XGIMI has opened pre-orders for its new TITAN Noir series of 4K projectors, which includes the flagship TITAN Noir Max, which it claims can deliver "absolute black" images thanks to its precision Dual Iris system and high-end RGB triple-laser technology. With support for IMAX Enhanced, Dolby Vision, and HDR10+, it's built for home theaters and those looking to level up their home cinema experience.

Specs-wise, it sounds impressive, with an overall brightness rating of up to 7,000 Lumens and a native contrast ratio of 10,000:1, thanks to Dual Iris technology. XGIMI notes that its Dual Iris system is designed to preserve deep blacks for shadow detail without dulling highlights or other parts of the image. In addition, with up to 110% BT.2020 color gamut coverage, the TITAN Noir Max will deliver cinema-accurate colors.

Under the hood, it's powered by a MediaTek MT9681 SoC with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage, delivering smooth performance across apps and connected media devices. And for gaming, the RGB triple-laser engine and hardware support VRR, ALLM, with a 1ms response time and up to 240 Hz at 1080p. This is in addition to a pure 24 FPS mode in 4K for watching movies.

In a recent interview, former Rockstar Audio Designer Rob Carr revealed two main ingredients that enable Rockstar to create such immersive worlds, including Red Dead Redemption 2 and the upcoming Grand Theft Auto 6.

Rockstar is known for creating vast open worlds that have an impressive level of attention to detail, and during the interview, Carr explained that Rockstar has an "unlimited budget", enabling developers to essentially have no "creative restraints". Carr goes on to say that Rockstar will provide the developers, who in his case are audio, with technical constraints, but when it comes to creativity, the studio says, "There isn't any. Go nuts".

Carr goes on to give more specifics on how Rockstar approaches different parts of game development, with the former Rockstar Audio Designer saying that if you wanted to make 10,000 unique sounds for just footsteps, you would be able to, but that might not make it into the final cut of the game, as it will go through a fat trimming process. "Do we need 10,000? Probably not. Well, let's just limit it to about 100 then."

ASUS has launched the new ROG Strix Morph 96 Wireless keyboard for gamers and enthusiasts looking for an affordable entry point into the fully customizable gaming keyboard space. The ROG Strix Morph 96 Wireless is a mechanical keyboard built for simple customization, performance, and acoustics, and is priced at $139.99 USD (available at Newegg).

The 96 percent form factor and layout make it a more compact version of a full-sized board, with ASUS noting that with its full-function row and layout, it's only one centimeter wider than a standard TKL board. And when it comes to customization, the ROG Strix Morph 96 Wireless offers more than your now-standard replaceable keycaps and hot-swappable switches: the full keyboard can be disassembled.

And with that, the screw on the top cover can be removed for easy access to each layer, from sound dampening to the plate and the south-facing PCB. The ROG Strix Morph 96 Wireless arrives as a full keyboard, with two mechanical switch flavors, ROG NX Snow V2 (linear) and ROG NX Storm V2 (clicky). And with its silicone gasket-mount design and dampening foam, ASUS notes that the linear switches are tuned to deliver a satisfying "thocky" sound.

Samsung's foundry division has set a goal of introducing 1nm process technology by 2030, which the company refers to as the 'dream semiconductor' process. According to a new report from Business Korea, citing industry sources, Samsung's current plan is to complete research and development of its 1nm semiconductor process by 2030, after which it will move to mass production.

To achieve 1nm, Samsung is set to deploy new 'fork sheet' technology that will allow it to effectively halve the size of its cutting-edge 2nm process, which is manufactured using Gate-All-Around (GAA) technology. According to the report, the 'fork sheet' minimizes the distance between GAA elements in a way that's similar to inserting a fork to free up space and allow for more transistors to be packed in the same area.

One analogy used in the report is that it would be like removing lawns from a housing complex and using the space to add more housing. Samsung Electronics' foundry business is second only to TSMC, which holds an almost 70% market share. Naturally, TSMC is also pursuing 1nm within a similar timeframe, with the report indicating it is set to adopt 'fork sheet' technology to achieve it.

Intel has finally released its fully unlocked 'Big Battlemage' graphics card; however, it's arrived in Intel Arc Pro B70 form and not a card aimed at the PC gaming market. This means the existing Intel Arc B580 remains the company's flagship PC gaming GPU, an affordable mainstream offering with performance comparable to the GeForce RTX 4060.

However, with the Intel Arc Pro B70 now out in the wild, we've got our first look at the Intel Arc Pro B70's gaming performance compared to the Intel Arc Pro B60 courtesy of Level1Techs. Even though these are two workstation cards, the results are a good indicator of what an Intel Arc B770 versus Intel Arc B580 gaming showdown might have looked like - with 'Big Battlemage' proving to be around 45% faster.

These results cover three games testing at 1080p and 1440p: Cyberpunk 2077, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, and Monster Hunter Wilds. With hardware-intensive Cyberpunk 2077's performance jumping from 58 FPS to 83 FPS at 1440p on Ultra settings, Intel's 'Big Battlemage' could have been a real disruptor in the affordable mid-range space.

The GeForce RTX 30 Series is widely considered one of NVIDIA's best in the RTX era, delivering notable performance improvements over previous generations and introducing the game-changing DLSS 2.0 technology. However, if there was one flaw or recurring complaint with the GeForce RTX 30 Series, it was that the VRAM and GDDR6X memory ran very hot, with temperatures on high-end models like the GeForce RTX 3080 reaching as high as 100 degrees Celsius.

In YouTube modder and hardware enthusiast TrashBench's latest video, he attempts to solve this problem by taking an Arctic Liquid Freezer WS360-4710 workstation-grade AIO cooler and connecting that to the GPU and memory on a GeForce RTX 3080. The fact that it's a workstation-grade cooler is important because it includes a larger cold plate.

Securing and mounting the Arctic Liquid Freezer WS360 AIO cooler on a GeForce RTX 3080 required a lot of trial and error and a few iterations. However, with its all-black design, the result is pretty impressive, to the point where it resembles a custom-built AIO solution for the GeForce RTX 3080. What followed next was even more impressive, with GPU temperatures dropping substantially and VRAM or memory temperatures dropping by a massive 54 degrees Celsius.

One of the key features that made AM4 so popular and successful was its longevity. AMD had committed to supporting the platform through multiple Ryzen generations, and they ultimately stuck to it, which was an admirable decision. Users who started using the platform with first-generation Ryzen 1000-series CPUs can just drop in a Ryzen 9 5950X and get a massive upgrade with little more than a BIOS update.

While the current AMD Zen 5 platform isn't exactly "old", it has already seen a couple of generations of Ryzen CPUs. The Ryzen 7000 series "Zen 4" and Ryzen 9000 series "Zen 5" chips both support the AMD AM5 platform and its associated chipsets. Now, AMD is doubling down on its promise of longevity and giving its customers more confidence that the AM5 socket will be here to stay through 2027 and beyond.

Speaking in the launch video of the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D2 Dual Edition CPU, AMD Senior Vice President and General Manager of Computing and Graphics Jack Huynh gave this statement.

Nintendo, Illumination, and Universal are believed to have a huge hit on their hands with the new Super Mario Galaxy movie, with estimates putting the film at over $300 million in global opening ticket sales.

The incoming Super Mario Galaxy movie is expected to deliver meteoric results through its 5-day opening. According to the latest reports from Deadline, the latest box office preview results indicate that the Mario sequel could rack up $350 million in global ticket sales in its first week.

Split down the middle, half of that--$175 million--is expected from Canada & the United States in North America, and the other half spread out across dozens of markets and regions.

Deus Ex and Tomb Raider developer Eidos-Montreal today announced that it would be reducing its workforce by over 100 people in yet another round of layoffs.

Eidos-Montreal is conducting another round of layoffs that will affect 124 people across various roles, the studio revealed on LinkedIn.

Longtime developer-turned-studio-head David Anfossi is also leaving the company, which is a significant part of today's announcement--Anfossi had been with the group for 19 years, and led the studio since 2013, seeing multiple high-profile games shipped during his time at Eidos-Montreal.

While scouting the PlayStation Store's top pre-order charts on the web, I noticed something interesting: Microsoft has a huge presence on the platform, which isn't surprising, but what is most noteworthy is how different editions of the same game have populated Sony's most pre-ordered games.

At the time of writing, Xbox is once again taking over the PlayStation Store's pre-order charts in the United States (this also happened a year ago prior in March 2025). Given Microsoft's size--it owns Activision, Xbox Game Studios, and Bethesda--this is somewhat predictable. What's most interesting isn't just the placement of the games but the number of SKU variations that are on the list.

According to the PlayStation Store's current pre-order standings, which were screen-grabbed via the PS Store web version, Starfield's more-expensive $70 premium edition is the top #1 pre-ordered game in the United States. That makes sense, as Starfield is the next big Bethesda game and it was exclusive to Xbox for multiple years.

Crimson Desert is one of the biggest games out right now, closing in on 5 million sales in under two weeks. It has consistently sat at the top of Steam charts and, after starting with mixed reviews, has climbed to a Very Positive rating. At its core, the game has been a genuine success for Pearl Abyss, with the studio actively working to improve the experience as much as possible based on player feedback.

Where the game stumbles, though, is its story. CEO Heo Jin Young even acknowledged that the studio's focus leaned more toward gameplay, admitting they could have done a better job with the narrative. As it turns out, the confusion players feel about the game's undercooked story isn't limited to those playing it. Even Kliff himself felt the same way.

Alec Newman, the voice behind stoic protagonist Kliff in Crimson Desert, sat down with the Friends Per Second podcast to talk about the creative process behind the character and the journey of bringing him to life. From Alec's words, it is safe to say that it took the game a long time to find its footing.

Starfield will reportedly be a huge game on PlayStation 5, taking up over 120GB of storage space on the system's SSD.

New findings from a reliable data-collector indicate that Starfield could clock in at 123.347 GB on the PlayStation 5, not including Shattered Space (another 12.5GB) and the new Terran Armada story DLC (another 4GB). All-told, that means Starfield could require up to 140GB of free storage space on an internal SSD.

That's about on par for a modern game of this size, especially with enhanced textures, and matches up with the current install sizes on Steam (125GB), but the Xbox version is bigger at 150GB. Of course, the PlayStation Store's listing is no longer of help because Sony removed install sizes from games sold on that platform.

NVIDIA is expected to maintain its 2-year launch cadence for GeForce graphics cards, as leaks about the next-generation RTX 60 series are starting to surface. The GeForce RTX 60-series will be powered by NVIDIA's "Rubin" architecture, which has already debuted on their AI and datacenter GPUs.

A new leak has surfaced from YouTuber RedGamingTech, combining a few interesting pieces of information about the upcoming NVIDIA GPUs. The first key point is that NVIDIA will use a variant of the current TSMC 3nm FinFET node to produce the RTX 60-series GPUs. Of course, this puts an end to the speculation of a new sub-2nm node debuting with the RTX 60-series.

Of course, NVIDIA will likely collaborate with TSMC to derive a custom node based on the 3nm FinFET that suits NVIDIA's needs, as they have done in the past. Furthermore, it has been leaked that the GPU chips will follow the "GR20X" numbering scheme. This is something that wouldn't come as a surprise if you have been paying attention to NVIDIA's GPU nomenclature over the past few years. Reportedly, the top-end GPU will be the GR202, followed by the GR203 and GR205 GPUs.

A reliable YouTuber with inside knowledge says that Bethesda is having a tough time getting Starfield running on the Switch 2, and it's possible the game could get scrapped as a result of ongoing difficulties.

Bethesda plans to support the Switch 2 in a big way, but it still hasn't announced Starfield for the platform. Reports say that the studio is indeed trying to develop the space epic on Switch 2 in a bid to better capitalize on the system's growing 17 million+ installed base.

Some of these games may not actually release, though, especially if they take too long or are too expensive to produce. Sources tell well-known video games leaker and insider NateTheHate that Bethesda is running into issues with Starfield's development on the handheld-console hybrid.

Microsoft has been pretty vocal lately about improving the Windows 11 experience. The company recently pushed a major Windows 11 update that plans to fix the OS by removing unnecessary Copilot features, reducing File Explorer launch times, adding the ability to resize and reposition the taskbar, and offering a more compact layout closer to the Windows 10 experience.

Luckily, the improvements aren't stopping at just the OS level. Microsoft has now confirmed it will build 100% native apps for Windows 11. Rudy Huyn, a Partner Architect at Microsoft working on the Store and File Explorer, says he is putting together a team specifically focused on building better apps for Windows 11.

"I'm building a new team to work on Windows apps! You don't need prior experience with the platform. What matters most is strong product thinking and a deep focus on the customer," Huyn wrote on X. "If you've built great apps on any platform and care about crafting meaningful user experiences, I'd love to hear from you."

Samsung has just announced its next-generation solid-state drive for AI applications, the BM9K1. Unveiled at the China Flash Market Summit 2026, this drive is a high-performance, efficient PCIe Gen 5 SSD that uses QLC NAND flash at a relatively cost-effective price. Samsung is targeting the "personal AI" segment with this SSD, which serves as a bridge between consumer devices and large-scale AI applications.

Perhaps the most interesting part of this SSD is its new proprietary Samsung controller, based on the open-source RISC-V instruction set. This new controller replaces the ARM-based controller that Samsung currently uses, and enables them to optimize the drive's energy efficiency and get the most out of QLC NAND flash for AI workloads.

Samsung claims a 23% improvement in efficiency over the previous BM9C1 model, an impressive figure that will have to be tested when the drive eventually comes out. However, the improved efficiency will be crucial for small-form-factor PCs and laptops that don't have much thermal headroom.

Pearl Abyss is making good on its promise to release more fixes for Crimson Desert, including one fan-requested feature: summonable mounts. Shortly after the update, the game hit a new milestone on Steam.

Instead of adding new DLC, expansions, or even mod support to Crimson Desert, developer Pearl Abyss has opted to tweak what's already in the game. The group says that it will continue refining Crimson Desert with new updates, changing the huge open-world fantasy sandbox-based into something that fans want to play.

One of the biggest complaints around Crimson Desert was the controls, which have been tweaked in the recent update. Gamers also wanted changes with the in-game summonable mounts and that's been done too. Pearl Abyss seems quite serious about appeasing fans--they even turned an aerial traversal trick that players were doing into an actual game mechanic. Gamers have responded very well to the update so far.

Bungie released Marathon on March 30, and since then, the title has attracted quite a bit of attention, with the extraction shooter peaking out at 88,000 concurrent users on Steam.

These numbers have led some to believe that Marathon isn't performing as well as Bungie expected, and that the game's lifespan will be cut short. These concerns were further ignited after Allinea Analytics estimated that 1.2 million copies of Marathon had been sold in the first two weeks of its launch. These figures were also corroborated by Paul Tassi of Forbes, who reported that the majority of game sales were on PC, with PS5 sales far behind.

Marathon developers recently wrote under the "Future Improvement" section that Marathon is the first DirectX title that Bungie has shipped, and that many players have noticed how much the title has changed visually over the last year. Much of that change has been based on player feedback, and the same approach will be taken with performance. Bungie goes on to write that it has already identified CPU performance improvements that will arrive "soon," along with some "long-term changes" planned for CPU performance.

It's not every day that a studio acknowledges its mistakes and acts on them quickly, but Pearl Abyss has built something of a reputation for doing exactly that with Crimson Desert. Whether it was the awkward controls, the criticized storyline, or the lack of Intel Arc GPU support, the team has consistently faced its shortcomings head-on rather than going quiet.

One controversy that arose around the game was the discovery of AI-generated artwork tucked inside it. Given how strongly players feel about AI slop creeping into their games, the backlash was swift. However, once again, Pearl Abyss was quick to apologize and acknowledge a lack of transparency. Now it's here to make up for its mistake.

Spotted by @SynthPotato on X, Pearl Abyss has removed all AI-generated artwork from Crimson Desert in Patch 1.01, replacing each piece with hand-drawn paintings made by human artists. The user's post shows a side-by-side comparison of the same art piece before and after the patch, and the difference is noticeable.

AMD's Anti-Lag 2 technology is getting a rename, and it will now carry the FSR prefix, becoming FSR Latency Reduction 2.0. The move appears to be part of the red team's broader push to bring its various FidelityFX technologies under one unified FSR brand. Since FSR no longer refers exclusively to upscaling, AMD wants a single umbrella term that covers the several technologies working together under its gaming stack.

The rename wasn't officially announced. Weeks before AMD's Redstone release last year, the company quietly updated its technology nomenclature, a change that only came to light after VideoCardz spotted it on AMD's website. FidelityFX Super Resolution became FSR Upscaling, Frame Generation became FSR Frame Generation, and two newer technologies, Ray Regeneration and Radiance Caching, also picked up the FSR prefix. Now, Anti-Lag 2 is the latest technology to receive this quiet change.

Anyone familiar with other GPU vendors will recognize what AMD is doing here. NVIDIA has long used the DLSS prefix to cover DLSS Super Resolution, DLSS Frame Generation, and DLSS Ray Reconstruction under one roof. Intel has taken a similar approach with XeSS 2.