#WeiTo Malaysia Day Celebration with Huawei

Huawei will be running a #WeiTo Malaysia Day Celebration promotion , starting from the 5th of August until the 2nd of October to commemorate the upcoming Merdeka and Malaysia Day celebrations.

If you get your Huawei devices during the promotion period, you will be entitled to premium gifts worth up to RM259, while stock lasts. And with the purchase of the Huawei device, you will also be entered into a lucky draw, with rewards ranging from the consolation prize of a Samsonite travel bag, all the way up to the grand prize of a 7D5N trip to Switzerland for 2! All you need to do is to get your Huawei device within this promotion period at your nearest Huawei Retail Stores to stand a chance to win these prizes.

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Pokdepinion: For a Malaysia Day celebration, it is kinda surprising that Huawei is sending the winners overseas…
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PewDiePie’s Tuber Simulator Now On AppGallery

If you are a fan of PewDiePie, well you’ll be glad to know that PewDiePie’s Tuber Simulator is now available on the HUAWEI AppGallery.
PewDiePie’s Tuber Simulator on AppGallery

The mobile game allows you to create your own pocketer Tuber and get in on the fun and follow the footsteps of one of internet’s biggest stars.
As you probably have guessed, you’ll need to publish videos, grow your subscriber count, views, as well as improve your Tuber’s skills.

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The in-game currency is your Views, which will allow you to purchase items to decorate your in-game room. You’ll get the chance to upgrade and improve your equipment, furniture, clothes, and even unlock special pets as you increase your fame and grow your channel.
You can find the game available on the HUAWEI AppGallery now.
Pokdepinion: I mean, it’s Pewds.. Who wouldn’t want to play as him?
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honor 8 Pro set for July launch; born for speed with Kirin 960

honor Malaysia has just confirmed their upcoming device, the honor 8 Pro, is set to arrive here in Malaysia sometime in July. The latest and greatest from the Chinese brand is designed with performance in mind, packing powerful hardware into a sleek 6.97mm thin metal body.
The highlight of the honor 8 Pro is its powerful Kirin 960 chipset which is shared with the Huawei Mate 9 and P10 series. The powerful Mali G71 GPU enables high performance 3D gaming powered by Vulkan API. The four A73 cores coupled with four A53 cores ensures you have amazing performance when you need it, and superb efficiency when you don’t.

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Camera wise, the honor 8 Pro uses a 12MP dual-lens camera system that is found in the honor 8 as well. The system comprises of a RGB sensor and monochrome sensor, promising incredible detail and vivid colors, with state-of-the-art software combining the best of both worlds into one, stunning shot. You can also play around with the depth of field when taking photos and videos.
A large 5.7″ QHD (1440p) display allows you to view your media and game in stunning detail. The 4000 mAh battery keeps everything powered, while 64GB of internal storage ensures you have abundant space for all the photos you will be taking with the honor 8 Pro.
The pricing and pre-order sale dates of the honor 8 Pro here in Malaysia are yet to be announced, but we will be sure to update you when we get wind of them!
Pokdepinion: The honor 8 Pro arrival in Malaysia seems a little late, as the honor 9 has already been released in China and soon to be sold in Taiwan.
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Steam Deck 2 Will Not Prioritize Performance, May Focus On Battery and Display Instead

Valve’s in-house handheld gaming console has already called for a second iteration – however performance won’t be on the top of engineer’s checklist.

The Steam Deck won applauses for its capability of playing most AAA titles while reducing the footprint closer to that of Nintendo Switch rather than a full-fledged gaming laptop. Valve has since announced its successor will come in due time – however we now have more details on what are the things that the company aims to improve on.

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Valve engineers Lawrence Yang and Pierre-Loup Griffais, speaking to The Verge, has given details on the things they will be focusing on for the next Steam Deck. Among those things, here are the key points to improve.
First is quieter fans – with current models being shipped with cooling fans produced by two suppliers (Delta Electronics and Huaying), it is known that Huaying fans are quieter than equivalent units supplied by Delta. Though Valve has used some sound-deadening materials to reduce the noise, it’s expected the next model will have better acoustic performance overall.
Another point to improve is a dedicated audio control function. Currently audio controls are only done through in-game menus – which may have limitations. Valve’s software team is working on this feature to its Linux-based SteamOS later down the line.
Given the relatively small size of Steam Deck, there has been questions if Valve may provide support for mobile games at some point. Graffais says some mobile game developers are interested in the idea (and so does Valve) – provided that these touchscreen-based games are clearly labeled as such.
Finally, the biggest part of the Steam Deck 2 isn’t about the performance. They didn’t comment on any key improvements aside from what is mentioned above – but the engineers have clearly downplayed on the possibility of performance enhancements. Keeping performance level consistent may save developers some headache testing on different types of hardware, and ultimately, this also means the pricing can be kept reasonable – which is the main selling point of Steam Deck among others.
Source: PCWorld / The Verge
Pokdepinion: My takeaway from this – the Steam Deck 2 is pretty much a “polished” version of the current version. Which is not a bad thing.
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Cooler Master Regional Circle of Champions 2018 — bringing gamers together via PUBG

One thing about gamers is that we are often more comfortable at home, playing on our own customized gaming setups than mingling around. Cooler Master’s latest event, the Regional Circle of Champions 2018 aims to change that, by inviting gamers from Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and India to bring gamers together.
The two-day event kicked off with a Meet & Greet Dinner to let the participating teams get to know each other. You know what they say, knowing the enemy is half the battle won. Just kidding, this is a friendly tournament organized by Cooler Master, with no prize pool. Yup, no cash is involved. That’s the uniqueness of this tournament.

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The goal of the Regional Circle of Champions 2018 is to bring gamers from different regions together. By bringing renowned teams from around the world to Battle Arena Malaysia, Cooler Master hopes to draw gamers to come together and make the e-sports scene stronger. Internationally recognized teams sponsored by Cooler Master like The Face Gaming, Malaysia Battlefield Team of Malaysia, and Team nxl> and Female Fighter from Indonesia were invited to spice up the event too.

To bridge the gap between the regions, casters were invited from India, Indonesia and Thailand to reach out to their respective audiences. The casters were Pongsirawit ‘Gakguay’ Sataman (Thailand), Kiran ‘ShaDeSLaYer’ Noojibail and Ishaan ‘Captain Arya’ Arya (India), and Arwanto ‘WawaMania’ Tanumihardja (Indonesia). The Indian casters were casting the main stage along with Ivan “Jinn” See (Malaysia) to let India experience our Malaysian gaming scene.

Six gruelling rounds of PUBG were played, three in Erangel and three in Miramar. Between the games, giveaways. Participants were asked to guess what someone else was saying with the latest MasterPulse MH751 blasting some EDM into their ears. It was not easy, trust me. Another game was to guess the mechanical switches while blindfolded. Winners walked away with cool prizes like the MasterPulse MH752, Cooler Master CK550 and more. This was the just offline giveaways. Online giveaways also ran concurrently on the streams.
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So after so many rounds of PUBG. Who won? It was Team Purple Mood Esports from Thailand! The team worked their way to the top after a rough start, and won themselves a MasterKeys MK750, MasterLiquid ML240R RGB and MasterAccessory RGB Hard Gaming Mousepad each. Our local teams, Silver Wolves and The Face Gaming took second and third place, respectively. But the thing about this event is that everyone leaves a winner. Circle of Champions was never about crowning a champion, but more of a gathering. As Sashank Bhandaru of Cooler Master India puts it, “I am a gamer. We are a community.”
‘This is our first tournament outside of Thailand and we learnt a lot of new tactics from the interaction with teams from India, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. You guys are the best!!’ – Team Purple Mood Esports

As you can see, champion or not, everyone got a Chicken Dinner at the end. :P

What do you think about this kind of events? Would you like to see more of them? Did you drop by Battle Arena last Saturday to mingle with your favorite teams and idols? Let us know!
Thank you Cooler Master Malaysia for making us the official media partners for the Regional Circle of Champions 2018.
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Your most RAM-hungry browser is set for a redesign — more Material Design for Google Chrome!

If you think Chrome is looking a bit long in tooth, you are in luck. Google has just released a redesign for what we believe is everyone’s favorite browser. A new Material Design revamp is due for Google Chrome, and it is now available on Chrome’s beta version, Chrome Canary.

The new redesign brings a new tab strip, a simpler look to inactive tabs and new alert indicators. François Beaufort said the new UI sees “plenty of things are updated for the better”.

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The new update is available for Chrome Canary users on Windows, Linux and Chrome OS, while MacOS users will still have to change a flag to get it on their version of Chrome Canary.
Source: Engadget
Pokdepinion: Speaking of updates, I miss the address bar at the bottom in Android’s version of Chrome.
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Sabrent’s Rocket X5 Is Aiming To Be Fastest PCIe5 SSD, But They’re Not Done Yet

Sabrent has made itself known as the makers of bleeding-edge performance SSDs – and their entrance to PCIe 5.0 SSD market is the Rocket X5 SSD (the name may change, Sabrent says) is expected to make quite the statement: the prototype has already achieved up to 14GB/s read speeds, pretty much on the limit of maximum bandwidth these PCIe lanes can offer.
The previous run on the prototype made in early March has achieved 12.4GB/s read and 11.8GB/s write; this time the run has achieved nearly 14.2GB/s read and 12.3GB/s write speeds, with random I/O performance measuring 1.56M 4K read IOPS and 1.67M 4K write IOPS. Sabrent credited the new Phison PS5026-E26 controller and 3D TLC NAND that runs with at least 2400MT/s of speeds to achieve its extreme speeds.

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Sabrent has noted that the drives will keep on improving its performance as development continues, and Phison is assisting in the efforts. The development also covers the experiments with cooling to keep the components cool under load, and in its current design – with a miniature fan attached to it – the company claims it will not create any high-pitch noises.
Source: Tom’s Hardware
Pokdepinion: I suppose the next step is to keep the sustained performance high, now that sequential I/O is pretty much on the limits.
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New Marvel Studios’ “What If…?” Animated Series Coming To Disney+ August 11

Disney+ Hotstar has just released a new trailer and poster for their upcoming Marvel Studios’ “What If…?” animated series. This is Marvel Studios’ first-ever animated series and is set to launch on the streaming platform this coming August 11.
What is Marvel Studios’ “What If…?” all about?

Marvel Studios’ “What If…?” reimagines famous events from films in the MCU. Creating a multiverse of infinite possibilities, “What If… ?” features fan-favourite characters, including Peggy Carter, T’Challa, Doctor Strange, Killmonger, Thor and more. The new series, directed by Bryan Andrews with AC Bradley as head writer, features signature MCU action with a curious twist.

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You can check out the new trailer for Marvel Studios’ new animated series down below.

Marvel Studios’ “What If…?” launches on Disney+ Hotstar on Wednesday, August 11.
Pokdepinion: I used to read a lot of “What If…?” comics back when I was a kid. I remember reading an issue where Wolverine somehow became a vampire which was pretty fun. My personal favourite is where Peter Parker’s Uncle Ben didn’t die and what happens after that. I’m really excited that there’s an animated series of it coming and looking forward to seeing what zany alternate reality stories they can come up with.
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iflix Premiers The Bride Of Habaek – Highly Anticipated Korean Drama!

Are you a K-drama fan? Don’t know what drama to watch next? Then worry not. Even if you aren’t a fan of K-dramas, you will probably enjoy this. Introducing ‘The Bride of Habaek’, which is a spin-off of the widely popular 2006 comic book series, Bride of the Water God by Yoon Mi-kyung.
The Bride of Habaek

The drama stars Nam Joo-Hyuk, Shin Sae-Kyeong, Gong Myung and Krystal. It tells of the tale of an unlikely romance between a human and a supernatural water god. To keep it spoiler free, your best bet is to watch it on iflix where show time starts today and new episodes will be available weekly every Thursday and Friday. The show joins an extensive line up of Korean drama such as Secret Garden, Goblin, The Legend of the Blue Sea, Scent of a Woman and many more.

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We are very excited to make Korea’s latest and most highly anticipated television drama, The Bride of Habaek available to our members in Malaysia, as the first K-drama fast tracked from South Korea! Now, K-drama fans can stay up to date with the latest K-drama craze, with new episodes uploaded on iflix weekly, just 72-hours after their television broadcast. We are commited to continue to bring only the best and most highly anticipated shows for our subscribers. Jason Monteiro, iflix Asia Marketing Director
Pokdepinion: With me not being a K-drama fan or anything related to it, surprisingly it got my attention when i saw snippets of it. Hint, I am not ashamed of it.

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Windows 11 update further slows down AMD Ryzen processors

Microsoft released an update for Windows 11 to solve some compatibility issues with Intel “Killer” and “SmartByte” networking software, but it seems to have further worsened the issues with AMD Ryzen processors. The cache latency has nearly doubled, going from 17ns to 31.9ns on an AMD Ryzen 7 2700X.
AMD users who want to enjoy the full performance of their processors would do well to wait for the upcoming updates scheduled for 19th and 21st October. The former is expected to resolve the cache latency issue, while the latter addresses the CPPC issue to improve performance in lightly-threaded workloads.

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At least it is nice to know that Microsoft is well-aware of these issues and there’s a date on the fixes. Windows 11 might be a pretty interesting operating system, if chipmakers decide to develop around Windows 11 to take advantage of the improved awareness for hybrid architectures.
We know Intel is already, and Qualcomm’s Arm-based processors have always featured a big.LITTLE architecture. Your move, AMD.
Source
Pokdepinion: So Microsoft decided to make this a literal “the night is darkest just before dawn” with these updates?
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Sony Unveil New WH-1000XM3 Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones

Sony has recently unveiled their brand new addition to the 1000X series, the WH-1000XM3 wireless noise cancelling headphones.
Sony WH-1000XM3
Sony WH-1000XM3 was recently unveiled at this year’s IFA 2018 ceremony. The newest addition to the 1000X family boasts major improvements to its Noise Cancellation technology where it comes with the newly developed HD Noise Cancelling Processor QN1 to deliver around 4 times greater performance.
With it, it not only negate low-range noises from airplanes, but also cancels mid to high-range noise such as street noise as well as human voices. Release date and availability of the noise cancelling headphones is yet to be confirmed.

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In addition to the WH-1000XM3 headphones, they’ve also showcased their new A9F series of 4K OLED TVs (which you can read on by clicking on the link here) and also their AI Robotics.
You may know what we’re talking about, it’s the Sony aibo (yeah, that robotic dog). Since its launch in Japan earlier in the year, aibo has reached over 20,000 units produced and shipped. It is set for a launch in the U.S this September.
Pokdepinion: Well I for one do know that Sony makes one of the best noise cancelling headphones around.. Wish I could test it out for myself.
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HONOR 20 Review — neither here nor there

Introduction

HONOR follows a two-flagship cadence, where they will release a HONOR View flagship early in the year, followed by a HONOR later. Today we will be looking at the HONOR 20, the latest device to come from HONOR. The HONOR 20 series is supposed to focus more on photography and style than the HONOR View20, with the latter oriented towards gamers. Given that we were very impressed by the HONOR View20’s 48MP AI camera, would the HONOR 20 just blow the doors off the competition?
Unboxing

Similar to previous HONOR flagships, the HONOR 20 features a white box with the product image on it.

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Our review unit came with a USB-C to 3.5mm dongle, so you know what you will be missing out on with the HONOR 20. There is also the 22.5W HUAWEI SuperCharge charger and the accompanying USB-C cable. We don’t have any documentation here, but rest assured that retail units will surely come with them.
Appearance

The front of the HONOR 20 is reminiscent of the HONOR View20, although we are actually seeing a smaller screen here. It has a hole in the screen to house the selfie camera, skipping the notch and any moving parts, all while offering as much screen as it can.

Instead of the chevrons, the HONOR 20 has straight lines ingrained thoughout the back of the phone. It does make for a device which looks a lot less interesting.

While the HONOR 20 has a boring back, the power button is where it gets a bit more interesting. It also doubles as a fingerprint scanner. I find this a pretty interesting shift for HONOR, skipping the unreliable under-display fingerprint scanners while not having to cut a hole in the back of the phone. I still prefer the honor 8’s rear fingerprint scanner with an embedded SmartKey though, but that could probably just be me.

I wish HONOR went with two sets of grilles on either side of the USB-C port, for symmetry’s sake. Unfortunately we don’t get that, nor a 3.5mm jack despite the visibly large expanse of space on the left side.

Over at the top is a cutout for the proximity sensor. The HONOR View20 had both a proximity sensor and an IR transmitter at the top, but it seems like the HONOR had to cut some costs on the HONOR 20 and we are only getting the essentials here.
As a whole, I am very unimpressed by the design of the HONOR 20. The HONOR 20’s color and also back design just seems uninspired, despite it supposed to be a more stylish and camera-centric package than the HONOR View20.
Specifications

CPU/Chipset:
Kirin 980 (2 x Cortex-A76 @ 2.6 GHz + 2 x Cortex-A76 @ 1.92 GHz + 4 x Cortex-A55 @ 1.8 GHz), 7nm FinFET

GPU:
Mali-G76MP10 @ 720 MHz

RAM:
6GB LPDDR4x

Display:
6.26″ FHD+ (1080p) IPS LCD display, HONOR AllView, 91.76% screen-to-body ratio

Storage:
128GB UFS 2.1

Camera:
Main Camera(s)
48MP f/1.8, Sony Exmor IMX 586, 0.8μm pixels + 16MP f/2.2 super wide angle + 2MP f/2.4 macro lens + 2MP f/2.4 depth sensor
AIS, PDAF, laser AF, LED flash, Portrait mode, AI Ultra-Clarity, Super Night mode, Aperture mode, HiVision
Front Camera
32MP f/2.0
AI beautification, AI HDR, Portrait mode

OS:
Magic UI 2.1.0 based on Android 9 Pie

Connectivity:
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4 GHz + 5 GHz)
Bluetooth 5.0
NFC

SIM:
Dual nanoSIM

Battery:
Li-Po 3750 mAh (non-removable)
22.5W HUAWEI SuperCharge fast charging

Dimensions:
154.25 x 73.97 x 7.87 mm

Weight:
175 g

Performance
The Kirin 980 isn’t new, but it is still HUAWEI/HONOR’s flagship chipset, at least until the HUAWEI Mate 30 arrives with a Kirin 985, that is. So let’s see how it stands against flagships from 2018 and also the most recent ones which we got the opportunity to test.

In Antutu the HONOR 20 somehow performs a tad poorer than the HONOR View20. It still bests the 2018 flagships here though.

Geekbench is where the HONOR 20 regains its footing, but it does not look great against this year’s flagships. Even the Samsung Galaxy Note9 offers better CPU performance, which is quite disappointing.

As expected, the Kirin 980 chipset is not the best when it comes to GPU performance. It is flagship-class though, so you are still going to enjoy all the games you want on an Android device for at least another year or so.

PCMark performance on the HONOR 20 is virtually identical to the HONOR View20.

The HONOR 20 does have a slightly smaller battery, and the battery life we see here does extrapolate well from the 4000 mAh battery in the HONOR View20. It’s a decent showing, but nothing that stands out in particular. It’s curious why HONOR used a smaller battery in the HONOR 20 though, given that it about as thick as the View20, but even skips the tapered sides.

Battery life is still pretty respectable despite the smaller battery. I managed to squeeze out nearly 6 hours over two days away from the plug before it hit 14%. The 22.5W HUAWEI SuperCharge recharged the device by 45% in just 30 minutes, which should be good for another day if used frugally.
User Experience

The first thing you will realize with the HONOR 20 is that it accepts two nanoSIMs. It does not support expandable storage, so it’s a nice touch that HONOR offers the HONOR 20 starting with 128GB capacities rather than 64GB. There’s no support for NM cards though, which is curious decision on HONOR’s end.

The 6.26″ screen fits well in my largish hands. The unfortunate thing is that the fingerprint scanner have pretty sharp edges, making it quite uncomfortable if you catch the edge with your thumb. This is probably an issue with our specific unit though, as we have felt other units up and they didn’t have such a protruding fingerprint scanner.

Moving on, the software in the HONOR 20 is HONOR’s Magic UI 2.1. It a major upgrade over Magic UI in the HONOR View20. It does look a bit outdated, and is a mild reskin of HUAWEI’s EMUI 9. HONOR should probably rework the entire UI, but then again, that should already be in the cards now.

The camera UI here is also pretty familiar for anyone who has used an HONOR device in recent times. The 48MP AI Ultra Clarity mode is still just as difficult to access, and there is a new ultra-wide angle camera that’s accessible by swiping on the toggle on the right side of the viewfinder. HONOR has also added a Super Macro mode so you can make use of the dedicated, fixed focus 2MP camera which they have added to the quad-camera setup on the back. There’s also a new Super Night Mode, allowing you to take surprisingly stable 8 second exposures.

Instead of packing a 3D ToF camera like the HONOR View20, the HONOR 20 sports an ultra-wide angle camera 16MP f/2.2, a 2MP f/2.4 macro camera and a 2MP f/2.4 depth sensor. The latter is probably the most unnecessary addition as a depth sensor doesn’t really have a place when you already have other cameras to capture depth data for accurate bokeh effects.
          Auto            Auto          Ultra-wide angle              Super Macro            Super Macro            Super Macro              Selfie          Portrait            Auto              Auto            Night Mode              Auto            Auto          Auto              Super Macro            Ultra-wide angle              HDR            Auto            Night Mode            Super Night Mode
In terms of image quality, the HONOR 20 offers a great experience with the primary 48MP Sony IMX 586 camera and 16MP ultra wide angle camera. The macro camera, with its fixed focus and and low resolution is far from impressive. HUAWEI, and later Xiaomi, have already proven that you can do awesome macro shots by adding autofocus to the ultra-wide angle camera. Not sure why didn’t HONOR go down that route, as you want a really sharp photo with lots of fine detail when it comes to macro shots, but fixed focus makes it hard to be sure whether you are at the correct distance from the subject. Let’s not mention that the position of the macro camera makes it too easy for you to cast a shadow on your subject when you are that close, worsening the image quality. You can check out the full-sized camera samples on Google Photos.
Conclusion
HONOR could have done better with the HONOR 20. While the HONOR View20’s 3D ToF may seem gimmicky, somehow HONOR managed to one up that with the 2MP macro camera on the HONOR 20. The uninspired design is even more frustrating, when the HONOR 20 is supposed to be more stylish than the HONOR View20. It’s only possible saving grace is its price point, which is pretty affordable when compared to other flagships in the market.
At RM1699, it offers more storage than its closest competition at the same price, but sacrifices a few niceties too. I find the HONOR View20 a much better buy to be honest, as it has a bigger screen, a bigger battery and most of the same camera chops, with the exception of the Super Macro and ultra-wide angle cameras. It also has a better design, but that’s too subjective.
Our thanks to HONOR Malaysia for providing us with an early review sample of the HONOR 20 for us to evaluate.
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Qualcomm Snapdragon 855+ announced — to debut in the ROG Phone 2?

Qualcomm is no stranger to releasing refreshed versions of their flagship chipset in the middle of their life cycle. The Snapdragon 821 is one example, while the Snapdragon 845 saw an overclocked version pop out of nowhere and power the original ROG Phone. The ROG Phone 2 may very well be powered by an overclocked Snapdragon 855 too, with the Snapdragon 855+ just announced today.
The Snapdragon 855+ is just that, an overclocked Snapdragon 855. Instead of just the CPU cluster being overclocked like the case with the first ROG Phone 2, the new chipset will have an overclocked CPU and GPU.
Snapdragon 855 Comparison

Snapdragon 855
Snapdragon 855+

CPU
1 x Kryo 485 @ 2.84 GHz
3 x Kryo 485 @ 2.42 GHz
4 x Kryo 485 @ 1.8 GHz
1 x Kryo 485 @ 2.96 GHz
3 x Kryo 485 @ 2.42 GHz
4 x Kryo 485 @ 1.8 GHz

GPU
Adreno 640 @ 585 MHz
Adreno 640 @ 672 MHz

Manufacturing process
7nm FinFET
7nm FinFET

The overclocked CPU is expected to offer 4.2% better single-threaded performance, while the GPU overclock will deliver 15% higher graphics performance. Last year, ASUS was the only one we saw to offer the overclocked Snapdragon 845, but maybe this time we might see more vendors pick up the newer chip over the Snapdragon 855.

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Usually overclocked processors will consume more power, but given the ROG Phone 2 is rumored to tout a 6000 mAh battery, I have zero doubts about its longevity. We are a bit more than a week away from the ROG Phone 2’s launch in China, so stay tuned!
Pokdepinion: This really makes me doubt that the ROG Phone 2 will be cheaper than its predecessor…
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Epic Games Is Getting Sued For Making Fortnite Too Addictive

Now we all know games can be addictive. You have the likes of Dota 2, Apex Legends, Rainbow Six Siege and much more. Strangely, the makers of Fortnite, Epic Games is getting sued in the US for making the game addictive.

The news was revealed by Fox Business where they’ve said that parents are taking action on Epic Games for causing addiction to their young ones.
Interestingly, the lawsuit has compared the game’s addiction level to drugs. Adding to that, they say that Epic Games has hired or utilized psychologists to make the game addictive (yes, you read that correctly).

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 Though Epic Games is facing trouble, it has yet to be confirmed at the figure that they are facing.
This is not the first time that game addiction became a hot topic. Previously we’ve reported on a mobile gamer in India who killed his father simply because he couldn’t play PUBG Mobile.
Pokdepinion: I’ve said it once, I’ll say it again. Parents should take notice on their children’s activities. It’s not wrong to play games, but there should be a limit.
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EA’s Anthem Game Delayed to 2019; Due to Conflicts with New Battlefield Game

It would seem like EA’s newest IP currently in development, Anthem, will be seeing a delay past 2018. The game will see a release some time in 2019 due to conflicts with the new Battlefield game.
EA’s Anthem Game Delayed to 2019

pic.twitter.com/5aNQcxpiBo
— Sarah E. Needleman (@saraheneedleman) January 30, 2018

What is considered as EA and BioWare’s most ambitious project to date, Anthem is an online role-playing adventure game that has been a hot topic among gamers today. If you’re one of those who are excited for the game, well, we have a bit of bad news for you.

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According to the Wall Street Journal, Electronic Arts made the decision to delay Anthem because it didn’t want to compete with the unannounced Battlefield game arriving in October 2018. Developer DICE develops the latter series, as well as the Star Wars: Battlefront games, and it appears the two franchises will alternate releases each year from here on out.
Electronic Arts CFO Blake Jorgensen told the paper in a statement:
It’s not a delay. People are trying to create a story.
The game was initially scheduled for a Fall 2018 release, and it’s a delay no matter how you look at it. There was word floating around about a possible delay ever since Kotaku reported that nearly all of BioWare’s staff at their Austin and Edmonton studios are now working on Anthem despite a 4th Dragon Age game currently in the works.
While the development of the game is said to be going well, EA certainly does have a lot riding on this game given how much criticism they received for Mass Effect: Andromeda as well as the recent microtransaction-related controversy surrounding Star Wars: Battlefront II.
Anthem is expected to release some time between January 1st and March 31st 2019 for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.

Pokdepinion: Here’s to hoping that the game lives up to the hype, because we certainly don’t wanna spend our hard-earned cash or a buggy game or a game filled with microtransactions.
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AMD Zen will be only in octa-core and hexa-core forms at launch

We had previously guessed that 16-threaded AMD Zen parts will come first, and it seems like we are right. AMD will be working with octa-core dies for its initial batch of AMD Zen “Summit Ridge”, which should yield octa-core and hexa-core chips. With the Simultaneous Multithreading (SMT) feature that AMD is introducing with the Zen architecture, we will be looking at 16-threaded and 12-threaded CPUs.

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AMD Zen promises 40% more instructions per clock (IPC). Usually a high IPC means better efficiency, and given that it will be based on Samsung/GloFo’s 14nm FinFET manufacturing process, seems pretty believable. This means that they can clock the CPUs lower and offer similar performance to previous generations, or push the CPUs to similar clock speeds for higher performance. We might actually see proper 16-threaded AMD Zen mobile CPUs, clocked lower than its predecessors.
AMD Zen will be using the new AM4 socket and based on the Promontory chipset. DDR4 memory will be standard.
SOURCE: WCCFTech

Pokdepinion: AMD Zen’s entry into the market with 8-cores blazing may be the right path to take. They can at least impress the market with their high end parts before slowly bringing in the mainstream products. After all with the dominance that the blue camp has shown, some spiciness from the red team will not hurt, right?
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HUAWEI P60 Combining Sony IMX789 and IMX888 for Variable Aperture Camera

For the upcoming HUAWEI P60 smartphone, the Chinese giant is looking to combine the Sony IMX789 and IMX888 in the variable aperture camera.
HUAWEI P60 Variable Aperture Camera
Picture credits: HUAWEI Central
According to information from DigitalChatStation, the HUAWEI P60 series will feature a main camera with a combination of Sony IMX789 and IMX888 sensors, utilizing a variable aperture mechanism. The phone will be equipped with 50MP count for both of these sensors, and with a sensor size of around 1/1.4 inch.
It’s worth noting that the IMX789 sensor was also used in OnePlus 9 Pro, but it was reduced to 48MP to support the device’s imaging system. Similarly, HUAWEI also intends to do the same with the upcoming P60 series.

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The HUAWEI P60 series will feature a camera with a 6-blade system that automatically adjusts the aperture based on the light conditions, using Huawei’s variable aperture technology. This technology offers 10 aperture stops, which enhances image quality, colour, light, and background blur to a great extent.

The P60 series will also have XMAGE, which will further improve the device’s imaging system, making it a great option for consumers who are looking for a flagship camera phone. Additionally, the HUAWEI P60 series will see an improvement in the Super Macro capabilities compared to the P50 series.
It’s worth noting that these technologies were first introduced in the Huawei Mate 50 Pro, and now, Huawei is bringing them to the P60 lineup, making it an exciting release for consumers.
Source
Pokdepinion: If it’s executed well enough, this will mark the beginning of yet another smartphone camera revolution, and I’m all excited for it.
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Windows 11 Now Available In Malaysia

Microsoft has recently announced that Windows 11 will start to become available through a free upgrade on eligible Windows 10 PCs and on new PCs pre-installed with Windows 11.
Windows 11 release
The new update offers from a new Start menu and Taskbar to sound, font, and icon improvements. You can expect a modern, fresh, and clean digital experience.
With the Start at the center, you can quickly access to the content and apps that you use and with Microsoft 365, you can view recent files that you’ve been working on, regardless of which device you were using.

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Another thing that’s new is Chat from Microsoft Teams, which delivers a new experience, With a click, you can instantly connect through chat. New improvements have been made to the Microsoft Store as well, where they’ve said is easier to search for and discover new content with curated stories and collections.
Not to forget, the new update brings improvement for gaming. If your PC has a HDR capable display, Auto HDR will automatically upgrade over 1000 DirectX 11 and DirectX 12 games from standard dynamic range to high dynamic range (HDR) and Direct 12 games to HDR, rendering a wider range of colours and brightness.
There’s also support for DirectStorage, a feature that was first introduced on the Xbox Series X. When paired with an NVMe SSD and DirectX 12 GPU, games that implement DirectStorage can benefit from reduced load times and render more detailed and expansive game worlds.
For more on the latest tech and gaming news plus reviews, stay tuned to Pokde.net.
Pokdepinion: Have you’ve gotten your update? I’ll probably wait a bit on it for the time being..
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Yes 5G & NVIDIA Officially Brings GeForce NOW To Malaysia

The media gets invited to The Starhill at Bukit Bintang to witness the official launch of NVIDIA GeForce NOW in Malaysia, courtesy of exclusive partner Yes 5G earlier today. The event is also open to the public this weekend, starting from today until Sunday 10pm (opens 10am) located right at the entrance foyer.
In case you missed it – NVIDIA GeForce NOW is a cloud gaming service that allows gamers to access games without requiring dedicated gaming hardware, as the entire processing is done by the datacenter full of GPUs capable of high-end PC performance and visual fidelity. The networking side of things is done by Yes 5G, which also provides exclusive discounts to its subscribers.

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As for the pricing, for non-Yes users it’ll cost RM50 per month to access the service, or RM500 annually; Yes subscribers meanwhile will get 40% discount which means RM30 monthly and a further two months free with RM300 if you choose the annual subscription option. In both cases, gamers will get instant access to all 1,600 games in the GeForce NOW catalog spanning across multiple storefronts such as Steam, Epic Games Store, Ubisoft and so on.

“NVIDIA GeForce NOW Powered by Yes 5G is a game-changer for the Malaysian gaming industry. We are proud to officially launch this service to Malaysian gamers and contribute to growth of the local esports scene. The service empowers gamers to break free from the chains of hardware limitations, transporting them to a realm where exhilaration knows no bounds,” said Wing K. Lee, CEO of YTL Communications.
“The future of gaming in Malaysia is here with GeForce NOW Powered by Yes 5G,” said Phil Eisler, VP of GeForce NOW. “Since introducing GeForce NOW globally, the cloud game service has garnered success and popularity in markets worldwide, and its official arrival in Malaysia marks another significant milestone for NVIDIA.”
Once again, the roadshow is currently ongoing at Starhill Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur and opens 10am to 10pm until this Sunday – you can visit the roadshow located right at the Entrance Foyer to try GeForce NOW firsthand, engage in other activities, or win various prizes!
Pokdepinion: I tried it firsthand and honestly, not bad. Though FPS gamers would still prefer to play native for the most part anyways.
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Flat vs Curved Monitors: How Should I Pick?

Monitors comes in all sizes and shapes – some of them large, some of them small; some of them goes ultrawide and others go vertical. But in the most common sizes 24 and 27 inches sometimes you’ll see curved models alongside the mainstream flat displays. But in what conditions do you need a curved display? Do you really need it, at all? Let me explain.
Why Curved?
Human eyes view objects with a cone-shaped field of vision. According to Samsung, flat displays can induce fatigue on the edge section of the flat panels more than curved ones due to longer viewing distances; research has proved that curved displays can in fact be more ergonomically friendly as the viewing distance stays consistent within our field of view. But not all displays curved the same way.
Image: Viewsonic
The ‘R’ Number
Image: BenQ
You may have seen curved monitors with a metric that says a 4-digit number followed by the letter ‘R’ – like 1800R, 1500R and so on. The ‘R’ stands for radius, and the number, measured in millimeters, define how tight or wide the curve is. For example: a 1800R curve is equivalent of a circle drawn across the radius of 1800mm (180cm), and parts of that curve equals to the monitor’s curvature. The smaller the number is, the tighter the curve gets. So far, mainstream monitors can go as low as 1000R but bigger ones can go to multiple thousands which forms a relatively shallow curve.

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Does That Mean Curved Is Always Better, Then?
Not always. While curved monitors gives you better ergonomics on paper, there’s another element that hinders monitors of this nature: glare.
A flat surface only reflects light from a single angle, so glare is relatively minimal if you position your monitor right, in bright conditions. However, a curved surface can receive incoming ambient light from many directions, and thus they are more susceptible to glare issues if used on a relatively bright environment. Viewsonic noted in an explainer that should a user want to use curved monitor with minimal glare, it’s best to avoid any direct light sources – dim or turn off lights, or just block them wherever possible.
Ultrawide Monitors: Curved Is Better

While curved monitors isn’t the be-all-and-end-all, there’s still good use cases for them. Take ultrawide monitors: they go from 21:9 all the way to 32:9 (marketed as “Super Ultrawide”) – so having them as a singular flat panel is, suffice to say, a terrible idea in terms of viewing angles and ergonomics. Flat 21:9 monitors do exist – but they’re usually relegated to 29-inch class (equivalent in height to 24″ standard 16:9 displays); but if you’re going for anything larger, the ergonomics and viewing angles far outweigh the potential glare issues.
Standard Monitors: Flat Works, But It Depends

It depends. Curved panels aren’t exactly common in standard aspect ratio monitors, but some people do use them for the same reasons like the one above. However, this will depend on your viewing distance. Most people monitors in between 50cm to 100cm depending on display size, and usually the monitor is still within the person’s field of vision. Unless you have a larger display that potentially exceeds your FOV – a curved 16:9 panel is not as useful as a curved ultrawide can be.
Conclusion
To sum it up, curved monitors are great for large and wide displays, but may introduce glare in bright conditions; whereas flat panels are better on smaller displays and sometimes comes cheaper than their curved equivalents, at a small cost of ergonomics and viewing angles. Still not sure? It’s always better to see it for yourself wherever possible – ultimately it’s your eye that decide what’s best for your next gaming setup or WFH layout.
If you want to read on our reviews on monitors, you can start from here (ASUS ROG Swift PG27AQN, flat) and here (Dell UltraSharp U3821DW, curved ultrawide).
Info Source: BenQ (1,2) | ViewSonic | Samsung
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ASUS ROG SLI HB Bridge review; Do you really need it?

Introduction

Basically, the acronyms translate to ASUS Republic Of Gamers (ROG) Scalable Link Interface (SLI) High-Bandwidth (HB) Bridge. Before we dive into the details of the SLI HB Bridge, let’s take a step back and understand the way SLI works in the first place. SLI is a technology developed by Nvidia that allows us to link two or more GPUs together to produce a combined, more powerful single output. In other words, when one graphics card becomes insufficient, get another similar one, and (almost) double the graphics performance of your desktop. Bear in mind though, running SLI does not add up the VRAM of the GPUs. So if you’re running an 8GB card on SLI with another 8GB card, your VRAM output will still be 8GB.

Now here’s the important bit. SLI is basically an algorithm of parallel computing which on its own is a HUGE chapter in computer science. But down the crux, multiple electronic entities (in our case, the graphics card) break down the execution of processes by splitting the workload among available machines. So while we have multiple GPUs, we always have the master and its slave(s). The workload is evenly spread out across all GPUs, but only the master is responsible of rendering the output. This rendering frame is delivered to the master via the SLI bridge. Which is the component that we are putting to test here.

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That’s how it looks like in its final form basically
The thing is, there are pros and cons to doing SLI configurations. I’ve had my fair share of system instability due to drivers not fully optimised for SLI setups. But don’t blame Nvidia on that. Before this, you were able to run up to 4 GPUs on SLI, which Nvidia killed since its 10-series GPUs. Now if you’re gonna game, at the most, you can run 2 GPUs on SLI. You see, graphics-card have rather complex graphics API including, but not limited to, the latest Vulkan API and DirectX 12. These are still not matured enough in their development, so opening up 3-way and 4-way is pretty much pointless if things are going to break more than they make.

We’re also going to compare the results with ASUS’ ROG Enthusiasts SLI Bridge which we shall call the “standard SLI Bridge” here on. The biggest difference is that the HB Bridge has a 650MHz Pixel Clock while the standard SLI Bridge has a 400MHz Pixel Clock. This means, passing our final rendering frames to the master is going to be quicker. The question is, how quick? We’ll have to really push the system’s graphics to its maximum load to find this out. Take note that this bridge only works with several high-end graphics that you can check here.
Our Machine Setup

This piece of hardware requires so much juice, even our Pokderig is not powerful enough to fully test it. So I brought in my very own LaFerrari to test this out. Our specifications are as following:

CPU:
Intel Core i7 6900K 8C/16T 3.2GHz

Motherboard:
ASUS Rampage 5 Edition 10

GPU:
2 x ASUS Titan X SLI

RAM:
16GB (4 x 4GB) 3000MHz Avexir Blitz

CPU Cooling:
Cooler Master Nepton 240

Storage:
3 x 256GB Samsung 850 Evo SSD
1 x 2TB Western Digital Black

PSU:
Cooler Master V1000

Display:
ASUS ROG Swift PG278Q WQHD (2560 x 1440), 144Hz, G-Sync

I’ve set the CPU clock at 4.0GHz, and turned off Turbo Boost and Intel SpeedStep to have a consistent CPU clock speed. Both Titan X GPUs are running on stock clock and GSync is enabled. Since we want to see how quickly does the master GPU deliver the final rendered image, we are only concerned about FPS (frames-per-second) here. The monitor is set to 144Hz mode with GSync enabled so our frames rendering will be consistent with the GPU’s output. This is a beast setup, cutting out as much possible setbacks as possible. Only then are we going to be able to see whether the SLI HB Bridge works or not.
SLI HB Bridge Testing Methodologies
So this time around, testing the SLI HB Bridge would not be much like other technical reviews that we have done. Running benchmark tools will not really give us much significant results. Instead, my tests are going to be based on real world scenarios – where it will actually be used. I’m going to run the setup through several games, and push things harder in steps to see where it starts showing actual differences. Basically, this setup is so powerful, running games at Ultra settings is a piece of cake for it even at 4K. Hence, our tests will begin from QHD (2560 x 1440), then we push it to 1.5X DSR factor at 3620 x 2036 resolution, followed by 2X DSR factor at 5K/UHD+ (5120 x 2880) resolution.
So I measure the lowest FPS and the highest FPS of each of these settings at random intervals, then measure the average of high and low and finally the average of all readings.
Counter Strike GO (CS:GO) Test
You might think that CS:GO is not a demanding game, but jack up all the settings to their max, and you could actually see your system jigs at random frames. For CS:GO, my tests involved around the same map, but different scenarios. Using different weapons, pooling more players in one place and firing their weapons, throwing smoke grenades and molotovs, and several other frame intensive processes. So these are the results that I obtained.
As you can see, there is literally no difference between the bridges when it’s run at QHD or even 1.5X DSR. But you can see quite a notable difference at UHD+ resolution. It looks like the HB bridge is indeed doing its job. Then again, the lowest framerate we are seeing here is 197, at UHD+, for the standard SLI bridge. 197 is an insane framerate by itself already. There’s no room for complain at all, is there?
Overwatch Test
So we take it to a slightly heavier test with Overwatch. What I like about Overwatch testing is that when things get chaotic mid-game, you can really see noticeable behavior in frame rates change. Imagine Reinhardt with his shield open, a junkrat spamming his bomb on top of it, with a Pharah in the sky, while Lucio heals the defending team, when suddenly the attacking Zarya casts its ultimate right in the middle, as Reaper ghosts into the center for his turn and a wild Hanzo casts his dragons right in the middle of all of it. That can be a very chaotic scene and your FPS counter will be fluctuating like its trying to figure out what to do with its sorry life.
The settings are EPIC on Overwatch with everything turned on. Anti-Alias, Reflections, Texture, all set to ultra and the game surely does look beautiful. But how does it perform?
You still can’t tell much difference here. One thing about measuring FPS in a game, like I mentioned earlier is the struggle to get consistent data. As for the 1.5X DSR for example, the score was 153.6 on standard SLI bridge and 153.3 on the HB SLI Bridge, making the data look weird. At UHD+, you can see a slight improvement on the HB SLI Bridge because at this point, the frame rates became a lot more consistent as the GPU was really pushing it hard to deliver the frames. So I thought, hey, why not take it a step further?
I set the Overwatch to render 200% resolution of whatever is being projected. Which means, at 5K, the frames were doubled, and then squeezed into my now puny sized 1440p display. This is how you bring the Titan X on SLI, down to its knees! The pixels are so densely merged, the output starts looking blurry like it has a soft focus touch. Beautiful for movies, but ugly AF for games. lol. Wanna see the results?

As I ran these tests, the two Titan X were screaming at the top of their lungs, spinning the fans at their maximum speed, begging me for mercy as I, with my evil laugh capture every blood-clad frame squirting out of these once dominating monsters. At this stage, ever single frame counts and you want to squeeze every single bit out of it. Between 19 fps and 29 fps, there’s a whole painful 10 fps difference that can turn the experience into a matter of life and death. In the game that is.
Tom Clancy’s The Division
Finally, on our third test, we put Tom Clancy’s The Division to test. Division is a very graphics intensive game and has some very cool features that can put the GPU to work aggressively. Once again, everything is set to ultra on this game. Let’s have a look at the results.

So, what do we have here. The Division shows the most significant differences in terms of the results. Even at 1.5X DSR, the difference is quite prominent with a gap of 17 fps. At UHD+, we are already approaching 60fps which, while is still absolutely perfect, is now the borderline. The HB SLI Bridge does show its prowess here afterall.
User Experience
Well, I can’t just end the review without mentioning its experience, right?
The first thing that you need to know before purchasing the SLI HB Bridge, is its compatibility. Obviously, you would need an Nvidia card because AMD is now going bridge-less for their Crossfires. You can view the full list here, but so far, at the time of writing, these cards are proven to work:

Titan X
ASUS ROG Strix GeForce GTX 1080
ASUS Turbo GeForce GTX 1080
ASUS GeForce GTX 1080 Founders Edition
ASUS ROG Strix GeForce GTX 1070
ASUS Expedition GeForce GTX 1070
ASUS Dual GeForce GTX 1070
ASUS Turbo GeForce GTX 1070
ASUS GeForce GTX 1070 Founders Edition

It should also work with other similar GPUs from different manufacturers, if that’s what you want to do.

This is different from what ASUS had with their previous ROG Enthusiast SLI Bridge that had support for up to 4 GPUs.

The second thing that you need to consider before purchasing the SLI HB Bridge, is its size. There are two variants available; 3-slot and 4-slot. Depending on your motherboard, you would require only one of them and it’s important to know which one. As in the case of my rig running on ASUS Rampage 5 Edition 10, I needed the 4-slot version.

Of course, we definitely have to talk about the RGB LED on the ASUS ROG SLI HB Bridge. Compared to the standard SLI Bridge which would only lit in red LED, the ASUS ROG SLI HB Bridge has an RGB glowing logo on it. It has touch sensitive panel or you can use it with AURA Sync. Yep, you can only use ONE of the methods. If you want to use the touch sensitive panel, you can use it out of the box. But if you want to use it with AURA Sync, you will have to plug in the RGB cable to the SLI HB Bridge, and connect the other end to the RGB header on your motherboard. Worry not, the cable has an extra RGB port in case you need to plug in another AURA Sync compatible hardware. Another thing you need to keep in mind is that the current RGB plugs are notchless. It means, you might end up plugging it the other way around. So if the RGB on your ASUS ROG SLI HB Bridge is not working, invert the plug and it should work. Speaking from experience here. lol.

ASUS ROG SLI HB Bridge’s RGB effect on touch. #asus #asusrog #sli #hb
A post shared by Pokde.net (@pokdedotnet) on Jun 29, 2017 at 2:39am PDT

Conclusion
There you go! I hope you got some insights from my review of the ASUS ROG SLI HB Bridge. Does it work? Definitely! Do you need it? If you’re not gaming on anything above 4K, then its pointless. Then again, if you are running either 1070 or 1080 or Titan X in SLI and you’re not gaming on 4K and above, you’re in the wrong league. That’s not what you do with such powerful components. And if you do have an SLI setup of either of those cards, another extra RM200 wouldn’t hurt your pocket and is definitely something you need for all the raw power under the hood. I love the performance, but sorry ASUS, looks wise, I still prefer the design of the older standard bridge :P

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Say Goodbye To GTA Online… On PS3 and Xbox 360

Rockstar Games has just announced via an official statement on their website, that they will be shutting down the servers for GTA Online on the PS3 and Xbox 360 on December 16 this year. This is due to the company wanting to focus more on the PS4, Xbox One, and PC versions as well as the upcoming PS5 and Xbox Series X and S versions.
Furthermore, website stat tracking via the Rockstar Games Social Club will also be shut down and Shark Cash Cards will no longer be purchasable after September 15 this year.
Goodbye GTA Online on PS3 and Xbox 360

GTA Online for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 Will Shut Down on December 16, 2021
Details: https://t.co/JsIRTHxGP9 pic.twitter.com/xn5GbMDkCV
— Rockstar Games (@RockstarGames) June 16, 2021

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Rockstar also stressed that the shutting down of GTA Online “will have no impact on access to, or progress within, the Grand Theft Auto V Story Mode” on the PS3 and Xbox 360. Additionally, the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of Max Payne 3 will also see its online multiplayer, leaderboards and website stat tracking via the Rockstar Games Social Club shut down on September 16. Website stat tracking for the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of L.A. Noire will also shut down on September 16.

Again, Rockstar made it clear that the shutdown of these features “will have no impact on access or progress in Story Mode for any of these titles on either platform.”
Pokdepinion: Honestly, I didn’t really play GTA Online on the PS3 because by the time the online service got more fun content to play with I had already moved on to the PS4 and PC.
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Deals That You Should Look Out For This Acer Day Roadshow 2019!

You may know that Acer host their Acer Day campaign on a yearly basis and it’s back again with deals that’s certain to delight gamers all around with this year’s theme is “Freedom To Play”.
From today (29th July) until the 4th of August 2019, you can head down to Mid Valley Megamall as Acer is offering promotions, performances, as well as ground activities to celebrate the campaign.
Those who purchase select Acer products during the roadshow will be rewarded with up to RM1,000 off on their purchases, a free Samsung Galaxy A10, Office 365, Galea 311 gaming headset or a Predator Cestus 330 gaming mouse.

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In addition to that, they will be hosting their special flash sale on the 3rd and 4th of August 2019 at 10am to 12pm, where they are offering price cuts of up to RM400 and RM300 for their Aspire 3 and Aspire XC.
If you’re planning on simply visiting, you can join in on their on-ground activities, where the first 300 participants will be getting a limited edition tote bag, with no purchase required to join in.
Pokdepinion: Sweet deals all around! I’m tempted to get that Predator RGB mousepad… it’s only RM49!
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Cortana Could’ve Been Called Bingo Because Of This Reason

Ahh Cortana, the iconic yet annoying AI that appears when you boot up a new laptop. At one point, the AI assistant wasn’t planned on being named that. Instead, it could’ve been called “Bingo”.
Cortana could’ve been called Bingo

It was Steve Ballmer who had the idea to name the AI assistant as Bingo. If you aren’t sure who exactly he is, he was the former CEO of Microsoft back in 2014.

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According to former Microsoft product manager Sandeep Paruchuri, Ballmer wanted the name so that it would be more “Microsoft-branded”.
Cortana was also supposed to be called Alyx but was quickly revoked as the name was leaked back then. If you think the names sound familiar, well it’s inspired by Halo, where you can recall Cortana as the name for the AI as well.
For more on the latest tech and gaming news plus reviews, stay tuned to Pokde.net.
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Pokdepinion: I think I say this for most of us, when Cortana boots up in your new device, we immediately mute it. It’s just… annoying.
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x86 vs ARM: What’s The Difference?

x86 vs ARM: What’s The Difference?

Apple M1 is possibly the most familiar name among the general consumer crowd when it comes to CPUs in general, at least in recent times. Meanwhile, Windows PC users has always been using some variants of chips from either Intel or AMD, and even Apple once used them for many years before it gets dropped to make way for their in-house M-series chips.

While Apple claims huge performance numbers and impressive power efficiency from their own chips, there’s a crucial difference in between the chips you may be using right now, to what Apple is currently using for their Mac products: Instruction Set Architecture (ISA). Specifically, x86 and ARM, which is what most Windows PCs and Macbooks use, respectively. What does this mean?

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x86: The Origin Of Modern PC
The x86 architecture, used in virtually every single Intel and AMD chip ever made in the past few decades, traces its history back to their “ancestor”: Intel 8086. This venerable little chip is launched all the way back in 1978, or 45 years ago. Its advantage in programming compatibility with previous architectures has made it popular amongst other more advanced ISAs at the time (including Zilog and Motorola), and the scale continues to grow larger and larger thanks to the growth in PC segment seen in the majority of 80s and 90s.
Intel 8086 – the very first x86 CPU.
That advantage still holds today – and there’s a reason for it. An instruction set architecture, like x86, is like a language for computers. It dictates how the most basic functions of a computer should work, for example, how a number should be calculated and how quickly it can be performed – like certain languages having its alphabetical system and phonetics dictating how a person should speak that language.
x86 is also what we call Complex Instruction Set Computer (CISC): in simple terms, it can do a lot of different maths at the same time, unlike ARM that is RISC – which we’ll explain later, so keep that in mind first.
ARM: Efficiency As The Purpose
ARM is what you’ll find inside virtually every single smartphone in your pocket right now. Why don’t they use x86 when it’s ubiquitous on PCs? The answer lies in the term you just saw: RISC, or Reduced Instruction Set Computer. To differentiate CISC and RISC, here’s an example.
Fun fact: ASUS was one of the few smartphone vendors that offered Intel Atom-powered devices, running on the x86 architecture. Intel’s stint in smartphone scene didn’t last long, however.
Imagine you need to buy things to set up your new house. Like, lots of it – tools, kitchen utensils, books, decorations, what-have-you. To do that, you’ll need to bring your whole family in a car, split up the team, and buy all the stuffs from all the different types of stores. You people puts all the stuffs into the car and drives back home. That’s essentially how x86, or CISC chips, work – a lot of things can be done in a single ride (or in this case, a compute cycle).
Meanwhile, RISC chips functions like this: imagine again, you just used up the toothpaste that brush your teeth twice a day with. You head to the store on your own with a small bike, buy the toothpaste, and get back home right away. You don’t need your whole family to tag along just to get one product. It’s quick – but you can only carry small amount of things each time you head to the store.
See the difference? CISC is good for complex compute workloads, but you may end up with a family member that just tags along and do not actually carry stuffs (like a part of chip that just sits there and not being utilized, which is not always efficient). RISC meanwhile is better for efficiency, where you don’t need to call up your whole family to complete a simple task.
Different “Language”
However, the important thing to note here is that x86 and ARM are not compatible to each other. Most apps you see today that runs on your Windows PC is designed based on the x86 architecture, and it simply will NOT run if the app is placed inside a laptop that is powered by an ARM chip (think Apple M1 or Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx). Similarly, apps designed for ARM chips, can’t talk to PCs with x86 hardware in it – that is, every Intel and AMD-powered system out there.
Apple M1 and Apple M2.
App developers have to specifically design their apps to work on each architecture – think of it like writing an essay in two different languages, say – English and Chinese. Chinese speakers may not fully understand the essay that is written in English, and vice versa, so apps also needs to understand the “language” the PC is using. And just like Google Translate, a translation layer for two different ISAs exist: the more well-known one being Apple’s “Rosetta” which allows its M1/M2-powered devices to at least run the apps that is designed for the x86 architecture.
Apple Rosetta.
However, going back to the language analogy again, giving a Chinese native speaker a piece of English essay, even if the said person understands English, is still not optimal – since it’s not their native language. What that means is effectively a performance loss in the context of computers: which varies from slightly worse to significantly worse, depending on the hardware in question.
Should I consider an ARM-powered laptop next?
If you’re an Apple user, this question is largely irrelevant – you are likely already using one by now, unless you have a fairly old model. However, for Windows users, things can get a bit muddy. Windows has largely built its foundation on the x86 architecture, with the help of Intel (hence “Wintel” is a term coined in this industry). That’s nearly 40 years worth of hardware and code – and given the sheer amount of Windows PCs out there (and the size of the Windows ecosystem), it’s proven to be very difficult to transition to an architecture that effectively requires a “big reset”.
A Windows-on-ARM development kit for app developers to design apps on ARM-based PCs.
ARM Windows laptops do exist, but in very small numbers. Some ultra-lightweight laptops, often 2-in-1s, are powered by Qualcomm’s 8cx chips – think of it as the souped-up version of whatever’s being offered in the current flagship smartphones. However, at current state, it’s still quite limited for what it can do. You’ll basically have to use these laptops similarly to how you use phones, that is to say, apps that runs are pretty much coming from the Microsoft Store, and anything you downloaded from the Internet (which is often referred as Win32 apps) is very unlikely to work natively, or even at all.
Microsoft Surface Pro X – powered by Microsoft SQ2, a variation of Qualcomm’s chips.
There’s still a long way to go for ARM in Windows, so my current advice is, stick to x86, like Intel or AMD chips, if you work on many complex stuffs like 3D, video rendering and such. For users that who just needs something to do very basic tasks, like typing and documenting – the efficiency provided by ARM chips may outweigh the relative lack of versatility, at least for now. It remains to be seen if they can challenge x86’s current status quo in a few years, and whether app developers may finally catch up by then.
Info source: Red Hat | LowSpecGamer (YouTube) | TechQuickie (YouTube)
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Grab Malaysia Will Charge Up to RM5 Cancellation Fees By End of March 2019

It appears that a big change is coming to the popular ride hailing service as Grab Malaysia is set to introduce cancellation fees of up to RM5 starting 25th March 2019 for passengers.

In their updated Passenger Cancellation policy, it mentions that Grab passengers who cancel their rides after five minutes of getting a driver will be charged a fee ranging from RM3 to RM5. To be precise, this is how the fee varies:

GrabCar, JustGrab, GrabShare, GrabTaxi (Metered / Executive), GrabCar Plus = RM3
GrabCar (6-Seater), JustGrab (6-Seater), JustGrab (10-Seater) = RM4
GrabCar (Premium), GrabCar Luxe (Vellfire for Airport) = RM5

It’s worth noting that passengers will be charged for late cancellation or if the driver cancels after waiting for more than five minutes. However, the passenger will not be charged both fees simultaneously. It is a requirement for drivers to wait for 5 minutes, 3 if its a GrabShare service, in order to be entitled to the cancellation fee.
However, the cancellation fee will be non-applicable if the driver doesn’t arrive within 10 minutes after the initially shown ETA (estimated time of arrival). For example, if a driver is said to be 2 minutes away but takes more than 12 minutes to arrive. Grab said that they have a way to detect if drivers aren’t moving towards the customer so passengers don’t have to worry about that.
This cancellation fee will be taken directly from the user’s GrabPay credit balance or credit / debit card. For those who are using cash to pay for their rides, the fee will be automatically added to their next ride. All of the fees will be channeled to the driver as compensation and the company is said to not take a single cent from it.
Pokdepinion: I say this is a great move by the company to take care of their drivers. But I certainly do hope they do something about the drivers who often cancel during peak periods.

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Upcoming Mi Mix 4 Set To Feature A Camera Sensor Better Than Samsung’s 64MP

At the end of last year, we saw the arrival of the Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 and now we’re hearing some details of its successor, the Mi Mix 4. The company’s top executive has said that the flagship smartphone will offer a class-leading camera sensor to boast.
What’s special about the new phone? Well Wang Teng, Xiaomi’s Product Director has said that the phone will feature a ‘better’ sensor than the 64MP sensor on the market right now, Samsung’s ISOCELL Bright GW1.
This could mean that we will see Sony’s own 64MP sensor instead (although it is still yet to be released). Recent years has been a progress for smartphone photography, with brands look to fit in more camera sensors on their devices such as the HUAWEI P20’s triple camera and Nokia 9 PureView’s penta camera setup.

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Earlier in the year, HONOR started the trend of 48MP sensors with their HONOR View20 smartphone and since then, we saw a number of smartphones equipping the same sensor.
Do you want to find out more on 48MP sensors? You can do so at our previous article right here.
Pokdepinion: Hopefully we’ll see the Mi Mix 4 sooner rather than later!
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Android 9.0 Pie hits the OnePlus 6, officially — gets the latest Android version faster than Android One devices!

OnePlus 6 users rejoice! OnePlus has just started the roll out of the latest update to the OnePlus 6, in less than 2 months after the official announcement of Android 9.0 Pie. Surprisingly, it beat the Android One devices to the Android 9.0 Pie update.
The new OxygenOS 9.0 update brings a few new features, most of them which are baked into stock Android 9.0 Pie, such as:

Updated system to Android™ 9.0 Pie™

Brand new UI for Android Pie
New adaptive battery support
New Android Pie gesture navigation
Updated Android security patch to 2018.9
Other new features and system improvements

Do Not Disturb mode

New Do Not Disturb (DND) mode with adjustable settings

New Gaming mode 3.0

Added text notification mode
Added notification for 3rd party calls

Accent color

Supported accent color customization

Do not panic if you have yet to receive your Android 9.0 Pie update, as the OTA will roll out in stages. Some people will receive it later, some will have gotten it earlier. It’s just the way it is. Let us know if you have received the update, and whether you enjoy the refreshing new UI! If you are really impatient, you can download the update here and flash it yourself manually.

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For those of you who want Android 9.0 Pie, you can consider getting the OnePlus 6 Silk White which is heavily discounted at just RM2299!
Source: OnePlus forums
Pokdepinion: How I wish I have a OnePlus 6 now…
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Tekken New Netflix Series Coming 18 August

Tekken Attempts to Transition to Television with A New Netflix Series

Netflix first revealed its Tekken television show back in March, and now we have a complete trailer and an official release date which is 18 August. The show will be offered in a variety of languages, including Japanese and English.
This anime version, titled Tekken: Bloodline, tells the tale of the King of Iron Fist Tournament from the viewpoint of Jin Kazama, who is being prepared by his grandfather Heihachi Mishima for a quest for vengeance.

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Long-time fans will recognize some of the faces in the clip because characters from the games also feature in the TV series. Hwoarang, Julia Chang, Nina Williams, Paul Phoenix, Ling Xiaoyu, and Kazuya Mishima, Heihachi’s son, are among them.
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Pokdepinion: The trailer looks amazing. Can’t wait to watch the show this coming August.
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Sony WH-1000XM3 Headphones VS WF-1000XM3 Earbuds – Which One to Buy?

Sony WH-1000XM3 Headphones VS WF-1000XM3 Earbuds

If you’re a fan of noise-cancelling audio peripherals, then I’m sure you’ve considered getting either the Sony WH-1000XM3 or the WF-1000XM3. Despite some similarities, both products are catered to different people. Question is, which one should you buy? Let’s put the two in a head-to-head competition; Sony WH-1000XM3 headphones VS WF-1000XM3 earbuds.
If you want to see our review of the Sony WH-1000XM3, click right here. If you want to see the review of the Sony WF-1000XM3, click here instead.
Portability

I’m sure many of us want good audio but we also don’t want something that’s hard to carry around. While the Sony WH-1000XM3 headphones are portable enough on its own with its foldable design, it still can’t beat the Sony WF-1000XM3 earbuds.

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After all, the earbuds (together with the charging case) can easily fit in most people’s pockets. The headphones will either require you to have it around your neck or chuck it in your bag. If you want to travel light, the answer is pretty simple.
Winner: Sony WF-1000XM3 earbuds
Listening Experience

It’s hard to compare technical specifications between the two given that one is a headphone and the other are earbuds. When you factor certain features like LDAC and aptX, which is available on the Sony WH-1000XM3 but not on the WF-1000XM3, it can seem very different.
However, both audio devices have great sound quality regardless. I am thoroughly impressed with both but I tend to lean towards the earbuds for a comfortable experience. This one will ultimately boil down to whether you prefer headphones or earbuds so I’m calling this one a draw.
Winner: Draw
Noise Cancelling

The Sony WF-1000XM3 is the first truly wireless earbuds to offer noise-cancelling. It works surprisingly well and, at least at the time of this writing, you can’t find another pair of earbuds that can offer the same. If you just need something with noise-cancelling technology, this will do just fine.
If you want the best noise-cancelling experience however, the Sony WH-1000XM3 headphones are noticeably better. Not only does it have superior noise cancellation, you can use the headphones just for noise-cancelling and nothing more, which isn’t possible in the previous iteration.
Winner: Sony WH-1000XM3 headphones
Versatility

There are a number of devices that you can connect to for audio. If you simply want to connect to a device via Bluetooth, the Sony WF-1000XM3 earbuds can do just fine. You can connect to your smartphone, PC, and even the Nintendo Switch if you have a Bluetooth dongle for it.
However, if you ever find yourself needing to connect via wire, the Sony WH-1000XM3 has the capability of doing so. This means that any device that doesn’t have Bluetooth can be used with it. You can even get game audio on the PS4 by connecting it to the DualShock 4 controller. Moreover, Sony included a two-pronged flight adapter for in-flight entertainment use.
 Winner: Sony WH-1000XM3 headphones
Battery Life

From my own experience, both devices are essentially capable of giving the same battery life that is being touted by Sony. That is a total of 24 hours for the Sony WF-1000XM3 (charging case is 18 hours) and 30 hours for the Sony WH-1000XM3. Just by this alone, the headphones have better battery life.
Battery life is superb on both devices but keep in mind that the earbuds themselves last about 6 hours. Then you need to pop it back into the case to charge it. The headphones can last 30 hours on its own, making it more convenient if you ever need a marathon-level use.
 Winner: Sony WH-1000XM3 headphones
Price

While these are great audio devices, they’re not exactly affordable. The Sony WF-1000XM3 earbuds are retailing for RM949 while the Sony WH-1000XM3 headphones are retailing for RM1,599. You might be able to find these at a lower price but the earbuds are definitely more affordable.
 Winner: Sony WF-1000XM3 earbuds
Sony WH-1000XM3 VS WF-1000XM3 Final Verdict

With a final score of 3 to 2, the Sony WH-1000XM3 headphones is the winner of the comparison. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean that you should avoid the earbuds and go for the headphones. This ultimately boils down to your audio needs.
If you need something that’s easy to bring with you, the Sony WF-1000XM3 earbuds are the better option. If you need versatility or the best noise-cancelling experience possible, then the headphones will be the one for you. There is no “true” better option in this regard.
Overall Winner: Sony-WH1000XM3 headphones
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Monster Hunter World Iceborne Expansion Confirmed – It’s A Huge Expansion

Monster Hunter World Iceborne Expansion Confirmed

During the Monster Hunter World Special Developer Update livestream recently, the folks over at Capcom have announced a brand new expansion for the game. It will be known as Monster Hunter World Iceborne, and it is expected to be a massive expansion which will include as much new content as previous “G” or “Ultimate” entries in the series.
Monster Hunter World Iceborne will include new quest ranks, locales, monsters, moves and equipment. The expansion’s story will also follow the ending of the base game’s story and serve as a proper sequel. The expansion requires the base game to be played.
Judging from producer Ryozo Tsujimoto’s words the PC version of the Iceborne expansion will launch a bit later than the console version, as it was the case with the base game. It’s also possible a new version of Monster Hunter World which will include the Iceborne expansion will be sold, but we’ll know for sure when more details are published in Spring 2019.

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An Arch-tempered Kulve Taroth in-game event lasting from 4PM PST December 19 (8AM 20th December for GMT +8) to 3:59 pm PST January 3 (7:59AM 4th January for GMT +8) was also announced. Furthermore, an Arch-tempered Nergigante in-game event will be coming soon as well. Lastly, details on new in-game events including seasonal events with new equipment and special anniversary quests will be coming in a future announcement.
You can watch the reveal trailer of the Iceborne expansion at the top of this post. Pricing and further information on the expansion will be revealed sometime in Spring 2019.
Monster Hunter World is currently available for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC via Steam.
Pokdepinion: I’m legitimately wondering if they could entice enough players to come back, especially because it seems that the Monster Hunter World Iceborne expansion will not be a free DLC.
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Sony Looking to Acquire More Game Dev Studios Ahead of PS5 Launch

It’s no secret that Microsoft has been bolstering their game development sector with acquisitions of a number of game development studios. Sony on the other hand has yet to add any new first party developers to their side but things are expected to change soon based on the statement from Sony Interactive Entertainment’s Jim Ryan.
In an interview with Nikkei, Jim Ryan mentioned that Sony is seemingly looking to acquire more developers in the future. Ryan cited the advent of Google in the gaming space as one of the reasons why Sony would look to bolster its first-party offerings moving forward. He stated that “content is becoming more important than ever before,” with regards to the upcoming competition with other companies.

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Companies new to the games industry looking at the market with hope is something we definitely welcome. Sony Interactive Entertainment has 25 years of experience in the games industry and has big assets.
As for what companies Sony could be looking to acquire, it’s still unknown. Perhaps more than any other platform holder in the industry, Sony is consistently working with a variety of second-party partners that publish games exclusively on their platform even though Sony doesn’t own said developers.
Marvel’s Spider-Man in 2018 is a good example of this along with more recent releases like Judgment from Sega and RGG Studio. However, that doesn’t mean that the developers Sony has worked with closely in the past in this way are shoe-ins to potentially brought into the Worldwide Studios family.
With the PlayStation 5 / next-gen PlayStation console expected to appear sometime next year, we expect to hear more about this sooner rather than later.
Source: Nikkei
Pokdepinion: Well, Microsoft has been quite aggressive on this so it’s about time if Sony hasn’t done so already. Can’t wait to see what sorta PS5 game dev studio acquisition will pop up.
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GoPro Reveals Hari Raya Specials For HERO9 Black And GoPro Max

The folks at GoPro Malaysia has announced of their Hari Raya deals, which sees special pricing for both the HERO9 Black and GoPro MAX. On top of that, they are also hosting a contest where you can win yourself a brand new Vespa Sprint that’s worth RM18,000.
GoPro Hari Raya deals

You can get the GoPro HERO9 Black at a reduced price of RM1,899 (originally RM2,099). The HERO9 Black is the company’s newest camera where it features 5K video recording, 20MP photos, dual LCD displays, as well as enhanced battery life.

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In addition to that, you can also get the GoPro MAX at a discounted price of RM2,310 where you will get a free smart remote worth RM379 for a limited time. This camera can be used as a 360 camera, a traditional GoPro or as a vlogging option. It offers Max HyperSmooth technology, 360 degree recording in up to 6K resolution as well as coming with waterproof resistance.
To sweeten the deal, they are hosting a special giveaway where you can win a brand new Vespa Sprint. All you have to do is simply purchase either cameras from any authorized retailers from now till the 31st of May 2021.
After purchasing, you are required to submit proof of receipt, the camera’s serial number and share what feature you are most excited about on your new GoPro. You can register for the giveaway right here and the winner will be revealed on the 8th of June 2021.
For more on the latest tech and gaming news plus reviews, stay tuned to Pokde.net.
Pokdepinion: It’s one thing that they are offering special prices for the cameras, but the addition of having the chance to win a Vespa while you’re at it? That seems like quite the deal.
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ESL Mobile Open 2021 Will Now Be Open For All Gamers Around The World

ESL Gaming, the world’s largest esports company, has just announced that they will be making the ESL Mobile Open 2021 open globally. The decision to make the mobile esports will allow millions of gamers around the world the opportunity to compete and engage with popular titles such as Asphalt 9: Legends, Brawl Stars, Clash of Clans, Clash Royale, Legends of Runeterra, PUBG Mobile, and League of Legends: Wild Rift.

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ESL Mobile Open 2021 is now open to the world!
The ESL Mobile Open 2021 will be open to 80 eligible countries spanning three regions including North America, Europe/MENA, and Asia-Pacific. ESL has also partnered with top games publishers and developers Gameloft, Riot, Supercell, and Tencent for this competition.
ESL will host two full seasons of action in 2021 starting off with the ESL Mobile Spring 2021 season in April. There will be two competitive tiers in each season; the ESL Mobile Open and the all-new ESL Mobile Challenge. The ESL Mobile Open represents the start of the esports journey and allows players of all skill levels to compete in top mobile games. Players work their way through two ladder phases and two play-in opportunities for a spot in the ESL Mobile Challenge, which is the later stage of the tournament.

Whereas the ESL Mobile Challenge will see the top players from the ESL Mobile Open compete against invited teams in a regular season to finals format. Competition in the Challenge phase of the tournament will be featured and covered with comprehensive live streams and shoulder content, taking the tournament to millions of people around the world.
The first season of the ESL Mobile Open 2021 tournament will be played entirely online, subsequent finals competitions will be held live at major esports events around the world. All told, ESL Mobile will offer players a stake in the over USD650,000 (RM2,694,250) prize pool.

For those interested to learn more about the ESL Mobile Open 2021, do head over to the official website or ESL Mobile social media pages on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Live broadcasts will air on the ESL Mobile Twitch and YouTube channels. Play will begin on April 12.
Competition dates are as follows:

April 12 – May 6, 2021: Mobile Open Play (Ladder #1)
May 7 – May 8, 2021: Mobile Open Play-In Weekend (Ladder #1)
May 10 – June 3, 2021: Mobile Open Play (Ladder #2)
June 4 – June 5, 2021: Mobile Open Play-In Weekend (Ladder #2)
June 15 – July 7, 2021: Mobile Challenge Regular Season
July 17 – 18 and July 22 – 23: Mobile Challenge Finals

Pokdepinion: I seriously salute the mobile gamers who regularly compete for the top tournaments and win them. I honestly wish that I was good in mobile gaming (or gaming in general) because that 600K is looking mighty good.
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[UPDATED] realme XT will be launching in Malaysia this 30th October!

Just as we were saying that realme has never brought in their realme XT series into Malaysia, it seems like there is some change happening. The realme XT has been teased by the latest photos uploaded by realme Malaysia’s CEO, Hunter Wang.
The photo sneakily placed the realme XT on a table next to him in what looks like an innocuous photo of him. It almost looks unnoticeable, until you see it. It’s as if realme didn’t want us to find out about their upcoming phone. 🤔 Oh and that watermark…
Could it be unintentional and realme Malaysia aren’t actually bringing in the realme XT?
The realme XT launched in India last month, with specifications that are really close to the realme 5 Pro, except a better 6.4″ Super AMOLED display panel, and a 64MP primary camera backed by Samsung’s GW1 sensor, instead of the 48MP Sony sensor in the realme 5 Pro.

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realme XT Specs
Snapdragon 712 AIE, octa-core up to 2.3 GHz, 10nmUp to 8GB RAMUp to 128GB UFS 2.1 storage, expandable via microSD6.4″ FHD+ Super AMOLED display64MP f/1.8 + 8MP f/2.25 ultra-wide angle + 2MP f/2.4 macro lens + 2MP f/2.4 depth sensor16MP f/2.0 selfie camera4000 mAh battery, 20W VOOC Flash Charge 3.0ColorOS 6.04 + 64GB: 15 999 INR (~RM944)6 + 64GB: 16 999 INR (~RM1002)8 + 128GB: 18 999 INR (~RM1120)
Now, the realme XT’s Indian pricing appears to be a bit too similar to what we are paying for the realme 5 Pro, and I don’t expect it to come in at this price bracket. Risking a guess, I would probably say it should cost around RM1300~RM1400. Of course, that’s just what I think. Don’t take it at face value.

How much do you think the realme XT should cost here in Malaysia? Let us know your thoughts!
[UPDATE 23.10]: realme XT is coming this 30th October

The cat’s out of the bag with realme Malaysia teasing the launch of the realme XT here in Malaysia. The date has been set for 30th November, and while we have yet to receive an invitation to the event, you can be sure that we will be covering it. Stay tuned!
Pokdepinion: Finally! Now I feel hopeful for the realme X2 Pro!
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