Latest News - Page 212

Nacon has announced its latest gaming headset, the new RIG R5 SPEAR PRO HS, which is officially licensed for use with PlayStation consoles. Thanks to the custom-tuned 40mm graphene drivers, which the company claims eliminate "virtually all audio distortion," the wired gaming headset delivers a "studio-grade audio experience" for $69.99 USD.

As an officially licensed PlayStation product, in addition to the RIG branding, you've also got the official PlayStation logo on both earcups on the all-black design. The PlayStation logo is featured on the headset's magnetically removable SNAP+LOCK 'Mod-Plates,' which the company plans to use in future headset designs, alongside releasing limited-edition 'Mod-Plate' designs.

In addition to the "studio-grade" audio that has been built, tuned, and optimized for competitive gaming and first-person shooters, Nacon also notes that the 6mm boom microphone (with its 50Hz-15kHz frequency range) is also "broadcast-grade" in quality.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time for the Nintendo 64 might have come out all the way back in 1998, but it's still widely considered as one of the best games of all time. It's a legendary game, and this ambitious and impressive-looking Unreal Engine 5 remake from 'CryZENx' is something we've covered in the past.

It's a project that Zelda 64 fans should definitely be watching, especially since it's been receiving playable builds. The project aims to recreate and remake the entirety of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time using the latest Unreal Engine 5 technology. The latest Unreal Engine 5.7 release includes the Lake Hylia and Zora Fountain areas of the game.

The playable demo locks the performance to 30 FPS (with developer CryZENx offering a 60 FPS version to their Patreon subscribers), but it allows gamers to explore these iconic Zelda 64 locations with modern, updated visuals and lighting effects.

Although going for featherweight and ultra-lightweight builds is the latest trend for gaming mice (check out our various mouse reviews here), high-speed optical sensors with impressive sensitivity have been a thing for years. Corsair's SABRE v2 PRO features a 33K or 33,000 DPI optical sensor. The premium Razer DeathAdder V4 Pro Wireless ups the ante to an astounding 45K, while the more affordable PowerColor ALPHYN AM10 Wireless Gaming Mouse still boasts an impressive 26K optical sensor.

Thanks to a new AI-powered and fascinating tool called Mic-E-Mouse, any mouse with an optical sensor and at least 20K or 20,000 DPI sensitivity can be used as a makeshift microphone to eavesdrop on people and record their speech, and is described as a "critical vulnerability" by the team of researchers from the University of California that developed Mic-E-Mouse.

If you're wondering how a high-performance optical sensor in a mouse can be used to not only detect speech but decipher what's being said with an accuracy of 80%, it sounds like the sort of thing you'd see on TV and roll your eyes thinking, "no way that's possible."

Intel has been trying to kill NVIDIA for 33 years, says NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang, but now they're BFFs.

In a new interview with Jim Cramer and NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang, we get some further insight into the NVIDIA + Intel history from 30+ years ago. There are some readers that might remember there was always a strained history between the two companies, with some of you even using nForce motherboards many years ago... that was just one part of this journey.

Intel was a much bigger, confident, and more commanding company during the 2000s, leaving NVIDIA to be "just" a graphics card company. NVIDIA was making bigger and bigger waves during the 2000s and into the 2010s, to its leadership position now in GPUs, AI GPUs, and everything in between.

We are only a few days out from the launch of Battlefield 6, and NVIDIA has confirmed EA's upcoming title will launch with DLSS 4, NVIDIA Reflex, and Multi Frame Generation.

For users looking to push Battlefield 6 to its maximum graphical fidelity, and achieve the highest frame rate possible, DLSS 4 will be available to utilize alongside Multi Frame Generation, with NVIDIA writing in a new blog post that at 4K Ultra settings, with DLSS 4 with Multi Frame Generation and DLSS Super Resolution enabled, GeForce RTX 50 series frame rates increased by an average 3.8x.

The GeForce RTX 5090 managed to push in-game FPS to over 470, while the RTX 5080 reached 330FPS, RTX 5070Ti hovering around 300FPS, and the RTX 5070 achieved 230FPS.

Bungie has kept the lid sealed on Marathon since the title was revealed a few months ago and met with a mixed reception, but it was only recently that the developer announced it was opening up sign-ups for a Closed Technical Test, where participants would have to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) to enter.

That Closed Technical Test is scheduled to take place on October 22, but ahead of that event, a well-known leaker called Colony Deaks, who is known for providing accurate Marathon details in the past, which some publications have independently verified, has shared new details on Bungie's upcoming title.

According to Deaks, Bungie will be pricing the base game of Marathon at $40, and the Deluxe Edition will be $60. Deaks also states the Deluxe Edition will contain approximately $30 worth of "season pass tokens," which we currently don't have an explanation for what those tokens will be used for, presumably to purchase cosmetics. Deaks also writes that the Season Pass for Marathon will cost about $10 and will be cosmetic-only, meaning there will be no pay-to-win elements.

ChatGPT users will soon be able to launch apps without leaving the prompt window, effectively turning the AI model into a budding ecosystem.

OpenAI is bringing native app integration to ChatGPT. The new feature was demoed at OpenAI's DevDay 2025, showing how the apps will work within ChatGPT in real time.

Users query the app directly--in this case, Coursera--and the app responds, even going so far as to automatically pin video content to the top of the screen. It's all made possible by OpenAI's new apps software development kit (SDK), which allows ChatGPT to directly communicate with the apps. Essentially, ChatGPT is a kind of interpreter and fetcher of information that's provided directly from the app, all within the context of user queries.

The head of publishing at Larian, Michael Douse, has fired flak at Elon Musk's suggestion earlier this week that his xAI game studio will release a 'great' AI-generated game.

On X, Musk told us that: "The XAI game studio will release a great AI-generated game before the end of next year." As PC Gamer noticed, though, Douse remains distinctly unconvinced as you can see from the post about Musk's assertion on X (see above).

Douse observes:

Discord confirmed an unauthorized third party gained access to one of its third-party customer service providers, exposing user data, which Discord claimed only affected a small number of users. Now, reports are surfacing that the group is claiming to have stolen 1.5 terabytes worth of age verification images of users, totaling an astounding 2,185,151 images.

The update has been provided by the X account Discord Previews, which writes that it has learned the perpetrators of the attack have secured the age verification images of Discord users, and are now using them to extort Discord.

As for the hack itself, Discord confirmed the breach took place in late September, and the unauthorized third-party managed to gain access to user information such as names, Discord usernames, emails, and other contact information, along with limited billing information, such as payment type, last four digits of credit card numbers, purchase history, IP addresses, messages with customer support agents, and limited corporate data such as training materials and internal presentations.

NVIDIA's CEO Jensen Huang has commented on the recent deal between AMD and OpenAI, where Team Red signed over 10% of the company to provide next-generation AI GPUs to OpenAI to power upcoming artificial intelligence programs.

It was only recently that AMD and OpenAI announced a multibillion-dollar partnership that involved AMD signing over 10% of itself to OpenAI to provide AMD Instinct GPUs, specifically the AMD Instinct MI450 GPUs to OpenAI to provide 6 gigawatts of power for upcoming AI systems. As for 10% of the company, the way the deal is structured is the shares are scheduled to vest when specific milestones are achieved, with the first tranche of the stock set to vest after the initial gigawatt is successfully deployed.

Furthermore, share vesting is also tied to AMD reaching specific share price targets, OpenAI achieving technical and commercial milestones, and OpenAI purchasing waves of AMD GPUs. The deal between AMD and OpenAI comes only a week after OpenAI announced a similar deal with NVIDIA, except NVIDIA didn't sign over any of its shares, and instead of agreeing to provide 6 gigawatts of power with its GPUs, it will be powering 10 gigawatts.

Microsoft has been progressively tightening its grip on the Windows setup process for quite some time now, and in a recent Windows update, Microsoft has further made things more difficult for some users.

In the latest Windows 11 preview build rolled out to beta testers within the Windows Insider Program, numerous changes have been made to the Windows Out Of Box Experience (OOBE), several of which were the removal of methods of bypassing the requirement to sign in to a Microsoft account throughout the setup process. The now-removed methods involved creating local user accounts.

According to Microsoft, this improvement addresses the setup process, as the company believes that many machines weren't fully configured. This is a roundabout way of Microsoft acknowledging that these loopholes in the setup process were being exploited to create local accounts that are separate from a Microsoft account. Now, Microsoft requires a user to fully complete the OOBE and sign in with a Microsoft account with an active internet connection to 100% complete the Windows setup process.

be quiet! The company has launched a pair of new cases, part of its impressive Light Base series, featuring the new Light Base 500 and Light Base 500 LX. The baseline version offers a more minimal look with four preinstalled Pure Wings 3 120mm PWM fans for that zero-RGB look, while the LX variant turns on the lights with four preinstalled Light Wings LX 120mm PWM fans, alongside an ARGB controller button and ARGB fan hub.

The Light Base series, designed for hardware enthusiasts seeking performance and the ability to showcase their hardware through a fully windowed front and side panel, features one of be quiet!'s most modern, stylish, and clean case designs to date. The German manufacturer notes that its pair of new Light Base cases is perfect for "gaming, multimedia, and professional builds."

One of the key design aspects that improves airflow is the slide-out and angled fan frame on the side, which routes air directly to the GPU. This frame can be mounted either horizontally or vertically. By default, the preinstalled fans on the Light Base 500 and Light Base 500 LX cases include three on the side and one on the rear, but there's also the option to install three fans on the lower fan bay alongside a radiator up to 360mm in length on the top.

Blizzard's Diablo 4 debuted in 2023, and since its release, the game has received one major expansion alongside multiple seasonal updates that have improved the game, overhauled systems, and limited-time content for players to enjoy. The latest, Season 10, the 'Season of Infernal Chaos', overhauls the game's popular horde mode, alongside introducing Chaos Armor, which has introduced several new viable builds for some of the game's most challenging content.

With Diablo 4 set to get a new expansion next year, Blizzard will be overhauling key aspects of the game, namely crafting and combat, as part of Season 11. Diablo 4's lead community director, Adam Fletcher, took to X to post that the game's Season 11 update features numerous "big" changes, so it will hit the PTR (Public Test Realm) earlier than usual.

A detailed breakdown of what changes are coming will be revealed soon, with Adam teasing changes to Diablo's Masterworking and Tempering crafting systems, as well as updates to combat and the Renown system. The latter has been a part of the game since launch and relates to regional or zone progress and rewards.

The release of Battlefield 6 is only a few days away, and Battlefield Studios has released the official specifications for what you will need to max out the game at the highest graphics settings.

If you want to play Battlefield 6 at the highest possible graphics settings, you will need quite a beastly PC, as the upcoming title will need an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080, paired with an AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D CPU, along with 32GB of RAM at 4800MHz. With that hardware, you will get 4K at 144Hz at High Settings with DLSS On, or 4K at 240Hz at Ultra Settings with DLSS On + Multi Frame Generation.

The official specs page doesn't list what level of Frame Generation will need to be enabled to hit 240FPS, but considering our previous benchmarks of the title, I would assume it would be at least 2x Frame Generation.

Yes, Windows 11 has had a 'Dark Mode' or theme since its debut, building off the dark mode found in Windows 10. If you're one of the many who prefer a dark theme over the bright white burn your eyes default mode, like me, then you've probably noticed that the Windows 11 dark mode doesn't apply to everything - namely, File Explorer's various dialog boxes.

Well, that's finally changing, with Microsoft updating the "dark mode experience in File Explorer" as part of the latest Windows 11 build on the Dev Channel. This means that the various small pop-up dialog boxes and windows for tasks such as copying, deleting, and replacing files will finally be presented using the dark mode theme and overall look.

You can see the end result above; above all, it's surprising that it took Microsoft this long to deliver a proper dark mode experience in Windows 11. There's more to Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26220.6772 (KB5065797) than updating the dark mode for File Explorer, so here's a quick summary of what else is included.

It seems Activision has never been more concerned that Battlefield will steal away a portion of its player base, as the publisher has now announced Black Ops 6 will be completely free to try between the following dates: October 9 to October 16.

In the seven years I have been a gaming industry journalist, and the many years prior to that of being an avid gamer following industry movements, I have never seen Activision more concerned about potentially losing some of the Call of Duty community to EA's Battlefield franchise.

The publisher's recent movements, in my opinion, signal nothing but concern for the upcoming launch of Battlefield 6, as Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is now offering a free trial period just two days before Battlefield 6's launch.

Although it regularly branches out into other forms of entertainment and cross-promotion, Nintendo is still best known for the games it creates and its custom gaming hardware, such as the Nintendo Switch. And with that, Nintendo's latest surprise drop on its YouTube channel isn't a trailer or deep dive into an upcoming release. Instead, it's an animated short film called 'Close to You' that is reminiscent of classic shorts from Disney's Pixar Animation Studios.

As soon as it appeared online, the reactions to the short film have been one of general confusion from Nintendo fans, as there's no clear indication if Close to You is related to an upcoming game release or even the Super Mario Galaxy Movie. Outside of music that fans say is reminiscent of the Pikmin franchise, and the appearance of what looks to be a red-colored Pikmin in the background of one shot, the animated short film looks to be a standalone thing.

In short, a mother and a small baby or toddler are playing in a room before a knock on the front door interrupts them, leaving the baby alone while the mother goes off to answer the door. From there, the baby's rattler and pacifier begin to move on their own, floating in the air.

AMD has announced a new line of Zen5 CPUs, the Ryzen Embedded 9000 Series processors, designed for "industrial PCs, automation systems, and machine vision applications." AMD notes that its embedded lineup is designed to meet the "performance, energy efficiency, and long-term reliability" requirements of industrial computing applications. The new Ryzen Embedded 9000 Series ships with "seven years of product availability and reliability."

As for the lineup, it mirrors the specs and configuration of the desktop Ryzen 9000 Series, including X3D models that utilize the company's 3D V-Cache technology. The full lineup, which can be found below, includes the entry-level 6-core AMD Ryzen Embedded 9600X processor, featuring a maximum frequency of 5.4 GHz and a TDP rating of 65W, and the flagship 16-core AMD Ryzen Embedded 9950X3D processor, boasting a maximum frequency of 5.7 GHz and a TDP rating of 170W.

Like the desktop series, these Embedded variants are all built using the company's latest Zen 5 architecture, with support for PCIe Gen5, DDR5 memory, and are also based on the AM5 socket. It's unclear what separates these new CPUs from the non-Embedded counterparts, other than AMD confirming that they're designed for long-term use and reliability for at least seven years.

The latest GeForce RTX 50 Series game bundle is here, with NVIDIA offering a free Deluxe Edition copy of the highly anticipated multiplayer extraction shooter ARC Raiders with eligible purchases of desktop GeForce RTX 50 Series GPUs and laptops with the latest GeForce RTX 50 Series Laptop GPUs.

ARC Raiders is set to launch on October 30 for PC and consoles, and looks to expand on the extraction shooter genre popularized by Escape from Tarkov and Hunt: Showdown by blending exploration and other elements from the adventure genre. It's set in a future where Earth has been overrun by deadly machines, with human Raiders (i.e., other players) also presenting a threat.

The PC version of the game is optimized to run on GeForce RTX hardware, with day-one support for DLSS 4 with Multi Frame Generation, NVIDIA Reflex, and cutting-edge ray-traced global illumination lighting effects. NVIDIA's DLSS 4 trailer for ARC Raiders shows performance hitting an impressive 400+ FPS in 4K, presumably running on a GeForce RTX 5090.

It's official: The OG survivors-like is getting online co-op support for up to four players for maximum carnage.

Ultra-addictive bullet hell indie Vampire Survivors is getting a big update soon, and with it comes online co-op action. Poncle has confirmed that up to 4 players can play online with one another, giving much more player freedom--right now, Vampire Survivors only supports 2-player local co-op.

The developers plan to roll out online co-op alongside four other features/updates/enhancements included in Vampire Survivors' title v1.14 update. It's also possible that a new playable character is revealed. No exact release date has been revealed for v1.14 and the devs just give an "Autumn" window for the content.