ASUS ROG Maximus XII Hero (WiFi) Preview — unboxing and a peek at the VRMs

We were lucky enough to be able to have a sneak preview of the latest Intel Z490 motherboards by ASUS, and here we have the ROG Maximus XII Hero (WiFi). There are still certain details that we can’t discuss about the board, so this is just going to be a quick look at the board. You can read on for a slightly more in-depth look at the board, or just watch the following video:

Unboxing the ROG Maximus XII Hero (WiFi)

ASUS Republic of Gamers boards always come in premium, clean packaging, and as you might realize, this one’s no different. You get the cyber patterns behind the text and a brushed pattern on the right, but that’s about it. No fancy graphics or other stuff here.

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Over on the back we see more of the ROG Maximus XII Hero (WiFi)’s specifications and highlighted features. The design of the board appears to be a lot cleaner here than it was on the Maximus XI series, and I do appreciate that change.

In the rather large box lies plenty of accessories and ROG merchandise, but what’s new here is the VRM fan. It comes with what seems like an afterthought of a mounting mechanism, as unlike the ROG Strix Z490-E Gaming’s VRM fan, there’s no dedicated mounting system but instead you are expected to mount it to one of the motherboard mounting points with your case screws. Guess what will be forgotten and left in the box for all eternity?
ROG Maximus XII Hero (WiFi) Design

The front side of the board is more reminiscent of the ROG Crosshair VIII Hero, with bold lines cutting across the board diagonally. The VRM heatsinks look to be a lot more functional this time around though, with deeper grooves to increase the surface area. The heatsink in the “Northbridge” area is also rather tall, unlike the ROG Strix Z490-E Gaming’s flatter design.
There’s a good amount of glossy black plastic on this board though, which is my least favorite kind of plastic. The PCH is clad in it, and so is the I/O shroud. On the bright side, more of the board is covered, which gives it a more premium look like the ROG Maximus Formula boards, except that that board features even more plastic covering the entire motherboard.

Over on the back we find lots of solder joints and a relatively clean PCB. There aren’t that many components on this side of the board.

Here we get the ROG staples, which are the BIOS flashback and a Clear CMOS button. There are only two USB 2.0 ports here, which is good as most of the ports on the ROG Maximus XII Hero (WiFi) are of the faster USB 3.0 and USB 3.1 (10 Gbps) variety. There’s also a HDMI port here in case you want to use the integrated graphics. Two LAN ports round off the specifications list, giving you 5 GbE LAN courtesy of Marvell and a 1 GbE port powered by the Intel I219-V controller. Oh and there’s WiFi 6 too if you don’t feel like pulling LAN cables.

RGB lighting is very minimal, with only the HERO text and ROG logo on the PCH glowing. There are a number of zones in there though so it can look a bit fancier when the color wave modes are used.
ASUS ROG Maximus XII Hero (WiFi) Specs

CPU support
Intel LGA 1200
10th Gen Intel Core desktop processors (Comet Lake-S)
Pentium Gold & Celeron processors

Power
1 x 24-pin ATX
1 x 8-pin EATX 12V (ProCool II)
1 x 4-pin EATX 12V
ASUS ASP1405i PWM controller (7 + 1 phase config)
14 x TDA21462 60A power stage for VCore
2 x TDA21462 60A power stage for iGPU

Chipset
Intel Z490

Memory
4 x DDR4 DIMM, max. 128GB un-buffered memory

Multi-GPU Support
2-way NVIDIA SLI
3-way AMD CrossFireX

Expansion slots
PCIe 3.0 x1
PCIe 3.0 x16 (x16 electrically)
PCIe 3.0 x1
PCIe 3.0 x16 (x8 electrically)
PCIe 3.0 x1
PCIe 3.0 x16 (x4 electrically)

Storage
6 x SATA 6 Gb/s, supports RAID 0,1,5,10
1 x M.2 PCIe 3.0 x4/SATA
1 x M.2 PCIe 3.0 x4 (shared bandwidth with last PCIe 3.0 slot)
1 x M.2 PCIe 3.0 x4 (disables SATA_5 & SATA_6 when used)

Network
Intel WiFi 6 AX201 (2×2 802.11ax, Bluetooth 5.1)
Marvell AQtion AQC111C 5GbE
Intel I219V GbE

USB
Rear I/O:
3 x USB 3.1 (10 Gbps)
1 x USB 3.1 Type-C (10 Gbps)
4 x USB 3.0 (5 Gbps)
2 x USB 2.0
On-board headers:
1 x USB 3.1 (10 Gbps)
1 x USB 3.0 (5 Gbps) (2 ports each)
2 x USB 2.0 (2 ports each)

Audio
SupermeFX S1220 CODEC
ESS ES9023P DAC
5 x gold-plated audio jacks (rear)
1 x Optical S/PDIF out
1 x front panel audio connector

Display output
1 x HDMI 1.4

Other onboard connectors
1 x CPU fan header
1 x CPU_OPT fan header
1 x AIO_PUMP header
1 x H_AMP fan header (3A)
1 x W_PUMP+ header (3A)
3 x Chassis fan headers
1 x W_IN header
1 x W_OUT header
1 x W_FLOW header
1 x Temperature sensor connector
2 x AURA RGB headers
2 x ARGB Gen 2 headers
1 x Thunderbolt 3 header

Overclocking features
Onboard power button
FlexKey
ReTry button
BIOS Flashback
Clear CMOS button
Q-CODE readout
Q-LED debug LEDs

Included accessories
User’s manual
4 x SATA 6Gb/s cable
2 x M.2 Screw Packages
2 x M.2 rubber package
1 x Wi-Fi Antenna
1 x Q-connector
1 x 40mm assistant fan (VRM fan)
1 x Fan bracket
1 x ARGB extension cable
1 x RGB extension cable
1 x Driver disk
1 x ROG Strix stickers
1 x ROG Strix thank you card

Form factor
ATX (12″ x 9.6″)

A Closer Look

As with any LGA 1200 board, I think the main focus will be on the VRMs. With higher core counts and higher clock speeds, the power draw from the 10th Gen Intel Core might make low-end VRMs sweat. Not the ROG Maximus XII Hero (WiFi)’s though, as we are looking at a quality 14 + 2 powerstage VRM here under the honestly massive heatsinks.

The VRMs here are the Infineon TDA21462 Smart Powerstages, each capable of handling 60A. As ASUS is using the Teamed Power Architecture, there are seven phases feeding the vcore, and one phase feeding the integrated graphics. The PWM controller here is the ASUS ASP1405i, which was featured on the ROG Crosshair VIII Hero too. The green chip you see in the lower left corner of the image is the Marvell AQtion AQC111C, which handles the 5GbE port on the rear I/O.

Here you get the power button and flex key, as well as the Q-LED debug LEDs and Q-Code readout. This is pretty much all you need to troubleshoot a lousy overclock, but ASUS also threw in a ReTry key on the bottom of the board, letting you enter the BIOS with the default settings, but not resetting your adjustments so you can tweak them and try again.

Meanwhile moving further down the board, you get three M.2 SSD slots. Unfortunately for the first two, you will have to remove the whole PCH cover, which is held down by three screws. The M.2 heatsink itself is mounted with four screws, which means a total of seven screws to undo if you want to use the first two M.2 slots. The lowest M.2 slot is unhindered, but using it will disable two SATA ports. Choices… choices.
And I guess that’s it for our preview of the ASUS ROG Maximus XII Hero (WiFi). We will be publishing the full review for this board soon, so stay tuned!
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There Will Be A Steam Sale for JRPGs Coming March 2022

It appears that PC gamers will be having a special Steam Sale coming this March 2022, dedicated specifically for JRPGs. Here’s what you need to know.
Steam Sale for JRPGs Coming March 2022

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In a Steam Community post, Valve has officially announced that there will be a Steam Sale dedicated to JRPGs happening from 14th March to 21st March 2022. The sale is said to be “open to games built around the JRPG style of mechanics and gameplay” which sounds rather broad in definition.
With that being said however, this specific Steam Sale will be taking place before their new policy on sales and discounts come into effect. In other words, you might still see games that have 1% discount being listed for the sake of free promotion. In case you’re wondering, the change will officially take place starting 28th March 2022.
If you want to read more about the new Steam policy on discounts, click right here.

If you’re not sure what JRPGs to look out for during this sale, I will be listing some that are worth your time. There’s no guarantee they will be on discount but if they are and it’s a good percentage, you should go get them:

The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel 1, 2 and 3
The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky, SC, and The 3rd
Edge of Eternity
I Am Setsuna
Octopath Traveler
Tales of Arise
Tales of Berseria
Tales of Vesperia Definitive Edition
Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch Remastered
Trials of Mana
Grandia 1 and 2 HD Remaster

Source
Pokdepinion: Wow, a Steam Sale basically dedicated for me. I’ve been looking for a new JRPG to sink my teeth in, and this might be the best timing for it yet.
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New PS5 cooler is smaller, lighter, yet better than the original version

Preliminary testing of the new, refreshed PlayStation 5 has revealed higher temperatures at the exhaust, which led some to believe that the older design had better cooling. After all, upon disassembly, the older PS5 has a notably larger heatsink, and we know that size matters when it comes to cooling. However recent testing by Hardware Busters have found that the new PS5 actually has better cooling, in some ways.
Source: Austin Evans (YouTube)
Part of the reason why the exhaust temps were higher is probably because the newer, smaller heatsink is actually wicking away more heat from the SoC. The new PS5’s chipset was reportedly 11°C cooler at 40.08°C versus 51.15°C in the older version, which is a significant difference. However it sacrificed some cooling over the memory modules, with the new PS5’s memory running close to 8°C warmer. The VRM also runs warmer, although the difference is less than 2°C here. The exhaust temperature is evidently higher, with the new PS5 pushing out air that’s about 2°C warmer.

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Fan speeds were similar, and noise levels were slightly higher on the new PS5, but overall, it does indicate that the newer, lighter heatsink that Sony is using in the refreshed version of the PlayStation 5 actually does a better job at cooling the chipset. According to the test results, the newer PS5 is also around 8% more efficient, although the difference swings in the old PS5’s favor when it comes to 4K gaming with raytracing enabled.
It is believed that the lower temperatures allowed the SoC in the new PS5 to clock higher, which resulted in the 1 to 4% higher power draw. This is a pretty reasonable hypothesis, although performance should still be within margin of error. So yeah, if you got yourself a new PS5 with the model number starting with CFI-11XX, don’t worry about the cooling. You will probably be looking at slightly warmer memory and VRM temperatures, but the SoC is significantly better cooled. You can watch the full video of the testing procedure and results below:

Source
Pokdepinion: Glad that someone took the initiative to get actual thermal results, rather than just measuring the exhaust temperatures of the new PS5!
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Overwatch’s Jeff Kaplan Christmas Livestream; 9 Hours of Him In Front of Fireplace

Looking for more Overwatch stuff this Holiday season? How about a 9 hour Jeff Kaplan stream where he sits in front of a fireplace and talk about stuff?
Overwatch’s Jeff Kaplan Christmas Livestream

With the holiday season in full swing, Overwatch is not only celebrating the season with an ongoing holiday event, but also brought a surprise livestream that arguably no one saw coming.

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To ring in the holiday season, the official Overwatch Twitch channel broadcast game director Jeff Kaplan sitting in front of a fireplace in the tradition of a holiday “yule log” video. Of course, what’s more entertaining is the fact that this stream lasted for well over 9 hours, featuring Jeff just sitting in front of the fireplace.
Throughout the stream though, Jeff does have a few surprises thrown in, such as opening gifts, complaining about Christmas cookies, and…well, it’s one of those things that will be clearer when you see it for yourself.
Sure, you could put on the same old yule log video to digitally warm up your living space, but why not get into the holiday spirit with good ol’ Papa Jeff Kaplan from the Overwatch team, instead?
Just in case you didn’t know, Blizzard is thanking Overwatch players for a good year by giving each player 5 loot boxes. It’s not just the regular loot boxes as it is the seasonal event ones. Go claim it if you haven’t done so yet.
Overwatch is available now on the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Windows PC, if you need some Jeff Kaplan cheer in your home this holiday season, you can check out the full yule log video at the top of this post.

Pokdepinion: Well, can’t say that I didn’t think Jeff Kaplan was weird to begin with. This solidifies it, but I still love it and Ovewatch either way.
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Edifier Malaysia Releases Edifier Hecate GM4 Mini 1 Plus Edifier GS01 & GS02

Today the folks at Edifier Malaysia has announced the arrival of the new Edifier GS01 and Edifier GS02 external sound cards as well as the Edifier TWS GM4 Mini 1 earbuds.
Edifier TWS GM4 Mini, Edifier GS01 and Edifier GS02 arrives in Malaysia

The Edifier GS01 and GS02 is usable for both PC and PS4 where you only need to plug in the sound card to the USB port. With the GS01, it comes with C Media HS100B, an all-in-one sound processor that supports as stereo DAC, earphone driver, and microphone pre-amp booster.
You can enjoy 7.1 surround sound with the Edifier GS02 packing a C Media 108 sound processor. With it, it comes with dual DAC units, earphone Amp, data loss noise reduction function, as well as 48k/44.1 sampling rate for both playback and recording.

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Both the GS01 and GS02 is equipped with TRRS Audio Jack to streamline the audio port on the devices, which subsequently eliminates the need of multiple audio jacks.
In addition to that, they have physical microphone switch and volume knot, offering convenience for controls.
You can get the Edifier GS01 at RM39 and RM49 for the Edifier GS02 at all Edifier official sales channels.

On the other hand, there’s the Edifier Hecate GM4 Mini 1 gaming earbuds. If you think the name is familiar, well it’s the new and smaller version of the Edifier Hecate GM4 that we’ve reviewed.
Aside from it’s more compact built, the GM4 Mini 1 is powered by the Pix Art PAU160X chipset, which offers Dual-Mode functions (Gaming Mode and Music Mode).
Offering a total of 22 hours of battery life, the earbuds can last 4 hours in a single charge. It comes with IPX5 waterproof resistance, in case you’re wondering.
The Edifier GM4 Mini 1 is now available for the price of RM199.
Pokdepinion: Well if you’re looking for an external sound card, those look like affordable options. As for the GM4 Mini 1, I think the smaller look and the design is better compared to the original Edifier Hecate GM4.
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LG Introduce 34-inch UltraGear Gaming Monitor At IFA 2018

LG Electronics is set to unveil their brand new UltraGear gaming monitors at IFA 2018 in Berlin.
LG UltraGear Gaming Monitor

The new LG UltraGear monitor comes with an UltraWide 21:9 screen. Oh and by the way, UltraGear is the name of LG’s new gaming monitors. With it’s flagship model 34GK950G, it boasts the most powerful features in the lineup with unprecedented picture quality, all thanks to its Nano IPS display technology that covers 98% of the DCI-P3 color space.

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It comes with NVIDIA G-SYNC built-in straight from the box. In addition to that, the 34GK950G with Adaptive Sync gives smooth motion without tearing or stuttering. With its high refresh rate of 120Hz, it means that objects are rendered more clearly for smoother and fluid gameplay.
Coming in at 34-inches, it offers crystal clear QHD (2560×1440), and of course with its wide aspect ratio, it gives users a better perspective on their games, making it easier to see details off to the side that might normally be missed.
Additionally, users can create their own unique ambience with Sphere Lighting that boasts six color settings to complement any game or movie.
Pokdepinion: This thing is a beauty. Too bad I don’t use a graphics card that support G-SYNC.  Other than that, the monitor looks really interesting to me. How do you feel on the monitor? Do you prefer a standard monitor or a wide-view one? Let us know in the comment section down below.
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Facebook has access to more data than you ever realized

Facebook already has access to most of your life. Facebook, Instagram and Whatsapp are all owned by the same Internet giant. With everyone posting their latest status updates or Insta stories to chronicle their life online, the amount of data available to Facebook is really astounding. But there’s more data that they can glean even without your knowledge.
In an investigation by Privacy International, they found a shocking number of apps that actually send data to Facebook, regardless if you are logged in to Facebook or not. Even more appalling is that the data is shared with Facebook even if you don’t have a Facebook account.

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The apps send data which informs Facebook when the app has been installed and also every time the app is opened. The data sent to the server includes the Google advertising ID, which grants the ability to do a pretty accurate image for profiling purposes.
Some apps even go further than that and sends detailed information to Facebook’s servers. The app KAYAK apparently sends people’s searches to Facebook, and that includes fine details such as departure city, departure airport, departure date, arrival city, arrival airport, arrival date, number of tickets (including number of children), class of tickets (economy, business or first class).
Privacy International goes on to reveal that opt-outs do not seem to have a major impact on the amount or type of data shared with Facebook. This final revelation is probably the most worrying — you only get a false sense of control over what data is shared with Facebook, when in fact you have none.
If you are inclined to read the full report, you can check it out here.
Pokdepinion: Even if Facebook is revealed to have access to everything you do on the Internet, I believe it would be hard for anyone to just quit Facebook anyway.
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Take shots like a professional with the HUAWEI P30 Series’ full-fledged PRO Mode

The HUAWEI P30 Series touts the amazing Master AI mode, but if you want to truly master photography, you will need to take the reins and call the shots, literally. The PRO Mode offered on every HUAWEI P30 smartphone is well-equipped for that, with a complete set of settings for you to play around with. Just check out the following images taken with the HUAWEI P30 Pro using the PRO Mode.
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Now that you are well motivated to take control of the HUAWEI P30 Pro’s camera, let’s go through the basics of photography to help you get out there and take great shots with manual settings.
Decide on the shutter speed

The shutter speed will determine what kind of “feel” you will bring to the shot. A slow shutter speed in a busy street will yield an entirely different shot from a quick shutter speed. Taking photos of your fidgety kids? Use a fast shutter speed. A slow shutter speed will more often than not give you a blurry shot. Then there’s the fact that a slower shutter speed can result in camera shake messing up the shot as well, so make sure you know how slow can you go before using a slow shutter speed in critical moments. This issue is generally well tackled by the OIS and AIS on the HUAWEI P30 Pro, but it is best to stay aware of this.
Play with the ISO

ISO relates to the sensitivity of the sensor to light. The ISO on the HUAWEI P30 Pro goes all the way up to 409600, but this isn’t one of the those things where “more = better”. In fact, it is best to keep ISO at a minimum to prevent noise creeping into your shots and destroying the quality of your shots. With that said, the ISO range on the HUAWEI P30 Pro allows you to take snaps with a quick shutter speed even in low light.
Go fast with EV

Sometimes the shot you need restricts you from being able to finetune the ISO and shutter speed manual. You can then opt for EV, which will allow you to take your photo with your preferred exposure value. It’s almost like auto, but you are in control of the look you want in adverse lighting conditions. Too bright? Tune down the EV to prevent overexposure. Or if you want a brighter shot in a dark environment than what the automatic settings decided upon, you can alsoe turn the EV up.
Choose your metering mode

If you are going full manual, metering doesn’t really matter because you can eyeball your exposure settings immediately from the live view on the screen. However if you want to make use of the EV mode, you might have to change the metering mode depending on your subject. Are you taking a scenic landscape? Switch to multi-zone evaluative metering. A portrait shot? Make use of spot metering to make sure that your subject is properly exposed regardless of the background.
Auto focus or manual focus?

This question really depends on your subject. The HUAWEI P30 Series really has no issue with focusing on most general subjects. You can switch between AF-S (single) or AF-C (continuous), with the former more suited for stationary subjects while the latter is great for subjects in motion. Manual focus is less useful in a smartphone setting, but it is there on the HUAWEI P30 Series if you ever find a need for it.
Get the right white balance

White balance is something which can make or break a shot. Under different lighting conditions, the white balance will differ. The HUAWEI P30 Series lets you choose the appropriate white balance preset if the automatic white balance doesn’t get it right. Just like autofocus, this probably is less of an issue with the HUAWEI P30 Series than on other smartphones, but if you need it, it is there.
TL;DR?

Infographic by Pretty Presets
If you decide that all of that is too much to digest, just remember this nifty exposure triangle by Pretty Presets. The aperture on most smartphones, including the HUAWEI P30 Series, is fixed so you can ignore that, but the information about the ISO and shutter speed still apply with the HUAWEI P30’s PRO Mode.

Ready to take great shots with your HUAWEI P30 Series? Try your skill in the HUAWEI NEXT Image Awards 2019 and win up to $20 000 and a HUAWEI P30 Pro by joining at: https://gallery.consumer.huawei.com/en/.

The HUAWEI P30 and HUAWEI P30 Pro retails from RM2699 and RM3799, respectively. HUAWEI is also offering a free Wireless Charging Case and a HUAWEI Wireless Charger with every purchase of the HUAWEI P30 on the official online store can be entitled a Wireless Charging Case and a HUAWEI Wireless Charger while the HUAWEI P30 Pro comes with a HUAWEI Talkband B5 worth RM599. In addition to that, any purchase of the HUAWEI P30 series will entitle you to a chance to win a pair of return flight tickets to Tokyo, Japan! Find out more about HUAWEI’s promotions here.
This is an exclusive article for HUAWEI Malaysia.

[UPDATE]: HUAWEI will still continue supporting all existing HUAWEI and HONOR smartphones!
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The AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT “upgrade” was really a surprise, even for AMD’s partners

When AMD bumped up the clocks on the Radeon RX 5600 XT just days before the launch, I personally suspected it was all a planned gimmick. It wasn’t, apparently. Partners like MSI were actually caught off-guard, and have explained why they have cards that have the newer clocks and some that don’t.
Of course, throwing on clocks that are higher than even the much pricier Radeon RX 5700 on presumably poorer binned silicon isn’t going to be easy, and surely trying to force VRAM rated to run reliably at 12 Gbps to run at 14 Gbps is just generally not a good idea. But apparently AMD thought it was, as that’s exactly what they did, telling their manufacturing partners to flash the faster vBIOS just so they have a better position against NVIDIA’s offering.

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Just to really hammer in how weird the situation is, MSI’s product stack features the Radeon RX 5600 XT Gaming, Gaming X, Mech and Mech OC. Out of these, the Radeon RX 5600 XT Gaming and Radeon RX 5600 XT Mech won’t get the new vBIOS, while the other three will enjoy the faster clocks of up to 1750 MHz on the GPU, but MSI will be maintaining the 12 Gbps memory clock on all the aforementioned cards. MSI will be bringing out a Radeon RX 5600 XT Gaming Z with 14 Gbps memory and fast clocks a bit later.

The reason for this peculiarity is because MSI believes that running the 12 Gbps GDDR6 at 14 Gbps might result in instability and a higher failure rate. And I do agree because that’s just how binning works. Memory chips that are validated to run at 12 Gbps aren’t guaranteed to run well at 14 Gbps. You may overclock it yourself, but of course, the standard at your own risk disclaimer applies. MSI validates every card off their assembly line, so they should know better on what can and cannot be done on their cards.
MSI will reportedly be looking into bringing 14 Gbps memory to the other cards via a BIOS update, but it will depend on whether they manage to get the cards running reliably at that speed. Meanwhile, the cards that aren’t getting the updated vBIOS are the more affordable ones that are just designed to run perfectly at the slower clocks and lower power target of the initial specifications and aren’t over-specced to allow for AMD’s shenanigans like the pricier cards.

So yeah, there will be some higher-end Radeon RX 5600 XT cards out there that will fully support the updated vBIOS, and there will be more affordable offerings which won’t, thus will end up about 12% slower than the faster Radeon RX 5600 XT cards. Yes, there’s barely any difference in naming here. We see that happen even in MSI’s own lineup, so you can only assume the situation when we factor in all the Radeon RX 5600 XT from all of AMD’s manufacturing partners.
If you are getting a Radeon RX 5600 XT, make sure to check the clocks before you hand over the cash. So far all the cards we have spotted in Malaysia feature the 1750 MHz boost clock and 14 Gbps. You can check them out here.
Pokdepinion: Well it seems that it wasn’t AMD playing NVIDIA… But the other way around.
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XOX Mobile and Mastercard Launches XOX Prepaid Mastercard Card

XOX Mobile has just announced their partnership with Mastercard recently to launch the XOX Prepaid Mastercard Card. The XOX Prepaid Mastercard Card is jointly developed by both XOX Mobile and Mastercard and will complement XOX’s own subscriber exclusive e-wallet platform, XOX E-Money. XOX E-Money enables users to make purchases and access exclusive promotions and packages from its growing list of merchants.

according to Ng Kok Heng, Group Chief Executive Officer of XOX Mobile, with the introduction of the card they aim to enhance value for their existing subscribers, by making their digital lifestyle more holistic and seamless while being attuned to their evolving demands, to become their e-wallet of choice. He also hopes that with their collaboration with Mastercard, they will bring forth great synergy and drive to innovate with products and services while contributing to the advancement of Malaysia’s growing digital ecosystem.

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XOX Mobile subscribers will be able to utilise the XOX Prepaid Mastercard Card when it rolls out some time between end of 2019 or early 2020 and will have a choice of either a virtual or physical Mastercard card. You can also manage your card through a dedicated XOX Mobile app where subscribers can also check their balance, top-up, transaction history as well as spending habits.
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iPhone 13 Users Have Experienced Faulty Pink Screens

No one likes it when they find an issue with their hard-earned smartphone (or anything for that matter of fact). Well it seems that several iPhone 13 users have reported that their screens have turned to pink and started to crash randomly.
iPhone 13 pink screen issue

The issue was voiced out in an Apple discussion forum, where a user has said that their iPhone 13 Pro screen turned to pink and started to crash.

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It appears that the user have managed to get a brand new replacement but some have been unfortunate. According to reports, Apple has said that the issue was simply a software bug.
Users have complained about it resulting in crashes when taking pictures, battery issues, and more. Apple has responded to the issue and advised for users to backup their data and install the latest update available.
For more on the latest tech and gaming news plus review, stay tuned to Pokde.net.
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Pokdepinion: You’ve got to hate it when issues like this happens. I’m wondering how the people who were affected reacted with the problem.
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Legoland now accepts Touch ‘N Go eWallet – Incredible discounts just to test it out!

Cashless is the future and Touch ‘N Go definitely has an upper hand considering its existence over the years. Today, it has officially partnered with Malaysia’s iconic theme park, LEGOLAND Malaysia Resort. What can you purchase with it, you ask?

Pretty much anything actually! The Touch ‘N Go eWallet can be used to purchase almost anything within the resort from admission tickets, F&B and even merchandises! If you read that line accurately, then let me add that in celebration of this partnership, LEGOLAND Malaysia is even having promotions which will be running until 31 December 2019, making it the best place to visit these coming holidays!
The holiday promotion comprises of the following:

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35% discount on up to 4 LEGOLAND Malaysia one-day ticket / combo ticket (adult/child/senior citizen) per transaction in a single receipt. Admission is only valid on the same day of ticket purchase.10% off F&B promotion – only valid at all LEGOLAND Malaysia F&B outlets except at Bricks Cafe & Bricks Restaurant in LEGOLAND Hotel. The discount excludes prevailing service charges such as SST.10% off on merchandise promotion – only valid at all LEGOLAND Malaysia Resort merchandise outlets except at LEGOLAND hotel’s retail outlets. Promotion is not applicable for discounted merchandise.
Pokdepinion: Beyond all those discounts, probably the best thing this partnership offers is the speed and convenience. I’m sure we have had our fair share of long queues during tickets purchasing that just kills hours of fun that is supposed to be used in the park. Touch ‘N Go solves this gracefully!
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This War of Mine Is Free To Play Right Now – For a limited time only

Experience the real terrors of war

To celebrate the release of their upcoming steampunk themed city-building game Frostpunk on PC this April 24th, Polish developers 11 bit Studios is making one of their beloved and critically acclaimed war simulator game, This War of Mine free for anyone to play on Steam. This is however, a limited time affair and you can play for free until this April 8th, which is this Sunday.

This War of Mine is also on sale until this April 10th if you feel like purchasing after you’ve played the game during the free to play period. With the discount the game will only be going for less than RM 12 as opposed to its original RM 40 price tag and trust me guys, this game is well worth the purchase.
This War of Mine was first released back in 2014 for PC and Mac with subsequent releases for Android and iOS in 2015 as well as for PS4 and Xbox One in 2016 with a slightly different title This War of Mine: the Little Ones. It is a survival themed strategy game that is mainly focused on the plight of civilians trying to survive the devastation of war and was inspired by the plight of Bosnian people during the Siege of Sarajevo from 1992 to 1995.

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Upon release, This War of Mine very well received by gamers and critics alike. So much so that the game reportedly made back its budget just two days after it was released.
Here’s a brief description of This War of Mine (via Steam):
In This War Of Mine you do not play as an elite soldier, rather a group of civilians trying to survive in a besieged city; struggling with lack of food, medicine and constant danger from snipers and hostile scavengers. The game provides an experience of war seen from an entirely new angle.
The pace of This War of Mine is imposed by the day and night cycle. During the day snipers outside stop you from leaving your refuge, so you need to focus on maintaining your hideout: crafting, trading and taking care of your survivors. At night, take one of your civilians on a mission to scavenge through a set of unique locations for items that will help you stay alive.
Make life-and-death decisions driven by your conscience. Try to protect everybody from your shelter or sacrifice some of them for longer-term survival. During war, there are no good or bad decisions; there is only survival. The sooner you realize that, the better.
You can try out This War of Mine through Steam or you can just click the link right here. If you like the game, don’t forget to purchase it while it’s 70% off.
Pokdepinion: I really like This War of Mine. It’s one of those games that really sticks with you well after you’ve played it with its heavy reliance on the choices you make. Characters’ life and death depends solely on your decisions at times and that can really mess you up (it did for me). So yeah, go play this game my dudes and dudettes. While it’s free.
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Cooler Master Reveals ControlPad — Designed For Gamers, Content Creators, And More

Cooler Master has just announced the debut of ControlPad, which is the world’s first PC keypad with analog Aimpad technology.
Cooler Master ControlPad

The new ControlPad comes with 24 mechanical keys that is available in Cherry MX Red or Gateron Red switch types. It is fully programmable through software and comes with a removable wrist rest, two precision scroll wheels, fully RGB backlit, and it is finished in a sleek brushed aluminum.

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With the ControlPad, it is equipped with Aimpad technology, which provides mechanical keyboards the precision control most commonly found in devices such as aviation joysticks, steering wheels, and gaming controllers, giving the ControlPad analog control in digital inputs.
So the ControlPad can be used for many things, and one of them is for gaming. With the Aimpad, it allows you to control speed, yaw, adjust pitch, creep, and roll. For racing games, it can be utilized to make smooth turns on the fly or ease into gentle curves by simply changing the distance of the keypress.
It can also be used for content creators. You can use the ControlPad for production and editing applications intuitively. With it, you can apply presets, switch tools, adjust brush opacity, thickness, or size during brush strokes with pressure sensitive inputs on the ControlPad.

Cooler Master has implemented macro presets and control schemes for several notable video games and popular apps for consumer and professional use. This includes actions, hotkeys, and shortcuts for the entire Adobe Suite. In addition to that, Cooler Master will offer special keycap sets to match the mentioned presets.
Currently, the Cooler Master ControlPad is on Kickstarter. If you would to lend a hand or simply just check it out, you can click on the link right here.
Pokdepinion: Woah, this really looks something handy to have around, especially if you’re a content creator. It would be awesome if it came out.
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Purchase The Samsung Galaxy Note20 Series And A32 LTE And Get Rebates Of Up To RM1,100

Samsung has just announced a new mid-year sales event special for those looking to purchase a new Samsung device. From now till 4 July, Samsung is offering special rebates of up to RM1,100 on the Samsung Galaxy Note20 Series and Samsung Galaxy A32 LTE.
Get rebates when you purchase the Samsung Galaxy Note20 Series and Samsung Galaxy A32 LTE

It might be difficult to adjust to remote work, but it may also be a chance to live a more productive life. It operates like a computer with the Galaxy Note20 5G series, allowing users to get more done with the seamless integration of industry-leading productivity tools. It also offers a smooth and intuitive note-taking experience with S Pen and advanced Samsung Notes, allowing users to optimise their time and maximise efficiency. You can check out our review of the Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G right here.

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We are fortunate to have a plethora of Internet channels to keep in touch with friends and family while practising social distance. With its excellent quad cameras, including a 64MP primary camera and 4K UHD video recording, the Samsung Galaxy A32 LTE is here to help you generate innovative and spectacular content for social media. Furthermore, while you’re on a video conversation with your loved ones, the front camera’s bokeh effect and smart beauty features will help you look your best.

Samsung Malaysia is now offering the Galaxy Note20 5G series and the Samsung Galaxy A32 LTE on a special deal. Consumers who buy these models between now and 4 July will be eligible for immediate rebates of up to RM1,100. Interested customers can walk in to any participating Samsung Experience Stores or visit Samsung Online Store. Check out the Samsung devices below.

Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G 256GB – Now RM4,099 from RM5,199 (Instant rebate of RM1,100)
Samsung Galaxy Note20 5G 256GB – Now RM3,199 from RM4,299 (Instant rebate of RM1,100)
Samsung Galaxy A32 LTE 128GB – Now RM999 from RM1,099 (Instant rebate of RM100)

For more information on this special promotion, you can check out the official Samsung website here.
Pokdepinion: That’s a pretty good price drop. If you’ve always wanted to get yourself a Note20 device then this might be the right time for you to do so.
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Support for Internet Explorer will finally end next year

If you for some reason still use Internet Explorer 11, it’s finally time to look for a more modern browser. You have a whole year to get used to it before you will finally have to stop using Internet Explorer. Microsoft will drop support for Internet Explorer from Microsoft’s suite of online services, with Microsoft Teams to be the first to drop support for IE 11, as early as 30th November 2020.
Meanwhile the remainder of Microsoft 365 apps and services will drop support in about a year’s time, on 17th August 2021. For those who are worried about having to access websites built for Internet Explorer, Microsoft is offering an Internet Explorer legacy mode in the new Microsoft Edge that’s based on Chromium. There probably aren’t that many websites that are still designed for Internet Explorer, so I guess this is a really niche use case scenario.

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Speaking of which, Microsoft will also be dropping support for the OG Microsoft Edge, to make way for the newer Chromium-based Microsoft Edge. On 9th March 2021, Microsoft will officially stop supporting the legacy version of Microsoft Edge with security updates. I mean, with all the features that the newer Chromium-based Microsoft Edge has over the original Microsoft Edge, it is probably time to move on as well.
Are you still using the old Microsoft Edge or Internet Explorer 11? Which browser will you be switching to? Maybe Opera?
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Pokdepinion: I have been on Chrome for some time… Can’t really see myself switching away for now. Just gotta get more RAM…
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[UNBOXING] ASUS VivoBook S15 S530 Laptop

We got one of the newest entries in the ASUS Vivobook S lineup of machines, the S15 S530 laptop. Check out the unboxing of this beauty right here.
Unboxing the ASUS Vivobook S15 S530 Laptop

Are you in the middle of hunting for a new laptop? Looking for something light and easy to carry around for work / productive use? Well, this might just be what you’re looking for.
The folks over at ASUS Malaysia sent us one of the newest entries in the ASUS Vivobook S series, the S15 S530 laptop. There are some notable differences with this one compared to its older brothers, most notably this eccentric colour scheme and the new ErgoLift hinge feature which gives it a bit of height for improved typing experience and cooling performance.

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We are currently in the midst of putting this laptop to the test and the full, in-depth review will be out soon. For now, check out the specifications of the  ASUS Vivobook S15 S530 laptop right below here:
ASUS Vivobook S15 S530 Specifications

CPU
Intel Core i5-8250U (4C / 8T @ up to 3.4 GHz), 6M Cache, 15W TDP, 14nm

RAM
4GB DDR4 2400 MHz

GPU
NVIDIA GeForce MX150 (2GB GDDR5 VRAM)

Storage
256GB SATA III SSD + 1TB 5400RPM HDD

Display
15.6″ LED Backlit FHD (1920 X 1080) Display with NanoEdge Display

Keyboard
Full-size Backlit Chiclet Keyboard (1.4mm travel distance)

Connectivity
Wireless:
Dual-band 802.11ac Wi-Fi with advanced Wi-Fi Master technology
Bluetooth 4.2
I/O:
1 x Type-C USB 3.1 Gen 1
1 x Type-A USB 3.1 Gen 1
2 x USB 2.0
1 x HDMI
1 x MicroSD Card Reader

Audio
2 x High Quality Stereo Speakers
ASUS SonicMaster Stereo Audio System with Surround Sound, SmartAMP
1 x Combo Audio Jack (Mic + Headphone)

Power
42Wh 3-cell Lithium-prismatic Battery, 65W Adapter

Dimensions
361.4 x 243.5 x 18 mm (W x D x H)

Weight
1.6kg

The full review for this laptop will be published very soon so for now, do enjoy the unboxing video which we included at the top of this post. Until then, be sure to stay tuned to Pokde.net :)
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Kingston FURY DDR5 Models Now Comes With White Versions

Same hardware, with new colors for white-themed builds.

Kingston today announces the addition of white versions of its popular FURY Beast and FURY Renegade DDR5 modules – just like their standard black-and-silver counterpart, it features the same overclocking capabilities and RGB options.

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The FURY Beast DDR5 (and its RGB variant) offers various speeds ranging from standard 4800MT/s in line with JEDEC specifications, to overclocked models up to 6000MT/s on tap. This means it is certified for both Intel XMP 3.0 and AMD EXPO for use in respective platforms. Three capacities will be offered, starting from 8GB, 16GB, 32GB, plus 2x 32GB and kits of 4, which will arrive next month.

Meanwhile, Kingston FURY Renegade DDR5 are designed for Intel XMP 3.0 platforms with tight CAS latencies and memory clockspeeds up to 7200MT/s. The black-silver heat spreader in the original model now turns into white-silver look, with the same RGB options offering 18 presets (when available). This model will be offered in 16GB and 32GB per module, with kits of 2 totaling in 64GB as well.
“We’re pleased to expand the look of our Kingston FURY DDR5 lineup with the addition of white heat spreaders,” said Kingston in their press release. “As creativity flows and gaming evolves, we want to empower our users to choose the modules that best fit their individual style.”
Pokdepinion: White versions looks slightly better than the black ones, not going to lie.
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MSI GL63 8SE Review — an affordable GeForce RTX gaming notebook?

Introduction

MSI has a wide spread of gaming laptops. All the way from their top-specced MSI GT series, down to the more affordable MSI GV series. Today we will be looking at the MSI GL63 8SE, one of their more affordable laptops, but do not be fooled. This is far from cheap. It still packs the latest GeForce RTX graphics too, so you aren’t losing out on anything here in terms of performance. Let’s see if MSI cut any corners they shouldn’t here on the MSI GL63 8SE.
Unboxing

We are off to a good start, with MSI bundling the same backpack they did with the MSI GS65 Stealth Thin. It’s a pretty fancy bag, one which still befuddles SuperDaddy until this day.

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The packaging is pretty standard, with the laptop suspended by sturdy foam blocks. The MSI GL63 8SE itself is actually wrapped in a nice fabric sleeve for that extra bit of protection.

In the box here, you get the laptop, the charger and some basic documentation. The usual stuff.
Appearance

The plastic lid is somewhat of a downer, but the red lines and chiseled aesthetics enhance the overall appeal of the laptop. The MSI Dragon Army logo is backlit and glows when the MSI GL63 8SE is powered on. The red accents don’t have any lighting though, unfortunately.

The laptop opens up to reveal even more red. The keyboard here is finished with a red trim, which might have looked good a few years back, but is somewhat outdated in 2019. The bezels are also somewhat thicker than I have come to expect from any decent laptop.

A closer look at the keyboard on the MSI GL63 8SE reveals the full-sized keys and a numpad as well. The arrow keys do not extend out of the bottom row of the keyboard, which means you get a shorter Shift key on the right. Depending on how often you use it, you might get a few misfires here.

The underside is just mostly occupied by aggressive vents. The small slits on the lower left and right corners are there to allow the sound from the speakers to emanate through. It does appear that MSI isn’t exactly focused on delivering a good audio experience here, but we will judge that for ourselves.

The back is where you will find two exhaust vents, with an empty area in the center. MSI crammed the battery between the vents here, so it isn’t like MSI just forgot to place ports here on the back. With some rearrangement of the innards, MSI could probably fit some additional I/O here though. There are also additional vents on both sides of the laptop, which hopefully translates to better cooling.

The front edge of the laptop sports aggressive sharp lines that look like they were inspired by spaceships. Overall, there is no mistaking the MSI GL63 8SE for anything other than a gaming laptop, especially with all the red MSI has sprinkled around the laptop here.
Specifications

CPU
Intel Core i7-8750H @ 2.2 GHz (up to 4.1 GHz Turbo Boost)

RAM
8GB (1 x 8GB SODIMM) 2667 MHz DDR4 (1 slot vacant)

GPU
Intel UHD 630
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 6GB GDDR6

Storage
256GB Kingston M.2 PCIe 3.0 x2 NVMe SSD
1TB Seagate Barracuda 7200rpm 2.5″ HDD

Software
Microsoft Windows 10 Home
MSI Dragon Center
MSI Battery Calibration
MSI App Player
Killer Control Center
NVIDIA GeForce Game Ready Driver 419.17 WHQL

Connectivity
Intel Wireless-AC 9560 WiFi 802.11ac Wave2 (Up to 1733 Mbps)
Bluetooth 5.0
Killer Gigabit LAN
2 x USB 3.0
1 x USB 3.1 Gen2 (Type-A)
1 x Type-C USB 3.1 Gen2
SD card reader

Display
15.6″ FHD (1920 x 1080) TN panel, wide-view
1 x HDMI 2.0 ([email protected])
1 x Mini-DisplayPort

Audio
2 x 3W speakers
1 x 3.5mm microphone in
1 x 3.5mm headphone out

Power
180W power adapter
51 WHr 6-cell Li-Ion battery

Dimensions
383 x 260 x 29.5 mm

Weight
2.3 kg

Performance

We find that the MSI GL63 8SE has somewhat poor storage performance. Upon closer inspection, it’s actually a PCIe 3.0 x2, so it has half the maximum bandwidth of pricier PCIe 3.0 x4 SSDs. It performs pretty similar to our Kingston A1000, and it does come with the same controller, so it’s probably an OEM variant of the A1000. The 7200rpm HDD on the other hand is really impressive for a HDD, hitting nearly 200MB/s sequential read and write speeds.

CPU performance during the Cinebench R15 run was good, especially for the single-core section. The multi-core score was a tad lower though. MSI is definitely a rather conservative boost profile, as we can see most of their laptops not do so well once multi-core is brought into the equation.

In 3DMark’s Port Royal DirectX Raytracing benchmark, we saw that the GeForce RTX 2060 in the MSI GL63 8SE runs a fair bit slower than the ROG Strix GeForce RTX 2060 we have previously tested. Not a fair comparison, but hey, just as something I thought would be interesting to see. We haven’t had the opportunity to test that many GeForce RTX-powered laptops with this benchmark yet, but moving forward we will be adding 3DMark to our benchmark suite.

3DMark Time Spy which tests the performance in DirectX 12 sees the MSI GL63 8SE outperform the older ROG Strix SCAR II GL504 we have in the office. Considering the GeForce RTX 2060 is supposed to be faster than a GeForce GTX 1070, it isn’t all that surprising.

In Superposition however, the GeForce RTX 2060 delivers a lower score than the GeForce 1070 in the older laptop.

The more important part should be the gaming performance though. You can see that the MSI GL63 8SE actually does pretty well too. The GeForce RTX 2060 is a pretty strong GPU even in its underclocked state, and we see some very playable frame rates especially at the 1080p resolution of the display. The 8GB RAM does limit BFV’s performance by quite a bit, as even with DLSS on, we aren’t getting any better frame rates with the RAM totally maxed out. If you really want to make the most out of the MSI GL63 8SE, you will have to upgrade the RAM.
MSI’s has quite clearly paid attention to keeping the toasty Intel Core i7 8750H and GeForce RTX 2060 cool in the MSI GL63 8SE. Under a constant load with Realbench, clocks drop to between 3.1 to 3.2 GHz after 36 seconds, despite temperatures still well below throttling point at just 80°C. The CPU does run a bit hotter in games, as it somehow decides to run higher clocks with the inconsistent CPU load. It does remain below 90°C in most games, but when I turned on DXR in Battlefield 5, the CPU did experience some throttling with a peak of 95°C. The GeForce GTX 2060 GPU on the other hand maintains a pretty cool 65°C even with all the bells and whistles turned on in Battlefield 5. In our tests, the GPU maintains a pretty consistent 1.4 GHz clock, which is pretty decent.

The fans get pretty loud once you tap the Cooler Boost button. It goes all the way to the maximum RPM and stays there. regardless of load. Without turning on Cooler Boost the laptop runs pretty quietly, but it isn’t silent under any circumstances. It’s interesting to see a physical button to fire up the maximum fan speed, but it is still software-controlled, with the fans only ramping up after Windows 10 is fully booted up.
Battery life is pretty decent, with NVIDIA Optimus working in full force here. 30 minutes of Netflix whittled away 13% of the battery, so you are set for a full-length movie or two with the MSI GL63 8SE.
User Experience
The 2.3kg weight doesn’t make it the lightest laptop around, but it is still pretty portable. The somewhat compact power adapter is also great if you want to use it when out and about.

The first thing you will be looking at when you turn on the laptop, is of course, the display. The bezels on the display are much thicker than we are accustomed to by now, and I have to remark that pairing a 60 Hz TN panel with a GeForce RTX 2060 does seem like a waste. Viewing angles along the horizontal axis are decent for a TN panel, but move up or down and severe color shifts will mar your experience.
If you intend to use this laptop for your daily Netflix and chill sessions, you might want to invest in some speakers. The speakers here on the MSI GL63 8SE are passable, but not MSI’s best. They are loud, they are clear, but do not offer enough punch on the low-end to make movies enjoyable.

The keyboard comes with just red backlighting. Three years back, MSI has already introduced RGB backlighting on their keyboards. And yet today we are looking at this. Not cool. RGB is necessary in a gaming laptop. On a serious note, the keyboard is pretty good. It has a decent amount of travel, but could probably do with just a tad more tactility, like what the MSI GS65 Stealth Thin offers.
The touchpad has separate clickers, which I know some people do prefer. The buttons are way too stiff for my liking too, with a very loud click when pressed. The touchpad tracking is also pretty good, but Windows Precision Touchpad drivers have really improved things across the board. But how often would you use the touchpad on a gaming laptop anyway?

There is a nice selection of ports on each side. On the right side we get two display outputs, and the USB-C port which unfortunately does not support the Thunderbolt 3 standard. I do like MSI’s steadfast support for separate 3.5mm jacks, as they do come in handy once in a while, especially if you are looking to plug in higher-end microphones.

Here we get two more USB 3.0 ports and a SD card reader. The charging port is also here. Unfortunately MSI does not seem to support the USB-PD standard, so this will be the only way you can provide juice to the laptop.
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The MSI Dragon Center isn’t exactly fresh looking, but it does what it needs to. It incorporates everything you would need to play around with, and comes complete with system monitoring. I wish MSI threw in some graphs to monitor temperatures better over time, but perhaps that’s a bit too much to ask.
Conclusion

The MSI GL63 8SE definitely didn’t cut too many corners as far as we can see. The plastic body is sturdy enough for most practical purposes. The hardware inside is as good as you will get from much pricier laptops. The cooling is great. MSI probably saved a bit by including less RAM, a TN panel instead of an IPS-level one, and also probably by using a red backlit keyboard instead of RGB.
For RM6299, it’s actually pretty decent for a GeForce RTX 2060-packing laptop. Cooling is good, build quality is sturdy enough despite an all-plastic design. All you need is probably more RAM, and you are set to enjoy some pretty good gaming with the MSI GL63 8SE. Oh and maybe an external display to better enjoy the high quality visuals it is capable of.

Our thanks to MSI Malaysia for provisioning the MSI GL63 8SE used in this review.
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With the new generation of console wars getting interesting, a renowned analyst is predicting that PlayStation will cease to exist in 10 years. Here’s what went down.
Analyst Predicts PlayStation Will Cease to Exist in 10 Years

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According to renowned industry analyst from Wedbush Securities, Michael Pachter, he is predicting that PlayStation will be “doomed” to the point of seeing the end of its existing in the next 10 years. This stems from a question which asks how they will be competing against the Xbox Game Pass during the RDX Podcast.
For those of you who aren’t aware, Michael Pachter has always been outspoken with his opinions, and this isn’t the first time he has made such bold claims. For instance, he spoke about how the Nintendo Switch doesn’t make sense and that the company should focus more on the Lite version. Of course, he was wrong since it became one of the best selling-selling game consoles of all time.
While Microsoft is doing well, especially with regards to the Xbox Game Pass, it’s highly unlikely to see the PlayStation brand die out within the next decade unless some major catastrophe hits. After all, Sony is still doing well with first party games, like the recently launched Horizon Forbidden West and Gran Turismo 7. Hopefully we will get to see more from them soon.
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Pokdepinion: Credit where credit is due, Microsoft is doing an excellent job with the Xbox brand now. However, to say that the PlayStation brand will die this early on is a gung ho prediction. It’s still too early to say, and I’m sure when push comes to shove, the Sony camp will be able to bring a massive fight before they even come close to going down. Fiercer competition will just benefit us consumers at the end of the day.
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T-FORCE CARDEA Z44Q PCIe 4.0 SSD arrives with QLC NAND for immense storage density

Fast SSDs are often pricey, and you often can’t afford to get more of it. But what if we told you that you can now have not only speedy storage, but also a lot of it, for a relatively affordable price? Say hello to the T-FORCE CARDEA Z44Q PCIe 4.0 SSD, which offers up to 4TB of PCIe 4.0 storage at rather affordable prices.
TEAMGROUP aren’t playing around with the lower capacities, and instead will only be offering 2TB and 4TB options for the T-FORCE CARDEA Z44Q PCIe 4.0 SSD. Priced at $350 (~RM1457) for the 2TB variant and $690 (~RM2872) for the 4TB version, they rank as some of the most affordable PCIe 4.0 drives out there with this much space.
Performance of these drives are quite significantly higher than your average SATA or PCIe 3.0 x4 SSD. The T-FORCE CARDEA Z44Q promises speeds of up to 5000MB/s read and 4000MB/s write, or about 15x faster than your standard SATA SSD. That should really cut down on loading times.

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One of the ways that TEAMGROUP managed to make the T-FORCE CARDEA Z44Q affordable is by using 3D QLC NAND. This allows for increased density, but at the cost of lowered endurance. The T-FORCE CARDEA Z44Q is only rated for 400TBW for the 2TB capacity, and 800TBW for the 4TB capacity.
The average endurance for a good 1TB 3D TLC-based drive is around 600TBW, so you get the idea. But it should suffice for most users, except for maybe serious video editors who might be incurring much higher write cycles on the drives if used as scratch disks.

While the endurance might raise some eyebrows, TEAMGROUP is still covering the drives with a 5-year warranty for your peace of mind. The drives also come with both a graphene heatspreader and a larger aluminum heatsink, allowing for better reliability and consistent performance in all usage scenarios.
Pokdepinion: I guess using the drives to store our growing library of games should be great.
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iPhone 14 Supposedly To Come With 2TB Storage

While the iPhone 13 series just launched recently, it seems that there’s been rumours going around about the upcoming iPhone 14 where it is said to come with a massive 2TB storage.
iPhone 14 to come with 2TB storage

While the company had recently upgraded the storage on this year’s iPhone, it seems that they are planning to upgrade it even further with up to 2TB of QLC storage according to the rumour.

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There’s no specific mentioned on which models will come with the storage capacity but logically, we would think that it will become an option for the Pro and Pro Max (if they come out) for the iPhone 14.
As we all know higher camera settings for both video and photography means higher storage space usage. This would explain on why they would opt to upgrade the hardware.
We would like to remind everyone that this is just a rumour. Until Apple confirms the news or says something about the matter, do take it with a pinch of salt. Stay tuned to Pokde.net for the latest tech and gaming news plus reviews.
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Pokdepinion: All that’s on my mind is whether the company would drastically increase the price tag for the bigger storage? That’s if the rumours are to be true however..
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Samsung Showcases 2021 MICRO LED And Neo QLED 8K/4K Features In New Technical Seminar

Samsung has announced that they will be hosting a Technical Seminar which will highlight the technology, features and innovation with this year’s new product lineups, covering Neo QLED 8K/4K, MICRO LED and Samsung’s award-winning Lifestyle portfolio.
Samsung’s Technical Seminar showcases MICRO LED and Neo QLED 8K/4K features

Samsung’s tech seminars have offered a unique forum for providing insightful information and an exclusive hands-on experience with new technologies to global tech media for the past ten years, prior to their global release and distribution. The global virtual seminar this year will be the second of its kind, with participants coming from eight different countries from 31 March to 18 May. Participants will have the opportunity to learn more about technological breakthroughs in-depth, followed by a Q&A session with Samsung executives and engineers.

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Samsung’s product portfolio for 2021 is packed with cutting-edge hardware and software that promises a never-before-seen viewing experience. Outstanding picture quality, smart features, and gaming experiences, as well as lifestyle-integrated features and services, have all been made possible by technology.

Attendees will have the opportunity to learn more about the following items and areas during the seminar:

Neo QLED 8K, 4K and Picture Quality: Neo QLEDs combine Samsung’s Quantum Matrix Technology and the state-of-the-art Neo Quantum Processor to deliver true-to-life picture quality that is crisp and transparent like never before, with the most intricate of details in both dark and bright scenes.
MICRO LED: Samsung MICRO LED produces astonishing colour vibrancy and brightness with self-emissive LED display technology and an all-new Micro AI processor that delivers stunning HDR material, unlike any other display currently available on the market.
In-Home Activity: Samsung TV Plus and Samsung Health are among the smart features and applications included in the 2021 TV range, which are regularly updated to improve the product’s usability and keep up with the evolving needs of modern consumers.
Gaming Experiences: Samsung’s 2021 Neo QLED TVs provide the ultimate gaming experience on both PC and consoles, satisfying even the most ardent gamers.
Enhanced performance, motion graphic features, reduced input lag, and ultimately more complete and immersive sound are all provided by the latest AI-driven features, such as Super Ultra Wide Game View and Auto Game Mode.
Lifestyle TV: The Frame, The Serif, and The Sero, all part of Samsung’s award-winning lifestyle TV portfolio, have new product rollouts and lineup extensions. With over one million units sold since its launch in 2017, The Frame has redefined the idea of television, transforming displays into breathtaking works of art.
Monitor: The standard 9-5 no longer exists after a year of working and studying remotely. Samsung’s latest M7 and M5 screens are the world’s first “do-it-all” screens, powered by Tizen OS and allowing users to work, learn, and watch content from anywhere, at any time.

For more information on Samsung’s 2021 TV product lineup, check out the official website here.
Pokdepinion: I’m actually pretty impressed by Samsung’s MICRO LED and Neo QLED televisions. On paper, they look to pack some serious and stunning image performances.
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PlayStation Fans Are The Most Brand Loyal Out Of All Platforms According To Study

A recent study was done by BestSEOCompanies, where they’ve studied and determined that Sony fans are more loyal compared to other gaming platform gamers.
Sony had PlayStation to do their bidding in the console war, where it’s joined by Microsoft’s Xbox and Nintendo with a number of consoles of their own. Thus a study was conducted to find out exactly on who had the most loyal users.
A total of 1,000 people was quizzed on what brands they were loyal to, and the top picks include Android, PlayStation, and McDonald’s.

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Interestingly 40.7% of the participants chose PlayStation, which was followed by Xbox’s 31%. Nintendo came in third with 30.4%. As for gaming PCs and laptops, well they accumulated only 14.7% and 8.6% of the votes respectively.
One of three person in the survey said that they are interested in getting Sony’s upcoming PS5 console, a better result than Xbox’s 1 in 4 for the Xbox Series X.
You can check out the study by heading to the link here.
Pokdepinion: From my own experience, I’m not surprised that PlayStation tops Xbox, I mean PS has been a part of my life ever since I was a little kid. Xbox however, well let’s just say that the support wasn’t really there in Malaysia.
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HONOR Earbuds 2 Lite Now Available For Preorders

HONOR Malaysia has recently announced of the arrival of the new HONOR Earbuds 2 Lite to the country where it will be available for a special pre-order price.
HONOR Earbuds 2 Lite now available in Malaysia

The earbuds offers up to 32 hours of battery life, according to the company at least. To add to that, a single charge can give you roughly 10 hours of non-stop playback.

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It features Active Noise Cancellation technology (ANC) so you can reduce surrounding noises up to 22decibels (dB), allowing for better music experience and workflows that requires audio listening. HONOR has said that a quick 10-minute charge will give you enough battery for a 4-hour music marathon.
You can get the it with pre-orders on their official stores on Lazada, Shopee, as well as HONOR Authorized Stores in the country from today at the special early bird price of RM269 (SRP RM299). Should you order early, you can also enjoy a 3-month VIP pass from JOOX subscription with a voucher worth RM56.70.
For more on the latest tech and gaming news plus reviews, stay tuned to Pokde.net.
Pokdepinion: Can’t say much for the audio quality, but that battery life sounds quite impressive. Let’s see if we can get a review for it and test out its capabilities.
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Maxis prepares itself for 5G with A.I. Network

Maxis‘ latest development on its path to 5G readiness is its new A.I. Network. But this A.I. Network is not Maxis hopping onto the artificial intelligence (AI) bangwagon, but it is Maxis’ advanced and intelligent network (A.I. Network), which Maxis has dubbed the A.I. Network.
The A.I. Network is built with Maxis’ in-house capabilities, and is based upon the 5G-ready infrastructure with the widest fiber-optic footprint to mobile base stations across the country. The Maxis A.I. Network is designed to help deliver a better experience to users with the following capabilities:

Smart network traffic management
Support for NB-IoT
Faster first call resolution
Business continuity
Addresses mission-critical business requirements
Preventive maintenance with Project SkyEye

The Maxis A.I. Network ensures that users will enjoy lag-free Internet experience and Always On connectivity to ensure all Maxis users stays connected, regardless if you are using 5G or fiber network.

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Pokdepinion: If it results in a better network, why not?
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Intel Slashed Its Driver Package Size By More Than Half, Down to 604MB

The latest driver package has shrunk down to barely more than what AMD provides for their Radeon GPUs, while undercutting NVIDIA’s drivers by a big margin.

Intel’s latest Arc GPU drivers (version 4255) is measured at just 604MB in total package size, which makes it the second smallest in size, just slightly above the latest AMD Software 23.3.2 driver tipping the scales at 598MB (7900 XTX), while significantly below NVIDIA GeForce Driver 531.41 (varies in size, with desktop driver at 859MB in size; 894MB for laptops).

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To achieve this amount of data diet, Intel has utilized “smarter compression algorithms”, and Tom’s Hardware has spotted some file changes that combines the files and functionality in some ways. The original Intel Arc driver released in October 2022 was a staggering 1.36GB in size (version 3490), and the new drivers has slowly been cutting down extra fat. The drivers released in March has seen the most aggressive downsizing, from 1074MB on 15 March (version 4146), to 888MB in a day later (version 4148), than 604MB in one week after that.
With how fast Intel are releasing drivers at this time to catch up to rival GPU vendors, it’s useful for Arc owners to cut down the download time to keep their GPUs up-to-date. Those with internet quotas in their PCs, rejoice.
Source: Tom’s Hardware | Videocardz | Intel
Pokdepinion: That’s lots of bloat from launch they managed to cut down.
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This Adventure Platformer Game Is Free For A Limited Time

Simply don’t know what games left to play on PC? Well you’re in luck as Nubarron: The Adventure of an Unlucky Gnome is completely free for you to grab right now for a limited time.
Nubarron: The Adventure of an Unlucky Gnome

The game is developed by Nastycloud and published by Hidden People Club. If you’re wondering, Nubarron is indie adventure platformer where you play as Gnome. Here’s the game’s description, courtesy of Steam:
Guide Gnome across the dangers of this twisted fairytale world. Can you make the annoying cloud go away? And recover his stolen Lucky Hat? Trust your friends? Find out in this casual platformer set in a beautiful painted world full of weird creatures you’ll have to deal with.

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It seems that the game has “Mostly Positive” in recent reviews and a “Very Positive” score overall. The game was released just last year and if you’re interested in getting it absolutely for free, you may do so at the link right here.
You might want to act fast however as the game will be available to claim until the 10th of May 2021 at 1am. Once you’ve claimed it, it is yours to keep forever on your Steam library.
For more on the latest tech and gaming news plus reviews, stay tuned to Pokde.net.
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Pokdepinion: Naturally I rarely play these types of games.. but I would say that it looks cute though. I wonder if it’s more difficult than it looks like. Regardless, better add the game to my library first and ask questions later.
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MSI officially announced THREE weapons for the hardcore gamer; Codename Titan, Raider and Stealth Pro

MSI has unveiled their latest offering which will be three weapons of choice for hardcore gamers. Announcing them, the GT75VR and GE63VR/73VR Raider will be showing off some serious tech-leading upgrades; and while the GS63VR/73VR were already industry’s finest, they have also been given an upgrade that will leave the GS uncontested. This marks the beginning of MSI’s Next Gaming Dimension! We, at Pokde.net were honoured to be given a chance to witness these fine lineups from the Red Dragon Army. Let’s go through them one by one.
GT75VR Titan, New Rapid Mechanical RGB Gaming Keyboard

Top of the line, the monstrous among the monsters, is the helm claiming MSI GT75VR Titan. The exterior portrays its aggressive muscle tone and futuristic vibe, topped with the signature red-trimmed ventilations in the rear. It isn’t until you open the top to unveil the first of its kind, this is truly a revolutionary keyboard that took countless research and development and resources to develop and implement into a smaller gaming laptop compared to the GT83VR. And to add icing on top of the cake, the arrow-shaped palm rest is slightly elevated for a newfound comfort.

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Per-Key RGB Mechanical Keyboard Brings a New World to Gaming Experience
MSI’s latest unique design of Rapid Mechanical Keyboard is sort of evolution of the GT keyboards, surreal tactile feedback, and radiant RGB backlit under every key that creates infinite illumination possibilities.
Better looks apart, the typing and force feedback are the signature traits of a “Mechanical Keyboard”; MSI implemented a special design in cooperation with Steelseries, creating a Rapid trigger switch with stronger feedback, higher durability, and solid platform for this new design of MSI top level notebooks.

Greater Gaming Power and Better Upgraded Features
The GT75VR Titan comes with 3 GPU options: GeForce GTX1080, GTX1070 SLI, or GTX1070 coupled with powerful Core i7 7820HK CPU with over 4GHz overclock capability. The cooling module is still regarded as industry’s finest with the Cooler Boost Titan; and along with other gaming features such as the True Color Technology 2.0, NAHIMIC VR, MSI unique 120Hz Display of HDR color for gamers and HDR video editing experience, The Dragon Center, and much more have been carried over and improved in the GT75VR. MSI has raised the bar yet again on this one, and it is ready to take the world by storm.
Explore the Enthusiasts Gaming Experience with GE63VR/73VR Raider
The GE series has been an all-time favourite of gaming enthusiasts since its inception. This year, the brand new Raider series (GE63VR/73VR) have been given brand new designs and weaponry inspired by exotic sports cars with more angular appeals, looking like a true game changer to enthusiastic gaming.

New Cooling, 3ms 120Hz Screen, Keyboard, Giant Speakers, and they just keep coming
The GE63VR/73VR Raider will be available in both 15’’ and 17’’ display design respectively, with Nvidia GEFORCE GTX1070 and boost OC ability. The muscle lines and the protruding curves in the middle gives it a much sportier vibe as the red-emitting lines on each side provides subtle novelty.
The latest Per-Key RGB Gaming Keyboard by SteelSeries is a brand new feature allowing users to customise RGB on every key. Cooler Boost 5 is also added to the family of Cooler Boost Technology, industry’s finest and most advanced thermal module within this segment. Faster 3ms 120Hz panel with 94% NTSC Color Gamut for much smoother and sharper HDR ready visuals completes the package.
World’s Wildest Sound Quality Ever on the Thin & Powerful GE gaming Laptops
For the first time ever, MSI is implementing Giant Speakers enhanced by Dynaudio inside a gaming laptop. It’s a full-sized chamber that is 5x bigger than any regular design. The speakers are also 2~3x bigger than similar notebooks. Over 50% enhancements on audio quality, sound detail and volume, this is truly a breakthrough for gaming laptop speakers. It produces over 105dBA in a smaller chassis and slimmer body than previous GE platform, but still provides the new GE series with an unprecedented audio immersion unlike any we’ve experienced.

MSI GE63/73VR Raider is pushing the limits with countless new features, and a complete new look compared to its predecessor ranging from its brand new Sci-Fi style ID, speakers, panel, cooling, and keyboard. Experience the thrills of advanced gaming on the whole new GE63/73VR Raider. While all these features seem pretty impossible to be chugged into such a small form factor, MSI R&D team has proved us that innovation is not defined by limits.
MSI GS63VR/73VR Stealth Pro, World’s slimmest gaming NB with GTX 1070 graphics and 3ms 120Hz display

The MSI GS63VR Stealth Pro is the lightest 15“ gaming laptop weighing at merely 1.9kg. It retains the finest cooling, Cooler Boost Trinity and GeForce® GTX 1070 graphics, with world’s fastest 120Hz/3ms display and vivid HDR colour range for best gaming experience. It also features extreme computing performance and outstanding gaming features packed into a 17.7mm ultra slim chassis, that is even slimmer than some Ultrabooks, but capable of running pretty much any latest game titles.
The Cooler Boost Trinity on GS63VR Stealth Pro consists of 5 heat-pipes and enhanced Whirlwind Blade fans for effective and silent heat dissipation. With SteelSeries keyboards and SteelSeries Engine 3, gamers could play games with their preset macro keys to win their games faster. ESS SABRE HiFi brings 24bit/192kHz Hi-Res Audio that makes gamers have greater sound experience.
The GS73VR Stealth Pro harnesses high density Aluminum alloy to form the main body. The delicate brushed metal mixed with elegant full-arc shape evolves new gaming style. With the new GeForce GTX 1070 graphics, 120Hz/5ms vivid HDR colourful display and Cooler Boost Trinity cooling solution, the GS73 delivers stellar performance in the heat of battle. Moreover, it is equipped with powerful gaming features, including SteelSeries gaming keyboard, SteelSeries Engine 3 software, True Color Technology, ESS SABRE HiFi Audio, Nahimic 2 Audio Enhancer and more, all in an ultra slim chassis.
Here are some images from the launch:
Derek Chen, Marketing Head of MSI Global Notebook introduce the new gaming laptops
MSI gave away the new Flash Wolves limited edition to the 2017 IEM champion team
MSI models showcasing the GE63VR and GE73VR Raider
MSI models showcasing the recently launched MSI gears
Ride the Enthusiast Gaming Experience Easier with GE63VR and GE73VR Raider
Pokdepinion: There you go, folks! The three new weaponry that MSI has added to its arsenal. There are some pretty slick improvements that MSI has brought into these laptops. The keyboard on the GT75VR for example has a hybrid mix of mechanical and membrane with removable key-lids (caps would be an understatement for these). The Giant speakers are really loud too, although they use very minimal space in the chassis. All in all, we are pretty excited to see these improvements that MSI has brought to their laptops.
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Nokia Smartphones Out Now In Malaysia – The Sleeping Giant Awakes

Back in May, HMD revealed that they are planning on launching Nokia smartphone back into the market. Now, they have announce that their Nokia smartphones are officially available for sale in Malaysia. This line up consists of Nokia 3, Nokia 5 and the rebirth of the legendary Nokia 3310. Nokia 6 has yet to be revealed on when it is due to come out though.
Nokia 3

The Nokia 3 features a precision machined aluminium frame made by a single piece of aluminium, offering structural integrity and protection where it matters.

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The smartphone has a fully laminated 5-inch HD 2.5D IPS display with Corning Gorilla Glass, and is powered by the Mediatek MTK 6737 chipset (quad-core 1.3Ghz). It has 2GBs of RAM and 16GB of internal storage, which can be expanded up to 128GBs via MicroSD.
It will be selling at a retail price of RM 599 (inclusive of GST)
Available colours: Matte Black, Silver, Tempered Blue,Copper
Nokia 5

The Nokia 5 will have a slightly bigger display than the Nokia 5 where it has a 5.2 inch IPS HD display with sculpted Corning Gorilla Glass. It is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 430, which should deliver good battery performance.
Additionally, it features a 13MP rear camera with dual tone flash and a 8MP front camera. The smartphone will run on Android 7.1.1 Nougat.
The phone is retailed at RM 799.
Available colours: Matte Black, Silver, Tempered Blue
And Finally The Legendary Nokia 3310

The legend has come back back from the dead. This time, the Nokia 3310 will have a coloured screen and features a 2MP camera. The new version boasts an incredible 22-hour talk time and month long stand-by.
Other new features also include a headphone jack, the ability to expand its storage to 32GB via MicroSd. Pre-loaded with it is the game that we’ve all played at one point in our lives, Snake!
The phone retails at RM 239 (inclusive of GST)
Available colours: Warm Red, Warm Yellow, Dark Blue, Grey
Pokdepinion: I would really like to see how their line up of smartphones perform in the market. Wouldn’t mind buying the new 3310 for memory’s sake.
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Fortnite Season 2 Chapter 4 Battle Pass Skins Leaked

For those of you who are excited for Fortnite Chapter 4 Season 2, the battle pass skins have been leaked and we have it right here.
Fortnite Chapter 4 Season 2 Leaked Skins

FIRST LOOK AT THE ENTIRE SEASON 2 BATTLE PASS 👀🔥
This list is 100% confirmed as the person who contacted both @HYPEX & me was able to send us very good evidence of all the leaks! pic.twitter.com/8EAHniT6o8
— Shiina (@ShiinaBR) March 3, 2023

Fortnite leakers Shiina and Hypex have recently shared a first look at the eight skins that will be available for players to unlock in the upcoming Chapter 4 Season 2 battle pass. According to Shiina, they were able to verify the source of the leaks and obtain good evidence of their credibility.

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Previously, Hypex and Shiina revealed that Eren Yeager from the popular anime Attack on Titan would be one of the eight skins. The rest of the skins have now been revealed to be original Fortnite characters, with one already known to be a remixed skin for the character Drift, but with an unmasked style.
Reliable leaker iFireMonkey suggests that some of these skins will be named or codenamed Mizuki, Thunder, and Stray. However, these names are to be taken with a grain of salt as they differ from another list of codenames previously shared by iFireMonkey.
According to iFireMonkey’s recent tweets, Fortnite Chapter 4 Season 2 will feature lightsabers and force powers such as Force Lift, Jump, Push, Pull, Lighting, Rip, Script, and Vacuum. Additionally, two new weapons will be added: a smart pistol with an enemy tracking function and a Rope and Chains grenade launcher.

Players will also be able to use the iconic 3D maneuvering gear from the anime series, Attack on Titan. This gear will allow players to move around with flexibility and grab onto buildings. It appears that the gear will use consumable fuel and ammunition, as seen in season 3 of the anime where characters started loading their gears with Thunder Spears for combat instead of just using them for traversal.
iFireMonkey also confirms that the next season will have a “Futuristic-Japanese” theme (Neo-Tokyo). The vehicles will have five new neon-city colors based on the upcoming color scheme, such as Aqua, Deep Blue, Pink Blast, Red, and Sea Foam.
Finally, iFireMonkey expands on their December leak about players getting a healer NPC in the upcoming season that will follow players and heal them. Other support NPCs with Heavy, Scout, and Supply roles will also be added. A new voice-acted narrative quest line is also mentioned, where part 1 of this quest should involve interacting with the Data Receiver, Kiosk, and Tampered Computer.
Although a release date for Chapter 4 Season 2 has not yet been confirmed, players are speculating that the season will start on 9th March 2023, as Fortnite previously confirmed that the current season will end on 8th March 2023. Epic Games has yet to officially confirm the release date or any of the other leaked information mentioned in this article.
Source
Pokdepinion: If all of these leaks are indeed true, then I’m very excited to play the game again. I have yet to touch this since I got busy in Overwatch 2, along with a little bit of Apex. If they could improve the gunplay in a future update, that would be great.
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PlayStation Stars Allegedly Has Hidden Diamond Tier

Some alleged new secrets on the PlayStation Stars membership program has apparently come to light, with there being a hidden Diamond tier that is said to be invite-only.
The Invite-only PlayStation Stars Diamond Tier
Some new information has surfaced thanks to data miners, which apparently reveals that there is a hidden 5th tier for PlayStation Stars. This hidden tier is also referred to as the Diamond tier, and it’s said to be invite-only.
The data miners quoted an interesting tidbit of information on it which reads “In an endless sea of stars, it seems like there’s nowhere to hide. But you wouldn’t be here if you let challenges like that stop you. Welcome to Level 5.” Each tier would have their own respective graphics reward and perks but none were found in this one.

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Sony has yet to comment on the existing of the Diamond tier in PlayStation Stars, nor the potential rewards the comes with it. There is always a chance that it’s still being worked on and will be launched at a later time. After all, what we have now is simply the groundwork which will be further expanded on in the next few years.
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Pokdepinion: If true, I wonder of this tier exists for very specific people, such as specific content creators, celebrities, media figures, and more.
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