Valve’s Steam Machine prototype pictured

Valve's prototype Steam Machine

Valve has shown off its first Steam Machine prototype ahead of the PC-console hybrid launching in 2014.

The developer behind the massive Half Life and Portal series, as well as the massively popular Steam PC game distribution platform, will launch its own range of home console-like PCs next year.

We now have more of an idea about what these Steam Machines will look like thanks to a Seattle Times feature on the local company. In short, it’ll look quite a lot like the Xbox One. Valve is clearly going by the same 'unassuming digital recorder box' design philosophy as its newfound console rivals.

Of course, this is just an internally produced prototype intended for testing purposes. When it comes to the final retail models, Valve will only be providing the Linux-based SteamOS upon which its Steam Machines will run. The actual hardware part will come from a number of manufacturing partners.

Valve will offer these prototype units to 300 beta testers by the end of the year, and the specs for this early model are pretty beefy.

As we reported last month, the full prototype spec list reads as follows:

• GPU: some units with Nvidia Titan, some GTX780, some GTX760, and some GTX660


• CPU: some boxes with Intel i7-4770, some i5-4570, and some i3


• RAM: 16GB DDR3-1600 (CPU), 3GB GDDR5 (GPU)


• Storage: 1TB/8GB Hybrid SSHD


• Power Supply: Internal 450w 80Plus Gold


• Dimensions: approx. 12 x 12.4 x 2.9-inches high

Users will also be able to build their own Steam Machines from off-the-shelf PC components, and the intention is that all pre-built Steam Machines can be upgraded.

Hopefully we’ll see something a little more concrete on Valve’s full Steam Machine plans at CES 2014 in January.

Next, read our Xbox One vs PS4 comparison.

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Nokia planning 8-inch tablet dubbed the Illusionist

An 8-inch Nokia tablet is reportedly in the works, with latest reports suggesting that the iPad mini rival will line up alongside the recently confirmed Nokia Lumia 2520.

With the Nokia Lumia 2520 having been officially unveiled during the company’s Abu Dhabi based Nokia World conference last month, latest leaks have suggested that the 10.1-inch Windows 8 powered offering will soon be partnered by an 8-inch model known as the Nokia Illusionist.

Teased by the Twitter based tech tipster @Evleaks, details on the Nokia Illusionist – presumably a codename for another Lumia branded device – are currently scarce aside from the fact that the tablet will run the reduced Windows operating system, Windows 8 RT.

Making the announcement @Evleaks Tweeted: “Nokia Illusionist is going to be their second RT tablet, but in the eight-inch class.”

This is not the first time the Twitter tipster has referenced the Nokia Illusionist, last time suggesting the tablet will play host to integrated stylus support, much like the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.

Although Nokia has yet to acknowledge the existence of such a device, an 8-inch tablet is the only touch point now missing from the company’s Lumia line with the Nokia Lumia 1520 and Nokia Lumia 2520 having last month landed as phablet and 10-inch tablet offerings respectively.

Speaking with TrustedReviews at Nokia World, Michael Halbherr, Nokia’s Executive Vice President suggested the company had already completed its product line up.

“There was no particular reasoning for the timing of the Lumia 2520 launch,” Halbherr told us. “When you look at what Stephen [Elop, Nokia CEO] unveiled, he completed the portfolio.”

He added: “When you look at the Lumia 5-series, the 6,7,8,9 and now at the tablet and the large screen Lumia 1520, now people have choice. Nokia was always been a company that brought choice in a consistent manner.”

Read More: Nokia Lumia 1020 review

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Xbox One performance could still ‘change dramatically’ developer claims

Ahead of the console’s upcoming release, Call of Duty: Ghosts developers have suggested that the Xbox One performance could still ‘change dramatically’ for the better if system resources are freed up.

With Microsoft’s next-gen console having come in for serious criticism in recent weeks after it emerged that both the next-gen edition of Call of Duty: Ghosts and Battlefield 4 would be rendered in 720p HD, developers have insisted that the console still has much to offer.

Although the PS4 bound iterations of the same game will be processed in 1080p Full HD, Infinity Ward Executive Producer Mark Rubin has suggested that if more of the console’s resources are made available to developers, the Xbox One will quickly find itself on level footing with its Sony branded rival.

"It's not just hardware physically, the amount of resources that each system is allowing the game developers to use isn't the same," Rubin revealed when questioned on why the Xbox One version of Call of Duty: Ghosts did not hit the same 1080p expectations as the PS4 offering.

"From our standpoint that's something that could change,” he added. “We might get more resources back at one point. And that could make things change dramatically for the Xbox One.

“It's a long complicated road that will take years to develop, and I think at the end we'll have games looking very similar, usually, on both systems."

Suggesting that it will be years before developers are able to fully maximise the capabilities of either the PS4 or Xbox One, Rubin stated: “This is the first game on the console and there's a lot for us to learn with the new hardware so it's a long-running process.”

He added: "There's so much to it, it's a balancing act when you get into optimisation – we need more time with it all, basically. It could be years from now until we get to the point where we feel like we've maxed out what we can do on both platforms."

Although developers still have a lot to learn in regards to the new consoles, Rubin has revealed that Microsoft could do more to make the console more accessible to devs and gamers alike.

"It's also not just us learning the systems better, it's Microsoft developing more from the systems as well so if it improves the SDKs on their side we could see improvements, or if they could patch their software then all of a sudden we could get a performance boost out of that," Rubin explained. "It's a very complex ecosystem."

The Xbox One release date is now less than three weeks away with the console hitting UK retailers on November 22, a week ahead of the November 29 PS4 UK release date.

Read More: Xbox One vs PS4

Via: Edge

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Microsoft Surface Pro 2 battery given 25% boost thanks to software update

The Microsoft Surface Pro 2 battery has been bolstered, with a new software update helping increase the tablet’s staying power by almost 25 per cent.

Despite the tablet having only hit retailers on October 22, a firmware update has already been issued, with the software patch used to re-jig the tablet’s power management systems, allowing the device’s Marvell Wi-Fi chip to consumer less power and thus improving the Microsoft Surface Pro 2 battery life.

According to tests carried out by Anandtech, the software update has seen the Microsoft Surface Pro 2 battery life jump from a piddley 6.6 hours to a more reasonable 8.3 hours during standard web browsing tests.

Although this software patch has introduced major improvements in the Microsoft Surface Pro 2 battery life, the Windows 8.1 powered tablet is still a noticeable step behind some of its lead rivals. Facing the same tests, the iPad 4 achieve a 9.5 hour battery life while the second-generation Google Nexus 7 hit an unbelievable 12.2 hour staying time on a single charge.

Attempting to justify this still reduced lifespan, Microsoft has claimed that the tablet’s higher resolution display, active digitiser and array of integrated sensors all cause the Surface Pro 2 to be more demanding on its battery’s capacity.

Introduced last month, the Microsoft Surface Pro 2 is a direct rival to the new iPad Air, with the 10.1-inch display featuring a 1920 x 1080p Full HD resolution.

With Microsoft suggesting its second-generation tablet is “faster than 95 per cent of laptops in the market today,” the Surface Pro 2 comes in an array of specifications, with storage capacities ranging from 64GB to 512GB.

Due to the premium collection of innards, the Microsoft Surface Pro 2 price starts from a hefty, and laptop rivalling, £719.

Read More: iPad mini 2 review

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Google Nexus 8 potentially leaked by Google

Is this the Google Nexus 8?

Google may well have leaked its next new tablet, with speculation that the mystery device is the Google Nexus 8.

The above image comes from the official Android website, which Google updated over the weekend. With Android 4.4 KitKat freshly revealed alongside the Google Nexus 5, Google appears keen to spread the word as to its capabilities.

Under the header 'A library that goes with you,' this image is intended to show off the Google Play Store and its vast library of movies, TV shows, books and music. But it may have ended up showing a lot more.

Have you seen this tablet before? Because we haven’t. It’s led some to speculate that we could be looking at a brand new Google Nexus tablet.

It looks pretty compact, as the lady is holding it comfortably in one hand, so it’s not the next generation Google Nexus 10. However, Google has only just recently updated its Google Nexus 7, so it can’t be a new version of that.

All of which has led some to believe that it could be a device that bridges the gap between the two existing Nexus tablets, and directly rivals the 7.9-inch iPad mini 2 Retina. A Google Nexus 8, if you will.

If this is indeed the Google Nexus 8, it will be interesting to see how Google prices it so as not to eat into the market of its £199 Google Nexus 7, whilst clearly the aim will be to undercut the £319 iPad mini 2 Retina by a decent margin.

Read More: Google Nexus 7 2 vs Kindle Fire HDX 7 vs HDX 8.9


Via: Phandroid

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Netflix starts 4K streaming tests ahead of 2014 UHD introduction

Following the recent introduction of the first consumer available 4K TVs, video specialist Netflix has reportedly started testing 4K streaming ahead of an upcoming rollout.

With the streaming specialist currently offering a selection of SD and HD TV and movies to internet-based TV users, latest reports have suggested that Netflix this week added seven 4K videos to its catalogue in a bid to test interest and performance of the Ultra-HD content.

The selection of 4K videos, which have previously been used for internal testing, are made up of a range of test scenes. One such video, dubbed ‘El Fuente: 24 MP’ is described as offering “an example of 4K at 24 frames per second.” 4K video content offers four times the resolution of current 1080p Full HD images.

An official Netflix spokesperson teased the introduction of more widespread 4K content stating that the company “hopes to launch Ultra HD next year.”

Further highlighting its backing to the 4K platform, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings stating in a recent earnings call that the company wants to be “one of the big supplier of 4K next year.”

Although the current 4K TVs have priced most consumers out of the market, retailers have suggested that the price of 4K TV could be halved within the coming 12 months.

“We are going to see big steps in 4K next year,” Jonathan Marsh Head Buyer at John Lewis said speaking exclusively with TrustedReviews recently.

He added: “At the moment there is a premium associated with 4K and we have seen that since launching the first 4K TVs a couple of months ago. However, as we’ve seen these technologies mature, they have come down in price and become much more affordable very quickly.

Speaking during the recent unveiling of the TV Gallery by John Lewis, Marsh stated: “I think that it will be around the end of next year that we see 4K come in at the sort of price points that we would hope to see it so around £1,500 to £2,000, potentially maybe halving.”

Read More: Best TVs to buy

Via: Gigaom

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Google Nexus 5 Delays: Delivery wait extended to 3 weeks

Google Nexus 5 delays are increasing, with the recently unveiled Android 4.4 KitKat powered handset now facing three week shipping waits in the UK.

With the Google Nexus 5 having been made available to consumers late Thursday evening, the Halloween launched handset has proved highly popular with consumers, with certain iterations of the phone now facing “2-3 week” delays.

Although the 16GB version of the phone in white is still available with a “1-2 business days” shipping time, both the 16GB black model and 32GB white edition are currently listed for sale in the Google Play Store alongside a November 8 shipping expectation.

For wannabe owners of the 32GB black version of the phone, however, Google Nexus 5 delays are considerably worse with the handset pushed back to a “2-3 weeks” delivery time.

With a high-end array of specs partnered with a wallet-friendly price tag, the Google Nexus 5, like the Google Nexus 4 before it, has grabbed consumers’ attentions. Available in both 16GB and 32GB storage capacities, the two versions of the phone are priced at just £299 and £339 respectively.

With a 2.26GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor running the show, the Google Nexus 5 specs sheet is further enhanced by 2GB of RAM and the new Android 4.4 KitKat operating system.

Packing an 8-megapixel, optical image stabilisation hosting rear-mounted camera with a secondary, 1.3-megapixel snapper up front, the Google Nexus 5 features list also includes NFC and 4G connectivity options as well as a 2300mAh Lithium-Polymer battery and wireless charging capabilities.

With Google Nexus 5 stock shortages having already grabbed headlines, versions of the phone sold out in the US within just an hour of launch.

Although the Google Play store is short on Google Nexus 5 stocks, the handset is also available through a range of third-party retailers and networks in the UK, including Carphone Warehouse, Three and O2.

Read More: Google Nexus 5 vs Google Nexus 4

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