National`s deputy leader is calling for people to join her in `belittling the trolls` in an online toxic environment. Read...

Minister says they are exploring options, however, `we are operating in a fiscally constrained environment and the level of investment required is significant`. Read...

Environment Southland has upset many Southland whitebaiters by hitting them with a large annual fee increase ahead of the new season. Read...

Profit fell 4 percent while underlying earnings rose slightly. Read...

Editor’s Note: Microsoft began shipping its unified Teams experience beginning on August 20, 2024. While Teams will eventually update itself to deliver the unified experience, you can also download the new Teams app directly. The original story, published on March 13, continues. Have you been confused by Microsoft Teams, which offers one app for consumers and another for business users? If so, those days may be ending. Microsoft is testing builds in the Windows 11 Canary and Dev Channels to streamline Teams into something that makes a little more sense: a single app. Build 26080 brings with it a unified Teams experience, allowing you to simply switch between accounts and environment rather than load separate apps for business users and consumers. You’ll simply switch between them by clicking your icon in the upper right-hand corner of the app. “We received consistent feedback from personal and work users: You prefer a single Teams app that allows you to easily access and switch between personal and work accounts,” Microsoft wrote in a blog post. “This update lets you use one app for all kinds of Teams accounts.” Microsoft’s terrible Teams, for consumers That’s true, and if you look back at Teams over the last few years you’ll understand why: Microsoft Teams for Home launched in 2020, with shared grocery lists and other features for consumers on iOS and Android. Then there was Personal Features in Teams, in 2021. If you haven’t heard of either of these, you’re not alone — that’s probably why Microsoft made its decision. Microsoft’s new, unified Microsoft Teams app. Microsoft’s new, unified Microsoft Teams app.Microsoft Microsoft’s new, unified Microsoft Teams app.Microsoft Microsoft Then, of course, there was Teams Chat within Windows 11, embodying the hope that friends would use Teams to talk to one another after hours… after talking to colleagues on Teams during the workday. Neither Teams Chat nor Microsoft’s People app for Windows 10 gained traction. By 2023 Teams Chat was spun off into the Teams Free app… which now is being assimilated into a single Teams app. Yes, consumers may choose to use Teams. But it appears that Microsoft’s efforts to push consumers to use Teams may be finally, thankfully, ending. New Copilot commands Microsoft is also adding a number of commands to the integrated Windows version of Copilot, as well as testing a version of Copilot that could be undocked and run as a window. The new commands include: The ability to: Ask for available wireless networks. Ask for system or device information. Ask for battery information. Ask to clean storage. Ask to empty recycle bin. Ask to toggle battery saver. Ask to show startup apps. Ask for your IP address. Ask for system, device, or storage information. Microsoft is testing an undocked Microsoft Copilot app. Microsoft is testing an undocked Microsoft Copilot app.Microsoft Microsoft is testing an undocked Microsoft Copilot app.Microsoft Microsoft Microsoft is also adding additional accessibility features, including the ability to: Ask to turn on narrator. Ask to open voice access. Ask to turn on magnifier. Ask to change text size. Ask to start live captions. Ask to turn on high-contrast. Ask to start voice typing. For reference, these commands already work: Ask to toggle dark/light theme. Ask to toggle Bluetooth. Ask to toggle do not disturb. Ask to add a device. Ask to take a screenshot. Ask to cast your screen to another monitor. Ask to change your background image. Ask to set volume, change volume, or mute/unmute volume. Ask to launch an application. State that certain parts of your PC aren’t working: Audio, Windows Update, Camera, Bluetooth, Printer, Network, others. Ask to snap a window. Ask to start a focus session. Power Automate via Copilot Microsoft is also testing one potentially very interesting capability: a Power Automate plugin for Copilot. Power Automate is essentially IFTTT for Windows — the ability to create “macros” of automated tasks. But the app is still a little complex, and requires fiddling with an unfamiliar interface. Copilot could automate the process, and we’re interested to see what it can do. Examples include: Write an email to my team wishing everyone a happy weekend. List the top 5 highest mountains in the world in an Excel file. Rename all PDF files in a folder to add the word final at the end. Move all word documents to another folder. I need to split a PDF by the first page. Can you help? You’ll need to download a plugin from the Microsoft Store. Read...

When a laptop has finally outlived its usefulness, it can be tempting to discard it, both mentally and literally, and move on to your next laptop that’s better, faster, lighter. It’s an exciting time! But before you do, hold on. Don’t just throw your old laptop in the trash. For starters, you’ll want to wipe it clean of all your personal data. After that, you might be able to recoup something from it. And even if you can’t—or simply don’t want to—reclaim value from your old laptop, you still shouldn’t just throw it away. The U.S. produces almost 7 million tons of e-waste each year and you’d only be contributing to this growing problem. Fortunately, there are plenty of organizations out there that will be more than happy to help you get rid of it in a more greener way. Here are several ways to dispose of your old laptop in an eco-friendlier way and help the world in reducing unnecessary e-waste. First step: Wipe your data clean Before you discard your laptop at all, you should really back up your important data and then wipe the laptop completely. That means securely erasing the SSD and/or hard drive to make sure your data doesn’t fall into anyone else’s hands. Performing a factory reset might feel like adequate protection, but it isn’t enough. Someone who knows what they’re doing could potentially recover your seemingly deleted data, and that can leave you vulnerable to identity theft or hacking attempts. And if you do end up trashing the laptop altogether, you can physically destroy all of the drives if you want to be absolutely sure. (Or you can save those drives and repurpose them in other ways.) With that out of the way, here’s what you can do with the actual laptop that you no longer need or want. Option #1: Trade it in Bram Van Oost / Unsplash Bram Van Oost / Unsplash Bram Van Oost / Unsplash If your plan is to simply replace your laptop with a new one, it’s worth seeing if you can trade it in to get a discount on your purchase. Manufacturers like Dell, Apple, Lenovo, Microsoft, Acer and retailers like Best Buy, Walmart, Staples have various trade-in programs. Giving them your old laptop could save you hundreds of dollars off your next laptop. You don’t even need to trade in the same brand, although you will probably get a better deal if you do. Regardless, be sure to shop around. Some places will give you just a few bucks for an especially old laptop, while others will offer a flat fee no matter what you’re trading in. The best laptop trade-in program for you will depend on your laptop model and intended replacement. New laptops can be expensive, so this is a great way to kill two birds with one stone: get rid of your old laptop while saving on the next. Option #2: Sell it Karolina Kaboompics / Pexels Karolina Kaboompics / Pexels Karolina Kaboompics / Pexels If you have no plans to replace your old laptop and a trade-in program is off the table, then consider selling it outright. The easiest option would be to conduct a private local sale over Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist. If you’re comfortable with staging, photographing, and shipping, you could also list your laptop on eBay, Mercari, OfferUp, and other used marketplaces that allow electronics. Or you can look into buy-your-gadget sites like Swappa, Decluttr, and ItsWorthMore, which all have programs for buying hardware and conveniently setting you up with a shipping label. They may not offer as much as you could get in a private sale, but the convenience factor and quick turnaround might be worth the lesser profit. Either way, it’s a great way to make a little extra money from an unused laptop while making sure it doesn’t just end up in landfill somewhere. More on this: How to sell your old electronics Option #3: Donate it Computer Aid Computer Aid Computer Aid If your old laptop still has a lot of life left in it but you want it to go towards a more noble cause than simply selling it for cash, you could always take the altruistic path and donate it. Organizations like Computers With Causes, DigitUnity, and Computer Aid are always looking to receive gently used electronics. These donations go on to help students, teachers, foster homes, shelters, military veterans, the elderly, plus other outreach groups and organizations. If you want to make the biggest impact with your old laptop, this is the way. It doesn’t have to be an entirely selfless move, either. By donating your old laptops and other electronics, you can deduct the current market values of each donated device from your taxes. If you’d rather focus your donation efforts locally, speak to your local school board, library, or local government organizations, as they may be interested in receiving donations of specific hardware types. Option #4: Recycle it Patrickewastenz / Wikimedia Commons Patrickewastenz / Wikimedia Commons Patrickewastenz / Wikimedia Commons If you have no other use for your laptop, you can’t be hassled to sell it, and you don’t think anyone will want it even as a gift or donation, please don’t just throw it in a dumpster where it’ll end up at a landfill. Like many modern electronics, laptops are composed of both precious materials that can still be reused and toxic materials that can be hazardous to the environment. Recycling is important because it helps reclaim the good stuff while properly disposing of the bad stuff. By recycling, you reduce the burden on landfills, you reduce the amount of hazardous waste in the environment, and you reduce the need to extract precious more metals and materials from the earth to produce new devices (much of which comes from global conflict zones). Many laptop manufacturers have their own recycling programs that make it easy to send in your laptops. Alternatively, retailers like Best Buy and Staples have in-house recycling and e-waste programs that let you drop off old hardware, no questions asked. Furthermore, many states and local municipalities have state-wide or city-wide e-waste recycling programs you can take advantage of. Further reading: Clever ways to repurpose an old laptop Read...

Can AI be used ethically for school work? It depends upon who you ask — quite literally. That’s because less than two years after ChatGPT was originally released in November 2022, the attitudes towards AI in the classroom still vary widely. High schools have viewed AI as a crutch at best, and at worst as a tool for cheating. But several universities leave generative AI use entirely up to the discretion of the person teaching the course. In general, however, the answer boils down to a single golden rule: Students should develop their own answers, incorrect or not. Any AI assistance — from editing to research to actual writing — may be seen as a violation of an academic honor code that some schools require. If AI is used, the thinking now is that it should be cited, like a footnote. ‘AI’ usage depends on how you define it AI doesn’t refer to just any one thing. Generative AI “chatbots” include Anthropic’s Claude, Google Gemini, Microsoft Copilot, and OpenAI’s ChatGPT. Then there are the supplemental AI services like Khan Academy’s Khanmigo ($4/mo for families and individuals), which acts as a supplementary tutor and shies away from providing “the answers” directly to the student. AI art plays a role, but to a small extent. The Los Angeles School District spent over $3 million commissioning its own scheduling and tutoring AI assistant, “Ed,” but then shut it down after major layoffs at the tool’s developer. Some schools are even using AI to develop lesson plans. A demonstration of how Khamigo works, by Khan Academy. All of these tools have their own strengths and weaknesses, including writing code and summarizing complex topics. Some pull “live” answers from the Internet, which is good for research. But not all AI tools cite their sources, and AI that can “hallucinate” answers still exists. All of this plays a role in whether an AI tool should be used for education. Finally, governments are placing their own restrictions on what students can or cannot do with AI. Uploading personal information, test scores, or texts to AI might be literally prohibited by data-privacy laws. As of February 2024, for example, only Microsoft Copilot is officially allowed at Ohio State University, according to its resource center. At high school, AI is often seen as a cheat Bing Image Creator Bing Image Creator Bing Image Creator High schools and universities seem to treat AI differently, with high-school teachers taking a much more hands-on, supervisory role. Still, high schools seem to have a less comprehensive policy on using AI than major universities. In California, Los Angeles schools banked on “Ed,” but right now AI use there seems to be in limbo. Neither San Jose nor the San Francisco Unified School District has a formal policy on generative AI, but San Francisco acknowledges that “blocking AI tools will not prevent their use” and “these tools will be prevalent in our students’ future.” That’s not the case at Mohonasen Central School District in New York, where AI services like ChatGPT have been blocked from school computers because of the temptation to cheat. “ChatGPT, we view as the most basic of AI for education,” said Bill Vacca, director of instructional technology there. “ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot: phenomenal for real-world use cases, like if you want to learn how to write a business letter, or make a pitch for your company. But in terms of education, they can be the most dangerous in terms of having students cheat.” Vacca said that his district was “very out front” in terms of encouraging AI, with full-day lessons on how to utilize AI and its importance. But teachers were scared of the implications and wanted nothing to do with AI, he said. “Our biggest teacher pushback was how do we prevent students from cheating?” Over time, Vacca said, teachers have become more familiar with AI, and have approached him specifically about using AI in the classroom. So have students, although he said that isn’t a majority. This year, the Mohonasen Central district will trial Khanmigo with a small group of teachers, emphasizing math, and using the Khanmigo tools to help assess how the students have progressed. A key Khanmigo selling point is that the tool doesn’t give “the answers,” but helps the student work toward the correct solution. So can AI be ethically used in high schools? Vacca said he sees both sides. “I was interested in when the calculator came out in classrooms,” Vacca said. “I was thinking about that, and it’s the same exact same thing. You had people debating where calculators were going, and if we even needed to teach how to do basic multiplication. And we’re seeing that now. But [AI] is only a couple of years old, and the calculator has been out for decades.” The goal is to bring AI in to help students learn, and that’s what teachers at all levels appear to be wrestling with. “In a third-grade classroom, you’re not bringing a calculator out to do your math,” Vacca said. “You’re going to learn it. But when you get into the higher grades, you can use it to help create something even more extraordinary.” Colleges have a much more freewheeling approach Bing Image Creator Bing Image Creator Bing Image Creator Colleges are taking a more hands-off approach to AI. But Vacca’s feelings about it were echoed by John Behrens, director of the office of digital strategy in the College of Arts and Letters at the University of Notre Dame, especially as students make the transition from the senior years of high school to the early years of college. “The first reaction from a lot of people, especially people that have been using computers for a long time, people later in their career, their first reaction was oh, this is a cheating tool,” Behrens said. But it’s not that simple, he added. “If you’re teaching a beginning language class, ChatGPT is going to be better than the students,” Behrens said. “It might not be appropriate for users learning to translate, because then it’s just replacing the students’ learning process. But if you have really advanced students, then they’re probably going to be as good as ChatGPT. And there you want to use ChatGPT to make work and activities and interactions that are expanding what you can do with the students.” “It’s a complex environment, because most instructors have very little idea how it works and how best to use it right now,” Behrens added. Most U.S. universities haven’t put any hard and fast rules on the use of AI by students in the classroom. Instead, virtually all of the AI policies reviewed by PCWorld leave the issue entirely up to the professor teaching the course, from banning it entirely to encouraging its use. Of several university academic policies regarding AI — which included Harvard, Notre Dame, Ohio State, UC Berkeley and Stanford — only Stanford issued an umbrella statement stating that when there is any doubt with regards to students using AI, the answer is no. “Absent a clear statement from a course instructor, use of or consultation with generative AI shall be treated analogously to assistance from another person,” Stanford’s Generative AI Policy Guidance states, dated Feb. 2023. “In particular, using generative AI tools to substantially complete an assignment or exam (e.g. by entering exam or assignment questions) is not permitted.” Some professors have used their academic freedom to seize upon the opportunities AI can offer. “I received criticism when I first started incorporating AI into my classroom setting, with other professors letting me know that I was doing a disservice to my students by teaching them about how to use AI in higher education,” Carol-Lynn Perez, a senior lecturer in communication studies at San Jose State, said. “What they failed to realize early on is that AI is here to stay, and it is only going to get more advanced as the months roll ahead. In just the couple of years AI has been around our students have been far ahead of the game, and if we don’t make friends with it, we will be left behind.” There’s also the concern about keeping up with the real world, said Nitesh Chawla, a professor of computer science and engineering at Notre Dame. In class, computer science students can use AI to create 60 percent of the code, allowing the professor can move on to a higher-level topic that the class would never have had time to cover…because the students would be writing the code, instead. Yet an employer would almost certainly demand the use of AI if it could save the company time and money, he said. “So is a student graduating from [a university] where AI is banned…going to be at a detriment in the workforce when the student joins? We don’t have an answer to that yet,” Chawla said. How and when to use AI in school work Bing Image Creator Bing Image Creator Bing Image Creator Relying on AI isn’t always the best choice. In one recent paper primarily authored by researchers at the U. of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business, about 1,000 high-school students were divided up into groups and asked to take a math test. One group was allowed to take the test assisted by what was essentially ChatGPT-4. The tool provided incorrect answers about half of the time, and yet students who were polled felt that they didn’t do any worse using the tool than they would otherwise. AI, put simply, can be a crutch, the study concluded. “These results suggest that while access to generative AI can improve performance, it can substantially inhibit learning,” it said. Perez noted that AI also has several flaws: AI hallucinates, can be racist or sexist, will make up citations, and can easily give the wrong information along with a lack of depth and absence of human nuance. But students still prefer information in short, manageable chunks. “The creative process can begin with AI, but what students fail to realize a lot of times is that it cannot interpret problems or offer creative decisions like a human can,” Perez said. Educators seem to agree that you shouldn’t use AI to create work that you pass off as your own. Instead, if you are going to use AI in class, treat it like any other source of information. “As an early adopter I routinely tell my students that AI should be cited like a peer-reviewed journal article,” Perez said. ” When something is not written in your own words, it must be cited. Higher education is still figuring out this piece of the puzzle, but my motto is, ‘When in doubt, cite it out.`” Miriam Scott, a secondary education teacher in Australia, provides guidelines to students on how to incorporate generative AI into their schoolwork. Style guides are now beginning to accommodate the new reality by including footnote rules for citing AI-generated content, such as in this summary from the Canton State University of New York. The problem, though, is the middle ground. Nathaniel Myers, an associate teaching professor at Notre Dame who will be teaching a course titled “Advanced Writing and Rhetoric: Writing in the Age of AI” this fall, says he worries about even using AI as an editing tool. “The example that I’ve experienced myself is, if I’ve asked it to fix grammar, it will instead affect things that are more than just sort of simply grammatical choices,” Myers said. Myers referred to work done by Anna Mills, an instructor at Cañada College, who has raised concerns about a writer’s voice becoming “blurry” when AI is applied to improve their draft. AI can replace a specific point of view or style with a much more generic approach, Myers said, citing Mills. That can be a problem, for example, when a writing style associated with a specific point of view, such as a minority, becomes generalized via AI. To Chawla, the time is right to have these discussions. “Kids know [AI] in middle school, kids know it in high school,” Chawla said. “Kids know it in elementary school. And in school, they are being taught not to use it, at least in my children’s schools. They’re being told not to use it at the school — and at the same time, they’re figuring their own way out of what is and what is not appropriate use of these technologies. “AI is as mainstream as it gets.” Further reading: The AI PC revolution: 18 essential terms you need to know Read...

In the thrilling gaming world, recording games can help players better enhance their gaming experience. Gamers can use robust game recorders to capture and save those victories and action-packed moments. Recording and editing the wonderful game achievement, you can make it into a tutorial, share it with your friends, or post it on social media and streaming platforms for greater enjoyment. This guide will walk you through how to record gameplay on PC in high quality using screen recorder utilities like EaseUS RecExperts, whether you’re playing games on Steam, Roblox, GOG Galaxy, or other platforms. How to choose the right screen recorder for games There are more factors to consider when selecting the right game screen recorder for PC. Firstly, game capture software should be compatible with different types of games (both 2D and 3D) and your operating system. It should also support using shortcut keys to start or stop recording to increase recording efficiency. In addition, the qualified game recorder can record gameplay without losing fps or stuttering, and supports background recording without interfering with game performance. Built-in editing functions can help enrich video content, while one-click sharing on popular platforms such as YouTube, Twitch, and Facebook provides convenience. Last but not least, the price should not be ignored. Freeware such as Windows Xbox Game Bar may fulfill the basic needs, while paid software can provide more advanced features and technical support. After selecting the screen recorder, it’s crucial to adjust the audio and video formats and parameters, such as resolution, bitrate, and frame rate, to get high-quality gameplay. EaseUS EaseUS EaseUS From the above, you can choose tools such as EaseUS RecExperts, OBS Studio, NVIDIA ShadowPlay, etc., which provide diversified features to satisfy different users’ needs. Record gameplay on PC with EaseUS game recorder EaseUS RecExperts is a powerful Windows game recorder that allows you to record gameplay without fps drops or delays in real time. The best PC video game recording software’s Record Game mode feature is specially designed for game recording and can record high-resolution video up to 1080P or 4K. With this screen recorder for PC, you can record any game screen without watermark. You can configure recording parameters, such as recording region, output format, bitrate, and even audio denoising. Meanwhile, you can set up hotkeys to screen record Windows 10/11 while you’re playing games.  Its schedule recording function supports automatically recording PC gameplay with no lag as needed. You can also record gameplay and facecam at the same time. After recording, you can edit your recordings with its inbuilt trimming tool, such as exporting audio or clips. Here’s how to record PC gameplay with EaseUS RecExperts: Step 1. Download and enable this PC game recorder. Choose its Record Game mode. Step 2. Click on Select Game to choose the game you want to record. You can configure the parameters of the recordings, such as the sound, webcam, or video formats. Step 3. Click on the REC button to start. EaseUS EaseUS EaseUS Step 4. Once recorded, you can edit with built-in editing tool or share them to your social media platforms. EaseUS EaseUS EaseUS Free OBS Studio to capture gameplay on PC OBS Studio is a flexible and free open-source screen recorder and broadcaster software that supports Windows, Mac, and Linux. Its Game Capture function allows users to record 2D or 3D game footage on PC losslessly, and it supports recording on a variety of game platforms like Steam and Roblox. With this OBS screen recorder, you can record computer audio and screen and stream gameplay recordings to YouTube, Facebook, Twitch, TikTok, or other streaming service platforms. Users can customize the resolution and FPS, up to 1080p and 60fps, for lossless game video quality. It has high-performance real-time video/audio capture and mixing functions and is particularly suitable for Windows game recording. Both gamers and content creators can use it to produce and share high-quality video content. Step 1. Add a scene in “Scenes” with the “+” icon. Step 2. Select “Game Capture” in “Sources” and configure properties, then click “OK”. Step 3. Adjust audio settings in “Audio Mixer” for high-quality capture. Step 4. Begin your recording in “Controls” by pressing “Start Recording”. EaseUS EaseUS EaseUS Record high-end PC gameplay with NVIDIA ShadowPlay If your PC uses an NVIDIA GPU, you can use GeForce Experience software’s screen recording feature, NVIDIA ShadowPlay, also called NVIDIA In-Game Overlay. ShadowPlay can help gamers record or live-stream game screens on YouTube, Twitch, and Facebook. It supports recording up to 8K HDR resolution, ensuring every high-definition gaming moment is captured. Users can easily control recording through shortcut keys such as “Alt+F9”, while enjoying the Instant Replay mode to quickly capture highlights and never miss any gaming moments. The steps about how to record highlights with GeForce Experience are as follows: Step 1. Launch NVIDIA GeForce Experience software on your PC. Step 2. Go to > Settings > Features > NVIDIA overlay, and turn it on. You can also press Alt+Z to open it. EaseUS EaseUS EaseUS Step 3. Set your audio or video preference or storage location. Step 4. To start recording, you press the Alt + F9 shortcut key. Step 5. You can use “Alt + F10” to Save the last 5 mins 0 secs recorded with the instant replay feature. Step 6. Use “Alt + F3” to end the recording. Then, you can view the game video. EaseUS EaseUS EaseUS If you don’t want to download third-party game recorders, you can use Windows’ inbuilt screen capture tool to obtain your gameplay highlights. Xbox Game Bar shortcuts to record gameplay Windows 11/10 Xbox Game Bar, a free Windows built-in screen recorder with voice, is suitable for Win11/10. You don’t need to download or install additional software to capture game clips on PC. You can press Win + G shortcuts to enable Game Bar on your PC and press Win+Alt+R shortcuts to start or stop recording without leaving the game. It supports players in customizing the maximum recording time, frame rate, quality, etc., to adapt to different games and personal needs. Meanwhile, users can view the CPU, GPU, RAM, etc. usage during the game through its Performance mode. Xbox Game Bar offers a convenient Record Last 30 Seconds feature, perfect for capturing gameplay moments like unexpected kills, hilarious antics, and more. However, the Game Bar’s max recording length is 4 hours. If you need to record long gameplay, it’s better to choose a third-party Windows game recorder with no time limit. Step 1. Enable the computer game bar by pressing Win+G hotkeys. Step 2. Click on the Start Recording button to start recording gameplay. You can also press Win+Alt+R hotkeys to start or stop recording quickly. EaseUS EaseUS EaseUS Step 3. Once finished, Click on See My Captures to preview your recordings. From the above, we have learned how to record gameplay on PC. In addition to desktop games, many players are keen on playing games on game consoles such as PS (PlayStation), Xbox, or Nintendo Switch. How to capture gameplay on PS4, PS5, or Nintendo Switch. Let’s delve into this next. How to record console gameplay on PC Mainstream consoles like PS5, Xbox Series S, and Nintendo Switch offer built-in recording but are limited, e.g., Switch captures at 30s clips and lacks editing features. Thus, recording console gameplay on PC is a smart option. Here are the two most common and versatile ways to do this: The first method is to use a video capture card and a screen recorder that can capture an external video source, such as the OBS Studio mentioned above. Connect the game console, capture card, and computer to each other, and then use the recording software that comes with the capture card to capture the screen. For instance, GreenLink capture cards can use OBS Studio. EaseUS EaseUS EaseUS The other is to stream or mirror the console screen to a PC and record it with an installed PC screen recorder such as EaseUS RecExperts. For example, the PS4 Share Play feature can mirror your screen to Windows. Once the console’s screen is successfully mirrored to Windows, EaseUS RecExperts can capture the displayed console screen. Must-know tips: how to record high quality gameplay on PC How to record gameplay on PC without losing fps or lagging? The following are some practical suggestions: Computer hardware: Use a high-performance GPU like AMD Radeon or NVIDIA GeForce, a fast CPU like Intel Core i7 or AMD Ryzen 7, and a minimum of 16GB RAM, preferably 32GB, a high read/write speed SSD storage, for gaming and recording. External devices: Select a high-quality headphones and professional condenser microphones like Blue Yeti or Rode NT-USB for clear audio recording. Use an HD webcam for personal appearances or live streaming. Recording software and settings: Professional video game recorder: EaseUS RecExperts, OBS Studio, NVIDIA ShadowPlay or Xbox Game Bar, etc. Audio settings: To ensure clear game sounds and microphone input Video Format: Usually MP4, MOV, AVI, FLV, etc. Resolution: 1080p, 4K UHD, or higher to maintain video clarity. Frame rate: 30fps, 60fps,120fps or higher to ensure a smooth picture. Bitrate: 1080p 30fps can be set to 3000kbps to 6000kbps; higher quality videos may choose 10,000kbps or higher to balance video quality and file size. Encoder: Use H.264 (AVC) or H.265 (HEVC) to balance quality and file size Shortcut settings: To quickly capture screen images External environment: Make sure your network connection is stable and fast, preferably wired Ethernet for live streaming. Maintain a quiet, well-lit recording space to avoid background noise and screen glare. Conclusion This article provides various ways to record games on PC, from high-quality recording with EaseUS RecExperts to versatile game recording and live streaming with OBS Studio and NVIDIA ShadowPlay, and also introduces the Xbox Game Bar tool built into Windows. Users who want to capture game screens on PC can choose a suitable game video recorder to easily record and share their game highlights. Read...

Beige box on its side. Massive matching monitor. CD-ROM drive and a floppy disk drive underneath. This itsy-bitsy, teeny-weeny, off-white, boxy PC is a dead ringer for the first leftover computer my dad set up for me back in the early 90s. There’s but one difference: it’s six inches tall. YouTuber Salim Benbouziyane (spotted by PCGamer and Yanko Design) made this thing from scratch by 3D-printing a case for a Raspberry Pi 4 and adding in an LCD screen in the monitor, plus a custom breakout board to get the power button and MicroSD card facing front on the case. The MicroSD card holding the operating system and storage actually pops in and out of the tiny CD-ROM drive — a fantastic touch that means you don’t have to disassemble the entire thing just to load up new software. The attention to detail in all of these elements is amazing. Even though the screen is integrated into the case and not a separate component like a real CRT monitor, its custom bezel blocks off a bit of the LCD to get a more nostalgic square shape. At 720 by 720, it’s far sharper than any of the real monitors from way back when, but it can twist a bit on its axle with satisfying plastic-on-plastic action. The side-mounted speakers aren’t as authentic as the glow-pipe LEDs — PCs back then needed entirely separate speakers or headphones. But I think I’ll allow it since it means you’ll never snap those horrible old speaker wires. The molded Dell logo and the monitor adjustment dials are really hitting my nostalgia buttons, too. It’s even rocking some old processor and OS decals, though Benbouziyane made them accurate to the actual guts. My God, it even has a dedicated volume wheel on the CD-ROM! Salim Benbouziyane Salim Benbouziyane Salim Benbouziyane Even though it’s about the size of an Altoids tin, the Raspberry Pi 4 can run circles around any PC from the 90s, even accounting for the differences in x86 and Arm architecture. Though it’s skinned to look like Windows XP (dig that Winamp and Pipes screensaver!), the mini PC is actually running Twister OS, a PiOS fork with an XFCE environment. It’s powerful enough to run Doom, naturally, but I’m loving Space Cadet 3D Pinball for that authentic “it’s twenty minutes till the end of class and I’m done with my book report” vibe. Benbouziyane controls programs and games via Bluetooth, though it’s easy enough to remote in if you want to make this thing run more useful network-based tools. Check out the full video if you want to see it for yourself, and all the 3D printing and PCB files are available if you want to give it a try. Read...

You don’t need a PhD to see that gaming rigs are significantly more expensive than their non-gaming counterparts. But what’s interesting is that gaming laptops tend to be more expensive than gaming PCs, at least in terms of what you get for your money. There’s a wide chasm in perceived value between gaming laptops and gaming PCs, and the best high-end gaming laptops often cost more pound-for-pound compared to similar-tier gaming PCs. Both might pack a blisteringly fast Nvidia GeForce RTX GPU and accompanying CPU, but one’s going to hit your wallet a lot harder. Why is that? This Razer Blade 18 (2024) with an RTX 4090 is a hefty $4,499. This Razer Blade 18 (2024) with an RTX 4090 is a hefty $4,499.Thiago Trevisan / IDG This Razer Blade 18 (2024) with an RTX 4090 is a hefty $4,499.Thiago Trevisan / IDG Thiago Trevisan / IDG Well, I’m a gaming laptop expert and I have lots of experience with this, so allow me to shed light on all the major factors that play into why gaming laptops are so expensive. Reason #1: Convenience The portability of a gaming laptop is its unique selling point versus normal gaming rigs. Not everyone can afford the luxury of a permanent gaming PC plus a separate laptop, so the ability to combine high-end gaming within a laptop is understandably sought after. Indeed, gaming laptops fit the bill for so many people. They come in handy for work and travel, but the sheer flexibility of playing anywhere in your home is also valuable. Even a svelte PC such as the Falcon Northwest Tiki isn’t mobile enough for some. Even a svelte PC such as the Falcon Northwest Tiki isn’t mobile enough for some.Thiago Trevisan / IDG Even a svelte PC such as the Falcon Northwest Tiki isn’t mobile enough for some.Thiago Trevisan / IDG Thiago Trevisan / IDG Sure, there are diminutive PC gaming desktops—such as the Falcon Northwest FragBox and Falcon Northwest Tiki—that are small enough to lug around, but they still require separate monitors, keyboards, and mice that kill on-demand portability. Nothing compares to the all-in-one convenience of a gaming laptop. That’s why gaming laptops outsell gaming PCs—and by 2025, gaming laptop sales are projected to be double the sales of gaming PCs. When there’s this much demand, it’s no surprise to see rising prices. Reason #2: Complex designs Gaming laptops aren’t just in higher demand than gaming PCs. They’re simply more expensive to produce due to engineering costs. Think of all the components that go into a laptop: display, keyboard, touchpad, CPU, etc. All of these parts don’t just have to fit together—they also have limited amounts of space to work with. That means laptop components need to be much smaller compared to desktop components, and the overall package of a laptop tends to be much more complex than a desktop PC. That’s a lot of technology packed into a small space! That’s a lot of technology packed into a small space!Thiago Trevisan / IDG That’s a lot of technology packed into a small space!Thiago Trevisan / IDG Thiago Trevisan / IDG It’s one thing to pay a markup on high-quality components, like OLED screens, mechanical keyboards, and lots of RAM. It’s a step up to figure out how to get all those pieces neatly into the tiny chassis of a laptop. So, translating components into laptop-compatible form factors takes engineering manpower, and that drives up costs. And one particular part incurs a big cost: the battery. Whereas a desktop PC can support heavy and humongous power supplies, the battery in a laptop adds weight and places further design restrictions due to all the space it takes up and all the heat it generates. Thiago Trevisan / IDG Thiago Trevisan / IDG Thiago Trevisan / IDG Even the power brick for a laptop is an important expense for manufacturers to consider. Smaller, heat-efficient adapters that can handle the power needs of a powerful gaming laptop aren’t cheap to make. And some manufacturers, like Razer, have moved on to newer technologies (like GaN charging) for their high-end gaming laptops. This intricate balancing act between battery capacity, weight, size, and heat efficiency results in ballooning costs. (But it’s not all bad. There are still lots of sub-$1,000 gaming laptops that still perform well.) Reason #3: Thermal restrictions The hardware in a laptop doesn’t just have to be smaller than it’d be in a desktop PC—it has to play nice in the hot, cramped environment. For any given component in a laptop: it can’t impede the flow of air through the inside; it can’t give off too much heat and contribute to the problem; it has to withstand heat well enough to continue operating even when the internal temperature climbs. More on this: What to do if your gaming laptop is running hot A lot of development goes into those factors, and a lot of extra testing needs to be done to ensure that higher-quality laptop components meet these stricter requirements. Dell Dell Dell You can see this in action when you look at two versions of a GPU, one for desktops and one for laptops. For example, the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 desktop GPU has 24GB of VRAM and performs significantly better than the RTX 4090 laptop GPU, which only packs 16GB of VRAM. (That’s closer to the GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Super desktop GPU.) Similarly, a desktop GPU could easily suck down 450 watts of power while a laptop GPU may max out in the 175-watt range. Why is this? The laptop GPU is limited by thermal and power management needs. It’s not necessarily a cost-saving measure. A desktop GPU has tons of cooling space and larger fans to accommodate better airflow. A gaming laptop has smaller fans and the GPU has to work within a tighter space. These limits explain why less-powerful GPUs can still be very expensive in laptops. The story is similar for CPUs, too. For example, the Intel Core i9 14900HX falls short of its desktop counterpart due to power limits and cooling considerations. Reason #4: Accessories Gaming laptops aren’t just more expensive out of the box. If you want a decked-out experience that matches a desktop gaming rig, you’re going to spend a lot on accessories. These auxiliary costs add up fast. It’s not uncommon to buy accessories for gaming laptops—like this cooling pad. It’s not uncommon to buy accessories for gaming laptops—like this cooling pad.Thiago Trevisan / IDG It’s not uncommon to buy accessories for gaming laptops—like this cooling pad.Thiago Trevisan / IDG Thiago Trevisan / IDG Your first expense may be in the form of a laptop cooling pad. Sure, top-tier gaming laptops have impressive heatsinks and cooling designs to dissipate heat, but it’s not always enough. Even a simple laptop stand can improve thermals by increasing airflow beneath. Extra fan power is also a bonus that can help you crank your laptop’s performance. More on this: Are laptop cooling pads worth it? You might also need a hub or docking station. Since laptops are so small, they can’t support as many ports as desktop PCs can—but if you’re a power user, you’ll likely want the extra ports. See our picks for the best USB-C hubs and best Thunderbolt docks for options. Docking stations—especially ones with Thunderbolt support—are extremely useful. Docking stations—especially ones with Thunderbolt support—are extremely useful.Thiago Trevisan / IDG Docking stations—especially ones with Thunderbolt support—are extremely useful.Thiago Trevisan / IDG Thiago Trevisan / IDG And if you spend a non-trivial amount of time using your gaming laptop at a desk, you probably need more than just the built-in keyboard and screen. Even just for ergonomic health, you’ll want an external monitor and external keyboard so you can keep good posture. And if you want top-notch graphics and the satisfying click-clack of a mechanical keyboard, you’ll want to spring for gamer-style options. Related: The best gaming monitors to level up your rig Get ready to add plenty of accessories to make your gaming laptop truly desktop ready. Get ready to add plenty of accessories to make your gaming laptop truly desktop ready.Thiago Trevisan / IDG Get ready to add plenty of accessories to make your gaming laptop truly desktop ready.Thiago Trevisan / IDG Thiago Trevisan / IDG Since storage and ports are limited on many laptops, you’ll also likely need an external drive to boost your storage capacity. Some gaming laptops come with lots of internal storage, but it’s easy to run out (especially given how large modern games have gotten). Are gaming laptops worth it? Without a doubt, gaming laptops are pound-for-pound more expensive than equivalent gaming desktop PCs. But that extra price might still be worth shelling out for. Last year I wrote about how I was blown away after switching to a high-end gaming laptop and seeing for myself the shockingly good gaming experience one can have. The combination of a mini-LED display, Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 GPU, and good onboard sound made for some enjoyable sessions. The biggest reason to choose a gaming laptop over a gaming desktop PC is the portability factor. The added value can be huge depending on your use cases, which can justify the marked-up price. If you’re a white-collar professional who’s always working on-the-go but still wants to game, a gaming laptop is a no-brainer. If you’re a gamer who frequently moves between locations (like home, school, and friends’ houses), a gaming laptop makes sense. Even if you don’t need the absolute best gaming performance, there are lots of mid-level options in the gaming laptop market worth checking out. But if you strictly care most about bang for your buck and you only game from home, then there’s no reason to pay the upcharge. Use that cash to fund a blinged-out desktop gaming rig instead. Further reading: Use these apps to optimize your gaming laptop Read...