Latest News - Page 115

While scouting the PlayStation Store's top pre-order charts on the web, I noticed something interesting: Microsoft has a huge presence on the platform, which isn't surprising, but what is most noteworthy is how different editions of the same game have populated Sony's most pre-ordered games.

At the time of writing, Xbox is once again taking over the PlayStation Store's pre-order charts in the United States (this also happened a year ago prior in March 2025). Given Microsoft's size--it owns Activision, Xbox Game Studios, and Bethesda--this is somewhat predictable. What's most interesting isn't just the placement of the games but the number of SKU variations that are on the list.

According to the PlayStation Store's current pre-order standings, which were screen-grabbed via the PS Store web version, Starfield's more-expensive $70 premium edition is the top #1 pre-ordered game in the United States. That makes sense, as Starfield is the next big Bethesda game and it was exclusive to Xbox for multiple years.

Crimson Desert is one of the biggest games out right now, closing in on 5 million sales in under two weeks. It has consistently sat at the top of Steam charts and, after starting with mixed reviews, has climbed to a Very Positive rating. At its core, the game has been a genuine success for Pearl Abyss, with the studio actively working to improve the experience as much as possible based on player feedback.

Where the game stumbles, though, is its story. CEO Heo Jin Young even acknowledged that the studio's focus leaned more toward gameplay, admitting they could have done a better job with the narrative. As it turns out, the confusion players feel about the game's undercooked story isn't limited to those playing it. Even Kliff himself felt the same way.

Alec Newman, the voice behind stoic protagonist Kliff in Crimson Desert, sat down with the Friends Per Second podcast to talk about the creative process behind the character and the journey of bringing him to life. From Alec's words, it is safe to say that it took the game a long time to find its footing.

Starfield will reportedly be a huge game on PlayStation 5, taking up over 120GB of storage space on the system's SSD.

New findings from a reliable data-collector indicate that Starfield could clock in at 123.347 GB on the PlayStation 5, not including Shattered Space (another 12.5GB) and the new Terran Armada story DLC (another 4GB). All-told, that means Starfield could require up to 140GB of free storage space on an internal SSD.

That's about on par for a modern game of this size, especially with enhanced textures, and matches up with the current install sizes on Steam (125GB), but the Xbox version is bigger at 150GB. Of course, the PlayStation Store's listing is no longer of help because Sony removed install sizes from games sold on that platform.

NVIDIA is expected to maintain its 2-year launch cadence for GeForce graphics cards, as leaks about the next-generation RTX 60 series are starting to surface. The GeForce RTX 60-series will be powered by NVIDIA's "Rubin" architecture, which has already debuted on their AI and datacenter GPUs.

A new leak has surfaced from YouTuber RedGamingTech, combining a few interesting pieces of information about the upcoming NVIDIA GPUs. The first key point is that NVIDIA will use a variant of the current TSMC 3nm FinFET node to produce the RTX 60-series GPUs. Of course, this puts an end to the speculation of a new sub-2nm node debuting with the RTX 60-series.

Of course, NVIDIA will likely collaborate with TSMC to derive a custom node based on the 3nm FinFET that suits NVIDIA's needs, as they have done in the past. Furthermore, it has been leaked that the GPU chips will follow the "GR20X" numbering scheme. This is something that wouldn't come as a surprise if you have been paying attention to NVIDIA's GPU nomenclature over the past few years. Reportedly, the top-end GPU will be the GR202, followed by the GR203 and GR205 GPUs.

A reliable YouTuber with inside knowledge says that Bethesda is having a tough time getting Starfield running on the Switch 2, and it's possible the game could get scrapped as a result of ongoing difficulties.

Bethesda plans to support the Switch 2 in a big way, but it still hasn't announced Starfield for the platform. Reports say that the studio is indeed trying to develop the space epic on Switch 2 in a bid to better capitalize on the system's growing 17 million+ installed base.

Some of these games may not actually release, though, especially if they take too long or are too expensive to produce. Sources tell well-known video games leaker and insider NateTheHate that Bethesda is running into issues with Starfield's development on the handheld-console hybrid.

Microsoft has been pretty vocal lately about improving the Windows 11 experience. The company recently pushed a major Windows 11 update that plans to fix the OS by removing unnecessary Copilot features, reducing File Explorer launch times, adding the ability to resize and reposition the taskbar, and offering a more compact layout closer to the Windows 10 experience.

Luckily, the improvements aren't stopping at just the OS level. Microsoft has now confirmed it will build 100% native apps for Windows 11. Rudy Huyn, a Partner Architect at Microsoft working on the Store and File Explorer, says he is putting together a team specifically focused on building better apps for Windows 11.

"I'm building a new team to work on Windows apps! You don't need prior experience with the platform. What matters most is strong product thinking and a deep focus on the customer," Huyn wrote on X. "If you've built great apps on any platform and care about crafting meaningful user experiences, I'd love to hear from you."

Samsung has just announced its next-generation solid-state drive for AI applications, the BM9K1. Unveiled at the China Flash Market Summit 2026, this drive is a high-performance, efficient PCIe Gen 5 SSD that uses QLC NAND flash at a relatively cost-effective price. Samsung is targeting the "personal AI" segment with this SSD, which serves as a bridge between consumer devices and large-scale AI applications.

Perhaps the most interesting part of this SSD is its new proprietary Samsung controller, based on the open-source RISC-V instruction set. This new controller replaces the ARM-based controller that Samsung currently uses, and enables them to optimize the drive's energy efficiency and get the most out of QLC NAND flash for AI workloads.

Samsung claims a 23% improvement in efficiency over the previous BM9C1 model, an impressive figure that will have to be tested when the drive eventually comes out. However, the improved efficiency will be crucial for small-form-factor PCs and laptops that don't have much thermal headroom.

Pearl Abyss is making good on its promise to release more fixes for Crimson Desert, including one fan-requested feature: summonable mounts. Shortly after the update, the game hit a new milestone on Steam.

Instead of adding new DLC, expansions, or even mod support to Crimson Desert, developer Pearl Abyss has opted to tweak what's already in the game. The group says that it will continue refining Crimson Desert with new updates, changing the huge open-world fantasy sandbox-based into something that fans want to play.

One of the biggest complaints around Crimson Desert was the controls, which have been tweaked in the recent update. Gamers also wanted changes with the in-game summonable mounts and that's been done too. Pearl Abyss seems quite serious about appeasing fans--they even turned an aerial traversal trick that players were doing into an actual game mechanic. Gamers have responded very well to the update so far.

Bungie released Marathon on March 30, and since then, the title has attracted quite a bit of attention, with the extraction shooter peaking out at 88,000 concurrent users on Steam.

These numbers have led some to believe that Marathon isn't performing as well as Bungie expected, and that the game's lifespan will be cut short. These concerns were further ignited after Allinea Analytics estimated that 1.2 million copies of Marathon had been sold in the first two weeks of its launch. These figures were also corroborated by Paul Tassi of Forbes, who reported that the majority of game sales were on PC, with PS5 sales far behind.

Marathon developers recently wrote under the "Future Improvement" section that Marathon is the first DirectX title that Bungie has shipped, and that many players have noticed how much the title has changed visually over the last year. Much of that change has been based on player feedback, and the same approach will be taken with performance. Bungie goes on to write that it has already identified CPU performance improvements that will arrive "soon," along with some "long-term changes" planned for CPU performance.

It's not every day that a studio acknowledges its mistakes and acts on them quickly, but Pearl Abyss has built something of a reputation for doing exactly that with Crimson Desert. Whether it was the awkward controls, the criticized storyline, or the lack of Intel Arc GPU support, the team has consistently faced its shortcomings head-on rather than going quiet.

One controversy that arose around the game was the discovery of AI-generated artwork tucked inside it. Given how strongly players feel about AI slop creeping into their games, the backlash was swift. However, once again, Pearl Abyss was quick to apologize and acknowledge a lack of transparency. Now it's here to make up for its mistake.

Spotted by @SynthPotato on X, Pearl Abyss has removed all AI-generated artwork from Crimson Desert in Patch 1.01, replacing each piece with hand-drawn paintings made by human artists. The user's post shows a side-by-side comparison of the same art piece before and after the patch, and the difference is noticeable.

AMD's Anti-Lag 2 technology is getting a rename, and it will now carry the FSR prefix, becoming FSR Latency Reduction 2.0. The move appears to be part of the red team's broader push to bring its various FidelityFX technologies under one unified FSR brand. Since FSR no longer refers exclusively to upscaling, AMD wants a single umbrella term that covers the several technologies working together under its gaming stack.

The rename wasn't officially announced. Weeks before AMD's Redstone release last year, the company quietly updated its technology nomenclature, a change that only came to light after VideoCardz spotted it on AMD's website. FidelityFX Super Resolution became FSR Upscaling, Frame Generation became FSR Frame Generation, and two newer technologies, Ray Regeneration and Radiance Caching, also picked up the FSR prefix. Now, Anti-Lag 2 is the latest technology to receive this quiet change.

Anyone familiar with other GPU vendors will recognize what AMD is doing here. NVIDIA has long used the DLSS prefix to cover DLSS Super Resolution, DLSS Frame Generation, and DLSS Ray Reconstruction under one roof. Intel has taken a similar approach with XeSS 2.

The FBI has recently issued a warning about off-brand devices typically found beneath TVs, as they have been discovered to be used by cybercriminals.

The FBI posted a warning on March 12, 2026, about cheap off-brand streaming devices, such as Android-based devices that offer "free" movies, TV shows, sports channels, and more. These devices are becoming increasingly popular as streaming services raise the minimum cost of access to platforms like Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, and ESPN+. The FBI warns that while users may be saving hundreds of dollars per month, they could have given cybercriminals access, who could use the device to create a residential proxy network.

Hackers using residential proxy networks are looking to route illegal internet traffic, such as bots, through real home IP addresses, effectively disguising the hacker's activity as if it's coming from a legitimate user. Typically, websites can detect or even block suspicious internet traffic, but residential proxy networks are much harder to detect, as hackers use real devices connected to real households.

Elon Musk is looking to bring high-tech underground transportation to at least three states, with the company announcing that an underground loop connecting a University and a recreational area is currently being discussed.

The project aims to reduce congestion by creating a direct, high-speed underground route between two high-traffic locations, allowing passengers to travel in Tesla vehicles through a dedicated tunnel, bypassing surface roads entirely. The Loop would be similar to the system already in place in Las Vegas, specifically the Las Vegas Convention Center Loop, which transports thousands of passengers daily between convention centers, reducing a 25-minute walk to just a few minutes.

The Las Vegas Convention Center Loop can transport 4,000 passengers per hour, while the greater Vegas Loop can support 90,000 passengers. The Boring Company, founded by Elon Musk in 2016, is looking to link the University of North Texas in Dallas and a recreational space in University Hills, which would significantly reduce travel time between the two locations, while simultaneously reducing roadway traffic.

Dead CPUs are no longer headline news. While they don't fail every other day, we have seen enough cases to know it's a real issue. In many of those situations, the motherboard is often the prime suspect because of its role in power delivery. That part isn't new. The unusual part would be seeing a single motherboard kill three CPUs, one after another, and that is exactly what this Reddit user claims to have experienced.

Reddit user u/notmemeber posted that their ASRock B850M Pro RS WiFi motherboard has killed three Ryzen 7 9800X3D CPUs over roughly 4 months. The user built the PC in January 2025, with the first CPU dying around November. The next died just a couple of months later, followed by a third going down within a month of the replacement arriving.

Whether coincidence or not, the board killed each CPU faster than the last, and it's hard to write this off as just bad luck. The user also noted that the first two deaths came with the same CPU and DRAM lights on the motherboard, but the third was different, showing a solid green BOOT light with no display at all. Same result, but different warning signs each time. Perhaps something was progressively getting worse with each replacement. It's also worth pointing out that the third CPU died on the latest 4.X BIOS versions, meaning the updates ASRock had been pushing out did nothing to stop it.

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach launched on PC on March 19, 2026, and according to new statistics provided by Alinea Analytics, the sequel has now passed a new sales milestone.

The new stats claim that Death Stranding 2: On the Beach has now sold 2 million units, generating an estimated $110 million on PS5 and $32.6 million on PC. The release on PC boosted Death Stranding 2 sales by approximately 20%, and what is interesting is that it also caused a spike in PS5 sales, which analysts are describing as an "effective re-marketing tool for PS5, too."

Not only was Death Stranding 2 re-marketed to consumers through user-generated content such as gameplay videos and commentary, but it also received a sizable price cut to assist in sales conversion. Furthermore, PC players aren't just buying the game and not playing; the analytics firm reports that PC players have an average playtime of 18 hours in Death Stranding 2, with over a third of the player base having already played 20 hours or more. These sales figures come after the title leaked in full two days before the launch.

A renowned hardware leaker in the PC tech space, known for leaking GPU architecture details and being quite spot-on about them, has revealed the cost of materials for Sony's upcoming PlayStation 6.

KeplerL2 took to the NeoGAF forums to share their estimate of the BOM, or Bill of Materials, for the PlayStation 6, and according to the leaker, that figure is currently $760. While the estimated cost of each PS6 is $760, Kepler writes that it is "still possible" for Sony to sell the console at $699. Those figures may be confusing to some, but they do make sense. The last console Sony released that made a profit on each unit was the PS4, with the PS3 famously launching at a loss, and the PS5's price was lower than manufacturing costs.

Sony makes up for this loss with other revenue streams generated by the platform, such as PS Store cuts, subscriptions, and game sales. Microsoft isn't any different either: the Xbox 360 initially sold at a loss, the Xbox One was near break-even or even slightly loss-making, and the Xbox Series X didn't make a profit on a per-console basis. Nintendo takes a very different approach; the Nintendo Switch made a profit per unit at launch in 2017, along with the Wii and DS.

The two biggest questions with Grand Theft Auto 6 are the price and whether Rockstar is going to delay the release again for further polishing, and the price aspect was recently discussed in an interview with TheGameBusiness, as Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick answered a question from Christopher Dring that suggests GTA 6 won't be slapped with the dreaded $100 price tag.

The Take-Two Interactive CEO was asked about his thoughts on in-game advertising in PC and console releases, as fans have suspected that Rockstar may take this route with Grand Theft Auto 6 to earn more money from the title. Zelnick responded by saying that he believes it's unfair for a gamer who spends "$70 or $80 bucks" on a game to have "interstitial advertising," which, in this case, would be ads appearing on assets within the GTA 6 world.

A man in the United Kingdom purchased an old Xbox 360 for £5 ($6.64) from a car boot sale in Edinburgh, and within it was a Rockstar North development kit for Grand Theft Auto 4.

The development kit had a stunningly big prototype of the classic Grand Theft Auto 4, which debuted on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on April 29, 2008. The buyer took to the GTAForums to share a link to the extracted development kit, which revealed a ton of previously unseen assets, character models, missions, and other aspects of the game.

For those wondering what a development kit for GTA 4 actually is, it's essentially a pre-release version of the game that includes extra tools that give developers deeper access to the system.

An official document from Rockstar North has revealed the studio has spent over $2.1 billion on salaries since 2019, which will make the production costs for Grand Theft Auto far higher than previously expected.

Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto 6 has been in pre-production since around 2018, shortly after the release of Red Dead Redemption 2, and "in earnest" development began in 2020, according to Take-Two Interactive, the publisher of the Grand Theft Auto franchise.

According to official government documentation pulled from Rockstar's financial statements, Rockstar North has spent over $2.1 billion on salaries and wages since 2019, and by the time that Grand Theft Auto 6 releases in November this year, the studio will have spent an estimated $3 billion in total.

According to new information from two credible sources on Nintendo, Nate the Hate and VGC, the company is planning to bring back a few iconic games from the Nintendo 64 era later this year. The first game set to hit the Nintendo Switch 2 is expected to arrive as early as this summer, with Nintendo reportedly putting the final touches on a brand-new game in the Star Fox series.

Star Fox from the SNES and Star Fox 64 for the N64 are considered classics for their focus on arcade-style action and on-rails shooting, featuring a colorful cast of anthropomorphic characters. The last proper entry in the series, Star Fox Zero, saw Nintendo collaborate with PlatinumGames to deliver a game that received a relatively disappointing Metacritic score of 69 out of 100.

According to Nate the Hate, the new Star Fox game coming in 2026 will be more like the SNES and N64 games, with modern visuals and online multiplayer. As for the second iconic return, with The Legend of Zelda series celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, Nintendo is reportedly prepping to release a full, built-from-the-ground-up remake of one of the N64's most beloved games.