SteelSeries launches new affordable gaming mouse — SteelSeries Rival 100

SteelSeries is a well-known manufacturer of gaming peripherals and now they announced a new mouse, the SteelSeries Rival 100. So what’s the deal with this new mouse? SteelSeries claims that the SteelSeries Rival 100 has “40% higher tracking accuracy and movement-tracking speeds up to 33% faster than top competitive mice.”. We aren’t actually sure what does this claim even mean, and we are also not sure which competitor did SteelSeries mean.

Going by the claims above you might think that this mouse will surely not come cheap, but the SteelSeries Rival 100 is an affordable gaming mouse with a price tag of USD 40 (approximately RM170).

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Ergonomic right-handed shape and a 6-button layout which was designed to work comfortably with any and all grip styles the SteelSeries Rival 100 has durable textured side grips on both sides of the mouse provide maximum comfort so you never lose control in the heat of battle.

The SteelSeries Rival 100 uses a custom Pixart S3059-SS optical sensor with 8 CPI steps up to 4000 DPI, and supports speeds up to 143 IPS and acceleration up to 20g. SteelSeries CEO claims that the SteelSeries Rival 100 is “the most accurate 1:1 optical tracking experience for any mouse under $50.”

“We determined early-on that we weren’t going to sacrifice anything when designing the Rival 100. In fact, it was our goal to develop a multi-button gaming mouse, with features and performance beyond any similarly-priced mouse,” said Ehtisham Rabbani, SteelSeries CEO. “We are confident that this is the mouse gamers are demanding.”

Since the SteelSeries Rival 100 still a gaming mouse, all six button on it is remappable. Last but not least, SteelSeries also managed to cram customizable RGB LED lighting into the mouse even with its affordable price tag and that what it make it awesome.

Pokdepinion : With so many claims from SteelSeries CEO, it makes one want to believe it has good performance. Good looks is already visible from the pictures. Low price point will be the main attraction and the RGB lighting absolutely makes it a must-buy for people who just need RGB lighting but have a limited budget. About the sensor, for me it depends on user preferences because I believe numbers don’t really mean much, but the actual user experience is more important. I do wonder if it can match the Logitech G502 in terms of raw sensor performance though…
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Magisk developer joins Android Platform Security team at Google

Pretty much every Android enthusiast would have heard of Magisk. The open source utility to root devices, manage superuser permission and modding framework might be considered a risk to security by some, but John Wu, the developer of Magisk, is now a part of the Android Platform Security Team at Google.
You might think that John Wu will not be allowed to continue working on Magisk, considering that it might be a conflict of interest. However he has announced on his Twitter that he will be allowed to continue working on existing projects, which is pretty cool of Google.

I’m given the flexibility to continue working on existing projects, so I expect things to remain mostly the same as it was for the community 😀
— John Wu (@topjohnwu) May 17, 2021

It is quite understandable that he would get a job on the team, considering that developing and updating Magisk would have required in-depth knowledge of Android security and other features anyway. Having someone who’s that experienced at circumventing the security measures Android has put in place might proof beneficial for Google to bolster Android’s security.

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The Android Platform Security Team that John Wu will be joining is responsible for working on identifying and patching Android’s vulnerabilities.
Source
Pokdepinion: Maybe the team will work with John Wu to make Magisk more secure while still offering the flexibility enthusiasts want?
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Sony receives patent for popup stereo speakers

Sony’s smartphones still sport visible bezels until today, and that’s partly due to Sony’s insistence on having stereo front facing speakers. While Xiaomi has proven that it’s possible to cram stereo speakers into a sleek, bezel-less device with the Xiaomi Mi 10 series, Sony may have come up with a more novel way to bring high quality audio to smartphones: popup speakers.
The patent for the rather unique design was filed in 2018, before being approved on 14th May. The patent includes a popup selfie camera on the upper mechanism, while the one over on the bottom is called a pop-down speaker which allows Sony to continue the symmetry that Sony has defined in its OmniBalance design language.

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Both ends of the phone will feature a motorized system and can be activated independently depending on usage. The patent also explains that Sony will be integrating antennae into the moving bits, but I don’t exactly see the reason behind it. Then again, there isn’t much reason for such a complicated design even if you want chart-topping stereo speakers and no bezels.
With that said, such a design definitely looks refreshing. A bezel-less Sony Xperia smartphone might be a good idea considering that Sony’s continued use of 21:9 displays result in very long smartphones, especially when you consider that they currently feature significant bezels on both ends of the display.
Sony might have a difficult time to market such a device though. Sony pioneered water resistant smartphones with the Sony Xperia Z, so forgoing an IP rating for a cool popup mechanism might not sit well with Sony’s fans.
Source
Pokdepinion: Practicality wise, this design doesn’t make that much sense, but hey, it looks set to be pretty cool. Also I wonder if the alarm will be loud enough if you went to sleep and forgot to popup the speakers.
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Samsung Malaysia Introduces Samsung Care+ From RM55

Sometimes when you buy a new smartphone, you’d be forgiven for thinking the worst that could happen to your device. Well the folks at Samsung Malaysia aims to give you a peace of mind with the introduction of Samsung Care+.
Samsung Care+ service
With the Samsung Care+, it not only covers the company’s smartphones but their tablets as well. You can opt for two plan options; a 1-year or 2-year plan with prices starting from RM55. You can enroll for the plan at selected Samsung Experience Stores within 14 days of purchasing your device and the plan includes a premium service that offers doorstep pick-up and delivery of the protected device for free.
For the plan, it includes coverage for accidental damage, liquid damage, and cracked screen repair that are not covered by the basic warranty. Coverage begins upon sign-up, so you’re good on the get-go.

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Should the unthinkable happens, you should notify Samsung Care+ of any damage occurring to your protected device and make arrangement for free pick-up by calling their hotline number. Once it’s been repaired, Samsung will make arrangements to return the device to your doorsteps at no added cost.
You can head to the link right here for more details on the service. For the latest tech and gaming news plus reviews, stay tuned to Pokde.net.
Pokdepinion: At first I was like amazed by the price, just RM55 for one year? Then I took a look at their website and it seems that they charge differently by smartphone tiers. For flagships, you’re looking at forking RM330 for the 1-year package, which might seemed a bit high.. Well if you are worried about something bad happening to your device, it is definitely worth it.
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AMD Radeon ‘RX 7800 XT’ Simulated, Projected 13% Improvement Over RX 6800 XT
AMD Radeon Pro W7800 (Image: AMD)

While Navi 32 is still nowhere to be seen in general – it has been widely believed that this will be the silicon that a midrange or high-end Radeon GPU would use, sitting right below the flagship RX 7900 series GPUs. Igor’s LAB has obtained the Radeon Pro W7800, and as AMD’s nomenclature implies, this is pretty much a workstation equivalent of what would be Radeon’s RX 7800 (or XT namesake).
This provided Igor an opportunity to see what a hypothetical RX 7800 XT would perform by making the Radeon Pro card behave as a gaming card. That being said, the W7800 uses a cut-down Navi 31 silicon instead of full Navi 32 die, so there are some differences in terms of core configuration and the amount of Infinity Cache available. For reference, the W7800 features 70 CUs, 4480 SPs and 32GB of GDDR6 passing through a 256-bit bus. Navi 32 apparently will feature 60 CUs in its full configuration, and clocks much higher – per this tweet from leaker Kepler_L2.
The workstation GPU is then purposefully handicapped with half the VRAM – still 16GB available, in line with what AMD offers currently in the GPUs of this class. Power targets is thus adjusted to 270 watts, slightly lower than 315W of RX 7900 XT.

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The figures generally point to miniscule improvement over the RX 6800 XT, with 13% being the best-case scenario based on all simulated performance projections. Keep in mind that W7800 and the allegedly Navi 32-powered RX 7800 (or XT) may differ in hardware (perhaps greatly so), so the numbers can deviate depending on the variables.
In any case – AMD so far has make no announcements on Navi 32-powered products, and the only clue we have so far is the existence of a mobile RX 7800M XT, as well as this image of Navi 32 die in a Forbes video.
Source: Videocardz
Pokdepinion: If the RX 7800 XT end up to be in line with Igor’s projections – well we already saw what happened to NVIDIA’s RTX 4060 Ti. (Spoiler: it wasn’t pretty.)
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Why TM Streamyx Users Should Reconsider Getting Speed Upgrades

If you’re a TM Streamyx / Unifi Lite user then chances are that you can’t wait to either upgrade your internet speed, get a discounted price, or even both. Now, there may be some confusion that we’d like to help clear, and that you should reconsider getting speed upgrades until you understand what is going to happen exactly.
TM Streamyx Users Not Applying for Speed Upgrades

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If you’re a TM Streamyx user with a monthly fee that costs more than RM69, TM will only maintain the speed that you are currently on. Therefore, you won’t be enjoying any speed upgrades come September 2019. Even if the highest speed supported by the copper cable infrastructure, you will be still on the speed that you are currently subscribed to.
Here are some examples to get a clearer idea:

If you’re on the 1Mbps plan with a monthly fee of RM110, you will be paying RM69 starting September 2019 and your speed will still be on 1Mbps.
If you’re on the 2Mbps plan with a monthly fee of RM130, you will be paying RM69 starting September 2019 and your speed will still be on 2Mbps.

As for those of you who are looking to give a TM a call for to request for a speed upgrade, that’s where things get a little confusing.
Requesting for Speed Upgrade

With the above not sounding very appealing, I am very certain that many of you may want to upgrade the speed. After all, you will ultimately be paying less than you are right now. However, it isn’t as simple as it sounds.
Should you choose to call TM to upgrade your internet speed, let’s say to the fastest one supported by copper cable infrastructure at 8Mbps, then this is what’s going to happen. Your contract will most likely be renewed for another year, which means one whole year added to your existing contract.
But wait, there’s more.
You’ll also be paying for the full price of the plan in September 2019. This means that if you take the 8Mbps plan, you will be paying RM160 for that month. You will only be paying the more affordable RM69 per month starting October 2019 onwards.
If you need to request for an upgrade, you will have to do so by end of August 2019. It’s not a bad idea to request for an upgrade especially if you have no other options. We just want you to know what you could be getting yourself into. This information comes from a unifi Community post, which can be viewed by clicking right here.
For more on internet service providers in Malaysia, be sure to stay tuned to Pokde.net for more useful information, tips, and guides.
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Dreams Universe Review – Truly a Revolutionary Game

What is Dreams Universe About?
Dreams Universe Review

Created by the same people behind LittleBigPlanet, Dreams Universe is a game that lets you create more games inside it, resulting in an ever-expanding game universe. Gamers can create user-generated content in the form of fully-fledged games, mechanics, assets, sculptures, music, and art, which can be shared or remixed to be used in others’ creations.
Dreams Universe Review – Possessing Objects
If you’d rather not create, you can always enjoy other people’s creations via Dream Surfing. There will be a list of games, short films, music videos, and more that have been created within Dreams Universe that you can enjoy. To demonstrate the game’s capabilities, Media Molecule has included a narrative-focused game called “Art’s Dream”.
Dreams Universe Review – Art’s Dream
It is an interactive adventure which follows former jazz
musician Art as he dreams about his life, past and present, and realises he
needs to make amends with his fellow bandmates. The journey takes him through a
series of dream-like situations involving him and a colourful cast of
characters. It lasts over two to three hours and sets the tone for the
potential that Dreams Universe holds.

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Living the Dreams
Dreams Universe Review
While Art’s Dream sets a very good tone for the game, the overall creations you can find in Dreams Universe is a mixed bag. Some are great recreations of existing games such as Gex Enter the Gecko and others are poorly made creations which serves little to no value to most gamers. It could be something as pointless as watching a character crash on the road with no story behind it.
Dreams Universe Review – D-Bug
This may make the game seem like a timewaster, especially if you keep bumping into the bad creations. However, there’s no denying that the game holds limitless potential. Given that the game is still rather new, there’s nowhere nearly enough in time for masterpieces to be created. If there is, the content itself is most likely either very short or just a demo version of the complete works.
Yes, this is actually Dead Space made in Dreams Universe
For instance, a user has recreated an entire playable level of Dead Space within Dreams Universe. In fact, it appears that the user is working on recreating the entire game with the support of many fans across the globe. It is entirely possible to do it, but it requires time. While the beta has been played since 2019, it was only officially launched in 2020. The most anyone can do right now is help the creators by giving them feedback.
Dreams Universe Review
We have not seen this level of possibilities within a game since Minecraft. Furthermore, it has the potential to be better than Minecraft as the DualShock 4 controller allows for both traditional play as well as motion-based controls. Even Art’s Dream makes use of both traditional play and motion controls to demonstrate the game’s capabilities.
Dreams Universe Review
As far as just playing the game and enjoying other people’s creations, there are already quite a number of things you can do in the game. However, this is one of those games that will get better over time as more content is being added by other gamers around the world. If you want to play a role in making the game much better however, then there’s even more you can do from the start.
If you’re looking for a role-playing game to play, check out our review of The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel 3 by clicking right here.
Creating New Hopes and Dreams
Dreams Universe Review – Mode Select
To make Dreams Universe a better game, you will have to take on the role of creating new games and elements. In the Dream Shaping mode, you can create games and other assets using a variety of tools that the game has for you. This includes sculpting, painting, music tools, and gadgets. There are even tutorials on how to go about each section in case you find yourself lost on what to do.
Dreams Universe Review – Placing and Aligning Objects
Sculpting and painting are can get rather tedious, especially if detail is important to you. For the most part, you’re limited primarily by your own creativity and if you’re not sure how to do a certain action, you can view a specific tutorial in a picture-in-picture format, so you continue creating at the same time. My only complaint is that going about this with a controller isn’t quite intuitive and the experience would be far better with a mouse and keyboard, especially when viewing and resizing.
Dreams Universe Review – Picture-in-picture format Tutorial
Gadgets is by far the most interesting creation tool. It can be configured and linked to items, such as your sculptures, as well as other gadgets. This is done to form the game mechanics and the logic behind it. This may require a bit of thinking to get it working right but a simple trial and error would normally suffice. In the process of doing so however, you may be surprised by how fast time flies.
Dreams Universe Review – Premade Assets
If creating assets isn’t your thing or you can’t afford to spend time for it, there is a good library of premade objects. Most of them must be unlocked by going through the tutorials but it is definitely worth the visit. With these premade assets and objects, you can essentially start creating your own custom games immediately. I would suggest doing this first so you have a clearer idea on what you can do.
Dreams Universe Review
Once you are satisfied with your creation, you can publish
it online for other gamers to enjoy. If you were to put the “remixable” tag, it
will allow your creation to be further developed or integrated into other
creations by other gamers online. This way, you can have the community not only
experience your creations, but also help you improve on it even further. As time
goes by, I expect the community to grow even larger which will in turn improve
the content that is available.
Dreams Universe Verdict
Dreams Universe Review
Dreams Universe is a good game that has the potential to
become even better. Normally, this would be reliant on the developers but it’s
different for this game as the content can be generated by gamers themselves.
It’s fun for all ages and you can find a good variety of amazing creations in
the game right now.
However, there are also equally as many bad creations that serve no purpose whatsoever. Moreover, creating assets and games using a controller can be rather slow, and it would be much better with a mouse and keyboard. However, that shouldn’t deter you from getting this game as it’s a must-have on the PlayStation 4.
With that, I give Dreams Universe our coveted Gold Pokdeward.

Big thanks to PlayStation Asia for letting us review this game.
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realme C3 with Helio G70 and 5000 mAh battery set for 6th February launch in India

Finally, a successor to the realme C2 is here. The realme C3 is finally upon us and it appears to be pretty similar to what the realme 5 series offers, except that it hasn’t made the #LeapToQuad yet. Yes, there are only two cameras on the realme C3.
It does seem like instead of throwing in unnecessary depth sensors to make up a certain lens count, the secondary camera might be a 2MP f/2.4 macro camera. Meanwhile, the main camera is a 12MP f/1.8 module, which is similar to what the realme 5 and realme 5i sport, at least on paper.

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Under the hood is a MediaTek Helio G70 and a 5000 mAh battery. Now this would be quite interesting, considering how the realme 5 trio all sport the Snapdragon 665. The Helio G70 does seem to promise better performance than the Snapdragon 665, although that might be accompanied by higher power consumption. As the Helio G70 is a relatively recent chipset, I can’t say I am not interested to see how does it fare.
Another area that I am interested in is whether the realme C3 will launch with realme UI or ColorOS. If it comes out of the box with the latter, it will be the first phone to launch with realme UI pre-installed.

There is a 6.5″ display that’s highly likely a 720p panel, like what the realme 5 series. It boasts a rather high 89.8% screen-to-body ratio, despite the renders showing a pretty substantial lower chin. I wonder if the renders are inaccurate or whether realme is trying a novel volume button arrangement, because the realme C3 has singular buttons on both the left and right of the device. The renders allude to a shimmery finish, which might mean that the realme C3 will sport a back similar to the realme 5i.
Pricing has yet to be revealed but you can expect the realme C3 to be pretty affordable, as the realme C-series has always targeted the budget-conscious segment aggressively. There will apparently be two configurations, 3GB + 32GB and 4GB + 64GB available to really slide into the budget segment comfortably. Stay tuned for the 6th February launch!
Pokdepinion: I am quite intrigued with the realme C-series to be honest. The realme C1 and realme C2 both were impressive for their price, so let’s see if realme can keep it up!
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PlayStation’s Black Friday Sale Sees Discounts On Games And DualShock 4 Controllers

Sony has just announced that they will be holding a special Black Friday limited-time sale for both PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 systems. The sale will last 10 days and starts from today until the 29th of November.
Join in PlayStation’s Black Friday sale

Special discounts will be available during PlayStation’s Black Friday sale on DUALSHOCK 4 Wireless Controllers (select colours) as well as certain PlayStation 5 (PS5) and PlayStation 4 (PS4) games. While supplies last, offers are available at all PlayStation Authorized Dealers and Sony Stores. The DualShock 4 Controller (select colours) will be available with a promo price of RM179 (save RM60).

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You can check out below some of the game offers available during the sale (these games are all physical Blu-Ray versions):

Demon’s Souls for the PS5 with a promo price of RM209 (original price RM299)
Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut for the PS5 with a promo price of RM239 (original price RM299)
FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE for the PS5 with a promo price of RM239 (original price RM299)
Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut for the PS4 with a promo price of RM189 (original price RM249)
Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales for the PS4 with a promo price of RM169 (original price RM209)
NieR Replicant ver 1.22474487139… for the PS4 with a promo price of RM169 (original price RM249)
Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time for the PS4 with a promo price of RM79 (original price RM249)

Additionally, customers who purchase a 12-month subscription to PS Plus on PS Store will save 33% off the regular price of RM106. You can check out what games are free this month for PS Plus subscribers right here. The PS Store will also see many games go on sale during the Black Friday promo with up to 80% off certain games including the latest hits, such as FIFA 22 (PS4/PS5), Back 4 Blood (PS4/PS5), Resident Evil Village (PS4/PS5) and FAR CRY 6 (PS4/PS5). You can check out the Black Friday sale on the PS Store here.
Pokdepinion: Finally I can get the Spider-Man Miles Morales game! I haven’t had the chance to play it yet.
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Lenovo Unveils A Legion of New Gaming Machines – Includes Legion laptops and PCs

Savage on the inside, elegant on the outside

It’s been a little over a year since Lenovo launched their gaming focused Lenovo Legion brand and to celebrate this Lenovo launched six new gaming machines over at E3 2018 in Los Angeles. These Lenovo Legion gaming machines include the Lenovo Legion Y730 and Y530 Laptops, T730 and T530 tower PCs and C730 and C530 cube PCs.
The latest Lenovo Legion devices have been redesigned with a more mature and sleek design language, opting to exclude the more flashy and colourful aesthetics more commonly found on other gaming products. Lenovo aims to cater to avid PC gamers who value substance as much as style with the overall look of the new Legion machines.
Lenovo Legion Y730 and Y530 Laptops
The new Lenovo Legion laptops are built for today’s on-the-go gamer who travels light. Rather than juggle two laptops in one bag, the Lenovo Legion Y730 and Y530 Laptops cater to both in one chic machine. The Lenovo Legion Y730 is made out of precisely machined aluminum and anodised in a sophisticated Iron Gray with ultra thin borders around its full HD IPS display. On the other hand, the Raven Black Lenovo Legion Y530 Laptop has a subtle but compelling top cover texture that radiates out from the “O” in its Legion emblem.

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Y730
Y730
Y530
Y530
Both the Y530 and Y730 gaming laptops come with with up to NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti GPUs, up to the latest 8th Gen Intel Core i7 processors and Windows 10. The laptops’ optional 144Hz full HD IPS displays not only offer a higher refresh rate for smoother visuals and reduced motion blurring, but also thinner bezels with brighter panels at 300 nits. The Lenovo Legion Y730 Laptop is the world’s first gaming laptop with Dolby Atmos Speaker System with Dolby Sound Radar. Meanwhile, the Lenovo Legion Y530 Laptop natively supports Dolby Audio, which enables loud and clear sound.
Y730
Y730
Y530
The Lenovo Legion Y730 Laptop is also the first gaming laptop with a CORSAIR iCUE RGB backlit keyboard and system lighting, featuring six custom macro “Y” keys for added customisation of more than 16 million colour combinations. The Y730 comes in either 17 inch or 15 inch options whereas the Y530 will only have a 15 inch option.
Lenovo Legion C730 and C530
The Lenovo Legion C730 and C530 cube PCs are more compact and lighter than before as they have been redesigned into a portable 19L Iron Gray chassis, thus allowing you to take your highest settings virtually anywhere. The cubes feature an integrated handle at the top which makes the cubes easily portable from one place to another.
C730
C730
The cube PCs also feature a completely transparent top panel that reveals the components on the inside, RGB system lights on the inside of the C730 and clean red LED system lighting on the C530. The cube PCs feature up to NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 GPUs, up to the latest 8th Gen Intel Core i7 processors with optional overclocked 32GB CORSAIR DDR4 memory on the Lenovo Legion C730.
C530
C530
The new cubes also feature a dual-channel thermal ventilation system for better heat management as well as Dolby Atmos for an immersive sound experience.
Lenovo Legion T730 and T530
Now we’ve come to Lenovo’s pièce de résistance with the Lenovo Legion T730 and T530 tower PCs. Sporting a polished design in a 28L chassis, the Raven Black Lenovo Legion T530 shares the same subtle top texture as the Y530 Laptop radiating out from its power button. The Lenovo Legion T530 features red lighting behind its thermal venting, while Lenovo Legion T730 has a full internal and external RGB system lighting behind a clear side panel that reveals its roaring engine within.
T730
T730
The tower PCs sport up to NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 GPUs and up to the latest 8th Gen Intel Core i7 processors. There’s also optional 32GB DDR4 overclocked CORSAIR VENGEANCE memory and up to two 512GB PCIe RAID 0 SSD or 2TB SATA HDD storage for the Lenovo Legion T730. The T730 also has optional Asetek liquid cooling for reliable, whisper-quiet heat dissipation while gaming.
T530
T530
Pricing and availability
As for the prices of the Lenovo Legion machines, the 17 inch Lenovo Legion Y730 Laptop will start at USD 1,249.99 and the 15 inch model will start at USD 1,179.99 in September 2018, while the 15 inch Lenovo Legion Y530 Laptop will be available starting from USD 929.99 in June 2018.
The remaining tower and cube PCs will be available in August 2018 with Lenovo Legion T730 tower retailing at USD 929.99, the T530 tower at USD 829.99, the C730 cube at USD 929.99 and the C530 cube at USD 829.99.
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This Bomberman-like Game is Currently Free for PC Gamers: Blast Zone Tournament

We all love free games because even if it is a terrible game, it’s free. It also gives us the opportunity to explore games we might not have considered if we had to pay for it. Well, it’s a brand new year and there will surely be a number of free games around but we now have our very first one today.
The game is called Blast Zone Tournament, stylized as Blast Zone! Tournament, and the gameplay is reminiscent of Bomberman. You can actually play with up to 32 players, which can be very messy, and it has a 240-level solo campaign which runs the gamut of puzzle levels, hunting roaming targets, boss battles and bot-matches.
For more information on the game, check out the synopsis for Blast Zone Tournament right below here, courtesy of Steam

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Blast Zone! Tournament is the fast-paced game where fun meets explosive combat! Take on challenges in the fully-loaded single-player campaign to level up and prepare to compete in numerous multiplayer arenas. Team up with friends and blast opponents as you go head-to-head to see who will be the last bomber standing! It’s time to ignite your fuse and blast your way to the top of the leaderboards!
Blast Zone Tournament is currently in Early Access on Steam but can be claimed for free permanently on their Steam page. The last day to claim it will be on 16th January 2019, subjected to time zone differences.
For an easier time, click right here to claim the game.
Pokdepinion: The reviews aren’t really favourable but it’s a free game so I’m not complaining.
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Cooler Master MM531 review — a refresh that’s just as good as its predecessor

Introduction

Cooler Master revamped their lineup of mice with the launch of the Cooler Master MM530 and MM520. Building upon their tried-and-tested designs, they released the mice with upgraded sensors and of course, RGB lighting. Today, the Cooler Master MM531 we will be looking at further optimizes the design of the Cooler Master MM530 based on user feedback, in the hopes of satisfying more gamers.
Unboxing

The packaging of the Cooler Master MM531 highlights its weight which is lesser than its predecessor. It does share the general design of the packaging though, with a magnetic flip lid to give you a peek at the mouse.

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The back is where Cooler Master listed out even more of the highlights of the Cooler Master MM531.

We received a set of replacement feet with our unit, so you can disassemble it and not worry about having bent feet. We most probably won’t take our Cooler Master MM531 apart though, as there isn’t a weight inside, unlike its predecessor the Cooler Master MM530.
Appearance

The Cooler Master MM531 features the same combination of PBT, ABS and rubber like the Cooler Master MM530. The shape is also exactly alike. The only difference on the outside is while we had a the Cooler Master text in the confines of the hexagon, it’s now gone. No idea why Cooler Master decided they had to minimize their branding on an already minimalistic mouse.

One the left side there’s a rubber grip with hexagon patterns imprinted upon it. The two side buttons are glossy here, and are pretty large to help you actually hit them in the heat of the moment.

We also find a similar rubber grip on this side, but given that this is an ergonomic mouse, the curvature is different over here on the left.

Cooler Master still managed to fit a gold-plated USB connector despite the affordable price point of the Cooler Master MM531, so kudos to them. Unfortunately that was the only premium touch they could do for the cable, as it does not feature a braided sleeve for durability.

The RGB illumination on the Cooler Master MM531 isn’t much to write home about. It has three zones, the scroll wheel, DPI switches and the logo are all you get to play around with.
Specifications

Body material
PBT buttons, rubber side grips, plastic shell

Sensor
Pixart PMW3360, Optical

DPI
Up to 12 000 DPI, in 100 DPI increments

USB report rate
125/250/500/1000 Hz

Switch type
Omron D2FC-7N switches rated for 20 million clicks

Microprocessor
32 bit ARM Cortex M0

Cable
1.8m, standard rubber coat, gold plated connector

Weight
92 g excluding cable, 131 g including cable

Included accessories
User guide, replacement mouse feet

Well the weight reduction from the Cooler Master MM530 is quite unsubstantial. We are looking at 7g less excluding the cable, which is about the weight you would feel, and a meagre 1.5g reduction with the cable. On the other hand, removing the weight from the older mouse actually takes out around 14g from our Cooler Master MM530, which means that it is lighter than the Cooler Master MM531 if you would put the effort into it.
User Experience
The mouse will work straight out of the box. But the good ol’ Cooler Master Portal does support it if you want to play around with the settings. Now I say good ol’ because it’s the same version that works with the venerable MasterKeys Pro S which I am still using till this day. Cooler Master definitely needs to work on their software integration, as the Cooler Master CK550 actually uses a different suite by the same name.
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As mentioned earlier, the RGB lighting isn’t as impressive as what we have seen from the competition. Cooler Master still tries to make it as customizable as they can, with a slew of modes and effects to pick from. For those of you who are more practical, there are plenty of options to configure the tracking, macros and button reassignment to suit you. Cooler Master also threw in TactiX, which essentially adds another layer of functions to every key when TactiX is triggered. Cooler Master should have taken the opportunity to add an extra side button for TactiX with the Cooler Master MM531, but alas, they didn’t.

The mouse’s shape is designed for palm grippers, but unlike some mice which feature a particularly raised…er…rear, the Cooler Master MM531 features a rather mild slope which allows for a fingertip grip that yours truly prefers when gaming. To be entirely honest, I am partial to mice with this shape as they fit me perfectly.
In terms of its clickers, the buttons are plenty tactile and they aren’t afraid of making themselves heard. The scroll button clicks with ease too, unlike most gaming mice which have tuned their scroll wheels to be inexplicably difficult to press. The scroll wheel is light, making scrolling down long websites a breeze. Our unit has a very funny case of being silent scrolling down, but it makes quite a din scrolling up. The side buttons are quite clicky too but have just a bit too much travel for my liking.

Tracking is perfect all the way up to 8200 DPI, which is an improvement over the previous Cooler Master MM530. The Cooler Master MM531’s predecessor started encountering some amount of jitter at 8200 DPI, but the Cooler Master MM531’s lines still look pretty good until we hit the 12 000 DPI mark. It stops tracking really quickly once you lift the mouse up, especially after I performed the mousepad optimization.
Conclusion
The Cooler Master MM531, at first glance, improves upon the Cooler Master MM530 by reducing the overall weight. But once you remove the weight inside the Cooler Master MM530, it is actually lighter than the Cooler Master MM531. Which raises the question: is the Cooler Master MM531 a necessary addition to Cooler Master’s lineup of mice? Most probably not, but from a consumer’s perspective, the Cooler Master MM531 is a great mouse on its own, and is still one of the most affordable mice out there with PBT clickers and the proven PixArt PMW3360 sensor.
You most probably won’t be upgrading from a Cooler Master MM530 to the Cooler Master MM531, but if you are looking for a new gaming mouse with an excellent sensor and PBT clickers without having to shell out more than RM200, the Cooler Master MM531 should fit the bill perfectly. For RM159, the Cooler Master MM531 is even more affordable than the Cooler Master MM530, which makes it all the more deserving of our Gold PokdeWard!

Our thanks to Cooler Master Malaysia for providing us with the Cooler Master MM531 for review.

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Gamers Hideout Issues a Formal Apology; It’s Time to Forgive & Forget

Gamers Hideout finally issues an apology and admits fault.
So the recent Gamers Hideout scandal really went viral on social media. A huge number of people were clearly upset about how unprofessional they have been to the customer, and it became even worse when they decided to keep quiet about it. If you’re not sure what the Gamers Hideout scandal is all about, click here.
Well, the day has finally come and Gamers Hideout has finally made an official statement about the issue. Here’s what they had to say about the Gamers Hideout scandal.

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The Other Side of the Gamers Hideout Scandal

We finally get to hear the other side of the Gamers Hideout scandal story. In a Facebook post on Gamers Hideout’s offical page an hour ago, they’ve acknowledged that the issue has went viral on social media. They went on to explain that they weren’t trying to undermine anything but instead, have been trying to their best to rectify the situation.
They were apparently caught off-guard by the heavy retail traffic on the weekends and required a lot of time to investigate the issue further. They did however admit that they were in the wrong and have caused unnecessary stress on their customers, which has since damaged customer relations to oblivion.
On the issue of the victim’s Facebook profile being hacked that led to the post being taken down, Gamers Hideout stated that it was not their doing. They cited a lack of expertise in hacking and not supporting cyber crimes.
As far as that image of the Gamers Hideout staff giving people the finger is concerned, they reiterated that they have always discouraged personal opinions towards customers and what they said or do doesn’t represent Gamers Hideout. As that image added fuel to the fire that is the Gamers Hideout scandal, those employees have since been reprimanded by their management, but no word on exactly what happened to them has been made.
In essence, they admit that the Gamers Hideout scandal is their own fault and aren’t pointing fingers to anyone. They admit that the problem could have been handled more professionally. They have since reached out to the victim and offered compensation for the troubles they’ve went through.
They ended their statement with “We sincerely apologize for this error and we will commit our efforts to prevent such incidences again.”

Pokdepinion: So there you have it folks, the other side of the Gamers Hideout scandal issue. I personally believe that it would have been better if they had issued a small statement of “we’re investigating the issue at the moment” or something along those lines would have been better. But I suppose the damage has been done.
If they’re gonna change and improve from here on out, they definitely need time to do so. If we needlessly scrutinize them, it’s not gonna do any of us good. It’s gonna be a waste of our time, and they won’t have a chance to show that they’ve changed. Let’s just keep our eyes on them and hope for the best. We too would like to apologize for the mistake we did from our initial posting of the issue.
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LG G4 now available in Malaysia

The LG G4 is available for RM2499 in Malaysia, officially distributed by Zitron Enterprise. There is an ongoing promotion offering FREE battery charging kit and Leather Quick Cover Case (worth a total of RM580) with every purchase of the LG G4.
The LG G4 is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 (quad A53 cores running at 1.44 GHz and dual A57 cores running at 1.82 GHz) mated to 3GB of RAM. The Snapdragon 808 used is most probably in response to the overheating complaints faced by the LG G Flex 2 which has a Snapdragon 810 inside that sexy curved frame. The G4 is also very slightly curved for a more ergonomic grip on the phone.

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The rest of the specifications include a 5.5″ 1440p IPS Quantum display under Gorilla Glass 3, a 16MP f/1.8 camera supported by laser focus, optical image stabilization and a “Color Spectrum Sensor” which claims to analyze all the available light to produce a vivid image. The sensor is a Sony IMX234 according to AnandTech. The front camera is rated at 8MP. Preventing you and the phone from being attached to a wall all the time is a 3000 mAh battery.

Malaysia seems to only have the leather-backed variants available for sale. They are currently available in red, black and brown. For more information click here.

SOURCE: LG Malaysia Fan Club and thanks to MDroid for the heads-up

Pokdepinion: The LG G4 seems to be the first phone out there with the Snapdragon 808. After some Googling I see a test by ArsTechnica which seems to show a lot less throttling of the 808 compared to the 810. The pricing is on the high side but there will definitely be some people who will appreciate the quality in this premium smartphone.

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HUAWEI has reportedly sold off HONOR to circumvent US sanctions

HUAWEI has reportedly mulled selling off its sub-brand HONOR to help it get around US’ sanctions. HONOR’s distancing from HUAWEI should allow it to work with US-linked suppliers to continue growing as a smartphone brand. An official announcement is reportedly to be expected around 20th November, which is a little more than a week away.

According to sources, Huawei has sold Honor smartphone unit to a newly established state-owned JV, aiming for an IPO in 3 years.
The prerequisites of the acquisition is that the new company can buy and use 5G chips. An official announcement of the deal will be made around Nov 20. pic.twitter.com/KipBu3SotR
— Eva 郑 عائشة (@evazhengll) November 8, 2020

According to the source, HONOR will be owned by a newly-formed joint venture between several mobile phone distributors in China, Putian, Tianyin, China Post, Aishide and an investment company. The total cost of the acquisition is reportedly around 15~25 billion yuan, with the company expected to go public in three years.

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Separating from HUAWEI should allow HONOR to continue working with the likes of Qualcomm and MediaTek for chipsets and also regain access to Google Mobile Services, which is pretty important in smartphone markets outside of China. The acquisition of HONOR will reportedly carry over the entire employee base, R&D and also supply chain, which will allow HONOR’s new owners to pick up where they left quickly.

HUAWEI is reportedly going to focus on the high-end smartphone market and also telecommunications equipment, instead of the value segment that HONOR devices target. Whether the rumors are true remains to be seen, but since the announcement is slated to happen sometime next week, it shouldn’t be too long until we get proper confirmation whether anything is happening between HUAWEI and HONOR.
Source
Pokdepinion: Well we definitely welcome renewed competition in the value smartphone market!
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Razer CEO Min-Liang Tan Meets with Canadian PM Justin Trudeau – Talks eSports, Fintech, and the Youth

Razer CEO Min-Liang Tan Meets with Canadian PM Justin Trudeau

At the 33rd ASEAN Summit, leaders and key partners met up to discuss some very important members. One interesting thing worth noting for gamers is that Razer CEO Min-Liang Tan met up with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
It’s being said that Min-Liang Tan Justin Trudeau had a positive conversation about developing gaming, eSports and fintech (financial tech) innovation in Canada, and talked about using these platforms to better engage the youth of today.
Been an absolute blast chatting with Justin Trudeau — excited to know there’s a lot more to do for the youth, in growing esports and to move FinTech innovation in Canada. Hope you’ve enjoyed your time in Singapore and our gift from Razer!

Been an absolute blast chatting with @JustinTrudeau – excited to know there’s a lot more to do for the youth, in growing esports and to move FinTech innovation in Canada. Hope you’ve enjoyed your time in Singapore and our gift from Razer! pic.twitter.com/H5YaXyvIVC
— Min-Liang Tan (@minliangtan) November 15, 2018

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The downside here is that exact details of the discussion was not revealed, which left many people wondering what could come out of it. For now, Razer has mentioned that they have “more exciting news to share in the near future”.
Min-Liang Tan also took the opportunity to present Justin Trudeau with a small gift; a customized Team Razer jacket, as well as some Razer peripherals and souvenirs. I sure which I could have my own customized jacket like that.
For now, be sure to keep your eyes and ears peeled out as something good might come from Razer sooner rather than later.
Pokdepinion: I’m honestly curious as to what this exciting news they have us. Oh well, only time will tell I suppose. The tease is real.
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ASUS ExpertBook B9 (B9400CEA) Review — an evolution in the right direction

The ASUS ExpertBook B9 (B9450) we previously reviewed was already an absolutely stunning machine, with great performance in an ultra-light form factor. Today we will be taking a look at the refreshed version, the ASUS ExpertBook B9 (B9400), which is based on the same design, but with the latest 11th Gen Intel Core processor and a few updated specifications.
Unboxing

The packaging of the ASUS ExpertBook B9 is quite premium, with the laptop and documentations offered in one box, and the charger and Ethernet dongle in the other. The charger’s box can also be turned into a laptop stand simply by flipping it over, but to be entirely honest, I don’t see why anyone would actually need that, considering that the ASUS ExpertBook B9 sports a good enough tilt for most people.

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Our unit arrived was sent to us from Intel, and seems to have come directly from ASUS HQ in Taiwan. The power adapter is similar to what ASUS has bundled in most of their recent laptops, providing 65W of power via the USB Power Delivery (USB-PD) protocol. It’s quite compact and will easily fit into any bag. The ASUS ExpertBook B9 also comes with a nice sleeve to protect it during transportation.
Appearance

The most unique aspect of the ASUS ExpertBook B9’s design is the materials used in its construction. While most laptops go with either aluminum or plastic shells, the ASUS ExpertBook B9 sports a exotic magnesium lithium alloy chassis. As if that isn’t cool enough, ASUS also applied a micro-arc oxidation layer to create a hard ceramic layer to protect the underlying metal from corrosion. It is both stunning to behold and hold, with a sparkly matte finish that ASUS dubs Star Black.

ASUS used a very angular design that really reflects the no frills direction of the ASUS ExpertBook series. It is also one of the few 11th Gen Intel Core laptops that ASUS released recently with an actual vent, unlike their latest ASUS ZenBooks which have slits there simply for aesthetic purposes.

There is a very minimal bezel around the display, which is expected from a machine as premium as the ASUS ExpertBook B9. The ASUS ExpertBook B9 also sports a more noticeable tilt angle with its ErgoLift hinge, which is perfect if you plan on doing some extensive typing on the machine when on the go.
ASUS ExpertBook B9 Specifications

CPU
Intel Core i7-1165G7 @ 2.8GHz (up to 4.7GHz Boost), 4C/8T, 15W TDP, 10nm SuperFin

RAM
32GB LPDDR4X-4266, dual-channel (on-board)

GPU
Intel Iris Xe Graphics, 96EU @ up to 1.3GHz

Storage
2TB Samsung PM981 3.0 x4 NVMe SSD
(2 x M.2 PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe slots)

Software
Microsoft Windows 10 Pro
Intel Graphics Command Center
MyASUS
DTS Audio Processing
McAfee Personal Security
Office Home and Student 2019

Connectivity
Intel WiFi 6 AX201 (2×2 WiFi 6 up to 2.4 Gbps)
Bluetooth 5.0
Intel I219-V Gigabit LAN (via micro HDMI dongle)
2 x USB-C (Thunderbolt 4, DisplayPort, USB-PD charging)
1 x USB 3.2 Gen2 (10 Gbps)

Display
14″ FHD (1080p) IPS panel, AUO B140HAN06.B, 100% sRGB, 400 nits brightness
USB-C supports DisplayPort Alt Mode
HDMI 2.0 (up to [email protected] Hz)

Audio
Stereo speakers, certified by Harman-Kardon
Quad microphone
1 x 3.5mm combo jack

Power
65W power adapter, USB-PD support
66WHr Li-Po battery

Dimensions
320 x 203 x 14.9 mm

Weight
1.005kg

Performance
The ASUS ExpertBook B9 we have here today features the 11th Gen Intel Core i7-1165G7, which is going to be a pretty huge upgrade from the Comet Lake-powered ASUS ExpertBook B9 (B9450) that came before it. We had no idea why the previous generation didn’t pack the Ice Lake processor instead, considering that battery life is a major focus with the professional ambitions of the ASUS ExpertBook B9 series. But all we can say is ASUS has more than redeemed themselves.

Unlike the ASUS ExpertBook B9 (B9450) that we reviewed, the ASUS ExpertBook B9 today has a single 2TB drive that’s partitioned into two logical drives. The same Samsung PM981 is used here, although I am quite surprised that ASUS didn’t equip the ASUS ExpertBook B9 to support M.2 PCIe 4.0 drives, considering that the 11th Gen Intel Core processors do support the the faster interface.
If you want, you can always drop in a second SSD for RAID 0 or RAID 1, depending on whether you need faster speeds with data striping, or an exact copy of whatever you have in your primary drive. Performance wise, I don’t think you will need to run a Samsung PM981 in RAID 0 anyway, given that it is plenty nippy for pretty much anything you need.

Cinebench R20 sees the ASUS ExpertBook B9 deliver middling results when it comes to the single-core performance, but lose out to the other 11th Gen Intel Core laptops we have tested. It does quite handily beat its predecessor though, which also actually exhibited a similar scenario of slightly underperforming when pitted againsts its peers with the same processors.

Superposition sees the ASUS ExpertBook B9 flex it’s graphics performance, and it delivers more than 4X the performance of the ASUS ExpertBook B9 (B9450). The Intel Iris Xe Graphics is really quite formidable in the latest Tiger Lake processors.

Here we can see a similar scenario when the ASUS ExpertBook B9 is compared against its predecessor, but it is somehow the slowest of the 11th Gen Intel Core laptops we have tested. While previously AMD’s Vega graphics architecture offered a good lead when compared against Intel’s solutions all the way up to the Gen11 GPU architecture, the Iris Xe Graphics proves potent enough to beat it.

PCMark reveals that the ASUS ExpertBook B9 has plenty of performance for pretty much everything except Digital Content Creation. That’s pretty much expected, but if you want to do some photo editing or light video editing, the ASUS ExpertBook B9 is definitely more than ready to handle it.

Battery life is a strong advantage on the ASUS ExpertBook B9. It managed a good 13 hours and 59 minutes running the battery life benchmark. Despite it being this light, ASUS managed to cram in a 66WHr battery and use a bunch of hardware-based power saving measures like panel self-refresh, on top of the 11th Gen Intel Core processor that can sip less than 2W at idle.
ASUS Fan Profiles?
The ASUS Intelligent Performance Technology (AIPT) allows you to toggle between three modes which ASUS peculiarly dubs Fan Profiles. There’s Whisper, Standard and Performance mode, with the following PL1 and PL2 limits:

PL1 limit (long boost)
PL2 limit (short boost)

Performance Mode
20.5W
32W

Standard Mode
20.5W
25W

Whisper Mode
18W
20W

While the Performance Mode might look like it will offer the best performance, it doesn’t actually do that well when it comes to a heavy, sustained load like Realbench’s stress test. Nearly immediately after the stress test is started, the PL1 limit drops down to just 9.5W, which is really abysmally low.
Standard Mode was actually able to sustain the PL2 boost limits for about 50 seconds before dropping down to the PL1 limit and later further tapering down the power limits. It seems like the Performance Mode is intended for bursty workloads, rather than longer workloads, where the Standard Mode seems to hold its ground better.

This is actually evident in our benchmarks which actually see the Standard Mode deliver better scores across the board, except in the single-core portion of Cinebench R20. This is definitely quite peculiar as it seems that ASUS designed the ASUS ExpertBook B9 to limit itself even before temperatures have hit alarming levels. The temperatures that the ASUS ExpertBook B9 hit before it started lowering the power limits was just 81°C, which is really quite low for recent Intel-based systems.
User Experience

The ASUS ExpertBook B9 is an ultraportable laptop for those who don’t mind paying extra for the luxury of literally lightening their load. It is definitely on the pricier side of things, but what you get is a laptop that’s so light, you can put it in a bag and forget you have a laptop. Or you know, carry it around in one hand like a file. It will most probably be lighter than some files you have carried around too. And yet it is MIL-STD810H rated.

The lid’s hinge is extremely light, which is great if you often open your laptop with just one hand. It very smoothly opens and the ErgoLift hinge slides under the laptop to raise it up. It is worth mentioning that while the dugi seems to be quite sturdy, you can get it to exhibit a bit of flex if you press hard on the lid or keyboard deck.
Display and Audio

While I assume that the ASUS ExpertBook B9 isn’t intended for content creators, it does have a good display panel here. It covers 97.1% of the sRGB gamut and 70% of the DCI-P3 gamut, which is slightly lower than its predecessor. However it does have the benefit of being a much brighter panel, capable of 327.53 nits according to our measurements. It will definitely be more capable when used outdoors.
The ASUS ExpertBook B9 sounds great too, despite it only packing a pair of stereo speakers. It has an excellent representation in the mids and highs, although it doesn’t do bass that well. Pretty much what you would expect from a laptop of this caliber. One thing worth noting is that they are very loud, and I actually found anything above 60% to be too loud with the ASUS ExpertBook B9 set directly in front of me.

If the sound is not to your tastes, you can also fire up the included DTS Audio Processing software to adjust the audio profile. It is a bit less feature-packed than AudioWizard though, which was offered on the ASUS ExpertBook B9’s predecessor.
Keyboard and Trackpad

ASUS has been pretty consistent with their keyboards, and the ASUS ExpertBook B9 is no different. It feels pretty nice to type on with sufficient tactile feedback and a just the right amount of travel. It is also spill-resistant. We have yet to test out the spill resistance for ourselves, but we have seen the ASUS ExpertBook B9 (B9450) get a whole glass of water poured onto it and it was entirely unaffected, so it does seem pretty amazing.
And of course the ASUS ExpertBook B9 packs ASUS’ NumberPad 2.0. It is a numpad in the trackpad, and it does make keying in numbers in Excel a much better experience than pecking away at the number row in the keyboard. The oversized trackpad itself is excellent too, with precise tracking and a great feel to it, thanks to the matte glass covering. I wouldn’t miss my mouse if I had the ASUS ExpertBook B9 to use on the go.
Security

While we have been looking at the ASUS ExpertBook B9 from a rather layman point of view, it is actually designed for enterprise users. And as such, it actually comes with an overkill level of security. The little black rectangle to the left of the webcam is actually the proximity sensor, and it allows the ASUS ExpertBook B9 to sense when you are leaving the laptop, immediately locking the device down to prevent your sensitive data from being viewed by other people.
When you get closer, it will wake the laptop and trigger the integrated infrared camera to look for your face to unlock itself. ASUS calls this the ASUS AdaptiveLock feature. Yes, the ASUS ExpertBook B9 does have a nice IR facial recognition system. For those who are particular about their privacy, the ASUS ExpertBook B9 also has a physical shutter over its webcam, allowing you to block it out.

There’s also a fingerprint scanner for those who prefer this method of entry. As far as I know, the ASUS ExpertBook B9 is the only laptop left in ASUS’ lineup to still offer a fingerprint sensor along with the IR facial recognition system. I do prefer fingerprint sensors, but I think to further enhance the convenience, ASUS could have implemented a SSO fingerprint sensor that are integrated into the power button, like the one we see in the ROG Zephyrus G14.

As a machine designed for enterprise deployments, ASUS integrated an Ethernet NIC into the ASUS ExpertBook B9 itself, so that the laptop will have a fixed MAC address, a feature necessary for certain enterprise-class security measures. Due to its ultra-thin profile, ASUS couldn’t integrate an Ethernet port, and instead went with a micro HDMI port that connects to the included dongle. While I feel few people will ever need it, it is nice to see ASUS provide this feature as an option to those who do.
I/O Ports

Since that we are already talking about the LAN port, let’s talk about the rest of the I/O on the ASUS ExpertBook B9. Similar to their direction with the ASUS ZenBook series, ASUS designed the ASUS ExpertBook B9 with a full-sized USB-A 3.2 Gen2 port that can provide for up to 10Gbps speeds. Nice to see ASUS not only provide a convenient port for connecting your peripherals to, but also making sure to wire it up to offer the fastest speeds supported by the USB-A port. There’s also a 3.5mm combo jack here along with a Kensington Security Slot.

Over on the other side, there’s a full-sized HDMI 2.0 port beside the micro HDMI port that’s actually a LAN port. Two Thunderbolt 4 ports round up the I/O on the ASUS ExpertBook B9. It supports the DisplayPort Alt Mode as well as USB-PD charging. The ASUS ExpertBook B9 will be perfect to pair up with a display like the ASUS ProArt PA27AC which can double as both an external display and a power adapter for the ASUS ExpertBook B9.
The only thing I feel lacking here is a memory card reader. While I understand that the ASUS ExpertBook B9 is targeted towards business users who probably won’t care for a microSD card reader, as a content creator, a memory card reader is pretty important to me personally. But oh well, at least there are sufficient USB-C ports for something like the Ugreen X-Kit.
Pre-installed Software

MyASUS is included with the ASUS ExpertBook B9. It is a nice suite that compiles most of the toggles for the features offered by the ASUS ExpertBook B9. There’s also Link to MyASUS, which allows you to mirror your phone screen to the laptop’s displays, among other things. Switching to the ASUS Intelligent Performance Profile is also done in MyASUS, but as we have seen in the performance tests, it doesn’t necessary improve things.

There’s ASUS Business Manager here too, that’s more oriented towards allowing business to streamline their IT management. ASUS seems to have removed the My Logo feature that allowed users to change their boot logo though, which is a shame. I would have loved my laptop to boot with the Pokde.net logo.
Conclusion
On the surface, the ASUS ExpertBook B9 might seem like a pretty standard refresh to the ASUS ExpertBook B9 (B9450). But on top of offering an upgrade to the 11th Gen Intel Core processor, it does pack quite a few extra improvements this generation. There’s the ASUS AdaptiveLock proximity sensor to improve privacy, AIPT for better performance in burstier workloads and a brighter display, all of which come together to result in an even better laptop than its predecessor, which we awarded the Best Ultraportable Laptop of 2020.

It probably goes without saying that such a machine is not going to be affordable, and the ASUS ExpertBook B9 definitely isn’t. At $1999.99 (~RM8270), the ASUS ExpertBook B9 is really quite expensive. To be entirely honest, I wouldn’t spend that much on a laptop, but then again it is intended for an entirely different income group than the one I am in. For jetsetters and businessmen who need a laptop with them at all times, the ASUS ExpertBook B9’s price tag should be quite acceptable, especially considering the convenience that the ultra lightweight design and long battery life can bring to them.

Our thanks to Intel for sending us the ASUS ExpertBook B9 for review.

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Xiaomi Chinese New Year Sale — Here’s What You Can Expect

With Chinese New Year soon to arrive, the folks at Xiaomi Malaysia has prepped up several offers for you to enjoy and here’s exactly what they have to offer.
Xiaomi Malaysia Chinese New Year deals

The company is offering RM200 or RM100 rebate off on the Xiaomi 11T and Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE smartphones, where the offer lasts until the 31st of January 2022.

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On top of that, you will get your hands on a free Mi Composition Scale 2 worth RM119 when you purchase the mentioned devices.

Aside from that, from now till the 13th of February, you can spend in the store for a chance to win a Mi TV P1 43″ or Mi TV P1 55″ worth up to RM2,499.
You can check out our full reviews on the Xiaomi 11T and Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE by heading to their respective links.
For more on the latest tech and gaming news plus reviews, stay tuned to Pokde.net.
Pokdepinion: Seems like they have the same offer as before, adding on top of the free TVs. Feeling lucky?
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The Last of Us Part 2 Malaysian Price and Pre-Order Revealed – 5 Fascinating Editions

Recently, we reported about the release date for The Last of Us Part 2 and Ghost of Tsushima, which you can read about here. Today, we’ve learned about the Malaysian pricing, availability, and pre-order for The Last of Us Part 2 courtesy of the folks over at Sony Interactive Entertainment Singapore.
There are five different editions of the game that you can get but regardless of which you’ll be getting, every pre-order will get you two extra in-game items; Ammo Capacity Upgrade and Crafting Training Manual. All physical disc pre-orders on the other hand will get special The Last of Us Part 2 T-shirt featuring Ellie’s tattoo printed on the back.

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Now, the standard edition of the game, both the physical and digital editions, will have the same retail price of RM239 and will only come with the game itself aside from the pre-order bonuses. The other four editions of the game will have some notable extras.
The Last of Us Part 2 Digital Deluxe Edition

The Digital Deluxe Edition of the game will be priced at RM299. You will be getting all the digital pre-order bonuses, as well as the following digital items:

PS4 Dynamic Theme
Set of 6 PSN Avatars
Digital Soundtrack
Digital Mini Art Book from Dark Horse

If you want to pre-order the Digital Deluxe Edition, click right here. To pre-order the Digital Standard Edition, click here instead.
The Last of Us Part 2 Special Edition

The Special Edition of the game will be priced slightly higher than the Digital Deluxe Edition, at RM349. It will come with a number of bonuses on top of all the pre-order bonuses, which includes:

SteelBook Case with Full Game
48 Page Mini Art Book from Dark Horse
PS4 Dynamic Theme
Set of 6 PSN Avatars
Digital Soundtrack
Digital Mini Art Book from Dark Horse

The Last of Us Part 2 Collector’s Edition

This is where the price spikes up quite a bit, but understandably so given the Collector’s Edition moniker. It will be priced at RM839 and, on top of all the pre-order bonuses, will come with the following items:

SteelBook Case with Full Game
12” Ellie Statue
48 Page Mini Art Book from Dark Horse
Replica of Ellie’s Bracelet
Lithograph Art Print and Thank You Letter
Set of 5 Stickers
Set of 6 Enamel Pins
PS4 Dynamic Theme
Set of 6 PSN Avatars
Digital Soundtrack
Digital Mini Art Book from Dark Horse

The Last of Us Part 2 Ellie Edition

Last but not least, we have The Last of Us Part 2 Ellie Edition, coming it at a whopping RM1,099. This one of course yields the best items on top of all the pre-order bonuses, which includes:

SteelBook Case with Full Game
12” Ellie Statue
48 Page Mini Art Book from Dark Horse
Replica of Ellie’s Backpack
Replica of Ellie’s Bracelet
The Last of Us Part II Logo Patch
Vinyl Record Featuring Music from the Original Soundtrack
Lithograph Art Print and Thank You Letter
Set of 5 Stickers
Set of 6 Enamel Pins
PS4 Dynamic Theme
Set of 6 PSN Avatars
Digital Soundtrack
Digital Mini Art Book from Dark Horse

If you want to pre-order the physical copy of the game regardless of which edition, you can head on over to Sony Centres and PlayStation Authorized Dealers in Malaysia. If you’re not sure where exactly those places are, click right here.
The Last of Us Part 2 will be released in Malaysia and everywhere else in the world on 19th June 2020 exclusively for the PlayStation 4.
Pokdepinion: I’m sure many of you are excited for the game but which version are you planning to get? I personally like steelbook cases because of how it feels so I’m gonna at least go for the special edition.
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Google Pixel Watch 2 to Release Alongside Pixel 8 and 8 Pro

Google is reportedly planning to release its next-generation smartwatch, the Pixel Watch 2, alongside the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro later this year. Here’s what we know so far.
Google to Launch Pixel Watch 2 with Pixel 8 and 8 Pro Later this Year

Google is reportedly set to switch to an annual release cycle for its Pixel Watch lineup, with the Pixel Watch 2 expected to launch later this year alongside the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro. While no specific details have been released yet, it is expected that the overall design of the watch will be refined with a larger display and smaller bezels, but with no significant changes.

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The device may also feature the Snapdragon W5+ with its 4nm manufacturing process, allowing the watch to last longer on a single charge. However, there has been no indication of whether or not there will be different sizes for the watch. While the exact release date is yet to be confirmed, it is likely to be in October when Google has traditionally launched its flagships, with the Pixel Watch 2 expected to be available in time for the holiday season.
Stay tuned for further updates on the Google Pixel Watch 2, which may be revealed at the upcoming Google I/O event on 10th May 2023.
Source
Pokdepinion: I just want all of their devices, not just the smartwatch, to come to Malaysia in an official capacity. They’re pretty good from what I can see, but I’m surprised it still hasn’t been brought here after so long. I don’t expect it to happen soon either, that’s the sad part.
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ILLEGEAR Rogue Ryzen and Onyx V Ryzen launched in conjuction with new Southern Concept Showroom

ILLEGEAR has just opened their 2nd Concept Showroom in Johor Bahru last Saturday, bringing gamers in the southern region a better customer experience as well as the ability to literally get their hands on the latest ILLEGEAR laptops. Aside from launching their new store, ILLEGEAR also launched two new AMD Ryzen 4000-powered laptops, the new Onyx V Ryzen and Rogue Ryzen.

The Onyx V Ryzen offers heavy-weight performance with up to a Ryzen 7 4800H mated to a GeForce RTX 2060 in a ultraportable package. To celebrate the launch of the ILLEGEAR Southern Branch, they are throwing in a free RAM upgrade to 16GB DDR4-3200 memory, Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut thermal paste and a professional color calibration of the display, worth a total of RM387.

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The Rogue Ryzen will come with a similar package of freebies as well, while being slightly more affordable. It also serves up a bigger 17.3″ 120 Hz display, for more viewing area when working or gaming on the go. The downside is that the laptop weighs a bit more at 2.45 kg, and is also significantly thicker. The Rogue Ryzen comes in configurations similar to the Onyx V Ryzen, which include options to equip it with the AMD Ryzen 7 4800H and GeForce RTX 2060 graphics.
Aside from these two new offerings, ILLEGEAR is also running a Southern Branch Launch Promo on the rest of their lineup too. If you are considering a new ILLEGEAR laptop, don’t miss out on this opportunity to snag one with a nice set of freebies!
Pokdepinion: Man the Onyx V Ryzen seems pretty enticing for the portability at its price…
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Leaks Claim Intel 14th Gen CPUs Launching Between 17 To 23 October 2023

Chinese media outlet ECSM has dropped more info on Intel’s upcoming launch plans – some of which involves the upcoming Raptor Lake Refresh (RPL-R) chips. The launch is set on Week 42, which range from 17 to 23 October this year – with only the K-series products. Non-K models will follow on Week 1 of 2024, which coincides with the annual CES event where it’s common for chipmakers (including Intel) to release new lineups.
The post also noted the existence of 8P+12E model which they assume will be designated as Core i7-14700K. This unique core configuration meant that existing motherboards, which is set to support the entire 14th Gen lineup, will require a firmware update for it to work on that specific chip. Others meanwhile will work right away given the latest BIOS installed.

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Meanwhile, the future Arrow Lake lineup will see a new line of motherboards designated 800 series (which includes Z890, B860 and H810), however the post has pointed out that there’s no timeline available for the chip’s release, and that H870 is “seemingly” not making into the final lineup.
Finally, the post mentions a small bit of info on Team Red’s side. The upcoming “Storm Peak” (Ryzen 7000 Threadripper HEDT) is launching in Q4 this year, paired with two new chipsets. It’s unclear what that might be given that Threadrippers only had a single chipset for all preceding generations, with 1st/2nd gen TR matching X399 and 3rd gen using the newer TRX40 chipset. The next generation does not feature consumer versions, as Ryzen 5000 only features workstation Threadripper Pro models.
Source: Videocardz
Pokdepinion: With more information we’re getting, suffice to say Intel 14th Gen is happening soon.
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OPPO Malaysia Giving Away OPPO Reno 5F And OPPO Band During Launch

If you’ve been following OPPO Malaysia’s social media, you would probably know that they are launching their new OPPO Reno5 F smartphone. To celebrate the launch, they are giving away the new smartphone as well as OPPO Bands to viewers of the launch’s livestream.
OPPO Malaysia giveaway

You can catch the livestream later today at 3.30pm and if you’re interested in the giveaway, follow these steps:

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Watch, like, and share the launch livestream from the official OPPO Facebook page on your profile with the hashtag #OPPOReno5F. Remember to tag @oppo when you share it.
Answer the questions correctly with the hashtag #OPPOReno5F in the comment section (in the livestream)

Five winners will be announced during the live unboxing session and the company has said that you will need to watch till the end to win the smartphone itself.
As for the OPPO Band giveaway, you just need to watch, like, and share the stream as mentioned earlier, where five lucky winners will be announced 48 hours after the launch on FB story.
For more on the latest tech and gaming news plus reviews, stay tuned to Pokde.net.
Pokdepinion: Who doesn’t like giveaway, right? As for the OPPO Reno5 F itself? Well I guess it will be a decent phone. One thing that I’m not too sure of is the pricing for it. They have a tendency to being overpriced..
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List Of Devices That Will Get MIUI 12 Update

It’s only been recently that Xiaomi fully unveiled the brand new MIUI 12 and some might be wondering which smartphones will be getting the update. If that’s the case, you’ve come to the right spot.
Confirmed MIUI 12 smartphones
According to the MIUI team on Weibo, it appears that the new user interface will be releasing in China starting from June 2020.
They will be rolling out the update in batches and here they are:

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MIUI 12 first batch
Xiaomi Mi 10Xiaomi Mi 10 ProXiaomi Mi 10 Youth EditionXiaomi Mi 9 Pro 5GXiaomi Mi 9 Explorer EditionXiaomi Mi 9Redmi K30 ProRedmi K30 5GRedmi K30Redmi K20 Pro/ Mi 9T ProRedmi K20/ Mi 9T
MIUI 12 second batch
Xiaomi Mi Mix 3Xiaomi Mi Mix 2SXiaomi Mi CC9 ProXiaomi Mi CC9Xiaomi Mi CC9 Meitu EditionXiaomi Mi 9 SEXiaomi Mi 8 Explorer Edition Xiaomi Mi 8Redmi Note 8 ProRedmi Note 7 ProRedmi Note 7
MIUI 12 third batch
Xiaomi Mi CC9eXiaomi Mi Note 3Xiaomi Mi Max 3Xiaomi Mi 8 Youth EditionXiaomi Mi 8 SEXiaomi Mi Mix 2Xiaomi Mi 6XRedmi Note 8Redmi 8Redmi 8ARedmi 7Redmi 7ARedmi 6 ProRedmi 6Redmi 6ARedmi Note 5Redmi S2
As you would’ve expect, the more recent smartphones are among the first to get the new updates. Though there are still older devices on that list.
If you don’t see your device isn’t in there, well don’t worry just yet. These are just the preliminary devices for China users. We should see them expanding to more devices as that’s normally is the case with new MIUI updates.
We should learn more on global version nearer to June, which isn’t far away from now.
Pokdepinion: I’m glad to see that they are still supporting some of the older devices out there. I’m sure people will appreciate that.

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Steam’s Revamped In-Game Overlay Features A Notepad That Follows The Game

Can’t keep track of side quests? This should help.

Valve brings a redesigned UI for the In-Game Overlay feature to match the new look across its main Steam app. This is currently on Beta for now – though among the features which include a new toolbar section and Game Overview, there’s a new one that can be fairly useful for players stuck in a lengthy or tricky level: Notes.

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Functionally, it’s more or less the same as the one that comes with your current Windows install (called Sticky Notes). You can add multiple notes, use rich text format, and even online sync across multiple devices. Though, Steam’s take on notes have a few gaming-specific optimizations.
Players can pin the note right on top of the game – OLED users need not worry – with transparency adjustments available. Aside from that, the notes follow the game automatically, meaning it’ll pop up as soon as you launch the game which the notes are attached to, even across devices (and works offline, too).

The patch also adds hardware acceleration support for macOS and Linux versions of the Steam, which should improve the app performance. The update overall should arrive in desktop client, Big Picture Mode and Steam Deck simultaneously, though some features for the latter, such as Notes, will come at a later date. It’ll be some time before all of these arrives on stable release, so if you want to try it out, go ahead and opt in for Beta in the app settings.
Source: The Verge
Pokdepinion: The Notes feature might be surprisingly useful for some players.
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Redmi Note 10S Starlight Purple Edition Is Coming To Malaysia

Just recently, the folks at Xiaomi Malaysia has announced that the new Redmi Note 10S Starlight Purple edition will be coming to our shores here in Malaysia.
Redmi Note 10S Starlight Purple edition

The Redmi Note 10S Starlight Purple sports a 6.43-inch AMOLED DotDisplay and comes with a 33W fast charger. There is a 360-degree light sensor setup and dual speakers. It is powered by a Helio G95 chipset and comes with a quad camera setup at the back consisting of a 64MP main camera, 8MP ultra-wide lens, 2MP macro, and finally a 2MP depth sensor.

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You can get it for the price of RM899 in 8GB+128GB variant. If you want to learn more on the device itself, you may check out our full review of it right here.
Aside from that, they are also bringing in a bigger storage variant of the Redmi 9C which comes with 4GB RAM mated with 128GB of internal storage. It uses a Helio G35 chipset and is powered by a 5000mAh battery under the hood. It’s available in Midnight Gray, Sunrise Orange, and Twilight Blue colour variants for the price of RM499. Both of the devices will arrive starting from the 3rd of August 2021.
For more on the latest tech and gaming news plus reviews, stay tuned to Pokde.net.
Pokdepinion: Well it’s definitely a better looking variant than the one we’ve reviewed, that’s for sure. Don’t forget to check our opinion on the device and find out what it’s all about.
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Twitch To Adjust Subscription Prices Based On Your Location

In a recent blogpost, Twitch has revealed that they are planning to introduce alternate subscription prices based on your location.
Twitch to adjust subscription prices based on location

We’re rolling out one of the biggest changes in Twitch history, which will help creators build larger, more global communities: Local Subs Pricing.
The price of a sub in most countries will be lowered, starting with Mexico and Turkey.
Learn more: https://t.co/LzKQxynb5B pic.twitter.com/zNBeRC4WyO
— Twitch (@Twitch) May 17, 2021

The company has said that the price for a Twitch Tier 1 subscription will be lowered for subscribers to reflect their area’s cost of living. At the start, the change will be implemented in Mexico and Turkey before rolling out to other countries as well.
They have said that the number of subscribers outside of the US is significantly lower, where in Europe and Asia, it is 50% less.

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It appears that the pricing will be determined by payment method and location, which could mean a harder time for those who try to use a VPN to gain a cheaper price (for the subscription).
The new price change takes effect on the 20th of May 2021 where the price in Mexico is 48 pesos (~RM10) and 9.90 TRY (~RM4.89) in Turkey for a Tier 1 subscription.
For more on the latest tech and gaming news plus reviews, stay tuned to Pokde.net.
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Pokdepinion: Hopefully if the change affects Malaysia, it won’t be too high. I know quite a few streamers who have complained that it’s just too expensive when subscribing to the US prices.
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One Piece Pirate Warriors 4 New Trailer Shows Off All the Playable Characters

Previously, we had a number of small trailers for One Piece Pirate Warriors 4, giving us glimpses of the game with each new video. Now, we have a brand new trailer for the game showcasing all of the playable characters that you can enjoy.
It’s a sizable roster, which isn’t surprising given that we’re going all the way to the Wano arc, albeit an original creation version as opposed to a 1-to-1 recreation from the manga. Some of the notable characters include Sanji’s siblings in the Vinsmoke family, Big Mom, and Charlotte Katakuri.
We’ve seen a Japanese advertisement for the game where it recreated some of the series’ most iconic moments. We’ve also already learned about new multiplayer features as well as online co-operative play.

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What Does One Piece Pirate Warriors 4 Cover?
For those of you who aren’t aware, this is the sequel the Pirate Warriors 3 which was released in 2015. That game covered until the fight with Shichibukai Doflamingo. In One Piece Pirate Warriors 4, it will be covering the two major arcs that come after it; Whole Cake Island arc and Wano arc.
One Piece Pirate Warriors 4 will be coming to the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam on 27th March 2020.
What do you think of the character roster in this game? Needs more or perhaps more changes to existing characters? Join the discussion right below here:

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Pokdepinion: That’s a lot of playable characters but I’m not surprised given how big the anime / manga series is.
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Apple’s most powerful computer launched; the iMac Pro powered by Radeon Pro Vega for 22 Tflops of performance!

Apple’s most powerful computer powered by AMD’s latest professional graphics, the Radeon Pro Vega has just launched. The new iMac Pro takes performance to the next level with up to 22 TFlops of half precision performance, up to 16GB HBM2 memory for over 400GB/s of memory bandwidth, thanks to the Radeon Pro Vega GPUs in it.

The new iMac Pro pairs the Radeon Pro Vega GPUs with Intel’s latest Xeon W processors, offering up to 18 CPU cores with HyperThreading, for a total of 36 processing threads, running at up to 4.3 GHz with Turbo Boost and up to 42.75MB of cache.

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The new iMac Pro’s extreme specifications doesn’t stop there. Apple all-in-one desktop is probably the most powerful ever in the market, with support for up to 128GB of 2666 MHz DDR4 ECC memory running in quad channel, 4TB SSD storage with up to 3.3 GB/s write performance, four 40 Gbps Thunderbolt 3 ports, 10 Gb Ethernet and a 27″ Retina 5K display with support for the DCI-P3 color gamut and 500 nits brightness.
The starting price? $4999. Perhaps you can start selling your kidneys if you really need to edit 8K videos in real time, or do anything really quickly. There really isn’t anything stopping you with the performance offered by the new iMac Pro.
Pokdepinion: So much power in a such a compact system!
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PS3 Games Appearing on PS5 Is Actually A Bug

With rumours of the PS5 getting backwards compatibility support, some PS3 games have started showing up on the system. Turns out, it’s a bug rather than the implementation of said feature. Here’s what we know thus far.
PS3 Games Appearing on PS5 Is A Bug

Before this spreads like wild fire, a few things to point out:
– This visual bug has happened many times over the years.
– It’s pulling the price from when PS Now let you pay to rent games individually.
– Prince of Persia games used to be on PS Now, so no – they’re not new. https://t.co/z4SMaOQGiE
— Ryan Biniecki (@MysticRyan) January 16, 2022

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A rumour has surfaced online recently about PS3 games allegedly appearing on the PS5 PlayStation Store. This makes people believe that backwards compatibility will finally be added to the new console. While the games cannot be purchased, it does look relatively legit.
However, that’s not actually the case. As it turns out, it appears to be a bug that unintentionally displays the games on the PS5. While there were some refuting claims that if it’s just a bug, it shouldn’t have any pricing on them, which is a fair point.
Twitter user Ryan Biniecki chimed in with a plausible point, that the PS3 games are pulling prices from the PS Now service, which lets you rent games individually. It has nothing to do with the PS5 on its own.
This doesn’t mean that backwards compatibility will never make its way to the new console however, as Sony is aware that many gamers want this feature. Highly likely, it will be implemented via a software update in the future but we can’t confirm anything for now. Stay tuned for further updates on that.
Source
Pokdepinion: The fact that this rumour gained a life of its own is a proof that many gamers want backwards compatibility in every console. It’s a shame they couldn’t include it from the start but I can understand that it can be difficult as the games might end up running not as they originally intended it to.
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New TSMC 3nm fab dedicated to Intel is reportedly in the works

While Intel was stuck on 14nm for the longest time, it seems that Intel isn’t looking to repeat their past mistakes. They are currently working with TSMC to use TSMC’s cutting-edge 3nm node, and they will actually be getting a dedicated fab to ensure that Intel will get the manufacturing capacity that they need.
Intel will be getting a dedicated TSMC 3nm fab
Aside from making sure that Intel will be getting enough 3nm wafers for their products, the separate production facility is also apparently to separate Apple and Intel’s orders, so that neither will be able to glean information about the other’s products. Intel is slated to churn out their non-CPU products at TSMC’s foundry, although rumors have pointed towards a future Intel Core i3 processor being manufactured on TSMC’s 3nm node.
Intel is reportedly paying a handsome sum to secure this kind of privilege from TSMC, and their partnership is expected to be a long-term one. This is both good news and bad news, as it indicates that Intel is no longer resting on their laurels and is willing to work with competitors to make better products. It also hints that Intel will not be ramping up their own Intel 3 process in time to produce all of their products themselves.

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The new TSMC 3nm fab dedicated to Intel is reportedly a repurposed R&D center in Baoshan, Taiwan. The new plant is apparently not going to face water shortages, which will alleviate a major concern that’s affecting TSMC’s production across Taiwan. TSMC is expected to be ready for mass production on their 3nm node by Q4 2022, with products based on 3nm appearing in early 2023. This is apparently due to delays caused by the complexity of transitioning to 3nm, which is a major node for TSMC.

Meanwhile, Intel is targeting to ramp up production on their own Intel 3 node in the second half of 2023. Intel’s partnership with TSMC also takes away the manufacturing process advantage that AMD was enjoying, and now with Intel securing their own dedicated 3nm fab, they might be able to get a better supply than AMD as well.
Source
Pokdepinion: It’s pretty interesting how TSMC is making chips for just about everyone in the industry now.
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skate. Will Be Free to Play with Cross-Play and Cross-Progression

Along with releasing the official name of Skate 4, Full Circle stated that skate. will be free-to-play on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. Additionally, the game will offer cross-play and cross-progression.
The announcement was made through Full Circle’s The Board Room update, and the team revealed that skate. will take place in San Vansterdam, which is a sister city to San Vanelona in Skate and Skate 2.

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The studio also revealed why they picked the title “skate.” rather than Skate 4, stating that this is not a sequel, reboot, or remake, but rather a new platform on which to build for years to come. This implies that fans should not expect a Skate 5 or 10, but rather a skateboarding game that will grow for a very long period.
In June, EA began seeking playtesters for Skate, and the team discussed how it was a difficult choice to enable gamers to experience the game in an incomplete condition. Finally, they want to construct this game with the fans and collect input as soon and as frequently as possible.
skate. does not yet have a release date, but the developer guarantees that it will be released as soon as possible.
For more information about the game, check out their latest trailer down below.

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Pokdepinion: I remember having a great time with Skate 3 ragdolls. Can’t wait to play skate together with my friends and have an awesome time.
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