Let's Talk Tech
The more I see from this thing, the more curious I am to try it out. These high-res “owl-eye” sensors, instead of dual analog sticks, look like they could give controller players a nice step up.
Valve details the new set up for their up coming Steam boxes in this video. Sit back, settle in, and enjoy the next four minutes and twenty five seconds of game play demonstration with Valve’s new hardware.
Just a funny little observation from Reddit user praefectus_praetorio. I’m not entirely sure how I feel about what they might be implying by which character is using which smartphone… I’d like to think the “Psychopath” is using Windows Phone because Nokia phones are pretty much indestructible…
(via Reddit)
From the Twitters:
@SomeGadgetGuy hey man, gaming wise is there any difference in lumias to other phones when considering only graphics?
— Yasi Jay (@YasiJay) September 30, 2013
Hey Yasi,
So here’s the deal, long story short, current Windows Phone Handsets will run at a deficit compared to current Android handsets when it comes to gaming. Microsoft’s hardware mandate pretty much guarantees that all Windows Phones will rock similar hardware. To date, that means Qualcomm’s older dual core Snapdragon chipset. Even though Windows Phone 8 is a decently lean OS which runs more efficiently than Android, and for day to day tasks you’d be hard pressed to see much difference in operation between WP8 on dual-core and Android on quad-core, gaming is one of those phone taxing activities where the extra horsepower comes in handy.
It’s not to say that the gaming experience is bad, far from it. I’m having a blast playing Halo: Spartan Assault, and Where’s My Water 2 was released on WP before Android. All things being equal though, playing the same game on Android and WP8, like Asphalt 7, I find levels load faster, game play lags less, and newer Android phones tend to run a little cooler than WP handsets. We’re just running into the upper limits of what this older chipset is capable of delivering.
Other comparisons become a bit more subjective. Some claim that the 1080p resolution found on newer Android fare looks better than the 720p screens on Windows Phones. Also, that the better graphics hardware means fancier lighting and particle effects. Both are certainly true scientifically, but I’ve honestly had a difficult time seeing a tremendous advantage on screens smaller than five inches.
It’s not all bad news though, as the Nokia Lumia 1520 phablet is rumored to be the first Windows Phone featuring both a 1080p screen and Qualcomm’s new 800 series chipset, pretty much catapulting Windows Phone up to the current ranks of the premier Android ecosystem. On phones rocking a larger than five inch screen that resolution bump becomes a little more noticeable in fine detail and clarity.
Thanks for the question Yasi!
This is hysterically cute.
In the past, 3D goggles never really delivered the virtual reality experience they claimed they could. Current gen 3D tech is getting surprisingly good however, and the head tracking tech built into Oculus Rift provides for an extremely smooth experience, cresting that mind warping realism we’ve been seeking for so long.
This woman isn’t prepared for what’s about to happen on this roller coaster simulator, and that’s why this video rocks.
How meta is it watching Mike Tyson play Punch Out? One of my all time favorite NES games, though I was never able to beat it. It does make me feel a little better about myself that one of the most ferocious boxers in history, who was the subject of this very game, was unable to get past the very first opponent. Come on Mike! It’s Glass Joe!