Apple : Best webcams 2019: the top webcams for your PC |
- Best webcams 2019: the top webcams for your PC
- Best processors 2019: top CPUs for your PC
- The best PC gaming headsets 2019
- Best gaming mouse 2019: the best gaming mice we've tested
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| Best webcams 2019: the top webcams for your PC Posted: 22 Feb 2019 02:05 PM PST While it’s true that it’s hard to find a laptop or all-in-one PC without an HD webcam built in, many desktop PC users need an external solution. Luckily, there are so many webcams out there to choose from. These days, you can pick up one of the best webcams yourself for a similar – or even better – experience. So, what should you look for in the best webcams? Well, like most things, it’ll boil down to how you use it. Are you looking to become the next Twitch celebrity? Or, do you just want to have some friendly video calls every now and then? No matter what you’re looking for, we’ll help you find the best webcam for your needs. From webcams with quirky and beautiful aesthetics to traditional cameras that are all about that sweet fidelity, we found the best webcams you can buy today. So, sit back, relax and get ready to find the best webcam for your needs.
Image Credit: Logitech Logitech's newest webcam, the Logitech G922 Pro Stream features the same classy design as the C920 before it, but it’s especially interesting for gamers this time around. The C922 still boasts excellent 1080p video quality when it comes to hosting video calls, and its automatic low-light correction makes it a great cam for streaming with the lights off. It also supports background removal, making it ideal for budding YouTubers.
Image Credit: Razer The Razer Kiyo looks weird, that’s for sure, but it’s still one of the best webcams out there for streaming – something that’s unbelievably popular right now. But, with the Razer Kiyo, Razer has stripped away a lot of the bells and whistles that more premium webcams offer, focusing instead on what matters to game streamers – good image quality and lighting through a “Light Ring”. This ensures you don’t need to spend a ton of time configuring the stream – just plug in the Razer Kiyo and get to work.
Image Credit: Microsoft If you need something cheap and cheerful for Skype, Messenger, Facebook or AOL, Microsoft's LifeCam range offers decent performance for a low price. You don't get 1080p video at this price point, but you do get automatic color correction, a noise-cancelling unidirectional microphone and a stand to fit laptops and desktops alike. It's a cheap way to solve the problem of a PC without a camera or even with a camera that isn't up to snuff.
Image Credit: Mevo If you’re trying to do some live streaming, or you’re trying to capture the magic of the real world, Mevo might be right up your alley. If you’re an aspiring journalist, you’re going to want to keep an eye on the Mevo or the Mevo Plus, as either of these webcams will let you capture footage live, no matter where you are in the world – as long as you can connect to a mobile network. As an bonus, Mevo is small and inconspicuous enough to not distract your subject in the middle of an interview.
Image Credit: Microsoft Aimed at pro users with large displays, the LifeCam Studio features a familiar combination of 1080p recording and 720p live video calling. It rotates 360 degrees, and can be mounted on a tripod with autofocus. The wideband mic delivers crystal clear sound and Microsoft’s TrueColor system will shift the exposure dynamically to keep you well lit. It’s a great choice for business conferencing and presentations. Read the full review: Microsoft LifeCam Studio
Image Credit: Logitech Have you ever looked at webcam in disgust because it doesn’t push the same amount of pixels as your smartphone? Well, you’ll love the Logitech Brio Webcam. With a 4K UHD resolution and HDR, the Logitech Brio has brought high fidelity to the world of the best webcams. And, if that wasn’t enough, it also features Windows Hello functionality and an easy to use stand which will let you position it wherever you need.
Image Credit: Creative Creative may not be the first company you think of when you’re looking for the best webcams, but after the Creative Labs Senz3D, that will change. This space-age webcam has more features than you can shake a stick at, and the high-tech 3D scanner and facial tracking tech promises to lead to some intriguing things in both AR functionality and even gaming. It isn’t cheap, but you’re getting all the bells and whistles with this Creative webcam
Image Credit: Logitech The C930e claims to be Logitech's most advanced HD webcam and it's also one of the most expensive ones on the market. But, unlike traditional webcams, which rely on the PC to do the heavy lifting, this unit does the video encoding itself, which should in turn result in better video quality. The wide, 90-degree field of view means it’s well-suited to business videoconferencing and presentations, and of course it’s Skype-certified for PC and Mac.
Image Credit: Samsung Samsung smart TV’s aren’t compatible with most of the best webcams. Luckily, though, Samsung has its own proprietary camera for its H, HU, JS and JU models. We wouldn’t recommend buying one for Skype, as the smart TV version of Skype is no longer supported, but if you want to use Samsung’s own gesture control features and its virtual mirror for fitness apps, then it’s your only real option.
Image Credit: Ausdom If you’re looking for a full HD webcam without the full HD webcam price, this little webcam is currently pretty cheap. Bolstering resolutions up to 1080p HD while supporting 12MP stills, a noise-cancelling microphone and low-light compensation, this camera is feature-packed yet frugal. There’s no autofocus and you don’t get a big bundle of software, but the low, low price more than makes up for any shortcomings.
Bill Thomas has also contributed to this article This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Best processors 2019: top CPUs for your PC Posted: 22 Feb 2019 02:03 PM PST The world of the best processors is once again alive with fresh, thunderous competition between AMD and Intel. This is because AMD has managed to dominate the market with its Ryzen 2nd Generation processors, and it looks like that will continue with Ryzen 3rd Generation. Intel has responded with 9th-Generation Coffee Lake Refresh chips like the beastly Core i9-9900K. So, there’s never been a better time to pick up one of the best processors. That’s because there are all kinds of processors floating around out there. From budget superstars like the AMD Ryzen 3 2200G to HEDT chips like Intel’s Basin Falls Refresh lineup – there’s something for everyone. And, of course, there are dozens of chips in the middle, like our current number one pick, the AMD Ryzen 7 2700X. You can’t throw a stone without hitting one of the best processors right now, so finding the right one isn’t as easy as you may think. Fortunately, even if the latest and greatest silicon is out of your reach, there are still plenty of great Kaby Lake and Ryzen Gen 1 chips out there. So, get ready to experience amazing PC performance, as we’ll cover all the best processors we’ve reviewed over the last year or so.
Image Credit: AMD For the longest time, AMD has fell behind Intel. Luckily, those days are over with the Ryzen 2700X. This time around AMD brings the first 12nm processors and the performance to back it up, demolishing Intel when it comes to price-to-performance. If you’re looking for one of the best processors that’ll give you great performance without costing an arm and a leg, you can’t do much better than the Ryzen 7 2700X. Read the full review: AMD Ryzen 7 2700X
Image Credit: Intel The perennial war of AMD vs Intel has been heating up like crazy over the last few years, and Intel has come back with a mighty Coffee Lake Refresh swing, in the Intel Core i9-9900K. Packing eight cores and 16 threads, it has more cores than any mainstream processor that Intel has ever released. And, the performance shows that it’s worth it – it can go head to head with some of AMD’s Ryzen Threadripper chips. If you’re looking for raw performance, the Intel Core i9-9900K is easily one of the best processors you can go for. Read the full review: Intel Core i9-9900K
Image Credit: AMD If you’re looking for one of the best processors for content creation, but are on a budget, look no further than the AMD Ryzen 5 2600X. With 6 cores and 12 threads and a base clock of 3.6GHz, you’re getting way better performance than the pricier Intel Core i5-8600K – with a gorgeous RGB CPU cooler included. Sure, the gaming performance over the blue team is marginal at best, but when you start multi-tasking – and who doesn’t always have 100 chrome tabs open – the value starts to show itself. Read the full review: AMD Ryzen 5 2600X
Image Credit: AMD If you’re looking to put together a gaming PC on the tightest budget, the AMD Ryzen 3 2200G can take you a long way. While it doesn’t feature the hyperthreading capability of its predecessor, the Ryzen 3 1200, the introduction of integrated graphics makes this APU one of the cheapest ways to experience casual PC gaming. We were even able to play Overwatch at 4K Ultra-HD resolution at ‘Epic’ settings. Read the full review: AMD Ryzen 3 2200G
Image Credit: Intel If you’re building one of the best gaming PCs, and you don’t really care about creating content or streaming, the processor you’re going to want to pay attention to is the Intel Core i5-8600K. It might not have as many cores as its AMD Ryzen counterparts, but that doesn’t matter, gaming is mostly about that single-threaded performance. With this processor, you’ll be able to run all the latest games without having to worry about bottlenecking your GPU – just don’t be surprised when rendering and encoding video takes longer.
Image Credit: AMD Initially the primary competition for the Intel Core i7-7700K, the AMD Ryzen 7 1800X still stands up today, even though it’s been succeeded by the Ryzen 7 2800X. Its high core count, when compared to the intel Core i7 7700K means that it's much better suited to VR workloads, and now that it’s dropped significantly in price, it’s more affordable than ever before. If you’re building a VR rig, do yourself a favor: save some cash without giving up on too much performance with the Ryzen 7 1800X. Read the full review: AMD Ryzen 7 1800X
Image Credit: Intel The naming convention is confusing, given that the Intel Core i7-7820X is part of Intel’s “Skylake-X” series rather than the X-class chips built on the 14nm Kaby Lake node, but semantics matter very little when you get to go hands-on with an Intel CPU boasting this many cores. Although the fact that you’ll need a new motherboard to use this octa-core monster might be enough to scare some users off to Ryzen, Intel loyalists shan’t mind the upgrade.
Image Credit: Intel If you’re the kind of user that demands world-class performance, and you couldn’t care less about cost, the Intel Core i9-9980XE is the best processor for you. With 18-cores and 36-threads, it absolutely destroys everything else on the market right now, if only just barely. Multi-threaded applications and workstation-class projects are going to breeze by with this chip. However, if you need to ask how much it costs more than once, it might not be for you. Read the full review: Intel Core i9-9980XE
Image Credit: Intel If you opt for the Intel Pentium G4560 over a Core i3 chip, you won’t even notice the slight loss of performance – you’ll be too busy counting all the money you saved. As the first Pentium processor in a long time to feature hyper-threading, the G4560 shows us what low-end CPUs have been missing for so long. And, in benchmarks it proves that it’s easily adjacent to the more expensive Intel Core i3-7100.
Image Credit: AMD One of the only things that we were left wanting when AMD’s Ryzen processors blew up is that they didn’t support integrated graphics. However, the Ryzen 5 2400G changes everything for mainstream PC users. With impressive AMD Vega graphics, it’s a fantastic APU that will be perfect for anyone looking to build a home theater PC. And, now that AMD has slashed the price you can get your 4K action on cheaper than ever. Read the full review: AMD Ryzen 5 2400G
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| The best PC gaming headsets 2019 Posted: 22 Feb 2019 02:01 PM PST The best gaming PCs have never been more powerful, thanks to Intel Coffee Lake Refresh processors and Nvidia Turing graphics. So, there’s never been a better time to dive in and pick up one of the best PC gaming headsets. Because, when you’re playing your favorite game, having high quality sound is almost as important as the visual experience. This is simply because many of the best gaming monitors don’t have speakers built in, and the ones that do usually provide a sub par audio experience. So, if you’re looking for that harrowing audio experience, wandering through the wasteland in Metro Exodus, or soaring through the skies blowing stuff up in Anthem, you’ll want either the best computer speakers, or one of the best PC gaming headsets. The best PC games provide rich audio, don’t miss out. The best PC gaming headsets will have all the bells and whistles that the best computer speakers will offer, but with one key difference – privacy. For anyone that wants to avoid keeping their roommates awake all night, here are the best PC gaming headsets on the market in 2019.
HyperX Cloud Revolver S When we first sat down to review the HyperX Cloud Revolver S, we were a bit divided. On one hand, it features fantastic 7.1-channel surround sound, delivered through Dolby's trademark digital signal processor. On the other, it's extremely pricey when compared to other similar headsets. Luckily, as one of Kingston's most subdued pair of cans we've ever seen (or heard), the pristine comfort and top-notch sound more than make up for its high price and oddly placed detachable mic. Read the full review: HyperX Cloud Revolver S
SteelSeries Arctis Pro If there's anything you can count on SteelSeries for, it's pristine audio – and the SteelSeries Arctis Pro is proof perfect of that. Not only will this headset provide immersive surround sound for all the explosive action of your favorite games, but, thanks to its included DAC (digital to audio converter), the Arctis Pro will also serve you well while listening to music. It may be a little expensive, but when you consider just how comfortable and bombastic this headset is, well, it's not hard to see why it's one of the best gaming headsets you can buy today. Read the full review: SteelSeries Arctis Pro
Logitech G Pro Gaming Headset Valuing raw performance over the traditional ‘gamer aesthetic,’ the Logitech G Pro headset offers fantastic sound quality over long periods of time, and that’s about it – but we’re not complaining. The Logitech G Pro Gaming Headset focuses squarely on great sound quality and comfort, so you don’t have to fork over a fortune for unnecessary flourishes. If you’re looking for something without all the bells and whistles, but can perform where it counts, the Logitech G Pro might be the best gaming headset for you. Read the full review: Logitech G Pro Gaming Headset
Anyone can simply listen to their games, but what if we told you that you could feel them? With the Razer Nari Ultimate, that can finally be a reality, this gaming headset has haptic motors in the ear cups that makes your ears vibrate. This would be enough to make this at least an interesting headset, but when paired with the long battery life, amazing sound quality and comfortable build, it’s easily one of the best gaming headsets out there. Just, do yourself a favor and turn off the haptic feedback when you’re listening to music. Read the full review: Razer Nari Ultimate
Astro A20 If you're looking for one of the best gaming headsets, but those high-end $300 headsets make your stomach turn and you don't want something cheap, you should take a look at the Astro A20s. Featuring solid stereo sound performance in a wireless headset, not to mention the stunning 15-hour battery life, this headset has all the necessary features that you might want in its price range. Sure, it doesn't have surround sound, but it more than makes up for it with its economy and battery life. Read the full review: Astro A20
Creative Sound BlasterX H7 Tournament Edition Creative has created a name for itself over the ears for crafting sublime audio products – and the Creative Sound BlasterX H7 Tournament Edition further cements that legacy. Instead of just sitting and iterating on the winning formula of its previous products, Creative completely revamped the Sound BlasterX H7, resulting in a PC gaming headset that looks just as good as it sounds. If you’re looking for a comfortable, sturdy and meaty-sounding headset, the Creative Sound BlasterX H7 Tournament Edition is one of the best PC gaming headsets today. Read the full review: Creative Sound BlasterX H7 Tournament Edition
Asus, and its Republic of Gamers brand, has built a name for itself for crafting gaming peripherals that constantly meet consumer standards, and the Asus ROG Strix Fusion 700 is another one. Packed with 50mm Neodymium drivers and Bluetooth compatibility, this gaming headset provides fantastic sound quality wirelessly. And, it’s even compatible with other gaming platforms, so you don’t have to juggle around different headsets. It’s a bit on the expensive side, but given how good this headset sounds, we’d say it’s worth it. Read the full review: Asus ROG Strix Fusion 700
SteelSeries Arctis Pro Wireless Compromises are a part of everyday life, but nobody actually likes making them. Luckily, with the SteelSeries Arctis Pro Wireless you don't have to make any compromises, because you can get high quality lossless audio playback with a wireless headset. And, when you add in the unique and ultra-convenient dual-battery charging system that lets you wear this headset in perpetuity, you have a recipe for one of the best gaming headsets we've ever gotten our hands on. If you have the cash, and you absolutely need the best wireless headphones money can buy, you can't go wrong here. Read the full review: SteelSeries Arctis Pro Wireless
HyperX Cloud Flight The HyperX Cloud Flight is a long-lasting wireless gaming headset featuring up to 30 hours of battery life. This means you can likely get two full days of gaming in between charges. However, there’s a catch – unlike the Cloud Flight’s competition, namely the Astro A20, this gaming headset only offers stereo sound, abandoning any surround sound implementation. You can thankfully get around it by playing around with the Dolby Access app, though, and the sound profile is balanced enough to make this a non-issue. Read the full review: HyperX Cloud Flight
Corsair released one of the best gaming headsets late last year with the Corsair HS50, and now, it has made it even better by making it wireless and giving it virtual surround sound capabilities. These features on their own would make a great gaming headset, but when you add in the fantastic Corsair CUE software on top of it, it makes a complete package that would make a great addition to your gaming setup. Read the full review: Corsair HS70 Wireless Gaming Headset
Corsair Void Pro RGB Wireless It wasn't that long ago that Corsair was solely known for PC components but, over the last five years or so, its arguably become better known for its gaming peripherals. With products like the Corsair Void RGB Wireless, it's not hard to see why. Now, while at first glance, some may scoff at the asking price, the Void Pro RGB Wireless delivers on that price point with great build quality, fantastic sound fidelity and – perhaps most importantly – RGB lighting. Plus, if you've already got a full arsenal of Corsair peripherals, the Void Pro RGB Wireless fits in nicely, and can even synchronize lighting effects with other peripherals through the Corsair Utility Engine. Read the full review: Corsair Void RGB Wireless
Corsair HS50 Stereo Gaming Headset As a general rule when you're buying anything, including gaming peripherals, you get what you pay for. You don't go into Walmart, pick up a $50/£50 gaming headset and expect to be blown away, but Corsair takes this rule and turns it on its head. The Corsair HS50 is, for the budget gamer, the best gaming headset you can buy today. Retailing at $50 in the US, the HS50 has sound quality and mic quality that rivals headsets that are twice as expensive. Everything, even down to the build materials radiates quality. If you're looking for a cheap gaming headset, and you don't mind giving up some extra bells and whistles, like 7.1 surround and Bluetooth connectivity, you need to take a look at the Corsair HS50. Read the full review: Corsair HS50 Stereo Gaming Headset
Beyerdynamic Custom Game While it’s more expensive than we’d like, the Beyerdynamic CUSTOM Game is one of the best gaming headsets we’ve used in a while. It doesn’t feature flashy surround sound or wireless functionality, but this headset excels in two of the most important categories: sound and comfort. Seriously, once you put it on and experience your games in headphones this good, there’s no going back. Read the full review: Beyerdynamic Custom Game
Turtle Beach Elite Pro Tournament If you're the type of gamer that isn't afraid to let the world know you're playing games, the Turtle Beach Elite Pro Tournament might just be the best gaming headset for you. Not only is it supremely comfortable to wear, but its 50mm drivers mean that sound quality is always top notch – even if it could use a bit more bass in the mix. You really do have to be into the 'gamer aesthetic' though, as its plastic build and orange highlights personify the style. But, if you can get past the looks and the price tag, there's a lot to love about the Turtle Beach Elite Pro Tournament. Read the full review: Turtle Beach Elite Pro Tournament
Astro A50 Wireless Back when the original Astro A50 launched, we called it a ‘game-changing, experience-enhancing headset,’ and, thankfully, its wireless successor follows in its footsteps – while adding in wireless functionality. Not only is it ready to rock with your PC, but with PS4, Xbox One and legacy consoles as well – a headset that’s robust and versatile. Bill Thomas and Gabe Carey have also contributed to this article
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| Best gaming mouse 2019: the best gaming mice we've tested Posted: 22 Feb 2019 01:57 PM PST If you’ve already got one of the best gaming PCs, it can sometimes be way too easy to just head out and pick up the cheapest mouse you can find. But, we don’t think this is the best way to go about this. Instead, you should pick up the best gaming mouse you can afford – everything attached to your rig should be of comparable quality. While you’re at it, you might want to pick up one of the best gaming mouse pads, too. If you’re looking for one of the best gaming mice, you should look for a mouse that can balance price and performance in a compelling way. Don’t fall for the age-old trap that the best mouse is the most expensive one on the shelf. Note the SteelSeries Rival 600 – at the price of a new AAA game, it has plenty of high-end features and awesome performance. So, we gathered together the best gaming mice we’ve used – all of which have been reviewed and tested by us. No matter what kind of games you're into, you'll find the best gaming mouse for your needs right here on this list.
SteelSeries Rival 600 Easily the best affordable gaming mouse you can buy, the SteelSeries Sensei 310 takes things to a new level. The low cost of admission keeps it on the same level that you’d expect to pay for a new game, while its out of this world TrueMove 3 sensor makes it one of the most performant and sensitive gaming mice on the market today. You can even pick up the SteelSeries Rival 310 if you want comparable performance, but focused more on right-handed users. Otherwise, the Sensei 310’s ambidextrous shape and low price makes it the perfect gaming mouse for anyone to grab. Read the full review: SteelSeries Rival 600
SteelSeries Sensei 310 The SteelSeries Sensei 310 is a gaming mouse like no other, both in terms of price and performance. The low cost of admission keeps it on the same level that you’d expect to pay for a new game, while its out-of-this-world TrueMove 3 optical sensor makes it almost impossible to compete with. This mouse, with no preference when it comes to dexterity, is unparalleled when it comes to real-world sensitivity. You can even pick up the SteelSeries Rival 310 if you want similar performance, but a more right-handed approach to dexterity. Read the full review: SteelSeries Sensei 310
Corsair Dark Core RGB SE In our minds, the best gaming mice are always going to be the ones that deliver excellent performance at a price that doesn’t break the bank. And, the Corsair Harpoon RGB Wireless is the poster child for price-to-performance ratios. At less than 50 bucks, you’re getting a wireless mouse that doesn’t suck, has RGB lighting and long battery life. The ergonomics are specifically for right-handed users, but at this price, with this level of performance, there’s little to complain about. Read the full review: Corsair Harpoon RGB Wireless
In the world of the best gaming mice, you generally have two main options: you can get a mouse that performs well, but looks like something that would fit in the office, or you can pick a mouse that performs well and looks like something out of a Sci-Fi film. The Logitech G502 fits firmly into that latter category – it looks like a gaming mouse. But, don’t let that dissuade you. With adjustable weights and a jaw-dropping 16,000 DPI sensor, this gaming mouse backs up its otherworldly looks. It’s not perfect for users with big hands, but beyond that, it’s easily one of the best gaming mice out there today. Read the full review: Logitech G502 Hero
Logitech G903 Undeterred by years of ridicule for their comparatively higher latency, the Logitech G900 of yesteryear proved once and for all that wireless gaming mice don’t have to suck. Though it’s merely a slight upgrade to that model, the Logitech G903 only reassures us of that conviction. Gracing a slightly altered G900 design with Logitech’s on PowerPlay mouse pad that doubles as a wireless charger, the Logitech G903 is a pricey, yet rewarding investment. Read the full review: Logitech G903
Cooler Master MasterMouse MM520 If you need one of the best gaming mice, but are looking to save some cash at the same time – the Cooler Master MasterMouse MM520 might be what you’re looking for. It won’t win any beauty contests, but packing quality Omron switches and a reasonably sensitive sensor capable of up to 12,000 DPI, it’s easy to look past the unappealing design – especially if you use a claw grip. Read the full review: Cooler Master MasterMouse MM520
Razer Naga Trinity If you’re gearing up to represent either the Alliance or the Horde in World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth, you’re going to want to take a look at the Razer Naga Trinity. Razer’s Naga mice have always been aimed at MMO gamers, but the company wasn’t content to just appeal to that one niche. With the Naga Trinity, you’ll get 3 easily swappable side plates so that you can change your mouse to fit the game you’re playing. Aadd in the insane 16,000 DPI 5G Sensor and Razer Chroma RGB lighting, and you’ll top the DPS meters, and your gaming setup will look nice while you do it. Read the full review: Razer Naga Trinity
HyperX Pulsefire Surge If you find yourself snickering at some of the ridiculous gaming mice available in 2018, you should take a look at the HyperX Pulsefire Surge RGB. Featuring extremely reliable Omron switches and gorgeous RGB lighting – not to mention its unbelievable 16,000 DPI sensor – you’re getting one of the best gaming mice for a great price. Plus, it’ll fit into any office, at least once you turn down the lighting effects. Read the full review: HyperX Pulsefire Surge RGB
Corsair Glaive RGB If you’ve got big hands, it can be hard to find the best gaming mouse for you. They’re either too small, too light or a bit of both. And, then some of the big mice out there are packed with gratuitous buttons and weird shapes that make them look like some kind of Transformers extra. The Corsair Ironclaw fixes all of that, it’s an attractive mouse for big-hand users that you won’t have to hide whenever you have company. It’s robust, too, so you don’t need to worry about breaking it if you’re a bit too rough with it. Read the full review: Corsair Ironclaw RGB
Creative Sound BlasterX Siege M04 You don’t see sound card manufacturers trying their hands at making the best gaming mouse every day – but that’s exactly what Creative did. The Creative Sound BlasterX M04 is actually one of the best gaming mice you can buy in 2018 – the 12,000 DPI rating means it’s quick and responsive. The RGB lighting scheme is great, too, controlled by Creative’s own Sound Blaster Connect software. The Creative Sound BlasterX Siege M04 is a winner in form and function. Read the full review: Creative Sound BlasterX Siege M04
How to choose the best gaming mouseEven though you’ll definitely find the best gaming mouse here, doing so will take some effort. There’s a ton of complicated technical jargon that goes into the best gaming mice – terms like polling rates and DPI ratings. You’ll want a higher number of both, but these two terms mean drastically different things. For newcomers to the world of PC gaming, that DPI is shorthand for ‘dots per inch.’ The higher the number, the wider the range wherein you can specify your how sensitive your mouse is. If you don’t have a lot of desk space available and you want accuracy and precision, then opt for a gaming mouse featuring a higher DPI rating. Of course, you can always toggle a lower DPI too. Meanwhile, a high polling rate gives you faster response times. The polling rate is measured in hertz, so it usually ranges from around 125 to 1,000Hz. The latter means that your mouse’s position is reported to your computer 1,000 times per second. Other key gaming mouse factors you’ll want to consider are ergonomics – particularly if you’re left-handed – and RGB lighting.
Bill Thomas and Gabe Carey have also contributed to this article This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Best 4K monitors 2019: the top Ultra HD monitors and displays Posted: 22 Feb 2019 01:52 PM PST For a while, the best 4K monitors were the golden ideal of computing, but these days, its available for basically anyone. Which is good, because these days everything is designed for ultra high definition displays, from operating systems to the best PC games. And, just like all the best monitors out there, they’re designed to provide users with a beautifully immersive – or productive – experience. With the new wave of affordable 4K monitors recently hitting the market, considerably cheaper than 4K TVs, they’re naturally all the rage right now. If you’re one of the many currently in the market for a 4K monitor to meet your PC gaming needs while still keeping within budget, we’re here to help you find the right one.
Image Credit: LG When you’re looking for the best 4K monitor, you want to find something that’s affordable, but also has fantastic picture quality. It’s a balance that’s pretty rare, but the LG 27UD88-W hits it out of the park. Not only does this panel cover 99% of the sRGB color space, but it does so with an insane contrast ratio and a response time to display the best PC games as they should be seen. The best part? It does all this while maintaining a reasonable price tag. If you have the horsepower to drive the LG 27UD88-W, you should pick it up. Read the full review: LG 27UD88-W
Image Credit: Dell Dell’s P2715Q has often been name-dropped as one of the best 4K monitors in the market. With its sharpness, vivid colors, and ultra high resolution, it delivers excellent image quality for an affordable price no less. It also affords a range of features that rival its more expensive competitors. One such feature is its ergonomic stand for adjustable height and a screen you can pivot to your heart’s content. There’s also its 60Hz refresh rate as well as its gamut of ports. P2715Q is a strong contender for professionals and gamers alike.
Image Credit: BenQ If you’re looking for one of the best 4K monitors for everyday computing and productivity, you don’t want to buy into all the fancy frills that most modern monitors boast – you’re going to want to consider the BenQ PD2700U. This monitor doesn’t feature fancy Quantum Dot tech, or Adaptive Sync, it doesn’t even have USB-C input! But, what the PD2700U does have is pixels and lots of them. It’s not cheap, but it’s color accurate, has plenty of desktop real estate and will fit in any office. Read the full review: BenQ PD2700U
Image Credit: Monoprice Monoprice isn’t the most revered on the market, the brand makes some of the most affordable panels in the market. Its Ultra Slim Aluminum monitor, for one, is praised for is sleek, ultra thin bezel design and ultra wide viewing angles at 178°. Though limited in features – there are no built-in speakers, for example – its IPS panel allows for super sharp image display, the FreeSync technology reduces screen tearing, and the brand’s Pixel Perfect Guarantee gives it a vibrant color performance. Additionally, it supports more connectivity than its better-known competitors with the two DisplayPorts and two HDMI ports.
Image Credit: Asus While 4K monitors are becoming more and more common, even without particularly powerful hardware, we still run into the kind of monitor that changes everything. The Asus ROG Swift PG27UQ is one of these. Asus has managed to craft a 4K gaming monitor with HDR and the kind of color support you see in professional displays – and render that all at 144Hz with G-Sync no less. There are only a few monitors out there that packs as many features as this Asus screen, and that’s why it’s one of the best 4K monitors. But, keep in mind, you’re going to have to pay for something this advanced – and we mean pay. Read the full review: Asus ROG Swift PG27UQ
Image Credit: ViewSonic If you’re looking for a 4K monitor for gaming, ViewSonic’s XG2700-4K is the perfect fit. It is not without quirks: the screen brightness could be higher, the red on black trim is an acquired taste, and it has no built-in speakers. On the other hand, you get amazing picture quality, quick response time, accurate color performance, multiple ports, and a versatile stand for multiple viewing angle options. Its most notable feature is AMD FreeSync to prevent tearing and ensure that your games are running smoothly. Of course, the picture-in-picture and picture-by-picture modes are also helpful because who doesn’t multitask nowadays.
Image Credit: AOC Though IPS monitors offer better viewing angles and color reproduction, a TN monitor is better for competitive gaming with much faster response time, higher refresh rates, and affordability. This is how AOC’s U2879VF has a 1ms response time and a refresh rate of 144Hz all for a low, low price. It’s not all sunshine and rainbows however. If you can forgive the restricted viewing angles, the occasional flickering at 144Hz, the absence of a USB port, and the ho-hum color performance, this AMD FreeSync-enabled monitor is for you. Read the full review: AOC U2879 VF
Image Credit: Acer If you have an absolute beast of a gaming computer – think two Nvidia RTX 2080 Tis in SLI – and you need a monitor that can keep up, you might want to take a look at the Acer Predator X27. Not only is it a 27-inch 4K monitor with HDR, but it also has a refresh rate of a whopping 144 Hz. If you have the horsepower, you can play games in 4K competitively without losing an edge to the person playing in 1080p. But, as you may expect from a spec sheet like this, it’s very expensive – but if you need the tech, it’s definitely there. Read the full review: Acer Predator X27
Image Credit: LG You’ll need a bigger desk with 43UD79-B’s hefty, 42-inch screen. Unfortunately this bigger than life screen might also be darker around the edges and a sluggish refresh rage. However, this 4K monitor’s other features will more than make up for its flaws. The screen split software, for one, allows for a range of screen configurations. This, coupled with its four HDMI inputs, a DisplayPort 1.2a port, and a USC-C port, will let you effortlessly run multiple devices at once. Along with its true IPS screen, color-rich display, and FreeSync compatibility, you might just be getting a bargain.
Image Credit: LG LG UltraFine 4K might feel like David in a sea of Goliaths. Yet this monitor still screams Apple when it comes to functionality. The setup process is incredibly easy there’s not even a power button—you just plug the power adapter and then connect to your MacBook with the a single USB-C cable, which is for power, data, and display. It’s not without limitations, namely the absence of a Thunderbolt 3 port. However, it’s configured P3 color space renders a wider gamut of colors than other displays. Its small screen size coupled with Ultra-HD gives you extreme sharpness without sacrificing your deskspace.
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| Best virtual machine software of 2019 Posted: 22 Feb 2019 01:51 PM PST Virtuality was once a capability of mainframe computers, and now even smartphones can do it. Being able to segment the computer into different virtual versions has many advantages, specifically in respect of isolating experimental code from other critical processes. Using this combination of hardware and software a system can allocate its resources more efficiently, and divide those functions that are internet-facing from those that have internal access to a network. For IT professionals and software developers, virtuality is an important aspect of their computing activity, and picking the right tools to create and manage virtual installations is paramount. Here is our selection of software best suited to those trying to keep things real, virtually.
Parallels Desktop 14 Boot Camp is Apple’s free tool for running a Virtual session under macOS, but those that need to do this on a regular basis use Parallels, now owned by software behemoth Corel. It enables them to seamlessly run Windows alongside their native OS, for those awkward moments when they need software that only works on that platform. A few of the elegant things that Parallels can do is make Windows alerts appear in the Mac notification centre, and operate a unified clipboard. Most Mac users think of Parallels as a tool exclusively for using Windows, but it can be used to host a wide range of Linux distros, Chrome OS and even other (and older) versions of Mac OS. The lowest rung is $79.99 for the basic edition. Above that is a Pro edition that can address more memory and supports development environments like Microsoft Visual Studio. And, a Business Edition that includes centralised license management tools for IT professionals to use.
Oracle VM Virtualbox Not sure what operating systems you are likely to use? Then Oracle VM VirtualBox is a good choice because it supports an amazingly wide selection of host and client combinations. Windows from XP onwards, any Linux level 2.4 or better, Windows NT, Server 2003, Solaris, OpenSolaris and even OpenBSD Unix. There are even people that nostalgically run Windows 3.x or even IBM OS/2 on their modern systems, It also runs on Apple Mac, and for Apple users, it can host a client Mac VM session. Oracle has been kind enough to support VirtualBox, and provide a wide selection of pre-built developer VMs to download and use at no cost. And, all this is free; even the Enterprise release.
VMware Fusion and Workstation VMware offers a very comprehensive selection of virtualisation products, with Fusion 10 for the Apple Mac and Workstation 14 for the PC. Despite the name difference, these two products offer effectively the same solution, though tailored to each host OS. For the Mac that includes a neat ‘Unity Mode’ that enables Mac OS to launch Windows applications from the Dock and have them appear like they’re part of the host OS. Workstation, as the version numbering suggests, is a more mature product and delivers one of the most sophisticated VM implementations seen so far. Being one of the few hosts that supports DirectX 10 and OpenGL 3.3, it allows CAD and other GPU accelerated applications to work under virtualisation. Workstation Player for Windows or Linux is free for personal use, though Pro is required for business users, and those wanting to run restricted VMs created using Pro or Fusion Pro. Fusion for Mac is a free trial, and $79.99 (£60.75) to purchase.
QEMU The QEMU website isn’t very sophisticated, but don’t let that put you off. Where this product slightly differs from other VM solutions is that it is both a VM host and also a machine emulator. Along with x86 PC, QEMU can emulate PowerPC, MIPS64, ARM, SPARC (32 and 64), MicroBlaze, ETRAX CRIS, SH4 and RISC-V, among others. It manages to do this without administrator privileges, and the performance of VMs running on it is close to that of native installations. What QEMU lacks is any sophisticated interface tools, instead relying on CLI inputs to install and configure VM clients. At this time it is also only able to host on Linux, even if it can run a wide range of operating systems under that.
Red Hat KVM Before anyone writes in with stern words, Virtualization is inherently in all major Linux distributions and not exclusively code that comes with a Red Hat distro. However, Red Hat has enhanced KVM with some very useful features that those already running Red Hat Enterprise Linux need to be aware. Red Hat has two versions; a basic model included in Enterprise Linux that can have four distinct VMs on a single host and a more sophisticated Red Hat Virtualisation edition. Red Hat Virtualisation doesn’t require a host OS, can be deployed on bare-metal installations and spawn as many isolated VMs as is needed. With the potential for hundreds of virtual machines, it also has sophisticated management tools to enable a supervisor to virtualise resources, processes, and applications easily. Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server costs $349 (£265), and the cost of Virtualisation is entirely dependent on the support plan you need.
Microsoft Hyper-V Originally codenamed Viridian, and then Windows Server Virtualization, it was rebranded to Hyper-V Server when it was first released in late 2008. These days it comes as part of Windows 10 Pro and Windows Server (2012 and 2016), at no additional cost to the user. However, what you get for nothing is a very basic hypervisor that can’t do the clever things that VMware offers. The guest OS support includes Windows Server, Windows XP SP3 or later, Linux with a 3.4 or better Kernel and FreeBSD. Although driver support for Linux isn’t great, and there is no virtual GPU support. Hyper-V allows relatively inexperienced users to create a virtual server environment, but don’t expect miracles.
Citrix XenServer Oddly, Citrix XenServer started life as an open source project, and to this day it remains free to download and install. Or rather the basic version is free, but advanced features are restricted to paid tier releases. Paying customers get sophisticated management tools, the ability to automate and distribute live environments at will. It also has the GPU pass-through and virtualised GPU capabilities, allowing it to offer virtualised CAD for example. The other thrust of XenServer is to create virtual data centres that can handle planned and unplanned outages equally smoothly, and maintain the high levels of availability that business expects. A standard perpetual license costs $763 (£579.60) for single CPU socket with one year of support, and the Enterprise version is $2,288 (£1,738) with the same maintenance period. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| The best graphics cards 2019: all the top GPUs for gaming Posted: 22 Feb 2019 01:44 PM PST Now that Nvidia Turing heavy hitters like the RTX 2080 Ti and RTX 2060 are here, the best graphics cards are more powerful (and expensive) than ever before. So, do you splurge on an expensive flagship graphics card? Or, do you pick up a more budget friendly GPU like the Radeon RX 590 – perfect for 1080p gaming? No matter what you do, you’ll be able to use the best graphics cards to play the best PC games from Hitman 2 to Resident Evil 2. Remember that the best graphics cards can vary wildly depending on what kind of PC you’re planning to build, so finding the best one can be hard. Luckily, we went ahead and gathered together all the best graphics cards on the market, at every price point and use case. So, before you go out to pick up one of the best graphics cards, we’ll help you find the perfect one for your rig.
One of the biggest complaints we had about Nvidia Turing when it first launched was the astronomical prices. But, with the Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060, Nvidia brings value to the Turing lineup – or, at least, more value than was there already. With the RTX 2060, you’ll be able to run pretty much everything at 1080p with max settings, comfortably experience 1440p and you’ll even be able to break into 4K. And, then there’s the RTX features – even at this level, ray tracing is possible at 1080p. Read the full review: Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060
If you’re on the market for one of the best graphics cards, and you’ve got some cash to burn, you might want to consider the Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Ti. Without a doubt, it’s the most powerful graphics cards on the market, as long as the price doesn’t scare you away. And, the first actual game with Ray Tracing is finally available, Battlefield V. While you can turn RTX On, just keep in mind that it’ll hamper performance a bit. Read the full review: Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Ti
If you want to stick to QHD, with some brief forays into 4K, you might want to check out the RTX 2070. The Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 brings the new Turing architecture to the mid range with performance that dwarfs the GTX 1070 that came before. Not only will you be able to play everything at 1440p, but you’re going to get insane performance – up to 120fps in Shadow of the Tomb Raider. However, you should consider that the RTX 2070 is significantly more expensive than its predecessor, so that trade off in price-to-performance may not be worth it – especially if you’re coming from a Pascal card. Read the full review: Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070
The AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 is the best graphics card for Full HD gaming you can buy today – your benchmarks put it above the GTX 1070. And, now that it’s fallen in price to what we would call an ‘acceptable’ level, there’s never been a better time to pick one up. While it’s arguably a bit overkill for Full HD gaming, the RX Vega 56 will come in handy for 144 to 240hz monitors and future-proofing against increasingly demanding games. You can also expect a fantastic 1440p experience with this card.
AMD hasn’t put out a high end consumer graphics card since 2017’s Radeon Vega 64, and a lot has happened in the GPU world since – namely Nvidia Turing. And, with the Radeon VII, AMD wanted to reclaim a piece of the high-end graphics card market, and it certainly did, but maybe not in the way AMD intended. The AMD Radeon VII holds its own in gaming, but where it really shines is content creation. Packed with 16GB of HBM2 memory, the AMD Radeon VII is going to excel in creative applications, and will easily compete with much more expensive cards. Read the full review: AMD Radeon VII
If you’re trying to play the best VR games, you’re going to need the best graphics card for the job. And, these days, that’s going to be the Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080. Packed with the latest Turing architecture and the VirtualLink VR connector, you won’t have to worry about choppy VR performance making you sick. And, outside of VR, you should be able to play all your favorite PC games at 1440p and 4K without breaking a sweat. Read the full review: Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080
If you’re setting out to build a microATX or a mini-ITX gaming PC, you shouldn’t have to settle for a low-end GPU. You can find mini graphics cards like the Zotac GeForce GTX 1080 Ti Mini. And, sure it’s not the latest and greatest GPU out there anymore, but the 1080 Ti has a lot of life left in it. Plus, when you can get that power in a card that’s just 211 x 125 x 41mm, the loss in performance is totally worth the beautiful mini PC you’ll get.
When Nvidia Turing cards first hit the market, one of the chief complaints was that they were ludicrously expensive. And, while this was happening the AMD Radeon RX 590 was sitting there and soaking up the entire budget market. Luckily, Nvidia has just released the GeForce GTX 1660 Ti, and it’s the budget card we’d all been waiting for. With the 1660 Ti, you’re going to get fantastic 1080p, and even 1440p performance for less than it would cost to pick up an old GTX 1060. Now, we call that a bargain, maybe the best we’ve ever had. Read the full review: PNY GeForce GTX 1660 Ti XLR8 Gaming OC
Any eSports player will tell you that high frame rates are far more important than beautifully rendered graphical details – and that’s where the Nvidia GTX 1050 Ti shines. In a time where graphics cards cost as much as rent, it’s an affordable, but potent GPU that can play most eSports games well above 60fps. It’s a bit pricier than the lower-end Nvidia GTX 1050, but you’ll appreciate the extra power behind this card to play future eSports titles, as well as the odd AAA title. Read the full review: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 Ti
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| Here's what Huawei 'Mate X' foldable 5G phone might look like Posted: 22 Feb 2019 01:28 PM PST Huawei teased it would show off a foldable 5G phone at MWC this year, but the cat might be out of the bag before the phone event even starts. Someone took a photo of what is allegedly promotional material, which shows a possible first look at the next-gen folding phone, and its apparent name: The Huawei Mate X. Twitter user @gimme2pm tweeted out an image showing the alleged phone in three stages: fully unfolded in tablet-like mode, partially folded in half (clamshell-style), and fully folded into smartphone-size dimensions. Slashleaks tracked the image's source down to a post on Hupu by user POKERTEA.
We can’t glean anything technical from the poster, sadly, but we can see clear design elements. Like every folding phone we’ve seen but the Xiaomi concept, the Mate X folds in half along a central spine. Like the just-unveiled Samsung Galaxy Fold, Huawei’s phone seems to fold flat, unlike the Royole Flexpai. But like the latter, the Mate X's screen is on the outside, like a book cover. There’s something else in the photo detail: a lipped ridge on one end that isn’t covered when folded into smartphone mode. It’s hard to tell, but it looks like there could be multiple cameras peeking out from the edge. In other words, these lenses aren’t covered when the Mate X is in smartphone mode, and peer out the back when unfolded into tablet mode. A conceptual race to a foldable finishThough covered by scaffolding, the photo’s poster text reads “World’s fastest foldable 5G Phone.” It’s pretty likely that the other front runner for high-powered foldable phone, the Samsung Galaxy Fold, is going to pack the latest Snapdragon 855 or the company’s newest Exynos chip, so Huawei could go toe-to-toe by packing the Mate X with its own next-gen Kirin chip. The only thing we do know is the foldable phone will include Huawei’s Balong 5000 modem, which will enable it to access 5G networks. And, of course, the name. You might remember the last time Huawei used the “X” moniker in its Huawei Mate 20 X, the plus-sized version of the phone designed primarily for gaming and watching media. It had a massive 7.2-inch display, and considering the fully-unfolded Galaxy Fold reportedly has a 7.3-inch screen, we might see something similar with the Mate X. Whether Huawei’s foldable handset will beat Samsung’s to market is another question, as Huawei CEO Richard Yu previously boasted the company would unveil the ‘world’s first’ 5G foldable at MWC. Considering the Galaxy Fold is launching on April 26 in the US and May 3 in Europe, perhaps Huawei is racing to release its first – something we may have to wait until MWC next week to discover.
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| Bethesda owns up to mistakes in Fallout 76, announces free content Posted: 22 Feb 2019 12:14 PM PST If you’ve stuck with Fallout 76 in spite of its issues, Bethesda wants to reward you - starting next month, Fallout 76 will begin getting new content starting with the Wild Appalachia patch, which will then be followed by two more patches, Nuclear Winter and Wastelanders, later this year. These new patches were announced today in a Bethesda blog post and will bring additional game modes, locations, raids and a brewing system, among other changes. The content will be available for free if you bought the game, and will be available starting on March 12.
But, perhaps even more interesting than the incoming content, Bethesda also addressed players’ dissatisfaction with the initial product: “We know the game had a difficult launch, and we’ve made mistakes along the way. We share in your frustrations when we do [make mistakes]. “We’ll probably make a few more, and when we do, we will work to correct them as quickly as possible. Know that we’re fully dedicated to making this game the best it can be - and even more so, a platform for endless Fallout adventures for years to come.” The silver lining, according to Bethesda, is that things are improving. “There’s still work to do, but we’re happy to report that game and server stability has increased over 300% since launch … Thanks again for sticking with us. It’s a privilege to have such passionate and caring fans.”
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| Seen Oscar nominee Roma on Netflix already? Please see it again in a Dolby Atmos cinema Posted: 22 Feb 2019 11:53 AM PST Oscar season is upon us. As ever, the highest accolade is that of Best Picture, and it’s perhaps the tightest the competition has been in years: Black Panther; BlacKkKlansman; Bohemian Rhapsody; The Favourite; Green Book; Roma; A Star is Born; Vice. Each unique, and each, in its own way uniquely deserving of a win. [Please note that this post includes some spoilers for Alfonso Cuarón’s Roma] We’ve got our opinion of what should take the night’s top prize, but we’re keeping that to ourselves – we’re here to talk tech, and this year’s Best Picture award is full of films that are a cinephile’s dream. That’s almost solely down to Dolby. The past few years has seen the company slowly but assuredly seed its most advanced cinematic technologies yet, Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos, to the point where five of the eight nominees (Black Panther, BlacKkKlansman, Bohemian Rhapsody, Roma and A Star is Born) come equipped with the double-whammy pairing of both Vision and Atmos tech baked into their presentations. The other tech angle here is the addition of Netflix, the lead western distributor for Roma, which is currently the bookmaker’s favorite to take home the Best Picture award. Netflix has been financing films for its streaming service for years now and, after courting some controversy in the process, Roma’s nomination finally sees its efforts fully recognised by the industry. As such, you can stream Roma right now, at home on Netflix. Which is great – the convenience of being able to watch how and when you want is one of the key victories of the modern connected age for movie fans. Worth the upgradeIf you’re lucky enough to have a top-notch Dolby Vision-supporting TV and Dolby Atmos surround speakers, you’re in for a particular treat – Netflix supports these technologies, and Roma is simply one of the finest films to fully take advantage of those technologies to date, for reasons we’ll discuss shortly. But the reality is that, for most, Netflix is streamed on whatever device is at hand, be that tiny bedroom TV or pocket-bound mobile phone. The high-end Dolby Vision televisions and Atmos speakers are an indulgence that only the most dedicated of cine-and-audiophiles currently invest in. So we implore you: whether you’re planning to stream Roma, or already have done so, without having a Dolby-equipped living room available, stop right now or grab your jacket and head out to watch it at a Dolby-equipped cinema – it’s an absolutely transformative experience.
Image Credit: Netflix The film tells the story of Cleo, the indigenous live-in nanny for an upper class family living in Mexico City. It’s a family being torn asunder by a broken marriage, with noisy kids in a noisy neighbourhood. Cleo, both loved and taken for granted by the family, navigates their personal triumphs and tragedies with care, while shielding her employing family from her own concerns and worries – namely the fact that she has become pregnant by an estranged partner. Roma, with its black and white presentation, delivers great detail and definition between its shades of grey, deep black and blinding white in a way only Dolby’s tech is capable of, but it's Dolby Atmos here that impresses the most. An emotional tech connectionThe technology works wonders with Roma largely in part because the film’s use of dialogue is relatively sparse, and there is no musical score accompanying the action. With little dialogue to play with, ambient sound becomes of paramount importance. It’s here where Dolby Atmos excels. Three key scenes come to mind, which we’ll attempt to describe while venturing as little into spoiler territory as possible. The first, actually, is several scenes – any street scene. At one point we see Cleo and a friend having a sprint race through Mexico City’s Colonia Roma neighborhood to a local restaurant. The cacophony of sounds that make up any urban environment are truly brought to life – a lengthy shot sees Atmos move the entire scene audibly along with Cleo’s run. Market sellers shout, birds tweet overhead, and a near miss with a car at a crossing is brought dramatically into action, as the car’s engine sound cuts through the scene as central front-facing speakers bring it screeching to a halt. It’s almost a moment of synaesthesia, with the audio helping to conjure the heat of the Mexico street, the smell of the vehicles and the traders' wares.
Image Credit: Netflix It’s a completely different sensation shortly afterwards. We’re treated to an intimate scene with Cleo and her lover Fermín in a bedroom, as seen through Cleo’s eyes whilst she lays on the bed looking out at the room. Her lover performs an intense martial arts routine using a shower rail, and his grunts forcefully show his intimidating physicality, while the swishes and swooshes of his stick weave overhead with precision. But then he climbs onto the bed, close to the camera and Cleo’s behind-the-lens face, his head convincingly silhouetted by the Dolby Vision display, and all that’s left is the couple’s breathing. Fermín’ is audible in front, and Cleo’s breathing above and behind. It’s difficult to remember seeing a scene in which you, the viewer, more convincingly inhabit it yourself. It’s spine-tingling. And finally, a climactic scene set along a beach shoreline. Desperation forces Cleo out among the crashing waves, and it’s delivered sonically with an intensity unlike anything you’ll have heard before. If you fear the sea, beware: the Atmos mix comes just shy of throwing a bucket of salty water over you. As movie and technology fans, we at TechRadar often rave about the advancing technologies bringing home and commercial cinema to ever new heights. Roma’s use of Dolby Atmos represents the marriage of everything we love about tech and film. If you haven’t already, you owe it to yourself, and your senses, to see Roma in a Dolby-powered cinema. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Android leads the way in business but security concerns remain Posted: 22 Feb 2019 10:56 AM PST New research from Panasonic Business has shed light on the fact that the use of Android tablets and handhelds are on the rise in business but security still remains a big concern for many organizations. On average, 72 percent of tablets and handhelds used in business run Google's Android operating system and the number of devices is expected to rise with 60 percent of device buyers saying Android is still being integrated into their organizations. Businesses choose Android over other operating systems for flexibility (59%), security (58%) and affordability (52%).
However, businesses believe they should be updating their devices with security patches more often with those surveyed saying they think these updates should occur four times a year more than they currently do. Security and updatesThe methods used to deploy security patches vary from organization to organization with 66 percent relying on the IT department, 38 percent using a mobile device management (MDM) solution, 30 percent updating via firmware over the air, 23 percent relying on the user, 22 percent using an IT support company and 16 percent using a reseller. Businesses currently update the Android operating system on each device they use five times per year and expect device manufacturers to provide OS updates for up to three years after the device's end of life. Panasonic Computer Product Solutions' General Manager for marketing, Jan Kaempfer explained that while Android devices are on the rise in business, securing them still remains a challenge, saying: “The march of Android mobile devices into the business world continues apace but how IT departments effectively manage and secure these devices remains a challenge. It is important that buyers recognise that not all Android mobile devices are equal. They should look closely at the management and security functionality being offered by their vendor and their Android engineering experience. With the use of the latest over air updates and management consoles, IT departments can save considerable time and money automating their updates by choosing the right device with the right management and security functionality.”
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| Best Anthem Javelin: which is the class best suited to you Posted: 22 Feb 2019 10:49 AM PST BioWare’s latest games-as-a-service model, Anthem, has now launched across all major platforms. In Anthem, you play as a Freelancer - a mercenary tasked with protecting the haven known as Fort Tarsis. This requires you going on missions called expeditions, for which you’ll wear a suit known as a Javelin, which affords you the ability to fly, as well as a plethora of unique combat capabilities. At the moment, there are four Javelins in Anthem: Ranger, Colossus, Storm, and Interceptor. The thing is, it’s difficult to say which of these is the best, because all four suits are the best at what they’re designed to do. So, instead of telling you which Javelin is the most powerful, it’s perhaps more useful to say which Javelin will suit your playstyle best. In order to do that, we have to take a look at all four suits individually and come to a conclusion about what each Javelin is best at, as well as how each Javelin synergizes with the rest. Ranger
Being the first Javelin you unlock in Anthem, it’s easy to dismiss the Ranger as a throwaway suit. Although this is the tutorial Javelin, it actually outperforms the others in certain situations, despite the fact that’s emphatically what it’s not supposed to do. It may be documented as the most balanced class, not specializing in any given combat style, but it’s actually one of the better suits in terms of providing support. In Anthem, everything is based on combos, especially at higher difficulties. To trigger a combo, you need two things: a primer and a detonator. The Ranger suit is brilliantly equipped to execute primers, which other classes can then capitalize on with devastating detonators. Also, the Ranger can use its Bulwark Point ability to put a shield up around its squad, allowing for some interesting strategies involving revivals and area control. While the Ranger isn’t the flashiest suit - unless you get really creative with customization - it’s a really powerful Javelin if your team composition is right. It’s well worth having a Ranger on every squad, and if you usually prefer all-rounder classes in shooters, this could be the Javelin for you. Colossus
The Colossus suit resembles what most other online games would label as a tank - and that’s kind of what it does in Anthem too. The biggest of the suits, your job as a Colossus is to control mobs. You’ve got a far bigger health pool than all the other Javelins, although this can be deceptive given the fact that you’re way less mobile too. You can charge in and take lots of hits, sure, but you need to remember that you’re not particularly well-equipped to make an exit once you get low. That’s why the Colossus suit is probably the most difficult one to master. Using your Taunt ability will cause all nearby enemies to focus on you, and that can be great if you’re playing with a cooperative team. However, remember that this class is almost entirely founded upon teamwork and communication. It’s like Overwatch - Winston is a staple to lots of compositions at professional level, but in lower ranks he can be easily countered if his team don’t synergize with him. A Colossus pairs incredibly well with a Storm, as they can help each other trigger some of the most gargantuan detonations in the game. Just keep in mind that if you get burned or frozen while you’re in the thick of it, you’re as good as dead. Pick your fights, engage the mob at the right time, and take the heat away from the rest of your team so that you can annihilate entire mobs in one fell swoop. Storm
At the moment, if there were to be a best Javelin, it would probably be Storm. It’s a little frail, having the second-shallowest health pool, but it has enough mobility to dodge incoming attacks once you get used to the movement. As mentioned earlier, most of Anthem’s combat is founded upon combos. The Ranger is a great primer Javelin, whereas the Colossus can unleash some massive detonations. Storm can do both, and can do so from a distance thanks to its ability to hover almost indefinitely - if you’re crafty. Because you’re going to be at range most of the time, you likely won’t take too many hits, especially if you’ve got a Colossus that’s good at aggroing enemies towards them. So you can devote your entire attention to setting up combos and capitalizing on primers your teammates line up for you. Storm is way more ability-focused than the other classes, but these abilities can be devastating once you master them. At higher difficulties, it will be mandatory to have at least one, if not two, Storm players on your team. Interceptor
Ah, the Interceptor. Our favorite class, but alas, probably the weakest one. As a melee-based Javelin, the Interceptor’s playstyle involves getting up close and personal with enemies. It’s a shame, then, that the Ranger is actually better suited for this due to the fact that it has more sustainability. In fact, at higher difficulties, the output value of enemy damage is so high that engaging them in close combat with anything other than a Colossus is ill-advised. If you’ve got to play ranged to stay alive with a melee-based class, you’re wasting a Javelin slot. The Interceptor isn’t unviable, and if you’re good with it, you can likely play at any difficulty. Also, if you’re not interested in Grandmaster, then you can really clean up enemies with ease at lower difficulties. Again, this is the Javelin we like best, as we love the style of combat. It’s just not in a good place right now relative to the other suits, which all add far more to a team. It’s not meta, per se, as all of the other Javelins add more in terms of combo potential. Choices
So, while there isn’t a best Javelin, there is probably one that’s best for you. If you’re a tank kind of player, you should be on the frontlines wearing a Colossus suit. If you’re a tactician, the Storm suit will afford you the ability to both set up and execute the kind of plays that will see you and your team back to Fort Tarsis safely. All-rounders will dig the Ranger Javelin, as it allows you to do a bit of everything, and having a jack-of-all-trades around allows you extra versatility for when a fight looks as if it’s about to go south. The poor Interceptor is in need of some buffs at the moment, but it’s probably the most fun Javelin of the lot, and if you learn it inside out, you should be able to use it at any level of play-given that your team is cooperating, that is. After all, that’s the most important thing in Anthem. To borrow from the title of the prequel book launched by Bioware in support of Anthem, “strong alone, stronger together.” (Image credits: BioWare/EA)
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| These are the top 3 deals to go for if you're pre-ordering a Samsung S10 this weekend Posted: 22 Feb 2019 10:39 AM PST Trust us when we say we've seen a lot of phone launches. Everything from Apple to Huawei and back around to the more nostalgia inducing HTCs and Motorolas. With all of this experience comes an eye for some great deals straight out the gate. So just a few days on, these are the best Samsung Galaxy S10 deals to pre-order. Below you will find our picks for the top three deals currently available on the S10. Whether you're looking for a cheap contract, big data without the gut-wrenching price or just our overall pick of the best possible deal, you will find it all in this list. And if you find yourself uninterested in any of the deals down below, try our mobile phone deals page to compare deals across all of the top phones available right now.
1. The best S10 deal we've seen so far - Mobiles.co.uk2. Big data without the big price - Fonehouse3. Save money with this affordable contract - iD
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| Posted: 22 Feb 2019 10:18 AM PST With more websites being created everyday it is becoming increasingly difficult to find the perfect domain for your business or project which is why Google has launched a new top-level domain (TLD) specifically for software developers. The company first announced the new .dev TLD last year and now registration has been open to select partners since January 16th but anyone can purchase a .dev domain for $11,000. Developers and companies that think their domain name will be one of the first ones taken can buy a .dev domain now for a quite high additional fee. However, if you can wait until February 28th, Google will be removing the fee.
At this time though, it is still unclear as to what the final price for .dev domains will be and each domain name registrar will likely charge a different price for registering a site with one. Secure by defaultAs with Google's recent launches of .app and .page, the search giant's new domain will be secure by default due to the fact that it requires HTTPS to connect to all .dev websites. The company's new TLD is part of its ongoing project to make the internet a safer place as the web moves towards an HTTPS-everywhere future. On its site, Google lists all of the domain name registrars that are currently offering .dev domains including GoDaddy, 1&1 Ionos and of course Google Domains itself. Using a unique TLD helps visitors to your site know what they're getting into from the minute they type your site's address into their address bar and it could help differentiate your product from the competition. Via Android Police
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| Game Boy Advance: why it's the best way to play classic Nintendo titles Posted: 22 Feb 2019 10:13 AM PST When it comes to retro consoles, the ferocious success of the Game Boy is a legacy to behold. Its long lineage of hardware spanning over 21 years has made the classic handheld a pop culture icon. Gamers of all ages and backgrounds will have some sort of memory of the Game Boy, from struggling to see the screen in the darkness of bedtime curfew to fitting in a few rounds of Tetris in between the tribulations of parenting. It’s easy to remember the fuzzy nostalgic memories that we hold for the Game Boy, but we might not always consider what solidified its claim to the handheld throne. Sure, certain Italian plumbers and collectable monsters may take some of the credit, however we must also consider how perfectly versatile this joyful piece of pocket technology actually was. The Game Boy Advance was the pinnacle of Nintendo’s handheld offerings, supporting 32-bit graphics and an extensive library that caters to almost every genre. This surprisingly capable device became a home for beloved titles old and new, accommodating the classics from across multiple console libraries. Not to mention that the Game Boy Advance was backwards compatible with the legendary library of titles that belonged to its predecessors. Considering that the GBA boasts such versatile prowess, is it possible that it could be the key to the ultimate retro gaming experience?
Heavy on wholesomeness, light on your pocket
Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past. (Image credit: Nintendo) Finding that perfect balance of variety and cost when tailoring your vintage gaming solutions can often prove tiresome. Gaining access to childhood consoles and their games can be a bit rich for the average gamers blood, with many options having a collector's value attached. Of course, emulation could be an all-encompassing answer, but achieving both accuracy and legality is a difficult feat. Luckily, the mighty Game Boy Advance was actually the home to countless classics that appeared on a multitude of systems, with the added bonus of being drastically cheaper. A great example of the cost efficiency of the GBA is the range of Nintendo Entertainment System titles that found their way onto the system. Known as the Classic NES Series, titles such as Metroid, Legend of Zelda and Castlevania all received reliable ports, with their packaging resembling that of an original NES game. This might sound like nothing special, but when you compare the price of these releases to their original counterparts, it becomes clear why this is a brilliant and authentic option. Take Metroid for example, original copies of the game can cost up to $60, while its GBA counterpart is usually available for around just over $10. The fact these editions can be collected and displayed in a similar fashion to any other console means that this could be a real alternative to collecting for a system that will more than likely break the bank.
Metroid Fusion. (Image credit: Nintendo) Just like its predecessor, the Super Nintendo also received an invitation to Nintendo’s portable party, with various new editions of classics being released. This is most notable with the Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past, in which its port expanded on the title with its new multiplayer feature, ‘four swords’. Not only is this version cheaper than an original $50 copy, priced roughly at $15, but it also includes a whole new co-op element that can only be experienced on the GBA. Our beloved moustached labourer also received the revamp treatment, with Super Mario World also making a comeback. With this edition of the classic platformer, features such as being able to save at any point on the map and Luigi being a playable character were added, all without compromising its authentic gameplay. At under $10, this definitely a worthy alternative to picking up the original, which tends to go for around $40. The cost saving benefits of the GBA don’t end at Nintendo originals, with many other expensive titles also appearing on the platform. One of the best examples of this is the Phantasy Star series, an RPG from the Sega MegaDrive/Genesis that retains a high value on the second-hand market. With each title costing a minimum of $60, you can understand why going for the drastically cheaper Phantasy Star collection at $30 on the GBA is a more feasible option. These examples demonstrate the Gameboy Advance’s potential to provide access to various classics, despite being kind to your bank account. You'll also find the console itself is much cheaper than most Nintendo hardware, with the NES and SNES often costing $50, in contrast to roughly $20 for a standard GBA. While this in itself is enough reason to invest in the system, you can also enjoy the exclusive experience of the Game Boy linage. The extended legacy of classic gaming
Game Boy Advance. (Image credit: Nintendo) There’s definitely a trend when it comes to the capability of handhelds, in which the technology is usually a generation behind the current home console of the time. The Sega Game Gear, for example, was comparable to a Master System, rather than its dark and brooding Sega Genesis/MegaDrive counterpart. This is also technically true for Game Boy titles, yet Nintendo seemed to use this caveat to its advantage, creating unique experiences that draw from games we already know and love. Nintendo’s talent for making the most of hardware limitations stems from its work on the original grey brick, with likes of The Legend of Zelda: Links Awakening proving to be classics in their own right. This formula of new experiences within familiar settings was carried on throughout both the Game Boy Color and Advance consoles, with beloved franchises such as Castlevania, Metroid and Final Fantasy all having exclusives on the system. Not only did these spinoff’s and sequels provide brilliant fan-service, but they also introduced those who were still a bit wet behind the ears to some of history’s best adventures. It was this sheer devotion to making the most of its 32-bit capabilities that has solidified the GBA as a nostalgic monolith. Delivering on mechanics and gameplay from one of the most loved eras of gaming, Nintendo provided gamers with a refreshing break from the somewhat infantile 3D graphics of generations past. That’s not to say, however that the Advance hardware was incapable of being technically impressive, with many titles making remarkably good use of what could be considered a low spec’d piece of kit. A surprising number of PC titles managed to squeeze themselves into tiny cartridges, such as Doom and Duke Nukem, which despite being scaled down from their original versions, are brilliant ports in their own right. There’s no disputing the sheer brilliance of the Game Boy Advance library, with countless genres to choose from and stories old and new being delivered in a familiar way. In spite of this, you might find yourself either put off by the fact it’s a handheld console, or overwhelmed by the hardware choices available. This however is where Nintendo’s hardware gets its chance to really shine, as there are a vast range of ways to play the GBA library, which isn’t too dissimilar to the versatility of modern gaming. Play it your way
Game Boy Player. (Image credit: Phil Hayton) If you managed to have a look at our Game Boy modification guide, you might already be aware of the vast amount of options available for playing your favorite Nintendo classics on the go. If you have a passion for portability, your priorities may lie with getting the best experience from your aging piece of pocket tech. From customized exteriors to fancy new screens, the ability to construct the ultimate GBA is easier than you might think. Yet, some will love the sound of the platforms library while yearning for a way to access them using them like a conventional console. This is where the alternative hardware options could be the final checkbox on achieving the perfect portal to nostalgia. The official way to play your GBA games on the big screen is in the guise of The Game Boy Player, which is an add on for the Nintendo GameCube. This nifty device allows you to play any Game Boy cartridge using the controller and video output of your existing console, without having to use the GBA console. Unfortunately, this can prove to be pricey trying to acquire the Player and the included software it requires, not to mention another $20 on top if you don't already own a GameCube. Alternatively, the market does have a variety of options that can help fulfil your needs, such as emulation-based systems like the Retr0n 5 and even some third-party options that support some sort of AV out capability. Having the versatility to play both on the go and in your living room is something many people associate with the Nintendo Switch, but considering that the Game Boy Advance managed to deliver this feature as early 2003, shows that this mighty handheld was a lot more than something to keep your thumbs busy. More than just a handheld
Pac-Man Collection. (Image credit: Namco) The Game Boy Advance has more than proven itself worthy of being an iconic piece of gaming history. Not only did it accommodate many gamers with a diverse library of high-quality titles, but it also kept the art of 32-bit gaming alive past the retirement of its generation. Where some vintage consoles and games may have fallen into the trap of collector's value and rarity, the GBA stands as a pillar of hope for those who want a reliable way to revisit a golden age of gaming. The GBA definitely delivers a strong case for being the ultimate retro experience, although it’s important to keep in mind that each individual's preference is unique to them, usually based on life's experiences and memories. The fact that this handheld console manages to be more accommodating that many other systems throughout history however, definitely earns it the right to try and convince you to adopt it as your main source of reminiscence.
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| Facebook shutters Onavo VPN app Posted: 22 Feb 2019 08:59 AM PST Facebook is removing its Onavo VPN app from the Google Play Store and ending its unpaid market research programs following backlash over how the social network paid teens to spy on them. The company's Onavo Protect app will stop collecting user data through its virtual private network (VPN) and will eventually shut down after giving users time to find an alternative app to replace it. Facebook will also stop recruiting new users for its Facebook Research App that is no longer available on iOS but is still operating on Android.
When Apple discovered that the company was misusing its Enterprise Certificate program, which is meant for internal company apps only, it revoked all of the social network's certificates and broke Facebook's own apps in the process. Onavo VPNFacebook first acquired Onavo back in 2013 for around $200m with the aim of using its VPN app to secretly gather data about how consumers use their smartphones. Even before its Research App existed, this data revealed that consumers were sending twice as many WhatsApp messages than those sent from its own Messenger app which led it to purchase the company for $19bn. Facebook then tried to convince users that Onavo was a great way to reduce data usage, block dangerous websites and protect their internet traffic from snooping while it secretly analyzed their web usage itself. The company has now decided to remove Onavo from the Play Store before Google decides to block it while ending recruitment of new Facebook Research testers. Facebook has certainly made the right move in this scenario but lawmakers and regulators could still seek legal action against the company for the way in which it mishandled user data so greatly. Via TechCrunch
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| Xbox Two: what we want to see out of a new Xbox Posted: 22 Feb 2019 08:39 AM PST For the past few years, the new Xbox was nothing more than a dream. We had hoped Microsoft was working on the next Xbox, and even suspected that might be the case, but until recently, we weren't sure. Now we can confidently say that not only is a new Xbox - the Xbox Two - now in development, but it's closer than ever to being unveiled (and there is more than one next generation console on the horizon). The official story started last year when Xbox Chief Phil Spencer told the thousands of attendees at E3 2018 that the console - or, rather, series of consoles is in development: "Our hardware team is deep into developing the next generation of Xbox consoles, where we will once again deliver on our commitment to set the benchmark for console gaming." Since Spencer's announcement details have slowly bubbled up all around the net on the purported system. First we got a codename – Xbox Scarlett – and now we've heard rumblings of the first games to be designed for the next-gen Xbox: The Elder Scrolls 6, Cyberpunk 2077 and Halo Infinite. But perhaps the biggest revelation has been a recent leak which reported the alleged specs of two upcoming next-generation consoles (codenamed Anaconda and Lockhart). The report also claims these consoles will be announced at E3 2019, with a release date rumored for 2020. [Update: Next Xbox console specs leaked, rumored to be announced at E3 2019 .] What's the latest on Microsoft's next Xbox?Thanks to a report by a French gaming site, we may finally know the specs of the allusively codenamed Lockhart and Anaconda consoles. According to a report by french gaming site JeuxVideo, two next-generation Xbox consoles will be revealed at E3 2019 - you may know them by their codenames Lockhart and Anaconda. In addition, the site claims the next Xbox specs which were leaked last year weren't far off what we can actually expect Microsoft to announcement later this year. According to the report, the Lockhart console will be the entry-level machine, with lower performance and therefore a lower price. But perhaps the most interesting aspect of the alleged Lockhart specs is that it won't have a disc-tray – essentially functioning as a cloud streaming box for digital games, apps and other media. However, the Anaconda is rumored to be much more high-end system, with very high performance and a higher price point to match – allegedly similar to the Xbox One X's on release. Both consoles will allegedly have SSDs, which should improve overall performance and loading times. According to the report, both consoles are due for release in 2020 alongside Halo: Infinite (which will be one of the generation's launch titles) So what were the alleged specs leaked last year? Xbox Lockhart specs: CPU - Custom 8 Cores (16 zen threads 2) GPU - Custom NAVI 4+ Teraflops RAM - 12GB of GDDR6 memory Storage - SSD 1TB NVMe 1 + GB / s Xbox Anaconda specs: CPU - Custom 8 Cores (16 zen threads 2) GPU - Custom NAVI 12+ Teraflops RAM - 16GB of GDDR6 memory Storage - SSD 1TB NVMe 1 + GB / s
Xbox Two news and rumorsHow would streaming work? Rumors of a streaming-only Xbox started emerging in July 2018 and now we know a lot more about how it might actually work. According to a new report, the Xbox Scarlet Cloud will utilize a semi-custom AMD Picasso chip. In case that series of APUs sounds familiar, these are the same chips AMD is rumored to introduce as its next-generation Ryzen 3000 mobile processors, which have been recently spotted in a few HP laptop benchmarks and even in an upcoming AMD-powered Surface Laptop. This new streaming Xbox won’t just be powered by a laptop CPU of course. Microsoft will undoubtedly want the chip stripped of unnecessary components and have a custom packaging made for its upcoming console. Interestingly, this new chip is said to offer even better performance to power, which may allow it to fit into an even smaller form factor than the Xbox One S and Xbox One X. While it'd be nice to have a new console ready for E3 2019, work hasn’t gone so far that we can expect to see the console any sooner than 2019. According to Windows Central’s Jez Corden, two years would be too soon to expect the new Xbox but it would likely still be backwards compatible with the rest of the Xbox family. Interestingly, 2019 to 2020 is around the time that analysts are predicting Sony will launch the PlayStation 5. If you ask us, we think it's unlikely that Microsoft would let Sony launch a brand new console without answering with its own within a year, but we don't think the company would try to beat Sony to the post given Microsoft’s first foray into true 4K gaming hasn't even been on store shelves even a year yet. That said, however, that's not going to stop us from thinking ahead to the next Xbox and what it’ll bring - corroborated by information scoured from across the web. Next Xbox consoles are codenamed 'Anaconda' and 'Lockhart' According to Windows Central, two consoles are expected to arrive alongside an additional 'Scarlett Cloud' Xbox console - codenamed 'Anaconda' and 'Lockhart'. The 'Anacondo' is rumored to be replacing the premium Xbox One X model, which may ship with a solid state hard drive to improve frame rate performance, and is likely to see a boost in graphics and all-round performance. The 'Lockhart', on the other hand, is due to be a successor to the Xbox One S - offering a cheaper alternative. It will house some impressive tech A new job listing suggests that Microsoft is hard at work on the next Xbox. The company is looking for a senior electrical engineer to "come be a part of what's next" in Xbox hardware. Xbox is seeking for an engineer to “lead the DRAM solutions for the Xbox console hardware development team" adding that the “DRAM solutions include DDR3, GDDR5, GDDR6 and future DRAM technologies." This person will be working on "currently shipping and future Xbox design projects." It was already suggested by Jez Corden in 2017 that the next Xbox is being designed and this gives greater credence to that. Andrew House talks the next generation Former PlayStation chief, Andrew House, has been talking about the future of consoles at GamesBeat Summit in California recently. Though House wasn't willing to go into specifics on the next PlayStation itself, he did say that he thinks physical media will be around for all consoles for some time to come, thanks to the need to continue breaking into new markets. One would assume this is something that would also be relevant to any future Xbox console. In his interview, House said, "I don’t have any firm knowledge on this, but my sense is that you will see the disc around in the industry for a while. If you’re going to tap into some of these [developing] markets, then allowing for that more traditional physical purchase model as an option is probably no bad thing." Despite this, though, House also believes that streaming will be big in the future of gaming – an opinion which ties neatly with Microsoft's Phil Spencer's who emphasised the need for a 'Netflix for video games'. This would be, one would imagine, a natural extension of the download-based Xbox Game Pass in the next generation. A console just for streaming Recent reports from Thurrott suggest we may even see a streaming-only console launch alongside the mainline Xbox Two, to help establish Microsoft's nascent streaming model as a fully-fledged gaming experience of its own. It would likely be pitched as a low-cost alternative, given the reduced hardware requirements when streaming games directly from the cloud – probably higher in price than a standard streaming box but cheaper than other Xbox consoles. Though it's pretty certain you'd require a monthly subscription to access the Xbox library. Thankfully, all next-gen games are still expected to run on both consoles (that would get confusing quickly). And if Microsoft manage to fix the latency issues currently holding back the streaming model, we could really see this taking off. What will the new Xbox be called?The hardest part of this future-gazing is actually trying to guess what the console might be called, given the naming progression that’s come before. Microsoft isn't going to abandon the Xbox brand anytime soon, surely, but the subtitle is a little harder to pin down. It's unlikely the next Xbox will keep the codenames Xbox Scarlett, Xbox Anaconda or Xbox Lockhart. If it’s a brand new console generation it’d make sense to call it Xbox Two, but Xbox 720 made a retrospectively perplexing amount of sense at one point so let’s not be too confident in that. We wouldn't be entirely surprised by an Xbox Zero – or even Infinite, to take a leaf from the next Halo game. The rumored streaming console may also ditch the numerical naming altogether – Xbox Cloud, anyone? What will it the new Xbox be capable of?What’s slightly easier is predicting the features that are likely to appear in this new Xbox. The Xbox One X is a huge step forward for Microsoft, bringing native 4K gaming and near-PC power into a console. It's currently the most powerful console on the market so where can Microsoft go from here? A powerful console focused on games We like to think Microsoft has learned a lot of lessons from the difficult launch of the Xbox One. The Xbox One didn’t have the advantage of being the only HD console option on the market like the Xbox 360 did, and additionally its launch ended up being marred by a Kinect bundle that pushed its price way higher than it should have been. As a result, the PlayStation 4 took (and has maintained) a commanding lead in terms of market share. Microsoft has definitely addressed a lot of these issues with the Xbox One X. It's a piece of hardware that's almost entirely focused on games, and it's not bundled with any superfluous hardware. In fact, Microsoft's gone so far as to drop the Kinect port entirely. We imagine this focus will continue into the future.
Budget and premium options With the One S and the One X Microsoft is embracing both an iterative and a tiered model. The company is not only launching incrementally better pieces of hardware over time, but it's also supporting previous versions of the console and allowing them to exist as budget options. As a case in point, the One X is still expensive (much more so than the PS4 Pro), but the Xbox One S is still being presented as a worthy and attractively priced 4K upscaling alternative that will still be capable of playing all the same games, not just from this generation but the previous generation too. However, after each console has had its chance at being the budget model, they've each fallen away into obscurity. We've already seen this with the original Xbox One, and it's likely that the Xbox Two will eventually have the same effect on the Xbox One S. We imagine Microsoft may want a certain degree of market saturation for the Xbox One X (or at the very least 4K TVs) before launching the Xbox Two but when the console does launch it’s less likely to feel like the same leap that moving from Xbox 360 to Xbox One did. An additional streaming-focused console could also prove to be a low-cost alternative, given the reduced hardware requirements needed for cloud-based play.
Trial and error, rather than a jump into the unknown In some senses we feel that it’s reasonable to assume we’ll be slowly drip-fed a lot of the technology that will end up in the Xbox Two. This has the big advantage of allowing Microsoft to establish what works and what doesn't work over time rather than having to take a big leap of faith with a brand new piece of hardware. VR and AR support is likely We've learned that certain things are unimportant for consoles this generation, like motion-sensing and touch-screen, but the new technologies like VR and AR are proving to be very exciting fields for developers. Microsoft has already confirmed that the Xbox One X will support Windows 10 virtual and mixed reality headsets but it’s not being forceful with pushing them. They were notably absent from the console’s presentation at E3 2017 and we still have plenty of questions. If PlayStation VR continues to grow in strength we expect Microsoft will be more clear about the Xbox One X’s stance on these headsets and much more active about developing the technology for its successor. Xbox Two could very well be the HoloLens console. If the technology flops, Microsoft can easily phase it out from its next generation plans like the Kinect but much more neatly and less to the detriment of initial sales. Meanwhile, if the Xbox One X’s 4K visuals fail to make the console appeal as much as Microsoft hopes they will, we don’t doubt they’ll still be a feature of the Xbox Two, but they may be less of a focus in the overall marketing.
The latest and greatest audio visual technology Recently Microsoft has been really keen on integrating the latest audio visual technologies into its consoles - Dolby Atmos support, 4K and HDR are all here. This is something we can see continuing into the next generation. It’s clear Microsoft wants gaming on Xbox to be a full sensory experience and it’s possible that the next console will include some kind of projection system similar to Project Ariana that Razer showcased at CES 2017 whereby gaming environments were extended beyond the screen and into the player’s room. With something like this, Xbox Two has the potential to be an immersive gaming machine and we already know technology of a similar ilk was being considered in the Illumiroom project from back in 2013. An increasingly cross-platform ecosystem In the way that Nintendo is bridging the gap between its handheld and home console divisions with the Switch, we can see Microsoft moving its PC and console users closer as we move onto the Xbox Two. Cross-platform play, accounts and digital purchases are being encouraged in the Windows 10 and Xbox stores and this is something we can see Microsoft continuing to push into the new generation, particularly if it’s going to continue to manufacture consoles that boast near-PC specs. However, Sony has vehemently said it will not take part in cross-platform play with competing consoles. Learnings from the PC It’s likely that the new Xbox will likely have more of a Steam-esque interface that puts games first and doesn't confuse the customer. A system with a more indie- and mod-friendly focus is also important (we’re already seeing this with Indie@Xbox), and if the console consumer base doesn't jibe with mid-lifecycle console upgrades, perhaps a more PC piecemeal approach with more swappable parts will be in order. When will the next Xbox be released?So we know we're getting another console (or two), but how soon will it really be with the Xbox One still in its first year? Rumors suggest Microsoft is planning a 2020 release, which would be only 3 years after the iterative Xbox One X, but 7 years after the Xbox One first came to market and a good time, perhaps, to move onto the new generation. Even if the reports are reliable, we still envisage this being pushed to early 2021, though if the PS5 launched before that it's likely Microsoft won't want to be too far behind. With the steady and considered steps Microsoft is making and the way the company seems to be listening to feedback from its users more than ever, we anticipate that the Xbox Two could be its most considered launch yet. In the meantime, a lot hinges on the Xbox One X.
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| The best cheap US TV deals and sale prices - 4K TVs for less for February 2019 Posted: 22 Feb 2019 08:25 AM PST February is a great month to buy a TV and we've found the best cheap 4K TV deals from top retailers such as Amazon, Walmart and more. You can find Black Friday like prices on a variety of best-selling 4K TVs from brands such as Sony, LG, Samsung and more. Whether you're looking for an XL 4K TV to serve as the focal point of your home theater system, a modestly sized set for the bedroom or kitchen, or an entry level TV for the kids, you're sure to find all different kids of sizes, features and prices to fit any and all TV viewing needs. You will find all of our carefully curated deals below. We've divided them into three different size categories as well as our pick for the best cheap TV deal of the week. These days you really don't have to pay much more to get a Ultra HD 4K set instead of an older-style HD one. If you're after the hottest tech in TV though, you may want to take a look at the cheapest OLED TV prices. Whether you want a small TV with a price tag to match or something to show all the colors of the rainbow (and a few million more) with HDR, we've found plenty of options. Read on to find the TV you want at a great price!
TechRadar's cheap TV deal of the weekCheap TV deals (40-49 inch)Cheap TV deals (50-59 inch):Cheap TV deals (60-85 inch):More cheap TV sales:Not found the right cheap TV for you today? Or maybe you'd prefer to directly browse the TVs at your favourite retailers instead of our highlights of the best cheap TV deals? We're updating this page on a regular basis, so you may have better look another day. If you want to take a look for yourself now though, here are the direct links to a the full collection of TV deals at multiple stores. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Best free and public DNS servers of 2019 Posted: 22 Feb 2019 08:25 AM PST DNS (Domain Name System) is a system which translates the domain names you enter in a browser to the IP addresses required to access those sites. Your ISP will assign you DNS servers whenever you connect to the internet, but these may not always be the best choice. Slow DNS servers can cause a lag before websites start to load, and if your server sometimes goes down, you may not be able to access any sites at all. Switching to a free public DNS server can make a real difference, with more responsive browsing and lengthy 100% uptime records meaning there's much less chance of technical problems. Some services can also block access to phishing or infected sites, and a few offer content filtering to keep your kids away from the worst of the web. You need to choose your service with care - not all providers will necessarily be better than your ISP - but to help point you in the right direction, this article will highlight six of the best free DNS servers around.
OpenDNS Founded in 2005 and now owned by Cisco, OpenDNS is one of the biggest names in public DNS. The free service offers plenty of benefits: high speeds, 100% uptime, phishing sites blocked by default, optional parental controls-type web filtering to block websites by content type, along with free email support if anything goes wrong. Commercial plans enable viewing a history of your internet activity for up to the last year, and can optionally lock down your system by allowing access to specific websites only. These aren't going to be must-have features for the average user, but if you're interested, they can be yours for around $20 (£14.30) a year. If you're an old hand at swapping DNS, you can get started immediately by reconfiguring your device to use the OpenDNS nameservers. If you're a newbie, that's okay too, as OpenDNS has setup instructions for PCs, Macs, mobile devices, routers and much, much more.
Cloudflare Best known for its top-rated content delivery network, Cloudflare has extended its range to include a new public DNS service, the catchily-named 1.1.1.1. The product doesn't have any of the extras you'll often see elsewhere. There's no anti-phishing, no ad-blocking, no content filtering or other attempts to monitor or control what you can access, and what you can't. Instead, Cloudflare has focused much more on the fundamentals. These start with performance, and independent testing from sites like DNSPerf shows Cloudflare is the fastest public DNS service around. Privacy is another major highlight. Cloudflare doesn't just promise that it won't use your browsing data to serve ads; it commits that it will never write the querying IP address (yours) to disk. Any logs that do exist will be deleted within 24 hours. And these claims aren't just reassuring words on a website. Cloudflare has retained KPMG to audit its practices annually and produce a public report to confirm the company is delivering on its promises. The 1.1.1.1 website has some setup guidance, with simple tutorials covering Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, Linux and routers. These are very generic - you get one set of instructions for all versions of Windows, for instance - but there are some pluses (IPv6 as well as IPv4 details) and you should be able to figure it out. If you have any problems, Cloudflare offers a community forum where you can ask questions or see what others are doing, a nice extra touch which we'd like to see followed by other providers.
Google Public DNS Google has its fingers in most web-related pies, and DNS is no exception: it's free Public DNS is a simple and effective replacement for your own ISP's nameservers. Privacy can't quite match the 'we don't keep anything' promises of Cloudflare, but it's not bad. The service logs the full IP address information of the querying device for around 24 to 48 hours for troubleshooting and diagnostic purposes. 'Permanent' logs drop any personally identifiable information and reduce location details to the city level, and all but a small random sample of these are deleted after two weeks. There's a further benefit for experienced users in Google's detailed description of the service. If you'd like to be able to assess the significance of Google's privacy policy, for instance, you can read up on absolutely everything the service logs contain to find out for yourself. Google's support site offers only very basic guidance targeted at experienced users, warning that "only users who are proficient with configuring operating system settings [should] make these changes." If you're unsure what you're doing, check the tutorials from a provider such as OpenDNS, remembering to replace its nameservers with Google's: 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4.
Norton ConnectSafe UPDATE: Norton ConnectSafe retired and the service isn't available anymore. Norton ConnectSafe is a free DNS service which can automatically block access to fraudulent, phishing and malware-infested websites, as well as optionally filtering sites by content. This is a familiar idea - OpenDNS and Comodo, amongst others, do much the same thing - but ConnectSafe has one important advantage. It takes its data from Norton Safe Web, a comprehensive database on more than 50 million websites in 23 languages. The service delivers probably the best web filtering performance around, and the ability to get it for free, without having to install any software, is a major safety plus. Setting up the service requires choosing from three levels of protection. The Security policy blocks malicious and fraudulent websites only, and uses the nameservers 199.85.126.10 and 199.85.127.10. The Security and Pornography policy adds support for filtering sexually explicit material, and uses the nameservers 199.85.126.20 and 199.85.127.20. The very strict Security and Pornography and Other scheme extends the filtering to block 'sites that feature mature content, abortion, alcohol, crime, cults, drugs, gambling, hate, sexual orientation, suicide, tobacco or violence' by using the nameservers 199.85.126.30 and 199.85.127.30. That's likely to lock you out of a lot of content, but it might appeal as a way to protect young children, and you don't have to use this policy everywhere. You could lock down your kids' tablet with this policy, for instance, but stick with the plain Security policy for your own laptop. There are only very basic setup instructions on the ConnectSafe site, but if you run into trouble, the tutorials on competitors such as OpenDNS may point you in the right direction. Just be sure to use Norton's nameserver IP addresses when you change your device settings.
Comodo Secure DNS Comodo Group is the power behind a host of excellent security products, so it's no surprise that the company also offers its own public DNS service. Just as you'd expect, Comodo Secure DNS has a strong focus on safety. It doesn't just block phishing sites, but also warns if you try to visit sites with malware, spyware, even parked domains which might overload you with advertising (pop-ups, pop-unders and more). Furthermore, you can try out the Comodo Dome Shield service, which adds additional features to Comodo Secure DNS. Comodo claims its service is smarter than average, too, detecting attempts to visit parked or 'not in use' domains and automatically forwarding you to where you really want to go. Performance is key, of course, and the company suggests its worldwide network of servers and smart routing technology give it an advantage. DNSPerf's Comodo stats are less impressive, unfortunately. As we write, DNSPerf reports its average query time as around 68ms, ranking it ninth out of the ten services tested. That said, Comodo may still be interesting if you're looking for an extra layer of web filtering, and the support website has some short but useful instructions on setting the service up on Windows PCs, Macs, routers and Chromebooks.
Quad9 Quad9 is a young DNS outfit which has been providing a fast and free DNS service since August 2016. The company sells itself on its ability to block malicious domains by collecting intelligence from 'a variety of public and private sources.' It's not clear what these sources are, but the website says Quad9 used 18+ 'threat intelligence providers' as of May 2018. That's a little too vague for us, and we're not convinced that using a large number of threat intelligence providers will necessarily help – the quality of the intelligence is generally more important than the quantity. There's no arguing about Quad9's performance, though. DNSPerf currently rates it seven out of ten for average worldwide query times, lagging behind Cloudflare and OpenDNS, but effortlessly outpacing contenders like Comodo. Drilling down into the detail reveals some variations in speed - Quad9 is on the fifth place for North American queries - but overall the service still delivers better performance than most. Setup guidance is a little limited, with tutorials for the latest versions of Windows and macOS only. They're well presented, though, and it's not difficult to figure out what you need to do. Got further questions about DNS? Here are some common queries along with our answers. What is DNS?The Domain Name System (DNS) is a phonebook for the internet, a framework which translates domain names, like facebook.com or twitter.com, into the IP addresses necessary for devices to load those internet resources. The mechanics of DNS can be quite complicated, as information isn't held in a single database, but rather distributed in a worldwide directory including a vast number of DNS servers. Fortunately, the average internet user doesn't normally have to get involved in any of the low-level technical details. Your ISP automatically provides you with access to a DNS server whenever you go online, and whenever you enter a URL into your browser, this will find the relevant IP address for you.
Your ISP DNS isn't performing? Verisign is one of many big-name companies offering a free alternative Why might DNS matter to me?DNS servers can vary hugely in speed, particularly in areas which don't always have the best internet coverage (Africa, South America, Oceania.) To take an example of a single day when we tested, DNSPerf.com reported Cloudflare achieved an average 4.43ms query time for Oceania, while Yandex was left trailing at 350.24ms. That's potentially more than a third of a second in extra waiting time before your browser is able to access any new website. This is an extreme example, to be fair. European or US lookups may see less than 30ms variation between most DNS services, and as your device or router will probably cache the address for reuse later, even this delay will only occur very occasionally. Still, a sluggish DNS server can noticeably slow down your browsing in some situations, and trying an alternative – especially as the best options are all free – is generally a good idea. There's a second possible benefit in terms of uptime. If your ISP DNS server fails, you might not be able to access some or all of your favorite sites. Big-name providers such as OpenDNS claim they've had 100% uptime going back years.
How can I find the fastest DNS service?DNS speed depends on many factors, including your location, the distance to your nearest server, and that server having enough power and bandwidth to handle all the queries it receives. DNS Jumper is a portable freeware tool which tests multiple public DNS services to find out which delivers the best performance for you. The program has a lot of options, but isn't difficult to use. Launch it, click Fastest DNS > Start DNS Test, and within a few seconds you'll be looking at a list of DNS services sorted by speed. DNS Jumper can be useful, in particular because it's checking how servers perform from your location, but it doesn't run enough tests over a long enough period to give you a definitive answer.
DNSPerf tests multiple DNS services every minute from 200+ locations around the world and makes the results freely available on its own website. This gives a very good general idea of performance, and also enables seeing how services compare on different continents, as well as assessing their uptime. How can I switch DNS servers?The steps involved in changing your DNS service vary according to your hardware and possibly your operating system version. Generally, you must start by finding the primary and secondary nameservers for the DNS service you'd like to use. These IP addresses are normally displayed very clearly on the service website, so, for example, Cloudflare DNS uses 1.1.1.1 and 1.0.0.1. The simplest approach for home users is to update their router to use the new addresses. Most other devices will then pick up the new DNS settings automatically, with no further work required. To make this happen you must log in to your router (the default password may be printed on its base) and look for the current DNS primary and secondary nameservers. Make a note of the current values in case of problems, then replace them with the nameservers you'd like to use. If you run into problems, check out your DNS service website for any setup guidance. Keep in mind that you can also use the tutorials of other DNS providers, as long as you remember to replace their nameserver IPs with your preferred options. OpenDNS, for instance, has specific guidance for many different router types on its support site. If router tweaks aren't right for your situation, you may have to change the DNS configuration of each individual device. Cloudflare has short and simple guidance here, while the OpenDNS website goes into more depth.
How can I find my current DNS servers?If you're troubleshooting your internet connection, or maybe thinking of switching DNS servers, it might be useful to check which DNS servers you're using at the moment. The simplest way to do this is to visit DNSLeakTest.com and tap the Standard Test button. Within a few seconds the website will usually display your DNS server IP addresses, host names, and sometimes (if appropriate) the name of your ISP. After that, life gets more complicated as there are several potential options. Your device could be set up to use specific DNS servers; it might ask your router to give it the best DNS servers every time it boots; or it might not know anything about DNS servers, and leave your router to handle everything. On Windows, you could get started by entering IPCONFIG /ALL in a command line window. Look for your network adapter and you should see its DNS servers specified in the list. If there's a single DNS IP address which points at your router – 192.168.x.x – that suggests the router is handling all DNS queries. Enter that IP address into your browser, log in to the router if necessary and your DNS servers should be listed amongst the settings.
How can I test a DNS service?If your browser is telling you a website's 'server IP address could not be found', even though you're sure it's up and available, then this could be due to a problem with your DNS. But you might not want to go to the trouble of changing your DNS service to find out. Windows users can use the command line tool nslookup.exe to look at the results of any DNS server without touching their system settings. Run cmd.exe to open a command line window, then type: nslookup website.com Then press Enter (replace website.com with the address of whatever website you're trying to reach). Nslookup uses your default DNS server to look for the IP address of website.com. If it tells you it 'can't find website.com', this means your DNS server doesn't have a record for that domain. Next, tell the tool to use another DNS service by entering a command like: nslookup website.com 8.8.8.8 The 8.8.8.8 address uses Google DNS – replace that with any DNS service you like, such as 1.1.1.1 for Cloudflare. If nslookup returns errors using multiple servers, this doesn't look like a DNS issue. If one server returns an IP address and another doesn't, you might want to try setting up your system to use the working DNS and see if it makes any difference. You might also want to look over our many web hosting guides:
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Next Xbox alleged specs point to 2020 release date and disc-less console Posted: 22 Feb 2019 08:18 AM PST Microsoft has been pretty quiet about the next generation of Xbox consoles but, thanks to a report by a French gaming site, we may finally know the specs of the allusively codenamed Lockhart and Anaconda consoles. According to a report by JeuxVideo, two next-generation Xbox consoles will be revealed at E3 2019 - you may know them by their codenames Lockhart and Anaconda. In addition, the site claims the next Xbox specs which were leaked last year weren't far off what we can actually expect Microsoft to announcement later this year.
Image credit: TechRadar What do we know?According to the report, the Lockhart console will be the entry-level machine, with lower performance and therefore a lower price. But perhaps the most interesting aspect of the alleged Lockhart specs is that it won't have a disc-tray – essentially functioning as a cloud streaming box for digital games, apps and other media. However, the Anaconda is rumored to be much more high-end system, with very high performance and a higher price point to match – allegedly similar to the Xbox One X's on release. Both consoles will allegedly have SSDs, which should improve overall performance and loading times. According to the report, both consoles are due for release in 2020 alongside Halo: Infinite (which will be one of the generation's launch titles). Microsoft has not confirmed this leaked information or specs but, if true, these new consoles are sure to put a spanner in Sony's plans for the PS5. Via VG247 This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
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