Latest from TweakTown

A Microsoft executive described large-scale scraping for AI training as potentially the "largest theft of labor in human history," according to newly unsealed court documents in the copyright battle between Microsoft, OpenAI and major news publishers.

These internal documents revealed eyebrow-raising comments from Microsoft Director of Applied Science Brent Hecht, who said the mass scraping of news articles by AI companies is an "astonishing theft of unprecedented proportions," and that using copyrighted material under the guise of "fair use" makes a "complete mockery" of the fair use definition.

In the same lane, but separately, the documents revealed real concern among officials at both Microsoft and OpenAI that AI chatbots could substantially reduce traffic to news organizations, which then discourages journalists as it's no longer a financially viable path, which then reduces the supply of high-quality information that AI models need to sustain themselves. This process is referred to as a "doom loop" within the documents.

Security researchers used Anthropic's Claude AI to help break into OpenAI's systems, demonstrating how rapidly improving AI models can accelerate sophisticated cybersecurity attacks.

According to The Wall Street Journal, researchers from cybersecurity firm Hacktron AI used Claude while participating in OpenAI's bug bounty program. The team ultimately gained access to an OpenAI employee's ChatGPT account, providing a route into parts of the company's private software repositories. The researchers stopped short of accessing sensitive information, disclosed their findings to OpenAI and received a $6,500 bug bounty.

The incident comes amid growing concern about the cybersecurity capabilities of frontier AI models. Anthropic recently disclosed four separate cases in which Claude models gained unauthorized access to real-world systems during cybersecurity evaluations after a third-party testing environment was mistakenly left connected to the internet.

Build a Rocket Boy, the studio behind the disaster-stricken MindsEye, is officially shutting down after a string of layoffs, mounting controversy, accusations of corporate espionage, and protests.

The closure follows what appears to be a final round of job cuts, affecting at least 170 employees, according to social media posts and industry reports citing developers announcing their departure from the company. MindsEye, the studio's flagship title, launched to widespread criticism in June 2025, with many valid criticisms pointing to blatantly unfinished areas of the game, glitches, unstable performance, and numerous other issues.

MindsEye was later named one of the worst games of the year. Despite a major update earlier in 2026, the game failed to recover its reputation or financial viability, causing the studio to go into a death spiral.

A sprawling supply network involving billions of dollars worth of NVIDIA hardware has been linked to efforts to get export-restricted AI accelerators into China despite the seemingly tight U.S. export controls.

According to a recent report from C4ADS, a monitoring organization that receives most of its funding from the U.S. government, several methods are currently being used to circumvent import restrictions on prohibited NVIDIA hardware. These include direct purchases by Chinese research institutions, transshipment through Southeast Asia, and opaque corporate ownership structures that operate through various shell corporations, making the final destination of advanced hardware difficult to trace.

One of the most significant entities examined is Megaspeed International, a Southeast Asian importer that handled approximately $4.6 billion worth of NVIDIA hardware between 2022 and 2025. However, that figure does not mean $4.6 billion in restricted AI chips reached China. C4ADS instead highlights Megaspeed because of the scale of its imports and its opaque ownership history, pointing to it as a possible candidate for being involved in the underground market.

Gears of War: E-Day, from developer The Coalition and Xbox, is out October 6, exclusively for PC and Xbox Series X|S. After a successful beta period, the developers have confirmed the final launch-day PC requirements, and it's mostly good news. That said, the specifications include DLSS, FSR, XeSS, and TSR upscaling to meet the performance targets.

For the Minimum spec, which targets 1080p at 60 FPS with Medium graphics settings and upscaling, The Coalition says the game requires a GeForce RTX 5050, RTX 2060, Radeon RX 6600, or Radeon RX 9060 graphics card. You'll also need at least a Ryzen 5 2600X processor and 115 GB of SSD storage space.

For the Recommended spec, which targets 1440p at 60+ FPS with High graphics settings and upscaling, the game requires a GeForce RTX 5060 or RTX 3060 Ti, or a Radeon RX 9060 XT graphics card. The recommended spec, which calls for an RTX 5060 at 1440p, is good news for those with GPUs that feature 8GB of VRAM.

For Diablo fans, hearing the iconic guitar strum of the Tristram theme from the original Diablo from 1997 is enough to send them drifting off into a cloud of fond memories playing the genre-defining action-RPG. As the key hub and town in the first game, Tristram and its theme also returned in Diablo II (after its fall), cementing its status as one of the series' most memorable locations.

And now, thirty years later, as part of Diablo 4's new anniversary-themed Season of Hell's Legacy, players can revisit Tristram once more. This follows a recent discovery that players could craft Diablo 2 Runewords, with Redditor JT99-FirstBallot making the find. What's impressive about Tristram in Diablo 4 is that it's presented as Deckard Cain's memory, so you get to revisit the town as it was in the very first game, albeit with shiny new 2026 visuals.

And not only that, but you can also turn this version of Tristram into Uber Tristram, a special version of the destroyed Tristram from Diablo 2 that has you fight Baal, Mephisto, and Diablo all at the same time. And yes, completing this anniversary event nets you a very cool drop: the Hellfire Torch, a powerful Unique Charm.

On Reddit, a gamer (MohakAoki) who has used a pre-built PC with an Intel Core i7-12700K processor and AIO cooler for three years made a startling discovery when they opened the system. Turns out, the cooler didn't have any thermal paste connecting the processor to the cooler, yet the PC has reportedly run for years without failing.

After the discovery, they ran the OCCT stress test and benchmarking tool and found the CPU temperature hit 100 degrees Celsius. It's a wild story and definitely highlights the risks of buying a pre-built system. And it doesn't stop there: after discovering the CPU had no thermal paste, they also found the fans on the 240mm AIO were installed in the wrong intake position. Yes, this means that the hot air was being directed into the system instead of being exhausted out of the case.

Without thermal paste, heat still transfers between the CPU and the copper baseplate through direct contact, but this isn't recommended. That's why many off-the-shelf AIO coolers include thermal paste pre-installed on copper cold plates.

The new Razer Tartarus V2 Pro isn't a gaming keyboard per se or a controller, but a combination of both. Although it looks a little strange, the keypad is designed to sit on a desk or surface, with an integrated wrist rest providing support for your left hand, with direct access to a full-sized anti-drift TMR thumbstick, buttons, and 31 programmable controls that include 24 keys with Razer's flagship Analog Optical Switch Gen-2 switches.

As adjustable magnetic switches, the Razer Analog Optical Switch Gen-2 tech supports actuation ranges of 0.1 to 4.0mm with Rapid Trigger for fast inputs. Designed for FPS and MMO gamers seeking a compact, customizable solution, the Razer Tartarus V2 Pro is also a premium peripheral that supports true 8000Hz HyperPolling.

Ultimately, this keyboard-and-controller hybrid includes hardware and technology from Razer's premium keyboards and controllers, so in addition to Rapid Trigger, it also supports Razer Snap Tap, Razer Snap Flex, and Dynamic Keystroke.

Corsair has announced its first premium USB microphone for gamers and creators: the VOXARA. This surprise announcement from the PC gaming brand makes sense, as it blends the best of both worlds: Corsair hardware and Elgato software.

The latter will undoubtedly give the Corsair VOXARA a leg up over the competition, as Elgato microphones and software have a long legacy of delivering excellent performance, value, and features to streamers and gamers alike. The VOXARA is also compatible with Elgato Wave Link for in-depth audio customization and lighting controls, with integrated support for the Elgato Voice Plus AI-powered noise cancellation VST that normally costs $49.99 USD. It's also ready for the expansive library of plugins and other effects available via the Elgato Marketplace.

However, great software is only one part of the picture, and even though the VOXARA is Corsair's first premium USB microphone, it has the specs and physical design to hopefully live up to that promise. From a hardware perspective, the Corsair VOXARA uses a 25mm capsule with a cardioid polar pick-up pattern tuned for warmth and full sound, with expanded vocal depth supported by a 32-bit, 192KHz sample rate for broadcast-quality recording and streaming.

In a bizarre turn of circumstances, someone was accidentally shipped Logitech's yet-unreleased Logitech Pro Superstrike X3 gaming mouse after initially buying a Pro X2 Superstrike and a G325 headset. Spotted by TechPowerUp, Alternative-Cream444 on Reddit posted their story and images of the mouse on the MouseReview subreddit, including images of the mouse's retail packaging.

Images of the mice confirm that the clamshell has received no identifiable changes compared to the outgoing X2 Superstrike. The right and left click mouse buttons share the same black color scheme as the existing model, and the retail packaging confirms the mouse comes with Logitech's outgoing Hero 2 sensor with 8000Hz polling.

The specs change around battery life, speed, acceleration, and weight. The X3 Superstrike's retail packaging confirms that the X3 Superstrike weighs 59 grams, 2 grams less than the X2 Superstrike, features 2% greater acceleration in Gs (90Gs vs 88Gs), and 5% higher acceleration (930 IPS vs 888 IPS). Battery life on the X3 Superstrike also improved massively, jumping from 90 hrs on the X2 to 135 hrs (a 50% improvement).

Microsoft is preparing its biggest Windows-focused event in more than two years, and it's bringing in some serious outside firepower. The company has confirmed a Windows and Surface event for October 7 in San Francisco, with NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang joining Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and Windows and Surface chief Pavan Davuluri on stage.

According to Microsoft's invitation teasers, the event will centre on "how local AI will shape the next chapter of the PC," starting at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET. With Jensen Huang on stage, NVIDIA's RTX Spark platform will likely feature heavily in the discussion, tying together developments across Windows software, NVIDIA hardware, Surface devices, and the broader PC ecosystem.

Likely taking centre stage is the Surface Laptop Ultra, a high-performance machine Microsoft first teased earlier this year as its answer to the MacBook Pro. Beyond the design upgrade, the laptop's highlight is its custom NVIDIA RTX Spark SoC, which pairs a Blackwell GPU with up to 128GB of unified memory, up to one petaflop of AI compute, and native CUDA support. This allows it to run AI models with up to 120 billion parameters entirely locally. Microsoft still lists the laptop as a pre-release product, with final availability pending regulatory approval, and has not yet announced pricing.

DLSS 5 has already spread well beyond its original single-game debut. NVIDIA intended the technology to launch exclusively with NBA 2K27, but modders quickly forced it into other AAA titles, and then took it a step further by bringing NVIDIA's neural renderer to the entire desktop screen. Now, a developer has pushed it somewhere NVIDIA never designed it to go: a web browser.

Developer MAAN has demonstrated DLSS 5 running with 3D graphics directly inside a browser, using WebGPU rather than any native application. "DLSS 5 running in the browser with #webgpu," MAAN wrote on X. "And yes it works on macOS too. You can also try it with your own models." A live demo is currently available for anyone to try.

Unsurprisingly, NVIDIA doesn't offer a supported path for running DLSS in a browser at all. The company's current SDK documentation is built around native applications using DirectX or Vulkan, typically through NVIDIA's NGX interface or the Streamline SDK. Streamline sits between an application and the graphics API, with developers feeding it resources like motion vectors, depth data, and the rendered frame directly. None of that maps cleanly onto a browser's rendering pipeline, and WebGL or WebGPU aren't listed as supported DLSS interfaces anywhere in NVIDIA's documentation.

In an interview with Bloomberg, Twitch CEO Dan Clancy said that Grand Theft Auto 6's multiplayer mode will launch next year, in 2027. Bloomberg believes that Clancy's claim is something he "simply anticipates" rather than confirms, but the casual confidence with which he said it makes us wonder whether he just gave GTA 6 Online an unofficial release window.

"We spent a lot of time talking with Rockstar about their plans, and also helping them think about how they can engage our creators," Clancy told the publication. "You are going to see this big bump with GTA 6, but then an even bigger one next year when they launch multiplayer."

To this day, Rockstar has never confirmed that a GTA Online sequel exists, or anything at all related to multiplayer support for GTA 6. In fact, the studio has previously stated clearly that GTA 6 will launch as a "single-player experience." GTA Online may be offered separately, continuing Rockstar's approach of selling story and online modes independently, but nothing is confirmed about exactly how or when it will arrive.

A popular PlayStation 3 emulator is now considerably more performant on PCs with NVIDIA graphics cards thanks to a bug being squashed.

As VideoCardz noticed, the developer of RPCS3 posted on X to note that an NVIDIA driver bug which was previously holding back performance has been fixed.

Apparently in testing with an Intel Core 13900K and an NVIDIA RTX 3080, a 20% boost in frame rate was witnessed after the cure had been applied - and there was an even bigger boost of 25% with an RTX 5090 (coupled with an AMD Ryzen 9800X3D).

AMD may raise prices across parts of its product lineup by around 10% later this year, according to a report from ChannelGate as shared by Harukaze5719 on X. The reported price hike is expected to take effect in Q4 2026 and is linked to rising manufacturing costs at TSMC, which produces many of AMD's chips.

The report specifically mentions AI accelerators, consumer GPUs, and motherboard chipsets as product categories that could be affected. Although the report did not explicitly mention CPUs, AMD relies on TSMC to produce its Ryzen processors, which could expose the CPU business to higher manufacturing costs. For now, however, there is no confirmation that Ryzen CPUs will receive a similar 10% price increase.

The reported increase comes as semiconductor manufacturing costs continue to put pressure on chipmakers. TSMC has reportedly been raising prices across parts of its manufacturing portfolio, with Reuters reporting in July that the foundry planned to increase chipmaking prices by up to 10% starting in 2027.

Intel is reportedly working on a replacement for the Core i5-14600K featuring more CPU cores that will be released with its upcoming Raptor Lake Next CPU lineup. Spotted by VideoCardz, popular leaker Jaykihn on X claims that the mid-range Core i5-14600K will be replaced by a Raptor Lake Next CPU sporting eight P-cores and eight E-cores.

If true, Intel's i5-14600K replacement will have two additional P-cores, matching the Core i7-14700K in core count. Not only will this new Raptor Lake Next chip have more CPU cores than its Raptor Lake counterparts, but it will also have more P-cores than all of Intel's latest Core Ultra 5 series models.

Having a pair of extra cores will help improve this new chip's performance in games and make the chip even faster than the Core Ultra 5 250K Plus. The Core i5-14600K already matches or outperforms the Arrow Lake Refresh CPU in games that we have tested, so adding a couple of extra cores will only help improve performance in the latest titles that take advantage of eight cores.

OLED panels generally produce better brightness and color uniformity compared to IPS, VA, or other panel types due to their simpler design and per-pixel illumination. However, Dell's Alienware AW3926QW OLED is reportedly having some problematic uniformity issues coming from an OLED protection feature that can't be turned off, called CPC. Fortunately, TFT Central (via VideoCardz) reports that Dell is now testing a possible toggle for CPC that would give users the ability to turn off the protection feature entirely.

Dell specifically states that it is working on a "potential" CPC toggle for the AW3926QW, noting that it wants to "understand the full customer experience" before releasing the toggle to AW3926QW owners live.

CPC, or Convex Power Control, is an OLED protection feature baked into the AW3926QW that artificially dims the edges of the screen to reduce the chance of burn-in of static elements displayed, such as UI elements in a video game. CPC triggers when motion is detected on screen, such as playing a video game or watching a YouTube video.

Bungie quickly debunks false rumors about the Destiny and Marathon franchises merging together, clarifying that these IPs are entirely separate.

Recent reports say that Destiny and Marathon could be unified in some way, with Bungie planning a big surprise cross-over. That's not happening. Marathon's creative director Julia Nardin squashed the rumor with a simple Tweet, saying that the two franchises are, and will remain, separate.

"As someone who's worked on both Destiny and Marathon, I can confirm that the 'leak' about us merging the two IPs is fake. They share a lot of the same Bungie DNA, but like siblings they're also their own independent entities. Please don't believe everything you read online," the Bungie developer said.

Rockstar Games has just announced the release of Grand Theft Auto VI: The Album, and on its official press release for the upcoming limited-edition vinyl and CDs, the developer hinted at something that fans should certainly get excited about "the next evolution of in-game radio".

The comment appeared at the end of Rockstar's announcement for Grand Theft Auto VI: The Album, which is confirmed to launch with 34 original tracks, and alongside GTA 6 on November 19. After detailing the album, and teasing some of the features by releasing six songs that are already available on streaming services such as Spotify and Apple Music, the developer told fans to "stay tuned" for more information about GTA 6's music, including its dynamic score, the "next evolution of in-game radio," and more.

That wording was specific and suggests GTA 6's radio stations could go beyond what is considered typical in a Grand Theft Auto 6 game. While Rockstar hasn't revealed exactly what this "next evolution" of in-game radio would be, it isn't the first time we have heard a next-generation system being within GTA 6, as I reported on Grammy-award winning artist Jermaine Dupree saying, "Drake got his own radio station on Grand Theft Auto. The way they are getting ready to do it is that Drake can actually upload music we probably ain't never heard online or wherever else on that video game."

Rockstar Games has taken to its official channels and website to announce the release of Grand Theft Auto VI: The Album, a full studio album that features 34 original tracks that are intended to capture the "energy" of Vice City and Leonida.

The album is set for release on November 19 and has a star-studded lineup of featured artists such as Yung Lean, Travis Scott, Morgan Wallen, Keith Richards, Rauw Alejandro, and many others that have yet to be revealed. Rockstar shared some images of what buyers of the album will get, which include limited-edition vinyl and CD sets. Additionally, Rockstar writes that GTA 6: The Album will also be released on vinyl and CD, with three limited-edition exclusives only available at gtavi-thealbum.com.

These limited-edition versions include a liquid-filled vinyl, a splatter-edition vinyl, and a CD jewel case. Furthermore, Rockstar confirms that it will be releasing exclusive vinyl disc colorways, with each featuring unique art at the following locations: Blood Records, Best Buy, Walmart, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Target, Urban Outfitters, and indie retailers. Rockstar has also uploaded an official Spotify album listing for GTA 6: The Album, and it already features six songs from each of the artists listed below.