 slots, although having one of the PCIe slots offer PCIe 4.0 x4 speeds would have also been nice… But that’s just me being nitpicky.
The connectivity options are well thought out as well, with WiFi 6E, 2.5GbE LAN and USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 making the cut. Overall, a great board for most users out there. Oh and let’s not forget the PCIe 5.0 and DDR5 support, making the MSI MAG Z690 Tomahawk WiFi a board ready for true next-gen builds.
Aside from the odd way that the M.2 heatsinks are threaded, I do find this a pretty compelling option for gamers who want to get onto the 12th Gen — and potentially the 13th Gen — bandwagon. Sure, it isn’t going to satiate the enthusiastic overclockers, lacking features like a Debug Code LED readout and on-board buttons, but I do believe that you can still manage a rather decent overclock with the beefy VRM setup here.
Now one thing that I don’t know is the price. The MSI MAG Z690 Tomahawk WiFi is unavailable in Malaysia at the time of writing, but I don’t think it will be too expensive. Perhaps this will be one of the more affordable options to get your hands on a rather feature-packed DDR5-capable motherboard? Well, let’s see when the pricing is finally available!
Our thanks to MSI Malaysia for sending us the MSI MAG Z690 Tomahawk WiFi for review.
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[UPDATED] The Samsung Galaxy A80’s janky flipping camera mechanism fails 10% of the time

After the Samsung Galaxy Fold which faced some issues with its hinge, and is now on hold indefinitely, the Samsung Galaxy A80 also appears to be facing a unique set of mechanical issues with its unique flipping camera. Not like we didn’t already expect it to happen. Instead of just one moving mechanism, the Galaxy A80 touts an unnecessarily overengineered contraption to both popup and rotate the rear facing cameras to… face the front.

via GIPHY
There was quite literally no reason to do it like this. Unlike the ASUS ZenFone 6 which has a flipping camera that can do panoramas for you, the Galaxy A80’s popup-and-flip camera mechanism was solely there for the wow factor. Perhaps Samsung should have asked “should we” rather than “could we” to their engineering team.

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What the hell is Samsung thinking releasing this to the market. This pop-up, flipping camera gets stuck about one out of every ten times it pops up. Not to mention it’s hilariously overpriced.
SMH… pic.twitter.com/eeQrzZ1XCR
— ben sin (@bencsin) July 9, 2019

The Samsung Galaxy A80’s popup-and-rotate camera apparently has a 1/10 failure rate. SamMobile‘s unit gets stuck like “1 or 2 times out of 20”, while another user claimed that their unit improved after lubricating the mechanism. Which I am pretty sure will void the warranty when Samsung technicians find oil in the mechanism. And maybe the US might invade the swiveling joint too.
As it stands, the Samsung Galaxy A80’s camera seems to get stuck when the mechanism is popping up, and also when it is rotating. At times it gets stuck mid-rotation, reminding me of a droopy eyelid. This is Flipgate alright. Or is it Rotategate?

This is Samsung’s first try at a popup camera, and they went further than any smartphone manufacturer did. Also it could be a problem that affects the early samples that are sent to reviewers. These issues are usually ironed out in retail units. It still doesn’t absolve Samsung of their sins though. Perhaps they should have stuck to a more conventional popup camera. That might also have the indirect effect of lowering the ridiculously high price tag of the Samsung Galaxy A80.
Samsung Galaxy A80 Specs

Snapdragon 730, octa-core up to 2.2 GHz, 8nm FinFET
8GB RAM
128GB storage
6.7″ FHD+ Super AMOLED, New Infinity Display, on-screen fingerprint scanner
48MP f/2.0 + 8MP f/2.2 ultra-wide + 3D Depth sensor, rotating
3700 mAh battery, 25W Super Fast Charging
RM2499

Did you buy a Samsung Galaxy A80? Does yours face the same issues?
[UPDATE]: Samsung sent Ben a new unit of the Galaxy A80!

So apparently Samsung sent Ben Sin a new unit of the Galaxy A80, and guess what, it works flawlessly. For 500 cycles, at least. This confirms our earlier suggestion that the faulty ones were early samples, with the issue solved on later units.
Samsung Malaysia also suggests users who are facing janky popup mechanisms with their Galaxy A80 to head over to an official Samsung service center to get their devices checked.
Pokdepinion: If I actually got a Galaxy A80, I would probably just use it without a selfie camera.
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Grab Announces New GrabAcademy One-Stop Learning Centre To Help Merchants

Grab has just announced that they will be launching a new one-stop learning centre called GrabAcademy through the Grab Merchant application. GrabAcademy will be launched in the Southeast Asia region and will be launched in stages starting next month.
Grab launches GrabAcademy one-stop learning centre

According to Shashank Kohli, Grab’s Head of Product, the one-stop learning centre is aimed to assist merchants to build their businesses and get the most out of the capabilities offered in the app through extensive training. Kohli further stated that the Grab Merchant app will have roughly two million businesses registered by the end of 2020 and that new features in the app would give further convenience to registered business owners.

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Additionally, Grab will launch a new service dubbed “Self-Onboarding” through its applications in Singapore and Malaysia to assist new businesses in registering as merchants and activating their outlets swiftly. The fully automated online service, according to Kohli, would cut the ‘onboarding’ time for new traders from two weeks to three days.
For more information on the new GrabAcademy, do head over to the official website right here.
Pokdepinion: I’m glad to see a lot of brands like Grab looking out for merchants especially during trying times like these. God knows the kind of help they’re going to need.
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AMD Zen 3 will not work with B450 and older chipsets

AMD might have promised that they will continue support for the AM4 into 2020, but they did not promise that all their AM4 boards will work with the full range of AM4 processors. We saw a bit of that happening when the AMD X570 boards dropped support for the 1st Gen Ryzen processors, but this time it seems a bit more severe: The upcoming 4th Gen AMD Ryzen 4000 series processors based on Zen 3 will apparently be only be supported on the AMD X570 and B550 chipsets officially.

This might come as a bummer for enthusiasts who got onto the AMD hypetrain a little late, and got an AMD X470 and AMD B450 motherboard in the hopes of upgrading to the next-gen Zen 3 processors. Motherboard manufacturers might just be able to offer support for the Zen 3 processors via BIOS updates, although AMD has revealed that they aren’t looking into adding support for the Zen 3 processors with the older boards.

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AMD’s decision to not support the Ryzen 4000 series processors on older AM4 motherboards might be due to the size of the ROM for the BIOS, as the more CPUs you want to support, the larger it has to be. MSI actually had to re-release their B450 Tomahawk as the B450 Tomahawk MAX, with the older variant dropping support for older CPUs to accommodate the newer Ryzen 3000 series processors.

With that said, the launch of the AMD B550 offers an affordable upgrade path for gamers who want to use it with the Ryzen 4000 series processors. It offers support for PCIe 4.0, similar to what ASUS managed to offer on their older boards, i.e. only for the GPU and first M.2 SSD slot. However since the AMD B550 boards is built to support the higher requirements of PCIe 4.0 signaling, you can also use dual-GPU configurations with two GPUs running over PCIe 4.0 x8 on AMD B550 boards.

The AMD B550 chipset itself still doesn’t offer PCIe 4.0 lanes though.  Instead, it communicates with the processor over a PCIe 3.0 x4 bus and spits out an additional six PCIe 3.0 lanes, an upgrade over the PCIe 2.0 lanes that the AMD B450 was capable of. It also gets added native support for USB 3.1 (10 Gbps).

Support for the AM4 processors on AMD B550 boards are quite curious too, as it will drop support for anything older than the current Ryzen 3000 Zen 2 processors. It will even drop support for the Ryzen 3000 APUs, which necessitates the new labeling you see above. AMD boasts of over 60 third-party motherboard designs, with prices to start from $100 (~RM432). You can expect to see AMD B550 boards available starting 16th June.
Pokdepinion: I somewhat expected AMD to go down Intel’s route when they are the market leader… But I honestly didn’t expect it to be this soon.
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NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti Teased

With the imminent event of NVIDIA announcing their next-gen of graphics cards in the form of the GeForce RTX series, more and more speculations have been found on the internet. In this case, it’s the GeForce RTX 2080 Ti.
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti Teased?

With the detailed specifications seen on the RTX 2080 Ti, we should expect it to be an absolute beast of a graphics card. By the looks of it, it should offer 11GB of GDDR6 on a 352-bit memory.

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Reports suggest that the new card will beat the TITAN V off the charts with it being able to offer 4K 144FPS on a single card, which is quite commendable. Even a GTX 1080 Ti  would have issues in some games to maintain a 60FPS at 4K displays.
While this is exciting news, we shouldn’t expect for the RTX 2080 Ti to be unveiled just yet, as we’ve known NVIDIA to be rather laid back in terms of launching everything that they have to the market.
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Pokdepinion: Wow, just wow. I’m absolutely speechless. Imagine running on two cards of this beast. That said, I’m pretty sure I won’t be able to afford even one of them when and if they come out.
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Is Xiaomi About To Buy GoPro?

Potential sale could save GoPro

There are reports emerging of iconic action cam manufacturer, GoPro could be sold off to Chinese tech giant XIaomi. This isn’t really much of a surprise considering GoPro’s struggling sales in the market as of late. Despite it still being the dominant player in the action camera market especially with the likes of its GoPro Hero 6, their revenues are still tumbling, fast. At the height of its powers GoPro was worth an estimated USD 10 billion but now their market capitilisation is only at around USD 700 million. How the mighty have fallen.

This is pretty much due to the increase in competition in the market especially with more and more affordable action cameras popping up in recent years, well most notably from Xiaomi themselves. To add more salt to their wounds, they had to shut down their drone business back in January after its Karma drone failed to meet expectations.

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GoPro cameras, while still the undisputed top dog in the industry with unrivaled specs and performances, are a tad bit on the pricey side for the average consumer. Also you could say that they are the victim of their own game as the sturdy build quality of the GoPro cameras are too good that consumers are less likely to change their cameras because the damn thing still works!
The Information also reports that action cam manufacturer is looking to sell for USD 1 billion based on how much HP paid for another struggling tech company Palm and that CEO Nick Woodman has said that he is open to such a deal. The report also states that Xiaomi is indeed interested in buying the action camera manufacturer but does not want to overpay.
Apparently DJI was also approached as a potential buyer but reportedly turned the offer as they saw no value in the company. Ouch.
There is still nothing concrete regarding this so take it with a pinch of salt. It will be interesting to see whether Xiaomi will indeed buy GoPro. Will it lead to more affordable GoPro cameras? What will happen to Xiaomi’s own Yi Technology branded action cameras? So many questions..
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Kingston KC2500 NVMe PCIe SSD now available in Malaysia priced from RM285

Kingston announced the latest Kingston KC2500 NVMe PCIe SSDs with the latest PCIe 3.0 x4 controller and 96-layer 3D TLC NAND. These new SSDs offer chart-topping performance of up to 3500MB/s read and 2900MB/s write speeds, while also boasting of excellent endurance and security.
Kingston offers the KC2500 in capacities ranging from 256GB up to 2TB in the compact M.2 2280 form factor. The highlight of this drive is probably its self-encrypting capabilities, that take advantage of AES-XTS 256-bit hardware-based encryption.
It supports TCG Opal 2.0 security management solutions too to work with independent security vendors like Symantec and McAfee. There’s Microsoft eDrive support as well, which is the security specification for use with BitLocker.

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The Kingston KC2500 is available in Malaysia at the following prices:

250GB – RM285
500GB – RM484
1TB – RM849
2TB – RM1737

Find out more about the Kingston KC2500 in our review!
Pokdepinion: Well it is fast, but it is also quite pricey…
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Razer to launch wireless peripherals for the Xbox One — also usable for Windows PCs!

Do you prefer using a keyboard and mouse with your Xbox One? Then you might be interested in what Razer has up their sleeve. They have partnered with Microsoft to bring the world’s first wireless keyboard and mouse designed for Xbox One.
Actually this will not only be the world’s first wireless keyboard designed for Xbox One, but also the world’s first wireless keyboard for Razer. Razer has had extensive experience with wireless mice like the Mamba and Lancehead, but they have yet to release a wireless keyboard.

The new wireless keyboard and mouse from Razer will also be usable with Windows PCs, but it does look like it is designed for couch gamers. Well, it won’t be long now. PCMR, amirite?

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To sign up for the latest updates on the upcoming Razer wireless peripherals for the Xbox One, you can head over to this link, and sign up. It is expected to launch on 8th January 2019 at CES 2019, so stay tuned!
Pokdepinion: I would love a wireless keyboard!
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Tom Clancy’s Elite Squad Coming To Mobile On 27 August

To add on to the Ubisoft Forward coverage that we’ve posted, the folks at Ubisoft has also introduced their first official Tom Clancy’s mobile game with the announcement of Tom Clancy’s Elite Squad.
Tom Clancy’s Elite Squad

Tom Clancy’s Elite Squad is a free-to-play mobile game that features iconic characters from the Tom Clancy’s universe which will be coming out on the 27th of August 2020.
The game is a military mobile RPG where you can see some of your favorite characters from titles such as Ghost Recon, Splinter Cell, The Division, and Rainbow Six, with over 70 characters to choose from.

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As the commander, you will need to lead your squad in a 5v5 battle where you will need to activate orders at the perfect moment in battle to come out on top of your opponents.
There’s a campaign mode as well as a PvP battles that you can get yourself involved into. Not to forget, you can also participate in guild wars for an even competitive experience.
Tom Clancy’s Elite Squad will be available for both Android and iOS devices where you can now pre-register on either the Google Play Store or App Store to unlock an exclusive weapon for Montagne, which you may know from Rainbow Six Siege.
Pokdepinion: If you’re interested in the game, you might want to quickly pre-register yourself to get that weapon!
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New Legend of Mana Remaster Out Now On PS4, Nintendo Switch And Steam

SQUARE ENIX has just announced that the new HD remaster of the classic JRPG Legend of Mana is now available for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and Steam starting from today. The game is the remastered version of the fourth instalment in the classic Mana series.

Legend of Mana HD Remaster out now

Here’s a brief description as to what the game is all about:

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Legend of Mana is the fourth instalment in the Mana series that originally released in 1999. Now the game is set to return as an HD remastered edition, with high resolution graphics, lovingly redrawn backgrounds, and updated UI.
Legend of Mana is an action RPG where you become the protagonist and embark on adventures in the world of Fa’Diel . At the heart of the story is Mana, the underlying theme of the entire Mana series, whose mysteries are told with a picture book art style accompanied by a whimsical soundtrack.
Using the Land Creation system, you place artifacts on the map to create the world’s towns, forests, and more. People will appear, and new stories will be set in motion. What kind of tale will unfold? That depends on your Land Creation.
As you can expect from any remastered game, the new Legend of Mana has been given several new updates. These updates include:

Background images and some sections of the UI have been redrawn for full HD support.
Certain songs have received new arrangements, especially for the HD Remaster. Players can choose whether they want to listen to the original songs or the arranged versions.
View illustrations and artwork from the time of the original release through Gallery Mode and listen to the game’s soundtrack any time you like from the options menu via Music Mode.
Encounters with enemies can be turned off, making it easy to explore dungeon areas.
The HD Remaster includes an autosave function, as well as the ability to save any time from the options menu (excludes certain in-game locations).
The Ring Ring Land mini-game is included in all language versions. Use it to obtain rare items more easily than in regular play.

Check out the gallery of screenshots from the Legend of Mana HD Remaster below:
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You can also check out the opening movie of the game down below.

The game also features an early purchase bonus for the physical version of the game in the form of a download code for 2 tracks from ‘Legend of Mana Remastered: The Soundtrack’. Additionally, a sticker set inspired by an instruction manual for the original game will be included in the physical version.
There will also be early purchase bonuses for the digital version of the game which includes:

PlayStation Store – Original PS4 theme and avatar set
Steam – Legend of Mana wallpaper

Legend of Mana HD remaster is out now on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and Steam.
Pokdepinion: I was actually reading about this game not too long ago. I never played it as I didn’t grow up with it but after reading and hearing a lot of good things about it, I might actually consider picking it up and giving the game a go.
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Upcoming Samsung Smartphones To Have Scratch And Reflection-resistant Cameras

A scratch or lens flare can totally ruin your shots. Well according to reports, they will become a thing of the past thanks to Corning.
Corning to introduce scratch and reflection-resistant camera

Corning, who is known for making glasses has recently unveiled their new Gorilla Glass DX and DX Plus glass composite covers for smartphone cameras. They both are thin layers of glass that’s combined with coatings to offer anti-reflection and they sit on top of camera lenses to make them more durable and of course, improve shots taken with your device.

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The company has said that they aim to make lenses that use glass as durable as the ones that uses sapphire but also to make them better at avoiding issues such as lens flare and ghosting caused by reflection.
Materials matter.. especially when the number of cameras is going up, the size of the lenses is going up. You have to believe, going forward, people are really going to start paying attention to the quality of their photos and how to make them better and better.
John Bayne, head of Corning mobile consumer electronics division
We should expect to learn more soon as Samsung will be hosting their Galaxy Unpacked event on the 11th of August, which isn’t far away from now. Till then, stay tuned to Pokde.net for the latest tech and gaming news plus reviews.
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Pokdepinion: What can I say, having a scratch on your lens would definitely bring a big impact on your shots. I’m glad to know that Corning isn’t just focusing on that though. Hopefully it’ll be impressive as it sounds.
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Celcom And HUAWEI Deploys World’s First Big Scale Smart 8T8R Network

Celcom and HUAWEI have launched the world’s first large-scale commercial FDD Smart 8T8R network to meet rising data traffic and network congestion in major cities. This will ensure that Celcom’s 4G network provides a seamless experience for customers while the company transitions to 5G.
Celcom and HUAWEI debuts world-first Smart 8T8R large-scale deployment in Malaysia

Celcom’s expedited network expenditures of over RM250 million have resulted in a preliminary reduction in network traffic congestion in delivering consistent network service and experience since December 2020, and this Smart 8T8R network effort is part of that.

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Celcom saw a nearly 70% increase in data traffic with 474 million GB in the first quarter of 2021, compared to the first quarter of 2021, as a result of the pandemic and MCO quickly driving digitalisation among Malaysians. Data usage per month per user climbed by 46.1% year over year, from 14.9GB per month per user to 21.8GB per month per user.

Celcom’s existing 4T4R network capacity is increased by about 80% thanks to Huawei’s Smart 8T8R network technology, which reduces network traffic congestion and improves user experience on Celcom’s largest 4G network. Huawei’s FDD Smart 8T8R network technology makes the most of existing sites and spectrum resources to boost mobile capacity and improve user experience.
The FDD Smart 8T8R technology combines software-defined antennas (SDAs) and FDD dual-band RRUs (Remote Radio Units) with Huawei’s innovative algorithms to support on-demand upgrades such as software adjustments, resulting in increased hardware potential to meet 4G’s rapid data growth and network capacity demands.

The Smart 8T8R technology also includes PowerBoosting software, which enables sophisticated power management for base stations, resulting in increased coverage and lower OPEX costs due to lower energy consumption.
Celcom has installed 8T8R sites in Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Perak, and Penang thus far. The updated 8T8R sites will support current 4T4R sites in rural and urban locations, reducing network traffic congestion and providing a consistent network experience for all Celcom customers. Celcom plans to upgrade more 4G sites with 8T8R technology around the country.
Pokdepinion: If this helps with our network quality then I’m all for it. I have no issues so far in regards to my network connection but I know a few people who would indeed benefit a lot from improved network quality.
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Lenovo’s Workshop With KL SketchNation – Demos Yoga Book For Local Artists!

Last Saturday, 26 August 2017, Lenovo hosted a Lenovo Yoga Book Hands-On Workshop which was collaborated with KL SketchNation. The KL SketchNation, which was founded by Ahmad Hakym Ahmad Hilmi, is an urban artist community that inspires people through the art of sketching.

At the workshop, attendees were treated with a full hands-on experience sketching abilities that the Lenovo Yoga Book has to offer. They got a chance in using the Yoga Book’s Real Pen, which is a dual-use stylus that can write on both paper and the tablet. This enables users to write, draw and release all of their creativity on the tablet as if they were drawing on a sketch book.

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Lenovo is pleased to have hosted the Yoga Book hands-on workshop with KL SketchNation. It is exciting to see the various artists in the group bringing their art to life with the Yoga Book. Lenovo has always been supportive to the local community through our customer-centric products. We intend to continue bringing our customers state of the art technology and innovation. Khoo Hung Chuan, General Manager of Lenovo Malaysia and Singapore
The Yoga Book, which is thin and light, has a battery life of up to 15 hours. It features a 360-degree watchband hinge and has the Halo Keyboard which can appear and disappear, which allows users to from typing to sketching with ease.
Both Windows and Android version of the Yoga Book, which comes with the Yoga Book sleeve, Real Pen and Book Pad, is available at all Lenovo Exclusive Stores. The original Yoga Book price for both Windows and Android version retails at RM 2,699 each which comes in Gun Metal Grey and Carbon Black edition. For the refreshed version of the Yoga Book, buyers have the option of opting for Ruby Red and Pearl White.
Pokdepinion: Everyone needs tools in doing their job or hobbies, in this case the tab suits the needs of the artisans on hand.
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Trials of Mana Review – Simplicity is Good for the Soul

What is Trials of Mana About?
Trials of Mana Review

Trials of Mana is set in a fictional world that was created by the Goddess of Mana after defeating the eight Benevodons with the legendary Sword of Mana. The beasts of destruction were subsequently sealed within eight Mana Stones and the Goddess of Mana soon transformed into the fabled Mana Tree before falling asleep in order to recover her strength.
Years later, Mana starts to fade and peace soon turned into chaos as people seek to uncover the Mana Stones and free the Benevedons to gain ultimate power. It is up to the heroes to find the eight Mana Stones, uncover the Sword of Mana, and restore peace to the world. However, it is a race against time as they need to do so before the Tree of Mana withers and dies.
Trials of Mana Review – Character Select Screen
There are six playable characters in which players can choose three in each playthrough; a main character and two supporting characters. While each character has their own story and reasoning for pursuing the Sword of Mana, there are three main plotlines with their own final boss battles, which means you will need to play the game at least three times to get the full experience.

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Linear Gameplay Isn’t Necessarily Bad
Trials of Mana Review
Regardless of which character you choose, you will start out in the characters’ home base which will soon turn into chaos. Afterwards, you will be thrusted into a journey, typically starting with seeking advice from the Priest of Light in the Holy City of Wendel and bumping into your chosen supporting characters who will then join your adventure.
Most Japanese role-playing games will have plenty of side quests to enjoy but in Trials of Mana, you will mostly be stuck with chasing after the main quest. In fact, the only real side quest you have is locating Li’l Cactus, a small Cactus-like creature that is hidden in various parts of the world from towns to dungeons and everything in between.
Trials of Mana Review – Finding Li’l Cactus
Finding them isn’t difficult either unless you can’t be bothered to take the time and explore every area you come across. The rewards you get for finding them is worth it as it will yield an assortment of benefits. This includes free stays at inns, discounts at shops, bonus experience points, and more. It may not do much to help break the monotony of chasing the main quests, but it’s still worth pursuing regardless.
Apart from Li’ Cactus, you will find an assortment of treasure chests and collectibles (denoted by a glowing light on the ground). Most of them are usually consumable items and money but it’s especially very helpful in early parts of the game where you don’t have much money to buy items. As the game progresses, equipment will get rather pricey so everything you can find will certainly help.
Trials of Mana Review – Planting Seeds in Magic Pot
Throughout your journey, you will across a variety of seeds. These can be planted in the Magic Pot at any inn and yield a variety of items. The items can be rather random but the more you plant, the higher the pot’s level becomes which will in turn yield higher quality items. It’s a rather simple game mechanic at first glance but it plays a major role in making your characters stronger in later parts of the game.
If you’re looking for another JRPG, check out our review of Final Fantasy 7 Remake by clicking right here.
Seamless Combat Experience
Trials of Mana Review
Combat in Trials of Mana is very simple. You have normal attacks, power attacks, class strikes, skills, dodge, and jump. Normal attacks can be paired with power attacks for devastating combos, similar to Dynasty Warriors. Power attacks can be charged, which is useful to break enemy barriers. Skills will cost MP to cast and it can be either offensive or supportive in nature.
Trials of Mana Review – Class Strike
The game doesn’t have a guard button, so you will have to dodge attacks. While you can jump to dodge attack, it isn’t nearly as reliable, and is more useful to attack aerial enemies. Lastly, class strikes are flashy signature moves that can deal a ton of damage but it requires you to use CS points which can be earned by collecting CS energy particles throughout every fight.
Trials of Mana Review
There are no random battle encounters here. Instead, there will be monsters in various parts of the map where you can immediately attack to start a battle. The transition is so seamless, I feel like this is how role-playing games should approach in today’s world. No surprises, no slowdowns, just freely initiate the battle anytime you feel.
The action-oriented combat system paired with each character’s unique move set is a simple, yet surprisingly entertaining experience in a genre that’s conventionally repetitive. It gets even better as you get class upgrades as you have access to even more attacks.
Each playable character has a unique class with skills and equipment that are exclusive to them. While some characters may overlap in terms of function, they don’t play entirely the same. For instance, Riesz is a great offensive character that can attack with better range whereas Hawkeye can attack enemies faster but with less damage per hit.
Trials of Mana Review – Class Change Example
Later, you have the option of upgrading character classes, which will yield new attack commands and a new set of abilities that you can upgrade. When upgrading, you will have to choose which class you would prefer, with each class having their own specialty. For example, Riesz’s Valkyrie class has skills that will buff your allies whereas her Rune Maiden class can debuff enemies. The right choice is always the one that fits to your playstyle.
Trials of Mana Review – Training Points
As you level up, characters will earn Training Points. These points can be used to upgrade five different areas; Strength, Stamina, Intellect, Luck, and Spirit. As you spend points on each area, you will gain new skills and parameter boosts. Keep in mind that the number of Training Points you can put in is limited, but that can be overcome by upgrading your character class. This will force players to really think where they want each character to excel in instead of simply grinding points.
Trials of Mana Review
It’s worth noting that the day / night cycle actually plays a bigger role in combat than you might think. While some are more obvious, such as Kevin becoming stronger at night with his transformation, others aren’t as obvious. There are seven different days that can yield different elemental boosts, which I will list below here:
Luna Day: Moon magic damage boost.Salamander Day: Fire magic damage boost.Undine Day: Water magic damage boost.Dryad Day: Wood magic damage boost.Jinn Day: Wind magic damage boost.Gnome Day: Earth magic damage boost.Mana Holy Day: No elemental damage boost.
Apart from the day / night cycle playing a role in certain areas opening at specific times, like the Night Market, this is puts an interesting touch in the overall game that affect the combat subtly rather than throwing the balance completely off.
Trials of Mana Verdict
Trials of Mana Review
Trials of Mana is a game that I wasn’t expecting to enjoy as much as I did. In fact, I enjoyed it more than Final Fantasy 7 Remake. The graphics is still rather cartoony, the dialogue / voiceover can get rather cringey, and it doesn’t have a good variety of things to do.
However, the simplicity of the game is surprisingly enjoyable, and the combat system is setting a good standard for what role-playing games should be like today, especially the seamless transition. It’s a good game for beginners of the genre.
The game gives you a good reason to replay it from the start with other characters, and there are more things to do after you beat the final boss, which is something that wasn’t present in the original game. I only wished that the game had more side quests to enjoy. With that, I award Trials of Mana with our coveted Gold Pokdeward.

Big thanks to Square Enix Asia for giving us a copy of this game for the purposes of this review.
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The development of Cyberpunk 2077 has been a rocky one to say the least, especially with its release date getting delayed multiple times. Now, things aren’t looking too good for CD Projekt Red as physical copies and early gameplay footage for the game have been leaked out.
Cyberpunk 2077 Physical Copies and Early Gameplay Footage Leaked

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We’re almost there boys. I actually had the game in my hands. from r/cyberpunkgame

With the latest release date of Cyberpunk 2077 inching closer and closer, it’s not surprising to see leaks on the games starting to pop up. In this particular case however, the leaks are on the physical copies of the games as well as the first 20 minutes of gameplay footage.
On Reddit, a picture of a physical copy of Cyberpunk 2077 has surfaced. While there is a good chance that it might just be a really convincing-looking fake, it was subsequently followed up with 20 minutes of gameplay footage. The game was played on the PlayStation 4 and revealed the beginning scene, start screen, and menus.
If you’re looking forward to the game and would like to keep a fresh experience, you might need to be careful as there may be more spoilers coming soon. If what we report may include a potential spoiler, we will tag it accordingly so rest assured that nothing will be spoiled for you here.
CD Projekt Red has since mentioned that they will be taking legal action against anyone who is caught breaking embargo / street dates. If there are anymore new spoilers or leaks, it will most likely get taken down very quickly moving forward.
Assuming there are no more delays, Cyberpunk 2077 will be coming to the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC on 10th December 2020.
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Pokdepinion: I’m not surprised that this happened. It’s been delayed a few times and people are getting impatient. This does give more credibility that the latest release date given by CD Projekt Red will indeed be the final one.
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Respawn Entertainment Working On A New Apex Legends Map?

If you’re an Apex Legends player, you’ll be glad to know that Respawn Entertainment could be working on a new map for the game, at least according to reports.
New Apex Legends map could be on the way
Apex Legends
Though there’s no official announcement being made by the company, they are likely in the process in doing so as they’ve recently listed a job listing.
What exactly are they looking for? Well they are looking to hire someone to “create and own large scale multiplayer maps iterating through gameplay blockouts in a live playtest environment”.

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At the current time of writing, the job is yet to be taken so we might have to wait a little while longer for a new map to show up.
Until then, stay tuned to Pokde.net for the latest updates on both tech and gaming.
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Pokdepinion: I wouldn’t mind a new map, just to freshen things up. Let’s see where they go from here.
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CES 2021: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 30 Series Laptop GPUs introduced

NVIDIA took the wraps off the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 30 series laptop GPUs, bringing Ampere to gaming laptops. NVIDIA kicks off the series with three GPUs, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060, GeForce RTX 3070 and GeForce RTX 3080, to bring the next level of gaming performance in mobile form factors.
The GeForce RTX 30 series marks a departure back to the days when the mobile GPU is significantly different from its desktop namesake. While we definitely wouldn’t expect NVIDIA to cram a 300W TGP GPU into a laptop, NVIDIA is not only changing the power limit, but also the core count and memory specifications of the Ampere GPUs with the newly announced laptop GPUs.
We will be comparing them side-by-side here for you to get a quick idea of the differences:

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NVIDIA GeForce RTX 30 Series Laptop GPU Specs

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Laptop GPU
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080

CUDA Cores
3584
3840
4864
5120
5888
6144
8704

Clocks (GHz)
1.78
1.28~1.70
1.67
1.29~1.62
1.73
1.25~1.71
1.71

Memory
12GB GDDR6
6GB GDDR6
8GB GDDR6
8GB GDDR6
8GB GDDR6
8GB / 16GB GDDR6
10GB GDDR6X

Memory bus width
192-bit
192-bit
256-bit
256-bit
256-bit
256-bit
320-bit

TGP rating
170W
60~115W
200W
80~125W
220W
80~150W
320W

NVLink
No
N/A
N/A
N/A
No
N/A
No

Availability
Late-February 2021
26th January 2021
1st December 2020
26th January 2021
27th October 2020
26th January 2021
17th September 2020

It seems like NVIDIA is targeting the slots in between their existing desktop lineups with the GeForce RTX 30 series laptop GPUs. And most interestingly, while the GeForce RTX 3070 and GeForce RTX 3080 for laptops is inferior to their desktop counterparts, the GeForce RTX 3060 laptop GPU is actually a bigger GPU than the desktop GeForce RTX 3060, instead slotting itself between the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti and GeForce RTX 3060. These are truly confusing times.

Of course, comparing desktop GPUs to laptop GPUs is a very moot point given the vast difference in power and also thermal headroom. Against the last-gen GeForce RTX 2080, NVIDIA claims a performance uplift of up to 50% with the GeForce RTX 3080 laptop GPU. So yeah, these are really beefy mobile GPUs.
3rd Gen Max-Q Technologies

Performance is only one aspect of laptops, and NVIDIA is also set to improve the user experience of the upcoming Ampere-based laptops with the 3rd Gen Max-Q Technologies which encompasses Dynamic Boost 2.0, WhisperMode 2.0, DLSS and also Resizable BAR.
Dynamic Boost 2.0 uses AI to balance the power between CPU, GPU and VRAM on a per-frame basis to deliver the best performance in your applications. Meanwhile, WhisperMode 2.0 uses AI to tune your  CPU, GPU, fan speed and game settings depending on your fan noise preferences. NVIDIA DLSS definitely needs no introduction, using AI to upscale graphics for increased performance. Resizable BAR is probably the most interesting of them all.

Intel has announced that the Intel Tiger Lake H35 support Resizable BAR with NVIDIA GPUs, which allows the CPU to communicate with the full GPU VRAM to deliver better performance. Resizable BAR is PCIe spec that AMD used and dubbed AMD Smart Access Memory.
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 30 series Laptops coming from $999 this 26th January

GeForce RTX 3060 laptops – from $999

GeForce RTX 3070 laptops – from $1299

GeForce RTX 3080 laptops – from $1999

Excited about all the technology on display? Well, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 30 series laptops will be coming this 26th January, with prices starting from $999 (~RM4051). The GeForce RTX 3070 laptops will come in from $1299 (~RM5267), while the GeForce RTX 3080 laptops will start from $1999 (~RM8106). NVIDIA claims more than 70 designs will be launched on 26th January, so stay tuned!
Pokdepinion: It is definitely time to replace my ROG Strix SCAR II with its GTX 1070…
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[Computex 2019] AMD Radeon RX 5700 to feature AMD Navi with RDNA

While AMD didn’t show us any AMD Radeon Navi graphics cards yet, we now know that it will be called the AMD Radeon RX 5700 Series, with performance that’s slightly faster than the GeForce RTX 2070. In Strange Brigade, which is an AMD optimized title, we see the AMD Radeon RX 5700 series pull ahead of the GeForce RTX 2070 by about 10%. How did they do this?

Instead of the GCN architecture which AMD has been relying on so far, the AMD Navi GPUs will use an all-new 7nm RDNA architecture. It will also be the world’s first PCIe 4.0 enabled gaming GPU, perfect for pairing with the upcoming 3rd Generation AMD Ryzen processors and AMD X570 motherboards.

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While we don’t know the clock speeds of the AMD Radeon RX 5700 card tested against the GeForce RTX 2070, we know that the architecture offers 25% better performance per clock and 50% higher performance per watt. AMD could probably clock the AMD Radeon RX 5700 lower, well within their efficiency curve for better efficiency and thermals, while still offering the performance gamers demand. Or, they could probably just go nuts with the clock speed and still maintain some sort of efficiency as compared to preceding architectures.

In an interesting move, AMD will be calling their new cards the AMD Radeon RX 5000 series, commemorating their 50th Anniversary. The card that AMD pitted against the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 was the AMD Radeon RX 5700, so we aren’t sure if they will go with an AMD Radeon RX 5800 later, or how they will even name their cards. Whatever it is, it is a huge leap from the RX 500 series to the RX 5000 series.

AMD is expected to reveal more details about the AMD Navi GPUs on 10th June at E3 2019, with availability commencing in July 2019. We definitely look forward to finding out more about AMD’s next generation graphics card!
Pokdepinion: I wonder if NVIDIA will release their next-generation of GPUs to counter the AMD Navi GPUs.
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