Items tagged with PC
Microsoft has long offered the Your Phone app for Windows 10 PCs, which allows smartphone users to send and receive a text message from their computer and share files, among other features. However, some of the best features available for Android users are unavailable for iPhone users. Dell updated its software last month that beat Microsoft to the punch bringing similar functionality for iPhone users, while expanding Android support. The catch is that Dell Mobile Connect was only meant to run on Dell computers. If you were using a different manufacturer's Windows 10 PC, it was possible in the past to run the app by sideloading it and manually installing drivers. Whether or not that worked varied...
Read more...
Like most PC fans and enthusiasts, we love a good custom PC around here. We particularly like it when someone goes all out on a custom build with liquid cooling and plenty of style. An extremely talented PC builder on reddit by the name of joshkroger has gone above and beyond, and fans of bourbon will particularly like the work. The builder had an actual bourbon barrel that he disassembled and cobbled into a computer case using some components from a donor computer case to secure the PC hardware inside. The build process was a long one requiring him to disassemble the barrel and shave off the sides of some of the staves to flatten them out enough to make the side panels from them. He recycled...
Read more...
Are we finally seeing a turning of the tides for PC sales? Well according to new analysis from both Gartner and IDC, it appears so given the promising sales numbers tallied for 2019. According to IDC, global PC shipments grew by 2.7 percent for 2019, taking the total tally to 266.7 million. Gartner didn't show as much growth year-over-year, but still marked down a 0.6 percent increase for 2019 for a total of 261.2 million units shipped for the year. Although the percentage increase and total shipment numbers differ, the consensus from both firms is that the global PC market witnessed its first year-over-year sales gain since 2011. So, what exactly is the reason for this uptick in sales...
Read more...
Origin PC has unveiled the 2020 edition of its "Big O", which is a hybrid gaming desktop. Inside the chassis is a liquid-cooled PC, a liquid-cooled gaming console, and an optional capture card in one system. The machine is aimed at gamers, streamers, content creators, and professional users. We visited the 2019 edition of the Big O back in July. Inside the large chassis is a liquid-cooled gaming PC on one side, and a liquid-cooled console of the user's choice on the other side. Big O can be fitted with a PS4 Pro or an Xbox One S All-Digital Edition. Both consoles include the original hardware, but there is an option to upgrade either of them to SSDs for internal storage. The console and PC each...
Read more...
ALDI is a European-based grocery store chain that is quickly expanding across the United States, and it is notable for also selling all types of random home goods, electronics, and even clothing. PC gamers can get their hands on the Medion Gaming Desktop PC from ALDI with one caveat being that it is only offered online. That means gamers can't toss it into their shopping cart along with their dinner at the physical store. Most notably, the video card is an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060, which has 6GB of VRAM and is ray tracing-enabled for playing games like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. The GeForce RTX 2060 video card alone is selling for around $330 right now. The other main hardware features...
Read more...
PC gamers may have had to wait for a long time for Red Dead Redemption 2 to hit the platform, but it's coming next month with new features in tow. Gamers who have already finished RDR2 on the console who are wondering if they should buy the game on PC will be glad to hear the game has new content for PC. The new features include three new Bounty Hunter missions, including Herman Zizendorf, Camille de Millemont, and Bart Cavanaugh. There will also be two new gang hideouts to fight through with new Del Lobos hideouts in Gaptooth Breach and Solomon's folly. There are two new Treasure Maps, including Landmarks of Riches and The Elemental Trail maps. A new mission called "To The Ends of The...
Read more...
Intel and AMD currently have the once of fiercest rivalry that we’ve seen in years in the CPU market right now. Intel admitted the renewed competition in a leaked memo in June. Intel had a bit of a rebound in Q2 2019 with stronger CPU availability that has pushed overall PC shipments up for the quarter. IDC says that the overall market for PCs, including desktops, notebooks, and workstations for the quarter totaled 64.9 million units. The PC market overall saw growth of 4.7% for Q2 2019, which IDC calls "noticeably higher" than expectations. The research firm says that two big reasons for the higher than expected growth in the PC market were easing supply shortages, and looming...
Read more...
Fans of games that don't fall into the MMO or shooter genres looking for something to try out will want to keep an eye on the calendar for August 30. On that day, a game called "The Dark Pictures: Man of Medan" launches from Supermassive Games. The game is said to be a horror-adventure anthology series that is a spiritual successor to "Until Dawn" that launched in 2015. The game is hosted by a voice called the Curator that hints at the grim circumstances of each episode of the game and players get to make their own decisions in the game. Player decisions control if the characters live or die. GameSpot and IGN got to spend time with the game, and it sounds like something different that will be...
Read more...
Microsoft has been very successful with its own line of Surface 2-in-1 machines that include the Surface Pro 6 and Surface Go. In May, a patent surfaced that hinted a Surface Pro 7 with a USB-C port and new type cover was in the works. Earlier this month reports indicated that Microsoft was showing off a dual-screen Surface device to employees. Now, Microsoft has teamed up with a company called Kano for a DIY computer that looks like a chunky Surface Go-style 2-in-1 aimed at kids. The Kano PC is a computer that kids build themselves and the kit can be preordered for $299.99 with shipping at the end of October 2019. The goal of the Kano PC is to allow kids to build their own computer, learn how...
Read more...
In February 2019, Logitech revived one if its iconic MX518 gaming mouse with modern internals. Logitech has announced a new gaming mouse that will slip into the line alongside the MX518 called the G502 Lightspeed. The G502 Lightspeed combines professional-grade precision and performance technology in a classic design Logitech reckons fans will love. This latest version of the G502 Lightspeed was re-engineered from the ground up while keeping the shape and features of the original. Logitech integrated its new Lightspeed and Powerplay wireless technologies. The new G502 Lightspeed is seven grams lighter than the original; to shed that weight Logitech used a thin-wall design and endoskeleton...
Read more...
Amazon has put together a desktop PC buyer's guide that has categories for just about every computing need and use case a potential customer could have. The problem is that the product recommendations Amazon makes could leave people seriously unhappy if they want to game or work in more strenuous content creation applications. For example, clicking on the gaming subcategory of the buying guide yields the first two options as iMacs. Say what? An iMac as a gaming system? No. The other options near the top of the page have not-so-great hardware for the money. And of course, any gamer worth their thermal paste knows you can build your own rig, with much better parts, for less money. The awful...
Read more...
PC gamers out there who want a smoking good deal on a new video game will be happy to hear that Steam has kicked off its Autumn Sale. Steam has a couple big sales per year; the last major sale was in June when the Steam Summer sale was underway. While some of the games available in the Autumn Sale are old; there are deals on some new games as well. Monster Hunter: World is one of the new games; it launched back in August and it can be had for a 34% discount making it $39.59 rather than the regular price of $59.99. The popular game Rocket League is part of the sale and is available for $9.99 rather than its usual $29.99. One of the older games that is still fun to play is Borderlands: The...
Read more...
Gamers haven't liked that Microsoft has seemed to turn a cold shoulder on the PC gamers out there in favor of developing games on the Xbox consoles in recent years. Microsoft has been trying to alleviate those concerns with talks of renewing its commitment to PC gaming for years, but nothing has ever come of that promise. Things are changing with Microsoft now announcing that it has purchased a pair of PC-centric game development studios that focus heavily on RPG games: Obsidian and InXile. Microsoft's acquisition announcement is not only good news for PC gamers in general, but for fans of Obsidian and InXile as both devs have been cash-strapped to the point of turning to Kickstarter for game...
Read more...
Battlefield V is another highly anticipated game that will launch in the coming weeks. Its was also one of the headline titles that NVIDIA chose to show off the realistic effects possible with real-time ray tracing, which is supported in hardware on the new GeForce RTX family of graphics cards. Ahead of Battlefield V's launch, Dice has officially announced the PC system requirements for the game. The minimum system requirements are certainly modest, but if you want to enjoy the game with DirectX Raytracing (DXR), your gaming PC better have some serious hardware inside. Dice's recommended machine specifications for DXR are: OS: 64-bit Windows 10 October 2018 Update (1809) Processor (AMD): AMD...
Read more...
Fallout 76 is one of the most anticipated games of the year and we know that the PC version of Fallout 76 will bypass Steam and will be sold directly via Bethesda.net. With the game's launch drawing closer, new information about the game on PC is being offered up by Bethesda in the form of minimum and recommended PC specs. Minimum specs for PC gamers are: Requires 64-bit processor and operating system OS: Windows 7/8/10 (64-bit OS required) Processor: Intel Core i7 4790 3.6 GHz/AMD Ryzen 3 1300X 3.5 GHz or equivalent Graphics: NVIDIA GTX 780 3GB/AMD Radeon R9 285 2GB or equivalent Memory: 8 GB RAM Storage: 60 GB of free disk space Bethesda's recommended specs want a better video card and...
Read more...
One way to get your fill of gaming on the Xbox One without paying $60 a pop for games is to grab an Xbox Game Pass subscription. It's priced at $9.99 per month (following a free 14-day trial) and offers access to over 100 games, including new Xbox exclusives. It's sort of a Netflix for games, and it's headed to the PC platform. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella confirmed the plan to bring Xbox Game Pass to PCs during an earnings call. The vision Microsoft has is to "have a platform that has a community around it and monetize it as well." Porting Xbox Game Pass to PC plays into that goal. "Xbox has the key gaming community and the monetization capabilities. Whether it's first-party games or third-party...
Read more...
Anyone who is the minimalist type wanting as little as possible on and around their workspace -- at home or in the office -- will like what ASUS has cooked up with its new all-in-one desktop PC. The machine is called the Zen AiO 27 and as the name suggests, the machine has a 27-inch screen that supports native 4K resolution with HDR. ASUS uses a NanoEdge PANTONE validated touch panel with 100% sRGB color gamut coverage with high color accuracy and a Delta-E value of less than 3.0. ASUS also wraps in some other interesting features, like a computer base that supports 7.5W Qi wireless charging; that means users can toss a device supporting Qi onto the base and charge it up with no extra wires or...
Read more...
Samsung has been rolling out several curved computer monitors recently with the C32JG5 and C27JG5 displays being unveiled at Gamescom 2018 last week. Samsung has now announced that it will be delivering another curved monitor that is the first of its kind to have Thunderbolt 3 connectivity and it is called the CJ79 (C34J791). This monitor was seen at CES 2018 earlier this year and Samsung is aiming the display at business and creative users wanting a comfortable and efficient work experience. Samsung's CJ79 display will work with both Mac and PCs and has a pair of Thunderbolt 3 ports that can transmit display, data, and power at speeds up to 40 Gbps or about eight times faster than USB 3.0. Thunderbolt...
Read more...
Few things annoy console gamers more about cross-platform play than being forced to compete against PC gamers who are using a mouse and keyboard. The mouse and keyboard are sometimes seen as an unfair advantage to console gamers using a gamepad or other type of controller. PS4 gamers who are using a mouse and keyboard are considered to have an advantage over PS4 gamers using a DualShock controller, for instance. Xbox gamers don’t have to worry about that since there isn’t official mouse and keyboard support for the Xbox One. Regardless, Epic Games wants to keep things fair with Fortnite and plans to keep the mouse and keyboard users from slaughtering unsuspecting gamepad...
Read more...
Gamers have been looking forward to Red Dead Redemption 2 for a long time now. So far, we have seen trailers, but it has been mostly cut scenes instead of actual gameplay elements. We now have a new trailer that shows us a bunch of cutscenes and mixes that in with actual gameplay footage, and the game looks epic. The slightly longer than six-minute video gives us a glimpse at most aspects of the game from the poker mini-game to schlepping your way around the open world, fighting hand-to-hand, catching fugitives, and shooting. You can easily tell what is cutscenes and what is gameplay by looking for the little mini map in the bottom right corner. That is really your only indication that gameplay...
Read more...
Fans of the vast game No Man’s Sky have a new update coming next week that is called “Next”, and will bring with it some major additions to the game. This update adds a full multiplayer experience that allows players to team up with friends and random players to reach their goals. The Next update also brings with it the ability to play the game in first- or third-person view. Perhaps the coolest of the new features in the update is the ability to become a fleet commander. With that ability, players can command a fleet of ships as they explore the universe. The update also brings with it a significant update for the game’s visuals. New planetary rings and improved...
Read more...
Perhaps in a parallel universe, tablets rule the day and traditional PCs are now extinct. Not in this universe, though. Both Gartner and International Data Corporation (IDC) tallied more than 62.1 million worldwide PC shipments in the second quarter of 2018. Where the two differ is in the precise growth rate—Gartner says PC shipments are up 1.4 percent year-over-year, marking the first quarter of annual growth since Q1 2012, and IDC pegs it at 2.7 percent. The exact number doesn't matter, it's the fact that PC shipments are on the rise that is interesting, and encouraging, especially in light of consumers increasingly using their smartphones for tasks that were once the exclusive domain...
Read more...
