Latest News - Page 453

After bringing several first-party PlayStation games to PC, Sony's decision to add a PlayStation Network login requirement to its releases this year has not been popular with PC gamers. Even single-player titles like God of War Ragnarol and the recent Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered require PC players to link and sign in to the PlayStation Network or PSN.

One of the main criticisms surrounding this decision is that the PlayStation Network isn't available in fewer countries than Valve's Steam, so forcing a PSN sign-in has effectively prevented some gamers from playing PlayStation games on PC. According to Sony's president, COO, and CFO, Hiroki Totoki, the PlayStation Network account requirement is about keeping gamers safe.

In a recent investor call, Sony's president acknowledged that the decision to force PC gamers into the PlayStation Network would "invite pushback," but it had to be done for safety.

Robert Hallock, Intel's VP and GM of client AI and technical marketing, discussed the recent Arrow Lake or Intel Core Ultra 200S Series launch in an interview with HotHardware on YouTube. One topic brought up was the gaming performance of the new flagship Core Ultra 9 285K CPU, which, per our review, performed poorly - especially when stacked against the previous 14th-generation Intel CPUs.

The new Core Ultra 200 desktop processors performed below Intel's expectations, surprising the company. "The launch just didn't go as planned," Robert Hallock said. I will say that the performance we saw in reviews is not what we expected and not what we intended."

It's reminiscent of AMD's recent Zen 5 Ryzen 9000 Series launch, where performance fell below internal expectations, leading to BIOS updates and even Windows updates that aimed to boost performance in specific workloads. This time, it's Intel's turn, as the company plans to roll out updates that will "fix" or improve performance by the end of November or early December.

STALKER 2 has officially gone gold, with developer GSC Game World proudly announcing the news on X. The term 'gone gold' is more old school from the 90s and 2000s where the developer finishes the master copy of the game, and it gets sent off for the mass production of physical discs.

It has been over 17 years since the release of the original STALKER back in 2007, with the last entry in the franchise being STALKER: Call of Pripyat in 2009. GSC Game World's first proper attempt at developing STALKER 2 started immediately, with the game announced in August 2010 for a tentative release in 2012... well, 12 years later, STALKER 2 has gone gold.

The Ukranian developer was dissolved in December 2011, which saw STALKER 2 cancelled. However, Evgeniy Grygorovych, the brother of GSC Game World's original founder Sergiy Grygorovych, resurrected the studio from the dead in late 2014. STALKER 2 was announced in May 2018, with a release window of 2021... and 3 years later, STALKER 2 has gone gold.

SpaceX has teased "Marslink" as a new high-speed internet connection between Mars and Earth, with Elon Musk's startup using an adaption of its Starlink satellite network to pump internet connectivity to Mars.

SpaceX presented Marslink to NASA with the aim of establishing a high-speed data relay system -- something capable of transmitting 4Mbps or more -- across 1.5 astronomical units (AUs), which is the distance between Earth and Mars. The Marslink concept sees multiple satellites in Mars' orbit, using Starlink's advanced laser communications technology to maintain a constant, near-instantaneous data flow between planets.

Elon Musk was recently at now President-elect Trump's rally wearing his iconic "Occupy Mars" t-shirt, and then days later we're seeing Marslink unveiled to the world... which would serve perfectly into future missions to Mars, allowing real-time images and data streams blasted from Mars to Earth. Into the deeper (hopefully not too deep) future, Marslink will assist in ground operations and Mars' orbit assets.

MSI has just introduced its new "X3D Gaming Mode" feature that will give you increased gaming performance when running a single or dual CCD processor from Ryzen and its growing X3D range of chips.

Now that AMD's new Ryzen 7 9800X3D processor is out in the wild, motherboard makers have been quick to launch their own performance-boosting tweaks to X3D processors on their motherboards. MSI's new "X3D Gaming Mode" BIOS feature allows you to disable the other CCD or SMT to improve gaming performance.

MSI's new X3D Gaming Mode will be great for dual CCD processors like the upcoming Ryzen 9 9950X3D, and the Zen 4-based Ryzen 9 7950X3D and Ryzen 9 7900X3D processors. But, it's not just the dual CCD processors that will benefit from X3D Gaming Mode, with single CCD chips seeing performance boosts... perfect timing for the launch of AMD's new gaming champion: the Ryzen 7 9800X3D (you can read our review here).

Intel sent out a memo to its employees this week, starting with reminding its staffers that "although Intel still faces cost challenges" that it will be finding coins in its lounges to restart its free coffee and tea for staffers to boost morale in these dark times for Team Blue.

The Oregonian reports that Intel explained on its internal messaging forum dubbed Circuit: "Although Intel still faces cost challenges, we understand that small comforts play a significant role in our daily routines. We know this is a small step, but we hope it is a meaningful one in supporting our workplace culture".

Intel has of course declined to comment, and while the $100 million-per-year free coffee and tea train is back on again -- remember folks, Intel is going through cost challenges -- the free fruit isn't on offer after it was eliminated last summer.

GIGABYTE has just launched its new X870I AORUS PRO ICE motherboard, the company's first X870-based Mini-ITX board which costs $299. Check it out:

The company is using an 8+2+1 (VCORE+SOC+MISC) phase VRM design that supports AMD's extensive AM5 socket, ready to rock and roll with up to Zen 5-based processors like the just-released AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D processor. GIGABYTE's new X870I AORUS PRO ICE motherboard has 2 x DDR5 DIMMs (hey, it's a Mini-ITX mobo) with support for up to DDR5-8800 memory through AMD EXPO overclocking profiles.

There's also room for 2 x M.2 SSDs (1 x Gen5 + 1 x Gen4) while there's a full-sized PCIe 5.0 x16 slot ready for graphics cards, with GIGABYTE's reinforced UD Slot X design (Ultra Durable) that supports heavier graphics cards. GIGABYTE's new X870I AORUS ICE PRO motherboard also features Wi-Fi 7 and features the company's new "EZ-Plug" antenna system.

ORIGIN PC has just launched its new Custom Labs bundles, offering new designs and complete matching sets that combine cutting-edge tech with "unparalleled aesthetics". Check it out:

The new ORIGIN PC Custom Labs arrive in a variety of unique designs, with a sleek and sophisticated Dark Cherry, the delicate and beautiful Cherry Blossom, the mesmerizing Dreamscape, and the bold Tigerstripe Red. These designs are available in versatile cases such as the spacious 5000D, the premium 5000X with tempered glass panels, and the 3500X with a stunning wraparound tempered glass.

It's not just the gaming PC itself, but ORIGIN PC offers a bunch of matching accessories with a controller, wireless keyboard, wireless mouse, and mousepad. Remember, Corsair acquired ORIGIN PC so we have a suite of gorgeously-themed gaming accessories from Corsair which include:

Lian Li has just launched its new DK07 motorized standing desk, that has been designed to handle a single powerful PC or even dual E-ATX setups. Check it out:

The new Lian Li DK07 features more than enough space for systems as well as efficient cable management, with built-in cable clips, a large underbelly cable tray, and not one, but two organizer drawers that will make for the best clutter-free gaming and workspace you can imagine. Lian Li goes as far as featuring convenient features like a wireless charging pad with built-in USB ports, too.

Lian Li has built the new DK07 desk for power users that want a single super-beast system or dual-system configurations to fit inside of the desk, with a modular bracket design at the rear of the DK07 that enhances compatibility and simplifies the installation process when switching behind the systems.

Windows 11 (and 10) users have been in a bit of an odd place with the lock screen after Microsoft brought widgets to it - but that'll change soon enough, with a proper set of customization options apparently being readied.

Windows Latest has the details on this one, having been digging around in a preview build of Windows 11.

Currently, as you may be aware, Windows 11 and Windows 10's lock screens have an all-or-nothing situation for MSN widgets - you get the lot, or you can turn them all off, but nothing in-between.

AMD is planning to unleash its Zen 6 desktop processors either late in 2026, or early in 2027, according to the latest from the rumor mill.

This comes from well-known leaker Kepler, who posted some fresh speculation on X, as you can see above.

The good news for those wondering about motherboard compatibility is that Zen 6 chips will stick with the same socket, we're told. So existing AM5 boards will be good for upgrades to whatever AMD decides to call these CPUs. (Ryzen 10000 seems like it might look a bit odd - it may just be time for a change of tack).

It's no secret that Microsoft wants Windows 10 users to upgrade to Windows 11 - what with the end-of-life of the older OS coming round in less than a year - and the campaign to push this is seemingly being cranked up a notch.

As Neowin observes, there has been an uptick in Microsoft placing messaging on various official web pages reminding people that Windows 10 is on its way out, and that they should be looking to migrate to Windows 11 ideally.

The tech site has spotted another banner urging said upgrade, when you go to the Microsoft web page telling you how to create installation media for Windows. In the section for Windows 10, there's now a warning that states:

GEIL (Golden Emperor International Ltd) has announced that its entire range of DDR5 RAM will now be available in CUDIMM and UDIMM flavors, with overclocking possible up to a speed of 9200MT/s.

CUDIMM is a relatively fresh, but growing, trend in the world of system memory which benefits from a clock driver being present on the RAM stick.

So, instead of relying on the system clock, there's an onboard clock which gives better stability to the memory module - obviously that's particularly important when overclocking, particularly to very high speeds.

This week on the TT Show, Jak and Kosta discuss and review the latest PC hardware, including the new Ryzen 7 9800X3D. With Chris's in-depth TweakTown review live, the good news is that Zen 5's 3D V-Cache enhanced chip is an absolute beast for PC gaming while providing a substantial boost to productivity performance for creators.

In a review-stacked episode, Jak reviews some of the best 27-inch 1440p and 32-inch 4K OLED gaming displays currently available - spoiler alert, stylish, and feature-packed Alienware models. However, with ASUS, MSI, and Samsung all releasing OLED displays with third-generation QD-OLED panels, you'd be hard-pressed to find a bad OLED in 2024.

Switching gears to the world of peripherals, Kosta reviews the Meletrix Zoom75 TIGA mechanical keyboard kit, the first mechanical keyboard he built from scratch. The result was not only a fantastic new keyboard, but the whole process gave him a greater appreciation for modern custom keyboards' modular, layered, and logical design.

NVIDIA has made some big changes to GeForce Now and the middle plan most gamers will be using - and while there are upgrades here, a choice to limit playing time has caused a storm of controversy.

Team Green has changed the Priority subscription - which is the middle ground between the premium Ultimate subscription, and the Free tier - to rename it as the Performance plan to reflect that it now supports up to 1440p resolution. Previously, these members were streaming at 1080p, and also ultra-wide is now supported, too.

On top of this, those using the new Performance membership will be able to save in-game graphics settings in the cloud, so those options will be applied permanently to avoid messing about and having to change them all the time.

NVIDIA hasn't even made its next-gen GeForce RTX 50 series "Blackwell" GPUs official yet, but the company is full-steam ahead trademarking future-gen GeForce RTX 60 series GPUs including new flagship cards like the GeForce RTX 6090 SUPER, RTX 6090 Ti, and RTX 6090 graphics cards.

In a new submittion of new RTX series GPUs to the Eurasian Economic Commission (ECC) regulatory body, NVIDIA is preparing itself for a wave of cards including the GeForce RTX 6090 SUPER, RTX 6090 Ti, and RTX 6090 as well as the RTX 5090 SUPER, RTX 5090 Ti, and RTX 5090. This is at the top end of each series, but there are filings for the RTX 6080 SUPER, RTX 6080 Ti, and so on.

We shouldn't expect all of these GPUs to come out, but NVIDIA has to prepare ahead of time as AMD is cooking behind the scenes with its next-gen RDNA 5 GPU architecture (the one after RDNA 4 which launches in 2025). We should expect NVIDIA to dub its future-gen GeForce RTX 60 series "Rubin" after the Rubin R100 AI GPU (with next-gen HBM4 memory) launches in 2025.

US President Biden and President-elect Trump are rumored to BOTH be attending TSMC's upcoming opening ceremony for its semiconductor fab in Arizona in the first week of December.

TSMC hasn't confirmed the news just yet, but DigiTimes is reporting that Taiwan Minister of Economic Affairs Kuo Chi-hui recently revealed that TSMC will have a "very good ceremony" in December 2024. After the previous star-studded entrance ceremony, "it was reported that the President of the United States will attend the December event".

DigiTimes notes that now that the 2024 US elections are over and President Trump has won, that he "may also participate". TSMC is not just one of the key players, but the Taiwanese giant isthe key player in semiconductor dominance for the United States.

As part of its latest Quarterly Earnings report for Q2 2025, Take-Two Interactive has confirmed that the highly anticipated Grand Theft Auto VI will launch in Fall 2025. This means the game will debut on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S consoles between September, October, and November 2025.

With the GTA franchise now selling over 435 million units, with 205 million of that attributed to Gran Theft Auto V, there's no doubt that GTA 6 is easily one of the most anticipated games of all time. Based on the hype, it is simply a question of 'how big will it be,' especially when you factor in that the PC version probably won't arrive until late 2026 at the earliest.

Strauss Zelnick, Chairman and CEO of Take-Two Interactive, confirmed the release window and stated that Borderlands 4 and Mafia: The Old Country will be out before March 2026. There's also a bit of a BioShock tease with the franchise highlighted as one of 2K's "industry-leading" IPs.

Quanta Computer is reportedly gearing up to boost production of its AI servers in the US, as the Taiwan AI server giant has its US factories "fully loaded" until the end of 2025.

NVIDIA's new entry with GB200 has been trial-produced in factories in both Taiwan and the United States, with volume of GB200 slowly increasing in Q1 2025 for Quanta Computer, noting that "the situation is very good". Yang Qiling, executive deputy general manager of Quanta attended the recent Taiwan Semiconductor Industry Association (TSIA) annual meeting and was interviewed, which is where the new information is coming from.

Qiling noted that Quanta has production capacity on both the east and west coasts othe United States, but will continue to expand its two factories in the US "in response to demand in the future". There was concern about US manufacturing issues that might arise in the new Trump administration, but "Quanta is more comfortable with it".

A new patent (spotted by Tech4Gamers) from Sony outlines a new controller design with a dedicated button that will allow PlayStation gamers to 'rewind' gameplay. The patent explains that PlayStation gamers who press the button will be presented with a gameplay timeline, which they can scroll, bookmark, relive, and share.

Sony notes that it could be used as an information tool for gamers who want to relisten to conversations in an RPG again for hints or figure out where that place was where they found an item or discovered something new. Where it gets wild is that the rewind feature could even let you replay and relive your favorite moments, boss battles, and encounters.

As a new patent, the wording is very clinical and matter-of-fact, with Sony confirming that "accessing recent gameplay while the player is playing a video game is difficult" and technically challenging. So, the assumption is that this tech will probably find its way into the PlayStation 6 and the next iteration of the DualSense controller.