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Hello New ModRetro Chromatic Color, Goodbye Limited Stock
Hello New ModRetro Chromatic Color, Goodbye Limited Stock

Forbes

time8 hours ago

  • Entertainment
  • Forbes

Hello New ModRetro Chromatic Color, Goodbye Limited Stock

Chromatic Credit: ModRetro ModRetro's M64, an FPGA ode to the Nintendo 64, is supposedly on the way, though who knows when that will ship, or even go on sale, for that matter. In the meantime, however, we've got ourselves what seems to be a permanent restock of the retro revival company's premium Game Boy and Game Boy Color-compatible handheld. After selling out months ago, you can now buy the coveted Chromatic yet again, and in a new colorway, too, one that's simply dubbed Cloud (which is different than the GameStop variant). The fresh hue brings to mind the North American Super Nintendo motif, although if you'd rather have something a little bolder, the original rainbow options are still available, but they won't sport the notable '1st Edition' stamp found on units from the initial Chromatic production run. Since its inception, one of the big selling points of the Chromatic has been its extremely durable sapphire display, and interestingly enough, this restock arrives with an additional, cheaper screen option: Gorilla Glass. Chromatics with sapphire displays are priced at $299.99 ($100 more than they were at launch, by the way), while Chromatics with a less desirable Gorilla Glass offering will set you back $199.99. Both handhelds still come bundled with a physical cartridge of Tetris . Cloud Chromatic Credit: ModRetro Full disclosure: ModRetro kindly sent me a Chromatic months back for testing and I've only just gotten around to actually using it. I can honestly say it's a very solid Game Boy homage, if a little on the small side for my massive hands. The display quality is fantastic, and so are the springy buttons—I really like how they feel. The unit build-quality gives off tiny tank energy (did anyone ever play that weird PS1 title?) and I think it's worth the asking price, maybe even the increased $300. In many ways, I'd say I prefer it to the Analogue Pocket, although I do wish it played Game Boy Advance titles as well, even though that would go against the Chromatic's 'purest' design philosophy, as it were. I wouldn't doubt if ModRetro is working on a specific GBA follow-up for the future, though. Something with a horizontal hand-feel, no doubt. There's also a new rechargeable battery available on ModRetro's website, alongside a branded link cable and a mod kit that will allow you to change out d-pads and other inputs. I might have to check out that Power Core, because while AA batteries are nostalgic, they're sort of a pain to keep replacing. The link cable seems intriguing, too. I always loved playing head-to-head Pokémon with friends and siblings on my old Atomic Purple Game Boy Color. That said, let's just hope ModRetro isn't bringing back the Worm Light. Let's collectively shudder at such a thought. I wouldn't doubt if translucent Chromatic colors are on the way at some point, especially since Analogue has dabbled in this type of variant with its own Pocket handheld. But the Cloud option is good for the time being, and I'm excited about putting my Inferno review unit to the test over the next few weeks. If only I could grab a second Chromatic and try out the link cable. I guess I'd need a friend, too. Perhaps ModRetro could supply this as well? Stay tuned.

Exegy launches market data platform
Exegy launches market data platform

Finextra

time26-06-2025

  • Business
  • Finextra

Exegy launches market data platform

Exegy, a leading provider of market data, trading technology and managed services for the capital markets, today announced the launch of Nexus, a breakthrough market data platform that eliminates the long-standing trade-offs between performance, scale, and cost. 0 This content is provided by an external author without editing by Finextra. It expresses the views and opinions of the author. Built to meet the demands of today's high-volume, high-volatility trading environments, Nexus replaces fragmented, server-heavy feed handler deployments with efficient FPGA-based appliances and network interface cards. Nexus delivers consistent low-single-digit microsecond performance, consumes a single CPU core on client servers, and reduces datacenter footprint by more than 40%. 'Sustained volatility and high volumes present attractive trading opportunities to savvy firms with the strategies and moxie to capture them. Nexus offers them a transformative tool to conquer the unattractive compromises that they would otherwise have to make when building their trading platform,' said David Taylor, CEO at Exegy. 'With Nexus, we leveraged our proven FPGA expertise to fundamentally reimagine market data processing along the full data path from raw tick to executed trade.' Key Features and Benefits of Nexus: Consistent Speed: Market data is delivered to software applications in ~2 microseconds, enabling trading strategies to react in under 3 microseconds with extremely low jitter Future-proof Capacity: Market data is processed at line rate during a single hop through an FPGA while integrated Level 1 switching enables seamless scaling of appliances Extreme Efficiency: Client servers allocate a single CPU core to consume normalized market data from an appliance that processes all feeds in a datacenter Dramatic Cost Savings: Over 40% reductions in operating costs are achievable with lower datacenter footprint Comprehensive Managed Services: FPGA-based appliances are fully managed, monitored, and updated by a global team of experts Tick-to-Trade Integration: Seamless integration with FPGA tick-to-trade platform enables ultra-low latency strategies to respond to aggregated market data from multiple markets in under 350 nanoseconds In a return on investment analysis with a U.S. equities broker, Nexus delivered up to 41% in infrastructure savings. Replacing traditional, software-based deployments with a managed FPGA-based Nexus appliance reduced server count from 32 to 22, cutting operational costs by 36%, saving an estimated $1.4 million annually per site. When paired with Nexus SmartNICs to offload the API layer, server count dropped to 17, delivering close to $2 million in annual savings, improved determinism, eliminated jitter, and reduced overall system complexity. Beyond market data normalization and distribution, Nexus integrates seamlessly into the broader trading stack, supporting both application-level consumption and execution workflows. It is fully compatible with Exegy's tick-to-trade and execution solutions, SREX and nxAccess, enabling firms to build cohesive, high-performance trading infrastructures. For market makers and Smart Order Routers, Nexus also simplifies the deployment of large-scale FPGA environments. The platform delivers raw and normalized market data directly to FPGAs, enabling ultra-fast order routing to co-located exchanges or signal transmission to remote data centers over wireless networks. Initial deployments focus on equities and futures, with support for additional asset classes and features—such as fast-cancel or sweeping logic for agency brokers—planned for future releases. Nexus is the result of an innovative effort to rethink how market data infrastructure should work in today's trading environment. Through extensive engagement with agency brokers, hedge funds, and market makers across the buy- and sell-side, Exegy validated core challenges—then pushed beyond them. The result is a platform shaped by industry insight but driven by Exegy's vision for scalable, next-generation market data delivery and proven expertise in harnessing FPGA technology to solve the most challenging performance problems in capital markets. 'Most firms still rely on disconnected systems to manage different market data workflows,' said Laurent de Barry, VP, Ultra-Low Latency Trading Products at Exegy. 'This leads to unnecessary complexity, duplicated costs, and limited scalability. Instead of relying on traditional, server-heavy deployments, Nexus consolidates data infrastructure needs into a single, efficient, FPGA-powered platform that supports global market visibility. This gives a centralized, scalable delivery of market data with fewer servers, less power consumption and lower costs.' Nexus is now available for order, with production delivery scheduled for early Q4 2025. Early adopter clients have access to an integration environment that enables application development and testing with the production API. The appliance is delivered as a fully managed service, including deployment, monitoring, and support.

Inside the Lightning-Fast World of High-Frequency AI Trading Systems
Inside the Lightning-Fast World of High-Frequency AI Trading Systems

Geeky Gadgets

time25-06-2025

  • Business
  • Geeky Gadgets

Inside the Lightning-Fast World of High-Frequency AI Trading Systems

What if the difference between profit and loss in financial markets wasn't measured in seconds, but in nanoseconds? High-frequency AI trading (HFT) systems operate in this razor-thin margin of time, where every microsecond shaved off a process can mean millions of dollars gained—or lost. These systems are feats of engineering, combining ultra-low latency hardware, real-time data pipelines, and algorithmic precision to execute trades faster than the blink of an eye. Yet, behind the scenes, their architecture is a labyrinth of complexity, demanding relentless optimization and innovation. For those curious about the invisible machinery driving modern financial markets, the world of HFT offers a fascinating glimpse into the intersection of technology and economics. In this exploration, ByteMonk uncover the real-time architecture that powers these systems, breaking down the critical components that enable them to process market data, make decisions, and execute trades at unprecedented speeds. From in-memory order books that provide instant snapshots of market activity to FPGA accelerators that push hardware to its limits, each element plays a pivotal role in maintaining the competitive edge of HFT firms. But this isn't just a story of speed; it's also one of precision, risk management, and adaptability in an ever-evolving landscape. By the end, you'll gain a deeper appreciation for the intricate design and relentless optimization that make high-frequency AI trading possible—an architecture where milliseconds are a luxury, and every decision is a race against time. High-Frequency Trading Overview What Drives High-Frequency Trading? At its core, high-frequency AI trading revolves around the use of sophisticated algorithms and machines to execute trades at lightning-fast speeds. The primary objective is to exploit minute price discrepancies across markets or instruments, generating profits through high trade volumes. In this environment, speed is paramount—delays measured in microseconds can determine the difference between profit and loss. To achieve this level of performance, HFT systems prioritize: Minimizing latency to ensure trades are executed faster than competitors. Real-time data handling to process and analyze market information instantly. Precision in execution to capitalize on fleeting opportunities with minimal error. Every aspect of an HFT system's design is carefully optimized to meet these demands, making sure it operates with unparalleled efficiency. How Real-Time Market Data Powers HFT The backbone of any HFT system lies in its ability to ingest and process market data in real time. Exchanges broadcast market data through ultra-low latency networks, which HFT systems capture using specialized hardware such as network interface cards (NICs) equipped with kernel bypass technology. This bypass eliminates delays caused by traditional operating system processes, allowing data to flow directly into the system. Once captured, market data feed handlers decode and transform raw data into actionable formats. This transformation enables algorithms to perform rapid analysis and make split-second AI trading decisions. The ability to process data with such speed and accuracy is what allows HFT systems to stay ahead in highly competitive markets. Trading System Real-Time Architecture Explored Watch this video on YouTube. Explore further guides and articles from our vast library that you may find relevant to your interests in AI automation. The Role of In-Memory Order Books An in-memory order book is a pivotal component of HFT systems, providing a live, up-to-the-moment view of market activity. Unlike traditional storage methods, which rely on disk-based systems, in-memory order books store data directly in memory. This eliminates the latency associated with disk access, making sure that trading decisions are based on the most current market conditions. In addition to speed, in-memory order books offer fault tolerance, allowing the system to recover quickly in the event of failures. These order books serve as the foundation for trading algorithms, allowing them to evaluate market conditions and execute strategies with minimal delay. By maintaining a real-time snapshot of the market, HFT systems can respond to changes with unparalleled precision. Event-Driven Pipelines: The Engine of Speed HFT systems rely on event-driven architectures to process data and execute trades at exceptional speeds. These pipelines are optimized for high throughput and low latency, often employing lock-free mechanisms to avoid bottlenecks. Nanosecond-precision timestamps play a critical role in sequencing and synchronizing events. By making sure that decisions are based on the most accurate and timely information, event-driven pipelines enable HFT systems to operate with unmatched efficiency. This architecture is the driving force behind the speed and reliability of high-frequency trading. FPGA Acceleration: Hardware for Speed Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) are a cornerstone of HFT systems, providing hardware-level acceleration for critical tasks. These components are customized to perform specific operations, such as arbitrage calculations or market-making, at speeds far beyond what traditional software can achieve. By embedding logic directly into hardware, FPGAs enable ultra-fast decision-making and execution. This hardware-level optimization gives HFT firms a significant competitive advantage, allowing them to process data and execute trades faster than their competitors. The integration of FPGAs into HFT systems exemplifies the importance of specialized hardware in achieving peak performance. Algorithmic Strategy Engines The strategy engines within HFT systems are responsible for analyzing market conditions and executing trades. These engines are tailored to the specific trading strategies employed by the firm, which may include: Statistical arbitrage : Analyzing historical price relationships to identify profitable opportunities. : Analyzing historical price relationships to identify profitable opportunities. Machine learning models: Adapting to evolving market conditions for dynamic decision-making. Regardless of the approach, these engines are carefully optimized for both speed and accuracy. By using advanced algorithms, HFT systems can respond to market changes in real time, making sure they remain competitive in fast-moving environments. Smart Order Routing and Risk Management Smart order routing is a critical feature of HFT systems, making sure that trades are executed at the best possible prices across multiple exchanges. These routers continuously evaluate market conditions, directing orders to the most favorable venues. Simultaneously, pre-trade risk management systems perform essential checks to prevent financial errors and ensure compliance with regulatory requirements. By integrating these components, HFT systems safeguard the integrity and stability of their operations, minimizing risks while maximizing profitability. Order Management and Continuous Monitoring Centralized monitoring systems provide real-time visibility into the trading process, tracking the status of orders, execution performance, and overall system health. These tools enable operators to detect and resolve issues such as latency spikes or hardware failures quickly. Continuous monitoring ensures that the system operates at peak efficiency, minimizing downtime and maximizing profitability. By maintaining a constant watch over system performance, HFT firms can address potential problems before they escalate, making sure uninterrupted AI trading operations. Relentless Optimization for Precision HFT AI trading systems are in a perpetual state of refinement, with engineers focusing on reducing latency and enhancing performance. This process involves the seamless integration of hardware and software, including: FPGA-based accelerators for hardware-level speed enhancements. for hardware-level speed enhancements. Specialized network hardware to reduce transmission delays. By co-designing these components, HFT systems achieve the precision and speed required to thrive in the fast-paced world of financial markets. This relentless pursuit of optimization ensures that HFT systems remain at the cutting edge of trading technology. Media Credit: ByteMonk Filed Under: AI, Top News Latest Geeky Gadgets Deals Disclosure: Some of our articles include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, Geeky Gadgets may earn an affiliate commission. Learn about our Disclosure Policy.

From Mars To Retro Gaming: After 40 Years FPGAs Continue To Blaze A Trail
From Mars To Retro Gaming: After 40 Years FPGAs Continue To Blaze A Trail

Forbes

time02-06-2025

  • Business
  • Forbes

From Mars To Retro Gaming: After 40 Years FPGAs Continue To Blaze A Trail

AMD is celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Field Programmable Gate Array, or FPGA, today and the company is detailing some of the major milestones in development of the technology over the years. If you recall, AMD acquired Xilinx back in 2022 and has since maintained the company's leadership position in the space. The post on AMD's site covers the FPGA from the early days and its invention back in 1985, all the way up to today, where AMD FPGAs and adaptive SoCs (a modern evolution of the tech), are used in everything from the NASA's Mars rovers, to bleeding edge networking and communications systems, and autonomous vehicles. Let's start with a bit of background on what an FPGA actually does. Some might consider the FPGA somewhat of an unsung hero in the semiconductor market and it's important to understand what they've enabled in their 40-year history. An FPGA is a type of integrated circuit that can be continually reprogrammed in the field to perform different types of computing tasks. Unlike traditional chips that have fixed functionality, FPGAs are mostly comprised of an array of programmable logic blocks and interconnects, which allows them to be customized for a myriad of applications. FPGAs are currently used in virtually every major industry, from automotive, aerospace, and industrial automation, to consumer electronics, telecommunications, advanced research and development, and space exploration. FPGAs are well-suited for many emerging fields, where flexibility to tune algorithms and compute requirements are paramount. The Evolution Of FPGA Technology AMD The FPGA was invented by the late engineer, and Xilinx co-founder, Ross Freeman, in a effort to find a better, more cost-effective way to design chips. The first commercial FPGA to come from Xilinx was branded the XC2064. It featured 85,000 transistors, 64 configurable logic blocks and 58 I/O blocks. That's an absolutely miniscule device relative to some of AMD's most advanced modern FPGA-based devices, like the 138 billion transistor Versal Premium VP1902, which packs 18.5 million logic cells, 2,654 I/O blocks, and up to 6,864 DSP58 Engines, along with an array of memory, security and interfacing technologies. Nonetheless, the original XC2064 paved the way for a wide array of innovations and ultimately revolutionized how chips were made. AMD Versal Premium Board AMD In fact, FPGAs had a direct impact on my partner Dave's early career in the semiconductor industry. In a former life, Dave was a semiconductor sales engineer, and his customer Motorola worked with him on a design with Xilinx FPGAs to pioneer and engineer the first consumer broadband internet cable modems on the market. Dave notes that, 'Without FPGAs, engineering development times for an ASIC would have translated to years of simulation and R&D, and much higher risk, versus months due to the programmable, adaptable nature of the technology.' Motorola remains a key player in consumer broadband connectivity to this day. FPGAs effectively helped pioneer the "fabless" semiconductor model that is pervasive today. Engineers would fine tune and optimize their early designs using FPGAs, and once the design was considered complete and stable it would be used as the foundation for an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit). Though, that wouldn't always be the case – for many applications, sticking with an FPGA throughout a product's lifecycle was the ultimate solution. Even now, the leaders in EDA, Synopsys and Cadence, both feature Versal Premium VP1902 adaptive SoCs in their most advanced prototyping, emulation, and virtualization tools; I've written about them on a few occasions. An adaptive SoC, or system on a chip, is an advanced evolution of the FPGA that couples programmable gate arrays with dedicated processor cores, DSPs, IO, and other connectivity. Over the years, the integration of embedded memory and digital signal processors into FPGAs was crucial for early wireless infrastructure, and the designs have continually evolved since then to better address the needs of many industries. Mega65 PCB With AMD FPGA. As advanced as FPGAs have become, however, they're not just for today's fast-paced, bleeding-edge applications. They've also enabled an entire ecosystem for fans of retro computing, like me. Numerous projects exist today featuring AMD FPGAs, to emulate early computers and gaming systems. The Mega 65, for example, is a modern replica of the never released and ultra rare Commodore 65, though it obviously has far more capability than the original. There are also boards like the Arty-x7 family for do-it-yourselfers and hobbyists that want to experiment with FPGAs for their own designs. Moving forward, AMD's FPGAs and adaptive SoCs will continue to advance with more gates, increased processing power, and additional IO, and will address a wide array of applications. FPGAs will remain pervasive in everything from ADAS, to robotics, to healthcare imaging, emerging 6G wireless networks and – of course – AI. AMD's adaptive SoCs in particular, with their array of processing resources for diverse sensors and inputs, are ideal for self-contained AI applications at the edge, where data from cameras and various other sensors needs to be processed and acted upon with ultra-low latencies. In their 40-year history, FPGAs have enabled a multitude of innovations, and even today they show no signs of stopping.

This retro gaming handheld can now livestream directly to Discord
This retro gaming handheld can now livestream directly to Discord

Android Authority

time21-05-2025

  • Entertainment
  • Android Authority

This retro gaming handheld can now livestream directly to Discord

ModRetro TL;DR The ModRetro Chromatic can now stream directly to Discord with a simple USB-C cable. A firmware update with the new feature is rolling out today. It's part of ModRetro's broader push to make retro gaming more social and accessible. When it comes to FPGA handhelds, the ModRetro Chromatic is by far one of the most popular. The colorful handheld can play Game Boy and Game Boy Color cartridges on a much brighter, backlit IPS screen, and now you can also share your live gameplay with your friends without any extra adapters or software. The new feature comes from a firmware update being pushed out today. Once updated, Chromatic handhelds will have native plug-and-play compatibility with Discord. Just plug the device into your computer via the USB-C port at the bottom, and it will appear in the app's Devices list to share. Stream original Game Boy cartridges with a single device on Discord. This makes connecting with your friends for co-op sessions or casual hangouts easier than ever. This is the first retro gaming handheld with native streaming support on Discord, and it's part of ModRetro's wider efforts to make retro gaming more social and accessible. Currently, the device can connect to a PC to record or stream gameplay via OBS, with Windows machines registering it as a webcam. Linux and macOS support is still in the works, although the new native Discord streaming will work on all platforms. The ModRetro Chromatic ($199.99 at Manufacturer site) was first released in December 2024, but its immense popularity has made the retro gaming handheld difficult to find. All colorways are currently sold out on the ModRetro website, although GameStop still has a few of its exclusive gray units available. The company also publishes new retro-style games, complete with a colorful cartridge and box. Currently, ten titles are available, including brand-new games and re-released classics like Toki Tori. Got a tip? Talk to us! Email our staff at Email our staff at news@ . You can stay anonymous or get credit for the info, it's your choice.

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