Latest News - Page 1109

Falcon Northwest has just announced that it is offering AMD's new Radeon RX 6950 XT reference graphics card, inside of its new Tiki Mini PC.

The new Radeon RX 6950 XT reference aka "Black Edition" GPU isn't a custom model at all, but a reference design from AMD -- rocking the same style cooling design as the Radeon RX 6900 XT reference -- but a sweet all-black look versus the silver look on other reference RX 6000 series GPUs from AMD.

You'll be spending at least $4000+ by configuring a high-end Falcon Northwest Tiki Mini PC, but remember you're getting a great amount of PC hardware inside of a small SFF gaming PC.

AMD just launched its new Radeon RX 6950 XT, Radeon RX 6750 XT, and Radeon RX 6650 XT graphics cards in the last couple of weeks... and now we're hearing rumors of the Radeon RX 6700 non-XT graphics card.

The new Radeon RX 6700 non-XT graphics card was spotted in custom form from SAPPHIRE, in their PULSE family of cards, and an unknown SKU reported on by Cowcotland. Inside, we should expect a Navi 22 GPU with 36 Compute Units, and what should be 2308 Stream Processors.

We're expecting to see 10GB of GDDR6 memory on the Radeon RX 6700 non-XT, on a 160-bit memory bus while the GPU should have a 2330MHz game clock, and a 2495MHz boost clock. SAPPHIRE is using a single 8-pin PCIe power connector on each model, so we should expect a TDP of 200W or less on the Radeon RX 6700 non-XT.

Jerome Pesenti, Meta's VP of AI is leaving the company... as there's a huge reorganization of the AI portion of the company taking place. Pesenti is leaving Meta barely 24 hours after Sheryl Sandberg announced she's leaving Meta as COO later this year.

Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth penned a new blog post on the Meta AI website, announcing a new "decentralized organizational structure for Meta AI". Yann LeCun, Meta's chief AI scientist and an early pioneer in the field -- who leads the AI research team -- is jumping over to Bosworth's Reality Labs.

In the post, Bosworth explained: "More centralized approaches run into their limits when the last mile proves to be too far for downstream teams to close the gap. With this new team structure, we are excited to push the boundaries of what AI can do and use it to create new features and products for billions of people".

NZXT has just unveiled two new motherboards based on the Intel Z690 chipset, with the introduction of the N7 Z690 and N5 Z690 motherboards.

The new NZXT N5 and N7 series motherboards are ready to rock and roll with Intel's new 12th Gen Core "Alder Lake" CPUs. NZXT is going with a white and black theme with their new N5 and N7 series motherboards, with the higher-end N7 Z690 motherboard featuring a white metal color across most of the board.

NZXT drops the metal cover on the N5 Z690, as well as its overclocking ability, with the company saying that it's a "slimmed-down design with an excellent cost versus performance ratio in mind". On the higher-end N7 there's "additional overclocking headroom due to more VRM phases (12 v 8 on the N5)" as well as a "2oz copper printed circuit board for better thermal conduction".

MSI has just unleashed its new Raider GE77 HX and GE67 HX gaming laptops, with the new Raider GE67 HX model rocking the world's first QHD 240Hz OLED display.

The new MSI Raider GE67 HX gaming laptop also packs Intel's latest 16-core HX series CPU, with up to 150W of power at its disposal, and up to 250W power between the CPU + GPU in total, thanks to MSI's in-house OverBoost technology. But it's the display on the Raider GE67 that is the star of the show.

MSI is the first with the new Samsung Display QHD 240Hz OLED display, with a native 2560 x 1440 resolution and super-fast 240Hz refresh rate you'd be laughing... but then the OLED panel on top... topped off with a 0.2ms response time. That's some impressive display chops, all crammed into 15.6-inch laptop display.

Pimax has just unveiled its new Pimax Crystal QLED virtual reality headset, which rocks a spiffy new QLED + Mini-LED infused display, 160Hz refresh rate, and more. Check it out:

The new Pimax Crystal headset has a resolution of 2880 x 2880 per eye (5760 x 2880) with 42 pixels per degree (PPD) which is above the PPD of most competing headsets.

Pimax is driving the 2880 x 2880 resolution display at a smooth 160Hz, so we should see the screen door effect (SDE) lessened, and a good amount of PC hardware grunt to drive it.

Final Fantasy XVI will not release in 2022 after all, and is now launching Summer 2023 on PlayStation 5.

Sony's latest State of Play event ended with a big explosive reveal of Final Fantasy XVI's combat and gameplay, while also confirming a Summer 2023 release timeline for the game. Combat looks to be a mix of Final Fantasy XV's action-based chaos mixed with a UI lifted out of the high-tech Final Fantasy 13, complete with 1v1 style mechanics and huge hulking summon battles.

Game director Yoshi-P confirms Final Fantasy XVI has entered the "final leg of development" and is currently playable from start to finish, but the team needs more time to optimize and there is still a "mountain of challenges" for polishing. "With the power of the PlayStation 5 behind us, we're looking to take you on a seamless, story-driven, white-knuckle ride that will rival even the most thrilling roller-coaster. So buckle up, the wait is almost over!"

Diablo Immortal is out now on PC...and it's not really something that should exist on the platform.

Today Blizzard released the beta version of Diablo Immortal on PC. The game has a solid place on mobile as a dungeon-delving action RPG looter, but on PC it's incredibly out of place. For one, Immortal's PC version is just the mobile port with PC controls. Two, and the biggest point of all, the game simply doesn't fit on PC. There's no reason for it to exist on this platform except as an extension of Blizzard's incredibly robust monetization options and to serve as a stopgap between Diablo III and Diablo IV (which could be out next year anyway).

Playing Diablo Immortal on PC is a jarring experience. The mechanics are familiar--hack-and-slash enemies, use skills, and pick up tons of loot. It's just Blizzard has already done this, and much, much better with Diablo III. Immortal is an obsolete game at launch whose only real innovations are an intensely layered, mobile-esque grind with lots of opportunities to spend money. Immortal is a pared back and heavily consolidated version of Diablo III that looks and plays like a mobile game, not a streamlined, PC-optimized release. The PC version is clearly an afterthought of the mobile version, and since it's on Battle.net, Blizzard gets to keep any and all revenues generated from in-game purchases.

Valve has delayed the Steam Deck's official docking station due to supply issues, the company has announced.

Following a delay of the Steam Deck itself, COVID-19 lockdowns have disrupted supply and manufacturing of the handheld PC's dock accessory.

"Due to parts shortages and COVID closures at our manufacturing facilities, the official Steam Deck Docking Station is delayed. We're working on improving the situation and will share more info when we have it. This has no effect on production schedule and reservation windows for Steam Decks (different parts, different factories)," Valve said.

Official gameplay footage for Modern Warfare 2 will be revealed on June 8 at 10AM PST / 1PM EST, Activision and Infinity Ward have announced.

Infinity Ward just dropped a live-action teaser for Modern Warfare 2, showing what looks to be a confirmation of a campaign based around conflict with South American cartels (the foothills and dusty deserts seem to be a big indication). The footage was brief, but it did give us a better look at Task Force 141, which now includes:

Twelve studios including Infinity Ward are working on the game, and Activision has confirmed Modern Warfare 2 will launch with a new version of Warzone that could completely redefine expectations for the battle royale shooter.

One of the best deals in gaming is back! New Xbox Game Pass subscribers can get an entire quarter of access for very, very cheap.

The much-talked about Game Pass deal has returned. You know the one that everyone talked about for many months? Microsoft is currently offering a promo for 3 months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for just $1. This deal is exclusive to new subscribers, so if you've ever had Game Pass Ultimate before you won't qualify.

Microsoft is fine with offering such a steep -93% discount because they're so confident that you'll keep your subscription active following the 3 months. After all, Game Pass is already one of the best deals in gaming with over 400 high-profile games including must-play Bethesda and other first-party hits, not to mention a rotating lineup of titles that seems to only get better with time (this month, for example, Game Pass is adding a 60FPS version of Assassin's Creed Origins for Series X/S consoles). Check out a full list of Xbox Game Pass games here.

GTA parent company Take-Two Interactive has no intentions of "turning its business upside down" to release big games day and date on services like Game Pass.

The Xbox Game Pass model works well for Microsoft, but to be fair, the company is a service-first billion-dollar tech titan that can weather losses from missing out on game sales. Revenue-driven companies like Take-Two Interactive are totally different. TTWO depends on sales off its tentpole franchises like Grand Theft Auto, which routinely makes up 25-30% of its quarterly revenues, as well as NBA 2K. The GTA franchisehas made $7.5 billion since 2013, and GTA V has sold over 165 million copies--these are huge metrics that may be compromised with day one subscription launches.

In a recent interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick discusses the simple economics behind avoiding day-one subscription releases. Zelnick emphasizes the business strategy just isn't feasible, and big games like GTA 6 won't ever be released on Game Pass at launch. Stadia, on the other hand, doesn't count because it's a distribution service and requires consumers to actually buy the games upfront.

A study on the asteroid defense system titled "Apophis Planetary Defense Campaign" has been published in The Planetary Science Journal.

The results of an exercise conducted last year by the International Asteroid Warning Network (IAWN) and NASA's Planetary Defense Coordination Office (PDCO) have now been published in which researchers simulated an encounter with a potentially destructive asteroid. A large, known asteroid, known as Apophis, was removed from an existing monitoring database, and researchers tested the systems to ensure they could detect the "new" hazardous object, ensuring planetary readiness for such a calamity.

Apophis was rediscovered during the exercise, and its trajectory and chances of hitting Earth were continually recalculated to end up ruling out the possibility of impact. When Apophis was originally discovered in 2004, it was thought to have a significant chance of hitting Earth by 2029 at the earliest. However, it's now been assessed not to pose a collision threat for at least 100 years.

An algorithm designed to detect asteroids is spotting many space rocks that have gone unnoticed by astronomers.

NASA has previously stated that there are no Earth-destroying asteroids on track to collide with our planet for at least the next 100 years, and with that being said, the agency is still putting exponential amounts of effort into scanning for any potentially dangerous objects while also developing planetary defense capabilities such as the DART mission. Former NASA astronaut Dr. Lu is aiding the agency's efforts and has developed an algorithm that can identify asteroids in large swaths of data accumulated by astronomers.

The algorithm is named Tracklet-less Heliocentric Orbit Recovery, or THOR. The algorithm is designed to take a large dataset that contains many points of light, and with that dataset, THOR will identify, track, a predict orbits of the objects.

Chipotle has announced it will be adopting cryptocurrency payments across thousands of its stores throughout the United States.

The massive Mexican-style fast-food chain announced that it will be accepting cryptocurrency payments through the digital payment platform Flexa, which supports nearly 100 different cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Ethereum. Reports indicate that Chipotle will be accepting payments via the Flexa app across its 3,000 restaurants.

According to a Medium article by Flexa, in celebration of Chipotle adopting digital currency payments, Flexa will be giving everyone 10% off their next Chipotle order through the Flexa app. For individuals interested in claiming their free 10% off, you will need to download the Gemini or SPEDN app, head to your nearest Chipotle restaurant, and proceed to pay with the app.

AMD's new 600-series chipsets will launch later this year, ready to handle the world of Zen 4 processors -- but just as excitingly -- DDR5 and PCIe 5.0 technology.

But with all these new features and technologies, normally it costs more... but it seems we might not be paying too much for B650 and X670 motherboards. In a new tweet, Tom @ Moore's Law is Dead teased: "I can now confirm two Prom21 chipsets cost less than one X570 chipset. AM5 platforms were designed to be cost-effective".

"Now, there are components that CAN make X670E more costly than X570, but there's little reason for B650 boards w/ PCIe 4.0 to cost more than B550". It looks like a new B650-based motherboard is going to be a monster value for money board, especially if you mixed it with a new Zen 4-based Ryzen 5 or Ryzen 7 series CPU.

A paper on the new printing method titled "Direct sound printing" has been published in the journal Nature Communications.

Researchers from Concordia University have created a new platform technology called direct sound printing (DSP), which uses soundwaves to create three-dimensional objects, compared to the current photo (light)- or thermo (heat)-activated methods. Focused ultrasonic waves allow users to produce complex geometries that are not otherwise capable.

A study on the new printing method titled "Lift Energy Storage Technology: A solution for decentralized urban energy storage" has been published in the journal Energy.

Researchers from the International Institute of Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) in Vienna, Austria, have devised a new energy storage concept called the Lift Energy Storage Technology (LEST) to turn tall urban buildings into batteries. This concept would support renewable energy technologies and help decentralize energy availability.

The system stores energy by moving high-density loads such as wet sand containers in and out of elevators installed in tall buildings with regenerative braking. Energy would be expended to carry these loads to the top of the building, while bringing them back down would release that energy.

Elon Musk explained some of the specifications and capabilities of the next generation of Starlink satellites during a tour of Starbase with Tim Dodd from the Everyday Astronaut YouTube channel.

Musk revealed that SpaceX has already developed at least one working prototype Starlink Gen 2 satellite, which is currently at the Starbase facility in Texas, and discusses details in the above video from the 9:24 mark. He stressed that Starship needs to get to orbit and that it will be "the only thing that can carry the Starlink 2 satellites."

Musk explained that Starlink Gen 2 satellites are 7 meters long (23 feet), weigh about 1.25 tons (2756 pounds), and "are almost an order of magnitude more capable than Starlink 1" in terms of how much useful data they can handle. For comparison, Starlink 1 satellites only weigh about 260 kilograms, almost 21% as much as Starlink 2 will.

A team of researchers have penned a study recently published in the journal Nature that details the discovery of an ancient lost city within the Amazon rainforest.

The scientists behind the study used LiDAR technology, which stands for Light Detection and Ranging, and is a remote-sensing technology that uses a laser beam to get information about surrounding objects. The team used the LiDAR technology to scan a portion of the Amazon and found beneath the thick canopy the remains of a civilization. The researchers believe the small city was operated by the Casarabe Culture (500-1400 C.E.) and features causeways, urban centers, and platform and pyramid architecture.

Notably, the data showed that some of these causeways were raised and connected to scattered suburban-like settlements, which were separated by some kind of water distribution system that featured canals and reservoirs. Discoveries such as these pave the way for researchers to argue that the Amazon rainforest was at one stage heavily populated and urbanized, which is contrary to the recorded history of the region.