Month: March 2022

Microsoft promises faster PC game load times with DirectStorage release

Developers will be able to create more detailed virtual worlds, Microsoft says.

Close up of SSD NVMe M.2 2280 Solid State Drive

Enlarge / You'll need an NVMe SSD to use DirectStorage on Windows. (credit: Getty Images)

PC games can now use DirectStorage, a DirectX 12 Ultimate API that Microsoft announced in 2020. The feature is supposed to bring faster loading times and improved textures and draw distances.

The Xbox Series X/S already uses DirectStorage, and in June, Microsoft said it would bring the feature to Windows 11. The storage acceleration API should improve gameplay by bringing instant asset introduction and enabling more vivid virtual landscapes. It works by sending data directly from an NVMe SSD to the graphics card, skipping the CPU and leveraging PCIe 3.0 or PCIe 4.0 speeds, depending on the system.

In a developer blog post today, Microsoft said it is moving DirectStorage out of developer preview and making it available via a public SDK.

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DevTerm retro-inspired portable terminal now comes with RISC-V or ARM processors

Last summer the folks at ClockworkPi launched a portable computer with modern hardware, but a retro-inspired design. The DevTerm features a 6.86 inch, 1280 x 480 pixel IPS LCD display, a keyboard that looks lie it was pulled from a typewriter or word processor, and a modular design that lets you choose from a handful […]

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Last summer the folks at ClockworkPi launched a portable computer with modern hardware, but a retro-inspired design. The DevTerm features a 6.86 inch, 1280 x 480 pixel IPS LCD display, a keyboard that looks lie it was pulled from a typewriter or word processor, and a modular design that lets you choose from a handful of different processors.

At the time that meant you had a choice of five different-ARM-based chips. But now there’s a new model called the DevTerm R-01 which is powered by a RISC-V processor.

The new DevTerm R-01 looks virtually identical to the ARM-based models on the outside. But under the hood it’s powered by a new R-01 Core module featuring a 64-bit, 1 GHz single-core RV64IMAFDCVU processor and 1GB of RAM.

It’s not exactly a powerhouse. There’s not even an integrated GPU for hardware-accelerated graphics. But RISC-V processors have been picking up steam in the past few years as an alternative to x86, ARM, and other proprietary architectures, since RISC-V uses an open instruction set architecture that’s available under open source and royalty-free licenses.

Since the DevTerm is already aimed at open source software and open hardware enthusiasts, it makes sense that at least some of the folks interested in buying one might also be interested in sacrificing a bit of horsepower to get their hands on a model with a RISC-V processor.

ClockworkPi does warn that the R-01 model is “highly experimental” and “requires some experience with Linux systems & FOSS,” so the company recommends folks looking for something a little easier might want to pick up an ARM-powered DevTerm A04 or A06 kit instead.

The company is selling the DevTerm R-01 as a kit for $239. Some assembly is required, but what you get for that price is a portable computer with a widescreen IPS LCD display, a 65% sized keyboard, dual speakers, a 32GB microSD card with clockworkOS pre-installed, and a small thermal printer. There’s also a battery module, but you’ll need to buy your own 18650 batteries if you want to actually use the DevTerm R-01 on the go.

The DevTerm R-01 is available for purchase starting March 15, 2022, but isn’t expected to begin shipping until mid-May, 2022.

via @Hal_clockwork

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Xiaomi 12 series smartphones go global for $649 and up

After launching in China late last year, the Xiaomi 12, Xiaomi 12 Pro, and Xiaomi 12X smartphones are going global… sort of. The phones will be available in Europe, Southeast Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Latin America, but not the United States. All three phones have 120 Hz displays, 50MP primary cameras, and at […]

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After launching in China late last year, the Xiaomi 12, Xiaomi 12 Pro, and Xiaomi 12X smartphones are going global… sort of. The phones will be available in Europe, Southeast Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Latin America, but not the United States.

All three phones have 120 Hz displays, 50MP primary cameras, and at least 8GB of RAM, and prices start at the equivalent of $649 for the most affordable model in the Xiaomi 12 family.

One key difference between the Chinese and global versions of the phone though? In China customers can configure the Xiaomi 12 Pro with up to 512GB of storage, but in other markets it tops out at 256GB.

Here’s a run-down of key specs for the global versions of Xiaomi’s new flagship phones:

Xiaomi 12X Xiaomi 12 Xiaomi 12 Pro
Display 6.28 inches
2400 x 1080 pixels
AMOLED
120 Hz
100% DCI-P3 color gamut
12-bit color depth
1100 nits brightness
Corning Gorilla Glass Victus		 6.28 inches
2400 x 1080 pixels
AMOLED
120 Hz
100% DCI-P3 color gamut
12-bit color depth
1100 nits brightness
Corning Gorilla Glass Victus		 6.73 inches
3200 x 1440 pixels
AMOLED LTPO
120 Hz refresh rate
480 touch sampling rate
100% DCI-P3 color gam
Dolby Vision
HDR 10+
10-bit color depth
1500 nits brightness
Corning Gorilla Glass Victus
Processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1
Memory 8GB LPDDR5 8GB or 12GB LPDDR5 8GB or 12GB LPDDR5
Storage 128GB or 256GB UFS 3.1 128GB or 256GB UFS 3.1 128GB or 256GB UFS 3.1
Cameras (rear) 50MP Sony IMX766 primary
13MP ultra-wide
5MP telephoto / macro		 50MP Sony IMX766 primary
13MP ultra-wide
5MP telephoto / macro		 50MP Sony IMX707 primary
50MP ultra-wide
50MP telephoto
Camera (front) 32MP 32MP 32MP
Battery 4,500 mAh 4,500 mAh 4,600 mAh
Charging 67W (wired) 67W (wired)
50W (wireless)
10W (reverse wireless)		 120W (wired)
50W (wireless)
10W (reverse wireless)
Ports USB Type-C USB Type-C USB Type-C
Wireless 5G NR
NFC
WiFi 6
Bluetooth 5.1		 5G NR
NFC
WiFi 6
Bluetooth 5.1		 5G NR
NFC
WiFi 6
Bluetooth 5.1
Audio Stereo speakers (Harman Kardon tuned)
Dolby Atmos support		 Stereo speakers (Harman Kardon tuned)
Dolby Atmos support		 Quad speakers (2 x woofers & 2 x tweeters)
Dolby Atmos support
Dimensions 152.7 x 69.9 x 8.16mm 152.7 x 69.9 x 8.16mm 163.6 x 74.6 x 8.16mm
Weight 176 grams 180 grams 205 grams
Starting price $649 $749 $999

via GSM Arena, Android Police, and xda-developers

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Microsoft announces progress on a completely new type of qubit

Topological qubits don’t exist yet, but the company is convinced they’ll scale.

Image of a graph with two obvious peaks.

Enlarge / Microsoft says it sees two clear peaks at the ends of a wire, with a nice energy separation between those and any other energy states. (credit: Microsoft)

So far, two primary quantum computing technologies have been commercialized. One type of hardware, called a transmon, involves superconducting wire loops linked to a resonator; it is used by companies like Google, IBM, and Rigetti. Companies like Quantinuum and IonQ have instead used individual ions held in light traps. At the moment, both technologies are in an awkward place. They've clearly been demonstrated to work, but they need some significant scaling and quality improvements before they can perform useful computations.

It may be a bit surprising to see that Microsoft is committed to an alternative technology called "topological qubits." This technology is far enough behind other options that the company just announced it has worked out the physics to make a qubit. To understand Microsoft's approach better, Ars talked to Microsoft engineer Chetan Nayak about the company's progress and plans.

The foundation of a qubit

Microsoft is starting behind some competitors because the basic physics of its system weren't entirely figured out. The company's system relies on the controlled production of a "Majorana particle," something that was only demonstrated to exist within the last decade (and even then, its discovery has been controversial).

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CMS: Kirby gründet eine neue Firma

Nein, gemeint ist nicht Nintendos pinke Videospielfigur, sondern der Webentwickler Bastian Allgeier und sein datenbankloses CMS Kirby. (CMS, Internet)

Nein, gemeint ist nicht Nintendos pinke Videospielfigur, sondern der Webentwickler Bastian Allgeier und sein datenbankloses CMS Kirby. (CMS, Internet)