Latest News - Page 456

Halo 2 is widely considered the franchise's high watermark, a landmark console first-person shooter, and one of the greatest Xbox games ever. With its cinematic campaign, fantastic multiplayer, and responsive controls, it still holds up in 2024 - even if the visuals are now a little dated.

Ahead of the game's launch in 2004, Microsoft and Bungie presented the game for the first time at E3 2003 with an epic early look at the game that quickly became one of the most talked-about demos at the show - and is still remembered fondly today.

As with any pre-release demo, it was an early build of the game that differed from the final launch version. With Halo 2 celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, as a special treat for Halo fans, the iconic Halo 2 E3 2003 demo will be playable for the first time as a remastered free mod available via the Steam Workshop on November 9 for Halo: The Master Chief Collection.

Ubisoft's open-world action-adventure Star Wars Outlaws launched on August 27, 2024, to mixed reviews. Most criticism focused on the game's lack of polish, bugs, simplistic mechanics, and inconsistent visuals. And with poor sales, it did little to reverse Ubisoft's current troubles as a major game publisher.

However, Ubisoft and the development teams at Massive Entertainment and Lucasfilm Games are committed to improving the game with a massive Update 1.4 on November 21 alongside the game's Steam launch. In addition, Drew Rechner is replacing Julian Gerighty as the game's Creative Director, who will lead the post-launch development and improvements being made to the game.

In a new blog post outlining the studio's plans for the game, Drew Rechner outlines the "three key areas in which we're looking to improve the game."

Australian tech company espresso Displays focuses on creating high-quality, versatile, and stylish external displays. Its latest product, the espresso Display 15 and Stand+, is a more affordable 1080p (FHD) option for laptop users, mini PC users, and those with gaming handhelds like the Steam Deck and ROG Ally.

With the bundle available for $299 USD, the espresso Display 15 features the same high-grade premium aluminum design and robust build of the company's previous products. It also features the latest magnetic Stand+, allowing easy configuration and orientation above or beside a laptop for that on-the-go second-screen experience.

The 15.6-inch LCD screen features a Full HD (1920 x 1080) resolution, 300 nits of brightness, 99% SRGB color accuracy, a 1000:1 contrast ratio, and two USB-C ports for input and power. The only thing missing, and something that has helped bring the cost down, are the touch-screen features found in other espresso Displays.

KLEVV has just unveiled its new URBANE V RGB DDR5 Gaming OC memory, with a beautiful white aesthetic, RGB lighting, and speeds of up to 8400 MT/s.

The new KLEVV URBANE V RGB DDR5 Gaming OC memory has been crafted for content creators and gamers, with the company explaining its new memory captures the "essence of speed, stability, and precision". KLEVV is making its new URBANE V RGB DDR5 Gaming OC memory available in 32GB kits (16GB x 2), 48GB kits (24GB x 2) and 64GB kits (32GB x 2) with speeds of up to 8400 MT/s.

KLEVV says that its new URBANE V RGB DDR5 Gaming OC memory has been built a robust 10-layer PCB, which provides enhanced signal integrity and stability, allowing for consistent, high-speed data processing. We've also got extremely low voltage settings that range between 1.1V and 1.45V depending on the speed.

Acer has just teased its new CUDIMM memory modules, with the introduction of its new CUDIMM memory module design called Hera DDR5 Special Edition. It's covered in a real gold mirror finish, endorsed by the in-house OC lab, and can crank up to speeds beyond 10,000 MT/s.

Acer announced its new Predator Hera DDR5 Special Edition UDIMM memory modules on social media, powered by SK hynix memory chips and a single memory module of up to 24GB. On default settings, Acer's new UDIMM memory modules with an Intel XMP profile set to 9200 MT/s at CL46-56-46-134 latencies.

A second XMP profile is also on offer for advanced users, clocking in at 9466 MT/s at CL48-57-57-134 latencies, and while the higher speeds are normally used with the primary XMP profile, Acer is being careful as not all motherboards can handle these lofty DDR5 speeds of up to and over 10,000 MT/s.

NVIDIA and MediaTek's upcoming Arm-based consumer-focused CPU is aiming for the high-end market according to new reports, expected in the second half of 2025.

In a new report from DigiTimes, we're learning that NVIDIA's new AI PC processor will join the fray with Microsoft, Qualcomm, AMD, and Intel by laying the foundation for the Windows-on-Arm ecosystem. NVIDIA plans to join the AI PC processor game and use its gigantic ecosystem of partners to design, and deliver regular applications and games for its Arm-based processors.

Not just that, but NVIDIA is also cooking up its new GeForce RTX 50 series "Blackwell" desktop graphics cards, and its new GeForce RTX 50 Laptop series "Blackwell" mobile GPUs, which will end up being featured inside of these new AI PCs with an NVIDIA + MediaTek CPU based on the Arm architecture.

MSI's new MEG Z890 Unify-X motherboard has been used with Kingston's new Fury Renegade DDR5 UDIMM memory modules to break the memory OC world record with speeds of 12196 MT/s.

MSI overclocker Kovan Yang used the MSI MEG Z890 Unify-X motherboard, which is a high-end Z890 motherboard designed for overclocking, rocking just two DDR5 DIMMs. Yang didn't just want to reach a new benchmark record, but rather a high and stable frequency that was validated with CPU-Z, something that regularly involves overclocking a single DIMM (a 24GB module in this case).

Kingston's new Fury Renegade DDR5 UDIMM memory modules were used, and pushed to 6097.6MHz (12196 MT/s) with 48-120-120-127-2 timings. As for the CPU, Yang used the Intel Core Ultra 7 265KF processor, which was tweaked to run with just two CPU cores at 400MHz. You wouldn't run your everyday PC like this, but these tweaks are required for breaking OC memory records like this.

AMD is expected to announce its new Ryzen Z2 Extreme chip for gaming handhelds at CES 2025. It will be based on the company's Strix Point architecture with Zen 5 cores and upgraded RDNA 3.5 graphics, as seen with the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370's Radeon 890M graphics.

Instead of waiting for the gaming-handheld-optimized Ryzen Z2 Extreme chip to arrive on the scene, One-Notebook has formally unveiled its new OneXFly F1 Pro PC gaming handheld that features AMD's Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 APU. What makes this exciting is that even though RDNA 3.5 is an incremental update, you're looking at around 20% more gaming performance than the current-gen Ryzen Z1 Extreme seen in handhelds like ROG Ally from ASUS.

The OneXFly F1 Pro is a slick-looking unit with a 7-inch OLED display with an impressive 144Hz refresh rate. One-Notebook has posted a new video showcasing an engineering sample running the in-game benchmark tool in Black Myth: Wukong.

AMD's Zen X3D CPUs are launching this week, with the arrival of the Ryzen 7 9800X3D on November 7. With an impressive 104MB of Total Cache and an MSRP of $479 USD, the eight-core and 16-thread CPU also sports a 4.7 GHz base clock and a 5.2 GHz max boost clock with support for additional overclocking.

According to AMD's data, the new Ryzen 7 9800X3D will deliver an "average 8% gaming performance improvement" compared to the previous generation and "an average 20% faster" performance than the competition - i.e., Intel's new flagship Core Ultra 9 285K. However, AMD has only announced this single Ryzen 9000 X3D chip, with no word on additional models like the Ryzen 9 9900X3D and Ryzen 9 9950X3D.

Rumors point to 16-core Zen 5 3D V-Cache CPUs being announced at CES 2025 in January, with optimized performance for non-gaming workloads. According to GIGABYTE's new press release for its new X3D Turbo Mode for its X870E, X870, and 600 series motherboards, the company not only confirms that Ryzen 9000 series 16-core X3D processors are coming but also offers up some early performance info.

November 7 will be a big one for new tech aimed at gamers. In the console world, Sony is launching its powerful new PlayStation 5 console. In the land of PC gaming, AMD is set to launch its highly anticipated new AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D CPU - a processor designed to deliver the absolute best PC gaming performance.

Reviews will start dropping soon, providing all of the in-depth information we've been craving regarding the successor to the popular gaming champ, the Ryzen 7 7800X3D. However, that hasn't stopped benchmarks from slipping out - with the latest showcasing a significant improvement compared to the previous X3D generation.

The Ryzen 7 9800X3D CPU with 3D V-Cache can indeed be overclocked, and the proof is in a new Geekbench submission (via @Olrak29_ on X) showcasing the stock boost frequency of 5.2 GHz pushed to 5.46 GHz - a 260 MHz increase. Unlike the previous X3D generation, which disabled overclocking, Zen 5's X3D generation will be OC-friendly and lead to impressive gains.

Huawei unveiled its new Ascend 910B AI chip earlier this year, but it has been discovered that a chip made by TSMC was found inside of the AI processor... which isn't good, at all.

In a new report from the Taipei Times, we're learning that this could be a (huge) breach of US export restrictions, that have been in place against seeing sensitive technologies used by Chinese companies and the CCP government. This incident has triggered "significant concern" in the IT industry, as it appears that "proxy buyers are acting on behalf of restricted Chinese companies to bypass the US rules, which are intended to protect its national security".

How was this discovered? Canada-based research firm TechInsights performed a die analysis of Huawei's new Ascend P910B AI trainer, releasing its findings on October 9. Inside, was a TSMC chip that was part of a multi-chip system that Huawei used for the AI trainer, with TSMC informed of the discovery on October 23. TSMC said it had notified the governments in Taipei and Washington of the issue.

Sony's mid-generation console refresh, the PlayStation 5 Pro, is officially launching on November 7. It is a more powerful console with a beefed-up GPU that includes advanced ray-tracing hardware from AMD's unreleased RDNA 4 GPU architecture. The console also introduces the new PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution or PSSR upscaling, which developers and press are hailing as the console's DLSS-like secret weapon.

The PS5 Pro's additional power will not only be tapped into with new game releases, like the highly anticipated Grand Theft Auto 6, but several existing blockbusters and classics already available. From Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 to Apex Legends to Stellar Blade, each title's 'PS5 Pro Enhanced' update will expand the game's visual fidelity - from improved frame rates pushing Fidelity modes to 60 FPS to more advanced ray-tracing and enhanced image clarity thanks to PSSR.

Ahead of the console's debut, Sony has confirmed that 55 titles will feature PS5 Pro enhancements at launch, with "many more to follow."

2024 simply isn't the year for Intel as the company's stock is down 51% to date, and now reports indicate the company has been booted from the Dow Jones Industrial Average index.

Intel was on the Dow Jones index for 25 years, and now, according to reports NVIDIA is set to take the company's spot on the index right as the GPU giant reaches a $3 trillion market cap, rivaling only that of Apple. For perspective, Intel currently has a market cap of $99 billion. The removal of Intel and the addition of NVIDIA in its place highlights the mounting rise of the GPU giant propelled by the exponential demand for artificial intelligence-powered solutions.

NVIDIA was extremely well-positioned to supply the demand for AI hardware, while Intel wasn't able to capitalize on the early adoption and has since been behind the eight-ball in terms of quality offerings. Additionally, Intel is suffering from a massive brand hit as its 13th and 14th gen CPUs were discovered to have hardware faults. These faults weren't discovered for many months, and Intel's communication with customers throughout the information-acquiring period about the issue was choppy at best. This has resulted in consumer trust being broken and significant stock value drops.

AMD and Fujitsu have just announced a new strategic partnership to create computing platforms for AI and high-performance computing (HPC).

The new partnership includes aspects from technology development to commercialization, and will further boost the creation of open source and energy-efficient platforms using advanced processors with "superior power performance and highly flexible AI/HPC software" that aims to accelerate open-source AI and HPC initiatives.

The insane rise of AI including generative AI, cloud service providers (CSPs) and users are wanting optimized architectures, at various price and power-per-performance configurations explains AMD in the press release.

Other World Computing (OWC) has just unveiled its new Thunderbolt 5 external SSD and cable, ready for Apple's new M4-powered Macs, and Thunderbolt 5-ready PCs and laptops.

OWC is today introducing its Envoy Ultra SSD and OWC Thunderbolt 5 (USB-C) cables, ready for Apple's new Mac mini powered by the new M4 Pro processor, and the new MacBook Pro laptops powered by the M4 Pro and M4 Max processors.

Larry O'Connor, CEO and Founder, Other World Computing (OWC) said: "Thunderbolt 5 unlocks a new world of possibilities for users, and OWC is proud to be at the forefront of this exciting evolution. With the Envoy Ultra SSD and our Thunderbolt 5 cables, we're giving Mac Mini and MacBook Pro users the speed, reliability, and power they need to push their workflows further than ever before - whether they're editing 8K video, managing massive data sets, or just staying connected on the go." He continued, "And, don't blink - because OWC is set to roll out even more Thunderbolt 5 innovations, including the powerful OWC Thunderbolt 5 Hub, set for release in November".

Apple hasn't been selling many units of its Vision Pro headset, however, the 2025 model will feature the company's new M5 processor.

In a new post on X by analyst and insider Ming-Chi Kuo, we're learning that Apple's "only new head-mounted display device in 2025 will be the Vision Pro with an upgraded M5 processor". Kuo said: "As I understand it, production of the cheaper Vision Pro has been delayed beyond 2027 for a while now. This means Apple's only new head-mounted display device in 2025 will be the Vision Pro with an upgraded M5 processor".

The cheaper version of the Apple Vision Pro is something that has been rumored for the last few months, with Kuo adding that the production of the cheaper Vision Pro has been "delayed beyond 2027 for a while now".

Windows 11 24H2 is turning out to be quite the bug-fest, with some odd glitches popping up, and here's another one, this time hitting File Explorer.

Windows Latest reports that there's a serious issue in File Explorer with the three-dot (ellipsis) menu when you're using it in a full-screen window.

That's the button with three dots on it (also called meatballs) on the toolbar along the top of the File Explorer window, which when you click on it, summons a flyout menu below with extra options on it.

Microsoft is offering a prize of $1,000,000 as a fresh incentive to switch over to use its search engine, Bing, or web browser, Edge, or indeed other services.

This is part of the Microsoft Rewards loyalty program, a scheme whereby you pick up reward points by using Microsoft services such as the aforementioned products.

Windows Central flagged up the new million-dollar sweepstakes program, which was announced via an email from Microsoft that the tech site received, and is also detailed on an official website.

NVIDIA currently controls over 85% of the global GPU market, and its controlling share of the gaming GPU market is hovering around 90%. That is hundreds of millions of NVIDIA GPUs globally, and now the company has confirmed it has identified at least eight "high-risk" security vulnerabilities within its GeForce GPU drivers.

While GeForce typically means gaming GPUs specifically, that isn't the case here as professional and workstation GPUs have also been listed as victims of the vulnerabilities. NVIDIA has taken to its Security Bulletin to outline each of the vulnerabilities, their risk, level on the severity scale, and the fix. According to the website, the flaws were within NVIDIA's GPU Display Driver and the NVIDIA vGPU Software.

NVIDIA writes each of the vulnerabilities could enable a hacker to execute code, escalate administrative privileges, information harvesting, data tampering, and a complete denial of service. Notably, each of the vulnerabilities were graded on a severity scale from 0 to 10. The lowest score out of the eight that was ranked was 7.1, and the highest was 8.2, indicating these vulnerabilities weren't small issues within NVIDIA's GPU drivers as internally they were graded quite high.

Apologies have already been issued by the people behind the event that misled thousands of Dubliners out of their homes to a fraudulent Halloween parade.

The Halloween parade was organized and listed on the My Spirit Halloween website, where it stated the Mácnas parade was occurring between 7pm and 9pm on Thursday last week. Thousands of people showed up to the event and reports by people on the ground, including video, show an incredibly busy street with many rows of people deep that are blocking traffic from using the road. Participants of the event were then informed by the Irish police that no event was happening and were ordered to disperse.

It now appears a member of the team organizing the event simply cut and pasted the notice for last year's event onto the calendar for 2024. Additionally, a Pakistan-based company has issued an apology to Dubliners for the phony event, claiming the mishap occurred due to "human error" on the website. A Pakistan-based man behind the website apologized to the misled people, saying he and his team is "highly depressed", "embarrassed," and "very sorry".