Tag Archives: Gaming

This Modded Android Phone Runs The Witcher 3 at 1080p Ultra Settings

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The boundary between a smartphone and a desktop computer has been narrowing for years. Modern flagship phones carry processor configurations, RAM capacities, and GPU performance that would have qualified as desktop territory not long ago. Most of the time, that hardware sits underutilized inside a slim glass slab, throttled by thermals the moment any sustained workload asks it to perform at its actual ceiling.

One modder decided to find out what a flagship Android phone such as the nubia Z70 Ultra could actually do if thermal throttling was removed from the equation. The answer involved relocating the screen to the front of a custom acrylic case and sandwiching the phone itself between two desktop-grade CPU coolers with direct contact against the Snapdragon chip’s shielding. The result doesn’t fit neatly into any existing product category.

Designer: ntsow

The Nubia Z70 Ultra carries a Snapdragon 8 Elite processor with a maximum clock speed of 4.32 GHz and 24 GB of RAM. Removing the screen was the key step: the CPU coolers need direct access to the chip’s shielding for full thermal contact, so the display had to migrate to the outside of the case. A power bank handles the energy supply, completing the self-contained build.

On the software side, the build runs a full XFCE Linux desktop through Termux with GPU acceleration, layering Windows application support on top via Wine and Box64. The Android system remains fully intact underneath, making the device simultaneously a phone, a Linux workstation, and a Windows gaming machine. The stated end goal is one device that handles everything, including native Linux work and full Windows game support.

The cooling changes what the hardware is capable of sustaining. In 3DMark’s Wild Life Extreme Stress Test, the modified phone achieved 99% stability across 20 loops, outperforming the newer Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, Apple A19 Pro, and Dimensity 9500 on the consistency metric. That sustained performance is the point: most mobile chips can briefly hit impressive scores, but they thermal-throttle within minutes under continuous load.

The Witcher 3 runs at 1080p with Ultra graphics settings, hitting 20 to 30 fps and occasionally exceeding 30 fps when the phone operates in its maximum-performance overclocking mode. The Adreno GPU runs at 99% utilization during those sessions, and the build connects to an external monitor with keyboard and mouse support for a genuine desktop gaming setup. For an Android phone, the performance is difficult to dismiss.

What the build demonstrates is less about running The Witcher 3 at any particular resolution and more about how far the gap between a phone and a desktop has actually closed. Adequate cooling was the only thing separating the Snapdragon 8 Elite from sustained desktop-class workloads. The question the project raises isn’t whether phones can replace PCs but how much work remains before the hardware inside them can already handle it.

The post This Modded Android Phone Runs The Witcher 3 at 1080p Ultra Settings first appeared on Yanko Design.

8BitDo Made the N64’s 30th Anniversary Keyboard Every Millennial Wants

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Nintendo’s “Funtastic” translucent plastic era tends to provoke a specific kind of nostalgia. The see-through consoles and controllers from the late 1990s made the hardware itself part of the aesthetic, and the ice blue variant of the N64 in particular developed a cult following that outlasted the console’s commercial run by several decades. The transparency wasn’t a gimmick then, and it still doesn’t feel like one now.

The 8BitDo Retro 87 Keyboard in Clear Blue arrives as part of the N64’s 30th anniversary and borrows that translucent blue finish directly. But the design doesn’t stop at the shell. Specific keys carry the actual color palette of the original N64 controller: yellow arrow keys for the C-buttons, blue and green A and B keys, and a red left Ctrl referencing the Start button. For anyone who logged enough hours with that particular controller, the color map reads immediately.

Designer: 8BitDo

The Clear Blue edition uses 8BitDo Cloud Gray Linear mechanical switches, co-developed with HUANO specifically for this version and distinct from the Kailh Box White switches in the Fami and N editions. The keycaps combine dye-sublimation PBT and ABS + PC double-shot construction with a matte UV coating, giving the legends both durability and a finish that suits the translucent shell better than a glossy alternative would.

Underneath, the hot-swappable PCB sits in a top mount configuration, which is a construction choice that tends to provide a softer, more cushioned typing feel compared to bottom mount builds. N-key rollover handles simultaneous inputs without dropping keystrokes. Per-key RGB backlighting runs through the whole board, visible through the translucent shell in a way that a standard opaque case would never allow. The 200-hour wireless battery life on a 2,000 mAh cell is rated for the 2.4 GHz wireless mode, with the adapter included in the box.

Connectivity covers three modes: Bluetooth, 2.4 GHz wireless, and wired USB, the standard trio for a modern keyboard that needs to move between devices and setups. A pair of programmable Super Buttons ships with the keyboard, matching the Clear Blue finish and assignable through 8BitDo Ultimate Software V2. They sit outside the main typing area and can take on whatever function is needed, from media controls to game inputs.

The 87-key tenkeyless layout drops the number pad but keeps the full navigation cluster, which is the practical choice for a keyboard meant to share desk space with other peripherals. The layout doesn’t commit to being purely a gaming board or purely a productivity tool, which suits a keyboard this visually distinctive rather well. Something that references a 30-year-old console doesn’t need to pretend it’s a neutral office accessory.

There’s a certain honesty to the approach here. The Clear Blue colorway isn’t a subtle nod or a distant reference; it’s an explicit callback to a specific era of hardware design that a generation of players grew up with. The translucent shell shows the PCB and internal components through the blue tint, carrying the same logic those original Funtastic consoles did: the inside of the hardware was worth looking at.

The post 8BitDo Made the N64’s 30th Anniversary Keyboard Every Millennial Wants first appeared on Yanko Design.

Most Macro Pads Top Out at 24 Keys, but This Keychron Has 100

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Macro pads have always operated on the assumption that a handful of keys is enough. Most offer between six and 24 programmable buttons, which covers a tidy shortcut setup until it doesn’t, when a workflow shifts or a new application joins the rotation. Running out of keys usually means buying a second pad, stacking it beside the first, and accepting that the layout will never quite be what you originally wanted.

The Keychron C100 8K skips that problem entirely by starting with 100. Arranged in a 10-by-10 grid and taking up roughly the footprint of a full-size keyboard, it ships with every key completely unbound. There are no default shortcuts, no preset layouts, and nothing to undo. The entire surface is a blank canvas that users fill through Keychron Launcher, the brand’s browser-based configuration tool.

Designer: Keychron

That software handles everything from key assignments and macro sequences to per-key RGB lighting. Color-coding matters more here than it does on a conventional keyboard, because it’s one of the more practical ways to navigate 100 unmarked keys. A cluster in red for video editing, a row in blue for streaming controls, and a section in green for communication apps turns a uniform grid into something immediately legible.

The switches underneath are Keychron’s own Apex Red linears, which ship installed but aren’t the only option. Hot-swappable sockets mean any MX-style switch fits without soldering, which opens the C100 to the deeper enthusiast habit of collecting and testing different switches across different zones. The transparent ASA-profile keycaps, made from a combination of PBT and polycarbonate, let the per-key RGB glow through without muddying the colors.

An 8,000Hz polling rate sits at the competitive end of the spec sheet, which matters most for gaming where input latency becomes meaningful. That puts the C100 in a different position from most macro pads, which treat speed as secondary to programmability. Having both in the same device means the 100 keys can cover reactive gaming inputs and slower productivity shortcuts with the same responsiveness.

The scale of the grid also changes how the device can be organized in practice. A standard macro pad tends to cluster tightly around a single application, leaving little room for secondary controls. The C100 has enough room to dedicate zones to different software contexts without overlap, so switching between a video editor and a 3D modeling tool doesn’t require reprogramming or layer-switching in the middle of a session.

Connectivity is wired USB Type-C, which removes batteries and wireless latency from the equation. Adjustable feet let users dial in the typing angle, and the plastic body keeps the overall weight manageable for something this large. At 196.65mm x 196.65mm, the C100 forms a perfect square, which makes it geometrically distinctive at a glance and easy to position consistently on a desk.

The post Most Macro Pads Top Out at 24 Keys, but This Keychron Has 100 first appeared on Yanko Design.