TT Show Episode 37 - Call of Duty on Game Pass, PlayStation Mobile, and Radeon tech Levels Up
Recorded just before they headed off to Taipei for the tech oasis that is Computex 2024, this week's episode of the TT Show sees Jak and Kosta discuss the latest news in gaming, tech, and science. Kicking off with Jak's impressions of Hellblade 2 (which he calls the best-looking game he's ever seen), the duo digs into Valve's next game - Deadlock.
Although it hasn't been officially announced, the next major release from the company behind Half-Life, Portal, Left 4 Dead, and Steam is significant news - even in leaked screenshot form. The game is described as a mix between the hero shooting of Overwatch and the MOBA lane-based gameplay of DOTA 2.
In the world of GPUs, AMD Anti-Lag 2 sees Team Red's latency reduction tech finally return after it was controversially disabled last year. This time, the tech requires game-specific integration, debuting in Counter-Strike 2 in Technical Preview form. In other Radeon news, FSR 3 Frame Generation makes its PS5 and Xbox Series X, bringing triple-digit performance to consoles.
NVIDIA's next-gen GB200 AI server cabinets to ship in 'small quantities' in Q4 2024
NVIDIA's next-gen GB200-based AI server cabinets are expected to ship in "small quantities" in Q4 2024 at the earliest, with GB200 AI server cabinets to be fully unleashed in 2025.
In a new report from Ctee, we're learning that there will be a "slight gap" in the delivery time between each factory and the customer and that it "will not be available until next year." The outlet continues, saying that shipments can be expected, with multiple Taiwanese manufacturers "striving to increase profitability as their revenue scale increases".
NVIDIA's new GB200 Superchip is a monster, with the company supplying the front-end AI chip modules, Switchboards, power modules, chassis/cabinets, and more. It's expected to see the NVIDIA GB200 Superchip enter mass production in Q3 2024, with "legal persons" talking to Ctee, with the outlet reporting: "Hon Hai, the parent company of Hongbai, and Wistron, as well as Delta Electronics, Lite-On, Shengming Electronics, Yingguang, etc., shipments of GB200-related products will increase in the second half of the year and will further demonstrate strong growth momentum".
Apple is expanding satellite connectivity to iMessage for its iPhones
Apple's current satellite connectivity system is exclusive to its "Emergency SOS" feature, but the company has promised some rather big changes coming to iMessage, which will let users send text messages in cellular dead zones.
The company just held its Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) event, with Apple Intelligence announced -- you can read more about that here -- new features for iOS 18, and so much more. One new feature of iOS 18 is the ability to beam iMessage data to orbiting satellites instead of using traditional cell towers. The only requirement? You'll need a clear view of the sky, obviously.
Apple designed its satellite connectivity to maintain end-to-end encryption over iMessage, with the same feature capable of sending SMS messages to orbiting satellites to people not using iPhones. Apple has been pretty quiet about what exactly to expect from its expanded Messages via satellite service, so we don't know if it will be free or not just yet. Exciting to see, especially as SpaceX is preparing to offer satellite connectivity to iPhones and Androids smartphones through a new cellular Starlink service.
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Apple delivers ChatGPT to Siri: introduces 'Apple Intelligence' at WWDC 2024
Apple has just unveiled its new Apple Intelligence system; in a new partnership with OpenAI, Apple Intelligence will integrate ChatGPT directly into the heart of Siri.
Apple Intelligence will help people with their everyday lives, create images and text, and privacy improvements, which is an important part for Apple. Apple Intelligence is Apple's multimodal, cross-platform approach to the future of AI computing, with generative AI features including text and image creation, an improved Siri assistant, and more.
The company says that everything you do withing the ChatGPT-powered Apple Intelligence won't be shared with anyone, including Apple. Most of the new Apple Intelligence features run locally on your device, but if more computing power is required, then it will go to the cloud. It features a new Power Cloud Compute standard that protects your data and privacy.
FTC, US Justice Department to open antitrust investigation into Microsoft, OpenAI, and NVIDIA
In a new report by The New York Times, Microsoft, OpenAI, and NVIDIA are being targeted for an antitrust investigation led by the US Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
Under the new arrangement, the Justice Department will lead the investigation into the behavior of NVIDIA, which is by far the biggest AI GPU maker on the planet with AI GPU dominance of 90%+ market share. The Justice Department will see if NVIDIA has violated antitrust laws, according to The New York Times' sources.
According to The New York Times' sources, the FTC will play the lead role in investigating the conduct of OpenAI, the maker of the infamous ChatGPT chatbot, and Microsoft, which has invested $13 billion in OpenAI and made multiple other deals with AI people.
Antec Core HS is a new PC gaming handheld with a sliding screen and keyboard
Antec is a brand best known for its cases and cooling tech. It is one of those trusted names that go back decades to the dawn of the PC gaming DIY scene. At Computex 2024, the company showed us several impressive case designs, but it also had something a little different - a PC gaming handheld called the Antec Core HS.
If it looks familiar, that's because it is a rebranded AYANEO Slide for the U.S. and European markets. It has the powerful AMD Ryzen 7840U Processor and the same floating slide-up screen that reveals a full QWERTY keyboard - adding a keyboard to a Windows 11 gaming handheld sets it apart from the ROG Ally X, MSI Claw, and Steam deck.
The Antec Core HS features a 6-inch Full HD 1080p IPS display with 368PPI pixel density, 400-nit brightness, and 100% sRGB color coverage. In addition to the full keyboard, the build incorporates an ergonomic design utilizing PC and glass fiber materials, with gamer-friendly hall-sensing analog sticks and hall effect triggers. It's a premium little unit.
AMD's next-gen mid-range Zen 5-powered Ryzen 5 9600X ES overclocked to 5.7GHz on all cores
AMD has one of the best mid-range processors on the market with its Zen 4-based Ryzen 5 7600X, but the next-gen Zen 5-based Ryzen 5 9600X looks to be a champion.
In some new leaks, we're seeing that a Ryzen 5 9600X engineering sample (ES) processor being overclocked to a very nice 5.7GHz across all cores, up 300MHz from its max CPU boost clock of 5.4GHz. AMD isn't just cranking the CPU clock speed by 100MHz from the Ryzen 5 7600X, but the internal Zen 5 CPU architecture will provide IPC improvements, and a much lower 65W TDP is welcomed (105W on the 7600X).
The leaker posted some CPU-Z benchmark results, where we can see single-threaded performance with 871 points, and multi-threaded performance at 7096 points at all-core 5.7GHz. This is compared to 776 points and 6201 points for single-threaded and multi-threaded performance, respectively, on the Zen 5-based Ryzen 5 9600X ES chip at its stock 5.4GHz.
Polar Therm is a new thermal paste designed to beat Arctic Cooling, it's from Thermal Grizzly
Value for money goes a long way when you're putting together a new build from scratch. Once you factor in the various components, the case, fans, and bits of all-in-one liquid cooling, you must also shell out for some thermal paste for optimal performance. On that front, Thermal Grizzly products are considered some of the very best. However, there are cheaper alternatives whose overall performance might not be up there - but it's decent enough for most builds.
This is where Polar Therm comes in, starting with the affordable X-8 thermal past that our friends at Thermal Grizzly say offers better thermal conductivity for air and water cooling than comparatively priced Arctic Cooling products.
Polar Therm X-10 is the more premium of the two but still affordable. It offers excellent performance and a more premium product - once again, created to compete directly with Arctic Cooling.
Say goodbye to GPU cables overheating with the WireView Pro from Thermal Grizzly
The switch to the new 12VHPWR or 12V-2X6 power connector standard for modern GPUs (specifically NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 40 Series) was a rocky transition, to say the least. For the high-end flagship GeForce RTX 4090, which draws up to 450W (that can be pushed higher), a steady stream of reported melted power connectors fusing with a GPU's PCB led to multiple investigations and even a redesign of the connector for the SUPER Series.
The cable melting issue might not be in the headlines every single day like it was back when the GeForce RTX 40 Series launched, but it's still an issue and something to be concerned about.
This makes the new WireVew PRO device we saw at Computex 2024 one of the most innovative little gadgets (especially for enthusiasts, reviewers, and overclockers). It's a simple monitoring device designed to mitigate issues relating to 12VHPWR or 12V-2X6 power connectors.
KLEVV shows off DDR5-10000, ROG, and LPCAMM2 memory alongside stunning custom builds
KLEVV's booth was once again one of the hidden gems at Computex 2024. The company presented some of the most stylish high-performance memory products at the show. A blend of minimal, futuristic, and retro, the theme was also evident in the stunning custom builds the company had on display - outdoing the brilliant stuff we saw last year.
Memory-wise, one of the highlights was seeing 48GB (2 x 24GB) of KLEVV's CRAS V RGB memory in an ROG Crosshair X670E system with an AMD Ryzen 5 8500G Processor comfortably pushing DDR5-10000 speeds (and maintaining them with CL60-62-62-127-204 timings.
Impressive stuff, and KLEVV is releasing 'ROG Certified' CRAS V RGB memory in partnership with ASUS. So, if you're putting together an ROG build, CRAS V should be at the top of your DDR5 list. Also included in the build running DDR5-10000 was KLEVV's impressive Genuine G560 PCIe Gen5 storage with a heatsink that can deliver speeds of up to 14 GB/s Read and 12 GB/s Write.
NZXT's new F Series RGB fans solve a problem that all PC builders have
It's always great when you see a product solve a problem you didn't even realize was a problem. With case fans, especially those with RGB, requiring multiple cables per fan, setting up two or three in a row can often be a pain due to all the cable threading and fan controller mounting you need to do. NZXT's new F Series RGB Core fans are a game changer because they arrive as a single-frame unit in various sizes.
Available in 240mm, 280mm, and 360mm frames, not only do you get the right number of fans in a single unit for your AIO radiator or case, but you also have fewer screws to connect and fewer cables to deal with. It's a simple and elegant solution to the idea of installing multiple fans next to each other in a system.
With daisy chain and magnetic fans making it easier to join them up, NZXT's approach takes it to the logical next step - if you need three 120mm fans for a 360mm radiator, why not have a single-frame unit with fewer screws and fewer cables to deal with. No matter if you get the 240mm frame or the 360mm, or a single 120mm fan from NZXT, it's the same number of screws - four.
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