August 15th, 2014 - The WAN Show Document

[LinusTech]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NxUvf0RdttM

 

As usual the table of contents document is available here for crowd-sourcing. Thanks so much for helping, guys

 

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1SFdsFIYpeoeKNUqtic9LPgesVuJW533E8M07FizQDYM/edit?usp=sharing

 

Samsung announces metal Galaxy Alpha

Source 1: linustechtips.com OP: Nineshadow

Source 2: doxcole.com

- 4.7-inch 1280×720 Super AMOLED display,

- Exynos octacore processor (Quad 1.8GHz + Quad 1.3GHz)

- 2GB RAM

- 32GB of internal storage (no microSD support),

-  Supports LTE-A

- 1860mAh battery,

-  fingerprint sensor,

- 12 megapixel rear camera, 2.1 megapixel front

- metal building materials

- only 6.7mm thick and it weighs in at 115g.

- five colors: black, white, gold, silver and blue.

- released sequentially in more than 150 countries starting September 2014.

- Speculated price is 799-830 USD off contract

 

One Plus One Contest Objectifies Women

Source 1: linustechtips.com OP: AlexGoesHigh

Source 2: digitaltrends.com

- Contest exclusively for women

- asked women to take a picture of themselves with the OnePlus logo visible on either a piece of paper or drawn somewhere on the body

- 50 “most well-liked” ladies would get a t-shirt and a code so that they could buy the phone

- OnePlus dropped a “ladies, no nudity please” warning.

- the contest thread and various pockets of the Internet were filled with people calling the contest sexist and demeaning, as well as objectifying

- photos posted with “don’t be sexist” beside the One Plus logo

- Cyanogen tweeted “we value all of our users and do not support any contest that objectifies people.”

- Contest thread has been taken down

 

Microsoft and Sony both using PCs to showcase their games at Gamescom

Source 1: linustechtips.com OP: Johners

- Not very surprising, we know it happens at almost every recent conference

- “Ori and the Blind Forest” crashed to desktop while a boy was playing, pictures were taken

- Microsoft included Xbox units in front of the TV and hid the PCs

- PC was using NVIDIA hardware (as we can see from the Geforce experience update in the corner)

- Ori and the Blind Forest is the only game from Microsoft proven to be running on PC

- speculated that others are and the PCs are hidden like they were on Ori

- Sony also caught showing Need for Speed on PC (pic in thread)

 

Ubisoft Pledges to Take PC More Seriously

Source 1: linustechtips.com OP: Johners

Source 2: polygon.com

- will focus more on needs of PC gamers

- simplified DRM activation

- greater commitment to multi-platform releases

- “We’re ... doing our best to bring our games to PC at the same time as the console version”

- AC Unity and Farcry 4 will come to PC will be released simultaneously on PC and console

- AC Unity release Oct 28

- FC4 release Nov 18

- Ubisoft revenues from PC have increased from 11 to 15% this year

- “We are committed to improving the optimization of our games for each platform on which they’re released, including PC”

 

Robin Williams might be coming to World of Warcraft

Source 1: linustechtips.com OP:  Johners

Source 2: change.org

Source 3: computerandvideogames.com

- Robin Williams was a pretty big gamer throughout his life

- played anything from Portal to CoD to WoW

- petition was started to get Blizzard to add Robin Williams to WoW as an NPC

- almost 11 thousand signatures

- Blizzard has stated “we’re taking care of it” Celestalon Tweet

- Blizzard thanks Robin Williams/says "we'll see you in game"

 

DDR4 just as expensive as we feared it would be

Source 1: techgage.com

Source 2: http://techgage.com/news/ddr4-is-just-as-expensive-as-we-feared-it-would-be/

- 60-70% more expensive than DDR3 based on Crucial prices (Newegg pre-order)

- both 4x8GB 2133MHz and 4x8GB 2400MHz kits listed at $520 (USD)

- for some reason 2133 and 2400 are priced the same

- kits with and w/out heat spreader are also listed at the same price points… weird

 

4620MHz Hyper-X Memory

Source 1: linustechtips.com OP: MikeTz

Source 2: youtube.com (Promo Video) Warning: Music

- Important to consider that compared to DDR4, which will be available at higher frequencies in volume, this is literally ONE stick of memory that could achieve this

- Also it’s a 4GB stick of RAM

- Also on a board specifically designed for overclocking

- Also cooled by liquid nitrogen

- Also no mention of timings

- Still pretty darn cool

 

Silent Laptops may be coming with Broadwell

Source 1: twitter.com

Source 2: lanacion.com.ar (Spanish)

Source 3: indiatimes.com

- Intel Core M will be a 14nm chip based on Broadwell

- Intel claims twice as fast as Core models introduced in 2010

- 7 times better graphics performance

- power consumption four times smaller for battery that achieves double the runtime at half the size.

 

Payday 2 devs making new Walking Dead Co-op Game

Source 1: steamcommunity.com (Announcement)

Source 2: youtube.com (Trailer)

- Release teaser contains almost no information

- Announcement by Robert Kirkman from Skybound, the creator of The Walking Dead.

- Skybound is partnering with OVERKILL to make a Walking Dead game.

- Will be released in 2016.

- An exclusive weapon, the “Lucille” baseball bat from The Walking Dead, will be offered to the PAYDAY 2 community for free to be used in-game in PAYDAY 2.

 

Sierra's rebirth was made possible by the success of digital platforms

Source 1: linustechtips.com OP: Dietrichw

Source 2: polygon.com

 

Bug found in Haswell/Broadwell CPU's. Microcode update to disable feature.

Source 1: linustechtips.com OP: Notional

Source 2: anandtech.com

- Bug in Transactional Synchronization eXtensions (TSX)

- TSX enables the CPU to process a series of traditionally locked instructions on a dataset in a multithreaded environment without locks.

- News coming from Intel’s briefings in Portland last week boil down to an erratum found with the TSX instructions.

- It would seem that this a fundamental silicon issue that cannot be designed around, or intercepted at an OS or firmware/BIOS level.

- TSX can be re-enabled through the BIOS/firmware menu should the motherboard manufacturer decide to expose it to the user.

-

- At the current time there is no road map for when the fix will be in place.

- too late to fix broadwell y as well

 

Assassin's Creed Unity will let players "fast track" unlocks with microtransactions

Source 1: linustechtips.com OP: Johners

Source 2: pcgamer.com

- Ubisoft confirmed presence of microtransactions during Gamescom presentation

- they didn’t go into detail, but according to TotalXbox it seems like a straightforward pay for in-game items scheme

- "If we think it fits the gameplay, or the brand itself, the core values, we're willing to take those risks," he said. "If not, then not. We're not going to make any compromises."

- disappointing that Ubisoft thinks microtransactions fit their core values

 

Head of Xbox (Phil Spencer) division comments about resolution

Source 1: puu.sh (Image)

Source 2: computerandvideogames.com

- “Framerate to me is significantly more important than resolution to gaming”

- “Reaching parity with our partners has been important.”

- “...in the end I don't want it to be about a number, because 1080p isn't some mythical, perfect resolution”

- “Framerate to me is significantly more important to gameplay than resolution and the mix of those two which brings the right art style and freedom.”

- “So there are certain genres (like racing sims and games like Forza) where hitting 1080p/60fps is important and expected, but there are also other genres where I'd rather use the cycles to put more effects on screen or better lighting.”

 

Microsoft’s “Project Hyperlapse” Makes Shaky Timelapse Video Watchable

Source 1: linustechtips.com OP: TopWargamer

Source 2: gizmodo.com

Source 3: research.microsoft.com (Project Page)

Source 4: youtube.com

- Soon-to-be Windows App.

- (Video in source 4.)

- How it works: The algorithm first reconstructs the 3D input camera path as well as dense, per-frame proxy geometries. It then optimizes a novel camera path for the output video that is smooth and passes near the input cameras while ensuring that the virtual camera looks in directions that can be rendered well from the input. Next, it computes geometric proxies for each input frame. These allow it to render the frames from the novel viewpoints on the optimized path.

 

Nvidia: Average selling prices of graphics cards may grow further

Source 1: linustechtips.com OP: Artorias

Source 2: kitguru.net

- According to the head of Nvidia, average selling prices (ASPs) of graphics cards will continue to increase in the future.

- A lot of gamers now prefer graphics cards that cost $300 and higher. Ten years ago such gamers typically spent around $200 on a graphics card.

- The CEO of Nvidia believes that the number of PC gamers will also grow going forward.

- Inflation: 26.2% in last 10 years (2004-2014) puu.sh

 

AMD hopes to put a little Mantle in OpenGL Next

Source 1: linustechtips.com OP: monstercameron

Source 2: techreport.com

- (no notes)

 

Twitter admits that 23 million of its active users are automated

Source 1: linustechtips.com OP: MangoJuiceStain

Source 2: qz.com

- Twitter said that “up to approximately 8.5%” of the accounts it considers active are automatically updated “without any discernible additional user-initiated action.”

- Included in this group are accounts that automatically request information from Twitter but may not tweet themselves such as accounts that automatically request data from Twitter to display tweets on screens or mobile apps that aren’t owned by Twitter.

- Only 11% of monthly active users (MAUs) accessed Twitter from applications that the company doesn’t own, like Tweetbot or Flipboard.

- These bots don’t receive the ads that are shown on Twitter so advertisers and by extension shareholders are worried.

 

Sony Xperia Z2 lives after being submerged in salt water for 6 weeks

Source 1: linustechtips.com OP: LarsReviews

Source 2: phonearena.com

- The Sony Xperia Z2 happens to be certified to withstand a submersion in fresh water to as deep as 5 feet, for as long as 30 minutes.

- Alexander Maxén from Gothenburg was waterskiing while on vacation and left his Sony Xperia Z2 on the seat of the boat. Once once the craft started the phone fell into the sea and onto the seabed more than 10 meters deep.

- Six weeks later, a friend of Alexander went scuba diving and retrieved the Xperia Z2.

- The back glass was shattered and the battery had completely discharged. But the LED indicator did light up when the phone was plugged in. And once recharged, the phone worked perfectly, even making phone calls.

 

Microsoft May rename Internet Explorer

Source 1: linustechtips.com OP: GoodBytes

Source 2: arstechnica.com

Source 3: reddit.com (permalink)

- Q: How you ever consider rebranding and changing the name of Internet Explorer?

- A: “It's been suggested internally; I remember a particularly long email thread where numerous people were passionately debating it. Plenty of ideas get kicked around about how we can separate ourselves from negative perceptions that no longer reflect our product today.”

- Q: “Why did you decide to stick with the same name then?”

- A: “The discussion I recall seeing was a very recent one (just a few weeks ago). Who knows what the future holds ”

- A: “We briefly considered Ultron, but the lawyers said no.”

 

USB Type-C Connector Finalized

Source 1: linustechtips.com OP: GoodBytes

Source 2: arstechnica.com

 

- Designed to completely replace every size of all current USB connectors.

- New connector is reversible.

- The new connector is "similar in size" to current micro USB 2.0

- The openings for the connector measure roughly 8.4mm by 2.6mm.

- Cables and adapters for connecting Type-C devices into older Type-A and Type-B ports will be readily available.

- Will be compatible with USB 3.1which supports 10Gbps and delivery of up to 100W of power.

- It should be possible to make future cables physically compatible with one another.

 

NVIDIA K1 Denver CPU

Source 1: extremetech.com

Source 2: bit-tech.net

- Nvidia’s first 64-bit ARM-based system-on-chip (SoC) processor.

- There will be two versions bearing the same name; the standard Tegra K1, featuring four 32-bit Cortex-A15 ARMv7 processing cores plus a fifth low-power 'Shadow Core,' clock speeds of up to 2.3GHz and two chunks of 32KB L1 cache.

- The second is based on two 64-bit ARMv8 cores, codenamed 'Denver,' with a seven-way superscalar design, clock speeds of up to 2.5GHz, and 128KB plus 64KB L1 cache.

- Only the former has hit the market so far.

- The design of Denver includes tricks that will bring its performance closer to that of a desktop processor without sacrificing power envelope restraints.

- Will probably hit the market “later this year”

 

TENCENT COMES ONBOARD THE RAZER NABU DEVELOPER PROGRAM

Source 1: venturebeat.com

 

 

LG Confirms it Will Provide an Official Bootloader Unlock

Source 1: linustechtips.com OP: TopWargamer

Source 2: technobuffalo.com

- LG has confirmed that it has plans to provide an official bootloader unlocking solution for those who wish to install custom ROM.

- LG hopes the official bootloader unlocking solution makes the process safer.

- LG hasn’t yet decided which devices it will provide a bootloader unlock for, and it cannot confirm at this time when the service might be available. The company admits it could take a while.

- LG “deeply apologizes” that it cannot provide an unlocking solution right now.

 

Rapid Fire

 

Comcast’s "Unreturned Equipment" Fees

Source 1: linustechtips.com OP: Johners

Source 2: buzzfeed.com

- Steps customer took in source 2.

 

Metal Gear Solid 5 coming to PC

Source 1: linustechtips.com OP: Johners

Source 2: polygon.com

- Hideo Kojima himself just confirmed that both Metal Gear Solid 5 titles are coming to PC via Steam.

- Total Biscuit probably put it best: twitter.com

 

Rise of the Tomb Raider to be Xbox One exclusive

Source 1: computerandvideogames.com

Source 2: linustechtips.com

Source 3: polygon.com

- The game is coming Holiday 2015 exclusively to Xbox, he said. It's unclear how long that exclusivity will last.

- Excerpt from tumblr post on issue: “Our friends at Microsoft have always seen huge potential in Tomb Raider and have believed in our vision since our first unveil with them on their stage at E3 2011. We know they will get behind this game more than any support we have had from them in the past - we believe this will be a step to really forging the Tomb Raider brand as one of the biggest in gaming, with the help, belief and backing of a major partner like Microsoft.” For other platforms they have “... Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris coming ... this December, and Tomb Raider: The Definitive Edition is available on PS4.”

 

DayZ comes to PS4

Source 1: http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/196379-dayz-is-coming-to-ps4/

Source 2: reddit.com (Reddit Thread)

- Dean “Rocket” Hall comments http://imgur.com/ulHwvZR

- Old Tweet of Rocket bashing consoles http://i.imgur.com/zVqRRv9.jpg

- Funds from PC version were used to start PS4 team but they believe it can be recouped through multi-platform sales

- PS4 team has already benefitted the PC version by installing new 64bit servers

 

The creator of pop-up ads is sorry

Source 1: linustechtips.com OP: Victorious Secret

Source 2: theatlantic.com

- The story he had: “At the end of the day, the business model that got us funded was advertising. The model that got us acquired was analyzing users’ personal homepages so we could better target ads to them. Along the way, we ended up creating one of the most hated tools in the advertiser’s toolkit: the pop-up ad. It was a way to associate an ad with a user’s page without putting it directly on the page, which advertisers worried would imply an association between their brand and the page’s content. Specifically, we came up with it when a major car company freaked out that they’d bought a banner ad on a page that celebrated anal sex. I wrote the code to launch the window and run an ad in it. I’m sorry. Our intentions were good.”

 

Japanese Region Locks on PC Games

Source 1: tabitter.net

- Japanese gamer comments on the state of being a PC gamer in Japan

- Some Japanese-made titles are not made available

- Steam prices are very high in the market

- some games force you to pay more for a DLC language pack to get Japanese subtitles (on Japanese steam!!)

- sad comment on how far behind PC gaming is in some regions

- why are region-locks still a thing? should have left with the 2000’s

 

Intel Teams With 50 Cent, to make Biometric Earbuds

Source 1: m.us.wsj.com

- Intel teaming with SMS Audio, the company launched by rapper 50 Cent that has basketball star Carmelo Anthony as an investor.

- The earbuds are designed to work with a smartphone app to measure the wearer’s heart rate, using an optical sensor.

- The biometric data is sent over the same wire that sends music to the listener’s ears, which simultaneously helps charge the device, the companies say.

- SMS President Brian Nohe said the product line formerly called SMS Audio Bio Sport In-Ear Headphones powered by Intel will be available in the fourth quarter. The Florida-based company is not disclosing pricing yet.

- Also no disclosure about how they’ll sound. I love how it’s not even part of the discussion.

Edited August 17, 2014 by looney
Fixed for night-theme.

[Beskamir]

So could you please set the font to auto so us night theme users don't have to squint or highlight text?

[Hoppa]

A new viewer record this time wasn't it?

Good job guys, keep it up.

 

I reckon it'll be about a year until 10k+ viewers for the WAN show.

[Jumper118]

linus. minimum wage in the uk isn't £10 an hour its more like £6.83

[pk-man]

yay black text on dark background

[PhantomChevron]

Yay another Wan show

[Solkia]

I... have to agree on framerate being more important than resolution.

 

But, well, it's nice that I don't have to pick one or the other anymore.

[VulsaviiK]

Only thing I really want to mention is the bit about microtransactions. I like the way, say for example, that Dota 2 does it.

 

"Here, have the whole game, for free, characters and all, no disadvantages. Oh, that shiny stuff you want? Pay up"

 

That, I can live with. I think it coming into single player games, I'm uncomfortable with the possibilities which could stem from a trend like that. I also don't think a AAA developer, charging $60-110 (Depending on locale and platform) is really justified

[Scotty_Aus]

Time stamps fo the Show

 

 

0:00:10 Stormtrooper Discussion DoozyDiglett

0:03:42 Intro and Squarespace Sponsor Spot DoozyDiglett

0:06:00 Talk about a game only Linus and Luke know about: The Palace DoozyDiglett

0:07:51 Samsung Galaxy Alpha, nothing special , more of a fashion accessory DoozyDiglett, rootavish

0:14:36 Happy Baby to Linus (A cake with Genitals written on it) DoozyDiglett

0:17:00 OnePlus' Publicity fail, degrading to women DoozyDiglett, rootavish

0:20:55 Microsoft + Sony caught using PC's to showcase games @gamescon 2014 AdequateShrimp

0:23:54 Ubisoft pledges to take PC more seriously Scotty_Aus

0:27:23 Fans want a WoW tribute to Robin Williams, and Blizzard's Listening Scotty_Aus

0:30:15 DDR-4 is going to be roughly 60%-70% more expensive than DDR-3 AdequateShrimp

0:32:49 Kingston HyperX Predator High Speed DDR3 Memory (4620mhz) Scotty_Aus

0:34:15 Intel's silent laptops maybe coming with Broadwell AdequateShrimp

0:36:17 Bug Found in Haswell/Broadwell CPU's. Microcode update to disable feature Scotty_Aus

0:38:50 Johner's bad language / Ubi confirms microtransaction upgrades for AC: Unity AdequateShrimp

0:47:57 Head of Xbox (Phil Spencer) division comments about resolution Scotty_Aus

0:51:10 Linus reveals DDR-4 (corsair vengeance 2800mhz) Scotty_Aus + AdequateShrimp

0:53:00 Microsoft’s “Project Hyperlapse” Makes Shaky Timelapse Video Watchable Scotty_Aus

0:54:50 Nvidia: Average selling prices of graphics cards may grow further Scotty_Aus

1:01:49 AMD hopes to put a little Mantle in OpenGL Next Scotty_Aus

1:03:50 Twitter admits 23 million of its users are automated/bots AdequateShrimp

1:04:30 Sony Xperia Z2 lives after being submerged in salt water (ocean bed) for 6 weeks Scotty_Aus, rootavish

1:07:34 Microsoft might be renaming Internet Explorer AdequateShrimp

1:09:31 USB Type-C Connector Finalized Scotty_Aus

1:11:35 Goat simulator going to consoles / MGS:V coming to PC AdequateShrimp

1:12:08 Rise of the Tomb Raider to be Xbox One (timed) exclusive Scotty_Aus

1:13:10 DayZ comes to PS4 Scotty_Aus

1:14:50 Ethan Zuckerman is sorry for creating pop-up ads AdequateShrimp

1:16:49 Square Space Ad Spot/Web Contest Winner: Tech Prince AdequateShrimp + Scotty_Aus

1:19:00 Attempt to crash Linus's Square Space website (DDOS) Scotty_Aus + AdequateShrimp

1:21:52 Intel Teams With 50 Cent, to make Biometric Earbuds Scotty_Aus

1:26:54 SMS+50 "Streets" are POTATO quality headphones Scotty_Aus + AdequateShrimp

1:29:08 WAN Show unobviously is over + Square Space sponsored the show today AdequateShrimp + Scotty_Aus

[Guest]

In regards to microtransactions in full price games: We simply can't trust publishers to not design the game in a way that compels people to use microtransactions. Assassins Creed is a good example, when you set your brotherhood on a mission, when you upgrade Rome or your villa it usually takes time to complete these tasks. They could simply increase that time to a point where it gets insanely slow and offer a 50 cents microtransaction to speed it up. That would just test the players patience vs their wallet. It doesn't add anything to the game, it doesn't improve the quality or give players "options". You don't opt into that kind of stuff, the game will be designed to squeeze some extra money out of you and if you decide not to do that it will be a lesser experience. And no, waiting will not be the "comeback" of oldschool difficulty. There is no justification for microtransactions in a full price game, ever. Because we simply can't trust the people in charge not to fuck it up.

 

A great video on the matter:

[GuestForeverX]

If the new graphics cards are around $300 and the high tier is $720-$800  Then that means all the other graphics cards are gonna drop in price =D

[Trik'Stari]

I... have to agree on framerate being more important than resolution.

 

But, well, it's nice that I don't have to pick one or the other anymore.

You shouldn't have to. The technology is such that consoles only suck because they want to bilk their customers on the base price of the console, nevermind that you pay extra to be able to play online, the games are overpriced, underdeveloped, and microtransactioned to hello.

 

Consoles NEED to die.

[GuestForeverX]

Consoles NEED to die.

 

NO we NEED Consoles and we NEED Call of Duty. We NEED them to Keep out the Trash Gamers.

[Trik'Stari]

NO we NEED Consoles and we NEED Call of Duty. We NEED them to Keep out the Trash Gamers.

No, they need to find something else to do with their time. Stop balancing games, make skill apart of it, and the trash will get frustrated and go away.

[ZeroBreaker]

No, they need to find something else to do with their time. Stop balancing games, make skill apart of it, and the trash will get frustrated and go away.

...balancing is meant to emphasize skill...

[Trik'Stari]

...balancing is meant to emphasize skill...

No it's meant to undermine it. Keep getting shot by a really good sniper? How about stop running straigh at him and serpentine. Balancing undermines skill completely in favor of making the less skilled player win more often so they think they have skill.

 

Stop nerfing guns, make them realistic, make the SMG's do almost no damage and have no accuracy over 25 meters (unless in semi auto, then it can be accurate), make the AR's good to about 100 meters, and the sniper rifles accurate beyond that. I use meters because it's standard for the military. Oh, and stop making bullets so goddamned slow, they move soooo much faster than they do in bf4, which is why I stopped playing it.

[ZeroBreaker]

No it's meant to undermine it. Keep getting shot by a really good sniper? How about stop running straigh at him and serpentine. Balancing undermines skill completely in favor of making the less skilled player win more often so they think they have skill.

 

Stop nerfing guns, make them realistic, make the SMG's do almost no damage and have no accuracy over 25 meters (unless in semi auto, then it can be accurate), make the AR's good to about 100 meters, and the sniper rifles accurate beyond that. I use meters because it's standard for the military. Oh, and stop making bullets so goddamned slow, they move soooo much faster than they do in bf4, which is why I stopped playing it.

 

Dude, balancing is core to any multiplayer gameplay experience, be it in an fps or fighter or anything else. Its sole purpose is to make the game fairer for all weapons, fighters, etc. I.e. the match does not rely on how well the gun or fighter works, but on how you use it. This is why high level play, especially in fighting games, is so popular - there comes a point in a games life where humans cannot make it any better (super smash bros melee) and its pure skill who wins. Call of duty's guns work the same way in principle.

 

Just because you think something should be different, doesnt mean that is the best way forward. CS:GO, very popular competitively, and totally unrealistic in weapons - ak first shot super accurate, auto snipers are dead on, etc. It is a skill game and thus is fun to play.

[Guest]

About the Samsung ad and the 1+ marketing campaing...

Is discussion of marketing materials/campaigns really interesting to anyone?

I would understand if the discussion was about how accurate the claims made in ads were, but taking the time to talk about anything else concerning them seems absurd to me.

[looney]

So could you please set the font to auto so us night theme users don't have to squint or highlight text?

It's a direct copy paste from a Google doc, I fixed it.

[ilikemacandpc]

It's a direct copy paste from a Google doc, I fixed it.

 

HOORAY!!!

[Thebman712]

hey where is the audio only