Thread: Anandtech News

Earlier today Nintendo announced an updated version of its Nintendo 3DS handheld gaming console. It's been over 3 years since the launch of the original 3DS, and with Nintendo taking fire from gaming capable smartphones an update to the 3DS is definitely necessary. The new models sport updated form factors and improved specifications. The new Nintendo 3DS replaces what is now the old Nintendo 3DS, and it's slightly thicker, larger, and 18 grams heavier than its predecessor. The new Nintendo 3DS LL (XL internationally) replaces the old Nintendo 3DS LL and it's slightly thinner, larger, and 7 grams lighter than its predecessor. Both models have increased display sizes which explains the increase in dimensions for both of them. Both models feature secondary ZL and ZR triggers as well as a secondary analog control stick, which addresses control problems that Nintendo had to address with the Circle Pad Pro accessory offered for the original 3DS.
Nintendo claims that the new models have faster processors and better camera tracking to improve 3D when looking at an angle. The new 3DS and 3DS LL also include support for NFC and shift from full sized SD support to MicroSD. Nintendo's entire list of improvements is laid out below.

• Better quality 3D.
• Second analog stick.
• NFC built-in.
• Gyro sensor.
• Two new bumper buttons.
• 7 hour battery life.
• microSD support.
• Wireless PC backup support.
• HTML5 browser.
• CPU clock increase.

According to some investigation done by 3dbrew, the internal amount of fast-cycle RAM (FCRAM) in both models has been doubled from 128MB to 256MB. An additional 4MB of VRAM was also discovered.
Nintendo has also announced a line of faceplates that can be installed on the new 3DS and 3DS LL. These range from various patterns to pictures of iconic Nintendo characters, and cost between 1000 and 1500 yen each..
The new Nintendo 3DS and 3DS LL will be available on October 11th in Japan for 16000 and 18800 yen respectively. A launch in Europe and North America can be expected for 2015.
Source: Nintendo via Crave Online

More...

September is only a few days away, which means it is only a few days before the next round of games become available at no cost to PlayStation Plus members. Once again, two of the free games will be brand new to the PlayStation Store which is great perk for PlayStation owners.
PlayStation 4

Velocity 2X

The first game for PS4 owners is one of the games that is brand new to the store. Velocity 2X is a sequal to Velocity Ultra, and comes from the developer FuturLab. This space based game lets you pilot the Quarp Jet again in space combat. The original game received very favorable reviews, so let’s hope the sequel can live up to that name. Velocity 2X will also be available on the PS Vita.
“Use the Quarp Drive teleport to outsmart the evil Vokh in race-tuned space combat, then dock your ship, jump out and continue the fight on foot! Velocity 2X is the visually dazzling action packed sequel to Velocity Ultra, featuring amazing puzzle-platforming action alongside award-winning shooter gameplay!”
Sportsfriends

The next game comes from Danish indie developer Die Gute Fabrik. Sportsfriends was released in May 2014, and is a collection of mini-games which include BaraBaraBall, Hokra, Super Pole Riders, and Johann Sebastian Joust. This local multiplayer game received a 82 Metascore, and 7.3 User Score on Metacritic, and this game is also available on the PS3.
“Sportsfriends is a compendium of award-winning local multiplayer games for living rooms, parties, and even backyards. Featuring: retro-styled fighting game BaraBariBall, QWOP-like pole vault dueling game Super Pole Riders, high-velocity sports game Hokra, and face-to-face physical party game Johann Sebastian Joust. All the games are playable with the DualShock®4 wireless controller, while Johann Sebastian Joust can be further enhanced by the PlayStation Move Motion Controller (sold separately).”
PlayStation 3

PlayStation All Stars Battle Royale

The first game from the PS3 owners is PlayStation All Stars Battle Royale from developers SuperBot Entertainment in conjunction with SCE Santa Monica Studio. This fighting game was first launched November 20^th, 2012, and allows up to four players to battle using, as you guessed from the name, PlayStation All Star characters such as Kratos from God of War and Rachet and Clank. This game received a 74 Metascore and 7.5 User score on Metacritic. PlayStation All Stars Battle Royale is also available on the PS Vita.
“From Kratos to Sly Cooper, Sweet Tooth to Parappa the Rapper, Sony characters from all over the gaming spectrum are brought together in a fighting adventure that’s both easy to play, and hard to master. Take the battle online for competitive multiplayer action, or go head to head with a group of friends on the couch and prove once and for all who’s really the best!”
Hoard

Originally launched on the PS3 on November 2^nd, 2010, Hoard was developed by Big Sandwich Games Inc. This action-strategy game combines a shooter with a real time strategy game. Hoard won the IGN award for “Best Quick Fix” in 2010, and scored a 75 Metascore and 6.1 User Score on Metacritic.
“HOARD is an innovative fast-paced arcade action-strategy title from Big Sandwich Games that puts you in control of conquering a medieval kingdom. Your goal is to build a giant pile of gold to sleep on in your lair. YOU ARE THE DRAGON: Scare villages! Burn castles! Collect treasure! Roast pesky knights and thieves! Compete or co-operate with other dragons in epic multiplayer battles!”
PlayStation Vita

Joe Danger

The first game for the PS Vita is the second game on this list that will be new to the Vita store in September. Independent developer Hello Games first launched this game in 2010 for the PS3, and combines the racing and platform genres. The PS3 version scored an impressive 86 Metascore and 7.7 User Score on Metacritic, so hopefully the Vita port will live up to the original.
“Take Joe on a ride from zero to hero in a game that lives up to its big brother with no compromises. Eye-popping super-smooth 60FPS graphics use only the very brightest colours on Vita’s lovely screen, and we’ve revamped the JD control scheme so it plays just as nicely, too, including touch controls for the editor modes!”
TxK

The final game for the Vita comes from developer Llamasoft. Originaly released on the Vita on February 11^th, 2014, TxK is a spiritual successor to the Atari game Tempest and features great visuals and sounds. TxK received an 84 Metascore, and 7.9 User Score on Metacritic.
“Glowing vectors, explosive particle effects and a pulse-pounding soundtrack are core elements of many modern arcade shooters – a style that Llamasoft defined with its seminal 90s tube shooter. TxK is the spiritual successor to that genre-defining work and brings you 100 levels of engrossing score-chasing gameplay, married to an outstanding soundtrack that will have your head nodding as you blast your way onto the scoreboards.”
PlayStation has done a good thing for its users to offer new to the store games alongside classics which PlayStation Plus members may already own, and it makes for a great value add. It is also great to see them offer the game on multiple platforms at the same time if it is available. This month may not be the strongest for AAA content, but as always there is a good mix of classic games with new. If you missed last month’s games, be sure to pick them up soon before they are gone.
Source:
PlayStation Blog

More...

Meet the New Boss. Same as the Old Boss.

If you had told me 15 years ago that I would one day be the Editor in Chief for AnandTech, there’s a very good chance I would have called you crazy. Having read AnandTech since 1998, it seemed obvious to me at the time that I could never know enough to match wits with Anand. Even in the early days of the site Anand brought a high degree of skill and thoughtfulness that few people could ever match, a quality that kept me reading the site for so many years.
Consequently, to be here writing my first comments as Editor in Chief borders on the surreal. Having read AnandTech for 15 years and having worked for Anand for almost 10 of those years, it was until recently hard to imagine reading AnandTech and not seeing articles by Anand, or to be writing for AnandTech but not be writing for Anand himself. Anand has been a constant in the tech world both as a source of news an analysis for us all, and as a mentor to me. These days I can happily say I was wrong about not being able to match wits with The Boss, and now I am going to get to put that to the test.
AnandTech has been Anand’s baby since Anand practically was a baby, having built it up from the ground in the last 17 years and spanning countless generations of technology not to mention the economic booms and busts that come with it. Words cannot express how humbling it is to be asked to be the next Editor in Chief – to be the first person that Anand trusts and believes in to run AnandTech and keep his baby going. It’s an awesome privilege and an awesome responsibility, and it is a task that I aim to as well as The Boss himself.
When it comes to taking on the duties as Editor in Chief, I suppose it’s the fact that Anand and I are cut from the same cloth that even makes this transition possible. While I wasn’t born to teachers, writing for AnandTech has been a job I have loved for nearly a decade because I love learning just as Anand does. And though it’s a gross simplification of the job, being a journalist for AnandTech ultimately means learning about technology and sharing what we have learned with the rest of the world, which is the ideal job for anyone who loves learning. What this means is that although we’re not interchangeable – I am probably a bit more excitable than Anand – it means that the same force that drives us both, and it’s that same love of learning that will continue to shape AnandTech.
To our readers, we wouldn’t exist without you, and it is my first and foremost goal to continue driving AnandTech to bring the kind of high quality content that you come here for. That content comes from passion, skill, and taking the time and care to do things right, and these are core values that will not be changing. At the same time the editors working for us are among the best, and I know that they will continue writing fantastic articles across the broad range of technologies we cover. AnandTech may no longer have Anand, but it will have the same quality content that it has always had.
To our editors, what little is there to say about you that Anand has not? An Editor in Chief is only as good as the people working under him, and it is the fact that I have you that makes me confident that I can take on this role and fill Anand’s big shoes. You deserve nothing less than the best leadership, and to you I vow to do as well for you as Anand has done over the last 17 years.
And to Anand, it has been an honor working for you for the last decade. To say that I have learned everything I know from you is only the slightest exaggeration – so much of what I know about both technology and journalism comes from what I have learned from you over the years. To be the new Editor in Chief is incredibly humbling, and I intend to prove that AnandTech is still in good hands.
For 17.5 years now the path of AnandTech and the path of Anand have been one and the same. And though that is no longer the case as Anand retires, it is my sincere goal that the next 17.5 years will continue down the same path that Anand has set. And that is to create and curate the kind of high quality content that enlightens and informs all those who wish to learn about technology.
Thanks,
Ryan Smith

More...

Before I leave, there's one more thing I wanted to write about and something that took me until now to be able to do. I don't talk about the business side of things often here but AnandTech is represented by a 3rd party sales and marketing company known by the name LMCD. They've been our exclusive partner since 1999 and we've got a long history with them. They handle the ads, we handle the content and the two stay separate.
I've worked with the team there for most of my life and last year they unexpectedly lost a member of the family - Cara Hamm. She was only 39 and passed away suddenly without warning or explanation. I remember the day vividly. I had just landed at SFO about to head to Intel for a Bay Trail reviewer's workshop. That week was going to see the release of the iPhone 5s and the debut of the AnandTech Mobile Show at IDF. Cara had passed away between the time that I took off from RDU in the morning to the time that I landed at SFO. I got the call before we pulled into the gate at SFO and began what can only be described as a blur. She left behind her wonderful husband Mike and two sons, Cody and Dylan.
Cara was easily our biggest fan. She believed in the site more than anyone else. She believed in me and exuded so much confidence in me that whenever she was around. The reality is that's the effect she had on everyone. Cara could and would take an interest in everyone, she'd make you feel like you could accomplish anything and that your problems and feelings were the most important in the world. She was ridiculously thoughtful, caring and wouldn't take no for an answer.
I remember being at a CES dinner several years ago and discussing our challenges being taken seriously in the mobile market. We were having issues with getting HTC to sample us (a problem that eventually got fixed) and just as we were discussing this Peter Chou, CEO of HTC, walked by our table on the way to his. We recognized him and I remember Cara walked straight over to him, introduced herself and gave him a pitch on working with AnandTech. She did something I don't even think I would've done. She had the courage, confidence and ambition to do anything.
For the longest time I was only able to write to Cara, not about her, in her passing. Cara was a huge part of my life for over the past decade and although most of you never knew her, I wanted to make sure I left behind something remembering her. She was truly our biggest fan and the biggest AnandTech supporter I've ever known. We all miss you very much Cara. If you knew her or if you want to leave some kind words for her family, please feel free to do so here.



More...

In our Haswell-E coverage we did some basic 24/7 type overclocking suitable for the system under the desk, and there will be users with custom loops willing to go a bit further. Overclocking beyond this requires a level of skill and exotic coolants not intended for the average user, akin to what drag cars are to normal runabouts. We have previously reported on overclocking events where the world’s best battle it out to see who can get the best results – to see who can do that quarter mile the fastest. With the launch of the new Haswell-E platform, each of the companies invested in overclocking performance products got their best in-house teams for day one results. Both ASUS and G.Skill are two of the big winners.
With a new memory system behaving differently in terms of voltage and setup, G.Skill and ASUS worked together to hit DDR4-4004 MHz using an i7-5930K and an ASUS Rampage V Extreme, with the memory at a rather tame 1.5 volts (compared to 1.2 volts standard, 1.35 volts for high performance kits). This was using a soon-to-be-announced DDR4-3300 memory kit from G.Skill. Absolute DRAM frequency records are similar to CPU frequency records: performed with a stripped out system with the aim to get that frequency number the highest. So while the record was performed under liquid nitrogen and with a single memory module, and ultimately has little real world value, both ASUS and G.Skill can claim together that they have the world’s fastest memory.

ASUS’ level of records go substantially deeper than just memory. After day one of Haswell-E launch, ASUS held no fewer than 37 records across CPU frequency, CPU absolute performance and popular 3D benchmarks such as 3DMark and Catzilla.

26 of these records comes from the new Rampage V Extreme paired with Haswell-E CPUs, with records coming from professional overclockers such as Shamino, 8Pack, Wizerty, Hazzan, Gunsligner, Slamms and Elmor. For example, the 3DMark Fire Strike 4-way record was performed using an i7-5960X at 5.624 GHz (+87% overclock) with four ASUS Matrix R9 290X cards at 1460/1750 (+46% overclock), G.Skill memory at DDR4-3000 C12 and the whole system under liquid nitrogen.

The records are continuously evolving, for example a new 8-core Cinebench R15 record has been posted in the past 24 hours with an MSI motherboard and a CPU at 5930 MHz. As overclockers start to understand the platform and the motherboard manufacturers update their BIOSes to be more amenable to extreme overclocking settings, no doubt there will be more records in the future, especially for benchmarks that can use all eight threads. Ultimately one might ask the point of all this – as an overclocker myself, sometimes getting a bigger number than the other guy is just more fun! Also learning how this hardware works outside their suggested thermal window can be an interesting experience in itself. Many of these manufacturers also use their records as an advertising tool, to say they have/support the fastest on the market as a nod towards their commitment to produce the better hardware with features that help regular users get the most from their setups.
Source: G.Skill, ASUS, HWBot for images

More...

ASRock has been one of the few motherboard vendors to focus on mini-PCs targeting the HTPC and portable gaming markets. Starting from the ION-based nettop days, they have consistently refreshed the mini-PC lineup in sync with Intel's product cycle. We have been reviewing members of their CoreHT lineup (rechristened as VisionHT last year) since the Arrandale days, but today, we are focusing on their gamer-targeted mini-PCs. The VisionX lineup marked the departure from NVIDIA to AMD for the discrete GPU component, and their Haswell version, the VisionX 420D combines a Core i5-4200M with an AMD Radeon R9 M270X. Read on to see how the mini-PC fares under both gaming and HTPC workloads.

More...

I will be honest, after AMD did not update its FX processor line with the Steamroller architecture, I was not too hopeful for the brand to see anything new in 2014. But since the start of the year the 5 GHz turbo FX-9590 has been rereleased as a consumer part and today AMD is showing it can get four Piledriver modules down to 95W with a few frequency adjustments and cherry picking the dies. This is accompanied with price cuts for the eight-thread FX parts, which AMD is aiming squarely at similarly priced Intel i5 and i3 processors.

More...

The high-end 802.11ac router market has seen two introductions in the recent past. The first was the Netgear Nighthawk X6 which was based on the Broadcom 5G Wi-Fi XStream platform with two discrete 3x3 802.11ac radios. On the other side, we had Asus introduce the first Wave 2 router in the RT-AC87 using the same Broadcom SoC and 2.4 GHz radios as the Nighthawk X6, but choosing the Quantenna Wave 2 solution for the 5 GHz band. In the launch coverage of the RT-AC87, we had mentioned the online leaks of the Netgear Nighthawk X4 router. Today, Netgear is providing us the official details.
Gallery: Netgear R7500 Nighthawk X4


In terms of the configuration of the radios, the Netgear Nighthawk X4 and the Asus RT-AC87 are equivalent. Both of them belong to the AC2350 / AC2400 class, i.e, four 5 GHz (802.11ac) radios (4x 433 Mbps) and three 2.4 GHz (802.11n) radios (3x 200 Mbps) for a net aggregate of 2.333 Gbps. We have already touched upon all the advantages of the Quantenna Wave 2 solution over the current solutions from Broadcom and Qualcomm Atheros. In essence, the 4x4 update (quad-stream Wi-Fi) provides faster Wi-Fi throughput, enables more stable and jitter-free video streaming and provides more robust Wi-Fi connection for a larger number of devices.
There are two internal hardware aspects in which the Nighthawk X4 differs from the Asus RT-AC87:

• Platform SoC (Qualcomm Snapdragon IPQ8064 instead of the Broadcom BCM4709A)
• Interface between the 5 GHz radios and the platform SoC (PCIe instead of RGMII)

Due to the difference in the platform SoC, the external I/O is also different. While the Asus RT-AC87 had a USB 2.0 port and a USB 3.0 port, the Netgear R7500 Nighthawk X4 has two USB 3.0 ports and an eSATA port. The IPQ8064 SoC has two Krait cores running at 1.4 GHz (compared to the two Cortex-A9s running at 1 GHz in the BCM4709A).

While the IPQ8604 does have GMII interfaces, Netgear decided to use the PCIe ports to make sure that they were able to make full use of the radio's capabilities to go beyond 1 Gbps in each direction. The radios also have offloading processors running at 500 MHz to enable the main SoC to devote CPU cycles for other functions (storage, VPN etc.)
Coming back to the R7500, Netgear touts dynamic QoS as one of the main features. The router has a list of devices / apps (which can be updated independent of the firmware) which enables allocation of bandwidth based on the application. The goal is to ensure that latency sensitive apps get the highest priority while also making sure that the lowest priority apps don't get choked off. Netgear also claims to have put in special hooks for video streaming sites to prevent buffering while accessing adaptive bitrate sites (such as Netflix) at the same time as the non-adaptive ones (such as YouTube). Plans are also in-place to support the R7500 on myopenrouter.com.
Netgear plans to carry all three Nighthawk versions in the market for now, as they target different segments. The positioning and key points of the three members are reproduced in the slide below.

The R7500 Nighthawk X4 is priced at $280 which closely tracks the Asus RT-AC87 pricing. It will be an interesting tussle in the market between the two, as Asus will also bring the Broadcom XStream solution demonstrated at Computex to the market soon.

More...

One of ARM’s most tangible business advantages is its offer of both CPUs and GPUs to SoC designers. Anyone with experience in business to business relationships knows just how complex forming and maintaining a mutually beneficial collaboration can be. Setting up contracts, forming rapport, defining goals, and even just understanding documentation and technical content formatting all takes time. Unless there is significant benefit to investing in two different relationships and technologies, it is simpler (read: cheaper) to single source contributing components of a design. There are down sides of single sourcing (see Boeing 787 battery fiasco), but depending on a business’ capacity for risk, the savings are undeniable. Especially when ARM undoubtedly offers bundle pricing promotions.

More...

The popularity of the mobile device market (smartphones and tablets) has opened up an allied opportunity for companies - augmenting the limited storage available in those devices with portable wireless devices while adding extra functionality to make them compelling offerings. Under the 'wireless storage' category, we have already looked at various offerings such as the Kingston Wi-Drive, Seagate GoFlex Satellite, Patriot Gauntlet Node, Buffalo MiniStation Air Wireless Hard Drive and the Seagate Wireless Plus. All these units have a hard drive or flash drive, a Wi-Fi radio and a battery. In conjunction with various mobile apps, they enable a host of interesting use-cases. Given the popularity of this market category, it is surprising that Western Digital has not had any play in it. Things are changing today with the launch of the My Passport Wireless Wi-Fi Mobile Storage lineup.
Even though the device is a late entry into this market, it brings along some interesting features that are not common in other competing devices. These include:

• Presence of a SD card slot with one-touch / automatic backup capabilities from the SD card to the internal storage
• Usage of a 2x2 802.11n MIMO-capable Wi-Fi chipset
• Reuse of Western Digital's excellent My Cloud app (which has traditionally been used in conjunction with Western Digital's NAS units) with a redesigned user interface to support the functionalities offered by the My Passport Wireless.

Western Digital claims that the device allows up to 8 different devices at the same time (with a maximum of four simultaneous HD video streams). The rechargeable battery is rated for 6 hours of video streaming and 20 hours of standby. The USB 3.0 device port allows it to be used as a DAS. Western Digital has also added a Wi-Fi hub feature to the device so that moble devices connecting to it can still access the Internet through the My Passport Wireless while also enjoying access to the huge storage capacity. In addition to access through the mobile apps, there is also a web dashboard for configuration through any standard web browser.
In addition to targeting users with multiple mobile devices in the family, the My Passport Wireless also presents a valid use-case for a team of photographers or videographers on the go. Thanks to the SD card slot, users can quickly upload photographs and share it with the rest of the team easily. The unit also has FTP functionality to allow Wi-Fi enabled cameras to directly upload content to the My Passport Wireless.
The My Passport Wireless comes in three capacities, 500 GB, 1 TB and 2 TB. They are priced at $130, $180 and $220 respectively.

More...