Welcome to Tech Bytes! In this series, we bring you the biggest news hitting the Tech and Gaming fields, putting it into an excellent, simple brief for you to quickly catch up on so you’re up to speed over dinner and drinks.
It’s the penultimate month of the year, but does that mean we are seeing a dry spell for news in anticipation of next month? Absolutely not! You can check out some industry-shaking details that have come out in November 2024 with our Tech Bytes round-up.
Nintendo Switch successor to be backwards-compatible
We’ve been waiting for the reveal of the next Switch console and unfortunately, it looks like we will be continuing to do so till next year as 2024 draws to a close. But at the very least, we have a small update from this month to tide us over.
At Nintendo’s midyear policy briefing, the company revealed that the Nintendo Switch successor will be backwards compatible with current Switch titles – similar to how PS5 and Xbox Series consoles operate. Additionally, users will be able to carry over their Nintendo Switch Online services and account once the console launches.
It remains to be seen whether the Switch successor will provide an upgrade to the visual fidelity or performance, but it will at least allow users to bring their library of games over when they change their consoles.
AMD’s launches new Ryzen 7 9800X3D
AMD’s highly popular Ryzen 7 7800X3D CPU has received a successor. The company officially announced the new Ryzen 7 9800X3D, which touts even better performance from the next-generation X3D chip.
Improvements include an increase to the base clock speed, now up to 4.7GHz and with a max boost of 5.2GHz. Combining it with the 120-watt TDP increase, productivity workloads should see better performance.
In terms of gaming performance, AMD promises that the new CPU will see an 8% increase in average FPS over the 7800X3D. Games such as Cyberpunk 2077 and Far Cry 6 will have a 40% faster performance. For enthusiasts, the 9800X3D is fully unlocked and gamers can overclock it to wring out additional performance out of their systems.
The Ryzen 7 9800X3D is available right now and is priced at US$479.
Mass Effect receives a TV adaptation
Video game adaptations are now in trend following the success of The Last of Us and Fallout TV series, and it is no surprise that we are seeing another title being greenlit for production.
This time, it is the Mass Effect franchise which will be explored next, with Amazon adapting it as a television series. The news comes on N7 Day, with F9: The Fast Saga writer Daniel Casey slated to be writing the show and BioWare producer Mike Gamble executive producing it alongside Ari Arad.
No details have been revealed about the show, such as whether it’d be focusing on fan-favourite protagonist Commander Shepard or be an original story—we expect the show to be in the works for a few years before more information will be announced. In the meantime, BioWare continues to work on the next Mass Effect game, which was originally announced in 2020.
Sony in talks to acquire Kadokawa
Sony’s recent acquisitions have largely been a misstep, with Firewalk Studios and Neon Koi recently shuttered as well as Destiny developer Bungie undergoing somewhat of a crisis within its studio. But that has not stopped Sony from trying more acquisitions.
News reports have stated that Sony is in talks to acquire Kadokawa, with the latter later confirming that the former has sent an initial letter of intent to acquire the company’s shares. While no decision has been made just yet, analysts expect the deal to go through in the coming weeks.
While the main reason for acquiring Kadokawa is likely because of the company’s anime and manga portfolio, Kadokawa also has its finger in gaming. FromSoftware is the biggest name affiliated with Kadokawa, but others include Danganronpa developer Spike Chunsoft and Octopath Traveller studio Acquire. If the acquisition goes through, these studios will likely fall under the PlayStation Studios banner.
Acquiring Kadokawa would bolster PlayStation’s development presence in Japan, which currently has Team Asobi and Polyphony Digital among its ranks. And with the addition of FromSoftware, it brings a world-renowned name to Sony’s hefty lineup.
Sony’s new flagship a1 II
Sony has a new flagship full-frame mirrorless camera in the a1 II, a pro-focused device that is equipped with cutting-edge features.
The new Sony a1 II comes with a new body design compared to its predecessor, adopting the a9 III’s slightly taller grip and improved ergonomics. Inside is also an in-body image stabilizer that Sony claims is capable of 8.5 stops of correction. Photographers and videographers will also appreciate the new four-axis articulation on the vari-angle tilting screen which gives more flexibility on how users want to shoot.
Specs include a 50.1-megapixel full-frame stacked sensor which enables shooting of full-resolution RAW photos at 30 frames per second and up to 8K video at 30p. An updated AI processing chip also gives the camera better autofocusing capabilities, which now allows new features like insect and automobile (cars, trains, planes) recognition detection.
The Sony a1 II launches alongside a new FE 28-70mm f/2 GM zoom lens, which has a larger and faster aperture throughout the zoom range. Both will be available in Singapore come December and users can purchase them at Sony retail stores or their online website.
This marks November 2024’s edition of Tech Bytes, and we hope this round-up gives you insight into tech to be excited about. Check with us again in December 2024, as we bring you more byte-sized news every month!
Visuals courtesy of Pixabay via Pexels, Electronic Arts, FromSoftware, and Sony Singapore.
