Lilibits: Chip news, OnePlus Nord design, and CES Asia is canceled (permanently)

The latest retro console isn’t a console at all… it’s a LEGO kit that lets you build a model of a NES game system and a retro-style TV with a Super Mario level depicted on screen.

After scrapping this year’s CES Asia event due to the pandemic, the Consumer Technology Association has decided it might be better off without that June event from here on out.

AMD has introduced a set of high-performance chips for workstation PCs (but they’re only available for OEMs, so if you want one you’ll need to buy a computer that already has one installed). And ARM’s owner may be looking to sell the chip designer.

Oh, and now we know what the new mid-range phone from OnePlus will look like. Full details should be available in about a week.

Here’s a roundup of recent tech news from around the web.

• SoftBank Explores Sale or IPO for Chip Designer Arm Holdings [WSJ]
  SoftBank is reportedly looking into selling off Arm Holdings, which it acquired in 2016 for $32 billion.
• AMD Announces Ryzen Threadripper Pro [Anandtech]
  AMD launches Ryzen Threadripper Pro chips for workstation-class desktop computers. Models with 12 to 64 cores are available, with PCIe 4.0 support and 8-channel DDR4-3200 RAM support.
• This is the OnePlus Nord Design [Droid-Life]
  The OnePlus Nord won’t be fully revealed until next week, but OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei just showed what it looks like during an interview. Expect four cameras on the back of the phone and two on the front. 
• CES Asia is canceled for good [CES Asia]
  CES Asia has been canceled. First launched in 2015 in Shanghai, the event typically took place about six months after the main CES event in Las Vegas in January. This year’s event was cancelled due to COVID-19. Now the organizers have ended it permanently.
• Google Play Pass: new apps, games, plans and availability [Google]
  Google Play Pass now offers a $30/year annual subscription option, grans you access to a selection of apps and games for half the usual $5/month price (assuming you *want* to pay for a full year). Play Pass is also coming to more countries this week.
• Sandboxie Plus [GitHub]
  Sandboxie Plus is a fork of a Windows tool that allows you to isolate apps from the rest of the operating system called Sandboxie. Originally launched in 2004 and later acquired by Sophos, Sandboxie went open source earlier this year.
• This pressure-sensitive stylus lets you draw on the Switch [Engadget]
  The Nintendo Switch does not have an active digitizer and doesn’t support most pressure-sensitive pens. But the SonarPen works with the Switch, and it will be bundled with a new game called Colors Live.
• First look at the Sector 5 LTE Chromebook E4 [Chrome Unboxed]
  Sneak peek at the Sector 5 E4 LTE Chromebook designed for the education market. It has a Celeron N4020 processor, 4GB of RAM, a 180-degree hinge, a built-in carrying handle, and 4G LTE support. It’ll sell for $349 when it launches later this year.
• LEGO Nintendo Entertainment System: Now you’re playing with power…and bricks [Nintendo/YouTube]
  LEGO’s new 2,646 NES Kit is coming this year, letting you build a replica of the classic console, a TV, and even cartridge. It’s not “playable,” but there’s a hand crank to make a Super Mario Brothers level move. Coming in August for $230.

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