Hardware accelerated OpenGL is up and running on the Raspberry Pi 2. An experimental driver in the latest version of Raspbian gives enthusiasts of the tiny $35 computer the ability to drastically improve graphic performance, to the point where some basic 3D gaming is possible.
A fan-made video shows glxgears, a simple OpenGL graphics demonstration, running with and without OpenGL support on a Raspberry Pi. The difference is immediately obvious: the animation goes from a stuttering slide show to a smooth 60 frames per second.
The driver that makes this possible is included in the latest version of Raspbian, the Linux-based operating system maintained by the Raspberry Pi team. According to the release notes, users will have to take active steps to enable the new feature.
“This is turned off by default,” the announcement says. “If you want to enable it, you can find it in the command-line version of raspi-config, under Advanced Options->GL Drive.”
The post also explains how to install a couple of OpenGL-rendered games, like Neverball and Oolite, which barely load on the Pi 2 without the new OpenGL support. The team claims these run smoothly with the driver enabled.
As for other games, your mileage may vary. At least one user received the full version of Minecraft up and running, but it did eventually crash.
The Raspberry Pi 2 will never run the latest AAA releases at the highest settings — there’s only so much a $35 computer can do. But a working OpenGL driver with hardware acceleration will no doubt lead to some amusing ports of older 3D titles. It will also help developers design more elaborate interface elements, and process certain calculations that would’ve taken far too long before.
Aside from OpenGL support, the new Raspbian release offers several included programs, from Mathmatica to Sonic Pi. Libraries from Java to WiringPi are also up-to-date with this release. More USB audio devices will work, and it’s now easier to edit the main menu.
The absolutely absurd idea of putting a touchscreen display on a mouse isn't exactly new. Turtle Beach already did it with its Command Series MC7, which features a 2.25-inch control screen. But apparently, even that wasn't ridiculous enough for Arctic Fox Technologies. Its new Super Mouse looks like someone took the chunky old Atari ST mouse, slapped a touchscreen and scroll wheel on it, and called it an upgrade.
The result is a rather unusual-looking mouse that is now on Kickstarter, starting at $199. And as ridiculous as it looks, some of its features are genuinely intriguing.
Apple is less than a day away from launching its highly anticipated OLED MacBook Pro with a touch-sensitive screen. But it appears that the upgrade is going to cost a pretty penny. According to a report by Bloomberg, Apple is reportedly eyeing a starting price of $2,899 for the 14-inch MacBook Pro, while the 16-inch version could start at $3,399 in the US.
"At $2,899, the 14-inch model would mark the highest starting price for a new MacBook Pro model, surpassing the $2,799 Apple charged for a 17-inch version introduced in 2006," says the report. The report claims that Apple is targeting a minimum price hike of $400 for its upcoming redesigned 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models.
I've spent a good amount of time digging into the spec sheet of the new M6 MacBook Pro (14-inch), and for all intents and purposes, this is a classic Apple "chip and connectivity" refresh. It's not a full redesign. The chassis, Liquid Retina XDR panel, speakers, ports, and battery, all of them carry over unchanged.
However, the M6 brings more cores, stronger on-device AI, higher memory bandwidth on the larger configs, and modern wireless. Here’s the practical rundown of what actually improved, and whether those gains are worth your money.