hardware
Latest
Hands-on with Valve's Steam Machine beta hardware
Valve wants a piece of your living room, and it's taking several approaches to make it happen, not the least of which are Steam Machines. Watching Valve's Steam Machines evolution from rumor to concept to hardware beta has been a fascinating process, and now that we've been allowed some hands-on time with one of these quasi-consoles, we're here to tell you what we think. Before we get started, first thing's first: the hardware beta Valve is currently running is just that, a beta. This means everything you're about to read is subject to change. Heck, we already know Valve is partnering with multiple manufacturers to produce various hardware configurations, so who can say what elements will stay the same and what will change? That being said, we're going to try and give you an idea of what to expect based on what we've experienced.
New year, new TUAW hardware reviews
Over the years, TUAW has dramatically increased the number of hardware reviews that are published. This year, we'll be changing the way we do our product reviews to not only make it possible for us to publish even more reviews, but to give our readers a much easier way to compare items in the same product category. To start with, we're cutting down the average length of a product review. There is more raw information and less in terms of descriptive prose, so that you can get to the meat of a review quickly without poring through a 1,500-word description. Each item reviewed now receives a star rating as well. Hardware receives a rating from zero to four stars, with four stars being a world-class product that has few equals, while zero-star products should be avoided at all costs. Our reviews will also include links to previous reviews of similar items, in order to make it simple for you to make comparisons. Note that we're transitioning from our old format, so you may still see the occasional long-format review. As with any new process, there are sure to be a few bumps in the road as we gain familiarity with the new format, but we appreciate your feedback. If you have any comments as we move ahead, please use the "Tip Us" button at the upper-right side of this page to send them to us.
Watch the Steam Controller play more than a dozen games
YouTube channel Trial By Game issued a slew of Steam Machines and Steam Controller videos in the last week. Using its prototype hardware, the channel delivered 23 related videos to date, many of which show the Steam Controller in action with games like Surgeon Simulator 2013, Metro: Last Light, Civilization 5, Bastion and Super Street Fighter 4. We included a few more of the channel's videos after the break. Valve announced its hardware and accompanying operating system in September prior to kicking off the selection process for its 300-person hardware beta program, which Trial By Game seems to be a part of. Valve created its own video to demonstrate the Steam Controller in October, but as with Trial By Game's looks at the game pad, the controller shown isn't final hardware. The Steam Controller's final form will feature a touchscreen between its circular trackpads.
Getting a 27-year-old Mac Plus onto the web
Released in early 1986 with a whopping 8 MHz processor and 4 MB of RAM, the Mac Plus doesn't have the makings of a machine meant to browse the web. But that didn't stop Jeff Keacher from amping up his trusty 27-year-old Mac Plus in an effort to get it up and running on the modern-day internet. With fascinating and precise detail, Keacher describes the inherent and head-scratching hurdles that arise when trying to modernize a computer that was released during the Reagan administration. In doing so, Keacher takes us down memory lane to a time when the Mac OS was still categorized by a single digit. To accomplish my goal, I needed a web browser, a TCP/IP stack, and some way to connect the Mac to my home network. The web browser was relatively easy to find thanks to guys running long-forgotten FTP sites in the dusty corners of the internet. MacWeb 2.0 was both old enough to run on my Plus and new enough to render HTML and speak HTTP. Sort of. But we'll get to that in a minute. ... Getting the Mac physically hooked to the network was a bigger challenge. The Mac Plus didn't have an Ethernet port, and things like WiFi were years from being invented when it was manufactured. A couple of companies made SCSI-to-Ethernet adapters about 15 years ago, but those were rare and expensive. I thought about the problem for a while, and it occurred to me that I could channel the early days again: I could use the serial port and PPP or SLIP to bridge to the outside world. Like dialup without the modem. With a little bit of coding, along with some software and hardware tinkering, Keacher was impressively able to get his Mac Plus up on the web. You can check out the full details behind his efforts over here. It's well worth checking out, if only to see how contemporary websites render on such an old machine.
What a Steam Machine looks like
When new hardware arrives, gamers the world over become bitten by a precocious little parasite called "the unboxing bug." So it is with Valve's hardware prototypes, the Steam Box / Steam Machines. Reddit user colbehr received his hardware from Valve yesterday, and has posted an exhaustive photo-inspection of the unit for all to enjoy. So, let's dig in: Big? Seems fairly substantial. Black? Like midnight at the bottom of the ocean. Box? Boy, you better believe it. And there you go! Valve has given hardware beta testers a big, black box to toy around with. It also came shipped in a wooden crate, like something hauled out of that place in the Indiana Jones movies where they keep The Ark of the Covenant and James Woods. Mind you, this is a hardware beta, and we don't know if this is what the units will look like when they're available for purchase. Check out more angles after the break.
Teardown suggests Xbox One manufacturing cost of $471
The Xbox One costs Microsoft $471 to build, according to a hardware teardown and analysis by research firm IHS. IHS also cracked open the PlayStation 4 to find that Sony spends $381 building its latest home console. The bill of materials for the Xbox One amounts to $457, with the assembly and manufacturing of the system estimated at $14. IHS says that the Xbox One's Kinect camera adds $75 to the total cost of the Xbox One, including assembly, $11 more expensive than the original Kinect's bill of materials and manufacturing costs. Among the other components that factor in to the system's cost for Microsoft is a Blu-Ray drive manufactured by Lite-On that accounts for $32 of the Xbox One's bill of materials, and the system's $25 external power supply unit.
Steam Box prototype from iBuyPower [Update]
Wow. This is a prototype Steam Machines box from iBuyPower, courtesy of our friends at Engadget. The box comes in two flavors (codenamed "Gordon" and "Freeman," of course), as the center strip is either clear or black when not illuminated with varying colors. Much glow. While iBuyPower wasn't willing to share the specs of its version of the Steam-powered hardware, it said the system will run Steam games at 60 frames per second in 1080p. The system is expected to be ready for a 2014 launch, and the two prototype models currently run an early build of SteamOS, the operating system Valve announced would be on its own Steam Machines hardware. Both were announced alongside a Steam Controller in September. Very Steam Box. Much update: The Verge reports that the system will include a "multicore AMD CPU and a discrete AMD Radeon R9 270 graphics card" and comes with a 500 GB hard drive, bluetooth and Wi-Fi capabilities. That CPU is very core.
GameStop sells through PS4 allocation, 2.3 million people on 'first to know' list [Update]
GameStop has sold through all of its PS4 reservations and some additional allocated consoles it received from Sony, the retailer announced during its third quarter earnings call. GameStop President Tony Bartel added that the company has "over 2.3 million customers on the 'first to know' list, which indicates continued demand for months to come" for Sony's console. "Although we won't reveal the total amount of units for competitive reasons, our share was higher than on any previous console launch, and our sell-through since launch was 80 percent higher than the total amount of PS3s that we sold in our 2006 fiscal year," Bartel said. Bartel corroborated Sony Computer Entertainment of America CEO Jack Tretton's recent projection that the PS4 would sell 3 million units in North America by the end of the year, noting that GameStop expects "to sell a large portion of that." In regards to projections for Xbox One sales, which launched today, Bartel said "the value of our reservations and the additional allocation is 15 percent higher than the amount of Xbox 360s that we sold during our entire 2005 fiscal year. So we are poised for a powerful launch." Update: As a clarification, GameStop has informed Joystiq that the 2.3 million people on its 'first to know' list is for PS4 and Xbox One customers combined, not just the former.
Xbox One teardown uncovers off-the-shelf components, standard-sized hard drive
A thorough undressing of Microsoft's Xbox One by iFixit revealed that the console uses a variety of common off-the-shelf hardware components, including a standard-sized hard drive for storage. iFixit notes that the Xbox One is equipped with a standard SATA II, 2.5-inch, 500GB Samsung Spinpoint ST500LM012 hard drive with an 8MB cache. Contrasting the proprietary hard drive casings used by the Xbox 360 and the recent Xbox 360 "slim" model, off-the-shelf replacements for the Xbox One's drive are readily available. Replacing the unit could prove difficult, however, as accessing the Xbox One's hard drive involves prying open the console and removing its Wi-Fi component and system speaker assembly. iFixit was unable to determine whether the Xbox One will recognize an unformatted replacement drive, however, so it's worth waiting for Microsoft's promised USB storage support before busting out the crowbar on your new hardware. iFixit's ongoing teardown additionally revealed that the Xbox One uses standard Torx screws, SATA connectors, and other easily-replaced components, possibly aiding future repairs and maintenance.
PS4 costs $381 to make, according to hardware teardown
The PlayStation 4 costs $381 for Sony to build, $18 under its retail price of $399. The figure comes from a hardware teardown by research firm IHS that included the bill of materials, which amounts to $372, as well as per-unit cost of assembly in the assessment. The teardown notes that the system's processor and memory account for about half of the cost of the entire console at $188, and that the PS4's 500 GB hard drive is $1 cheaper than the 120 GB one found in the PS3, thanks to the "major decline in HDD costs during the past four years." Sony Computer Entertainment CEO Andrew House said in August that the system "will not generate anything like the losses we did for the PlayStation 3," which amounted to $3.5 billion in 2007 and 2008, after the PS3 launched in November 2006 for $599. IHS' teardown of the PS3 at the time found that the system cost Sony $805, and the company still lost roughly $40 per system as of December 2009. The PS4 is off to a good start, as Sony sold one million units in the console's first day at retail. Sony addressed a few issues with launch systems, estimating that the number of problematic PS4 consoles is less than one percent of those shipped.
Sony: 'Less than one percent' of PS4s have issues
Sony addressed numerous reports of defective PlayStation 4 systems this week, and estimated that the number of damaged consoles is relatively low. "The number of affected PS4 systems is less than one percent, which represents a very small percentage of total units shipped to date and is within the expected range for a new product introduction," a Sony representative told Engadget. "We understand the frustration of consumers that have had a problem and are working with them and our retail partners to help troubleshoot issues and ensure affected units are exchanged." Given that several issues were reported to Sony, the hardware manufacturer believes "there isn't a singular problem that could impact a broader percentage of PS4 units." The company previously said it is investigating "isolated" PS4 issues and offered troubleshooting steps for players experiencing "blinking blue light" problems.
Ubisoft expects 'double the console installed base of previous generations'
Tony Key, senior VP of marketing and sales at Ubisoft, recently said the publisher's "feeling is the installed base of these machines will be much faster to take hold than previous generations" in regards to the PS4 and Xbox One an interview with Games Industry International. "In the first couple of years, we expect double the installed based of previous generations," he added, referring to the number of systems sold over the same period of time. "The reason why is: The last cycle was longer, so there's a lot of pent up demand." Key isn't alone in believing that the new systems will continue to sell well, as Sony's Jack Tretton projected that three million PS4 consoles would be sold by the end of the year. The PS4 is off to a good start; the next-generation console sold one million units within its first 24 hours at retail. Key also spoke to the delay of Ubisoft's Watch Dogs to spring 2014 in the interview, saying that "Watch Dogs is designed to be a long-term brand for Ubisoft. We won't launch it until we know it's equaling the vision it can achieve." Update: Clarified language regarding Key's expectation for next-generation console sales.
PlayStation Support offers advice for 'blinking blue light PS4 issues'
PlayStation Support has opened a thread on the official Sony forums for users experiencing problems with the PS4. The post lists "blue indicator light blinking," "no video/audio output to television" and "console powering off after blinking blue" as potential symptoms, but does not point to single cause. Instead, the post suggests issues may stem from TV compatibility alongside potential issues with the PS4 power supply, hard drive or "other PS4 hardware." The frequency of these issues was not confirmed in the post. To troubleshoot the system, PlayStation Support suggests performing a hard reset, checking your hard drive connection, booting the PS4 in Safe Mode and checking the firmware of your television. If none of the above work and you need to contact Sony for further assistance, the company suggests using live chat as opposed to calling in. All contact information can be found here.
Valve showcases a handful of prototype Steam Controllers
Valve recently showed off a few of its Steam Machines and Steam Controller hardware precursors to our friends at Engadget. Among the group of hacked-together gadgets was a motion controller that used pieces from the Razer Hydra controller described by designer Greg Coomer as "a Frankenstein" game pad. That particular prototype controller broke apart with "gyroscopes or magnetic sensors in either path, to sense orientation and position." As seen in Engadget's photos, other prototype controllers featured touch pads similar to the official Steam Controller unveiled in late September, and others still even had large trackballs. We'd like to think that Valve was developing its own Golden Tee machine at one point with those controllers at the forefront. Coomer also discussed a prototype device that acted as a "communication and input core," which hasn't been completely shelved by the company just yet. Resembling a phone, the gadget wound up being "more abstract and farther removed from anything people were familiar with," and ultimately introduced "noise to the experience of playing your games."
Gen 2 lilitab adds easy on/off, MagKey to iPad kiosk
When we last checked in on the lilitab tablet kiosk product 18 months ago, the sturdy and economical stand delivered a sleek, minimalist look for retail and exhibit environments. Rolling forward to new tablet models, however, required replacing the entire head unit, and the fixed viewing angle wasn't ideal for some environments. It was also not particularly easy to turn off a tablet at night when it was encased with the high-security faceplate on the original lilitab. Now creator Adam Aaronson and the lilitab team have rethought the entire product for the lilitab Gen 2 kiosk, which began shipping late in Q3 of this year. The lilitab Gen 2 works perfectly with the iPad 2, which many kiosk implementations choose for its lower price; it also works great with the 3rd and 4th gen units, and iPad Air support is on the way soon. The lilitab kiosks are assembled in California under Apple's "Made for iPad" certification program; the company claims to be the only tablet kiosk manufacturer that has achieved Level 6 MFi certification in the program, allowing it to put together final products featuring the Lightning device connector. (Of note, as the lilitabers have been working on supporting the iPad Air, they discovered that the new Smart Cover for the Air follows the example of the iPad mini model and uses two reverse-polarity magnets to trigger device sleep, versus the single magnet sensor on the older iPads. That config, says Aaronson, means that almost all pre-release "works with iPad Air" third-party cases will actually not sleep the device properly -- if you bought one, be sure to test it out.) In rethinking the lilitab kiosk, one of the first things that got improved was the setup process. Gone is the complex threading/wedging of the power adapter into the support base; now the stand includes a straightforward USB pigtail cable, which can be attached directly to power or to an extension cable. The overall assembly process is quite a bit faster, as the baseplate attaches much more easily than before. In addition to the self-standing floor models, there are countertop, surface and wall-mount options. It's on the business end of the kiosk where you'll find the most noticeable improvements in the Gen 2. Rather than a cable passthru from the stalk to the iPad head unit, the Pro version of the head unit sports a custom, lockable magnetic connector. Need to pack up your kiosks for the night? Simply unlock them and pull them easily off the stalk in seconds. Another advantage of the custom connector: you can quickly spin your tablet from landscape to portrait mode. The head unit and connector also now sit on an articulated joint, so it's much easier to adjust display angle when needed. The company also offers a basic, no-tilt version of the head unit. Inside the cradle, adjustable brackets, silicon bumpers and a swappable power module support the use of most full-size tablets with minimal adjustment (with the exception of the iPad 1, which is too thick to fit properly under the top cover). The really magical gadget, though, is the MagKey; this slender magnetic strip can slide into a slot on the back of the lilitab cradle, where it triggers the iPad 2/3/4 Smart Cover sleep sensor. In a snap, the iPad is asleep for the night, and can be awoken for business the next day just by pulling out the MagKey again. For point-of-sale or commerce applications, the lilitab head unit can be expanded with either a Square reader mount point or the liliswipe secure card reader. In fact, lilitab is teaming up with credit card processing giant VeriFone to deliver the Pro-V kiosk with an integrated VeriFone card reading solution. The big advantage there is the ability to leverage VeriFone's end-to-end security model, which reduces the effort involved in certifying the retail environment for PCI-DSS compliance (the industry standard governing the handling of payment card data). The lilitab Floor Basic model starts at $245, while the Pro comes in at $395. Beyond the standard black or white, the company offers a full line of custom skinning and branding options to help your kiosk match your business look.
Mobile controller Drone has full set of buttons, lacks iOS 7 support
Mobile gaming controller Drone recently hit its Kickstarter goal of $30,000 with three weeks left in its funding campaign. Developed by Redmond, Washington-based Evolution Controllers, the small game pad features two offset joysticks that click down, ten face buttons, two shoulder buttons and two triggers on its back side. The Drone comes in six colors: gloss and matte black, yellow, blue, red and a limited "Kickstarter green." It is compatible with all PC and Mac games that use a mouse and keyboard, Android, Ouya, Microsoft's Surface tablet and iCade games on iOS. Evolution Controllers notes that while the open-source controller supports all kinds of devices, it doesn't connect with iOS 7. In the comments section of its Kickstarter page, the developer says that "anyone who knows Apple knows that they love control over the products that they work with, and Open Source has NEVER been their game" and that "Apple has very rigid design guidelines that the current layout does not meet." The crowdfunding campaign's reward tiers indicate that one controller can be purchased for $59 with an estimated delivery date between December 2013 and January 2014. The Kickstarter project ends on November 23.
Walmart still taking PS4 and Xbox One bundle pre-orders
GameStop isn't the only retailer with available next-gen consoles for pre-order, as Walmart still is still offering both stand-alone systems and value bundles. While Walmart doesn't have any standard Xbox One systems available for pre-order, it is still offering up PlayStation 4 consoles with free shipping. The retailer also has two PS4 bundles priced $459 and $517 respectively, each packing in additional DualShock 4 controllers, cameras and/or games. Walmart also has two Xbox One bundles for $559 and $617 respectively, the former giving players an option between an additional controller or a game, and the latter including an extra controller with the option of any Xbox One game. Every bundle includes free shipping, in which buyers will receive their systems before December 25.
Sony outlines PlayStation 4 hardware details, limitations at launch
Sony outlined a series of new PlayStation 4 details in a hardware FAQ released today, revealing new aspects regarding game installation, Blu-ray playback, and hardware limitations. Sony notes that all retail PlayStation 4 games will need to be cached to the PlayStation 4's hard drive, though gameplay can proceed during installation and subsequent software updates. Discs are still required for play afterward, and data access will be limited to pre-installed content. Players will need to carefully manage installs if they hope to maintain a large game library, however, as the console does not support external storage via USB hard drives or memory sticks. As was the case with the PlayStation 3, users can optionally swap out the PlayStation 4's internal 500 GB hard drive for increased storage capacity. The PlayStation 4 also lacks DLNA support, eliminating client functionality for home PC media servers. In addition, the platform does not feature a music visualizer, and ditches support for dynamic themes and .mp3 playback. Media will be offered via Sony's Music Unlimited and Video Unlimited services, along with "other entertainment services that will be available on Day 1 before launch." Sony addressed the console's one-time activation requirement for DVD and Blu-ray playback, noting that players can request a Blu-ray activation disc in lieu of a downloadable update. The update can also be installed via USB. Regarding the PlayStation 4's Share button and video recording capabilities, Sony revealed that streaming, sharing, and screenshot functionality does not require a PlayStation Plus account. However, publishers may block specific gameplay segments from being shared, resulting in automatic suspension of recording during these sequences.
Livescribe 3 smartpen announced for iOS devices
Livescribe has announced its Livescribe 3 smartpen today. The latest version of the popular print-to-digital pen features an ARM9 processor and a lithium-ion battery that lasts for up to 14 hours. Using a high-speed infrared camera at the top of the pen, it captures everything you write and draw and sends that data via Bluetooth to the companion iOS app. Once recorded by the app, users can: See your entire page of notes exactly how they were written, via Page View. Feed view splits your notes into useful snippets that are arranged chronologically -- allowing you to work with the specific pieces of information you need. Search your handwritten notes to easily find what you need, when you need it. Flip any snippet to convert handwriting to text. Use the text to create Tasks and Reminders, set up Calendar events, add Contacts and more. Sort and organize your notes by adding tags directly from paper or from Livescribe+. Pencasts give your notes more depth by syncing recorded audio to everything you write and draw. Add photos and text memos to your Feed to provide more context to your handwritten notes. Send and share PDFs of your notes, memos and photos through Mail, Messages, Evernote, Dropbox and more. The Livescribe 3 comes in two versions. For US$150, users get the pen, a starter notebook and a ballpoint ink cartridge. For $200, users get the pen, a journal with more pages, two ballpoint ink cartridges, a leather portfolio and one year of Evernote Premium. The Livescribe+ app is a free download.
Skylanders Swap Force Wii U bundle assembling in November
Nintendo has another Wii U bundle slated to arrive in November: a Skylanders Swap Force pack. Priced at $299, the bundle includes a white Wii U basic system with 8 GB of storage space, a copy of Nintendo Land and a Skylanders Swap Force starter pack. Nintendo Land was recently dropped in price to $30 in addition to being replaced in Nintendo's Wii U Deluxe set with New Super Mario Bros. U and New Super Luigi U, another $299 bundle. The Skylanders Swap Force starter pack includes a copy of the game, three Skylanders figures, a "portal of power" dock and collectible stickers, trading cards and a poster. A stand-alone starter pack can currently be purchased for $130 on Amazon. The Skylanders Swap Force Wii U holiday bundle will be available on November 15.
