Gaming
Steam Revamps Game Purchases
Steam has taken a proactive step to inform users that purchasing games on its platform grants a license rather than outright ownership. This move aligns with a new California law that will require digital storefronts to disclose the true nature of digital game purchases.
While digital games offer convenience, they have always been subject to the terms and conditions set by the game publishers. This can lead to situations where access to games can be revoked, as demonstrated by Ubisoft’s removal of The Crew last year.
The new California law aims to increase transparency for consumers by preventing storefronts from using misleading terms like “buy” or “purchase” without clarifying that they are acquiring a license. Steam has already implemented this change, informing users in their shopping carts that purchases grant a license.
This move reflects Steam’s commitment to consumer protection and transparency. It is a positive step towards ensuring that gamers are aware of their rights and the potential limitations of digital game ownership.
Gadgets
Corsair Introduces K70 PRO TKL
CORSAIR has unveiled the K70 PRO TKL, a tenkeyless keyboard that redefines the standards of gaming performance. Powered by CORSAIR’s innovative MGX Hyperdrive magnetic switches and featuring cutting-edge technologies like Rapid Trigger and FlashTap, the K70 PRO TKL is designed to dominate the competitive gaming scene.
The K70 PRO TKL introduces CORSAIR’s MGX Hyperdrive magnetic switches, which utilize Hall-effect sensors for lightning-fast activation. Combined with Rapid Trigger, these switches accelerate actions by registering and resetting keypresses instantly, surpassing the capabilities of traditional mechanical switches. The customisable actuation distance, ranging from 0.1mm to 4.0mm, allows gamers to tailor the keyboard to their specific preferences.
The K70 PRO TKL also offers FlashTap, a revolutionary SOCD system that enables esports-grade character movement. By prioritizing the first or last keypress, FlashTap significantly enhances in-game movement, particularly for rapid-strafing and move-mirroring techniques.
The wired-only K70 PRO TKL boasts 8,000Hz hyper-polling, ensuring ultra-fast keystroke registration. CORSAIR’s AXON hyper-processing technology further minimizes input lag and delay, giving gamers a decisive edge in critical moments.
The K70 PRO TKL delivers a premium gaming experience with its pre-lubricated MGX Hyperdrive switches, which offer a consistent and wobble-free keystroke. The keyboard’s sound-dampening foam reduces unwanted noise, creating a quieter and more immersive gaming environment.
Gadgets
TCL Extends Partnership with Activision to Launch Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
TCL’s C755 and C855 models were at the centre of this immersive experience, delivering unparalleled gaming performance. The TCL C755 is built for top-tier gaming with its 144Hz VRR for smooth, lag-free gameplay, stunning QD-Mini LED visuals, and 500+ local dimming zones for deeper contrast. With Dolby Vision IQ, HDR10+, and 1300 nits peak brightness, it ensures vibrant picture quality even in bright settings. Game Master Pro mode gives gamers a competitive edge, while AMD FreeSync Premium Pro enhances HDR performance. Dolby Atmos and Onkyo speakers deliver immersive 3D surround sound, making the C755 a perfect choice for gaming and home entertainment.
The TCL C855 Premium QD-Mini LED 4K TV offers an exceptional viewing and gaming experience with its 1344 local dimming zones, HDR brightness of 3300 nits, and QLED Pro technology for stunning visuals. It features a 144Hz VRR and AMD FreeSync Premium Pro for ultra-smooth gameplay, enhanced by Game Master mode for optimized performance. Powered by the AiPQ Pro processor, it delivers top-tier picture quality, while IMAX Enhanced technology ensures immersive audio-visuals. Its ultra-slim design, multiple eye care features, and advanced gaming capabilities make it a standout choice for both entertainment and gaming enthusiasts.
“As the gaming community continues to evolve, our extended collaboration with Activision demonstrates our commitment to pushing the boundaries of gaming technology. With our C755 QD-Mini LED 4K TV and our Premium QD-Mini LED C855 TVs, we are not just delivering a product, but an elevated and enthralling gaming experience that brings Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 to life,” said Majid Khan Niazi, Marketing Director for TCL Middle East & Africa.
As the Official TV Partner of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, TCL’s partnership goes beyond product placement, with the brand set to be featured in upcoming tournament broadcasts, launch events, and influencer-led campaigns. Together with Activision, TCL is ushering in a new era of gaming, where cutting-edge display technology elevates every battle, mission, and victory. TCL remains at the forefront of gaming innovation, committed to delivering products that cater to the evolving needs of gamers worldwide.
Artificial Intelligence
NVIDIA GeForce Showcases Latest AI and Gaming Innovations at GITEX 2024
NVIDIA GeForce Middle East and North Africa captivated the region’s tech enthusiasts during GITEX Technology Week by hosting an exclusive media day on October 17th at The Ritz-Carlton, DIFC, Dubai. The event highlighted NVIDIA’s latest advancements in PC gaming, content creation, and AI technologies, with a range of hands-on demos that gave attendees the chance to experience some of the leading innovations in the industry.
In the spotlight was the first-ever MENA showcase of NVIDIA Avatar Cloud Engine (ACE), alongside a lineup of other interactive experiences powered by NVIDIA’s RTX AI technologies. Highlights of the NVIDIA RTX AI Demo Area:
NVIDIA ACE: Covert Protocol
The Covert Protocol demo revealed the future of digital humans, using NVIDIA Avatar Cloud Engine (ACE) for speech and animation, NVIDIA NeMo for language processing, and NVIDIA RTX for lifelike ray-traced rendering. These technologies help developers create digital humans capable of natural language interactions. Attendees were immersed in an interactive experience where they played as detectives in a hotel, completing objectives through dynamic conversations with AI-driven characters.
Stable Diffusion XL in ComfyUI
With ComfyUI offering a streamlined interface for Stable Diffusion XL accelerated on NVIDIA RTX GPUs with NVIDIA TensorRT, guests could instantly generate high-quality images, transforming themselves into characters from DOOM Eternal with a single click. NVIDIA demonstrated how Stable Diffusion XL expedites image generation workflows, combined with one-step RTX-enhanced ControlNets. RTX GPUs speed up image generation and offer access to the newest and broadest range of AI features.
Half-Life 2 RTX Remix Project
Fans of classic gaming went back in time and witnessed an evolution with the Half-Life 2 RTX Remix Project, currently in development as a community-driven effort. This demo showcased NVIDIA’s technologies such as ray tracing, DLSS 3.5, Reflex, and RTX IO, bringing new life and geometric detail to the iconic game.
DLSS on RTX 40 Series Laptops
The revolutionary NVIDIA DLSS technology, which multiplies gaming performance using AI, was showcased on RTX 40 series laptops with titles like Black Myth: Wukong, Ghost of Tsushima, and Horizon Forbidden West. The media had the chance to test the AI-powered feature, seeing firsthand how it creates additional frames and enhances image quality. NVIDIA also demonstrated the unmatched performance of DLSS 3.5 on Alan Wake 2, an AI-driven performance boost that enhanced the gameplay experience to a whole new level.
Star Wars Outlaws DLSS 3.5 Showcase
A side-by-side comparison of Star Wars Outlaws with DLSS ON/OFF demonstrated the dramatic performance difference when playing with DLSS enabled versus when it was switched off, showcasing the AI technology’s power to transform gaming experiences.
NVIDIA Canvas
Attendees explored the artistic possibilities of NVIDIA Canvas, an AI-powered tool that turns simple brushstrokes into highly realistic landscapes. Using RTX GPUs, NVIDIA Canvas allows creators to create backgrounds quickly and speed up their concept exploration, offering more time to focus on visualizing their ideas with remarkable speed and precision.
NVIDIA continues to lead the way in AI and gaming technologies, creating a future where the boundaries between reality and the digital world continue to blur. The immersive demos during GITEX Technology Week offered a glimpse into the innovations shaping the industry and the limitless possibilities of NVIDIA’s RTX AI technologies.