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A new report claims that Twitter has laid off at least fifty workers over the weekend, with some discovering their firing by being locked out of their email accounts.

The report comes from The Information, which recently published claims that Twitter fired "dozens" of employees on Saturday, with some of those affected employees being engineers that were responsible for keeping Twitter's underlying systems up and running. Other employees affected by the layoffs were those responsible for advertising technology, the main app of Twitter, and technical infrastructure.

These job cuts are now the eighth round of layoffs since Elon Musk took over the company in October and are a response to Twitter's overall dip in revenue caused by advertisers pulling out ad expenditure on the platform. Advertisers began slowing down or halting advertising on Twitter shortly after Elon Musk took over the company and revised the platform's content moderation policy. Many brands were hesitant about Musk's new vision for Twitter and, as a result, thought it would be safer to reduce spending or stop altogether.

With revenues falling and the big tech companies cutting thousands of jobs to tighten their fiscal belts, today comes a surprising announcement from Google. It looks like the Google Cloud division will be asking its employees (referred to internally as Googlers) to share desks, with the measure described as a way for Google to continue to invest in the Cloud. Sounds like there's not much of a need for physical desk space up in the cloud.

This is, of course, surprising because we often think of tech giants like Google offering modern cutting-edge workspaces where employees do all of their coding and device business amid a tech playground of food, drinks, comfy office spaces, and rooms dedicated for those that want to take a mid-afternoon nap. CNBC's Jennifer Elias acquired an internal memo about the new Cloud Office Evolution desk-share policy which states, "most Googlers will now share a desk with one other Googler."

The document adds that employees will head to work on alternate days so that they won't be using the same desk simultaneously. "Through the matching process, they will agree on a basic desk setup and establish norms with their desk partner and teams to ensure a positive experience in the new shared environment," the document says.

Pricing for graphics cards is continuing to drop in China, which extends to new models, with the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT now being listed for a price 19% lower than its original launch MSRP. This is a massive reduction for what is seen as the least popular model of AMD's new RDNA 3-based graphics cards.

Granted, there are only two RDNA 3 models, with more on the way, but even the flagship AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX is now being sold at a price point around 5% lower than its launch-day MSRP.

AMD's new GPUs have been more aggressively priced than NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 40 Series line-up, but even Team Green's cards are now available for prices lower than their launch MSRPs. This starkly contrasts what we saw back in 2020 and 2021 with the Ampere-based GeForce RTX 30 Series, where it seemed like prices would increase every week or two. In China, even the popular GeForce RTX 4090 is now being sold at a price 7% lower than its MSRP, with the GeForce RTX 4080 seeing a more significant drop with a price 15% lower than its launch MSRP.

The original Half-Life from Valve was released in 1998 for PC, an iconic and groundbreaking first-person shooter that would serve as a milestone release to help shape the genre over the next few decades. It introduced us to the crowbar-wielding scientist Gordon Freedom amid a full-scale alien invasion at the mysterious Black Mesa Research Facility. Half-Life would also pave the way for the multiplayer hit Counter-Strike, which is still one of the most popular competitive shooters.

And now the classic shooter has been given the ray-tracing makeover treatment via a new mod that offers real-time path-tracing for Half-Life (1998). The results are impressive and similar to what we saw from NVIDIA with its Quake II RTX mod from a few years ago in that it replaces all in-game lighting with ray-traced goodness.

As per the release trailer for the mod, we can see that the original 1998 textures and models haven't changed. They're still as blocky and chunky as ever, but the difference RT brings to Half-Life is undoubtedly impressive.

AMD is set to debut its new AMD Ryzen 9 7000X3D CPUs this week, and it's expected that the 3D V-Cache will deliver excellent results for PC gamers. As official reviews have yet to appear, we have some in-game benchmark leaks for the flagship AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D, where we see up to 35% faster performance than the Intel Core i9-13900K.

The CPU was paired with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 graphics card and MSI MAG X670E Tomahawk motherboard. The five games tested in 1080p include; Assassin's Creed Valhalla, Far Cry 5, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Metro Exodus, and Star Control.

Of the five games, Assassin's Creed saw the biggest performance bump, with the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D being 35% faster than the Intel Core i9-13900K. That said, the second biggest result was for Far Cry 5, which was 12% faster. Taking the average across these five games and the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D is 12% faster than the Intel Core i9-13900K.

Wood paneling on gaming hardware has a long and storied history, though it dates back to when most TVs had wood, and the Atari 2600 was fresh on the scene.

It also has some lovely little wood panel accents. Now it looks like some of that retro 1970s style is coming to the PC case scene, which we've recently gone hands-on with - thanks to the Fractal Design North mid-tower case.

Our review described the walnut wood accent on the case as "tasteful," blending nicely with the black chassis and minimal Fractal Design aesthetic. Now it looks like it's Corsair's turn, with the hardware maker quietly releasing some equally tasteful wooden PC panels for two of its most popular case series' - the Corsair 4000 Series and the Corsair 5000 Series, which are available now in three different wood styles; Teak veneer, Sapele veneer, and Bamboo veneer.

Gamers have downloaded over 44 billion gigabytes from Steam -- that's enough for a handful of Warzone installs!

Valve's new Steam Year in Review 2022 stats show incredible growth for the platform. Steam grew to new heights throughout 2022, breaking previous concurrent user records last year (Valve just broke these again with an astronomical 33 million users online at once).

Tons of new users also showed up to Valve's storefront to buy games; The company says that an average 83,000 new users logged in to buy games every day of 2022. We can only imagine what Valve's revenue sheets look like.

Valve's innovative Steam Deck handheld PC turns 1 year old today--how time flies!

One year ago, Valve changed the world of gaming with an affordable PC that fits in your hands. The Steam Deck represents the first major union of PC power and a handheld form factor from a storefront operator like Valve. The result is a powerful machine that seamlessly plays a significant portion of Steam games wherever you are.

The Steam Deck also made one of the most important advancements that any gaming platform could have, let alone a handheld. Valve specifically designed a suspend and resume feature that's very similar to the Quick Resume function on the Xbox Series X. This way gamers can instantly jump right back into their game sessions without having to load a save file. This is something that modern PCs don't even have outside of emulators.

Microsoft will be required to release or make available some version of Call of Duty onto the current-generation Switch console in order to fulfill its promise to bring the series to 150 million more consumers.

Microsoft has signed 10-year agreements to bring Call of Duty to Nintendo platforms and NVIDIA's GeForce Now service. The tech giant has told the public and the press that the licensing deals will bring Call of Duty to 150 million more gamers--a number that combines the Switch install base (122.5 million) and NVIDIA's GeForce Now members (25 million).

According to our findings, the two deals could benefit Microsoft by exponentially expanding the reach of key Xbox games, including Activision's $31 billion Call of Duty franchise. There appears to be very little downside to these deals except for one potential snag: the hardware performance limitations of the current-gen Switch.

Microsoft has found a way to answer regulatory concerns with a strategy that significantly benefits the Xbox business.

There's more than meets the eye with Microsoft's recent 10-year Call of Duty deals. The company has signed contracts to offer Call of Duty on competing platforms like Nintendo systems and NVIDIA's GeForce Now streaming service for a full decade. Microsoft is attempting to satisfy regulatory concerns in a way that is favorable to itself, the two competing games companies, and global consumers.

The deals are particularly advantageous for Microsoft, who will see its games and content expand to new audiences across cloud gaming and Nintendo's uniquely merged handheld-console market.

Following an important European Commission hearing in Brussels, Microsoft President Brad Smith comments on how new access remedies could help get the Microsoft-Activision approved by regulators.

Microsoft has attempted to satisfy regulators' Call of Duty exclusivity worries by making behind-the-scenes contractual commitments to bring the $31 billion franchise to competing platforms. Microsoft has signed deals with both Nintendo and NVIDIA to bring Call of Duty to Nintendo's consoles and NVIDIA's GeForce Now game streaming service. These deals represent what regulators call access remedies, which are forms of behavioral remedies--or adjustments in market behavior that favors competition--that regulators may impose as conditions for approval. Microsoft is trying to get a head start of potential remedy talks by offering access remedies on terms that suit both itself and competitors.

Company management is confident that the strategy will advance merger proceedings. In a recent interview with Bloomberg, Microsoft President Brad Smith said that the deals could help provide a "clear path" to approval.

NVIDIA's gaming revenue for Q2 FY23 is down 46% year-on-year, but its USD 1,831 million in this sector is up 16% over the previous quarter. Despite the downturn, advances in AI acceleration and data center sales have seen the company's stock surge over the past week.

Still, the more interesting thing we've learned is that when it comes to overall gaming revenue, NVIDIA and AMD are close - with NVIDIA's USD 1,831 million in gaming revenue being only 10% more than AMD's USD 1,644.

It's no secret that NVIDIA's GeForce hardware dominates the PC gaming market in terms of overall market share. The most recent Steam Hardware Survey results back this up, showcasing that pretty much all the top discrete GPU options come from Team Green (over 75%), and it's a list that even includes the recently released GeForce RTX 4090 and other high-end GPUs from the company.

Nintendo has delivered an official statement that outlines why it will skip this year's E3 show.

Earlier this year reports indicated that Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony would all skip this year's Electronics Entertainment Expo (E3). Now Nintendo has issued a comment that confirms it will not be at E3 2023 while also clarifying why it won't be at the event:

"We approach our involvement in any event on a case-by-case basis and are always considering various ways to engage with our fans. Since this year's E3 show didn't fit into our plans, we have made the decision to not participate. However, we have been and continue to be a strong supporter of the ESA and E3."

BioWare lays out an ambitious goals to simultaneously simplify and add depth to Dragon Age Dreadwolf's skill system.

Skill trees in Dragon Age games aren't really all that complicated. The trees are segmented into combat roles--two-handed, ice, cold, bow attacks, etc--and skills are typically broken up into two types: Active and passive. The trees in Dragon Age 2 and Dragon Age Inquisition are relatively straightforward and aren't too complex to understand.

BioWare wants to keep things simple while also trying something new with Dragon Age Dreadwolf. In a recent Dragon Age update post, BioWare says one of the main goals with Dreadwolf is to make every progression point feel meaningful. Essentially the devs want to make every choice you make with skill unlocks feel like it has a tangible effect on the game. Every skill, passive, or boost should increase stats, capability, and the overall sense of power that players feel in the game.

Larian heads off growing controversy by answering two very important questions: Yes, Baldur's Gate 3 is coming to Xbox, and no, the game is not exclusive to PlayStation.

The recent Microsoft-Activision merger has ignited fresh controversy about platform exclusivity, namely Sony's penchant for buying up platform exclusivity rights for big games like Final Fantasy 7 Remake and the upcoming Final Fantasy 16. Yesterday, Baldur's Gate 3 was showcased as part of Sony's PlayStation State of Play event to confirm a PS5 release. Larian, the devs behind Baldur's Gate 3, did not list Xbox as a release platform on the trailer or their official website.

Everyone assumed this meant that Baldur's Gate 3 was exclusive to PlayStation 5 consoles. That's usually the case when a platform is omitted from a developer's promo materials--third-party exclusivity is usually quiet as to not encourage console warring. This time around gamers jumped the gun and now Larian has officially confirmed that they are (and have been) working on an Xbox version of Baldur's Gate 3. This version just won't be available at launch due to technical difficulties with split-screen co-op.

Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav casually spoils one of the biggest surprises of 2023 by confirming a new Mortal Kombat game's release timing.

In a recent Q4 earnings call, WBD's CEO David Zaslav stole NetherRealm's thunder by announcing Mortal Kombat 12 will launch this year.

On the topic of WB Games, Zaslav said: "There's lots more to come including the highly anticipated Mortal Kombat 12 and Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League games also set for release this year with ambitious launch projections."

As part of Apple's iOS 16 update, it introduced the ability for users to edit recently sent messages on the iMessage platform as a nice little feature for those of us that put too much faith in autocorrect. It set a 15-minute time limit, but it proved to be a very welcome addition, in addition to reducing the need to send a quick follow-up message correcting that the word 'boobs' was actually 'books.' Like, "I want to borrow a few books."

And now it looks like WhatsApp is adding the edit feature, as it has been spotted in a new beta via wabetainfo.com. As per the screenshot, an edited message gets an 'edited' tag - which is excellent, and like the Apple version of the editing feature, users will be limited to a 15-minute window to make any changes.

As the first version of the editing feature, it's limited to messages, though editing image and video captions and documents are expected before release. Or further down the line.

When it comes to microSD performance, you're looking at flash memory the size of a fingernail, which means it's the perfect expansion option for devices like cameras. Regarding gaming, both the Nintendo Switch and the Steam Deck support microSD expansion as a cost-effective way to have more games on the ready.

Silicon Power's new microSDXC UHS-I card is reliable and then and has been designed for 24/7 performance for home video surveillance. That's around-the-clock 4K Ultra HD recording and playback without any issues. Tens of thousands of hours of video "without missing a single second" is very cool.

This 'High Endurance' microSD isn't simply about video surveillance; it's shockproof, waterproof, and even designed to withstand extreme temperatures (the operating temperature range is 0 degrees up to 70 degrees).

Flying cars has always been this benchmark for something futuristic; that is, once flying cars are real - we're well and truly living in the future. And that's precisely what we've got here, with the Airspeeder MK4 from Alauda Aeronautics - based in Adelaide, South Australia.

A fully crewed flying racing car because we're already at the flying racing car stage. The Airspeeder MK4 is described as the world's fastest hydrogen electric "Vertical Take-Off and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft."

It can reach its top speed of 360km/hr (225m/hr) in 30 seconds from a full-standing start and is set to debut in the burgeoning field of Airspeeder racing. Yeah, it's a flying racing card built for performance motorsports. As mentioned above, this is a hydrogen-electric flying car with an impressive range of 300km - with the vehicle weight being just 950kg.

It's safe to say that the GeForce RTX 4070 Ti looks fantastic in white. MSI's Gaming X Trio GPUs have been a mainstay for years, with improvements and tweaks arriving alongside new GPU architecture releases and models. And now we've got two models in funky white, the MSI GeForce RTX 4070 Ti GAMING X TRIO WHITE and the MSI GeForce RTX 4080 GAMING X TRIO WHITE.

But it's not a simple color change, as the physical design and look of the Gaming X Trio are carefully tweaked and adjusted to suit the new color. This means you've got silver or grey flourishes above and below the white fans and on the metallic backplate. The mix of hard angles and the MSI Gaming X Trio style is amplified here, with the MSI logo, dragon, and GeForce branding all popping in surprisingly cool ways. There's also RGB action around the middle fan to add flair when you've got it in a case.

Cooling-wise, this card benefits from the advanced we've seen with the GeForce RTX 40 Series, with MSI's TRI FROZR 3 thermal design being the main reason this is a triple-slot beast. The new TORX FAN 5.0 blades are designed to improve airflow, with MSI noting a 23% increase in that department compared to standard axial fans. The MSI GeForce RTX 4070 Ti GAMING X TRIO WHITE is also silent; with a Silent mode, you can toggle for some quiet gaming. The Dual BIOS also features a GAMING mode for performance, which can be tweaked further via MSI Center or the brilliant MSI Afterburner GPU tweaking app.