Latest News - Page 21

Spider-Man: Brand New Day is giving gamers a brand new reason to swing back into New York City. Following the film's record-breaking $927 million opening weekend, Insomniac's PC ports of Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered and Marvel's Spider-Man 2 have both made their way into Steam's Top 10 best sellers, sitting at sixth and ninth, respectively, on the global chart.

Both titles are seeing their highest Steam concurrent player counts in over a year. Searches for Spider-Man games are spiking as well, with terms like "new Spider-Man game" and "Spider-Man Brand New Day game" seeing a 40% increase on Google. Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales has not climbed the charts the same way, which is a shame because it is genuinely as good as either of the other two games, if shorter and more contained.

Even so, all three Spider-Man games are currently on sale across Steam and the Epic Games Store in celebration of the movie, making this a good opportunity for anyone who has been waiting to pick them up. Spider-Man Remastered is down 60% to $23.99, Miles Morales is also 60% off at $19.99, while Spider-Man 2 is available for 33% off at $40.19. Fanatical is offering even lower prices on the first two games, with Steam keys available for $21.59 and $17.99, respectively.

Scoring a cheap GPU or a prebuilt gaming PC is already a lucky find, but finding cheap memory right now is something else entirely. This whole domino effect of hardware prices going through the roof started with RAM, and one would have to be "Tyche's" personal favorite to slash even a few dollars off a kit in this economy.

Reddit user u/JuniTheFox, however, appears to have spent a lifetime's worth of luck in a single trip to a thrift store in the Netherlands, walking out with a 32GB Kingston Fury DDR5 kit for just €12.50. That is roughly $14. Two digits. In 2026.

The kit is a DDR5-6000 CL36 configuration, two 16GB modules in a dual-channel setup. At current market prices, comparable 32GB DDR5-6000 kits are selling for anywhere between $400 and $600 on Amazon, with this particular Kingston Fury model sitting closer to the top of that range. Before the RAMpocalypse took hold, kits like this were available for under $150. The Redditor paid approximately 2.4% of the current retail price.

Valve's Steam Frame headset might be shaping up to be an even tougher sell than we thought. According to Valve insider Tyler McVicker, speaking on a recent livestream, the standalone VR headset could launch at a jaw-dropping $1,500.

McVicker had previously pegged the Steam Frame closer to $1,100, but he now says that number looks too optimistic. Apparently, the Qualcomm price hike we covered a couple weeks ago is playing a bigger role than expected. Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 powers the Steam Frame, and the chipmaker's double-digit price increase, set to kick in September 1, lands right as Valve is finalizing retail pricing.

For anyone who hasn't been following it closely, the Steam Frame is Valve's return to VR hardware after shelving the Valve Index. It's a streaming-first headset built around dual 2160 x 2160 LCD panels, 16GB of LPDDR5X memory, and a bundled 6GHz wireless adapter meant to eliminate lag when streaming PC VR games. It also runs SteamOS natively, meaning it can play a chunk of the Steam library standalone.

GeForce RTX 50 series graphics cards are getting noticeably pricier in South Korea this month, with retailers there reporting hikes of up to 30% depending on the model. According to ZDNet Korea, multiple domestic importers and distributors confirmed that major board partners are rolling out the increases starting this week, and some had already quietly raised prices over the weekend.

The culprit is the same one we keep talking about: memory. NVIDIA bundles the GPU die and GDDR7 modules together as a single kit for its add-in board partners, so when GDDR7 pricing climbs, the kit price climbs with it. Research firm TrendForce says standard 2GB GDDR7 modules are now going for the low $20s each, and TSMC's own wafer price hikes on its advanced nodes are adding another layer of cost.

Korean price tracker Danawa listed the cheapest RTX 5060 Ti 8GB cards around 700,000 won (roughly $488), up about 70,000 won ($49) from before. The RTX 5070 12GB climbed to around 1.1 million won ($767), a jump of nearly $140. The RTX 5090 32GB is apparently the hardest hit, now selling for around 7.3 million won, or about $5,087, up as much as $1,045 from mid-July pricing.

We're continuing our TweakTown giveaways, rewarding our registered members and newsletter subscribers with top-tier hardware every week. For our latest giveaway, we've teamed up with ASUS to give one lucky winner a premium white foundation for a modern AMD gaming PC, covering both the motherboard and CPU cooling.

There will be one winner in total, and the prize includes an ASUS TUF GAMING B850-PRO WIFI7 W NEO motherboard and an ASUS TUF Gaming LC III 360 ARGB White Edition liquid CPU cooler.

The ASUS TUF GAMING B850-PRO WIFI7 W NEO provides the foundation for this week's prize bundle. Built around AMD's B850 chipset and Socket AM5 platform, it supports AMD Ryzen 9000, 8000, and 7000 Series desktop processors. Its predominantly white PCB, heatsinks, slots, connectors, and I/O shroud make the board particularly well suited to a clean white PC build. The TUF Gaming design adds silver accents and understated branding without overwhelming the rest of the system.

The developers behind popular HWiNFO64 have introduced a pre-release update featuring support for per-chip VRAM temperature monitoring on AMD's Navi-based GPUs. The update follows the company's introduction of per-chip VRAM temperature monitoring on RTX 50 series GPUs with GDDR7 memory, as well as other RTX-based cards featuring GDDR6 or GDDR6X memory.

The patch notes for the pre-release version (8.51) fail to mention how per-chip temperature monitoring was implemented and discovered for AMD cards. But the timing of this update alongside the discovery of per-chip temperature monitoring on NVIDIA's counterparts suggests a correlation somewhere. Regardless, AMD RX 5000 through 9000 series GPU owners are now able to monitor and check if a memory chip is overheating on the card.

To recap, modders recently discovered that NVIDIA's entire lineup of previous and current-generation RTX GPUs using GDDR6, GDDR6X, or GDDR7 has the capability to read memory temperatures per IC, but, for unknown reasons, NVIDIA has opted to block these sensors from mainstream consumers. Despite this, modders have figured out how to bypass NVIDIA's restrictions and have modded per-memory-chip temperature monitoring into third-party apps such as HWiNFO64 and MSI Afterburner (through a mod for the overclocking application).

AMD's next-gen Ryzen processors could come with a few new tricks to make your gaming smoother, if the rumor mill is right.

Zen 6 consumer CPUs are expected to arrive next year, and VideoCardz reports that according to the creator of the Hydra overclocking tool (Yuri Bubliy, known as '1usmus'), they will offer performance priority controls.

We're told that AMD is implementing a new feature called CPPC Performance Priority. (CPPC stands for Collaborative Processor Performance Control - which is a bit of a mouthful). The basic idea is simple enough: CPPC allows for higher clock speeds to be maintained on threads which are running processes that are important to the game currently being played.

FMS 2026, aka the Future of Memory and Storage, is taking place this week from August 4 through to 6 in Santa Clara, California. As the inventor of flash memory and a leader in storage technology, KIOXIA will be on hand to showcase the next generation of PCIe 6.0 NVMe SSD storage built for cutting-edge AI infrastructure. KIOXIA will also be conducting a keynote presentation, panel discussions, and various technical sessions and demonstrations focused on performance, scalability, and efficiency.

According to the company, these three pillars define modern AI workloads, from enterprise through to cloud and high-performance computing. And by leveraging the right storage solution, companies and organizations can remove performance bottlenecks, improve efficiency, and scale more effectively. One of the new products that will be highlighted at the show is the company's new KIOXIA GP1 Series PCIe 6.0 NVMe SSDs, which deliver an impressive 10 million random read IOPS and are optimized for GPU direct access.

The company will also be showcasing its new KIOXIA CM10 Series PCIe 6.0 enterprise SSDs and KIOXIA NX1 Series SSDs, which support direct liquid cooling. The KIOXIA CM10 Series is also built for modern AI workloads, with 92% higher sequential read and around 85% higher random read performance compared to the previous-generation CM9, and they're the first SSDs to use the latest BiCS FLASH generation 10 TLC flash memory technology with 332 stacked layers.

IOPS (Input/Output Operations Per Second) is an important metric for determining the performance you can expect from storage, with random read IOPS referring to how a storage device handles non-sequential read operations. This is increasingly important for modern AI workloads that deal with large datasets and indexes, which rely heavily on non-sequential read operations.

And with that, the new KIOXIA GP1 Series PCIe 6.0 NVMe SSDs are classified as 'Super High IOPS SSDs' because they can deliver up to 10 million random read IOPS with KIOXIA XL-FLASH generation 2 flash memory. This is an impressive number because KIOXIA is leveraging flash-based memory extension specifically to enhance and address the demand for AI performance in today's cutting-edge data center environments.

The company notes that KIOXIA GP1 Series SSDs are built to be paired with High Bandwidth Memory (HBM) systems as a fast and effective storage solution optimized for GPU direct access.

On July 30, Google added a new feature to its expansive and invaluable reference tool, Google Earth, that was subsequently removed on July 31. The feature was AI-generated images, powered by Nano Banana 2, that let anyone take real-world satellite images and then use those as a basis for creating anything they could think of.

As reported by Digital Digging with Henk van Ess, he was able to create images of a fatal car crash in the streets of Amsterdam, a nuclear power plant in Iran, refugees at a border, and other images that could then be used to spread misinformation or simply add to the general feeling that AI is making it increasingly harder to differentiate between what's real and what's fake. With the tool, other publications were able to create realistic images showcasing the White House as a battlefield, and other dramatically fake images.

Google's own announcement on the addition was a little tone deaf too, as although each generated image contains a SynthID digital watermark, its own examples highlighted non-essential things like making the Colosseum in Italy look brand-new, or showing what a massive shopping mall would look like on an empty lot. Stuff that makes the obvious and inherent risk of being able to create any image you want from satellite imagery via a simple prompt a very real problem to solve.

It's that time of year when companies are posting quarterly and annual financial results, and with all of that fresh data, the Financial Times has posted a quick little AI investment update for the world's biggest hyperscalers: Google, Amazon, Microsoft, and Meta. And yes, per the headline, over the last three years of the current AI boom, these companies have spent $1.1 trillion on AI.

And the AI spending is showing no signs of slowing down, as these four companies are expected to spend the majority of their $745 billion in capex on data centers, new chips, and power this year. It's so much money that the Financial Times says that America's big tech giants are betting their future on AI technology.

The report then goes on to say that "success" depends on the ability of companies like OpenAI and Anthropic to keep raising funds to meet their growing commitments, while also noting the effect this expansion and spending is having on supply chains and the consumer technology markets.

Overclocker and renowned PC enthusiast der8auer has posted a new video showcasing a modded CPU liquid cooler that replaces the radiator fans with a 3D-printed chimney system for heat dissipation. Now, having a massive 110cm chimney coming out of your AIO cooler and PC case isn't exactly practical, but it's a definite showcase for how traditional cooling methods that have existed for hundreds of years, or longer, can still be effective. Surprisingly so.

Placing the custom chimney on an AIO cooler's radiator (with the fans removed) actually saw the attached Ryzen 7 9800X3D CPU's temperature drop by 19 degrees, going from 90°C down to 71°C. The 3D-printed chimney used here is large, as it was designed to replicate what you'd find on a house with a fireplace, where lower-density air inside the chimney creates negative pressure to effectively expel the warm air.

der8auer ran a few different chimney height tests, using fog to show the difference in cooling. Without enough space to create the mix of negative and positive pressure, the 10 cm chimney wasn't able to move enough air to lower the coolant temperature, so it's a case of needing a large chimney for the stacked cooling to take effect and deliver impressive results.

Although the current memory and storage crisis has greatly impacted the portable PC gaming handheld market, AYANEO's new KONKR Pocket Advance is all about capturing and creating a retro gaming experience that harkens back to a different era. The KONKR Pocket Advance is a part of a new REMAKE series, and taking one look at the design, it's not hard to see that it aims to recreate the iconic 32-bit Game Boy Advance handheld from 2001.

Naturally, AYANEO's post on the handheld's unveiling doesn't mention Nintendo's handheld at all, but everything from the shape to the button layout to the orange and purple colorways is reminiscent of the first Game Boy Advance handhelds that hit the market 25 years ago.

"The KONKR Pocket Advance is not a simple replica of the past, but rather, while preserving the essence of the classic spirit, it integrates modern product concepts and manufacturing techniques to breathe new life into retro aesthetics," AYANEO writes. And with that, the compact device has a larger but still relatively small modern 3.5-inch LCD.

Last month, Lian Li launched its impressive new UNI FAN FLEX Series, which includes a customizable 1.8-inch display on each fan. As a follow-up, LIAN Li is launching the new 120mm UNI FAN SL FLEX and CL FLEX Series, which represent a more affordable option that drops the screen for a more traditional design. That said, the UNI FAN SL FLEX variant includes a stylish Infinity Mirror design on both sides.

Both the UNI FAN SL FLEX and CL FLEX Series connect to the new FLEX Receiver for PWM power delivery and support for L-Connect 3 wireless control. The FLEX Receiver is powered via a 4-pin PWM header for lighting and fan speed control, with the option to shift lighting control to the motherboard via a 5V 3-pin ARGB cable. Each receiver supports up to four SL FLEX and CL FLEX fans, with backward compatibility with existing CL wireless fans from LIAN LI.

And on that note, the UNI FAN CL FLEX Series maintains the original CL look with the bonus of the new FLEX Receiver. Performance-wise, CL FLEX fans operate at up to 2100 RPM, with up to 77.34 CFM of airflow, and 29.8 dBA noise. SL FLEX fans operate at up to 2000 RPM, with up to 66.4 CFM of airflow, and 29 dBA noise.

It looks like owning the disc isn't quite the safety net gamers assume it is. A new study from Does It Play, cited by Ars Technica, tested hundreds of physical releases across PS5, Xbox Series X, and Switch 2, and found a sizable chunk can't be played as intended straight off the disc.

The study tested how many physical games needed additional downloads to work properly, or to add missing content. The Xbox Series X came out worst. Only half of the 78 tested titles were complete and playable without any download. Another 12% could be finished but were buggy or missing content, leaving 38% that needed a patch just to work properly.

Its competitor, the PS5, fared better, though not by much. Out of 792 tested games, 34% needed a download to fix game-breaking issues or unlock content missing from the disc itself. Switch 2 held up best at 75% fully playable offline, though its sample size was much smaller at 48 titles.

Xbox just got a lot more expensive in Europe, and the new numbers are quite rough. Microsoft has raised Xbox Series X/S prices across the UK and Europe by as much as 40 percent, and the German Microsoft Store confirms it. A 1TB disc-based Xbox Series X now lists at €799.99, up from €599.99, while the 512GB Xbox Series S has jumped from €349.99 to €499.99.

That last figure is the one that really puts these price hikes into perspective. At €499.99, it is exactly what an Xbox Series X cost when it launched back in 2020. The Series S was supposed to be the budget option, and now it costs as much as the flagship console did on day one, for a machine with a fraction of the power.

Microsoft flagged this back in June, warning that prices would rise worldwide starting August 1, though it kept quiet on exactly how steep the European increase would be until stores updated overnight. It's not even the first hike this generation has seen. US pricing already went up once before, so this is at minimum the second or third round of increases depending on the region.

We all expected as much, but now even Samsung just told investors that this debilitating memory crunch isn't even close to peaking. During its Q2 2026 earnings call, the company said DRAM and NAND shortages will get worse in 2027 before easing anywhere close to normal, with tight supply sticking around through 2028.

Jaejune Kim, Samsung's EVP of memory, put it bluntly on the call:

On a shared plan, your site runs on a physical server alongside hundreds of others, sharing the same CPU, RAM and storage. The provider manages the operating system, security patches and maintenance, making shared hosting a convenient option for portfolio sites and low-traffic blogs.

The trade-off is shared resources. If another customer experiences a traffic spike or runs resource-intensive processes, your site's performance can suffer. Providers manage this with CPU throttling and connection limits, which also restrict your own ability to handle sudden demand. Entry-level UK shared hosting typically costs £2 - £12 per month, often including SSL. The limits become apparent as your needs grow. Running Node.js, Docker, mail servers or custom firewall rules is generally not possible, and advanced server configuration is heavily restricted. For small websites this rarely matters, but once you outgrow shared hosting there is little room to adapt. The first sign is usually throttling or a website that slows or times out during a modest traffic spike.

A virtual private server uses a hypervisor to carve a physical machine into isolated virtual environments. On KVM-based platforms, which is what most reputable providers run, your vCPUs and RAM are allocated to your instance and cannot be consumed by other tenants. As the DigitalOcean cloud hosting overview explains, while VPS instances share the underlying physical hardware allocated to them, each is totally isolated in operation, so what runs on one does not affect the others.

Qualcomm has confirmed it will raise prices across its product lineup starting September 1, CEO Cristiano Amon announced during the company's fiscal Q3 2026 earnings call. The move makes Qualcomm the latest hardware company to raise prices as soaring memory costs and AI-driven demand continue to push component prices higher across the industry.

"Cost went up, prices are going to go up," Amon told CNBC. The exact size of the increase has not been disclosed, although Bloomberg reports that the hikes are expected to be in the double-digit percentage range. Qualcomm framed the decision as a broad-based supply chain response during the earnings call, saying, "The semiconductor industry is experiencing a broad-based increase in input costs, across wafer fabrication, assembly, test, advanced packaging, memory and other materials."

While Qualcomm cited rising costs across the entire manufacturing stack, Amon was more direct about memory being the primary near-term driver. "Consumer preference within the premium category is changing towards a preference to the lower end of the premium, as well as to last year's phone, because of the memory price increases," Amon said. Qualcomm's response is to protect its margins by passing those costs downstream rather than absorbing them.

Google has published a white paper detailing how AI is transforming Chrome's security pipeline. Chrome versions 149 and 150, both released in June, collectively fixed 1,072 security bugs. That figure exceeds the total number of bugs patched across the previous 23 Chrome versions combined, dating back to June 2024.

Google has been building a multi-agent AI workflow for vulnerability research since 2023. Today, its AI-powered agents are scanning code at a scale and speed that were not previously possible. In one case, this AI-driven analysis uncovered a Chrome sandbox escape vulnerability that had remained hidden in the codebase for more than 13 years. If exploited, it could have allowed attackers to escape Chrome's sandbox and access local files.

The pace of discovery is now fast enough that Google is rethinking its entire update delivery model. Chrome moved to a two-week major release cycle earlier this year, but the company is now piloting a shift to two security releases per week for targeted patches. In other words, Google wants to reduce the time between identifying a vulnerability and getting a fix into users' hands, giving attackers less time to reverse-engineer vulnerabilities and develop exploits.