AMD will officially unleash its next-gen RDNA 3-powered Radeon RX 7900 XTX and Radeon RX 7900 XT graphics cards on December 13, but we're hearing some new information on exactly how the launch will play out.

AMD's new Radeon RX 7900 XTX and Radeon RX 7900 XT cards

First, AMD will launch its reference model Radeon RX 7900 XTX and Radeon RX 7900 XT graphics cards on December 13, but the custom AIB models from partners like ASUS, MSI, SAPPHIRE, and others will launch 1-2 weeks later according to the latest from BoardChannel news.

We've already heard and seen teases from ASUS, PowerColor, and SAPPHIRE for their custom Radeon RX 7900 series graphics cards, but it seems that we'll see the custom designs in the weeks after December 13... perfect timing for Christmas.

SAPPHIRE has just officially teased its next-gen Radeon RX 7900 series NITRO graphics cards, with a post on Twitter teasing the card and showing off the new design.

SAPPHIRE's upcoming Radeon RX 7900 series NITRO tease (source: SAPPHIRE)

Just like with previous AIB partners teasing their custom Radeon RX 7900 series graphics cards, SAPPHIRE isn't clear on which model they're showing off here -- the flagship Radeon RX 7900 XTX or the slightly cut-down Radeon RX 7900 XT -- but I would dare expect this is the SAPPHIRE Radeon RX 7900 XTX NITRO graphics card.

SAPPHIRE is rolling out with a redesigned look and new cooler, with a gray shroud that looks like it's flat and rocks three axial fans that are spinning in opposite directions. It's a far cry from the slick design of SAPPHIRE's Radeon RX 6000 series NITRO graphics cards, but we need to get some hands-on and eyes-on with SAPPHIRE's new Radeon RX 7900 series NITRO graphics cards before a final judgment is made on the look and style of the card. From the quick video, I'm digging the style so far.

Intel is now hiding features of its new data center CPUs behind a paywall, with the introduction of its new "On Demand" service, effectively a pay-as-you-go service for CPUs that unlocks features as you go (and costing you money).

The new "On Demand" service from Intel will be for their data center customers for now, but I'm sure this is going to shift into consumer CPUs as the years go by, and in some cases it'll be alright -- a data center CPU can get upgraded with new features without a full CPU upgrade -- but it starts a dark path.

Intel has two different models on offer with its new On Demand program: the "Consumption Model" and "Activation Model". The Consumption Model is metered, with flexible consumption to scale performance while the Activation Model is licensed with a one-time feature and software activation.

Sabrent has just kicked off its huge Black Friday sales with some discounts across its range of storage products, from their flagship Rocket 4 Plus-G SSDs down to a new SD card if you need it.

The wicked-fast and super-styled Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus-G SSDs are discounted: the 500GB variant is down from $170 to $130, the 1TB variant is down from $300 to $230, while the 2TB variant is down from $700 to $600. Under the G models, the Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus SSDs are also discounted: the 1TB variant is down from $90 to $72, the 2TB variant down from $150 to $100, and the 4TB variant drops from $300 to $200.

If you've just built yourself a new Intel 13th Gen Core "Raptor Lake" or AMD Ryzen 7000 series "Zen 4" system, then Sabrent has its Rocket DDR5 memory also on special: the Sabrent Rocket DDR5-4800 in single 16GB DIMM form is down from $180 to $100, while the 32GB DIMM drops from $300 to $150 (50% off!).

Sony has revealed when it plans to launch its new next-gen PS6, but when will Microsoft's next Xbox launch?

Microsoft has already confirmed it is working on a new next-gen Xbox console, and now we have some basic idea when the system will launch. In a lengthy 111-page response to UK regulators on the proposed Activision merger, Microsoft has outlined some interesting tidbits about the future of the console market.

According to Microsoft, the next console generation is expected to start in 2028. This would give the current Xbox Series X/S and PS5 generation an eight-year lifecycle that aligns with previous generations. Gen 8, which includes the Xbox One and PS4, has marginally wound down throughout 2021. Gen 9 is expected to last from 2020 - 2028, and give way to Gen 10 in 2028 and beyond.

The PlayStation 5 just turned 2 years old, and the next-generation PlayStation 6 could release in just a couple years' time.

The United Kingdom's Competition Markets Authority regulatory body, who is currently investigating the Microsoft-Activision merger, just published two new sets of documents today that reveal some very interesting information. One of the documents outlines Sony's response and statements to the CMA's concerns about the merger. Included in Sony's comments is a snippet about the next-generation PlayStation console.

According to the document, Sony could expect the PlayStation 6 to release as early as 2027. This would give the PS5 a shorter 7-year life cycle when compared to the PlayStation 4. No details on the new PS6 were confirmed or discussed, just a brief timetable on when consumers could expect the new higher-end PlayStation hardware.

Black Friday hasn't even arrived yet, and Amazon is already hot out of the gate with crazy daily deals, as the online retailer has slashed prices for a selection of gaming PCs.

If you were considering buying a new gaming PC and didn't want the hassle of piecing it together yourself, there is always the option of a pre-built rig. While you may not necessarily save money by purchasing a pre-built PC when compared to building one yourself, you have the convenience of being able to just simply plug it in and have it work without having to learn anything new about the construction process. Additionally, pre-built gaming PCs are also great gifts for a very special someone.

Amazon has kicked off the Black Friday week of deals strong by slashing prices across a variety of technology products, with the online retailer already announcing discounts on JBL headphones, Samsung SSDs and AMD CPUs. Furthermore, Amazon has slashed prices for Skytech gaming PCs, with discounts ranging from 10% to 25% on select pre-built gaming PCs.

If you were thinking about upgrading your CPU and were considering AMD, now might be the time to pull the trigger, as Amazon has slashed prices by at least 20%.

Amazon is getting ahead of the insane Black Friday sales with what seems to be Black Friday-week, where the online retailer changes discounts each day leading up to Friday. Amazon has slashed prices on the Ryzen 7 5800X 8-core, 16-Thread, Ryzen 9 5900X 12-core, 24-Thread, Ryzen 5 5600X 6-core, 12-Thread, and much more. The minimum discount on the available AMD CPUs is 22%, with the Ryzen 7 7700X 8-Core, 16-Thread previously being priced at $449.00 and currently being priced at $348.99.

The largest discount is 54% off on the Ryzen 5 5600G 6-Core 12-Thread, which was previously listed for $259.99 and is currently being listed for $120.01. These aren't the only deals Amazon has in technology, as the online retailer has also slashed prices on JBL headphones, as well as Samsung memory drives.

NASA launched the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket from its launch pad at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on November 16, and as Orion is heading on a journey around the Moon, officials have inspected the launch pad for any potential damage caused by the rocket's lift off.

The successful launch made the SLS rocket the world's most powerful rocket, with nearly 9 million pounds of thrust. On November 16, the SLS pushed the Orion spacecraft on its reconnaissance journey around the Moon, marking the first stage of NASA's Artemis missions, which will put US citizens back on the surface of Earth's neighbor. NASA declared the launch a success, and is now inspecting the launch pad to see how it can minimize any damage for future launches.

NASA's Mike Sarafin, Artemis mission manager, in a press conference with reporters on Monday, November 21, said the damage caused by Artemis 1's liftoff is isolated to just a few different areas of the launch pad, and that the vital parts of the launch pad weren't damaged. Sarafin said that while Artemis 1 used water suppression to reduce the sound, as well as the damage from the rocket's launch, the force generated by the rocket peeled the paint off the launch pad.

Last week Elon Musk commented on the collapse of the FTX cryptocurrency exchange and his connection to its former CEO, Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF), who is caught in the middle of the financial catastrophe.

In the span of a week, the world's second-largest cryptocurrency exchange collapsed after experiencing the digital version of a bank run combined with a crash that reduced the value of the assets it was holding. The result was that FTX had to file for bankruptcy, sending former CEO and co-founder Sam Bankman-Fried's net worth down by 94% in a single day, Bankman-Fried was worth an estimated $15.6 billion prior to the collapse.

In leaked emails between Elon Musk and Mike Grimes, the FTX co-founder is brought up as a potential investor in Musk's $44 billion bid to purchase Twitter, which was originally made back in March. Musk confirmed in a tweet reply that SBF was trying to get into contact with Musk about investing $3 billion in Twitter and was interested in further integrating blockchain technology into the social media platform.