Latest News - Page 16

With over two decades of cooling, thermal design, and engineering experience, CPS PCCOOLER is expanding into the AI workstation and local server market with five new products. These cooling solutions aren't built for data centers, but for local AI workstations, servers, and edge computing that feature powerful CPUs, GPUs, and fast memory.

And with that, as demanding AI workloads put considerable strain on all of the above, managing thermal performance and clean and sustained power delivery is extremely important. CPS PCCOOLER notes that it has applied its decades of experience to its new AI workstation and local rack-mounted server lineup, which includes air and liquid cooling. This workstation chassis can support multiple GPUs and a premium 2500W power supply.

The first addition is the TR620M X Compact dual-tower CPU air cooler built for compact workstations and 4U rack-mounted servers. It features a large copper base plate, 6mm heat pipes, and a large center-mounted 100mm fan that reaches speeds of up to 5,000 RPM. It's joined by the TS700D Single-tower CPU air cooler, built for high-end workstations, which also features a large copper base plate, 6mm heat pipes, and twin 120mm fans. One of which is reverse-blade to support direct airflow through the cooler and chassis.

South Korean developer Smilegate will take over Lost Ark in early 2027, and the studio plans to eventually sync content between Korea and the West.

Amazon is getting out of the MMO game and is transferring operations of Lost Ark to the game's original developer, Smilegate. Details of the upcoming transition have been outlined, informing players on what they can expect.

Users have the choice to opt out of the transition, but their characters and data will be wiped. Some things will transfer over, like preset names, stronghold names, map and combat memos, and more. Other things, like friends list memos, in-game mail, and chat messages and chat history will not transfer over and will not be kept. Active subscriptions for the Amazon version of Lost Ark, such as Crystalline Aura, will be cancelled before the Smilegate transition.

As per latest financial reports, Pearl Abyss has set an H1 2027 release window for Crimson Desert's new Switch 2 version.

Following big sales, Korean publisher Pearl Abyss is expanding Crimson Desert to new horizons. If everything goes according to plan, the game is coming to the Nintendo Switch 2 sometime in the first half of 2027. Pearl Abyss tells investors that they intend to keep Crimson Desert's overall presentation and gameplay intact for the portable version.

The group is also readying DLC for all versions of the base game, and that content is set to launch sometime this year. An interesting sidenote: Crimson Desert sold 2.11 million in Q2'26, and console made up 70% of sales during the period, with physical accounting for 18% of sales.

Halo Campaign Evolved is believed to have sold an estimated 1.2 million copies in its first two weeks of sales, generating up to $67 million in gross sales revenue.

New data estimates from Alina Analytics show that the latest Halo CE remake has achieved high platinum sales in its first two weeks of availability. On a platform level, sales of the Halo game are split with 42% Xbox (console & Windows), 41% sales on PlayStation, and 17% on Steam.

Naturally, many more Xbox users chose to access the game via subscription. The firm also estimates that 2.1 million people accessed Halo Campaign Evolved via Xbox Game Pass. Nearly a third of these users, roughly 600K, paid the extra $20 to upgrade to the premium version for the 5-day early access and bonuses.

Yesterday we covered a mod for the Steam Machine that unlocked compatibility with an eGPU dock, making it possible to pair Valve's latest console with graphics cards such as the RX 9070 XT. However, the modder who first shared this mod on the internet neglected to provide any in-depth benchmarks of the mod in action. ETA Prime on YouTube has since taken this same mod and put it through a plethora of benchmarks, giving us a good idea of how external GPUs such as the RX 9070 XT truly perform with the Steam Machine's 30W CPU.

The YouTuber benchmarked the RX 9070 XT with the Steam Machine in several games: Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart, Cyberpunk 2077, Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered, and Shadow of the Tomb Raider.

In Cyberpunk 2077, the game achieved an average of 70 FPS at high settings 1440p at native resolution. GPU usage in this game was hovering at 70% with CPU usage hovering in the high 70% range. Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart ran at a much higher 130 FPS average at 1440p, very high settings. GPU usage was hovering near 100%, unlike Cyberpunk 2077.

Leaders at Xbox were recently welcomed to Bethesda's offices by Scabby, a giant inflatable rat.

Bethesda workers aren't taking Microsoft's layoffs lightly. The tech giant recently laid off 1,600 workers at its Xbox games division, and another 1,600 will lose their jobs by June 2027. Faced with this very real Sword of Damocles above their heads, the remaining Bethesda devs have set up an unignorable protest to meet Xbox CEO Asha Sharma on her latest visit to the studio: Scabby the rat.

Workers at Bethesda, who voted to unionize in 2024, erected Scabby, a huge, air-filled rat to make a clear statement to Sharma (and the rest of the industry). Scabby is famously used by trade unions in protest of unfair practices and layoffs. Bethesda employees also created a kind of layoff graveyard using small red flags poked into the lawn, and there's one red flag for every person let go.

The new Corsair NIGHTSWORD v2 WIRELESS SD Stream Deck Gaming Mouse, as the name suggests, is the latest peripheral from the company to integrate some native Elgato Stream Deck functionality into the design. It's not quite as elaborate as the Corsair GALLEON 100 SD Mechanical Keyboard we reviewed earlier this year, because there isn't enough room on a mouse for an actual Stream Deck. Still, the design includes a large dedicated Stream Deck Launch Button.

This is notable because it provides an intuitive, quick way to open Elgato's Virtual Stream Deck, an on-screen version of the popular tactile tool for creators, streamers, and professionals. It requires installing Elgato Stream Deck software, but the functionality remains the same: quick access to shortcuts and workflows for games and apps.

The gaming side, in particular, is very cool, as it can be used to bring up a customizable inventory overlay in addition to triggering OBS functions and accessing community apps like Discord without leaving the on-screen action. Elgato's Virtual Stream Deck offers eight programmable buttons, with various profiles for popular games like Cyberpunk 2077, Pragmata, Resident Evil Requiem, ARC Raiders, Diablo IV, and Genshin Impact readily available via the Elgato Marketplace, tuned for the NIGHTSWORD v2 WIRELESS SD.

In recent weeks, we've seen the price of GeForce RTX 50 Series graphics cards increase in various markets, with multiple sources confirming that it's all due to GPU bundles going up substantially because of the memory crisis. For gamers in the US, these price increases are now well and truly here, with a new report from Tom's Hardware showcasing just how bleak the current situation is.

The report notes that its findings are based on online retail listings, via Newegg, for GeForce RTX 50 Series GPUs currently in stock. Comparing the median prices for GPUs in August 2026 to June 2026, the most alarming price increase is for the GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16GB.

It seems that the already inflated median price of $569.99 USD for the GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16GB has increased by a massive 39%, with it now sitting at $804.99 USD. The GeForce RTX 5070 has also seen a large 36% median price increase, with its June 2026 price of $659.99 USD increasing to $899.99 USD. These sorts of price increases directly affect the overall value proposition of these GPUs, which is a shame.

As a brand known for creating premium cooling solutions and cases, we reviewed German-based hardware maker be quiet!'s first gaming peripheral last year: the Light Mount Silent Gaming Keyboard. With a smooth linear response and near-silent acoustics, it was an impressive first board from the company. Cut to 2026 and be quiet! is launching its more compact counterpart, the Light Mount TKL.

The revamped keyboard is powered by the company's own internal Silent V2 Switches, available in orange linear and black tactile variants. With triple-layer dampening that includes foam in between the switches and the PCB, and additional layers below the PCB and bottom housing, the Light Mount TKL will also offer similar "whisper-quiet operation."

As a premium mechanical keyboard with custom hot-swappable switches, with support for 5-pin MX-style switches, the be quiet! Light Mount TKL also features a brushed aluminum top plate, high-quality PBT double-shot keycaps, a modular magnetic wrist rest, a control dial, per-key ARGB illumination, and a vibrant light bar.

The Razer Naga V3 Pro is the return of the brand's premium gaming mouse built for MMO and MOBA players, with detachable, swappable magnetic side panels and up to 23 programmable buttons. With three side panel options, you've got a 2-button layout for FPS gaming and everyday use, a 6-button layout for MOBAs and Battle Royale games, and the big 12-button layout for MMO gaming.

Of course, as it has been a few years since we got the excellent Razer Naga V2 Pro (check out our review of it here), the Razer Naga V3 Pro brings several improvements and hardware updates to the table, or mousemat. First, there's the addition of the Razer HyperScroll Tilt Wheel Gen-2, the company's advanced scroll wheel that offers both familiar 24-step scrolling and a Precision Tactile mode with 48-step scrolling. Plus, it includes a Free-Spin mode for fast and smooth scrolling.

It's an impressive addition as it includes a very cool Smart-Reel mode that automatically shifts between tactile and free-spin modes based on scroll speed, customizable in Razer Synapse. That's not the only new addition, as the Razer Naga V3 Pro is also powered by the Razer Focus Pro 50K Optical Sensor Gen-3 with Optical Mouse Switches Gen-4 rated at 100-million clicks.

Synology has launched its new DiskStation neo+ Series, with four models built to deliver a more affordable entry point with performance similar to its DS Plus Series. The big reason Synology is able to bring the cost down comes down to the lineup's "more accessible memory configuration." Yes, the DRAM crisis is also affecting the NAS market.

And with that, the DiskStation neo+ Series features 4GB non-ECC DDR4 SO-DIMM memory as part of the default configuration across the four models - DS1825neo+ (8-bay), DS1525neo+ (5-bay), DS925neo+ (4-bay), and DS725neo+ (2-bay). Synology notes that the change in memory makes the neo+ Series "significantly more affordable," which goes to show you just how much memory factors into the price of technology in 2026.

Synology's DiskStation neo+ Series will exist alongside the existing DS Plus Series models to offer a broader range of choices to users. Aside from the memory change, the DiskStation neo+ Series is still built for performance, with built-in M.2 slots for SSD caching, 2.5GbE network ports, and the larger DS1825neo+ (8 bays) and DS1525neo+ (5 bays) models supporting 10GbE or 25GbE network adapter cards via PCIe 3.0 slots.

Xbox CEO Asha Sharma teases the name of The Elder Scrolls VI while providing a quick hype boost for the mysterious game.

Xbox management recently visited Bethesda to see projects like The Elder Scrolls VI in action. It's been over 8 years since TESVI was revealed, and while Bethesda isn't ready to show off the game just yet, that hasn't stopped various high-profile execs from teasing the game.

In a recent post on Twitter, Xbox CEO Asha Sharma briefly talked about TESVI and might have confirmed the game's subtitle has eight letters. "Live playthrough of The Elder Scrolls VI: ******** this morning. The scale and grandeur are incredible. The story is even greater," Sharma said.

The Nintendo Switch version of Aliens: Fireteam Elite stopped working on August 5, leaving everyone who paid for it with little more than an apology and an offer for a discount on another game.

The Switch port launched in April 2023, but unlike the PS5, Xbox, and PC versions, which can be downloaded and played offline, the Switch edition was cloud-only. The hardware was not deemed powerful enough to run the game natively, so it was streamed from servers instead.

The standard edition cost $29.99, while the Ultimate Edition, which bundled in a collection of DLC, cost $59.99. When Cold Iron Studios announced in March that those servers would shut down on August 5, it did not announce any refunds for affected owners.

While AI companies have spent years promising that their technology will make work easier, the people building that technology are describing something very different. Current and former employees at OpenAI, Anthropic, Meta, and Google told the BBC they are working longer hours than ever, with intense release periods pushing some past 90 hours in a single week.

A former OpenAI technical employee said they worked at least 70 hours most weeks before leaving last year. They described regular crisis meetings, weekend shifts, and a cut-throat performance review process that could end in sudden layoffs. OpenAI was also the same company that earlier this year formally urged other companies to start testing a four-day workweek, citing AI's ability to accelerate human labor. The former employee said the company never tried that approach itself while they were there.

At Meta, workers described being reassigned to AI teams through a process employees called being "drafted." "They just move you over," one former employee told the BBC. "You can't say no, or if you do, you have to quit." Those teams are working on AI tools for software engineering and infrastructure that measure how well models can replicate human tasks, work the former employee described as endless.

Lenovo has not finished asking how much screen it can fit into a laptop bag. Leaked images obtained by Windows Latest reveal a ThinkBook concept internally called Project Swan, a business laptop with a display that physically expands horizontally from both sides of the lid using motorized rails.

The design stores sections of a flexible OLED panel inside housings along the edges of the lid. When activated, dual motors drive the rails outward, expanding the screen into a wider format. From the front, the laptop looks like a standard ThinkBook, complete with a centered webcam, ThinkBook branding on the palm rest, and two USB-C ports on the left edge.

The rear is where the changes become more obvious, with structural cutouts for the sliding mechanism and a shorter, more centrally positioned hinge designed to stay clear of the expanding channels on either side.

Valve has issued a warning to Steam Machine and Steam Controller customers in Europe after its logistics partner, CEVA Logistics, suffered a cyberattack between July 29 and August 1. CEVA notified Valve on August 7, and Valve has since begun contacting affected customers directly.

The breach did not touch Valve's own servers, and payment information, passwords, and Steam Guard codes are confirmed safe. What was likely taken is everything else a shipping partner would hold, including customer names, home addresses, postal codes, phone numbers, Steam account email addresses, and hardware purchase details, including the type and price of the ordered product. CEVA stores delivery-related information for up to 90 days after an order, which is why Valve is notifying all customers it can assume were impacted within that window.

A bad actor who knows your details and that you recently ordered a Steam Machine or Steam Controller has everything needed to craft a convincing phishing message. Valve's warning is to "Expect fake messages, email, SMS or phone, that mention your hardware order and come from Steam, Valve or a delivery company. They may quote your address back to you to prove they're genuine. They may ask you to confirm a delivery, pay a small customs or redelivery fee, or sign in somewhere to verify your order. Treat all of them as fake."

Marvel's Spider-Man 2 is having a moment again, three years after launch, thanks to Spider-Man: Brand New Day. According to new estimates from Alinea Analytics, the game has sold roughly 316,000 extra copies since the movie hit theaters on July 30, generating around $11 million across PS5 and Steam in under two weeks.

That latest jump pushes Marvel's Spider-Man 2 past 18.2 million lifetime copies sold and over $1.2 billion in total revenue, with 92% of sales still coming from PS5. Alinea's head of market analysis, Rhys Elliot, said discounts played a role but weren't the main driver here. Pricing data from the platform apparently shows hype from the movie did most of the heavy lifting.

During a February PS5 sale at $29.39, the game moved around 6,300 copies a day. At that same price during the film's release window, it's moving closer to 15,000 copies a day, roughly 2.4 times the average rate and peaking as high as 4.5 times on the busiest day. Steam tells a similar story, with a flat $40.19 price point selling 2.3 times what the same discount pulled in back in June.

Microsoft has reportedly raised the price of Windows OEM licenses by up to 10%, according to Taiwan's Economic Daily News. PC brand executives cited in the report say Microsoft typically adjusts licensing fees for hardware makers every year, but the increases have historically stayed in the low single digits. Starting in July, that number jumped to an average of 7% to 10%, described as the largest hike in recent memory.

OEM licenses are the fees manufacturers pay to preinstall Windows on new laptops and desktops. Customers never see a separate line item for this cost since it gets folded into the price of the finished machine.

Microsoft hasn't confirmed the new rates publicly, and it's still unclear whether the increase applies globally or only to specific manufacturers, regions, or product tiers. These fees reportedly scale with CPU specs too, so higher-end configurations may carry steeper licensing costs than budget machines.

A modder has gone the extra mile and built a full custom liquid-cooled setup for the Steam Machine for fun. Techmagnet posted his work on the PCBuild subreddit, where he showed how he built the waterblock from start to finish, including drilling holes into the Steam Machine's chassis to accommodate a radiator and reservoir.

The process involved disassembling the Steam Machine and measuring the console's PCB that holds the CPU and GPU. The modder then built a custom waterblock designed to cool both the CPU and GPU and worked with the stock mounting holes on the PCB. The Steam Machine's CPU and GPU are both located on the same side of the system's PCB, making it easy to create a single waterblock capable of cooling both chips.

The block was created using a CNC machine using copper featuring two fin-stacks, with each one responsible for cooling either the CPU or GPU. The top of the waterblock was mated to a custom acrylic block featuring two ports.

Modified GeForce RTX 4080 cards with double the VRAM are turning up on Goofish, China's secondhand marketplace, according to VideoCardz. These are stock RTX 4080 units that started life with 16GB of GDDR6X memory and have been upgraded to 32GB, with sellers asking more than 10,000 yuan, or roughly $1,480 for these cards.

We've seen a similar trend recently with the RTX 2080 Ti cards bumped to 22GB, which sell for around $500 on eBay. Of course, the newest RTX 4080 flavor of this conversion costs almost three times that, but you are getting more GPU for that price premium as well.

The RTX 4080 still runs a 256-bit memory bus and 9,728 CUDA cores, so doubling the VRAM doesn't touch bandwidth or gaming performance. The upgrade only really matters for AI inference, where fitting a larger model into local memory tends to matter more than raw throughput.