ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 HERO Review – Pay For The Privilege

Just like the Intel CPUs that it accompanied with, Z790 motherboards in general does not represent a big upgrade over its predecessor Z690 motherboards, with only a few minor design changes and general improvements here and there. That is very much the theme here – the ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 HERO improves a few minor things, changes another few, and largely retains the same feature sets with support for 13th Gen Intel CPUs being the main feature here.
Unboxing
Box front
Box rear
If you saw our ROG Maximus Z690 HERO review before, this is definitely the same-same with just the number 6 changed to 7, not much else. The back of the box is more or less the same story, with some explainers on its features and accessories, just like its Z690 counterpart. Also, there’s some of that ROG stickers and keychain included if that’s your thing.

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Inside the box contains lots of screws, Q-Latch mounts, thermal pads, SATA cables, a Wi-Fi antenna, fan holder bracket, you name it – it’s pretty much there. Though the GPU holder previously seen in Z690 seems to be missing here… guess if you need one you have to get it from their GPUs instead. Need more M.2 slots? ROG’s Hyper M.2 Card returns – it’s the same one as the Z690 though, which I guess this is pretty much a case of “if it’s not broken, don’t fix it”. Also included is a USB drive with all the necessary drivers included. (Who uses DVDs anyways?)
Appearance

As far as the looks department goes… this is what you call a “facelift” in automotive terms. Much like a slightly updated bumper design you see in cars, here we see a slightly updated PCH heatsink design and the rest are just about the same down to the placement of the headers themselves – won’t be the easiest thing to tell apart if you put both the Z690 and Z790 in the same place. What’s not directly seen here is updated RGB design on VRM heatsink (called Polymo Lighting). One thing’s for sure – that VRM heatsink got some serious heft to it. If you’re carrying this motherboard, I’d really recommend you to use both hands.
Moving on. The lower half of the board is mostly metal – two long bars of M.2 heatsinks and the middle big chunk takes care of the heat generated from the PCH chip. There’s no RGB here whatsoever – the only place you’ll see RGB on in this entire motherboard is the Polymo Lighting on the VRM heatsink and that’s it – quite un-ROG-like if you ask me, if you know how much they love to slap the lights on every visible corner.
My phone says hello.
While the PCH heatsink doesn’t have any sort of lighting whatsoever, it does have a very reflective piece of surface which means two things: one, it looks nice when you put it in a case with all the stuff tidied up; and two, it is one big fingerprint magnet… I’d almost appreciate it if ASUS can just chuck a piece of microfiber cloth in the packaging just so I don’t have to frustrate myself holding this board and saw a fingerprint minefield on the PCH and VRM heatsink surface as soon as I take my hand off it.
I/O layout
On the rear side, it’s usual ASUS ROG stuff – your good old BIOS flashback and Clear CMOS button on top, HDMI out for iGPUs, Thunderbolt 4, USB-A, USB-C of all flavors, Wi-Fi 6E antenna and a single 2.5GbE LAN port, then a bunch of audio outputs. That said, I would hope they use a 10GbE LAN for this refresh instead of reusing the same-spec LAN port as the Z690 though.
Motherboard rear – with a huge backplate bolted on.
The rear is a huge chunk of metal backplate, with thermal pads sandwiched in between – two strips located right below VRMs. Good luck trying to make it overheat with this amount of surface area… It is removable though, so those who wants to use it for XOC applications can just unscrew it and go right ahead.
Specifications
ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 HERO

CPU Support
LGA1700 (Intel Core 13th Gen & 12th Gen, Pentium & Celeron w/ compatible socket)

Form Factor
ATX (12 x 9.6 in / 305 x 244mm)

Chipset
Intel Z790

Power & VRM
2x EPS 8-pin
20+1 stage (Vcore+SoC), Intersil ISL99390 (90A per powerstage)
Renesas RAA229131 PWM controller

Memory
4-slot Max. 128GB DDR5-5600 unbuffered
Overclocking support up to DDR5-7800+

PCIe Expansion Slots
PCIe 5.0 x16 (two slots – wired to CPU, support x16 or x8/x8 mode)
PCIe 4.0 x16 (single slot – wired to PCH)

Storage
6x SATA 6Gb/s
5x M.2 slots (3x onboard + 2x Hyper M.2 AIC)
PCIe 5.0 support on primary Hyper M.2 AIC slot only – remaining slots wired to PCIe 4.0

Networking
Intel Wi-Fi 6E AX211 (CNVio2)
Intel 2.5GbE I226-V LAN

USB
Rear:
2x Thunderbolt 4
5x USB 3.2 Gen 2 USB-A
1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 USB-C
4x USB 3.2 Gen 1 USB-A
Front (headers):
1x USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 USB-C (60W PD/QC4+ support)
2x USB 3.2 Gen 1 headers (splitting to 4x USB 3.2 Gen 1)
2x USB 2.0 headers (splitting to 4x USB 2.0)

Audio
ROG SupremeFX
Realtek ALC4082 codec
ESS ES9218 Quad-DAC
5x gold-plated audio jacks (rear)
1x S/PDIF (TOSLINK optical out)
1x front panel audio header

Peripheral Headers
Fan and Cooling
1 x 4-pin CPU Fan header
1 x 4-pin CPU OPT Fan header
1 x 4-pin AIO Pump header
4 x 4-pin Chassis Fan headers
1 x W_PUMP+ header
1 x 2-pin Water In header
1 x 2-pin Water Out header
1 x 3-pin Water Flow header
Miscellaneous
3 x Addressable Gen 2 headers
1 x AURA RGB header
1 x 10-1 pin System Panel header
1 x Thermal Sensor header
1 x CPU Over Voltage jumper
1 x Alternative PCIe Mode switch

Accessories
Cables
1 x ARGB RGB extension cable
4 x SATA 6Gb/s cables
ROG Hyper M.2 Card
1 x ROG Hyper M.2 Card with heatsink
2 x M.2 screw packages for ROG Hyper M.2 Card
Additional Cooling Kit
1 x Thermal pad for M.2
1 x DDR5 Fan holder
1 x VRM Fan holder
Miscellaneous
1 x ASUS Wi-Fi moving antennas
3 x M.2 backplate Q-Latch package
3 x M.2 backplate Rubber Packages
1 x Q-connector
1 x ROG stickers
1 x ROG key chain
1 x ROG VIP card
Installation Media
1 x USB drive with utilities and drivers
Documentation
1 x User Guide

Test System

CPU
Intel Core i9-13900K

Cooler
ASUS ROG Ryujin II 360 AIO
Cooler Master MasterGel Maker

Motherboard
ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Hero (BIOS ver. 0502)

GPU
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Founders Edition

Memory
Kingston FURY BEAST DDR5-6000 CL36 (2x16GB)

Storage
Samsung SSD 980 PRO 256GB (Boot)
Kingston NV1 1TB

Power Supply
Cooler Master V850 Platinum 850W

Case
VECTOR Bench Case (Open-air chassis)

OS
Windows 11 Pro 21H2 (22000.1098)

A Closer Look
VRMs

from bottom left: Renesas RAA229131 PWM controller, Intersil ISL99390 powerstage / right side: VRM Polymo Lighting (with fingerprints…)
Now, if you cover the bottom half of the motherboard from your eyes, would you be able to tell the difference between this and the Z690 Hero? Chances are you likely couldn’t. ASUS has stuck with the proven design here and pretty much retained everything from the Z690 – heatsinks, PWMs, MOSFETs and then some. Sitting on top of this huge reflective VRM heatsink is the Polymo lighting panel – which as mentioned earlier functions the exact same way as the older model, just with new designs.
Audio
Realtek ALC4082 & ESS Sabre ES9218 Quad DAC.
On the sound department, while the codec remained the same Realtek ALC4082 chip, the DAC has been updated – this time with ESS ES9218 Quad DAC, which is the exact same DAC seen on some of the ROG Delta headsets. The yellow-ish line here is the dedicated audio circuit isolated from the rest of the board to minimize signal interference.
Storage
Primary slot (green) is wired directly to CPU running on PCIe 4.0 protocol. Orange denotes PCIe 4.0 from PCH, magenta denotes PCIe 5.0 (both wired to CPU).
Just like the Z690 Hero, you get 3+2 slots in the form of an external Hyper M.2 Add-in Card. Interestingly, all M.2 slots on the motherboard itself are only wired to PCIe 4.0; the single PCIe 5.0 slot you’re looking for actually situates insides this AIC’s primary slot. That said, all slots does not support the still-in-infancy M.2 25110 form factor SSDs which other manufacturers has claimed to support just-in-case.
To get that PCIe 5.0 x4 slot active, there’s quite a bit of work to figure out: you need to make sure the Hyper M.2 card slots into either of the PCIe 5.0 x16 slots – which turns your GPU slot into running at x8 mode and slot the SSD itself to the first slot. It’s a bit of a chicken-and-egg situation but realistically you won’t run into bandwidth issues with GPUs feeding to PCIe 5.0 x8 (which is effectively PCIe 4.0 x16) anyway.
I/O

Here we see one Intel JHL8540 Thunderbolt 4 controller – same as the preceding model. In various places ASMedia USB and SATA controllers are seen which handles downstream I/O connections. One new part here is the GbE controller – the 2.5GbE LAN is now handled by the updated Intel I-226V NIC, which as far as I can tell from datasheets are virtually identical apart from consuming less power over its I-225V predecessor. The Wi-Fi module is the ubiquitous AX211 – which now runs on proprietary CNVio2 form factor, so there’s no chance of swapping to another non-Intel motherboard if you need to somehow.
Thermals

We disabled all power limits on the Core i9-13900K and just let ‘er rip – which happily takes all that thermal headroom in the initial few seconds of our Cinebench R23 multicore benchmark to shoot itself into 306 watts. Terrifying levels of power to say the least. Not for the Z790 Hero though – it barely break a sweat feeding this power-hungry CPU with VRMs hovering at 60°C while the CPU is absolutely pinned to its thermal and power limits. At the same time, the PCH sits at 60°C as well – so heat shouldn’t be an issue on both parts of the motherboard.
Q-Latch / Q-Release
The Q-Release mechanism is done by pulling the tab as you hold the button down on the far right edge of the motherboard. Circled are Q-Latch for M.2 SSDs.
Here’s a feature that I felt like is an absolute life-saver and definitely should be a standard in future motherboards regardless of price – the Q-Latch and Q-Release. God knows how many times I dropped that tiny M.2 screws or even tried so hard shoving a stick just to push that PCIe slot release which is occupied by the sheer girth of the GPU itself… the RTX 4090 now comes with 4-slots as virtually the standard, mind you.
Controls

Here’s a feature that is mainly focused towards overclockers: the buttons which I call them “control panel”. Now if you install this board in a regular PC case, chances are you’re never going to touch it – but if one day you have to take it out for diagnosis or even just building the PC for the first time, the buttons just makes it slightly easier to get everything tested quick without resorting to using screwdrivers just to short the pins. The FlexKey is a customizable button which you can assign to whatever feature you need quick access to – simply configure it in BIOS settings.
Another small feature is the ALT_PCIE_MODE switch, situated on the bottom edge: for users who prefer to run on PCIe risers, this is a quick and dirty way of telling the motherboard to drop all PCIe 5.0 signals down to PCIe 4.0 should your system not boot properly when running your GPU through it.
Starting Up

With the parts I have, booting the first time is very straightforward – select XMP profile, and it’s off to the races. In terms of software – Armoury Crate, now comes with newly designed visuals (though UI layouts are largely similar) – is the one you’ll be sticking to as you do all kinds of fan tuning and whatnot – or you can just leave it to the AI to do you job for you should you fancy that.
I have to say, unless you truly are an overclocking hobbyist – most of the performance potential used to be done by manual tuning can pretty much be covered by AIs (such as FanXpert) and you don’t need to intervene much. Overclockers who looks for that every last drop of performance will still be served well with all the options and monitoring available with granular control; and those who like RGB customization will have no problem navigating through the app.
Conclusion

Here’s what we said about the Z690 Hero:
“While the ROG Maximus XIII Hero was already pricey enough to make my eyes water, the ROG Maximus Z690 Hero is enough to make my eyes bleed…”
Well bad news, the ROG Maximus Z790 Hero’s pricing might make you gouge your eyes out – at RM3,489 – it is not for the faint of heart. Many of this board’s features can be had at more mainstream models or even its direct predecessor – the Z690 Hero, so if you don’t ask too much about what your motherboard should do, those ones should serve you well enough without compromising on the CPU performance itself. I’d say, unless you really love overclocking the snot out of your hardware, which I’d recommend you get this board; otherwise, just look elsewhere…

Thanks to ASUS Malaysia for sending us the ROG Maximus Z790 Hero for our review.
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Recently, we reported about TM slashing the upload speed of their Unifi 500Mbps plan by half, with MCMC investigating the company on the matter. Now, it appears to not be a case of false advertising but rather, a simple mistake.
TM Claims Upload Speed Issue Isn’t False Advertising And Is Simply a Mistake
Picture credits: Soyacincau
According to Telekom Malaysia (TM), there has been no changes to the upload speed of their Unifi 500Mbps plan. In fact, it was simply an error on their end and they have since their website, FAQ, and leaflets to reflect the matter 8 days after the plan was unveiled. For now, they are giving their full cooperation to the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) for the investigation.

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A correction was made to an error in the upload speed for our 500Mbps package stated in the FAQ, unifi Portal and leaflets on 2 September 2020. The correct upload speed configuration for 500Mbps is 100Mbps instead of 200Mbps stated in the earlier version of the FAQs, unifi Portal and leaflets.
TM
The company has also apologized for the inconvenience, and made note that all customers are still within the 30-day Try Me period since the plan was launched less than a month ago. This means that customers can freely cancel their internet subscription plan without worrying about any penalty fees. They are looking to call customers who signed up for the Unifi 500Mbps plan starting 21st September onwards to inform them of the error and provide available options to move forward.

Previously, numerous complaints were issued by consumers on the Unifi 500Mbps plan being reduced to half quietly. This resulted in MCMC taking action by launching an investigation into the matter. The company has since reassured customers and stakeholders on their commitment to protect and uphold the rights of consumers, stating that they will continue to be transparent in keeping customers informed.
The Unifi 500Mbps plan, along with the 800Mbps plan, is the newest offering that was launched on 2nd September 2020. Initially, both plans were listed with an upload speed of 200Mbps but the former has since been reduced to 100Mbps.
MCMC mentioned that with various news outlets reporting on the initial offering, it would seem as if TM has mislead consumers on the new internet plan. They assured the masses that if there are any findings that indicate a compromise of consumer rights, they will take further action against TM.
Source
Pokdepinion: I’m actually not even sure how they could make such a mistake, and how they only updated it slightly more than a week after the initial unveiling. It’s not such a huge deal, to me at least, but it will affect the consumer’s trust towards the company.
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AMD reveals world’s-first hardware-virtualized GPUs

AMD FirePro™ S-Series GPUs with Multiuser GPU (MxGPU) technology. AMD’s ground-breaking hardware-virtualized GPU architecture delivers an innovative solution in response to emerging user experiences such as remote workstation, cloud gaming, cloud computing, and Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI). Typical VDI use cases include Computer-Aided Design (CAD), Media and Entertainment, and office applications.

In the virtualization ecosystem, key components like the CPU, network controller and storage devices are being virtualized in hardware to deliver optimal user experiences, but prior to today the GPU was not hardware virtualized. AMD MxGPU technology, for the first time, brings the modern virtualization industry standard to the GPU hardware. This promises consistent performance and enhanced security across virtual machines. MxGPU controls GPU scheduling delivering predictable quality of service to the user.

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AMD MxGPU technology, based on SR-IOV (Single Root I/O Virtualization), a PCI Express® standard:

 Delivers hardware GPU scheduling logic with high-precision quality of service to the user.
Preserves the data integrity of Virtualized Machines (VM) and their application data through hardware-enforced memory isolation logic preventing one VM from being able to access another VM’s data.
 Exposes all graphics functionality of the GPU to applications allowing for full virtualization support for not only graphics APIs like DirectX® and OpenGL but also GPU compute APIs like OpenCL™.

IT budgets can realize support for up to 16 simultaneous users with a single AMD FirePro S7150 GPU card which features 8 GB of GDDR5 memory, while up to twice as many simultaneous users (32 in total) can be supported by a single AMD FirePro S7150 x2 card which includes a total of 16 GB of GDDR5 memory (8GB per GPU). Both models feature 256-bit memory bandwidth.
Based on AMD’s Graphics Core Next (GCN) architecture to optimize utilization and maximize performance, the AMD FirePro S7150 and S7150 x2 server GPUs feature:

AMD Multiuser GPU (MxGPU) technology to enable consistent, predictable and secure performance from virtualized workstations with the world’s first hardware-based virtualized GPU products to enable users with workstation-class experiences matched with full ISV certifications.
GDDR5 GPU Memory to help accelerate applications and process computationally complex workflows with ease.
Error Correcting Code (ECC) Memory to ensure the accuracy of computations by correcting any single or double bit error as a result of naturally occurring background radiation.
OpenCL™ 2.0 support to help professionals tap into the parallel computing power of modern GPUs and multicore CPUs to accelerate compute-intensive tasks in leading CAD/CAM/CAE and Media & Entertainment applications that support OpenCL allowing developers to take advantage of new GPU features.
AMD PowerTune is an intelligent power management system that monitors both GPU activity and power draw. AMD PowerTune optimizes the GPU to deliver low power draw when GPU workloads do not demand full activity and delivers the optimal clock speed to ensure the highest possible performance within the GPU’s power budget for high intensity workloads.

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Netflix to Release Three Mobile Games with Ubisoft for Members Starting 2023

Starting January 2023, Netflix teamed up with Ubisoft to create three mobile games from some of Ubisoft’s critically-acclaimed franchises to its subscribers. Initially announced on 10 September on Ubisoft Forward digital event – the three games will expand on three series – Valiant Hearts, Mighty Quest and Assassin’s Creed universes, and will be exclusive on mobile to Netflix members around the world with no ads or in-app purchases.

This new release of Valiant Hearts will act as the sequel to award-winning game Valiant Hearts: The Great War, and is directed by original core team and will feature a new story while retaining the same DNA.

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Ubisoft’s critically-acclaimed The Mighty Quest for Epic Loot mobile game will feature its next title on Netflix in 2023. This time, the game will be inspired by the roguelike genre to deliver the hack-and-slash combat with a new and replayable format.
Finally, for Assassin’s Creed – apart from the previously announced live-action series, a new title for mobile platforms is currently underway for development exclusively for Netflix.
Read the full announcement from here.
Pokdepinion: As far as mobile game releases go, this is big news – we still need to wait and see how this turns out though.
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ROG Zephyrus S17 and Zephyrus M16 announced with Intel Core i9-11900H and GeForce RTX 30 series graphics!

ASUS has just announced their cutting edge ROG Zephyrus S17 and Zephyrus M16 laptops, both offering a unique combination of the greatest features available in their arsenals. Both feature the latest 11th Gen Intel Core H-series processors and GeForce RTX 30 series graphics for some beastly performance packed into a really portable package.
ROG Zephyrus S17 – the keyboard rises!

ASUS decided to take a spin on the ROG Zephyrus Duo 15 design with the ROG Zephyrus S17. As we all know, the ROG Zephyrus Duo 15’s keyboard position is not exactly ideal, and there really isn’t much that you can do if you want a second screen. But if you don’t want a second screen, the ROG Zephyrus S17 is an excellent option for gamers.

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In the ROG ScreenPad Plus’ place is a rising optical mechanical keyboard. With this design, the ROG Zephyrus S17 promises a more comfortable typing experience, while also ensuring that you won’t be affected by the heat produced by the components in the machine. The raised keyboard also has the added advantage of opening up more room for the fans to take in cool air, with what ASUS has dubbed the AAS Plus cooling system.

This allows the ROG Zephyrus S17 to keep the 11th Gen Intel Core i9-11900H and GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU cool. As the CPU can draw up to 90W in bursts, and the GPU can pull 140W with Dynamic Boost, this impressive cooling solution is definitely necessary to ensure excellent sustained performance. To optimize the cooling, the ROG Zephyrus S17 also features liquid metal TIM for the CPU.

As you would expect from the name, the ROG Zephyrus S17 sports a 17″ display. To really take advantage of all the performance available in this machine, the ROG Zephyrus S17 can be equipped with a WQHD display with Advanced Optimus and G-SYNC, or you can also opt for 4K panel with Adaptive Sync. ASUS also pushed the limit in terms of audio enjoyment with a powerful six-speaker setup.
ROG Zephyrus S17 Specs and Price in Malaysia

As of now, ASUS Malaysia has revealed that they have no plans to bring the ROG Zephyrus S17 into the Malaysian market.
ROG Zephyrus M16 – a 16″ display in a 15″ chassis!

What if you don’t want a 17″ laptop, but the existing 15.6″ laptops are just too small for your needs? ASUS feels your pain, and now you can opt for the ROG Zephyrus M16. The ROG Zephyrus M16 touts an insane 94% screen to body ratio thanks to a 16:10 panel and ultra-slim 4.6mm narrow bezels. But while the bezels are thin, there’s still a webcam above the display, a feature which was missing from the ROG laptop lineup for quite sometime.

On top of the atypical aspect ratio and razor thin bezels, the display panel itself is quite impressive as well. It touts a WQXGA resolution with a 165Hz refresh rate and Adaptive Sync. As with all ROG Zephyrus laptops, the panel is PANTONE validated with 100% DCI-P3 gamut coverage. There’s Dolby Vision too to deliver a great multimedia experience.

Speaking of which, the ROG Zephyrus M16 also touts a six-speaker system, enhanced by Dolby Atmos. Under the hood, there’s ROG Intelligent Cooling to keep the 11th Gen Intel Core i9-11900H and GeForce RTX 3070 Laptop GPU nice and cool. The CPU also gets the liquid metal treatment to improve the thermal transfer from the CPU into the cooling system.

On the other side of the lid, ASUS also baked in an awesome Prismatic Film behind the Off Black metal finish, which has CNC-milled perforations for a more dynamic outlook. The entire laptop measures just 19.9mm thin and weighs 1.9kg light, which makes it an awesome laptop to bring around with you.
ROG Zephyrus M16 Specs and Price in Malaysia
ASUS Malaysia has yet to confirm the pricing for the ROG Zephyrus M16, but you can check out the configurations here which are slated to arrive in Malaysia:

GU603H-MK8043TS
GU603H-RK8037TS

Processor
Intel Core i9-11900H, 8C/16T @ up to 4.9GHz
45W TDP
10nm SuperFin

RAM
16GB DDR4-3200
32GB DDR4-3200

GPU
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 6GB GDDR6, Max. TGP 95W
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 8GB GDDR6, Max. TGP 100W

Storage
1TB PCIe NVMe SSD
2TB PCIe NVMe SSD

Connectivity
Wireless
WiFi 6 (802.11ax)
Bluetooth 5.2
Wired
1 x Thunderbolt 4 Type-C
1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C
1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A
1 x USB 3.0 Type-A
1 x RJ45 LAN

Display
16″ WQXGA (2560 x 1600) 16:10 165Hz IPS-level display
500 nits, 100% DCI-P3, PANTONE Validated
Adaptive Sync
2 x DisplayPort via USB-C
1 x HDMI 2.0b

Audio
2 x 2W tweeter
4 x 2W woofer with Smart Amp
Dolby Atmos
3.5mm audio jack
array microphone

Power
90WHr battery
240W AC adapter
100W USB-PD power adapter

Dimensions
355 x 243 x 22.9 mm

Weight
1.9kg

Price
TBA
TBA

Bundled Items
ROG Backpack
ROG Chakram

Availability
End June
End July

You can expect to see/hear more about the ROG Zephyrus M16 in June, so stay tuned!
Pokdepinion: The ROG Zephyrus M16 might just be the laptop for me to get over the ROG Zephyrus G14… I mean, it’s still very compact and light, but that extra viewing area… Hmmm…
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NetEase’s New ‘Project M’ Mobile Game Looks A Lot Like VALORANT

Riot Games recently confirmed that VALORANT will be coming to mobile but it seems like someone else has beaten them to the punch. NetEase recently announced the beta for their game ‘Project M’ which looks suspiciously a lot like VALORANT. NetEase is a Chinese video game company that is best known for making mobile games such as the popular survival game, LifeAfter as well as licensed mobile games like Marvel Super War.
‘Project M’, a VALORANT clone?

‘Project M’ is a five versus five tactical shooter (similar to VALORANT) that features “sharp gunplay” and “special abilities” for each character (also similar to VALORANT). NetEase’s new game looks to have taken a lot of inspiration (like a lot) from Riot Games’ popular tactical shooter with character abilities, weapons and even locations all looking like variations of the ones found in VALORANT. Even the name ‘Project M’ is a direct reference to the ‘Project A’ placeholder Riot Games used while VALORANT was still in development.

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It seems like a gutsy move on NetEase’s part to release something like this seeing that the company is a direct competitor to Tencent, which is the parent company of Riot Games. Seeing that a mobile version of VALORANT is yet to be released, ‘Project M’ is the perfect game at the moment to scratch that itch for players looking to get a mobile experience of Riot Games’ super popular tactical shooter. The beta test is open now until August 6.

Source
Pokdepinion: Let’s not beat around the bush here. This game looks so much like VALORANT it’s hilarious. I do applaud NetEase’s cojones in coming up with this though and undercut Tencent in the mobile tactical FPS market. I am also interested to see if there will be any sort of legal repercussions to come out of this.
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Microsoft Surface Go 3 Arrives In Malaysia From RM1,888

The folks at Microsoft has recently announced the release of the new Surface Go 3 laptop here in Malaysia.
Microsoft Surface Go 3 now in Malaysia

The Surface Go 3 offers portability where it weighs at just 544g and comes with a 1080p camera, “best-in-class studio microphones”, Dolby Audio as well as a 10.5-inch touch display. They’ve said that for now there’s is only the WiFi version where LTE models will be available in the coming months.

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Designed to take advantage out of Windows 11, the laptop is powered by up to an Intel Core i3-10100Y processor and packs up to 8GB RAM and 128GB SSD. As for the battery, it has a 28WHr battery which is touted to last up to 11 hours.
There is the Microsoft Ocean Plastic Mouse as well, which is resin that’s made of 20% recycled ocean plastic recovered or washed ashore from oceans and waterways. It is sold separately at RM119 and will be available starting from the 11th of October 2021.
The Surface Go 3 is available at RM1,899 for the 4GB+64GB version, RM2,588 for the 8GB+128GB and finally RM2,988 for the Intel Core i3 variant. Find out their full specifications in our previous article right here.
For more on the latest tech and gaming news plus reviews, stay tuned to Pokde.net.
Pokdepinion: The prices aren’t actually bad to be honest for what they offer. But would you be satisfied with the specs? Well that depends on you and you know best on what your needs/wants is.
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Get 3-month JOOX VIP Access for free with the HONOR 9 Series!

HONOR Malaysia partnered up with JOOX to bring additional value to the HONOR 9X Pro, HONOR 9X and HONOR 9X Lite and HONOR 9A smartphones. HONOR fans who purchase the devices between now until 16th September will receive 3 months of JOOX VIP Access for free!
This is in conjunction with HONOR’s Raya Merdeka Sale that will be running during the same period. There are great deals to be had at HONOR’s e-commerce website Hihonor, as well as HONOR’s authorized partner stores and HONOR Experience Stores (HES). Here are the promos that are available:
HONOR Raya Merdeka Deals for HONOR 9 Series

RRP
Hihonor deals
HES / Partner store deals

HONOR 9X Pro
RM999
HONOR 9X Gift Box + 3-month JOOX VIP Access
HONOR Band 5i + 3-month JOOX VIP Access

HONOR 9X
RM899
HONOR 9X Gift Box + 3-month JOOX VIP Access
HONOR Umbrella + 3-month JOOX VIP Access

HONOR 9X Lite
RM699
HONOR Travel Adapter + 3-month JOOX VIP Access
HONOR Scale 2 + 3-month JOOX VIP Access

HONOR 9A
RM549
HONOR Thermos Flask + 15GB Cloud Storage + 3-month JOOX VIP Access
HONOR Thermos Flask + 15GB Cloud Storage + 3-month JOOX VIP Access

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Don’t miss out on these deals as they are all on a “while stocks last” basis!
Pokdepinion: I haven’t tried JOOX for myself… Maybe it’s time to explore beyond Spotify.
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Kingdom Hearts 3 Allegedly Leaked and Out in the Wild – Beware of Spoilers

Kingdom Hearts 3 Allegedly Leaked and Out in the Wild

Heads up, Kingdom Hearts fans:
The full version (!) of KH3 appears to be out in the wild (some screenshots and videos exist that I won’t share here)
But yeah, be careful on both social media and YouTube pic.twitter.com/6QKhu31IaZ
— Nibel (@Nibellion) December 15, 2018

The highly anticipated Kingdom Hearts 3 is slated for release in late January. However, it appears that the game has allegedly started circulating early and is actually out in the wild.
According to Twitter user @Nibellion, there are people who have managed to get their hands on the Xbox One copy of Kingdom Hearts 3 in physical form. While it may seem that it could something easy to fake, there are videos and screenshots which indicate that it is actually real and it’s out there.

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At the moment, there appears to not be much information about the game’s story just yet but that can change anytime as people who have already gotten their hands on it could simply share the game in its entirety within the next few days or weeks, prior to its release.
We are aware of at least one short video, roughly 20 seconds, which shows gameplay footage involving Sora. Given the nature of the situation, we’d rather not post it directly on here but if you are interested in taking a look at it yourself, it is up on YouTube and Twitter and can be found with a simple search. However, there may be major spoilers so avoid it if you want a fresh experience when the game is out.
Kingdom Hearts 3 will be coming to the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on 29th January 2018.
Pokdepinion: I am hoping the leak isn’t widespread and only a very select few has gotten their hands on it. Otherwise, it’s going to be a nightmare for Square Enix to deal with.
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Ever Wondered On The Meaning Of Xiaomi? Company’s Co-founder Gives The Answer

Xiaomi has been around the tech scene for quite some time now, but have you ever wondered on the origins of the name that sees it one of the top technology company in the world? Well the brand’s co-founder has shed some light into that, seeing that it’s their 10th year anniversary.
Lei Jun has revealed that there was a possibility that the Xiaomi that we know today could’ve been called something else entirely. There was discussions being held back then where names such as Red Star, Xuande, Qianqi, Antong, Lingxi and a handful of others were being considered.
Thankfully, ‘Xiaomi’ prevailed, where it is formed by the last two letters ‘MI’. According to Lei Jun, the word has two meanings: Mobile Internet as well as Mission Impossible.

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We can probably tell the former part but as for Mission Impossible, well it’s because they are challenging themselves at the time where there were a whole bunch of phone makers at the time and they were just starting out in the market. 10 years later, Xiaomi ranks as the number 4 smartphone company in the world.
Pokdepinion: Gotta give them credit for their work down the years. It’s not easy to enter the scene and do well as they’ve done. What’s your most favorite Xiaomi product?
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Acer Teases Potentially Big Plans for 2021

After the [email protected] Global Press Conference 2021, we had interview sessions with a number of people inside Acer. We managed to get a glimpse of what we can expect from the company this year, and their thoughts on what has happened thus far. Looks like they have some big plans lined up for 2021.
Acer Reportedly Has Big Plans for 2021

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A number of questions were tossed at the Acer representatives on the newly unveiled products at the [email protected] Global Press Conference 2021, as well as what we can expect from them this year. While some didn’t get a direct answer, it did hint at potentially big plans for this year, which still holds a possibility to be delayed due to the ongoing pandemic.
Starting off with Acer’s strategy to differentiate, innovate and customer alignment, Acer Chairman and CEO Jason Chen mentioned that from the beginning, their goal has always been to bridge technology with the people, and add unique technology on top of it. One example is their thermal technology, most likely pointing to the likes of the Aeroblade 3D fans, to improve cooling and therefore boosting the performance of gaming machines even if they are using the same chips as other brands. Then there is other technologies like SpatialLabs for a glasses-free 3D experience and SigridWave for in-game translation via AI.

One new area that the company recently ventured in is smart home appliances starting with the Acerpure Cool, a 2-in-1 air circulator and purifier product. When asked about future products under the new line, President of Acer Pan Asia Pacific Operations Andrew Hou can confirm there are “medical” products in the works, a new version of the Acerpure Cool with Wi-Fi support coming soon, but declined to comment any further than “stay tuned” until July 2021 on the matter. As for their killer product of 2021, Andrew mentioned that “green”, most likely pointing towards their commitment towards being more eco-friendly, is their focus now, which is why he believe the Aspire Vero would be the one for this year. This is because it uses 100% recycled material, which is the first in the world to do so.
When asked about the idea of a new VR-based product, such as their previous Acer Mixed Reality headset, Co-COO and President of IT Products Business Jerry Kao revealed that there are no plans for a new headset at this time. It was mentioned that they’ve tried it previously but found that the demand wasn’t high enough to meet their expectations, especially due to the maturity of VR at the time. However, they will reconsider it again if there is enough demand in the future.

Previously, Acer was one of the first to develop a portable Android gaming device with their Predator 8 tablet. When asked about the possibility of this line of product coming back, Jerry didn’t feel like this was a good idea as smartphones can do what tablets can nowadays. Interestingly, he ended his answer “hang on to your smartphones”, which may not sound like much, but perhaps they may have plans related to a smartphone in the future. Perhaps a Predator gaming phone? Who knows.
Moving on to monitors, we talked with the General Manager of Digital Displays Business Victor Chien, coming off from the three new Acer Predator gaming monitors. One of those new displays is the successor of their large gaming monitor, the Acer Predator CG437K S with HDMI 2.1 support. I asked if there was a possibility of seeing monitors larger than that by the end of this year.
Victor mentioned that they are focused on creating displays that are to be viewed within a 3 feet range. They have considered larger displays before, outright mentioning a 49-inch monitor, but nothing concrete has come out of it. In other words, monitors larger than 43-inch aren’t within their focus. This doesn’t mean it will not happen, but it won’t be coming out anytime in the near future.
Pokdepinion: It sounds like Acer has many things planned out, most of which are still kept under their sleeves as they would want to keep it a surprise. It’s nice to hear that they’re taking risks on innovations as it would often result in more interesting products being launched. Some may end up being a failure, but this risk could still end up paying off well for the company one way or another in the long run.
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Honkai Star Rail Set for April 2023 Launch

Genshin Impact creator HoYoverse announces the release date of Honkai Star Rail, a free-to-play fantasy RPG coming to PC, iOS, and Android on April 26th and to PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 later in the year.
Honkai Star Rail Launches on April 26th

Honkai: Star Rail version 1.0 “The Rail Unto the Stars” will officially launch on April 26 at 10:00 (UTC+8)!
Thanks for your patience, Trailblazers. The pre-installation will start on April 23!
Pre-register Now: https://t.co/5Ch5B8m8I8#HonkaiStarRail #BoardingPreparation pic.twitter.com/rnRZn8fWny
— Honkai: Star Rail (@honkaistarrail) March 24, 2023

Honkai Star Rail, a new free-to-play fantasy RPG from Genshin Impact creator HoYoverse, is set to be released on PC, iOS, and Android on April 26th, with PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 versions to follow later in the year. The developer team recently announced the game’s release date during the Boarding Preparation Special Program, where they showcased the gameplay for the PlayStation version for the first time.

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Honkai Star Rail is set in a vast galaxy filled with mazes, planets, and unique cultures, blending eastern elements with sci-fi philosophies. Players will explore the universe, meet new allies, and face mythical adversaries while empowering their characters with new weapons and items. The game also features fantasy elements with legends integrated into the story.

The core of every adventure is exploration, where players can get to know the universe by exploring different territories, each with its own theme and discipline. Honkai Star Rail’s combat system is easy to learn but hard to master, requiring players to test their team-building skills and find a synergy between characters.
HoYoverse has confirmed that Honkai Star Rail is viewed as a counterpart to Genshin Impact, their breakout hit RPG that launched to an overwhelmingly positive reception. The game features the same beloved anime-esque art style as Genshin Impact, and is set to be another free-to-play gacha game.
Pre-registrations for Honkai Star Rail are now open on the game’s official website. If you’re a fan of Genshin Impact or looking for a new free-to-play fantasy RPG, be sure to mark your calendars for April 26th and get ready to embark on an epic adventure through the stars.
Source
Pokdepinion: Been waiting for this for so long, can’t wait to finally give it a try. I love the more traditional JRPG experience rather the action-based ones you get nowadays.
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The Doogee S95 Pro is a modular triple camera smartphone

Doogee is not a brand we often hear about here in Malaysia, but they have some rather interesting devices in their lineup. The latest of which, the Doogee S95 Pro, apparently builds upon the Doogee S90’s modular design with a more premium design and of course, updated specifications.

The Doogee S95 Pro is set to feature a MediaTek Helio P90, one of the latest chipsets from the Chinese chipmaker. There’s also 8GB RAM and a sufficient 128GB of UFS 2.0 storage rounding up the specifications list. Doogee also fitted the device with the ubiquitous 48MP Sony IMX586 along with an ultra-wide angle and a depth sensor. Not exactly stuff to shout about.

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What’s more interesting with the Doogee S95 Pro is probably the fact that it is claimed to be waterproof, dustproof and drop-proof, all while support a variety of modules. Among which is a 3500 mAh power case of sorts to extend the battery life offered by the built-in 5150 mAh battery. To juice up, the phone is capable of 24W charging, while the power case charges the phone up via 10W turbo quick charge technology.
The device is slated for a September launch, so stay tuned!
Pokdepinion: Looks like a pretty interesting workhorse from the specifications!
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YouTube Will Terminate Malaysian Music Label’s Account Due To Alleged Bogus Copyright Claim

FMC Music Blames Fake Youtube Copyright Strike on Hackers

Lofi Girl, the channel that created the popular “lofi hip hop radio – beats to relax and study to” 24/7 Livestream, announced on 10 July that a copyright takedown was ordered by FMC Music Sdn Bhd Malaysia has rendered some of their videos unusable on the site.
After determining that the complaint was “abusive,” YouTube said it will cancel the account of a local music firm that sent a copyright takedown notice to a famous YouTube channel. On 11 July, Youtube acknowledged, claiming they had resolved the problem and that it would take 24 to 48 hours to restore the channel’s content.

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The team behind Lofi Girl stated that the incident shows the issue of fraudulent accusations hurting content producers on YouTube and that adjustments to the copyright reporting system may be done to avoid such issues from repeating. The channel has also thanked its fans for their support in helping out with this issue.

On the other hand, FMC Music has been flooded with hate comments on their official social media pages in the aftermath of the event. Netizens condemned the firm on Instagram for “bringing shame to Malaysia,” and others even swamped the comment area on their recent YouTube video. Netizens criticized the brand on Instagram and Facebook for “bringing disgrace to Malaysia,” and some even filled the comment area on their recent YouTube video with the hashtag #bringbacklofigirl.
To clear up any “miscommunication”, a representative for the record company informed Malaysiakini.com that hackers were responsible for the mishap.
As per the statement, FMC Music’s YouTube account was hacked when no one was in the office over the holiday weekend. It was alleged that the crew just discovered the hacking and copyright claim ‘this morning’ when they arrived at the workplace.
The team, according to the representative, has reported this to Google and intends to resolve the issue. In response to fans, the spokesman stated that FMC Music has no justification to file a copyright claim because Malay music has nothing to do with the LoFi Girl’s genre.
Source , Source , Source
Pokdepinion: I’m glad that this issue has been resolved. Lofi Girl did help me get through my days of studying back in uni. I hope Google and Youtube will come up with a solution to counter these false claims as it does affect a lot of creators.
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Dragon Ball FighterZ Network Problems; Open Beta Phase May Be Extended

Bandai Namco just started their open beta for their upcoming fighting game, Dragon Ball FighterZ and it’s been facing some network issues. Now, the open beta phase might just get extended.
Dragon Ball FighterZ Network Problems

The folks over at Bandai Namco launched its open beta for their upcoming fighting game, Dragon Ball FighterZ over the weekend, and while feedback has been positive, it seems that it has been experiencing some network issues. This may end up convincing the publisher to extend the open beta.

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After numerous reports of network issues, Bandai Namco took to Facebook with a post thanking users for their feedback and informing them of server updates for Dragon Ball FighterZ. Without giving too many details, they simply stated that the issues are something that cannot be addressed in a short amount of time. Instead, they have noted their consideration to extend the beta to make up for lost time, but no dates have been given as of yet.
It seems that the network problems are unrelated to the game’s playability, as Bandai Namco stated that it will leave the current open beta online for players that can still log in and play.

There have been many instances of games launching for a full release in the past with massive server issues. Despite the frustration of missing valuable hours during a limited time beta, it’s better than experiencing them after launch. While we’re waiting for them to fix the network problems for the game, how about we keep the excitement going by watching the opening cinematic of Dragon Ball FighterZ right above here.
Dragon Ball FighterZ is scheduled to launch for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC on January 26th 2018.

Pokdepinion: From the brief moments I managed to play the game (because I had early access), it was actually pretty entertaining. These problems happen from time to time with a lot of games and it can’t be helped. Hopefully, it will be fixed soon and perhaps, we see an extension for the open beta.
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You Can Now Control Microsoft Teams Call Through Elgato’s Stream Deck

For those who happen to do livestream as a side gig – your Stream Deck now has another purpose.

Microsoft Teams recently have a new update, which grants access to more advanced functionality if you’re Teams Premium subscriber. Aside from your standard feature upgrades, there’s one interesting feature: Elgato’s Stream Deck support.

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If you know anything about Elgato, they’re just about the de facto standard for many types of live streamers. By design, the Stream Deck is a 15-button control interface that allows the user to map macros, start transition or animations, or just the basic streaming controls at the push of a button.
Since it’s effectively just a bunch of macro keys – Microsoft Teams is utilizing that to allow users access the meeting controls with a simple button press. Once set up through Stream Deck plugin, users can perform the actions including camera on/off, mute on/off, record, background blur, leave meeting, live reactions and raise/lower hand. The detailed setup process can be found on the bottom part of Microsoft’s blog post.
Source: Windows Central
Pokdepinion: I can’t imagine someone is gonna buy a whole Stream Deck just for this, right?
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Logitech C925e built to enhance your video collaboration experience

Logitech has just announced the newest member of business webcam portfolio, the Logitech C925e. The Logitech C925e Webcam is purpose-built for anyone seeking an enhanced video collaboration experience. With USB plug-and-play connectivity, the webcam is a plug-and- play device that works with virtually any video or web conferencing application.

The Logitech C925e Webcam provides razor-sharp video (1080p/30fps), a 78° field of view, and omni-directional dual stereo microphones designed for clear communication from open workspaces to home offices to private offices. Additionally, the camera features an iinternal privacy shutter that allows customers to block camera access when the Webcam is not in use.

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The Logitech Webcam C925e is available starting mid-September onwards from distributors, MCL Bhd and M-link System (M) Sdn Bhd. The suggested retail price for the product is RM 549 (inclusive of GST). It is certified and qualified for most business-grade PC or Mac-enabled video and web conferencing applications, including Skype for Business, Cisco Jabber and WebEx, Zoom, Google Hangouts, and more. For more information, please visit http://www.logitech.com/en-my/product/c925e- webcam or http://www.logitech.com/en-my/video-collaboration/partners/zoom.
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ASRock overtakes ASUS in Japan for first time in 10 years!

ASRock was a spin off from ASUS back in 2002, but apparently the student has surpassed the master, with them gaining more market share than ASUS in the Japanese motherboard market for the first time in 10 years. With ASUS being the number one motherboard maker in most regions, this is definitely a momentous achievement for ASRock!
Source: BCN Ranking
ASUS has previously enjoyed a very nice lead in market share over ASRock, but as of March 2021, 37.9% of surveyed Japanese PC gamers own ASRock motherboards, versus ASUS’ 34%. Looking at the aggregated sales data, ASUS’ market share has been declining slowly since December 2020.
Both Taiwanese motherboard makers offer a wide range of motherboards, but ASUS definitely has a better hold of the premium market with the Republic of Gamers brand, while ASRock seems to focus more on providing the best value for money to users, with their lineup of well-priced offerings like the Steel Legend series. Perhaps Japanese PC enthusiasts are also feeling the pinch from the pandemic and have decided to opt for more affordable motherboards?

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In any case, it will be interesting to see ASRock grow. They do have some rather unique boards that are targeted towards enthusiasts like the new Z590 OC Formula that should, at least on paper, go toe-to-toe with the likes of the ROG Maximus XIII Apex.
Source
Pokdepinion: I do believe the only sore point for ASRock is their BIOS which looks extremely outdated versus the current competition… For most PC users its fine, but for hardened enthusiasts who spend more time tweaking their system than actually using it, ASRock boards aren’t ideal.
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Xbox One sees price cuts as Xbox One S looms around the corner

I believe most of our readers are PC enthusiasts, but maybe news of Microsoft not giving the PC MasterRace all their Xbox exclusives may drive some to get an Xbox One simply to play their favorite exclusive title. Well, there may be no better time as Microsoft is slashing the price of the Xbox One to $249, as the upgraded Xbox One S will arrive come 2nd August.

Microsoft seems to really want to clear out its inventory of the 500GB Xbox One, even offering the Special Edition Quantum Break bundle with white console, and the Name your Game bundle too for $249. Microsoft assures Xbox One owners that the their consoles will still support upcoming Xbox games even after the Xbox One S is out, so unless you need the HDR gaming or 4K upscaling, then you should be just fine with the older console.

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If you do, the Xbox One S 2TB will go for $399 on 2nd August. It will feature a new case that is 40% smaller and yet manage to fit the power brick internally, as well as a slightly tweaked controller. There will be a more affordable version going for $299 later, with only 500GB of storage.

Pokdepinion: I think the older Xbox One seems to be a much better deal than the upcoming Xbox One S, as it can pretty much do everything the Xbox One S can, and even supports the Kinect natively. However ever the tech enthusiasts, I would still advise holding out till the HDR visuals are compared against the older console’s graphics before spending on any of this. And of course, there is the Xbox Scorpio further down the line…
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Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra Unboxing and First Impressions

We got our hands on the new Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra but before we publish the review, have a taste of it with our unboxing and first impressions.
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra Unboxing

The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra has a similar box to its predecessor, except this time it’s a picture of the device itself instead of symbols depicting the model. It’s a slim black box with no patterns and with the model name listed on the bottom. As you might have expected, the reason it’s slim is because it lacks a charger. Inside the box, you can find the following items:

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USB-C to USB-C cable
SIM ejector pin
Quick Start Guide
Regional Lock Guide
Samsung Pay leaflet
Warranty card
The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra itself

First Impressions

For our review unit, we received the Lavender colour option, which we feel looks the best among the default colour options. Black looks too bland, green isn’t as attractive as previous iterations and cream could be better. If you purchase it from the official Samsung online store, the Sky Blue and Graphite colours are easily the most attractive options.
The rear has a matte finish, which is great because it’s not a fingerprint magnet and it’s easier to grip. Just like its predecessor, the rear cameras do not have a housing, so they protrude outwards individually, likely to shave some weight off. I wished the contour cut camera housing design made a return but I suppose for innovation, might be better to look for a new design instead.
Of course, the S Pen makes a return with a dedicated slot for it.
Flip it over and you will see its glorious 6.8-inch QHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with adaptive refresh rate ranging from 1Hz to 120Hz as well as punchhole camera cutout. At first glance, it looks the same as the S22 Ultra but when you hold it, it suddenly feels different. As it turns out, the part where the screen starts to curve is closer to the edge, giving you more flat surface to use, and it’s a good change since it’s easier to use without accidentally touching the edge features.
Building off its predecessor’s use of chip, the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra uses the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, the newest flagship chip around with a lot of power to go around. My primary worry is not about the performance but rather the thermals. We will find out more on that once we’re done benchmarking the device. For now, check out its full specifications right below here:
Specifications

SoC
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, 4nm
1 x Cortex-X3 @ 3.36 GHz + 2 x Cortex-A715 @ 2.8GHz + 2 x Cortex-A710 @ 2.8 GHz + 3 x Cortex-A510 @ 2GHz
Adreno 740 GPU

RAM
8GB / 12GB

Storage
256GB / 512GB / 1TB UFS 4.0

Display
6.8″ QHD+ (3080 x 1440) Edge Dynamic AMOLED 2X Display
Corning Gorilla Glass Victus+
HDR10+
1750 nits
1Hz to 120Hz Adaptive Refresh Rate
240Hz Touch Sampling Rate in Game Mode
Vision Booster

Rear Camera
200MP f/1.7 wide angle camera, PDAF, Laser AF, OIS
10MP f/4.9 telephoto camera, 10x optical zoom, dual pixel PDAF, OIS
10MP f/2.4 telephoto camera, 3x optical zoom, dual pixel PDAF, OIS
12MP f/2.2 120˚ ultra-wide, dual pixel PDAF, Super Steady video
LED flash, auto-HDR, panorama
[email protected]/30fps, [email protected]/60fps, [email protected]/60/240fps, [email protected], HDR10+, stereo sound rec., gyro-EIS

Selfie Camera
12MP f/2.2 wide-angle selfie cam, PDAF
Dual video call, Auto HDR, HDR10+
[email protected]/60fps, [email protected]

Battery
5000mAh
45W fast charging
USB-PD 3.0 fast charging
10W wireless fast charging
4.5W reverse wireless charging

Dimensions
163.4 x 78.1 x 8.9 mm
234g

Ingress Protection
IP68

Software
One UI 5.1 based on Android 13

Colours
Phantom Black, Cream, Green, and Lavender

If you want to learn more about all three phones in the Galaxy S23 series, their prices and the pre-orders, click right here.
For now, the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is in the middle of benchmark tests. I’ll be publishing my review of the flagship smartphone soon so stay tuned to Pokde.net.
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Mojang Announces Minecraft: Dungeons for PC – It’s an Action-Adventure Game

Mojang Announces Minecraft: Dungeons for PC

Usually, you don’t hear new game announcements in the weekend. However, in today’s world where news would sooner be leaked than announcement, that isn’t really the case anymore, especially for developer Mojang. In the weekend, they announced a new game in the form of Minecraft: Dungeons.
Developed by Mojang, a Swedish development studio that is currently owned by Microsoft, Minecraft: Dungeons is a full-fledged game inspired by the classic dungeon crawlers of old, and crafted by a small internal team as a passion project.
This action-adventure game set in the Minecraft universe lets you journey to canyons, swamps, and mines while finding loot and killing nasty monsters. You can play this game solo or in co-op with up to three others players

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The game does not have a specific release date at the moment. We only know that it will be coming sometime in 2019 for PC. No console release has been announced yet either, which may be due to the size of the development team. We will be keeping our ears and eyes out in case any additional announcements for Minecraft: Dungeons pop up soon.
Pokdepinion: Well, I certainly wasn’t expecting this to happen. Well, it could still be a lot of fun playing with friends online so no complaints from me.
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Razer announces gaming WiFi router — calls it the Razer Sila

Gaming routers are nothing new now, but this is the first time Razer dipped their toes into networking. And interestingly, while most gaming routers feature an excess of antennae around the router’s chassis, the Razer Sila features none.

Of course, like any other WiFi router out there, it needs antennae to work. There are 9 high-gain antennae inside the sleek body of the Razer Sila. The router supports Tri-Band AC3000, for blazing fast WiFi speeds. If you would prefer to go with LAN, there are also three Gigabit Ethernet ports, and 1 USB 2.0 port and 1 USB 3.0 port, presumably for your printer and NAS.

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But those aren’t the highlights of this router. The Razer Sila is a gaming router, so of course it has to be optimized for gaming. It comes with Razer FasTrack, a proprietary QoS engine which prioritizes traffic based on a variety of criteria. There is a one-touch gaming mode which reserves bandwidth for online gaming.

The patented Multi-Channel ZeroWait DFS selects clear WiFi channels to avoid network traffic, promising a reliable and fast connection. With support for mesh networking as well, multiple Razer Silas can be used to create a seamless WiFi zone throughout your massive 6000 sq. feet home.
It is priced at $249.99 (~RM1034), and is available worldwide starting today. Would you picking one up?
Pokdepinion: I think it definitely looks better than the spiky gaming routers we see from other brands, but the spiky gaming routers do tout more experience than Razer in the networking scene. Would be really interesting to see how the Razer Sila performs.
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Gintama Rumble Gets Asia Release Date; New English Trailer Released

Gintama Ranbu, otherwise known as Gintama Rumble, finally gets a release date for the Asia region. New English trailer is out as well.

Gintama Rumble Gets Asia Release Date

Bandai Namco Asia has announced the release date for the Asian version of its upcoming anime game Gintama Ranbu. If that name seems a bit odd, that’s because it’s going to be called Gintama Rumble in the Asia region. The game will have English subtitles, and will be coming exclusively to the PlayStation 4. The PS Vita version will be a Japan-only release.

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The game will launch in the region day and date with the Japanese release on January 18th, and will include a Neo Armstrong Cyclone Jet Armstrong Cannon as Day 1 DLC. If you don’t know what that is and whether you’re a fan of the series or not, do a Google search of that and prepare yourself for laughter. And of course, the Neo Armstrong Cyclone Jet Armstrong Cannon was picked by the fans. We never disappoint.
To celebrate the announcement we also get the first gameplay trailer that was released in Japan a few days ago, but this time it’s subtitled in English, so everyone can understand what it’s said. It shows how the game is basically a Musou-like title, or if you wanna stay closer to home, it appears very similar to Bandai Namco’s one-vs-army titles like the One Piece series.

As a bonus, we get the title of SPYAIR’s theme song, which will be “Scramble.” Do check out the trailer, alongside the TV commercial for the Japanese version.
Once again, it will be released in the Asia region (including Malaysia of course) on January 18th 2018. A western release has not been announced at the moment, but even if it doesn’t come, it should be easy to import the game.

Pokdepinion: I’ve said this before, I’ll say it again. Gintama is my favourite anime so a game based on the series is really exciting for me. Looking forward to reviewing the game ;)
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NVIDIA 7nm Ampere GPUs to come early 2020?

NVIDIA might be bringing 7nm GPUs as early as the first quarter of 2020. Based on a new Ampere architecture, the 7nm GPUs will be manufactured on Samsung’s 7nm EUV node, which is more advanced than the 7nm node at TSMC that AMD is relying on for the Zen 2 and Navi chips.
Another reason why NVIDIA might rely on Samsung instead of TSMC for the Ampere chips is because TSMC is currently being overrun with orders, thanks to the success of AMD’s Zen 2 processors, as well as increased demand from Apple for the new A13 Bionic SoCs in the iPhone 11 trio.

Given NVIDIA’s cadence, the early 2020 announcement or launch of the GeForce RTX 3000 series does seem plausible. I would probably take it with a pinch of salt though, as NVIDIA has just very recently launched the GeForce RTX SUPER lineup. Throwing in a new architecture so soon after the GeForce RTX SUPER line was introduced might cause NVIDIA fans to cry foul, especially after how the GeForce RTX SUPER quite literally made most of the early adopters look like dunces.

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Another thing to take with a pinch of salt is probably Jensen Huang’s statement that NVIDIA is in no rush to jump onto the 7nm process. Of course, he does seem to have a tendency to contradict himself so I would probably not take it as a strong reasoning to not expect the 7nm Ampere GPUs next year.
More powerful Radeon Navi cards around the corner?
With that said, AMD seems to have beefier cards up their sleeves. AMD has traditionally launched their high-end enthusiast cards as x80/x90, and the current Radeon RX 5700 series should slot in under that card. With the Radeon RX 5700 putting up a fight against the GeForce RTX 2080, if a Radeon RX 5800 were to be launched, it might very possibly bring the fight to the GeForce RTX 2080 Ti, forcing NVIDIA to release newer cards based on new GPUs. Then again, NVIDIA could just drop prices to make their cards look better.
What do you think? Will NVIDIA release Ampere in the GeForce RTX 3000 series early next year?
Pokdepinion: Well, competition is always good to see. Hopefully we will see a larger generational gap with Ampere than the one we saw with Turing.
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Maximus VII Impact – Mini-ITX Size, Max Performance!

The new ROG Maximus VII Impact, Z97 motherboard is your ideal build backbone for an mini-ITX gaming PC. Pack with lot of features that make me crazy!

Motherboard detail : ROG

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WWE 2K19 Is Now Available in Early Access Worldwide

The latest entry into the WWE 2K game series, WWE 2K19, is now available for those who have Early Access privilege. It is available worldwide and for all the platforms that the game is released on; PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.
WWE 2K19 will have a massive roster of playable characters from the main roster of Raw and Smackdown as well as NXT, including fan favourites AJ Styles, Seth Rollins, Aleister Black, and more.
There’s also a special Showcase Mode with Daniel Bryan as the highlight. You can relive his journey from his career-defining moment in the main event of WrestleMania 30 to his heartbreaking retirement, and even his triumphant return in 2018, all told through personal vignettes. “The Return of Daniel Bryan” features 11 historical matches, story-driven cut scenes and multiple unlockable characters and arenas from throughout his WWE career.

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Another thing that will surely entice fans of the game series is the MyCAREER mode. For the first time in WWE 2K history, MyCAREER mirrors the path of many current WWE Superstars by starting a created MyPLAYER on the independent wrestling scene and trying to make it to WWE.
This year’s fully revamped experience features more than 1000 lines of voiceover from 26 different WWE Superstars and across 200 cut scenes. In addition, the mode is said to deliver about 12 hours of playing time, including brand new environments and arenas that bring another layer of authenticity to the mode.
WWE 2K19 will be officially released for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC on 9th October 2018.
We are currently reviewing WWE 2K19 so expect the article to publish soon right here on Pokde.net.
Pokdepinion: I’m quite excited to play this game. Especially because some wrestlers from other companies cough AJ Styles cough have made their way into this game.
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GIGABYTE Introduces Five AMD B650 Series Motherboards

GIGABYTE today has introduced its latest AMD B650 models shortly after the X670 launch; five models will make way into mainstream AMD motherboard lineup, including AORUS, GAMING X and AERO models.

Features include PCIe 5.0 x16 GPU slot or x4 M.2 SSD slot (on select models), up to 16+2+2 phase, 105A Smart Power Stage, 12-layer PCB for improved signaling, and Active OC Tuner for optimized performance on Ryzen 7000 processors – it works by dynamically switching between PBO and manual overclock depending on the amount of cores loaded. B650 boards will support EZ-Latch for quick SSD installation; enhanced SMD slots provides extra shear protection with reinforced GPU slots.

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Both AMD EXPO and Intel XMP certified DDR5 RAM are supported, with GIGABYTE claiming up to DDR5-6600 speeds are achievable. Similar to its X670 counterparts, the B650 lineup will feature VRM heatsink array that provides full cooling coverage in a single-piece heatsink. In preparation of the new 25110 SSD standard, GIGABYTE also designed the SSD slots to accept this new form factor on top of the traditional 2280 form factor. GIGABYTE Smart Fan 6 technology is also carried over from its flagship models for better thermal management.
The lineup also offers 2.5GbE LAN, with Wi-Fi 6E for all Wi-Fi motherboards; USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 (20Gbps) Type-C is also integrated among up to 19 USB ports in assorted form factor and rated bandwidth. The new GIGABYTE Control Center (GCC) replaces the preceding App Center for vital system management.
The available models and its pricing are as follows:

B650 AERO G
RM 1,598
Product Page

B650 AORUS ELITE AX
RM 1,419
Product Page

B650M AORUS PRO AX
RM 1,359
Product Page

B650M AORUS ELITE AX
RM 1,269
Product Page

B650M GAMING X AX
RM 1,060

More information can be read on GIGABYTE’s website here.
Pokdepinion: Most people are going to find B650 motherboard more than sufficient for most uses – if you don’t need the absolute bleeding edge, why not take a look here?
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Niantic Launches Pokémon GO AR+ Mode; Makes The Game More Realistic

The popular AR-based Pokémon game has received a brand new update on iOS. Pokémon GO AR+ adds more realism to the game, and here’s what you need to know.
Niantic Launches Pokémon GO AR+ Mode

Despite some issues in the past, there’s no denying that Niantic Labs have done a wonderful job updating and bringing new content to its extremely popular  AR-based mobile game, Pokémon GO. Whether it is adding new Pokémon, or fixing old features, support for the game has been pretty consistent.

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The good news is that it seems like that won’t stop anytime soon, as the developer has announced that the augmented reality feature of the game has received an upgrade in the form of Pokémon  GO AR+ Mode.
First and foremost with AR+, Pokémon will now appear to scale depending on how close you are to them, meaning if you move closer to the monster it will appear bigger, but if you are farther away it’ll appear smaller.
In addition to that, players will now have to sneak up on Pokémon in order to capture them. If you’re able to successfully do this, you’ll receive an Expert Handler bonus once you capture them. An Awareness meter will indicate how close you are to being detected.
AR+ is available right now if you are using an iPhone 6S or newer devices, and if it’s running iOS 11. Unfortunately at the moment, the feature is not planned to come to Android devices. If it does, we will reporting the matter right here as soon as information becomes available.
Pokémon GO was originally released on July 6th 2016, and is currently available for iOS and Android devices.

Pokdepinion: Odd question, is anyone still playing the game? The new Pokémon  GO AR+ Mode looks like fun but it feels like something I might get bored of real fast. Oh well, it’s good to see the game still getting consistent updates from Niantic Labs either way.
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Sony Updates HT-A7000 & HT-A5000 Soundbars with 360 Spatial Sound Mapping

A new software update is arriving to HT-A7000 and HT-A5000 soundbars which will enable 360 Spatial Sound Mapping, first premiered in HT-A9 soundbar last year.
Image credit: Sony
As a refresher – the 360 Spatial Sound Mapping utilizes Sound Field Optimization technology, which uses inbuilt microphones to measure relative position of the speakers from the room; which will then be compensated virtually to provide accurate positional audio.
This feature will be available when the soundbar is paired with SA-RS5 or SA-RS3S wireless rear speakers; furthermore, compatible BRAVIA XR TVs will provide center audio channel through the Acoustic Center Sync feature, as part of the 360 Spatial Audio Mapping setup.

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Sony also adds that HT-A5000 soundbar will be available in Malaysia starting 12 December 2022.
Pokdepinion: Could this feature trickles further down the product stack?
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realme GT 2 Pro Coming To Malaysia On 24th March

realme has just announced that their latest flagship, the realme GT 2 Pro is set to arrive in Malaysia this coming 24th March.
Malaysians, get ready for the realme GT 2 Pro

realme calls the realme GT 2 Pro the “Most Premium Flagship” that the brand has ever come up with and features all the bells and whistles users would expect from a flagship smartphone. The GT 2 Pro will be packing a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor under the hood with realme claiming that the device will be the most affordable device out there sporting the flagship chipset. We have no idea how much the retail price will be for realme to make such claims however, all will be revealed come 24th March.

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The realme GT 2 Pro will also come equipped with the company’s own Stainless Steel Vapour Cooling Max technology. This feature has a 9-layer cooling structure that should help keep the device cool even during heavy game sessions.
The realme GT 2 Pro is set to launch during a live online launch event this 24th March at 2PM. Users can catch the livestream on realme Malaysia’s Facebook page.
Pokdepinion: I’m curious to know the actual price of the GT 2 Pro seeing that realme is already advertising this as the most affordable smartphone equipped with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 SoC.
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Bayonetta 3 Can Apparently Run At 4K 60FPS on Emulators

Shortly after the game’s launch, it was discovered that Bayonetta 3 runs better on PC, at 4K 60FPS, via emulators compared to the Nintendo Switch.
Bayonetta 3 Works Great on Emulators

Bayonetta 3 recently launched on the Nintendo Switch, and it appears that it can run a lot better on PC via emulators. It appears that the game can run at 4K 60FPS on emulators such as Ryujinx and Yuzu, and we have videos to show for it.
On the YouTube channel xyz2theb which had a video running Bayonetta 3 on Ryujinx on 4K 60FPS, they managed to run the game smoothly thanks to their powerful PC. From what we understand, they are using an Intel Core i9-12900K, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti, and 32GB Corsair vengeance LPX DDR4 3600MHz RAM.

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Nintendo Switch emulators have clearly come a long way, and this is one of those rare cases where an emulator could run a game better than the actual console so soon. Of course, given its unfortunate ties to piracy despite emulators in itself not being illegal, we could see Nintendo take legal actions to curb potential piracy issues.
Source
Pokdepinion: Well, given the sheer amount of extra firepower compared to the Nintendo Switch, I’m not surprised. At the same time, for it to be emulated so well so fast, I’m genuinely surprised.
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Intel produced 20 000 processors in just 10 days to power ventilators

The COVID-19 virus attacks our respiratory systems, and that makes ventilators an essential item during the current pandemic. Modern ventilators require CPUs to handle the calculations required to perform quick adjustments on-the-fly, and with ventilators in high demand now, so are the processors to power them. Intel’s Chinese factories has stepped up to the plate to deliver 20 000 processors in just 10 days.
Intel reportedly received an order for 25 000 Broadwell processors for ventilators, with the client hoping that the order can be fulfilled in just four days, due to the urgency of the situation. After some internal discussion, the Chengdu plant agreed to fulfill an order of 18 000 CPUs first, with the remainder to be fulfilled gradually.
The 18 000 chips were delivered in just a week, and as of 9th April, they have already churned out 20 000 processors. It’s worth noting that the usual lead time is reportedly 2 weeks, but as the situation was critical, the plant produced the 20 000 CPUs in just 10 days to fulfill the client’s demands. The remaining 5000 CPUs will be completed and shipped to the client as soon as possible.

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Intel’s Chinese factories were operating at full capacity during the COVID-19 outbreak until now, with 90% of global orders delivered on time. The two factories located in Dalian and Chengdu worked non-stop to ensure that that was possible. As they were considered essential products, they were permitted to continue production.
Kudos to Intel China’s staff dedication to ensure that the rest of the world has a fighting chance to survive the COVID-19 pandemic! In other news, Intel Malaysia has also committed RM2 million to support local frontliners.
Pokdepinion: 20 000 processors in just 10 days… Wow.
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MSI GeForce RTX 3070 SUPRIM SE x GODZILLA surfaces from the depths

ASUS has partnered up with GUNDAM, and now we see MSI partnering up with GODZILLA for an upcoming MSI GeForce RTX 3070 SUPRIM SE x GODZILLA. It is probably extremely fitting for them too, as MSI’s mascot is Dragon Lucky, and Godzilla can be considered some sort of a dragon too?

In any case, the MSI GeForce RTX 3070 SUPRIM SE x GODZILLA is reportedly pretty similar in terms of specifications with the non-Godzilla GeForce RTX 3070 LHR SUPRIM SE, with the GA104 LHR GPU clocked at up to 1770MHz and a 240W TDP. That means that Godzilla will not be sent to the mines, which is a good thing. It is essentially just a reskinned variant of the GeForce RTX 3070 SUPRIM, but I guess we won’t be complaining since the card is quite a looker already.

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The MSI GeForce RTX 3070 SUPRIM SE x GODZILLA’s unique elements include more red-pink accents on the shroud, while the rear backplate is entirely red with Godzilla itself making an appearance near the PCIe bracket. At the moment, the card is allegedly a Japan-exclusive, but as we have seen with ASUS’ GUNDAM series, it might make its way globally if demand is strong enough.
Source
Pokdepinion: I think MSI should reskin the GODLIKE motherboards. I mean, GODLIKE x GODZILLA is just waiting to be a thing, don’t you think?
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ASUS ROG Ally Is Not An April Fool’s Joke Despite Revealed On The Day

We thought it was just a funny little marketing excerci- wait, it’s real?
Image: ROG Global (Twitter)
When the ROG Ally was first “revealed” on April Fool’s Day, everyone thought this is just another concept that’s never going to happen and it’s merely for the jokes – since that’s how tradition goes in the tech industry. The next day ROG has officially clarified that yes, the ROG Ally is real; and no, it is NOT an April Fool’s joke.
This Steam Deck competitor has a much more potent set of hardware inside: the display is a 1080p 120Hz, 5ms display with 500 nits of brightness; which dwarfs the 1280×800 16:10 60Hz, 400 nits display inside Valve’s handheld. The processing hardware meanwhile, is a custom AMD Zen 4 + RDNA 3 APU which they call it “the fastest APU yet”. It is said to be 50% faster against Steam Deck on 15W TDP, and performance is doubled over it on 35W TDP.

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Image: Dave2D (YouTube)
There’s another secret sauce – the XGm port, seen on ROG Flow laptops, is also available here should anyone need to hook up an XG Mobile unit with RTX 4090 (Laptop GPU) packed inside. The onboard cooling is done using a dual-fan setup and achieve noise levels of just 20dB, much lower than Steam Deck’s 37dB.
Image: Dave2D (YouTube)
Software-wise, LinusTechTips has shown through the console’s interface that users can toggle between resolutions, refresh rate and AMD Radeon Super Resolution (AMD RSR), a driver-level resolution upscaler that will work on all games regardless of FSR support.
Image: LinusTechTips (YouTube)
ASUS says the pricing for ROG Ally will be ‘competitive’, and some sources are claiming the price of around RM3,000, which is indeed competitive value-wise if it turns out to be correct. Linus says the device should launch in the next two months, so watch this space.
Source: Videocardz (1,2) | Dave2D (YouTube) | LinusTechTips (YouTube)
Pokdepinion: Assuming if this hardware is similar to a Radeon 780M (Ryzen 7840U), we’re looking at a pretty powerful combination of CPU and GPU which can definitely hold its own against some entry level gaming laptops.
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Samsung finally shows courage with the Galaxy Note10

Samsung will finally make the courageous leap into the world of headphone jack-less smartphones, starting with the Samsung Galaxy Note10+. Losing the headphone jack on the “Plus” variant isn’t particularly novel; HUAWEI has always dropped the headphone jack on their Pro variant while keeping it on the regular version.
Nothing down here…
This information was accidentally shared by the FCC which apparently made the images public before quickly removing them. The images reveal more than just the headphone jack, or the lack of it, but also confirms the centered selfie camera cutout.
Nothing up there…
In addition to that, the Galaxy Note10+ will also have a triple camera setup that’s offset to the right. It looks eerily similar to the HUAWEI P30 and P30 Pro‘s design, as there is even a row of perforations beside the camera bump.

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Looks familiar?
One is definitely the LED flash, but one of them should be a 3D ToF depth sensor, which Samsung first experimented with in their DxOMark-topping Galaxy S10 5G. The last one might be a RGB sensor, or Samsung’s typical heart rate sensor.
There seems like there won’t be a Bixby button, as Samsung has finally decided to listen to consumers’ feedback. Since it solves a complaint and also helps Samsung save money, this change couldn’t have come sooner. Samsung has also decided to favor lefties too, by placing all the physical buttons on the left side.

The rumored specifications of the Samsung Galaxy Note10+ are as follows:
Samsung Galaxy Note10+ Specs

Exynos 9820, octa-core up to 2.7 GHz, 8nm FinFET
Mali-G76 MP12
Up to 12GB LPDDR4x RAM
Up to 1TB UFS 2.1 storage (expandable via microSD)
6.75″ QHD+ Dynamic AMOLED display, HDR10+
12MP f/1.5/2.4 + 12MP f/2.4 telephoto + 16MP f/2.2 ultrawide angle
10MP f/1.9 selfie camera, Dual Pixel PDAF
One UI based on Android 9 Pie
4500 mAh battery, 25W Super Fast Charging, 20W wireless charging

The Samsung Galaxy Note10+ will be launching on 8th August 2019, so stay tuned for more details about the upcoming Samsung flagship!
Pokdepinion: Bluetooth headphones are way cooler than wired ones anyway.
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