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Alder Lake: Intel’s new secret sauce

Top features coming to iOS 15

SE PTE MB E R 2 0 2 1 W W W . H A R D WA R E Z O N E . C O M . S G

And Ubisoft makes good

THE POWER TO DECIDE

p62 Sennheiser IE 900 Huawei FreeBuds 4 The Price Of Comfort

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MAKING FLIP PHONES GREAT AGAIN

Does the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 finally get the formula right?

For The Audio Purists

Ed’s Note S EPTE M BER 2 0 21

S T Y L I S T: S H E H

D I G I TA L I M A G I N G H W M

WE OFTEN SAY there is no real season in the world of technology, unlike the fashion industry for example, but in reality, there is a window in the third quarter of the year that brings the most excitement to me. Now, this is more of a combination of various factors that probably just happens to coincide with each other, rather than an actual ‘season’, but I’ll take it.

You see, although our industry’s biggest events the Consumer Electronics Show and Mobile World Congress - traditionally happen at the start of the year, the trickle down effect means that products and technologies announced then would only arrive around this time of the year. At the same time, a staggered product launch cycle adopted by many tech brands also means that there is a rush in the third quarter to release their ‘next big things’ in time for year-end.

And thus, we have lots of ground to cover. 2021 is particularly interesting.

Apple breathes new life to iPhones with major improvements in iOS 15, even as the next iPhone 13 looms ahead. Microsoft gets ready to jump a version number since Windows 10 was launched 6 years ago.

Huawei pushes forward it’s self-contained ecosystem plans with Harmony OS 2.0 devices. Google tries again to muscle into the wearable market with Fitbit’s acquisition and getting Samsung back onto Wear OS. Intel tries to get out of their slump with a revamped roadmap championing scalable architecture. And the list goes on.

I’ve chosen these examples to show that even among tech giants, there is the security of continuity as well as the need to reinvent and rebuild.

We are three issues away from the end of 2021. And I think we will come out of it ok.

MOCK TURTLENECK & CHINOS: SCOTCH & SODA

PHOTOGRAPHER: FRENCHESCAR LIM

SHOES: H&M

GROOMING: FIONNA L AU

New Beginnings

Zachary Chan Editor

ON THE COVER

Picture Samsung Art Direction Jason Tan

All prices quoted in this tablet are in Singapore Dollars (SGD), unless otherwise specified.

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Ubisoft Singapore Studio head Darryl Long on changes to workplace culture and practices Free Guy is a movie that’s less about video games and more about empathy and human connections

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FEATURE Heralding an era of advanced hybrid design processors

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THINK / FREE YOUR MIND

MORE INSIDE Ubisoft Singapore Studio Head Darryl Long On Changes To Workplace Culture And Practices

P I C T U R E S

1 2 3 R F

Free Guy Is A Movie That’s Less About Video Games And More About Empathy And Human Connections

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T H I N K

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By Kenneth Ang

Ubisoft Singapore Studio Head Darryl Long On Changes To Workplace Culture And Practices P I C T U R E S 1 2 3 R F

Be it Riot Games, Ubisoft, or Activision Blizzard, it’s quite unfortunate that so many game companies have found themselves caught in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons recently. Allegations of sexual misconduct, corporate harassment, discriminatory practices, nepotism, and the like have come pouring in from across the industry, leaving a festering, toxic stain on what was once considered to be a truly vibrant and promising field.

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T H I N K

At Ubisoft, our oal is to create an environment that ever one can be proud of. But when people o in and the ’re alread aded that’s not what we want that’s not who we are.

Of course, that doesn’t mean that game development is now completely devoid of opportunities and potential - it simply means that people have started to associate the industry with such undesirable practices, though their reason for doing so is far from unjustified. However, what’s probably more important than the community calling these offending companies out is what they (the companies) intend to do about it, and whether these changes are actually being put into place.

Case in point, many studios have already promised to investigate these

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cases and ensure that they would not happen again, and while there are those that have really been putting in the work, some of them, like Ubisoft have actually “rekindled their own inferno”, such as by reassigning former

Singapore Studio Head Hugues Ricour as a consultant rather than completely releasing him from its employ. Needless to say, that has resulted in another round of public (and internal) outcry, one that was only made worse

by the situation that Activision Blizzard currently finds itself embroiled in.

Although the bulk of the responsibility for addressing and fixing these problems, at least in Ubisoft’s case lies with CEO Yves Guillemot, lots of work is also required from the people on the ground to direct and enforce these changes. Naturally, this includes the respective Studio Heads and other relevant senior management at the company’s various branches across the world. In a recent interview we attended,

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T H I N K

the question of the “concrete changes” that have been implemented at Ubisoft Singapore in response to recent events was posed to Studio Head Darryl Long, and he was extremely willing to share his thoughts on how the studio would (and should) improve itself moving forward.

“I think it’s very important that we do talk about these things, and that we acknowledge what’s going on in the industry right now,” Long said. “At Ubisoft, our goal is to create an environment that

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everyone can be proud of. But when people go in and they’re already jaded, that’s not what we want - that’s not who we are. So not only

do we need to start changing how we’re perceived, but how we behave internally as well.”

Long went on to reiterate that the

We’ve formalis how we handle these a gations, provided a thir party avenue for ano ymous whistleblowing and are currently following the recommendations by independent third parties regarding best practices.

studio would embrace “a zero-tolerance policy for misconduct of any kind”, and that the measures previously announced

by Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot have since been implemented.

“We’ve formalised how we handle these allegations, provided a third-party avenue for anonymous whistleblowing, and are currently following the recommendations by independent third parties regarding best practices.”

He then delved a little into his personal take on the situation and what he aims to do during his tenure as Studio Head of Ubisoft Singapore. Above all, he expressed that the studio must aim to lead the industry not just in terms of technology and game development, but in terms of being progressive as well.

“For me, it’s all about listening to people, finding out what their priorities are and how we can all move forward together. As

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T H I N K

such, my goal is to create a workplace culture that’s founded on caring, innovation, and leading the industry. We need to be an exemplary place to work and provide an environment where people can express themselves, or more importantly, feel safe to express themselves creatively so that they can continue to create incredible games for all of our players.”

On top of laying out his goals and aspirations for the Singapore studio, Long has also revealed that the studio has embraced a twopronged approach for improving diversity.

The first of these is the aforementioned zero-tolerance policy for misconduct, while the second involves a more practical application. This includes making several studio-specific commitments, such as linking up with the Singapore Women in Tech initiative (SGWIT).

“We’ve made a pledge to the SGWIT this year, which comes with certain

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obligations to improve the diversity, and specifically gender diversity within our industry,” he explained.

“One of them includes the provision of special learning paths for women to help them ascend into management as quickly as possible, and we’re also looking into other similar initiatives to help Singaporeans move more quickly into such leadership roles.”

Although it will definitely take a while for the community to ‘re-associate’ Ubisoft with ‘video games’ rather than

corporate toxicity, it is still encouraging to hear about these commitments that they’ve made in an effort to improve. On the side, it is also worth applauding Long’s courage in

being willing to speak up in light of recent events - they could very well have opted for the easier way out and to give that question a miss. But they chose to address it, and a small step in the right direction is a step nonetheless, so kudos to them for that.

With that in mind, and with diligent effort and integrity on their part, hopefully, Ubisoft will be able to shed the shell of stigma in time and go back to what they were and should continue to be known for: making great games that we can all enjoy.

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By Aaron Yip

Free Guy Is A Movie That’s Less About Video Games And More About Empathy And Human Connections P I C T U R E S

FREE GUY IS AN ACTION COMEDY ABOUT AN ORDINARY PERSON LIVING IN A CHAOTIC WORLD – NOT KNOWING THAT HIS REALITY IS A FORTNITE-LIKE VIDEO GAME.

D I S N E Y

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It’s an outrageous concept that’s not afraid to laugh at itself, but deep within the core of the movie is also a metaphor about taking control of your own life and the human connections you build up.

That was the key takeaway during a virtual (because, you know, Covid-19) round table session members of the media (me included) press conference for the film, with director Shawn Levy, plus lead stars Ryan Reynolds and Jodie Comer. As with any interview that has Ryan Reynolds in it, there were banters galore, laughter and jokes. Here are my key takeaways.

Firstly, the movie feels right in these trying times, as Shawn Levy noted, “The movie was a screenplay that got sent to Ryan and I. Matt Lieberman, the screenwriter, wrote the original screenplay, and it was immediately clear to Ryan and me that this was a very good script with a phenomenal idea and that it had this kind

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of, this central idea about a background character realising that maybe he could have agency and empowerment in his world.

That was a big idea conceptually as far as gaming and plot, and maybe that was more important to Ryan and me in those early days.

It was also a big idea thematically because it

felt like something that scratched at ideas that matter and that we can all relate to. And that was in 2018, and then we made it to 2019, and now in 2020, we really relate to the idea that, oh, wait, maybe the world doesn’t need to remain as you find it.

Maybe you can have an impact on circumstances around you.”

Ryan Reynolds agrees and describes the movie as a “fastball of joy” and the exact kind of thing this year has not given us, “When I first saw the script…it spoke to me, which was just,

you know, simple action comedy. A bank teller discovers he’s a background player in an open world video game. I just thought, that’s provocative, that’s amazing. But really, discovering later and as, you know, certainly as we marched through 2018, 2019, and 2020, just seeing how this movie is just a fastball of joy. And I feel like we’re missing some of that right now in our world. So, this movie could not come along sooner for me, just as a movie watcher and somebody who enjoys entertainment and culture. I’m excited about that, and I think it’s pretty damn timely.”

According to Reyn-

olds, it’s the best movie he’s ever a part of.

Coming from the man who literally gave us Deadpool, that’s a big statement. Ryan also praised his director and co-stars for making the actual production of the film such a wonderful experience, “I do think it’s the best movie-making experience that I’ve ever had easily, but also, I think it’s the best movie I’ve ever done. You know, it’s the most pertinent to our times, in that sense. Where I feel Deadpool was like a movie that was pertinent to the comic book culture when it came out, this really to me, speaks to a broader kind of spectrum of

This movie could not come along sooner for me, just as a movie watcher and somebody who enjoys entertainment and culture. I’m excited about that, and I think it’s pretty damn timely.”

where we are in the world, and not only that, but how we are in the world. I think that’s one of the reasons I think it’s my favorite movie.”

“The experience certainly plays into that, but also this incredible cast. I mean, it’s not every day you work with a group of people, and they’re all on this press conference via Zoom right now, where each one brings something unexpected and stronger than, you know, you’ve ever sort of had before. Each one has authorship of their role. It’s just so nice to have a cast that you can absolutely 100 percent count on to blow you away every single day, and that to me was what made the experience so special.”

I wished Taika Waititi could have joined the press conference, which is a shame, because Levy was so impressed with his improvisation; giving the director so much strong material that he’s able to turn them all into a featurette. “I’m currently editing the

longest bonus featurette in the history of cinema, and it is only of Taika alternate takes.

Improvisations, riffs, 19 versions for every joke.

He couldn’t be here today, but he’s such a huge part of the movie.”

To call Free Guy a movie based on video games would be missing the point. I mentioned how the movie is a metaphor about living one’s life fully and to be in control.

Here’s how Levy puts it, “It’s like all of us have felt stuck in a loop, and all of us have felt like a background character in someone else’s story. And this idea of, like, stop living in the background, or notice the person in the background; empathize with the person in the background. That’s a big part of the themes that play in this movie, and while they’re called NPCs - non-player characters - and it’s set in a video game, the movie is really not about video games as much as it is about being a person in the world and how you choose to live.

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At Intel’s Architecture Day 2021, Intel shared their bold new vision and family of solutions to impress industry folks and the media of what’s to come from late 2021 through 2022 with a myriad of solutions across all kinds of usage and form factors from ultra-thin and light devices, through servers and beyond.

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By Vijay Anand

F E A T U R E

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For the client computing segment, Alder Lake represents Intel’s work in reengineering their processing cores in a big way and push for a more powerful big-core + little-core

implementation that ARM processors have touted for a long while, but in the x86 ISA domain. Lakefield tried to take the first step but it really didn’t take off with very few design wins

INTEL UNWRAPS ALDER LAKE Before we dive into the details, let us share some key highlights like the fact that you’ll need a new motherboard as the desktop Alder Lake chips will require a new LGA 1700 socket, which Gigabyte leaked much earlier. Secondly, Alder Lake supports DDR5 memory, an industry first, and with its design requirements to have the memory voltage regulation on the DIMM, this is radically different from earlier memory modules.

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and even then, it was relegated to ultra-thin and light notebooks and tablet computing segments with performance nothing to write home about.

Alder Lake will finally fix this in a big

way with scalable and powerful processor design solutions applicable for desktops, notebooks and tablet-computing or thin and light products.

Thirdly, Alder Lake will be the first in the industry to transition to PCIe 5.0 connectivity, one-upping AMD’s progress. These are big changes to Alder Lake’s overall platform capability and it’s inevitable that a new motherboard and accompanying hardware are needed to complete its performance story.

Using a brand new platform also means you’ll undoubtedly get Wi-Fi 6E and Thunderbolt 4 support too, as long as the motherboard chipset

F E A T U R E

tier and accompanying PHY devices support these standards. Understandably, different motherboard tiers may choose to support/ exclude certain features, but as an overview of the Alder Lake platform, you get industry-leading memory and interconnect technologies.

Alder Lake supports a total of four different memory types: DDR5, DDR4 and low power variants of both.

While PCIe 5.0 theoretically supports up to 128GB/s on an x16 interface, Alder Lake's 64GB/s PCIe 5.0 bandwidth is still double that of PCIe 4.0.

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PEERING UNDERNEATH THE HOOD Now here’s where things get more interesting. Unlike most high-performance processors where the processing cores are identical, Alder Lake combines two different types of processing cores – Performance cores codename Golden Cove, and Efficient cores codenamed Gracemont – to form the next-generation performance hybrid processor. To be fabricated using “Intel

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7” process technology, Alder Lake will have a variety of CPUs designed for 9W to 125W TDP that will suit ultra-mobile, notebook and desktop client segments. Judging by the TDP range from its TDP, this indicates Alder Lake could even be suitable for highperformance DIY machines intended for overclocking.

How will both core types differ in their mission other than their namesake?

• Efficient x86 core

was designed for throughput efficiency and enabling scalable multi-threaded performance for modern multitasking.

• Performance x86 core was designed for speed and pushing the limits of low latency and singlethreaded application performance.

The use of both types of cores would

A snapshot of the new Efficient x86 core used in the Alder Lake processor. This is effectively the Gracemont core.

make Alder Lake very difficult to compare and contrast against CPU architectures like Sunny Cove that is the mainstay of Ice Lake and Tiger Lake processors we see in systems these days.

However, if we had to sum up the kind of changes Intel put forth for Golden Cove and Gracemont that’s used in Alder Lake, the internal piping has greatly been enhanced in the same fashion when Skylake debuted: wider, deeper, smarter, optimized and more efficient.

F E A T U R E

In the Efficient x86 core (Gracemont), it has been beefed up with a more accurate branch predictor to sift through deeper entries and larger structure sizes, doubled the L1 Instruction Cache size to 64KB, packed with more instruction decoders (six instead of four), 17 execution ports (up from the usual 10), deeper buffering and improved prefetchers in the memory subsystem, and supporting more modern instruction set such as advanced

vector instruction with AI extensions, added more floating point registers to tackle multiplyaccumulate (FMUL) and fast add (FADD) instructions to double the FP processing throughput.

Over on the Performance x86 core (Golden Cove), besides similar piping advancements to crunch wider code with more decoders, increasing microoperations transaction rate, better branch prediction and the

Here are the various different blocks that make up the Performance Core (Golden Cove).

ability to tackle larger code, improved parallelism with another ALU and LEA integer processing unit and similar FP throughput increase thanks dual FADD vector execution units, this performance core now boasts an updated smart power management controller for even more fine-grained control and power budget management.

It also adds a new matrix engine (Intel AMX) for turbocharging matrix multiplications for AI acceleration.

Coined as the Advanced Matrix Extensions (AMX) unit, this is a tiled matrix multiplication accelerator that crams up to eight times the operations per cycle per core to save power where traditionally used for fetch, decode and out of order management cycles.

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INTEL THREAD DIRECTOR TECHNOLOGY: THE REAL SAUCE ENABLING HYBRID PROCESSOR ARCHITECTURES Now, packing two different core types doesn’t automatically solve how the instructions, threads and the operating system manage this new hybrid setup. Enter the new Intel Thread Director Technology, which is a new crucial hardware solution needed for dynamic handling instructions/threads to prioritise them accurately and assign them to an appropriate core to achieve the best efficiency while considering the task priority at hand, performance needs (whether it’s a background or foreground task), core temp/power states and much more without user input.

Essentially, Intel Thread Director monitors all runtime instructions and their mix with extreme precision and provides runtime feedback to the OS to optimise the schedule decision of any workload.

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Essentially, Intel Thread Director monitors all runtime instructions and their mix with extreme precision and provides runtime feedback to the OS to optimise the schedule decision of any workload.

handling tasks and processes to better benefit the hardware used. As a result, Intel Thread Director technology (and the resulting thread director hints) along with Windows 11 work together hand in hand to achieve the best performance efficiency yet. Windows developers can also specify QOS (quality of service) required and call up the right kind of core as they take advantage of the updated software compilers to target these new CPUs, which might soon be the new normal.

F E A T U R E

ALDER LAKE PERFORMANCE EXPECTATIONS Intel shared that the new Efficient x86 core offers up to 40% more performance

at 40% less power draw over a Skylake core in a single thread processing scenario. These figures go up 80% in a quadthread processing scenario, but we do take these figures with a pinch of salt since Skylake

based processors debuted in 2015 – about six years ago. To understand why Intel pulled up this kind of comparison, it’s important to understand that even current Sunny Cove architecture is still derived from Skylake.

Note that these figures were based on a single application using SPECrate 2017 int_base results. Our own experience in running SPEC benchmarks are often an indication of raw power and doesn't translate to real-world client performance with a highly variable workload.

So take this performance uplift with a pinch of salt, plus note that it's comparing against an architecture that debuted in 2015.

What about Alder Lake as a whole versus Intel’s 11th-gen Core processors? Using common industry-standard benchmarks like SPEC CPU 2017, SYSmark 25, PCMark 10, WebXPRT3 and Geekbench 5.4.1 – many of which we use regularly in our tests too – Intel claims an average of 19% performance uplift at the same core frequency. Take note that this theoretical claim is just from the processor’s own architectural advancements, and it doesn’t yet factor in the new packaging, memory, platform, interconnect upgrades and more.

Of course, there are some cases where Alder Lake might see lower performance than an equivalent 11th-gen Core processor and when we delved deeper with Intel executives, they shared that the new processor foregoes AVX512 instruction support and any applications and processes that currently heavily rely on this would contribute to the performance loss they predict. However, Intel doesn’t feel that it would be too much of a concern and should still offer a better overall proposition than 11th Gen Core processors thanks to Alder Lake’s overhauled core design.

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ALDER LAKE PROCESSOR CONFIGURATIONS At the time of writing this article, Intel has yet to share exact processor SKUs they expect to have, but they did leave with us some parting thoughts of what to expect on the highest configured processor which would have up to 16 cores (with 8 performance and 8 efficient cores), executing up to 24 simultaneous threads (via

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dual threads per performance core and a single thread per efficiency core), and a grand total of 30MB of last-level cache.

The above configuration is for a desktop-class Alder Lake processor, while image hints on their slide suggest that a typical mobileclass performance processor could have up to 14 cores (with 6 performance and 8 efficient cores), and an ultra-mobile lowpower package might

The following configuration is for a desktop-class Alder Lake processor, while image hints on their slide suggest that a typical mobile-class performance processor could have up to 14 cores (with 6 performance and 8 efficient cores), and an ultra-mobile low-power package might have up to 10 cores (with 2 performance cores and 8 efficient cores).

have up to 10 cores (with 2 performance cores and 8 efficient cores).

Don’t forget that Alder Lake will support DDR5 (and DDR4), PCIe 5.0, Thunderbolt 4 and Wi-Fi 6E and to make this all possible, the interconnect throughput within the processor blocks have been greatly widened with up to 1,000GB/s compute fabric, 204GB/s memory fabric and a 64GB/s I/O fabric.

F E A T U R E

FURTHER OUTLOOK Alder Lake will completely re-invent high-performance multi-core architecture if the hybrid scalable architecture pans out as well as Intel has been preparing for it for the last few years.

Expect Alder Lake client based processors to roll out beginning Fall 2021, which is not far from now.

Beyond compute clients, Alder Lake’s processing cores will also be the framework for Sapphire Rapids, Intel’s next-gen Xeon

Expect Alder Lake client based processors to roll out beginning Fall 2021, which is not far from now.

Scalable Processor with more data-centre centric optimisations added on to make it applicable in its service class. Stay tuned for more reporting on this topic as well as when Intel shares more processor SKU details when it’s ready to flood the market.

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TEST / WE REVIEW IT

MORE INSIDE

TEST

BEST

PERFORMANCE

SAMSUNG GALAXY Z FLIP3 5G Live the flip life

TEST

BEST VALUE

SENNHEISER IE 900 Aiming for the summit

HUAWEI FREEBUDS 4 The price of comfort

P I C T U R E S

S A M S U N G

HOW WE RATE: Products are rated on a scale of 1 to 10; 1 being so abysmal, it should be a crime to sell it, and 10 being almost perfect.

Come now, nothing is perfect.

An Editor’s Choice may also be awarded based on unique merits.

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AT A G L A N C E

DEVELOPER Capcom PUBLISHER Capcom

Gotta hatch ‘em all

GENRE RPG PLATFORM PC, Nintendo Switch PLAYERS

P I C T U R E S

C A P C O M

SINGLE

MONSTER HUNTER STORIES 2: WINGS OF RUIN

By Tim Augustin

Wings of Ruin is a little different from the Monster Hunter games you’re probably used to - though it’s not a drastic departure.

The game places a huge emphasis on its story, is less about killing monsters and more about collecting them Pokemonstyle. It’s a pretty great entry to the franchise for newcomers, and an equally fun treat for fans who want to experience a slightly different take on their favourite monsters.

Instead of taking the role of a hunter, Wings of Ruin puts you in the boots of a

rider. Riders have found a way to bond with their monster friends and fight alongside them, rather than skin them in the endless hunt for better gear. Picture How to Train your Dragon - the premise is basically the exact same.

You play the descendant of a well-known monster rider called Red, and have to live up to their legacy within a community of riders. Things heat up when the Rathalos monster mysteriously disappears, causing mass chaos and strange events to occur in the world, like monsters turning violent and attacking the populace of a small island. You’ll have to figure out what caused the disappearance of Rathalos and the creation of these new angry monsters threatening everyone’s lives.

The story is pretty bog-standard for a game like this, and it doesn’t help that the actual quests you’re given don’t stray far from the ‘go there, kill that’ typical JRPG formula. What saves it are the SEPTEMBER 2021

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surprisingly wellexecuted cutscenes.

Visually, the game reminds me of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, with pretty celshaded colours and interesting character designs. Characters are fully voice-acted too, which lends well to the cinematic style of this story. The player character is

Combat is now turn-based, so you can plan your attacks in a rock-paper-scissors manner of skills, abilities and items.

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silent unfortunately, but I suppose you can’t have it all.

Unlike regular Monster Hunter games, Wings of Ruin ditches realtime combat for a turn-based system - and it’s not too complicated to figure out, either. Battles are like an intense game of rock-paperscissors. You have the option of power, technique and speed moves with bonuses or consequences depending on whether the enemy is weak to a specific

type of move or has chosen the same type of move against you.

As turns pass and you build up a meter, you’ll get to mount your partner during battle to execute devastating ‘Kinship Skill’ moves.

There are also options for customisation in combat. There are

six different weapon types to pick from in a given battle, and all of them are typically switched out often to target monster parts for damage.

You pick items to create new armour and weapons after battles, and things get more complicated when the game introduces a variety of

CONCLUSION

IF YOU’RE LOOKING FOR A MORE CASUAL COMMITMENT THAN MONSTER HUNTER RISE OR WORLD, THIS WILL DO NICELY.

elemental effects and resistances - so it’s not always a numbers game. This part feels closest to how a Monster Hunter game typically plays.

A big chunk of the game will have you explore dungeons to find a room with a nest of eggs. You steal these eggs and hatch them to gain new, more powerful monsters - and this is where the Pokemonlike hunt for the best monster comes into play. You’ll have to be careful rifling around a nest for an egg though, because at some point a powerful

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momma monster is going to interrupt your schemes.

What this means is that you’re not stuck with the same monster companion throughout the game. You can breed monsters with new and better abilities, level them up and even go egg-hunting for different species.

Unfortunately, the actual act of navigating these dungeons becomes repetitive very quickly.

Generally, you’ll always be travelling through a remixed version of the same collection of corridors and pathways again and again.

We also have to address a concern

that comes with so many Switch games these days: framerate.

I played most of the game in handheld mode and not docked, and boy did the Switch struggle. The second you boot up, you’re rolling a dice on the framerate which either tanks or settles at an unstable 30fps in and out of cutscenes.

While Monster Hunter Stories 2’s unstable performance and repetitive exploration wore me down over time, I can’t deny the simple charms of its visuals and gameplay. Its turn-based combat is flashy and fun, and collecting monsters never gets old.

Raid monster dens for new eggs to hatch into your menagerie.

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AT A G L A N C E

Big

GPU NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 T i MEMORY 12GB GDDR6X CLOCK SPEED Extreme mode: 1,845 MHz (Boost Clock) / Gaming mode : 1,830 MHz

Even bigger price.

(Boost Clock) SIZE 3 36 X 14 0

MSI GEFORCE RTX 3080 TI SUPRIM X

X 6 1 MM PRICE $ 3, 288

By Hoots the Owl and Aaron Yip

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TriFrozr 2S cooler keeps things chilly, featuring three Torx 4.0 fans. Each doubleball bearing fan has a unique design, where individual pairs of blades are linked with a ring of sorts.

This is supposed to help focus airflow toward the heatsink

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36

bracket to take some of the strain off your PCIe slot. A metal bracket helps reinforce the card and protect the PCB from flexing, but the included GPU bracket should really come in handy and give you a peace of mind.

The premium construction of the card shows itself in the brushed aluminium shroud, which confers a really solid feel. The

P I C T U R E S

The MSI GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Suprim X is the company’s topof-the-line GeForce RTX 3080 Ti. Every aspect of it oozes extravagance, down to the price. If the $2,799 ASUS ROG Strix GeForce RTX 3080 Ti was already sky high, then the MSI GeForce RTX 3080 Ti’s $3,288 is almost ridiculous.

The question then – is it worth it?

For starters,

the card spans some gargantuan proportions, measuring a good 336mm long and 140mm across. It’ll take up the full three slots in your chassis, so you should really check beforehand if you have space for it. At just under 2kg, it’s super heavy as well, so a certain amount of sag is to be expected. Fortunately, MSI has included an adjustable GPU

and increase static pressure. This cooling system itself is identical to what was featured in the earlier RTX 3080 Gaming X Trio, but the new brushed metal shroud is the visual highlight that elevates the graphics card to another level.

Elsewhere, MSI has taken care to give the memory modules their own heatsink and heat pipe to help whisk heat away. This is a nice touch as they’re sometimes neglected, even on custom cards. To keep the GPU die cool, MSI has gone

with a nickel-plated copper base plate and an array of seven heat pipes to channel heat to the sprawling heatsink. The heat pipes run the full length of the heatsink for more efficient heat dissipation, and they’ve also been machined flat

to maximize the surface area that comes in contact with the copper base plate. Well-placed thermal pads provide additional heat dissipation for other components on the PCB. When it comes to the heatsink itself, SEPTEMBER 2021

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At the edge of the card, you’ll notice a dedicated BIOS switch that lets you switch between Gaming and Silent modes.

MSI’s attention to detail really shows.

The fin edges have been shaped like waves, which

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supposedly disrupt unwanted airflow noise for quieter operation. Disruptors also provide

additional surface area and guide air to where it’s needed for better cooling. Finally, the fans themselves will stop spinning when the GPU isn’t working hard, further reducing noise when you’re not actually

gaming.

Flip the card over and you’ll see the brushed metal backplate, with the MSI dragon logo inlaid on the right. It’s a really luxe look that I love, and everything about the card screams quality. The backplate itself even doubles as a passive heatsink, with still more thermal pads located beneath for improved cooling.

The PCB itself has gotten some special treatment too, with a thickened copper layer for increased conductivity for better heat dissipation and reliability, according

3D MARK

40000

37044

35953 35952

35000 30000 25000 20000

23312 20036

18827

22259 22772

19625

15000

12898 10268

10000

9585

12223

12578

9911

5000 0

Time Spy (DX12)

Time Spy Extreme (DX12)

MSI GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Suprim X

Firestrike Ultra (DX11)

NVIDIA Geforce RTX 3080 Ti FE

Firestrike Extreme (DX11)

ASUS ROG Strix GeForce RTX 3080 Ti OC

CONCLUSION

GET THIS ONLY IF YOU REALLY WANT THE CREAM OF THE CROP, INTEND TO GAME AT 4K, AND HAVE CASH TO BURN. to MSI. Additional fuses were also built into the PCB for stronger safeguards against electrical damage. The card requires three 8-pin connectors for power, and MSI recommends having at least an 850W power supply to work with.

We’ll be comparing the MSI GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Suprim X against the ASUS ROG Strix GeForce RTX 3080 Ti OC and their Founders Edition counterpart.

Firestrike (DX11)

The MSI GeForce RTX 3080 Ti has a marginally higher boost clock than the ASUS at 1,830MHz to the latter’s 1,815MHz. In 3DMark, the MSI card took a narrow lead across the board. In our gaming benchmarks, The MSI cuts through every game like a hot knife through butter, but

difference between the competition is negligible at best.

When it comes to thermal performance, the MSI GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Suprim X shines. It’s the coolest of the lot at 72.5°C, and with a 408W peak power draw, it’s also slightly less power hungry than the ASUS

(411W) The MSI GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Suprim X is kind of like eating at a Michelin-starred restaurant. It comes chock-full of delights and is masterfully executed, but you’re not quite sure if it’s $3,288 worth of delicious. It’s difficult to justify the price when the ASUS ROG Strix GeForce RTX 3080 Ti OC performs almost identically, but costs nearly $500 less.

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Note the supreme chunkiness of the Suprim card.

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The price of comfort HUAWEI FREEBUDS 4

By Kenny Yeo

AT A G L A N C E

DRIVERS 14.3mm WATER RESISTANCE IPX4 BATTERY LIFE 2.5hrs (ANC) / 4hrs (ANC off), up to 13hrs / 20hrs with case WEIGHT 4.1g (earbud), 38g (case) PRICE P I C T U R E S

$ 198

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Huawei’s FreeBuds 4 features what the company calls an “open-fit” for greater wearing comfort. Like any other “open-fit” type earbuds, it’s almost impossible to complain about comfort. They are quite snug and they stay put even when I’m trying my best to shake them off. I find Apple’s AirPods to fit a little better but since everyone’s ears are different, your mileage may vary.

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The FreeBuds 4 earbuds have prominent stems, and, there’s no getting around this, look like another pair of earbuds from a certain company based in Cupertino.

They come in silver frost and ceramic white. The silver frost unit that I have looks almost as if it has been chromeplated. It’s also highly reflective.

There are, however, trade-offs. Noise

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The FreeBuds 4’s 14.3mm drivers are the largest I’ve seen in any true wireless earbud.

isolation without ANC is almost nonexistent. You can hear everything around you. The upside is that you are constantly aware of your surroundings. The downside is that you are constantly aware of your surroundings.

To make up, I found myself turning up the volume, which can’t be a good thing for anyone’s hearing in the long run.

It’s also hard to pinpoint exactly

how effective the FreeBuds 4’s active noise cancellation is. Outside, when you are walking on the street, this feature is almost superfluous.

Indoors, however, where things are less noisy, yes, they can help, but it’s nowhere close to what you get with earbuds like the Sony WF-1000XM4 or even Huawei’s own FreeBuds Pro which have added passive noise isolation because of their inear designs.

The three-mic array was better than I expected.

Voices sounded clear and natural, and the earbuds do quite a good job of suppressing ambient noise. The AirPods Pro still reign supreme but I felt the FreeBuds 4 were noticeably better than Sony’s flagship WF-1000XM4 where voice pickup is concerned.

You can control the earbuds using touch controls on the stems. The default controls are logical enough and you can customise them using

the Huawei AI Life app. Like most touch controls, they are a bit hit-and-miss at first and require some time and practice.

The FreeBuds 4 supports Bluetooth 5.2 and the AAC and SBC wireless codecs. Automatic pop-up pairing is supported only with Huawei phones

The app lets you customise the touch controls and also EQ settings for the sound.

running EMUI10 and above. I tested the earbuds with an iPhone and I found that connectivity

was generally quite good, I only noticed the odd dropout here and there when I’m outside and running my TraceTogether app concurrently in the background.

Otherwise, it held a steady connection.

It also connects very quickly when you take it out of its charging case.

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CONCLUSION

DECENT SOUND QUALITY WITH A COMFORTABLE FIT, BUT AN OPENDESIGN NEGATES ANC PERFORMANCE. Huawei says the FreeBuds 4 can stay connected with up to two devices simultaneously but I never got this to work properly. It would stay connected to my phone but it would have trouble maintaining a

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connection with my computer. If you have multiple Huawei devices like a MateBook or MatePad, Huawei says the FreeBuds 4 will switch seamlessly between them like how AirPods do for Apple devices.

Battery life is not a strong suit of these earbuds. On a single charge, they will last up to 4 hours without ANC. If you turn on ANC, that drops down

to just 2.5 hours.

Huawei’s charging case provides another 4.5 times of charge so you can get up to 22 hours without ANC and 14 hours with ANC. The case supports wireless charging and wired charging over USB-C. The drivers in the FreeBuds 4 are possibly the largest in any earbuds right now. There are 14.3mm beasts with liquid-crystal polymer diaphragms that Huawei says have a frequency response of up to 40kHz. Additionally, Huawei also says that each earbud has “its own bass-enhancing power engine” which I suppose is a fancy way of saying the housing is tuned to emphasise bass frequencies.

In the words of Meghan Trainor, these earbuds are all about that bass. Despite the open-fit design, bass is quite hard-hitting.

It’s also relatively clean and doesn’t bleed excessively into the midrange. The rest of the frequency

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response, however, is unremarkable. The mids are severely recessed and the mid-to-upper treble region sounds emphasised giving the earbuds a rather severe V-shaped response. How much of this is due to its fit in my ears or because of its inherent tuning is hard to say. The other quality I noticed is that the earbuds sound very smooth.

Overall, considering the compromised fit, I think the FreeBuds 4 acquainted itself quite well.

If you absolutely cannot stand the feeling of something poking into your ears, the FreeBuds 4, at $198, are a decent option as long as you temper your expectations. But one thing is for sure, at least they are really comfortable to wear.

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TECWARE PULSE

By Hoots the Owl

AT A G L A N C E

SENSOR PixArt PMW3335, 16000DPI, 400IPS, 40G SENSITIVITY

Seeing Double

Huano mechanical, 20 million clicks BUTTONS 8, programmable BATTERY 4 00M A H, UP TO 5 0 HOURS WEIGHT 9 1G PRICE $ 59

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battery instead of the customisable weight system. There’s also a separate niche where you can store its 2.4GHz dongle.

At 91g, the Tecware Pulse isn’t the lightest mouse around, and the honeycomb shell only shaves off a few grams. It doesn’t really fit into the ultralight category, and the difference in weight with the G Pro X Superlight Wireless is vast.

T E C WA R E

46

the Gemini One in more ways than one.

They both share an uncanny resemblance to the Logitech G Pro Wireless, from the unique curvatures of their shape to the modular side buttons.

Both the SuperSolid and Tecware mice also share the same modular shell and internals, which makes me think they came out of the same factory. In the case of the Pulse, the internal compartment houses a 400mAh

P I C T U R E S

Tecware has made a reputation for itself as a purveyor of tech goods that provide excellent bang for your buck. Much like the SuperSolid Gemini One I reviewed recently, the Pulse packs many features of a top-tier wireless gaming mouse at a third of the price. It’s got a super flexible paracord-style cable, a comfortable and versatile shape, and a honeycomb shell.

And as it turns out, it’s similar to

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That said, build quality could be improved. There is some creaking when pushing down on the bottom, and noticeable rattling when shaking the mouse. The Huano switches are nice and crisp, however, with a pleasant amount of resistance. There is some post-travel, but nothing that would interfere with your gaming experience.

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Modular shell design and internal structure is very similar to the SuperSolid Gemini One.

offers well-defined notches, and is reasonably quiet. The mouse feet offer a smooth glide right out of the box as well, with no scratchiness.

With the same shape as Logitech’s much-vaunted wireless mouse, the Pulse might not score any points for originality, but it sure scores for function. Its shape is exceedingly comfortable and versatile, and it’s difficult to see anyone having a problem with it.

The modular side buttons add even more versatility, allowing you to configure the mouse for left- or right-handedness, or have side buttons on both sides if you wish.

It is on the larger side, so folks with

small hands might find it less agile.

The 16,000DPI PixArt PMW3335 optical sensor used here, is a low power version of the PMW3389 better suited for wireless mice. Tecware claims up to 50 hours of battery life, and the sensor offers flawless performance with no noticeable acceleration or jitter.

However, the same can’t be said of its wireless performance.

There’s frequent lag and skipping with the dongle plugged into the back of my PC. The paracord-style cable plugs into the mouse via a USB-C connector in the front. It’s soft and super flexible, with minimal cable drag.

The software itself offers myriad options to choose from, but it could use some polish. One quirk I noticed was that the “Improve pointer precision” option was checked by default, which introduces some prediction to your mouse movements.

You should definitely check to make sure you have that turned off.

The mouse is illuminated by RGB lighting at the scroll wheel and around the base. To conserve battery, the lights only come on when you’re active and moving the mouse about. An eco mode setting goes a step further and turns off the RGB lighting around the base, so only the scroll wheel and

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Tecware logo at the rear are lighted. You can enter eco mode with the switch at the base of the mouse.

Another button at the

base also lets you change the RGB light patterns on-the-fly.

At $59, the Tecware Pulse packs a lot of features into a very small price tag.

Incredibly, it’s even cheaper than the SuperSolid Gemini One. I want to say that it’s a budget G Pro Wireless, but the flawed wireless performance stands

in the way of that.

If the Pulse was a wired mouse, I’d say unreservedly that it’s a solid offering.

But because of the erratic wireless performance, it becomes a mouse that you could maybe take a gamble on, and if it doesn’t work out, at least it won’t have made much of a hole in your wallet.

CONCLUSION

Feature rich companion software with many options for tweaking mouse settings.

FEATURE-RICH AND BUDGET FRIENDLY, BUT SACRIFICES MADE TO ACHIEVE ITS PRICE TAG.

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AT A G L A N C E

GPU NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 T i MEMORY 12GB GDDR6X

ASUS ROG STRIX GEFORCE RTX 3080 TI OC

By Hoots the Owl and Aaron Yip

CLOCK SPEED OC mode: 1,845 MHz (Boost Clock) / Gaming mode : 1,815 MHz (Boost Clock) SIZE 3 18. 5 X 14 0.1 X 5 7.78 MM PRICE $ 2 ,7 99

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good 318mm long.

You’ll need a goodsized case to fit this in comfortably, and small system builders will want to take a hard pass on this.

Compared to the previous generation, ASUS has beefed-up its design with more metal around its fans, a new fan rotation

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50

watering $2,799, it costs as much as a whole system.

This is one of the most aesthetically pleasing cards I’ve seen. The tough-asnails industrial look is brought out by its hulking 2.9-slot design and triple-fan cooler.

It’s a behemoth of a card, measuring a

P I C T U R E S

The brand new ASUS ROG Strix GeForce RTX 3080 Ti OC takes NVIDIA’s flagship GeForce RTX 3080 Ti and kicks it up to 11.

I have no doubt that it’ll be one of the most coveted custom cards around, assuming you can stomach the price. At an eye-

Doesn’t get much faster than this

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CONCLUSION A Dual BIOS switch lets you switch between Performance and Quiet modes for quick customisation without software.

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WITH KILLER LOOKS, STRATOSPHERIC PERFORMANCE, AND SOLID THERMALS, ASUS HAS YET ANOTHER WINNER.

SEPTEMBER 2021

scheme, and an even larger heatsink with more fins to soak up all the heat the card is going to put out.

The PCB has been tweaked too, as has the backplate.

One of the most significant changes is the new Axial-tech fan design. It has been optimised for the larger heatsink with a higher blade count; 13 on the centre fan and 11 on the auxiliary spinners.

The barrier ring on the side fans has also been slimmed down for more air intake at the sides, providing better airflow through the heatsink. On top

of that, the centre fan’s extra blades and full-height barrier ring provide increased static pressure to channel air directly onto the heat spreader.

The rotational direction of the centre fan is reversed as well, reducing air turbulence inside the cooling array, similar to what Gigabyte does on its WindForce cooler. In addition, the fans shut off completely when card power consumption is low and the GPU temperature falls below 50°C, keeping noise levels down when the system isn’t working hard.

But all that wouldn’t work if the GPU die

cannot offload heat to the fin array efficiently.

To help with that, ASUS says it uses its MaxContact tech to improve surface smoothness of the heat spreader at a microscopic level.

The extra flatness is supposed to allow for better contact with the die and enhance

heat transfer.

The capacitors, chokes and MOSFETs on the PCB have also been selected for smooth power delivery. They’re soldered on using ASUS’ AutoExtreme automated manufacturing process, which is supposed to eliminate

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You’ll need three 8-pin connectors to power this beast, but at least it isn’t NVIDIA’s finicky 12-pin connector.

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50 40 30 20 10 0

Shadow of the Tomb Raider NVIDIA Geforce RTX 3080 Ti FE

ASUS ROG Strix Geforce RTX 3080 Ti OC

Metro: Exodus MSI Geforce RTX 3080 Ti Suprim X

human error and ensure smooth solder joints on the rear of the PCB. Out back, the backplate now features a wide vent, which works in tandem with the shorter PCB to allow hot air to escape towards the chassis exhaust fans instead of being recycled by the cooler. A GPU bracket that runs the length of the card provides extra stability for the critical connection between the die and the heat spreader.

This is topped off with the stainless steel I/O bracket, which mounts securely in your case and protects the ports.

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You’ll find access to two HDMI 2.1 and three DisplayPort 1.4a ports at the rear.

We compared the ASUS ROG Strix GeForce RTX 3080 Ti OC against the MSI GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Suprim X and their Founders Edition counterpart.

In 3DMark tests, the ASUS falls right between the Founders Edition model and the MSI. For game benchmarks, at all resolutions - 1080p, 1440p and 4K - The ASUS shines through almost everything we threw at it, finding a challenge only with 54

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Metro: Exodus at 4K, Max settings with Ray-tracing turned on. Performance margins between cards were razor thin, and honestly not

worth noting. You’d do well with any of these three.

Thermals on the other hand, tell a different story. The ASUS ROG Strix GeForce RTX 3080 Ti, at 72.5°C peak temperature, is cooler than the Founders Edition model, but not quite as good as MSI’s 70.9°C. It’s also the most power hungry at 411W.

While the MSI GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Suprim X does seem to have a thin edge over the ASUS, it is significantly more expensive at $3,288. At $2,799, the The ASUS ROG Strix GeForce RTX 3080 Ti OC is a great card that offers better value in comparison - besides the fact that they all pretty much cost a fully-kitted system.

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GHOST OF TSUSHIMA: DIRECTOR’S CUT

Dust off that ghost armour Ghost of Tsushima: Director’s Cut is a revamped version of its open-world game that adds a bunch of PlayStation 5 features on top of a new story expansion.

The biggest selling point of this Director’s Cut is its new Iki Island expansion, which adds a whole new region and story campaign to play through alongside the main story. This expansion becomes available to players after they complete Act 1 of the campaign - after which players get access to a much larger slice of Tsushima to explore.

Be warned: Iki Island is full of dangerous enemies and you might find them extra difficult to beat if you haven’t completed the game, or upgraded most of Jin’s gear and abilities. Returning to the game after one year was a hilariously

By Tim Augustin

AT A G L A N C E

DEVELOPER Sucker Punch Productions PUBLISHER Sony Interactive Entertainment GENRE Action, Adventure, Third person PLATFORM PS4, PS5 PLAYERS SINGLE

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Lord Shimura, this new story expands on the samurai’s relationship with his late father.

Jin’s complicated relationship with his father grounds this story and gives it much-needed emotional weight, seeing as the rest of the campaign isn’t much to shout about. Jin comes face to face with a new antagonist who uses poison to drive her enemies beyond the brink of madness. Of course, our samurai is made of stronger stuff and survives their

Take a walk around Iki Island, it’s a beautiful place.

first encounter - but then continues to experience hallucinations randomly

P I C T U R E S

awkward time for the samurai (aka me), who seemed to have entirely forgotten how to dodge and parry enemy attacks - or make use of his bombs and blow darts.

The new story campaign begins with Jin catching wind of the Mongol invasion reaching Iki’s shores - which especially disturbs the samurai, considering he shares a dark past with the island. Just as the main campaign brings personal stakes to the story via Jin’s relationship with his uncle

S U C K E R P U N C H P R O D U C T I O N S / S O N Y I N T E R A C T I V E E N T E R TA I N M E N T

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while exploring Iki and progressing in the main story. Personally, I’m fatigued on hallucinatory plot lines like these - after games like Far Cry 5 and Arkham Knight overindulged in all the surreal imagery, it just doesn’t feel special anymore to have a bad guy constantly be in your head.

It’s also hard to not feel like the new story wastes Jin’s pre-existing friends from Tsushima. I really would’ve loved more time with characters 60

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CONCLUSION

IF YOU WANT MORE GHOST OF TSUSHIMA, THIS IS THE EXPANSION TO GET. like Yuna, Ishikawa and Lady Masako all of my favourites from the main game, who really could’ve used some fleshing out here. Iki brings us new characters too of course, but I just didn’t get to spend enough time with them to care about their part in the story.

Overall, Director’s Cut feels more worth-

while for its new region rather than the story that comes packaged with it. Iki Island is, unsurprisingly, drop-dead gorgeous.

The environment shifts from beaches and cove side settlements to overgrown forests housing old battlefields. I found myself turning off quest indicators often, just to wander around

Iki and explore its secrets undisturbed.

New activities like finding animal sanctuaries and reliving old memories are also scattered around the island, which provides a welcome reprieve from the repetitive cycle of finding katana skins and chasing down foxes for charms.

Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut also adds a couple of features exclusive to the PlayStation 5 version of the game.

PS5 owners get to

play Director’s Cut at a dynamic 4K resolution that targets 60fps which sounds like the ideal way to explore the mind-bogglingly beautiful world Sucker Punch has created here. I also got a feel of the new haptic feedback and adaptive trigger support for the DualSense controller, and it definitely adds a nice layer of immersion to the bloody strikes and tense stand-offs dealt

by Jin. If you’d rather experience Ghost of Tsushima in its Japanese

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Jin pauses to practice his flute skills.

dub, you’ll be relieved to hear that it’s finally getting a proper Japanese lip-sync. You can also transfer PlayStation 4 save files over to your new console, and it’s a thankfully painless affair - you just hit ‘upload PS4 save file’ on the main menu.

Let’s talk about pric-

ing. If you already own Ghost of Tsushima on PS4, the PS5 version of Director’s Cut will cost you $40.90.

If you own Director’s Cut on PS4 (which is $79.90), you’ll still need to pay an extra $18 for the PS5 version.

Are these PS5 upgrades worth $18?

I think not. Fixed lip-syncing for Japanese audio and haptic feedback are hardly necessary additions, although there may be an argument to be made for the increased 4K resolution.

Personally, I think slapping a price on new-gen features for a game that you already own is a rather shady move, but you do you. For what it’s worth, I do think that Iki Island and the campaign expansion is absolutely worth the purchase, as long as you loved the original game and want more of it.

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DRIVERS 7mm single dynamic, X3R technology FREQUENCY RESPONSE 5Hz - 48KHz CONNECTOR MMCX WEIGHT 4g PRICE $ 1,999

Aiming for the summit SENNHEISER IE 900 P I C T U R E S

By Kenny Yeo

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Unlike phones, flagship IEMs don’t come around often.

Sennheiser’s last flagship-class IEM, the IE 800 S, was released in 2017. So you can imagine the excitement the new IE 900 caused when it was announced earlier this year in May. The move is a concerted effort by Sennheiser to refresh its IEM lineup which started in January this year with the IE 300.

The IE 900 and IE 300 share the same design which is no bad thing. The IE 300 was supremely

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comfortable to wear and the IE 900 is no different. It fits snugly in my ears. And because it’s so small and light – a mere 4g – you’ll barely notice it.

While the IE 300 is made in China, the IE 900 is made in Germany. It’s an important point of distinction because only Sennheiser’s most important and premium products are made in their German factories.

On the materials side of things, while the IE 300 makes do with a hard plastic shell, the IE 900 features a milled aluminium housing. Each IE 900 shell starts off as a block of aluminium which is then precision-milled to create its unique shape. This step is particularly crucial because within the aluminium shells are three Helmholtz resonator chambers that were designed to minimise unwanted frequency peaks.

The IE 900 uses MMCX connectors. The connectors are

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Crafted directly into the aluminium shells are these resonators that tame high frequencies.

specially designed so that they sit within a recessed socket so that there’s strain relief. This might cause compatibility problems with aftermarket cables, so pay attention to fit if you intend to use your custom cables with the IE 900. Bundled with the earphones are three cables with 3.5mm, 2.5mm, and 4.4mm plugs for use with a wide range of balanced and unbalanced devices.

These cables are made of para-aramid which Sennheiser says can withstand “many thousands of bend cycles”. They certainly feel durable, but are quite stiff.

Coupled with the fact that they are coated in a TPU material, makes them feel like rubber hoses.

Unlike other companies that differentiate their earphones by using drastically different drivers, Sennheiser prefers using variations of the same driver across its lineup. Therefore, inside the IE 900 is a

The IE 900 comes with six additional pairs of silicone and memory foam ear tips.

7mm TrueResponse dynamic driver that’s closely related to the driver inside the IE 300.

While the driver may be similar, the tuning treatment most definitely isn’t. In the case of the IE 900, the three precisionmilled Helmholtz resonators for example, is something the IE 300 lacks.

Greater attention has also been paid to managing airflow and backpressure, evident by more prominent vents.

Some readers might also wonder why Sennheiser opted for a single dynamic driver setup. The reason, explains Sennheiser, is that while multidriver configurations might achieve better frequency response, they do so by sacrificing timbre, coherence, and phase performance.

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tastefully elevated, and crucially it is tight and punchy. But it is the treble extension that really gets you because it’s so well extended and smooth.

There’s no harshness or sibilance, just lots of air and sparkle.

The problematic area for me is the mid to upper mids, there’s some unevenness there so vocals sound breathier and more hollow than they should.

Technically, the IE 900 is quite resolving and detailed, but perhaps not quite to the standard one might expect from a summit-fi IEM. I attribute this to the unevenness in the mids to upper mids.

The breathier vocals can sound indistinct as a result and some instruments like pianos and guitars do not sound quite as incisive. Imaging is solid and the stage that it projects is slightly wider than average, which makes well-recorded live recordings a treat.

Against the much more affordable IE 66

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CONCLUSION

RESPECTABLE AUDIO, BUILT TO VERY HIGH STANDARDS, AND IS MORE COMFORTABLE THAN MOST, IF NOT ALL, OF ITS RIVALS. 300 ($449), it is clear that the IE 900 has a more balanced sound, with more resolving power, and is appreciably more detailed and clean.

Judged solely by the way it sounds, the IE 900 is competitive but not classleading. Where it

really outshines its competition is with its superlative build and compact design.

It feels bombproof.

And because it is so small, it’s supremely comfortable to wear.

This addresses a common issue with high-end multi-driver IEMs – many are too

big and torturous to wear for any extended amount of time.

Ultimately, like most other German-made products, it’s practical and sensible – as sensible as $1,999 can be. I think the people who buy it will be very satisfied with their purchase.

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PROCESSOR Qualcomm Snapdragon 888

Live the flip life SAMSUNG GALAXY Z FLIP3 5G

By Liu Hongzuo

MEMORY 8GB RAM, 128/256GB ROM DISPLAY Main - 6.7-inch, 2,640 x 1,080 pixels (425 ppi), Dynamic AMOLED 2X Infinity Flex, 120Hz adaptive refresh rate / Cover - 1.9-inch,

‘With two Z Flips before it, Samsung’s 2021 flip-style foldable phone is aptly called the Galaxy Z Flip3 5G. A big part of the Galaxy Z Flip3 5G’s appeal is its launch price. At $1,398 and $1,498 (128GB and 256GB, respectively), they are a steep reduction from the initial Z Flip’s $1,998.

Another important upgrade is its 1.9-inch 512 x 260 pixels resolution Super AMOLED Cover Screen.

Samsung rotated the dual cameras and flash by 90°, using the freed up space to park a secondary panel

512 x 260 pixels (302 ppi), Super AMOLED CAMERAS RE A R - 12MP W IDE , F/ 1.8, OIS / 12MP ULTR AW IDE , F/2 , 2 / F RONT - 10MP, F/2 . 4 BATTERY 3, 300M A H PRICE F ROM $ 1, 398

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Screen supports HDR10+ content, has 100% DCI-P3 coverage for colours, and a bunch of features for a more comfortable eye exposure. These perks are expected in any flagship handset, but we do wish it was at least 1440p.

Is the crease visible?

Yes, mostly. The Z Flip3 5G’s crease disappears if you’re staring at it squarely, but the viewing angle tolerance is roughly 5 to 10 degrees before you can see the line across the main screen.

In my experience, the crease doesn’t severely affect videowatching habits. But,

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You can hardly see the crease straight on, but it’s more visible viewed at an angle.

P I C T U R E S

that is four times larger than the old Flips. The size increase also made it more practical (and easier) to use features like widgets, Quick Shot, Dual Preview, and improved notifications handling.

Accessing Samsung Pay from the Cover Screen is a little different but no less convenient now. To use Samsung Pay without unfolding the phone, simply wake the Cover Screen, swipe up, and verify your identity via the sidemounted sensor. Do note that only the default card shows up in Cover Screen, so if you want to pay through a different card, you’ll still need to unfold your Z Flip3.

The Main Screen (6.7-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X Infinity Flex Display) sits at FHD+ (2,640 x 1,080 pixels resolution), with 120Hz adaptive refresh rate now offered on the device. While the display’s name is a mouthful, it does mean that the Z Flip3 5G’s foldable Main

it’s still not an ideal display experience.

The new protective film layer on the foldable panel is 80% more durable to scratches than its predecessor, the rear plates also now use Corning Gorilla Glass Victus, and the phone itself is built using a new Armor Aluminium that Samsung claims is 10% tougher than Galaxy Z phones before.

If you’ve used an older Flip or Fold, you’ll notice that the film layer on the primary screen leaves tiny scuffs when you’re too rough with it. It would seem the new protective layer works.

We have used the Flip 3 5G on a daily basis for about a week before finishing this review, and the phone’s display has stayed relatively new - something we couldn’t say for the Fold2.

The phone’s IPX8 water resistance offered peace of mind when used during a drizzle. However, we are not confident it can withstand spilled

Using Samsung Pay is so much more convenient in this size without needing to flip open the phone.

coffee, sea water, or your pet’s drool very well. Also, the “X” in its IP rating means it’s not certified for dust resistance.

If you’re hoping to unfold the phone with one hand, too bad. The previous Z Flip phones didn’t accommodate for that, and the new Z Flip3 5G uses the same CAM mechanism for its durability.

We should also commend Samsung for making the main cameras as flushed as possible. On the older Flip, it had a raised housing rim

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Besides more room for widgets and notifications, the larger Cover Screen lets you take better selfies with the rear cameras.

for its front cameras, but on the Z Flip3 5G, it’s a neat, minimal pair of lenses, with no excessive bumps to ruin the phone’s aesthetics.

The Z Flip3 5G has two rear 12MP shooters and a 10MP selfie camera.

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WORTHY OF MAINSTREAM FLAGSHIP STATUS, WITH ADDED CREATIVITY AND FUNCTIONALITY FROM ITS FOLDABLE DESIGN. identical to the previous Z Flip 5G and performance similar as well, but there are tangible experience improvements brought about by design changed, such as the larger Cover Screen.

The phone offers dual stereo speakers

- one bottom-firing that’s positioned next to the USB-C port, and the other being frontfiring, and shared with the call speaker up top. While its audio balance is better than mono or single-firing speakers, the two speakers are not on par with each other

as the call speaker is noticeably softer in our experience.

We suspect it’s configured for portrait handheld mode, instead of the conventional landscape-oriented left-right stereo we’ve come to know and use. There’s also Dolby Atmos support but it’s oddly toggled off by default.

As a Samsung flagship handset, the Android 11 operating system has Samsung’s proprietary One UI interface. It’s congruent with One UI found on the Galaxy S21 series, but it still comes with minimal bloatware, like the Samsung Global Goals app.

The Galaxy Z Flip3 5G offers a hidden Taskbar shortcut that’s useful if you wish to open two

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tabs in the two halves of the display respectively. Unlike the Galaxy Z Fold3’s Taskbar, the one on Z Flip3 5G cannot be pinned.

Driving the new Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 5G is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 with 8GB of RAM. For most of our benchmarks, it performs similarly to other SD888 flagship phones,

and Samsung’s own Exynos-powered Galaxy S21+.

The Z Flip3 5G has a 3,300mAh battery, clocking in just under 10 hours in our tests, which is improved from the first Z Flip, but relatively shortlived next to other 2021 flagship devices.

The phone also supports 15W fastcharging and 10W wireless charging, just like its Galaxy

S and Galaxy Note counterparts. Our third-party 40W fast-charging wall plug saw the foldable taking 57 minutes to reach 50% charge, and 124 minutes to go from 0% to 100%.

Why did we use an unrelated charger?

That’s because Samsung didn’t include a charging adapter in the box, much like how Galaxy S21 series devices

also didn’t have one.

If you’ve been holding out on getting Samsung’s flagship flip-style foldable phone, the Galaxy Z Flip3 5G makes an amazing entry point into these handsets. It’s also a viable (maybe even seductive) candidate for users who want a new experience if they’re moving on from an older flagship smartphone.

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TOP 11 NEW FEATURES IN IOS 15

WITH THE NEXT IPHONE

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season soon upon us, thinking about new phone features is a natural phenomenon. But even existing iPhone users will benefit from these major new features from iOS 15.

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APPLE MAPS DETAILED CITY EXPERIENCE Let’s be honest; even if you’re on an iPhone, you’re probably also using Google Maps because it offers greater detail for navigation. So an iOS 15 update that can make Apple Maps more detailed would certainly turn heads.

Apple Maps will get new road details, like turn lanes, medians, crosswalks, and more.

These changes would help to make Apple Maps much easier to understand.

While Apple announced this feature for U.S. cities, we’re sure it’s only a matter of time before Singapore gets added to the mix.

Besides prettier maps, Apple is offering Immersive Walking Directions for the truly lost, which combines your iPhone camera and the phone’s navigation components to provide augmented reality-guided guides.

APPLE WALLET: DIGITAL KEYS USEABLE EVEN IN POWER RESERVE Apple Wallet doesn’t just hold debit or credit cards for the sake of Apple Pay. Also, with an iPhone that has the UWB chipset, it can carry digital keys to your house, car, hotel room, office, and more when iOS 15 rolls out. But, that’s not the feature that gets us going.

A neat feature is Power Reserve, where the digital keys mentioned above are still usable from Wallet - up to five hours - even if the iPhone is low on battery or seemingly out of juice.

It draws on the remaining power within to complete those taps.

Currently, this feature is supported for other types of cards, like transit cards or student IDs, when Express Mode is enabled.

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BUILT-IN CODEGENERATING AUTHENTICATOR FOR LOGINS Google has the Google Authenticator app, where you can pair your online accounts to it. The app offers another layer of code authentication that only you can access physically. The equivalent of this for iPhones will come in iOS 15, but Apple’s one is built directly into the iPhone.

The iOS 15 version of Authenticator can auto-fill verification codes, just like how it auto-fills 2FA found in your SMSes. Also, if a website offers 2FA, you can set up the iPhone as the code generator instead of giving out a phone number, email address, or downloading other authenticator apps.

FOCUS TO DECLUTTER With smartphones getting more features and d more capabilities, it can get overwhelming to chec ck your phone at times.

Apple’s answer to decluttering is Focus.

Unlike most other mental wellness features in Android, where they offer two-dimensional decluttering (work versus not-work), Focus can be customised to filter out notifications based on your current mindset or task. For example, you can n create a Focus for video gaming or exercise, and even give it a name of your choice.

There are a few parts to Focus. First, iOS 15 will use on-device intelligence to recommend Focus based on your past activities.

You are also free to create Focus tabs even without iOS 15 prompting you to controls are found within the Control Centre.

Next, Focus also reorganises your Home Screen to suit the task or moment at hand.

Examples given by Apple include a Focus for work,

where work apps are front and centre, and a Focus for personal time, where the Home Screen will change over to prioritise apps and widgets for unwinding, socialising, entertainment, and more. This is on top of the notification decluttering.

Another iOS 15 feature that works well with Focus is a change in how the iPhone handles notifications from the Lock Screen. Previously, you had to mute app notifications either via Settings, or via each app’s independent notification

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controls. Apple iOS 15 now offers muting of notifications directly from the Lock Screen (swipe left on the notification, tap Options). So, there’s no need to go into Settings to fiddle with controls when you’re already temporarily disengaged from the group chat. Existing options only have Deliver Quietly (pop-ups but no sound and no Lock Screen tab) and Turn Off (with no time limit).

ENHANCED FIND MY TRACKING, EVEN IF THE PHONE IS TURNED OFF Previously, when you misplaced your iPhone, you’ll have to pray really hard that the phone has Find My tracking turned on and it’s not completely out of battery.

With iOS 15, the Find My phone tracking feature now works even when the phone is turned off or has already undergone a full restore. So, if someone finds your iPhone and has no intention of returning it to you, they can’t avoid tracing by wiping the phone, nor can they power it off to avoid detection.

Also, if they sell the misplaced phone, the unfortunate buyer will see

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that the Hello screen is locked and the phone has an original owner. The only way to fully release an iPhone is to go to iCloud and disassociate the device from the iCloud account.

Beyond the phone, Find My in iOS 15 also offers Separation Alerts. Instead of waiting until you’ve misplaced your AirTagged belongings in an unfamiliar location, the iPhone will notify the user and give directions back to it.

These enhanced Find My tracking features use UltraWideband technology (UWB) though, so only iPhones with the Apple U1 chip can use them. Basically, from the iPhone 11 onward.

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symptoms you might’ve encountered. Sharing with loved ones also helps offer peace of mind since not everyone can easily communicate their wellbeing fluently.

SHARING HEALTH DATA WITH HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS, SHOWING VACCINE PROOF Most people would be familiar with Apple Health, which first started with tracking the number of steps taken in a day. The app and its features have since evolved, but the ways to communicate health data to the right people haven’t. Until iOS 15.

While Apple introduced many Health features for iOS 15, our favourite would be the ability to share Health data with select healthcare professionals and loved ones.

Sharing with a physician makes it easier to explain how you’re feeling instead of having to rack your brain to recall any problems or

We also hope that the feature for sharing with healthcare professionals would extend beyond supported U.S. healthcare organisations.

Another timely feature is iOS 15’s ability to store vaccination results directly in the Health app. It also lets users download verifiable Covid-19 vaccination or test results via an online browser or QR Code, even if the country’s health authorities don’t yet support this Health feature. So if you have any intention of leisure travelling or going on overseas work trips, you probably shouldn’t sleep on this feature.

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RETURN OF MAGNIFIED TEXT DURING COPY-PASTING Up until iOS 12, iPhones would magnify text during copy-pasting. As a result, it was much easier to select the correct point of the text.

Unfortunately, text copying also became really clumsy when this feature disappeared, especially when it came to copy-pasting URLs. iOS 15 sees the return of the magnified view.

Apple calls it “magnification loupe for text cursor and selection”, but it’s really just the same feature. The only difference? Instead of a circular magnified area, the magnified loupe takes on an oblong shape that gives a better view of the whole word.

CAMERA APP GETS LIVE TEXT

The old circular magnified text feature back in iOS 10.

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Perhaps long overdue, but welcomed, either way, is Live Text.

It lets the default Camera app in iOS 15 recognise text in real-time, and in images found online. Users can copy, search, or translate Live Text from images too.

If you’ve ever used the Google Translate app, you’ll know that Live Text is very similar in function to its instant camera that provides instant translation. With iOS 15, you don’t need a separate, dedicated app for this one feature anymore.

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SHAREPLAY ON FACETIME WITH FAMILY AND FRIENDS A headlining feature Apple shared was SharePlay, where an iPhone user can be physically apart from family and friends, and yet still listen to music or watch TV shows together using FaceTime.

SharePlay controls are also shared with all participants, so any participant can pause the song or show when they need to nip into the loo or refill drinks.

On the device side, SharePlay at launch will work with iPhones, iPads, and Macs. Compatible content services are Apple TV, Disney+, ESPN+, HBO Max, Hulu, MasterClass, Paramount+, Pluto TV, TikTok, and Twitch, as well as any third-party app, if its developer chooses to integrate SharePlay functionality into their iOS app.

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