Steam Machines and 4K screens

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www.techradar.com Week in Tech Steam Machines and 4K screens What year is this? It’s 2014K, according to our ace new AV columnist Steve May, who says: "whether you want to create your own [4K content] or kick back and watch something more professional, it's all going down this year." But some firms are already looking at the next big thing. And by "big" we mean "really big": Toshiba's 5K TV concept is a whopping 105 inches, with an "insane" 5,120 x 2,160 resolution and a price tag higher than any human could possibly imagine. Will your 4K - or 5K - TV have a console under it? If it does, Valve would like it to be one of its Steam Machines. We've known about the Steam Machine for a while, but things are really starting to move now: the Steam controller has been given a significant redesign and the consoles should be on sale by September. And just when we thought Valve couldn't possibly have anything else up its sleeve, we discovered that it's also been working on a VR headset - and according to Hugh Langley, "it's awesome." While Valve goes after the living room, the PlayStation's going after the PC. That's what our PlayStation Gamer columnist Rob Crossley reckons PS Now, Sony's game streaming service, will mean. Meanwhile in the world of Xbox, our new Xbox Gamer columnist Aiofe Wilson enjoyed "the sound of my wicked sweet giant robot laying the smackdown on my enemies" in Titanfall. And so will you. Read the full story     In this week ■ Week in Tech: Steam Machines and 4K screens ■ Talking points: Windows 9, Samsung hides its best tablet, the million dollar mobile OS, beware super-cheap 4K TVs ■ Competition: WIN! An iPad mini and 12-month data package from MobiData ■ The week's best buys: Turtle Beach Ear Force PX4, Panasonic TX-P42ST60, HTC One ■ Top 10: The world's top 10 tablets   Talking points 1 Microsoft to reveal Windows 9 at Build 2014, with release in April 2015? Microsoft will cause a major surprise at its annual Build conference in April by revealing the Windows 9 operating system, according to reports this weekend. Blogger Paul Thurrott claims the company plans to release Windows 9 (codenamed Threshold) in April 2015, less than three years after outing Windows 8. Read more       2 Why is Samsung hiding its best iPad competitor yet? Watching Samsung unveil the new Tab Pro and Note Pro devices, I was struck with one thought [writes Gareth Beavis]: what on earth does Pro actually mean? Samsung needs a streamlined tablet range to challenge the likes of the iPads and Surfaces of this world, not confuse consumers with different ranges seemingly offering the same things. Read more       3 CyanogenMod: from bedroom Android hack to million dollar mobile OS CyanogenMod is one of the most popular third-party Android ROMs available, with over 8 million users. It's an operating system that's grown from the modding community into a mainstream alternative for your mobile phone. Read more       4 Why you should be suspicious of super-cheap 4K TVs It's fab to see 4K panels making their way down to more sensible and affordable price points. But before you set aside the cash and order one, consider this. 4K screens have four times as many pixels as a full HD TV which makes them super-beautiful and hella-sharp. But the problem remains the lack of content. Read more       Competition WIN! An iPad mini and 12-month data package from MobiData   We’ve teamed up with MobiData to give one lucky winner an iPad mini plus 5GB of data every month for a year to use with it (see competition for more details). MobiData is the ultra-low cost mobile broadband service that provides instant access to the largest, lowest cost, most continuously speedy and most truly mobile broadband network in the world. Enter competition   WIN! An Advent Vega Tegra Note 7 Android tablet Enter competition       WIN! Ruark’s MR1 desktop iOS speakers Enter competition         Your tweets this week       The week's best buys Turtle Beach Ear Force PX4 A wireless headset that's as comfortable to wear as it is to listen to - especially that surround stage. Worth every penny. View offer Read review       Panasonic TX-P42ST60 Don't be put off by the lack of glamour exhibited by the P42ST60's exterior: inside beats a home cinema heart of gold. View offer Read review       HTC One The Galaxy S4 is sleeker, the iPhone is, well, Apple-ier, and the Nexus 5 is cheaper. But for the overall package of smartphone design and functionality, the HTC One stands head and shoulders above the rest. View offer Read review       What you said about online multiplayer @SortaFriends People who get upset about 6v6 are exactly the sort of people I'll be delighted not to be playing against. Win-win! #WINvWIN     @GameBantz Halo slayer was 6v6 with wide open maps and it was the most popular game mode on it, Halo knew what kinda beef it was cooking.     @JyotiMishra Online multiplayer FPSes are sooooo dull, just a sea of testosterone, racism and rudimentary intelligence.       Top   tablets in the world With choice comes decisions - difficult decisions. Do you eschew Apple's high prices, join the Android brigade and find the best iPad alternative? Or jump on board Apple's lovetrain, and use one of the most popular tablets on the planet?   Apple iPad Air       Apple iPad mini 2       Google Nexus 7 View top 10           TechRadar Promotion TechRadar's Deals of the Week: £25 off all Amazon Kindle Fire Tablets This week we have a special promotion from Amazon on their Kindle Fire tablet range. You can save £25 off the cost of any Kindle Fire tablet from now until January 20 - see post for details. And we've collected 40 more of the best tech deals, so whatever you're looking for, we've got an offer to help you save money. View promotion Anker Astro E4 13000mAh Portable Charger was £99.99, now only £29.99 The Anker Astro E4 Portable Charger packs a whopping 13000mAh battery for charging a wide range of mobile phones and tablets while out and about. The 13000mAh battery holds enough juice to recharge the iPhone almost six times so you should always have enough power to make it through the day. And at a whopping 70% off, you can currently pick this up at the bargain price of only £29.99. View promotion  New issue out now Get fit, get smart and get rich with tech in 2014. Plus BMW i3, the Silk Road uncovered and Moto G tested.  Download now         www.techradar.com

 

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