Android Gaming on Khadas VIM3 SBC (Video)

Android Gaming Khadas VIM3

I started playing with Khadas VIM3 Basic SBC powered by Amlogic A311D processor and 2GB RAM, and noticed Android benchmarks, especially 3D graphics were significantly better (40% improvement) than the ones of Rockchip RK3399. So I decided it may be interesting to show Android gaming on the single-board computer, and installed the latest version of Android 9.0 with Google Play store. Finally I connected the RF dongle of Tronsmart Mars G01 wireless gamepad, as well as USB keyboard and mouse to get some fun. Since the board only has two USB type-A ports, I also inserted MINIX NEO S2 USB-C + SSD hub to connect the gamepad RF dongle. Then I tried to install and play four games Beach Buggy Racing Installed via Google Play Played with Tronsmart gamepad. Perfectly smooth with max graphics settings. Similar to other TV boxes or boards. Riptide GP2 Installed via Amazon Store Played with […]

MediaTek Helio G90 & G90T Processors are Designed for Gaming Smartphones

Helio G90 & G90T

We’ve known MediaTek P-series for mid-range “premium” smartphones, and MediaTek X-Series for higher-performance mobile devices for a few years, but the company is now introducing G-series processors specifically designed for mobile gaming starting with MediaTek Helio G90 and G90T processors. Both feature eight Arm Cortex-A76/Cortex-A55 cores clocked at up to 2.05GHz coupled with an Arm Mali-G76 3EEMC4 with speeds up to 800MHz, as well as “HyperEngine Game Technology”, an umbrella name covering multiple features we’ll cover further below. MediaTek Helio G90T specifications: CPU – Arm Cortex-A76 plus Cortex-A55 octa-core up to 2.05GHz “with a large L3 cache” GPU – Arm Mali-G76 3EEMC4 with speeds up to 800MHz AI Acceleration – Up to 1TMACs AI Performance Memory – LPDDR3, LPDDR4x up to 2133MHz, 10GB RAM max Storage – eMMC 5.1, UFS 2.1 Display – Up to 2520 x 1080 Video Encoding – H.264, H.265 / HEVC @ 4K 30fps, FHD 120fps, HD 240fps […]

LyRa is a Raspberry Pi CM3L based Handheld Game Console (Crowdfunding)

The LyRa handheld game console is the first of its kind to carry a Raspberry Pi CM3L module inside. We reported on the Raspberry Pi Compute Module 3 Light in early 2017, and its significant features and abilities. The LyRa is being developed by Creoqode who started their campaign on Kickstarter in July 2019.  The campaign has already surpassed its funding goal, and it looks like the LyRa will become a reality. The LyRa comes in two versions 1. RTG – Ready-To-Go which is a completely assembled and ready to play handheld game console, computer and entertainment console. 2. DIY – Do-It-Yourself version comes in pieces that can be made into a fully functioning handheld game console in about 15 minutes. The unit features a Raspberry Pi CM3L module which is able to emulate literally hundreds of classic game consoles and games. The unit can attach through HDMI to a […]

ASUS ROG Phone II with Snapdragon 855+ | High Performance Gaming Phone

ASUS ROG Phone II Active Cooler

ASUS officially announced the launch of their new gaming phone, the ROG Phone II. The device will become the world’s first gaming phone to be powered by the new Snapdragon 855 Plus Mobile Platform. ASUS first gaming phone, the ROG Phone, launched in 2018, and it was quite popular. This ROG Phone II is an improved upon version of the first one. A unique feature of the new device is the Kryo 485 CPU in the Snapdragon 855 Plus. The CPU will run at up to 2.96GHz — a 4.2% improvement compared to the 2.84Ghz of the Snapdragon 855, while the Adreno 640 GPU is clocked 15% faster than in the current Snapdragon 855 Mobile Platform. Specifications of ASUS ROG II phone Here are the highlights of the features and specifications. Display 120Hz FHD+ AMOLED display 240Hz touch sampling rate, 49ms touch latency (compared to 87ms on the Samsung Galaxy […]

Beelink L55 Review – An Intel Core i3-5005U Mini PC Tested with Windows 10 & Ubuntu 18.04

Beelink L55 Review

With the shortage of Gemini Lake processors, some manufacturers have taken to releasing new mini PCs using older CPUs. The Beelink L55 is one such example and uses Intel’s Broadwell I3-5005U CPU which is a dual-core 4-thread 2.00 GHz processor with Intel’s HD Graphics 5500. The L55 is a ‘NUC’ style mini PC and physically consists of a 128 x 126 x 46 mm (5.04 x 4.96 x 1.81 inches) box case with a front panel that includes the power button, a headphone jack and a couple of 3.0 USB ports and then on the rear, two more 3.0 USBs, two 2.1 USBs, HDMI (1.4), DP and two gigabit Ethernet ports. Note that there is no SD or micro SD card slot. The full specifications include: The L55 comes with either a 256GB or 512GB (as tested in this review) M.2 SSD with pre-installed Windows 10 Home version 1809 together […]

THEC64 a Retro Functional Commodore 64

Retro Games has set December 2019 as the release date for their reimagined full-size fully functional C64, named THEC64. This somewhat smaller version of the original Commodore 64 comes with 64 games, a joystick and may include a handheld game console. THEC64 computing power is limited, but Basic is still functioning and can be booted, as well as Vic20 Basic. The original replica was a small keyboard facsimile of the original keyboard, called the C64 mini. The keyboard was just for “show” but did have 64 games included, which many people suspect are the same games that will be available on the “full-size” reissue. There are quite a few people willing to help out with the launch of the THEC64, offering video tutorials of how to program the fully functioning retro computer. There is a website called 64Bites, devoted to the Commodore 64 and it’s Basic programming, and this leads […]

AMD Ryzen Embedded R1000 powered Atari VCS Game Console is Now up for Pre-order for $249 and up

AMD Ryzen Embedded R1000 Game Console

Atari VCS game console had initially been teased with minimal information a few years ago, then delayed, and even when they launched an Indiegogo campaign last year, the specifications were not set in stone, and although we knew the company planned to use an AMD Ryzen processor, the final choice was announced later in April of this year: AMD Ryzen Embedded R1000 processor. Indiegogo backers should get their console in December 2019, but if you’re prudent with your own money, you may have preferred to wait, it’s now possible to get Atari VCS in March 2020 by pre-ordering it now for $249 and up from Walmart, Gamestop, or Atari’s own website. There will be two model with Atari VCS 800 and Atari VCS 400 sharing many of the same (preliminary) specifications except for the RAM capacity: SoC – AMD Ryzen Embedded R1000 dual-core / quad-thread processor with VEGA 3 graphics […]

Friday Fun: Play Tetris in a Linux Terminal

Tetris Nanopi NEO

Here at CNX Software, we are all about providing useful information to our readers that will save them time, money and greatly increase their productivity. So I apologize in advance, and I’m sorry to say I’ve just found out it ‘s possible to play Tetris in a Linux terminal. Installation is super easy:

Now just run the program

and have fun. The screenshot above is from my Acer laptop running Ubuntu 18.04, but does it also work over SSH in NanoPi NEO running Armbian? You bet it works! 🙂 As a side note, June 6 is the Tetris anniversary since the first playable version was released on June 6, 1984. That means the game is not just 35 years old. If Tetris is not your thing, but it’s still a slow Friday, and the boss is not around, you can configure sudo to return insults when you type […]