AMD, a supplier of microprocessors, held a fan event in San Francisco on April 6th for all to attend. While free processors and food enticed some to arrive, the tech was the highlight of the show. Being swamped from front to back with TVs, insane monitor set-ups, jorts, and neckbeards, anyone with some sort of fetish for technology was sure to have a field day of tinkering.
Placing the biggest television in the front of the whole event was probably a smart idea. Immediately catching my eye, the 80 inch TV was more than just a big monitor for rich people to brag about. This was a 4K TV, meaning instead of 1080 pixels like most TVs, it had 4000 pixels lining the bottom and top. I’ll just let that soak in.
Dark Souls, a 2011 release, was shown although that wasn’t the best choice. Having a low frame rate and terrible screen tearing, it undersold the TV and made it look worse than it should have. Even former Editor-in-Chief of IGN.com said it was a bad choice.
Tomb Raider, a recent 2013 release, was shown but in a way that made it stick out. Five televisions were hooked together, showcasing a large field of view for the player. While visually impressive and superfluous, it is only for spectators. While playing, I never even noticed the other screens. Dying also killed any tension, but I’m not too nifty at Tomb Raider yet.
Dirt Showdown was showcased with a set up not common to most homes. Armed with a chair, steering wheel, and set of pedals, the whole set up did more than seat the driver. Every turn, bump, and slam showed feedback, sometimes even violently. I’ve tried these sorts of deals before, but this one was easily the most engaging due to its realistic feel. It didn’t have a roll cage so obviously it didn’t flip when I did. Thankfully.
Just me playing DmC Devil May Cry which is always a good idea. As if it is a surprise, it looked and controlled wonderfully.
The Internet’s own Greg Miller from IGN.com was also representing hard and making his presence felt. An all around cool man along with his posse of IGN employees.
I don’t know if they are going to do another convention like this, but if it is anything like this, I’ll be sure to sign up early this time.
The Gadget Gang 