review - CybAI news

26 Jun

Surface Pro Copilot+ review: The best Surface tablet ever made, no thanks to AI

stp2y0 CommentsNewsAI PC, copilot, gear, laptops, microsoft, review, Surface, Surface Pro, tablets

It's taken 12 years, but Microsoft has finally made an Arm-powered Surface tablet that I don't want to toss out of a window. The new Surface Pro, one of the company's first Copilot+ AI PCs, is astoundingly fast and power-efficient, thanks to Qualcomm's new Snapdragon X Elite chip. It can run native Arm apps well — but even better, it can also emulate older apps without much fuss. Basically, Microsoft has finally managed to do what Apple did with its M-series chips four years ago: Deliver killer laptops with power-sipping mobile chips.Ironically, though, the Surface Pro's much-hyped AI features are…

22 Jun

MSI Claw A1M review: A touch late and bit too pricey

stp2y0 CommentsNewsgaming, gaming handheld, gear, Intel, MSI, news, review

One of my favorite PC trends has been the explosion of . Even after big names like ASUS and Lenovo entered the market last year with the and , more manufacturers continue to join the fray. But with the Claw A1M, MSI is taking the road less traveled by opting for an Intel chip instead of something from AMD. And that has made all the difference, even if many of those changes are not for the better.Design and display - Straightforward but effectiveWhile MSI may have zagged with the Claw’s processor, its design is incredibly familiar. That’s because aside from…

19 Jun

Tales of the Shire is a cozy village sim where you can’t run, but you can skip

stp2y0 CommentsNewsgaming, hobbit, lotr, preview, review, sgf 2024, Tales of the Shire

The march of big-budget Tolkien fantasy has hit gaming yet again. While ignoring Gollum’s misadventures, another game, Tales of the Shire, offers a gentler, low-stakes way to play in the universe of Bagginses, lembas bread, and Gandalf.Set somewhere between the end of The Hobbit, but before it all kicked off in Lord of the Rings, Tales of the Shire sees you settling into Bywater, helping fellow villagers achieve their tasks and dreams. That involves fishing, farming vegetables and cooking up a storm to improve your relationships and unlock new recipes and possibly other activities.The game’s simple but effective home decoration…

19 Jun

Sennheiser Momentum Sport review: Fitness earbuds that lack finesse

stp2y0 CommentsNewsearbuds, gear, headphones, Momentum Sport, review, Sennheiser

Sennheiser could have just trotted out a set of wireless earbuds that were rated IP55 and called it the Momentum Sport ($330), but it went further, adding heart-rate and body-temperature sensors to the made-for-exercise earbuds. These additions give you more insight into workouts, but also feed data to your existing third-party activity apps. Of course, the Momentum Sport also has to excel at the normal earbud stuff, and offer an ergonomic design, active noise cancellation (ANC), touch controls and other common features. Sennheiser has a solid track record with sound quality, but now it has to balance that with the…

19 Jun

Beats Solo Buds review: Exactly what you’d expect for $80

stp2y0 CommentsNewsbeats, earbuds, gear, headphones, review, solo buds

The idea of Beats wireless earbuds for under $100 is certainly compelling. Until now, the company has operated in the $150-$200 range, except for the $70 Beats Flex, which offers a great collection of features with good sound quality and a comfy fit. However, much of the competition has been keen to offer buds for considerably cheaper prices, doing so by limiting functionality to the basics. With the Solo Buds ($80), Beats has its cheapest true wireless earbuds yet and manages to retain much of its product DNA. But, the company had to dial things back to bring the price…

18 Jun

Black Myth: Wukong is pretty, intriguing and as challenging as it looks

stp2y0 CommentsNewsblack myth wukong, gaming, review, sgf 2024

Black Myth: Wukong is gorgeous. It’s built up a lot of momentum, feeding trailer after gorgeous trailer, and at Summer Game Fest this year, I finally got to play it. Is it just a gorgeous tech demo with a heavy dose of Chinese mythology or your next gaming challenge?A Chinese folk story, Journey to the West, inspired Game Science Studio’s action RPG. You play as the “destined one,” a monkey hero wielding an extending bo-staff and a handful of magic spells. I was given the higher-specced (though undisclosed) PC rig to play on, ensuring all that Unreal Engine 5 eye…

16 Jun

Skate Story hands-on: Kick, push, shatter

stp2y0 CommentsNewsdevolver digital, gaming, pc gaming, review, sgf 2024, steam

Push. Push. Push, push, push, jump —All four wheels reconnect with the glowing pavement in a slap of crisp plastic and crunching wood.Push, push, push, push, jump kickflip —Another slam, a quick screech.Push, push, push, ju —A shattering crash. The world flips on its head in an explosion of glittering blacks and iridescent pinks. I let out a small laugh, adjust the controller in my hands, and lean forward. Reset.Push.In a hyper-chilled demo space at Summer Game Fest, Skate Story creator Sam Eng drew a picture of a flaming skateboard on a business card while I played his game, occasionally…

14 Jun

Neva hands-on: A grand achievement in emotional game design

stp2y0 CommentsNewsgaming, pc gaming, playstation, ps5, review, sgf 2024

Neva is going to make me cry. It very nearly did at Summer Game Fest, as the game’s introductory cinematics faded to black, literally just one minute into my time with the demo. I won’t divulge what happens in those initial frames, but it shattered my soul. It also perfectly primed me for the heart-pounding danger and devastating beauty that I would get lost in for the next 45 minutes, alongside my new best friend, Neva the wolf. Nomada StudioEvery aspect of Neva is breathtaking. It plays like a living watercolor illustration: Alba, the protagonist, has long, slender limbs, a…

14 Jun

Metaphor: ReFantazio feels like a JRPG free from restraint and sanity

stp2y0 CommentsNewsgaming, pc gaming, playstation, review, SEGA, sgf 2024, xbox

Metaphor: ReFantazio has been a long time in the making. It was announced in 2017 as Project re Fantasy through a weird long video that said very little. Since then, Atlus has swapped the Project for Metaphor and scoured Google Translate to find a cool way to say ‘fantasy.’ It’s also made a giant fantasy JRPG — and after rolling through a demo at Summer Game Fest last weekend, I’m dying to play it.ReFantazio is the first original title by Studio Zero, a relatively new Atlus division headed up by Katsura Hashino. As the director of the third, fourth and…

13 Jun

Phoenix Springs offers breathtaking beauty in a desolate neo-noir world

stp2y0 CommentsNewsgaming, indie, pc gaming, review, sgf 2024, steam

Take me to Phoenix Springs.I didn’t make it all the way to the remote desert oasis and its mysterious community of misfits while playing the Phoenix Springs demo at Summer Game Fest, but after spending a brief time in Iris Dormer’s neo-noir world, I’m desperate to get there. I want to find out what happened to Iris’ brother, a man I’ve only heard about in strange, sad tales. I want to hear Iris’ voice articulating in my ear, providing brusque context for every scene. I’m ready to get lost again in the game’s sickly green shadows. I’m wildly curious to…