Spotify Brings Back Lyrics Feature To Users

It appears that Spotify has decided to bring back a lyrics feature to their users for both subscribers and free users.
Spotify brings back lyrics feature

The news comes after Spotify has partnered up with Musixmatch where it is said that they’ve covered more than 8 million songs on the platform in terms of lyrics.

 Join Pokde Telegram Channel

It has been available on certain regions prior to this but it’s now rolling out to every user. Aside from providing lyrics on the app, it also offers lyrics sharing on social media, available for all platforms. This includes Android, iOS, Windows, consoles, and smart TVs that has the Spotify app natively.
To top it off, the company is removing the Behind the Lyrics feature which provides lyrics as well as some fun facts about the song that you’re listening and artist.
For more on the latest tech and gaming news plus reviews, stay tuned to Pokde.net.
Source
Pokdepinion: I can’t say that it’s a useless feature, some people just need to learn the lyrics when they sing!

Spread the PokdeLoveClick to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window)Click to share on Skype (Opens in new window)Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)

Related


ASUS ROG Zephyrus Duo 15 GX550 Review — Elevate your portable experience

While the public is going frantic over the ROG Zephyrus G14 and ASUS has been pushing hard to it available during these tough times, I have had my eyes on a totally different machine. I saw the ROG Zephyrus Duo first in an exclusive sneak peek during the COVID-19 pandemic and while it looked closely similar to the ASUS ZenBook Pro Duo, the ROG Zephyrus Duo had this charm that was so inviting, that I have been waiting for it to land on our shores just so I can spend more time with it.

Why would you not? The ROG Zephyrus Duo is the epitome of luxurious portable gaming that doubles as the perfect productivity workhorse made only for the very few lucky homo sapiens that could afford one of these for 20 grands MYR a pop! For such a price, my expectations would be over the roof as the past experience from the ROG Mothership have taught us a thing or two. Then again, the ROG Zephyrus Duo is not holding back any punches and if anything, it screams “Come at me, bro”!

 Join Pokde Telegram Channel

That’s because under the hood, we are looking at a beastly 8-cores 16-threads of the 10th Gen Intel Core i9-10980HK coupled to the god-awesome Nvidia RTX 2080 Super Max-Q with 32GB of crunching DDR4-3200MHz RAM and a whopping 2TB of M.2 PCIe Gen3 x4 NVMe storage configured in RAID0 and we’re just getting started. It comes in two variants of display so you can either pick the extremely beautiful 4K 60Hz 100% Adobe RGB, Pantone Validated G-Sync IPS panel if you plan to use it as a daily driver, or knock yourselves out with the insanely quick Full HD 300Hz/3ms, 100% sRGB, Pantone Validated G-Sync IPS panel if you plan to go hardcore gaming on it. Regardless of your choice, you are given a second display called the ROG ScreenPad Plus which is half the size of your primary display, tilted about 13° towards you and has a plethora of apps to bring about a wholesome experience, never done on a laptop before. Wait, there’s more. All of this is packaged in a resilient Magnesium-Aluminium build that stands 20.9mm tall and weighs around 2.4kg only! Blown your mind yet? So you thought.
ROG Zephyrus Duo Unboxed

The ROG experience for the Zephyrus Duo is unleashed right from the box itself which is not really a surprise if you have owned an ROG product before. The diagonal slash is debossed with beautiful silver etching of circuitry design on it and a little tab towards the end. Lifting this tab flips open half of the box to the left giving you a glimpse of ROG Zephyrus Duo underneath. Lifting the other lid, protrudes the inner box, tilting the machine towards you much like the ROG ScreenPad Plus will. It’s these meticulous details that ASUS puts into their ROG products that makes them stand out.

Apart from the ROG Zephyrus Duo itself, we get two power adapters, a 240W power adapter and a 65W Type-C Power Delivery (PD) adapter. The Zephyrs Duo also comes with an ergonomic wrist pad, user guides and a free copy of Dying Light 2 for redemption when it is officially available.
Silver with a dash of Black

The Zephyrus Duo comes in a blueish-gray body, which is the only color being offered. The diagonal line on the lid is becoming more standard, and the ROG emblem does not light up. As you lift the lid, the ROG ScreenPad Plus inversely gets lifted from the hinge side with a maximum of 13° angle. Right beneath the ROG ScreenPad Plus, you can spot two large vents that houses the fans largely responsible for the Active Aerodynamic Cooling System (AAS) Plus. The ROG Zephyrus Duo feels tall, thanks to the very wide rubber feet at the bottom that creates plenty of clearance for airflow at the bottom. Which is why, the ROG Zephyrus Duo doesn’t really need ErgoLift.

That’s not all that allows airflow here. The back of the ROG Zephyrus Duo houses large aggressive looking vents and the sides have their own vents respectively. This is the area that houses the CPU and the GPU and looking at the specification that the ROG Zephyrus Duo has, these vents are more than welcomed. Speaking of specifications;
ROG Zephyrus Duo Specifications

CPU
Intel Core i9-10980HK @ 2.4GHz (up to 5.3GHz Turbo Boost), 8C/16T, 45W TDP, 16MB Intel Smart Cache, 14nm

RAM
32GB 3200MHz DDR4 (16GB onboard + 1 x 16GB SO-DIMM)

GPU
Nvidia GeForce RTX2080 Super Max-Q, 8GB GDDR6, 1330MHz Boost Clock

Storage
2TB Samsung P981a PCIe Gen3 x4 NVMe SSD in Raid 0

Software
Microsoft Windows 10 Pro (1909)
GeForce Game Ready Driver 451.48
Screen Xpert (ROG Edition)
Armoury Crate
Xsplit Gamecaster

Connectivity
Intel WiFi-6 AX201 160MHz band support (2×2 WiFi 6 up to 2.4Gbps)
1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C with DisplayPort 1.4, Thunderbolt 3 and Power Delivery
2 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type A
1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type A
1 x HDMI 2.0b
1 x RJ45

Display
Primary
Option 1: 15.6” Non-glare UHD (3840 x 2160) 60Hz, 100% Adobe RGB, Pantone Validated, G-Sync
Option 2: 15.6” Non-glare FHD (1920 x 1080) 300Hz/3ms, 100% sRGB, Pantone Validated, G-SyncSecondary
14.1” (3840 x 1100) touchscreen

Audio
2 x 4W speakers with Smart AMP
ESS, High-res certified
Array Microphone
1 x 3.5mm Microphone-in
1 x 3.5mm Microphone-in/Headphone-out combo

Power
240W Power Adapter
Type-C PD 3.0 up to 65W

Dimensions
360 x 268 x 20.9 mm

Weight
2.4kg

Worth highlighting, the Zephyrus Duo comes with a microphone-in jack AND a combo jack. This way, you are not left out because of one or the other. If you are using a combo jack headphone, plug it to the combo socket. If you’re using a split jack headphone, your options are not disregarded and you can use both ports.
Worth taking note, the Zephyrus Duo does NOT have a webcam and unlike the ROG Zephyrus S GX701 that while also did not have a built-in webcam but at least bundled an optional ROG GC21 external webcam, the option is entirely missing here and is a real disappointment in times when webcams are more relevant than ever.
Performance

The ROG Zephyrus Duo uses the latest and greatest and nothing less in its offering. However, you have one important decision that you need to make before forking out RM20K on this monster which is, which display model should you opt for:

4K 60Hz 100% Adobe RGB
Full HD 300Hz/3ms 100% SRGB

It is the only parameter as choice offered in Malaysian market and both are priced the same. All other configurations are exactly the same. Just by opting for the other display can bring a huge difference in how the ROG Zephyrus Duo behaves and performs. If you already have an extremely powerful gaming desktop, I highly suggest you opt for the 4K version. If this will be the only computer you will own and gaming is in your DNA, go for the FHD edition. Bear in mind, I can reduce my 4K resolution to FHD but I cannot upscale FHD to 4K (DSR does not deliver the same experience, and doesn’t count) so I personally went with the 4K model. That said, the scores below are understated and played down if you get the FHD model instead.
Synthetic Benchmarks

The SSD in the ROG Zephyrus Duo is the Samsung P981a variant which is further improved from the more commonly sighted Samsung P981.

I think the last time I saw any laptop having read/write speeds faster than this was the ROG Mothership which is not a fair comparison as it used 3 NVMe SSDs in Raid0 configuration. Otherwise, even that wouldn’t have come close to the ROG Zephyrus Duo’s SSDs. Like I said, not holding back any punches, even if it’s a matter of less than 5% improvement.

Look who’s back up on the charts. There is no doubt that that Intel Core i9-10980HK is a beast of a CPU and one of the toughest to tame in this segment. With that, it scored the highest single core test score and didn’t lose much of its ego by standing second in the multi core test score. It also falls slightly above the Ryzen 9 4900HS and Ryzen 7 4800H to which, Intel really needs to fold their sleeves and get serious about their future.

The GPU under the hood is an RTX 2080 SUPER with Max-Q that fared pretty well too. In fact, the only competition that it gets are that from 2080 model laptops too. Looking at the scores and considering all the models in the past that we have tested, gaming on this machine is about to be pretty interesting, but more on that later.

This is further approved by TimeSpy testing. As you can see, the Zephyrus Duo performed best among all other Max-Q GPUs on our list.

Let’s look at the raytracing capabilities of the GPU and once again the only competition that it gets is from the other RTX 2080 machines, although the scores do skew more towards 2070s than the 2080s. Much like the Zephyrus G14 had, ASUS has implemented the ROG Boost to deliver 1330MHz boost clock speeds at 90W.

Putting it to productivity test, which probably is what I would be using the ROG Zephyrus Duo more for, the scores were up the roof. This is the first time a laptop broke into the five figures territory in our PCMark test for as long as we have toyed with laptops. With the specifications like these, it was kinds expected but then, this is not the first time we had a machine like this in our labs, so what made it deliver this level of performance has a direct correlation to how well the ROG Zephyrus Duo handles the heat dissipation and prevents throttling along the way.
Gaming
I have said it many times, and I will say it again. 4K Gaming is not today. In fact, the gap is closing slowly, but 20-series RTX cards is not where it settles. I have high hopes for the upcoming 30-series RTX cards and we will evaluate at that time.

If you look at the 4K Gaming chart above, these are actually not bad numbers for a laptop that you can carry around that carries bragging rights on its own. All these games are AAA titles and have been set to their default maximum settings at 4K resolution, so you are seeing a portable dual screen laptop running 4K games at ultra settings kicking console gaming out of the league. If you want to improve the score and still retain the 4K screen, turn the settings a notch down and you can be scoring 60 fps pretty easily. One thing that caught my eyes is that the RTX2080 is getting pumped at almost maximum capacity and if you look at Shadow of the Tomb Raider, disabling RTX and DLSS does no justice to the GPU. In fact, turning both of them ON offloads the ray tracing to the dedicated functional block, the RT cores which eases the runway for a much pleasant gaming experience.
Now here are the same maximum settings for every game above, but this time in Full HD instead.

It is important to realize this because the Zephyrus Duo comes in both options and if you are planning to game hard on it, then you should really get the Full HD version and take advantage of the 300Hz display capabilities. If you’re asking me, why did I opt for the 4K version instead? I’ll elaborate it in the Experience section.
Battery Life
Let’s be practical. We have the highest offering of the 10th Gen notebook CPU, with the most powerful GPU coupled to it, two extremely bright displays rendering more than 4K total resolution and lots of fluff and effects like bright RGB keyboard. It’s a powerful gaming laptop and we shouldn’t be expecting battery life out of it, right? The first question here is, what is our fine line of acceptance. If you’re saying you need 12 hours of battery life, sure, but then you can’t be remotely dreaming of chugging that out from something that weighs under 2.4kg. While Vyncent is still combating with his adulting on outgrowing heavy gaming laptops, I have long embraced lightweight gaming laptops as my daily driver, MSI GS65 being the current one. That’s because I need the horsepower for the daily tasks that I run on my laptop and I usually need at most 3 hours of continuous battery before my next charge. Outside of that, I’m on my powerful desktop where battery is not even a concern.

Which is exactly more than what I am getting from the ROG Zephyrus Duo. At 300 nits calibrated (which is actually very high), I have two displays to spoil myself with multitasking and I can still clock 4 hours on continuous battery life. How awesome is that? And if I am feeling ultra-productive and I am at the brink of completing my task and I just need to push another 10 or maybe 15 more minutes? Just plug in a Power Delivery (PD) powerbank and get that time extended accordingly. Keep in mind, this is not even on battery saving mode yet, yeah!
Thermals
All this and yet the laptop is not even hot or noisy. How is it achieving this? First, ASUS upped the ante of the AAS to AAS Plus, that stands for Active Aerodynamic System Plus. This is achieved by a large 28.5mm air intake behind the secondary display that draws in cool air and reduces noise at the same time. This grants a whopping 30% airflow capabilities in comparison to the previous Zephyrus laptops. Second, ASUS has developed their very own technique of safely applying liquid metal thermal compound to the newer Intel CPUs and put this on production line. That itself is capable of bringing up to 25% cooling to the CPU. Third, the ROG Armoury Crate software optimizes cooling performance further by seamlessly switching between operating modes based on the task that the ROG Zephyrus Duo is handling. If you think I’m exaggerating, have a look at the following image.

The CPU fan is spinning at a staggering 4000rpm and the GPU fan at 3700rpm. I have put the sound meter right next to the vents where the fans are noisiest and detect the highest peak of noise instead of its average and we only hit 61.8dB maximum. In a noise chart, 60db is normal conversation acoustics. This is the loudest the Zephyrus Duo can be, and this is being measured right next to the vents. Find me a machine that can put all that the Zephyrus Duo has to offer on the table and still maintain this level of silence. I’ll wait. Until then, let’s see what is exactly going on under the hood.

We run Realbench test and monitor the temperatures, CPU Clocks and Package Power and this is where we discover additional secrets. Under stress, the CPU bursts out a boost hitting its peak and once it runs out of juice, it maintains at 35W which is TDP-down mode as the Intel Core i9-10980HK has a configurable TDP-up of 65W. During the boost shot, the temperature hits 93° before flat-lining to average 77°C while maintaining a steady clock at 1.8GHz which in itself is pretty low in comparison to its immediate rivals.
If anything, ASUS adhered to Intel’s guidelines and this results in a much tame, silent and cool machine.

That’s not all. ASUS has brought around 5 heat pipes design to the ROG Zephyrus Duo too . There is a clear passage between the top part under the ROG ScreenPad Plus and the bottom to give a strong airflow passthrough.
Here’s a closer look at the fan.

Important Note: One thing to note though, if you, like me like to tweak the power management and set my laptops to still running with the lid shut and never put the computer to sleep when plugged in, there is something to keep in mind. With the lid shut, the ROG ScreenPad Plus stowes away with precision, blocking the huge fans under the ROG ScreenPad Plus which is its main source of intake airflow. In a matter of time, even in hibernate mode, huge amount of heat can be gathered around the exit vents. Hence, set the Zephyrus Duo to turn off when the lid is closed, and do not close the lid when you put it in hibernate mode. With that much heat accumulated, you risk damaging the ROG ScreenPad Plus.

User Experience

The ROG Zephyrus Duo is the Rolls Royce of gaming laptops. ASUS has been fastidious about the smallest of details giving you surprises after surprises. Let us just start with the boot and shut down. Upon pressing the power button, the boot starts with the keyboard lights swiping in red towards the left.
This is then followed by the more familiar ROG logo zing on the display (which you can mute it from the Armoury Crate if you wish).

Once you enter the lock screen, the secondary display plays a rather catchy animation of some sort of digital city loading up.
Upon shutting down, the earlier keyboard sequence is reversed, this time the red lights on the keyboard dashing to the right.

When the ROG Zephyrus Duo enters into hibernate mode, the keyboard plays yet another effect where the WASD keys flashes, followed by a swipe pattern in red. It’s all a gimmick but one that requires an extra step in the production line to achieve, and that is something I want to put my money on if I’m getting a high-end gaming laptop. It has to stand out and it has to please me first and being a laptop, it has to do all this with convenience in mind. Speaking of convenience.
I/O Ports

The ROG Zephyrus Duo has three sockets on the left side. The first one being the power socket that provides juice via the 240W power brick. The other two are the audio jacks; dedicated microphone and combo jack. This means, if your headphones use separate microphone jack, you can plug them into both sockets, but if you’re headphones use single 3.5mm jack, plug it in the combo jack instead. Got a Type-C headphone instead? Let’s get to the other side.

The right side has three ports. Two of these are the USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A and another one being a USB Type-C with DisplayPort 1.4, Thunderbolt 3 and PowerDelivery (PD) support. ASUS has also bundled a 65W Type-C power adapter which you might be wondering why? Again, it has a direct correlation to convenience.
ASUS expects you to place the larger 240W power brick stationed at one location, perhaps your house, and carry the 65W power adapter for travelling instead of providing a power bank that you might forget to charge. The 65W power adapter is three times smaller than the power brick which means way lighter too.

I ran a test, dropped the battery to 12%, plugged in the 65W power adapter and continued using it for my daily heavy productivity tasks. About 2 hours later, the battery has gone up to 47% giving about 25% of battery life. Then I turn the machine into Connected Standby mode (sleep) with the Type-C still plugged in and I managed to bring the battery up to 64% in 18 minutes which means it’s giving me approximately 1% every minute. Slower charging in trade of weight? I’ll take that. What I would wish to have though, is at least another Type-C port even if its without Thunderbolt.

Moving on to the back of the ROG Zephyrus Duo, we are presented with a USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A sandwiched in between a HDMI 2.0b and a RJ45 port. I’ll be honest, this is not really my favorite location for ports, but if you are using the Zephyrus Duo as part of your gaming room setup and have a knack for cable management, this position may come handy.
ROG ScreenPad Plus

Without a doubt, the ROG ScreenPad Plus is THE one thing that really attracted me towards the ROG Zephyrus Duo. I don’t know about you, but I personally use triple displays on my office’s workstation and I still find them inadequate. So when I know that I have a secondary display on a laptop, and it is actually tilted for better viewing too, you can bet I jumped off my seat and had to get my hands on it.

Want to know the secret behind it? It’s these hinges.

The ROG ScreenPad Plus has is a touchscreen and most of it can be managed by just tapping on the little arrow on the left side. This automatically brings up the shortcuts applet which adds value to the ROG ScreenPad Plus beyond just a secondary display. There are four applets that are permanently located here and cannot be removed (but can be repositioned around the grid):

Quick Key applet – a keyboard shortcuts applet that allows you to create single button combos for combination keys.
Handwriting applet – a handwriting recognition applet that allows you to write on it and recognize it into readable text.
Number Key applet – basically a numpad applet with some extra keys like backspace and percentage.
AppDeals applet – a software marketplace that hosts some exclusive deals like 20% Adobe Premiere subscription.

Other than these four applets, you can add any apps as shortcuts by just dragging them into the shortcuts applet. On the side of this shortcut window, there is a vertical bar that has even more features.

The first icon adjusts the ROG ScreenPad Plus brightness exclusively, without affecting the brightness of the primary display. This is essential as the ROG ScreenPad Plus is a matte coated IPS and the brightness level is different from that of the primary display.

The next icon is for Task Group. Task Group allows you to take a snapshot of your currently running applications and their positions. This snapshot can be binded to up to four groups. So the next time you boot up your machine, just press the Task Group and all these apps will be launched and rearranged just the same way when the snapshot was taken. For example, for my common uses, I will need my browser to be on the main display, a calculator, WhatsApp and Spotify on the secondary display. I take this snapshot, and the next time I boot up my ROG Zephyrus Duo, I just need to press the first Task Group and all these apps will be launched and positioned accordingly, just like in my screenshot above. I KNOW! COOL, RIGHT?!
The third icon on this sidebar basically just switches the primary and secondary window apps.
The fourth icon on this sidebar initialized the App Navigator for the secondary display exclusively. I mean, most of the time, you will want the primary application running on the main display and dump all the others to the secondary display. Pressing this icon allows you to quickly switch to your desired app.
The fifth icon disables the physical keyboard entirely. You might be wondering why you need that, but in cases like mine where while I’m watching an interesting video, my kids would come up to me and randomly press my keys, or if you have a cat,… I’ll let you fill in the blanks.

The last icon on the sidebar takes you to the ScreenPad Plus settings. Here you can set the ScreenPad Plus brightness, change its background separately from the main display, set the default window size that is opened from the launcher, set if you would like to hide the little arrow that brings up the launcher, turn on window organizer that shows little tabs when you are moving windows around the second display to automatically snap them to organizable sizes, enable Action Menu which allows you to switch, add or extend windows across your twin displays, enable ScreenPad Plus battery saver, set ScreenPad Plus Display resolution and scaling exclusively so you can choose if you prefer 3840 x 1100 or 1920 x 550 resolutions, and some learning and quick guides in case you want to learn how things work around here.
Now probably the only thing that the ROG Zephyrus Duo can improve for the ROG ScreenPad Plus is the fact that the tilt hides the status LEDs behind the primary display hinge, rendering it useless when you are using it. Nothing that I cant monitor from the taskbar, but the fact that it exists and I don’t use it, seems like it could use some repositioning.
Keyboard and Trackpad

When ROG introduced the first ever Zephyrus, perhaps the most awkward thing was the keyboard position as it went against the norm, shifted to the lower part of the chassis and the trackpad positioned to the right side. Now that the ROG Zephyrus Duo has a secondary screen above it, it seems much less awkward especially since ASUS has bundled a silicone wrist pad that makes typing a lot more comfortable. The keyboard has decent travel and tactility standing at 1.4mm travel distance. There are shortcuts on the function keys for volume, microphone toggle, fan speed, snipping tool, screen brightness, external display toggle, trackpad on/off toggle, sleep mode and aeroplane mode. There are also 3 dedicated shortcut keys, the ROG key that launches ROG Armoury Crate, a secondary display toggle to turn on/off the ROG ScreenPad Plus, and key that switches between arrow keys and quick navigation keys. Wait, WHAT?!

Yes, this is one thing that ticks me more than it should. The keyboard doesn’t have native keys for quick navigation (Home, End, PageUp and PageDown). Instead, you have to press this key first, then the arrow keys are replaced with quick navigation and your only reference is the short notification on your display as these are not even etched on the keyboard. The arrow keys has Fn functions for AURA effects and keyboard brightness which I didn’t use once since I got the ROG Zephyrus Duo! But hey, I got an idea! Don’t we have a dual screen and remember the “Quick Key” app? Maybe its time to put it to use.

And then, I stumbled into another issue. The Quick Key doesn’t allow me to save only a single key shortcut. It forces me to set at least two keys combo. As a journalist cum programmer, these keys are extremely important to me. Assuming I am writing a piece of paragraph and I want to indent the first line, I need to press the arrow key to the first line of the paragraph, press the switcher key into navigation mode, press the left arrow key which is now the Home key, hit tab to indent, press the switcher key again into arrow keys mode, use the arrow keys to go to the last line, press the switcher key again into navigation mode, hit the right arrow key which is now the End key, and finally press the switcher key again to enter arrow keys mode again. Trust me, it’s a nuisance and all ASUS needs to do to fix this at least for me, is just allow the Quick Key app to let me set single keys as quick keys.

The right side positioned trackpad does require some getting used to, but I’m just glad it has physical left and right click buttons. The area is a bit small, albeit adequate for even multiple fingers gestures. There is a numpad softkey at the top right which is not alien among ASUS products now and it does come handy for some heavy spreadsheet tasks, much easier than the Number Key applet on the ROG ScreenPad Plus.
The numpad surprisingly works like a real numpad (apart from the clickiness) in the sense that you can actually use Alt keys combination with it, but followed buy another key. For example, if you are typing the degree symbol (°), you can turn on the num pad, press alt key and hit 2, 5 and 8 in sequence, and then press the spacebar key (or any letter for the matter) to drop the symbol.
Display & Audio

Here comes my favorite part and also a little controversial. The bezels around the ROG Zephyrus Duo are sleek and minimal which is now a common sight among most ASUS laptops. The bottom bezels are thick expectedly and there is pretty significant gap between the primary display and the ROG ScreenPad Plus. This gap is added on purpose as part of the AAS Plus design which is the secret behind keeping this monster cool most of the time. The missing webcam is definitely a huge downer for the ROG Zephyrus Duo, especially when its more relevant than ever during these restricted movement times where online conferences are of utmost importance. Nothing that I can put in words that can sweeten this deal, not even throwing an external webcam that reduces the mobility convenience, which by the way, is not included anyway.

I chose the ROG Zephyrus Duo with a 4K display configuration instead of the Full HD 300Hz/3m one for very specific reasons. The 4K display has a Pantone Validated 100% Adobe RGB gamut range and the FHD display actually has a 100% sRGB which is perfect on its own. I prefer using 100% Adobe RGB gamut because I use Adobe Photoshop a lot and setting the profile to adhere to Adobe gamut range does give it some arse kicking advantage. It is a tad complicated but if you get it right, the results are extremely satisfying! You can only achieve this if your monitor can even reach the gamut range which by default already includes 100% sRGB range when I need it anyway.
The second reason is because its time for me to move up to 4K resolution on my laptops. I embraced 4K on my PC about two years ago when I got my PG27UQ monitor and never looked back. If am going to have a dual screen laptop, I want to have it on a 4K setup so I can utilize more space efficiently and things still look crisp and sharp. I do not plan to game much on it, and even if the need rise, nothing like turning a little notch down on the game’s quality, aided by G-Sync can’t satisfy.  I have used FHD for a years now and I know my reasons, and they may differ from you. So if you are considering getting the ROG Zephyrus Duo, I highly suggest you get a feel of both before putting your money on it.

If you want to experience various display modes, the ROG Zephyrus Duo comes with ROG Game-visual that allows you to switch to 8 different customizable modes ranging from gaming, to entertainment, and content creation.
Upon calibrating it with our Spyder5, the 4K display on the ROG Zephyrus Duo achieved 99.8% sRGB gamut coverage with 148.8% gamut volume, 98.9% Adobe RGB coverage with 102.5% Adobe RGB gamut volume and 87.8% DCI-P3 coverage with 105.4% DCI-P3 gamut volume. It also achieved average ΔE of 0.11 which is a data proof of how beautiful and accurate this display is.

The ROG ScreenPad Plus was also calibrated and achieved 96.5% sRGB with 100.4% sRGB gamut volume, but this makes it a better match for the FHD variant especially if you plan to use both displays together for some extended window experience. If it matters, it achieved 68.9% Adobe RGB coverage and 69.1% Adobe RGB volume, as well as, 71.0% DCI-P3 coverage and 71.1% DCI-P3 volume.
It is odd though, to have G-Sync on a 4K 60Hz display, but it certainly helps avoid tearing at a little cost of fps to give a more streamlined experience when you are gaming. The ROG ScreenPad Plus on the other hand doesn’t have G-Sync, but you can enable it likely as Adaptive Sync. Running a pendulum demo on it didn’t show any signs of tearing so I have all the reasons to believe the availability of Adaptive Sync on it.
The ROG Zepyhrus Duo has optimus mode that disables G-Sync but switching between it and discreet GPU mode requires a machine restart which is a tad nuisance.

Let’s talk about the audio. The ROG Zephyrus Duo totally shines in this area. It has two 4W speakers which delivers extremely loud levels of audio. The audio itself is processed by ESS Sabre HiFi DAC delivering high-res audio. It definitely has a very wide range, deep bass and even at the loudest volume, you do not experience sound distortion. This is also achieved together by the Smart AMP technology that puts the speakers within thermal and excursion limits to prevent damage to the cones. Really, audio is not something that needs any elaboration here.
Aura Sync
Of course, what good is the ultimate gaming laptop in 2020 without Aura Sync. Plug your Aura-compatible peripherals and spoil yourself with the customizable RGB lighting. Fire up the Armoury Crate and spoil yourself. ASUS even threw in the ROG Gladius 2 with the ROG Zephyrus Duo to start with something.
Verdict: The Rich Boys Toy
I change my gears and hardware like I change clothes, but I have a strict exception for my personal laptop. I need to be able to do things fastest and at its highest efficiency on it. I don’t settle for less, and I often pay a heavy premium for owning some of the finest legends that has walked the earth. I don’t compromise, so it’s extremely hard to satisfy my needs when it comes to my portable companion. When I bought my MSI GS65, I told myself that I will be good for at least 5 years and two years into owning it, this is the first time I see the urge of upgrading to this.
The magnesium-aluminade has helped keeping its weight under 2.5kg which is the heaviest laptop I will ever own, I get an extremely powerful 10th Gen Intel Core i9-10980HK CPU along with the king of kings GPU in this segment, the Nvidia RTX 2080 SUPER with Max-Q, I get a secondary display that has freaking touch interface to seamlessly multi task as I wish, it’s way silent in my league, even when it’s running at its maximum capacity, it can continue the legacy of entertaining my kids who just can’t stop asking me to switch the RGB modes on my keyboard, it has a numpad that I didn’t have in the past which is now a bonus, and I can create environments to automatically run my applications and reposition them where I want them with just a flick.
All this is going to cost a whopping RM19,999, which, to some people, is their total annual earnings. But if having this beast actually revolutionizes the way I can get things done better, then I’m sorry ROG Zephyrus G14, as enticing as you are and are capable of winning Ying Tze’s heart (37:15), this one wins Daddy’s heart.

Spread the PokdeLoveClick to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window)Click to share on Skype (Opens in new window)Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)

Related


Do You Have to Pay for Additional Story Content for Anthem? Confirmed to Not Have Loot Boxes

With Anthem being very story-heavy and with expectations that there will be continuous updates on that, will there be a need to pay for this? Now we know.
Do You Have to Pay for Additional Story Content for Anthem?

During a panel at PAX East, Anthem Executive Producer Mark Darrah shed some light with regards to microtransactions in their upcoming game.

 Join Pokde Telegram Channel

The first thing worth highlighting is that there will be no loot boxes. With that regard, there will be no random factor in the game to yield you some items. He continued to say that there will be some cosmetic items that you can pay for, but those can be purchased with in-game currency.
Then he talked about additional story content, which will all be free.
For storytelling, we don’t want to divide up the audience. We want people to experience the same story at the same time, so none of that is going to be locked behind any kind of paywall.
Considering that Anthem seems to be focused on providing additional stories on a regular basis, looks like fans will have a lot to enjoy for free as the service continues after launch.
Anthem will be coming to the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC on 22nd February 2019. There will be a playable demo released for the public on 1st February  2019 for all three platforms.
Pokdepinion: Knowing EA, I’m actually surprised it turned out this way. Well, maybe they learned their lesson with some of the backlash they got from other games. Good for us gamers, that’s for sure.
Spread the PokdeLoveClick to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window)Click to share on Skype (Opens in new window)Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)

Related


Is the Realme 2 Pro the perfect device for the youthful you?

The affordable mid-range market segment is about to heat up very soon with the Realme 2 Pro arriving here in Malaysia. While local pricing has yet to be confirmed, we can safely speculate that it should be price pretty similarly here as it is in Indonesia like its OPPO counterpart, the OPPO F9. Priced at RM1099, you should definitely consider the Realme 2 Pro if you are searching for an affordable yet capable device, without sacrificing on style.

The Realme 2 Pro is built out of plastic, but it surely isn’t your run-of-the-mill cheap-looking plastics here. Realme successfully worked the plastic to make it look amazingly good, with a matte finish for the edges and a translucent glossy finish for the back. It is crafted with a 15-layer lamination technology for a unique premium look without resorting to weird patterns.

 Join Pokde Telegram Channel

Over on the front is the dewdrop notch, which allows the Realme 2 Pro to achieve a screen-to-body (STB) ratio of 90.8%. That’s an STB ratio that manufacturers would be proud of in their much pricier flagships! And yet here we are looking at the huge 6.3″ 1080p+ IPS display in the Realme 2 Pro with absolutely minimal bezels. Realme managed to cram a 16MP selfie camera, proximity sensor, ambient light sensor and an earpiece, all in that tiny notch.

Another thing that we love about the Realme 2 Pro is the excellent hardware in it. Realme didn’t skimp on the components in it despite targeting the affordable segment. You get a powerful Snapdragon 660 AIE, 8GB of RAM, 128GB of storage and a large 3500 mAh battery. And unlike similarly priced devices, the Realme 2 Pro comes with snappy 128GB UFS storage instead of the cheaper and slower eMMC 5.1 storage. As Realme is targeting youths like you with the Realme 2 Pro, you won’t have to worry about gaming performance, as the Snapdragon 660 AIE chipset handles gaming with aplomb.

The dual rear camera uses the 16MP Sony IMX398 behind a wide f/1.7 aperture. The sensor is pretty promising with 1.12 µm pixels and Dual Pixel autofocus for quick phase detection autofocus. The secondary camera is there for no other purpose than enhancing portraits with bokeh effects, and the Realme 2 Pro takes advantage of it to offer several portrait lighting modes. There’s also 16 AI scenes to help you out when you aren’t just taking portraits. For selfie fans, there’s the 16MP f/2.0 up front, complete with features like AR stickers to make your selfies that much more interesting.
With an estimated price of around RM1000, the Realme 2 Pro is a really interesting device that offers value above its price point. Despite it being a somewhat new brand, Realme definitely has a lot to offer to us Malaysians!
Spread the PokdeLoveClick to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window)Click to share on Skype (Opens in new window)Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)

Related


Apple Rumours: iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Plus to Feature Larger Displays and Periscope Cameras

As anticipation builds for the upcoming iPhone 15 series, rumours about Apple’s future releases continue to circulate. Noted Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has recently shared insights on the iPhone 16 generation, revealing potential features such as larger displays and periscope camera sensors. These rumoured upgrades are generating excitement among Apple enthusiasts, hinting at an enhanced user experience and improved photography capabilities.
Apple iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Plus Rumoured Upgrades

According to Kuo’s report, the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Plus models will boast larger display sizes compared to their predecessors. The iPhone 16 Pro is expected to feature a 6.3-inch screen diagonal, while the 16 Pro Max will offer an even more expansive 6.9-inch panel. These increases of 0.2 inches from the iPhone 14 Pro generation indicate Apple’s commitment to providing users with immersive visual experiences and ample screen real estate for various tasks.

 Join Pokde Telegram Channel

One of the notable upgrades in the iPhone 16 Pro lineup is the inclusion of periscope camera sensors. This technology allows for improved zoom capabilities, enabling users to capture detailed shots from a distance. Reports suggest that both the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Plus models will feature periscope lenses, with the zoom cameras offering up to 5-6x optical zoom. Cowell E Holdings is said to be the supplier for these upgraded camera components, emphasizing Apple’s dedication to delivering exceptional photography features.
In addition to larger displays and periscope cameras, rumours also point to the possibility of under display Face ID technology in the iPhone 16 Pro series. This innovation would eliminate the need for a notch or bezels, resulting in a more immersive full-view display. While further details regarding this feature are scarce, its inclusion could further enhance the sleek and seamless design of the iPhone 16 Pro models.

As exciting as these rumours may be, it’s important to note that they are still speculative and subject to change. Apple’s commitment to innovation and pushing technological boundaries, however, makes these potential upgrades plausible. As the launch of the iPhone 16 series approaches, enthusiasts eagerly await further announcements from Apple to confirm these rumoured features and unveil the final product.
Source
Pokdepinion: These alleged enhancements promise to deliver an enhanced visual experience and improved zoom capabilities for users. While the inclusion of under display Face ID remains uncertain, it could potentially add to the overall immersive nature of the iPhone 16 Pro series.
Spread the PokdeLoveClick to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window)Click to share on Skype (Opens in new window)Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)

Related


Battlefield 3 Remaster Could Be In The Works

If you’re a big fan of the Battlefield franchise, you’d definitely played it Battlefield 3. It’s one of the best to come from the series, well at least on a personal level. Now it seems that we may be seeing a remastered version of the game.
Battlefield 3 Remaster to release?

The news that a new Battlefield 3 remaster comes after several rumors by YouTubers and tweets suggest that’s it in the works, possibly for a release in 2021.
Though it’s just rumors, we all know that some of these can lead to actually happen in the end. According to the source, it appears that the game will be released alongside another Battlefield title, which is a similar move when Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered came out with Infinite Warfare.

 Join Pokde Telegram Channel

It is said that the game will see a release on next-gen consoles. For the current consoles, well there’s no mention on that whatsoever. Of course, if it indeed comes out, we’d expect the game to be out on PC as well.
We’ll sure to update you should new details arrives about the game, should it be true. Till then, stay tuned to Pokde.net for the latest news and reviews on technology and gaming.
Source
Pokdepinion: It’s a rumor as of now… but dang. Battlefield 3 is among the best, possibly just behind Bad Company 2. I really hope that it indeed comes out.
Spread the PokdeLoveClick to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window)Click to share on Skype (Opens in new window)Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)

Related


Colorful Battle Halberd DDR4 memory sticks to use China-made ChangXin DRAM

While the DRAM industry is dominated by three major players, namely Samsung, SK Hynix and Micron, ChangXin Memory Technologies has been hard at work making DRAM chips as well. Colorful will be the next OEM to use ChangXin’s DRAM chips in its Colorful War Halberd series of DDR4 memory sticks.
If the name sounds weird, that’s because “War Halberd” is directly translated from “战戟”. The series will debut with two options, 8GB DDR4-2666 and 8GB DDR4-3000 sticks. Later batches are expected to come in 16GB capacities too, with the products set to debut by the end of June.
ChangXin is reportedly supplying memory dies to A-DATA and Gloway too. It does remain quite interesting to see how well they will perform when compared against the current market leaders. If anything, I think they will largely be used for OEM builds or China’s domestic market.

 Join Pokde Telegram Channel

Source
Pokdepinion: I wonder if they will enter QVLs anytime soon.
Spread the PokdeLoveClick to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window)Click to share on Skype (Opens in new window)Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)

Related


Here’s What Nintendo Had To Say About The Whole “Joy-Con Drift” Issue

If you’re a Nintendo Switch user, you might have encountered with the whole “Joy-Con drift” problem that some are facing. The issue happens when the joysticks on the controllers detect movement, even if you didn’t touch it at all. It seems that the folks at Nintendo has something to say on the matter.
The company has told Switch users who experience the issue to visit their customer support website. In an interview with Kotaku, a representative from Nintendo has said “At Nintendo, we take great pride in creating quality products and we are continuously making improvements to them. We are aware of recent reports that some Joy-Con controllers are not responding correctly. We want our consumers to have fun with Nintendo Switch”.
As for a potential fix, the company didn’t give a definite answer. It seems that by sending your Joy-Con for maintenance won’t be a the solution as it’s reported that several players said that after getting their Joy-Con back from Nintendo, they’ve experience the same issue in the space of a few months.

 Join Pokde Telegram Channel

Pokdepinion: I don’t know about you guys, but our Switch don’t seem to have the issue. Are you facing problems with your Joy Con? Let us know in the comments below.
Spread the PokdeLoveClick to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window)Click to share on Skype (Opens in new window)Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)

Related


Get Unlimited Phone Calls For RM25/month To All Networks With U Mobile Giler Talk GT30

U Mobile has introduced a new prepaid plan that’s catered for those who want unlimited phone calls. The best part is, the new Giler Talk GT30 lets you to call to your hearts content at any network in the country.

The Giler Talk GT30 is currently on offer where it is RM25/month (originally RM30). Aside from the unlimited calls, you will also be getting 1GB of mobile data as well as unlimited Facebook, Instagram and Twitter usage. It should be noted that the social media usage benefits are only applicable for those who are under the Unlimited Power prepaid plan.

 Join Pokde Telegram Channel

To learn more on the GT30 prepaid plan, you can check out U Mobile right here.
Pokdepinion: Personally, I don’t really call people. In fact, I can’t remember when was the last time that I actually called someone.. Anyways, this plan looks like a deal for those frequently make calls.
Spread the PokdeLoveClick to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window)Click to share on Skype (Opens in new window)Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)

Related


Lenovo Introduces New IdeaCentre AIO A340 Desktop At RM1,999

The folks at Lenovo Malaysia has today unveil their new Lenovo IdeaCentre AIO A340 to the market. It comes with a unique pipe-shaped based design and comes with a price tag that starts from RM1,999.

Jumping straight to what it offers, it comes with up to an 8th Gen Intel Core i5-8400T processor and up to 1TB of storage. It also offers a touchscreen display, in case you’re into the feature.

 Join Pokde Telegram Channel

Coming in with a 90% screen-to-body ratio, its display offers a narrow bezel for you to have a larger view. Additionally it also comes with Cortana, the desktop’s personal digital assistant.
The Lenovo IdeaCentre AIO A340 is now available from Lenovo Malaysia e-commerce stores and all Lenovo exclusive stores. For more details, you can check out their website right here.
Pokdepinion: It might not attract a whole lot of consumers out there, but hey. If you’re looking for an AIO desktop that’s ready, it’s an option for you.
Spread the PokdeLoveClick to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window)Click to share on Skype (Opens in new window)Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)

Related


NVIDIA’s Latest PC Drivers Reportedly Causing Modern Warfare 2 Stability Issues

It has been reported recently that the latest NVIDIA drivers on PC are causing stability issues in Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2.
NVIDIA Drivers Causing Issues in Modern Warfare 2

We’ve noticed some stability issues with the latest NVIDIA drivers 526.47 on Call of Duty #MWII. For now we’d suggest you keep the 516.59, or 522.25 drivers.
— BeenoxCODPC (@BeenoxCODPC) October 27, 2022

The PC version of Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 has been confirmed to have stability issues due to the latest NVIDIA GPU drivers. Beenox, the developers of the game, has gone on Twitter to acknowledge the issue.

 Join Pokde Telegram Channel

The specific driver in question is version 526.47, which causes the game to crash. NVIDIA is currently investigating the issue so for now, PC gamers are being advised to stick to either driver version 516.59 or 522.25 for the most stable experience in the game.
If you’re facing issues in Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2, do check if you happening to be running the drivers that has the problem. While no release date has been mentioned, we expect the hotfix to be released sooner rather than later so keep an eye out for that.
Source
Pokdepinion: This explains why a number of my friends were raging all of a sudden. I was too busy in Overwatch 2 to even notice that it’s not the game’s fault.
Spread the PokdeLoveClick to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window)Click to share on Skype (Opens in new window)Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)

Related


Samsung Galaxy S10 face unlock is easily cheated

Well in Samsung’s defense, Samsung does inform you that their face recognition is less secure than other lock types. They even mention that someone who looks like you could unlock your phone. This person tried to unlock her brother’s Galaxy S10+ and she was successful.

Apparently S10+ thinks we look the same
But we don’t…? pic.twitter.com/COAS9QJodK
— Jane Manchun Wong (@wongmjane) March 9, 2019

The Samsung Galaxy S10 series is somewhat of a downgrade when it comes to facial unlocking. The Samsung Galaxy S9 and Galaxy Note9 had Iris Scanning, which isn’t exactly facial recognition, but all you had to do was place the phone in front of your face. It was cool. Now the Samsung Galaxy S10 series shares its facial recognition technology with low-end devices, relying on the front facing camera to do it.

 Join Pokde Telegram Channel

If you are a stickler for security, you might want to stick to using the fingerprint scanners (under-display or otherwise) on your Galaxy S10. Facial unlocking should only be relied on if there’s 3D IR technology, such as with the iPhones, OPPO Find X or HUAWEI Mate 20 Pro, as these actually create a 3D map of your face.
What do you think? Would you willingly sacrifice security for convenience?
Pokdepinion: I do use the IR facial recognition on my POCOPHONE F1, despite the fact that it is less secure, it’s just more convenient than fingerprint scanners.
Spread the PokdeLoveClick to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window)Click to share on Skype (Opens in new window)Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)

Related


Samsung Galaxy Z Flip breaks on first day out of the box

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip is definitely the foldable smartphone to watch, but it seems like more work needs to be done to perfect it. This is not the first time we have seen Samsung make mistakes on their initial batch of innovative smartphone designs, but at least they are relatively responsible for their problems. The Galaxy Z Flip is no different, as a user quickly found out.

Received my Samsung Galaxy Z Flip just now. Opened the box. Removed the protective/instruction film. Flipped the phone as you would do since it’s a flip phone and this happened. I heard the crack as well. 😰 cold weather?#SamsungGalaxy #ZFlip #samsung pic.twitter.com/j8KLL2vm8d
— Amir 💎 (@mondoir) February 14, 2020

Twitter user @mondoir received his Galaxy Z Flip and broke it on the same day. He reportedly did nothing out of the ordinary but noted a cracking sound when he flipped open the Galaxy Z Flip and saw that the screen had a big gash across the center. He did mention that the cold weather in his area that may have been part of the reason of the crack though. Well, glass is glass, and glass breaks.

Thank you. I’ve received the replacement. I appreciate the fast response and exchange.
— Amir 💎 (@mondoir) February 15, 2020

Samsung Help UK reached out to him pretty quickly via Twitter and he also reported that he received a replacement in just a day. Hopefully this isn’t a foreshadowing of things to come. It would be horrible to see Galaxy Z Flips cracking everywhere during winter season later this year.

 Join Pokde Telegram Channel

Pokdepinion: Flip your phones carefully… Or else you might just end up flipping your table.
Spread the PokdeLoveClick to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window)Click to share on Skype (Opens in new window)Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)

Related


What Malaysians Think of the Nintendo Switch Lite?

Sometime ago, we at Pokde.net asked you what you guys think of the new Nintendo Switch Lite. We’ve compiled all your interesting comments into a video for you to enjoy as part of our new TODIAY video series. You can watch that video at the top of this post.
The Nintendo Switch Lite is an interesting piece of machinery but I personally feel that it’s not something worth buying. Given its lack of certain features and how close it is to the original in terms of pricing, you’re certainly better off buying the original model instead. This is especially made even more worthwhile since a new revision of the original model with improved battery life is now officially out in the wild.
Of course, if you do choose to purchase the Nintendo Switch Lite anyway, there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s solely your choice and if it fits your needs, then by all means. Just make sure you know what you’re missing out on, and be completely sure you don’t need them / won’t be using it. Otherwise, the decision might come and haunt you.

 Join Pokde Telegram Channel

We will be doing more TODIAY videos and if you want a chance to be featured, all you have to do is leave your answers for the next question in our comments section. As mentioned in the video, our next question is “What would you do if the Internet was out?”. There’s a higher chance of being featured if you leave comments down here on our website instead of our Facebook page. Good luck, and hope you get featured in the next episode of TODIAY.
Spread the PokdeLoveClick to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window)Click to share on Skype (Opens in new window)Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)

Related


Game Developer Received Thousands Of Threats For Dealing With Epic Games Store

Epic Games Store hasn’t been receiving a lot of love ever since the platform came out, mostly because they made a lot of games to be exclusive only at their store. Now it appears that the game developers for an indie game called Ooblets has been facing the wrath of the platform’s critics. If you’re not sure what the game is about, you can check out the video below.

It seems that the game’s developers, Rebecca Cordingley and Ben Wasse, has been on the receiving end of “hateful, threatening” messages over their deal with Epic Games.
Here’s what they have to say (on Patreon) “We really misjudged how angry so many people would be. This whole thing has just devastated us. We’ve been getting thousands if not tens of thousands of hateful, threatening messages across every possible platform nonstor. It’s especially hurtful since we’ve had such a positive, supportive relationship with our audience throughout development”.

 Join Pokde Telegram Channel

The issue got to the point that it made them fall to tears where it reads “I have been crying nonstop for the last two days and feeling like the world has collapsed around me. I couldn’t have guessed the scale of what it would feel like to be the target of an internet hate mob. I already had a lot of empathy for other targets of previous hate mobs, which is why we wanted to address that sort of thinking in our announcement, but I had no idea it was this bad”.
Ben Wasse on the other hand stood by his actions by saying that he doesn’t owe people (the critics) anything.
If you wish to read more on his statement, you can check out the link here.
As for Epic, they’ve said that they are “fully committed” with their plans, despite “these challenges” surrounding game exclusives.
Pokdepinion: I’m not a fan of Epic (I don’t even have it on my PC) but come on guys, is the hate really necessary?
Spread the PokdeLoveClick to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window)Click to share on Skype (Opens in new window)Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)

Related


Mi Pad 4 appears online for less than RM700! The design looks very familiar though…

Most Android users would agree that Android is much more optimized for smartphones than it is for tablets. But that didn’t stop Xiaomi from launching the Mi Pad 4, with some pretty interesting specifications under the hood. Technically it isn’t actually launched just yet, but it is already listed on Xiaomi’s online store.

The Mi Pad 4’s main attraction will probably be its affordable pricing for the hardware it offers. Under the 8″ 16:10 FHD+ display is a Snapdragon 660, up to 4GB RAM and 64GB of storage. Longevity is pretty much assured with a massive 6000 mAh battery inside. There is a 13MP rear camera and a 5MP front camera to handle your imaging needs. It will run Android 8.1 Oreo out of the box, with Xiaomi’s customized MIUI overlay. There is even the option to get the Mi Pad 4 with LTE connectivity, with Xiaomi only charging a small premium for the LTE variant of the Mi Pad 4

 Join Pokde Telegram Channel

The prices for the different variants are as follows:

Mi Pad 4 3/32GB WiFi: 1099 yuan (~RM676.10)
Mi Pad 4 4/64GB WiFi: 1399 yuan (~RM860.66)
Mi Pad 4 4/64GB LTE: 1499 yuan (~RM922.18)

Will you be getting it, or are you so turned off by the thought of Android on tablets that you will pass?
Pokdepinion: I dig the curved corners of the display, definitely makes the tablet look much more premium!
Spread the PokdeLoveClick to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window)Click to share on Skype (Opens in new window)Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)

Related


ASUS Unveils New Vivobook Series at Launch Event

ASUS recently announced their all-new 2022 lineup of Vivobook Pro series, Vivobook S series, and Vivobook 13 Slate OLED Artist Edition laptops at its online launch event called the Pinnacle of Performance.
The Vivobook Pro series is designed for aspiring creators and features the latest 12th Gen Intel Core H-Series or AMD Ryzen 6000 H-Series CPUs, up to NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti GPUs, ASUS IceCool Pro cooling systems for up to 140-watt combined thermal design power (TDP), the world’s first 16-inch 3.2K 120 Hz OLED display, and the ASUS DialPad virtual rotary control.
On the other hand, the sleek Vivobook S series offers the latest 12th Gen Intel Core H-Series and AMD Ryzen 6000 H-Series CPUs with ASUS IceCool thermal technology for up to 45 W TDP CPU performance, as well as the world’s first 14.5-inch and 15.6-inch 2.8K 120 Hz OLED displays, for those who require the highest performance possible in a thin and light form factor.

 Join Pokde Telegram Channel

The Vivobook 13 Slate OLED Philip Colbert Edition and the Vivobook 13 Slate OLED Steven Harrington Edition were also unveiled at the event. The two limited-edition variants of 2-in-1 portable laptops are seen to have unique and innovative designs.
Vivobook Pro Series

The Vivobook Pro series is intended for creators for its affordable but high-performance laptops. The new laptop models for 2022 are listed as the following:

16″ Vivobook Pro 16X OLED (N7601/M7601)
15.6″ Vivobook Pro 15X OLED (K6501/M6501)
14.5″ Vivobook Pro 14X OLED (N7401)
16″ Vivobook Pro 16 OLED (K6602)
15.6″ Vivobook Pro 15 OLED (K6502/K6500/M6500)

These high-performance laptops include up to 12th Gen Intel Core i9 12900H or AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX CPUs with up to 32 GB of DDR5 RAM, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti GPUs, and a 2 TB PCIe 4.0 SSD. ASUS IceCool Pro cooling technology enables designers to utilize a total combined CPU and GPU TDP of up to 140 W.
With frame rates of up to 120 Hz and response times of 0.2 ms, the world’s first 16-inch 3.2K 120 Hz OLED display, a world-leading 15.6-inch 2.8K 120 Hz OLED display, and a 4K 60 Hz OLED NanoEdge 600-nit display are ideal for creative projects. They are PANTONE Validated for industry-standard colour rendering, VESA DisplayHDRTM True Black 600 certified for high contrast and deep blacks, and offer a DCI-P3 colour gamut of 100 percent. They are also TÜV Rheinland certified for minimal blue-light emissions for improved eye care.
Fast I/O capabilities, which include a 40 Gbps Thunderbolt 4 or USB4 port and HDMI 2.1, as well as USB 3.2 Gen 1 and USB 2.0 ports, an SD Express 7.0 microSD card reader, a 2.5 GbE LAN port, and the latest WiFi 6E, sums up the user-friendly features of the new Vivobook Pro models. In addition to up to 90 Wh battery, users will love the innovative and intuitive ASUS DialPad virtual rotary control for their creative programmes when combined with the ProArt Creator Hub app.
The Harman Kardon-certified Dolby Atmos audio system, which uses a smart amplifier for strong, distortion-free sound, creates an immersive, multi-dimensional entertainment experience in the Vivobook Pro series laptops. The FHD webcam with ASUS 3D Noise Reduction (3DNR) technology enables crystal-clear video chats.
Vivobook S Series

The Vivobook S series laptops are the thinnest and lightest in the Vivobook family, with chassis profiles as thin as 17.9 mm and weighing as little as 1.6 kg, yet they offer performance levels normally associated with much larger models. The Vivobook are among the world’s first thin and light laptops capable of 45 W TDP CPU performance.
The Vivobook S series lineup comprises:

14.5″ Vivobook S 14X OLED (S5402/M5402)
16″ Vivobook S 16X OLED (S5602/M5602)
14″ Vivobook S 14 OLED (K3402/M3402)
15.6″ Vivobook S 15 OLED (K3502/M3502)

The Vivobook S features up to 12th Gen Intel Core i7 12700H (with Intel EvoTM certification on selected models) or AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX CPUs, Intel Iris Xe or AMD Radeon GPUs, upgradable 16 GB DDR4 RAM, and a 1 TB PCIe SSD.
The Vivobook S series laptops are among the first to offer CPU performance up to a ground-breaking 45-watt thermal design power (TDP). This results in Cinebench R20 benchmark performance that is up to 2.1 times better than the previous generation. This breakthrough is made possible by ASUS IceCool thermal technology, which efficiently increases heat transfer while preventing throttling.
The Vivobook S series laptops include the 14.5-inch and 15.6-inch 2.8K 120 Hz OLED panels, as well as world-class OLED NanoEdge displays with resolutions up to 4K and reaction times as low as 0.2 ms. These displays have a DCI-P3 colour gamut of 100 percent, are VESA DisplayHDR True Black 600 certified, and are PANTONE Validated for colour accuracy. Low blue-light certification from TÜV Rheinland ensures eye comfort during long viewing periods.
The Vivobook S series is distinguished by its user-friendly design, which has lay-flat 180° hinges for adaptability. ASUS AI Noise-Canceling Technology is included in the Harman Kardon-certified audio system for crystal-clear communications. Conference calls are safer and clearer with a physical camera shield and ASUS 3DNR technology.
Vivobook 13 Slate OLED Artist Editions

Vivobook 13 Slate OLED Artist Editions includes themed hardware, exclusive accessories, and packaging, all designed in conjunction with world-renowned artists Philip Colbert and Steven Harrington. Each of these editions represents the artist’s own vision, with specifically commissioned themed accessories such as a cover stand, smart cover, sleeve, stylus holder, and packaging showcasing their original artwork. Both editions come with an ASUS Marshmallow mouse developed by an artist.
Vivobook 13 Slate OLED Philip Colbert Edition and Steven Harrington Edition is built on a 13.3-inch Windows detachable OLED laptop, which allows anything to be enjoyed easily. Users no longer need to carry several devices for work and enjoyment with its stunning OLED touchscreen, cover stand with 170° hinge, quad-core Inte® processor, and high-precision ASUS Pen 2.0.
For more information on the Vivobook series, feel free to visit the links below:
Intel Models
Vivobook Pro Series
Vivobook Pro 16X OLED (N7601)
Vivobook Pro 15X OLED (K6501)
Vivobook Pro 14X OLED (N7401)
Vivobook Pro 15 OLED (K6500)
Vivobook Pro 15 OLED (K6400)
Vivobook S Series
Vivobook S 16X OLED (S5602)
Vivobook S 14X OLED (S5402)
Vivobook S 15 OLED (K3502)
Vivobook S 14 OLED (K3402)
Vivobook 13 Slate OLED Special Edition
Vivobook 13 Slate OLED Steven Harrington Edition
ASUS Marshmallow mouse MD100 Steven Harrington Edition
Vivobook 13 Slate OLED Philip Colbert Edition
ASUS Marshmallow mouse MD100 Philip Colbert Edition
AMD Models
Vivobook Pro Series
Vivobook Pro 15X OLED (M7601)
Vivobook Pro 15X OLED (M6501)
Vivobook S Series
Vivobook S 16X OLED (M5602)
Vivobook S 14X OLED (M5402)
Vivobook S 15 OLED (M3502)
Vivobook S 14 OLED (M3402)
Pokdepinion: In love with the Vivobook 13 Slate OLED Special Edition. The design looks unique and cute.
Spread the PokdeLoveClick to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window)Click to share on Skype (Opens in new window)Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)

Related


[Computex 2019] Cooler Master Unveils New MasterCase H100 And Silencio Series

Cooler Master has recently reveal a variety of new cases at Computex 2019, ranging from minimalistic cases to sinister Black Edition versions, each coming with the latest technology and innovative design.
Cooler Master Silencio S400
Up first is the new Silencio S400 (mATX) and Silencio S600 (ATX) cases. With the series debuting back in 2011, it is set for a new comeback with the two cases.  The new Silencio cases offers noise reduction technology to practicality and usability.
Cooler Master has teamed up with Sorama in the development of the Silencio. Thanks to it (the partnership), it offers unique high-resolution acoustic cameras to visualize sounds in order to analyze noise and vibrations. This means you’ll be getting a case that not only performs, but silent as well.

 Join Pokde Telegram Channel

Cooler Master COSMOS C700P Black Edition
Next is the COSMOS C700P Black Edition, the latest from their COSMOS series. Coming with a matte black coating, it improves both internal and external compartments from the original.
The PSU Shroud, flat radiator brackets, fine mesh panels, cable cover system, and an extra rear panel are all included to further extend the COSMOS’ modular origins. Its curved tempered glass possesses a lighter tint in comparison to its predecessor.
Cooler Master MasterCase H100
Following them is the new MasterCase H100, a mini-ITX case that comes with 200mm RGB fans. Coming with a generous amount of mesh, it fits the series perfectly as a travel-sized variant. Mesh makes up the entire front panel and part of the top panel, giving just enough room for a built-in handle to add to its portability. It’s definitely for those who wants something easy to bring around or save space near their desk.
Cooler Master MasterCase SL600M Black Edition
Last on the list is the MasterCase SL600M Black Edition. Yes you’ve guessed it, it is a black version of the original SL600M that came in a silver finish.
Pokdepinion: The new Silencio case looks interesting..but the one that caught my eye is the new COSMOS C700P Black Edition in terms of looks. It looks sleek!
Spread the PokdeLoveClick to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window)Click to share on Skype (Opens in new window)Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)

Related


Over 1000 Apps on Google Play Store Can Access Your Data Without Permission

Android has come a long way from when it first launched. By today’s standards, it’s quite a secure OS, with the user themselves being the biggest threat. If we watch what we download / install and check the permissions we grant, we should normally be safe from unauthorized access. However, it appears that some developers have found an exploit to bypass the Android permission model.
A study was presented at PrivacyCon last month which showed how certain apps were able to bypass the Android permission model. However, there were no mentions of the apps that managed to do so. It was noted that there are two different circumvention techniques; side channels and covert channels.

 Join Pokde Telegram Channel

Side channel techniques involve getting access to particular information in a way that isn’t covered by the security mechanism. For example, apps used to be able to track a device’s location using the MAC address until Android Pie introduced MAC address randomization. Covert channel techniques involve two services cooperating to send data from one service that has valid access to one that does not. For example, an app that has been granted location access may share that data with an app that hasn’t been granted access.

In an analysis of 88,113 of the most popular Android apps on the US Google Play Store, over 1,000 apps and 3rd party libraries were found to have employed side channels and / or covert channels to bypass security. This allows them to access your location data and identifiers of users’ devices.
The testing was initially done on the Google Nexus 5X on Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow, but was later retested on the Google Pixel 2 running Android 9.0 Pie. This was done validate their findings as of late.
For what it’s worth, Google says that the security and privacy changes that Google has introduced in Android Q will close these bypass methods, thus this paper provides valuable insight into Google’s justifications for some of the platform changes they’ve made in Android 10. To detect circumvention of the Android security measure, the research team developed a method of using both dynamic and static analysis. This was done by auditing the app’s runtime behaviour and scanning the code for malicious behaviour.

The result of the analysis is that the team discovered what data was being scraped by the apps that circumvented the permissions model:

IMEI: Since an IMEI is a unique, persistent identifier, it’s useful for online services to scrape so they can track individual devices. The team discovered that the Salmonads and Baidu SDKs were using a covert channel to read the IMEI. Apps with legitimate access to the IMEI were storing hidden files on the external storage containing the device’s IMEI so that other apps without legitimate access could read the IMEI. Identified apps using Baidu’s SDK in this manner include Disney’s theme park apps for Hong Kong and Shanghai, Samsung Health, and Samsung Browser.
Network MAC Address: The network MAC address is also a unique identifier, and ordinarily it’s protected by the ACCESS_NETWORK_STATE permission. According to the researchers, apps were using C++ native code to “invoke a number of unguarded UNIX system calls.” The team identified 42 apps using the Unity SDK to open a network socket and an ioctl to obtain the MAC address, though they noted that 748 out of the 12,408 apps contained the code in question while lacking the ACCESS_NETWORK_STATE permission.
Router MAC Address: The ACCESS_WIFI_STATE permission protects the BSSID, but reading the ARP cache in /proc/net/arp allows an app to obtain that data without needing any permissions. The researcher identified the OpenX SDK as using this side channel technique.
Geolocation: The researchers discovered that the Shutterfly app was accessing the location tags of photos’ EXIF metadata. All that’s required is the READ_EXTERNAL_STORAGE permission.

In Android Q, Google requires apps with the READ_PRIVILEGED_PHONE_STATE permission to read the IMEI. Devices running Android Q now transmit randomized MAC addresses by default. Finally, Android Q’s Scoped Storage changes diminish the ability for apps to read the location data from photos. In other words, Google has addressed these issues and these loopholes will no longer be an issue in Android Q.
If you’d like more details, be sure to the read the complete research paper submitted to the FTC by clicking right here.
Source: XDA-Developers
Pokdepinion: There are a ton of weird stuff from Google Play Store and I’m not too daring to try. This is one of the reasons why.
Spread the PokdeLoveClick to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window)Click to share on Skype (Opens in new window)Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)

Related


[UPDATE: No more love for Streamyx] TM offers promotions on UniFi and Streamyx plans; but where is UniFi Lite?

TM’s latest promotion once again favors new subscribers instead of loyal customers, with big discounts on their UniFi and Streamyx plans.
More discounts from TM
After the UniFi Lite plan was offered for RM99 for a short period before the promotion was discontinued “until further notice”, TM is seemingly back with more promotions. This time, they are offering promotional rates in a similar fashion across their entire range of Streamyx and UniFi plans, with the exception of the UniFi Lite. This promotion is part of their latest Bonanza Campaign.

Hi. Yup, the promotion start from 1st Nov-31st Dec 2017. The promotion is applicable for new UniFi and broadband and for existing to upgrade to a higher value package. Migration to same or lower package is not allowed within contract.
— TMConnects (@TMConnects) November 2, 2017

 Join Pokde Telegram Channel

We are seeing pretty substantial discounts of up to RM90 off the bill for the 100 Mbps UniFi Pro plan. The promotional subscription fees will be valid for the first 24 months, which will translate to really big savings over the two-year period. The following are the discounted rates under this latest promotion:
UniFi

30 Mbps UniFi Advance RM139 (save RM60 per month, RM1440 over 24 months)
100 Mbps UniFi Pro RM239 (save RM90 per month, RM2160 over 24 months)
Streamyx

1 Mbps Streamyx RM68 (save RM42 per month, RM1008 over 24 months)
 2 Mbps Streamyx RM83 (save RM47 per month, RM1128 over 24 months)
 4 Mbps Streamyx RM88 (Save RM52 per month, RM1248 over 24 months)
 8 Mbps Streamyx RM89 (Save RM71 per month, RM1704 over 24 months)
As you can see, you can save up to RM2160 over the 24 month promotion period. Just like the UniFi Lite promotion, this promotion is only valid until this 31st December 2017. So for those who haven’t signed up, or are currently out of contract, hurry to your nearest TMPoint to get these promotional rates!  Refer to update below.
Source: SoyaCincau, forum.lowyat.net
UPDATE: TM pulled the plug on Streamyx promotions

pic.twitter.com/DcmMH3iEjM
— Sul Baharyz (@SBaharyz) November 8, 2017

In yet another classic move by TM, they decided to stop the Bonanza Campaign for their most widely available service, Streamyx. Good job TM. This was confirmed by user SBaharyz who contacted the ISP via the live chat service on their official webpage.
Source: Amanz
Pokdepinion: I think I will be heading over to a TMPoint pretty soon! I am currently paying RM138 for 4 Mbps. The RM1248 saved can go towards a Mi A1! I guess TM really doesn’t value Streamyx users since most of Streamyx subscribers have no other fixed line alternative to go for anyway. Digi’s data plans are looking incredibly interesting right now…
Spread the PokdeLoveClick to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window)Click to share on Skype (Opens in new window)Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)

Related


Samsung Galaxy Watch3 & Samsung Galaxy Buds Live Now Available For Pre-orders In Malaysia

If you’ve tuned in to last night’s Galaxy Unpacked event from Samsung, you’d definitely notice the brand new Samsung Galaxy Watch3 and Samsung Galaxy Buds Live. Well, great news. They are now available for pre-orders here in Malaysia.
Samsung Galaxy Watch3 and Galaxy Buds Live pre-order

With the Samsung Galaxy Watch3, it is built with stainless steel as well as high-quality leather. It will also be available in a titanium model for the first time in the series. Compared to the previous model, the Galaxy Watch3 is thinner, smaller, and lighter but sports a larger display.
Other than that, it comes with Sp02 feature for fitness purposes, blood pressure monitoring (which will come with the upcoming Samsung Health Monitor app), and electrocardiogram (ECG) readings. There’s also a new feature that detects falls, which you can choose to alert your chosen contact should the watch detect that you fell.

 Join Pokde Telegram Channel

Not to forget, you can set automatic reply options for both messages and images, view emoticons and photos directly from the watch. There’s hand gestures that you can utilize to receive calls, mute alarms and more by clenching and unclenching your fist.

We then have the Samsung Galaxy Buds Live, where it comes in a new form-factor, similarly to a jelly bean. The reason behind the shape? Well it’s so that it won’t protrude from your ears, so Samsung claims.
Featuring AKG sound, it features a 12mm sound driver and bass duct. There’s three microphones and a Voice Pickup Unit, ensuring better voice quality for calls. Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) is available so you won’t be distracted by your surroundings.
The buds feature a touch-based PUI (physical user interface) for touch control, as well as Bixby voice wake-up. This allows you to control your music, apps, and send messages hands-free and eyes-free.
Samsung has said that the buds can last up to 6 hours of playback and the charging case offers an additional 15 hours of battery life.
Interested in getting either products? Well you can get the Galaxy Watch3 41mm and 45mm at RM1,699 and RM1,799 respectively while the Galaxy Buds Live will be available at RM699.
The Galaxy Watch3 is available for pre-orders from now till the 20th of August 2020, where should you order in this period, you will get your hands on a wireless charger pad that’s worth RM239. As for the Galaxy Buds Live, they will be available starting from the 21st of August instead. You can make your pre-order by heading to the link right here.
Pokdepinion: I’m not really a watch guy myself.. I’m more interested in the Buds Live.. I wonder how they actually sound like and how comfy they are.
Spread the PokdeLoveClick to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window)Click to share on Skype (Opens in new window)Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)

Related


Top Picks: Upcoming Game Releases for November 2017

Not sure what games to get yourself in November 2017? Well, look no further. Here’s our top picks for the upcoming game releases for November 2017.
It has been a great year in gaming, in terms of both the awesome games we get to play as well as developments in the local videogame industry. As usual, a brand new month means a brand new list of games to look forward to so if you’re not sure what games are worth your money, let us help you. Here are our top picks for upcoming game releases for November 2017.

 Join Pokde Telegram Channel

Upcoming Game Releases for November 2017
 Call of Duty: WWII

The 14th non-spinoff entry to the Call of Duty series, Call of Duty: WWII is a first-person shooter game and the second entry to be set during World War II since Call of Duty: World at War. The game focuses on the actions of a 12-men squad of the 1st Infantry Division from 1944 to 1945 in the European theater of World War II, covering the occupation of France and Belgium as well as the journey to Germany.
Players will mostly follow 2 soldiers; Private Ronald “Red” Daniels and Private First Class Robert Zussman as they survive through the war. In essence, players will be reliving the war mostly through their eyes, with additional characters being playable and making cameo appearances from time to time.
Fun fact, Call of Duty: WWII is the first Call of Duty game since the original to not have health regeneration in the campaign mode. Instead, players will need to rely on medics that will be providing health packs. Furthermore, players can choose a myriad of ways to complete their objective, such as capturing enemies instead of subduing them, and their choices will have an effect on gameplay.
Call of Duty: WWII will be coming to the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Windows PC on November 3rd 2017.

 Sonic Forces

The return of the legendary mascot from SEGA, Sonic Forces is a platformer game developed by Sonic Team. In this installment, Sonic has actually failed to defeat Dr. Eggman due to the interception of Eggman’s right-hand man, the mysterious Infinite. With Infinite’s power, Sonic vanishes to thin air which allowed Eggman to virtually conquer the world.
Eventually, Sonic returned and joins up with the Resistance army which is being helmed by longtime friend, Knuckles the Echidna. Together, they will have to take down Eggman’s army, which includes some familiar faces such as Shadow the Hedgehog, before it’s too late. The catch here is that the Resistance army only has 3 days to do so before Eggman’s plan to destroy all his foes is enacted.
Fun fact, Sonic Forces has been in development since 2013, which is around the time of Sonic Lost World’s release. The reason Sonic Team chose the subtitle “Forces” is because of the themes of “power” and “army”, with 2 strong forces colliding; Sonic and his crew against Dr. Eggman and his army.
Sonic Forces will be coming to the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and Windows PC on November 7th 2017.

 Need for Speed Payback

The 23rd installment in the Need for Speed series, Need for Speed Payback is a racing game developed by the folks over at Ghost Games, the team that worked on Need for Speed Rivals. The game will follow 3 main character; Tyler Morgan, Mac, and Jess, in Fortune Valley. Their aim is to take down a cartel that’s controlling Fortune Valley’s underworld known as “The House”.
Need for Speed Payback will have an open world environment for players to explore. It will have a focus on action driving, which is essentially driving with style such as executing stunts, and these style actions will have movie-like sequences. Unlike the previous game, this one will have a 24-hour day and night cycle.
Fun fact, the game’s creative director William Ho mentioned that they ditched realism to “give gamers their own action movie fantasy” in an interview with Red Bull Games. Not only was this done to differentiate itself from competitors like Gran Turismo, it enabled them to include a storyline akin to the Fast and the Furious series for gamers to enjoy.
Need for Speed Payback will be coming to the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Windows PC on November 6th 2017.

 Star Wars Battlefront II

From the team over at EA DICE, Star Wars Battlefront 2 is a multiplayer-focused action shooter game where players can take control of their favourite Star Wars characters and battle it out against a vast number of enemies using lightsabers, guns, and everything in between.
Unlike the previous installment, this one actually comes with a single player campaign which is focused on Inferno Squad leader Iden Version. The campaign will be happening at the same timeline as the latest mainline Star Wars Move, The Force Awakens, and it will show a different side to the events that transpired in the movie.
Star Wars Battlefront II will be coming to the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Windows PC on November 17th 2017.

 Monster of the Deep: Final Fantasy XV

While this particular entry in our top picks for upcoming game releases for November 2017 isn’t a game by itself, Monster of the Deep is one of the most highly anticipated virtual reality DLC add-on for Final Fantasy XV. It will take place within the world of Eos, with players taking control of themselves as they interact with the 4 main protagonists of the game; Noctis, Gladiolus, Ignis, and Prompto.
In essence, it is a fishing simulator within Final Fantasy XV, where players will fish in various ponds scattered across Eos to catch a variety of fish. The ultimate goal here is to catch the titular “Monster of the Deep”, which is a rare fish that is capable of attacking players and thus, ending the game prematurely.
Fun fact, Monster of the Deep wasn’t intended to be a VR fishing game add-on at first. It was first created as a first-person shooter add-on for the game, with Square Enix going as far as showing off a demo of this initial concept at E3 2016. It was changed to a fishing simulator as Square Enix felt that it would provide a more immersive experience in VR.
Monster of the Deep: Final Fantasy XV will be coming exclusively for the PlayStation 4, with the use of the PSVR headset, on November 21st 2017.

While this might not be a game in itself, it’s worth noting that the Xbox One X, or as I’d like to call it the Xbox One on steroids, was officially released this month, 7th November 2017. In case you’re looking to splurge a bit more this month or prepare yourself for the Christmas gifts, it is a major highlight for November 2017. We hope you have a great month of gaming as we’re approaching the final hurdle of 2017.
Spread the PokdeLoveClick to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window)Click to share on Skype (Opens in new window)Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)

Related


Xbox Cloud Gaming Is Now Available To Use With iOS Devices

Microsoft has just announced that their game streaming service, Xbox Cloud Gaming, is now available on Apple iOS devices as well as on Windows PC. The game streaming service was formerly known as Project xCloud and can now be played through several web browsers including Safari on iOS devices as well as Edge and Chrome on PC.
Stream your Xbox games with Xbox Cloud Gaming on iOS devices and PC

Microsoft also revealed that have made a lot of improvements to Xbox Cloud Gaming with upgraded data centres “powered by custom Xbox Series X hardware”. The new data centres can now provide faster game load times, better frame rates and an overall better experience in new-gen gaming.

 Join Pokde Telegram Channel

Furthermore, Microsoft stated that the games on Xbox Cloud Gaming will be streamed at 1080p with up to 60fps. Further improvements and added features will be made down the line to improve the overall game streaming experience.

For those playing on mobile, Microsoft says that custom touch controls have been enabled for more than 50 games on the cloud gaming service. You can also play games with a wireless Bluetooth controller, either an Xbox Wireless controller or any other supported third-party wireless Bluetooth controller or accessories.

To use the service, all you have to do is head over here through the web browser on your iPhone, iPad, or PC. You will have immediate access to the 100+ games that are available now in the Xbox Cloud Gaming if you’re an existing Xbox Game Pass Ultimate member. As of right now, the service is officially available in 22 countries which include:

Austria
Belgium
Canada
Czechia
Denmark
Finland
France
Germany
Hungary
Ireland
Italy
Korea
Netherlands
Norway
Poland
Portugal
Slovakia
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
United Kingdom
United States

Source
Pokdepinion: Now this is something I’ve been interested in. I’m a huge fan of cloud gaming and I would love to give this a try.
Spread the PokdeLoveClick to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window)Click to share on Skype (Opens in new window)Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)

Related


HUAWEI Mobile Services Officially Launch HUAWEI AppTouch At Digital Game Conference 2019

HUAWEI Mobile Services has announced the launch of their HUAWEI AppTouch, which is their new digital services platform to provide carriers with enhanced digital entertainments such as games, videos, and of course music.
At the Digital Game Conference (DGC) 2019 which was held in Dubai, Jervis Su Jie, Vice President of HUAWEI Mobile Services has officially released the HUAWEI AppTouch and provided some key insights on their new platform.
The conference gathered more than 500 companies from 35 countries, where HUAWEI setup a workshop that explores HUAWEI AppTouch with carriers and game partners. The Business Director of game publisher CMGE and CEO of Babil Games explained on how the AppTouch helps them build up digital service channels.

 Join Pokde Telegram Channel

As of today, HUAWEI Mobile Services has provided services such as AppGallery, Themes, Music, Video and many others in more than 170 countries for more than 500 million users. The new HUAWEI AppTouch provides a new way for carriers to integrate global digital content ecosystem and channel resources and will become an important part of HUAWEI Mobile Services.
Aside from the digital content cloud services, it will also help carriers to develop business, enhance brand influence and finally increase valued revenue. Currently, monthly paid users on the HUAWEI AppTouch has exceeded 20 million. The company aims to upgraded the AppTouch to be a one-stop distribution platform for carriers and partners across the whole digital content lifecycle in the future.
Pokdepinion: They seem pretty serious with the AppTouch. Let’s see how it fares in the future..
Spread the PokdeLoveClick to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window)Click to share on Skype (Opens in new window)Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)

Related


Tower Of Fantasy Rolls Out 2.1 Update – New Maps, Lin & More

Level Infinite and Hotta Studio dropped some details on the latest 2.1 update titled “Confounding Labyrinth” for Tower of Fantasy.

This update brings a brand new map, Confounding Abyss, which the players will encounter the newest simulacrum character – Lin. Set to be successor as the only daughter of Mirroria’s founder, she is widely accepted as the de facto leader among the people of Mirroria. Combat-trained since young, Lin displays an aura of strength and prefers fighting on the frontlines, with spectacular results.
The key of Lin’s power comes from her alteration ability – each simulacrum in-game is equipped with one element (e.g. Ruby as flame, Saku Fuwa as frost) which determines players’ strategies. Lin’s unique ability breaks the convention, allowing her to utilize all elements and players can use it as a construction weapon for any element genre.

 Join Pokde Telegram Channel

This new map will introduce players to some key locations which includes Prism Pillar, a ruin left by an unknown civilizations; and Deepsoul Industrial Zone, a humid and warm environment that houses the industrial area around the scientific research center. New enemies pose new challenges – as some of them are the result of mutations under the effects of Confounding Abyss.
Prism Pillar (left) and Deepsoul Industrial Zone (right).
Crystal Hoof – one of the mutated creatures seen in Confounding Abyss.
Aside from that, there will also be new content elsewhere – including new bosses, rewards, challenges and a 48-player “Break From Destiny” battle royale mode.
Tower of Fantasy is available for download for free on the website, App Store, Google Play and Steam.
Pokdepinion: Guess we’ll find out how would players utilize Lin’s abilities…
Spread the PokdeLoveClick to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window)Click to share on Skype (Opens in new window)Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)

Related


Acer Predator Helios 300 SpatialLabs Edition Brings Stereoscopic 3D to Games

Acer Predator Helios 300 SpatialLabs Edition

The Acer Predator Helios 300 SpatialLabs Edition is not your ordinary gaming laptop as it lets you enjoy stereoscopic 3D without any glasses necessary. Using the SpatialLabs TrueGame app, you can play a number of supported games in 3D mode on the machine for an immersive gaming experience unlike anything ever before.
This is made possible as the software essentially takes the information from a game’s 3-dimensional environment and presenting them in a 3D stereoscopic view with the help of an eye-tracking solution, allowing you to see depth and space that you would normally not be able to in normal gaming machines. It is said to have support for over 50+ classic and modern games, with more being added later on.

 Join Pokde Telegram Channel

As for the laptop itself, it’s a 15.6-inch 4K UHD 2D panel with liquid crystal lenticular lens that will allow it to shift from 2D to stereoscopic 3D anytime. It’s powered by up to a 12th Gen Intel Core i9 CPU and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 GPU, making it quite a beast. Memory configurations can go up to 32GB DDR5-4800 for RAM and PCIe Gen 4 NVMe SSD in RAID 0 for storage.
Other than that, it comes with Windows 11, Killer DoubleShot Pro, Wi-Fi 6E, HDMI 2.1, Thunderbolt 4, a dual-fan layout using the 5th Gen AeroBlade 3D fans, liquid metal thermal grease, and Acer CoolBoost technology. The Acer Predator Helios 300 SpatialLabs Edition will retail for USD $3,399.99 (RM14,925.96). Pricing and availability in Malaysia is still unknown at the moment but we will report more on that as soon as information becomes available.
Acer Predator Triton 300 SE

If you’re looking for a traditional gaming experience, and one that is easier to bring around, the Acer Predator Triton 300 SE could be the one for you. It has been refreshed with new 12th Gen Intel Core CPU and features up to NVIDIA GeForce RTX 30-series GPU. While the display is still set with a 16:10 aspect ratio, you can choose between the familiar 13-inch model or a new 16-inch one.
The 16-inch model comes with 240Hz WQXGA panels with support for NVIDIA G-SYNC and Advanced Optimus. Apart from that, it also has custom-engineered 5th Gen AeroBlade 3D fans, liquid metal thermal grease, Intel Killer Wi-Fi 6E AX1675i, Thunderbolt 4, and HDMI 2.1 for all variants, whereas the Intel Killer E2600 Ethernet controller is exclusive for the 16-inch model.

The 13-inch Acer Predator Triton 300 SE will retail for USD $1,599.99 (RM7,023.96) whereas the 16-inch variant will retail for USD $1,749.99 (RM7,682.46). Pricing and availability in Malaysia is still unknown at the moment but we will report more on that as soon as information becomes available.
Source
Pokdepinion: I’m personally curious as to how good the stereoscopic 3D gaming experience would be like, and if the novelty would wear off fast. I just hope they increase support for the number of games quick, otherwise the feature would be easily forgotten.
Spread the PokdeLoveClick to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window)Click to share on Skype (Opens in new window)Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)

Related