Catégorie : Hardware

The users of PS4 are increasing exponentially with the games like God of war and Red Redemption 2 released exclusively for PS4. The gamers loved the games and their responses motivated other gamers to opt PS4 in front of PC or Xbox. Gaming experience itself on PS4 is great and there is no denying but the Sony is infamous for slow download speeds and the issue is persistent since 2014. The issue is not always related to the hardware sometimes there are applications running in the background that are halting the download speed. There can be an issue with the Wi-Fi or network cable. All the things can be responsible for slow download speed so let’s discuss each in detail.

To speed up the download speed on your PS4, check other devices that are connected with the same network. Streaming Netflix, downloading movies or dramas can consume all the bandwidth which can explain the slow download speed from PS4 end. To free the bandwidth pause those downloads for the time being and let your game consume all the bandwidth and get downloaded a lot quicker. Multiple downloads can affect the bandwidth, so the downloading more than 1 game on your PS4 will also have the same effect and you will not be able to download the games quicker. The best option is to download one game at a single time. Similarly, don’t play other online games while you got a download in progress. The online game will consume the bandwidth and you will be left with slow speed again. So, multitasking on PS4 is seriously negated as the shared bandwidth can kill the download speed.

Stop the applications running in the background:

If you want to increase the download speed instantly just kill the background processes that are consuming the RAM and bandwidth. The method is tried and tested and all you got to do is:

• Long press the PS button from the controller and wait for the menu to pop up on the screen.
• Scroll to the “Close Application” button and press X.

By closing the background applications, you allow the PS4 to use the maximum speed to download your favorite game faster. Slow download speed is set by Sony to let the games run smoothly and if you are not in a hurry, you can enjoy games while the new one will be downloading slowly. However, if you want to play that specific game, then you had no other option but to kill all the background process and give the priority to that download.

Pause and Resume Download:

Another trick that was tested was, pausing the download momentarily and resuming it after some time. Let’s go through the step to achieve this trick.

• Press the PS button once and the PS4 dashboard will open.
• Use the joystick to highlight the notification button. One the button is highlighted press X.
• Under that tab, you can see the downloads. Highlight the downloads button and press X.
• You can see the pending downloads in that tab. Highlight the downloading game and press X. Choose the Pause option from that menu.
• Tap X again and choose resume to restart the download process.

The download will take a few minutes to restart but we have seen the considerable speed change after following this process.

Use the Rest Mode:

This method is for gamers who have time to spare. In this method, you need to put your PS4 in rest mode while downloading any game. Before putting the PS4 in rest mode, make sure to close all the applications running in the background.

To make sure your downloads stay online when the PS4 is in rest mode, you need to allow background internet access to the PS4. Go to the settings of your PS4 and look for power saving mode. Highlight that mode and press X. Look for the option “features available in Rest mode” and press X. From there, choose to stay to connect to the internet. After that, you are all set and your downloads won’t get affected in the rest mode and speed will be increased considerably.

Prefer Wired Connection over Wireless:

Wireless networks are vulnerable to interference. A great deal of progress has been made in this field and there are many modern routers with great components and settings. However, you cannot control the weather which can distort the wireless signals and all the fancy equipment will be of no use. Wireless connections are easy and portable but they can never be reliable. So, if you want a reliable network connection, always go for the Ethernet connection.

To connect the Ethernet to your PS4 you can use the Ethernet cable. If the router is close to the PS4, you can directly connect the router port and the PS4 Ethernet port. However, you need to go through some trouble and Ethernet power line adapters if the router is in different room or floor. In the end, if a wired connection is not an option, then you need to make sure Wi-Fi router and PS4 are in the same room and use 5 GHz if possible.

Internet Speed:

The possibilities are slim but there are chances that your internet speed is limited. If that’s the case then no solution or change can help you in increasing the speed of the downloads as you have bottlenecked the downloads with slow speed and you have to bear that tormenting slow download. To fix this issue talk with your internet service provider or ISP to increase the speed of your internet connection or check if there is an error or bug that is limiting the download speed. Once the issue gets resolved from the ISP’s end, your download speed will get increased automatically.

These are the few helpful and basic tips that we find regarding the slow download speed on PS4. Hopefully, by following our tips, your issue gets resolved and you can start playing your favorite games without any halt.

Sony has launched three PS4 models: the very first in 2013, followed by the PS4 Slim and PS4 Pro, more recent models that have met the ergonomic and power requirements demanded by consumers.

You haven’t given in to the PlayStation 4’s sirens yet, but you want to take the plunge? With the range of games available on the market, and prices that have dropped significantly, nothing more normal. But which console to buy? The PS4 or PS4 Pro?

What are the differences between the PS4 and PS4 Slim?

The PS4 is a real cardboard for Sony, which is approaching 70 million copies sold since its release in 2013. Since then, a Slim version of the device has been released, followed by a PS4 Pro. This one is more powerful than the Slim, since it manages 4K games. So between the PS4 Slim and the PS4 Pro, which one to choose? This is the whole question, especially since the price difference between the two devices is not so huge and at the end of the year, a console is still an ideal gift to place under the tree.

The PS4 Pro has a 1TB (1000GB) hard drive, while the Slim version is available in two models: 500GB and 1TB. Opting for a PS4 1TB is preferable if you buy a lot of dematerialized games, or if you are used to storing multimedia files on your game console. In all cases, it is not only a question of storage capacity. Your choice will therefore depend on how you use your console. Some buy games and delete them when they are finished. In this case, a 500 GB does a lot of the work.

What matters to you is to have the most powerful console possible? In this case, you will have no trouble deciding. Indeed, if both consoles are equipped with an AMD Radeon graphics processor, the power is 4.20 TFLOPS for the PS4 Pro against 1.84 TFLOPS for the classic Playstation. Enjoy a game that makes the most of graphics like FIFA 19.
The rise in power is still noticeable, and the PlayStation 4 Pro offers a more technically successful experience than the standard Playstation 4. On the other hand, they have the same processor, and the same 8 GB RAM in DDR5. It is therefore mainly in terms of graphics that the PS4 Pro really stands out.

Perhaps you missed this news, but on the occasion of the 500 million Playstations sold across the continents, Sony released a limited version of the Play 4 Pro with 2TB of storage and an extremely elegant blue design called PS4 2TB Dark Blue.

Another main advantage of the PS4 Pro is that it is 4K compatible, and thanks to its HDMI 2.0 port, it makes better use of HDR technology than the PS4. As a result, some games optimized for the PS4 Pro are actually much more beautiful than on PS4. If you only swear by the graphics, you know which model to buy.

PS4 / PS4 Slim vs PS4 Pro

In less than 3 years, Sony has succeeded in lightening the PS4 well: the Slim version offers a reduced size with its 26.5 x 3.9 x 28.8 cm. The Pro version is more bulky, with dimensions of 29.5 x 5.5 x 32.7 cm. It is also heavier: it weighs 3.3 kg, while the Slim is only 2.1 kg. Finally, the Slim consumes much less: it only requires 165 W, while the PS4 Pro requires 310 W.

The PS4 Slim has a smaller size and dimensions, and is 50 to 100 euros cheaper than the Pro. If you don’t plan to buy a 4K TV in 2 or 3 years, the Slim may seem attractive. On the other hand, it does not provide any power gain. If you want to take the plunge and equip yourself with a 4K display (or better: if you are already equipped!), it is better to choose the PS4 Pro. You will have everything to gain in terms of performance and rendering of video games, especially since the number of improved titles has increased considerably in just one year. There are more than 130 of them, and their number is constantly increasing from month to month.

Choosing the best gaming mouse is not easy! There are many mice to choose from, manufactured by different brands with different characteristics. A mouse that is suitable for one person is not necessarily suitable for another. So how to choose the best gaming mouse for you?

Normal mouse and gaming mouse differences

Any mouse made to play and worth buying will have at least the following two characteristics:

• an advanced optical or laser sensor that allows faster or more accurate movements,
• a certain degree of user customization.

Game mice often include additional buttons for the player’s thumb, on-the-fly sensitivity and speed adjustments, extra long cables, or even exotic features like adjustable weights or button tension springs. Almost all game mice are wired, this will be part of the selection criteria analyzed below.

Why are there so many gaming mouse models?

mouse-gamingAs the PC game itself has become more complex, so so have the PC game accessories. There are a few distinct subdivisions of game mice that we can take a look at, most of them have button designs and placements designed to help in very specific types of games. Note that these subdivisions are independent of body and grip styles. Finding a gaming mouse that suits you is therefore complex. Here are the selection criteria:

What type of games do you prefer?

The first thing to do is to find what you want for the mouse. Do you prefer

• the shooting game from the point of view of the character called FPS for first person shooter,
• the RPG role playing game RPG role playing game,
• RTS Real Time Strategy? real-time strategy games

If the answer is first person shooting (FPS), then you have the most difficult choice to make because you will have to determine what type of player you are. If you prefer strategy, RPG or MMO games, the choice is a little easier, because you should look for a mouse with a large number of programmable buttons and a DPI that suits your game style.

Explanation of the DPI

The number of dots per inch (DPI) is a measure of a mouse’s sensitivity. The higher a mouse’s PGD is, the farther the cursor on your screen will move when you move the mouse. A mouse with a higher DPI setting detects small movements and reacts accordingly. Each game mouse will declare the sensitivity of its sensor somewhere on the packaging or in marketing materials. It is a value rated in DPI, or dots per inch, and a simplistic way to measure the sensitivity of a mouse sensor (there is an argument that this term makes no sense and should be classified as CPI, or number per inch, but most people understand DPI). The higher the DPI of the sensor, the less you have to move the mouse to get the same level of cursor movement on the screen. So, if you have a high DPI mouse, you can be more economical with your hand movements, but you must have a stable hand and be very precise to make precise cursor movements. Armed with this knowledge, you must decide the type of person who likes to make fast hand movements on a large surface, or slower and more precise movements on a small surface. If you prefer fast hand movements, you need a mouse with a low DPI to maintain a certain level of accuracy (maybe 1200 DPI or less), while a player with small hand movements can use a mouse with a high DPI and stay accurate (say 2000 DPI or more). For this reason, beware of the hype (and prices) surrounding high IPR mice. Most high-end mice are capable of a resolution of about 5,000 DPI and Razer has started pushing their mice to 6,400 DPI. If you start making rapid movements at this level of IPD, you will turn on the spot in an SPF. Make sure your mouse has an adjustable DPI, then lower it to about 2,000 (or even less for some pro-players) and you’ll have a better chance of finding a good place.

Know your style of handling

The type of plug you use, especially when playing a PC game as opposed to using a mouse for other tasks, is important. Although each player is different, you can generally separate the handles into three main styles:

• Palm handle: a standard handle used by most players. Your fingers rest flat on the mouse buttons and your entire palm rests on the body of the mouse.
• Point grip: only the tips of the index finger, middle finger and ring finger rest to the left, in the center (wheel) and on the mouse buttons, the palm of the hand not touching the body of the mouse at all. Your thumb grabs the side of the mouse.
• Claw handle: a combination of the palm of the hand and the style of the pointed handle. Your palm rests only on the back edge of the mouse, with the tip of your finger and the tip of your thumb tilted towards the buttons.

Laser or optics?

The heart of a mouse is its sensor, of which there are three basic types: laser, optical and infrared. The laser sensor is probably the most common, and a great advantage is that it is able to work on almost any surface. However, laser mice tend to have a longer takeoff distance than optical mice, which causes problems when the mouse reaches the edge of your mouse pad. When you lift the mouse to reposition it, the laser sensor continues to read the surface until it reaches one centimeter in the air, resulting in in-game movements. By repositioning your mouse, you can send your view of the game almost anywhere, which is obviously a bad thing in the middle of a shooting. That’s why many professional players choose an optical mouse and always play on a quality mouse pad to ensure that the optical sensor accurately reads the surface. The latest development is the introduction of the 3G infrared sensor, which reduces the take-off distance problems of a laser sensor, but is also very good for working on different surfaces.

Wired or wireless?

It is often a subject of heated discussion. Wireless mice are ideal for reducing the entanglement of wires on your desk, but their dependence on radio waves to transmit the signal to the receiver adds a lag element to the cursor response. Certainly, modern wireless mice are almost lag-free. However, if you really want the fastest possible answer, you should stick to a wired mouse. Wireless mice are also compromised by their dependence on batteries. Elless may leave you looking for a spare set of batteries at an inappropriate time. Batteries also add weight, so if you like a really light mouse, you may not be satisfied with the extra weight of a wireless mouse.

Left or Right Handed

If you are left-handed, your choices are unfortunately limited because it seems that manufacturers do not see a sufficient profit margin to deal with left-handed people. The vast majority of ergonomic game mice are designed for right-handed people only, but there are many choices if you are happy to use a mouse with an ambidextrous design. You will probably find some left-handed mice on the market, but they generally do not meet the requirements of a good game mouse (few buttons, low DPI). Game equipment manufacturers offer some left-handed options – or, more often, ambidextrous options, with perfectly symmetrical bodies and buttons rather than curved bodies for the right hand. Most of them use a relatively simple shooter-style button layout with thumb buttons on both sides, with the assumption that players will disable the buttons on their left hand. Some even come with replaceable blanks for unused buttons. The old version of the Razer DeathAdder is still available in a true left-handed design.

The importance of software

Most dedicated game mice come with their own PC software, either as stand-alone software or in a “suite” compatible with other game devices such as keyboards and headsets. This software allows you to:

• configure the lighting profile,
• to customize the assignment of buttons,
• to customize macros for different buttons,
• to make adjustments for specific mouse pads,
• configure custom button profiles for individual games,
• to define the DPI options.

This last point is particularly important because it allows you to change the mouse sensitivity for faster or more accurate tracking – and some more advanced mice will even allow you to adjust it on the fly with the mouse buttons. All game mouse software will handle all these functions to a greater or lesser degree. A particularly useful tool is the ability to save profiles directly in a mouse’s memory, which allows them to be moved from one PC to another with their parameters intact, without any additional configuration.

Your budget

You might think that by buying the most expensive mouse, you are sure to get the best, but unless this mouse is adapted to your playing style, you may have wasted your money. Many high-end retail models for nearly €100 and that’s a lot of money for a gaming device. First decide which mouse you want and then see if it fits your budget.

PS5 news is not just rumors anymore as Sony officials confirmed the news in an interview with Wired. A lot of information was shared regarding the design, specs, and possible release date. Mark Cerny revealed that the team is cooking up the next-gen gaming console and the public will be surely be seeing the successor of PS5. Although the official name has not been announced yet we assume that it will be the next numeric digit in line. A whole lot of discussion is done on specs, new features, PSVR support, cross-gen gaming. However, there was no ice breaker regarding the price and some key details. But one thing is sure that 2020 is going to be big for the console game lovers and Sony.

Specifications and Details

Diving a little deeper into the details, Mark Cerny confirmed that the architecture will be a little similar to PS4 so we will be seeing the backward compatible feature in PS5 as well. The console will be accepting the CDs so rest assured that the console will not be moving completely to the digital world. The developers hinted that the changes will not be so drastic and there will be more similarities with the PS4 and new games will be releasing for both PS4 and PS5. We have seen a total shift in PS3 from its older version but in case of PS5, it will be more like a smooth transition to a next-gen gaming console.

CPU

The console will be powered by AMD chipset with the third-gen Ryzen CPU running all the heavy games. The CPU has 8 cores which mean the console will be able to enhance the resolutions up to 8K. Just imagine the quality of graphics that PS5 is promising. However, the LEDs need to catch up real quick so the gamers can actually enjoy the 8K gaming experience.

Graphics

Radeon Navi line is the pick from the Sony developers to run all the ultra games in ultra HD graphics. Graphics card is the soul of any gaming gadget as all the heavy lifting is done by the graphics card to provide a better performance, smooth gameplay, clearer graphics, and overall gaming experience. Another notable feature that AMD Radeon graphics chip carry is the ray tracing support feature. The ray tracing technique or lightning technique is great is implementing more realistic environments and better audio features.

Audio

For gamers, audio is really important for instant reflexes as they are relying on the sound to estimate the location of closeby enemy. Mark Cerny explicitly talked about the improved audio quality feature and how ray tracing is supporting the upgrade. He explained by giving the example of the enemy’s footsteps and sound clarity. 3D audio will be loved by the hardcore gamers who use the sound to maximum advantage in staying one step ahead of their enemies. VR feature was not discussed openly as the developers wanted to keep their VR strategy hidden for this time. The rumors are in the market about the new VR headset but the officials haven’t spoken a word about a new release or the previous version support.

SSD

One of the definite and demanding upgrades will be the shift from optical hard drives to solid-state disks. Solid state hard drives are much quicker and efficient than their predecessors and would likely boost the overall performance of the gaming. SSDs are available in laptops and desktops PCs and the remarkable results forced the developers to think about replacing the traditional hard drives. Cerny also supported the idea of SSDs by giving the example of the load time of Spider-man on a PS4 and developer build PS5. The launch time was recorded around 10 to 15 seconds on PS4 while on the next-gen console with SSDs; the game was booted in less than a second. The in-game speed and movement of the characters also expected to be increased and that’s all the important stuff for any gamer. SSDs are little heavy budget so a lot of consideration went through in choosing the SSDs over the old hard drives.

Architecture

So, the developers are not suggesting major changes and the architecture will be very similar for both PS4 and PS5. This indicates that the games developed for the PS4 might be able to run of Ps5 as well. Sony is planning and meeting with game developers to come up with the technology and games that can be run on a different generation. Cross-generation is a unique idea and the gamers can actually enjoy the latest games without having to upgrade to the next-gen console. A lot of news is circulating but nothing concrete news yet about the cross-gen gaming as both the Sony and game developers are keeping the idea and working hidden. In an interview in 2018, Sony gave the official statement about the next console to be released in about 3 years. John Kodera specifically told that in order to jump higher you have to crouch first. So the expectations of the gamers are high for late 2020 or early 2021 PS5 release.

Xbox franchise is also competing the Sony with the viral news like release the next-gen Xbox and all the unveiling will be done in this year’s E3. Microsoft confirmed that this year’s E3 is going to be huge for the console game lovers and the development of Next-gen Xbox is under progress. Microsoft is stepping the game up a notch by launch the console fully digital which means that the Xbox One S won’t be accepting any CDs. However, Sony is sticking to the old traditional ways of purchasing a game from the market and popping it inside the play station and set up your television to play your favorite game. They believed that it is important to restore the essence of gaming and not get lost in the technology. So with all the amazing features of PS5, we will surely be seeing a lot of sequels from the most popular games in 2018 and so. 

Before buying your gaming laptop, you must take into account certain technical characteristics.

You need a high-performance processor (CPU), a graphics card (GPU) powerful enough to handle image rendering, sufficient RAM and storage space to backup your data, a screen of appropriate size and resolution, and finally a good design to contain all these components.

Which processor to choose for a gaming laptop?

At Intel, the seventh generation processors in the Core series (Kaby Lake) are very suitable for gaming laptop, but the latest eighth generation processors (Coffee Lake) are powerful and less energy-intensive.
You may have heard of Intel i9 processors, some laptops like the MacBook Pro are starting to be equipped with them. Beware of this processor on a gaming laptop PC, we advise you to consult independent tests in case users have had problems.

Which GPU should I choose for a gaming laptop?

The graphics card is probably the most important component of a gamer laptop computer since it does most of the work when you play.
Moreover, unlike a desktop computer, it’s not really possible to replace it on a laptop. It is therefore more cost-effective to know in advance which graphics card you need.
The Nvidia GTX 1080 Ti, 1080, 1070, 1060 and 1050 GTX cards are impressive, thanks to which you will enjoy exceptional graphics, even in 3D.There are “Max Q design” versions of these cards, they are specially designed to fit in a laptop. GTX 1050 and 1050 Ti graphics cards are used on slightly cheaper gaming laptops.

What should I look for in a display?

Laptop monitors now adopt Full HD resolution (1920×1080) and use an IPS panel. They offer greater viewing angles, a better contrast ratio and better colour reproduction.

The TN display is generally found on slightly cheaper laptops.

Also note that when choosing a gaming laptop, you should pay more attention to the actual contrast ratio than to the brightness, which is expressed in candela per square meter (cd/m2).

The actual contrast ratio indicates the difference in intensity between the brightest and darkest point on the screen. If it is high then you will have a very good color rendering.

There is another ratio, called dynamics, which is often much higher than the real rate. Don’t rely on it because it is magnified by the manufacturers.

As for screen resolution, we recommend FHD/Full HD (1920 x 1080) or QHD/Quad HD (2560 x 1440), it is a good compromise between resolution and response time.

In addition, if you plan to play often outdoors, it’s advisable to opt for a computer with a matt slab screen (anti-reflective), like the Gigabyte Aero 15X (2018).

For a better user experience, visual comfort, choose a display with a refresh rate of 120 or 144Hz, however your graphics card must be powerful.

What about storage capacity?

As for storage, an SSD disk will allow your laptop to perform certain tasks faster, such as switching on, opening programs or backing up your files.

Loading between levels and starting them will also take less time, but the game itself will not be accelerated.