Nvidia Announces the Tegra Note, a tablet platform based on Tegra 4

On September 19, 2013 By AnjelIn Android, Android, Games, Games, News, Online, Tech, TechLeave a comment

So Nvidia has announced what appears to be a reference tablet platform design. The Idea here being that they come up with the design for the hardware, software, OTA Updates, and their partners (eVGA, PNY, etc) build and distribute them. It is not unlike how they design GPU’s, by building reference designs and then having their hardware partners build them and bring them to market. So what is it about the Tegra Note that you should be excited about? Well here are the specs for the platform:

Processor	Tegra 4 mobile processor with quad-core Cortex-A15 CPU and 72-core GeForce GPU
Display	7-inch HD IPS LCD display (1280 x 800)
Camera	Rear 5MP and front VGA webcam
Storage	16GB storage with microSD expandable up to an additional 32GB
Audio	Front-facing “HD Audio” stereo speakers with a unique bass-reflex port
Stylus	Chisel and Brush tips for natural writing and broad strokes
Peripherals	Micro HDMI connector to drive big screen TV videos and gaming
OS	100% Android with latest version of the OS
Software Updates	Over-the-air software updates directly from NVIDIA
Battery Life	10 hours HD video playback

Also users get OTA (Over the Air) Updates provided directly by Nvidia, thus making sure everyone on the platform has the latest and greatest software running on their tablets.

Also of note, Nvidia has given us a list of unique features that they are bringing to the Tegra Note platform, they are as follows.

Ultra-fast performance — Powered by Tegra 4 with a 72-core GeForce GPU and quad-core Cortex-A15 CPU with a fifth battery-saver core, making Tegra Note the world’s fastest 7-inch tablet.
Superb stylus — NVIDIA DirectStylus technology transforms a normal stylus into an incredibly responsive experience with finer point and broader stroke control. It also comes bundled with apps for convenient, stroke-based note taking.
Exceptional sound — NVIDIA PureAudio technology offers rich, deep audio — including the widest frequency range in a tablet — through front-facing stereo speakers with a bass-reflex port.
Groundbreaking camera — The camera uses Tegra 4’s processing power and Chimera computational photography architecture to deliver stunning new features. Tegra Note also brings SmugMug’s Camera Awesome app — one of the top camera apps on iOS — to Android. Camera Awesome delivers exclusive Tegra 4 features like tap-to-track and 100 fps video with slow-motion playback.
TegraZone gaming — Delivering unmatched gaming, NVIDIA TegraZone provides easy access to Tegra-optimized games with visual effects that aren’t available on other tablets. Tegra Note also supports a variety of game controllers for console-class gaming.
Great battery life — 10-plus hours of HD video playback.
Accessories galore — An intelligent slide cover flips and bends to support and cover the tablet. It also lets the tablet be set up in three distinct positions using built-in magnets for added flexibility. The DirectStylus Pro Pack enables a variety of writing styles with interchangeable tips. And Bluetooth capabilities turn the tablet into a game controller.

Over the next few months we will be seeing Tegra Note tablets rolling out around the world, eVGA and PNY in North America; EVGA, Oysters and ZOTAC in Europe; Colorful, Shenzhen Homecare Technology and ZOTAC in Asia-Pacific; and XOLO in India.

And it starts at a suggested retail price of $199. This is in hopes of getting more people to buy into the platform, all of which is running 100% on Android.

We will be filling you in on more details when they are available to us.

By Dayne “Anjel” Cody
@DayneCody

Roccat Kone XTD Gaming Mouse Review

On September 12, 2013 By AnjelIn Games, News, PC, PC, PC, Reviews, Tech, Tech2 Comments

Roccat approached us several months back and asked if we would be interested in doing a review of their new Kone XTD Gaming Mouse. Naturally, we said yes, as taking a look at new hardware and sharing our thoughts with you guys is kind of what we do around here. So they sent us one to take a look at. Now before we get into the review, I just want to let everyone know that I have spent not just a week or two with this mouse, but I have been using it as my main mouse for several months now, (since early June) as I like to get a real feel for something before making a judgment call on it. So, that being said, lets get into the review.

Roccat is a relative newcomer to the gaming peripheral scene here in North America (here since 2012). But in Europe, they are quite a heavy hitter and have been around for several years. Roccat products are designed in Germany, and have made quite a name for themselves with the Kone and Kone [+] Gaming Mice. Now we get to take a look at their latest and greatest, the Kone XTD.

Specifications:

– Pro-Aim Laser Sensor R3 with up to 8200dpi
– 1000Hz polling rate
– 1ms response time
– 12000fps, 10.8megapixel
– 30G acceleration
– 3.8m/s (150ips)
– 16-bit data channel
– 1-5mm Lift off distance
– Tracking & Distance Control Unit
– 72MHz Turbo Core V2 32-bit Arm based MCU
– 576kB onboard memory
– Zero angle snapping/prediction
– 1.8m braided USB cable

Packaging:

Roccat’s package design is really nice, it gives pertinent information on the product, as well as it opens up so that you can really get a good idea of how big the mouse actually is, all while being very aesthetically pleasing.

Inside the box you will find the Kone XTD, installation guide, and a small case containing 4x5g weights.

Mouse Overview:

The Kone XTD is a right handed, wired mouse (Sorry Southpaws ) that has 10 buttons, two of which are the mouse wheel moving right to left as well as the regular scrolling. The mouse is covered in a soft touch rubber membrane and overall feels really good in the hand. The mouse also makes use of Roccat’s Easy+Shift[+] technology, allowing for a total of 23 different buttons to be assigned and used during gameplay. The bottons all feel really nice, and have a good “click” to them, my only complaint in regards to the buttons would be, I am not the biggest fan of the way the mouse wheel button feels when being pressed down, personal preference I know, but at least for me, it just feels ever so slightly “off”, I have gotten more used to it over time, but even now, it still kinda bugs me.

The Mouse has a braided USB cable as well as a gold plated USB connector. Overall I feel that the length of the cable is pretty good, no complaints from me in that department.

On the Bottom of the mouse is where we can access the weights as well as see the very impressive 8200 DPI sensor. You can also see the big, low resistance mouse feet on the bottom, these work very well on my old Razer eXactmat mouse-pad. Now about the hatch that houses the weights. I opened it and installed the weights, then I closed it, and I have not for the life of me been able to get it back open. I am not sure if i got a one off in this or what, but all I know is that I still have all the weights in there and I have given up trying to get the hatch open. I would be vary curious to know if this is an issue that other people have had happen as well or just mine.

The Mouse also has a huge variety of LED colours and you can change how they appear. You can change the colours themselves, change how they act; they can breathe, pulse, change colour when clicked as well as set different colours to each side of the mouse, or even different colours from front to back. All in all this is one of the most customizable mice I have ever used. About the only thing missing from this mouse is being able to change the shape.

Drivers:

The Roccat Kone XTD is plug and play and will work fine out of the box, but if you want all the functionality that this mouse offers, you must go to Roccat’s website and download the drivers. No drivers are provided in the box, just an instruction guide on where to go and how to install them, which is fine for me, as that way you will be getting the newest and greatest drivers they have to offer. The only issue here that I could see is if you were not connected to the Internet and could not download the drivers, but who is going to be gaming without any Internet on a PC?

The drivers are well thought out, and designed to be simple and easy to use. They allow you to change the colours on the mouse, as well as the sensitivity, change buttons, set up hotkeys, and multiple profiles. You can pretty much change whatever you would need to change on a mouse.

Overall I must say, I think they did a great job on the drivers for this mouse, they are stable, never gave me any issues, all in all a very solid driver package. Also, when you save your settings, it saves onto the mouse memory as well, so you will always have your personal settings with you, no matter where you may LAN party off to.

Usage:

So as I said earlier in my review, I have been using this mouse for the last several months. It has a wonderful hand feel, the sensor feels smooth and tracks great on my mousepad, the shape is somewhat reminiscent of the old MX Series from Logitech. The soft touch finish is very nice, and I find my hands don’t sweat to bad with this mouse either.

On the desktop, it is a great mouse, very nice to use, and works well for surfing the web and work type stuff (Work processing, video editing etc)

The Easyshift+ Technology, which allows you to assign many more functions to your mouse keys by pressing down and holding the Easyshift+ button and then pressing the corresponding button is an interesting piece of tech. It essentially means that every button on your mouse can be used for 2 functions, the regular function, and the the second function while you are holding down the Easyshift+ button. Now for some people, and for some games, I can see this being a really great feature, but for me personally, I just never really found that I used it. I tried to get used to it, and use it in games, but in the heat of a Battlefield 3 match, I just never really used it. Getting used to having it when surfing the Internet also took some getting used to, as I had to press the Easyshift+ button and then the left mouse button to go back in my browser instead of just pressing the shoulder button. I have left the Easyshift+ on these past several months while testing, but even now it still feels strange to me. But, that being said, I can understand that for some people, this would be an amazing feature, as having that many buttons without actually physically having that many buttons could be a huge draw. For me personally, not so much.

Playing games with the Roccat XTD is great, the mouse feels nice, the button placement is really well thought out, although the one button right in front of the mouse wheel is a little hard to press/useless in games. But Overall in my gameplay sessions these past few months, it has been a solid mouse to use, never giving me any grief, no matter the game I play. Being able to switch DPI on the fly is wonderful, although I do wish there was an on screen indication of what my current DPI is. In the drivers there is an option to have a voice tell you what DPI it is at when you change it, but in game, I found this much too distracting and turned it off.

Like any new mouse, the Roccat Kone XTD did take some getting used to when I started using it, but that is to be expected, but it didn’t take long before I felt right at home with it in my hand. Buttons feel really great (except for the aforementioned middle mouse button, but hey personal preference)

Conclusion:

I think that Roccat has a really solid mouse in this one. They thought the design through really well, the feel is solid, and it feels very well built. This is their top of the line mouse, and I can understand why.

This is a great feeling mouse, it is very comfortable, and you can customize so much of it to your specific liking. I wish I could have gotten the hatch off to play with the weight system more, but I am hoping that this is a flaw that mine had and didn’t effect the majority of the mice out there. I can see how the Easyshift+ technology could be a huge draw for some people, unfortunately I am not one of them, but again I can see that being a huge plus for some people. Also is the mentioned middle mouse button feel, it is that, feel. I may not like it as much, but it is a small niggle in an otherwise great product. If hope they use this as a base to keep innovating in the future, I can see Roccat getting some great fans in North America and I look forward to seeing more products from them in the future.

Currently this mouse can be had for 89.99$ At NCIX.com as well as other fine Internet retailers.

Score- 8/10

By Dayne “Anjel” Cody
@DayneCody

Apple Announces New iPhone 5s and 5c

On September 10, 2013 By RicoIn Apple, Entertainment, Games, iOS, iPhone, Tech, TechLeave a comment

This morning Apple announced the next batch of new iPhones, the new iPhone 5s and 5c. The 5c is a new version of the iPhone 5 that has better battery life, a new plastic outer body and comes in a range of different colours. Nothing too exciting here but the iPhone 5c makes for an excellent entry level smart phone with pricing on 2 year contracts starting at $99.

The real exciting news from the event though was the announcement of the iPhone 5c. New features begin with a new A7 processor, M7 motion coprocessor, a fingerprint identity sensor called Touch ID, new iSight 8MP camera with a larger sensor for improved photo quality, new HD face time camera, better battery and pre-loaded with iOS 7. Unfortunately though the 5s shares the same form factor and screen size as its predecessor. I was really looking forward to an iPhone 6 with a new design and larger screen. That said though if your in the market for a new iPhone the 5s looks to be a pretty impressive device.

Both the iPhone 5c and 5s will be available on September 20th, for existing iPhone 5 and 4s owners iOS 7 will be available September 18th.

Clickl the links these links for more information on the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5C, what did you think about todays announcements?

By Ricardo “Rico” Ferreira
@RicF

I am still in awe that ONE MAN has created everything in this game.

On August 1, 2013 By AnjelIn Game Videos, Games, Games, News, Online, PC, PC, VideosLeave a comment

So there is this new RTS game, Meridian: New World, and it’s being made by ONE GUY! No seriously, all of it, ONE GUY, a Mr Ede Tarsoly. Watch this trailer and if your mouth isn’t dropping from the crazy thought that ONE GUY has built all of this…. well then you hate kittens…. or something. Seriously check this out, it’s incredible.

Meridian: New World is coming soon for PC.

By Dayne “Anjel” Cody
@DayneCody

The Night of the Rabbit, PC Review.

On June 24, 2013June 25, 2013 By AnjelIn Games, PC, PC, PC, Reviews, SteamLeave a comment

Night of the Rabbit is sort of like a cross between Harry Potter and Alice in Wonderland. Daedalic Entertainment does a wonderful job of capturing the wonder and excitement of being a child and manages to add in just enough mystery and whimsy to take you on a memorable journey. This is a beautiful game that can be enjoyed by a wide range of people, both young and old, with only a few pacing and illogical puzzle issues stopping it from being a classic.

You start the game as a young boy, Jerry Hazelnut, who wishes for nothing more than to be a wizard. It is this boy’s imagination that leads him into the woods near, what appears to be, an early 20^th century British city. It is in these woods, that Jerry Hazelnut meets the mysterious rabbit magician, Marquis, who then offers young Jerry Hazelwood the chance to become a real magician. From this begins a journey, filled with characters, who do a wonderful job of fleshing out the story. Many hold secrets of magic and ancient mystery. Very rarely are you sure of the intentions of the characters you meet, and quite often you will be left wondering if they are friend or foe, and what exactly is your role in this mysterious world. The story uses a unique method of using the regular world and a different, “magical” world, which are like two different sides of the same coin. Both worlds go a long way in conveying the duality of everything and create a fantastic feeling of magic, mystery, and intrigue.

The art style and direction in this game are fantastic, which is a big reason why I was drawn to it in the first place. The artists have managed to capture the feeling of being young and full of wonder in the art. The sheer creativity here, as well as the detail, look like something out of a children’s book. They chose to use bright, vivid colours, and they have filled the environments with plenty of detail. The love and attention given to the art, only gets more awe inspiring the deeper into the story you get. They also manage to keep the locations varied and fresh as the game goes on, from forests and fields, to snowy mountains, and others.

Before you get to this wonderful art and intriguing story though, you have to start at the beginning. This unfortunately, is a bit of a slow starter. There is quite a bit of reading and using a radio to go over the tutorial with you felt a bit odd. The way this game starts off, and the visuals, would almost make you think this game was aimed at younger kids, but due in part to the difficulty of some of the puzzles, as well as how vast the story becomes, tells me that was not the target audience.

Night of the Rabbit is a point and click adventure game, and if you have ever played this type of game, you understand that sometimes these games can get confusing, and at times, downright frustrating. Sometimes it is about what stick you picked up and who you gave it to, or the order in which you did it. More often than not, it is less about solving a puzzle, and more about trying every talk, give, set down, and pick up every combination you can think of. For example, near the beginning, you are given a quest via a slightly confusing riddle, and expected to figure it out. In order to do so, you need to do this quest in a very specific order, do it out of order and it doesn’t work, so a bit of trial and error is needed. Now this isn’t indicative of every quest, as most make sense as to how to continue, but there were a few that left me scratching my head and trying to endlessly click though everything, wasting my time and impeding my progress. Now this wouldn’t be such an issue, but the “hint” feature borders on useless. Besides explaining what your main goal is, well that’s really all it does. If you are stuck, it does very little to help nudge you in the right direction, this left me on a few occasions wishing that it helped more than it did.

But the few adventure game niggles aside, this is a game that is rewarding to play, and has a story that makes you want to see it through. The pace starts with so many questions, and throughout the game, you want to keep moving forward to see how those will be answered. There are some genuinely unique and original characters, and the writing is superb and wonderfully believable. The story has some wonderful twists and turns, and they go far in creating a magical and memorable journey.

Few games these days try so hard to tell such a unique and whimsical tale. The story of a boy growing up, learning, and battling the forces that would seek to corrupt him. This is not a game for everyone, but if you can look past the few adventure game frustrations, and the slow start, you will be treated to a magical world, incredible art, great voice acting, brilliant score, and a story worth sticking around for. Few games have made me feel like a little kid again, discovering a new world, like this game has.

Night of the Rabbit is available now on Steam for PC and Mac.

Score 7.5/10

By Dayne “Anjel” Cody
@DayneCody

Ubisoft unveils new next gen, open world RPG.

On June 11, 2013 By AnjelIn Game Videos, Games, PlayStation 4, Tech, Videos, Xbox One2 Comments

During Ubisoft’s E3 press conference yesterday, they announced a new open world action RPG called The Division. It appears to be a 3rd person action RPG set after the effects of a bio terrorist event has gone off. It is looking crazy good. Take a look at this gameplay video and screens to see what i mean.

Screens:

The Division will be coming to next gen consoles, no release date has been given yet.

By Dayne “Anjel” Cody
@DayneCody

E3 Day 0 Recap – Sony Drops the Bomb

On June 11, 2013June 13, 2013 By RicoIn Games, News, Tech, VideosLeave a comment

Wow, would simply be an understatement for the opening day of E3.

Xbox came out swinging by revealing games, games and more games. Not only did Microsoft show a suite of excellent exclusive games, they opened their conference with the first gameplay trailer of Metal Gear Solid V a move that would certainly make any core gamer happy. Little time was spent on anything but games however Microsoft did reveal their exclusive partnership with Twitch for video game streaming. Unfortunately the conference was marred by a couple technical glitches, and a poor sexist joke that probably should of been kept at home with the boys. That being said though there were some great reveals by the Xbox Camp, most notible would have to be Titanfall from Respawn Entertainment. Respawn are the original creators of the Modern Warfare franchise and this game looks awesome. It’s a fast free running shooter with mech combat all rolled into one, and it looked stunning. The Titanfall reveal was definitely the high point of the conference which was a good one regardless of the missteps.

Xbox One Conference Low Points

Next stop EA, sports sports sports naw just kidding they had celebrities too! Seriously though EA had a great conference without any technical glitches. The usual suspects that fill EA’s coffers were all on display, new Madden, NBA and FIFA games were displayed as expected. Surprisingly though Garden Warfare was a new franchise reveal, from a company that isn’t known for doing anything but the usual yearly fare. Garden Warfare is a multiplayer first person shooter based in the Plants vs Zombies world, that looked like a fun new take on the genre. Of course other EA work horses Need for Speed and Battlefield 4 showed great demoes as well. In what seems to be another move to win back the hearts of gamers EA also revealed their biggest surprise a new Mirrors Edge game that fans have been demanding since the originals release.

The clear winner of the press conferences though had to be Sony. Sony’s conference was long and dragged at times but they came with the bombs and shot the opening salvo in this next round of the console war. Sony had 10 stations on stage where games were being demonstrated live during all points of the conference and showed drop in and drop out multiplayer in titles that supported it. Sony definitely delivered when it came to reveals with new exclusives from Square we saw Final Fantasy, and Kingdom Hearts which are sure to satisfy the hardcore. A new title from Ready at Dawn called The Order 1886 is a Victorian Era multiplayer survival shooter that looks to show a lot of promise. A definite highlight of Sony’s show was the exclusive gameplay reveal of Bungie’s new title Destiny. Destiny looks to blend the world of fast paced multiplayer shooters with those of Loot driven MMO’s to breath some new life into what some may call the tired shooter genre. With that said though the real news of the conference came in the form of several megaton bombs that Sony dropped directly aimed at their competitors. Firstly the news that PlayStation 4 supports used games just like any other system released to date was huge. Microsoft has been severely criticized over their policies and the fact that they are still unclear have gamers in outrage and Sony obviously decided to side with their consumers on this issue. Next was news about DRM and that PlayStation 4 has no authentication that requires you to be connected online, period. Finally the last surprise was that the PlayStation 4 will be available this winter for $399 and with that Sony literally dropped the proverbial mic. I was 4 rows from the front of the venue and with each of these announcements the crowd went wild. There was a definite energy in the air of excitement for the next generation and Sony might have won a huge battle before the systems are even released.

I’ll try to do a roundup each day but things are pretty crazy here, just watch the Facebook page and here for any news. Check out some pics and video from day zero and remember to follow us on twitter @RicF

By Ricardo “Rico” Ferreira
@RicF

Sony reveals PS4 to be $399 at launch.

On June 10, 2013 By AnjelIn Games, PlayStation 4, Tech, Xbox OneLeave a comment

After much media speculation, Sony revealed tonight, during their press conference at E3, that the PS4 will launch this holiday season for $399. That puts it a solid 100$ less then the Xbox One. So between the price, and the total lack of any used game restrictions, Sony looks to be aiming for a price sensitive sweet spot, and dare I say, they are hitting it. Start, these console wars have!

By Dayne “Anjel” Cody
@DayneCody

A very interesting way to look at the used game issue.

On May 29, 2013 By AnjelIn 3DS, eShop, Game Videos, Games, Games, News, Online, PC, PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Network, Steam, Videos, VITA, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox Live Arcade, Xbox OneLeave a comment

The issue of used video games is a big one right now. Everyone is up in arms about it, due to the fact that the new generation of consoles is right around the corner, and they have yet to announce how this is going to work. I came across this video earlier and I thought it brought up some very good points. While I am not sure if I agree with all of it, I think the author pretty much nails it on the head, in explaining why, when it comes to video games, used games are a real issue. Take a look at this video below and feel free to tell me what you think in the comments.

By Dayne “Anjel” Cody
@DayneCody

Sony Teases Reveal of PlayStation 4 Hardware and Invites you to Watch E3

On May 20, 2013May 20, 2013 By RicoIn Game Videos, News, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Network, TechLeave a comment

Some people are simply not as lucky as others and won’t be on site to see and try the PlayStation 4 for themselves but worry not Sony has got you covered. RSVP to see it first at PlayStation’s E3 Press Conference live June 10, 2013 starting 6:00pm Pacific Time at http://us.playstation.com. Sony also released a blurred out teaser trailer of the system itself to tease fans, check it out below and don’t forget to RSVP here: http://us.playstation.com/ps4/

By Ricardo “Rico” Ferreira
@RicF

GEEKOHOLICS

Category: Tech

Nvidia Announces the Tegra Note, a tablet platform based on Tegra 4