Intel announces that CEO Pat Gelsinger has retired, and the search is on for his replacement

Darren Allan | Business, Financial & Legal | Dec 2, 2024 10:06 AM CST

Intel has announced that its CEO, Pat Gelsinger, has retired from the company effective as of yesterday.

Intel announces that CEO Pat Gelsinger has retired, and the search is on for his replacement

Gelsinger has vacated the chief exec post and stepped down from the board of the chip giant, following what Intel described as a "distinguished 40-plus-year career."

His temporary replacements will be David Zinsner and Michelle Johnston Holthaus, who will serve as interim co-chief executive officers, while Intel looks for another CEO to take the reins.

Continue reading: Intel announces that CEO Pat Gelsinger has retired, and the search is on for his replacement (full post)

Windows 11 spikes in popularity with PC gamers, with biggest increase we've ever seen on Steam

Darren Allan | Gaming | Dec 2, 2024 8:04 AM CST

Steam's hardware survey for November 2024 has arrived and there's been quite a surge in popularity for Windows 11.

Windows 11 spikes in popularity with PC gamers, with biggest increase we've ever seen on Steam

Valve breaks down all manner of stats as part of the monthly survey, and in this case, in the operating system category, Windows 11 has risen by the largest amount we can recall. As far as we're aware, the biggest previous rise was 3.4% which happened in the August 2024 survey. (Not counting months where weirdness has impacted the survey in some way, skewing some stats badly).

In November, Windows 11 rose by 4.18%, and now sits on 52.98%, with Windows 10 falling by almost the same amount - slightly less at 4.15% - to leave the older OS on 43.31%.

Continue reading: Windows 11 spikes in popularity with PC gamers, with biggest increase we've ever seen on Steam (full post)

Nearly 3 years after Intel Arc graphics cards arrived, they're finally on Steam's top GPU list

Darren Allan | Video Cards & GPUs | Dec 2, 2024 6:51 AM CST

You're doubtless familiar with Valve's hardware survey for Steam, and amongst the stats provided there is a ranking of the most popular graphics cards - with Intel's Arc brand finally making it onto that list.

Nearly 3 years after Intel Arc graphics cards arrived, they're finally on Steam's top GPU list

The revelation came via a post on X from Haze that VideoCardz spotted, and we should clarify that the new entry in Steam's GPU rankings (for November) is for 'Intel Arc Graphics' which is the collective listing for all Alchemist laptop GPUs. These now have a share of 0.18% of all the graphics cards used on Steam.

These integrated graphics solutions don't register as separate model names, they're all lumped under that one umbrella label, which obviously helps bolster their chances of appearing in the rankings.

Continue reading: Nearly 3 years after Intel Arc graphics cards arrived, they're finally on Steam's top GPU list (full post)

Cyber Monday up to 50% off deals hit Sony, Beats, Bose, and Sennheiser headphones

Jak Connor | Deals | Dec 2, 2024 4:32 AM CST

Cyber Monday has arrived on Amazon, extending the frenzy of Black Friday deals for a limited time with discounts on various PC hardware, including gaming monitors, SSDs, headphones, and much more.

Cyber Monday up to 50% off deals hit Sony, Beats, Bose, and Sennheiser headphones

Cyber Monday offers one of your final opportunities to score fantastic deals on items from your Christmas shopping list. Although Black Friday has ended, some retailers are continuing the sale madness into this week, with online retailers launching fresh discounts for Cyber Monday. Amazon, well-known for its discounts, is fully immersed in Cyber Monday deals, and if you want to save hundreds on new headphones, check out the details below.

Here are some of the top Cyber Monday deals on headphones. Headphones are heavily discounted, with various brands such as Sony, Beats, Bose, and Sennheiser. If you're interested in exploring more Cyber Monday deals on Amazon, now's the time, check out the link here.

Continue reading: Cyber Monday up to 50% off deals hit Sony, Beats, Bose, and Sennheiser headphones (full post)

Gaming monitors, AMD CPUs, SSDs, laptops, and more discounted for Cyber Monday

Jak Connor | Deals | Dec 2, 2024 4:12 AM CST

Cyber Monday has arrived on Amazon, which means the madness of the Black Friday deals continues for a limited amount of time.

Gaming monitors, AMD CPUs, SSDs, laptops, and more discounted for Cyber Monday

Cyber Monday is one of your last chances to snag some great deals on items written on your Christmas shopping list. Black Friday has wrapped up, and some retailers are continuing the sale madness for a few days this week, but online retailers are kicking off discounts with Cyber Monday. Amazon is no stranger to discounts, and the online retailer has already been taken over by Cyber Monday deals.

Below are some of the best Cyber Monday deals I could find in the PC gaming category on Amazon. PC hardware has been discounted heavily on Amazon, with an AMD Ryzen 7 5700X CPU being 59%, gaming monitors being discounted as much as 42% and much more. If you are interested in looking at more Cyber Monday deals on Amazon, check out this link here.

Continue reading: Gaming monitors, AMD CPUs, SSDs, laptops, and more discounted for Cyber Monday (full post)

Cyber Monday deals swarm Amazon with discounts on the PS5, monitors, laptops, and SSDs

Jak Connor | Deals | Dec 2, 2024 3:36 AM CST

Cyber Monday has arrived on Amazon, marking the last of the crazy deal bonanza that happens every year in the last week of November.

Cyber Monday deals swarm Amazon with discounts on the PS5, monitors, laptops, and SSDs

Amazon has been littered with crazy deals for the past week, and now that Black Friday has officially wrapped up Cyber Monday has kicked off, with thousands of products discounted across online marketplaces. Amazon is no stranger to discounts, and right now on the online retailer buyers can save hundreds across a variety of PC hardware, including graphics cards, gaming monitors, gaming consoles, laptops, and more.

Below are some of the best Cyber Monday deals I found after browsing Amazon, with discounts of up to 39% on select Samsung gaming monitors, 21% on an ASUS gaming laptop, and 47% on a 4TB Samsung SSD.

Continue reading: Cyber Monday deals swarm Amazon with discounts on the PS5, monitors, laptops, and SSDs (full post)

InWin's full-tower futuristic motorized 'Infinite' PC chassis weighs over 100 pounds

Kosta Andreadis | Cases, Cooling & PSU | Dec 1, 2024 10:56 PM CST

InWin's 11th-generation "signature chassis," the Infinite, is an absolute beast of a unit - weighing 103.6 pounds or 47 kilograms. It looks like a futuristic space station with 180-degree curved glass and a premium aluminum shell - which the company calls "a PC industry-first."

InWin's full-tower futuristic motorized 'Infinite' PC chassis weighs over 100 pounds

"These two premium materials encompass each other, creating a stunning view of infinite expansion," the description reads. "Experience the pinnacle of innovation where craftsmanship meets artisanal mastery." The inner case is also mechanized so it can stand vertically or tilt up to 45 degrees for easy access to components and to look like something from the distant future.

Going back to the curved glass, at 6mm thick, it's an impressive engineering feat to create a single piece that twists and turns in opposite directions - presenting a one-of-a-kind look that makes the InWin Infinite case stand out from the pack.

Continue reading: InWin's full-tower futuristic motorized 'Infinite' PC chassis weighs over 100 pounds (full post)

MSI Claw 8 AI+ specs and pricing revealed, up to Intel Core Ultra 7-258V and 32GB of memory

Kosta Andreadis | Gaming | Dec 1, 2024 10:27 PM CST

The MSI Claw 8 AI+ is the company's second portable PC gaming handheld built on Intel hardware running Windows 11. It will be the first to use Intel's Lunar Lake architecture with next-gen Intel Arc 140V graphics in the Intel Core Ultra 7 258V processor. This is the follow-up to 2024's MSI Claw 7, which was powered by Meteor Lake.

MSI Claw 8 AI+ specs and pricing revealed, up to Intel Core Ultra 7-258V and 32GB of memory

The device is set to launch soon and make an appearance at CES 2025. Still, ahead of its debut, we've already got retail listings at Amazon and ExcaliberPC - listings that give us the full specs and pricing on the flagship MSI Claw 8 AI+ handheld, which will cost $100 more than the ROG Ally X refresh from ASUS.

Outside of the processor, the new flagship gaming handheld from MSI features a larger 8-inch 1080p display with a 120 Hz refresh rate, 32 GB of LPDDR5X-8533MHz memory, 1TB of internal PCIe NVMe SSD storage, a massive 80 WHr battery, and a $899 USD price tag. MSI also plans to launch an MSI Claw 7 AI+ with a smaller 7-inch display for $799.

Continue reading: MSI Claw 8 AI+ specs and pricing revealed, up to Intel Core Ultra 7-258V and 32GB of memory (full post)

Google has blocked Microsoft from launching its Xbox Mobile Store on Android

Kosta Andreadis | Mobile Devices | Dec 1, 2024 9:59 PM CST

Microsoft planned to add a new feature to its Xbox App for Android devices in November: the ability to purchase and play Xbox games directly from the Xbox App. According to Microsoft and Xbox executive Sarah Bond, the new feature is 'ready to go live' but is being held back because Google is requesting a stay while it appeals a legal decision that would allow exactly that.

Google has blocked Microsoft from launching its Xbox Mobile Store on Android

Google is appealing the ruling in the Epic v. Google case, which deemed that its Android app store, the Google Play storefront, is an illegal monopoly. Google would have to allow and distribute third-party app stores within Google Play while giving third-party app stores access to all Google Play apps. There's more to the ruling, but with Google appealing the decision, Microsoft isn't able to launch its Xbox store alternative.

"At Xbox, we want to offer players more choice on how and where they play, including being able to play and buy games directly from the Xbox app," Sarah Bond wrote on social media platform Bluesky.

Continue reading: Google has blocked Microsoft from launching its Xbox Mobile Store on Android (full post)

SEGA reveals exactly why it cancelled Hyenas, its live service Super Game

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Dec 1, 2024 9:32 PM CST

SEGA's ill-fated FPS game Hyenas was wiped out last year, and new investor reports give us an idea of the publisher's thought process behind the game's cancellation.

SEGA reveals exactly why it cancelled Hyenas, its live service Super Game

A bit ago, SEGA, the house of Sonic, wanted to make a live service first-person shooter. The project was called Hyenas, and it was in development at its European subsidiary Creative Assembly. Hyenas was to be the budding fruit of a nascent new strategy from SEGA--one called Super Games, which took aim at online-driven experiences that lasted for multiple years.Unfortunately, the project was cancelled and Hyenas was shut down before it even launched. Now we know why SEGA pulled the plug.

In a word, it comes down to the same that's wracked the games industry over the last two years: Cost. Live games are expensive in all aspects. SEGA should know--it runs and operates Phantasy Star Online 2, a successful live game.

Continue reading: SEGA reveals exactly why it cancelled Hyenas, its live service Super Game (full post)

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