An interesting rumor is now circling that excites the multi-GPU enthusiast inside of me, with Phoronix reporting that changes that Intel has made in the Linux 5.5 kernel tease multi-GPU improvements.

The new section of code that takes care of the discrete GPU and integrated GPU on your Intel processor would combine their power, providing additional performance from the iGPU sitting on your CPU that is usually unused when the discrete graphics card is at work.

It might not seem like much, but with the improvements Intel continuously makes to its integrated graphics -- including the upcoming Xe GPU architecture (Gen12) this could be a big win when Intel launches its discrete Xe-based graphics cards. Intel Xe is rumored for an unveiling in mid-2020, just in time for Computex 2020.

Intel has been reacting to AMD for over 2.5 years now, with an article I wrote back in February 2017 titled 'Intel runs scared: Core i7-8700K preparing for AMD Ryzen' -- fast-froward to today and rumors are swirling of massive 50% price cuts to Intel CPUs.

Now there's new rumors that Intel is planning to cut the price of its 9th-gen Skylake-X family of CPUs by 50% just in time for its new Cascade Lake-X processors launching. This means that retailers will be able to sell current stock of the Skylake-X chips for half the cost, just as Cascade Lake-X launches -- but the real reason is AMD.

Intel will most likely take the hit in terms of subsidizing the cuts, or else it will see distributors, wholesalers, and retailers feeling a far too impactful price cut. Intel on the other hand might lose some profits over this, but it's being forced to do this to better combat AMD and its continued threat with Zen 2.

Can it be? EA games... returning to... Steam? According to the latest rumors and discoveries, yes... EA games might actually just return to Steam.

The news is coming from Twitter user @RobotBrush who discovered that tests are underway inside of Steam for Origin games to be purchased through it, and then played on Steam. You would still need to have Origin running in the background, which isn't a problem.

We could see EA release its back catalogue on Steam and then keep timed exclusives to Origin before having them on Steam. This would be an interesting flex for both EA and Steam, especially in a time when Activision-Blizzard is at a low point and the store front wars are just heating up.

AOC has just unveiled its latest AG273QX flat panel (no curve) gaming monitor, with a 27-inch VA panel rocking a native 2560 x 1440 at 165Hz with FreeSync 2 on top.

AOC has a 1ms response time on the new monitor, which is nothing really new these days -- but the 1440p 165Hz FreeSync 2 is something worth talking about. The new AOC AG273QX gaming monitor has AMD FreeSync 2, which delivers HDR 400 support.

The inclusion of FreeSync 2 means that we have low-latency HDR tone mapping and LFC (Low Framerate Compensation). The frameless design is another nice touch, as you could have 3 of these side-by-side for some triple-monitor gaming fun.

I remember pumping 100s of hours into the Battlefield 1942 demo back in the 90s, which was just the iconic Wake Island map but man, it was revolutionary. Now, we're about to live through it again.

EA has just released a new trailer for its upcoming free DLC to Battlefield V with Chapter V: War in the Pacific, which will see players fighting in Frostbite in the far-Eastern front. You'll have the US Armed Forces fighting the Imperial Japanese Army on two different maps, with the iconic Wake Island coming later in December.

Battlefield V's new Chapter V includes classic WW2 firearms, katanas (!!!), and a boat load of other weapons and tools. You'll get the iconic 8-round M1 Garand, Type 99 Arisaka, Type 100 -- a Japanese SMG, and the powerful M19 19A6 machine gun for the Support class.

Microsoft adds a built-in FPS counter into the Xbox Game Bar on PC, making it easier to check performance on-the-fly.

Microsoft's native PC gaming tools have evolved tremendously over the years. I still remember playing Quantum Break in 2016 when third-party overlays weren't supported with UWP games. But now Microsoft's first-party games on PC have a nifty Xbox Game Bar that natively tracks CPU, GPU, and RAM usage via an on-screen toolbar. It's pretty helpful and lets you see performance while not having to Alt+Tab.

But now Microsoft is adding an FPS counter to the mix which is arguably the most important at-a-glance indicator for specific games (especially first-party PC games from Microsoft). The new October 2019 Windows update adds the new FPS counter to the Game Bar app, and also brings some customization options too. You can change the transparency and color scheme of the tabs, and even customize which perf indicators show up.

Taco Bell is giving 14 days of Game Pass with the purchase of a chalupa box, but you can easily turn that into 44 days.

Right now Microsoft has a big promo with Taco Bell. Every $5 double chalupa box you buy gets you a code that could win a special Xbox One X, but everyone who buys gets two weeks of Game Pass for free.

To get 44 days of Game Pass for free, just opt-in to recurring billing when redeeming the 14 day code. This adds 30 days to your subscription. Of course you have to plonk down some sort of payment method to grab the offer, but just be sure to cancel the subscription within the timeframe and you should be fine.

Fallout 76's new paid subscription plan is eye-opening to say the least, but let's delve into how private worlds will actually work.

Fallout 76 is getting private servers. And like most games you'll have to pay for them, but not separately. Bethesda chose to wrap private worlds into a new subscription called Fallout 1st, which costs a whopping $12.99 a month or $100 a year. You can't just buy private worlds access and instead have to buy into the subscription, which also includes some exclusive pay-to-win items.

So how do private worlds actually work? Here's a quick breakdown:

It's finally happened. Fallout 76 is getting a paid subscription model to help pay for private worlds and make extra cash.

Fallout 76's new subscription plan, Fallout 1st, is an attempt to not only re-monetize a game that may be failing to generate cash from in-game purchases, but a means of paying for private server access. Fallout 1st subscription memberships come in two expensive flavors: a $12.99 a month pay-as-you-go plan, and an incredible $99.99 a year option. Yes, really.

Fallout 1st includes access to private worlds hosting, but it also gives exclusive access to some serious pay-to-win content. Subscribers get access to a Survival Tent, which is basically a home away from home that includes a stash, a cooking station, a sleeping bag, and a scrapbox. It's basically a second campsite. The scrapbox is also new and gives you a serious advantage. It has unlimited storage for scrap and separates it from your stash--considering scrap is a huge part of whatever you're carrying in Fallout 76's massively tedious grindy gameplay, this is absolutely massive.

Nintendo has made a tremendous transformation since the Wii U days. Not only is it generating billions of revenue every year from hardware and software, but the company is shedding the shackles that tethered it to the old ways of games development. The Switch isn't just new hardware: It's the start of a new Nintendo, one that's going to experiment and take some risks. One of those risks is playing around with new ideas for its massively popular first-party franchises.

Nintendo has made lots of changes under the leadership of current Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa. First off, the company is now much more forthright with its earnings, its upcoming plans, and its overall trajectory. Furukawa regularly goes into express detail with sales figures and is refreshingly open about the company's business. Secondly, Furukawa is taking Nintendo's changing of the guard even further; the Switch's marketing, presentation, and overall feel is the result of a renewed vigor sparked from original plans set forth all the way during Iwata's presidency. As a natural evolution of the Wii U and the 3DS, the Nintendo Switch was always meant to embrace Nintendo's youth and pass development down to a new generation.

In a recent interview with TIME, Nintendo's acting president says he's giving first-party development teams lots of room to explore diverse new ideas and paths for Switch games. Things could get pretty weird, original, and quite different than what we're used to, similar to Zelda: Breath of the Wild's radical departure from the series original formula.