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Steam's hardware survey for November 2024 has arrived and there's been quite a surge in popularity for Windows 11.

Valve breaks down all manner of stats as part of the monthly survey, and in this case, in the operating system category, Windows 11 has risen by the largest amount we can recall. As far as we're aware, the biggest previous rise was 3.4% which happened in the August 2024 survey. (Not counting months where weirdness has impacted the survey in some way, skewing some stats badly).

In November, Windows 11 rose by 4.18%, and now sits on 52.98%, with Windows 10 falling by almost the same amount - slightly less at 4.15% - to leave the older OS on 43.31%.

You're doubtless familiar with Valve's hardware survey for Steam, and amongst the stats provided there is a ranking of the most popular graphics cards - with Intel's Arc brand finally making it onto that list.

The revelation came via a post on X from Haze that VideoCardz spotted, and we should clarify that the new entry in Steam's GPU rankings (for November) is for 'Intel Arc Graphics' which is the collective listing for all Alchemist laptop GPUs. These now have a share of 0.18% of all the graphics cards used on Steam.

These integrated graphics solutions don't register as separate model names, they're all lumped under that one umbrella label, which obviously helps bolster their chances of appearing in the rankings.

Cyber Monday has arrived on Amazon, extending the frenzy of Black Friday deals for a limited time with discounts on various PC hardware, including gaming monitors, SSDs, headphones, and much more.

Cyber Monday offers one of your final opportunities to score fantastic deals on items from your Christmas shopping list. Although Black Friday has ended, some retailers are continuing the sale madness into this week, with online retailers launching fresh discounts for Cyber Monday. Amazon, well-known for its discounts, is fully immersed in Cyber Monday deals, and if you want to save hundreds on new headphones, check out the details below.

Here are some of the top Cyber Monday deals on headphones. Headphones are heavily discounted, with various brands such as Sony, Beats, Bose, and Sennheiser. If you're interested in exploring more Cyber Monday deals on Amazon, now's the time, check out the link here.

Cyber Monday has arrived on Amazon, which means the madness of the Black Friday deals continues for a limited amount of time.

Cyber Monday is one of your last chances to snag some great deals on items written on your Christmas shopping list. Black Friday has wrapped up, and some retailers are continuing the sale madness for a few days this week, but online retailers are kicking off discounts with Cyber Monday. Amazon is no stranger to discounts, and the online retailer has already been taken over by Cyber Monday deals.

Below are some of the best Cyber Monday deals I could find in the PC gaming category on Amazon. PC hardware has been discounted heavily on Amazon, with an AMD Ryzen 7 5700X CPU being 59%, gaming monitors being discounted as much as 42% and much more. If you are interested in looking at more Cyber Monday deals on Amazon, check out this link here.

Cyber Monday has arrived on Amazon, marking the last of the crazy deal bonanza that happens every year in the last week of November.

Amazon has been littered with crazy deals for the past week, and now that Black Friday has officially wrapped up Cyber Monday has kicked off, with thousands of products discounted across online marketplaces. Amazon is no stranger to discounts, and right now on the online retailer buyers can save hundreds across a variety of PC hardware, including graphics cards, gaming monitors, gaming consoles, laptops, and more.

Below are some of the best Cyber Monday deals I found after browsing Amazon, with discounts of up to 39% on select Samsung gaming monitors, 21% on an ASUS gaming laptop, and 47% on a 4TB Samsung SSD.

InWin's 11th-generation "signature chassis," the Infinite, is an absolute beast of a unit - weighing 103.6 pounds or 47 kilograms. It looks like a futuristic space station with 180-degree curved glass and a premium aluminum shell - which the company calls "a PC industry-first."

"These two premium materials encompass each other, creating a stunning view of infinite expansion," the description reads. "Experience the pinnacle of innovation where craftsmanship meets artisanal mastery." The inner case is also mechanized so it can stand vertically or tilt up to 45 degrees for easy access to components and to look like something from the distant future.

Going back to the curved glass, at 6mm thick, it's an impressive engineering feat to create a single piece that twists and turns in opposite directions - presenting a one-of-a-kind look that makes the InWin Infinite case stand out from the pack.

The MSI Claw 8 AI+ is the company's second portable PC gaming handheld built on Intel hardware running Windows 11. It will be the first to use Intel's Lunar Lake architecture with next-gen Intel Arc 140V graphics in the Intel Core Ultra 7 258V processor. This is the follow-up to 2024's MSI Claw 7, which was powered by Meteor Lake.

The device is set to launch soon and make an appearance at CES 2025. Still, ahead of its debut, we've already got retail listings at Amazon and ExcaliberPC - listings that give us the full specs and pricing on the flagship MSI Claw 8 AI+ handheld, which will cost $100 more than the ROG Ally X refresh from ASUS.

Outside of the processor, the new flagship gaming handheld from MSI features a larger 8-inch 1080p display with a 120 Hz refresh rate, 32 GB of LPDDR5X-8533MHz memory, 1TB of internal PCIe NVMe SSD storage, a massive 80 WHr battery, and a $899 USD price tag. MSI also plans to launch an MSI Claw 7 AI+ with a smaller 7-inch display for $799.

Microsoft planned to add a new feature to its Xbox App for Android devices in November: the ability to purchase and play Xbox games directly from the Xbox App. According to Microsoft and Xbox executive Sarah Bond, the new feature is 'ready to go live' but is being held back because Google is requesting a stay while it appeals a legal decision that would allow exactly that.

Google is appealing the ruling in the Epic v. Google case, which deemed that its Android app store, the Google Play storefront, is an illegal monopoly. Google would have to allow and distribute third-party app stores within Google Play while giving third-party app stores access to all Google Play apps. There's more to the ruling, but with Google appealing the decision, Microsoft isn't able to launch its Xbox store alternative.

"At Xbox, we want to offer players more choice on how and where they play, including being able to play and buy games directly from the Xbox app," Sarah Bond wrote on social media platform Bluesky.

SEGA's ill-fated FPS game Hyenas was wiped out last year, and new investor reports give us an idea of the publisher's thought process behind the game's cancellation.

A bit ago, SEGA, the house of Sonic, wanted to make a live service first-person shooter. The project was called Hyenas, and it was in development at its European subsidiary Creative Assembly. Hyenas was to be the budding fruit of a nascent new strategy from SEGA--one called Super Games, which took aim at online-driven experiences that lasted for multiple years.Unfortunately, the project was cancelled and Hyenas was shut down before it even launched. Now we know why SEGA pulled the plug.

In a word, it comes down to the same that's wracked the games industry over the last two years: Cost. Live games are expensive in all aspects. SEGA should know--it runs and operates Phantasy Star Online 2, a successful live game.

After new retail listings for Intel Arc B580 'Battlemage' GPUs from ASRock leaked, alongside details on a Limited Edition reference model from Intel, we've got word on a second next-gen Arc GPU coming. The Intel Arc B570 will be a lower-tier option with 10GB of VRAM and slightly lower specs than the B580.

The information arrives via Videocardz, which posted a full spec sheet for the ASRock Intel Arc B570 Challenger 10GB OC variant. According to the details, spec sheets, and the ASRock Intel Arc B580 Steel Legend 12GB OC, the lower-tier B570 will feature 18 Xe2 Cores compared to the 20 in the B580.

It also confirms that the B570's 10GB of VRAM will feature a 160-bit memory bus, so its overall bandwidth will be notably lower than that of the B580's 12GB of VRAM on a 192-bit bus. With Intel confirming that it's set to formally announce its next-gen Arc desktop graphics cards this week, here's a look at the leaked specs for these two GPUs ahead of the official reveal.

Insomniac's original mega-hit Spider-Man game managed to make nearly $4 billion in sales revenue in about two years after release.

Sony's first Spider-Man game was apparently an extremely profitable game. According to a LinkedIn page for a Sony Interactive Entertainment marketing manager, the Spider-Man game pulled in $3.8 billion revenue. Leaked data from PlayStation's internal files show that Spider-Man had a budget of around $90 million, but it's unclear whether or not this includes marketing--video game budgets often balloon upwards like this.

The snippet also mentions that Spider-Man had sold 20 million game copies worldwide. The sales volume milestone was found in 2020. Also bear in mind that Sony did bundle the original Spider-Man game with PlayStation 4 consoles, so that will boost the revenue well past the original $59.99 MSRP of the game itself.

"We've got some big graphics news," the post from the Intel Gaming social media channel confirms, pointing to December 3 at 9 am ET and the Intel Gaming YouTube channel as the destination for its next-gen Battlemage graphics card or cards.

The teaser video doesn't confirm or explicitly state that it will be for the new Intel Arc B580 (and B570) 'Battlemage' GPUs that have leaked, but it does clearly show the outline of a new card that looks like the first-gen Limited Edition models from Intel. So, with retail listings, benchmark results, spec sheets, and reference models all showing up online in the past week or so - we'll finally get our first look at Intel's second-gen Arc graphics for desktop rigs this week.

How this presentation will play out is anyone's guess. Still, with the Intel Arc B580's $250 or so price point - which will also feature 12GB of VRAM - Intel will undoubtedly need to present its overall value as a budget or affordable winner.

Intel is navigating the "most difficult period in its 56-year history," from Foundry issues to a plummeting stock price, massive layoffs of its workforce, and controversies surrounding its desktop CPU products. With the company seemingly in damage control, there is speculation that it would split off its foundry or chip-making business as a measure to turn things around.

As it turns out, Intel's CHIPS Act deal with the U.S. government is worth $7.86 billion and has a particular "change of control" restriction. The restriction or stipulation of the agreement states that Intel needs to retain 50.1% of control or ownership of its Foundry business. If Intel plans to spin off this part of its business to become a separate entity (which it is doing), it will have to maintain control.

The CHIPS Act aims to boost semiconductor manufacturing in the US. Hence, this restriction aligns with the endeavor's goal of making virtually all industries within the country less reliant on overseas companies for chips and processors.

Black Friday deals are upon us, and ASUS has discounted a range of its products on Amazon and other online marketplaces. Below are some of the best deals on ASUS products.

The madness of Black Friday and Cyber Monday has officially kicked off, with thousands of products discounted across various online marketplaces and retailers. Black Friday and Cyber Monday offer shoppers a great opportunity to snag a fantastic deal on an item they've had their eye on for quite some time, along with the potential to cross a few names off the Christmas shopping list.

ASUS, being one of the leading brands in the PC hardware industry has discounted several of its product offerings, such as its gaming laptops, GPUs, routers, gaming monitors, and much more. Below are some of my personal favorite deals that are currently available on Amazon for a limited time. Happy shopping!

Black Friday is upon us which means discounts have run rampant across online marketplaces such as Amazon, and even some Apple products have had their prices slashed.

The end of November Black Friday/Cyber Monday sales are some of the best opportunities to snag a great deal on an item you have had your eye on for quite some time. With Christmas right around the corner, it's also a great time to cross a few names off that present list while saving some money in the process. If your heart is set on Apple, you will likely know Apple products don't often go on sale, but Amazon has discounted a few of the company's offerings with discounts of up to 23%.

Amazon has slashed prices across Apple M3 MacBook's in the 13-inch and 15-inch Air variants, along with an Apple Studio Display, which offers savings of up to $319. If you are interested in an Apple Watch, Black Friday has reduces the price of the Apple Watch Ultra by 16%. Buyers save $69.96 if the purchase is made during the sale period.

SEGA reiterates its new mid-term plans for games development and IP expansion, including its still-in-development Super Game initiative.

Japanese games publisher SEGA has been planning an interesting new strategy for a while now. The company wants to get into live service games and put together a new umbrella term for its idea--"Super Game," a take on mega-hit live service games that rule gaming today. And SEGA happens to have one such game under its wing with Phantasy Star Online. This plan was pared back with the cancellation of Hyenas, a shooter game from Creative Assembly.

A new financial snippet from SEGA's latest annual report shows how the publisher is treating its Super Game strategy in the years ahead. SEGA will allocate over 30 billion yen, or about $200 milion in today's exchange rates, to fund Super Games across the next mid-term range of 3 years.

This week on the TT Show, Jak and Kosta dive into the news surrounding Sony's plans to create a new PlayStation portable gaming handheld that will be powerful enough to run PS5 games natively. It's exciting if true, but it could be a few years off. Such a device has a good chance of hitting the same heights as the company's first handheld, the iconic Sony PSP.

In other handheld news, the duo briefly examines what the upcoming Xbox handheld might look like while discussing the eventual Steam Deck 2 - it's an exciting future for portable gaming. Moving over to the world of OLED displays, rumors point to Samsung unveiling a world first at CES 2025 - a 500 Hz OLED gaming monitor.

This week, Jak and Kosta also discuss some recent hardware they've reviewed. Kosta discusses his recent review of the RGB-lit Razer Barracuda X Chroma Wireless Gaming Headset. Jak goes deep into the massive curved 39-inch OLED panel that powers the new Acer Predator X39 Gaming Monitor.

SCDKEY is bringing the excitement this Black Friday with a range of unbeatable deals, exclusively for TweakTown readers! If you've been waiting for the perfect moment to upgrade your software at an amazing price, now's your chance. For instance, you can secure a Windows 11 Pro OEM key for an incredibly low $23.50 after using the 25% discount coupon code TT25.

And that's just the beginning! They've got a lineup of incredible offers tailored to help you save big this Black Friday. Check out some of the top deals available right now:

The first step toward saving on Microsoft software is to click the "buy now" button on the product page. It's easy to purchase and activate software keys at SCDKEY.com. On the software activation key purchase page for the product you want, just click the Buy Now button. Then simply sign up quickly for your free account (or log in if you're a repeat customer). After you complete your purchase, you will receive your software activation link via email.

Microsoft has reportedly been asked by the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to provide information on its business practises in the following markets: cloud, artificial intelligence, and infosec.

According to sources who spoke to CNN, The Washington Post, and Bloomberg, the FTC has launched a probe into Microsoft and requested that the company provide the regulator with information on the three aforementioned businesses and others that aren't listed. What could the regulator be investigating specifically? As for cloud practices that could be in violation, European authorities have pressed Redmond over its deals being exclusive to Azure customers.

Microsoft security could also be another point of interest for regulators as Microsoft's products have recently become compromised, leading to foreign adversaries infiltrating government email accounts and making off with valuable information. As for artificial intelligence, European authorities are already questioning if Microsoft's close $10 billion partnership with OpenAI is intentionally designed to avoid the microscope of an official acquisition but still maintain the level of influence or control on the market.

A former Google employee is being taken to court over allegedly leaking trade secrets about the company's Google Pixel smartphone.

Google has officially filed a lawsuit against a former employee for allegedly leaking trade secrets following his departure from the company. According to Google's legal action filed in the US District Court for the Western District of Texas, Harshit Roy, a former Google employee whose LinkedIn's page states he was at the company for four years starting in 2020, is allegedly responsible for the distribution of internal documents revealing the hardware inside future generation Google Pixel smartphones.

According to the legal action, Roy, who was responsible for the design, development, and optimization of unreleased System-on-Chip (SoC) onto Pixel smartphones, posted confidential information on X about the unreleased chips, shared internal Google documents, and threatened Google with further disclosures. Additionally, Google alleges Roy ignored takedown requests for all of the leaked content he posted, along with Google's effort to resolve the matter "without judicial intervention."