Latest News - Page 406

Apple's future-gen iPhone 18 Pro smartphone is expected to rock its next-gen A20 Pro chip, which will be fabbed on TSMC's fresh 2nm process node.

In a new post from UDN, we're learning that future iPhones will be more expensive because of the TSMC 2nm process node, with the price-per-chip rising from $50 up to $85. One analyst advised NOT taking the price estimates too seriously, as the A18 Pro chips made on TSMC 3nm are variously estimated from $45 all the way up to $135.

Apple has been TSMC's largest customer for close to a decade now, with the company becoming TSMC's first 2nm client in 2025 with its new iPhone 17 next year. We reported back in May 2024 that a few of Apple's high-level executives 'secretly' met with TSMC to seucre its first batch of 2nm production capacity (which would be used for the iPhone 17) and would mature in 2026 for the iPhone 18 Pro, and its beefed-up A20 Pro chip.

The introduction of the next-generation HDMI 2.2 standard is expected to happen at CES 2025, launching alongside next-gen gaming GPUs.

In a new report from ComputerBase, we're hearing that the HDMI Licensing Administrator has announced it will be unveiling a "breakthrough" technology without naming HDMI 2.2, but we all know what to expect. HDMI 2.2 will deliver higher bandwidth, high refresh rate support, higher resolutions, and new cables across the board.

HDMI LA explained: "The HDMI Forum will announce a new version of the HDMI specification. The new specification, featuring next-generation HDMI technology and higher bandwidth, will enable a variety of higher resolutions and refresh rates and will be supported with a new HDMI cable. New technologies are enabling higher quality options for content producers such as television, film and game studios now and in the future, while also enabling multiple distribution platforms".

Blizzard has just announced its latest Overwatch 2 collaboration, introducing Overwatch 2 x Avatar: The Last Airbender, which drops into the game on December 17. Check it out:

The developer has multiple new skins in the theme of Avatar: The Last Airbender, with new skins for Mei, Zenyatta, Orisa, Venture, Genji, and Kiriko. Not only are there new skins, but you can complete challenges to earn themed sprays, voice lines, and player icons.

The upcoming Overwatch 2 x Avatar: The Last Airbender runs between December 17-30, so gather your Gaang and summon the strength of water, earth, fire, and air in Overwatch 2.

Apple's new flagship Watch Ultra smartwatch will reportedly have non-emergency satellite messaging capabilities, just like the iPhone received earlier this year.

In a new report from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, the new Apple Watch Ultra will also be adding the long-rumored blood-pressure monitoring feature. We've heard about satellite messaging on the Apple Watch Ultra before, but Gurman reports that it would work like it does on the iPhone, allowing wearers to send text messages from their Apple Watch Ultra without a 4G/5G or Wi-Fi connection.

Apple is also reportedly removing the Intel cellular modem out of the Watch Ultra, and in its place will use a MediaTek chip, with the new cellular chip expected to be included in "at least some models" in 2025. The new blood-pressure monitoring feature has been in the works for a while, but will be great to see materialize next year.

Apple has announced the debut of iOS 18.2, an expansion of Apple Intelligence that arrived in a barebones form in late October.

For those that don't know, Apple will be rolling out Apple Intelligence features in stages, with iOS 18.1 being the first in a long process of slowly familiarizing users with a new suite of AI-powered features. In iOS 18.1, users were introduced to several new features, such as Writing Tools, an overhauled Siri, the Photos App becoming intelligent, the Clean Up tool, and other prioritization features.

iOS 18.2 is an expansion of iOS 18.1, with improvements being made in some of the previously announced features, such as the Photos app becoming even smarter, proofread, rewrite, and summarise text being added to Writing Tools, and ChatGPT being integrated into Siri. There are also other additions in iOS 18.2 that warrant being highlighted, and below, you will find a brief explanation of each.

It's time to get rid of that uncomfortable chair you've been sitting in for much longer than you should have. Go out and get yourself a chair designed with ergonomics in mind.

In the post-COVID-19 world many people have found themselves working from home, and when it comes to a home office, it's important to create a comfortable work environment that benefits your work, and one of the best ways to do that is to make the thing you are sitting on for several hours of a day an enjoyable and healthy experience. The Doro S100 from Sihoo fits this description perfectly, with the Doro S100 coming with a split lumbar support that's designed to adjust support with back movements, providing a sitter with personalized lower back comfort.

For those wondering for some quick specifications about the Doro S100, Sihoo states on its website that the seat depth is 15.15" - 17.12", with a max hip width of 20.07", and a maximum recommended weight of 300 lbs. As for features, Sihoo has equipped the Doro S100 with an accommodating backrest that is able to provide a seat depth adjustment range of 1.97 inches, which can be easily altered for people of varying heights, making the Doro S100 perfect for any sized individual.

Windows 11's Recall feature is back in play - in testing, and it just expanded to include AMD and Intel x86 Copilot+ PCs - but the controversial functionality has run into yet more trouble.

As you're doubtless aware, Recall is a supercharged AI search that uses regularly taken screenshots to find stuff on your PC. Those so-called 'snapshots' are not supposed to include any screen that has sensitive information on it, such as credit card details as an obvious example.

Tom's Hardware has been testing Recall in this respect, though, and found out that the results are hardly ideal in terms of maintaining cast-iron privacy for your more sensitive data.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is coming to PC in early 2025, Square Enix has announced at The Game Awards 2024.

While currently facing disappointing game sales, Square Enix could have an uplift at the tail-end of its fiscal year thanks to sales of a mainline Final Fantasy game. The publisher revealed that FF7 Rebirth will release on PC through Steam and the Epic Games Store on January 23, 2025.

Gamers can pre-order Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's PC version now and get a -30% discount, dropping the $69.99 price tag down to a more manageable $48.99. Now here's the real interesting part of Square Enix's promo: You can buy both FF7 and its sequel, FF7 Rebirth, for $69.99. That's essentially a 2-for-1 deal now that Square Enix is pricing its PC games at $69.99 MSRP.

The epic fantasy world of George R.R Martin's Game of Thrones is being returned to in an officially licensed action RPG that features Jon Snow, white walkers, The Wall, and much more.

The Game Awards 2024 has just wrapped up, and among the selection of new game announcements was a trailer for Game of Thrones: Kingsroad, developed by Netmarble. The new action RPG game is brought to fans by HBO and Warner Bros Interactive Entertainment and will take gamers to the events that take place in the critically acclaimed TV show. According to the official title description from Netmarble, King Robert Baratheon is now dead, and the Lannister family is desperately clinging to the Iron Throne.

Additionally, King Robert Baratheon's brother, Stannis Baratheon, is currently gathering his forces to reclaim the Iron Throne while simultaneously, the North is bubbling at the fallout of the Red Wedding. The game will seemingly put players into the role of a Northman who journeys to The Wall, where he meets Jon Snow, whose character model is based on Kit Harrington from the Game of Thrones TV show. The trailer shows the protagonist fighting against white walkers, the undead, giants, and much more.

CD Projekt Red brought a stunning six-minute cinematic reveal trailer for The Witcher 4 to The Game Awards, which you can watch below in 4K. We've known for a while that the talented studio was moving away from its internal Red Engine for the next Witcher, with the highly anticipated game utilizing Unreal Engine 5.

The Witcher IV - Cinematic Reveal Trailer

For those who noted the text at the bottom of the frame, CD Projekt Red notes that the pre-rendered trailer was created in Unreal Engine 5 with an "unannounced NVIDIA GeForce RTX GPU." Although not rendered in real-time, the action is incredibly detailed, with stunning art direction and characters.

Naughty Dog's critically acclaimed The Last of Us Part II Remastered will be released on April 3, 2025, on PC. Nixxes and Iron Galaxy are working alongside Naughty Dog on the port. The game is based on the enhanced PS5 version released earlier this year and will include "the high performance and robust features that PC players expect."

"We're all thrilled to bring The Last of Us Part II to the PC audience, including all the great new features we added in the Remastered version for PS5," The Last of Us Part II Remastered Game Director Matthew Gallant said. "We hope players enjoy the captivating story, rich combat mechanics, extensive behind-the-scenes commentary, and test their skills in the roguelike mode No Return."

The game will be optimized for PC, and although we don't have details on platform-specific features outside of full PlayStation DualSense controller integration, the studios behind The Last of Us Part I for PC are at the helm and should be adding similar features and support to the game.

Naughty Dog, the landmark developers behind the Last of Us and Uncharted game series, today announce a surprising new direction for the studio's latest project.

Naughty Dog's new IP was revealed at The Game Awards 2024, and it's nothing that we expected. The new game is called Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, a name that hearkens back to the old golden PC big box days of yore where it seemed every game had some sort of outlandish subtitle.

Intergalactic's stylish four-and-a-half-minute trailer was pure visual eye candy, matching high-tech deep sci-fi futurism set thousands of years from now with 80s-style, old-school analog designs. The result is an eclectic mix that blends Alien with Guardians of the Galaxy, complete with the pizzazz and madcap flair you'd find a drifting bounty hunter space punk.

Mafia: The Old Country premiered its first cinematic gameplay trailer at The Game Awards. The 2K and Hangar 13-developed game showcases its brutal 1900s Sicily setting. Described as "the start of a new crime saga for the acclaimed Mafia franchise," it features a story that goes back to the roots of organized crime.

Although this and previous Mafia games are linear, narrative-driven experiences, the fact that you could drive around cities to take on crime-related missions has always meant that the franchise has been closely linked to Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto series. Despite their very different styles, Mafia and GTA comparisons have been made for almost two decades.

The trailer for Mafia: The Old Country also provides a release window, Summer 2025, or sometime during June, July, or August. With the highly anticipated Grand Theft Auto 6 on track for a holiday 2025 release, no doubt 2K will want to get its crime game out months before the gaming world collectively jumps into Rockstar's next GTA game.

It's official: Onimusha is back, and ready to bring bizarre swordplay chaos to a new generation.

While scouting Capcom's franchises, one thought comes to mind: When's a new Onimusha coming? After all, the franchise sold 8.7 million copies since the PS2 era. That might be enough interest to warrant a new game at some point. Now that's actually happening: Capcom is resurrecting the long-dormant Onimusha franchise.

At the Game Awards 2024, Capcom revealed Onimusha: Way of the Sword, a new adventure set in a demon-infused Kyoto, Japan that features an all-new protagonist.

Virtua Fighter is back with a new mainline entry, and the developers of the Yakuza series are making it.

The video games industry's first-ever 3D fighting game is back in the limelight. It's been years since the last big Virtua Fighter game, and SEGA is reviving the franchise--and many others--as part of its big new reinvigorated content slate.

At The Game Awards 2024, SEGA announced the next Virtua Fighter project...but no real details were revealed. That info will be saved for later.

The Elden Ring franchise is expanding with a new game, but it's not a sequel or an expansion.

Tonight at The Game Awards 2024, FromSoftware and Bandai Namco announced Elden Ring: Night Reign, a new standalone co-op experience that's coming in 2025. Gamers won't have to own the original game in order to play Night Reign, and it's unclear where it will fit in in regards to the series' lore.

"This is an action game in which you take on overwhelming situations together with other players," FromSoftware writes on its website.

CD Projekt RED officially announced a new Witcher game at The Game Awards 2024.

It's official: CD Projekt's next Witcher title stars Ciri as the main protagonist. The project was revealed at TGA '24, and it's called The Witcher 4. It's a action RPG just like The Witcher 3, and this time around Ciri has some awesome new tricks up her sleeve, including a brand new grappling hook weapon that she can ignite with the Igni spell.

The Witcher 4's reveal trailer was a cinematic-style experience similar to the original previous games, complete with some brutal combat, a true exploration of monsters and men, and some distinct industry-leading visuals. Witcher 4 is the start of a new 3-game trilogy that stars Ciri, so we're in for a multi-year ride of Witcher games that could span various console generations. While CD Projekt has not announced when The Witcher 4 will come, it's likely due out sometime by 2026, and CD Projekt has entered principal development on the project.

Former Marathon creative director Christopher Barrett is suing Bungie for an astronomical $200 million, which is close to what its parent company Sony paid for Spider-Man darling Insomniac Games back in 2019.

Last year, Bungie and Sony fired Christopher Barrett, who was then the creative director of Bungie's new nascent extraction shooter, Marathon. The reason for the firing, which is the entire focus of the lawsuit, remains unclear, but Bloomberg reports that 8 different women came forward with allegations of inappropriate behavior against Barrett.

Now Barrett is suing both Sony and Bungie in Delaware's Chancery Court, which is essentially a special court focused on businesses incorporated within Delaware. The legal complaint, which was made public by Barrett, alleges that Sony and Bungie "deliberately destroyed Barrett's reputation by falsely, and publicly, insinuating they had investigated Barrett and found that he had engaged in sexual misconduct."

Sony officially confirms that it has sent a letter of interest to acquire manga and anime publishing powerhouse Kadokawa Corp.

Sony has 1.7 trillion yen (about $11.7 billion) to spend on strategic investments, share repurchases, and acquisitions and buyouts across the next three years. This treasure trove isn't just spent on buying studios like Bungie, which Sony purchased in 2022 for $3.7 billion. It's spent on all things, including buying up shares in companies like Epic Games, re-purchasing shares to drive up value, and of course the aforementioned company acquisitions.

New reports say that Sony is eyeing Kadokawa Corp for its next buyout. If Sony bought Kadokawa, it would inherit a vast billion-dollar global multimedia empire that could fill in the missing pieces in Sony's IP catalog. Kadokawa is a leading publisher of manga and anime across the world, and it also owns a few game studios, including the popular Elden Ring developer FromSoftware as well as Spike Chunsoft.

Bungie acknowledges that it has a lot of work to do before Destiny 2 players trust the studio again.

It's tough out there in the games market these days. No one is immune to the current inflation-driven climate, and everyone's cutting costs. Some, like Sony, made a $3.7 billion acquisition during a period of low operating margins and is now paying for its Bungie buyout both with cash and with cost-controlled bloodletting.

So far, the acquisition may not be seen as very favorable for Sony. Destiny 2 has apparently missed revenue targets, stressing the studio to find new ways to grow Destiny 2's earnings. This, combined with high production costs, led to a restructuring of Destiny's content roadmap.