• Two new Xbox models have just gone up on pre-order, sort of: The portable Ally X for $999 and the cheaper Ally Nothing for $599.  (Tom's Hardware)
  
  Can these portable devices from Asus really be described as Xboxes?  They have AMD Ryzen CPUs - but then, so do the current Microsoft Xboxes.  But they have AMD Radeon graphics - which the current Microsoft Xboxes also have.
  
  So I guess the answer is yes.
  
  The Ally X has a Ryzen Z2 AI Extreme, with 8 Zen 5 CPU cores and 16 RDNA3.5 graphics cores, and 24GB and a 1TB SSD.
  
  The Ally Nothing has a Ryzen Z2 A, which doesn't sound like a huge downgrade but definitely is: Just 4 Zen 2 CPU cores and 8 RDNA2 graphics cores, plus 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD.
  
  It has the same screen and controllers as the more expensive model, but offers less than half the CPU performance.  Comparing the desktop equivalents, a four-core Zen 2 would be one third the speed, but in a mobile device the faster chip is likely the be thermally constrained anyway.
  
  
  
• And it's sold out, for rather dubious values of "sold out".  (WCCFTech)
  
  It's a pre-order, so this restriction is limited to the units from the first production batch that were allocated to the Microsoft Store.  There are plenty more out there.
  
  

• Meta, parent company of Facebook, has announced its new app: Vibes, an infinitely scrolling stream of AI slop.  (Facebook)
  
  Thanks, Mark.
  
  
  
• Is the HP Z2 Mini G1a the small form-factor Strix Halo workstation you were waiting for?  $5021 as tested.  (Hot Hardware)
  
  I'm siding with no.
  
  
  
• Well, how about the Minisforum MS-S1 MAX?  (YouTube)
  
  Maybe.  Currently selling at $2399 for the sole available model, so it's by no means cheap.  But it has two USB4 ports offering 40Gbps, two USB4V2 ports offering 80Gbps, two 10Gb Ethernet ports, two M.2 slots, and a PCIe expansion slot.
  
  Plus of course a Ryzen 395 with 16 Zen 5 CPU cores and 40 RDNA3.5 graphics cores, and 128GB of LPDDR5-8000 memory.
  
  You can configure a Mac Studio with equivalent specs (the 16 core M4 Max also has 40 graphics cores and supports 128GB of RAM) but it's slower and significantly more expensive.
  
  
  
• Electronic Arts is seeking to go private under a $50 billion leverage buyout.  (Notebook Check)
  
  Is it suddenly the 80s again?
  
  

Artistic Interlude

Musical Interlude

Posted by: furball321 at Saturday, September 27 2025 08:46 PM (As8gg)

Posted by: Pixy Misa at Saturday, September 27 2025 10:31 PM (PiXy!)

Posted by: normal at Sunday, September 28 2025 05:34 AM (LADmw)

Posted by: Mauser at Sunday, September 28 2025 10:10 AM (XWgGM)

Hide Comments | Add Comment