Latest News - Page 689

Windows 10 users are in some cases being hit by frustrating errors when trying to run core (default) apps in the OS.

The Register spotted a thread on Microsoft's Answers.com support forum where there are quite a few posts from disgruntled Windows 10 users who are suffering at the hands of recent app updates.

What's happened is that the most recent updates for these core Windows 11 apps, piped through from the Microsoft Store, appear to have broken them.

The final GPU launch for January 2024 is here with the GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER, and Jak and Kosta discuss what it brings to the table regarding price, performance, and overall value.

The duo also discusses NVIDIA's new groundbreaking RTX Remix modding tool, now available in Open Beta. Bringing RTX and ray-tracing to classic PC games will be an exciting year for PC mods. On the PC gaming front, Jak and Kost also talk about AMD's FSR 3 and a big push into frame generation alongside rumors covering what to expect with Intel's next-gen Battlemnage GPUs.

Then there's the big Windows 11 update coming later this year, which could end up being rebranded as Windows 12. Plus, a segue into one of the oldest mysteries in aviation history, rare green flashes photographed coming from Venus, and the latest round of Nintendo Switch 2 rumors.

Seasonic has just unleashed its brand new VERTEX SAKURA Edition PSU, the new VERTEX-GX-1000 power supply with ATX 3.0 compatibility and a native 12VHPWR power connector. Check it out:

The company showed off its new VERTEX SAKURA Edition PSU in Japan, with full modularity, ATX 3.0 compatibility, and a native 12VHPWR power connector. You're looking at a price of around 30,000 yen (around $200 USD), and it should sell well in Japan, given it's a SAKURA Edition PSU.

Some of the staff store members said that they recommend pre-ordering the new Seasonic VERTEX SAKURA Edition power supply, as it will be in small quantities given it's a limited edition product. We don't know about availability in other markets just yet, but we should expect an announcement (and small quantities) soon.

AMD and Sony are working together once again, this time on a next-gen SoC for a next-gen PlayStation 6 console.

The news on Sony's next-gen PlayStation 6 is coming from leaker Moore's Law is Dead, who reports that he can 100% confirm that AMD has received the contract for the next-gen PlayStation 6. AMD has already baked a beefed-up codenamed "Viola" SoC for Sony's upgraded PlayStation 5 Pro console, which should be revealed later this year and released towards the end of 2024, or into 2025 depending on multiple factors.

We have no hardware specs for the next-gen PlayStation 6 console, but I'd like to see maybe the same 8 cores and 16 threads of CPU power, but based on the current-gen Zen 4 architecture. AMD will have its next-gen Zen 5 architecture out later this year, but they're probably building a next-gen SoC for the PS6 with Zen 4 and 8C/16T, but at maybe up to 5GHz+ clock speeds (4.4GHz for the PS5 Pro and its Zen 2-based 8C/16T processor).

Sony is reportedly working on a next-gen PlayStation gaming handheld, which might or might not be called the Vita 2, and is part of the "PlayStation 6 family" as a handheld that's meant to launch with the next-gen PlayStation 6 console, but as a weaker handheld that can play some PS5 games, and should play ALL previous-gen PS4 games.

In a new rumor, leaker Moore's Law is Dead said that he's heard from sources that state a custom AMD APU is currently in the "High-Level Design Phase," which means we're at least two years away from seeing it. Inside, Sony's next-gen PlayStation handheld would have 18 CUs on the GPU side of things, meaning that it would be natively backward-compatible with all PS4 digital titles, and it should run some PS5 games as well.

Sony uses variable clock speeds inside of the PlayStation 5, so a portable PlayStation console with its GPU running at up to (variable) 1.8GHz means you'll have a decent amount of power in your hands on the go. Not all PS5 games would work on the next-gen PlayStation portable handheld, but would require per-game testing and patches, and would run at much lower resolutions than the minimum resolution rendered on a full PlayStation 5 console.

Sony's beefed-up PlayStation 5 Pro is getting some confirmation on rumors from leaker Moore's Law is Dead, who says that we will indeed have an 8-core, 16-thread CPU based on AMD's last-gen Zen 2 architecture... the same as what's used in the regular PS5 non-Pro console.

In previous rumors from late last year, we heard that the upgraded "Viola" SoC inside of the PlayStation 5 Pro would boost its CPU up to 4.4GHz, with Moore's Law is Dead not confirming that, but said he wouldn't be surprised if we see that. Previously, we heard that the CPU inside of the PS5 Pro has 64KB of L1 cache per core, 512KB of L2 cache per core, and 8MB of L3 shared cache (4MB per CCX) while MLID says it'll be made on TSMC's 4nm process node.

Sony's more powerful PlayStation 5 Pro console is reportedly enjoying a full die of 60 CUs (compute units), with MLID saying that with "current plans" to disable down to 56 CUs in the final PS5 Pro product. The company will be using 16GB of GDDR6 18Gbps on a 256-bit memory bus providing 576GB/sec of memory bandwidth, but could be bumped up to 20Gbps adds MLID, up from the 14Gbps memory used inside of the regular PS5 non-Pro console.

NVIDIA's RTX 4080 Super GPU seems to be selling relatively decently, going by launch day figures relayed by a YouTube leaker - which admittedly should be taken with a great deal of caution (we'll discuss that more later).

The details on initial sales for the RTX 4080 Super were provided by Moore's Law is Dead (MLID) who has previously furnished us with leaks regarding the strength of both of the other RTX Super refreshes which preceded this one.

One source at a major US retailer says that the RTX 4080 Super sold out quickly, but that was partly because they didn't have all that much launch stock. A second retailer (again a big one, this time outside of the US) indicates a big rush of initial sales, but then things slacked off (so at least this outlet had more stock).

AMD's Zen 5 processors, the next-gen silicon for the desktop, are on track for release in the second half of 2024, we've been told.

Paul Alcorn (Managing Editor at Tom's Hardware) tweeted to tell us that an AMD representative had "confirmed that Zen 5 is on track" for a consumer release in H2 2024.

Earlier this week, YouTuber and regular leaker Moore's Law is Dead (MLID) suggested that AMD's Zen 5 chips won't likely be out until after the summer, so again, into the second half of the year - but that they were originally intended to come out in the first half of 2024.

Intel recently launched its 14th Gen Core "Raptor Lake Refresh" processors in desktop and mobile form, but we're hearing Bartlett Lake-S processors will be offered as budget-focused desktop CPUs that will find themselves below the performance and gaming-focused Arrow Lake-S processors.

The current LGA 1700 platform will work with Intel's next-gen Battle Lake-S processors, so users on previous-gen LGA 1700 processors could see this as a cheaper upgrade if they didn't need all the cores, threads, and higher performance that Intel will deliver with Arrow Lake-S.

We should expect some IPC improvements as well as higher cache totals with Bartlett Lake, with clock speeds surely to be tweaked under Arrow Lake-S, and its surely much higher base and boost CPU clocks. If you've purchased an LGA 1700 motherboard in the last few years and had something like a 12th Gen Core CPU, the new Bartlett Lake-S family of processors would be a fantastic upgrade that won't break the bank.

AMD's new family of Ryzen 8000G "Hawk Point" APUs has been officially launched, with three new SKUs, including the Ryzen 7 8600G, Ryzen 5 8600G, and Ryzen 5 8500G offerings.

The new AMD Ryzen 8000G APUs include a monolithic Zen 4 processor and RDNA 3 graphics, which will slot easily into any AM5 motherboard on the market, and there are many at all price points, making the Hawk Point APU a deliciously budget-friendly option with fantastic CPU and GPU performance in a single APU.

AMD has four new Ryzen 8000G APUs, but only three of them are launching now: Ryzen 7 8700G, Ryzen 5 8600G, and Ryzen 5 8500G are all here now, while the Ryzen 3 8300G arrive later. AMD uses Zen 4 CPU cores on the 8700G and 8600G, while Zen 4 and Zen 4c cores are found on the 8500G and 8300G APUs.

It looks like Intel is preparing a slightly beefed-up Xeon W9-3595X "Sapphire Rapids" HEDT processor, featuring 60 cores and 120 threads of CPU power.

Intel's new Xeon W9-3595X processor features 60 cores and 120 threads that will boost up to 4.8GHz, offering 4 more cores and 4 more threads over the current flagship Xeon CPU, which only boosts up to 4.6GHz. So, Intel has added more cores, and bumped up the maximum CPU boost clock by 200MHz, not bad, not bad.

Along with more cores, more threads, and more boost CPU clocks, Intel's new Xeon W9-3595X processor also has 112MB of L3 cache, which is an upgrade over the 105MB of L3 cache on the Xeon W9-3495X processor. Both of the Xeon "Sapphire Rapids" CPUs feature a 350W, while the Xeon W9-3495X is priced at $5889, we should expect a bump in pricing for the new Xeon W9-3595X processor... but we won't have those details until Intel makes this new Xeon CPU official.

NVIDIA has released its new GeForce Game Ready 551.31 WHQL drivers, supporting the new GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER graphics card. You can download the new drivers right here (633MB download).

The new GeForce Game Ready 551.31 drivers support the new RTX 4080 SUPER, as well as the latest games released with NVIDIA DLSS 3 technology, including Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, with further support added for new DLSS-supported games with Enshrouded, TEKKEN 8, and Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League, which supports DLSS Super Resolution.

The new drivers also add support for the just-released RTX Video HDR feature, as well as support for the "Auto" setting for RTX Video Super Resolution, and finally support for NVIDIA Ultra Low Latency Mode with DirectX 12-based games. You can download the new NVIDIA GeForce Game Ready 551.31 WHQL drivers right here (633MB download).

ASUS has submitted some new motherboard SKUs to the EEC (Eurasian Economic Commission) regulatory office, teasing next-gen AMD chipsets that the company hasn't even announced yet.

It looks like ASUS is about to release some new PRO series motherboards based on the unannounced X690E chipset, which, to be clear, won't be a follow-up to the just-released WRX90 and TRX50 motherboards that ASUS announced for AMD's new Ryzen Threadripper 7000 and Ryzen Threadripper PRO 7000 series CPUs.

The new ASUS X690E-based motherboards appear in EEC listings as the PRO WS X690E SAGE SE and the PRO WS X690E SAGE SE WIFI, with the latter featuring Wi-Fi. The new X690E chipset hasn't been detailed yet, with no announcement or details from AMD whatsoever. We don't know what the differences between X670 and X690E will be just yet.

DOOM can run on virtually anything... we've seen it on fridges, MacBook Touch Bars, and even pregnancy tests... and now DOOM is running on human E. Coli gut bacteria, and we're not kidding. Check it out:

MIT biotechnology PhD student researcher Lauren "Ren" Ramlan concepted a very interesting 32 x 48 resolution, 1-bit display made up using E. coli cells, with each cell effectively acting as an individual pixel by lighting them up using a fluorescent protein.

DOOM isn't really "running" here because you're not getting 30FPS, let alone 60FPS or anything higher, as the cells are extremely limited in their ability. Still, it did successfully run on the walls of cells as a display for DOOM, rendering gameplay using the illuminated E. coli.

Pocketpair finally reveals platform split numbers for Palworld.

Palworld has kicked off 2024 with viral success, amassing more than 19 million players worldwide across Xbox and PC. Against a small production budget, these thunderous sales have yielded an incredible $100 million+ in profit for the Japanese game dev.

There's always been one big question, though: What are Palworld's numbers on Xbox? The studio has been quick to tell everyone that Palworld has sold 1 million copies per day for entire days in a row, but there's not much info on the Xbox version.

If you're the driver of an older Honda Accord you can choose to add Apple CarPlay and Android Auto to your vehicle and it'll even be wireless, to boot. That news was recently confirmed by the company but it wasn't clear how much it would choose to charge people who took it up on the offer. Now, we have an answer.

9to5Mac reports that the carmaker will charge customers $112 to add wireless CarPlay and Android Auto to their vehicles which is a bargain when you consider how much an ugly third-party head unit or add-on display can be. The move is one that will no doubt be popular in part thanks to the fact that users can get a first-party solution even in vehicles that they have owned for years.

To that point, Honda says that it can add CarPlay and Android Auto support to around 631,000 Accord models from the 2018-2022 model years. The company also says that the process will require a software update rather than any additional hardware, something that will likely explain the surprisingly low asking price.

The very last Apple MacBook Pro to feature a CD/DVD drive inside has now officially been added to the company's list of obsolete products worldwide, according to the company's website.

The change was first spotted by MacRumors with the model in question being the Mid 2012 13-inch MacBook Pro. It first went on sale in June of 2012 and was finally removed from sale in October 2016. While Apple doesn't ship any Mac with a CD/DVD drive inside anymore, those who still need to be able to slide a disc in can do so if they pick up an external SuperDrive although they'll need to get a USB-C adapter in order to connect it to modern Macs.

MacRumors notes that Apple considers its Macs to be obsolete once more than seven years have passed since it was last distributed for sale. Apple notes that the MacBooks may still be eligible for extended battery-only repairs for up to 10 years from the last time the product was distributed for sale, but that's subject to the availability of parts which could well be a problem at this stage.

Apple's Vision Pro AR/VR headset is currently available for preorder and it finally goes on sale on Friday, February 2. That means that those who placed their preorder can expect to receive their new headset around that time, and expectations are already starting to reach a fever pitch. Now, a video posted to YouTube has given everyone a good idea of what they should expect when their headset arrives on their doorstep.

We'd already heard that the Vision Pro box would be a big one and we also knew what it was that Apple shipped inside it, but seeing is most definitely believing and this box is indeed huge. The video, shared by YouTuber MKBHD, shows the headset's unboxing experience and it's clear that buyers will have plenty of fun before they even get as far as putting the Vision Pro onto their heads.

Inside the box, Vision Pro buyers will find the headset itself as well as a Solo Knit Band and Dual Loop Band. There's also a Light Seal as well as two Light Seal Cushions with one being thicker than the other. A polishing cloth is included as is the battery, a USB-C cable, and a USB-C power adapter. With that all said, it's easy to see why that box is so big now. And that's before we get into the paperwork that comes with the headset to explain how to attach the straps and more.

Windows 11 just got a new interface for the setup process of the OS - the first time the installation UI has been modified in ages - but it seems that this new look has been kicking about in Windows for, well, ages.

The change to setup came in with preview build 26040, the latest release in the Canary channel.

If you caught sight of it, you'll no doubt have noticed that while it is a fresher - and more fleshed out - setup interface than is currently in place, the UI still looks pretty basic.

Apple's Vision Pro will finally go up for sale on February 2 after being available for preorder for the last couple of weeks. The headset was announced in June of 2023 and early adopters have waited months to be able to get their hands on a rare entry into a brand-new market. It's the first time Apple has done that since the Apple Watch a decade ago, and expectations are high. One of the areas that will surely make or break the Vision Pro is how many apps there are and how good they turn out to be. The App Store is sure to be full of options come February 2, and a new website has been launched in order to highlight those apps.

The website, which isn't run by Apple, allows Vision Pro app developers to share the apps that they have created to add them to a growing library of options.

The website, housed at appsforapplevisionpro.com, allows potential Vision Pro owners to view a huge list of apps as well as select those that are in specific categories including Productivity, Business, Finance, Entertainment, and more.