Latest News - Page 309

Intel has had a turbulent few years, with the company actively trying to course correct through new measures, cutting staff, and cancelling any new product launch that won't double its money. For Intel, any new product that can't guarantee at least a 50% gross margin will not be assigned any engineers or development time.

Intel Products CEO Michelle Johnston Holthaus recently said this during Bank of America's global technology conference. It's a risk-averse policy for a company that has struggled to succeed in recent years, with Michelle Johnston Holthaus saying it's "something that we probably should have had before, but we have it now."

"A product doesn't move forward, (and) you actually don't get engineers assigned to it if it's not 50% or higher gross margins," she adds. According to reports, the move is being spearheaded by Intel's new CEO, Lip-Bu Tan, who replaced former CEO Pat Gelsinger in March 2025.

SteelSeries has announced its latest wireless gaming headset for PlayStation, Xbox, Switch, and PC gamers - the Arctis Nova 3 Wireless. Available in a range of funky colors and with an MSRP of $109.99 USD, the Arctis Nova 3 is being positioned as a premium audio solution for all gamers, thanks to its custom hardware, Spatial Audio support, and the company's revamped Arctis App for mobile devices.

As highlighted in our in-depth gaming headset reviews, software support is a key component of a gaming headset as it allows customization and tuning of the sound to suit various gaming or entertainment experiences. The Arctis App builds on SteelSeries' fantastic PC audio platform, Sonar, which features custom audio presets for hundreds of games tailored by audio engineers using the platform's powerful parametric equalizer.

Access to these presets and other features adds a layer of accessibility to the new SteelSeries Arctis Nova 3 Wireless gaming headset. Other key features of the new headset include gaining 9 hours of playtime with a quick 15-minute charge, support for Low-latency 2.4 GHz wireless, Bluetooth 5.3, and the company's new "ClearCast 2.X Microphone."

AMD has just released a new AMD FSR Technical Preview driver for RDNA 4 GPU owners that expands FidelityFX Super Resolution 4 (FSR 4) support, bringing the current complete list to 65 games. The preview driver was released alongside AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition 25.6.1 for the new Radeon RX 9060 XT, which also expanded FSR 4 support with 14 new titles.

AMD's FSR 4 sees the company's upscaler shift to a new, powerful AI approach, finally bridging the image quality gap between it and NVIDIA DLSS. And with FSR 4 adding AI-powered Frame Generation, Neural Shaders, and a DLSS Ray Reconstruction-like denoiser for ray-tracing later this year, RDNA 4 is leveling up Radeon in a big way.

The downside is that FSR 4 requires powerful AI hardware, so it's exclusive to the new RDNA 4-powered Radeon RX 9000 Series. Also, as AMD's driver-level FSR 4 override requires at least FSR 3.1 to be natively available in a particular game, the adoption (even with 20+ new titles) is tracking much slower than DLSS 4.

MSI only released a handful of GPUs for AMD's RDNA 3 generation, led by the flagship Radeon RX 7900 XTX Gaming Trio. And with the company deciding to skip the RDNA 4 generation entirely, with no Radeon RX 9000 Series GPUs from the company currently announced or on track for release in 2025, by the looks of it, MSI's desktop GPU business is exclusively GeForce RTX.

Regarding tinkering with GPU settings, overclocking, and undervolting, MSI Afterburner is one of the go-to third-party apps for PC gamers. And there's some good news for RDNA 4 gamers, as based on a new post from one of the developers (via Guru3D forums), MSI Afterburner is set to get unofficial support for RDNA 4 GPU architecture in an upcoming Beta release.

According to the post, the developer will use a PowerColor Radeon RX 9070 XT to add RDNA 4 support. As there are no official MSI GPUs for the RDNA 4 flagship, the developer sourced a Radeon RX 9070 XT on their own to support the popular GPU customization and optimization app.

A new report from the analysts at Jon Peddie Research, tracking PC shipments and desktop graphics cards from AIBs (add-in board partners like ASUS, MSI, GIGABYTE, etc.), sheds new light on NVIDIA's dominance in the space. It's no secret that GeForce RTX is the PC gaming GPU leader (check out the latest data from Steam here), followed by AMD's Radeon in a distant second, and then Intel's Arc Graphics in a non-existent third.

According to the new report from Jon Peddie Research, NVIDIA's GPU market share (covering shipments) increased by 8.5%, bringing its overall share from 84% in Q4 2024 to a monopolizing 92% in Q1 2025. That sort of number means there's essentially no competition, and with that, AMD's GPU market share dropped by 7.3% to 8% in Q1 2025 - an all-time low.

It's a bleak picture for Team Red and one that is even worse for Intel, with its 1.2% market share evaporating entirely. According to the report, Intel's PC GPU shipment share for Q1 2025 was 0%.

COLORFUL has just launched its new SMART 900 Mini-PC which packs AMD's new flagship Ryzen AI Max+ 395 "Strix Halo" APU, and more. Check it out:

The new COLORFUL SMART 900 Mini-PC is actually a "Mini AI PC" (it's 2025, everything is AI now, you know it, I know it, we all know it). Inside, the SMART 900 Mini-PC features AMD's flagship Ryzen AI Max+ 395 "Strix Halo" APU which bursts out of the gate with 16 cores and 32 threads of Zen 5 processing power, up to 96GB of RAM, and an RDNA 3.5-based Radeon 8060S integrated GPU.

As for the design, COLORFUL is using a 4-liter high-quality anodized aluminum chassis for its new SMART 900 Mini-PC, with the Chinese company saying that its new Mini-PC system has "excellent" heat dissipation, explaining that COLORFUL takes "advantage of the metal body-ensuring that the system can maintain a low operating temperature and a relatively reasonable noise level under high load".

It's official: The first $80 Xbox game has been announced, and it's not one that we were expecting.

Today, Microsoft and Obsidian announced that The Outer Worlds 2 would launch on October 29, 2025, complete with a $79.99 price tag. The news isn't exactly a surprise; Nintendo was the first to introduce $80 games with Mario Kart World, and Microsoft even warned gamers that price hikes were on the way.

"The Outer Worlds 2 will be available in two editions: Standard Edition for $79.99 USD and a Premium Edition for $99.99 USD," reads the Xbox Wire blog.

ZOTAC is reportedly launching its new F5 Fragrance, a new fragrance for gamers that will speed up their reactions, keep their senses aligned, and more... and this time, it's not an April Fool's Day joke.

In a new post on Facebook by HKEPC, we're hearing that ZOTAC's new F5 Esports Perfume has been designed for gamers to keep their "body smell refreshed in intense gaming, fight mental fatigue, improve attention, and speed up reactions". ZOTAC first teased its new gamer fragrance earlier this year as an April Fool's joke, but now it is real.

On the original post earlier this year, ZOTAC explained that its F5 Fragrance uses a "proprietary blend of caffeine, taurine, and other secret ingredients". As for what the F5 Fragrance actually smells like, the company says that it is a combination of sea breeze, cypress, mint, and white musk" that delivers a "aquatic and woody scent" upon gamers.

GIGABYTE has just introduced its new AI TOP 500 TRX50 desktop AI powerhouse PC, packing up to an AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 7965WX processor, an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 graphics card, and 768GB of DDR5 memory... all ready for AI workloads, and everything in between.

At the heart of the new GIGABYTE AI TOP 500 system is the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO series processors, offering up to 24 cores and 48 threads of CPU power, paired with a TRX50 AI TOP motherboard. The AI TOP 500 TRX50 desktop PC supports up to 768GB of ultra-fast DDR5 RDIMM memory, with storage assisted by AI-ready SSDs including a 1TB AI TOP 100E cache drive with up to 150x TBW (total bytes written) compared to consumer-level SSDs, meaning the AI TOP 500 system is ready for high durability under constant read/write workloads.

GIGABYTE keeps the AI TOP 500 TRX50 system with its Ryzen Threadripper PRO processor nice and cool with its in-house AORUS WATERFORCE X II 360 AIO liquid cooler, all housed inside the striking AI TOP chassis (E-ATX case measuring 594 x 336 x 584 mm (H x W x D) and powered by a monster 1600W 80 PLUS Platinum-certified that sees clean and stable energy flowing to multiple GPU configurations, and extended system uptime says GIGABYTE.

Xbox's new handheld will use AMD's AI chip technology to help supercharge the user experience, but exact details remain unclear.

Today, Microsoft made history by announcing the first-ever Xbox handheld. ASUS is manufacturing a duo of Xbox handhelds--the ROG Xbox Ally and Xbox Ally X--for release in 2025. The higher-end Ally X has AMD's AI Z2 Extreme chip, which leverages an NPU (Neural Processing Unit) for integrated AI capabilities.

We're not exactly sure how Microsoft is using the AI features for the Xbox Ally X, but the company has made strides in its AI gaming efforts with its MUSE generative AI platform, which can render gameplay in real time, as well as Copilot for Gaming, a digital assistant for gamers.

Xbox gaming CEO Phil Spencer teases the return of a classic Xbox franchise in 2026, one that's been there from the beginning...and it could be Halo.

Today, Microsoft made waves by announcing the first Xbox handheld, revealed a bunch of games including Black Ops 7, and also solidified the Xbox PC brand label. 2026 will be a big year for gaming with GTA 6's release, but Microsoft is celebrating 25 years of Xbox next year, complete with a nostalgic games lineup that hearkens back to the days of yore.

The lineup of games includes the new Fable reboot, the sixth Gears of War game, and even a new Forza title. But there's one game that hasn't been announced just yet, and it's set in a series that was with Xbox from the start. While nothing's been confirmed so far, it's possible that this franchise is Halo.

Today Skybound Games announced a new fighting game based on the Invincible superhero series, and it looks to be exactly what fans were asking for.

Invincible VS is an ultra-violent fighting game where players face off in teams of 3, smashing each other with melee attacks, combos, unique abilities, and tag-team specials. Invincible VS will also feature a story-based cinematic mode, which is presumably where the animations from the trailer are from, as well as an arcade mode for online co-op and PVP across multiple platforms.

Interestingly enough, the game is being worked on by the original developers of Xbox's more recent Killer Instinct reboot from 2013. Invincible VS is developed by Quarter Up, the first in-house studio at Skybound.

Activision has announced Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, a future-based shooter that brings player-favorite modes.

This year's Call of Duty will indeed be a Black Ops game. Microsoft and Activision revealed Black Ops 7 at today's Xbox showcase, confirming a few light details along the way.

Activision marketing head Tyler Bahl teased that there's "madness incoming with Black Ops 7's story," and press materials note that the game will have psychological warfare elements. The game will have co-op campaign, multiplayer, and zombies, and more details will be revealed in the coming months.

Final Fantasy 7 Remake is finally coming to Xbox in 2025, Square Enix today announced, while also simultaneously making a surprising shadow drop.

It's official: Final Fantasy 7 Remake Integrade is coming to Xbox consoles and Xbox PC in 2025, more specifically this winter (remember that winter in Japan runs from December to February).

Final Fantasy 16, on the other hand, is now available on Xbox PC and Xbox Series X/S. There's an added bonus: The game supports the Play Anywhere cross-buy initiative, so one purchase lets you play either on console or on a Windows PC. The base version is $50, and there's a $70 complete edition that packs in all the DLC.

ASUS and Microsoft have officially revealed the first Xbox handheld, and it's a Windows 11-powered PC with a new console-like UI.

There's two new Xbox-branded gaming PC handhelds on the way: The ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X. The devices are actually made by ASUS in close partnership with Microsoft. No pricing has been announced, and the duo will be available this holiday.

The Xbox Ally X will be much more powerful with 24GB of RAM (8GB more than the Series X and the Xbox Ally, which both have 16GB of RAM) and the new AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme processor, which leverages an AI-based NPU to help with gaming workloads. Both the Ally and Ally X feature a dedicated Xbox button that calls forth the Xbox app, a 7-inch 1080p 120Hz screen and Xbox-inspired handgrip controllers (check below for the full spec sheet).

Controversy has pushed Splitgate 2 developer 1047 Games to lower the prices of in-game cosmetics by as much as 50%.

Yesterday, 1047 Games announced a battle royale mode for Splitgate 2 at the Summer Game Fest. On its own, that's not very controversial, but company CEO Ian Proulx went on stage wearing a hat saying 'make FPS great again' and gave some very gamer-centric takes for the leader of a professional games company: "I'm tired of playing the same Call of Duty every year, and I wish we could have Titanfall 3."

The marketing stunt stole headlines due to its MAGA political parallels, but gamers were quick to criticize Proulx and the Splitgate team because of the game's highly expensive microtransactions. Splitgate 2's premium currency is called Splitcoin, and it's sold in a way that typically requires users to buy more than they need for any one cosmetic purchase. Splitgate 2's battle royale launched with a Nano Swarm cosmetic pack that cost 8,000 Splitcoins, or $80, which is actually a discount because 1047 Games originally priced the Nano Swarm pack at 14,550 Splitcoin (an astronomically high $145). The Nano Swarm bundle includes six cosmetics: 4 weapon skins, a character skin, and a custom portal design.

Tencent widens its grip on the video games industry with an investment into one of the most popular game devs of 2024.

Tencent acquired 15.75% of Helldivers II developer Arrowhead in 2024, new reports from Swedish newspaper Dagens Industri indicate.

Overall, Arrowhead was valued at 5 billion kronor, which is about $522 million. With 15.75% of shares purchased, and a valuation of $522 million, Tencent bought around $82 million of Arrowhead's shares. The Swedish video games developer made around $76 million in operating profit throughout 2024 on roughly $100 million in revenue, representing a thunderous 76% profit margin. Helldivers 2 was one of the most popular games of 2024 and has sold over 12 million copies to date.

Atomic Heart developer Mundfish have announced The Cube, an genre-mashing shooter spinoff set in the Atomic Heart series.

Not only is Atomic Heart 2 on the way, but there's a new online shooter in the works too. It's called The Cube, and it throws players into a very unconventional battleground: a giant floating Rubik's Cube-like structure that's full of volatility across an unpredictable, ever-shifting map.

The Cube is an MMORPG shooter that may have roguelike and/or extraction shooter elements, and the design itself is quite stylish and unique with its alternate history themes and visuals. There's a very X-Files meets Control otherworldly mystique with Mundfish's experimental shooter.

Smart lighting has become more prominent in recent years, and one of the world's leading companies in the space is Lepro.

Lepro has a wide range of smart lighting solutions, from adding a little bit of flair and personality to your gaming setup to being a solution to an outdoor lighting problem. Lepro has integrated artificial intelligence in each of its products, making them easier to interact with as users can take advantage of the AI chat to enable/disable features, and change aspects of the light, such as its color or mode.

Below is the Lepro table lamp, which features 196 LEDs in total and, just like Lepro's other lighting solutions, is fully compatible with Alexa and Google Assistant, meaning it can be added to your already established smart home system or lighting setup. The smart table light features three LED rings that can be moved to run parallel to each other or be placed into a concentric orientation. Another AI-powered smart lamp from Lepro is the LED shaped like the treble clef symbol, with this smart light featuring 152 LED lights in total.

The Nintendo Switch 2 has reportedly sold the most units out of any console in a 24-hour period, with Nintendo's latest piece of hardware moving as many as 3 million units.

That number has come from Nintendo Prime, a well-known Nintendo YouTuber who got that figure from three independent sources, according to Prime. For comparison, the previous record for the most sales in a 24-hour period was held by the PlayStation 4, which moved as many as 1 million units globally within its first 24 hours of being released.

If the Switch 2 numbers are accurate, Nintendo has completely swept the competition by tripling the previous record. The record-breaking doesn't stop there, as the Nintendo Switch 2 is teed up to break the all-time record for two-month sales after a console launch, which is currently 4.5 million and held by both the PS4 and PS5. At the current pace, the Switch 2 could break that record in a week, not months.