i40 | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net KitGuru.net - Tech News | Hardware News | Hardware Reviews | IOS | Mobile | Gaming | Graphics Cards Mon, 30 Aug 2010 07:38:37 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 https://www.kitguru.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/cropped-KITGURU-Light-Background-SQUARE2-32x32.png i40 | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net 32 32 KitGuru @ Insomnia 40 https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/henry-butt/kitguru-insomnia-40/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/henry-butt/kitguru-insomnia-40/#comments Mon, 30 Aug 2010 07:36:05 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=14632 KitGuru spent the weekend at Newbury Racecourse attending the UK's largest LAN gaming event, Insomnia 40 (i40).  Being gurus of kit, we were mostly interested in the hardware on show from the numerous exhibitors. First of all we had a look at Immacula's stand, displaying products from Alienbags, SteelSeries, Synology and Zotac.  They had a …

The post KitGuru @ Insomnia 40 first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
KitGuru spent the weekend at Newbury Racecourse attending the UK's largest LAN gaming event, Insomnia 40 (i40).  Being gurus of kit, we were mostly interested in the hardware on show from the numerous exhibitors.

First of all we had a look at Immacula's stand, displaying products from Alienbags, SteelSeries, Synology and Zotac.  They had a few exciting new products on show from SteelSeries with a whole host of existing products from all four companies.


The Spectrum 4xb and 5xb headsets are the latest in SteelSeries' range and are designed for use with the Xbox 360.  Both feature retractable unidirectional microphones for use with in-game chat and use the Spectrum AudioMixer which allows control of microphone and headphone volumes independently in-game.  The Spectrum AudioMixer can also be purchased seperately which allows any 3.5mm headphones and microphones to be used with your Xbox 360.


The 5xb is similar to the 7H headset (review coming shortly) as it can be dismantled into three pieces for easy portability.  The durability of the cable and microphone was demonstrated to us by some serious yanking on the cable and microphone which stayed firmly in place with no damage.  We look forward to reviewing these headsets fully sometime in the future.

SteelSeries also had their new Shift keyboard on display which appears to be very similar to their existing Zboard, featuring interchangeable keysets.  We also had a quick look at the Siberia Neckband headset which is fully iPhone compatible.

We were lucky enough to get our hands on a limited edition orange Siberia V2 headset which is similar in design to the red one we reviewed a while back.  We have to say the orange finish looks even better in the flesh than it does in the photos and is our favourite colour scheme yet for this headset.  The availability of this is very limited as there are only ten in the country so if you want one then you'll need to be quick!


Zotac had a variety of products on display including the GeForce 480 AMP! graphics card and H55 ITX Motherboard.  The main feature of their sand however, was a competition to win a Zbox mini-PC which required entrants to assemble it in the quickest time.  We were shown by a Zotac representative how it could be assembled in under 20 seconds!  This included installation of the hard drive, RAM and screwing the side cover in place!

Synology were showcasing their latest NAS management software, version 3.0 (beta). We were given a brief insight into its new features, the most notable of which is multitasking.  They have also created an Andriod app (similar to the existing iPhone app) which allows access to some features of the drive from anywhere in the world.  This includes IP camera control using finger gestures.  Check out our review of the Synology DS710+ NAS Server.

The post KitGuru @ Insomnia 40 first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/henry-butt/kitguru-insomnia-40/feed/ 4
Tt eSports keyboards and mice chosen for World Cyber Games https://www.kitguru.net/peripherals/keyboards/faith/tt-esports-keyboards-and-mice-chosen-for-world-cyber-games/ https://www.kitguru.net/peripherals/keyboards/faith/tt-esports-keyboards-and-mice-chosen-for-world-cyber-games/#comments Wed, 28 Jul 2010 23:52:16 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=9836 The biggest gaming competition on the planet is the World Cyber Games. Brainchild of the absolutely-gaming-bonkers South Koreans, WCG's headquarters in downtown Seoul has seen massive growth in the sport over the past 10 years. One of the areas of biggest improvement is in the human-machine interface and the gaming peripherals that allow each generation …

The post Tt eSports keyboards and mice chosen for World Cyber Games first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
The biggest gaming competition on the planet is the World Cyber Games. Brainchild of the absolutely-gaming-bonkers South Koreans, WCG's headquarters in downtown Seoul has seen massive growth in the sport over the past 10 years. One of the areas of biggest improvement is in the human-machine interface and the gaming peripherals that allow each generation of enthusiast to push things just that little bit further.

For the 2010 finals, Thermaltake's new Tt eSports division will be providing the kit. Overall, Thermaltake has been working with WCG for 5 years, but this is the first time that the new keyboard and mouse designs will come under such intense pressure.

Thermaltake's Tt eSports products not only aim to provide pro-gamers with the best experience possible, they also match KitGuru's favourite plastic evening wear. Which was nice.

Here's a question. We've all heard of the WCG and Samsung has spent a small fortune supporting it, but how big is it ?

Over 1.6 million gamers from more than 65 countries will fight, battle, club and blast each other to get to the Grand Final. That Grand Final will see the WCG take over the LA Convention Centre from 30th September to the 3rd October. These pics show what the Convention Centre looks like when it hasn't been stormed by thousands and thousands of gamers.

LA is just going to be completely and utterly invaded at the end of September.

Each country has it's own finals and the UK‘s will be held at Multiplay's Insomnia i40 event over the August Bank Holiday. Looking at KitGuru's most recent poll, many of you will be making the annual summer pilgrimage to this event. If you do, then you'll not only get a chance to get hands on with the new Tt eSports keyboard and mouse, you will also have a chance to play with new headsets and chassis.

Craig Fletcher is one of the Multiplay directors entrusted with delivering the UK finals of the WCG tournament at i40 in Newbury this August

Mr Kim, the happy chappy that runs the WCG said, “Thermaltake and WCG have shown strong partnership through the last 4 years. I am especially happy this year, since Thermaltake launched Tt eSPORTS. Thermaltake’s product line extension will be welcomed by all players.  Players this year in the WCG 2010 Grand Final will be taken to an all new level of gaming with the help from Tt eSPORTS by Thermaltake’s products”.

The top brass at Thermaltake seemed equally pleased with themselves. Kenny Lin, Thermaltake’s CEO, said “Our Tt eSports products are ready to be used by the world’s best gamers in the finals of the world’s premier eSports event. We’re proud that the World Cyber Games has chosen to promote our products alongside its tournament. The strategy and objectives of Tt eSPORTS are in perfect unity with the World Cyber Games. A focus on success, while at the same time respecting the spirit of the competition”. Well, what would you expect him to say.

Kenny Lin and part of the Tt eSports demonstration team at Computex this year

In truth, this is a tough test. Alongside the serious players like Razer, Roccat and SteelSeries, this market is also saturated with top quality products from Microsoft, Logitech and other global brands. It will be interesting to see if Tt eSports can establish itself as the product of choice.

KitGuru says: Getting chosen gives Thermaltake a good foot in the door. However, gamers are a fickle bunch and it will be interesting to see how many of the finalists actually pick up massive cheques while using the Challenger keyboard or Black mouse.

You know the drill. Quick thoughts below and in-depth discussion over here in the KitGuru forum.

The post Tt eSports keyboards and mice chosen for World Cyber Games first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
https://www.kitguru.net/peripherals/keyboards/faith/tt-esports-keyboards-and-mice-chosen-for-world-cyber-games/feed/ 1
KitGuru Makes Massive Move to Multiplay (hosted on $40k boxes) https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/announcements/faith/kitguru-makes-massive-move-to-multiplay/ https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/announcements/faith/kitguru-makes-massive-move-to-multiplay/#comments Sat, 26 Jun 2010 08:11:38 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=6038 From 26th June 2010 KitGuru, the fastest growing technology site in the world, will be hosted by the awesome power of Multiplay’s advanced server technology. Bonza! This is, indeed, amazing news. With your help, we've managed to touch 100,000 sessions in a single day and deliver over 1 million pages in a month. In addition …

The post KitGuru Makes Massive Move to Multiplay (hosted on $40k boxes) first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
From 26th June 2010 KitGuru, the fastest growing technology site in the world, will be hosted by the awesome power of Multiplay’s advanced server technology. Bonza!

This is, indeed, amazing news. With your help, we've managed to touch 100,000 sessions in a single day and deliver over 1 million pages in a month. In addition to the stunning number of top quality, in-depth technical reviews being pushed through by KitGuru Labs, we have also broken a series of World Exclusive stories. So who's to blame?……. You!

We'd like to say a BIG thank you to KitGuru readers around the world

By visiting this site and reading our articles in numbers we could not possibly have hoped for, you guys have made it necessary for KitGuru to change hosting 3 times since we officially opened for businesses at the start of May 2010.

Yep. That's 3 hosting changes in about 8 weeks. Nice.

OK, so why has KitGuru chosen to partner with Multplay on this? Simply put, no other operation in the market can deliver more power. With Multiplay’s latest super-blade servers, powered by multiple 6 core Intel processors and weighing in at over $40,000 each, these guys can provide over 100,000 gaming slots. That's more than 100,000 gamers, online, at the same time.

OK. That's big. Really big. but there's more?

Not only is Multiplay's technology right at the leading edge of what’s possible, they are also a serious multi-national operation with data centres in London, Amsterdam, Paris, Virginia, Texas and California.

Multiplay says "None shall be left behind" and rolls out its plan for global game server domination

At the start, back in 1997, Multiplay was focused on small gaming LANs and events. But now there's much more to it.

It's not just CS1.6 you know. Not at $40,000 a server!

In addition to the +20,000 simultaneous gaming connections that Multiplay regularly hosts across the globe, they also successfully run several other a number of other enterprises that you may or may not be familiar with, including:-

  • Voice Comms
    Offering customers the choice of Ventrilo, TeamSpeak and Mumble – with the ability to host thousands and thousands of in-game conversations with crystal clarity and total reliability accessible here
    .
  • Fileplay
    The best place to download demos, trailers and a host of other video content – massive files delivered at the highest speeds possible. In addition to being EA's Bad Company 2 launch partners, Fileplay has loads of other content here
    .
  • i-Series
    Multiplay’s world famous gaming series happens 3 times a year and is now up to i40. Over the past 13 years, they have welcomed over 65,000 gamers to these events and handed out well over $500,000 in prize money. Find out more (and register if you think you're hard enough!) over here

.
In all of this, let's not lose site of the coolest thing.

An organisation the size of Multiplay could have chosen to work with any of the world’s top technology sites, and they chose KitGuru.

Not sure if KitGuru's publishing system supports a :BIG BLUSH: emoticon, but that’s what we're all feeling right now.

Over the coming weeks, we will be looking in detail at the technology needed to run serious services like games (rather than the usual weak-arsed applications that banks and oil companies want to trot out).

In the meantime, if you want to try Multiplay for your next online gaming event then, right now, they have some BIG discounts on offer.

In the past, everytime KitGuru has increased the amount of world-class content available on our site, we’ve hit a brick wall in terms of simultaneous access.  We don’t think it’s possible to attract so much traffic that Multiplay’s servers are brought to their knees whimpering…   but we’re prepared to give it a try!

If you want to see Multiplay and KitGuru folk in the flesh, then all you LAN Fans should aim to get down to the next Multiplay event in August, i40. It promises to be a memorable weekend!

It's almost as if this gaming stuff is popular and will catch on with an ever larger audience.

KitGuru says: This is a major step forward for KitGuru as a major technology web site. We have received a lot of support from the world's top technology partners as well as you, our readers. KitGuru's partnership with Multiplay will be one of the most important we ever make as a company, because it really allows us to expand globally. Here's to the future!

Sorry for all the downtime recently, but it was important that we got this move right. Please let us know what you think in our forums!
.

The post KitGuru Makes Massive Move to Multiplay (hosted on $40k boxes) first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/announcements/faith/kitguru-makes-massive-move-to-multiplay/feed/ 6
Time to buy great separation? Thermaltake audio https://www.kitguru.net/peripherals/headphones/faith/time-to-buy-great-separation-thermaltake-audio/ https://www.kitguru.net/peripherals/headphones/faith/time-to-buy-great-separation-thermaltake-audio/#comments Wed, 09 Jun 2010 08:46:54 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=4613 Can you really achieve a deep, open sound with just 2 channels ? Audio engineers have been trying this trick since the invention of stereo. With headphones it's even more of a challenge. Given the difficulty, what can we expect from Thermaltake? The whole world and its war-dogs are focused on the delivery of crystal …

The post Time to buy great separation? Thermaltake audio first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
Can you really achieve a deep, open sound with just 2 channels ? Audio engineers have been trying this trick since the invention of stereo. With headphones it's even more of a challenge. Given the difficulty, what can we expect from Thermaltake?

The whole world and its war-dogs are focused on the delivery of crystal clear pixels for the ultimate gaming experience. Each generation brings more and more extreme promises of cinematographic-photorealistic-higher-than-ultra-real images that will sweep you away into an alternative reality.

:CHOKE:

Millions gets spent on the engineering, development and launch activities, before a journalist gets the chance to utter those immortal words, “Yeah, but will it do 60 frames per second in Crysis at 2560 with everything on ?” – as if that was written on the stone that Moses left up he mountain cos he couldn't carry it.

Anyone (even complete noobs) who has been to a proper LAN event (think Multiplay's iSomnia 40) will know that ‘inter-clan communication' is key to gaming success. It also adds a lot to the ‘individual experience' if your headset can make your guts wobble when it gets close to the brown note.

So what’s the case for Thermaltake making a name in this market with its bold colours and bold claims.

Shock: Styling, price or audio quality?

Thermaltake created its Tt eSports division well over a year ago and has spent that time working with pro-gamers to try and deliver new and unique products to the market.

Computex 2010 saw the boys from Taiwan with a stand full of new stuff. Especially headphones. But are they any good?

We’ll end the suspense. The proof of the pudding is in the eating and KitGuru was, well, shocked at the ‘image' quality delivered by the new ShockOne gaming headset.

The level of depth/separation was incredible. With just 2 channels, the software/hardware engineers have gone to town and produced a significant 3D audio experience. This stuff is really individual, so just because we liked them at our initial test session, is no guarantee that you won't hate them – you will just need to get hands-on @ Insomnia40 or another major LAN – so you can decide for yourself.

We asked our on hand gaming expert, Suzy to try them and (as a life-long-hard-core-CoD-squad-leader) she was very impressed with the immersive experience offered.

Suzy says "Super stereo - something special!" Er... We think.

(OK. We lied. She prefers Final Fantasy and was paid to work the Thermaltake stand – but she was really nice and her ‘Super hero Zoe' outfit matched the headset!)

Shall we make up for that lie with a gratuitous close up ?

OK

Here it is…

Like covering your ears in soft, warm jelly - these guys are seriously comfortable and block noise.

You can expect to see these units in UK stores soon enough – at which point we will also be able to confirm pricing.

KitGuru says: Go to Insomnia40 (i40 to all you old dogs who have slept rough at Newbury race course in the past) and try them yourself. Will be interesting to see how they fair against Senheisser, Steel Series and Razer.

Discuss in our forums over here or just leave a quick comment below.

The post Time to buy great separation? Thermaltake audio first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
https://www.kitguru.net/peripherals/headphones/faith/time-to-buy-great-separation-thermaltake-audio/feed/ 6