Reviewers judge each technology in your device by how many releases it trails the newest option on the market. Budget versions can trail by 3 and still earn a good comment, Standard versions by 2, and Flagship versions by only 1. Research first the technologies that start you behind, then keep up with the ones that release new options fastest.
How Reviews Judge Technology
Every technology in the device editor, such as Display Technology, RAM or Camera Zoom, gets new options on fixed dates over the years. Your research level in that technology is how many of those options you’ve unlocked. Each time a new option comes out and you haven’t researched it, your best choice falls one step further behind.
Reviewers look at how many steps behind the newest option your device’s choice is:
| Version | Good comment (8–10) | Average comment (4–7) | Bad comment (1–3) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Budget | 0–3 steps behind | 4–5 steps behind | 6+ steps behind |
| Standard | 0–2 steps behind | 3–4 steps behind | 5+ steps behind |
| Flagship | 0–1 steps behind | 2–3 steps behind | 4+ steps behind |
Each technology adds one comment to the pile the four reviewers draw from, so every technology you let slip raises the odds of a poor review. See the sales guide for how much each rating point is worth.
Display Resolution Never Earns a Good Comment
Display Resolution is the exception. On smartphones, tablets, laptops, TVs and smartwatches, it earns an average comment even when it’s fully up to date. It still earns a bad comment once it falls too far behind, so research it only to stay out of the bad range: no more than 5 steps behind on a Budget version, 4 on Standard or 3 on Flagship.
Version Choice and Technology
Because Flagship versions turn average at just 2 steps behind, they need nearly every technology fully researched to review well. Make Flagship versions only once you can keep a device’s main technologies within one release of the newest. Budget versions forgive the most, which makes them the safest choice while your research is thin.
The Standard and Flagship Devices research has three levels and costs 1,100 research points and $13,000,000 per level. Most early technology levels cost far less, about 10–50 research points and $200,000–475,000 each.
First Priorities in a 2008 Start
In a 2008 start, most technologies begin fully up to date or 1–2 steps behind, so Budget devices review well at first. The table lists the technologies that slip into average or bad comments for Budget versions earliest if you never research them. Research these first for the device types you make.
| Device | Technology | Starts behind | Average for Budget from | Bad for Budget from |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smartphones and tablets | Display Technology | 2 steps | October 2009 | July 2010 |
| Smartphones and tablets | Camera Zoom | 0 steps | August 2009 | May 2010 |
| Smartphones and tablets | Display Resolution | 0 steps | from the start | March 2011 |
| Laptops | Display Resolution | 2 steps | from the start | March 2010 |
| Laptops | RAM | 2 steps | April 2009 | June 2011 |
| TVs | Display Motion Index | 2 steps | December 2008 | April 2010 |
| TVs | Display Viewing Angle | 2 steps | June 2009 | July 2011 |
| TVs | Sound Technology | 2 steps | August 2009 | June 2011 |
Camera Zoom starts up to date but gets seven new options between 2008 and 2010, more than any other early technology, so it falls behind quickly. Most other early technologies get about three new options in that time and stay good for Budget versions until around 2011.
For Flagship versions, every technology that starts 2 steps behind already earns an average comment on day one. A 2008 Flagship needs those technologies researched before launch.
Later Start Years
You can also start a new game in 2010, 2014, 2020 or 2026. Later starts begin with more research already done, so check the Research screen for anything still at level 1 in the technologies your first device uses.
New device types unlock over time. Their production research becomes available on these dates:
| Device | Production research available |
|---|---|
| Tablets | 25 December 2009 |
| Keyboards | 25 December 2013 |
| Smartwatches | 25 December 2014 |
| Headphones | 26 December 2014 |
| E-scooters | 27 December 2014 |
| VR headsets | 25 December 2015 |
GPU Research and Your Own Processors
When you design your own processor, the GPU TYPE page of the CPU editor sets its built-in graphics. Choose GPU from the manufacturer to use a licensed graphics chip from the last couple of years, such as an Adreno or Mali chip for phones. Or choose Request a custom GPU and set the graphics yourself. A custom GPU costs more, and each of its settings only goes as high as your GPU research for that device type allows.
| Processor for | GPU research that limits a custom GPU |
|---|---|
| Smartphones and tablets | GPU Clock Speed, GPU Compute Power (GFLOPS), GPU Texture Fillrate, GPU Pixel Fillrate |
| Laptops | GPU Clock Speed, GPU Compute Power (TFLOPS), GPU Texture Fillrate, GPU Texture Units, GPU PCIe Version |
| Consoles | GPU Clock Speed, GPU Compute Power (GFLOPS), GPU Texture Fillrate, GPU Texture Units |
| VR headsets | GPU Clock Speed, GPU Compute Power (TFLOPS), GPU Texture Fillrate, GPU Pixel Fillrate |
The five laptop technologies also count for the graphics cards you design. Each level in them improves both your laptop graphics cards and your laptop processors’ built-in graphics, so if you make both, research those five first.
You can’t put a graphics card you designed into a processor, though. The CPU editor only offers licensed chips or a custom GPU built from your research.
Your own graphics cards only go into laptops. The graphics card editor makes laptop and PC cards, and you fit one with Use my dGPU on the laptop editor’s processor page. The console and VR editors show a help line about using your own dGPU, but they don’t offer that option. For custom console or VR graphics, use your own processor with a custom GPU, or choose Request a custom iGPU in the device editor.