Costs for PC parts are skyrocketing, and I’m sure you understand the frustration of attempting to construct a gaming system when graphics cards and RAM are so expensive. Watching the price continue to rise is enough to put you off even the most basic upgrades right now, but a device like the ASUS ROG Xbox Ally, priced at $499.99 (was $600), steps in and saves the day, as you simply open the box and you have a whole gaming system right in your hands.
Long sessions in front of conventional LCD monitors can leave you with tired eyes and a throbbing headache. The Modos Flow aims to change that by combining the convenience of paper with the speed of doing serious work on a computer. This 13.3-inch portable display delivers excellent text and images with a smooth motion that will have many individuals switching to it from their primary laptop screen when they need to focus.
Photo credit: RW Genting
The First World Hotel, located in the Genting Highlands, some 50 kilometers north of Kuala Lumpur, stands out against the backdrop of the greenery. Its two main buildings and annex include a remarkable 7,351 rooms, which kept the Guinness World Record for world’s largest hotel under lock and key since 2015. People come via cable car or by making their way up the mountain roads, and then find themselves in a realm of continual motion, as you can’t help but keep going forward to the next surprise.
Photo credit: NASA/Chris Gunn
Astronomers have just released a new set of images from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope that show two young stars surrounded by all of the raw material that is used to form planets. On the left is the disk around the star Tau 042021, which is 450 light years away in the direction of Taurus. In the center, a dark band stretches out where the disk blocks the star’s light. Above and below you can see these massive, bright material cones. Then there’s this small jet shooting straight up and down, and it’s all made up of different sizes of dust particles, as well as fragments of hydrogen, carbon monoxide, and other chemicals recognized in the infrared.
RagnaPop just released an AI-generated theme song for a show that never existed: Nintendo Family Matters, a sitcom that replaces the Winslow family with a crazy mix of iconic gaming characters all living under one roof. The soundtrack begins with a tune that sounds like it could have come directly from an early 1990s television show.
James Channel continues to shed light on old, forgotten gaming gear that still has a few tricks up its sleeve. His latest segment delves deeper into a device from 2003 that appears to be an early prototype for the PlayStation Portal. More specifically, the Intech Controller and Game Screen (model PS2-750). It’s an odd combination of a full PlayStation 2 controller and a little built-in screen and speakers that allows you to play on the go, away from the big living room TV.
Years of steady usage and exposure to the elements have taken a toll on Japanese railway stations, making replacement a headache. Finding competent contractors is difficult, and construction wages are high. Serendix collaborated with ABB to help JR West restore a historic wooden shelter from 1948 at a station in Wakayama Prefecture. This site, a true relic, was only frequented by around 270 visitors every day in a tiny coastal village near Arida that few people had ever heard of.
Photo credit: This-Profession-1680
Collectors frequently pause for a second when they see one in a thrift store or internet listing. A 1982 RCA Colortrak 2000 stands there with that 25-inch CRT screen behind a full tinted glass panel that swings open like a cabinet door, seeming almost like a piece of furniture at first glance. It protected the tube from dust and made darker scenes appear much more dramatic in well-lit spaces by reducing reflections.
Sony’s WH-1000XM5 noise-canceling wireless headphones, priced at $250 (was $400), feature 8 microphones and two processors to read the environment and instantaneously adjust to whatever noise is there. When you lift off, say from an airplane, distracting background noise disappears, while office banter or city traffic fades into a distant hum that no longer draws your attention.
At this month’s New York International Auto Show, visitors crowded around a bright yellow van. The vehicle, painted in a typical yellow cab pattern with a sign atop that reads “TAXI,” looked ready to pull away from any Manhattan curb. Kia refers to it as the PV5 New York Taxi concept, and it is a full-size electric van that has been redesigned in collaboration with BraunAbility to make it easy for wheelchair users to enter and exit.