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Acer is showing off a 55-inch 4K OLED gaming monitor
We all know someone who bought a big TV to use as a PC monitor, refresh rates be damned. Thankfully, Acer is joining the not-so select group of companies producing enormous displays that are actually suitable for PC gaming. The company's Predator division is announcing the CG552K, a 55-inch, 4K OLED display that sports adaptive sync, NVIDIA G-Sync and a 120Hz refresh rate. It's smarter than your average TV, too, with a light sensor that optimizes brightness depending on the local environment, and a proximity sensor that activates the monitor when it detects your presence. It also packs plenty of connectivity options, including three HDMI 2.0, two DisplayPort v1.4, one USB-C and two USB-type-A, as well as pair of 10W speakers nestled inside. Additionally, the display has 98.5 percent DCI-P3 color gamut and 400 nits brightness, so it should do well for work as well as play. And no gaming monitor would be complete without a customizable light strip, would it?
Turtle Beach unleashes M-series mobile headphones, updates Ear Force gaming headset lineup
Last year, at CES Turtle Beach wowed us with its Ear Force PX5 wireless gaming headset, featuring customizable surround sound presets -- this year, the New York-based company is unveiling its first foray into "lifestyle" headsets with its new M-series, as well as updating some of its staple Ear Force gaming headsets. To start, fans of the X31 and X41 wireless Xbox 360 headsets will be pleased to learn about its new X32 and X42, respectively priced at about $100 and $160. The duo build atop their older siblings' 2.4 Ghz RF radio signals, operating over dual-band 2.4 / 5 Ghz WiFi using an included transmitter. While both of these native stereo headsets feature a similar design with 50mm drivers, the X42 notably comes equipped with Dolby 7.1 virtual surround sound. Moving onto the PC front, TB is introducing an option for gamers on a budget with its $40 Z11. Much like the company's on-ear Z1, it's a bare-bones stereo headset, but notably, the Z11 opts for an over-ear design with 50mm drivers. Lastly, Turtle's trio of M-series headsets are perfect for those looking to talk trash on Call of Duty and command their favorite music playlists on their smartphone between frag sessions. The lineup consists of the in-ear M1s, on-ear M3s (seen above, and vaguely similar Nox Audio's now-defunct Specialist) and the over-ear (and PX5-like) M5s. Each headset features an Android and iPhone-compatible inline remote / mic, and they're set to sell from $40 to $60 when they hit shelves. While availability for all the goods has yet to be announced, Turtle Beach apparently has another "surprise" announcement planned for CES, and we'll be sure to let you know as soon as when do while we're there. For now, check out the gallery below to see all the goods in the flesh, and the press release after the break for more details.
Corsair cranks with Extreme Series X32, X64 and X128 SSDs
Corsair's no stranger to the wild, nimble and reliable world of solid state storage, but its latest line of 2.5-inch SSDs takes that whole "speed" thing to another level. The aptly-titled Extreme Series is comprised of the X32, X64 and X128, which pack 32GB, 64GB and 128GB of capacity, predictably and respectively. Built using Samsung MLC NAND flash memory and an Indilinx Barefoot controller, these drives have been tested to reach read rates of up to 240MBps and write rates of 170MBps. Corsair even notes that these are upgradable via future firmware updates, meaning that the upcoming TRIM command for Windows 7 will be but a download away. Per usual, the company's mum on pricing and release details, but unless something has changed since last week yesterday, the whole lot will be a bit too rich for our blood.
Microsoft clarifies HD DVD and Blu-ray playback in 32-bit Vista, blames someone else
It must have been a restless night for Microsoft's Steve Riley who mistakenly told a crowd in Australia yesterday that Windows Vista would not support commercial Blu-ray and HD DVD playback on machines sporting 32-bit processors -- the vast majority of PCs in homes today. Not true says a scrambling Microsoft, "playback is possible with Windows Vista in 32-bit" but support will be determined by independent software vendors like CyberLink and InterVideo, not Microsoft. This because Windows Media Player 11 won't be able to play commercial, high-def films when Vista ships. However, as Riley let slip said yesterday, "this is a decision that the media player folks made" (now read: the ISVs) since the studios don't want their high definition content to play in x32 due to the ability of unsigned code to compromise their content protection schemes. So while Microsoft has shifted the blame, the position of the studios certainly hasn't changed. Now who do you think is going to cave, the studios or the ISVs, once Vista is launched?
