Zotac steps into the ring: The Zone aims for high-end handheld glory

Image: Zotac

Move over, ROG Ally X and MSI Claw 8 AI Plus! Zotac—the graphics card giant—has officially thrown its hat into the second-generation Windows gaming handheld ring with the Zone. This newcomer brings unique features to the table, setting itself apart from the competition.

The Zone boasts an OLED screen, a rarity in the PC handheld space (only the Steam Deck OLED offered it previously). It also features innovative two-stage adjustable triggers like an Xbox Elite controller, drift-resistant Hall effect joysticks, and symmetrical PlayStation-style joysticks. But wait, there's more! The Zone packs in programmable dials around each joystick, twin Steam Deck-like trackpads, a built-in kickstand, a secure Windows Hello camera, and conveniently placed USB4 ports on both the top and bottom.

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ASUS ROG Project Dali: A glimpse into the colourful future of laptops

Photo: ASUS ROG

Forget the usual RGB lighting. The ASUS ROG Project Dali, unveiled at Computex 2024, boasts a revolutionary full-colour e-ink display on the lid. This innovation blows traditional customization out of the water, allowing you to personalize your laptop like never before.

While the current iteration, showcased at ASUS' booth and noted by Yanko Design, leans more towards aesthetics than functionality, it holds immense potential. The 12-inch, 1600x1200 Spectra 6 panel, typically found in high-end e-readers and specialized displays, offers incredible image versatility.

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Meet the colourful ASUS VU display lineup

Photo: ASUS

Are you looking for a new display that is versatile, colourful, and eco-friendly? If so, you’ll love the new ASUS VU display lineup. These Full HD monitors come in 23.8-inch or 27-inch sizes, with IPS panels, 100Hz refresh rates, and four colour options. They also have a sleek design, a height-adjustable stand, a cable management clip, an HDMI port, and a USB Type-C port with Power Delivery. ASUS offers these displays in soothing colours: Quiet Blue, Green Grey, Astro Beige, and Pink Clay.

But what makes ASUS VU displays stand out is their reduced environmental impact. The company boasts how they use 85% recycled plastic and halogen-free PCBs to make them and 100% recycled paper to package them. They're also aiming to meet the Energy Star 8.0, EPEAT Silver, and TCO Certified standards for energy efficiency, sustainability, and social responsibility. Plus, these displays have a light sensor and an Energy Saving mode to help you save power and money. The ASUS VU displays are designed for everyday computing tasks, casual gaming, and content creation. We don't have pricing yet, and it's unclear if these displays will make it to this side of the world. But we're hoping they do.

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NVIDIA generative AI tech can let you have real convos with NPCs

NVIDIA has introduced Avatar Cloud Engine (ACE), a technology that lets gamers have natural conversations with non-playable characters (NPCs) in games. The company showcased the tech at Computex 2023 with a demo called Kairos, where a player chats with an NPC named Jin in a futuristic Ramen shop.

The demo shows how the player can ask Jin about his life and get relevant answers. For example, the player says: “Hey Jin, how are you?” Jin replies: “Unfortunately, not so good. I am worried about the crime around here. It’s gotten bad lately. My ramen shop got caught in the crossfire.”

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