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Report: Ubisoft hits reset switch on Far Cry extraction shooter
Ubisoft has reset the development of a new Far Cry extraction shooter, sources tell Insider Gaming.
Reports indicate that Ubisoft has rebooted an in-development Far Cry game. The project is codenamed Maverick, and was supposed to be included as a multiplayer mode within Far Cry 7 but it ended up growing and changing over time to become its own game. Maverick is intended to be a resource-driven, competitive multiplayer extraction shooter.
The extent of Maverick's reboot remain unknown, but the move comes at a turbulent time for Ubisoft. Ubisoft Montreal is currently working on the mainline Far Cry 7 game, codenamed Blackbird.
Continue reading: Report: Ubisoft hits reset switch on Far Cry extraction shooter (full post)
Qualcomm announces new X85 modem for Android phones: up to 12.5Gbps download speeds over 5G
Qualcomm has unveiled its new X85 5G Modem-RF for Android, with some crazy-high download speeds of up to 12.5Gbps and upload speeds of up to 3.7Gbps.
In comparison, the current-gen Qualcomm X80 5G modem is capable of up to 10Gbps download and 3.5Gbps upload, so those download speeds have increased significantly, by another 25%. The new X85 modem is Qualcomm's eighth-generation 5G modem-to-antenna solution, and fourth-generation AI-powered 5G connectivity platform with support for 5G mmWave, sub-6GHz, and Satellite technologies.
Qualcomm's new X85 5G modem has a 5G AI processor with a dedicated Tensor accelerator, which provides 30% faster AI inference, providing lower latency, wider coverage, and improved power efficiency that pave the way for a responsible, reliable 5G experience in multiple different conditions.
COLORFUL intros 'X3D Gaming Mode' for improved gaming performance on Ryzen X3D CPUs
AMD's new Ryzen 9 9950X3D and Ryzen 9 9900X3D processors are nearly here, with COLORFUL introducing its new "X3D Gaming Mode" following motherboard makers providing optimizations for X3D processors.
COLORFUL's new X3D Gaming Mode can be used for non-X3D processors as well, but it will help X3D processors massively as the second CCD is disabled, latency is reduced, so that the single CCD with the additional 3D V-Cache can enjoy higher performance.
In a new post on Weibo, COLORFUL showed off its new X3D Gaming Mode inside of its updated BIOS and that when enabled, it turns off the SMT (Simultaneous Multi-Threading) on the Ryzen CPU. Additionally, if you're running an AMD Ryzen CPU with one or two CCDs (higher-end Ryzen processors have two CCDs) then it will disable one of them and transfer the gaming workloads to a single CCD for optimal performance.
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 with upgraded 96GB VRAM teased: could release soon for AI workloads
NVIDIA's previous-gen GeForce RTX 4090 has 24GB of GDDR6X memory, but it has been modded with 48GB recently, and now we're hearing we're going to see custom RTX 4090s with a whopping 96GB of GDDR6X... perfect for AI workloads.
In a new post on X by @eisneim who said they had received confirmation of a 96GB version of the GeForce RTX 4090, and that this modded card isn't in mass production but in the testing phase. Once it's passed the testing phase, it could be released onto the market as a cheaper alternative to workstation-class RTX series GPUs thanks to its huge 96GB of VRAM.
This isn't guaranteed just yet, but with Chinese companies modding the GeForce RTX 4090D from 24GB to 48GB, and the RTX 4080 from 16GB to 32GB, the idea of an RTX 4090 or RTX 4090D modded to 96GB would be a huge deal.
Blades of Fire on PC requires GeForce RTX 4080 or Radeon RX 7900 XTX for upscaled 4K 60FPS
MercurySteam's new third-person action game, Blades of Fire, has had its official PC system requirements released, where we're learning we'll need an RTX 4080 or RX 7900 XTX for upscaled 4K 60FPS on Ultra settings.
Blades of Fire at a minimum for 1080p on High settings with FSR on Performance mode for 60FPS is an Intel Core i7-11700KF or AMD Ryzen 5 5800X processor, with 16GB of RAM and either an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 or AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT. Things are a little higher for High settings at 1440p with FSR on Balanced mode, the CPU requirements remain unchanged, but the GPU requirements are up to the GTX 1080 Ti or RX 6700 XT.
Cranking the game to 4K on High settings with FSR on Balanced the CPU requirements are still unchanged, with the GPU requirements increased to the RTX 4070 SUPER or RX 6800 XT, while the same 4K resolution but at Ultra settings and FSR on Quality mode, hitting 60FPS will require the RTX 4080 or RX 7900 XTX for Blades of Fire.
Intel's next-gen Panther Lake SoC delayed: concerns over its in-house Intel 18A process node
Intel recently said its next-gen Panther Lake CPUs made on its new in-house Intel 18A process node were releasing later this year, but according to an insider the new chips have been delayed into 2026 and the 18A process could be the issue.
In a new report from insider Ming-Chi Kuo, we're hearing that Intel's new mobile-focused Panther Lake SoCs have been delayed, citing concerns over the performance of Intel's new 18A process node. Kuo writes: "Given the typical 2-4 week gap between chip and finished product (PC/NB) shipments, PTL notebooks may not become widely available until 2026, implying that Intel will miss the crucial year-end holiday sales season in 2025 and 2H25 revenue and profit will face downside risks".
Intel has reportedly not been able to get the 18A yield rates right, with an internal survey pointing to levels in Q3 2025 that won't be an improvement over where they are now, meaning mass production in the desired timeline is virtually impossible. We recently heard that Intel Foundry Services (IFS) and its new 18A process node was only hitting 20-30% yield rates, even after the company's new co-CEO said otherwise.
Report: 10th gen Xbox due out in 2026 with next-gen optimized Call of Duty game
Microsoft's next Xbox console could release sometime in 2026 with Call of Duty at or near the system's launch.
New reports suggest that the next-gen Xbox console and Xbox Series successor hardware could be out by 2026. Sources have told credible leaker TheGhostOfHope that next year's Call of Duty game is being developed on devkits for Microsoft's Gen 10 Xbox, potentially indicating that the new Xbox could see a release in 2026. Documents from the FTC v Microsoft trial show that Microsoft expects Sony to release a PlayStation 6 in 2028.
Not much is known about the next Xbox, but Microsoft has repeatedly confirmed a new console is on the way despite the lack of hardware growth at the company. We've postulated that the future of Xbox hardware could be fragmented, meaning we could see some sort of handheld Xbox system accompanying a new console.
AMD's RX 9060 XT GPU rumored to have 8GB and 16GB flavors, just like NVIDIA's RTX 5060 Ti
It's almost launch day for AMD's RX 9070 models, and you know what that means - yes, the RX 9060 rumors must kick off in earnest, which is just what's happened with a purported info drop on the VRAM configuration of the lower-tier RDNA 4 GPUs.
This is actually about the RX 9060 XT and comes courtesy of a filing with the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC) made by Acer, as flagged up by regular leaker Harukaze5719 on X.
Acer has registered Predator BiFrost models of RX 9060 XT graphics cards which have both 8GB and 16GB of VRAM, mirroring what NVIDIA is supposedly doing with its rival RTX 5060 Ti. (Although NVIDIA, to be fair, would just be continuing the VRAM loadouts it ran with in its previous RTX 4060 Ti models, of course).
Want an NVIDIA RTX 5070 Founders Edition GPU on launch day? Rumor has it you've got zero chance
If you were hoping to bag yourself a Founders Edition of the RTX 5070 direct from NVIDIA on launch day tomorrow, it seems that what was already obviously a long-shot has turned into, well, a non-existent-shot.
As VideoCardz reports, Andreas Schilling, who is editor at German tech site Hardwareluxx, shared on X that NVIDIA has just informed them that the RTX 5070 Founders Edition won't be on sale until later in March. Add your own seasoning appropriately.
Of course, first of all, NVIDIA said that its RTX 5070 GPU would arrive in February (alongside the RTX 5070 Ti, which did turn up last month, as promised). Then we had news of the slight delay to March 5.
NVIDIA RTX 5070 GPU stock rumors continue to get even bleaker, with AMD set to capitalize
More rumors are being piped through insisting that AMD's RX 9070 GPUs are going to launch with a lot more stock than NVIDIA has ready for the RTX 5070, as these two graphics cards prepare to face off when they hit the shelves later this week.
A fresh piece of speculation was highlighted by Hardware Canucks, a Canadian tech site, as you can see in the above post on X.
The claim is that Hardware Canucks spoke to a manager at a retailer who said they have more RX 9070 XT graphics cards than the entirety of all the NVIDIA Blackwell GPUs they've had in stock so far this year.
Apple introduces iPad Air M3 with new Magic Keyboard, pricing stays the same
Apple has revealed a new M3-powered iPad Air partnered with a new Magic Keyboard.
The introduction was made in the lowkey manner Apple sometimes employs where the firm simply pushes out a press release.
The new iPad Air 11-inch and 13-inch tablets don't run with the latest M4 silicon, but Apple's still given its device considerably more pep with that M3 CPU.
Cyberpunk 2077 looks out-of-this-world with DreamPunk 3.0 mod: photo-realistic in new 8K video
Cyberpunk 2077 already looks good in stock form with all its ray tracing and path tracing goodness, but with the new DreamPunk 3.0 mod it looks like a photo-realistic, truly next-generation game running in 8K. Check it out:
The new version of the DreamPunk mod introduces new features and improvements, including Dynamic Contrast and Realistic Cloud Lighting, improved weather conditions for even more realistic weather effects, remade core LUT for higher dynamic range, more realistic sunlight, and oh-so-much more.
Cyberpunk 2077's new DreamPunk 3.0 mod also includes new graphics configuration improvements that work better with NVIDIAD's new DLSS 4 upscaling technology, and the improved technologies and features inside of the new Blackwell-based GeForce RTX 50 series GPUs.
NVIDIA says TSMC's new fabs will be the 'foundational pillar' of tech supply chain in the USA
President Trump and TSMC just announced the largest single foreign direct investment in US history, with another $100 billion to expand TSMC's operations on US soil.
The ofifcial X account for NVIDIA posted: "TSMC's new fabs will be the foundational pillar of a new technology supply chain centered in the United States. NVIDIA will fully utilize TSMC's global manufacturing network to enhance our supply agility and resilience".
TSMC Chairman and CEO Dr. C.C. Wei, said: "Back in 2020, thanks to President Trump's vision and support, we embarked on our journey of establishing advanced chip manufacturing in the United States. This vision is now a reality. AI is reshaping our daily lives and semiconductor technology is the foundation for new capabilities and applications. With the success of our first fab in Arizona, along with needed government support and strong customer partnerships, we intend to expand our U.S. semiconductor manufacturing investment by an additional $100 billion, bringing our total planned investment to $165 billion".
President Trump announces TSMC will be investing another $100 billion into US operations
TSMC has announced its intention to expand its investment in advanced semiconductor manufacturing in the United States, pledging an additional $100 billion.
The company already has $65 billion worth of investments into advanced semiconductor manufacturing operations at its fab in Phoenix, Arizona, with TSMC's total investment in teh US expected to reach $165 billion. This expansion includes plans for 3 new fabrication plants, two new advanced packaging plants, and a major R&D team center, with the company said "solidifying this project as the largest single foreign direct investment in US history".
TSMC expects to create hundreds of billions of dollars of semiconductor value for AI and other cutting-edge chips, with TSMC's expanded investment expected to create 40,000 construction jobs over the next 4 years, as well as creating tens of thousands of high-paying, high-tech jobs in advanced chip manufacturing and R&D on US soil.
Sony's new Last of Us survival experience has 'smell dispensers' for maximum immersion
Sony's new Future Immersive Entertainment technology is just a concept design, but it could pave the way for next-gen arcade gaming.
Always keen on experimenting and designing, Sony has put together a unique sensory experience set in the worlds of the mega-hit Last of Us video game series. It's called a Future Immersive Entertainment concept, and it essentially combines a ton of different technologies to give players a super-immersive gameplay experience sans headset or console. All you need is a new prototype R&D controller specially made by Sony.
Sony has packed in high-end OLED display tech alongside booming audio to bring the grisly world of The Last of Us to life, but that's not enough: Sony wants you to feel like you're actually there. That's why the experience, which is essentially a stage with screens in a semicircle wall on one side, is packed with scent dispensers that change up smells based on what's happening. As a 90s kid who grew up when Universal Studios was new, I can only imagine the scents involved.
AMD's next-gen Medusa Halo APU leaks: Zen 6 chip rumored with RTX 5070 Ti levels of gaming perf
AMD's next-generation Zen 6-based Medusa Halo APU will be a game-changer for the company, packing 24 cores and 48 threads of Zen 6 CPU power joined by a new SKU rumored with a monster 48 GPU cores (up from 40 GPU cores on Strix Halo APUs).
In a new video from leaker Moore's Law is Dead, one of his sources said: "I can confirm Medusa Halo has at least a variant with 48 CUs, and also that there should be a 384-bit option in addition to a 256-bit option for the bus".
AMD's new Medusa Point APU will feature a single Zen 6 CCD with 12 cores and 24 threads, with between 16 CUs and 32 CUs of RDNA 3.X integrated GPU on a 256-bit memory bus, very similar to Strix Point APUs. However, the flagship Medusa Halo APU is rumored with up to 48 CUs of RDNA 3.X GPU on a possibly far higher 384-bit memory bus, that should see 30-50% performance gains over the already very impressive Strix Halo APU.
Rainbow Six Siege moves to DirectX 12 on PC, Ubisoft preps massive R6 Siege X update
Rainbow Six Siege will soon become a DX12 game on PC, Ubisoft today announced.
Ubisoft needs a win, and its hail mary game plan includes a big overhaul of Rainbow Six Siege. The shooter is entering its 10th year on the market with no sequel in sight, with the teams instead focusing on continually updating the game over time. Now the tactical FPS is getting its biggest upgrade yet with Rainbow Six Siege X, a major refresh that Ubisoft says will deliver the "biggest transformation in the game's history."
Devs are paving the way for R6 Siege X by switching over fully to DirectX 12, meaning video cards running DX11 won't be able to run the game after the move. The decision has been criticized due to Ubisoft's DX12 implementation in R6 that has led to stuttering issues and ~8% frame drops from DX11. Ubisoft affirms that a lot of the DX12 issues have been ironed out thanks to player feedback and testing.
NetEase pledges to support 'master creators' and 'really high-quality studios'
Shortly after shutting down a studio, laying off workers across Western studios, and cancelling a handful of projects, billion-dollar games titan NetEase tells investors that it's committed to supporting "master creators" in its quest for overseas game releases.
Little over a week ago, Bloomberg ran a story on NetEase that painted a turbulent picture at the Chinese firm. NetEase has reportedly cancelled a dozen or so games at the whims of its CEO, and there's been the layoffs at Western game dev units (including the Marvel Rivals team in the West). NetEase had also shut down Ouka Studios shortly after the team released the recent Visions of Mana remake.
Now we have more comments from management on this topic. In a Q4 2024 earnings call, company VP of corporate development Bill Pang says that support for overseas projects is important and something NetEase will continue to do.
Samsung demos unique gaming handheld with folding screen at MWC 2025
Samsung highlights the possibilities for its foldable OLED technology with a PC gaming handheld that closes like a book.
Samsung is demoing an interesting tech concept at its MWC 2025 booth: it's a device that's part of the firm's new Flex Gaming line, and it's basically a Steam Deck that can fold in half. It's important to note that this isn't a consumer-facing bit of hardware, more of something that Samsung put together to illustrate what OEMs could do with its foldable displays.
What's interesting about the Flex--apart from the obvious bendable screen--is how the joysticks can remain upright even when the device is shut. Users wouldn't have to deal with a half-joystick circle-pad like the 3DS, or some sort of innovative new restrictive design--the basic analog-style joysticks have been allocated for size.
Continue reading: Samsung demos unique gaming handheld with folding screen at MWC 2025 (full post)
NVIDIA and Broadcom are reportedly running manufacturing tests on Intel's new 18A process
NVIDIA and Broadcom are reportedly running manufacturing tests on Intel's new 18A process node, showing some much-needed early confidence for the company and its semiconductor business.
In a new report from Reuters, we're hearing that the two tests haven't been reported previously, and indicate that the companies are moving closer to the decision of whether they'll commit hundreds of millions of dollars worth of manufacturing contracts to Intel Foundry Services (IFS).
NVIDIA and MediaTek are TSMC customers, so winning these two chip giants over would be a huge deal for Intel, while its main CPU competitor in AMD, is "also evaluating whether Intel's 18A manufacturing process is suitable for its needs but it was unclear if it had sent test chips through the factory".






















