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China has imported more than $1 billion in goods from the Netherlands in April 2024 alone, a rather hefty 32% increase even in the world of US export restrictions and the selling of semiconductor machines to China.

China's imports from the Netherlands increased 32% last month from a year ago, to $1.4 billion, according to data released this week. The data doesn't show the breakdown of trade, which will come later this month, but we all know it's coming from Dutch company ASML, which makes semiconductor machines.

In the months leading up to April 2024, over 50% of the value of all Chinese imports from the Netherlands were just ASML's lithography machines, according to Bloomberg's analysis of the official data. The US has been restricting China's access to the latest chip-making tools, pressuring countries like the Netherlands to stop exporting equipment to China, and even stop repairing the equipment that China has already purchased.

Capcom's Dragon's Dogma 2 was released earlier this year. It took the publisher's impressive RE Engine (initially built for the Resident Evil franchise and games). It expanded its capabilities to fit the open-world RPG style of the Dragon's Dogma franchise. Hidden inside the engine was a full path-tracing mode that Capcom was playing around with, as seen here.

Now, you can enable full path tracing in the impressive Resident Evil 4 Remake via the same REFramework developer window while modding in DLSS 3.7 for improved upscaling and image quality. Although Resident Evil 4 is a game tailor-made for baked lighting (the time of day never changes), path tracing still makes a massive difference.

Certain night scenes and some objects look off, but several examples in the video presented by MxBenchmarkPC showcase the different path tracing, or complete ray tracing can bring to a game. Even when compared to the game's existing ray-tracing implementation.

AMD's next-generation Zen 5-based "Ryzen AI 100 series" processors will be unveiled and launched at Computex 2024 next month, with the latest Ryzen AI 165 processor teased in new leaks.

In a new leak from Chinese reviewer and leaker Golden Pig Upgrade, we can expect the AMD Ryzen AI 165 "Strix Point" APU to feature 10 cores and 20 threads, with an XDNA2-based NPU for AI workloads, offering 45 TOPS of AI performance from the NPU alone.

We've already heard rumbles of a Strix Point APU being officially called the Ryzen AI 9 HX 170, with 12 cores and 24 threads of Zen 5-based CPU power boosting at up to 5.1GHz with the same XDNA2-based NPU for AI workloads. But the new 10-core, 20-thread Ryzen AI 165 "Strix Point" APU could feature a 2+8 or 4+6 configuration (AMD will have Zen 5 and Zen 5c CCXs for Strix Point).

Skyblivion is a fan remake of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion in the Skyrim engine, an ambitious overhaul on track for a 2025 release. Like the Skywind project (the Morrowing remake using the Skyrim engine), the developers behind Skyblivion have presented an update on the game and its progress, with a closer look at what to expect.

Oblivion was one of the first RPGs from modern 3D gaming to launch with a truly massive open world to explore. However, many of the environments were procedurally generated, with dungeons and other points of interest, repeating layouts, and general designs. Skyblivion is going to great lengths to maintain Oblivion's massive size and ensure that each area, location, and dungeon feels unique.

The new Skyblivion update video opens with a detailed look at the game's 'Great Forest' region to the north. With distinct foliage, animals, and more, it looks fantastic and different in a way absent from Oblivion. Also being updated are the Ayleid Ruins, which now vary wildly in look, feel, design, and purpose.

AYANEO has just teased its upcoming external GPU solution: AG01 "Graphics Starship" will be officially unveiled on May 18. First, the tease:

The new AYANEO external GPU dock being called "Graphics Starship" is really cool, as it definitely looks like an old-school 90s-themed sci-fi ship we've seen in the movies. We don't know anything at all about the AYANEO Graphics Starship, other than it's a GPU dock for your graphics card.

We could have USB4, Thunderbolt 4, or OCulink connectivity... but AYANEO does state that it's a "multi-function graphics dock" so we should expect some great functionality out of it. AYANEO says it's an external graphics card dock, but we can't see a PCIe x.0 x16 interface, so we should expect just a few particular graphics cards that will be sold, or will work with, the AYANEO AG01 "Graphics Starship" external GPU dock.

NVIDIA's latest GeForce Game Ready Driver 552.44 - WHQL adds day-one support for two highly anticipated games, Ghost of Tsushima: Director's Cut and Homeworld 3, both of which will launch next week.

Ghost of Tsushima is the long-awaited PC port of the PS4 open-world feudal Japan cinematic action game from PlayStation Studios and developers Sucker Punch and Nixxes. Homeworld 3 is the return of an iconic sci-fi strategy game. Ghost of Tsushima: Director's Cut features DLSS 3, DLAA, and NVIDIA Reflex support, while Homeworld 3 supports DLSS Super Resolution upscaling or DLSS 2.

As a highly anticipated game, Ghost of Tsushima: Director's Cut also supports AMD's FSR 3 and Intel's XeSS upscaling for those without RTX-powered rigs. The PC version sports new features and improved visuals, with uncapped frame rate and ultrawide display support (up to a massive 49:9).

Neuralink has posted an update on its first human patient to receive a brain implant, saying within the first weeks after the medical procedure a problem presented itself.

For those that don't know, Neuralink is Elon Musk's brain implant company that has constructed a brain-computer interface (BCI). With this new piece of technology, Neuralink believes it will be able to help people suffering from diseases such as paralysis by enabling control of a device with the patient's thoughts. The first paralysis patient to receive the BCI was 29-year-old Nolan Arbaugh, who was shown controlling a desktop mouse cursor and even playing video games such as Mario Kart.

Despite this achievement, Neuralink details a malfunction that occurred with Arbaugh's BCI, with the company writing the brain chips "threads" that are thinner than human hair and record neural signals. These threads, unfortunately, began to retract from Arbaugh's brain. Neuralink's system called Link records neural signals using 1,024 electrodes that are spread across 64 threads. With fewer electrodes to monitor brain signals, Neuralink was prevented from accurately measuring Link's speed/accuracy.

According to a new report at Reuters, OpenAI (the massive AI firm behind ChatGPT, backed by billions from Microsoft) is planning to launch an AI-powered search engine on Monday. The engine will compete with Google and Perplexity, a competing AI search startup founded by a former OpenAI researcher.

Going up against the search giant that is Google with the aid of AI is not uncommon. Microsoft's long-running Bing search recently added OpenAI ChatGPT integration - but only for paid customers. AI and search engines are set to go hand-in-hand, as Google is also integrating generative AI into search and other products like Gmail.

The Reuters report cites 'two sources familiar with the matter,' so nothing is official. However, OpenAI's stealth launch of a new search engine (possibly in beta or limited form) next week would mark an exciting turn for the company. Bloomberg has reported on the company's search engine plans in the past, so it sounds like it's only a matter of time.

NVIDIA is reportedly experimenting with a huge triple-fan, quad-slot, 600W-capable cooling solution for its upcoming next-generation GeForce RTX 50 series GPUs.

In a new report from Benchlife, the outlet explains: "According to information from a familiar cooling module manufacturer, NVIDIA has already conducted relevant tests and verification on cooling modules for the Blackwell GPU architecture's GeForce RTX 50 series graphics cards, evidently preparing for the launch of the GeForce RTX 50. Although there's no specific timeline, currently, about 4 plans are underway, with power ranging from 250W to 600W".

We did hear all the way back in late 2022 that NVIDIA had prototype versions of the GeForce RTX 4090 -- or RTX 4090 Ti or RTX 4090 SUPER -- with a gigantic triple-fan, quad-slot, 600W cooler. Fast-forward two years, and we're hearing the same thing leading up to the launch of the RTX 50 series.

Two of Bethesda's key studios wanted to make new games in fan-favorite franchises before they were shut down.

Days ago, Xbox shut down three Bethesda Softworks studios: Arkane Austin, Tango Gameworks, and Alpha Dog. The decision was part of a new "reprioritization of resources" that would put Bethesda's "high-impact titles" front and center. Xbox closed down the studios and re-allocated their budgets and spending accounts for other teams and projects.

The news has caused a big rift among the Xbox faithful, but frustrations rose even more once today's news broke. Sources tell Bloomberg's Jason Schreier that Tango Gameworks was prepping an internal pitch for Hi-Fi Rush 2 before the studio was shut down. Hi-Fi Rush is one of the most acclaimed Xbox games in recent memory--fans love it and were eager for a sequel.

It hasn't been a great week for Xbox, with the studio dealing with widespread criticism and backlash for closing several Bethesda studios, including the talented Japanese team at Tango Gameworks (The Evil Within, Hi-Fi Rush) and veteran American studio Arkane Austin (Prey, Redfall).

This latest round of drastic cuts follows some major ones that happened after Xbox's acquisition of Activision Blizzard, so the general sentiment among the Xbox community right now is one of deep disappointment. To the point that a lot of that criticism is now being aimed squarely at those in charge.

Although it could be completely unrelated, the gaming community is viewing a Fallout 76 player dropping a nuke on Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer's (whose Gamertag is 'P3') in-game Camp as a small slice of digital justice.

Two Chinese companies have teamed up for an external GPU dock that supports OCulink -- and even features a 550W PSU -- check it out:

Metaphyuni and Gzosmeta collaborated on what's called the EG01C, which is a new external GPU solution that has a built-in 550W power supply. Regular external GPUs rely on fast USB4 or Thunderbolt 4 connectivity, or they use a standard called OCulink. OCulink has up to 64GB/sec of bandwidth, which is far better for external graphics cards over USB4 and Thunderbolt 4 which have just 40GB/sec of bandwidth at the ready.

Enthusiasts, performance lovers, gamers, and AI researchers are flocking to OCulink because of the increased bandwidth, that is, until Thunderbolt 5 launches... then the external connector game gets real fun. The companies made a newly-designed OCulink connector, which is capable of being plugged in, and unplugged over 10,000 times. On top of that, instead of the regular manual locking mechanism, this external GPU solution features an automatic one that fixes the cable in place. Very nice touch.

ASUS has just revealed the new refreshed ROG Ally X gaming handheld, featuring the same AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme APU, but some upgraded innards. Check it out:

The truly next-generation ASUS ROG Ally 2 gaming handheld is still in development, with ASUS using the same Ryzen Z1 Extreme APU that made its original ROG Ally a hot-seller. We have the same APU, the same 7-inch 48-120Hz VRR screen, a newly black-colored style with huge battery life improvements, and more.

ASUS told The Verge that the refreshed ROG Ally X has "way more" than 30-40% more battery capacity, where we are told by ASUS SVP Shawn Yen that the ROG Ally X "won't disappoint" our "worst-case scenario" of 3 hours of battery life. That's not bad at all, ASUS.

The job cuts aren't over for Xbox, and new reports say that Microsoft is poised to make even more layoffs.

There's turmoil at Xbox, and the global games industry, as costs continue to rise exponentially. Companies are shrinking budgets and reducing spending in an effort to stabilize budgets and create some semblance of growth--or, at the very least, reduced losses. Xbox took a hit with its Q2 results, with hardware revenues dropping to the lowest point of the Xbox Series generation. Overall revenues are flat without Activision's contribution.

Market trends and economic conditions have triggered mass layoffs at Xbox, with Activision Blizzard King shedding 1,900 workers. Then this month, Xbox made one of the most controversial decisions in recent memory by closing three Bethesda Softworks studios: Arkane Austin, Tango Gameworks, and Alpha Dog. This isn't the end, though.

Why did Xbox just close down 3 studios? The reason is a combination of economics and strategic trajectory.

Days ago, Xbox surprised fans by closing down numerous first-party studios. Tango Gameworks, who had just released the mega-popular Hi-Fi Rush, was shut down alongside Arkane Austin, the team behind Dishonored and Prey. Alpha Dog, the team behind the Doom mobile game, was also shut down. The news comes 3 years after Microsoft purchased ZeniMax for $7.5 billion.

So, why would Microsoft eliminate these teams? The decision is a combination of many factors, but it mostly comes down to money. More specifically the game development budgets for new projects. Xbox wanted to re-allocate the budgets of these studios to other "high-impact" and "priority" games under the ZeniMax umbrella--your Elder Scrolls and Fallouts and Dooms, in other words. IGN recently posted the full internal memo from Xbox content and studios president Matt Booty, who describes the move as a "reprioritization of titles and resources."

Intel's Panther Lake is still a good way off - if the rumor-mongers are right, Arrow Lake might even be further off than we hoped - but that hasn't stopped the leak machine churning out speculation about Panther Lake CPUs.

Mind you, this latest Panther Lake leak, which comes from X (formerly Twitter) as flagged up by VideoCardz, should be treated with more skepticism than normal, as we're not familiar with the source - a certain Prakhar Verma.

So, fistfuls of salt in hand, the contention is that Panther Lake will be mobile chips only - with no desktop offerings. Theoretically we will get Panther Lake U series CPUs, efficient variants to follow Lunar Lake (which should debut late this year), and Panther Lake H chips to succeed Arrow Lake high-end mobile processors.

If you're an Apple TV Plus subscriber on the lookout for their next binge-worthy show, the streamer has confirmed that a new drama starring Natalie Portman will premiere on July 19. The Lady in the Lake will premiere with two episodes available on that date and then a new one will arrive every Friday through to the season's conclusion on August 23.

The show, which will run for seven episodes and stars Academy Award and Golden Globe Award winner Natalie Portman, also features Emmy Award nominee Moses Ingram. Portman also serves as executive producer on the project.

Starring alongside Portman and Ingram in the series are Y'lan Noel, Brett Gelman, Byron Bowers, Noah Jupe, Josiah Cross, Mikey Madison, and Pruitt Taylor Vince.

AMD's Zen 5 desktop processors - which should be Ryzen 9000, based on previous leaks - might end up with a generational increase in performance that'll disappoint many folks, or that's the conclusion some are drawing given fresh chatter from the grapevine.

Wccftech flagged up this rumor which comes from Weibo - add extra seasoning because of that, but then again, we are told that this is a post from Lenovo China's manager.

According to that manager, we can expect Ryzen 9000 desktop to bring forth an IPC increase of 10% compared to Ryzen 7000 chips - and that's a much lower figure than we've heard from other sources. Although it's worth noting that the source does observe that gains are higher than this in Cinebench single-threaded benchmarks (without mentioning any exact figure).

If you're a Spanish-speaking Apple TV Plus subscriber you can look forward to a new crime drama TV show hitting your screen on July 31. The show will debut globally and will carry the Spanish title Las Azules.

Apple offered a first look at the new show via a press release today, setting the premiere date and confirming that the upcoming 10-episode show features an entirely Hispanic cast and crew. That cast will be led by Ariel Award nominee Bárbara Mori. Apple also confirmed that the first two episodes of the show will be available to stream on July 31 while a new episode will then debut weekly through to the season's conclusion on September 25.

Apple's press release describes the show as having been inspired by true events and set in 1970. It tells the story of four women who choose to defy ultraconservative norms and join Mexico's first female police force. However, they then find that the whole thing was just a publicity stunt to distract the media from a serial killer who is on the loose.

Apple has been beta testing the macOS Sonoma 14.5 update for a few weeks now, giving developers and public beta program testers the chance to put it through its paces. Apple hasn't yet confirmed when it will be released to the public, but the expectation is that it will arrive within the next few weeks. That's now become more likely than ever before after Apple made the first Release Candidate version of the update available for download by developers.

This Release Candidate suggests that Apple is almost ready to make the macOS Sonoma 14.5 update available for download by Mac owners around the globe, although it's possible we will see one or two more Release Dancidates made available depending on whether there are any new issues identified by testers.

Perhaps most notable however is the news that Apple has shared details of what people can expect from the big update when it does finally become available for Mac owners. Apple doesn't often share release notes for beta updates depending on the platform and the features it expects to ship, but this Release Candidate does have a release note available for our perusal.