When Sony unveiled the PlayStation 3 console back in 2005 at E3, it was an impressive machine. The much-anticipated device and multimedia hub offered a new experience, allowing users to not only play games, but view photos, browse the Internet, and watch Blu-Ray discs all in glorious 1080p. Here we are seven years later and we’re equally impressed by Sony’s next-generation console — which pretty much blows its predecessor out of the water in a couple key areas.
Now officially called the PlayStation 4, the new machine represents an enormous leap forward for the Japanese company, even if the specs don’t necessarily outshine even that of a typical gaming PC. The equipped eight-core 64-bit processor could help eradicate console optimization issues, while the additional low-powered chip will certainly help better process the lengthy background tasks that the PS3 is notoriously known for. Although the PS3’s RSX “Reality Synthesizer” — the proprietary GPU designed in conjunction with Nvidia — was a standout at the time of its release, the new PS4 GPU can seemingly run virtual laps around the outdated device. The system also touts a whopping eight gigabytes of GDDR5 RAM, sixteen times more raw memory than the PS3, and a robust graphics card capable of pushing 1.84 TFLOPS. Couple all that with a Blu-Ray drive with up to 6x speed and a few other notable enhancements, and you have a machine that is inherently more powerful than its predecessor.
Below is our side-by-side spec breakdown so you can be the judge. Take a closer look at what the PS4 specs mean for you and stay up to date all the latest PlayStation 4 news and announcements.
Update: Microsoft unveiled the Xbox One, the PS4’s primary challenger. See how it stacks up in our Xbox One vs. PS4 spec showdown.
Acer’s Predator Atlas 8 finally has a US release date and price, several months after the company first showed off the handheld in May. The highlight is the Intel Arc G3 Extreme chip inside, which has been adopted by only a couple of other consoles besides the Atlas 8. This version will go on sale exclusively at Best Buy on November 1 for $1,299.99.
Acer originally said the Atlas 8 would arrive in North America in October, but left pricing open at the time. The launch came amid the ongoing DRAM crunch, which has made memory more expensive across the PC industry and complicated pricing for hardware makers.
Gaming laptops and I have a complicated relationship. One of my first gaming rigs was an Acer Predator that was already outdated when I bought it. I was a broke college kid, and that was the best I could afford. So trying out high-end gaming laptops is always fun. But ASUS' ROG Zephyrus G14 is a lot more than a laptop that can run AAA games. It is portable, so you're not lugging around a 2.5kg machine everywhere you go. It is built well, none of that plastic chassis, and can even function as a normal laptop outside of just gaming.
Google Play is borrowing one of the Nintendo Switch’s most useful little tricks. A new Sidekick tool called Playbacks captures a short clip after something interesting has already happened, sparing players from running a screen recorder throughout an entire game.
Playbacks is part of Google Play Store v53.8 and keeps saved clips on the phone. Google first announced it earlier this month, but the new Play Store update marks its arrival for players. Anyone who has watched a perfect win vanish because the record button came too late already understands the appeal.