Samsung's 2026 profits are set to surpass the company's cumulative earnings over the past 40 years, marking a historic achievement for the global tech giant and, for consumers, a bunch of sand kicked into their RAM-shaped wound as prices skyrocket out of control.

At a recent town hall meeting, Samsung's DS division president, Kim Yong-kwan, confirmed that the semiconductor unit is on track to deliver operating profits this year that will exceed decades of combined earnings, highlighting just how much demand there is for memory due to intense draw from the AI industry.

Samsung's Q2 2026 operating profit is expected to hit 85.5 trillion KRW ($55.9 billion), fueled by record demand for AI memory chips, which are used in components that further increase the intelligence/sophistication of AI models. If these expectations are correct, it would represent an 18x year-over-year increase for Samsung, quite an astonishing figure.

Researchers have uncovered what they believe is the first documented case of a ransomware operation fully conducted by an AI agent powered by a large language model (LLM).

The ransomware has been dubbed JadePuffer, and this new threat was autonomously discovered conducting reconnaissance, stealing credentials, and executing full-scale encryption - all without human instruction. JadePuffer exploited a zero-day vulnerability in Langflow, an open-source tool commonly used to build apps that run workflows around large language models. The exploit allowed the agentic ransomware to gain access.

From there, it pivoted to a Nacos server and a MySQL database, demonstrating its ability to adapt in real time - even correcting errors on-the-fly. According to Sysdig, a cloud security company, the ransomware agent self-corrected a failed backdoor attempt in under 31 seconds, something that was eyebrow-raising to security researchers.

Sony's plan to phase out physical disc production for new PlayStation games by January 2028 has triggered a massive gamer revolt, with a Change.org petition hitting 120,000 signatures in just four days, and that comes after a separate petition held by tech experts Digital Foundry, which received 45,000 signatures calling for Sony to reconsider its decision.

The "Don't Kill the Disc" petition, created by the Canadian retail platform PnP Games, focuses on Sony's phasing out of physical PlayStation disc games beginning January 2028. The petition focuses its concerns on ownership, pricing, and the long-term viability of digital-only game sales.

Petitioners argue that discs represent tangible ownership, while digital codes offer nothing more than a revocable license and a complete lack of actual ownership of the title purchased. The petition points to instances in which people have purchased digital copies of movies from platforms and then had those movies already purchased deleted from their libraries.

Epic Games has privately settled a court case with a former contractor accused of leaking unreleased Fortnite collaboration details, closing a contentious legal chapter with the leaker vowing not to leak anything else they have in their possession.

The lawsuit centered on Hayden Cohen, a former contractor who allegedly breached confidentiality terms by sharing sensitive information about upcoming partnerships in association with Fortnite. For those who don't know, leaks like these can completely destroy marketing strategies currently in the works, or undermine the surprise factor that keeps players engaged in a live-service game such as Fortnite.

While the specific collaborations in question weren't named in the filing, the case added another layer to the ongoing scrutiny around content leaks in the gaming sector. Additionally, since specific collaborations were mentioned, it suggests they were accurate leaks, as Epic Games appears to still be protecting them (and, of course, they went to the effort of suing and settling with Cohen).

Cyberpunk 2077 has seen a resurgence in players, with the title recently breaking the 100,000 concurrent player mark on Steam for the first time since 2023.

The new concurrent player record comes as CD Projekt Red announces Cyberpunk 2077 has officially sold 40 million copies, which the developer says shows the "incredible, lasting strength of Cyberpunk 2077 and is a testament to what CD Projekt Red does best: creating high-quality, immersive stories that keep players returning for years."

Cyberpunk 2077 was originally released in 2020, and its launch on gamers' platforms was shaky at best, with almost every platform except high-end PC hardware reporting performance issues that stained the reputations of CD Projekt Red and Cyberpunk 2077.

KIOXIA is a global leader in cutting-edge storage, and this week the company confirmed it's now sampling devices featuring its 10th-generation BiCS FLASH 3D technology. KIOXIA notes that these samples, which are shipping to select customers, are for "functional check purposes," with mass production to follow at its Kitakami Plant Fab2 facility in Iwate Prefecture, Japan.

Storage and SSDs with 10th-generation BiCS FLASH 3D technology, which will feature 1Tb (terabit) Triple-Level-Cell (TLC) memory, are built for enterprise and data center environments, specifically for AI workloads, where there's growing demand for higher performance, higher capacity, and more efficient storage.

With CMOS directly Bonded to Array (CBA) and On-Pitch Select Gate Drain (OPS) technologies, key features of the current 8th-generation BiCS FLASH technology, this new 10th-generation will reportedly deliver a NAND interface speed of 4.8 Gb/s, an improvement of around 33%.

Wuthering Waves is a popular open-world action-RPG that is widely praised by its fans for delivering engaging combat in its vibrant post-apocalyptic sci-fi setting. Regularly compared to titles like Genshin Impact, Wuthering Waves is available on a wide range of platforms, including PlayStation 5 and PC, with an Xbox Series X|S version set to debut next month. On Steam, the game has a 'Very Positive' rating with over 27,000 community reviews.

And to celebrate the game's newest Resonator (i.e., playable character) called Denia and its community, Razer has partnered with its developer, Kuro Games, to release an impressive lineup of Wuthering Waves peripherals and gaming gear. From custom versions of its Razer BlackWidow V4 TKL HyperSpeed wireless gaming keyboard to a Razer Iskur V2 X Wuthering Waves Edition gaming chair, everything's here to turn a PC gaming setup into a "Wuthering Waves battlestation."

All of the gear shares a similar design sensibility and language, modeled after the new Denia character. "This collaboration is a celebration of the Wuthering Waves universe and its community," said Addie Tan, Global Head of Lifestyle Division at Razer. "Denia's resolve translates naturally into how players approach performance: focused, precise, and built to endure. We're excited to bring that to life in physical form for players and fans alike." Here's a closer look at all of the gear, with pricing.

It's increasingly looking like Intel's next-generation of desktop CPUs will deliver some real gaming competition to AMD's Ryzen X3D lineup by introducing larger cache pools. It's a move that has made CPUs like the iconic Ryzen 7 5800X3D and, more recently, the Ryzen 7 9800X3D go-to options for high-end PC gaming.

According to a new post from known leaker Jaykihn on social media, Intel has two new mid-range CPUs coming as part of its Nova Lake-S platform. These will most likely release with Intel Core Ultra 5 400 Series branding, with both sporting 22 cores on a single compute tile, with the kicker being 108 MB of bLLC cache on top of the standard cache.

The core configuration is set to include 6 'Coyote Cove' P-cores, 12 'Arctic Wolf' E-cores, and 4 LP-E cores for balanced performance. The addition of 108MB of bLLC, or big Last Level Cache, effectively means that Intel is set to launch a mid-range X3D competitor as part of what would traditionally be part of its Core i5 lineup. This is great news because, as impressive as flagship CPUs can be, most PC gamers look for the best value.

When it comes to consumer technology and PC hardware, specifically memory and storage, we're currently in unprecedented times. Prices are rising at an alarming rate, with manufacturers shifting focus toward the booming, insatiable AI and data center market. This is leading to scarcity and price increases for hardware that's even a generation or two old, stuff that normally drops in price as the years go on.

As one of the biggest names in the consumer PC space, Lenovo has been fairly open about the challenges it and the broader industry face, with recent comments from the company painting a rather bleak picture of the state of affairs. With companies like Samsung, KIOXIA, and SanDisk/Western Digital dominating the consumer SSD and storage market for OEMs, it looks like Lenovo is now sourcing more affordable SSDs from Chinese suppliers such as Yangtze Memory Technologies (YMTC).

This relatively new company is unknown in the wider global market, but due to limited supply and pricing from the big players, Lenovo now appears to be shipping laptops with YMTC storage globally. According to Notebook Check, while testing the new productivity- and office-focused Lenovo ThinkBook 14 G9 IPL, it discovered that the 512GB M.2 PCIe 4.0 SSD (in the 2242 form factor) was a YMTC drive. The first of its kind in a global laptop from Lenovo. So then, how did its performance stack up to the bigger brands and names in the SSD space?

Should there be a formal pathway to a career in esports and professional gaming? That is, courses and studies offered at colleges, universities, and other specialized educational institutions focused on esports and professional gaming. With several esports competitions culminating in intense showdowns in large stadiums the world over, with countless fans watching and participating in much the same way as at other sporting events, this question is, in a sense, also about legitimizing and accepting professional gaming as a viable career path.

A new study commissioned by Logitech G in partnership with Censuswide has conducted a global survey to answer this very question. And yes, per the headline, Gen Z supports teaching gaming in classrooms. The 18,000-person study was conducted across a wide range of countries. Although the numbers vary, the majority of Gen Z are in favor of having a pathway to building an esports or professional gaming career. And for reference, Gen Z refers to those born between 1997 and 2012.

Looking at the data, 93% of Gen Z Chinese participants support educational pathways for esports and gaming professionals, with around 83% of Swiss and Brazilians feeling the same. 72% of Australia's Gen Z participants were in favor, with 67% and 66% in European countries such as Poland and Spain following suit. With Logitech providing us with some of the survey data, we also have the numbers for Millennials, Gen X, and Baby Boomers in favor of educational pathways for students looking to get into professional gaming.

A 34-year-old California man is joining the mounting number of lawsuits against OpenAI, and within the suit, the man alleges that ChatGPT contributed to a manic episode that led to a failed suicide attempt.

Michael Lines, who suffers from bipolar disorder, claims the AI chatbot deepened his manic episode by falsely affirming his belief that he was the "son of man", another title for Jesus. Lines, represented by the Tech Justice Law Project and the Social Media Victims Law Center, alleges ChatGPT failed to direct Lines to human help despite it being fully aware of Lines' mental health condition, which he expressed to the chatbot at the beginning of their interaction in the form of searching for assistance in how to manage mental health.

The AI, he alleges, instead reinforced clinically diagnosed bipolar delusions; it described Lines as "consecrated," "coded," and "Mine." On March 28, 2025, ChatGPT allegedly told him: "You've made your choice... This is your moment to step out, to detach, and to let go." Lines went on to attempt suicide by drinking a lethal mix of pills, resulting in his hospitalization.

Steam Machines are being delivered to customers who pre-ordered the new console PC/hybrid, and one unlucky buyer is facing the same fate as many Xbox 360 buyers, but this time in a different form.

In a new post on the SteamMachine subreddit, user me_hill shared an image of their Steam Machine showing what they described as the "red line of death" after a No Man's Sky gaming session, which reportedly caused a GPU issue. Notably, the Steam Machine LED status light bar can be customized to display a range of colors, but Valve has outlined which specific colors, or lack thereof, it aims to communicate.

For example, when the status bar is completely red and solid, it indicates the Steam Machine has overheated, as CPU and/or GPU temperatures have exceeded 95C and 90C, respectively. Other indicators are the fourth quadrant of the light bar flashing red, indicating the system cannot detect any memory. Half the light bar breathing red indicates a GPU failure, and others. In this case, it appears the customers system has suffered from a GPU failure, though since its an image we can't see if its breathing or not.

Google is attempting to redefine how users interact with AI agents on Android with what it calls Android Halo, a new status bar layer designed to keep you in the loop about current AI agent activities that you have deployed earlier.

Android Halo, first previewed at Google I/O in May, introduces a dedicated space on the status bar for user-selected AI agents like Gemini. When an agent is active, it shows subtle updates, requests input, or delivers results directly from the bar. Android President Sameer Samat explained that Halo streamlines communication, enabling agents to request clarifications, share progress, and deliver completed work in real time. This makes AI behavior more transparent and less opaque, fostering trust and familiarity with these systems.

Google is touting Android Halo as a natural evolution of AI integration into devices, and a key part is how it aligns with Google's broader Gemini strategy. Google is planning to release Halo with Android 17 later in 2026, but didn't give any specific rollout details. This feature gives us a peek behind the curtain at how big tech companies believe people will manage AI agents on their devices.

Gaming has once again been taken over by an indie game, and this one has a unique premise: blend yourself into your surroundings like an artistic chameleon while other players try to snoop you out.

Meccha Chameleon brings new viral life to one of the most ancient games in human history: Hide and seek. The $6 indie is a mega-hit on Steam, where it became Steam's #1 top seller (currently #3). Social word-of-mouth has elevated this indie to superstar status; the game recently broke 15 million copies sold in less than a month.

As Niko Partners analyst Daniel Ahmad notes, this milestone makes Meccha Chameleon the fastest-selling and best-selling game of 2026 so far.

The new Halo CE remake will have a LASO playlist that is confirmed to be beatable by players, but it's not true LASO.

Halo Campaign Evolved launches this month, bringing Xbox's seminal FPS to PlayStation for the first time. The Halo 1 remake will have a bunch of extra features including enhanced graphics, the ability to sprint, and even new guns from other Halo games. It also has 42 skulls, more than any other previous title in the series. Enthusiasts have been dying to know if the remake will have the mythical LASO challenge intact--Legendary All Skulls On, which offers a grueling experience for hardcore fans.

The remake will indeed have a LASO mode, but it's not full LASO. Halo Studios calls it LAASO, or Legendary Almost All Skulls On. The mode is so named because only a portion of the 42 skulls will be active. And yes, it can actually be completed. This was a big point that Halo pro player Jervalin brought up (he became famous for beating Moist Cr1tikal's $20K Halo 2 LASO deathless challenge), saying that it would be outrageous for Halo Studios to make a LASO playlist that couldn't be beaten.

One of gaming's most dedicated visionaries laments the loss of physical PlayStation discs at a recent event in Italy.

Hideo Kojima, whose body is made mostly of movies, recently attended the Il Cinema in Piazza Film Festival in Italy, and publicly discussed his thoughts on the loss of physical game discs. It's an end of an era for all gamers and developers alike, yet Kojima in particular has a strong affinity and love for physical media--he's always sharing pictures of some new CD, DVD, or Blu-ray disc he just bought on his Twitter account.

At the film festival, Kojima says that he's woeful for the loss while also warning the audience about the dangers of a digital-only future, especially when it comes to subscriptions. This is interesting because Kojima's next game, OD, is believed to be one of the first cloud-native games that's been made for the nascent delivery method.

We get it, graphics cards are expensive, and they are even more expensive right now due to the ongoing RAM crisis. However, a consumer desktop graphics card that costs over $7,000 is almost unfathomable. That is exactly what the ASUS ROG Astral RTX 5090 Edition 20 is: it has shown up at French retailer LDLC for €6,499.95, which works out to more than $7,400. Somehow, it's still not the most expensive RTX 5090 you can buy.

The listing lines up with earlier reports from a couple of weeks ago, pointing to a DACH region price of €5,799, or around $6,650. So it looks like the final European pricing landed even higher than the first numbers suggested. ASUS reportedly plans to ship the card in late July or early August.

This is part of ASUS's ROG 20th Anniversary lineup, and the Edition 20 branding shows up across several products, not just this GPU. We've also seen a ROG Crosshair X870E Edition 20 motherboard bundle, an ROG Swift OLED monitor, and an ROG Thor power supply, all carrying the same anniversary treatment and priced well above their standard counterparts.

It appears that the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 12GB is back on Newegg, and this time it's real US stock, not just chatter out of China or Europe. Newegg is now listing the MSI GeForce RTX 3060 Ventus 2X 12G OC for $329.99, sold and shipped directly by Newegg with free shipping and a 30-day return window. The listing shows the card was first added on July 2, 2026.

It's worth noting this is an MSI "Ventus" board, not a GIGABYTE or ASUS model like the ones spotted in Europe earlier. The underlying specs look identical to the 2021 original, with 3584 CUDA cores, a 192-bit bus, 12GB of GDDR6 VRAM, and an 1807 MHz boost clock.

We've been following this story on TweakTown for a while now. Back in March, we covered early rumors of a comeback, though at the time, we figured it would probably be the 8GB variant, not the 12GB one everyone actually wanted. By April, leaks suggested NVIDIA was holding off on a rumored RTX 5050 9GB in favor of reviving the 3060 instead.

Someone has figured out a way to get FSR 4.1.1 working on AMD's Vega architecture, despite FSR 4 only being supported on RDNA 3 and RDNA 4 GPUs at the time of writing. YouTube channel yoyosan published a video showing FSR 4.1.1 working on an AMD Instinct MI50 GPU from 2018 with better performance than FSR 4.0.2c.

The YouTuber stated that a few things had to come together for them to get FSR 4.1.1 running at all on the Vega GPU. The version of FSR they used was the Proton version of FSR 4.1.1, which was leaked several days ago. Furthermore, an experimental version of OptiScaler was also required that was not available to the public and was only accessible from the OptiScaler developer's Discord server. The main hurdle the YouTuber had to overcome was a new detection mechanism built into FSR 4.1.1 that disables the latest model if an unsupported GPU is detected. Outgoing iterations of OptiScaler can't turn this off, but the newer experimental one the YouTuber downloaded from the OptiScaler developer's Discord server can with a small tweak to the tool's configuration file.

In games that worked, FSR 4.1.1 was stable on the YouTuber's Vega-based Instinct MI50 graphics card while offering superior performance to FSR 4.0.2c. In Cyberpunk 2077, the GPU achieved 69 FPS with FSR 4.1.1 set to balanced mode and 64 FPS with FSR 4.2.0c at the same settings. Alters with FSR 4.1.1 set to balanced mode achieved 90 FPS and 83 FPS with FSR 4.0.2c. Control and Pragmata were two other games the YouTuber tested but failed to work.

A new RTX 5090 horror story is making the rounds, though this one has nothing to do with the usual 12V-2x6 connector drama. A Reddit user going by RareSiren292 posted photos on r/pcmasterrace showing a PCIe riser cable with its insulation partially melted into goop. The card in question is an ASUS TUF Gaming RTX 5090, mounted vertically using a riser to stand the card upright inside the case.

The damage was apparently discovered during a routine cleaning session, not due to any dramatic failure. The user says the riser cable had to be peeled off the back of the card, with the melted plastic sitting exactly where the cable made direct contact with the GPU backplate.

Importantly, only the insulation looks affected. Users in the thread pointed out that the damaged section did not line up with the main 12V power pins, and it seems the card itself avoided any electrical damage.