Dell G15 (5525), Alienware m17 R5, Alienware m15 R7, Alienware Aurora Based on AMD Processors Launched

Dell G15 (5525), Alienware m17 R5, and Alienware m17 R5 gaming laptops have been launched with new AMD Ryzen processors. A new Alienware Aurora desktop has also debuted with the new Ryzen 7 5800X3D processor.

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Saints Row customisation revealed

If you're even slightly familiar with the Saints Row franchise, then you know the upcoming Saints Row game is going to be as crazy and wacky as they come. Which is trademark Saints Row. Of course, all of that applies to the customisation options available to you as well, which we got a good look at in the Saints Row Ultimate Customization Showcase. Let's break it down!

Saints Row Ultimate Customization Showcase

#BeYourOwnBoss

We start off with the main man, or woman, themself, the Boss. You've got a lot of customisation options for your Boss, more than enough to help you stand out in the crowd. Some of the key features in character customisation include asymmetrical facial customisation. Meaning both sides of your face no longer need to be mirror images of each other, you can go to town on one half of your face and the other side could look completely untouched. You could literally go for a Two-Face look if you so please.

Additionally, you've got prosthetic limbs, scars, tattoos, teeth and ear options, you name it, you've got it. Oh, and there's a plethora of skin textures to choose from as well, from glassy to a brick wall, and even a galaxy! You're not locked out of any customisation options regardless of the gender you pick, and you've got 8 different voices to choose from. You can also pick between a selection of walking styles and emotes for your boss which changes the way they behave.

There's plenty in the fashion department too, all the styles and customisation you could ever want, right down to the socks. You can colour every detail of your outfit, or go for a preset colour theme that you fancy.

Ride in style

Of course, it doesn't end with the Boss. Even our ride can be customised to the tiniest detail. There's a lot of variety in the rides themselves, from VTOLs to Hoverboards, to a freakin' Pirate Ship on wheels. Every aspect of the rides can be customised, including the usuals like spoilers, the engine, the wheels, hood, wings etc. Each of these parts can be coloured individually as well, and like with outfits, there are also colour themes available to you for quick use. Furthermore, you can also change the way your engine sounds, and your horn.

Cars can be further customised with additional parts, like off-road wheels, a grappling hook to tow stuff, a wrecking ball attachment to wreck stuff, and even nos.

Sun's Out, Guns out

You thought it was over at vehicles? Naah. Guns. Saints Row is known for its whacky guns, and clearly, there's plenty of that here as well. On top of that, you now have extensive gun customisation as well, down to the smallest detail. Additionally, some skins can completely replace gun models with a new one. For example, you can use a guitar case rocket launcher mariachi style, a walking stick SMG, or an umbrella assault rifle. Plenty of ways to express yourself.

Through Saints HQ, you will be able to not only customise your HQ itself but also your Saints, the outfits they wear, the cars they drive and more.

Saints Row wants to give you all the tools you need to go wild and create whatever you want, whether it be serious, or out-of-this-world insane. At least, from this Saints Row Ultimate Customization Showcase, that's definitely the vibe we're getting. It's certainly hyped us up and we can't wait to step foot in Santo Ileso this August. Saints Row is releasing on the 23rd of August, 2022.

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Sony is looking at placing ads in its games, Netflix also following suit

As if ads on TV weren't bad enough, it looks like Sony could be following Microsoft in including advertisements in games. One of the few reasons people have been cable cutting over the past few years is that ads are annoying and intrusive. There is a place and time for ads but companies seem to think it’s all the time. In a report on Business Insider, Sony is now looking at adding ads in its free-to-play games. The company has reportedly encouraged its developers to look beyond the much-hated microtransactions and other cash grabbing features. What this could mean for the regular gamer is that you’ll see in-game ads on billboards on sports games, in open-world games etc. In fact, Sony is looking at even rewarding gamers who have the zen-like ability to sit through droning ads. 

Advertisments in games? Sony and Microsoft exploring options

The report further states that the feature should launch by the end of the year, so saddle up boys. Sony says that it has a strict vetting process, but considering the company has been subject to hacks and leaks, that’s not a very confidence-inspiring statement. Concerns regarding data miming and tracking have been brought to the forefront but at the end of the day, the almighty dollar always wins and as consumers, we bear the brunt of these decisions. To add insult to injury, it looks like Netflix could be throwing its hat in the ad game. According to a report in the New York Times, streaming platforms like Netflix and Disney+ are actively looking at adding ads to their content. Netflix has also posted a loss of 200,000 subscribers and a crash in stock prices. The streaming giant has also talked about cracking down on password sharing.

In what can only be described as a Back to the Future situation, we’re basically moving backwards to a mix of free, ad-driven services and a small list of expensive ad-free services. And, although the video game industry isn't as developed as TV, it too, is going through its own growing pains. These decisions have been met with universal criticism but at the end of the day, it looks like ad-driven content is here to stay. 

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Sony to Bring In-Game Ads in Free-to-Play PlayStation Games, Just Like Microsoft: Report

Sony is reportedly working on adding in-game ads to free-to-play games, to encourage developers to build free titles that grew in popularity during the pandemic. Rival Microsoft is also working on a similar plan to bring ads to free-to-play titles. The promotions could be located in the games, and help publishers and developers earn more revenue from these titles. Son...

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Oppo Enco Air2 Review: Struggles to stand out

Priced at Rs 2,499, the Oppo Enco Air2 looks like a pretty sweet deal on paper with 13.4mm drivers, HeyMelody app support, and IPX4 rating. However, when faced with competing products such as the Realme Buds Q2 and the DIZO Buds Z Pro, the earbuds do fall behind in terms of features and battery life.

The Oppo Enco Air2 is the company’s latest entry-level TWS pair of earphones complete with 13.4mm drivers, Bluetooth 5.2 connectivity, touch controls and HeyMelody app support. The device is priced competitively at Rs 2,499, but it does face its fair share of competitors including the Realme Buds Q2 and DIZO Buds Z Pro. Budget TWS have progressively been getting better, both quality and feature-set wise. In fact, it is not odd to even see manufacturers provide features such as Active Noise Cancellation at this price point these days. Alas, the Oppo Enco Air2 doesn’t boast of this feature. But does it do well in other areas such as sound quality, fit, and battery life? Read through as we put Oppo’s entry-level TWS to the test to know if these earbuds are worth your money or if you should look elsewhere.

Build and comfort

The Oppo Enco Air2 sports the half in-ear design that Apple popularised with its AirPods lineup. In fact, the earbuds look eerily similar to the older AirPods, so they don’t really stand out when in your ears. The case, on the other hand, does stand out with its half-translucent design. The lid of the case is translucent allowing you to peek at your earbuds from outside. The case is also extremely sleek and compact. So much so, that you can easily pocket these even when wearing skinny jeans. The front of the case sports an LED battery indicator and the bottom houses the USB Type-C charging port.

Circling back to the earbuds, while they may not be anything special to look at, these earbuds are incredibly lightweight. The earbuds have a half in-ear design so you don’t get silicone eartips. So despite their lightweight, some users may not get an adequate fit, especially if they have smaller ears. Even if you manage to get them to sit in your ears reasonably securely, they may pop out when exercising or running. For this reason, we prefer earphones with silicone eartips since they provide a much more snug fit. The half in-ear design also hampers passive isolation, so you can hear your surroundings pretty easily if you don’t listen to music at ridiculously loud levels. 

All in all, we’re not too impressed with the Oppo Enco Air2’s build or fit, since they are pretty run of the mill to look at and the fit isn’t the most secure you can get at this price.

Features

Priced at Rs 2,499, the new Oppo Enco Air2 come with a decent number of features, but they do get bested in this department by the Realme Buds Q2 and DIZO Buds Z Pro that you can purchase on e-commerce platforms for around the same price. The Realme Buds Q2 come equipped with a plethora of features; including some such as Active Noise Cancellation and Transparency Mode which aren’t available on the Oppo Enco Air2.

What the Oppo Enco Air2 does have though is excellent app support. The HeyMelody app allows users to access multiple features such as Game Mode, EQ presets, and earbud controls. EQ presets, which OPPO has dubbed the Enco Live sound effects, include Original sound, Bass Boost and Clear vocals. The Original Sound preset sounds the most natural and is one by default. 

The app also allows users to customise earbud controls including the double tap, triple tap and touch and hold commands. You can choose between seeking tracks, pausing and playing music, Game Mode, Voice Assistant, and even volume level controls. There’s also a toggle for Game Mode within the app that reduces the latency down to 80ms, according to the company. In our testing, there was a slight difference in latency when Game Mode was turned on. Additionally, you can also check battery levels and perform firmware updates via the app. However, app support is not available for iOS users. 

The earphones also have other features such as IPX4 sweat and splash resistance on the earbuds and mono earbud usage. The earphones are powered by Bluetooth v5.2 with stable connectivity for the most part. Some Oppo phone models support additional features such as double-tap to click a photo and Flash Connect (similar to Google Fast Pair). Overall, these earbuds are pretty feature-rich for their price point but the Realme Buds Q2 and the DIZO Buds Z Pro definitely beat them out in this regard with ANC and Transparency Mode support as well.

Performance

Sporting 13.4mm composite titanized diaphragm drivers, the Oppo Enco Air2 produces loud sound with decent bass and mids. They’re overemphasised, but that’s necessary with half in-ear buds since they don’t have a snug fit. The resulting sound is pretty warm and thumpy, although we wish that the highs were a bit more balanced.

The highs can sound slightly muffled in the mix at times since they are underemphasised in the mix. So, genres such as rock and classic don’t sound as detailed. However, for most modern-day music, the Oppo Enco Air2 produces serviceable sound that doesn’t lag behind competition such as the Realme Buds Q2. The Buds Q2 has slightly more exaggerated bass which may please bass lovers more. 

The form factor of the earphones does pose some problems though. The half in-ear design leads to a lot of leakage, so when you’re travelling, your fellow passengers will be able to hear the tunes you’re rocking out to. Additionally, the earbuds also have lacklustre passive isolation. This coupled with the missing ANC means that these earphones are not ideal to use when travelling. You can easily hear car horns or the sounds of train tracks, so you will need to increase the volume levels which may cause hearing damage.

The Oppo Enco Air2 comes with AI Noise Cancellation for calls. The microphone picks up the caller’s voice pretty clearly, however, it does pick up ambient sounds as well. So, if you’re in a noisy environment, the call may be riddled with disturbances. However, indoors, the microphone is more than capable of clear calls.

Battery life

The Oppo Enco Air2 doesn't particularly impress when it comes to battery life. While it provides a day’s worth of battery life with the earbuds and charging case combined, the earbuds alone only provide 4 hours of continuous wireless playback. This is on the lower side when it comes to competition. Both the Realme Buds Q2 and the DIZO Buds Z Pro provide 7 hours of continuous playback with ANC turned off. The earphones lasted for 3 hours and 45 minutes in our tests with the volume levels set to 80 per cent, which is not at all impressive.

The Enco Air2 also doesn’t support fast charging, which is supported on both the Realme Buds Q2 and the DIZO Buds Z Pro. Charging the earbuds up to full from empty takes approximately 1.5 hours.

Verdict

Priced at Rs 2,499, the Oppo Enco Air2 looks like a pretty sweet deal on paper with 13.4mm drivers, HeyMelody app support, and IPX4 rating. However, when faced with competing products such as the Realme Buds Q2 and the DIZO Buds Z Pro, the earbuds do fall behind in terms of features and battery life. Active Noise Cancellation and Transparency Mode being absent may not seem like a big deal at this price point, but when competing products offer these features and better battery life, it becomes hard to recommend this product.

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World of Warcraft: Dragonflight expansion pack lets you ride dragons and explore the Dragon Isles

Activision Blizzard has introduced a live expansion pack called Dragonflight on World of Warcraft (WoW) which brings the game’s biggest UI overhaul in 18 years. It also adds several new things like Dragon Isles (a location spread across four new zones), Dragon Aspects (leaders of the five dragonflights), Dracthyr Evokers (a combination of a new race and class), and Wrath of the Lich King (a classic expansion pack).

World of Warcraft: Dragonflight Features Explore the Dragon Isles

Whilst on your way to the new level cap of 70, you will get to explore the 4 new zones of Dragon Isles called—the Waking Shores, the Ohn’ahran Plains; the Azure Span; and Thaldraszus.

Play the Dracthyr Evoker Race/Class Combo

You will be able to play as a Dracthyr Evoker, “WoW’s first-ever race/class combo”. Dracathyr is the race and Evoker is the class. These new characters will have both humanoid visages and draconic avatars. While playing as them, you will be able to both inflict damage or heal as you choose. The Dracthyr Evoker will be accessible at level 58 of the game and you can join either  the Alliance or the Horde faction.

Dragon riding

You can take part in Dragonriding, which is described as “an all-new skill-based method of aerial movement that allows players to take to the skies on the back of their personal Dragon Isles Drake”. You will get to customize the appearance and ability of this dragon named drake as you progress through the expansion.

Improved Talent System and Professions

You get new options to enhance your talent in creative and meaningful ways. You will even come across new goodies, professional gears and equipments, player-driven work orders, and an all-new specialization program. 

UI Facelift 

Dragonflight enhances the aesthetics and ambience of the minimap and endows new elements and options for customizing different aspects of the UI. 

So, besides getting to enjoy a journey through Dragon Isles and ride Dragons, the new expansion packs have a lot to experience. You can watch the full reveal trailer of Dragonflight below.

As for other news, reviews, feature stories, buying guides and everything else tech-related, keep reading Digit.in.

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The Sony PlayStation 5 will once again be up for pre-order in India on April 22 at 12PM

It has been over a year since the Sony PlayStation 5 was released. However, stock shortages continue to plague the system. As such, prospective buyers of the system have little option but to either wait for the system to be in stock or bite the bullet and pay an exorbitant amount of money to a scalper.

Thankfully, gamers have another chance to get their hands on the system legitimately. Amazon India has listed the PS5 as being available for pre-booking from April 22, 12:00 pm onwards. As is usually the case, expect other retailers such as ShopatSC, Flipkart, Vijay Sales, Games the Shop and more to offer the same. 

Sony PS5 Restock: April 22, 2022 - 12:00pm

Getting any next gen-console has been quite tough the world over thanks to a global chip shortage. The Sony PS5 (review), as well as the Xbox Series X (review), have been tough to come by. Both the consoles offer gamers something special when it comes to exclusives. Sony offers games such as Spider-Man Miles Morales (review), Sackboy: A Big Adventure and, Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart (review). It will also offer God of War: Ragnarok, which is a sequel to 2018’s God of War.  

But don’t count out the Xbox just yet. The console’s Game Pass subscription service is one of the best deals in gaming. Not only that, but Microsoft has been on a bit of a spending spree of late. The company has already acquired Zenimax Media, which owns Bethesda, Arkane Studios and id Software. It was recently purchased by Activision Blizzard. As such, Microsoft now holds the keys to some of the biggest franchises in gaming. This includes the likes of Elder Scrolls, Fallout, Doom, Dishonored, Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, Overwatch, Diablo and many more. 

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