LG has presented its upcoming premium monitors at IFA Berlin this year, and one of the models it unveiled is a 45-inch curved display that was specifically design for more immersive gaming experiences. The company says the model (45GR95QE) is its first curved display under the UltraGear brand of gaming monitors and is also its first OLED display with a 240Hz refresh rate. It has a 21:9 aspect ratio for an ultrawide view, has a WQHD (3440 x 1440) resolution, and it supports HDR10 and HDMI 2.1.
The monitor's aspect ratio and borderless design combined with its 800R curvature are supposed to make gamers feel like they're truly in the game they're playing. LG even gave the screen an anti-glare and low-reflection coating to lessen the feeling of viewing the game on a screen. If all these are sounding familiar, that's because Corsair also just launched a 45-inch 1440p gaming monitor called Xeneon Flex that it developed in partnership with LG. Unlike this UltraGear model, though, that one has a bendable design that can go from straight to 800R in curvature.
In addition to its upcoming 45-inch curved display, LG has also showcased the UltraFine Display Ergo AI at IFA. The 31.5-inch display has a built-in camera that monitors the user's eye level and then automatically adjusts its height and tilt so that the user doesn't remain in a single position for a long period of time. Unfortunately, LG didn't reveal the monitors' pricing and availability, so those interested will just have to wait for more information.
Back in February, Netflix announced it was working with 2K and Take-Two Interactive for a live-action movie based on the BioShock series. The project has taken an important step forward, as it now has a writer and director on board. Michael Green (Logan, Blade Runner 2049 and American Gods) is on script duties, while Francis Lawrence will be keeping the director's chair warm.
Along with I Am Legend, Lawrence has directed four of the five Hunger Games movies as well as some episodes of the Apple TV+ series See. He's currently shooting The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, so don't expect a trailer for the BioShock movie anytime soon.
It appears as though the film will in fact be an adaptation of the first game. Netflix's Tudum site explains a few basics of the original BioShock and notes that Lawrence will presumably "strap into a Big Daddy suit and get ready to brave the flooded corridors of Rapture soon enough." For the sake of clarity, there's only one question truly worth asking: Netflix, would you kindly reveal more details about the movie?
BioShock — our live-action feature film adaptation of the renowned video game franchise — will be directed by Francis Lawrence (I Am Legend, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, Slumberland) from a script written by Michael Green (Logan, Blade Runner 2049, American Gods). pic.twitter.com/mDh4ut6ayJ
The best non-Apple smartwatch has long been Samsung’s Galaxy Watch series, thanks to its comprehensive health and fitness tracking, intuitive interface and comfortable, pleasant design. For a product that’s so mature, it’s hard to imagine what else Samsung can improve upon, which might explain why the Galaxy Watch 5 is very similar to its predecessor. It even costs the same $280 to start.
Most of the changes here aren’t immediately visible, like a more durable build, an inactive temperature sensor and better battery life. Samsung also introduced a new Pro model for $450 that comes in a 45mm titanium case, uses a stronger screen and has a large 590mAh battery, promising a runtime of up to 80 hours. Still, the fact that the tweaks are small doesn’t mean the Galaxy Watch 5 can’t still be the best smartwatch around for Android users.
Design
Like I said, the Galaxy Watch 5 looks just like its predecessor, and comes in the same 40mm and 44mm sizes as before. Both are a few grams (or less than a quarter ounce) heavier than the previous generation, but it’s barely noticeable. The lack of change isn’t a bad thing — the Galaxy Watch’s round face and minimalist design make it look more like a conventional timepiece than the Apple Watch.
My 40mm review unit has a silver case, though black and pink gold are also available, while the 44mm model is available in silver, black or sapphire. I also received a comfortable silicon purple strap, which is more inoffensive than lust-inducingly pretty. If you want something nicer, you can easily swap out the bands.
It’s not immediately obvious, but Samsung used a more durable Sapphire Crystal glass for the Watch 5’s screen. I have yet to destroy a smartwatch even during my wilder gym sessions, but I was grateful for the reinforced materials during a workout recently. I had forgotten about the Watch 5 and Watch 5 Pro on my wrists, and flipped a pair of 26-pound kettlebell onto the back of my arms. Thankfully, neither device was scratched, and I continued to rack the weights as I powered through two more sets. To be fair, I’ve also done this same exercise with the Apple Watch and haven’t damaged it either.
Like its predecessors, the Watch 5 is also rated IP68, 5 ATM and MIL-STD-810H for durability (water, dust and pressure resistance). I wore it swimming recently, and though it wasn’t as accurate as the Apple Watch at tracking laps, it at least survived. Those who liked Samsung’s bezel-based navigation will appreciate the touch-sensitive ring framing the screen that you can use to scroll through the Wear OS interface, as well as the mild haptic feedback as you whizz past apps. I still prefer a physical rotating bezel, but I get that not everyone wants the added bulk.
Cherlynn Low / Engadget
One of the main differences Samsung brought to the Watch 5 is the refined curvature of its underside. This is meant to keep the watch in contact with more of your wrist so its sensors can deliver more reliable readings. Unfortunately, I found this kind of uncomfortable. Both the Galaxy Watch 5 and Watch 5 Pro would leave round indentation marks on my wrist after I removed them, no matter how much I adjusted the fit.
This was only mildly annoying, and I put up with it because I thought I was getting more reliable scans in return. But I realized that the Galaxy Watch 5 was consistently giving me almost exactly the same readings as the Apple Watch Series 7 that I wore on my other wrist, and the latter never felt as tight. Another reviewer I spoke to said they found the Watch 5 very comfortable, though, so this might be a matter of personal preference.
Sleep-tracking and coaching
This also applies to wearing a watch to bed — some people don’t mind it, others hate it. I belong in the latter camp, but still wore the Galaxy Watch and Apple Watch to bed to compare their sleep-tracking tools. As I’ve said before, Apple’s system is atrocious. You have to either set a bedtime or enable your Sleep focus before the device can tell you’re asleep. Even then, it doesn’t really actually know if you’re awake or passed out. Samsung can figure it out all on its own.
Cherlynn Low / Engadget
One night, I wore both watches to bed, making sure to note the time right before I flipped over and closed my eyes. The Galaxy Watch 5 accurately noted that I fell asleep around 1:30am and woke up at 4am, while Apple simply told me I got a full night’s rest from 11pm to 9am.
I could go on about how infuriating it is that Apple can’t figure out something that Fitbit and Samsung managed to years ago, but this isn’t a watchOS review. The Galaxy Watch 5, like Fitbit’s watches, will also use your heart rate information to gauge what sleep zones you hit and tell you how much time you’ve spent in REM, Deep or Light sleep. Meanwhile, that feature is slated to arrive with the upcoming watchOS 9.
Sleep-tracking isn’t new to the Galaxy Watch 5, but Samsung did add a sleep coaching tool that’s meant to guide you towards better rest. However, it requires 5 weeknights and 2 weekend nights of data before any tips are generated, and I haven’t logged that many hours yet. Plus, my data would be skewed anyway — any time I wear any accessory to bed, I sleep horribly. This might be an insightful feature, I just can’t tell you right now.
Another thing I can’t evaluate at the moment is whether the skin temperature sensor that Samsung introduced on the Galaxy Watch 5 will be useful, since it’s not currently doing anything. There are plenty of potentially useful applications for that data, though, so it’ll be interesting to see what the company is able to do with this.
Health and activity tracking
Samsung has also long been better than most Wear OS watches at monitoring your activity, and the Watch 5 is no different. When I was stuck at my desk for hours on end pounding out this review, it reminded me to get up and move. I have always appreciated that in addition to walking, Galaxy Watches would also suggest movements you could perform at your desk, like torso twists or stretches. Even better, the device would be able to detect exactly how many twists you’ve done — something the Apple Watch and other Wear OS devices don’t do.
In general, Samsung’s system is as proactive as ever. When I got up to walk around after the Watch 5 prompted me to, the device buzzed after I took about a dozen steps to congratulate me for moving. That’s a lot less than Apple’s demands, which can make me feel like I need to pace my room like I’m going mad.
Galaxy Watches are also quicker to recognize when you’ve been moving and will ask if you want to record your walk. The flip side of that is they’re also hyperactive at noticing when you’ve paused and will not only suspend tracking, but will buzz you to let you know it’s not counting the time while you’ve stopped. Chill, Samsung!
Cherlynn Low / Engadget
Performance and in use
Besides the sleep coaching feature, not much is different between the Watch 4 and Watch 5 when it comes to software. You’ll still be able to get a body composition reading using the built-in body-impedance analysis (BIA) tool, take ECG scans, reply to messages, control music playback and more. The Watch 5 also uses the same 5nm Exynos processor as the older model, and for the most part was just as responsive. I only really had to wait when creating new watch faces or taking a body fat scan — otherwise, everything happened the instant I tapped the screen.
Speaking of, if you were wondering about the accuracy of the Watch 5's body composition measurements — it's surprisingly close to results from more sophisticated systems. I recently tried an InBody scan, which is a more advanced version of BIA like that on the Watch 5. Samsung's readings were just about two percent off on body fat percent and less than a pound under my skeletal muscle as calculated by the InBody version.
I actually forgot that the Watch 5 is a Wear OS device, because the its software still feels so much like Tizen. Besides swiping up and down from the home screen to pull up all apps and settings, the majority of the side-swiping interface feels no different from Samsung’s original OS.
Cherlynn Low / Engadget
One thing I wish Wear OS / Tizen did better was displaying workout information. Apple uses a large, bold font to show how long you’ve been working out, as well as your heart rate and calories burned. Samsung displays similar information, but using a font that’s a lot thinner and smaller. When my Watch 5’s screen was locked during my swim and I couldn’t tap it, I couldn’t see any info at all and had to unlock water mode mid-lap to bump up brightness to the max. Even then, it was only slightly better.
It’s also worth noting that because they’re typically secondary devices, a significant part of the smartwatch experience is interacting with its companion apps on your phone. In this case, you’ll need to install the Galaxy Wearable app to set up your Watch 5, and Samsung Health to see details about your workouts and sleep sessions. In general, these apps were easy to use and navigate and I found settings or health summaries quickly. Samsung also shows what cardio zones you were in during a workout or sleep session, and this information is only coming to watchOS 9 when it’s publicly available later this year.
Battery life and recharging
I wore the Apple Watch Series 7 and Galaxy Watch 5 on each wrist for a week and every day they delivered almost exactly the same runtime, though with one caveat. Both devices clocked slightly over a day before conking out, although enabling the Always On Display (AOD) caused the Watch 5 to drain noticeably faster. One night, the Samsung watch dropped to 4 percent by 7:21pm, while the Apple Watch was still holding strong at 38 percent despite also having AOD on.
Cherlynn Low / Engadget
Both watches recharged quickly, so I never had to wait longer than 30 minutes to get enough juice for half a day’s wear. When I wore the watches overnight to test sleep tracking, the Apple Watch used less power than the Galaxy Watch, but the latter actually delivers better results, which seems like a worthwhile tradeoff.
The Pro difference
The Pro model of the Watch 5 typically lasted a few hours longer than the 40mm model with its Always On Display enabled, and I got close to a day more juice with the setting turned off. Though Samsung markets the Watch 5 Pro as having been designed “for the great outdoors,” there’s really little about it that makes it feel that way.
The Pro is noticeably bulkier, too. I have fairly petite wrists, so the 45mm titanium case felt overwhelming. It also has a chunky frame around the screen where a rotating bezel might sit, although there is no mechanical spinner here. While the D-buckle closure makes the Pro fit more securely, it adds to the general heft.
That might not be a bad thing if you don’t mind oversized watches, and the bonus is that the Watch 5 Pro feels strong enough to withstand being smashed against boulders. I had it higher up my forearm when racking kettlebells like I mentioned earlier, so the weights actually landed on its screen. Despite being smacked by 26 pounds of metal, the Watch 5 Pro survived without a scratch, and I continued to run through my reps without much concern. The stronger Sapphire Crystal glass that Samsung uses here definitely held up, at least during my testing.
The other feature differentiating the Pro from the regular Watch 5 is its support for the GPX route format for workouts like hiking and cycling. You’ll have to go into the Samsung Health app on your phone to pick a previous route and export it as a GPX file, go into Hiking or Cycling and import that information. Then, from the Watch 5 Pro, you can select one of the routes you loaded under one of those exercises to start the same journey, and the device will show you turn by turn directions.
Cherlynn Low / Engadget
It’s a little tricky to set up, but potentially helpful for those who are in a new place and want to try out a local route by downloading GPX files from databases. Samsung also added a Track Back feature that will take you home the way you came and it’s only available for hiking or cycling for now.
Wrap-up
Even though most of the changes Samsung brought to the Watch 5 line are minimal, the fact remains that for Android users, this is the best smartwatch around. I might not like the refined curvature of the underside, but it does make for more reliable sensor readings. The Watch 5 Pro is also a little bulky for my taste and the only real improvement it offers over the regular model (aside from size and durability) is a bit more battery life.
Still, thanks to its well-rounded and capable health and fitness tracking tools, the Watch 5 is one of the best smartwatches around.
This year’s RoboCup symposium held in Bangkok, Thailand marks the 25th anniversary of the event, an international competition dedicated to the advancement of robotic and artificial intelligence technologies. The original goal of the event was to get the state of robotics in robust enough shape that one might field a team of robotic soccer players capable of beating a World Cup champion (human) team by 2050 – but a lot has changed since 1997.
RoboCup
Both the event and its mechanical entrants have evolved by leaps and bounds in the intervening years. The number of teams participating has ballooned tenfold since the inaugural event, from 38 to more than 300, with competitors now coming from more than 40 nations worldwide. And rather than fall down stairs, today’s cutting-edge humanoid constructs are backflipping off them.
“We think of [the competition] as a grand challenge akin to the Apollo missions that sought to land a person on the moon,” Dr. Peter Stone, Professor of Computer Science at the University of Texas at Austin and Executive Director of Sony AI America, told Engadget via email. “In both cases, one might reasonably ask, why is it worthwhile to try to achieve such a goal? What do we gain by landing a person on the moon? What do we gain by creating superhuman soccer playing robots?”
“In the case of the Apollo mission, there were several spin-off technologies in areas such as remote telemetry, body monitoring, breathing apparatuses, fabric structures, communications, and food packaging,” he continued. ”In the case of RoboCup, there have been several start-up companies founded by RoboCup participants using RoboCup technologies, most prominently Kiva Systems which became Amazon Robotics.”
“This vision inspired my early research on AI planning and machine learning in multiagent systems,” Stone wrote in a 2021 Sony AI blog, “and has continued to inspire my research and that of my students on these areas and robot learning throughout the years.”
The ideas that led to the RoboCup — can you use a soccer competition to promote robotics and AI research — had been percolating in the academic space since the early 1990s, according to RoboCup, though it wasn't until 1995’s International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence that the official groundwork for a RoboCup competition was laid. Following a requisite two-year gap for teams to sort funding and training, Nagoya, Japan hosted the first event with more than 5,000 spectators in attendance.
Today, teams can compete in both simulated and physical soccer matches using an array of humanoid robots — sorted into divisions by size, capability, and pedalness — as well as pit their robotic first responders against the Cup’s hazard-strewn disaster courses, best one another at robo-buttling in the @Home competition, and devise the most efficient warehouse floor operation in Industry. There’s even a dedicated league for junior roboticists that spans the fields of soccer, search and rescue, and on-stage performance.
“One of the most important scientific contributions of RoboCup has been to demonstrate how competitions can drive research and also provide a way of objectively benchmarking different technologies,” Dr. Claude Sammut, Head of the Artificial Intelligence Research Group at the University of New South Wales and Deputy Director of the iCinema Centre for Interactive Cinema Research, told Engadget.
Sammut notes RoboCup Rescue as one valuable benchmarking example. The competition is supported, in part, by the US National Institute for Standard and Technology (NIST). “The arena uses the test methods developed by NIST to measure the performance of robots for disaster recovery and ordnance disposal. Each year, the test methods are updated to reflect real-world experience, so teams are encouraged to extend the capabilities of their robots to handle increasingly complex tasks.”
Training robots to play soccer “is a great problem to work on because it needs progress across most areas of AI and robotics (and it’s fun and motivating for students),” Sammut said, but learning that game won’t teach robots all they need to know about navigating in the wider world. The Cup’s Rescue course requires the robot to overcome unknown terrain to extract victims while @Home demands robust human-robot interaction and planning skills. “Humans working with robots is an important goal, so introducing domestic service robots pushes us in that direction,” he said.
That skill development has kept apace with the field’s steady stream of hardware advancements. Sammut points to “the massive increases in performance of low cost, low power CPUs and GPUs” to handle a greater degree of processing onboard, as well as the precipitous price drop of sensory equipment. “The first depth camera we bought for our rescue robots in 2006 cost €10,000. Now you can buy much better ones for a few hundred dollars and your iPhone and iPad have them built in.”
That said, even with a quarter century of technological advancements, today’s RoboCup competitors more closely resemble old Asimo than they do Sonny. Matches aren’t so much fast moving spectacles of mechanical might and sport prowess as they are watching a pair of toddering automatons shuffle after a ball while their developers trail behind them, ready to intervene in the event of a misstep or stumble.
“Motors and batteries have improved somewhat but they need further development to be able to get better speed, agility and lifetime,” Sammut conceded. “Soft, light but strong materials would also make the robots safer to be around. I wouldn't want to be on the field with the current large humanoid robots because a tackle would really hurt!”
Anker's Soundcore brand has built a reputation for delivering audio devices with a solid blend of sound quality and features for a reasonable price. Its latest active noise canceling (ANC) headphones and earbuds may fit that ethos, though we haven't yet tried them to determine how good they sound.
The Space Q45 headphones cost $150 and include a four-microphone hybrid ANC system. Soundcore claims this can reduce noise by up to 98 percent. It says the headphones have an adaptive noise canceling feature that adjusts the ANC level based on ambient sound. There's a passthrough mode too.
Soundcore
The brand says the headphones have a battery life of a whopping 50 hours with ANC on and 65 hours with the feature turned off. Thanks to fast charging, you'll get up to four hours of playtime after just five minutes of charging. You'll also be able to connect the Q45 to two devices simultaneously. In addition, Soundcore says the headphones support high-resolution audio even in wireless mode. The Q45 is available in black today, while white and navy blue variants will arrive later this year.
Meanwhile, the Space A40 earbuds are also said to reduce noise by up to 98 percent. They have a one-touch transparency mode, adaptive noise cancellation and wireless high-res audio, according to Soundcore. A feature called Hear ID Sound is designed to analyze how you hear music to create a sound profile tuned for your ears.
The A40 is 25 percent smaller than Soundcore's previous-gen earbuds, though the brand still packed in 10mm drivers that deliver "pumping bass" along with "rich middle and crisp trebles." You'll get up to 10 hours of playtime on a single charge, Soundcore claims, with the charging case providing another 40 hours of playback. Charging for 10 minutes could get you up to four hours of playtime. Other features include the option to connect to two devices at once, IPX4 waterproofing and wireless charging. The Space A40 costs $100 and is available in black, white and navy blue starting today.
Supermassive Games, which you might know for developing Until Dawn, has released the trailer for the fourth entry of The Dark Pictures Anthology at Gamescom 2022. The anthology, which the developer first announced in 2018, is comprised of interactive standalone titles that tackle various horror tropes and subgenres. This entry is entitled The Devil in Me, and it's all about serial killers. It centers around a group of documentary filmmakers who gets invited to visit a replica of the Murder Castle, the hotel in Chicago where H. H. Holmes tortured and killed his victims. And because it's a survival horror game, of course things aren't what they seem, and the characters find themselves being watched and controlled.
The game serves as the anthology's Season One finals and will have to solving tool-based puzzles to survive and escape "killing rooms" where failure means death — and yes, all playable characters can die during your playthrough. If you don't want to play alone, you can share your story online with a friend or play offline with up to four other people using the pass-the-pad mode.
The Devil in Me will be available starting on November 18th, 2022, and unlike Until Dawn, it won't be a PlayStation-exclusive. In addition to the PS5 and the PS4, it will also be playable on the Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, as well as on PCs. You can watch the game's full trailer below:
We're starting to see Samsung's Gaming Hub pop up on more TVs and monitors after the company started rolling out the feature recently. Its new Odyssey gaming monitors are the latest models to include the feature, which allows for swift access to a host of cloud gaming services. In fact, the Odyssey G70B and G65B are the company's first monitors with both Gaming Hub and Smart Platform baked in.
Samsung says the displays offer a way to set up a home office environment without necessarily having a PC on hand. They're compatible with Samsung DeX and can access Microsoft 365 cloud services. You can also mirror a smartphone to the displays and stream shows and movies from the likes of Netflix and Amazon Prime. Both monitors have a far field voice microphone and voice assistant functions.
The G70B will be available in 28- and 32-inch formats. It has a 144Hz refresh rate and 1ms response time, with a Ultra HD resolution and flat IPS display. It's certified as NVIDIA G-Sync Compatible and it supports AMD FreeSync Premium Pro. The G65B also has FreeSync Premium Pro to go along with its QHD curved display. It will have 27- and 32-inch options, a 240Hz refresh rate and 1ms response time. Both monitors include Samsung's Game Bar, which offers features such as a zoom-in mode and easy access to YouTube walkthroughs for part of a game you may be struggling with.
Samsung notes that the giant Odyssey Ark monitor also includes Gaming Hub. You'll be able to stream games from the likes of Xbox Cloud Gaming, NVIDIA GeForce Now, Google Stadia, Utomik and Amazon Luna (the latter's only available in the US) without any additional hardware other than a compatible controller. The rotatable, 55-inch curved display allows you to view three different apps and inputs simultaneously, so you can stream a game while watching YouTube at the same time.
The Odyssey Ark, which starts at $3,500, is available to pre-order now. Samsung will start offering the G70B and G65B later this year. If you happen to be at Gamescom, you can check out the displays in person at Samsung's booth.
We’ve spent some time with Samsung’s latest foldable phones, and both continue to refine and improve. The Galaxy Z Fold 4 still unfurls into a squareish tablet for bigger web browsing, Google Maps navigation and more but has improved multitasking features. The main screen is brighter, and the battery life is much improved, but it’s still very expensive – $1,800. Read our full review right here.
If you’re looking for a smaller price and device footprint, the Z Flip 4 is another foldable that’s very pocketable and, well, chic. Its versatility makes it more fun to use, but you’ll have to live with shorter battery life than traditional smartphones. Despite that, Engadget’s Cherlynn Low says she’s ready to ditch her Pixel (gasp!) for Samsung’s newest flip phone.
Sony is already upgrading its PlayStation 5 gamepads with the DualSense Edge. The Edge is all about customization – this seems to be Sony's take on the Xbox Elite controller. You’ll be able to remap and deactivate buttons, adjust stick sensitivity and dead zones and save these settings to unique profiles. There's no word on availability or pricing for the new gamepad. Sony says it'll share more information about the Edge in the months ahead.
Alongside Sony’s new pro controller, there were plenty of new game announcements at Gamescom’s kick-off show. Everywhere had an intriguing trailer where the game seemed to be split in two: First, there are multiple characters shooting, jumping and driving across biomes, with an obvious metaverse-like social component built into the gameplay. So far, so Fortnite. However, in the final third of the trailer, the game's art style changes, more photo-realistic graphics… and no explanation yet about the difference.
However, you will need both by 2023 to continue using devices.
Meta accounts have arrived. “The update will roll out globally on a gradual basis, so if you don’t have the option to create a Meta account and Meta Horizon profile right away, you’ll get the update soon,” the company said. If your headset is currently tied to an Oculus account, you’ll need to register for a Meta account to continue using your device after January 1st, 2023. The company announced the new system last month, reversing its decision to require a Facebook login to use Oculus headsets.
After nearly 10 million people watched the premiere of HBO’s House of the Dragon, Amazon wants to remind you it has dragons and fantasy on the menu. It just shared a new trailer for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. Perhaps more than anything, the clip is a showcase for the $465 million Amazon spent. So far.
The former Twitter head of security also says the company prioritized user growth.
Peiter "Mudge" Zatko, Twitter's former head of security, says in a whistleblower complaint the company has misled regulators about its security measures. As part of an FTC settlement, Twitter had agreed to implement and monitor security safeguards to protect its users. However, Zatko says half of Twitter's servers are out of date and running vulnerable software and that thousands of employees still have wide-ranging internal access to core company software, which had previously led to huge breaches. Hackers logged into the accounts of some of the most high-profile users on the website in 2020, including Barack Obama and Elon Musk, by targeting Twitter employees for their internal systems and tools.
Earlier this summer, Sony launched its first line of gaming monitors under the Inzone brand, and now HyperX is joining the fray with two displays of its own. However, with the new Armada line HyperX is putting its own spin on the category, because instead of being bundled with a traditional stand, the company has created an all-in-one package featuring an adjustable monitor arm.
Following HP’s acquisition of HyperX last year, the brand has been slowly branching out into new categories including wireless earbuds and now monitors. At launch, the Armada line will consist of two gaming monitors with slightly different target audiences: There’s the Armada 25, designed for more competitive gamers, which features 1,920 x 1,080 resolution and a 240Hz refresh rate. Meanwhile, for those who prefer richer, more detailed graphics, the larger Armada 27 features 2,560 x 1,440 resolution, a 165HZ refresh rate and VESA HDR 400 certification.
The Armada comes with everything you need to set it up, including simple instructions on how to assemble the arm and attach the monitor.
Sam Rutherford/Engadget
Both monitors have three inputs (one DisplayPort 1.4 and two HDMI 2.0 ports), but what really sets them apart from similarly priced rivals is that instead of shipping with a typical monitor stand, the Armada was designed from the start to work with HyperX’s ergonomic arm and desk mount. For HyperX, the goal is to encourage and provide gamers with a simple solution that frees up desk space for things like extra large mousepads, wireless charging pads or any other peripherals you want to keep close at hand.
The pivot to monitor arms has been picking up steam among PC gamers and HyperX believes so much in the benefits of ergonomic arms that it isn’t even selling a standard monitor stand separately. (You will, however, be able to buy additional arms or monitor attachments individually.) And after checking out the Armada 25 for myself, even though I’ve personally never owned a display mounted on an arm (though I’ve always wanted one), I can sort of see why. But despite all the positives, there are some obvious drawbacks too.
Sam Rutherford/Engadget
The box for the Armada 25 comes with everything you need to get started, not to mention a very handy and easy-to-use setup guide. The first step is finding the base and mounting it to an appropriate surface using the built-in clamp. From there, you assemble the rest of the arm before snapping HyperX’s custom mount to the back of the monitor and dropping everything in place. The whole process is a breeze, and in total, it took me less than 10 minutes to go from start to finish. After that, it’s just a matter of using the included Allen wrench to fine-tune the arm’s tightness and range of motion.
Assuming you have your cables tucked away neatly, the switch to an ergonomic arm has a surprisingly big impact. Everything just feels a bit tidier. Not only do you instantly have more freedom to arrange peripherals like stand mics, webcams and more, you also get extra flexibility to place your monitor at the correct height and angle for your posture.
If you look close, you'll also see a handy little joystick in back for adjusting display settings.
Sam Rutherford/Engadget
As someone who spends way too much time in front of a desk, in recent years I’ve found myself looking for ways to avoid the aches and pains caused by craning your neck to look at screens. This typically meant using books or stacks of paper to elevate displays so I could look straight ahead instead of down, which can be especially bad when using a laptop. But with an arm, that’s never an issue. And might I add, the whole feels extremely stable, unlike some of the cheaper alternatives I’ve considered in the past.
However, the downside is that only offering an arm can limit where you can set up your monitor. As I’ve written about previously, due to the pandemic I’ve had to create a makeshift remote working station centered around a desk that sacrifices some practicality for good looks. And unfortunately for me, my desk is so thick the two-inch clamp on HyperX’s arm just doesn’t fit. This meant I had to test the Armada 25 at my dining table, instead of next to my desktop where I really want it.
The Armada line even comes with two video cables, including a red DisplayPort cable, which is a nice touch for anyone who likes HyperX's default color scheme.
Sam Rutherford/Engadget
On the bright side, the display itself looks great considering its price. You get an IPS panel with 1ms response times (gray to gray), a non-reflective matte finish and wide viewing angles. It's not the most colorful display, with colors covering 99 percent of the standard sRGB gamut, but getting a 240Hz refresh rate on a monitor that comes with an arm for $450 is a pretty good deal. And while HyperX is marketing both Armadas as being G-Sync compatible, they also support AMD’s FreeSync as well. Unfortunately, due to only having HDMI 2.0 instead of 2.1, you won’t get full 120Hz support on consoles like the Xbox Series X.
Also, perhaps the most promising thing about the Armada line is that HyperX makes it really easy to add more displays to your setup down the line. In addition to HyperX’s proprietary bracket, its ergo arm also supports standard VESA plates. You can also get add-on mounts (available separately) that let you attach more monitors to the same arm. Each arm supports up to 20 pounds, which means each one can hold up to four Armada 25s or two Armada 27s. And while I wasn’t able to test it out myself, you can also wall-mount the arms or install them on desks with pre-drilled cable holes (up to 2.4 inches if you’re using the included grommets).
Sam Rutherford/Engadget
So despite the difficulties I encountered with my furniture, the Armada line is rather flexible. That said, I still wish there were some kind of fallback option for people like me who live in a place where a monitor arm doesn’t quite fit. But if you’ve been thinking about upgrading your work or gaming station with a more streamlined gadget layout, HyperX’s new monitor line makes it really easy to ditch the traditional stand for something more elegant.
The Armada line will be available later this fall sometime in September. The Armada 25 and Armada 27 will cost $450 and $500, respectively, while the Single Gaming Mount and Gaming Mount Addon will also be available separately for $110 and $80.
Gotham Knights, the DC-soaked open-world title from Warner Bros Games, is due to hit PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and PC on October 21st. Yes, you read that correctly — the game was previously due to come out on October 25th, but it's now set to land four days earlier. Warner Bros didn't provide a reason for the rush, aside from saying it will allow "players to jump into the action four days early." Which, yeah.
The new release date follows delays and platform changes for Gotham Knights. The game was originally set to come out in 2021, but it was pushed back to 2022 less than a year after its announcement. It was also supposed to hit PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, but it's no longer coming to those consoles.
The updated release timing was revealed during Gamescom's Opening Night Live, at the end of a new trailer for Gotham Knights. The trailer focuses on the villains, showcasing Harley Quinn and Clayface. The game also features Mr. Freeze and the Court of Owls, but notably not Batman. Instead, players step into the boots of Batgirl, Nightwing, Red Hood and Robin.
