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Xbox will continue to exist if the Activision merger is not approved, Microsoft gaming CEO Phil Spencer says.

The Microsoft-Activision merger is so big that it could ultimately shape the future of the games industry and help the Xbox brand unlock it's full potential. With the inclusion of Activision Blizzard King properties, Microsoft would effectively own more than a dozen billion-dollar video game franchises, including the $31 billion Call of Duty series. The sheer power behind the buyout--in both the $68.7 billion price and overall business scope--has prompted significant regulatory scrutiny from worldwide antitrust agencies

While regulators are trying to their best to determine what happens if the merger goes through, Microsoft's Phil Spencer has a few quick responses to a potential merger block. Spencer indicates that Xbox may keep operating as it always has if the merger is not approved by regulators.

Windows 11 just received a major update that puts the Bing AI chatbot onto the taskbar, among other big changes.

This is essentially the return of the search box on the taskbar - which was replaced by a more compact button in Windows 11 - except now when you're typing queries, you'll be enlisting the help of the ChatGPT-powered Bing to assist you.

Only those who have signed up for the preview of the 'new Bing' (as it's called formally by Microsoft) will have access to the AI, mind you, providing they have also installed this new Windows 11 update.

It's happening: FromSoftware and Bandai Namco have officially announced Elden Ring's first major expansion.

Today marks a special occassion for Tarnished everywhere. Roughly one year after release, FromSoftware has announced Elden Ring's new Shadow of the Erdtree expansion.

Next to nothing is know about Shadow of the Erdtree. We don't know when it's releasing, but we do know that it will be available on all platforms, including PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. The expansion's key art gives some clues, though, and it looks like the Erdtree has lost its light and cast a very ominous shadow over the Lands Between.

Windows 11 users might eventually get the ability to declutter the taskbar somewhat, or more specifically, the system tray at the far-right end of the bar.

As spotted by known Windows leaker PhantomOfEarth on Twitter, Microsoft could be working on a feature to allow users to turn off the clock display (date/time) in the system tray.

Or at least some hidden code points to the existence of such functionality, even if it hasn't yet been enabled in testing - these nuggets were uncovered in preview build 25300 of Windows 11 (which was recently released).

AMD's new Ryzen 9 processors with 3D V-Cache tech are now officially launched, but there's been something of a question mark that has remained hanging over the lesser of the two models.

The Ryzen 9 7900X3D has yet to appear in reviews (at least not from any mainstream sites), and there's been some uncertainty about how the cores are split between the two chiplets onboard the CPU.

Well, now we know courtesy of Andreas Schilling, who is the editor at German tech site Hardwareluxx.de. Schilling claims to have official confirmation (apply a pinch of salt now) from AMD that the cores are split evenly between the two chiplets. (See the tweet above for the full details, including diagrams of core and cache distribution).

3D displays aren't new, and with the rise and fall of 3D TVs over a decade ago, not to mention devices like the Nintendo 3DS becoming the 2DS, you wouldn't be remiss to think that 3D displays are a thing of the past. Leia Inc.'s Lume Pad 2 wants to change that perception by presenting a device with 3D display technology that sounds very cool in 2023. This is non-glasses 3D too.

The Lume Pad 2 is an Android tablet that not only features 3D cameras capable of capturing and presenting full 3D images and video, with native 3D video chat functionality between multiple Lume Pads, but it's leveraging the power of AI to enhance its features.

Namely converting 2D images to 3D, adding an extra layer of immersion to all content viewed on the pad. LeiaTube is a real-time tool for 2D to 3D content where you can share videos from YouTube, Vimeo, TikTok, and others and watch them in 3D.

The T-FORCE CARDEA Z540 M.2 PCIe 5.0 SSD might be a bit of a mouthful in how PC part product names tend to be, but it marks the debut of TEAMGROUP's foray into the brand-new PCIe 5.0 SSD space. It's a tech fully supported by new CPUs and motherboards.

And as we've seen the first few PCIe 5.0 SSDs launch with chunky heatsinks and even tiny little fans for cooling, turns out read and write speeds of up to 12,000MB/s and 10,000MB/s generates a lot of heat, the T-FORCE CARDEA Z540 goes a different route. These rates represent a significant jump over the fastest PCIe 4.0 SSDs, which will no doubt make loading times a thing of the past.

Using an "exclusive ultra-thin graphene heat spreader" built on TEAMGROUP's custom tech, it is said to rapidly and evenly disperse heat for "top-notch" cooling of 3-5 degrees less than using only motherboard heatsinks. Outside of sounding like an excellent option for those not wanting an M.2 SSD with a chunky heatsink, we're happy to see TEAMGROUP using Aussie slang like "top-notch" to describe cooling. And it's ultra-thin, with a less than 1mm thickness.

The MSI MEG 342C QD-OLED is a new display from the hardware maker that fully uses the latest QD-OLED technology to deliver a curved ultrawide experience that will undoubtedly be awesome for games.

OLED panels in gaming monitors are still far and few between, but as we've seen in the 4K TV space, they not only deliver crisp and perfect black levels thanks to per-pixel lighting, but the response times are just about non-existent. The MSI MEG 342C QD-OLED features a 0.1ms response time.

MSI's new display features a Quantum Dot layer for more vibrant colors; it's VESA Display HDR True Black 400 certified and has a 175 Hz refresh rate with AMD FreeSync Premium Pro variable refresh-rate support. And with 139.1% sRGB, 99.3% DCI-P3, and 97.8% Adobe RGB accuracy, it's the sort of display that will be as good for content creators as it will be for PC gamers.

We're now well and truly in the age of cloud storage for backing up files and having readily available access to things like photos and important documents. With that, several gigabytes of cloud data are becoming the norm for most PC users. Microsoft's OneDrive, Dropbox, and Google Drive are big players in this space, though access to cloud storage comes at a price.

But what if you could upload unlimited amounts of compressed and encrypted data and have it accessible on... YouTube? That's precisely what DvorakDwarf has managed to create as part of a "party trick" project called 'Infinite Storage Glitch' (via GitHub) which stores data in video files that can be uploaded to YouTube. An example can be seen above.

Naturally, it's a lot more complicated than that, as the current tool features code written in Rust, which converts data into pixels which are then represented as video. Originally it was going to use the full RGB spectrum, but due to YouTube compression, a binary mode (chunky black and white pixels representing ones and zeroes) was added for more reliable results. Plus, it's limited to Linux.

OnePlus already has the OnePlus 11 available to buy and it's generally accepted to be a pretty good phone for those who want to try something different from the usual iPhones, Pixels, and Galaxies. But OnePlus has shared something new. And it's a stunner.

Say hello to the OnePlus 11 Concept, a gorgeous phone that you can't actually buy but that we really. really wish that we could. Because it's pretty great to look at.

There is more to the OnePlus 11 Concept than that black aesthetic and blue cooling channels, though. For starters, those cooling channels are full of liquid that keeps the phone's processor and other bits and pieces nice and cool. How cool? Well, that depends on what you're doing but OnePlus reckons that you can expect to see temperatures a couple of degrees lower than you would otherwise.

Apple's next iPad Pro models, inbound for 2024 in theory, are set to run with super-slick OLED screens - but the catch is this will mean the tablets are pricey.

The theory is that the next-gen iPad Pros would come in two sizes, 11.1-inch and 13-inch, so slightly larger than the existing tablets, but the major upgrade would be the shift to an OLED panel.

However, getting those high-quality panels from LG and Samsung would be a costly affair, and a report from The Elec (a Korean tech site) makes it clear that the bump in price might be significant.

Reports indicate that influential games industry figures believe Microsoft could sell the Xbox games division if the Activision merger is blocked.

Microsoft wants to buy Activision Blizzard King for $68.7 billion. Shareholders and a large portion of gamers want the deal to go through. Regulators like the FTC, CMA, and European Commission are heavily scrutinizing the deal as it is believed that Activision's 8x separate billion-dollar franchises, including mega-hits like the $31 billion Call of Duty franchise and mobile giant Candy Crush, could help shape the future for the games industry.

What happens if the deal is blocked? As per current contracts, we know that Microsoft will have to pay Activision a $3 billion fee if the merger is not completed before June. It's likely that Microsoft and Activision will negotiate an extension if it looks like the FTC has a strong administrative case, but the consensus is that the FTC will withdraw the case and set out remedies and concessions to close the deal.

AMD's Radeon RX 7900 XT GPU is getting cheaper across the globe, as first we heard the news of substantial price falls in China (over the past weekend), and now the same is happening in the US, too.

Leading the charge in the States is the ASRock Phantom Gaming RX 7900 XT graphics card over at Newegg, which has now been reduced to US$830, a pretty significant drop from the MSRP of US$900.

Indeed, that's 9% off the recommended price, although the cost reductions in China comfortably exceed that kind of discount, amounting to nearly 20% being lopped off the price tag.

AMD's top-end Ryzen 9 processors with 3D V-Cache on-board will be something special for gamers, and the company has been busy elaborating on the reasons why.

These X3D chips, namely the Ryzen 9 7950X3D and 7900X3D, have two separate chiplets (known as CCDs), and in a fresh info dump, AMD has made it clear that the fastest chiplet for any particular game will be used.

For the uninitiated, the difference between the two chiplets is that one has the 3D V-Cache, and the other doesn't - although that second (non-X3D) chiplet can run at a faster boost speed as a result.

The HPE Spaceborne Computer 2 is a cutting-edge piece of computing equipment with AI-enabled systems that can handle complex scientific tasks and help process data without sending all those bits and bytes down to Earth. Yep, the HPE Spaceborne Computer 2 lives up to its name as a computer aboard the International Space Station (ISS).

It's the first in-space edge computing system on the ISS, a remarkable bit of engineering that benefits from the technological advances made in recent years. And with that, HPE (Hewlett Packard Enterprise) has partnered with KIOXIA America, Inc. to provide all required storage in the form of advanced SDD technology for the HPE SBC-2 system, which includes a rugged, compact computer system and a high-performance HPE ProLiant server.

It's the sort of system that has already proven itself by advancing progress in fields like healthcare, 3D printing, natural disaster recovery, and more. Putting something like that into space is another level entirely, with KIOXIA supplying both KIOXIA RM Series Value SAS and KIOXIA XG Series NVMe SSDs for use in space science. Aka complex research. KIOXIA is no stranger to flash memory, the company invented NAND flash as we know it, so it makes sense that its SSDs would be sent into space. Being at the forefront of consumer and enterprise applications for years, it certainly sounds like space is the next frontier for KIOXIA.

The U.S. military has combined artificial intelligence with robotics, sensors, and facial recognition technology. The result? Concerning drone capabilities.

The United States Air Force has developed facial recognition technology for drones, enabling drones to identify individuals and carry out missions in their various forms. The technology was birthed out of a contract between the Department of Defense and RealNetworks, which states the new drone technology is intended for intelligence gathering by special operations teams.

The contract is worth approximately $800,000, and according to reports, RealNetworks won the contract to implement its Secure Accurate Facial Recognition (SAFR) technology into U.S. Air Force drones. Additionally, the upgrade in software allows for the drones to be flown autonomously with minimal human intervention. Facial recognition technology being added to drones is not a new thing, as the U.N. claimed that Libyan troops had equipped their drones with facial recognition technology and weapons in 2021.

Four former US presidents will be hitching a ride on the coming Enterprise Flight that will put them on a journey into deep space.

Texas-based space burial company Celestis took to its blog to announce the news and explained that it will be honoring the legacy of the four former presidents by placing their DNA samples inside of memorial capsules that will be sent into a solar orbit 93 million miles to 186 million miles in deep space. Celestis explains that it intends to create the world's first true outpost of humanity in the cosmos and that the former presidents won't be the only DNA samples on board.

According to the blog post, the mission will contain 200 capsules containing cremated human remains and DNA, which is expected to launch on the Vulcan Centaur rocket created by the United Launch Alliance. The company intends to preserve the legacy of human existence with these capsules and explains that putting them on the Enterprise Flight will establish a precursor for future human missions that happen to find them while also perhaps informing whoever finds them of bygone American leaders, culture, or even an evolutionary "map" of how the US began.

A new report has revealed Spotify is currently preparing to revolutionize the music streaming industry with the inclusion of a DJ that's powered by artificial intelligence.

TechCrunch has reported that Spotify has unveiled a new feature that is designed to learn as much as it can about the user so it can then provide the best music recommendations. This feature is called "DJ" and is separate from radio DJ, which will likely be discontinued once DJ is widely adopted. So, what is DJ? The concept is quite simple. The feature will give users a curated selection of music, and between tracks, an AI voice will provide commentary on the artists being listened to.

As users continue to engage with DJ, the underlying artificial intelligence will learn more about what type of music the user wants to listen to, and with that knowledge, it will create a personalized listening experience. Spotify's goal behind the implementation of this software is to expand Spotify's uses, which are typically centered around custom playlists and interacting with the app to find a desired song. By rolling out an AI assistant that learns its users' taste, Spotify could be turned into an app that is continuously playing a stream of personalized music, removing the need for the user to search for new music manually.

Researchers from The Australian National University have penned a new study that has been published in Nature Communications and details the discovery of a new core inside of Earth's inner core.

The team of seismologists measured how seismic waves pass through each of Earth's most distinctive layers; the crust, the mantle, the outer core, and the inner core. The researchers found that seismic waves passed through each of the four layers at different speeds. However, the team claims they identified a distinctive fifth layer within Earth's inner core when they measured how seismic waves travel through Earth's center.

These seismic waves begin at the location of an earthquake, travel through Earth's core, and are then spat out on the opposite side of the planet from where the earthquake happened. The waves then make travel back to the source of the earthquake. This bouncing phenomenon is called the antipode, and typically, seismologists are only able to measure one antipodal bounce.

Guinness World Records has awarded Jeff Reitz for ridiculous 2,995 consecutive visits to Disneyland between 2021 and 2020.

The Disneyland fanatic was given a Guinness World Record for his daily trips to the theme park that began as a method of distracting himself from job-hunting. The LA Times reports that Reitz, a 50-year-old man from Huntington Beach, California went to Disneyland in Anaheim nearly 3,000 days in a row, leading him to become somewhat of a park celebrity, with Reitz saying to the publication that he began having guests in the park stop him to ask for photos.

Reitz made a 20 mile trip to Disneyland in Anaheim every day for 8 years, 3 months and 13 days. The visits to the happiest place on Earth began when he was unemployed, with Reitz saying that he was gifted an annual pass to Disneyland and used the theme park as a source of free entertainment. The celebrity side of Reitz's trips to the theme park began shortly after his 60th consecutive visit when the park-goer was interviewed by a news reporter.