Month: August 2021

For years, the Logitech Brio has reigned supreme as the best webcam to buy if you wanted 4K image quality. That wasn’t because it was particularly special but more due to lack of competition. Well, a contender has finally arisen in the form of the Dell UltraSharp webcam. Sporting a 4K image sensor (or 1080p60), HDR, and Sony’s new STARVIS image sensor for improved low light performance, it’s packed with features but comes in at a pricey $199.99. I’ve spent two weeks pitting it against the biggest competing webcams to find out just how well it stacks up. 

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Dell UltraSharp Webcam – Design and Features

The Dell UltraSharp isn’t your average webcam, and that starts with design. While most webcams try to be small and unassuming, the UltraSharp throws those design conventions out the window. Instead of the usual box or oval shape we’ve come to expect, the UltraSharp is a 3.5-inch metal cylinder and feels impressively robust. Even though the camera has a depth that triples competing webcams like the Logitech Brio, the actual footprint feels small due to a front element that’s only a hair over 1.6 inches in diameter.

That added depth is put to good use. If you’ll forgive the pun, the Dell UltraSharp is cutting edge in every way that counts. Inside its tubular shell, it uses Sony’s new 4K STARVIS CMOS sensor, technology that saw its debut in consumer webcams with the Razer Kiyo Pro. STARVIS technology first became popular in security cameras, allowing business owners to monitor dark rooms in full color. Here, that’s applied to make sure your streams and conference calls stay reasonably clear, even in poorly lit rooms.

This effort is enhanced further with the camera’s HDR capture abilities. With HDR enabled, the camera captures multiple images for every frame of video at different exposure settings, blending these into one in real time. The result is more consistent exposure in all different types of lighting, which preserves detail that most webcams would simply lose. This technique also allows the camera to capture a wider range of color for your viewers. 

The optics on the UltraSharp are impressive. It uses a multi-element front lens to cut down on aberrations and keep the image crisp. It features a wide field of view that maxes out at 90 degrees, though manages to do so with less image warping than either the Logitech Brio or the Razer Kiyo Pro. This can be stepped down to 78 degrees to match the Logitech C920 or even 65 degrees if you’re keen on focusing on your face. 

When it comes to resolution, the Dell UltraSharp is able to capture up to 4K at 30 FPS or either 1080p or 720p at 60 FPS. Each resolution is also able to record at 24 FPS, which is popular for cinematic recordings. There isn’t a dramatic difference in performance between these modes, so jumping to 4K won’t suddenly make autofocus unusable or automatic exposure and white balance go awry. 

The construction of the Ultrasharp is equally high-spec. The metal exterior adds a layer of durability other webcams lack. It also allowed Dell to use magnets in the camera’s design. There’s a removable webcam cover that simply snaps into place (but has a soft-touch back to protect the lens). On the bottom of the camera are two slots, one for the USB Type-C connection and the other to mount it to the two included stands, again using magnets to hold it securely within the slot. It features the usual collapsible bracket to mount on the top of a monitor as well as a stud to connect to the mounting plate of a normal tripod. The only downside to the metal construction is that the chassis becomes one big heatsink and becomes very warm to the touch.

There is one odd omission in this otherwise full-featured package: there’s no included microphone. Embedded webcam mics are rarely great, but they’re a genuinely useful feature for users who spend time on video calls and don’t want to invest in a headset. Since this camera isn’t explicitly marketed for gaming, it’s absence is even more glaring.

Dell UltraSharp Webcam – Software

The Dell UltraSharp can be used in all major streaming and video conferencing tools, but you’ll need to download the Dell Peripheral Manager to access all of its features. Getting started is easy, as the software walks you through some basic preferences and a selection of picture presets (Smooth, Vibrant, Warm, and Default). Depending on the look you’re going for, you can stop there, but it’s worth taking the extra time to go through the advanced options it offers to choose your resolution and other important settings. 

The software is broken into four tabs. The first revisits the presets from setup, but making any changes of your own reverts your camera to the Default preset so you’ll always start from the same baseline. The Camera Control tab allows you to change the field of view, dial in your own manual focus setting, and adjust the level of digital zoom. You can also set your preference between Exposure and Frame Rate priority, though I would recommend leaving this on Exposure as I’ll explain in the Performance section.

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This tab is also where you’ll find some of the camera’s “smart” features. Similar to Nvidia Broadcast, Dell’s Peripheral Manager has an auto-framing feature that will crop the scene to keep your face centered in the shot. It works reasonably well but would sometimes lose me if I moved too far to the end of the scene. This tab also allows you to set up Windows Hello for biometric login and added security for your device. 

The next tab, Color and Image, is where you’ll customize the look of your shot. There are toggles to turn on HDR and Auto White Balance and sliders for Brightness, Sharpness, Contrast, and Saturation. If you notice lights flickering in your shot, there’s also a 50Hz or 60Hz anti-flicker option. Conspicuously absent is an exposure setting, though this can be accessed in the Video Configuration device options in OBS. 

Lastly, the Capture tab is where you’ll set your preferred resolution and frame rate. These settings are very straightforward. Changing the camera’s resolution on this tab isn’t possible when streaming to other apps and causes a brief disruption when changed, so be sure to set these ahead of time.

Dell UltraSharp Webcam – Performance

Ultimately, the UltraSharp will live or die based on its image quality. I tested the camera against its three biggest competitors to see how it compared: the Logitech Brio, the Razer Kiyo Pro, and the Logitech StreamCam. Only the Brio supports 4K but both the Brio and Kiyo Pro feature HDR. The Kiyo Pro draws another connection with its own Sony STARVIS CMOS sensor. Only the Logitech StreamCam stands apart as a fairly basic 1080p webcam, albeit with pretty good image quality and some neat features like image stabilization and vertical video. Since it’s not competing in the same space, I’ve limited comparisons to the video portion of this review.

Testing the cameras on default settings with HDR enabled (minus the StreamCam), the Dell UltraSharp was easily the most accurate but had the darkest picture overall. Tweaking settings, I was able to brighten the picture and enhance its detail, but was never able to achieve the same exposure the other cameras delivered. Still, the UltraSharp can deliver an outstanding picture, particularly if you take the time to adjust its advanced settings.

The HDR implementation is great. Even without the fine detail of 4K, it’s easy to see that the UltraSharp offers the best dynamic range of the three HDR-enabled cameras. The stitching on my shirt, the retained detail in shadows, and improved color accuracy all demonstrate the improvements it offers over the competition. 

When the lights go down, STARVIS steps in to fill the void. In low light with only the monitor and a lamp behind my PC, the UltraSharp did a good job of retaining color accuracy and detail. It began showing minor graininess before the Kiyo Pro but presented a nicer image overall. With the lights off and only the glow of my monitor to work with, it became quite grainy and struggled with white balance. Both STARVIS cameras were sensitive enough that, depending on what was glowing from my monitor, my skin could look downright orange. The Brio, on the other hand, was more resilient but also had more noise. Still, not many people use a webcam in the dark, so it’s a bit of an unrealistic stress test to begin with. 

At 4K, the UltraSharp doesn’t offer the same level of fine detail as the Logitech Brio. This is especially visible when looking at fine details like hair and eyes. This is also visible when holding objects up to the webcam for close-ups. While that’s disappointing, it’s not as clear of a loss as it might seem. While the Logitech Brio can offer more detail, it rarely ever achieves it due to its terrible auto-focus system. The UltraSharp, on the other hand, reliably found my face and locked on within a few seconds, even in low light. While it’s possible to lock the focus of the Brio, that’s not a good solution if you need to move or want to hold something up to the camera. The UltraSharp may not offer the same level of fine detail, but it’s a more accurate, more reliable camera overall.

Jason Momoa has said that he wants to see a six-hour version of Denis Villeneuve’s Dune, stating that he’d like a TV series-style cut that presents “Denis’s whole vision.”

Talking to The New York Times, Momoa – who plays Duncan Idaho in Dune – said, “It was a cool movie. You know what they need to do? They need to make the four-to-six hour version of the first half. It’s like, ‘Let’s watch the four-to-five-hour movie like a TV show; I can choose when I want to watch the whole thing.’ I want to see Denis’s whole vision. I don’t want it to be trimmed.”

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This movie, which covers the first half of the original novel’s storyline, has a theatrical runtime of 2 hours and 35 minutes. But Momoa is pretty clear in this interview; over two hours isn’t enough. He’d like to see a much longer version containing all the ideas that the director had. A ‘Villeneuve Cut’, if you will. This is perhaps not a surprising opinion; Momoa was a supporter of the 4-hour ‘Snyder Cut’ of Justice League, after all.

It’s important to note that it does not appear that Momoa is suggesting that such a cut exists and is being rejected in favour of a shorter version. Most movies enter the editing process with much more material than will be used for the final version. But in the case of Dune, it’s not surprising to hear that Momoa believes all the unused footage could be put together into a multi-hour cut. The book is dense with detail, after all.

For more on Dune, check out our look at the first minutes of the movie, as well as our breakdown of who’s who in the trailer. The movie will release October 22 in cinemas and on HBO Max.

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Matt Purslow is IGN’s UK News and Entertainment Writer.

Publisher Curve has announced that The Ascent earned more than $5 million in sales on its opening weekend. Developed by the Swedish indie studio Neon Giant, The Ascent launched on PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S, with the game also being available as part of the Game Pass subscription service on PC, console, and cloud.

Curve added that The Ascent rose to the top of Steam’s global charts, while coverage of the game on YouTube and Twitch generated more than 10 million views.

“The Ascent is the first game out of Curve where our new team has been able to substantially make their mark, working closely with the developer and our platform partners,” Curve CEO John Clark said in a press statement. “This success is the result of a genuine team effort throughout the company, the arrival of new leadership and talent, and is truly reflective of our new approach of being developer and player-focused in all that we do.”

Curve added that positive word-of-mouth from gamers interested in the title–which blends cyberpunk themes with twin-stick shooter action and RPG elements–helped build awareness in the run-up to The Ascent‘s launch weekend. It’s also possible that launching on Game Pass in fact helped sales, despite conventional thinking that might suggest otherwise.

While the game has received plenty of positive critical reception, its grand design has been missing ray-tracing and DLSS features on the PC Game Pass version, which Neon Giant says that it currently working to fix alongside other lingering bugs.

With Battlefield 2042’s technical test arriving next week, it’s no surprise that some early PC requirements have made it out into the wild. Battlefield games are a staple of PC gaming, and as such, this one seems like it will be readily accessible to most.

Revealed by Tom Henderson, a reputable Battlefield leaker, Battlefield 2042’s minimum and recommended PC requirements aren’t exactly strenuous. However, it should be noted that these specs could change between now and the game’s launch, given that these requirements are specifically for 2042’s technical test.

Battlefield 2042 PC System Requirements

Minimum:

• OS: Windows 10 64-bit
• Processor: AMD FX-8350 / Intel Core i5 6600K
• Memory: 8GB
• Video Memory: 4GB
• Graphics Card: AMD Radeon RX 560 / Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 Ti

Recommended:

• OS: Windows 10 64-bit
• Processor: AMD Ryzen 5 3600 / Intel Core i7 4790
• Memory: 16GB
• Video Memory: 8GB
• Graphics Card: AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT / Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060

Naturally, these PC requirements haven’t been made available by EA just yet, so take them with a grain of salt. That being said, if these requirements stick around for the full release of Battlefield 2042, a majority of players should be able to at least run the game at minimum settings. According to Steam’s latest hardware survey results, Nvidia’s GeForce GTX 1060 is still the most used graphics card, with the 1050 Ti coming in a somewhat distant second.

In other Battlefield 2042 news, developer Ripple Effect recently revealed the game’s newest game mode, Battlefield Portal. Portal will let players create their own game modes using assets from multiple entries in the Battlefield franchise, like Battlefield: Bad Company 2 and Battlefield 1942.

The soundtrack for this year’s NBA 2K22 will be different compared to past entries in the professional basketball series. 2K Sports has announced that instead of having a set soundtrack with a defined list of songs, NBA 2K22’s soundtrack will unfold over time through a new feature called “First Fridays.”

This ties in to NBA 2K22’s new “Seasons” approach where the game grows and evolves over time with new content across its modes. For the music specifically, new songs will be added to NBA 2K22’s soundtrack on the first Friday of each new Season. The soundtrack updates will include “a mix of high-profile and up-and-coming artists,” according to 2K.

So far, 2K has confirmed a number of big-name artists will be on the NBA 2K22 soundtrack, including Nas, Travis Scott, Freddie Gibbs, Aitch, Megan Thee Stallion, and The Game, among others. Check out the image below to see more artists whose songs will appear in the game.

“NBA 2K has become a global platform for music discovery and that continues with NBA 2K22,” NBA 2K boss Alfie Brody said in a statement. “This year, we are creating a dynamic soundtrack, complete with early access to unreleased tracks, new artists, and opportunities for fans to become part of the experience and solidify their place in video game history.”

NBA 2K22’s connection to music goes even further, as the game itself will let you record verses over beats through a new system called the Producer Series. More details about this, and the soundtrack in general, will be announced later.

NBA 2K22 launches on September 10, and this is also the day that the official NBA 2K22 playlist will be available to listen to through the 2K Beats official site.

The game is headed to PS4, Xbox One, and PC, as well as PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch. There are some differences between the various editions of the game, and you can read up on this in GameSpot’s NBA 2K22 coverage. Preorders for NBA 2K22 are now available.

In other 2K news, PGA Tour 2K21 is helping to raise money for the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital to fight childhood cancer with a special livestream today, August 4.

A year ago, developer Mediatonic introduced the world to its adorable and anatomically-horrifying beans in Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout. To celebrate the first anniversary of the game, the developer took to Twitter to announce that a number of its older game modes will be returning for a limited time.

As an added bonus, players can earn double Crowns after winning games and the addition of new celebratory cosmetics which include a new costume set that costs 10 Kudos in the game’s online store.

Fall Guys has gone from strength to strength since it arrived in 2020, which eventually resulted in Mediatonic being acquired by Epic Games earlier this year. While the Xbox and Nintendo Switch versions of the game were indefinitely delayed, Mediatonic did add that it’s working on cross-play for Fall Guys so that players can be connected in new ways.

Fall Guys regularly adds new licensed cosmetic content to its store, which has resulted in crossovers with Cuphead, Godzilla, Tron, and Doom Eternal to name a few.

The game is currently busy with its fifth season of content, which includes content based on PlayStation’s Ratchet & Clank series. While the Ratchet-centric event is already over, a Clank-focused event will take place from August 6-15, providing players another chance to unlock the new Ratchet and Clank outfits.

Today, we have the exclusive red band trailer for Don’t Breathe 2 and it showcases plenty of brutal badassery on the part of Stephen Lang’s returning protagonist, Norman Nordstrom.

You can watch the red band trailer via the player above or the video embed below. We also have a few brand new images from the film in the slideshow further down this page.

In this sequel to the 2016 hit film, Norman is a mentor and protector to 11-year-old Phoenix (Madelyn Grace), who’s essentially the daughter he’s long wanted. Taking place eight years after the horrific events of the first film, Norman hides his evil past from Phoenix as he commits himself to teach her survivalist skills. When a new threat comes to his home — intruders who are clearly coming after Phoenix — the monster inside Norman will be unleashed again.

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Picking things up several years later, Don’t Breathe 2 finds Norman somehow managing “to have a family again,” producer Fede Alvarez previously said. “The home invaders not only represent a physical threat to him and his daughter but also will force Norman to confront the unspeakable actions of his past.”

“In the first film, Norman had the upper hand,” Alvarez added, “but this time the tables are turned and the invaders totally outnumber him. And he’s the one that will have tIn Don’t Breathe 2, the blind and brutal Norman will face a near-impossible challenge. 

“Not only he is going to have to face much more skilled and deadly invaders, but also, they are going to force him to come out of his lair and engage in a battle on different and unknown turf,” Don’t Breathe 2 director Rodo Sayagues explained in a previous chat with IGN.

Check out these exclusive new photos from Don’t Breathe 2:

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Sayagues continued, “Against all odds, Norman is going to have to be on top of his game to be able to overcome unimaginable and seemingly impossible obstacles in order to prevail. He is going to be tested like never before. It’s the biggest ordeal of his life.”o fight for his life against all odds.”

In a separate interview that IGN recently did with Stephen Lang, the actor reflected on what he hopes the legacy of Norman and the Don’t Breathe films will be: “I hope that Norman [is remembered as] someone who, despite his history, was striving for some kind of redemption and that he’s always thought of not merely as sort of some despicable monster, but as an authentic kind of a human being. And I hope that people will remember the films that way or, you know,, always dig them. That’s all.”

Don’t Breathe 2 will be released exclusively in theaters nationwide on August 13.

3 weeks from today, get a new look at this holiday’s biggest upcoming video games and what lies beyond…@gamescom Opening Night Live
A live two hour showcase
Streaming & Co-Streaming Everywhere
Wednesday, August 25
11 am PT / 2 pm ET / 8 pm CET pic.twitter.com/h8C12vtvri

— Geoff Keighley (@geoffkeighley) August 4, 2021