PNY XLR8 CS3150-XHS 1TB SSD Review - Cool, Flashy and Powerful

PNY XLR8 CS3150-XHS 1TB SSD Review - Cool, Flashy and Powerful

11,500 MB/s has never looked so good, run so cool, or delivered so much performance. PHY's CS3150-XHS takes PCIe Gen5 swag to another level.

TT Show Episode 35 - New Lord of the Rings Movie and Apple's iPad Pro Apology

Kosta Andreadis | TweakTown | May 17, 2024 4:01 AM CDT

This week on the TT Show, Lord of the Rings superfan (and also superfan) Jak and Kosta discuss Peter Jackson returning to The Lord of the Rings franchise with the new movie 'The Hunt for Gollum.' They discuss the potential story, timeline, and their hopes for a return to the magic of the original trilogy. And not, you know, The Hobbit.

TT Show Episode 35 - New Lord of the Rings Movie and Apple's iPad Pro Apology

Another big story this week is Apple's apologizing for its seemingly tone-deaf iPad Pro advertisement that quickly caused a massive wave of negative backlash. Is it as bad as some of the comments? As a fan of retro hardware who doesn't like seeing it get destroyed, Kosta thinks so, while Jak is more on the fence and 'meh.'

And it wouldn't be an episode of The TT Show without GPU news, with all of the latest GeForce RTX 50 Series, Radeon, and Intel graphics talk bundled into a new section of the podcast called 'GPU Corner.' Speaking of new sections, Jak and Kosta play a round of Guess the Headline for some fun.

Continue reading: TT Show Episode 35 - New Lord of the Rings Movie and Apple's iPad Pro Apology (full post)

iPhone 16 Pro Max tipped for a massive camera array upgrade with more pixels than ever before

Oliver Haslam | Mobile Devices, Tablets & Phones | May 21, 2024 11:45 AM CDT

Apple is expected to announce as many as four new iPhones this coming fall, with the iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max making up the lineup for 2024. We've been hearing various leaks over the last few months that give us an idea of what the new devices will have to offer but there is obviously no confirmation from Apple one way or the other. Now, a new leak appears to have given us more information about what the camera situation will be at the very top of that lineup.

iPhone 16 Pro Max tipped for a massive camera array upgrade with more pixels than ever before

The iPhone 16 Pro Max will be the best iPhone that money can buy later this year thanks to its huge 6.9-inch display, among other things. Now, Weibo leaker OvO Baby Sauce OvO has suggested that buyers can also look forward to a bigger main camera sensor. Both the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max will also feature a 48-megapixel ultrawide camera for the first time, we're told.

The leaker claims that the main iPhone 16 Pro Max camera will be an advanced version of the 48-megapixel Sony IMX903 sensor while the iPhone 16 Pro will use the same 48-megapixel custom Sony IMX803 sensor that is already used on the iPhone 15 Pro models. That doesn't mean that those who don't want to buy the huge iPhone 16 Pro Max shouldn't look forward to some camera improvements, however.

Continue reading: iPhone 16 Pro Max tipped for a massive camera array upgrade with more pixels than ever before (full post)

Sony reveals release date for V Rising on the PlayStation 5

Jak Connor | Gaming | May 21, 2024 6:34 AM CDT

Sony has taken to the official PlayStation YouTube channel to share a new trailer for V Rising, revealing the release date for the popular title on PS5.

Sony reveals release date for V Rising on the PlayStation 5

V Rising, developed and published by Stunloock Studios, has been available on PC for quite some time, gaining quite a lot of attention for its new take on the survival genre with a meticulously thought-out combat system that is reminiscent of Diablo. V Rising has earned itself a "Very Positive" review score on Steam, with some players saying the game is like if ARK: Survival Evolved and Diablo had a baby, and that baby was into Anne Rice novels, the American gothic fiction author best known for The Vampire Chronicles.

Along with the announcement the game is coming to the PS5 on June 11, developer Stunlock Studios announced three purchasable editions for PlayStation. The Standard Edition includes just the base game, while the Legacy of Castlevania Edition includes the base game, Legacy of Castlevania Premium Pack and 5 days early access. Lastly, the V Rising Completed Edition includes the following.

Continue reading: Sony reveals release date for V Rising on the PlayStation 5 (full post)

Nintendo Switch 2 expected to deliver games in 4K resolution at 30FPS

Jak Connor | Gaming | May 21, 2024 6:01 AM CDT

Experts at Digital Foundry discussed the possibility of the next-generation Nintendo console being able to output a 4K resolution at 60FPS.

Nintendo Switch 2 expected to deliver games in 4K resolution at 30FPS

The tech experts over at Digital Foundry, the gold-standard for video game hardware/software analysis, recently discussed the Nintendo Switch successor being able to output games at a 4K, 60FPS using NVIDA DLSS. According to the team, the purported Switch 2 may be able to deliver a 4K resolution at 30FPS, but 60FPS will more than likely be off the table due to how expensive it is for the console's GPU to upscale the content.

Digital Foundry referenced a test they conducted with a T239 chip wherein their goal was to replicate the rumored hardware inside the Switch 2, specifically the test where they upscaled Death Stranding from 720p to 4K with DLSS Ultra Performance. The team found the upscaling added 18.3 milliseconds to frame time over native resolution, meaning 60FPS wasn't possible. However, upscaling to 1440p from 720p only added 7.7 milliseconds.

Continue reading: Nintendo Switch 2 expected to deliver games in 4K resolution at 30FPS (full post)

GTA 6 publisher CEO has 'good news' about the game's price tag

Jak Connor | Gaming | May 21, 2024 5:30 AM CDT

Take-Two Interactive, the publisher behind the Grand Theft Auto franchise, is concentrating on over-delivering with the next installment in the series, Grand Theft Auto VI.

GTA 6 publisher CEO has 'good news' about the game's price tag

The CEO of the publisher, Strauss Zelnick, was asked during a recent earnings call about pricing for the publisher's catalog of games, particularly the Grand Theft Auto franchise. Zelnick responded by saying Take-Two aims at delivering "great value at any given time" and that its rubric for any new game it plans on releasing will provide more value to a gamer than the price tag on a game.

Zelnick said when Take-Two lands on a price for a new game, it makes sure it's "good news" for gamers, and the game's "experience vastly over-delivers". All of this alludes to the mystery surrounding the price tag for Grand Theft Auto VI, and unfortunately, Zelnick dodged direct questions regarding the highly anticipated title's price tag. However, we do know Take-Two is more than comfortable charging $70 for a new game, with Zelnick saying last year that players seem to be happy paying $70 for games.

Continue reading: GTA 6 publisher CEO has 'good news' about the game's price tag (full post)

Google fires shots directly at Microsoft over its recent security failings

Jak Connor | Software & Apps | May 21, 2024 4:25 AM CDT

Google has released a new white paper that outlines everything that is "wrong" with Microsoft security, particularly highlighting its recent failings.

Google fires shots directly at Microsoft over its recent security failings

The new white paper is titled "A more secure alternative," and Google explains across 14 pages all of the problems with Microsoft's approach to security while also recommending better alternatives, Gmail and Google Drive. The paper is mostly based on the recent discoveries by the US government's Cyber Safety Review Board (CSRB), which stated last month that Microsoft's approach to the June 2023 attack on its Exchange Online service was lackluster.

The CSRB reprimanded Microsoft for its lack of knowledge on when attackers were able to infiltrate its Exchange Online service that resulted in the hackers being able to sift through email inboxes. Additionally, the CSRB criticized the Windows owner for having a seven-year-old security key still be valid, which was used by the hackers to gain access to the Exchange email service.

Continue reading: Google fires shots directly at Microsoft over its recent security failings (full post)

Samsung introduces world's first QD-LED display slated to replace OLED

Jak Connor | Displays & Projectors | May 21, 2024 3:34 AM CDT

Samsung has unveiled a variety of new products at Display Week 2024, one of which could be the next pixel technology that replaces the gorgeous OLED panels.

Samsung introduces world's first QD-LED display slated to replace OLED

QD-OLED panels are making their way into gaming monitors of various sizes and some TVs, but what if OLED isn't necessarily the future of display technology? Introducing, QD-LED, or NanoLED, a new display technology currently being worked on by Samsung. According to the company the new display technology incoporates applying electricity directly to the quantum dots, removing the need for LED or OLED. The technology has several names, such as QD-LED, NanoLED, QDEL, QD-EL, or electroluminescent quantum dots.

Samsung displayed a QD-LED prototype at Display Week 2024, and according to reports its the largest display using the new panel technology, measuring 18 inches with a 3200 x 1800 resolution (202ppi) at 250 nits brightness. According to Samsung, QD-LED offers a wide color gamut and color accuracy, and doesn't require any organic material, meaning it won't be suffer from the same degrading fate as some OLED panels.

Continue reading: Samsung introduces world's first QD-LED display slated to replace OLED (full post)

Microsoft will give PCs a 'photographic memory' by screenshotting everything you do

Jak Connor | Artificial Intelligence | May 21, 2024 3:03 AM CDT

Microsoft has just wrapped up its Build conference where it gave many details on the company overall pushing into adopting artificial intelligence.

Microsoft will give PCs a 'photographic memory' by screenshotting everything you do

The company revealed its new AI-powered tool called Copilot+, and part of this new feature is a sub-feature called "Recall," which enables Windows users to search and retrieve their past activities on their PC. Microsoft writes in its blogpost that with Recall, users will be able to access "what you have seen or done on your PC in a way that feels like having photographic memory", which is certainly going to be the case as for Recall to work it needs to take a screenshot of what is displayed on your PC every few seconds.

Microsoft's blogpost explained that Recall leverages "your personal semantic index" that is built and stored "entirely on your device". Presumably, a users semantic index will consist of individual snapshots of what is displayed on their desktop at any given time. Users are able to access specific periods in time with these snapshots, with Copilot+ also being able to provide context for the event.

Continue reading: Microsoft will give PCs a 'photographic memory' by screenshotting everything you do (full post)

Scarlett Johansson accuses OpenAI's CEO Sam Altman of stealing her voice

Jak Connor | Artificial Intelligence | May 21, 2024 2:30 AM CDT

Scarlett Johansson has accused OpenAI of stealing her voice to its latest ChatGPT AI product called "Sky", with the actress saying she was "shocked, angered in disbelief that Mr. Altman would pursue a voice that sounded so eerily similar to mine."

Scarlett Johansson accuses OpenAI's CEO Sam Altman of stealing her voice

The actress has spoken to publications regarding her concerns about OpenAI's ChatGPT AI voice called "Sky" following its launch last week. Johansson says that OpenAI has used a voice similar to hers for its artificial intelligence voice software despite saying no to Altman's request to use her voice. Notably, the response from Johansson comes after OpenAI said it was going to pull amid the controversy around the Johansson resemblance.

According to Johansson, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman approached her last September and again two days before the announcement of ChatGPT-4o on May 13. Notably, Johansson played the voice character in the film "Her" which is about a man who developers a relationship with an AI virtual assistant.

Continue reading: Scarlett Johansson accuses OpenAI's CEO Sam Altman of stealing her voice (full post)

Take-Two boss is 'highly confident' Grand Theft Auto 6 will hit its 2025 release window

Kosta Andreadis | Gaming | May 21, 2024 1:59 AM CDT

It's one of the most highly anticipated video game releases of all time, with Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto VI set to launch sometime in Fall 2025 on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S - covering September, October, and November. Is there a chance the game's release will push beyond this window? Sure, nothing is set in stone this far out for a game - but Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick says the publisher is 'highly confident' GTA 6 will arrive on time.

Take-Two boss is 'highly confident' Grand Theft Auto 6 will hit its 2025 release window

In a new interview with CNBC, Zelnick said, "There is slippage in the industry, and we're not immune from that. However, we narrowed the timing because we are highly confident in that timing." Take-Two only recently put a release window on Grand Theft Auto 6, so it sounds like development is progressing as planned.

Still, he adds that instead of bugs (which it can plan for), Rockstar is seeking 'perfection' in GTA 6. And with that, "there are extraordinary expectations, [so] it's not really about bugs."

Continue reading: Take-Two boss is 'highly confident' Grand Theft Auto 6 will hit its 2025 release window (full post)

Baldur's Gate 3 developer Larian opens new studio, begins work on 'two very ambitious RPGs'

Kosta Andreadis | Gaming | May 21, 2024 1:31 AM CDT

With the release and success of Baldur's Gate 3, developer Larian Studios is now one of the world's most esteemed RPG creators. Although we won't be getting an expansion, and Larian is officially moving on from the Baldur's Gate franchise (Hasbro is looking to pick up the pieces), the studio is hard at work on "two very ambitious RPGs."

Baldur's Gate 3 developer Larian opens new studio, begins work on 'two very ambitious RPGs'

With that, Larian Studios is expanding, with Larian Studios Warsaw opening in Poland to help work on its upcoming games. Larian calls Warsaw "one of the greatest RPG development hubs in the world," and it's no secret why - the city is home to CD Projekt Red, who created The Witcher series and Cyberpunk 2077.

Interestingly, this isn't the only news surrounding a high-profile developer opening a Polish-based studio. Activision announced that its new Elsewhere Entertainment studio in the region is being set up to create a new "narrative-based, genre-defining AAA franchise."

Continue reading: Baldur's Gate 3 developer Larian opens new studio, begins work on 'two very ambitious RPGs' (full post)