Latest News - Page 152

GAMDIAS has announced its latest mid-tower chassis, the ATLAS M4, and it's packed with a number of impressive features and design choices. With seamless tempered glass panels on the front and side of the chassis, offering panoramic views of your build and components, this is further amplified by the case's unique front-mounted PSU design.

With the PSU mounted high (and you can see the stylized venting through the tempered glass), the downward-facing connectors simplify the build process, and the included extension cable ensures you have access to the PSU at all times. In addition to its modern, stylish, panoramic design, every panel in the GAMDIAS ATLAS M4 is modular and detachable, and the case also supports modern BTF boards for a true cable-free look.

This extends to the tempered glass panels, which are connected via a simple clasp mechanism for that tool-free build and customization experience. Another notable aspect of the design is the "chimney-style ventilation design" that draws in cool air from beneath and then flows through the entire case.

AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition 26.1.1 is available now, and it features a new optional feature for Radeon graphics users called AI Bundle. This streamlined one-click installer is all about installing and making AI development and creative tools ready to use on AMD systems with at least a Radeon RX 7700 desktop GPU or a Ryzen AI 300 Series APU.

"Traditionally, getting an AI stack ready on Windows meant multiple steps and frequent detours: graphics drivers, Python environments, framework downloads, environment variables, and versions that don't play nicely together," AMD explains. "AI Bundle eliminates that complexity. During your AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition application install, simply check the AI Bundle option, and you're ready to go."

The AI Bundle includes PyTorch on Windows for training and inference, ComfyUI for AMD ROCm accelerated creative workflows such as image generation, Ollama for text generation and automation, LM Studio for running large language models, and Amuse for text-to-image generation optimized for Radeon hardware.

NVIDIA revised its Vera Rubin VR200 NVL72 AI server spec at CES 2026 a couple of weeks ago, increasing the HBM4 memory bandwidth by 10% to ensure it beats AMD's upcoming Instinct MI455X AI accelerator.

In a new post on X from @SemiAnalysis, the NVIDIA Vera Rubin NVL72 AI server specifications now see HBM4 memory bandwidth at 22.2TB/sec, which is a 10% increase from the specs disclosed by NVIDIA at GTC 2025 last year.

The original 13TB/sec of memory bandwidth from the HBM4 memory was impressive from the original specs unveiled for Vera Rubin NVL144 last year, with NVIDIA originally asking for 9Gbps bandwidth per pin from HBM4, and then a faster 10-11Gbps... but why is that? Why did NVIDIA upgrade the HBM4 bandwidth on Vera Rubin?

AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition 26.1.1 is here, and the latest Radeon graphics driver release is a fairly notable one to kick off the new year. It adds support for the company's new Ryzen AI 400 Series, announced at CES 2026, and introduces a new optional AI Bundle to deliver "next-level simplicity" for "local AI setup" with a one-click solution.

AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition AI Bundle supports Radeon RX 7700-series desktop graphics cards or newer, as well as the company's Ryzen AI 300, AI 400, and AI MAX Series processors. In addition to the arrival of new AI software support, AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition 26.1.1 also includes support for a pair of new games - Starsand Island and Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora - From the Ashes Edition.

Plus, there's a whole list of fixes for games like Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, Enshrouded, Diablo 4, and Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024. Here's a look at the Release Notes.

ZOTAC has announced a new model in its ZBOX series of mini PCs: the ZOTAC ZBOX MAGNUS EAMAX395C. Described as its "most powerful AMD-powered ZBOX mini PC," it packs AMD's impressive Ryzen AI MAX+ 395 processor, aka 'Strix Halo,' in a compact 2.65L form factor. With up to 128GB of LPDDR5X-8000 memory, 16 cores and 32 threads, and integrated Radeon 8060S Graphics, it's an impressive unit.

The Radeon 8060S is AMD's most powerful integrated GPU, with 40 RDNA 3.5 Compute Units, and in a Ryzen AI MAX+ 395 system with 128GB of memory, which also means up to 96GB of VRAM. Of course, the Radeon 8060S is still a 1080p gaming graphics card; however, it won't have any issues running most AAA games at 60 FPS with impressive visual fidelity and detail settings.

In addition to gaming, there's also up to 126 Total AI TOPS of performance when you combine the NPU and GPU, making the MAGNUS EAMAX395C an impressively compact unit for running local AI workloads.

It just gets worse... NVIDIA has reportedly paused production on the RTX 5060, as it has reportedly "vastly overbooked AI sales" and has responded by pausing "almost all" GeForce RTX 50 series GPU production... until at least Q3 2026.

In a new video from Moore's Law is Dead, we're hearing some rather depressing -- but not that surprising -- news, that NVIDIA has just halted production of the RTX 5060, on top of the rest of the stack of its RTX 50 series chips. One of MLID's sources said that the RTX 5060 is "done for the next 6 months" and that because it has overbooked AI sales, it is pausing RTX 50 series GPU production until "at least" Q3 2026.

This source said that the RTX 5090, RTX 5070 Ti, RTX 5060 Ti 16GB, and RTX 5060 8GB will soon be "unobtanium" and that the RTX 5080, RTX 5070, and RTX 5060 Ti 8GB will trickle down into the market, with "incredibly low volume".

NVIDIA's long-awaited N1X and N1 laptop processors are expected to debut in Q2 2026, with the new Arm-based chips to hopefully ignite the WoA (Windows on Arm) platform in new gaming laptops.

In a new DigiTimes report, we're hearing that NVIDIA's new N1X chips will debut inside of new laptops in Q1, with the new N1X-based laptops hitting retail in Q2, just as the company has reportedly been pulling out of high-end GeForce RTX 50 series graphics cards, the big push will be from its new venture: N1X and N1-based laptops using Arm-based CPU cores.

NVIDIA's new N1X and N1 processors will be fabbed on TSMC's 3nm process node, with a design that looks similar to the GB10 chip inside of the GB10 mini AI supercomputer systems. On the next-gen side of things, the report adds that the upcoming N2X and N2 processors could arrive in Q2 2027, which is just over a year away now, as NVIDIA continues to drum into new Arm-based laptop markets.

Ubisoft is open to divesting more of its assets to secure funds, intent that could pave the way for more bids similar to the $1.2 billion Tencent deal.

Today, Ubisoft pressed the reset button on its gaming business. The company outlined a new model that sees its operations split across five different groups, or Creative Houses. Ubisoft split up its business in this way so it could secure a $1.2 billion investment from Tencent. In exchange, Tencent would receive a 25% stake in Ubisoft's highest-valued Creative House, which will oversee its 3 biggest franchises--Assassin's Creed, Far Cry, and Rainbow Six.

However, the Tencent deal may only be the first, as Ubisoft CFO Frederick Duguet confirms that the group is still open to the idea of divestitures. This means that Ubisoft could sell minority stakes in other Creative Houses in exchange for adjusted values.

Apps made billions more than mobile games in 2025 as consumers shift to non-gaming services like ChatGPT, new data from Sensor Tower indicates.

Consumers are making a shift in how they spend on mobile apps on Google Play and the App Store, culminating in a so-called "year of divergence" for the multi-billion dollar segment. Analyst firm Sensor Tower estimates that mobile owners spent $85.6 billion in non-gaming apps, a significant +21% year-over-year jump, but $81.8 billion on mobile games.

Mobile apps like CapCut, Tencent's streaming service WeTV, and AI chatbot ChatGPT are at the top of the earnings list. 18 apps total made over $1 billion revenue throughout 2025 and the list was "evenly split between games and non-games," the firm says.

The Xbox app is natively available for Windows 11 laptops running on Arm devices, opening up yet another platform to expand Microsoft's video games presence.

Xbox has just expanded its footprint to Arm-based laptops. Microsoft today announced that the Xbox app has been released on Arm laptops running Windows 11, allowing more users to play, stream, and--most importantly--buy Xbox games directly in Microsoft's first-party app.

"The Xbox app is now available on all Arm-based Windows 11 PCs. Players can now download and enjoy a wide range of titles from the Xbox PC app game catalog on Arm-based Windows 11 PCs," the Xbox Wire post reads.

Intel's BMG-G31, which is the 'big gun' chip for Battlemage - often associated with rumors of an Arc B770 - is about to debut, we're told, but it'll be in a Pro graphics card, not a gaming model.

Well-known leaker Jaykihn let us know on X (as highlighted by VideoCardz) that Intel is going to launch a B70 Pro soon, and that this will be built on the G31 chip.

Jaykihn elaborated on this graphics card having 32GB of VRAM, and another leaker, Haze, chipped in to observe that we can expect a B65 Pro model to be launched as well.

Ubisoft has cancelled 6 games as part of a significant new restructuring plan, the company has announced.

Ubisoft today announced a "major portfolio reset" would occur as part of a new organizational plan. The company has effectively changed how it operates, delegating creative control and financial responsibility across five different so-called "Creative Houses." Each house handles its own games, content, and specialty focus--some houses focus on shooters, and others on casual games like Just Dance.

The restructuring plan unfortunately saw multiple studios closed and games cancelled across the full portfolio. In a rare bit of transparency, Ubisoft confirms that it has cancelled 6 games, including the anticipated Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time remake. The cancelled games also include 4 unannounced titles: 3 games set in a new IP, and a single mobile game. Ubisoft stresses that the cancellation of these games will allow it to enhance quality by being more selective in which games it develops.

Ubisoft reveals a more coherent organizational structure following its $1.2 billion deal with Tencent.

Ubisoft has made big changes to its studios and how it operates. The company today announced its new Creative Houses, a management structure that sees Ubisoft's core development teams and franchises split into different "houses."

Now Ubisoft has detailed how this structure will work. There will be 5 Creative Houses total, with each group having a specific focus (shooters, live games, fantasy, etc) in creating new games in various series. For example, Creative House 1 is Vantage Studios, which handles Assassin's Creed, Far Cry, and Rainbow Six. This is the Tencent-backed subsidiary; in exchange for a $1.2 billion investment into Ubisoft, Tencent acquired 25% stake in Vantage Studios, effectively meaning Tencent may receive a quarter of the profits earned from Ubisoft's top franchises.

Nintendo will raise the price of the Switch 2 throughout 2026, and possibly only offer a $499 bundle, analyst firm Niko Partners predicts.

The tech sector is once again facing disruption. Hungry AI datacenters are eating up the supply of key components required to make electronics like the Switch 2, with RAM becoming quite scarce. Reports indicate that Nintendo ispaying 41% more for RAM used in the Switch 2--a dramatic production cost jump typically telegraphs a price hike.

That's exactly what gaming experts are expecting. The Switch 2 will get a price hike sometime this year, analyst firm Niko Partners predicts, with Nintendo possibly offering some sort of $499 value bundle to replace the $449 console-only SKU. The Switch 2 launched smack-dab in the middle of worldwide tariff escalations, yet Nintendo still kept the price to $449 in the United States. That is expected to change, and the Switch 2 may become more expensive in the region.

Samsung and SK Hynix are reportedly cutting NAND production to divert manufacturing capacity to more profitable avenues, such as DRAM.

The emergence of AI and the exponential power of the hardware fuelling demand from companies around the world for more powerful models is straining the global supply of specific components, with DRAM the most notable at the moment.

With a limited number of memory manufacturers and only a limited number of global suppliers, manufacturers are making more money selling HBM and DRAM in large quantities to customers such as NVIDIA and AMD, as these companies can outbid consumer-facing companies like Lenovo and Dell.

Russia wants to produce its own Call of Duty competitor and is willing to spend as much as 10 billion rubles, or $128 million, to make it happen.

The $128 million budget was put forward by Russian government ministries that are also offering additional tax breaks, financial support, lowered insurance premiums, VAT exemptions, and other various incentives that will be provided to any Russian game development studio that is willing to take on the task of creating a shooter that rivals Activision's Call of Duty.

Russia's desire to have its own domestically produced gaming monitors has been an open objective for quite some time, with even Vladimir Putin ordering Russian tech companies to create a variety of consoles that rival consoles made by Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo.

ASUS showcased its first Wi-Fi 8 concept router, the stylish ROG NeoCore, at CES 2026 a couple of weeks ago. And even though Wi-Fi 7 routers are still fresh on the scene, the company plans to launch its first Wi-Fi 8 router sometime later this year.

So then, you might be wondering what Wi-Fi 8 brings to the table compared to Wi-Fi 7. Well, unlike a speed upgrade, the latest wireless technology is all about connection stability and responsiveness. This means speeds won't degrade as quickly as they do on current Wi-Fi networks, and it improves the connection for low-power IoT devices like, say, smart lights and switches.

There are also efficiency and scheduling improvements, so the overall latency and throughput on a network with multiple devices will feel faster and more responsive. "WiFi 8 is not just about chasing peak speed - it's about making every connection smarter and more reliable," said Tenlong Deng, Corporate VP & General Manager of Wireless and Networking for ASUS.

We're only a couple of weeks into 2026, and the immediate future of PC gaming GPUs, specifically GeForce RTX and Radeon RX products, is looking a little shaky. After reports stated that NVIDIA was effectively canceling cards like the GeForce RTX 5070 Ti, we've since heard word that's not the case, with NVIDIA confirming that all GeForce RTX SKUs will continue to be available for purchase; however, "memory supply is constrained."

Yes, the memory crisis is very real, and the price of PC gaming GPUs has already started to increase. According to a new Benchlife report, NVIDIA has notified its partners (including ASUS, MSI, GIGABYTE, and others) that all GPUs bundled with GDDR6 and GDDR7 memory have increased in price. The report doesn't specify the new price or the percentage change, but it claims that NVIDIA's new GPU memory pricing for partners is still lower than AMD's.

This means NVIDIA's partners are now paying more for GeForce RTX GPUs, as they are sold with memory bundled, so expect retail prices for GeForce RTX 50 Series graphics cards to increase very soon.

Last year, be quiet!, the German hardware company best known for its award-winning lineup of coolers, cases, and power supplies, entered the peripheral market with a pair of impressive mechanical keyboards. Be sure to check out our full reviews of the be quiet! Dark Mount and Light Mount keyboards for more information, as 2026 sees the company release its first gaming mice.

The new Dark Perk Ergo and Dark Perk Sym see be quiet! once again, focus on what matters: performance, ultralight construction, and best-in-class components. Built for competitive gamers and enthusiasts alike, the main difference between the two options is that the Dark Perk Ergo sports an ergonomic right-handed shape, while the Dark Perk Sym is symmetrical.

Both weigh in at an ultralight 55 grams and are powered by the PixArt PAW3950 sensor, which offers a 32,000 DPI sensitivity rating and up to 8,000 Hz polling, even in wireless mode. Be quiet! notes that with the addition of a Nordic nRF54H20 MCU, both offer up to 100 hours of gameplay at the standard 1,000 Hz polling rate.

TerraMaster's new fanless external SSD enclosure is built to tap into 80Gbps Thunderbolt 5 speeds with the M.2 NVMe D1 SSD Pro enclosure delivering transfer speeds of up to 7,061 MB/s. This is enough to transfer a 6GB file in around 1 second, making it one of the fastest portable external storage solutions currently available.

With this level of speed, it's an SSD enclosure capable of handling even the most demanding workloads, including editing both 4K and 8K video and high-resolution images. Internally, the TerraMaster D1 SSD Pro includes a dual-chip setup with an Intel JHL9480 Thunderbolt controller paired with the JMS583 USB bridge. This makes it compatible with Thunderbolt 5, 4, and 3, as well as supporting full USB4 and USB 3.x standards for broad compatibility.

As an SSD enclosure, the D1 SSD Pro also supports a wide range of M.2 2280-form-factor SSDs, including PCIe 3.0, 4.0, and 5.0. TerraMaster notes that its recorded 7,061 MB/s read speed and 6,816 MB/s write speeds for the D1 SSD Pro were captured with a Samsung 990 Pro SSD.