Latest News - Page 290

Diablo 2 turns 25 years old today, so stay a while and listen to original series creator David Brevik talk about the early days of the franchise.

What's one of the best ways to celebrate a quarter century of Diablo? No, sorry, Blizzard isn't adding act 6 in a surprise patch, although they may have teased new Diablo 2 content is on the way.

In fact, one of the best celebrations of the sequel didn't even come from Blizzard. Today, Path of Exile co-founder Chris Wilson conducted an interview with Diablo series creator David Brevik, delivering easily the best Q&A session that we've seen with the former Blizzard North alum.

Capcom confirms that its dev teams explored many concept designs for the next Resident Evil game, including live online play set in an open world environment.

Resident Evil 9 could've taken the mainline franchise in a wildly different direction than the terror-driven experience that Capcom ultimately set upon. Recent rumors from well-informed series insider DuskGolem say that Capcom was testing an online Resident Evil that took place in an open-world Raccoon City. Both Jill and Leon were to star in the online game, it's alleged.

Now Capcom has outright confirmed that this report was true. In a rare instance where gamers are invited to peek behind the curtains, the studio actually showed gameplay of the early prototype builds for the online Resident Evil project.

Apple's next-gen iPad Pro is expected to feature even thinner bezels than ever before, and while there's the recent OLED iPad Pro, the bezel size was pretty much the same.

The upcoming iPad Pro is expected with thinner bezels that bring the slate more in line with the competition from Samsung and its Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra and OnePlus Pad 3, according to new details leaked by Weibo-based leaker Instant Digital. Apple's future iPad Pro tablets will have bezels that are as thin as the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra, with the leaker also claiming that the new iPad Pro will lose the notch completely.

Apple will be using LG's new chip-on-film (CoF) technology on new iPad Pros, allowing the tablet to feature slimmer bezels the entire way around the display. The thinner bezels won't be on the next iPad Pro, as the new M5 iPad Pro will be released later this year with the same design as the current iPad Pro on the market, apart from some small aesthetic changes.

Capcom explains why fan-favorite Leon Kennedy isn't the main character in Resident Evil 9, essentially saying that he doesn't fit the game's tone of "addictive fear."

New Resident Evil 9: Requiem details have emerged that reveal Capcom's thought process on the game's new protagonist, FBI analyst Grace Ashcroft. According to the devs, Requiem is focused more on the raw, terrifying side of horror where players feel diminished and hunted. None of Resident Evil's previous characters fit the bill, so Capcom created a new one.

Capcom's formula is something like this: Leon is good for survival, but bad for RE9's specific 'addictive fear' type of horror because of the machismo power fantasy that he invokes to players. Leon is tall, rugged, and faces the zombie apocalypse with grim determination.

GPD is working on a new gaming handheld prototype that is powered by AMD's flagship Ryzen AI Max+ 395 series "Strix Halo" APU, packing 16C/32T of Zen 5 processing power and the powerful RDNA 3.5-based Radeon 8060S GPU.

AMD launched its Ryzen AI Max 300 series "Strix Halo" APU earlier this year, finding its way into laptops and Mini-PCs, but now GPD is reportedly using the new Strix Halo APU inside a new gaming handheld. The Chinese manufacturer has reportedly used the new Strix Halo APU inside of a gaming handheld prototype, and with the powerful integrated Radeon 8060S GPU, it would offer some truly awesome gaming performance on the go.

In a new post on X by leaker @9550pro, we're seeing that GPD's new gaming handheld prototype and the Ryzen AI Max+ 395 "Strix Halo" APU has been benchmarked in 3DMark TimeSpy, spitting out 10,393 points overall and 10,366 points in graphics.

Diablo 2 celebrates a huge milestone while Blizzard potentially teases more content could be on the way for the classic ARPG.

Diablo 2 was released 25 years ago today on June 28, 2000, and was both then and now one of the most beloved PC games on the planet. The isometric demon-slaying loot simulator helped evolve and refine the ARPG genre, inspiring hits like Path of Exile. But it sounds like Blizzard may not be done with Diablo 2 just yet.

While Blizzard didn't really do anything special for Diablo 2's 25th birthday, they did release a tweet with a cryptic line of text: "If you think you've seen and done it all, just wait for the chaos we've yet to unleash."

Samsung Foundry hasn't been having the greatest time with its semiconductor business, but the company has reportedly completed the basic design of its 2nd generation 2nm (SF2P) process node, and has begun promotions trying to secure customers for its new 2nm GAA process node.

In a new report picked up by insider @Jukanlosreve, we're hearing that Samsung's next-gen AI computing chiplet platform is getting ready, where we heard last year that Samsung would be developing with ADTechnology, Arm, and South Korea-based Rebellions, adopting the new SF2P process node. This marks the first application beyond the internal customer, System LSI's next-gen mobile AP.

Industry sources have said that Samsung Electronics Foundry and Design House (DSP) companies have recently started full-scale promotions for its in-house SF2P process. SF2P is Samsung Electronics' 2nd generation 2nm process, aiming for mass production in 2026.

Microsoft has been working on its in-house AI chip for a while now, but more and more hurdles are getting in its way with new delays of up to 6 months or more in new reports.

In a new article from The Information, we're hearing that Microsoft's ambitious in-house AI chip efforts have been delayed by up to 6 months, with initial performance evaluations not looking great at all. Microsoft's in-house AI chip is codenamed "Braga" and is now aiming for mass production in 2026, and that the performance of the AI chip is lower than NVIDIA's current Blackwell AI chips, let alone their next-gen Rubin AI chips powered by HBM4 memory.

Microsoft has had mammoth R&D costs and chip design revisions that have forced the company to push out its production timelines by 6 months, with its main reasons to make an in-house AI chip is to reduce its dependency on NVIDIA AI GPU hardware. NVIDIA AI GPUs are in gigantic demand, where it's selling as many as it (well, TSMC) can make.

ASUS has introduced a couple of new BTF GPUs into its growing BTF ecosystem, with the new ROG Astral GeForce RTX 5090 BTF OC Edition, which is the first ROG Astral to use the detachable Graphics Card High-Power (GC-HPWR) power connector.

The new GC-HPWR is built on the improvements in version 2.5 of the connector, which has been engineered to supply over 1000W of power into the high-power slot, alongside the 12V-2x6 power connector that's found behind the PCIe connector. The new ASUS ROG Astral RTX 5090 BTF Edition has everything that is built into the non-BTF series card, but the new BTF series version features enhanced power delivery and compatibility.

ASUS's new ROG Astral RTX 5090 BTF Edition has the same (and kick-ass) four-fan configuration, vapor chamber, optimized fin spacing, while the phase-change GPU thermal pad makes sure there's maximum contact with the GB202 GPU die. ASUS says that its quad-fan thermal layout improves airflow and pressure by up to 20%, while additional features include real-time monitoring of temperatures and power draw through the 12V-2x6 power connector which can be tweaked through its in-house GPU Tweak III software.

Dell has just unveiled its new Dell Premium laptops powered by Intel's new Core Ultra 200H series "Arrow Lake-H" processors and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 50 series GPUs. Check them out:

The new Dell 14 Premium and Dell 16 Premium laptops have been upgraded and renamed, acting as the new flagship models in the Dell Premium series, with multiple configurations, but keeping the traditions of the XPS series and its iconic aesthetics.

The two new laptops feature 14-inch and 16-inch models, which end up being slightly bigger in screen sizes compared to their predecessors. The new Dell 14 Premium laptop features a larger 14.5-inch display, while the Dell 16 Premium features a larger 16.3-inch display while keeping to the same dimensions. The new displays feature InfinityEdge panels, offering increased immersion without the larger footprint of the laptops.

Xiaomi has just unveiled its new Pad 7S Pro 12.5-inch tablet, which will compete against high-end tablet offerings in the form of the Apple iPad Pro and Samsung Tab S-series.

The new Xiaomi Pad 7S Pro 12.5-inch features the company's in-house Xring O1 chipset, which recently debuted inside of the Xiaomi 15S Pro smartphone, marking the first tablet to be powered by its in-house silicon in the tablet market. Inside, the new Xiaomi Pad 7S Pro 12.5-inch tablet features a 10,610mAh battery, and super-fast 120W wired charging which should make for the fastest charging tablet on the market yet.

Xiaomi's new Pad 7S Pro 12.5-inch tablet also features 6 speakers and extended support for Dolby Atmos which paves the way for an immersive audio experience.

Samsung is edging closer and closer to getting its HBM4 memory into the hands of NVIDIA and AMD, with the latest reports that the South Korean company is about to mass produce its HBM4 memory imminently.

In a new report picked up by @Jukanrosleve, we're hearing that if Samsung's new internal evaluations of yield positive results, it will begin shipping HBM4 12-Hi memory samples to customers like NVIDIA and AMD. Samsung recently established its plans for 6th-generation DRAM -- 1c DRAM -- production lines, which "also indicates the imminent mass production of HBM4.

Samsung will be using its new 1c DRAM as the core die for HBM4 and beyond, with industry sources suggesting that Samsung has an internal target to ship its new 12-Hi HBM4 memory samples by July, while also pushing for its 16-Hi HBM4 memory sample supply in July. HBM competitors are still ahead, with SK hynix shipping its HBM4 memory samples back in March 2025, and US-based Micron shipping HBM4 samples to customers in June 2025.

Apple's upcoming foldable iPhone Ultra is back in the headlines once again, with its most recent test version rocking a display that's around 7.58 inches with a native resolution of 2713 x 1920 and a 14:1:10 aspect ratio.

The latest information on the iPhone Ultra foldable smartphone is coming from insider @Jukanrosleve who picked up the news on Weibo which was posted by user "Digital Chat Station", adding that the foldable iPhone is expected to feature dual 48-megapixel cameras, and something we've already heard about: a hinge made of durable amorphous metal glass composite, and a titanium alloy body.

The difference between regular glass and metallic glass is that traditional metals feature a regular, repeating crystalline atomic structure, compared to metallic glass that features a disordered arrangement of atoms that just so happens to be more resistant to bending, deformation, and denting -- perfect for an ultra-premium foldable iPhone.

Security researchers have discovered a security vulnerability within the popular compression software WinRAR, which leaves PCs exposed to hackers.

A new report from Bleeping Computer details the new security vulnerability that was first reported on June 5, 2025, through Zero Day Initiative. The vulnerability has been labeled CVE-2025-6218 and was discovered in older versions of the popular file compression tool.

More specifically, the vulnerability causes PCs to be vulnerable to hackers as they can bypass the app's built-in security features, enabling the machine to have an increased level of risk to malware and other executable software that could be potentially nefarious.

There aren't many things gamers like more than getting a crazy good deal on a game, particularly when the deal is hitting the 95% off mark. Borderlands 3 is currently at that mark on Steam, but according to the CEO of Borderlands development studio Gearbox Software, fans shouldn't wait around for Borderlands 4 to be discounted, as it will be quite a while, years.

Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford has taken to his personal X account to comment on the recently debuted Steam Summer Sale 2025, sharing an image of Borderlands 3 receiving a 95% discount. Pitchford states that it took five years for the game to be discounted by this much, and for it to become available on subscription services such as Xbox Game Pass and PlayStation Plus. Pitchford added that he wants to set expectations for Borderlands 4 now and say that it will be even longer for the same thing to happen to Borderlands 4.

Pitchford added in a reply to a comment criticizing the CEO for being "terrible at marketing" that he doesn't set the pricing for Gearbox's games, and that he didn't even know about the Borderlands 3 sale before it was announced. However, Pitchford said that he does know "a lot about the macro games industry and business and I have seen our games through many cycles over many years."

The cybersecurity team at Safety Detectives has discovered a threat actor offering for sale a database containing 61 million records allegedly belonging to Verizon USA.

The team of cybersecurity experts has penned a new post that claims online hackers compiled a huge data set containing 3.1GB of reportedly 61 million "Verizon USA" records. The author of the file has dated the information as recently as 2025, suggesting the breach, if it is one, happened relatively recently.

The data set contains information that is sensitive, such as dates of birth, tax IDs, addresses, phone numbers, and full names. As with any breach of this scale, releasing that information would pose a risk to any of the affected individuals for identity theft.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 was unveiled at the Xbox Showcase earlier this month, and now, publisher Activision has seemingly accidentally leaked two game modes coming to the unreleased title. One of which is a 20v20 game mode featuring wingsuits.

The Black Ops 7 official teaser trailer was released to a mixed reception, with the trailer gaining nearly 40 million views in just two weeks and featuring a not-so-good Like to Dislike ratio (134,000 thumbs up versus 82,000 thumbs down).

Now it seems Activision or Treyarch, or both is trying to get some goodwill back from unhappy gamers as CharlieIntel has reported that a message about an internal, developer-only Black Ops 7 play test set to begin this weekend was "accidentally" pushed "to everyone on Xbox on the Call of Duty app, instead." This message was intended for developers only, but it was inadvertently made public.

Sports betting has now been officially embraced by one of the biggest companies powering the Esports scene, Riot Games, as the company has put out a new article detailing how it intends to adopt betting sponsorships in its titles "responsibly".

Esports and sports betting have been kept separate for quite some time, but Riot Games has just changed that with a new announcement stating that the company is now embracing gaming sponsorships. This means that Tier 1 League of Legends and Valorant teams are now allowed to pursue sports betting sponsorships. The change has come after professional teams have asked Riot to reconsider its stance on engaging with betting companies, which was previously prohibited.

Riot President of Publishing and Esports John Needham explained that, after years of analysis, Riot has decided to start engaging with betting companies, as betting activity has already existed around Riot's Esports, whether Riot is involved in it or not.

The Xbox 360 is, by any measure, a legendary gaming console, providing gamers with some of the most iconic video game characters we have today. Despite its infamy for the 'red ring of death,' the console went on to be one of the most popular video game consoles ever released.

By the end of its lifespan, the Xbox 360 moved as many as 85 million units, making it the 7th most-sold video game console out of every video game console ever released, putting it just behind Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Game Boy / Color. It has been 20 years since the Xbox 360 was released in 2005, and despite its age, Microsoft has pushed out a new update for the console, meaning it might be time to blow the dust off the old thing and update it.

The update was spotted by TrueAchievements and posted to the r/Xbox360 subreddit, where it shows the update adds improvements to the Xbox 360 Dashboard. The new update makes thumbnails for games much clearer and easier to read, as they appeared stretched and somewhat distorted prior to this update.

The average gamer shames other cheaters when they are discovered in their lobby, as the act by definition is quite a selfish one. Both teammates and enemies are deprived of the vanilla fun of the game, and now no one understands this principle more than the player who was just sentenced to pay a $175,000 fine for cheating in Fortnite.

Epic Games has announced via its official Fortnite Competitive X account that a judge has ruled in favor of the company suing the player over cheating in several Fortnite tournaments. The lawsuit was initiated back in December 2024, and according to the recent statement from the Fortnite Competitive X account, the cheater ignored the lawsuit and now is required to pay $175,000 to Epic Games, which the company states it will donate to charity.

According to Epic Games, this player was using both hardware and software cheats to evade detection and had multiple accounts at his disposal to make detection even harder. Epic Games believes the lawsuit will hopefully set a precedent for how developers and publishers should deal with cheaters in their games. Currently, no other developers or publishers have spoken out about the Epic Games vs cheater case, or if publishers will use the $175,000 precedent to curb cheating in their games.