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The highly anticipated next title in The Witcher franchise has just had the main character from the critically-acclaimed The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, confirmed for The Witcher 4.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt was released in 2015 and was the sequel to the 2011 title The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings. In 2013, CD Projekt Red confirmed that The Witcher 3 was going to be the last chapter of Geralt of Rivia's story, the main character of the past three games. However, at the time CD Projekt Red did tease the possibility of Geralt returning in future stories.

We have now heard a tiny but important detail about the next Witcher game, and it comes from Geralt's voice actor, Doug Cockle, who has been voicing Geralt in all the Witcher games. Cockle said during a recent video from Fall Damage that "Geralt will be part of the game [Witcher 4], we just don't know how much, and the game won't focus on Geralt. So it's not about him this time. We don't know who it's about. I'm excited to find out."

The CrowdStrike outage knocked out approximately 8.5 million Windows machines around the world, some of which were running critical infrastructure such as emergency services, hospitals, and airports.

The outage was caused by a faulty driver update that was rolled out to CrowdStrike's cybersecurity software. The update resulted in an estimated 8.5 million Windows machines being thrown into boot loops that called for physical intervention to be fixed. The fix, being relatively simple, was the cherry on top of the scenario as all an individual would need to do is boot the machine into Windows Recovery Mode / Safe Mode and delete some files from the CrowdStrike's install folder.

However, this was a nightmare for IT people responsible for thousands of machines. The outage cost Delta approximately $500 million, and the estimated 8.5 million Windows machines that were taken down is an estimation based on CrowdStrike customers that have opted into crash reports, which means it's at least 8.5 million, not total.

GPU VRAM modding isn't new, but Chinese cloud companies are adding copious amounts of VRAM to the likes of the GeForce RTX 4090D (24GB modded to 48GB) and the RTX 4080 SUPER from 16GB to 32GB and renting them out at an hourly rate.

Now, we've got a Chinese AI expert that is talking with people in the country about selling NVIDIA's new GeForce RTX 4090D graphics card -- but with double the VRAM, from 24GB to 48GB of GDDR6X -- as well as the GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER upgraded from 16GB to 32GB of GDDR6X memory.

The source says that the GPUs are popular with cloud computing companies, as they're renting out the spare AI computing power because the demand is so high right now. The modded GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER with 32GB of VRAM is available for just $0.03 per hour, which is a damn good price for a monster modded RTX 4080 SUPER with 32GB of GDDR6X memory for AI workloads.

Western Digital unveiled the world's first 8TB SD card and a 16TB external SSD at the 2024 Future of Memory and Storage Conference.

The new 8TB SD card features the Secure Digital Ultra Capacity (SDUC) and will enable transfer speeds of up to 100Mbps. The new SD card is aimed at consumers who are struggling with the 4TB variant, which, for those wondering, is mostly purchased by professional photographers and videographers who are shooting in extremely high resolutions and bitrates.

However, casual photographers who don't mind paying a premium can also take advantage of such storage as they will simply never have to worry about reaching capacity. At the moment, neither the 8TB SD card nor the 16TB external SSD has a pricing or release date, but reports indicate we can expect Western Digital will soon reveal more details about the upcoming storage solutions.

With a range of stylish minimalist PC cases and cooling products, it only makes sense for Fractal Design's first gaming chair to carry the same visual identity. Available in the U.S. and Asia Pacific region, the Fractal Refine gaming chair is described by the company as a "comfortable, versatile place to sit and become fully and enjoyably immersed in the gaming experience."

The look is partially inspired by Scandinavian furniture and research-led ergonomic science in the high-end office chair market. Naturally, you can adjust the Fractal Refine chair from the headrest height to the overall seat height with additional ergonomic tilt and '4D' armrest adjustments.

In addition, it has a glass-fiber reinforced frame and aluminum wheelbase, and it offers comfort backed by a five-year warranty on the chair's construction and a three-year warranty on soft parts like the upholstery.

The Office of the Maine Attorney General has been informed of a data breach that has exposed sensitive data of 4.3 million customers.

According to HealthEquity, the data breach exposed the below sensitive data that of millions of Americans, with the fintech firm saying that not all of the categories listed contained data for every person. Reports indicate the breach occurred on March 9, 2024, and that it was detected on March 25. After the breach was discovered HealthEquity conducted an internal investigation on the origin of the hack, tracing it back to an online data storage location that became compromised.

The compromised location led to the unauthorized party gaining access to a "limited amount of data stored in a storage location outside our core systems." HealthEquity doesn't believe the stolen customer information has been used nefariously, and as compensation to affected customers, HealthEquity is offering a two-year complimentary credit identity, monitoring, insurance, and restoration services.

After issuing an official statement on the ongoing issues surrounding its 13th and 14th Gen CPUs, confirming that a 'microcode' update will "fix" the problem of potential hardware failure, instability, and degradation - many motherboard makers have begun rolling out new firmware with the '0x129 microcode' update as new beta BIOS releases.

With countless motherboards covering Intel's Socket 1700 Series of processors, including a wide range of Z790, B760, B660, Z690, W680, and other boards, ASUS has reached out to us to confirm that in addition to its comprehensive BETA rollout, the company is working hard to ensure that it provides timely UEFI BIOS updates to all affected customers.

ASUS has already updated around 211 different Intel motherboards from its wide range of ROG Maximus, ROG Strix, ProArt, TUF Gaming, Prime, EX, TX Gaming, and Pro lineups with beta BIOS release. ASUS notes that the best way to see if your Intel board has a '0x129 microcode' update available is to check the motherboard's support page.

Microsoft introduced Paint 3D in 2017 as part of a creator-focused update to its Windows 10 operating system. Representing a modern take on the Microsoft Paint app that dates back to 1985, the inclusion of new 2D and 3D image editing and creation features built on the basic functionality of MS Paint by adding much-needed support for layers within a revamped UI.

When it comes to the original Paint app, whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger. MS Paint has been around since Windows 1.0, receiving minor updates and new features. However, with the arrival of the generative AI boom and Paint getting AI-powered image generation features, alongside smart updates like one-click background removal, it seems that Microsoft no longer sees the need for Paint 3D to exist.

From November 4, 2024, users can no longer download the Paint 3D app from the Microsoft Store, and it will no longer be updated.

Ad blockers are some of the most-used software on the internet, and especially considering how easy it is to download an ad blocker Chrome extension; it's usually one of the first things people download when firing up a new system.

However, Google isn't a fan of these ad blockers, which is no surprise considering the owner of the world's largest search engine makes a large chunk of its money through advertising. Google Chrome is the world's most popular web browser, and a new update to the browser's policy is soon going to severe its connection with one of the most popular ad blockers, uBlock Origin.

According to reports, uBlock Origin has more than 30 million users on Chrome, and Google moving to Chrome's extension support to Manifest V3 will kill support for uBlock Origin. The creator of the popular ad blocker has rolled out a V3-compliant version of the tool uBlock Origin Lite, which features some ad blocking filters, but not as many as the original version.

Earlier, we reported on a new major security flaw that was discovered to be affecting millions of AMD processors, including the popular Ryzen desktop CPU range. The vulnerability gives unwanted users access to and the ability to run malicious code virtually undetected. On the plus side, this 'Sinkclose' vulnerability, as it's called, requires access to the system kernel, so it is rather sophisticated and technical to execute.

Another plus is that AMD has been quick to respond since Wired made the widespread news of the vulnerability public. AMD's security bulletin lists the vulnerabilities and outlines the complete list of AMD EPYC and Ryzen processors that will be given firmware updates.

However, it looks like AMD isn't going to be fixing the exploit for all of its affected CPUs. In a statement provided to Tom's Hardware, which noticed the absence of older Ryzen CPUs from the early days of Zen, the company says that these CPUs exist "outside our software support window." In that they're too old to continue supporting, even after a major security flaw was discovered.

It's strange to think that mobile phones were originally foldable and then went to a uniform form factor and are now going back to foldable. But what we haven't seen is a tri-foldable smartphone - until now.

Huawei jumped into the foldable smartphone game in 2019 with the Huawei Mate X, and now reports have come out about a possible tri-foldable smartphone, with the company's CEO for Consumer Business Group holding an unannounced device on a plane. The reports cite rumors from a "reliable tipster" called Digital Chat Station, who said they have seen a prototype of the world's first tri-foldable smartphone and that this device is capable of inward and outward folding.

As for more specifications, the tipster says this rumored device has an approximately 10-inch display, a dual-hinge design, and a thickness greater than that of a normal smartphone - by how much isn't mentioned. Moreover, this new tri-foldable device features a single hole located on the far left of the screen, and the device seen in the above photo being held by Richard Yu matches the prototype Digital Chat Station has claimed they saw.

idStudio Beta is a new modding tool from id Software that is now available on Steam for DOOM Eternal owners. Like the Creation Kit for Skyrim and other in-depth modding tools, idStudio represents the internal tools the developers at id Software used to create the game.

"We are so impressed with the DOOM Eternal community mods created without any official tools," id Software writes, acknowledging the existing mod community for the game. "They inspired us to release a public beta of idStudio for creators and an opt-in PC mod preview for players to easily browse and play mods. We can't wait to see what this community does next."

id Software has posted a detailed breakdown of idStudio features alongside a range of tutorials for budding modders and developers to dive in on its official site. From creating new levels, assets, audio, animation, and more, there's enough detail here to lead to the sort of game-transforming mods in Bethesda's RPGs like Skyrim and Starfield.

Titan's Hypercasket is described as the world's toughest casket, with a design inspired by the Tesla Cybertruck. Yes, you read that correctly - the Hypercasket is a coffin with a design reminiscent of the Cybertruck. As far as Cybertruck products go, this will probably be the strangest we've encountered.

The similarities are so close that the Hypercasket product page carries a disclaimer that states it's "an independent product and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or in any way connected to Tesla, Inc., or Elon Musk." Adding, "Any similarities in design elements are for creative expression and do not imply any association or partnership."

Built from 12 gauge steel, it's apparently three times thicker than a standard casket and 'impact resistant' - not that you'd need a casket to stop bullets. As grim as the concept is, there's a definite sense of fun surrounding Hypercasket's marketing and design. Titan Casket's Creative Director, Elan Gale, says that part of the goal with the Hypercasket and the company is to "normalize conversations about death."

Microsoft's landmark acquisition of Activision Blizzard closed in October 2023 after over a year of widespread global scrutiny. The deal is worth $68.7 billion, the largest in videogame history. With so many iconic gaming franchises now under the Xbox and Microsoft Gaming banner, there doesn't seem to be a rush to bring new and back catalog Activision Blizzard to the Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass subscription service.

Diablo 4 was the first major Activision Blizzard game to arrive on Game Pass in March 2024, with last year's blockbuster Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 added last month. It's definitely slow going, but the good news is that the third major Activision franchise has now made its way to Game Pass in the form of Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy for PC, Console, and Cloud.

Crash Bandicoot is a 3D action platformer from the original PlayStation era. At the time, the character was viewed as Sony's answer to Nintendo's Super Mario. Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy presents full, built-from-the-ground-up remakes of the first three Crash games in vibrant 4K.

Wolfeye Studios is an independent game developer created by ex-Arkane and Dishonored and Prey (2017) co-creator Raphael Colantonio, with the studio's first game, Weird West from 2022, garnering a positive response from fans of isometric RPGs and sims.

Fast-forward to 2024, and the team is ready to tease its next project: a first-person game that blends Dishonored's sandbox mission design with the RPG aspects of Prey and Bethesda's Fallout games. The game's title is still to be revealed. Still, Raphael Colantonio has taken to social media to proclaim, "Fans of the previous first-person games I was involved with (Dishonored and Prey) will be happy."

In a follow-up interview and article on Eurogamer, we learn that the game is a first-person action RPG that's set in an alternate version of America in the 1900s. Based on the artwork and images released so far, the retro sci-fi angle visuals nail the Dishonored meets Fallout promise.

Sony released its latest financial report for the quarter running from April to June 2024, and with 2.4 million sold, its lifetime sales total an impressive 61.7 million. However, PlayStation 5 console sales were down compared to the previous year, and the 61.7 million figure is lower than the PlayStation 4's lifetime sales at this point in its lifecycle.

But even with fewer PS5 consoles sold than expected or predicted, this is still good news for Sony's Game & Network Services division, with revenues up 12% year over year. Sony sold over 53.6 million PlayStation games for the quarter, with 80% of these being digital. In addition, monthly active users for the PlayStation Network increased to 116 million compared to 108 million in the same period last year.

Outside of Sony's strong financial performance, even with PS5 sales slowing down, one of the big takeaways from this new report is the shift to digital sales for console gamers. With boxed physical game sales continuing to decline, 80% of all game sales tied to the PlayStation Store and PC platforms like Steam bodes well for Sony's digital future.

South Korea's memory chip exports to Taiwan surged over 225% year-over-year, thanks to the unstoppable demand of AI GPUs and AI accelerators and their respective HBM memory chips.

In a new report from the Korea Times, we're learning that outbound shipments of HBM memory chips to Taiwan reached $4.26 billion in the first 6 months of this year, up an incredible 225.7% from a year ago, "far outperforming" South Korea's overall increase of memory chip exports at 88.7%, according to data compiled by the industry ministry and the Korea International Trade Association.

Taiwan was the third-largest importer of South Korean memory chips in the period, pushing out both Vietnam and the United States. Market watchers said that the huge surge in memory chip exports to Taiwan is thanks to SK hynix's fantastic HBM supply to NVIDIA, which uses its HBM memory inside of its AI GPUs, and fabs its chips over at TSMC in Taiwan.

It started with Intel... then AMD... and now Qualcomm has been hit with multiple vulnerabilities inside of its Adreno GPU.

Google researchers have found vulnerabilities inside Qualcomm's Adreno GPU, which is the integrated GPU inside of its Snapdragon processors. The GPU has kernel privileges, which means the security flaws found could be significant, as it would allow hackers full control over your Qualcomm-powered device.

The researchers focused on GPU drivers because untrusted apps can access them without additional permissions, making them an easy target for hackers. The drivers complexity with the operating system makes things worse for users, but great (and easier) for hackers.

NEO Semiconductor has just unveiled the development of its new 3D X-AI chip technology, which aims to replace DRAM chips inside of HBM to solve data bus bottlenecks, by enabling AI processing through 3D DRAM.

The new 3D X-AI chip technology can reduce the huge amount of data transferred between HBM and GPUs during AI workloads, with NEO's innovative new 3D X-AI chip technology set to "revolutionize the performance, power consumption, and cost of AI chips for AI applications like generative AI".

NEO's new 3D X-AI chip technology has 100x the performance with 8000 neuron circuits to perform AI processing in 3D memory, a huge 99% power reduction that minimizes the requirement of transferring data to the GPU for calculation, reducing power consumption and heat generation by the data bus, and 8x the memory density with 300 memory layers, allowing HBM to store larger AI models.

Krafton, the parent company of PUBG Corp and Striking Distance Studios, has acquired Tango Gameworks from Xbox.

A bit ago, ZeniMax shut down Tango Gameworks. Now the studio has been bought out by South Korean gaming giant Krafton for an undisclosed amount. While not all properties are coming over with the sale, Krafton has acquired the Hi-Fi Rush IP from Xbox.

In the press release announcement (see below), Krafton confirms that it's working with ZeniMax to ensure a "smooth transition" of the teams so that more Hi-Fi Rush games can be made in the future. Tango and the Hi-Fi Rush series now has a new lease on life--which is great news amid the sea of layoffs in the games industry.