Latest News - Page 179

We're all aware that Intel changed the naming of its Core processors a while back now, but a new model of CPU has emerged that confusingly reverts to the old convention.

Yes, a Core i5 processor just arrived, albeit this is a strange release from Intel in that it's from the Comet Lake generation (remember those chips?).

Specifically, this is the Core i5-110, which rather oddly mixes the old naming scheme (i5) with the new one (110). This CPU is actually an addition to the Comet Lake-S range, and as VideoCardz points out, it's essentially a refreshed Core i5-10400.

We've just learned a good deal more about Battlefield 6's battle royale mode - and how it's going to have the deadliest ring in the genre.

The Battlefield team posted an extensive raft of fresh details about the mode on Steam (as flagged by PC Gamer) and X (see above), including how the ring of fire is going to be lethal.

The ring - the standard mechanism in battle royale whereby the map shrinks on a timer, to force the diminishing number of surviving gamers together - always punishes a player for being caught in it, but that's usually with incremental damage ticking away at their health.

When it comes to all things tech, there's nothing bigger than CES, which takes place annually in January. With CES 2026 just a few months away, AMD has announced that its CEO, Dr. Lisa Su, will deliver the opening keynote on January 5, 2026, in the Palazzo Ballroom at the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas.

According to the announcement, the keynote will focus on AI solutions and AMD's portfolio of CPUs, GPUs, adaptive computing, and AI software. This includes data center products, such as the company's EPYC processors and Instinct GPUs, as well as Ryzen processors and Radeon graphics for "AI PCs and gaming." Although it makes perfect sense for AI to be the focus, it's great to see Ryzen and Radeon get a mention in the announcement, as it suggests that we could be in for a few big announcements from AMD at the show.

Hosting the opening keynote doesn't mean that AMD is set to unveil its next-generation Ryzen CPUs and Radeon GPUs. Still, we'll probably hear about a range of new devices and solutions, or even a teaser for where Zen 6 or next-gen RDNA 5 technology is headed. Perhaps we'll hear about an RDNA 4 refresh? Time will tell, but Dr. Lisa Su's comments do state that CES is the "premier stage" for announcements and breakthroughs.

Although something has to be formally announced with a timeline for it to be delayed, the latest word from renowned hardware leaker @hongxing2020 on X is reporting that NVIDIA's upcoming GeForce RTX 50 Series SUPER refresh has been delayed, suggesting that the potential Q4 2025 holiday release we recently reported on for the latest SUPER cards is no longer happening.

This implies that the refresh, which includes the GeForce RTX 5070 SUPER, RTX 5070 Ti SUPER, and RTX 5080 SUPER, is on track for a 2026 release, with CES 2026 being the likely time and place for a formal announcement and reveal. Although we'll need to wait, we've already been made aware of the specifications of the GeForce RTX 50 Series SUPER refresh thanks to various insider reports. One of the reasons for the delay could be related to the GPUs using newer 3GB GDDR7 modules.

The key takeaway from NVIDIA's latest SUPER GPUs is that they will all feature a significant 50% increase in GDDR7 memory capacity, making them better suited for high-resolution gaming and more intensive AI workloads. Outside of this performance, the new GeForce RTX 50 Series lineup is expected to be broadly similar to the existing GeForce RTX 50 Series cards, unless the increased power limit results in a significant increase in Boost Clock speeds.

Announced at Gamescom 2025 as part of a wide range of updates to NVIDIA's GeForce NOW cloud gaming platform, the company has announced that its new GeForce RTX 5080 SuperPODs have begun rolling out this week to servers worldwide.

According to the announcement, four locations in the US have already been upgraded (San Jose, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Newark), with two in Europe (Paris and Frankfurt). Upgrading to RTX 5080-class visuals means full support for DLSS 4 with Multi Frame Generation, alongside the new Cinematic-Quality Streaming mode, which offers image fidelity and responsiveness on par with rendering a game locally.

Games are already being optimized for the new GeForce RTX 5080 SuperPODs, and the list includes popular new and recent releases, such as DUNE: Awakening, Borderlands 4, Hell Is Us, Dying Light: The Beast, Cronos: The New Dawn, and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.

Okay, so Borderlands 4 is out this weekend, and early word from those who have played the PC version is that it's a pretty demanding game, hardware-wise. This makes yet another potential Unreal Engine 5-powered game that is set to arrive with day-one performance issues. According to Gearbox's Randy Pitchford, a day-one patch will enhance the game's performance; however, PC players should note the hardware requirements before jumping in.

With the recommended GPU being a GeForce RTX 3080, there will likely be Borderlands fans who struggle to achieve smooth performance. Today, as part of NVIDIA's weekly DLSS roundup, we've got some of the first in-game Borderlands 4 benchmark results. However, as it's part of a DLSS 4 write-up, the performance numbers include both DLSS 4's new Super Resolution upscaling and Multi Frame Generation.

And yes, even though the GeForce RTX 5090 can achieve 256 FPS in 4K, and the GeForce RTX 5080 can reach 166 FPS, this represents a 5.5X increase in performance compared to running the game in native 4K without DLSS or Frame Generation. This indicates that the RTX 5090, the most powerful gaming GPU on the market, is running the game at around 50 FPS.

GeForce Game Ready Driver 581.29 has been released, with the most notable update being day-one support for two major September releases - Borderlands 4 and Dying Light: The Beast. Borderlands 4 is the first game on the list because it's out this weekend, and it's the latest entry in the popular 'looter shooter' franchise that is launching with positive feedback from those who got to play it early.

Dying Light: The Beast is out September 19, and is Dying Light 3 in all but name, with players once again taking on the role of the first game's protagonist, Kyle Crane. This one is set to lean into the survival horror aspects of the franchise while maintaining the free-form, acrobatic open-world exploration that has become a hallmark of Techland's zombie series.

Both Borderlands 4 and Dying Light: The Beast are launching with DLSS 4 with Multi Frame Generation support, which includes the latest 'Transformer' powered version of DLSS Super Resolution for all GeForce RTX gamers. Dying Light: The Beast is also set to launch with a suite of ray-tracing effects that cover reflections, shadows, and global illumination, providing enhanced and immersive cinematic visuals.

Samsung is reportedly preparing to expand its foldable smartphone family with a "wide fold" handset in 2026, putting additional pressure on Apple's foldable iPhone before it's even released.

The new "wide fold" should be shorter vertically when folded compared to existing foldables from Samsung, as well as being longer horizontally. Based on industry coverage, the goal for Samsung is to make a "wide-type" foldable smartphone with two 18:9 ratio screens that are joined, making the internal display almost square at an 18:18 ratio.

Korean outlet ETnews spoke with an industry insider familiar with Samsung's plans for its wide-fold smartphone, where they said: "Samsung has shared this development plan. Considering the timing of discussions, it is expected to debut alongside next year's foldable phone series in the second half (of 2026). Although the specific specifications have not yet been finalized, the details are expected to be determined by the end of this month or early next month".

NVIDIA has announced its upcoming Rubin CPX GPU, a new specialized accelerator from the next-gen Rubin family of AI chips, made specifically for massive-context AI models, sporting a huge 128GB of GDDR7 memory.

The new Rubin CPX GPU features 30 PetaFLOPS of NVFP4 compute performance on a single monolithic die, which marks a shift away from dual-GPU packages that NVIDIA has used on its current Blackwell and Blackwell Ultra AI GPUs, as well as the design path that the rest of the Rubin family will follow.

Rubin CPX works hand in hand with NVIDIA Vera CPUs and Rubin GPUs inside of the new NVIDIA Vera Rubin NVL144 CPX platform, with the integrated NVIDIA MGX system featuring 8 exaflops of AI compute to provide 7.5x more AI performance than the new NVIDIA GB300 NVL72 AI system, as well as 100TB of fast memory and 1.7PB/sec of memory bandwidth in a single rack.

The future is here - the "next chapter of human-computer interaction" no less - and it's embodied in an AI-powered headset (of sorts).

Tom's Hardware spotted the revelation of Alterego on X by the co-founders of the company Arnav Kapur (CEO) and Max Newlon (COO). As you can see, it's billed as the "world's first near-telepathic wearable that enables silent communication at the speed of thought".

The best way to swiftly grasp the concept is to watch the wearable - which is worn on the ears, and rests around the back of the head - in action. The wearer simply thinks and Alterego picks up those thoughts, in a fashion. However, it isn't actually reading your mind - the conclusion a fair few commenters on X (and elsewhere) immediately jumped to. I'll come back to how it works in a moment.

Intel's Arrow Lake Refresh processors were rumored to be set for arrival later this year - but that's not going to happen.

Intel has confirmed that there will indeed be an Arrow Lake Refresh, as the grapevine had insisted (more recently, after falling out with the idea that it might have been canned). However, this refreshed range of CPUs won't be out until 2026.

Tom's Hardware reports that Intel's Corporate VP of Investor Relations, John Pitzer, made the revelation at a Goldman Sachs Technology conference.

Talk about a GPU deal, one lucky Redditor posted images of a functional GeForce RTX 3060 12GB graphics card that they picked up from their local Red White & Blue Thrift Store for just $4.99. Alongside the GeForce RTX 4060, it remains one of the most popular GPUs among PC gamers, according to the latest Steam Hardware Survey results. Even after four years on the market, the MSI Ventus GeForce RTX 3060 Ventus 2X 12G OC model snapped up for $5, still sells for around $300 in most retail stores.

With 12GB of VRAM, the GeForce RTX 3060 remains a viable option for PC gaming in 2025, particularly when playing at 1080p. Plus, it benefits from the recent DLSS 4 update, which dramatically improves image quality at lower resolutions thanks to its updated AI model. Even though this is a second-hand model, GeForce RTX 3060 12GB graphics cards are still being sold for up to $180 on eBay.

For $5, it's a steal, especially since it's still in working condition. Unfortunately, this would be a pretty hard deal to try to replicate, as bargain hunting for hardware in thrift stores can often feel like the lottery regarding finding a deal like this.

We will get to see new footage of Battlefield 6's single-player campaign at the Tokyo Game Show on September 26, with EA pushing BF6 just two weeks from its official launch.

In the official Tokyo Game Show schedule, at 1PM to 2PM local time, EA will have the "Battlefield 6: Single-Player Live Showcase". This BF6 showcase will have "the developers and English voice actors of Battlefield 6 introduce the upcoming first-person shooter, including a look at the single-player story mode. Featuring executive special producer Philippe Ducharme and senior creative director Roman Campos-Oriola".

Battlefield 6 single-player campaign, what we know so far: EA Motive is the developer behind the single-player campaign for Battlefield 6, which takes inspiration from the recent Civil War movie, and the Taylor Sheridan drama Lioness. We've seen that the President of the United States is speaking to the American people about some "monstrous, unprovoked attack" and that now "no country is safe". The trailer teased different locations throughout the world, including New York City.

Critterz is a new feature-length animated film currently in production (via The Wall Street Journal), featuring cute forest creatures who embark on an adventure after their simple village life is disrupted. At first glance, it appears to be another Pixar-inspired computer-generated animated film, albeit one aiming to make its debut at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival next year. It's also an animated film created using OpenAI's generative AI tools.

And with OpenAI backing the development of Critterz, its reported budget of less than $30 million aims to demonstrate that generative AI can be used to create feature-length films faster and more cost-effectively than traditional Hollywood productions.

Critterz creator Chad Nelson is teaming up with OpenAI, alongside London and Los Angeles-based production companies, to fully animate Critterz in nine months, instead of the typical three years or so it takes to develop, animate, and release a traditional animated film. This nine-month schedule aligns with the next Cannes Film Festival, scheduled to take place in May 2026.

SAPPHIRE has just unveiled its new NITRO+ B850A WIFI 7 motherboard, based on the AMD AM5 socket and using the B650 chipset, it is ready for a wide range of Ryzen CPUs.

The new SAPPHIRE NITRO+ B850A WIFI 7 motherboard has the classic premium NITRO+ cooling which consists of extensive heatsink coverage across the motherboard to critical components like the VRM, PCH, and M.2 SSD storage slots, designed to maximize surface area and thermal efficiency, ensuring everything on the NITRO+ B850A WIFI 7 mobo is kept as cool as possible under heavy gaming and professional or AI workloads.

SAPPHIRE has crafted the NITRO+ B850A WIFI 7 motherboard with a convenient M.2 SSD clip design, which enables quick and easy SSD installation or removal. We also have 4 x DIMM support for high-speed DDR5 memory with support for RAM, while in dual-DIMM mode the SAPPHIRE NITRO+ B850A WIFI 7 mobo can support up to 8000MHz OC and up to 256GB maximum.

At the recent IFA 2025 event, Lenovo executives were asked by PC Watch Japan why the price of its new flagship PC gaming handheld, the Lenovo Legion Go 2, was approaching that of gaming laptops. The Legion Go 2, with its AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme processor, is set to launch with a somewhat eye-watering $1,349 USD price point for its premium model.

However, the Legion Go 2's specs are impressive. 32GB of LPDDR5X-8000 system memory, 2TB of M.2 PCIe Gen 4 SSD storage, and a large 8.8-inch VRR-ready OLED display with a 1920 x 1200 resolution and 144 Hz refresh rate. Throw in premium detachable controllers, and Lenovo says that expensive components inevitably drive up the price.

One of the side effects of a flagship PC gaming laptop costing $1,349 is that it limits its appeal to a hardcore or enthusiast audience. And this is something that the company is aware of, as it views the Legion Go 2 as an enhancement to the Lenovo brand. "For those seeking a more affordable option, we offer the Legion Go S series," the company added (translated via Windows Central).

Apple has made its new ultra-thin iPhone Air official, unveiled during its recent iPhone 17 unveiling. The new iPhone Air features the company's new in-house A19 Pro processor, but also its new in-house C1X 5G modem, new N1 wireless chip, and more. Check it out:

First off, Apple's new iPhone Air is using Grade 5 titanium for the chassis, with Apple stating that the iPhone Air sports the most durable design even though it's just 5.6mm thick. The iPhone Air features a 6.5-inch display with ProMotion technology that drives 120Hz on the screen.

There's also the new "Always On" display, up to 3000 nits of peak outdoor brightness, and Ceramic Shield 2 technology on the front. This is the first time that Apple has used Ceramic Shield 2 on the back, which makes it up to 4x more scratch-resistant.

First announced at Gamescom 2025, NVIDIA's RTX Remix update, which adds impressive path-traced particles, is now available for modders everywhere. The advanced particle system in RTX Remix enables modders to add dynamic fire, smoke, and other effects with full path-traced lighting to numerous classic PC games.

Now, as real-time path-tracing is incredibly hardware-intensive and requires DLSS technologies like Super Resolution, Ray Reconstruction, and Frame Generation to deliver its fantastic visuals, NVIDIA notes that this new advanced particle system doesn't significantly impact performance.

"RTX Remix particles are GPU-driven, meaning you can add tens of thousands of them without significantly reducing performance," NVIDIA writes in the announcement. "They are path-traced, meaning they cast accurate shadows, and are reflected in the world, a rarity in games. Additionally, they feature a realistic physics simulation, complete with proper collisions with the environment."

Borderlands 4 is set to launch this weekend for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S, with a Nintendo Switch 2 version set to arrive in a few weeks. Hands-on previews of the game's PC version indicate that, outside of the game itself being a return to form and a worthy successor to the iconic Borderlands 2, the Unreal Engine 5-powered game suffered from performance issues like stuttering, freezing, and even crashing.

The recommended PC hardware specifications for the game list a GeForce RTX 3080 or Radeon RX 6800 XT graphics card, paired with 32GB of system memory, and an Intel Core i7-12700 or AMD Ryzen 7 5800X processor. This is designed to achieve a "solid balance of smooth performance and graphical detail," with the minimum specification requiring a GeForce RTX 2070 or Radeon RX 5700 XT graphics card.

In a response to a preview from Destructoid where the writer played with an in-between minimum and recommended specced PC with a GeForce RTX 3070, Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford said that Borderlands 4 is "a big, open AAA game and lower-end and older hardware may not perform as well as higher-end, modern PCs."

A new Dead Island game has been confirmed to be in development, and the developer may have teased the sequel's location.

It's official: Dead Island 3 is happening, and the same people responsible for Dead Island 2 are making the new game. Developer Dambuster Studios shared the update on Twitter:

"14 years ago Dead Island made its gory debut. Today, Dead Island 2 has dragged 20 million Slayers into the sunny chaos of HELL-A. The next outbreak? Dambuster is already drenched in the work. The journey is far from over..."