Latest News - Page 289

AVerMedia is introducing two new capture devices designed for professional-level creators and those looking to embark on their streaming journey. The new CamStream 4K BU113G2 is a pro-grade camera capture solution for DSLR, mirrorless, action cam, or camcorders, while the StreamLine MINI+ GC311G2 is a compact capture card perfect for beginners.

AVerMedia notes that digital camera sales in 2024 grew by 15%, fueled by Gen Z and the rise of video creation and platforms. The CamStream 4K BU113G2 is designed explicitly for this boom, supporting smooth 4K60 streaming or capturing 1080p240 footage and arrives in a compact, plug-and-play HDMI form with a sleek design and an included mount.

On the other hand, the StreamLine MINI+ GC311G2 is designed for compact, beginner-friendly production, working in tandem with AVerMedia's Streaming Center software, which provides quick and easy integration with YouTube, Twitch, and Facebook Live. It captures and broadcasts smooth 1080p60 video while offering 4K60 passthrough for consoles, digital cameras, and more.

With the arrival of the Nintendo Switch 2, we've not only seen the console deliver a significant boost to performance and image quality, thanks to its more powerful NVIDIA hardware, but also improvements to loading times and browsing the Nintendo eShop, thanks to faster memory and storage.

The only downside to the improved speed of the Switch 2 is that it no longer supports standard microSD cards for expanded storage; the console only supports newer microSD Express cards. The reason for this is simple: speed. microSD Express cards utilize the same PCIe and NVMe interfaces as high-end SSD storage, which enables speeds to increase from around 100 MB/s to an impressive 800 MB/s.

So, for those out there with a brand-new Nintendo Switch 2 console looking to expand their storage capacity for more game installs, you'll need a high-speed solution like the new TEAMGROUP APEX SD7.1 microSD Express Card available in 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB capacities.

Cooler Master has just debuted its new NR200P V3 Mini-ITX case for PC gaming, designed for those seeking to build a compact, high-performance PC. Even with measurements of 378.2 x 185 x 292 mm and an 18.62-liter volume, the Cooler Master NR200P V3 Mini-ITX case is designed for full-size components.

According to the images, the physical design features an opening for a large, vertically mounted GPU, offering the additional benefit of open-air cooling during gaming. You also have the option to add or remove mesh side panels to reduce dust intake and improve airflow. The case also ships with a PCIe 5.0 riser cable, providing full support for the latest generation of GeForce RTX 50 Series and Radeon RX 9000 Series GPUs.

With support for GPUs up to 361.5 mm in length, up to 160 mm in height, and 78.5 mm (3.8 slots) in width, there's enough room to slot in an MSI GeForce RTX 5090 32G VANGUARD SOC graphics card, which, for a Mini-ITX case, is impressive.

We've reported a couple of times about LG's new groundbreaking 'Dream OLED' technology for displays that stacks "phosphorescence and fluorescent blue OLED technologies for better efficiency, brightness, and longevity." It's set to be a game changer, and this week we've received word that LG has begun mass-producing these panels for its next-generation OLED displays for gaming.

LG is calling the technology its 4th Generation OLED Technology, and the first 27-inch display for gaming featuring the new tech will ship with the highest peak brightness among OLED monitors - 1,500 nits. This is an impressive improvement that will usher in a new era of high-quality HDR, thanks to the addition of a "color reproduction rate of 99.5%," which LG claims is also the highest among existing OLED panels.

Additionally, it has been awarded certifications for Perfect Black, Perfect Color, and 100% Color Fidelity by organizations such as UL Solutions and Intertek. The first 27-inch Primary RGB Tandem technology OLED's specs also include a refresh rate of 280 Hz, with the assumption being that it will feature a 4K resolution.

Apple's upcoming Smart Glasses are in the headlines today, with the Ray-Bans-like smart glasses expected with no display, using a gesture recognition user interface, and expected to release in 2027.

In a new report from insider Ming-Chi Kuo, we've got a bunch of new details on Apple's Vision Pro and Smart Glasses roadmap for 2025-2028, with the new Smart Glasses being a Ray-Bans-like product that is expected to arrive in multiple frames and temple material options, with mass production expected in Q2 2027.

Apple is reportedly projecting shipments of its new Smart Glasses to be somewhere between 3 million and 5 million or more in 2027, with no display functionality and core features including audio playback, camera, video recording, and "AI environmental sensing" reports Kuo.

Apple didn't hit the mark with its uber-expensive Vision Pro headset, but that hasn't deterred the company's ongoing efforts in wearable technology, with a new report providing some more details on Apple's cheaper Vision Air headset.

The new Apple Vision Air headset will feature an all-new form factor, and it will be significantly lighter -- somewhere around 40% lighter than the Vision Pro -- suggests a new report from insider Ming-Chi Kuo. In a new post, Kuo said that the new Vision Pro will be powered by Apple's latest flagship iPhone processor, with mass production expected in Q2 2027.

Apple's new Vision Air headset will have its 40% weight reduction achieved through glass-to-glass replacement, extensive magnesium alloy use (titanium alloy is deemed too expensive) and a reduced sensor count. Kuo notes that the new Vision Air headset will have a "significantly lower" price point than the Vision Pro, too.

Last week, NVIDIA's new DLSS 4 Super Resolution, which utilizes a more advanced and complex Transformer model, exited beta. Debuting alongside the GeForce RTX 50 Series earlier this year (with support for GPUs from the RTX 20, 30, and 40 Series cards), the new DLSS 4 Super Resolution sets a new standard for AI-powered upscaling that delivers incredible image quality that is often sharper and more detailed than native rendering.

It's become a key selling point for the GeForce RTX 50 Series thanks to it already being available in over 125 games and apps. With it officially exiting beta and becoming part of the DLSS Super Resolution and Ray Reconstruction SDK 310.3.0, it will start becoming available in more and more titles, with the older, existing CNN (Convolutional Neural Network) variant set to be phased out.

With an updated version of the DLSS SDK for game developers now available, which includes the official release of DLSS 4's new Transformer model for Super Resolution, we've also learned that NVIDIA was able to reduce the VRAM requirement for running the latest model.

Rumors suggest that NVIDIA will release 'SUPER' refreshes for the GeForce RTX 5070, RTX 5070 Ti, and RTX 5080 at some point in the future. If these refreshed GPUs are similar to the mid-generation upgrade we saw with the GeForce RTX 40 Series, then it's likely we'll get our first look at the lineup with hands-on demonstrations around the time of CES 2026.

With renowned leaker and GeForce insider @kopite7kimi posting the specs for the upcoming GeForce RTX 5070 SUPER earlier today, they've now followed this up with specs for the upcoming GeForce RTX 5070 Ti SUPER.

Like the RTX 5070 SUPER, the RTX 5070 Ti SUPER is receiving a significant 50% increase in VRAM capacity, expanding from 16GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit interface to 24GB. It appears that for the GeForce RTX 50 SUPER Series refresh, NVIDIA is utilizing 3GB memory modules to expand the VRAM capacity of the lineup for 4K gaming and intensive creator and AI workloads.

NVIDIA launched the GeForce RTX 5070 earlier this year, with the popular mid-range successor to the RTX 4070 delivering around 20% faster performance at 1440p. While the arrival of DLSS 4 helps unlock a new level of performance and image fidelity for the RTX 5070, our initial review highlighted two main criticisms: the 12GB of GDDR7 capacity and the fact that raw performance was only slightly better than the GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER refresh from 2024.

Well, it seems that we're going to be getting a GeForce RTX 5070 SUPER at some point in the future (rumors are pointing to an early 2026 release). The latest leak comes from the renowned insider @kopite7kimi, who has posted specs for the upcoming GPU on social media, detailing the upgrades over the baseline GeForce RTX 5070.

First up, the big difference is that the GeForce RTX 5070 SUPER is set to receive a massive 50% increase in VRAM capacity, featuring 18GB of fast GDDR7 memory on a 192-bit bus. According to reports, NVIDIA is now able to cram more VRAM onto its SUPER series refresh for the GeForce RTX 50 Series thanks to the arrival of 3GB memory modules.

A new prototype external GPU solution has been tested by ETA Prime, featuring NVIDIA's new mid-range GeForce RTX 5060 graphics card with Thunderbolt 5 and OCulink connectivity. Check it out:

The new external RTX 5060 graphics solution uses the desktop RTX 5060 and not the mobile variant, with 3840 CUDA cores (versus the 3328 CUDA cores in the RTX 5060 Laptop GPU) with a higher 150W TDP (compared to the mobile version with 115W through Dynamic Boost), joined by 8GB of GDDR7 memory.

This isn't the final version of the external RTX 5060 graphics solution, but we should expect Thunderbolt 5 connectivity in the final version compared to Thunderbolt 4 in the prototype that ETA Prime tested, which has Thunderbolt 4 (USB4) and OCulink connectivity.

Samsung's upcoming XR headset is rumored with ultra-high-end displays inside, with new reports suggesting we'll see ultra-sharp 3800 PPI OLEDoS displays inside, which would beat Apple's ambitious Vision Pro headset.

In a new report from South Korean media outlet TheElec, we're hearing that Samsung's new XR headset would feature 1.3-inch OLED on Silicon (OLEDoS) microdisplays, with around 3800 PPI, up against the 1.42-inch OLEDoS displays inside of the Apple Vision Pro (which it sources from Sony) and a pixel density of 3391 PPI.

Samsung will have smaller displays inside, but the higher pixel density of 3800 PPI will make for a mighty impressive visual experience when pitted against the Apple Vision Pro. Samsung's upcoming XR headset with its 3800 PPI display will feature higher visual clarity, sharper text, and more, but they'll have a downside: a reduced field of view (FOV).

Epic now makes it faster to rack up rewards points, but only if you are buying subscriptions or microtransaction currency.

The billion-dollar Fortnite makers at Epic have announced a small change to the Epic Rewards scheme. All rewards points from purchases of in-game currency like V-Bucks, and subscriptions like Fortnite Crew, will now be added instantly to a user's rewards balance. It used to take 14 days for points to show up from these purchases.

This system of immediate reward may help spark even more spending, as users rack up and redeem points through Fortnite's never-ending myriad of costumes and digital cosmetics. Plus, if you buy content from Epic-owned games and pay through Epic's payment system, giving all proceeds directly to the company, you'll get 20% of your purchase back in Epic Rewards points.

ASUS has teamed up with KFC China for two new menu items as part of its new "Fortress of Faith" campaign, with each burger arriving in a special branded box, with a ROG logo burned on top.

The ASUS ROG logo burned into the top of the burger bun shows everyone around you (and yourself, I guess) that you're about to chow down on a delicious Wagyu beef burger from KFC. KFC China is offering up two meal items: a four-piece meal set with a burger, fried chicken, an egg tart, and a drink for 39.90 yuan (around $5.60 USD or so). The other set includes a limited-edition keycap set for 42.90 yuan (around $5.99 USD or so).

The burger itself features 120 grams (around a quarter of a pound) of meat, special durian sauce, cheese, greens, and your choice of burger condiments, with the ASUS ROG + KFC burger dubbed the "Durian Multi-Cheese Juicy Wagyu Burger". If you're not a durian fan, there's the same promotional burger with the Classic Wagyu Burger - Smokey Cheese Flavor.

CD Projekt RED is taking all of its best learnings from previous games to fashion unique and impactful questlines for The Witcher 4.

The Witcher 3 is known for its remarkable side quests, but CD Projekt wants to go even further with Ciri's new adventure. The devs want to create stories in The Witcher 4 that are so engrossing that you completely forget about the main quest, ones that are filled with difficult decisions that lead to emotionally-driven consequences.

In a recent interview with GamesRadar, The Witcher 4 narrative director Philipp Weber discusses CDPR's thinking here, saying that it's important to give players the opportunity to intuit these decision points. But the game also has to better show the consequences of these choices, Weber says.

UK-based startup Space Forge has successfully had its ForgeStar-1 satellite launched into orbit with the help of Elon Musk's SpaceX, with Space Forge to make semiconductors in space.

ForgeStar-1 is now the UK's first-ever in-space manufacturing satellite, which will build semiconductors (computer chips) in space, with the satellite designed entirely in-house in Cardiff, Wales, and launched into space as part of SpaceX's recent Transporter-14 rideshare mission. The satellite waited for approvals in the United States since April, before entering orbit today.

Joshua Western, CEO and co-founder of Space Forge explains: "We've built and launched Britain's first manufacturing satellite and it's alive in orbit, that's a massive technical achievement. Now, we take the next step: proving that we can create the right environment for manufacturing in space. This is the start of a new era for materials science and industrial capability".

One of Microsoft's original gaming leads believes that Xbox hardware is effectively dead.

Microsoft is exiting the hardware business and will stop making Xbox consoles--at least that's what tech legend Laura Fryer believes. Fryer was one of the original few who fostered Microsoft's gaming ambitions in the late 90s with Microsoft Game Studios, and helped produce key software for the Xbox console in the early aughts. She saw the original Xbox ship, working alongside other names like Xbox console creator Seamus Blackley, and also helped lead Xbox's Advanced Technology Group (ATG) in its early days.

"From my perspective, the Xbox strategy has been chaotic," Fryer said in a recent video, going on to say that she believes "Xbox hardware is dead."

Microsoft has confirmed that the next version of Windows 11 is coming soon through version 25H2, which is being rolled out to Insider Preview builds, meaning that Insiders can already play around with the first 25H2 build.

In an announcement post to its website, Microsoft's Jason Leznek explains: "Today, Windows 11 version 25H2 became available to the Windows Insider community, in advance of broader availability planned for the second half of 2025". The new Windows 11 version 25H2 isn't a major upgrade in a technical way, as it shares the same platform release and servicing stack as version 24H2.

This means that upgrading your version of Windows 11 from 24H2 to 25H2 is "as easy as a quick restart" and it shouldn't take any longer than a normal cumulative update. This means that transitioning between Windows 11 versions much quicker to "OS swap" than the shift from Windows 11 version 23H2 to 24H2, which required replacing your installation files with newer versions.

Abee is a company most people haven't heard of, but they're reportedly working on a new Mini-PC AI system that packs AMD's new flagship Strix Halo APU. Check it out:

The new Abee AI Station features AMD's new flagship Ryzen AI Max+ 395 "Strix Halo" APU which packs 16 cores and 32 threads of Zen 5 processing power at up to 5.1GHz, with the full 128GB of RAM and powerful RDNA 3.5-based Radeon 8060S integrated GPU at up to 2.9GHz.

Interestingly, the new Abee AI Station packs a built-in liquid cooling solution, and a built-in power supply. The new Mini-PC has up to 96GB of RAM allocated to the Radeon 8060S, meaning that not only is it a Mini-PC AI system, but a powerful gaming system between the 16C/32T CPU and 40 CUs of RDNA 3.5-powered Radeon 8060S graphics.

GIGABYTE has just introduced its new Ultra Turbo Mode for Intel Z890 motherboards and Intel Core Ultra 200 series CPUs, right up to the flagship Core Ultra 9 285K processor.

The company promises that its new BIOS-level feature will provide up to 35% more performance in gaming, and a huge 68% improvement in memory performance. GIGABYTE's new Ultra Turbo Mode optimizes CPU frequencies, DRAM latency, and power limits, which will unlock additional performance out of your Intel Core Ultra 200K series CPU.

The new Ultra Turbo Mode feature from GIGABYTE is for users who want more performance, but don't want the headaches of manual overclocking and tweaking their hardware. GIGABYTE's new Ultra Turbo Mode has three different performance modes:

Sony's PlayStation 4 is still quite active in the gaming ecosystem, and comprises a respectable slice of business revenues as well as PlayStation Plus subscriptions.

PlayStation Plus just celebrated its 15th birthday, and Sony says that the service is still going strong into the fifth year of the PS5 generation. PS Plus has served as a kind of intermediary bridge between the PS4 and PS5 generations, but Sony may not have expected this bridge to last so long, nor for so many people to keep sticking with the PS4.

In a new interview with Game File's Stephen Totilo, Sony VP of global services Nick Maguire divulged an interesting stat: some 81% of PS Plus subscribers are on PS5, which means the remaining 19% are still on PS4.