Latest News - Page 732

Sony's beefed-up PlayStation 5 Pro console will reportedly be an "incredibly developer-friendly system" for game developers to create -- or upgrade -- their games on.

In a new video released by Moore's Law is Dead, we're hearing that game developers that have been targeting 30FPS for their PlayStation 5 games will be able to drive their titles up to 40FPS. Meanwhile, games with 40FPS and VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) that are becoming standard options in PlayStation 5 games will be able to run at a stable 60FPS.

Not only that, but games that are currently running at 60FPS on the PS5 will be capable of running up to 120FPS with "zero effort put in" by developers, that is, if the frame rate in those games is uncapped. If it's capped, well, we could expect higher resolutions being outputted (think 1080p to 1440p, or 1440p to 4K, or just less blur all over the place).

Meteor Lake is finally here, bringing Intel's groundbreaking architectural overhaul to the mobile space - ultrathin laptops. As highlighted in our breakdown of the Core Ultra hardware, the new design features a dedicated CPU, GPU, and NPU with multiple optimized and customizable tiles tailor-made to take advantage of AI computing. Intel calls the latest range of over 200 Intel Core Ultra products the first AI PC wave.

But what about PC gaming? Intel's mobile chips have featured integrated graphics for a while, but AMD's Ryzen line-up and the new "Phoenix" processors have taken mobile gaming to a new level. Look at devices like the Phoenix-powered ROG Ally from ASUS and the Legion GO from Lenovo, or even the older Steam Deck; mobile gaming is big business right now.

Well, the good news is that the Intel Core Ultra line-up (but only the models with 'H' on the end) features integrated Intel Arc graphics - with hardware-accelerated ray-tracing, AI-powered upscaling via Intel's DLSS-like XeSS Super Sampling, AV1 encoding, and support for up to DisplayPort 2.1 output. How does the Intel Core Ultra 7 165H compare against AMD's Ryzen 7 7840U? Extremely well!

Using the new Meteor Lake technology, Intel's latest Core Ultra processors present a major architectural shake-up for the company - one focused (at the moment) on the thin and powerful laptop market. The first generation of Core Ultra CPUs that use the new and more efficient 7nm Intel 4 process are finally here, powering the first wave of AI PCs from companies like ASUS, MSI, Lenovo, Dell, GIGABYTE, and more.

What makes the new Intel Core Ultra range tailor-made for AI PCs compared to what has come before? That comes down to the major architectural shark-up - the biggest in Intel's history. Meteor Lake, which is at the heart of this first wave of Core Ultra products, combined multiple tiles (or chips) into a single chip - covering an AI-powered SoC Tile, an Intel Arc Graphics GPU Tile, and a dedicated I/O Tile for Thunderbolt and high-speed PCIe Gen5.

"In the next four years, AI PCs will comprise 80% of the PC market, and together with our vast ecosystem of hardware and software partners, Intel is best positioned to deliver this next generation of computing," Michelle Johnston Holthaus, Intel executive vice president and general manager of Client Computing Group said.

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope, the most powerful space telescope in the world, has been used to try and answer the following question - what are the smallest stars?

A team of researchers from Pennsylvania State University pointed Webb's Near-infrared Camera (NIRCam) at the heart of the star cluster IC 347, which resides in the star-birthing Perseus star-forming region. The recovered data revealed the discovery of a record-breaking free-floating brown dwarf star and two other "failed stars". Notably, the "failed star" nickname linked to brown dwarf stars can be attributed to brown dwarf stars never gaining enough mass to trigger nuclear fusion, the reaction at the core of a fully grown star.

The team used the NIRCam image to identify any potential targets for the smallest possible star and followed up with Webb's NIRSpec (Near-Infrared Spectrograph) micro shutter array. The results yielded three targets weighing three to eight Jupiter masses. These targets each had surface temperatures ranging from 830 to 1500 degrees Celsius. Notably, the record-breaking smallest of the three weighs approximately three to four times Jupiter.

Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk is planning to fund the construction of a university in Austin, Texas, according to tax filings obtained by Bloomberg.

The upcoming educational institution has been gifted $100 million of seed money and, per the tax filing, will concentrate efforts on STEM programs in both primary and secondary school.

The organization behind the project is currently seeking accreditation from the Georgia-based Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, explaining that the new university will employ "experienced faculty" and include a traditional curriculum that is backed by learning experiences through "simulations, case studies, fabrication/design projects, and labs."

A team of researchers has announced they will be turning on the world's first supercomputer that's designed to emulate the neural network of a human brain.

The researchers from Western Sydney University Australia announced via a press release that the supercomputer called DeepSouth is capable of emulating a network of spiking neurons at 228 trillion synaptic operations per second, which puts its performance near that of the operational power of a human brain. The team believes that designing a supercomputer comparable to the scale and power of a human brain will lead to a greater understanding of how our brains compute.

Most researchers designing supercomputers build them around raw compute power, but since the team behind DeepSouth is attempting to replicate a brain's network of neurons, the design means it will be more efficient, less power-hungry, and likely cheaper. The researchers believe that creating a simulated brain supercomputer will have widespread implications if more is understood about how the brain functions.

The perfect photograph is certainly subjective, and to photographer Jack Lodge, it meant waiting four years to capture one of his favorite objects, the Sun.

The sun photographer had been chasing a specific shot of our host star for four whole years, with multiple attempts at making the shot being foiled by simple weather problems such as overcast skies. Lodge was set on capturing the Sun lining up perfectly with the Durdle Door, a natural limestone arch on the Jurassic Coast in Dorset, England. The perfect lineup happens to occur only once, two to three weeks each year.

Furthermore, reports indicate that the Sun only lines up behind the Durdle Door for less than five minutes each day (during the period when it's possible). This small window of opportunity meant Lodge had to wake up at 5:00 AM to arrive at the location in time to capture the moment. After waiting four years for the opportunity to arise, it happened, and the results are above.

As the size of nodes for chips decreases and their complexity increases, only some companies with the technology can continue to push and produce the most cutting-edge microprocessors. With that said, one stands out from the pack - TSMC.

Earlier today (or was that last night), we reported on the company's upcoming 2nm (or N2) process node that is rumored to power the next-generation iPhone 17 Pro. It's on track for 2025. Naturally, the company's portfolio extends beyond this, and even though it's assumed that both TSMC and its competitors like Samsung that the development of 1.4nm process nodes will follow 2nm - we've now for confirmation of its existence via a company slide showcased during a recent Future of Logic panel.

As posted by Dylan Patel over on X, TSMC's 1.4nm node or A14 is currently "in development" alongside the company acknowledging that AI will power microprocessors for the foreseeable future. With 2nm expected in 2025, which, like 3nm and the iPhone 15, will probably debut alongside a new round of Apple products.

You probably forgot, but Bethesda announced it was working on an official 4K update for Fallout 4 in 2022 as part of the franchise's 25th anniversary. Described as a "next-gen" update for PC, Xbox Series X|S, and PlayStation 5, in addition to higher quality assets, Bethesda noted that it would support higher frame rates, bug fixes, and even additional content via the Creation Club.

For Bethesda Game Studios, 2023 was the year of Starfield, so we can only assume this Fallout 4 remaster was put on the back burner while the team focused on launching its brand-new space RPG. This brings us to today, where, after a year or so of radio silence and Starfield out in the wild, the official Fallout account on X has confirmed that the Fallout 4 "next-gen update" is on track for a 2024 release.

Even though there's no official word on when we might get a Fallout 5, 2024 is set to be a big year for the franchise as the highly anticipated TV adaptation is set to debut on Prime Video in April. Based on the show's reveal trailer, it captures the look and feel of the post-apocalyptic landscape and world depicted in Fallout 4.

ASAKA has just revealed its new G-Nexus P24 adapter for NVIDIA's current-gen GeForce RTX 40 series GPUs that use 3 x 8-pin PCIe power connectors that support up to 600W of power flowing through them.

The new ASAKA G-Nexus P24 adapter and its 3 x 8-pin PCIe power connectors see each of the 8-pin cables delivering up to 150W of power for a total of 450W of power delivery. This means that you can use any GeForce RTX 40 series GPU right up to the RTX 4080 and RTX 4090 graphics cards, but overclocking them and driving past 450W might require a different cable or a different cable adapter.

ASAKA recommends keeping your power cables away from heat sources, as it might cause damage to the cables, your graphics card, or more. However, I think that will be hard, considering the G-Nexus P24 adapter runs directly in front of your graphics card... you know, a major source of heat.

ASRock is the first out of the gate to unveil a new Mini-PC based on AMD's just-released Ryzen 8040 series "Hawk Point" APU with its new 4x4 BOX 8040 series Mini-PCs. Check it out:

The new ASRock 4x4 BOX 8040 series Mini-PCs come in two variants: the 4x4 BOX-8840U and 4x4 BOX-8640, with each of them packing an AMD Ryzen 8040 series APU, supporting DDR5-5600 memory, multiple displays (four in total) and super-fast USB4 connectivity.

ASRock's new Mini-PCs are powered by either the AMD Ryzen 7 8840U or Ryzen 5 8640U processors, with the Ryzen 7 8840U featuring 8 cores and 16 threads boosting at up to 5.1GHz, and the Ryzen 5 8640U featuring 6 cores and 12 threads boosting at up to 4.9GHz. On the integrated GPU side of things, the Ryzen 7 8840U features a Radeon 780M with 12 CUs, while the Ryzen 5 8640U features a Radeon 760M with 8 CUs on board.

The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening was first released in 1993 for the Nintendo Game Boy, the first major Zelda game developed for a handheld console and one of the very few entries in the series not to take place in Hyrule. In terms of style, the top-down action-adventure is an extension of the Super Nintendo classic The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, and the DX edition of the game presents the adventure in full Game Boy Color mode.

This brings us to the brand-new Link's Awakening DX HD fan remake for PC, which does some pretty amazing things that we'd love to see applied to more retro 2D sprite-driven games. The big thing is that not only does it draw more of the classic pixel art to fill a modern 16:9 widescreen without loading from one screen to another, but you can zoom in and out of the entire Zelda map and still play.

Yeah, it's the sort of feature that fundamentally changes the experience while remaining true to the original. Instead of a sequence of screens, you're presented with a seamless world with an accurate 1:1 pixel recreation. It doesn't stop there, as the Link's Awakening DX HD also supports a smooth 120FPS presentation.

Apple announced its new iPhone 15 Pro smartphone earlier this year, powered by its new A17 Pro chip that's made on TSMC's 3nm process, but its future iPhone 17 Pro will reportedly be fabbed on TSMC's new 2nm process node.

The news is coming from a new report, TSMC will begin mass production of its new 2nm node in 2025, where Apple will be the first client, and its next-gen iPhone 17 Pro smartphone will be the first with a 2nm chip. Apple is TSMC's largest client, taking in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company's entire supply of 3nm chips in 2023, where TSMC gave Apple first dibs on its new node before its competitors.

In a new report from the Financial Times, they explained: "TSMC, which dominates the global market in processors, has already shown the process test results for its "N2" - or 2 nanometre - prototypes to some of its biggest customers, including Apple and NVIDIA, according to two people with direct knowledge of the discussions".

After a two-year investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) Office of Defects, it has found Tesla needs to recall more than two million vehicles across the United States over safety concerns with the EV's Autopilot feature.

Firstly, Tesla's Autopilot feature is the company's name for its driver-assisted system and consists of two main components: the "traffic-aware cruise control" and Autosteer. The automated cruise control measures the distance between itself and the vehicle in front, adjusting for speed by breaking with the goal of maintaining a safe distance.

The Autosteer component is responsible for monitoring the lines on the road and will make slight adjustments to keep the vehicle in between both lines. The system was originally designed by Mobileye, but Tesla decided to build its own and dropped many sensors in a way to save costs. Tesla's camera-only approach then evolved into complaints being filed to the NHTSA, where drivers reported their Tesla slammed on the breaks when it falsely identified an object as a reason to slow down.

NVIDIA has had a bunch of giveaways throughout this year, starting from entry-level through to mid-range and up to its flagship GeForce RTX 4090... but now we're seeing some price drops on the MSRP of the RTX 4090 of close to $600.

The news is coming from NVIDIA's new DOOM 30th Anniversary sweepstakes competition, where you can win a custom NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 graphics card celebrating DOOM's incredible 30th anniversary. But now we're seeing that the last two competitions that NVIDIA held have the MSRP of the RTX 4090 and its custom backplate sitting at $1389.

Why is this significant? Well, earlier this year, NVIDIA held a competition in February 2023 where the MSRP of the giveaway of the GeForce RTX 4090 with a custom Atomic Heart backplate had an MSRP of $1979. Later in the year, the MSRP of the GeForce RTX 4090 Founders Edition was $1599, and then in November and now December, the MSRP has fallen to $1389.

NVIDIA is already dominating the AI GPU market, but now analyst Ming-Chi Kuo is expecting that the insatiable demand for AI GPUs will see NVIDIA AI GPU shipments surge 150% year-over-year in 2024.

NVIDIA has already reported absolutely stellar financials driven by its AI GPU dominance, where Team Green has a commanding 90%+ of the AI GPU market share. The company enjoyed an amazing 2023, but in the coming years the company is expecting to drive $300 billion from its AI business alone.

Tianfeng Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says that NVIDIA plans on boosting the volumes of AI GPU shipments in 2024; here's what the analyst expects to see in 2024:

Adobe tells investors that it is facing an FTC probe for its widely-contested cancellation fees.

Digital creative software giant Adobe could be facing considerable fines from US regulators. The Federal Trade Commission is currently investigating the cancellation policy for Adobe's subscription-based software suite.

The consumer protection agency is scrutinizing Adobe under the lens of the Restore Online Shoppers' Confidence Act, a new law passed in 2023 that requires businesses to clearly identify the terms of subscriptions, including any cancellation fees, upon consumer signup. The FTC recently filed a complaint alleging that Amazon's policies violate ROSCA.

NVIDIA's flagship GeForce RTX 4090 has been custom-modded by a Redditor, taking the original cooler off and replacing it with a triple-fan Noctua cooling solution, and it looks awesome. Check it out:

Redditor "zaME19" posted on the Small Form Factor PC subreddit, modding his Inno3D GeForce RTX 4090, which features a non-reference PCB and triple-fan cooler, where he 3D printed a completely new shroud for his RTX 4090. The shroud features a matte black design with the exact mounting points for 3 x Noctua NF-A9 fans.

Each of the Noctua AF-A9 fans is 92mm with a PWM design and SS02 bearing mechanisms, with each of the fans capable of pushing out 78.9 m3/h airflow with a quiet operation of up to 22.8 dBa. They've got a max speed of 2000 RPM, operating as low as 400 RPM for that quiet, flagship GPU gaming goodness. The fans even come with anti-vibration pads which help dampen the noise even more.

In a bid to sell more units, both Sony and Microsoft have slashed prices of their PlayStation and Xbox consoles for Black Friday. This trend is apparently set to continue as the companies face hardware sales dips.

New reports from Circana analyst Mat Piscatella give valuable insight on the current US video games market. According to Piscatella's data, consumer spending on video games hardware dropped 24% year-over-year for the period from October 29 - November 25.

It's very important to note that this is one day after 2023's Black Friday sales started to kick off. This year's discounts saw significant savings on PlayStation 5 consoles as well as Xbox Series X and Series S systems. Circana's report likely includes Black Friday sales data, albeit not Cyber Monday.

Twitch has updated and condensed its sexual content policies to allow for "artistic nudity," but this doesn't mean streamers can be naked during broadcasts.

While scouting Twitter, I noticed an interesting report: Twitch apparently now allows nudity on its platform. Looking into this further, I whittled away at the truth: Yes, Twitch will allow some kinds of nudity. But you can't just get nude on a stream to thousands of people.

Twitch's updated adult content policy explains the limitations. According to the mandate, streamers can show "artistic depictions of nudity" in fictionalized content like drawings, animations, and sculptures.