Gaming

Lenovo Legion Phone Duel is all in on mobile gaming

Absolutely screams gaming

Published

July 22, 2020

Rodneil Quiteles

Mobile gaming enthusiasts will have yet another smartphone to choose from as the Lenovo Legion Phone Duel has just entered the game!

There’s been some fair amount of anticipation for this phone with leaks popping up every now and again. Let’s jump right into the specs to see what we’re working with here.

Powered for elite gaming

It was previously announced that this phone will be one of the firsts to carry the Snapdragon 865 Plus — the latest and greatest from Qualcomm — that’s built for “elite gaming.”

Elsewhere on the phone you get up to 16GB LPDRR5 RAM and a 512GB UFS 3.1 internal storage. It has a 6.65-inch AMOLED display with 144Hz refresh rate with a 240Hz sampling rate that should bode well for all your mobile gaming needs.

As for the batteries, the rumors were right. Instead of one big chunk, Lenovo opted to split it up. Inside are two 2500mAh batteries. This helps with giving the Duel enough juice while also keeping it cool.

Built for gaming

Speaking of juicing up, the Lenovo Legion Phone Duel supports 90W Turbo Power Charging. This can take you from 0 to 50 percent in just 10 minutes and straight up to 100 percent in only half an hour.

You can charge the phone on either USB-C ports. Yes, there are two. One in the usual bottom of the phone, the other on its side — a perfect spot for charging while you’re gaming. Very similar to the one implemented by the ROG Phones.

Just like any gaming phone worth its salt, the Duel has two front-firing speakers. For touch and move simulation controls, there’s a Lenovo Legion Assistant to help you out.

Lenovo also made you sure you can “feel” your game. It has dynamic and surrounding vibration from specialized engines in the phone simulate the feel of in-game hits.

Stream your game

If you want to show off your skills, the Lenovo Legion Phone Duel lets you do that too. It has a side-mounted 20MP pop-up camera. It stays hidden until you’re ready to showcase your skills.

It can capture 1080P HD footage and record 4K video at up to 30FPS. Like any pop-up camera, it also has an auto-retract drop detection feature to give you some peace of mind.

On the software side, there’s the Lenovo Legion Realm which is a customized dashboard for all your gaming needs. Much like what Armory Crate is on the ROG Phone.

With it you can tweak hardware performance much like you would on PC gaming devices. You also get direct access to stream on either YouTube or Twitch. There are four noise-cancelling microphones to help streamers broadcast and record clear audio.

Streaming also lets you remove the background and use AI to auto-enhance your image using a selfie editor. It features several unique retouching filters and correction options.

At launch, users can auto-enhance images with programmed adjustments for a more balanced appearance. A later update will let users adjust filter settings to their liking (up to 100 levels of varying intensity).

For even more personalization, the device supports AR stickers called Playmoji.

Share your highlights

The Lenovo Legion Phone Duel will also do the heavy lifting for your after-stream content.

As soon as a gaming session ends, users can review all the highlights on-the-fly with a preview screen. All that’s left is for the user to select and merge recorded clips before sharing for the world to enjoy.

It even goes the extra mile. If you forgot to hit record, you only need to slide your finger on the right ultrasonic trigger (the right shoulder button area), to go back in time to relive the moment you missed and “instantly reversely-record” the moment.

In case you’re wondering, it does have rear cameras. Unusually located in the middle area and right next to the Legion logo, these are a 64MP main camera and 16MP ultra-wide angle lens.

Pricing and availability

The Lenovo Legion Phone Duel (aka Lenovo Legion Phone Pro in China) will be available starting July in China.

It will come to select markets in Asia, Europe, Middle East, Africa, and Latin America at a later date.

Pricing for both the 16GB and 12GB variants will vary depending on the market.

Deals

Sony Days of Play: Discounts on DualSense controllers, titles

It’s that time of the year

Published

June 2, 2023

GadgetMatch

The time has come for Sony’s annual Days of Play, offering gamers special deals on DualSense Wireless Controllers and software titles from June 2 to 12.

During the sale period, Sony’s DualSense Wireless Controllers will retail for a special price of PhP 2,990.

The controller is available in White, Midnight Black, Cosmic Red, Starlight Blue, Nova Pink, Galactic Purple, and Gray Camouflage colorways.

Popular PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 (Blue-ray Disc version) titles will also get special prices during the promo period:

Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales (PS4) – PhP 1,490
Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales (PS5) – PhP 1,490
God of War Ragnarok (PS4) – PhP 1,990
God of War Ragnarok (PS5) – PhP 2,490
Horizon Forbidden West (PS5) – PhP 1,990
The Last of Us Part I (PS5) – PhP 2,490
Gran Turismo 7 (PS5) – PhP 1,990

Meanwhile, PlayStation 5 consoles are now available at all authorized retailer stores.

Features

Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores sways both ways

And why shouldn’t it?

Published

June 1, 2023

Her

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD

It’s been more than a month since the release of Horizon: Forbidden West’s DLC, Burning Shores and the reviews came in hot. There were plenty of raves that the game is a treat as are the visuals. But what really made the most waves on the is that the fiery redhead heroine gets a partner. In more ways than one.

Aloy was first introduced in Horizon Zero Dawn as an outcast, so being on her own was expected. Understandably, when you’re treated like a pariah since childhood, warming up to people isn’t exactly second nature.

The burden of being The One

She picks up new friends, even some potentially interested parties along the way but the game steers us from expecting that they’ll be tagging along for the long run. By the game’s sequel, she is still Ms. Independent, but with blossoming character development in terms of her interpersonal relationships

While there’s a bit of attraction and tension with men and women alike thrown in-game, Aloy never gets into anything no matter how hard you try to flirt. (Yes, we tried). Horizon clearly didn’t focus on finding her mate, given that there is indeed a lot on Aloy’s plate.

She even admits in dialogue that her mission as The One created to save the world, is a full-time occupation that she can’t think of anything else. Fair enough, you go do what you gotta do, girl.

Along came Seyka

With the introduction of Seyka in Burning Shores, it would’ve been easy to dismiss that sure, they have chemistry but nothing’s going to happen. We’ve gone so far with Aloy embracing singlehood by choice, why would it change now?

That’s probably what made this DLC stand out. After becoming partners in crime, the pair share an intimate conversation where they first met to consider pursuing something more. The player option to engage in a romance probably has the audience saying “finally” or asking, “why now?”, and those who appear to take issue in Seyka’s sex are asking “why?”

But the better question is, WHY NOT?

Seyka is no stranger to duty and purpose, being intent in rescuing her sister and tribespeople from Burning Shore’s main villain, Walter Londra. She is headstrong, agile, and fierce — qualities she shares with our main girl. Aloy also learns to rely on someone for help, which is a big deal.

It shouldn’t come as a surprise either that Aloy would take on a lady love: Forbidden West final boss Tilda did express that she loved Elizabet Sobeck — Aloy’s clone source or “mother” — more than we know. Who’s to say that the genetic copy of the apple would fall far from the tree? Ultimately, should the player to decide to let Aloy initiate a romance, it’s not the end of the world if it’s a girl. Actually, they even saved it together.

Burning Shores

The story of Burning Shores picks up directly where Horizon Forbidden West left off. It contains additional content for Horizon Forbidden West, including new characters and experiences in a stunning yet hazardous new area.

To enter the Burning Shores, you must complete the main quest (up to and including Singularity) in the PS5 version of Horizon Forbidden West. Following the main quest, the player will receive a call over Aloy’s Focus, beginning the DLC.

Gaming

Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart coming to PC

On July 26

Published

May 31, 2023

GadgetMatch

Perhaps easily the best showcase game of the PlayStation (PS5) that anyone can easily jump into is making its way to PC. Insomniac Games’ Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart follows the growing list of PlayStation exclusives making its way to PC. It’s coming on July 26.

PC Features

Nixxes Software worked with Insomniac to make this happen. And they’re not simply porting the game to PC. They are also adding features especially made for PC gamers. Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart on PC will have support for multiple types of monitors. Whether you’re using 21:9, 32:9 and up to 48:9 resolutions for triple monitor setups, you can rest assured that you’ll have a grand time with this inter-dimensional adventure. Both gameplay and cutscenes are optimized for ultra-wide screens.

The game also supports now unlocked framerates. You can choose from NVIDIA DLSS 3, AMD FSR 2, Intel XeSS and Insomniac Games’ Temporal Injection. NVIDIA Reflex and image quality enhancing NVIDIA DLAA are also supported.

Availability

Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart will be available on Steam and in the Epic Games Store. You may head to the aforementioned stores now to Wishlist or pre-purchase the game. If you pre-purchase ahead of launch, you’ll get access to the following in-game items early in your playthrough: