Latest News - Page 113

Earlier this month, Build a Rocket Boy's CEO, Mark Gerhard, alleged that they had obtained proof that the launch of MindsEye was sabotaged by "external and internal forces". The launch was investigated and yielded sufficient results that Build a Rocket Boy is pursuing legal action.

Now, in a recent interview with GamesBeat, Gerhard has said a mission is coming to MindsEye, and it will be called Blacklist. The mission will feature a female protagonist and some of the evidence of sabotage uncovered during the investigation. Previously, Gerhard told a publication that he would use the names of the people responsible for the sabotage in the new mission, likely as NPCs.

This sabotage has been alleged by Gerhard since MindsEye launched, receiving mostly negative reception, with many citing bugs, unplayable levels, graphical glitches, and numerous other issues related to a lack of polishing. Gerhard has been claiming there was a "concerted effort" to "trash the game and the studio," and that those responsible were paid-off influencers or paid-for spam bots running a smear campaign against Build a Rocket Boy and MindsEye.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 Season 3 is set to arrive on April 2, 2026, and ahead of the official launch, Dave Chappelle has been made available as a new operator within the store.

The season 3 update is quite beefy with new content, as there are new multiplayer maps, modes, Zombies map, a new Warzone Point of Interest (POI), and additional cosmetics. Included in the Season 3 update is the Half-Baked Tracer Pack, which is a reference to the movie of the same name starring Dave Chappelle.

The new pack features the Dave Chappelle operator and two skins inspired by his character in the movie. Additionally, the pack features new blueprints, weapon charms, and a new finishing move called "Fish Food".

Anthropic is one of the biggest AI companies on the planet, and a leak was detected on Tuesday morning that exposed the source code of Claude Code, a developer-focused capability that integrates Anthropic's AI assistant, Claude, into programming workflows.

According to the company, the leak was detected shortly after version 2.1.88 of Claude Code was made public, as the newly released version mistakenly included a source map file that exposed more than 500,000 lines of code and nearly 2,000 files. As you can probably imagine, internet sleuths were able to extract the files before Anthropic could deploy a fix, as a link to an archive containing them was posted to X by security researcher Chaofan Shou. The post caught the attention of more than 27 million users.

An Anthropic spokesperson confirmed the leak, saying the company is now reviewing steps to prevent a similar egregious human error from occurring again. The spokesperson provided a statement, saying, "Earlier today, a Claude Code release included some internal source code. No sensitive customer data or credentials were involved or exposed."

Rumors began circulating yesterday about a new big Lord of the Rings game being in development by a studio under the Embracer Group, the owners of the Lord of the Rings game rights. That studio was supposedly Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 developer Warhorse Studios, but new information has surfaced suggesting otherwise.

A new report from Insider Gaming claims that the new Lord of the Rings game, backed by the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO) for a whopping $100 million, isn't being developed by Warhorse Studios but by Crystal Dynamics, the studio behind the Tomb Raider games. According to sources close to the game's development, Crystal Dynamics is working on this new Lord of the Rings game alongside Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis and Tomb Raider: Catalyst.

Previous rumors indicated that this new Lord of the Rings game would be very similar to Hogwarts Legacy in terms of design, with the studio aiming to create a large, open-world action experience. Embracer was asked for comment on the recent rumors, and it responded that it doesn't comment on rumors or speculation. Crystal Dynamics was also asked to comment, but declined the offer.

Fans of retro gaming, specifically the 1980s and early 1990s era of PCs, arcades, and consoles, probably know all about Evercade. Essentially, it's a series of dedicated hardware and licensed game cartridges that let retro gaming fans play classic games and build a physical library. With everything from Pac-Man to Space Invaders, Tomb Raider, and Duke Nukem covered, it's an impressive line-up that continues to grow.

This week, Evercade creators Blaze Entertainment have announced a brand-new retro gaming handheld compatible with all Evercade game cartridges, called the Evercade Nexus. Sporting a 5.89-inch, 840 x 512-resolution IPS display with a 500+ nit brightness rating and a modern controller setup, the Evercade Nexus is set to launch in October 2026 with an affordable price tag of $199.99 USD.

With pre-orders now open, one of the coolest features of the Evercade Nexus is that it's launching with a brand-new cartridge courtesy of the company's collaboration with the Xbox studio Rare. The Banjo-Kazooie double-pack includes enhanced and official recreations of two N64 classics, Banjo-Kazooie and Banjo-Tooie. And with that, a special limited-edition N64-themed Evercade Nexus 64 Edition is also available to pre-order via retailer Funstock for $229.99.

Microsoft is facing a new probe from the UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to determine if the company has an unfair market advantage with its enterprise software suite.

The new investigation focuses on Microsoft's widely used ecosystem, which includes everything from Windows and Office apps such as Word and Excel to Teams, and AI-powered tools like Copilot. The investigation is to determine if Microsoft's scale and integration across these products give the company an unfair market advantage.

Notably, the designation from the Competition and Markets Authority isn't intended to bust Microsoft for doing anything illegal, but rather to ensure a level playing field for cloud licensing practices and the bundling of AI tools with enterprise software. The CMA conducted a "strategic market status" (SMS) investigation in the past, which revealed that Microsoft and Amazon are highly dominant in the cloud market, with both companies controlling approximately 30-40% of the infrastructure.

When it comes to keyboards, Razer is best known for its high-performance gaming offerings in the Huntsman and BlackWidow ranges. Today, the company has announced a new productivity-first wireless keyboard, and one designed for ergonomics. At a glance, the standout feature of the new Razer Pro Type Ergo is its split ergonomic layout, which supports natural hand positions for a more comfortable, strain-free typing experience.

A 10-degree base slope, support for multiple angles and tilts, and a built-in plush wrist rest further enhance the comfort and ergonomics. Razer notes that the Pro Type Ergo has been designed for a "productivity market that has barely moved," offering all-day professionals and PC users a comfortable and feature-packed premium keyboard option.

The Razer Pro Type Ergo features ultra-low-profile, finger-shaped keycaps, with a split design that includes two 'B' keys, dual spacebar keys, and a centered backspace key for easy access. It also sports multiple dedicated macro keys, two Razer Command Dials, and shortcut keys for switching between multiple devices.

With the release of DLSS 4.5 Dynamic Frame Generation with up to 6X Multi Frame Generation, the latest NVIDIA App update is also introducing the new Auto Shader Compilation feature, designed to reduce load times and in-game stuttering. Available in Beta, NVIDIA Auto Shader Compilation (ASC) rebuilds DirectX 12 shaders while your PC is idle after a driver update.

Anyone who has been playing alongside a steady stream of PC gamers in recent years will be all too familiar with the "Compiling Shaders" process, which can take several minutes. This un-skippable step runs before you can start playing and is all about leveraging your CPU to convert generic shader (i.e., graphics) code into an optimized format for your specific GPU model.

This compilation process often needs to be rerun after a GPU driver update to minimize stuttering and other performance issues. That moment when a PC game's status briefly freezes while a new visual effect is rendered is referred to as "shader stutter." With Auto Shader Compilation (ASC), NVIDIA is looking to minimize this and the need to sit through shader compilation.

When NVIDIA debuted DLSS 4.5 earlier this year, it released only the first half of the update: the new DLSS 4.5 Super Resolution, which introduced a powerful transformer-based upscaling model that delivered a notable improvement in image quality. The upgraded DLSS 4.5 Super Resolution offers its biggest benefit when playing games at 1440p or 4K using the Performance preset, delivering native-like results with a significant performance boost.

Today, the second half of the DLSS 4.5 update arrives for GeForce RTX 50 Series owners, featuring DLSS 4.5 Dynamic Multi Frame Generation with up to 6X Multi Frame Generation. Now, even though the latter might look like NVIDIA simply adding more AI-generated frames to boost smoothness and perceived performance, it's the DLSS 4.5 Dynamic Multi Frame Generation that's the most interesting.

Multi Frame Generation was built for the GeForce RTX 50 Series to take advantage of modern high-refresh-rate displays, with 4K 240 Hz and 1440p 360 Hz monitors becoming increasingly popular options. DLSS 4.5 Dynamic Multi Frame Generation is the natural evolution of Frame Generation technology, as it allows users to set a target frame rate that represents the maximum refresh rate and resolution of their display, and then let Dynamic Multi Frame Generation do the rest.

Intel recently launched its Arrow Lake refresh CPUs in the form of the new Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus and Intel Core Ultra 5 250K Plus, both of which we recently reviewed. When it comes to the more affordable Core Ultra 5 250K Plus, we praised its multi-threaded performance and value for money, with the $199 USD price point feeling spot-on in a consumer technology market where prices are seemingly increasing everywhere.

Part of the value also derives from the integrated Arc or Xe graphics that offer impressive iGPU performance for a desktop processor. However, Intel is planning to debut a 'KF' Core Ultra 5 250KF Plus variant on April 3, which will reportedly keep the same specs and optimizations but disable the iGPU - making it a pure CPU that requires a dedicated discrete GPU for a PC to boot.

Now, when it comes to desktop PCs, discrete GPUs - especially when it comes to gaming - are essential, and many systems out there rarely, if ever, make use of a CPU's iGPU. Of course, when it comes to troubleshooting hardware or GPU issues, having an iGPU can be a lifesaver, but the new Core Ultra 5 250KF Plus looks to be an option for those looking for an affordable CPU that lets them save some money or put that toward other components.

Noctua, a brand known for its quiet and high-performing air coolers, is getting ready to launch its first AIO liquid cooler. As OC3D.net reports, Asetek and Noctua have jointly announced that the new liquid cooler has passed production validation testing and is on track for its Q2 release date just before Computex.

The news confirms that Noctua has finalized development of its upcoming AIO cooler, and its manufacturing lines are ready to begin production of the new unit. Noctua previously confirmed the unit would be released in Q2 this year in a roadmap the company released in late 2025. The currently unnamed Noctua liquid cooler will launch in 240mm, 360mm, and 420mm variants and will take advantage of Asetek's Emma G8 V2 pump that operates at approximately 3,600 RPM. The pump will be covered in a "triple-layer noise-reduction" cover to reduce vibration and noise generated from the pump. The new pump will also sport three pump speed profiles, enabling users to prioritize performance or quiet operation.

The cooler will take advantage of Noctua's existing SecuFirm2+ mounting kits, which already support all of Intel and AMD's modern sockets, including AM4, AM5, LGA 1851, LGA 1700, and LGA 1200. SecuFirm2+ also boasts support for offset mounting on Intel and AMD CPUs, a feature that is already supported with Noctua's latest air coolers. Offset mounting provides Noctua coolers with better thermal conductivity compared to the stock mounting setup Intel and AMD's sockets provide, depending on the CPU's IHS and die layout.

It seems like every day we see a new product falling victim to the crippling memory shortage that is currently ongoing. First, desktop RAM went extinct; then CPUs from both Intel and AMD went up in price. Graphics cards have long been difficult to hunt down, and even storage drives are slowly but surely going up in price. Sony has now announced that the global memory shortage has gotten to the point that it is no longer taking orders for its SD cards.

The move comes right off the back of Sony increasing the price of its PS5 consoles. The new direction means Sony will no longer accept orders for almost all SD card models, including CFExpress cards. There are some low-end cards still in production, but I wouldn't bet on finding a brand-new Sony SD card on market shelves any time soon.

Capcom apparently doesn't want fans waiting 9+ years in between big Mega Man game releases any more.

Before the Star Force Legacy Collection launched this month, it had been a while since Capcom released a new Mega Man game. The last title, Mega Man 11, was out in 2018. The next game in the series is Mega Man: Dual Override, a full-on mainline sequel, and that's due out in 2027.

This might be just the beginning of the Blue Bomber's resurgence in the public eye, especially with the franchise's 40th anniversary on the near horizon (the first game was released in 1987). In arecent interview with 80lv, Mega Man series lead producer Shingo Izumi says that Capcom hopes to alternate between new games and legacy collections on a more consistent basis.

Pirating games has been around for years, and protecting them has been just as persistent a challenge. A common name in the anti-piracy world is Denuvo, an Irdeto-owned protection software that managed to delay pirated releases long enough for companies to adopt it as their first line of defense. It protected games from being cracked during early release windows, when most sales are generated.

That changed recently when a pirated version of Resident Evil: Requiem, Capcom's latest entry in its zombie-slaying action adventure series, was uploaded just hours after its official release. Turns out, a wave of hypervisor-based (more on this later) Denuvo bypasses were enabling zero-day releases of major titles, including Crimson Desert.

In response, an Irdeto executive confirmed to TorrentFreak that Denuvo is already preparing enhanced security features to tackle these hypervisor exploits. In an interview, Irdeto's head of communications, Daniel Butschek, also assured gamers that the new security measures will not become a performance hazard for DRM-supported titles.

There has existed a clear divide between Android and Apple over the past decade or so. Green bubbles vs. Blue bubbles, Safari vs. Chrome, and so many more differences have kept the two platforms separate. One of the most crucial differences between the two was the coding language that was used to develop their apps. Apple's apps use the Swift language, while Android predominantly uses Kotlin and Java for its development.

That divide is about to come crashing down thanks to a new update to Apple's programming language, Swift. With the release of Swift 6.3, there is a dedicated Software Development Kit (SDK) for Android, enabling developers to use the language to build Android apps. This is a monumental milestone, marking a significant step toward blurring the lines between Apple and Android development.

The official Swift changelog states that the new SDK equips developers with the tools to integrate Swift code into existing Android app projects written in Kotlin/Java. Moreover, you can also create native Android apps from scratch using Swift if you want. The cross-platform integration will probably be the more important feature for developers who build versions of their apps for both platforms.

Halo Studios won't try to monetize the new Halo CE remake with an in-game cosmetic store.

Today, Microsoft announced a marketing promo straight out of the 2000s era: Gamers can score exclusive in-game Xbox goodies from specially-marked bottles of Fanta. One of them is an orange-yellow Fanta skin for Master Chief to be worn in the new Halo Campaign Evolved--that game isn't even out yet.

This led users to speculate that the remake would have some sort of store or in-game cosmetic shop similar to Halo Infinite. That way, Halo Studios could potentially make money on selling skins. This plan backfired in Infinite, eventually helping 343 Industries (the former name of Halo Studios) earn the ire of fans for selling overpriced skins, even going so far as to charge money for the color blue.

A new update from Geekbench sheds light on how Intel's new iBOT (Intel Binary Optimization Tool) works under the hood. The team conducted a series of tests on a Panther Lake-equipped laptop and found that it uses checksum-based matching to run verified apps. Most notably, the analysis suggests the tool goes beyond simple instruction reordering. Instead, it replaces unoptimized instruction sequences with optimized alternatives, for example, vectorized code.

iBOT was announced alongside Intel's debut of its Core Ultra 200 Plus processor lineup. Intel benchmarks or profiles select applications in its labs to identify unoptimized instruction sequences. If it finds instructions that can be optimized to better fit the architecture, it restructures and reorganizes them. Intel called this analogous to Tetris. The company explicitly stated that iBOT does not skip any instructions and that no reverse engineering is involved, as the optimization is performed post-link while the tool runs with user-mode privileges.

One of the supported applications for this utility was surprisingly Geekbench, which, on average, increased scores by 8%. Due to a lack of official technical details, Geekbench flagged all benchmarks conducted on CPUs that supported iBOT as potentially invalid. Following a week of rigorous internal testing, the developers have implemented a more precise detection method that isolates iBOT-optimized runs from standard ones.

SEGA's most recent earnings report gives a dour update on the company's performance, but the group hopes to turn things around with advanced new data-tracking capabilities.

Like most of the games market, SEGA isn't doing incredibly well right now. In its latest report, the company told investors that it would be recording a net loss for the FY26 period for the first time in 11 years. SEGA explains that underperforming content was a primary culprit for the loss, as well as delays in its pachislot/pachinko approvals process.

It seems SEGA needs more guidance, and plans to use data-driven analytics to help steer its course. In the Q3 presentation, the company tells investors that it is reviewing plans for a "structural transformation to a data-driven business." To make this happen, SEGA will establish a group to crunch numbers and examine KPIs, or Key Performance Indicators, while also trying to align its studios and content along the way.

It looks like gears are finally turning at Microsoft, as they have confirmed that they have been working on major changes to Windows 11 over the past couple of weeks. First, Microsoft confirmed a major Windows 11 update with changes to Explorer and reduced Copilot integration. Then they discussed forming a new team to replace web apps with 100% native Windows 11 apps to streamline the user experience. Now, it looks like another big change is coming.

Microsoft's Windows Shell product head, Tali Roth, took to X (formerly Twitter) to respond to a tweet that raised concerns about Windows Search. Roth confirmed that "a lot of improvements" are coming to the Windows 11 Search experience, with the main focus on making it "simpler and less distracting."

If you have ever typed in the Windows Search bar to find something you're looking for, you know that there's a 99% chance that you won't find it. Instead, you are more likely to get irrelevant web search results and some random file buried deep in the catalogs that merely resembles the name that you are looking for. This concern was raised with Tali Roth in a separate tweet, to which she replied affirmatively.

Another analyst firm believes Nintendo will raise prices of the Switch 2, this time with TD Cowen analyst Doug Creutz outlining the firm's expectations.

Microsoft raised Xbox prices twice in 2025, and Sony just announced its PS5 price hike, leading to a sticker shock-inducing $900 MSRP for the PS5 Pro. Everyone is now wondering the same thing: When will Nintendo follow suit? Gamers are tentatively waiting for Nintendo to announce a Switch 2 cost increase, but the firm has only decided to price adjust its last-gen Switch 1 lineup. Nintendo even confirmed a cost hike for first-party Switch 2 cartridge games, confirming that digital games will now be cheaper by default.

Analysts expect Nintendo to follow PlayStation's and Xbox's lead with an official Switch 2 price hike. In January, Niko Partners predicted the Switch 2 would be hiked to $499, and sources told Bloomberg that corporate was also mulling over an increase to help offset rising production costs. Experts like Ampere Analysis' Piers Harding-Rolls and Kanto Games' Dr. Serkan Toto also believe Nintendo could raise prices throughout the year.