Apple MacBook Pro with M1 Pro and M1 Max Now Available For Malaysia

Aside from the 3rd generation AirPods, the new MacBook Pro (MBP) with M1 Pro and M1 Max processors are now available from Apple Malaysia’s website as well. All these products were first introduced during the company’s Unleashed event last month.

For those who missed the launch, the M1 Pro and M1 Max processors are available for both MBP 14 and 16. In terms of CPU, the M1 Pro is available with 8 and 10-core options which is also inclusive of 14 and 16-core GPU respectively, alongside up to 32GB of unified memory.

On another hand, the M1 Max comes with a 10-core CPU as standard while you can choose to obtain it with either 24 or 32-core GPU together with up to 64GB unified memory. In addition to that, the chip also has double the memory bandwidth of M1 Pro at 4000GB/s.

Meanwhile, other new elements that Apple has introduced through the latest MBP 14 and 16 are thinner screen bezels as well as a notch on their ProMotion 120Hz displays which houses the new 1080p FaceTime HD. These new models also marked the return of MagSafe charging, SDXC reader, and HDMI 2.0 port although the company has also decided to remove the Touch Bar.

Depending on the exact specs that you choose, the price of M1 Pro-based MBP starts at RM8,799 and can go all the way to RM21,999. As for the M1 Max variants, the price ranges from RM12,399 to RM25,199 and all of them can be obtained through Apple Malaysia’s website right away.

MultiVersus Gets An Official Reveal Trailer

Warner Bros’ MultiVersus had a couple of leaks last month, one of which detailed the game’s potential roster. Now, short of a month later, the publisher is ready to reveal the game in its own terms. There’s also some extra details on the way this game is different compared to other titles of the genre.

To start, the roster from the prior leak was mostly accurate, minus Gandalf. In his place is Arya Stark from Game of Thrones. The devs at Player First Games also confirm that the game will be free-to-play.

One thing that MultiVersus tries to set itself apart from other platform fighters is the emphasis on the social elements. One of them being 2v2 games, with characters having moves that are made specifically to benefit team play. One example is moves that pull allies back in when they’re about to fall off the platform.

Then there’s the usual crossplay and cross progression, which is always nice. But MutliVersus takes it a step further, with a Guild system that’s usually reserved for MMOs. This is to mainly drive home the emphasis of the 2v2 game mode. It does seem very MOBA-like, and quite excessive for a platform fighter.

What isn’t excessive though is the voice work for the characters. Most of them are immediately recognisable if you watch the shows or play the games they come from. MultiVersus will also get new characters and skins later, which will likely be where the free-to-play game will be monetised.

For now, MultiVersus still has no release date, beyond a vague 2022 window. But it will be available on both generations of both console brands, and PC. There’s also an upcoming playtest session that you can sign up for if you like what you see enough. Though those also don’t have a date just yet.

Capcom Pushes Pragmata Back To 2023

Capcom has a brand new IP called Pragmata. And it’s one that remained in the shadows ever since its announcement just before the start of the current console generation. But as with so many other games, it’s getting delayed. But Capcom made the announcement in such an adorable video that you may just be glad that it got delayed, because otherwise this video would not exist.

You can watch the announcement video, if you can call it one, for yourself. It’s a simple one, showing the girl we saw from the initial Pragmata trailer. And the card she is holding basically says all that needs to be said.

But if you rather read than watch, Capcom says on the announcement post that the team working on Pragmata has decided to push the game back to 2023 “to ensure this will be an unforgettable adventure”. Which doesn’t really mean much, since no one besides Capcom knows what kind of adventure it even will be like. But at least the detail on the character model is amazing.

All that being said, this Pragmata delay video does also set up some crazy expectations for Capcom. Even with the amazing RE Engine, and two whole years left to work with, will the full game look this good? Here’s hoping, but if recent releases are telling us anything, it’s probably best to not hold our breaths for it.

AMD Announces Partnership With MediaTek With Development Of RZ600 Series Wi-Fi 6E Modules

AMD and MediaTek recently confirmed their partnership with each other by announcing that they are currently developing a new series of Wi-Fi 6E modules, dubbed the RZ600 series. The new Wi-Fi modules are expected to appear in next-generation Ryzen-powered laptops, as well as desktop PC components, starting in 2022 and well into the future.

The RZ600 Series Wi-Fi 6E modules will comprise two models: the RZ616 and RZ608, and both modules will house MediaTek’s Fliogic 330P chipset. Specs-wise, both modules will support the latest Wi-Fi 6E 2×2 and the latest Bluetooth 5.2 connectivity standards. What sets the two apart lies in the supported channels: the RZ616 module will support the new 6GHz spectrum at 160MHz channel bandwidths, with PHY rates of up to 2.4Gbps. The RZ608 module, on the other hand, supports the 6GHz spectrum at bandwidths up to 80MHz, and just half the maximum PHY rate of the RZ616, at 1.2Gbps.

On top of that, the new RZ600 series modules are small and M.2-ready, with the RZ616 available in two sizes, 2230 and 1216, while the RZ608 is only available in the 2230 configuration.

We’ve mentioned in the past that this isn’t the first AMD and MediaTek have gotten into bed together. To that end, the RZ608 module has already been around for a while and was ultimately rebranded as the MediaTek MT7921K. On that note, it is possible that the RZ608 module being listed here is an updated version of the original that only supported Wi-Fi 6 and not Wi-Fi 6E.

Also, in the case of MediaTek, the semiconductor maker has been around the block with several other major technology brands, including NVIDIA and Google.

Kioxia Claims “World’s Smallest” Title With BG5 Series PCIe 4.0 SSDs

Kioxia recently launched its BG5 series of client SSDs. While the storage medium may seem nothing out of the ordinary, Kioxia claims that it is also the world’s smallest PCIe NVMe Gen4 SSD in the world.

Specifically, the BG5 series comes in the usual M.2 form factor, but instead of just a standard 2280 length, Kioxia’s new family of SSDs is also available the 2230 form factor. As mentioned, the SSD also uses the PCIe 4.0 interface, which is exceedingly rare among memory and storage makers. Further, the SSD uses Kioxia’s 112-layer BiCS5 3D NAND memory with a 1.2GT/s interface, and is available in three storage capacities: 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB.

In terms of performance, the BG5 PCIe 4.0 SSDs aren’t the fastest we’ve seen on the market, with maximum sequential read and write speeds of 3500MB/s and 2900MB/s, respectively, plus random read and write speeds of 500000 IOPS and 450000 IOPS. We’re guessing that’s the price Kioxia had to pay in order to cram in all the PCIe 4.0 related technology, into a form factor that is usually reserved for AX Wi-Fi modules.

Speaking of downsides, it should be noted that the BG5 series SSDs do not come in the Ball Grid Array (BGA) form factor, meaning that any OEM or laptop maker who wishes to solder the storage modules onto their laptop PCBs are out of luck.

At the time of writing, Kioxia did not specify pricing or availability dates for the BG5 series, but it has stated it is currently sampling the product to several key industry players and customers.

MediaTek Announces Flagship-Tier Dimensity 9000 Chipset For Mobile Devices

MediaTek is finally looking to close the gap with its rival Qualcomm, which have been dominating in the smartphone chipset market for quite some time now. Just recently unveiled is the company’s latest 5G SoC, the Dimensity 9000, that is specially designed to power flagship-tier Android mobile devices – something that the company has been sorely lacking for several years.

The MediaTek Dimensity 9000 also holds several other firsts to its name, including being the first chip to be built on TSMC’s 4nm process, alongside ARM’s new v9 architecture. The latter includes a single 3.05Ghz Cortex-X2, three 2.85GHz Cortex-A710 cores, four 1.8GHz Cortex-A510 efficiency cores, and a 10-core Mali-G710 GPU.

For AI processing, the chipset features the company’s latest fifth generation six-core APU, which is claimed to offer four times the performance and power efficiency compared to its predecessors. Also onboard is MediaTek’s new 18-bit Imagiq Gen 7, the world’s first ISP (image signalling processor) that can support image captures of up to 320MP and transferring data at 9 gigapixels per second. Video-wise, its encoder is capable of recording up to 8K resolution videos at 30fps, supports simultaneous 4K video recording on three different cameras, and features Super Night mode for low-light capture.

Connectivity-wise, the Dimensity 9000 offers an onboard 5G modem with 3GPP release 16 features, 3CC carrier aggregation (supporting up to 7Gbps downlink speeds), and MediaTek’s own PowerSave tech for improved battery life. Despite being based on the company’s first mmWave modem, the chipset only supports sub-6GHz 5G connectivity at this stage. It is also claimed to be the first to support Bluetooth 5.3 and Wi-Fi 6E standard.

The company did not mention any upcoming smart devices which would be equipped with the  Dimensity 9000 SoC at this time. Nevertheless, it won’t be long until we see the announcements pop up from the usual industry players, especially with the new year closing in. It remains to be seen whether the new flagship MediaTek chip is on par or better in terms of performance when compared to its Snapdragon-branded rival.