August 22, 2025 • 39 mins
- Greetings from Cologne, Germany! To learn all about the ASUS and Xbox partnership, I’m joined by Sascha Krohn, Director of Technical Marketing at ASUS and ROG. Unveiled at Gamescon, this handheld gaming PCV is wild.
- Speaking of PCs, there are deals to be had over Inter Gamer Days, from August 25th through September 7th, on select Intel-powered gaming laptops and desktops -- as you’ll hear from Intel’s Samy Saif.
- But we first kickstart a brand-new Tech It Out, to get the 4-1-1 on Brane Audio and its portable Brane X speaker and its integrated subwoofer. We’re joined by Joe Pinkerton, Co-Founder & CEO of Brane Audio
- Thank you to Visa and Sandisk for your support!
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Do you ever feel overwhelmed by the ever changing world
of technology? Check it Out can help make some sense
of it all. Breaking down geek speak into street speak.
Technology columnist, author, and TV personality Mark Saltzman covers consumer
technology each week for every listener, Mark tackles the latest news, reviews,
and how toos to help you understand what's hot, what's
(00:21):
not and why.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
Hey everyone, welcome to Tech it Out episode four oh eight.
Wow crazy that it's already been two months since we
celebrated the four hundredth episode milestone of the show and
gave away a great laptop. Worry not, as we'll have
more great giveaways in the coming months and years.
Speaker 3 (00:41):
All right, so teck it Out.
Speaker 2 (00:42):
As the announcer says, it's a show that breaks down
geek speak into street speak, so it doesn't assume you
know anything about tech or games. Will break it all
down for you in a language you can understand, and
if you are a geek like me, it's all good.
I think you'll also like the topics and guests every
week for today's show, I'm in Cologne, Germany for games Con.
(01:04):
It's a huge video game convention that draws more than
three hundred and thirty thousand people to West Germany from
around the world.
Speaker 3 (01:10):
I'm in my.
Speaker 2 (01:11):
Hotel room right now, but yesterday I recorded an interview
about the rog Xbox ally x. It's a handheld gaming
PC with an Xbox interface, intuitive controls, and support for
countless Windows and Xbox games. And so we'll press play
on that interview in about twelve minutes from now. Speaking
of gaming, Intel, we'll be on the show today a
(01:33):
little bit later on to chat about a sale on
gaming laptops and desktops for its Intel Gamer Days event
coming up August twenty fifth through September seventh. But first,
to kick off a new tech it out, we're going
to learn about a new portable Bluetooth speaker, the first
with an integrated subwiffer for awesome base. All of this
and more on a brand new tech it out powered
(01:55):
by Visa, which I'll tell you more about shortly. But
let's get into gear with our first interview. Not all
Bluetooth speakers are created equal. A company called Brain Audio
reached out to me task if they can send me
a speaker for review consideration. Yes, I know, I have
a pretty cool job and being a music lover, I
was really keen to hear how this speaker sounded compared
(02:16):
to the many others I've tested over the years. In short, Wow,
to tell us all about Brain Audio, the company, and
this portable Brain X speaker. We're joined by Joe Pinkerton.
He's co founder and CEO of Brain Audio. In fact,
Joe is an award winning inventor and entrepreneur who has
founded several tech companies over the years.
Speaker 3 (02:34):
Welcome to the show, Joe, No, thank you. Let's dive
right in.
Speaker 2 (02:37):
The audio space is crowded, let's face it. So what
makes Brain Audio unique.
Speaker 4 (02:42):
What makes us unique is Brain X is the world's
first portable speaker that has a true sobo firm and
what that allows people to do is hear the main
notes of popular music and in some cases connected their
TV and get a full cinema experience with a soundbar.
Speaker 2 (03:05):
We're going to unpack some of that in a couple
of minutes from now the TV element. But yeah, as
a music lover, as I said off the top, I
was blown away at the audio quality and thanks again
to your comms team for lending me this Brain NEXT speaker.
So it is a portable speaker with a handle. The
key differentiator, to paraphrase what you said, is that it's
the first to have an integrated subwhiffer for that low
(03:27):
end base. That's not just for hip hop or something.
I mean that compliments any genre.
Speaker 3 (03:32):
Is that fair?
Speaker 5 (03:33):
Absolutely? There are some.
Speaker 4 (03:35):
I was listening the other day to a Pink Floyd
track from nineteen seventy two and that's.
Speaker 5 (03:41):
Got slubble for in it. It's surprising.
Speaker 3 (03:44):
One of my favorite bands, by the way, Yeah.
Speaker 4 (03:47):
Just gorgeous and they were so ahead of their time.
And then other genres, there's some symphonies where you've got
these giant organs that have you know, a twenty seven
herds note, which is a crazy deep sub based note.
And of course, like you mentioned, you know hip hop, chronic.
Speaker 3 (04:03):
Yeah, EDM yeah, sure, even pop.
Speaker 4 (04:05):
Now you look at Taylor Swifts songs and she's got
these really deep bass notes that brain X can hit
that no other portable speaker can come close to.
Speaker 2 (04:17):
It's surprising how big and clear and well balanced the
sound is coming out of this relatively small speaker, even
though we're focusing a lot on bass as a differentiator
compared to other speakers, which often lack base. It is
a well rounded sound. I don't want to give the
impression that it's all base. Really great highs and mids
as well. Can you tell us a bit more about
(04:39):
the speaker itself.
Speaker 4 (04:40):
Absolutely, Yeah, an indirect benefit. We designed our own soubifer
called Repella trek Driver or a red driver, and it
allows us to shrink the size of the sublifer roughly
by a factor at ten, and also the power by
a factor at ten, and there's an indirect benefit to that.
And because our subifer is so compact and small, we
(05:00):
have a room in that speaker to put two mid
range drivers left and right stereo and two dome tweeters
left and right stereo. So it's not just about the
base or the sub bass. Our mids and highs, we're
told are great too because we've got room for them.
Speaker 5 (05:17):
Whereas a lot of our competitors they're.
Speaker 4 (05:19):
Trying to get as deep as they can with conventional technology,
and they really can't hit the deepest notes, but they
give up on full stereo, and so it's just this
mono speaker that also can't hit the deep notes.
Speaker 3 (05:32):
And it's waterproof too.
Speaker 2 (05:34):
I talked about the handle, so you can't bring this
around and even outside. My son Ethan, by the way,
my youngest, who loves dance music and so do his friends.
He brought this out and connected a pioneer DJ controller
deck to this and was spinning for his friends outside.
They were all marveling at the audio quality. If it
starts to rain, it's okay.
Speaker 4 (05:54):
Well yeah, not only rain, but you know, people can't
believe it. But you literally can brain eggs and put
it underwater in a meter of water for a half
an hour and pull it out and just start playing again.
Speaker 5 (06:08):
It can handle.
Speaker 2 (06:09):
It wouldn't try that, but that's good to know. But yeah,
I mean, this is the summer, so people may be
taking this beside a pool if it gets splashed on,
or to the beach without getting two.
Speaker 3 (06:19):
Into the weeds.
Speaker 2 (06:20):
For those who aren't audio files, can you tell us
a bit more about the speaker, and then I want
to ask you about battery life.
Speaker 5 (06:25):
Sure.
Speaker 4 (06:26):
Ultimately it's a five driver system. The main big driver
is the RADS sublefer that fires downward and then as
I mentioned, two dome tweeters shooting nearly straight out, and
then two cone drivers kind of pointed left and right.
And if it's played at modern volume, which is still
pretty loud. It can run for about twelve hours on battery.
Speaker 2 (06:48):
Twelve hours. That's great. We are chatting with Joe Pinkerton.
He's co founder and CEO of Brain Audio. We're learning
all about its Brain X speaker. Brain by the way
is brn E and then letter X for this new
portable speaker that they've got, and to confirm it's not
just a speaker, Joe, but a smart speaker as well.
Speaker 4 (07:07):
Exactly, it's not just a portable Bluetooth speaker, although it's that,
but it's also a smart speaker.
Speaker 5 (07:13):
It has Alexa in it.
Speaker 4 (07:15):
If you want to use Alexa, you can connect it
on your Wi Fi network. You can parallel up to
eight BRAINX speakers, either in party mode or left right
stereo pairs. It's got Spotify connect and so it's got
a lot more horsepower than just a normal Bluetooth speaker. Also,
it's got a three and a half millimeter ogs in
(07:36):
the back which you can use with a TV to
have an integrated sublever soundbar combination.
Speaker 5 (07:45):
So yeah, it does a lot.
Speaker 2 (07:48):
And there's an app to which we'll get to in
a moment, but yeah, all right, so you touched on
the fact that it's not just a Bluetooth speaker, but
it also has Wi Fi, so when you're at home
you can access Alexa. You can summon Alexa using your
voice and play tracks from various providers, including you said Spotify.
Speaker 3 (08:04):
It's got Spotify.
Speaker 2 (08:05):
Connect, which makes it easier to connect to that very
popular music streaming service. And you can connect this to
your TV. You can connect it to other Brain speakers
wirelessly for a stereo pair or a multi room solution
all you like, a Sonos kind of thing. And then
the app. So I've got it in my hand right
now on an iPhone. Tell us a bit about it.
Speaker 4 (08:24):
Yeah, the app really gives you some pretty detailed control
over the speaker. You can adjust the base level. It
also has an EQ element where it's got five sliders,
so you can adjust the low base, the bays, the mids,
the highs to your liking. It also has what we're
calling a soundbar mode, where when you connect the three
(08:47):
and a half milimeter ags in, it reduces the time
delay to virtually zero. And so that's great for DJs
that want they don't want any delay when they're working
with the speaker and it's great, as I mentioned, in
soundbar mode, so that the lips match the voices, right.
You know, you can enable Amazon Alexa through the app.
(09:10):
You can enable Spotify Connect through the app, so that
it's really a lot of knobs to turn in there.
Speaker 3 (09:15):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (09:15):
So once you own the speaker A, you just go
to the App Store if you're on iPhone or iPad,
or the Google Play Store if you're on Android, and
just search for the word brain. It's a black icon
with like this lime green squiggle.
Speaker 5 (09:28):
I don't know, hidingwave.
Speaker 3 (09:29):
Is that a brain wave? That's better than squiggle? All right?
Speaker 2 (09:32):
Finally, how much does brain X cost? What's your retail
support like? And where's the best place where listeners can
go for more info?
Speaker 4 (09:40):
Definitely for more info Brainaudio dot com And as you mentioned,
b R A N it's like Brain like membrane.
Speaker 5 (09:47):
It's four ninety nine.
Speaker 4 (09:49):
There's our flagship store here in Austin, Texas where you
can hear brain NEX compare it to other leading speakers.
We also are available on Amazon, Walmart, Worldwide, Stereo, crutch Field,
New Egg, Huckberry. So we've got quite a few retailers
signed up and we're signing more nearly every week for
(10:12):
our listeners.
Speaker 2 (10:13):
If they get a chance to check it out, I
would encourage you to do so in person because you'll
really get a sense of the audio quality.
Speaker 3 (10:20):
If one of.
Speaker 2 (10:20):
Those retailers mentioned is a physical store, I strongly encourage
you to hear it with your own ears. Joe really
great to chat with you, Brainaudio dot Com to learn
more Again, br An E, congrats on the launch of
the brain x Thanks for your time today.
Speaker 5 (10:35):
Well, thank you so much.
Speaker 2 (10:37):
Hey, I hope you're all having a great day so far,
and thank you for making tech it Out a small
part of it. If you like this show, whether you're
tuning in on your favorite local talk radio station or
perhaps in podcast form, be sure to reach out on
social media to say hi. It's Mark Saltzman. Mark with
a C, Saltsman with a Z, and you can find
me on all the big platforms. Let me know what
(10:59):
you like don't like about the show, suggestions for upcoming
guests or topics. Maybe you got a tech question for me.
It's all good again, It's Mark Saltzman. All right, when
we return on Tech it Out, we're going to learn
all about the rog xbox ally a suite handheld PC
with Sasha Kron, director of Technical Marketing at Asus, from Cologne,
(11:20):
Germany at games Con twenty twenty five.
Speaker 3 (11:22):
We'll be right back.
Speaker 6 (11:24):
Listen to check it Out whenever you want to find
a Check it Out podcast at io or wherever you
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Speaker 3 (11:40):
Welcome back to tech it Out.
Speaker 2 (11:42):
We cover cybersecurity a lot on this program and how
you can best protect yourself in the digital age, even
if you're not super tech savvy. One part of the
solution is securely shopping online and so I'm thrilled about
my partnership with Visa on tech it Out, as they've
made some significant investments in fraud prevent over the past
five years, as much as ten billion dollars yes that's
(12:04):
billion with a B, to support Visa's brand promise to
protect the financial information of individuals and businesses. Zero liability
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Visa card. There can be no half measures when it
comes to cybersecurity, which is why the company takes an
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of malicious software and other threats by well funded and
(12:27):
global criminal enterprises. Read more about Visa and how securing
the world's payments is priority one at Visa dot Com
slash Security. That's Visa dot Com slash Security.
Speaker 3 (12:39):
All right.
Speaker 2 (12:40):
So I'm here at games Con twenty twenty five in Cologne, Germany.
This is a video game convention that last year drew
three hundred and thirty five thousand attendees, and it's expected
to be even.
Speaker 3 (12:52):
Larger this year.
Speaker 2 (12:53):
It's a bit quite where I am because we are
in a small room on the rog boat, which we'll
get to a moment. I'm here with Sasha Kron. He
is director of Technical Marketing at a sus and rog
Republic of Gamers, which is, of course the gaming division
of Asus. Nice to see you against Sasha.
Speaker 7 (13:10):
Yeah, good to see you. Last time I think we spoke,
we're at Computex.
Speaker 3 (13:13):
Yeah, that's right.
Speaker 2 (13:14):
I was in your hometown of Taipei. And yeah, I
get to see you a couple of times a year.
How long have you been with Asus? Now?
Speaker 8 (13:20):
My ten year anniversary is coming out, so almost ten years.
Speaker 2 (13:24):
Congratulations gold Watch Maybe yeah, no, I don't I don't
think so.
Speaker 7 (13:27):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (13:28):
Let's talk today about rog xbox ally series. So this
is the latest and greatest handheld gaming device from Asus,
the third if I'm not mistaken from rog coming out
in the fall, tell us about it.
Speaker 3 (13:43):
At a high level.
Speaker 8 (13:44):
So at a high level, yeh, it's our third generation.
Speaker 7 (13:46):
We did the RG l I, then we did the
RG l I X, and this year now here we're
announcing the RG.
Speaker 3 (13:53):
Take it from there. This is our third generation.
Speaker 8 (13:55):
It's our third generation.
Speaker 7 (13:57):
So we started with the ROGLI, then came the ROG
the l X last year, and now here we're announcing
the RG Xbox LI.
Speaker 8 (14:05):
Series, which is two devices.
Speaker 7 (14:07):
So it's the RG xbox l I X at the top,
and then we also have the RG Xbox LI which
is a more mainstream targeted device.
Speaker 2 (14:16):
Okay, both At its core is a handheld PC. So
I think visually for our listeners to imagine, it kind
of looks like if I may like a Nintendo Switch,
but it's a full blown Windows computer designed for PC games.
Speaker 7 (14:30):
So I think the form factor is similar to switch
in the sense that you know, you have a very
wide device, you have a big screen, and you kind of.
Speaker 3 (14:38):
Controllers on each side.
Speaker 7 (14:39):
You have controllers on each side. I think the difference
is it is much more ergonomic. That's the key improvement
compared to last year's RG LIX. So ergonomics is our
number one focus for this. It's really comfortable to hold.
The weight balance is much better, so it feels super light.
Speaker 3 (14:56):
Yeah.
Speaker 7 (14:57):
There's two versions of it, like I mentioned, and they're
easy to fentiate. They look exactly the same. But the
black one is the RG Xbox LX, so that's the
premium flagship one, and then the white one is the
RG Xbox. Ally that's the more mainstream all right.
Speaker 3 (15:12):
So it has an integrated display. So the idea is
that you can game on the go.
Speaker 2 (15:16):
You could be commuting to work on a train, you
could be in the backseat of a car on a
road trip, flying wherever, even just relaxing in bed if
you are at home. But you can connect it to
a monitor or a TV if you.
Speaker 3 (15:29):
Like portable gaming. But you can play it on a
big screen if you like.
Speaker 2 (15:33):
And the name Xbox obviously implies the partnership with that
console maker, So tell us a bit about that. What
makes this an Xbox branded rog Ally.
Speaker 7 (15:43):
On this you can play any PC game from any
any title, any platform. You can play it anywhere on
the go. And what makes this now an Xbox is
that you're able to use the same sort of UI
that you can have on an Xbox, which is very
much much joystick and GamePad optimized, so you can browse
through the games, you can interact with the system, launch games,
(16:06):
and input text as well on an onscreen keyboard just
using the joystick and the button controls.
Speaker 8 (16:11):
On the previous generation devices, it would just.
Speaker 7 (16:13):
Run regular Windows, which obviously on a small seven inch
display isn't the ideal, and launching games and just seeing
the user interfhase in the games, for example, might be
a little bit tricky. So right now, what makes this
an Xbox is that we're partnering with the Xbox team
and Microsoft Windows team as well, so we're all working
(16:34):
together to make the user interphase super smooth and easy
to understand and easy to use, just like on an
Xbox console.
Speaker 2 (16:42):
All right, awesome, And of course Xbox is owned by Microsoft,
the company behind Windows, so that makes sense there. And
then partnering with rog with your incredible hardware, it sounds
like a marriage made in heaven.
Speaker 3 (16:54):
I had a chance to play.
Speaker 2 (16:55):
It earlier today for the first time, one of the
first few journalists in the world to do it. I
was blowed away, really comfortable. As you mentioned, the screen
is beautiful. Can you tell us a bit more about
the display.
Speaker 7 (17:06):
We've done a few little tweaks here and there, but
it's largely the same display as on the previous generation
rglix and ROGLI. We still believe it's one of the
bestest plays, if not the bestest play for a handheld
because you get full HD ten ADP resolution, so very
high resolution. It runs up to one hundred and twenty hertz.
You get VRR or variable refresh rates, so that's very
(17:27):
important that you don't notice any stutter. Everything looks super smooth,
buttery smooth, so you basically get a great visual experience.
Speaker 8 (17:34):
It's very bright, it has great colors.
Speaker 7 (17:36):
And it's very energy efficient as well, so it's great
for battery life.
Speaker 2 (17:40):
I had a chance to play four Z and it
looks beautiful, the cars, the tracks, the scenery, the special effects.
More on the rog xbox ally devices again, there are
two of them. When we return on tech it out
with our guests Sasha Kron and again, I've played the
two previous rog Allied devices and this one really feels
(18:00):
great with amazing performance support for so many games, there's
a lot to love about this, so personally stoke for
when it comes out, and when will that be?
Speaker 3 (18:08):
You ask, Well, that's.
Speaker 2 (18:09):
Another thing we're going to get to with Sasha when
we return on check it Out.
Speaker 3 (18:13):
Stick with us. We'll be right back.
Speaker 9 (18:15):
I want to follow Mark Google and Mark with the
C and Saltzman with a Z breaking down geeks peak
into street speak. This is check it Out to check
it out grooth technology columnist, author and TV personality Mark Saltzman.
Speaker 2 (18:39):
Welcome back to check it out everyone, if you're just
joining us now. I am in Cologne, Germany at games Con,
an annual video game convention that draws more than three
hundred thousand gamers and publishers, developers, journalists like yours, truly
content creators, retailers, distributors. I'm sitting down with Sasha Kron
(19:00):
from a SEUs. He is technical director, and that includes
its ROG or Republic of Gamers products. We're learning all
about the just unveiled ROG Xbox Ally, this is a
pair of handheld PC's that let you play Windows and
Xbox games. Before the break, Sasha, we were talking about
its display. Now let's chat about what's under the hood.
Speaker 3 (19:22):
The chips AMD Power.
Speaker 8 (19:24):
Yes, they're both am d Power.
Speaker 7 (19:26):
For the top of the line one, it's AMD's latest
risin Ai Z two Extreme and for the more mainstream
one that's AMD's Risin Z two A. So the Z
two A is a four core eight graphics core chip,
and the riisin Ai Z two Extreme it has double
(19:48):
the CPU cores and double the graphics processing cores as well,
so you get double the performance, actually even more because
it uses the latest architecture for the CP and GP
as well, So you get really flagship performance for the
RG xbox Lax, and you get really good mainstream performance
and a really good price point and long battery life.
Speaker 8 (20:06):
For the RG Xbox Alli.
Speaker 7 (20:07):
So that one is also geared not just at a
lower price point, but also targeted more towards people who
play indie titles, maybe platformers, maybe some older two D games,
some retro games, so for people who don't play the
latest games and want the most demanding graphics. That's really
where the white colored RG Xbox Ali comes in.
Speaker 2 (20:28):
You are the director of technical marketing at Asus and ROG,
so it would be remiss for me not to ask
you about those speeds and feeds, and by the way, folks,
He did not look at notes. He remembered all of
those numbers and acronyms off by heart. Talking with Sasha
Kron to discuss the latest ROG Xbox ally series handheld PCs,
(20:49):
the third generation from ROG. We're at games Con twenty
twenty five in Cologne, Germany, but.
Speaker 3 (20:54):
Actually on a boat. Right now we're overlooking.
Speaker 2 (20:56):
We're seeing a cathedral in the distance, and that we
are on the send right here from Germany.
Speaker 3 (21:01):
Right, you're from Hamburg.
Speaker 8 (21:02):
I'm from Hamburg originally.
Speaker 5 (21:03):
Yeah.
Speaker 7 (21:04):
This is a very famous cathedral, the Cologne Dome as
it's known. Yet beautiful cathedral.
Speaker 2 (21:09):
I love the backdrop. So we're talking tech and like
cutting edge, bleeding edge technology that we're looking at centuries
old cathedrals in the background. And because this is a
handheld PC, it's a Windows eleven. They can play both
Windows games from say Steam or another digital store like that,
as well as Xbox.
Speaker 3 (21:26):
Games, at least many of them, maybe not all of
them correct.
Speaker 7 (21:29):
And there's a lot of older games that you can
play via streaming by a cloud streaming, so you can
run the game in the cloud and have it stream
to your device, so that gives you the ability to
play a huge catalog of games. And yes, you'll be
able to play games from any storefront, so any PC
title that means including from other platforms such as Steam
(21:49):
or Dog or the Epic Game Store.
Speaker 8 (21:52):
Really any title.
Speaker 7 (21:53):
So even if you have a very old game lying
around you bought maybe ten or twenty years ago, should
be able to just play that on your RG Xbox
Li if you.
Speaker 2 (22:01):
Do not access cloud gaming, so you download them, which
I think.
Speaker 5 (22:04):
Most people will do.
Speaker 2 (22:05):
What's the storage like on the rog xbox ally and
can you expand it if you run out of room?
Speaker 8 (22:11):
Yeah, great questions.
Speaker 7 (22:12):
The default configuration is one terabyte and it's a twenty
to eighty SSD slot, So that's the same full size
SSD slot that you find.
Speaker 8 (22:20):
In laptops as well.
Speaker 7 (22:22):
So you can just buy any off the shelf PC
SSD a storage device basically and install that in your
RG Xbox LI or RG xbox Lix and upgrade it.
And I think the maximum capacity goes up to these
days is around eight terabytes. Plenty of storage there.
Speaker 2 (22:40):
So you can add a micro SD card, it has
to be a solid state drive.
Speaker 7 (22:44):
You can also add a micros D card if you
want to read and write speeds for those micros D
cards are a little bit lower, and they tend to
degrade a little bit faster over time. They may not
last that long, but yes, you can use microsdcrds as
well to expand your storage very.
Speaker 8 (22:59):
Cheap lots of space.
Speaker 2 (23:01):
Moving aside from gaming, before we wrap up, if you
wanted to use this device for productivity, can you by
connecting it to a monitor maybe with a Bluetooth mouse
and keyboard. Can you use it for streaming movies on
Netflix or looking at photos? Are there other applications for
this listening to music podcasts?
Speaker 8 (23:18):
Yes, you can.
Speaker 7 (23:19):
You can connect it to an external monitor, to your TV,
or to a PC monitor. You can connect it to
a keyboard and a mouse and use it exactly as
you would use a laptop or a PC or a
living room PC. It's a really very versatile machine. It's
a very powerful machine. Essentially, the components inside are that
(23:40):
of a high end laptop these days, so you really
do get a full PC experience in there.
Speaker 2 (23:45):
And you can toggle between the Windows eleven user interface
and the Xbox interface that they're UI as well.
Speaker 8 (23:52):
That's right, you can toggle.
Speaker 7 (23:53):
You can always fallow back to the default Windows desktop
experience if that's what you want, or you can use
the new Xbox U user interface like a full screen
experience as well. And you were talking about expanding the
performance and using it maybe as a desktop. You can
actually connect an external GPU, a graphics process or a
graphics card as well, so just like you could on
(24:15):
a laptop or a PC, you can extend the gaming
performance and the graphics performance up to an RTX fifty ninety,
so the latest, most powerful, fastest graphics card on the planet.
You can actually connect that to your RG xbox, RG
Xbox LX.
Speaker 2 (24:31):
And also a Bluetooth controller as well if you want
to plan it on a TV, because I asked you
about non gaming applications, but you can also do that
or USBC based gaming controller.
Speaker 7 (24:40):
Yeah, we have two USBC ports now, so that's another
nice upgrade compared to last year's RG lix.
Speaker 8 (24:46):
You get two used B type sports now.
Speaker 7 (24:48):
And yeah, it has Wi Fi, it has Bluetooth, so
you can connect all sorts of wireless devices to it
as well.
Speaker 2 (24:55):
All right, and then finally, Sasha, when can we expect
this in North America?
Speaker 3 (24:58):
I think it's October.
Speaker 7 (25:00):
Yeah, so you'll be able to find it on store
shelves on October sixteenth, so very soon.
Speaker 3 (25:05):
All right, awesome, Great to see you.
Speaker 2 (25:06):
Have an amazing rest of your games con and keep
up the great work.
Speaker 3 (25:10):
At rog and ASOS. All the best. Nice to see
you again.
Speaker 8 (25:12):
Awesome, Thank you. Likewise, looking forward to seeing you probably
yet cus.
Speaker 3 (25:16):
Oh, of course, see you in January.
Speaker 8 (25:17):
I see you in generary.
Speaker 2 (25:18):
Speaking of PCs, don't forget. Our next interview will be
with Intel about its Intel Gamer.
Speaker 3 (25:25):
Days, where you can score huge.
Speaker 2 (25:27):
Savings on laptops, desktops and accessories designed for gamers. There
are bundles where they include a game, so we're going
to get to that. And also on the topic of computers,
I just wanted to give a quick shout out to
sand Disc. They make those reliable, fast and high capacity
storage solutions like a USB thumb drive, a micro SD card,
(25:49):
solid state drives, all amazing to back up your important
files on a regular basis and fast enough to work
off the drives if you wanted to in real time,
not just for long term story of your precious photos
and home videos and all that, but also to work
with that external storage as if it was local.
Speaker 3 (26:06):
Great stuff.
Speaker 2 (26:06):
SanDisk dot com has more and they have a sale
on their iPhone and Android drive.
Speaker 3 (26:12):
Actually called sand disc Phone.
Speaker 2 (26:14):
Drive USB C All right more check it out. Coming
right up after this breaking.
Speaker 10 (26:20):
Down GeekSpeak into street Speak. Check it out. Hosted by
Mark Saltzman.
Speaker 2 (26:35):
Welcome back to everyone. You're listening to check it out.
You'll never find a nicer guy in the room. That's
my next guest, Sammy's Safe from Intel. I invited Sammy
onto the show for two reasons. One is that it's
back to school season, of course, and so millions of
students in this country are potentially looking to buy a
new computer or their parents are buying it for them,
(26:56):
and so Sammy will cover what to look for in
a new computer today. Also, the annual Intel Gamer Days
is almost here, where you can snag deep discounts on
Intel powered laptops, desktops, and accessories all designed for PC gamers.
Speaker 3 (27:10):
Welcome back, Sammy. I hope your summer is going great
so far.
Speaker 11 (27:13):
Mark, Thanks for hosting me. Always a pleasure to join you,
particularly the way you make techs so accessible and relatable
for all of us. So thank you again and thank
you for inviting me.
Speaker 3 (27:24):
Hey, you're welcome. So let's jump right in, Sammy.
Speaker 2 (27:26):
It's on the minds of many students today, or the
parents of students if they're on the younger side, what
to look for in a computer for school. So how
would you suggest somebody starts this journey.
Speaker 11 (27:38):
Thanks for leading in with a great topic around back
to school and specifically what we should be all looking
for in our next PC purchase. And I think for
me at least, a great place to start is the processor. Why,
Because it's the heart of your device. It powers everything
from fast boot up to seamless multitasking. So whether you're
a student engineering, you're in design, or you're just juggling
(28:01):
a full schedule of classes and wanting to enjoy some
streaming or entertainment after class, you'll want a laptop that
keeps up with you. And the latest Intel Core Alter
Series two processors absolutely deliver on that, all right.
Speaker 2 (28:16):
So for gaming, which we're going to talk a bit
more about in a couple of minutes, but for a student,
we want power, we want portability, and multitasking is great
a lot of students. If my three kids are any indication,
they've got a bunch of screens open at the same time.
But also speaking of laptops and portability, Sammy, the processor
is also responsible for power efficiency. For example, I'm showing
(28:39):
a laptop from a company called Asus on TV a
lot this month for back to school interviews, and this
Intel powered laptop can last up to twenty seven hours
between charges, so students can leave that charger at home
or in their dorm room and go out for the
day with their laptop and not worry about it running
out of juice.
Speaker 11 (28:56):
You nailed it exactly. That's one of the best things
about Intel Core Ultra series too, is really designed and
built from the ground up to be super smart about
how it uses power. You know, when you're doing everyday
tasks like collating notes or watching videos, it knows how
to save energy. But when you need a performance boost,
if you're gaming online or creating content, you have that
(29:20):
extra power that kicks in. So that's really how you
get up to twenty seven hours of battery life. It's
really like having a laptop that just intuitively knows to
keep up with your day. You know what you're doing
and how you're doing it, and to adjust accordingly.
Speaker 2 (29:35):
And going back to performance for a moment, Sammy, Intel
I would argue is also synonymous with AI, and we're
hearing a lot of buzz about aipcs, this next generation
of laptops and desktops that have a dedicated chip that
handles a lot of this I guess neuroprocessing, so things
like Copilot Plus, which is built into a lot of
(29:56):
the Windows devices today.
Speaker 3 (29:58):
This is also something that Intel plays a roll in.
Speaker 5 (30:00):
Yeah.
Speaker 11 (30:01):
Absolutely, and again it really I think for me, it
just underscores the role in the importance of that processor.
Think of the processor as your computer's brain. It handles
everything you do browsing, writing papers, editing videos, and of course,
as you mentioned, what's the big topic today AI. So
even running AI tools like real time language translation is
(30:24):
seamless with Intel Core Ultra Series two. So you're getting
that performance, you're getting spectacular built in graphics, you're getting
smart power management, all on one processor, all in one chip.
And because it's built to handle today's apps and tomorrow's
by the way, you're really future proofing your purchase. You're
not just making a smart purchase today, but you're really
(30:47):
making a long term investment for tomorrow in tech that's
going to last through school and beyond.
Speaker 3 (30:53):
Yeah, great point.
Speaker 2 (30:53):
I often tell families to try to future proof their investments,
say they don't have to replace their students canter every year.
My cheesy analogy as a parent is that it's kind
of like buying clothes for kids. You try to go
and extracizes are two bigger than you think they need today,
just so you can get a little bit more time
out of it.
Speaker 3 (31:12):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (31:12):
So as the kids grow so fast and so same
with computing needs. Right, you're going to spend less if
you buy the right PC and not have to upgrade
it so fast with a new one.
Speaker 3 (31:21):
So that's something to consider.
Speaker 11 (31:24):
No, I think you're spot on them. That's really great
advice in considering your purchase.
Speaker 3 (31:29):
We are chatting with Sammy Safe from Intel.
Speaker 2 (31:32):
We just talked about back to school PCs, aipcs, and
maybe something that can also serve as a great laptop
for not just your nine to five school life, but
you're five to nine downtime. I'm referring to gaming. A
lot of the Intel powered laptops and desktops are great
for both your schoolwork as well as for entertainment like
(31:52):
streaming movies or playing multiplayer games, even competitively. So Intel
Gamer Days is coming up. This is an annual event
that in Tel hosts in partnership with multiple laptop companies
and retailers.
Speaker 3 (32:04):
Tell us about it.
Speaker 11 (32:05):
You're really hitting a good nerve there because Intel Gamer
Days is one of our favorite times of the year.
It's not just a sale, it's a nationwide celebration of
gaming culture. We really tried to emphasize that. We partnered
with top retailers and PC brands to offer incredible deals
on laptops, desktops and bundles. So it really is a
(32:26):
perfect time to upgrade your rig or get into PC
gaming if you're entering that for the first time. And
this year's event runs from August twenty fifth through September
the seventh, and during that time you're going to see
some of the best prices of the season on high
performance Intel powered systems. Again, you mentioned this, whether you're
into competitive esports or open world adventures or creating content,
(32:49):
there's something for everyone and for every budget.
Speaker 2 (32:51):
And when we return more with Sammy Safe to hear
about bundles with games that you won't have to pay
for with select brand and or retailers, you're going to
get a triple a computer game thrown in so Sammy
will join us when we return to wrap up and
give you the dates on that.
Speaker 3 (33:08):
Stick with us. We'll be right back with more. Check
it out.
Speaker 12 (33:11):
Follow Mark Saltzman on Facebook, on Twitter, on Instagram, listen
to check it out whenever you want.
Speaker 2 (33:27):
Alrighty, just a couple of minutes left with Sammy say,
from Intel, we're learning all about Intel Gamer Days, where
you can score deep discounts on laptops, desktops, two in one,
handheld PCs, accessories, and more from August twenty sixth through
September seventh. Now before the break, Sammy, you are hinting
(33:47):
at bundles. I think that implies getting a free computer
game with some computers. Can you please elaborate?
Speaker 11 (33:54):
Thank you Mark, as an added bonus, and to sweeten
the deals even further on qualifying devices, we're offering up
a gaming bundle that features Battlefield six, which is a
huge deal on an epic and highly anticipated gaming title.
So again keeping with that theme of gamer Days, we're
really proud of this offer and the ability to bring
(34:15):
Battlefield six to a lot of our customers. So just
another reason why Intel Gamer Days are so amazing.
Speaker 2 (34:21):
All right, So, as you mentioned, it's more than just
a sale on hardware and some bundles where you get
a game with it, depending on the device itself and
the retailer, But it's a celebration of computer gaming, which
is enjoying quite a moment right now. Console gaming is
very hot, for sure, but I've never seen this sort
of explosion in computer gaming and esports. Going back to
(34:42):
Intel just before we wrap up, Sammy, there's the different
kinds of processors that you can go with. Generally speaking,
the higher the number, the more performance you're getting. Right, So,
like an Intel Core seven is great, but Intel Core
nine is even better.
Speaker 3 (34:56):
Are there any gaming laptops or desktops that you.
Speaker 2 (34:59):
Would I want to recommend or you don't want to
play favorites with all the different brands you've partnered with,
like Asusinaser, Lenovo, there's Surface, there's HP, there's Dell, there's MSI, LG,
Samsung goes on and on.
Speaker 11 (35:12):
Yeah, and you've nailed it. I mean, we have something
for every user, for every budget. This year, we're really
excited about the systems that are powered by Intel Core
Ultra Series two, in particular the new HX models that
are purpose built for high performance gaming. So you'll also
see great deals on systems with Intel Core I seven
(35:35):
and I nine processors across top brands. As you mentioned,
we love all our children equally, right, so you know
we've got a great lineup, probably the strongest lineup that
I've seen a very long time. And so whether you're
after buttery, smooth frame rates, cinematic visuals, or AI powered
gameplay features, there is a deal out there that fits
(35:57):
your style and your budget.
Speaker 3 (35:59):
All right, awesome. And then the best place to learn more, Sammy.
Speaker 11 (36:02):
Just head over to game dot Intel dot com slash
gamer Days and you're going to find all the deals,
content from creators. You're going to find more detailed information
on some of the systems that we're spotlighting this year,
and so really something for everybody, whether you're gaming, creating,
or studying, you're going to find something that is very
appealing to you.
Speaker 2 (36:23):
And for those parents out there, know that your kids
are going to study first and then game later.
Speaker 3 (36:28):
Right kids, there you go, Judge.
Speaker 2 (36:30):
Nudge, wink wink, Sammy, thank you so much for your time.
Always a pleasure chatting with you. Don't change. I look
forward to seeing you in the next event.
Speaker 5 (36:37):
Thank you.
Speaker 3 (36:37):
Mark always the nicest guy.
Speaker 11 (36:39):
The pleasure is entirely mine, my friend. Always good to
catch up with you.
Speaker 2 (36:42):
Be well, thank you all right, So we've got just
two minutes left of a new tech it out.
Speaker 3 (36:47):
Hope you enjoyed it.
Speaker 2 (36:48):
I will plug my social media handles in a moment
if you want to see my coverage here from Cologne, Germany,
as I'm attending games con lots of photos and videos
that I think you're going to get a kick out of,
and covering a lot of the gaming brands that you
know and love, like Resident Evil, as well as comic
books like Deadpool and TV shows and movies. You'll see
photos and videos from these Stranger Things booth hosted by Netflix. Man,
(37:10):
I can't wait for that last season to drop later
this fall. But before that, just a quick shout out
to Visa. Did you know that shoppers are three times
more likely to enter an unfamiliar store if it displays
a Visa logo, and customers are five times more likely
to think a merchant is reputable. This is because Visa
has invested billions over the years in fraud prevention, so
(37:31):
you don't need to think twice about shopping at retail
or online using your Visa card, nor should businesses be
concerned about secure payments. Visa is deploying advanced technology to
ensure customer data is not vulnerable no matter where the
transactions take place. This includes tokens pioneered by Visa as
one part of the solution, which reduces the risk of
(37:51):
identity theft because this technology replaces your cardholder info with
a random alpha numeric code, so the merchant never sees
your actual card number, yet it ensures a fast transaction too.
To learn more about Visa's work and protecting you and
your purchases, head over to visa dot com slash security.
That's Visa dot com slash security. If you want to
(38:12):
reach out on social media to say hi, maybe ask
a tech question, or if you want to check out
my games con coverage, it's Mark Saltzman.
Speaker 3 (38:19):
M AAR C s A L t Z M A N.
You can find me on.
Speaker 2 (38:24):
X threads, Blue Sky, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok YouTube and LinkedIn. Yep,
that's right, folks, Mark with a C, Saltsman with the Z,
and you'll also see links to this show teck it out.
I would greatly appreciate any review you want to give
A star review or if you wanted to share it
with anyone.
Speaker 3 (38:43):
All of that goes a real long way. Thank you
in advance.
Speaker 2 (38:47):
I'm wishing you all a fantastic rest of your day,
and I look forward to catching up with you next
weekend for another brand new episode of tech It Out,
where I've got a bunch of new guests and topics
to help you navigate this wild and wonderful world of technology.
Speaker 3 (39:01):
Have a good one everyone, Talk to you soon. Chout
for now,
Do you ever feel overwhelmed by the ever changing world
of technology? Check it Out can help make some sense
of it all. Breaking down geek speak into street speak.
Technology columnist, author, and TV personality Mark Saltzman covers consumer
technology each week for every listener, Mark tackles the latest news, reviews,
and how toos to help you understand what's hot, what's
(00:21):
not and why.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
Hey everyone, welcome to Tech it Out episode four oh eight.
Wow crazy that it's already been two months since we
celebrated the four hundredth episode milestone of the show and
gave away a great laptop. Worry not, as we'll have
more great giveaways in the coming months and years.
Speaker 3 (00:41):
All right, so teck it Out.
Speaker 2 (00:42):
As the announcer says, it's a show that breaks down
geek speak into street speak, so it doesn't assume you
know anything about tech or games. Will break it all
down for you in a language you can understand, and
if you are a geek like me, it's all good.
I think you'll also like the topics and guests every
week for today's show, I'm in Cologne, Germany for games Con.
(01:04):
It's a huge video game convention that draws more than
three hundred and thirty thousand people to West Germany from
around the world.
Speaker 3 (01:10):
I'm in my.
Speaker 2 (01:11):
Hotel room right now, but yesterday I recorded an interview
about the rog Xbox ally x. It's a handheld gaming
PC with an Xbox interface, intuitive controls, and support for
countless Windows and Xbox games. And so we'll press play
on that interview in about twelve minutes from now. Speaking
of gaming, Intel, we'll be on the show today a
(01:33):
little bit later on to chat about a sale on
gaming laptops and desktops for its Intel Gamer Days event
coming up August twenty fifth through September seventh. But first,
to kick off a new tech it out, we're going
to learn about a new portable Bluetooth speaker, the first
with an integrated subwiffer for awesome base. All of this
and more on a brand new tech it out powered
(01:55):
by Visa, which I'll tell you more about shortly. But
let's get into gear with our first interview. Not all
Bluetooth speakers are created equal. A company called Brain Audio
reached out to me task if they can send me
a speaker for review consideration. Yes, I know, I have
a pretty cool job and being a music lover, I
was really keen to hear how this speaker sounded compared
(02:16):
to the many others I've tested over the years. In short, Wow,
to tell us all about Brain Audio, the company, and
this portable Brain X speaker. We're joined by Joe Pinkerton.
He's co founder and CEO of Brain Audio. In fact,
Joe is an award winning inventor and entrepreneur who has
founded several tech companies over the years.
Speaker 3 (02:34):
Welcome to the show, Joe, No, thank you. Let's dive
right in.
Speaker 2 (02:37):
The audio space is crowded, let's face it. So what
makes Brain Audio unique.
Speaker 4 (02:42):
What makes us unique is Brain X is the world's
first portable speaker that has a true sobo firm and
what that allows people to do is hear the main
notes of popular music and in some cases connected their
TV and get a full cinema experience with a soundbar.
Speaker 2 (03:05):
We're going to unpack some of that in a couple
of minutes from now the TV element. But yeah, as
a music lover, as I said off the top, I
was blown away at the audio quality and thanks again
to your comms team for lending me this Brain NEXT speaker.
So it is a portable speaker with a handle. The
key differentiator, to paraphrase what you said, is that it's
the first to have an integrated subwhiffer for that low
(03:27):
end base. That's not just for hip hop or something.
I mean that compliments any genre.
Speaker 3 (03:32):
Is that fair?
Speaker 5 (03:33):
Absolutely? There are some.
Speaker 4 (03:35):
I was listening the other day to a Pink Floyd
track from nineteen seventy two and that's.
Speaker 5 (03:41):
Got slubble for in it. It's surprising.
Speaker 3 (03:44):
One of my favorite bands, by the way, Yeah.
Speaker 4 (03:47):
Just gorgeous and they were so ahead of their time.
And then other genres, there's some symphonies where you've got
these giant organs that have you know, a twenty seven
herds note, which is a crazy deep sub based note.
And of course, like you mentioned, you know hip hop, chronic.
Speaker 3 (04:03):
Yeah, EDM yeah, sure, even pop.
Speaker 4 (04:05):
Now you look at Taylor Swifts songs and she's got
these really deep bass notes that brain X can hit
that no other portable speaker can come close to.
Speaker 2 (04:17):
It's surprising how big and clear and well balanced the
sound is coming out of this relatively small speaker, even
though we're focusing a lot on bass as a differentiator
compared to other speakers, which often lack base. It is
a well rounded sound. I don't want to give the
impression that it's all base. Really great highs and mids
as well. Can you tell us a bit more about
(04:39):
the speaker itself.
Speaker 4 (04:40):
Absolutely, Yeah, an indirect benefit. We designed our own soubifer
called Repella trek Driver or a red driver, and it
allows us to shrink the size of the sublifer roughly
by a factor at ten, and also the power by
a factor at ten, and there's an indirect benefit to that.
And because our subifer is so compact and small, we
(05:00):
have a room in that speaker to put two mid
range drivers left and right stereo and two dome tweeters
left and right stereo. So it's not just about the
base or the sub bass. Our mids and highs, we're
told are great too because we've got room for them.
Speaker 5 (05:17):
Whereas a lot of our competitors they're.
Speaker 4 (05:19):
Trying to get as deep as they can with conventional technology,
and they really can't hit the deepest notes, but they
give up on full stereo, and so it's just this
mono speaker that also can't hit the deep notes.
Speaker 3 (05:32):
And it's waterproof too.
Speaker 2 (05:34):
I talked about the handle, so you can't bring this
around and even outside. My son Ethan, by the way,
my youngest, who loves dance music and so do his friends.
He brought this out and connected a pioneer DJ controller
deck to this and was spinning for his friends outside.
They were all marveling at the audio quality. If it
starts to rain, it's okay.
Speaker 4 (05:54):
Well yeah, not only rain, but you know, people can't
believe it. But you literally can brain eggs and put
it underwater in a meter of water for a half
an hour and pull it out and just start playing again.
Speaker 5 (06:08):
It can handle.
Speaker 2 (06:09):
It wouldn't try that, but that's good to know. But yeah,
I mean, this is the summer, so people may be
taking this beside a pool if it gets splashed on,
or to the beach without getting two.
Speaker 3 (06:19):
Into the weeds.
Speaker 2 (06:20):
For those who aren't audio files, can you tell us
a bit more about the speaker, and then I want
to ask you about battery life.
Speaker 5 (06:25):
Sure.
Speaker 4 (06:26):
Ultimately it's a five driver system. The main big driver
is the RADS sublefer that fires downward and then as
I mentioned, two dome tweeters shooting nearly straight out, and
then two cone drivers kind of pointed left and right.
And if it's played at modern volume, which is still
pretty loud. It can run for about twelve hours on battery.
Speaker 2 (06:48):
Twelve hours. That's great. We are chatting with Joe Pinkerton.
He's co founder and CEO of Brain Audio. We're learning
all about its Brain X speaker. Brain by the way
is brn E and then letter X for this new
portable speaker that they've got, and to confirm it's not
just a speaker, Joe, but a smart speaker as well.
Speaker 4 (07:07):
Exactly, it's not just a portable Bluetooth speaker, although it's that,
but it's also a smart speaker.
Speaker 5 (07:13):
It has Alexa in it.
Speaker 4 (07:15):
If you want to use Alexa, you can connect it
on your Wi Fi network. You can parallel up to
eight BRAINX speakers, either in party mode or left right
stereo pairs. It's got Spotify connect and so it's got
a lot more horsepower than just a normal Bluetooth speaker. Also,
it's got a three and a half millimeter ogs in
(07:36):
the back which you can use with a TV to
have an integrated sublever soundbar combination.
Speaker 5 (07:45):
So yeah, it does a lot.
Speaker 2 (07:48):
And there's an app to which we'll get to in
a moment, but yeah, all right, so you touched on
the fact that it's not just a Bluetooth speaker, but
it also has Wi Fi, so when you're at home
you can access Alexa. You can summon Alexa using your
voice and play tracks from various providers, including you said Spotify.
Speaker 3 (08:04):
It's got Spotify.
Speaker 2 (08:05):
Connect, which makes it easier to connect to that very
popular music streaming service. And you can connect this to
your TV. You can connect it to other Brain speakers
wirelessly for a stereo pair or a multi room solution
all you like, a Sonos kind of thing. And then
the app. So I've got it in my hand right
now on an iPhone. Tell us a bit about it.
Speaker 4 (08:24):
Yeah, the app really gives you some pretty detailed control
over the speaker. You can adjust the base level. It
also has an EQ element where it's got five sliders,
so you can adjust the low base, the bays, the mids,
the highs to your liking. It also has what we're
calling a soundbar mode, where when you connect the three
(08:47):
and a half milimeter ags in, it reduces the time
delay to virtually zero. And so that's great for DJs
that want they don't want any delay when they're working
with the speaker and it's great, as I mentioned, in
soundbar mode, so that the lips match the voices, right.
You know, you can enable Amazon Alexa through the app.
(09:10):
You can enable Spotify Connect through the app, so that
it's really a lot of knobs to turn in there.
Speaker 3 (09:15):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (09:15):
So once you own the speaker A, you just go
to the App Store if you're on iPhone or iPad,
or the Google Play Store if you're on Android, and
just search for the word brain. It's a black icon
with like this lime green squiggle.
Speaker 5 (09:28):
I don't know, hidingwave.
Speaker 3 (09:29):
Is that a brain wave? That's better than squiggle? All right?
Speaker 2 (09:32):
Finally, how much does brain X cost? What's your retail
support like? And where's the best place where listeners can
go for more info?
Speaker 4 (09:40):
Definitely for more info Brainaudio dot com And as you mentioned,
b R A N it's like Brain like membrane.
Speaker 5 (09:47):
It's four ninety nine.
Speaker 4 (09:49):
There's our flagship store here in Austin, Texas where you
can hear brain NEX compare it to other leading speakers.
We also are available on Amazon, Walmart, Worldwide, Stereo, crutch Field,
New Egg, Huckberry. So we've got quite a few retailers
signed up and we're signing more nearly every week for
(10:12):
our listeners.
Speaker 2 (10:13):
If they get a chance to check it out, I
would encourage you to do so in person because you'll
really get a sense of the audio quality.
Speaker 3 (10:20):
If one of.
Speaker 2 (10:20):
Those retailers mentioned is a physical store, I strongly encourage
you to hear it with your own ears. Joe really
great to chat with you, Brainaudio dot Com to learn
more Again, br An E, congrats on the launch of
the brain x Thanks for your time today.
Speaker 5 (10:35):
Well, thank you so much.
Speaker 2 (10:37):
Hey, I hope you're all having a great day so far,
and thank you for making tech it Out a small
part of it. If you like this show, whether you're
tuning in on your favorite local talk radio station or
perhaps in podcast form, be sure to reach out on
social media to say hi. It's Mark Saltzman. Mark with
a C, Saltsman with a Z, and you can find
me on all the big platforms. Let me know what
(10:59):
you like don't like about the show, suggestions for upcoming
guests or topics. Maybe you got a tech question for me.
It's all good again, It's Mark Saltzman. All right, when
we return on Tech it Out, we're going to learn
all about the rog xbox ally a suite handheld PC
with Sasha Kron, director of Technical Marketing at Asus, from Cologne,
(11:20):
Germany at games Con twenty twenty five.
Speaker 3 (11:22):
We'll be right back.
Speaker 6 (11:24):
Listen to check it Out whenever you want to find
a Check it Out podcast at io or wherever you
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Speaker 3 (11:40):
Welcome back to tech it Out.
Speaker 2 (11:42):
We cover cybersecurity a lot on this program and how
you can best protect yourself in the digital age, even
if you're not super tech savvy. One part of the
solution is securely shopping online and so I'm thrilled about
my partnership with Visa on tech it Out, as they've
made some significant investments in fraud prevent over the past
five years, as much as ten billion dollars yes that's
(12:04):
billion with a B, to support Visa's brand promise to
protect the financial information of individuals and businesses. Zero liability
means peace of mind when you shop online using your
Visa card. There can be no half measures when it
comes to cybersecurity, which is why the company takes an
aggressive and multi layered approach to combating the rising threat
of malicious software and other threats by well funded and
(12:27):
global criminal enterprises. Read more about Visa and how securing
the world's payments is priority one at Visa dot Com
slash Security. That's Visa dot Com slash Security.
Speaker 3 (12:39):
All right.
Speaker 2 (12:40):
So I'm here at games Con twenty twenty five in Cologne, Germany.
This is a video game convention that last year drew
three hundred and thirty five thousand attendees, and it's expected
to be even.
Speaker 3 (12:52):
Larger this year.
Speaker 2 (12:53):
It's a bit quite where I am because we are
in a small room on the rog boat, which we'll
get to a moment. I'm here with Sasha Kron. He
is director of Technical Marketing at a sus and rog
Republic of Gamers, which is, of course the gaming division
of Asus. Nice to see you against Sasha.
Speaker 7 (13:10):
Yeah, good to see you. Last time I think we spoke,
we're at Computex.
Speaker 3 (13:13):
Yeah, that's right.
Speaker 2 (13:14):
I was in your hometown of Taipei. And yeah, I
get to see you a couple of times a year.
How long have you been with Asus? Now?
Speaker 8 (13:20):
My ten year anniversary is coming out, so almost ten years.
Speaker 2 (13:24):
Congratulations gold Watch Maybe yeah, no, I don't I don't
think so.
Speaker 7 (13:27):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (13:28):
Let's talk today about rog xbox ally series. So this
is the latest and greatest handheld gaming device from Asus,
the third if I'm not mistaken from rog coming out
in the fall, tell us about it.
Speaker 3 (13:43):
At a high level.
Speaker 8 (13:44):
So at a high level, yeh, it's our third generation.
Speaker 7 (13:46):
We did the RG l I, then we did the
RG l I X, and this year now here we're
announcing the RG.
Speaker 3 (13:53):
Take it from there. This is our third generation.
Speaker 8 (13:55):
It's our third generation.
Speaker 7 (13:57):
So we started with the ROGLI, then came the ROG
the l X last year, and now here we're announcing
the RG Xbox LI.
Speaker 8 (14:05):
Series, which is two devices.
Speaker 7 (14:07):
So it's the RG xbox l I X at the top,
and then we also have the RG Xbox LI which
is a more mainstream targeted device.
Speaker 2 (14:16):
Okay, both At its core is a handheld PC. So
I think visually for our listeners to imagine, it kind
of looks like if I may like a Nintendo Switch,
but it's a full blown Windows computer designed for PC games.
Speaker 7 (14:30):
So I think the form factor is similar to switch
in the sense that you know, you have a very
wide device, you have a big screen, and you kind of.
Speaker 3 (14:38):
Controllers on each side.
Speaker 7 (14:39):
You have controllers on each side. I think the difference
is it is much more ergonomic. That's the key improvement
compared to last year's RG LIX. So ergonomics is our
number one focus for this. It's really comfortable to hold.
The weight balance is much better, so it feels super light.
Speaker 3 (14:56):
Yeah.
Speaker 7 (14:57):
There's two versions of it, like I mentioned, and they're
easy to fentiate. They look exactly the same. But the
black one is the RG Xbox LX, so that's the
premium flagship one, and then the white one is the
RG Xbox. Ally that's the more mainstream all right.
Speaker 3 (15:12):
So it has an integrated display. So the idea is
that you can game on the go.
Speaker 2 (15:16):
You could be commuting to work on a train, you
could be in the backseat of a car on a
road trip, flying wherever, even just relaxing in bed if
you are at home. But you can connect it to
a monitor or a TV if you.
Speaker 3 (15:29):
Like portable gaming. But you can play it on a
big screen if you like.
Speaker 2 (15:33):
And the name Xbox obviously implies the partnership with that
console maker, So tell us a bit about that. What
makes this an Xbox branded rog Ally.
Speaker 7 (15:43):
On this you can play any PC game from any
any title, any platform. You can play it anywhere on
the go. And what makes this now an Xbox is
that you're able to use the same sort of UI
that you can have on an Xbox, which is very
much much joystick and GamePad optimized, so you can browse
through the games, you can interact with the system, launch games,
(16:06):
and input text as well on an onscreen keyboard just
using the joystick and the button controls.
Speaker 8 (16:11):
On the previous generation devices, it would just.
Speaker 7 (16:13):
Run regular Windows, which obviously on a small seven inch
display isn't the ideal, and launching games and just seeing
the user interfhase in the games, for example, might be
a little bit tricky. So right now, what makes this
an Xbox is that we're partnering with the Xbox team
and Microsoft Windows team as well, so we're all working
(16:34):
together to make the user interphase super smooth and easy
to understand and easy to use, just like on an
Xbox console.
Speaker 2 (16:42):
All right, awesome, And of course Xbox is owned by Microsoft,
the company behind Windows, so that makes sense there. And
then partnering with rog with your incredible hardware, it sounds
like a marriage made in heaven.
Speaker 3 (16:54):
I had a chance to play.
Speaker 2 (16:55):
It earlier today for the first time, one of the
first few journalists in the world to do it. I
was blowed away, really comfortable. As you mentioned, the screen
is beautiful. Can you tell us a bit more about
the display.
Speaker 7 (17:06):
We've done a few little tweaks here and there, but
it's largely the same display as on the previous generation
rglix and ROGLI. We still believe it's one of the
bestest plays, if not the bestest play for a handheld
because you get full HD ten ADP resolution, so very
high resolution. It runs up to one hundred and twenty hertz.
You get VRR or variable refresh rates, so that's very
(17:27):
important that you don't notice any stutter. Everything looks super smooth,
buttery smooth, so you basically get a great visual experience.
Speaker 8 (17:34):
It's very bright, it has great colors.
Speaker 7 (17:36):
And it's very energy efficient as well, so it's great
for battery life.
Speaker 2 (17:40):
I had a chance to play four Z and it
looks beautiful, the cars, the tracks, the scenery, the special effects.
More on the rog xbox ally devices again, there are
two of them. When we return on tech it out
with our guests Sasha Kron and again, I've played the
two previous rog Allied devices and this one really feels
(18:00):
great with amazing performance support for so many games, there's
a lot to love about this, so personally stoke for
when it comes out, and when will that be?
Speaker 3 (18:08):
You ask, Well, that's.
Speaker 2 (18:09):
Another thing we're going to get to with Sasha when
we return on check it Out.
Speaker 3 (18:13):
Stick with us. We'll be right back.
Speaker 9 (18:15):
I want to follow Mark Google and Mark with the
C and Saltzman with a Z breaking down geeks peak
into street speak. This is check it Out to check
it out grooth technology columnist, author and TV personality Mark Saltzman.
Speaker 2 (18:39):
Welcome back to check it out everyone, if you're just
joining us now. I am in Cologne, Germany at games Con,
an annual video game convention that draws more than three
hundred thousand gamers and publishers, developers, journalists like yours, truly
content creators, retailers, distributors. I'm sitting down with Sasha Kron
(19:00):
from a SEUs. He is technical director, and that includes
its ROG or Republic of Gamers products. We're learning all
about the just unveiled ROG Xbox Ally, this is a
pair of handheld PC's that let you play Windows and
Xbox games. Before the break, Sasha, we were talking about
its display. Now let's chat about what's under the hood.
Speaker 3 (19:22):
The chips AMD Power.
Speaker 8 (19:24):
Yes, they're both am d Power.
Speaker 7 (19:26):
For the top of the line one, it's AMD's latest
risin Ai Z two Extreme and for the more mainstream
one that's AMD's Risin Z two A. So the Z
two A is a four core eight graphics core chip,
and the riisin Ai Z two Extreme it has double
(19:48):
the CPU cores and double the graphics processing cores as well,
so you get double the performance, actually even more because
it uses the latest architecture for the CP and GP
as well, So you get really flagship performance for the
RG xbox Lax, and you get really good mainstream performance
and a really good price point and long battery life.
Speaker 8 (20:06):
For the RG Xbox Alli.
Speaker 7 (20:07):
So that one is also geared not just at a
lower price point, but also targeted more towards people who
play indie titles, maybe platformers, maybe some older two D games,
some retro games, so for people who don't play the
latest games and want the most demanding graphics. That's really
where the white colored RG Xbox Ali comes in.
Speaker 2 (20:28):
You are the director of technical marketing at Asus and ROG,
so it would be remiss for me not to ask
you about those speeds and feeds, and by the way, folks,
He did not look at notes. He remembered all of
those numbers and acronyms off by heart. Talking with Sasha
Kron to discuss the latest ROG Xbox ally series handheld PCs,
(20:49):
the third generation from ROG. We're at games Con twenty
twenty five in Cologne, Germany, but.
Speaker 3 (20:54):
Actually on a boat. Right now we're overlooking.
Speaker 2 (20:56):
We're seeing a cathedral in the distance, and that we
are on the send right here from Germany.
Speaker 3 (21:01):
Right, you're from Hamburg.
Speaker 8 (21:02):
I'm from Hamburg originally.
Speaker 5 (21:03):
Yeah.
Speaker 7 (21:04):
This is a very famous cathedral, the Cologne Dome as
it's known. Yet beautiful cathedral.
Speaker 2 (21:09):
I love the backdrop. So we're talking tech and like
cutting edge, bleeding edge technology that we're looking at centuries
old cathedrals in the background. And because this is a
handheld PC, it's a Windows eleven. They can play both
Windows games from say Steam or another digital store like that,
as well as Xbox.
Speaker 3 (21:26):
Games, at least many of them, maybe not all of
them correct.
Speaker 7 (21:29):
And there's a lot of older games that you can
play via streaming by a cloud streaming, so you can
run the game in the cloud and have it stream
to your device, so that gives you the ability to
play a huge catalog of games. And yes, you'll be
able to play games from any storefront, so any PC
title that means including from other platforms such as Steam
(21:49):
or Dog or the Epic Game Store.
Speaker 8 (21:52):
Really any title.
Speaker 7 (21:53):
So even if you have a very old game lying
around you bought maybe ten or twenty years ago, should
be able to just play that on your RG Xbox
Li if you.
Speaker 2 (22:01):
Do not access cloud gaming, so you download them, which
I think.
Speaker 5 (22:04):
Most people will do.
Speaker 2 (22:05):
What's the storage like on the rog xbox ally and
can you expand it if you run out of room?
Speaker 8 (22:11):
Yeah, great questions.
Speaker 7 (22:12):
The default configuration is one terabyte and it's a twenty
to eighty SSD slot, So that's the same full size
SSD slot that you find.
Speaker 8 (22:20):
In laptops as well.
Speaker 7 (22:22):
So you can just buy any off the shelf PC
SSD a storage device basically and install that in your
RG Xbox LI or RG xbox Lix and upgrade it.
And I think the maximum capacity goes up to these
days is around eight terabytes. Plenty of storage there.
Speaker 2 (22:40):
So you can add a micro SD card, it has
to be a solid state drive.
Speaker 7 (22:44):
You can also add a micros D card if you
want to read and write speeds for those micros D
cards are a little bit lower, and they tend to
degrade a little bit faster over time. They may not
last that long, but yes, you can use microsdcrds as
well to expand your storage very.
Speaker 8 (22:59):
Cheap lots of space.
Speaker 2 (23:01):
Moving aside from gaming, before we wrap up, if you
wanted to use this device for productivity, can you by
connecting it to a monitor maybe with a Bluetooth mouse
and keyboard. Can you use it for streaming movies on
Netflix or looking at photos? Are there other applications for
this listening to music podcasts?
Speaker 8 (23:18):
Yes, you can.
Speaker 7 (23:19):
You can connect it to an external monitor, to your TV,
or to a PC monitor. You can connect it to
a keyboard and a mouse and use it exactly as
you would use a laptop or a PC or a
living room PC. It's a really very versatile machine. It's
a very powerful machine. Essentially, the components inside are that
(23:40):
of a high end laptop these days, so you really
do get a full PC experience in there.
Speaker 2 (23:45):
And you can toggle between the Windows eleven user interface
and the Xbox interface that they're UI as well.
Speaker 8 (23:52):
That's right, you can toggle.
Speaker 7 (23:53):
You can always fallow back to the default Windows desktop
experience if that's what you want, or you can use
the new Xbox U user interface like a full screen
experience as well. And you were talking about expanding the
performance and using it maybe as a desktop. You can
actually connect an external GPU, a graphics process or a
graphics card as well, so just like you could on
(24:15):
a laptop or a PC, you can extend the gaming
performance and the graphics performance up to an RTX fifty ninety,
so the latest, most powerful, fastest graphics card on the planet.
You can actually connect that to your RG xbox, RG
Xbox LX.
Speaker 2 (24:31):
And also a Bluetooth controller as well if you want
to plan it on a TV, because I asked you
about non gaming applications, but you can also do that
or USBC based gaming controller.
Speaker 7 (24:40):
Yeah, we have two USBC ports now, so that's another
nice upgrade compared to last year's RG lix.
Speaker 8 (24:46):
You get two used B type sports now.
Speaker 7 (24:48):
And yeah, it has Wi Fi, it has Bluetooth, so
you can connect all sorts of wireless devices to it
as well.
Speaker 2 (24:55):
All right, and then finally, Sasha, when can we expect
this in North America?
Speaker 3 (24:58):
I think it's October.
Speaker 7 (25:00):
Yeah, so you'll be able to find it on store
shelves on October sixteenth, so very soon.
Speaker 3 (25:05):
All right, awesome, Great to see you.
Speaker 2 (25:06):
Have an amazing rest of your games con and keep
up the great work.
Speaker 3 (25:10):
At rog and ASOS. All the best. Nice to see
you again.
Speaker 8 (25:12):
Awesome, Thank you. Likewise, looking forward to seeing you probably
yet cus.
Speaker 3 (25:16):
Oh, of course, see you in January.
Speaker 8 (25:17):
I see you in generary.
Speaker 2 (25:18):
Speaking of PCs, don't forget. Our next interview will be
with Intel about its Intel Gamer.
Speaker 3 (25:25):
Days, where you can score huge.
Speaker 2 (25:27):
Savings on laptops, desktops and accessories designed for gamers. There
are bundles where they include a game, so we're going
to get to that. And also on the topic of computers,
I just wanted to give a quick shout out to
sand Disc. They make those reliable, fast and high capacity
storage solutions like a USB thumb drive, a micro SD card,
(25:49):
solid state drives, all amazing to back up your important
files on a regular basis and fast enough to work
off the drives if you wanted to in real time,
not just for long term story of your precious photos
and home videos and all that, but also to work
with that external storage as if it was local.
Speaker 3 (26:06):
Great stuff.
Speaker 2 (26:06):
SanDisk dot com has more and they have a sale
on their iPhone and Android drive.
Speaker 3 (26:12):
Actually called sand disc Phone.
Speaker 2 (26:14):
Drive USB C All right more check it out. Coming
right up after this breaking.
Speaker 10 (26:20):
Down GeekSpeak into street Speak. Check it out. Hosted by
Mark Saltzman.
Speaker 2 (26:35):
Welcome back to everyone. You're listening to check it out.
You'll never find a nicer guy in the room. That's
my next guest, Sammy's Safe from Intel. I invited Sammy
onto the show for two reasons. One is that it's
back to school season, of course, and so millions of
students in this country are potentially looking to buy a
new computer or their parents are buying it for them,
(26:56):
and so Sammy will cover what to look for in
a new computer today. Also, the annual Intel Gamer Days
is almost here, where you can snag deep discounts on
Intel powered laptops, desktops, and accessories all designed for PC gamers.
Speaker 3 (27:10):
Welcome back, Sammy. I hope your summer is going great
so far.
Speaker 11 (27:13):
Mark, Thanks for hosting me. Always a pleasure to join you,
particularly the way you make techs so accessible and relatable
for all of us. So thank you again and thank
you for inviting me.
Speaker 3 (27:24):
Hey, you're welcome. So let's jump right in, Sammy.
Speaker 2 (27:26):
It's on the minds of many students today, or the
parents of students if they're on the younger side, what
to look for in a computer for school. So how
would you suggest somebody starts this journey.
Speaker 11 (27:38):
Thanks for leading in with a great topic around back
to school and specifically what we should be all looking
for in our next PC purchase. And I think for
me at least, a great place to start is the processor. Why,
Because it's the heart of your device. It powers everything
from fast boot up to seamless multitasking. So whether you're
a student engineering, you're in design, or you're just juggling
(28:01):
a full schedule of classes and wanting to enjoy some
streaming or entertainment after class, you'll want a laptop that
keeps up with you. And the latest Intel Core Alter
Series two processors absolutely deliver on that, all right.
Speaker 2 (28:16):
So for gaming, which we're going to talk a bit
more about in a couple of minutes, but for a student,
we want power, we want portability, and multitasking is great
a lot of students. If my three kids are any indication,
they've got a bunch of screens open at the same time.
But also speaking of laptops and portability, Sammy, the processor
is also responsible for power efficiency. For example, I'm showing
(28:39):
a laptop from a company called Asus on TV a
lot this month for back to school interviews, and this
Intel powered laptop can last up to twenty seven hours
between charges, so students can leave that charger at home
or in their dorm room and go out for the
day with their laptop and not worry about it running
out of juice.
Speaker 11 (28:56):
You nailed it exactly. That's one of the best things
about Intel Core Ultra series too, is really designed and
built from the ground up to be super smart about
how it uses power. You know, when you're doing everyday
tasks like collating notes or watching videos, it knows how
to save energy. But when you need a performance boost,
if you're gaming online or creating content, you have that
(29:20):
extra power that kicks in. So that's really how you
get up to twenty seven hours of battery life. It's
really like having a laptop that just intuitively knows to
keep up with your day. You know what you're doing
and how you're doing it, and to adjust accordingly.
Speaker 2 (29:35):
And going back to performance for a moment, Sammy, Intel
I would argue is also synonymous with AI, and we're
hearing a lot of buzz about aipcs, this next generation
of laptops and desktops that have a dedicated chip that
handles a lot of this I guess neuroprocessing, so things
like Copilot Plus, which is built into a lot of
(29:56):
the Windows devices today.
Speaker 3 (29:58):
This is also something that Intel plays a roll in.
Speaker 5 (30:00):
Yeah.
Speaker 11 (30:01):
Absolutely, and again it really I think for me, it
just underscores the role in the importance of that processor.
Think of the processor as your computer's brain. It handles
everything you do browsing, writing papers, editing videos, and of course,
as you mentioned, what's the big topic today AI. So
even running AI tools like real time language translation is
(30:24):
seamless with Intel Core Ultra Series two. So you're getting
that performance, you're getting spectacular built in graphics, you're getting
smart power management, all on one processor, all in one chip.
And because it's built to handle today's apps and tomorrow's
by the way, you're really future proofing your purchase. You're
not just making a smart purchase today, but you're really
(30:47):
making a long term investment for tomorrow in tech that's
going to last through school and beyond.
Speaker 3 (30:53):
Yeah, great point.
Speaker 2 (30:53):
I often tell families to try to future proof their investments,
say they don't have to replace their students canter every year.
My cheesy analogy as a parent is that it's kind
of like buying clothes for kids. You try to go
and extracizes are two bigger than you think they need today,
just so you can get a little bit more time
out of it.
Speaker 3 (31:12):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (31:12):
So as the kids grow so fast and so same
with computing needs. Right, you're going to spend less if
you buy the right PC and not have to upgrade
it so fast with a new one.
Speaker 3 (31:21):
So that's something to consider.
Speaker 11 (31:24):
No, I think you're spot on them. That's really great
advice in considering your purchase.
Speaker 3 (31:29):
We are chatting with Sammy Safe from Intel.
Speaker 2 (31:32):
We just talked about back to school PCs, aipcs, and
maybe something that can also serve as a great laptop
for not just your nine to five school life, but
you're five to nine downtime. I'm referring to gaming. A
lot of the Intel powered laptops and desktops are great
for both your schoolwork as well as for entertainment like
(31:52):
streaming movies or playing multiplayer games, even competitively. So Intel
Gamer Days is coming up. This is an annual event
that in Tel hosts in partnership with multiple laptop companies
and retailers.
Speaker 3 (32:04):
Tell us about it.
Speaker 11 (32:05):
You're really hitting a good nerve there because Intel Gamer
Days is one of our favorite times of the year.
It's not just a sale, it's a nationwide celebration of
gaming culture. We really tried to emphasize that. We partnered
with top retailers and PC brands to offer incredible deals
on laptops, desktops and bundles. So it really is a
(32:26):
perfect time to upgrade your rig or get into PC
gaming if you're entering that for the first time. And
this year's event runs from August twenty fifth through September
the seventh, and during that time you're going to see
some of the best prices of the season on high
performance Intel powered systems. Again, you mentioned this, whether you're
into competitive esports or open world adventures or creating content,
(32:49):
there's something for everyone and for every budget.
Speaker 2 (32:51):
And when we return more with Sammy Safe to hear
about bundles with games that you won't have to pay
for with select brand and or retailers, you're going to
get a triple a computer game thrown in so Sammy
will join us when we return to wrap up and
give you the dates on that.
Speaker 3 (33:08):
Stick with us. We'll be right back with more. Check
it out.
Speaker 12 (33:11):
Follow Mark Saltzman on Facebook, on Twitter, on Instagram, listen
to check it out whenever you want.
Speaker 2 (33:27):
Alrighty, just a couple of minutes left with Sammy say,
from Intel, we're learning all about Intel Gamer Days, where
you can score deep discounts on laptops, desktops, two in one,
handheld PCs, accessories, and more from August twenty sixth through
September seventh. Now before the break, Sammy, you are hinting
(33:47):
at bundles. I think that implies getting a free computer
game with some computers. Can you please elaborate?
Speaker 11 (33:54):
Thank you Mark, as an added bonus, and to sweeten
the deals even further on qualifying devices, we're offering up
a gaming bundle that features Battlefield six, which is a
huge deal on an epic and highly anticipated gaming title.
So again keeping with that theme of gamer Days, we're
really proud of this offer and the ability to bring
(34:15):
Battlefield six to a lot of our customers. So just
another reason why Intel Gamer Days are so amazing.
Speaker 2 (34:21):
All right, So, as you mentioned, it's more than just
a sale on hardware and some bundles where you get
a game with it, depending on the device itself and
the retailer, But it's a celebration of computer gaming, which
is enjoying quite a moment right now. Console gaming is
very hot, for sure, but I've never seen this sort
of explosion in computer gaming and esports. Going back to
(34:42):
Intel just before we wrap up, Sammy, there's the different
kinds of processors that you can go with. Generally speaking,
the higher the number, the more performance you're getting. Right, So,
like an Intel Core seven is great, but Intel Core
nine is even better.
Speaker 3 (34:56):
Are there any gaming laptops or desktops that you.
Speaker 2 (34:59):
Would I want to recommend or you don't want to
play favorites with all the different brands you've partnered with,
like Asusinaser, Lenovo, there's Surface, there's HP, there's Dell, there's MSI, LG,
Samsung goes on and on.
Speaker 11 (35:12):
Yeah, and you've nailed it. I mean, we have something
for every user, for every budget. This year, we're really
excited about the systems that are powered by Intel Core
Ultra Series two, in particular the new HX models that
are purpose built for high performance gaming. So you'll also
see great deals on systems with Intel Core I seven
(35:35):
and I nine processors across top brands. As you mentioned,
we love all our children equally, right, so you know
we've got a great lineup, probably the strongest lineup that
I've seen a very long time. And so whether you're
after buttery, smooth frame rates, cinematic visuals, or AI powered
gameplay features, there is a deal out there that fits
(35:57):
your style and your budget.
Speaker 3 (35:59):
All right, awesome. And then the best place to learn more, Sammy.
Speaker 11 (36:02):
Just head over to game dot Intel dot com slash
gamer Days and you're going to find all the deals,
content from creators. You're going to find more detailed information
on some of the systems that we're spotlighting this year,
and so really something for everybody, whether you're gaming, creating,
or studying, you're going to find something that is very
appealing to you.
Speaker 2 (36:23):
And for those parents out there, know that your kids
are going to study first and then game later.
Speaker 3 (36:28):
Right kids, there you go, Judge.
Speaker 2 (36:30):
Nudge, wink wink, Sammy, thank you so much for your time.
Always a pleasure chatting with you. Don't change. I look
forward to seeing you in the next event.
Speaker 5 (36:37):
Thank you.
Speaker 3 (36:37):
Mark always the nicest guy.
Speaker 11 (36:39):
The pleasure is entirely mine, my friend. Always good to
catch up with you.
Speaker 2 (36:42):
Be well, thank you all right, So we've got just
two minutes left of a new tech it out.
Speaker 3 (36:47):
Hope you enjoyed it.
Speaker 2 (36:48):
I will plug my social media handles in a moment
if you want to see my coverage here from Cologne, Germany,
as I'm attending games con lots of photos and videos
that I think you're going to get a kick out of,
and covering a lot of the gaming brands that you
know and love, like Resident Evil, as well as comic
books like Deadpool and TV shows and movies. You'll see
photos and videos from these Stranger Things booth hosted by Netflix. Man,
(37:10):
I can't wait for that last season to drop later
this fall. But before that, just a quick shout out
to Visa. Did you know that shoppers are three times
more likely to enter an unfamiliar store if it displays
a Visa logo, and customers are five times more likely
to think a merchant is reputable. This is because Visa
has invested billions over the years in fraud prevention, so
(37:31):
you don't need to think twice about shopping at retail
or online using your Visa card, nor should businesses be
concerned about secure payments. Visa is deploying advanced technology to
ensure customer data is not vulnerable no matter where the
transactions take place. This includes tokens pioneered by Visa as
one part of the solution, which reduces the risk of
(37:51):
identity theft because this technology replaces your cardholder info with
a random alpha numeric code, so the merchant never sees
your actual card number, yet it ensures a fast transaction too.
To learn more about Visa's work and protecting you and
your purchases, head over to visa dot com slash security.
That's Visa dot com slash security. If you want to
(38:12):
reach out on social media to say hi, maybe ask
a tech question, or if you want to check out
my games con coverage, it's Mark Saltzman.
Speaker 3 (38:19):
M AAR C s A L t Z M A N.
You can find me on.
Speaker 2 (38:24):
X threads, Blue Sky, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok YouTube and LinkedIn. Yep,
that's right, folks, Mark with a C, Saltsman with the Z,
and you'll also see links to this show teck it out.
I would greatly appreciate any review you want to give
A star review or if you wanted to share it
with anyone.
Speaker 3 (38:43):
All of that goes a real long way. Thank you
in advance.
Speaker 2 (38:47):
I'm wishing you all a fantastic rest of your day,
and I look forward to catching up with you next
weekend for another brand new episode of tech It Out,
where I've got a bunch of new guests and topics
to help you navigate this wild and wonderful world of technology.
Speaker 3 (39:01):
Have a good one everyone, Talk to you soon. Chout
for now,
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