Level 51 Forge 15 Pro Gaming Laptop Review — Alternative From The Big Boys

Unboxing the Level 51 Forge 15 Pro

Power cable180W Power brickThe Level 51 Forge 15 Pro gaming laptop itselfUser guide and warranty
Appearance

The laptop’s body is made out of plastic, so it’s actually a lot lighter than it looks. There are two slits on both sides that illuminate in blue when the laptop is powered on. You’ll find the DisplayPort 1.3, HDMI, RJ-45, and power port located on back of the laptop.

As for the front, you will be seeing the 15.6″ 144Hz Full HD IPS display. You’ll also be greeted with a traditional full-sized laptop keyboard with a Numpad as well as a trackpad below it.

On the right side, it has a USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-A port, mini DisplayPort 1.2, and an SD / MMC card reader.

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Move over to the left side, you have a Kensington Lock, USB 3.0 Type-A port, USB 2.0 port, microphone-in jack, and a combo audio jack.
Forge 15 Pro Specifications
CPUIntel Core i7-9750HRAM16GB 2666MHz DDR4 (8GB x 2)GPUNVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 6GB GDDR6Storage512GB Phison M.2 NVMe SSDDisplay15.6″ FHD (1920×1080) 144Hz IPSKeyboardSingle Zone RGB-backlit Tactile KeyboardConnectivityWirelessIntel Wireless-AC 9560802.11ac Wi-Fi Dual Band (2.4 and 5 GHz) I/O3 x USB Type-A1 x Type-C Gen 2 with DisplayPort 1.4 1 x Kensington Lock 1 x HDMI 1 x Mini DisplayPort 1 x RJ45 LAN 1 x SD Card Reader 1 x Proprietary Charging PortAudio1 x Audio Jack1 x Mic JackArray MicrophonesSound Blaster ConnectPower47WHrs, 6-cell Li-Ion Battery, 180W Power AdapterDimensions361 x 258 x 27.9 mm (W x D x H)Weight2.2kg approximately
Performance

Kicking off with CrystalDiskMark, results show that you’ll be getting some pretty fast speeds from the laptop’s 512GB Phison NVMe SSD.

Comparing the Forge 15 Pro with other laptops that comes with the same processor, the performance is essentialy on par in Cinebench R15.

We have a similar finding in Superposition, where the Forge 15 Pro proves that it’s no slacker.

In 3DMark’s Time Spy test, the GPU performance is rather impressive. Out of all the laptops (with the same configuration) that we’ve tested, it scores the highest out of them all.

When it comes to actual gaming, the performance is impressive as well. Newer games, including the ones with features geared towards RTX cards, proves to be of no problem with the Forge 15 Pro.
The thermals are exceptionally good. This is surprising as we found out that it was using only 1 fan (while gaming). Props to them for that.
As for the laptops battery life, well that’s another topic. I’ve tested playing Youtube for half an hour, the battery drained by 30%. That’s one percent for 1 minute. So if you’re planning on going out with the laptop, just make sure that you settle your workload with the laptop quickly. It’s to be expected with a gaming laptop.
User Experience

The Forge 15 Pro runs a pretty decent combo by offering RTX 2060 graphics coupled with an Intel Core i7-9750H. Though it may seem bulky, the weight is surprisingly manageable. Together with the charging brick, the laptop is quite easy to bring around and in my case, to events for news coverage.
I can’t say that I’m impressed by the speakers of the laptop, though it should be sufficient enough for most users. At the end of the day, putting on headphones is the better choice for me, for that immersive feel.

The laptop’s graphics and processor is powerful enough that you can run the latest AAA titles in the market now and in the future. As for smoothness, that is dependent on the game itself. Besides that, I found that the thermals was decent and the fans aren’t too loud, even at maximum speed. Full HD plus the display’s 144Hz refresh rate, gaming on it is satisfying.

As for the keyboard, it’s quite comfortable to type and to game. However, it features a single-zone lighting only, so there’s limited RGB lighting customizations on the keyboard. Another thing that I’d like to point out is the track pad. I know it’s just a touch pad but the one on this laptop feels weird as it has no tactile feedback whatsoever.

The laptop does indeed come with a software of its own for you to customize some of the settings and it’s called Control Center 3.0. In it, you’ll find the options to change power modes, add macro keys, customize the lighting of the keyboard, as well as fan speed adjustments.

Here’s the full settings that you can tweak around. Though it’s nice that it comes with its own software, it’s quite limited when compared to other software such as the Armoury Crate from ROG and Acer’s PredatorSense. It’s good enough but I feel like it needs more.

As for sound, there’s the Sound Blaster Connect software which offers some customization options to both speakers and headphones. It can help to some degree but it won’t do much with the speakers. With headphones however, it can make a noticeable difference.
Level51 Forge 15 Pro Verdict

The Forge 15 Pro will certainly attract consumers who are looking for an RTX-powered gaming laptop on a budget. While it does exactly what it set out to, it does have its drawbacks as well.
Put aside the build quality and trackpad, my major concern of it is the battery life. If you’re a person who travels a lot, the Forge 15 Pro might not be the one for you. If the battery life is significantly better, perhaps two-fold, it would probably be more appealing choice to consumers out there.
With the price starting at RM4,935, I’d say that it’s an ‘OK’ price for what they are offering IF you intend to use it solely at your home or whenever there’s a power outlet nearby. Don’t get me wrong, it performs as expected, but you’d want more.
We’d like to thank Level 51 for providing the Forge 15 Pro gaming laptop that’s used in this review.
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Foxconn invests in Cyanogen $110 million

After all the news, Microsoft didn’t invest in Cyanogen after all. However, the company received a new investor, the Chinese giant manufacturing company, Foxconn also known as Apple’s supplier. The latest funding from Foxconn amounting to $110 million could mean a lot as the Chinese smartphone market is dominated by Android OS which could make this a very sensible investment.

Foxconn’s involvement could bring something new to the table as Google has many requirements for Android OEMs. If they want to include the Google Play Store in their devices, Google also dictates that they have to include all the other Google products and services too. Many Chinese smartphone manufacturers don’t support this, as evidenced by the lack of Google apps and services in most smartphones meant for their local market. Meanwhile, Cyanogen’s Android distributions wouldn’t have such limitations, but then neither would a self-compiled AOSP build.

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Other than that, Nokia is also working on the Nokia N1 tablet with Foxconn , a tablet that might just take the market by storm with its dazzling specifications if it was priced right. Cyanogen is also not sleeping on its laurels and is working closely with Micromax and OPPO. Previously it was the OS behind the international version of the OnePlus One before a falling out occurred between the two companies.

Pokdepinion: This might get interesting, what happens when these companies start working together? We could see some really remarkable Chinese smartphones pre-loaded with Cyanogen ROMs. This really needs to happen, because Chinese smartphones have offered superb value-for-money and some of them are of high quality and superbly designed but are lacking on the software front.
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Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart Visual Comparison – Fidelity VS Performance VS Performance RT

Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart Visual Comparison

At launch, gamers can choose between 3 visual modes to play in. As such, I’m sure some of you are wondering how different each mode plays visually. For a better look at the Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart Visual Comparison, you can check out some gameplay footage above. If you’re not sure what those 3 modes are, they are:

Fidelity: Play the game in 4K UHD resolution with the best visual flairs but in 30FPS
Performance: Play the game at a slightly lower resolution than 4K, some graphical details reduced, but in buttery smooth 60FPS
Performance RT: Just like Performance, but with ray-tracing and other visual upgrades, with resolution sitting somewhere between Full HD and 2K

You may be wondering how the game can actually play below 4K with no specific figure but that’s because the game makes use of dynamic resolution. Essentially, it may be lower at certain parts of the game in order to keep the game running smoothly. It doesn’t ramp up / down drastically so most people won’t be able to tell the difference. For an easier time to spot a difference, see Ratchet / Rivet’s fur.

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In Fidelity, there does seem to be some ray-tracing available if you look closely at reflections in the game but there is no doubt in my mind that Performance RT is the way to go. Games playing in at least 60FPS should be standard moving forward, and it certainly gives it that needed leap forward in graphics when you start moving around. Furthermore, the colours just look better in that mode.

Regardless of the Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart Visual Comparison, you can play the game in any mode that you like and there’s nothing wrong with choosing either of those 3 modes. The video we included at the top of this post is to help you spot it better. It’s worth noting that you may see it differently depending on what TV / monitor you use to display your game on, so some modes might not be as good as others. What’s important is to have fun and enjoy the game.
If you want to check out our review of Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart, click right here.
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ASUS ROG Strix GeForce RTX 2080 Ti OC Edition 11GB GDDR6 review — going subtle in an era where bling is everything

Introduction

The NVIDIA Pascal architecture brought about massive gains in efficiency. Then rumors of a new generation of cards began floating around. At first it was rumored to be Volta, then finally we found out consumers were going to get the NVIDIA Turing cards. These cards supports a feature that no game supports yet, real-time raytracing. So we can’t test that for now, but what we can do is test them in current-gen games against last-gen cards. And we have here the ASUS ROG Strix GeForce RTX 2080 Ti OC Edition, featuring the highest-end NVIDIA Turing GPU out there, with an overclock. Let’s begin.
Unboxing

The packaging format is pretty standard. An outer sleeve with a colorful ROG emblem to denote its ROG Strix branding, and an image of the card. This card comes with a free 6-month WTFast subscription worth $53.95 too, so you are getting some extra value with this card.

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The back is where ASUS lists out their highlight features. Worth noting is the new Axial-tech fans, which feature a new barrier ring around the fan blades to increase static air pressure. We are somewhat divided about the looks of it, but the thermals are amazing, as we will talk about later.

The inner box opens up to the setup guide in a nice little envelope. Under it lies the beast we are raring to awaken.

Behold the ROG Strix GeForce RTX 2080 Ti wrapped in anti-static wrapper and really thick foam. It’s very well protected, so you can rest assured that the card won’t get damaged even if you drop the box.

Here’s what in the box. You get two ROG cable managers and also the minimal documentation you get with it. And also, the beautiful chunky thing which is the ROG Strix GeForce RTX 2080 Ti.
Appearance

The first thing you will notice if you have come from an older ROG Strix graphics card are the new Axial-tech fans. They look ridiculously ugly in the press renders, but when I got to see them in real life, they don’t actually look half bad. The rest of the card looks pretty familiar, but it looks less edgy as compared to the older cards.

At the side is where you will find the huge GeForce RTX label. The last generation cards never had it, until the ROG Strix GeForce GTX 1080 Ti, and it was a much smaller GeForce GTX label back then. Here it’s massive, and is a sure way to remind people that this isn’t any old card. Just above it is the NVLink connector, which replaces the SLI connectors which has been around since 2004.
Also, this card is 2.7-slot, thicker than any ROG Strix GeForce GTX card ever made. If you have a space-limited build, check out some of ASUS’ other options like the Turbo series. With this thicker cooling solution, ASUS engineers also equipped the ROG Strix GeForce RTX 2080 Ti with a metal brace which you can see on the sides to enhance rigidity.

On the back of the card are the lines that has always been featured on ROG Strix cards. The lines are more contrasting though on the ROG Strix GeForce RTX 2080 Ti than on older cards. The ROG logo is still illuminated with AURA Sync RGB lighting.

The selection of ports on the card is pretty good. You get two HDMI 2.0b ports, two DisplayPort 1.4 and a USB Type-C output which is designed for next-gen VR head-mounted displays (HMD).

You will need two 8-pin PCIe power connectors for the ROG Strix GeForce RTX 2080 Ti. Theoretically, this card can draw a total of 375W of power. The reference GeForce RTX 2080 Ti is specified to draw up to 250W, and this is actually the standard power connector configuration for both the reference and Founders Edition designs, so ASUS isn’t exactly going overboard here.

Here we see the RGB connectors which you can synchronize to your GPU’s lighting. Interestingly, ASUS has left out the ASUS FanConnect technology from the ROG Strix GeForce RTX 2080 Ti. Perhaps they think the thicker cooler and Axial-tech fans are sufficient to keep the card cool? Maybe.

Speaking of RGB, the ROG Strix GeForce RTX 2080 Ti’s implementation is getting pretty dated. The competition are moving towards addressable RGB, but the ROG Strix GeForce RTX 2080 Ti offers none of that. The lighting is bright and vibrant, but that’s about all.
Specifications
ROG Strix GeForce RTX 2080 Ti

GPU
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti

Clocks
OC Mode:
Boost – 1665 MHz; Base – 1350 MHz
Gaming Mode:
Boost – 1650 MHz; Base – 1350 MHz

Cores
4352 CUDA cores

Memory
11GB GDDR6

Memory Clocks
14 000 MHz

Memory Interface
352-bit

Interface
2 x DisplayPort 1.4
2 x HDMI 2.0b
1 x USB Type-C

Power connectors
2 x 8-pin

Recommended PSU
650W

Multi-GPU support
Yes, NVLink

The ROG Strix GeForce RTX 2080 Ti actually sees a slight overclock on top of the Founders Edition’s already overclocked specifications. This should yield better performance than the Founders Edition, and if ASUS’ claims are to be trusted, the ROG Strix GeForce RTX 2080 Ti should also be capable of maintaining a higher boost for longer periods.
Test Machine

CPU
Intel Core i7-6900K @ 4.4 GHz

Motherboard
ROG Rampage V Edition 10

Memory
8 x 4GB Avexir Blitz DDR4

Storage
Samsung 970 EVO 250GB

Power Supply
Cooler Master V850

Monitor
ROG Swift PG27UQ

GPU Driver
GeForce 416.34 WHQL

If you noticed, we didn’t use our Pokde Benchrig. That’s because we do not have a 4K monitor in our labs. So we headed over to SuperDaddy’s not-so-humble abode where we used the ROG Swift PG27UQ to properly test the ROG Strix GeForce RTX 2080 Ti’s performance at 4K. There is no point testing the ROG Strix GeForce RTX 2080 Ti at lower resolutions anyway.
Testing Methodology
We will be running in-game benchmarks where available, at the specified resolution(s) and at the maximum graphics preset, unless otherwise specified. Average framerates during gameplay will be recorded with Fraps, in the event of a benchmarked game not having an in-game benchmarking tool. Temperatures will be recorded with HWiNFO, and the maximum temperature in 30 minutes of gameplay will be recorded. Fan speeds will be according to the default fan curve as defined by the manufacturer. At 4K we will turn off anti-aliasing (AA) as it is unrealistic and unnecessary to use it at that resolution. The latest drivers available will be used, unless otherwise specified. Default clocks will be used, unless otherwise specified.
Performance
We will be comparing it against the other top-of-the-line cards from NVIDIA. We were unable to get our hands on the a GTX Titan Xp, so the GTX 1080 Ti will act as the (reasonably priced) flagship of the Pascal architecture, and the Titan X as the representative of the Maxwell architecture.
Gaming Performance

In Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, it is pretty obvious that you will need the GeForce RTX 2080 Ti. The ROG Strix GeForce RTX 2080 Ti struggles to maintain a playable framerate at 4K, while the older cards just fail to even deliver a good experience.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 might not be the most demanding game out there, but it is a very popular title now. Performance is pretty stellar for the ROG Strix GeForce RTX 2080 Ti, with the GTX 1080 Ti still delivering a playable framerate.

Rainbow 6 Siege is a game that you will need pretty high framerates to have a good experience. The ROG Strix GeForce RTX 2080 Ti delivers an excellent average frame rate of 101 fps, while the GTX 1080 Ti delivers a playable, but not exactly enjoyable 62 fps. It just feels bad to play on the Titan X.

This is an RTX-enabled game that has yet to have its RTX features enabled. If that’s sounds confusing, try playing the game. But at least the game looks beautiful. And the ROG Strix GeForce RTX 2080 Ti delivers a very playable experience here, while the other two cards just languish below the hallowed 60 fps mark.

The Division may be an old game by now, but look at just how badly the other cards do at this resolution. The ROG Strix GeForce RTX 2080 Ti maintains a good playable frame rate.
Boost/Temperature
In our testing, the ROG Strix GeForce RTX 2080 Ti maintains a boost clock of around 1860 MHz, a good 210 MHz over the claimed boost clock speeds. It may have something to do with the BIOS set to Performance, but we know for sure that the ROG Strix GeForce RTX 2080 Ti has pretty ample thermal headroom to work with.

Speaking of thermals, the ROG Strix GeForce RTX 2080 Ti handles every game with average maximum temperatures of just 65°C, while the other cards are peaking at more than 80°C. This was with the default fan curve in GPU Tweak II, but the card set to the Performance BIOS.

Now you might be curious, how much of a difference does the OC Mode make over the Gaming Mode? The clock speed difference is very minor, around 75 MHz when both stabilize in Heaven Benchmark. Even the scores aren’t too far apart. Perhaps you will be able to squeeze more performance out of the ROG Strix GeForce RTX 2080 Ti with NVIDIA Scanner, but that isn’t recommended at the moment. Even in OC mode, temperature tops out at around 68°C, so there is still a lot of headroom.
User Experience

The ROG Strix GeForce RTX 2080 Ti works with AURA RGB lighting control, or AURA Sync if you have other AURA Sync-compatible hardware. The software is looking rather dated too, and it would be great if ASUS can release an update that gives more control over the different RGB zones. Not even talking about addressable yet, because the ROG Strix GeForce RTX 2080 Ti doesn’t have that, but perhaps let us the ROG logo on the back to a fixed color, and still be able to sync the front side with the rest of my hardware?

GPU Tweak II is the utility you can use to tweak your card or just keep tabs on your GPU parameters. It’s pretty cool and offers you the ability to switch between the OC mode and Gaming mode as you please. It’s a good software, and now the UI has been cleaned up to offer a more modern look.

If you decide that you are done with the lighting, you can also just push this one button that’s on the back of the card and disable all the LEDs. It’s a good option if you don’t want to install any AURA-related suites and still want to off the lighting, as the lighting is on by default. For those who a minimalistic build, the ROG Strix GeForce RTX 2080 Ti is a great choice because the RGB lighting is actually relatively subtle.

Meanwhile, if you somehow have a reason that you need a more silent fan profile, it’s available with a toggle switch. This switches between the Performance mode and Quiet mode. Interestingly, this actually does nothing to the GPU power target, thus you will still be running the high clocks the ROG Strix GeForce RTX 2080 Ti comes with, but opt for a less aggressive fan curve and settle for lower noise levels and higher temperatures in Quiet mode. Not like the fan is noisy in Performance mode, but it’s nice to have the ability to choose, without having to go through any app. Just a switch, simple.
Conclusion
Now, one thing that has often been repeated is that the NVIDIA Turing cards are not worth getting. We too have come to that partially erroneous conclusion. The NVIDIA Turing cards are actually a must-buy. But, only if you are gaming at 4K. The GeForce RTX 2080 Ti is the only card that is capable of delivering a good 4K experience, and if you have a monitor like the ROG Swift PG27UQ, you owe it to yourself to get one.

You might be asking, what if I own a GeForce GTX 1080 Ti? Why don’t I throw in another GTX 1080 Ti for even better performance than what the ROG Strix GeForce RTX 2080 Ti can offer? Well, for starters, less and less games are supporting multi-GPU configurations. The fact that you get guaranteed performance from a single GeForce RTX 2080 Ti is a selling point on its own. Also, there is the fact that features like Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS) and real-time raytracing aren’t available yet. Once those features are out, you should see the performance gap widen even further.
Now, why would you get the ROG Strix GeForce RTX 2080 Ti OC Edition? At RM6599, is actually pricier than other GeForce RTX 2080 Ti cards. We could go on and on about the ROG Strix GeForce RTX 2080 Ti’s unique selling points, but let’s talk about what we know. It runs cool, it runs quietly, and if you run a ROG motherboard, you can make use of AURA Sync. The latter might be less attractive now that the competition has more dazzling lighting, but you can’t sync them with your ASUS motherboard. You can sync this. It is also probably the prettiest card out there if you disable RGB, as the ROG Strix GeForce RTX 2080 Ti doesn’t sport huge chunks of white plastic all over. For that, we would give the ROG Strix GeForce RTX 2080 Ti our Bronze PokdeWard. It’s pricey, but that’s the price you have to pay for the most powerful GPU on the market.

Our thanks to ASUS Malaysia for provisioning the ROG Strix GeForce RTX 2080 Ti OC Edition 11GB GDDR6 for this review.
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DDR5 JEDEC standard finalized with up to 128GB per module and 6.4 Gbps speeds

JEDEC has finally announced the specifications for DDR5 memory, and it sure does look very interesting. Aside from the usual speed and density increase, DDR5 looks set to bring some pretty impressive changes to RAM standards.
For starters, lets go over the obvious. The DDR5 JEDEC standard specifies a maximum speed of 6.4 Gbps. That’s JEDEC’s specifications but as we have seen with DDR3 and also DDR4, it isn’t all that rare to find RAM manufacturers release memory that are capable of much higher than JEDEC’s specifications. SK Hynix has already set their sights on 8.4 Gbps.

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On top of that, DDR5 will run in dual-channel configurations in a single DIMM. Instead of a single 64-bit bus like in previous memory standards, DDR5 will offer two independent 32-bit channels in a single module. This coupled with a doubled burst length that’s now 16 bytes instead of DDR4’s 8 bytes, DDR5 is capable of double the effective bandwidth at the same memory speeds.
Maximum per-DIMM densities are expected to grow to 128GB, with the use of 64Gb die. DDR4 is currently limited to 32GB DIMMs, so enthusiasts who need more memory in small form factor systems might find this worth celebrating. You can probably still expect lower density modules though. DDR5 will also sport on-die ECC to increase the reliability of DDR5 memory.
The voltage regulation will be moved from the motherboards onto the DIMMs themselves with DDR5.
One thing that might be less worthy of celebration might be that DDR5 memory sticks could potentially be more expensive. Instead of relying on motherboard vendors to design the power delivery system for the memory, DDR5 will have the voltage regulation done on the memory sticks themselves. JEDEC claims that this will allow for better yields with better voltage tolerances, while also lowering DDR5’s power consumption. DDR5 touts a nominal voltage of 1.1V, down from DDR4’s 1.2V.
DDR5 will still sport the same 288 pins that DDR4 sports, but as you might expect, the pinout configuration is vastly different to accommodate DDR5’s newer feature set. You can expect to see DDR5-based systems appear as early as next year, although consumer systems with DDR5 support will probably come much later.
Source
Pokdepinion: An DDR5-based ITX build with 64GB memory… Now that does sound like the dream.
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GIG Speed internet – What do you do with it?

With the national call for “double the speed, half the price” broadband, we were anxiously waiting to see which ISP would truly raise the bar for us Malaysians.  Enter gig speed Internet. What do you even do with it, you ask? I can think of a million things but here are just a few.
Download games in mere minutes
Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 has just been launched. The game requires a download of more than 60GB. On a conventional fast internet, you could typically initiate the downloading of the 60GB package before the game launches, and waste electricity just waiting for the game to finish downloading. With 1 Gbps, you will have to wait for less than 10 minutes before you can enter the game and frag. Use anything slower? It comes at the cost of your precious time (no pun intended).
Upload and download from the cloud faster than a USB connection
A USB 2.0 connection tops out at 480 Mbps. That’s before accounting for the overhead that USB communication requires. With a 1 Gbps internet connection, you would be pushing at the limits of your device’s WiFi limitations. Some on Wi-Fi which is as fast as the USB 2.0. Connecting devices on LAN will allow you to reach up to 970 Mbps which is twice of the USB 2.0 transfer speed. You can literally upload bulk of your images to the cloud and redownload it from your PC faster than you can transfer it over USB 2.0 using this.

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Backing up to the cloud takes on a whole new meaning as you can upload faster than you can write to most 5400 rpm hard drives. In essence, it would be faster to upload to cloud services than backing it up to an external hard drive. And you won’t have to worry about whether your drive is nearing the end of its lifespan, or if you forgot to bring it and you had to access some files on it. Those are problems for the older generation, not the 1 Gbps generation.
Let everyone in your family stream 4K content
Netflix recommends a minimum bandwidth of 25 Mbps for 4K streaming. That’s like the bare minimum you need to get an acceptable 4K experience on Netflix. And of course, that’s only possible if you don’t have anything else connected to the network. Your PC starts downloading an update? Say hello to lags and stutters.
Now that’s for a single user. Netflix allows you to have up to 4 users on the shared account. Scale it across your family and you will know why even 100 Mbps won’t be enough. With 1 Gbps, your experience won’t be hindered at all. You can run downloads, watch 4K Netflix and still have headroom.
Get the job done faster online
Pretty much everything that is routine in our life is migrating to the online world and we depend on the internet like our lives depend on it. A faster internet connection would mean you get to do everything faster, because everything loads faster. Shopping, banking or even uploading your photos to social media can be done faster with a 1 Gbps connection. Doing things faster means you have more time to play, and boy can you play with 1 Gbps Internet connection.
Build a seamless smart home experience with IoT devices
Internet of Things (IoT) is becoming more essential than ever. If you are into automating and streamlining your home electronics, 1Gbps plays more important role than ever. In IoT, reduced latency is the highest priority for the most effective user experience. This is especially the case when you enable outdoor access to your premise.
The most famous mod in IoT is the ability to turn a wall socket on or off remotely while being able to see the status of it live on your device. This can be applied on the most critical wall sockets that use heat intensive appliances like fridge, iron and electrical stove. You probably would think that this is just a cool gimmick to have, but in the case of emergency, when it happens, every millisecond can make a very big difference between life and death. At this point of time, latency is the last thing that you would ever want to bog you down.
GIG Speed internet is no longer alien in Malaysia if you’re wondering. The legends of high-speed fibre broadband, TIME Internet are already offering this with their 1 Gbps TIME Fibre Home Broadband plan. At the insanely affordable price of RM199 per month, competition does not even exist in this speed segment yet!
If you want to be friendlier to your pocket, their 100 Mbps plan which is just irresistible is now going for RM99 per month. How can you even beat that price?
Need something in between? The 500 Mbps plan is for you at RM139 per month. Signing up is just as efficient as their offering. You can head over to www.time.com.my right away and you will be enrolled before you even realize it. Oh, did I mention about the RM100 off your first bill?
Disclaimer: This is an exclusive article for TIME Fibre.
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ASUS STRIX GTX 960 OC Review – The 1080p sweet 60’s.

Not sure if many NVIDIA users acknowledge about the well-known “60” in Nvidia GTX lineup. But to me, the NVIDIA GTX x60 cards represent cards with nice price-to-performance ratio. From the first member of the x60 family, the GTX 260 to the famous GTX 460 “Fermi done right”, I also remember a little about the GTX 560Ti that used to be quite popular in Malaysia. That time when Nvidia 600 series came out, I saw tons of GTX 560Ti sales thread in Lowyat garage sales. GTX 660Ti didn’t seem to stand out but the x60 series made a comeback with the GTX 760 that also became one of the more popular choices among gamers. This is only based on my observation though and I can’t back it up with empirical data.

Earlier in January 2015, Nvidia continued the x60 lineage with new GTX 960 card, with the new Maxwell architecture. The card accelerated games with better performance, wattage, temperatures, features and OC headroom. I know this review is a little late but I am excited to share my opinion on behalf of Pokde.net regarding this card.

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I have the ASUS STRIX GTX 960 OC which is really quite something with its features directed towards gamers. The ASUS STRIX GTX 960 has a Maxwell GM206 lying on the PCB with 2GB of GDDR5 memory. The chip comes with a factory overclocked core, and it’s kept cool by ASUS’ DCUII cooling technology that improves cooling. Also, the card’s fans will not spin at all when it’s not under heavy load.

Specification
The card only requires one 6pin PCIe power connector which shows that this card sips power. So theoretically this card will only consume about 150W. We come to that figure as we know the PCIe lane itself can deliver 75W and the 6 pin PCIe power connector also delivers 75W. By summing up the two power sources of the card, the card is able to draw a total of 150W. Although it has the possibility to draw that much wattage, according to NVIDIA the GTX 960 has a 120W TDP. More specification in the image below.

Appearance
I do believe that you guys know how a graphics card look like. But I would like to mention that the ASUS STRIX GTX 960 does not come with the usual DCUII card design. It uses their new STRIX design. For those wondering what in the world is STRIX, here is what ASUS says: “Taken from the ancient Roman and Greek word for owl, Strix means the keenest hearing and sharpest eyesight. Strix means feeling your environment so that you detect and react to the slightest movement. Strix means survival on the very edge of instinct. Strix is in your blood, as it is in ours.” And so with the photo gallery below, I let the pictures tell its own story.
STRIX Logo on the frontProduct description and featuresThis is what we get inside the box, the ASUS STRIX GTX 960, STRIX sticker, a DVI to VGA adapter, a CD and a book guideMassive four heatpipes to cooling down the chipOnly 6pin PCIe power connector is neededFrom this angle you can see the patented ASUS blade fan designThe fan is resemblance the STRIX eyeMore on the heatpipesASUS STRIX GTX 960 OC have various input connector, this include three display port, a DVI and a HDMI portSLI is enabled on Nvidia GTX 960Heat shroutThe backplate of the ASUS SRIX GTX 960 OCRear view of the ASUS STRIX GTX 960 OC

Test Machine
For the ASUS STRIX GTX 960 OC review, the rig specifications are listed as in the pictures below. I’m using the Xeon E3 1230V3 for some reason. Firstly, I don’t overclock, and during the time I was transitioning from AMD to Intel, I was seeking a CPU that give me a good performance to value ratio. With the Xeon E3 1230V3, it’s actually a i7-4770 without a iGPU and that is fine with me since the price is much cheaper than the i7-4770, and the iGPU in Haswell is pretty much pointless when it comes to serious gaming. For a guide on how I optimized my Xeon, click here.

Processor
Intel Xeon E3 1230V3 @ 0.86v

 Motherboard
ASUS H87-PLUS

Memory
Corsair Vengence DDR3 16GB (4x4GB)

Storage
Corsair LS 120GB (System), Western Digital Blue 1TB (game)

Power Supply
Corsair TX650 V2 (80+ Bronze)

Software
Let’s talk about the software used in this review. First off, almost all the software used on the test is updated to the latest version. That’s includes the operating system, system drivers, BIOS and graphic driver.

OS
Windows 8.1 64bit

GPU driver
Nvidia 353.30

Antivirus
Avast Free, Malwarebyte Free

Utilities
FurMark, Fraps, ASUS GPU Tweak, GPUZ, OBS, Steam, Uniplay, Origin, GOG Galaxy

Games
Witcher 3, Battlefield 4, The Crew, DOTA2 Reborn

Performance
Okay let me explain about our new experimental benchmark methodology. We are testing the cards only with the games in our library and we don’t run any synthetic benchmarks since we believe gamers bought their graphics card not to run synthetic benchmark, but to play games. So we only benchmarked gaming performance and ran a burn-in test with Furmark for a worst case scenario in terms of heat output and power consumption. We planned our tests to offer the most applicable information for you, as gamers. We monitored the average FPS only, and the reason why we only take the average FPS is because we need a stable average FPS rather than spiky minimum and maximum figures. We also took measurements of the temperature while we tested each game, and we monitored the system power usage of the PC for every test as well.
Since the ASUS STRIX GTX 960 OC supports 4K DSR, we also included benchmark scores for 4K DSR. We also overclocked the card as much as we can while maintaining stability in all games. So, we have explained our methodology, now let’s take a look at the results!

Battlefield 4 (Multiplayer)
Battefield 4 (BF4) is meant for the online multiplayer experience, so why bother with single player benchmarks? I’ve run 30 minutes of BF4 multiplayer in Locker, with 32 players for each side, the game is filled with bullets flying around. This small map is quite graphically intensive as bullet trails and sparks filled my display. With two thousand tickets, I manage to run all the test within two rounds, taking me around 4 hours or more.

DOTA2 Reborn
At first I never thought to bench DOTA2 anymore since even the weaker ASUS GTX 750Ti can hit the 120FPS cap. But the new beta of DOTA2 Reborn is reportedly able to run at more than 120FPS. So without further ado, I benchmarked by playing several rounds of actual multiplayer games. For each round, I started the benchmark around the twelve minute mark as usually that is the time when the game become intense with ganks happening. For each round I spent about 30 minutes, and it took me about four games to obtain all the data I needed.

The Crew
The game was on sale last week made it affordable enough to add into our game collection. This is the game which made me delay writing out this review. I’ve became addicted with the game and I needed to run the benchmark repeatedly because I always forgot to monitor the power usage. Multiple times.

The Witcher 3
The new Crysis, I really want to emphasize that The Witcher 3 (W3) is the new Crysis. Forget about “Can it run Crysis?”, it’s way too old already and change it to “Can it run W3?”. This game is has great graphics and you have to pay for it. For the benchmarks, I turned off NVIDIA Hairworks to maintain neutrality for AMD cards.

Furmark Burn-in
In some cases, graphics cards don’t run as hot with games as some synthetic benchmarks can make it run. However in the case of the GTX 960, the temperatures we got in Furmark matched the average temperatures we got in the gaming benchmarks above. This is how far the ASUS STRIX GTX 960 can cook. I left it for over 40 minutes for lunch, after lunch I was pleasantly surprised to find the card to not be as hot as what I expected. The fan speed was running at only 60% based on GPU-Z. The card remained quite quiet even as the fan was spinning so fast.

ASUS STRIX GTX 960 OC 2GB back-plate temperature

Conclusion
ASUS STRIX GTX 960 performed really well in most scenarios. Gaming, power usage and OC headroom, I had much fun with it. It not only hits the gamers’ sweet spot for 1080p gaming, but for me it has more to offer. ASUS GTX STRIX 960 is really good at OCing. Even though it had some stability issue in DOTA 2 Reborn and The Crew, I faced no problem at all with BF4 and W3, not even a single crash. But if you look at the FPS different, is is necessary to OC this card? My answer is NEIN. The factory overclock is already enough to do the job well, kudos to ASUS for tuning the clock speeds.

Suggestion and recommendation
To avoid any system failure or bottlenecks, you have to ensure that the other parts in your rig is on par with this card before upgrading. About the power supply, any affordable branded power supply should be OK for this card. I believe you only need a good 80+ certificated 450W or 600W power supply, for single card or dual card (SLI) setups respectively. I recommend you to get a good power supply like the new Cooler Master B series V2 series depending on your setup.
One more thing to take into consideration is your processor. Make sure you are using a suitable processor. My recommendation is a minimum of a 4th generation Intel i3 or 3rd generation Intel i5 and above. Or if you are using AMD, FX 6300 and above is recommended.

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Xiaomi Mi 10T Series Globally Launched From ~RM1,357

Just moments ago, Xiaomi has globally launched the new Mi 10T series, which consists of three new smartphones.
Xiaomi Mi 10T Series launched globally
Mi 10T and Mi 10T Pro
Xiaomi is the first brand in the world to introduce a 108MP camera in a smartphone, and with the Mi 10T Pro, they’ve included it as well, where it supports OIS and 8K video support. As for the standard Mi 10T, it comes with a 64MP main camera instead, the only difference from the Pro version aside from color options. Memory is also different as the Mi 10T Pro offers 8GB RAM that’s paired with either 128GB and 256GB internal storage while the Mi 10T’s max storage is 128GB that comes with either 6GB or 8GB options.
Accompanying the lens is a 13MP ultra-wide angle camera as well as a 5MP macro shooter. At the front, you can find their 20MP selfie shooter.

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Both the Mi 10T and Mi 10T Pro offers 144Hz AdaptiveSync True Color display, which will automatically match the refresh rate accordingly with what content you are watching, which will save up your battery consumption.
Coming with a flagship Snapdragon 865 chipset under the hood, the Mi 10T and Mi 10T Pro also packs a big 5000mAh battery along, which you can charge with their 33W fast charger.
Mi 10T Lite
If you’re looking for a more affordable option, they’ve also unveiled their latest mid-range device, the Mi 10T Lite.
The 5G-capable smartphone comes with a 64MP main camera, 8MP ultra-wide camera, 2MP macro lens, and a 2MP depth sensor at the back. While on the front, it offers a 16MP lens for your selfies.
It comes with a lower but still fast 120Hz refresh rate and it is powered by a Snapdragon 750G chipset, the first smartphone to come with it.
Other than that, it offers a 4820mAh battery under the hood which is chargeable with its 33W fast charger. Not to forget, it comes in two memory configurations; 6GB+64GB and 6GB+128GB.
In Euros, the Mi 10T is priced from €499 (~RM2,434), Mi 10T Pro at €599 (~RM2,922), and finally the Mi 10T Lite at €279 (~RM1,458)
Pokdepinion: Well products that are launched in Euros are usually cheaper when they reach here in Malaysia. Hopefully we’ll be able to see a great difference in terms of the pricing, then it could be a #BaikBeliMi10T moment.

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Plextor Combines Speed and Aesthetics into their High-Texture M8Se NVMe SSD

Plextor recently announced its M8Se series solid state drives (SSDs) that adopt the newest generation of high-speed transmission standards. The drives fully support mainstream ultra-high-speed NVMe interfaces. The drives also use the industry’s flagship TLC NAND and control chip components, and specialised heat sinks with streamlined aesthetic design.
Achieving advanced high-speed specifications with streamlined technology dynamics, M8Se NVMe SSD wins a prestigious iF Design Award, which picked up the award for 2017 as chosen from 5,575 entries by a 58-member jury made up of independent experts from all over the world. The iF Design Award has been recognised as an arbiter of quality for exceptional design.
The Plextor M8Se series caters to a variety of user requirements for SSD upgrades or system assembly, with both PCIe and M.2 2280 specifications. The PCIe version adopts lines drawn from fluid mechanics and a blue and black heat sink design. This presents dynamic ultra-fast speed aesthetics, along with more efficient thermal conductivity that can quickly eliminate the heat generated by M8Se’s high speed transmission and help the computer system maintain optimal operating efficiency.

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The M8Se series has the most trustworthy service life and stability of any SSD as claimed by Plextor. The Marvell control chip and Toshiba TLC NAND flash memory also allow the M8Se series to have outstanding performance, read/write service life, capacity, and stability, even better than the usual TLC SSD.
The M8Se series is powered by the latest generation NVMe PCIe Gen 3x 4 transmission interface that delivers high bandwidth and low latency allowing sequential read/write access speeds of up to 2,450/1,000 MB/s and random read/write speeds of up to 210,000/175,000 IOPS. Whether it’s for work, fun, or multimedia applications, the M8Se is the perfect solution to speed up your system and provide the ultimate user experience.
Equipped with Plextor firmware technology and advanced LDCP debugging capability, the M8Se series has greatly enhanced read/write reliability. Its exclusive PlexNitro write cache technology can ensure the most reliable read/write performance, and its extended SSD service life guarantees peace of mind to long-term users.
The Plextor M8Se series is anticipated to officially reach the market in June 2017. In addition to providing the PCle expansion card and M.2 2280 specifications, capacities of 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB are also available to satisfy players’ diverse needs for system construction and expansion. The M8Se series products have passed Plextor’s stringent quality tests, with a 1.5 million hour MTBF (mean time between failures) guarantee in addition to a 3-year warranty period.
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Embark on A New Journey in Tower of Fantasy This Coming 11 August

Two New Trailers from Tower of Fantasy Invite Players to Go on An Adventure Together

Level Infinite and Hotta Studio, the publishers and developers of the open-world MMORPG Tower of Fantasy, have published two new trailers illustrating the creative choices available to players while also demonstrating multiplayer action in the game for PC and mobile gamers.
Set hundreds of years after mankind has left the crumbling environment of Earth to the faraway planet of Aida. Through thrilling fights and intriguing open-world exploration, players will be able to enjoy an anime-inspired post-apocalyptic sci-fi art style, character creations, engrossing goals, and immersive combats.

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The Creative Gameplay video delves into the range of character customising possibilities, the many vehicles and means of mobility accessible, the sci-fi weaponry that powers real-time combat, and even some of the amusing mini-games sprinkled around the globe.

Players learn about creating teams, taking on bosses together, exploring the globe Aida while flying or riding on vehicles, and recording experiences in team photos in the Social Gameplay.
In addition, a new Tower of Fantasy mini-site has been launched. Players may receive their own Aida Tour Ticket by visiting the mini-site, which kickstarts their dream voyage. On Planet Aida, players may create animated pictures and explore their initial places.
To discover more about Tower of Fantasy and collect in-game rewards, do visit their official website or check out their other channels such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Youtube and Discord.
Tower of Fantasy is now available for pre-registration on the official website, as well as on Steam, Epic Game Store, the App Store, and Google Play.
Pokdepinion: Are you ready for Tower of Fantasy? I am kind of burnt out from Genshin and I hope this is a breath of fresh air.
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Far Cry 3 Is Free Right Now On Ubisoft Store

As part of its Autumn sale, Ubisoft is offering one of their best games, Far Cry 3 at no cost for a limited time over at the Ubisoft Store.
Far Cry 3 is free to download now
Here’s what the game is all about:
Far Cry 3 players step into the shoes of Jason Brody, a man alone at the edge of the world, stranded on a mysterious tropical island cut off from civilization. In this savage paradise where lawlessness and violence are the only sure thing, players will dictate when, where and how the events of the game unfold. Players will slash, sneak, detonate and shoot their way across the island in a world that has lost all sense of right and wrong.

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Far Cry 3 is probably one of the best if not the best game Ubisoft has made in the Far Cry franchise. Chockful of action, interesting story, beautiful and vibrant terrain as well as memorable characters such as Vaas Montenegro, one of the best villains ever put in a video game.

With Far Cry 6 on the horizon, this might just be the perfect time for gamers to jump back into the series with a replay of Far Cry 3. In the meantime, you can also check out Far Cry 6’s PC requirements right here. It’s actually quite friendly towards older generation PCs.
You can download the game on the Ubisoft Store or you can just click the link right here.
Pokdepinion: I remember the first time I played Far Cry 3 back in the day and it was the first FPS game that I played from start to finish. I wasn’t a huge fan of FPS games at the time and was more keen on RPG games like the Dragon Age series and the Mass Effect series.
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Monster Hunter World Can’t Reach 60 FPS with GTX 1080 – Optimization for Max Settings Poor?

According to someone who has tried out Monster Hunter World on his PC, it appears that the game has trouble reaching 60 FPS on an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080.
Monster Hunter World Can’t Reach 60 FPS with GTX 1080

Previously, we have reported the specifications required to run the upcoming Monster Hunter World for PC. While the minimum requirements didn’t seem to be bad, the idea that a GTX 1060 will get you Full HD 1080p at 30 FPS does seem a bit scary since the GPU can’t be called weak.
This left many people wondering how Monster Hunter World actually plays on PC. Well, ResetEra’s FluffyQuack actually got a hands-on experience with the game, and this is what he had to say:

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I got permission from a Capcom rep to post impressions of a review build of the game.The game supports framerates above 60 FPS (the framerate lock options are 30, 60, and “no limit”). Unlike most MT Framework games, the game can go beyond 120 FPS, though you’ll need a very beefy PC if you want to get close to 100 with settings around max.
He was using a PC that was running on an Intel Core i7-4790K, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080, and 16GBs of RAM. There were no mentions of SSD and other parts but we generally get a clear idea how powerful of a PC he has there. The following are the results that he got for each graphical setting in terms of FPS in 1440p:

Low = 108 FPS
Medium = 65 FPS
High = 60 FPS
Ultra = 44 FPS

It is said that volumetric lighting is very resource-intensive in the game, thus the drop from the Ultra preset to High gives it a solid framerate boost. Based on this, it seems reasonable to expect that an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 should be able to push a solid 60 FPS at 1080p Ultra. For a GTX 1060 and RX580, it might have a bit of trouble.
I would also like to point out that we’re still rought 2 weeks away from its release so Capcom may spend time further optimizing the game so it would run better. We will have to wait until its release date, 9th August 2018, to find out for sure.
Source: Game Debate / ResetEra
Pokdepinion: Well, on an RX570, I may be screwed. Might just consider upgrading my GPU if I really need it but we’ll see how it goes.
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Samsung Galaxy S10+ 1TB is now going for just RM3999

Well, that was fast. The Samsung Galaxy S10+ (12GB + 1TB) was offered for RM5999 with a free Samsung Galaxy A9 back then. We thought that was a pretty sweet deal. But this is even better. A retailer has decided to sell the Samsung Galaxy S10+ 1TB for just RM3999, or RM2000 off the suggested retail price.

Harvey Norman is the retailer offering the Samsung Galaxy S10+ 1TB at that very affordable price. It’s available in Ceramic White and Ceramic Black, Samsung’s most premium color options for the Samsung Galaxy S10+. With RM2000 slashed right off the SRP, the highest end variant of the Samsung Galaxy S10+ is now just RM300 more expensive than the 8GB + 128GB variant, and a good RM600 cheaper than the 8GB + 512GB version.

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The Samsung Galaxy S10+ 1TB was introduced in Malaysia three weeks after the initial release of the Samsung Galaxy S10 series here in Malaysia. It comes with the more RAM and storage than you would usually get in an entry-level laptop, making it one mean smartphone meant for the most demanding users. Alas, few users would actually pay RM5999 for an Android phone.
Samsung Galaxy S10+ Specifications

Exynos 9820, octa-core up to 2.7 GHz, 8nm FinFET
Mali-G76 MP12
Up to 12GB LPDDR4x RAM
Up to 1TB UFS 2.1 storage (expandable via microSD)
6.3″ QHD+ Dynamic AMOLED display, HDR10+
12MP f/1.5/2.4 + 12MP f/2.4 telephoto + 16MP f/2.2 ultrawide angle
10MP f/1.9 selfie camera, Dual Pixel PDAF
One UI based on Android 9 Pie
4100 mAh battery, 15W Fast Charging (wired/wireless), wireless reverse charging
8GB+128GB: RM3699
8GB+512GB: RM4599
12GB+1TB: RM3999 (SRP: RM5999)

It seems like Samsung’s retailers are slashing prices left, right and center, with the most recent price slash being the one on the Samsung Galaxy A70, with RM350 slashed right off the price tag to make it a much better deal.
If you want a cutting edge smartphone with 12GB RAM and 1TB internal storage, there is no other smartphone to get. It sure helps when it is this affordable too. Check out the offer for the Samsung Galaxy S10+ here.
Pokdepinion: I guess Samsung is clearing inventory to make way for the Samsung Galaxy Note10.
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HUAWEI Malaysia Is Giving You The Chance To Win The New HUAWEI MateBook D 15

The folks at HUAWEI Malaysia is hosting a special contest where you can win yourself a brand new HUAWEI MateBook D 15 laptop. The best part about it? Well you don’t need to spend a single cent to win it.
With the MateBook D 15 about to go on sale this 18th of January 2020, HUAWEI is offering you the chance to win the laptop itself, which is worth RM2,499.

So how exactly can you get your hands on it? Simple, all you need to do is follow the steps below:

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Follow HUAWEI’s official Facebook pageLike and share the post (make sure your account is set to Public)Tell them in the comments on why you want to win the HUAWEI MateBook D 15Tag three of your friends and include #HUAWEIMateBookD15 in the comment section of the post
The winner for the contest will be announced on the 13th of January 2020.
Interested in learning more on the HUAWEI MateBook D 15? Read more on that in our previous coverage right here.
Pokdepinion: Well? What are you waiting for? Go join now. Who knows, you might be the lucky winner!
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Quick Look At The Sony a7S III

Recently, we were invited to try out the Sony a7S III mirrorless camera, and we had quite a blast with it. If you’re wondering what’s new in the camera and how it performs, here’s a quick look at the camera itself.
Quick Look At The Sony a7S III

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The Sony a7S III is designed to spearhead the Sony series’ of video mirrorless cameras. It has a new 12MP sensor, 4K 120FPS slow-mo video recording, improved optical steady shot with active mode, 4:2:2 10-bit video recording, support for MPEG-H HEV / H.265, dual memory card slots for CF Express Type-A and SDXC UHS-II, and more.

It is actually bigger and thicker than the standard Sony a7 III mirrorless camera. This added bulk also helps with the camera as it results in the Sony a7S III having better thermals and grip, making it the more comfortable camera to use. Speaking of improvements, there’s also a new, streamlined menu system that’s brightly colour coded, so you won’t get the old menu system from the original Sony Alpha cameras. The horizontal system also offer give a better understanding on where the user is compared to the vertical system.

We also finally get a flip out LCD display, similar in style to the Sony ZV-1 compact camera that was recently launched. Compared to the vertical flip up display, this one offers significantly better viewing angles. We also saw usage of the new CF Express Type-A card, which offers faster read and write speed compared to SDXC cards. While you can use either types of memory cards, you can only use one at a time, so no dual storage here. That being said, there’s still dual card slot available so you’re not missing anything.

As it is an experiential demo session, we did take a few photos with it. Paired with the Sony FE 24-70 G Master lens, we used the camera in Auto mode to simplify the process. So from this point onwards, just keep in mind that photos taken with the Sony a7S III will be on the left whereas on the right is taken by the Sony a7 III.

You can tell that the left photo preserves the dynamic range quite well, the shadows are more detailed, and colours are generally more vibrant.

Again, we see a good preservation of the dynamic range here. Photos from both cameras show the sky and cloud being distinguished quite clearly.

For this particular one, we tested the Eye AF. The confirmation of focus lock was indeed very quick, and I personally felt that there was no delay in between. In other words, it doesn’t feel like both cameras need time to hunt for the eyes.
Unfortunately, we could not do much with video recording during our session due to time constraints. With the short time I spent with the Sony a7S III, the streamlined menu and optimizations make it a very pleasant camera to use. We’re not too daring to say that it’s a great camera just yet as we would definitely need more experience with it. We will reach out to them and see if we can do a proper review on this. Until then, stay tuned for our in-depth review of the camera.
Pokdepinion: I do wonder if they will bring that new menu to all existing, supported Alpha cameras via a firmware update. It would make life easier, at least for me.
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[E3 2017] Xenoblade Chronicles 2 Gets an Awesome Trailer; Release Window Confirmed for 2017

The folks over at Monolith Soft is hard at work, showing off a lot of cool stuff for Xenoblade Chronicles 2. Consider me sold!
The team that used to be from Squaresoft (Square Enix today), Monolith Soft has been doing pretty well as of later. After breaking away from Squaresoft and created their own development studio to continue on the Xeno series. Some are good, some were kinda meh.
One of the more recent success is in the form of Xenoblade Chronicles. Well, it looks like the sequel is coming sooner rather than later. Here’s what happened at Nintendo’s E3 2017 livestream.

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[E3 2017] Xenoblade Chronicles 2 Gets an Awesome Trailer
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At the E3 2017 Spotlight livestream that happened today, Nintendo showcased a new trailer for Monolith Soft’s Xenoblade Chronicles 2. Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is in development at iconic Xeno developer Monolith Soft, and boasts a soundtrack with Xenogears composer Yasunori Mitsuda at the helm.
On top of the trailer, the game has been confirmed for release in this Holiday season 2017. Grab some popcorn and check out the trailer above. For those who are interested in the Japanese voice overs, we also included the original version so you can see which you like best.
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For those of you who aren’t aware, the guys over at Monolith Soft was originally from Squaresoft and developed a role-playing game called Xenogears. It had a great storyline, a unique combat system, and robots. Who wouldn’t love it?
Development on the game was cut short for budgeting reasons and the initially planned 3 to 4 discs was reduced to merely 2 discs. The quality noticeably dropped on Disc 2 as the majority of that disc’s content didn’t actually allow the players to roam around freely.
As Squaresoft didn’t want to proceed for a sequel to the game, the guys left and formed Monolith Soft, with their first Xeno project being Xenosaga for the PlayStation 2.
Let’s see if Xenoblade Chronicles 2 can deliver the same great gaming experience as its predecessor, if not better.

Pokdepinion: Deep down in my heart, I still yearn for a reboot/remaster of the original Xenogears game, the way it was originally meant to be. Despite the cut content, the game was just so good and easily ranks as one of my all-time favourites. Just because of this, I’m excited for whatever Monolith Soft has to offer and in extension, I’m excited for Xenoblade Chronicles 2.
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New Indie Horror Game Launched on Kickstarter – Looks Fun to Play with Friends

Looking for something fun to play with your friends? Or perhaps, you might be looking for a good scare? Check out this indie horror game that just launched on Kickstarter called Hide or Die.
New Indie Horror Game, Hide or Die, Launched on Kickstarter

Yesterday, a Kickstarter campaign went live for Hide or Die, an asymmetrical horror game from developer VecFour Digital.  At the time of this writing, the campaign has raised USD $20,771 out of a USD $54,500 goal.  An almost nine-minute gameplay trailer was also released to show off some of what players can expect when the game is released.
Hide or Die will find players in an underground bunker.  After the doors open, they will have to scavenge the unknown area outside of their bunker to search for objectives, supplies and the darkness.  If a survivor gets too close to the darkness, they will turn into a crazed killer.

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Survivors can either work together to survive or get caught up in the madness of killing each other. Ultimately the last survivor will be pitted against a hunter in a final showdown until the cycle starts over. This multiplayer game will allow up to sixteen players to battle it out at a time.
Overall, this week has been terrific for Kickstarted projects, with Crusader Kings The Board Game, Faeland, and visual novel Bios being fully funded.
You can check out the gameplay trailer for Hide or Die at the top of this post.  Head over to their Kickstarter campaign page if you like to contribute before it ends on June 18th 2018. The game is expected to be released sometime in October 2018 once the goal has been met.
Source: Campaign page
Pokdepinion: This does look like a fun game to stream with friends. Something for us, and many of you out there, to consider.
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There Might Actually Be a 4K Nintendo Switch Model in Development

While the 4K Nintendo Switch model was highly rumored previously, it seemed to have lost its steam after the revelation of the OLED model. Despite the company denying its existence, recent reports are suggesting otherwise.
4K Nintendo Switch Model Could Be Real?

  A news report on Sept. 30, 2021(JST) falsely claims that Nintendo is supplying tools to drive game development for a Nintendo Switch with 4K support. To ensure correct understanding among our investors and customers, we want to clarify that this report is not true. (1/2)
— 任天堂株式会社（企業広報・IR） (@NintendoCoLtd) September 30, 2021

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Previously, the Nintendo Switch OLED model was rumored to be a 4K variant but as we’ve seen from the announcements, that ended up not being true. With Nintendo denying its existence, all hope seems lost but a new report from Bloomberg seems to give hope on that matter.
The report suggests that up to 11 different developers worldwide have been working with a 4K Switch development kit. Furthermore, it’s said that these developers were given the kits way before the announcement of the OLED model. Once again, Nintendo continues to deny the existence of such hardware and proceeded to call the report “inaccurate”.
Adding to that, a spokesperson from Zynga also voiced out on the matter, stating that “Zynga does not have a 4K developer kit from Nintendo”. Bloomberg claims that their sources are in the form of internal employees of these developers.
For now, there is no official confirmation or launch for the 4K Nintendo Switch model, and the company will be focusing on the OLED model that will be launching later this month. We will report more on this as soon as information becomes available so stay tuned.
Source
Pokdepinion: I wouldn’t be surprised if the development kit simply packs more firepower that will allow games to run in native 4K resolution. I also would believe if developers are simply not allowed to acknowledge its existence out of fear of losing the development kit and getting caught in legal troubles. It’s genuinely hard to say what the actual situation is.
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Ubisoft Reveals The Division Heartland And It’ll Be Free-To-Play

The folks at Ubisoft has recently revealed a new title from The Division universe where it will be released either in 2021 or 2022.
The Division Heartland

It appears that The Division Heartland is a free-to-play game that’s set in the same universe as the game’s namesake predecessor, The Division and The Division 2. The news was revealed in Ubisoft’s blogpost.

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The company has said that the game doesn’t require gamers to have experience from previous Division titles and that it will provide “an all new perspective on the universe in a new setting”.
Aside from that, not much has been said about the game, besides the fact that it will arrive on PC, consoles, and ‘cloud’. If you are interested in The Division Heartland’s early test phase, Ubisoft has said that you may do so right here.
To add to the news, Ubisoft has also announced that they will be releasing another Division game for mobile but that’s about what’s been revealed by the company. They’ve said that they’ll have more details on the title “at a later date”.
For more on the latest tech and gaming news plus reviews, stay tuned to Pokde.net.
Source
Pokdepinion: Free to play? Why do I get the feeling that it’ll be a battle royale game(s) from Ubisoft..? Oh right, there’s plenty out there that’s making money with the genre. Well hopefully I’m wrong.
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Looking for a Festive Smartphone? The Sunkissed Beige OPPO Reno8 5G is the Answer

Looking to get yourself a new smartphone in time for the festive season? The OPPO Reno8 5G in its new Sunkissed Beige colourway could just be what you’ve been looking for.
OPPO Reno8 5G in New Sunkissed Beige Colourway

The OPPO Reno8 5G is one of the more attractive smartphones to be released in 2022, given its stylish design and practical performance at a rather affordable price. Initially when it was launched in July 2022, it was available in Shimmer Black and Shimmer Gold.

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In conjunction with the Christmas season and year end festivities, it’s back and better than ever with the new Sunkissed Beige colour and upgraded RAM from 8GB to a whopping 12GB. Despite the healthy upgrade, it’s still available at the same price, which is RM2,399.
With the new Sunkissed Beige colour option, the back cover of the phone features intricate structural quartet craftsmanship, which gives it a bright, light gold hue that looks similar to shimmery organza fabric, adding a touch of fashion and elegance to the phone. The bright gold colour of the phone also represents the positive and hopeful outlook for the year ahead.

In addition to its stylish appearance, the OPPO Reno8 5G is powered by dual Sony flagship sensors, featuring the Sony IMX766 flagship sensor in the rear and the Sony IMX709 sensor for selfies, and has various AI-enhanced imaging features, such as Ultra Night Video and Night Portrait, which are designed to help you capture high-quality memories during special occasions.
The Sony IMX709 was co-developed with OPPO and features an independent RGBW colour array for 60% more light, thus allowing for higher quality images at a faster speed. As for the Sony IMX766, it features a large 1/1.56” sensor with 1.0um super-size single pixel to gather more light, thus resulting in clearer photos. Both sensors come with hardware-level DOL-HDR which improves video dynamic range with the perfect balance of brightness and shadow.
Not to forget, the 80W SuperVOOC fast charging lets you keep going without being glued to wall outlet for too long. After all, it only takes a mere 11 minutes to get up to 50% charge, with a 2-minute charging period roughly giving you 2 hours of mobile gaming time. Together with the Battery Health Engine, its battery lifespan can be extended up to 1,600 charge / discharge cycles, giving you about four years of average use which is double the current industry standard.

Once again, the OPPO Reno8 5G in Sunkissed Beige will be retailing for the price of RM2,399 just like its other variants. If you purchase it anytime from now until 1st January 2023, it will come with 1-year Screen Protection Plan and 1-year extended warranty for free. There’s also a PWP promotion where you can add on an OPPO Enco Buds2 for just RM10 on top of the smartphone.
If you’re interested to purchase the new OPPO Reno8 5G in Sunkissed Beige, click right here.
Source
Pokdepinion: If you’re not looking to splurge too much on a smartphone, this is a pretty solid choice, especially given how good the new colour looks. The RAM upgrade is just icing on the cake at this point.
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ASUS ZenvolutionMY PC pricing announced

ZenvolutionMY is almost over, and ASUS has announced three new mobile PCs to our Malaysian market.

The ASUS Zenbook 3 is priced at RM7999, packing an amazing amount of performance in such a slim aircraft-grade aluminium body. Instead of hanging out with the standard fare, ASUS redefines an ultrabook. Cramming high-end notebook goodies like FOUR SonicMaster speakers, ASUS Tru2Life video tuning optimization before delivering it to the 12.5″ FHD IPS display. All the oomph you need and more will come from the Intel Core i7 6500U CPU which is paired with 16GB of ultra-fast 2133 MHz LPDDR3 RAM. Oh and your files will be safe thanks to a fingerprint sensor that comes embedded on the ASUS Zenbook 3.

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If a more flexible form-factor is what you are after, then the ASUS Transformer 3 Pro is what you want. Packing similar levels of performance with the Zenbook 3, the Intel Core i7 6500U mated to 16GB of RAM would easily make it one of the best performing convertible 2-in-1 out there. This tablet is set to work with various other external adapters for a truly flexible computing experience. Our favorite? The external ROG XG Station 2 graphics dock to amp up the graphics performance to irresponsible levels of performance if need be. The display is a cool 2880×1920 IPS display with a super-wide color gamut of 121% sRGB, so you will be enjoying anything you see through this screen. RM6999 is the asking price for the ASUS Transformer 3 Pro.

If you think you will not need the levels of performance that the two earlier devices can bring to the table, the ASUS Transformer 3 is here, with a much more affordable price tag of RM3199 too. You get the latest 7th-generation Kaby Lake Intel Core CPUs, 4GB of LPDDR3 and 256GB of M.2 SATA3 storage. I believe thanks to the latest CPU used here, you will get even more awesome battery life thanks to Intel’s focus on improving their efficiency.
So yeah these three are the flag bearers for this year’s convertible 2-in-1 PCs as well as Ultrabooks from ASUS. What do you think? Let us know in the comments below!
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Pre-order The Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ At 11street For Sweet Freebies – Starts tomorrow

Freebies worth more than RM 400

Calling all Samsung fans! Missed the previous pre-order period for the Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+? If so then do we have some exciting news for you.
11Street is opening up pre-orders of Samsung’s latest flagship devices for one whole week starting from tomorrow, 9th March until 15th March 2018. The good news doesn’t stop there however as each pre-order made will receive freebies from 11street worth a cool RM 487!

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The complimentary bundle includes items such as:

1 x bonus coupon for your next purchase on Samsung Galaxy S9 or S9+ Official Accessories worth RM 199
1 x Samsung 10,000 mAh Slim Battery Pack worth RM 189
1 x MN930 Multicable with Adaptor worth RM 99

The Galaxy S9 and S9+ models available during 11street’s pre-order period are the:

Samsung Galaxy S9 64GB version worth RM 3,299
Samsung Galaxy S9+ 64GB version worth RM 3,799
Samsung Galaxy S9+ 128GB version worth RM 3,999

The Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ models available during the pre-order period will be available in three different colours, which are Midnight Black, Coral Blue, and Lilac Purple.
Check out the Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ spec sheet if you want (as if you guys need anymore convincing).

Galaxy S9
Galaxy S9+

OS
Android 8 (Oreo)

Display
5.8-inch Quad HD + Curved Super AMOLED, 18.5:91,2 (570ppi)
6.2-inch Quad HD + Curved Super AMOLED, 18.5:99,10 (529ppi)

Body
147.7mm x 68.7mm x 8.5mm, 163g, IP687
158.1mm x 73.8mm x 8.5mm, 189g, IP687

Camera
Rear: Super Speed Dual Pixel 12MP AF sensor with OIS (F1.5/F2.4) Front: 8MP AF (F1.7)
Rear: Dual Camera with Dual OIS Wide-angle: Super Speed Dual Pixel 12MP AF sensor (F1.5/F2.4) Telephoto: 12MP AF sensor (F2.4) Front: 8MP AF (F1.7)

SoC
10nm, 64-bit, Octa-core processor (2.7 GHz Quad + 1.7 GHz Quad) / 10nm, 64-bit, Octa-core processor (2.8 GHz Quad + 1.7 GHz Quad)

Memory
4GB RAM 64GB/128GB/256GB + Micro SD Slot (up to 400 GB)
6GB RAM 64GB/128GB/256GB + Micro SD Slot (up to 400GB)

SIM Card
Single SIM: Nano SIM Dual SIM (Hybrid SIM): Nano SIM + Nano SIM or MicroSD slot

Battery
3,000mAh
3,500mAh

Fast Wired Charging compatible with QC 2.0 Wireless Charging compatible with WPC and PMA

Network
Enhanced 4X4 MIMO / CA, LAA, LTE Cat.18

Connectivity
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4/5GHz), VHT80 MU-MIMO, 1024QAM, Bluetooth® v 5.0 (LE up to 2Mbps), ANT+, USB type-C, NFC, Location (GPS, Galileo, Glonass, BeiDou)5

Payment
NFC, MST

Sensors
Iris sensor, Pressure sensor, Accelerometer, Barometer, Fingerprint sensor, Gyro sensor, Geomagnetic sensor, Hall sensor, HR sensor, Proximity sensor, RGB Light sensor

Authentication
Lock type: pattern, PIN, password Biometric lock type: iris scanner, fingerprint scanner, face recognition, Intelligent Scan: multimodal biometric authentication with iris scanning and face recognition

Audio
Stereo speakers tuned by AKG, surround sound with Dolby Atmos technology, Audio playback format: MP3, M4A, 3GA, AAC, OGG, OGA, WAV, WMA, AMR, AWB, FLAC, MID, MIDI, XMF, MXMF, IMY, RTTTL, RTX, OTA, APE, DSF, DFF

Video
MP4, M4V, 3GP, 3G2, WMV, ASF, AVI, FLV, MKV, WEBM

Here’s some good news for Shopback users as well. The Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ purchased during 11street’s pre-order period are applicable for cashback, with cashback rates fixed at 3% for new 11street customers and 1% for existing customers.
Pokdepinion: If you’ve fallen in love wit the Samsung Galaxy S9 an S9+ and you want to be one of the first to get it then this is definitely your biggest chance to do so. Also the sweet freebies 11street is offering makes this more and more attractive. On a side note, I’m still amazed that the Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ are priced well below the RM 5k mark unlike that other clears throat fruit phone
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Apple Couldn’t Sell Its Headset As “Vision Pro” In China, As Huawei Trademarked It

If Apple is having any ideas of selling its latest VR/AR headset, Vision Pro, in China – it’s going to face some serious problems. Turns out, they couldn’t use the name ‘Vision Pro’ in the country, as the name has already been taken by Huawei of all companies, as it was filed 4 years ago.
MyDrivers reports that Huawei filed the Vision Pro name all the way back in 16 May 2019, and has since been approved the ownership starting from November 26, 2021. The trademark is valid for 10 years, meaning that should Apple insists on selling the headset as Vision Pro, there’s still around 8.5 years to go (the trademark is valid until 27 November 2031, just so you know). Alternatively, they can market it under a different name – or just skip China altogether.

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In case you missed it, Huawei does use the ‘Vision’ nameplate for Vision Glass eyewear, as well as Vision S TVs among the product that is sold in Malaysia. In any cases, filing the Vision Pro name sounds like a sensible decision on their part, as it is a common tactic to guard any similar or iterative names, just in case. (FYI: Sony already trademarked PS6, PS7 and all the way to PS10 back in 2019).
While the astronomical $3,500 price tag will put Apple’s Vision Pro squarely in the Apple-diehard territory, China is one of Apple’s biggest markets outside of USA with its longtime dominance in the high-end smartphone market. It’s unlikely that Vision Pro is considered as a highly profitable product by any means, but potential trademark disputes like this one may hurt its chances regardless – especially as China has historically been extremely protective of its domestic companies when it comes to trademarks.
Source: PC Gamer
Pokdepinion: Apple probably has to back down from this, given that no amount of money (despite being a $3 trillion company right now) would convince Chinese authorities.
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Razer Phone 2 launched with a slew of upgrades — priced at $799!

The very device which kick-started the whole gaming phone phenomenon is back in full force. The Razer Phone 2 comes with all the things that made the Razer Phone great, and then some.

For starters, the 5.7″ 120 Hz UltraMotion IGZO display is back, but it is now 50% brighter. Razer of course has to remind you that their device is the only device currently in the market with a 120 Hz refresh rate and 120 Hz touch sampling. The latter is a feature shared with the iPhone XS, but the Apple devices do not deliver 120 Hz refresh rates.

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Moving on, there is wireless charging now, which is enabled by the new glass back. Along with the new glass back, the Razer Phone now comes with IP67 ingress resistance. Razer has also crammed in Razer Chroma into the Razer Phone 2. Aside from being just for aesthetics, the Chroma lighting can be used for notifications, which can be set to any color in the spectrum. You can also customize it to your liking, with effects such as Static, Spectrum Cycling and Breathing.
The 4000 mAh battery returns, as does the Qualcomm QuickCharge 4+ fast charging. Battery life is expected to have increased though, thanks to the more efficient Snapdragon 845 now in the Razer Phone 2. The Razer Phone 2 will be feature a new vapor chamber cooling system, which should be a major upgrade over the heatpipe used in the original Razer Phone. 8GB LPDDR4X RAM and 64GB UFS storage joins the chipset under the hood.

Now Razer has claimed that they have upgraded their cameras. They do tout dual Sony IMX sensors but have not discussed which specific sensor they used. From the specifications, it’s the same 12MP f/1.75 + 12MP f/2.6 cameras we have seen in the Razer Phone. The new OIS system would definitely help in low light, so perhaps that helps with the imaging department? If you are a mobile gamer who does livestreams, the front facing camera is a 8MP f/2.0 one, with the capability to do 1080p60 video recording for smooth visuals.

The Razer Phone 2 will come in two variants, a glossy Mirror Black and a matte-finished Satin Black version. The latter will only be available in Q4. Pre-orders has begun in the US, Europe and Asia-Pacific regions. The Razer Phone 2 will be priced at $799 (~RM3232), a $100 increment over the Razer Phone’s launch price.
Pokdepinion: The edgy design looks cool, but I think in terms of comfort when gaming for long hours, curves will still be better. I can’t lie, I love curves.
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Win An HONOR Earbuds 2 Lite When You Stream For 32 Hours On JOOX

Want to win yourself a brand new HONOR Earbuds 2 Lite? Well the folks at HONOR and JOOX has teamed up in hosting a contest where you can win exactly just that.
HONOR X JOOX Stream and Win Contest

If you wish to enter the contest, it is available from today till the 29th of July 2021. All you have to do is visit HONOR Malaysia’s Facebook page, like and share the post, and enter the Power Up! Playlist via JOOX and start streaming. The first 5 listeners who clocked 32 hours of stream will stand a chance in taking home a brand new HONOR Earbuds 2 Lite that’s worth RM299.

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Streaming duration for Power Up! will be tracked by the data system of JOOX to determine the winners.
The contest is open to Malaysians aged 18 and above. That being said, those who have won any previous JOOX campaigns and contest within 90 days are not eligible for the current contest. Winners will be notified on JOOX within 10 working days of the end of the contest.
We are in the midst of reviewing the earbuds, so do watch out for that. Stay tuned to Pokde.net for the latest tech and gaming news plus reviews.
Pokdepinion: That sounds easy enough. It’s just the matter of you being one of the earliest to start the challenge. You should do so by now if you want to win those earbuds.
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HUAWEI AppGallery to channel 100% revenue to developers with new Preferential Policy

HUAWEI has been pushing for developers to offer more apps on the HUAWEI AppGallery, HUAWEI’s answer to Google’s Play Store. While HUAWEI has prepared a full suite of APIs in HUAWEI Mobile Services (HMS) that rival Google’s GMS, there are still many popular apps that aren’t available in the HUAWEI AppGallery. Maybe with the new Preferential Policy, things may change in HUAWEI’s favor.
The Chinese tech giant will be offering an incentive for developers publishing their apps on the AppGallery by channeling up to 100% of all revenue directly to the developers for the first year. As you might expect from the name of the policy, HUAWEI will be prioritizing certain apps. The breakdown can be seen as follows:
HUAWEI AppGallery Preferential Policy

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Type of Apps
Standard Revenue Sharing (HUAWEI : Developer)
1st Year Preferential Revenue Share (HUAWEI : Developer)
2nd Year Preferential Revenue Share (HUAWEI : Developer)

Education
20 : 80
0 : 100
10 : 90

Gaming
30 : 70
15 : 85
15 : 85

Media  and Entertainment, Tools, Communication, Books and References, Photography,  Food and Drink, Travel and Navigation, Travel and Accommodation, Shopping,  Business, Kids, Finance, Sports and Health, Lifestyle and Convenience, Cars,  and Personalized Themes.
30 : 70
0 : 100
15 : 85

Google takes a flat 30% of the revenue developers generate through Google Play, so HUAWEI’s preferential rates might motivate them to incorporate HMS into their apps. HUAWEI has claimed that the process is quite an easy one too.

For developers who are interested, you have until June 2020 to be eligible for this incentive. It is only applicable for developers who are based outside of China.
Have you tried using the HUAWEI AppGallery? How was your experience? Let us know in the comments section below!

Source: HUAWEI via Lowyat.net
Pokdepinion: With the platform already seemingly quite well-equipped, hopefully this will entice more developers to adopt HMS.
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While we might not be seeing Diablo 4 so soon, Diablo 2 Resurrected was announced at BlizzCon 2021. If you’ve been having that itch to jump back into the cult-classic, this could be the fix you’re looking for.
Diablo 2 Resurrected is a Remaster With Visual Upgrades and 4K 144Hz

At BlizzCon 2021, Blizzard has made a surprising announcement in the form of Diablo 2 Resurrected. It’s a remaster of the original Diablo 2 game with notable visual upgrades and you can play it up to 4K 144Hz.

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Essentially, the developers wanted to give Diablo 2 Resurrected the same old experience as far as the core gameplay experience goes. Apart from the upgraded visuals, changes are inevitable for various parts of the game in order for it to fit a more modern audience.
For instance, the multiplayer mode will be using global servers, and it will not allow the use of duplicated names which are identified via the Battle.net ID / gamer tags. You also no longer need to refresh your characters as they will stay with you throughout the game. As the game will be relying on global servers, the matchmaking speed will be faster as there will be more players you can play with globally.
As before, the game will still include an 8-player PvP multiplayer with trading options. The developers also mentioned that they don’t plan on bringing something new to the experience beyond what the original game has offered, which means the max level for each character will still be capped at 99, but with ladder seasons being lesser than 6 months.
Diablo 2 Resurrected will be coming to the PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC sometime later this year. It will also include support for cross progression, but we are still uncertain if cross play will be possible or not.
Source
Pokdepinion: Was looking for an RPG to play with friends, this might just be the one.
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Renowned DJ, Zedd, Is The New HyperX Global Brand Ambassador

After making waves in Valorant, it appears that Zedd is solidifying his presence in gaming further as he’s the new HyperX global brand ambassador. The company will be the official gaming audio and microphone supplier for the renowned DJ.
From our understanding, this partnership between HyperX and Zedd will see a number of original product offerings consisting of custom and limited edition-headsets and peripherals. There will also be collaborative content and promotion from both parties.

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This is far from the first time HyperX has partnered up with popular individuals, even outside of the realm of gaming. They’ve worked with football player JuJu Smith-Schuster, tennis player Daniil Medvedev, basketball player Ariel Powers, pro race car driver Sage Karam, and more. Of course, you have your gaming talents like Valkyrae, Pokimane, and Dendi as well.
No word yet on exactly what sort of products we can expect out of this at the moment apart from audio-related ones. We will report more on this as soon as information becomes available so stay tuned.
Source
Pokdepinion: Can’t say I’m surprised but I certainly hope to see specialized products as a result instead of taking the same product, slapping some new paint, and jacking up the price as a “Zedd Special Edition” peripheral.
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Back 4 Blood To Start Closed Alpha Soon

In case you didn’t heard about the news the folks at Turtle Rock Studio who worked on the Left 4 Dead franchise has announced Back 4 Blood. Adding to the news, they’ve announced that an alpha test will be coming soon for the game.
Back 4 Blood closed Alpha

If you happen to never have played Left 4 Dead (how could you?!), Back 4 Blood is a co-op zombie survival game. The game’s official Twitter account has posted on the closed Alpha and showcased some of the things that you can expect in it, which you can see below.

It's simple: Eradicate the Ridden and reclaim our world. Get briefed on what to expect this Thursday from the #Back4Blood closed Alpha! https://t.co/jw3VlIv2XT pic.twitter.com/pPrXZATMLk
— Back 4 Blood (@back4blood) December 15, 2020

The game is said to offer a different experience with each playthrough where new threats appear each time you load up the game. In the game, you play as “the Cleaners” where you are tasked with fighting the zombies known as the “Ridden”.

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It appears that each Cleaner has their own special weapons and personalities. The alpha will be available starting from tomorrow, 17th of December up until the 21st of December 2020. If you are interested in the alpha stage of Back 4 Blood, you can head to the link right here and sign up.
Pokdepinion: Though the game looks so much better, somehow I get the feeling that it’ll be lacking something when it gets released… Hopefully I’m wrong though as I think we all have been waiting for a proper Left 4 Dead sequel. With luck, Back 4 Blood will be that game.
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TM Streamyx To Be Upgraded to Unifi by March 2019 – No Price Cut for Streamyx?

TM Streamyx To Be Upgraded to Unifi by March 2019
Image source: The Edge Markets

For those of you who are still on TM Streamyx broadband plans, you have to be happy about today…somewhat. It appears that the government is planning to upgrade all Streamyx user services to Unifi by March 2019. This was mentioned by Deputy Communications and Multimedia Minister Eddin Syazlee Shith.
As with many large scale upgrades, it will be done in stages, and this will also depend on whether users are in areas with access to Unifi. For those of you who can’t get Unifi, do not fret. Tentatively, they are planning for either a free upgrade to 8 Mbps or receive 4G LTE internet access with no additional costs.
This is said to be the government’s action to tackle the problems faced by Streamyx users as well as to offset the high cost compared to the data subscription capacity for rural areas. Whether this would be a reliable option would be something we need to see when it’s implemented.

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On the topic of price cut for Streamyx however, the government has no plans yet for it. At the moment, it appears their focus is to help more people enjoy higher internet speeds with a more reliable experience rather than a price cut on its own. For now, we’ll have to wait and see what the new year will hold for us all.
Source: The Borneo Post
Pokdepinion: I’m still not sure why they can’t just the price for now. It will surely appease a lot of people, especially those without access to Unifi.
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ASUS ZenFone Max Pro M1 4GB Now Available In Malaysia

ASUS has announced that their ZenFone Max Pro M1 (4GB/64GB) is now available here in Malaysia. Previously, only the 3GB variant of the device was available for purchase.
ASUS ZenFone Max Pro M1 (4GB) Now Available In Malaysia
Now you can get the ASUS ZenFone Max Pro M1 with the bigger 4GB RAM and 64GB storage. Coming in with a Snapdragon 636 SoC, it offers a massive 5000mAh battery under the hood for limitless gaming.
It features a 6-inch FHD+ Full View Display and comes with a dual 16MP+5MP rear camera and a 16MP front camera. There’s a triple SIM slot, where it comes with space for dual SIM and one microSD, which is expandable up to 2TB.

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Although it comes with a huge 5000mAh battery, you can charge it from 0% to 100% in 2 hours and 42 minutes.
You can get the ASUS ZenFone Max Pro M1 (4GB) now at a RM849 price tag. You can purchase it at ASUS’ official Lazada store. If you’d like to make an offline-purchase instead, click here to find out where you can exactly.
To learn more about the phone, you can read on our full extensive review of the ZenFone Max Pro M1 (3GB). Not to forget, if you’re planning on getting the device, you can try out your luck with ASUS’ flash sale which will be going on tomorrow where you can get it for just RM1!
Pokdepinion: Already a hot-selling device, the bigger RAM option is an option that I’m sure everyone will be happy to have. Do you own an ASUS ZenFone Max Pro M1 already?
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