Alienware M16R2 Gaming Laptop Review

Alienware M16R2 Gaming Laptop Review

The Alienware M16R2 is a solid dual-purpose gaming laptop with an impressive list of features, but Intel's Meteor Lake H does it no favors.

TT Show Episode 34 - The Helldivers 2 PC Controversy and Apple's New OLED iPad Pro

Kosta Andreadis | TweakTown | May 10, 2024 9:02 AM CDT

This week, on a more focused episode of The TT Show, Jak and Kosta break down and go through the crazy Helldivers 2 controversy on PC. If you were offline for a few days (and this all played out throughout a single weekend), the decision to force the Helddivers 2's PC players to link their Steam Account to a PlayStation Network (PSN) account caused a veritable backlash storm.

TT Show Episode 34 - The Helldivers 2 PC Controversy and Apple's New OLED iPad Pro

From the review bombing to developers being grilled to Sony and developer Arrowhead's damage control to the surprisingly swift happy ending, Jak and Kosta discuss the implications and consider what might happen in the aftermath.

This week's other big story comes from the world of Apple, with the company lifting the lid on its new iPad Pro lineup powered by the new AI-powered 3 nanometer M4 chip. The big thing here is that it represents Apple's first dip into the world of OLED displays, with a groundbreaking 1000-nit SDR and HDR screen that has two OLED panels in one!

Continue reading: TT Show Episode 34 - The Helldivers 2 PC Controversy and Apple's New OLED iPad Pro (full post)

TSMC might not use ASML's latest High-NA EUV machines for its future-gen A16 process in 2026

Anthony Garreffa | Business, Financial & Legal | May 14, 2024 11:32 PM CDT

TSMC hasn't been shy about saying it doesn't need ASML's bleeding-edge High-NA EUV lithography machines to make its next-generation A16 manufacturing process.

TSMC might not use ASML's latest High-NA EUV machines for its future-gen A16 process in 2026

TSMC Senior VP Kevin Zhang spoke at a conference in Amsterdam this week, where he said TSMC's new A16 plants could be designed to accommodate the technology, but it's not certain... remember, TSMC is the world's biggest contract chipmaker, and the largest customer and user of ASML's regular EUV machines.

The future-generation A16 manufacturing process is under development right now, but TSMC wants to hit the market with A16 in the second half of 2026... and the company might not use ASML's new High-NA EUV lithography machines to do it. Zhang said: "I like the technology but I don't like the sticker price. When actually High NA EUV will come in play, I think it depends on where's the optimum economic and the technical balancing we can achieve".

Continue reading: TSMC might not use ASML's latest High-NA EUV machines for its future-gen A16 process in 2026 (full post)

NVIDIA's new GB200 Superchip costs up to $70,000: full B200 NVL72 AI server costs $3 million

Anthony Garreffa | Artificial Intelligence | May 14, 2024 11:00 PM CDT

NVIDIA's new Blackwell GPU architecture is going to make the company a lot of money, and while we know the B200 AI GPUs will cost $30,000 to $40,000 each -- CEO Jensen Huang said that just after the GPUs were announced -- but, the GB200 Superchip (CPU + GPU) will cost upwards of $70,000.

NVIDIA's new GB200 Superchip costs up to $70,000: full B200 NVL72 AI server costs $3 million

In a post on X by a senior writer at Barron's, the new NVIDIA GB200 Superchip will cost between $60,000 and $70,000. We already know that an NVIDIA DGX NVL72 AI server cabinet will cost $3 million per AI server, which gets filled with 72 x B200 GPUs and 36 x Grace CPUs.

The new NVIDIA DGX NVL72 is the AI server with the most computing power, and thus, the highest unit price. Inside, the DGX NVL72 features 72 built-in Blackwell-based B200 AI GPUs and 36 Grace CPUs (18 servers in total with dual Grace CPUs and 36 x B200 AI GPUs per server) with 9 switches. The entire cabinet is designed by NVIDIA in-house, and cannot be modified, it is 100% made, tested, and provided by NVIDIA.

Continue reading: NVIDIA's new GB200 Superchip costs up to $70,000: full B200 NVL72 AI server costs $3 million (full post)

AYN teases new portable handheld that looks like a modern Sony PlayStation Portable

Kosta Andreadis | Gaming | May 14, 2024 10:27 PM CDT

The Sony PSP, or PlayStation Portable, is one of the most beloved gaming handhelds ever. Released in 2005, it received a backward-compatible follow-up in 2011, the PlayStation Vita. It sports a similar look and great PlayStation games from franchises like Final Fantasy, Uncharted, Metal Gear Solid, WipEout, and more.

AYN teases new portable handheld that looks like a modern Sony PlayStation Portable

With rumors pointing to Sony working with AMD to create a proper PSP follow-up with PS4-like performance, AYN Technologies, a creator of Android and Windows-based handhelds, is teasing a new lightweight 320-gram machine that looks exactly like a modern PSP.

The handheld has yet to be fully revealed, but it is rumored to be Android-based, so it can essentially play every PSP and PS Vita game via emulation. The most exciting thing about the new handheld, though, outside of the PSP shape, has to be the display.

Continue reading: AYN teases new portable handheld that looks like a modern Sony PlayStation Portable (full post)

Rockstar's original Red Dead Redemption is finally getting a PC port

Kosta Andreadis | Gaming | May 14, 2024 9:57 PM CDT

In 2010, Rockstar Games released the classic open-world action-adventure western Red Dead Redemption for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Following the adventures of John Marston, a former outlaw, it presented a sprawling, bloody, and gritty look at life in the old West with the same charm and atmosphere as the studio's iconic Grand Theft Auto games.

Rockstar's original Red Dead Redemption is finally getting a PC port

Without a PC release, it's been one of those titles that PC gamers have been waiting to see for over a decade. Red Dead Redemption II got a PC port following its release in 2018, but the original has been one of those games seemingly lost to time - or limited to the console space.

In 2023, Red Dead Redemption received a modern remaster; however, this release was only for the PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch. Well, that looks to be changing, as the studio's PC Rockstar Games Launcher now includes hidden information stating that Red Dead Redemption and its Undead Nightmare expansion are "now playable on PC."

Continue reading: Rockstar's original Red Dead Redemption is finally getting a PC port (full post)

TSMC to expand CoWoS equipment orders: huge AI chip demand from NVIDIA, Amazon, Meta, Tesla

Anthony Garreffa | Business, Financial & Legal | May 14, 2024 7:42 PM CDT

TSMC is urgently expanding its orders for CoWoS packaging equipment, with Taiwanese factories welcoming huge orders for equipment machines.

TSMC to expand CoWoS equipment orders: huge AI chip demand from NVIDIA, Amazon, Meta, Tesla

The unstoppable wave of AI is coming in many forms, with the AI GPUs and AI processors being made mostly at TSMC. TSMC estimates that the server AI processor revenue would more than double in 2024, accounting for around 11-13% of total revenue in 2024. However, server AI processors will account for 50% of annual revenue by 2029.

The server AI processor that TSMC mentions refers to the GPU, AI accelerator, and CPU that perform training and inference functions, but it does NOT include network, edge, or terminal device AI. TSMC emphasized at the North American Technology Forum that its 2.5D advanced packaging CoWoS (Chip-on-Wafer-on-Substrate) is a key driving technology for the AI revolution, which allows for more processor cores and HBM on a single interposer layer.

Continue reading: TSMC to expand CoWoS equipment orders: huge AI chip demand from NVIDIA, Amazon, Meta, Tesla (full post)

Samsung reportedly FAILS to pass HBM3E memory qualification tests by NVIDIA for its AI GPUs

Anthony Garreffa | Artificial Intelligence | May 14, 2024 6:57 PM CDT

Samsung has reportedly failed to pass specific stages of HBM3E memory verification standards from NVIDIA, which is surely going to cause a headache for the South Korean memory giant.

Samsung reportedly FAILS to pass HBM3E memory qualification tests by NVIDIA for its AI GPUs

SK hynix has been pumping out HBM3 and now HBM3E while still preparing not just the next-generation HBM4 memory, but even HBM4E memory... while South Korean HBM rival, Samsung, can't get its act together with HBM3 memory for NVIDIA according to Korean news outlet AlphaBiz.

Samsung has reportedly failed qualification tests for its HBM3 8-layer memory, which is a serious situation to be in considering how bleeding-edge HBM is, and how Samsung has been acting in an emergency-style manner to get its HBM business flourishing... and now this gigantic roadblock, as NVIDIA prepares its beefed-up Hopper H200 AI GPU, and next-generation Blackwell B100, B200, and GB200 AI GPUs which all use HBM3E memory.

Continue reading: Samsung reportedly FAILS to pass HBM3E memory qualification tests by NVIDIA for its AI GPUs (full post)

Arm plans to develop an AI chip division, will have AI chips released in 2025

Anthony Garreffa | Artificial Intelligence | May 14, 2024 6:11 PM CDT

Arm is developing its own artificial intelligence (AI) chips, with the first AI chips made by the company expected to launch in 2025.

Arm plans to develop an AI chip division, will have AI chips released in 2025

The UK-based company will spool up an AI chip division that will deliver a prototype AI chip by spring 2025 according to a report from Reuters. The mass production of Arm's new AI chip will be handled by contract manufacturers -- TSMC -- and is expected to start in autumn 2025.

Arm Holdings is a SoftBank Group subsidiary -- SoftBank owns a 90% share in Arm -- with SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son preparing a huge $64 billion strategy to transform SoftBank into a powerhouse AI company. Negotiations are reportedly already happening with TSMC and others to secure production capacity.

Continue reading: Arm plans to develop an AI chip division, will have AI chips released in 2025 (full post)

Microsoft Edge is getting new AI powers that'll let you customize your browser

Darren Allan | Software & Apps | May 14, 2024 2:00 PM CDT

Microsoft is ushering in fresh AI capabilities for its Edge browser, and this new work pertains to customizing the app.

Microsoft Edge is getting new AI powers that'll let you customize your browser

Windows Latest was keen-eyed enough to spot that an incoming feature called the 'AI theme generator' for Edge is part of a Microsoft 365 roadmap.

It'll work pretty much as you'd expect: you tell the AI what kind of theme you want via a simple text prompt, and it'll knock up some concepts along those lines that you can peruse.

Continue reading: Microsoft Edge is getting new AI powers that'll let you customize your browser (full post)

Google's Pixel 9, 9 Pro, and 9 Pro XL have leaked in a big way, check them out here

Oliver Haslam | Mobile Devices, Tablets & Phones | May 14, 2024 1:00 PM CDT

The Google Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, and 9 Pro XL aren't expected to be released until later this year but that hasn't stopped them all from leaking ahead of time. Google has long had a problem with leaks, but this is early even by the company's standards - we don't expect Google to officially unveil these devices until October.

Google's Pixel 9, 9 Pro, and 9 Pro XL have leaked in a big way, check them out here

Regardless, new images shared by Rozetked appear to give us a full look at what these new phones will have to offer, huge Pixel 9 Pro XL and all. The new phones are set to replace the current Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, adding the XL to the lineup. And that big phone is clearly a big phone as the image below shows - that's an iPhone 15 Pro Max that it's making look small, there.

Questions will obviously now be asked about how these phones have leaked but if we ignore that for a moment, we can probably all agree that these devices look good. The camera bar around the back doesn't cover the full width of the device, which isn't necessarily anything more than a potential marketing problem.

Continue reading: Google's Pixel 9, 9 Pro, and 9 Pro XL have leaked in a big way, check them out here (full post)

When it comes to customer satisfaction, Apple and Samsung can't be separated

Oliver Haslam | Mobile Devices, Tablets & Phones | May 14, 2024 12:45 PM CDT

Apple has historically come out on top in terms of the company that makes the most satisfied customers in terms of the phone that they bought. In 2023 Apple just about beat out Samsung according to the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) but things have changed in 2024.

When it comes to customer satisfaction, Apple and Samsung can't be separated

The new report, shared by the ACSI, shows that Apple and Samsung are now both tied for the top spot with 82% customer satisfaction. Google is in third with Motorola (Lenovo) in fourth spot. Both companies have a score of 77%, while all other manufacturers combined were only able to manage a score of 72%.

The report came after ASCI interviewed almost 12,500 consumers who were chosen at random between April 2023 and March 2024. In terms of iPhone owners, customer satisfaction increased slightly from 81% to 82% while Samsung saw its score leap from 80% to 82% year over year. Overall, smartphone satisfaction increased by 3% while Google was the only company listed to suffer a fall - down to 77% from 78%.

Continue reading: When it comes to customer satisfaction, Apple and Samsung can't be separated (full post)