AMD has confirmed it will hold the opening keynote speech for IFA 2026, and I'll give you just one guess at the topic.

That's right, it's AI, and VideoCardz noticed that Jack Huynh, who is SVP & GM of Computing & Graphics at AMD, posted the confirmation of the keynote on X (see above).

The full title of the keynote is apparently: "The Era of Personal AI: The Future of Imagination". We're told that Huynh will expand on AMD's "vision of the next era of computing" where "AI transforms the relationship between people and technology".

Samsung has been showing off a future innovation for memory in the form of zHBM, among other revelations at the Future of Memory and Storage (FMS) conference.

FMS 2026 is happening in Santa Clara, California, where, as VideoCardz spotted, Samsung introduced us to both zHBM and zNAND-O which are next-gen 3D memory architectures, albeit they are only at the concept stage right now.

Given that, details are scarce, but as the 'z' suggests, this tech is about stacking vertically (on the Z-axis). In the case of zHBM, this is a new take on HBM where the memory is directly stacked above the AI accelerator (as opposed to being placed alongside the processor as is the case currently).

If you're playing the Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 port on PS4 or PS5 (it was released last month), a recent update may incorrectly inform you that you've been banned, when this isn't the case.

Eurogamer spotted the issue as highlighted by the developer in a post on X, acknowledging that errant ban messages are being sent to gamers who are likely to end up very confused. The good news is that the 'ban' is easily lifted (at least for those who've been accidentally hit with the banishment stick).

Activision explains that:

MSI is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, and to celebrate, it's launching a new line-up of premium limited edition 'DRACO EPIC EDITION' gear. Inspired by a mythical dragon by the name of Draco, who "guarded the golden apples to become the North Star," all you really need to know is that the blue, gold, and dragon iconography looks absolutely stunning when paired with MSI's PC hardware.

Of course, that's a subjective take, but after seeing the line-up up close at Computex 2026, it was hard not to be impressed by the craftsmanship, including custom etching and a premium finish. The full line-up covers a motherboard, graphics card, liquid cooler, chassis, headset, keyboard, mouse, and mouse pad, with MSI noting that they'll be available soon in "limited quantities."

And with that, let's take a quick look at the line-up, starting with the MEG X870E ACE MAX DRACO EPIC EDITION motherboard. This is a flagship AMD X870E board with USB4, Wi-Fi 7, PCIe 5.0 SSD support, and premium thermals and power delivery reimagined with its custom Draco design. It's joined by the GeForce RTX 5080 16G SUPRIM DRACO EPIC EDITION graphics card, which also reimagines one of MSI's flagship vapor chamber-cooled cards with a custom backplate and other Draco touches.

AMD has released its financial results for Q2 2026, with the company's second quarter revenue hitting a record $11.5 billion, driven by its Data Center segment. AMD's Data Center revenue reached $6.7 billion, which was more than double the same period last year, with the company citing strong demand for its AMD EPYC processors and AMD Instinct GPUs as the main reason. Translation: AI.

When it comes to the consumer side that most of us know, that is the home of Ryzen and Radeon, AMD's Client and Gaming segment revenue hit an impressive $3.8 billion, which was up 6% year-over-year. And that's impressive because the Gaming slice of this segment saw its revenue drop by 31% compared to the same period last year, to $779 million.

Although it doesn't go into full details on the 31% drop, AMD cites "lower semi-custom revenue" as the main reason. AMD's semi-custom Gaming business covers the chips it makes for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Steam Deck, Steam Machine, and other gaming devices that combine custom Ryzen and RDNA architecture.

According to Taiwanese outlet DigiTimes, citing "industry insiders" as the source, the big three memory suppliers have reportedly allocated all of 2027's DRAM and HBM capacity. Essentially, this means that all memory on track to be manufactured in 2027 by Samsung, SK hynix, and Micron is now sold out, with no additional supply planned.

Naturally, this is driven by the current AI boom, and several predictions that state that 2027 is set to be the worst year on record for memory supply. Demand far exceeds supply, and memory makers are signing LTAs (long-term agreements) with companies to supply memory for up to 5 years; the situation is pretty dire.

Traditionally, July and August are when companies secure memory for the following year, so it's looking increasingly likely that several companies won't be able to get the memory they need for 2027. And when it comes to the big AI companies and hyperscalers buying up vast quantities of HBM, the report notes that some of these firms (without naming them specifically) have resorted to "begging" for supply. And that's obtaining supply while paying a lot more.

GIGABYTE has launched its new flagship power supply, with the AORUS P1600W 80+ Titanium Modular PCIe 5.1 AI TOP now available. Announced and showcased at Computex 2026, this is a premium modular PSU with a 1600W power capacity and an 80 PLUS Titanium efficiency rating in a compact 160mm form factor.

Naturally, it's also ATX 3.1 and PCIe 5.1 compliant. With two native 16-pin-to-16-pin PCIe connectors and cables and two dual-8-pin-to-16-pin PCIe connectors and cables, the AORUS P1600W can support up to four graphics cards in a powerful system built for local AI.

In addition to what it can handle, the other big design feature of the AORUS P1600W is its full-color LCD Edge View display for real-time power monitoring. The information on the display reportedly comes directly from the power supply, so it doesn't rely on software or external sensors. Of course, in most builds you don't really see the PSU, so you'll definitely want to pair this with a case that offers a full view of the AORUS P1600W. The display can also be configured to showcase art and animation.

GIGABYTE is one of the biggest names when it comes to PC gaming graphics cards, offering a broad line-up of both GeForce RTX 50 and Radeon RX 9000 Series GPUs. With several recent reports indicating that both NVIDIA and AMD are increasing the prices for their GPUs (that is, the GPU and memory bundles it offers to partners like GIGABYTE), the latest price-increase news comes from a wholesaler in Japan.

According to a new notice from Japanese retailer and supplier CFD-BIZ (via Wccftech), which has been sent out to its various customers, GIGABYTE GPU prices have now increased by around 20% to 40% for any new orders placed from August 1, 2026. The notice cites a "price revision by the manufacturer," which indicates this is coming directly from GIGABYTE.

The notice doesn't mention any specific products, but by stating "GIGABYTE VGA products," it sounds like a catch-all for all of the brand's graphics card products across GeForce RTX, Radeon RX, and workstation products. A 40% price increase is massive, but the bad news doesn't stop there.

Large PDFs are a normal part of modern technical work. Product specifications, compliance documents, research papers, and software documentation all require more than simply opening a file. They need editing, searching, converting, and organizing without disrupting existing layouts. While AI can quickly explain complex information, it still depends on dedicated software for precise document processing. UPDF brings both capabilities together, making it a compelling Adobe Acrobat alternative for Windows users.

Artificial intelligence summarizes documents and answers questions, while dedicated tools ensure accurate processing every time. UPDF combines GPT-5.6 with editing, conversion, OCR, and organization inside one lightweight application. This guide explains where each capability fits in practical technical workflows for maximum productivity.

Large language models understand information, summarize documents, and answer questions using contextual reasoning. They cannot guarantee identical results whenever technical document tasks demand precise, repeatable processing consistently.

Battlefield 6 has finally rectified its crashing issues on modern NVIDIA RTX graphics cards, which were so bad the game's developers recommended that users with problems downgrade to an older driver revision. According to patch notes for Battlefield 6 update 1.4.1.5, the game has rectified game crashes pertaining to playing matches on maps with large bodies of water, using custom search, and changing attachments on the SOR-300SC carbine.

Issues pertaining to Battlefield 6 crashing on maps with large bodies of water first debuted with Season 4, which re-introduced naval combat to the game for the first time since Battlefield 1. Initially, Battlefield Studios reported that driver crashes were related only to the aforementioned bug pertaining to large bodies of water. The developers also issued a temporary workaround, recommending users with the issue revert to NVIDIA driver version 596.49 (the last driver to come out before the 600 series driver branch).

The driver rollback workaround made it seem as if NVIDIA had a driver issue causing the issue, but apparently that was not the case. The attachment and custom search bugs listed were also unknown until now. This explains why NVIDIA never even addressed the Battlefield 6 crashing bug in the patch notes as a known issue with its driver releases since Battlefield 6 Season 4 was released. The patch also features a plethora of other changes to weapons, vehicles, maps, modes, and more.

Ubisoft is rolling out Title Update 1.0.6 for Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced on August 4, and the big highlight in the notes is a fix a lot of players have been asking for since launch: you can now hide Edward's blowpipe.

The blowpipe sits strapped to Edward's back at all times in the base game, and plenty of players have complained that it clutters up the character model and clashes with certain outfits. Update 1.0.6 adds a Hide Gear option in the outfit menu, letting players tuck the weapon away for a cleaner silhouette. The blowpipe still works exactly the same in combat, so this is purely cosmetic and not a nerf.

The update also fixes something the community has been far less happy about. Title Update 1.0.4 quietly broke the ability to toggle Edward's hood while diving and performing leaps of faith, a small touch that let players pull the hood up or down mid-animation for a more cinematic look. Ubisoft never mentioned removing it, and fans spent weeks asking for it back on Reddit and social media. It's apparently back in working order now, so the hood toggle should function during dives and leaps just like it did at launch.

The gaming industry has been through a brutal few years of layoffs, with the most recent round at Xbox and Bethesda leading to project cancellations and thousands of game developers losing their jobs. To make the situation a little easier for those affected, a group of indie studios decided to do something about it, and the response has been remarkable.

Necrosoft Games director Brandon Sheffield, working alongside the United Videogame Workers union, put together the Game Industry Hardship Fund bundle on itch.io. For a minimum of $10, you get 127 indie games with a combined retail value of over $1,000.

All proceeds, minus itch.io processing fees, go directly to a hardship fund that distributes money to laid-off game developers in the US and Canada, helping cover rent, groceries, healthcare, and other day-to-day expenses. Workers who lost their jobs after January 2024 can apply for support through two tiers: one for requests under $1,000, and a Major Expenses Tier for amounts between $1,000 and $5,000.

A Russian hacking group known as Midnight Blizzard, or Cozy Bear, has been running a campaign that specifically targets hotel Wi-Fi networks to get into the devices of government officials, diplomats, and defense industry employees while they travel. Microsoft's threat intelligence team published details of the campaign this week, and the technique being used is one worth understanding if you travel for work.

The attack is called an Evil Twin, and the basic idea is that the hackers set up a rogue Wi-Fi network that mimics a legitimate hotel network. When a target connects, the attacker intercepts traffic and can steal credentials through a technique called NTLM relay, which captures Windows authentication hashes and uses them to access the victim's accounts and internal systems without ever needing the actual password. The attack is entirely passive from the victim's perspective. You connect to what looks like the hotel Wi-Fi, and that is it.

What makes Midnight Blizzard specifically dangerous is the infrastructure behind the operation. Microsoft found evidence that the group was chaining together compromised devices, including home routers and IoT hardware from previous campaigns, to route its attacks through. This makes the traffic harder to trace and the attackers harder to attribute. The group has been active since at least 2018 and is widely believed to be linked to Russia's SVR foreign intelligence service.

Microsoft is bringing Xbox 360 games to PC through the Xbox app. A leaked document obtained by The Verge, sent to developers recently, reveals that Xbox 360 games are heading to PC, handheld devices, and the upcoming next-generation Project Helix console. This follows the company's recently announced plans to bring original Xbox games to PC, with developers now also getting the opportunity to bring their Xbox 360 titles along for the ride.

Game developers will be able to opt their Xbox 360 titles into the program, with control over pricing and whether their game enters Xbox Game Pass. The full launch of the original Xbox program on PC is set for October 2026, which will expand beyond the current four-game lineup. Xbox 360 support follows between 2027 and 2028 across what Microsoft calls next-gen devices, which includes any PC running the Xbox app, handhelds like the ROG Xbox Ally, and Project Helix itself.

The document also includes details about Microsoft's rumored disc-to-digital program. The program would grant players a digital license when they insert a physical Xbox One or Series disc into a console with a disc drive. That license would be tied to both the disc and the player's account, traveling with them across Xbox devices. If the disc changes hands, the license transfers to the new owner, meaning physical trading could still work in a meaningful way. The program was originally set for a beta last month with a full launch in August, but has since been delayed.

In a big surprise to no one, Motherboard prices are apparently about to get a lot worse. According to a report from Chinese Board Channels, a supply chain source that tracks GPU and motherboard distribution, ASUS, GIGABYTE, and MSI are preparing to raise consumer motherboard prices by at least 50% sometime in Q3 2026.

The reasoning is about what you would expect, with everything that's happening in the PC hardware world right now. PCB costs are climbing, and so are the prices of copper, surface-mount capacitors, power delivery components, and the controller chips that go into every board. These are not small line items either, as they make up a real chunk of what a motherboard costs to build.

With the global memory and component crisis, DIY PC demand has been sliding for months, and motherboard shipments have dropped along with it. That leaves ASUS, GIGABYTE, and MSI with fewer boards sold to spread their development, production, and logistics costs across.

Embark, the developers behind Arc Raiders, is upgrading its anti-cheat system for The Finals with a new in-house solution that will likely replace the game's existing Denuvo anti-cheat system. Update 11.3.0 for The Finals announced the introduction of Elytra for testing purposes only. The new anti-cheat system is currently being tested with a "small group of selected players" as well as some of its technology partners, including GeForce Now and Microsoft.

Details on Elytra's anti-cheat capabilities remain hidden, but Embark promises to provide more details as Elytra gets closer to full development. Embark also noted that The Finals' 11.6 update will introduce the anti-cheat system to a broader audience through a gradual rollout process. Currently, Elytra is installed for most users playing The Finals and runs in the background for these users. But critically, Elytra is running in a passive state and is not enforcing any anti-cheat protections.

It's no secret that Embark has been struggling with cheaters, as have most game developers who have highly popular AAA shooters. The development studio currently has a semi-complex anti-cheat strategy with Arc Raiders involving the use of Easy Anti-Cheat, Denuvo Anti-Cheat, and a behavioral monitoring AI system simultaneously. Denuvo Anti-Cheat is used as a secondary kernel-level anti-cheat layer that fills in gaps in EAC's anti-cheat capabilities, while both anti-cheat programs are further supported by a machine-learning behavior analysis system called Anybrain AI that monitors player telemetry and tracks inhuman levels of player skill in-game.

Grand Theft Auto 6's next trailer could be about to drop, but while the gaming rumor mill is currently buzzing with that prospect, another nugget of speculation has sneaked out whereby the GTA 6 map could have been spotted (again).

This time around it's an easter egg tucked away in Grand Theft Auto 5, one that was uncovered by a keen-eyed Redditor (see above) as The Gamer reports.

That Redditor discovered a painting hanging in a building in GTA 5 which has a highlighted green blob in the middle of it. At first glance, it just looks like some kind of abstract artwork, but if you examine the shape carefully, it resembles the carefully constructed fan-made map of GTA 6.

Noctua's fans and various cooling solutions are notable not only for their unique brown and tan colorways, but also for consistently delivering industry-leading performance and durability. Recently, the company partnered with Pulsar to release its first gaming mouse with active cooling, powered by the Noctua NF-A4x10 fan.

According to the company, adding a fan to the Pulsar Feinmann F01 Noctua Edition gaming mouse isn't as simple as it seems - at least not for a company that builds what it calls "custom-built torture-test rigs" to ensure that their fans perform as expected, without any issues.

To demonstrate the detail and rigorous testing that went into validating the Noctua NF-A4x10 fan for the Pulsar Feinmann F01 Noctua Edition gaming mouse, the company has posted a detailed article outlining its process. As a gaming mouse is a peripheral that is, more or less, in constant movement when in use, this led to the development of a custom machine to stress test horizontal in-plane movement with an asynchronous motor, gears, and other bits and pieces. Yes, it's a "custom-built torture-test rig" that essentially shakes the fan to replicate 20g acceleration force.

Although not indicative of the full PC gaming landscape, Valve's monthly Steam Hardware & Software Survey data offers some great insight into trends and where the PC gaming hardware landscape is sitting. It's a valuable tool not only for hardware makers but also for game developers of all sizes looking to optimize their games to ensure they run on the various PC systems out there.

When it comes to the latest July 2026 results, there's a notable change when it comes to VRAM capacity. That is, looking at all of the discrete and integrated GPUs out there across AMD, NVIDIA, and Intel, 16GB is the most popular VRAM capacity with 25.9% market share, followed by 8GB with 25.3% market share.

It's the first time we've seen 16GB take the lead, which covers a wide range of cards like GeForce RTX 5070 Ti, RTX 5080, Radeon RX 9070 XT, and more. That said, when looking at the bigger picture, the majority of gamers are still gaming with GPUs and VRAM capacities less than 16GB, thanks to the popularity of 12GB cards like the GeForce RTX 3060 and RTX 5070.

With prices for GeForce RTX 50 Series GPUs increasing in several markets due to the ongoing memory crisis, the current state of PC gaming hardware is not exactly ideal. Far from it, as we're seeing the prices for critical components like discrete graphics cards increase to the point where MSRP is starting to feel like a distant memory. Even with the current situation, it's looking like the GeForce RTX 5070 might go down as one of NVIDIA's most popular and successful gaming GPUs in a long time.

As seen in the latest data from Valve's Steam Hardware & Software Survey results for July 2026, the GeForce RTX 5070 is sitting at 3.62% market share, which is pretty much on par with the GeForce RTX 4060's 3.63% share. It's not only the most popular card in the current RTX Blackwell and RDNA 4 era of PC gaming, but its rapid adoption has made it one of the most popular PC gaming cards on the market, right behind the GeForce RTX 3060 and RTX 4060.

What makes the RTX 5070's popularity interesting is that it's outpacing the more affordable mainstream GeForce RTX 5060, which is normally the model that defines a GeForce RTX generation when it comes to popularity. Part of the RTX 5070's appeal, or the RTX 5060's slower growth, probably comes down to the latter's 8GB of VRAM - which is proving to be a limiting factor when playing modern AAA titles.