Latest News - Page 110

AMD recently revealed its latest entry in the Ryzen 9000 lineup, the Ryzen 9 9950X3D2 Dual Edition, the world's first CPU with a dual 3D V-Cache design. While the Red Team shared detailed specifications, including core count, total cache, TDP, and an April 22 launch window, it did not reveal pricing. Now, with only a few weeks left until launch, early retail listings have started to surface, giving us our first glimpse at possible pricing.

The listings, spotted by Wccftech via @momomo_us, appeared on multiple UK and Canadian retailers showing the Ryzen 9 9950X3D2 Dual Edition listed at $958 and $1,196, respectively.

Popular Canadian retailer PC-Canada.com listed the 9950X3D2 Dual Edition at CAD $1,373, which translates to around US$984. That puts it almost $300 above the launch price of its single-V-Cache sibling, the Ryzen 9 9950X3D ($699 at launch). Another Canadian store, ShopRBC, listed the new CPU at CAD $1,375, which comes to around US$986.

Last year, a series of rumors began circulating, claiming that a new Prototype game was in development. A Reddit user claimed the game would feature Alex Mercer from the original Prototype as its protagonist, introduce new shapeshifting mechanics for infiltrating areas, and take place in New York City.

Some of the speculation was also fueled by changes at Radical Entertainment, which was rebranded as New Radical Games. The studio's updated website featured Prototype alongside The Simpsons: Hit and Run, leading fans to speculate that remasters or new projects could be in the works. Additional rumors were sparked by datamined updates to the original Prototype, which revealed test maps and changes to the credits.

Since then, fans of the hack-and-slash series have hoped for official confirmation. Now, an insider pushes back on those hopes, claiming the narrative about a new Prototype is entirely false and that neither Microsoft nor Activision currently has any plans for a new game.

In a profile on Japanese businesses, Sony CEO Hiroki Totoki discusses the company's overall goals for its PlayStation games entertainment division, saying that users are just as important as the content that they consume.

Sony keeps the top spot for two big reasons: Gamers continue buying games, and publishers keep selling them. PlayStation is so big because it can efficiently funnel a vast swath of games into its storefront ecosystem, leading to a veritable market of third-party content to choose from. This size is maintained through carefully-inked deals with publishers and developers that offer favorable terms for both sides.

In a recent interview with Bloomberg, Sony CEO Hiroki Totoki says that the overall focus for PlayStation is bifurcated between these two points--consumers and publishers.

We all know how aggressive Microsoft can be when pushing Windows updates. You can be in a hurry to fire off that work email, or to jump on the game with the boys, but as soon as you turn your PC on, you're met with the Windows update screen. Well, now it seems Microsoft is taking things to the next level and forcefully updating your Windows device, even if you had no plans to do it yourself.

According to Microsoft, an update to Windows 11 25H2 is now available for all devices that are running the older 24H2 version. Not only that, your device will be "automatically" updated to the new version. At the moment, this forced update applies to users of Home and Pro versions, whereas IT departments and organizations are currently excluded from the rollout.

Microsoft claims that users will have to perform "no action" to get the update, but they do have limited control over when the update is installed. You can postpone the update, but of course, that functionality is only temporary. It is interesting to note that Microsoft is labeling this as a "machine learning-based intelligent rollout", although there is no explanation provided about what that entails.

Pearl Abyss continues molding and shaping Crimson Desert based on player feedback, but the latest update also makes an unwelcome change that fans already miss.

Crimson Desert's new update makes a few big changes to the game that are tailored to fan feedback, and one that isn't. Patch 1.02.00 expands in-game storage from 240 slots to 1000, but you'll have to upgrade your camp five times before you unlock the full amount. Pearl Abyss also added a new control scheme, fixed V-Sync issues on Xbox, and put in a new armor set for your pet cat.

"Depending on your progress with the Greymane camp expansion, the capacity of your private storage can now be increased from 240 slots up to a maximum of 1000 slots. Through the expansion of your camp, which consists of 5 stages in total," the patch notes read.

RPCS3, an open-source emulator designed to run PlayStation 3 (PS3) games on PC, has reported a performance boost thanks to a new breakthrough in emulating the console's Cell CPU. In a post on X (spotted by VideoCardz), the team explained that the work centers on new SPU usage patterns discovered by contributor Elad, which allow the emulator to generate more optimized code.

The PS3's hardware makes this a "breakthrough." PlayStation 3 uses the Cell Broadband Engine, which, unlike AMD or Intel CPUs, has a main core (PPU) and several smaller co-processors (SPUs). The PPU handles general tasks such as game logic and system operations, while the SPUs handle parallel workloads, including physics, animation, audio processing, decompression, and some graphics-related compute tasks.

This design is exactly what makes PS3 emulation difficult. Simulating SPU behavior on modern CPUs is complex, and communication between PPU and SPU threads has long caused performance bottlenecks. This update helps by recognizing common SPU patterns and translating them into more efficient CPU instructions.

The bad news just keeps coming for DIY PC builders and enthusiasts, as Intel is reportedly preparing yet another price increase for its CPUs. Earlier, we reported that Intel would implement a 10% price increase by the end of March, and now it seems like that won't be enough for Intel.

Chinese market research firm Minutes Logic Society reports that Intel plans to add another price increase on top of the price hikes already implemented in February and March. The new price increase will reportedly take effect in May and affect Intel's entire CPU portfolio. It seems the total cumulative goal for the price hike is 30% above 2025 prices.

The main driving force behind these price increases is the raging demand from AI data centers and large machine-learning enterprises. We have already seen the DRAM market ravaged by a global memory shortage that is expected to last until 2030. Previously, AMD also followed Intel's lead and planned to increase its CPU prices by 15%. It seems like the pricing snowball is barreling down the slope with no end in sight.

Having issues starting your PS5? Is the dreaded blue light of death (BLOD) blinking steadily? Try these quick tips before disassembling your console all the way.

Like all electronics, consoles will break down eventually. Sometimes, though, it's not an actual hardware fault. If your PS5 is stuck blinking blue, you might be able to salvage it with some quick, easy steps. Note: This only works for the disc-based PS5. If you have a digital-only system, this fix isn't for you.

My disc-based launch PS5 from 2020 has been stuck on the blue light of death boot loop for weeks now, and with the new PS5 price hikes making console ownership prohibitively expensive, I decided to finally break open the box and attempt some repairs. At first, I planned to just swap out/re-apply the PS5's liquid metal, which is the usual culprit for blue light of death errors. Over time, the liquid metal will move and oxidize, leading to dry spots on the PS5's APU, which in turn leads to overheating and triggering the console's safety shut-off. Once the PS5 has gone into this state, it's possible the console will go into the BLOD boot loop, refusing to start in an effort to prevent component damage.

A new leak from renowned Intel tipster Jaykihn claims the premium Nova Lake-S desktop SKU will jump from 42 to 44 cores. This shift has left Intel with many 6P+12E tiles. These tiles, which feature bLLC (Big Last Level Cache) integrated directly on the chip, are now said to be repurposed for a new segment of mainstream 'non-K' gaming CPUs, set to rival AMD's next-generation X3D chips.

Leaks from last year detailed four primary bLLC configurations for Intel: a 52-core and 42-core flagship (both utilizing dual-compute tiles), alongside 28-core and 24-core single-tile variants. For the unaware, bLLC is Intel's response to AMD's X3D technology. While AMD vertically stacks a separate cache chiplet on top of the CPU, Intel integrates the bLLC directly into the Compute Tile's silicon, which will add to manufacturing costs.

According to Jaykihn, Intel is shifting its high-end Nova Lake-S configuration from a 42-core to a 44-core design. This change removes the asymmetrical configuration planned for the original model. That model would have required pairing a fully-enabled 8P+12E compute tile with a binned 6P+12E tile, both with bLLC. The updated 44-core model likely uses two 8P+12E tiles. That being said, the leftover 6P+12E tiles, which still have 144MB of bLLC, are now being reallocated to a new segment of mainstream 'non-K' gaming CPUs. These CPUs are expected to feature 4 LPE cores in the SoC Tile.

New entries in the PS5 Software Development Kit (SDK) may point towards a PlayStation handheld, potentially reinforcing reports of a next-gen PS6 Portable.

The latest video from Moore's Law is Dead claims to lay out the evidence of a high-powered PlayStation handheld. MLID presents info that was replicated from the PS5's current SDK, which apparently features an asset-packaging infrastructure similar to Xbox's Smart Delivery. It's called PlayGo, and the idea is that Sony will allow devs to choose which assets are attached to which version of a game; the PS4 and PS4 Pro version, for example, will have lower-res textures compared to a PS5 or PS5 Pro version.

Included in the PlayGo settings is a preset for Power Saver mode, and it's this mode that is believed to facilitate the handheld's performance targets, downscaling raw power profiles into more manageable, portable-friendly CPU and GPU optimization settings aimed at balancing battery life. As we postulated when the mode was announced, the PS5's Power Saver mode is believed to be the backbone of what makes these adjustments possible.

Having already signed a deal with NetEase to bring games to China, Blizzard has inked a similar deal with Nexon to bring Overwatch to Korean markets.

Blizzard has made a deal with Nexon to bring its re-launched Overwatch overseas to Korea, adapting the game specifically for those regional players. Exact details on what this will look like remain unclear. The deal's terms say that Blizzard will continue developing Overwatch's content, and Nexon will publish the game on PC in Korea while handling live operations for the special overseas version of the game.

Blizzard has made similar deals in the past, sometimes morphing their games considerably for foreign markets; China, for example, has a special Diablo 2 server complete with items that are exclusive to the region.

NVIDIA gave us a sneak peek of The Witcher 4's potential real-time performance with its new foliage LOD system for RTX Mega Geometry during GTC 2026. NVIDIA published a talk discussing the future of Path Tracing, and showed off a demo of the tech running with all the dials cranked (allegedly) at 58 FPS or more on an RTX 5090 and RTX 4070.

The demo was comprised of nearly 60 million plants, one million trees, and over 200 different species of plants in a 5x5 km area, with all of the assets running in VRAM. Martin Stich, one of NVIDIA's spokespersons and the leader of NVIDIA's ray tracing team, claims that if you flattened the entire scene at maximum LOD, the demo would have over 5 trillion triangles. What makes the system special is the fact that all of the foliage geometry is modeled, all the way down to the individual pine needles.

All of these assets were running with full path tracing enabled. On the RTX 5090, NVIDIA claims the demo ran at 80 FPS with DLSS quality mode upscaling from 1440p to 4K. The RTX 4070 with DLSS Quality mode upscaling from 960p to 1440p achieved 58 FPS. NVIDIA also laid out the frame time analysis, showing that the path tracing scene takes almost 50% of the GPU's render time per frame.

Remedy's latest dev diary for Control Resonant hypes up the new project, highlighting unique gameplay features like Dylan's teleportation traversal.

Control Resonant looks to be a must-play game of 2026, incorporating fast and stylish Devil May Cry-like hack-and-slash action with a deliberate, power-driven progression scheme. Remedy is taking cues from classic games in the genre while adding their own spin on things, like the wall-shifting mechanic that turns the entire map into an M.C. Escher painting.

In a new video, one dev says that this level of complex design is a result of the biggest-ever gameplay team that Remedy has ever had. "We have the biggest gameplay team in Remedy history," Control Resonant executive producer Juha Vainio said.

Undead Labs has exciting news for post-apocalyptic scavengers across the globe: State of Decay 3 starts alpha testing next month.

Today, Xbox Game Studios group Undead Labs announced that it will be conducting alpha tests for State of Decay 3 starting in May. These will be community-driven affairs where gamers can help shape and guide the sequel's development, offering critical feedback during the game's early rounds of widespread playtesting.

"Over the last few years, most of the team has been doing updates for State of Decay 2. The rest of us have been creating cool sh*t for State of Decay 3. Starting next month, we'll be hosting a series of alpha playtests with the community," series co-creator Brant Fitzgerald said in today's video.

A new milestone was reached in the hardware modding community, as folks over on Overclock.net have successfully booted the Core 9 273PQE "Bartlett Lake" CPU to Windows. This is a monumental achievement for the modding community, as the CPU was never designed for consumer motherboards and is marketed exclusively by Intel for embedded applications and edge devices.

The latest update was part of a continuous modding effort by community member "kryptonfly," who has been trying to get the Core 9 273PQE to boot to Windows for a while now. On the overclock.net forum, the modder posted about a new milestone: he had rewritten the BIOS of a consumer Z790 motherboard to get the CPU to boot into Windows.

According to the modder, he used an ASUS Z790-AYW OC WiFi motherboard with a BIOS rewritten with AI assistance, and missing support components were then added. The board could then detect the Core 9 273PQE, but a successful boot sequence could not be achieved. Now, with a few additional steps to fool the boot sequence using a Raptor Lake spoof, the system can finally boot into Windows.

Starfield will leverage the PS5 Pro's PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR) technology to deliver enhanced graphics and performance modes, the latter targeting 60FPS.

Today Bethesda confirmed that Starfield will support PSSR on PS5 Pro, enabling better visuals while in fidelity mode and boosted frame rates while playing in performance mode.

"On PlayStation 5 Pro, you can pick the look and feel that fits your playstyle. Pro Visual Mode delivers a 4K final rendering output targeting 30 FPS for maximum visual fidelity, while Pro Performance Mode targets 60 FPS for a faster, more fluid experience. Both modes are powered by PSSR (PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution) upscaling technology," Bethesda wrote in a new blog post.

In recent weeks, the generative AI debate has had the gaming industry in a chokehold. NVIDIA faced significant backlash over its DLSS 5 technology, which poured AI slop onto some of our favorite Capcom characters. Meanwhile, studios like Nexon have advocated for AI, describing it as a redesign for game development.

And Take-Two has been vocal too, with CEO Strauss Zelnick commenting on multiple occasions that generative AI has no part in GTA 6, calling the notion of AI creating a hit game laughable. At the same time, Zelnick has also said he has "actively embraced" AI for handling mundane tasks, while leaving the creative work to humans to produce superb entertainment.

Now, only two months later, the publisher and parent company of Rockstar Games has laid off members of its team dedicated to researching and implementing artificial intelligence. Most notably, the company's Head of AI, Luke Dicken, has been let go, along with an undisclosed number of people from the division.

Sony's games division has made an interesting purchase, acquiring a UK-based group that creates simulated 3D imagery based on static photographs.

Sony Interactive Entertainment has purchased machine learning company Cinemersive Labs, the company today announced. Cinemersive doesn't have a very public presence, but its website and YouTube channel gets the point across. The firm uses AI and machine learning to create immersive 3D views from images, which can then be viewed in VR. This could mean that PSVR2 isn't dead, and that Sony could be using Cinemersive Labs to help power the next-generation of Future Immersive Entertainment, possibly for the PlayStation 6.

"Today, we are pleased to announce that SIE has entered into an agreement to acquire Cinemersive Labs, a UK-based machine learning and computer vision company," Sony said, then adding that the group will help fortify new rendering techniques, possibly Sony's in-house PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR) technology.

Naughty Dog director Vinit Agarwal shares rare candid info on the cancelled Last of Us multiplayer online game, saying that the project had been in development for the better part of a decade before it was scrapped.

In late 2023, Sony and Naughty Dog made the surprise decision to cancel one of the more anticipated games in PlayStation's live service roadmap: A standalone multiplayer game set in The Last of Us universe, with holdovers from the original game's Factions mode. Naughty Dog explained the rationale for the cancellation, saying that it would have required the studio to "put all our resources" into post-release content to feed the game.

Now in a recent interview with the Lance E. Podcast from Tokyo, former Naughty Dog developer and Last of Us Online game director Vinit Agarwal highlights the "soul-crushing"experience of having his dream game cancelled.

Microsoft Windows apps are often categorized as what many would call bloatware. They are slow, sluggish, eat your resources in the background, and they seem to exist purely so you can download a different browser (yes, I am looking at you, Edge). Some people do give these apps a fair chance, but the results rarely reward that patience. And it seems these issues don't stop on Earth either, as Microsoft apps appear to cause problems even in space.

A recent Microsoft Outlook anomaly has been making the rounds online, and it comes straight from NASA's Artemis II Orion spacecraft livestream. A clipped portion of the stream shows a puzzled astronaut asking Mission Control for help because they "have two Microsoft Outlooks, and neither one of those are working."

Similarly, for the everyday user, the experience isn't much different. A clip shared by Zac Bowden on X shows Microsoft's Outlook app taking more than 15 seconds to display an email after selecting it from a notification. Bowden notes that this is not related to a recent Windows update or a broader system performance issue, but rather appears to be an Outlook-specific problem.