AYANEO's new AG01 'Graphics Starship' is its first external GPU solution, coming soon
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.
NVIDIA releases GeForce Game Ready Driver 552.44 for Ghost of Tsushima Director's Cut
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 confirms its first human brain chip patient experienced a malfunction
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.
OpenAI is planning to launch a search engine next week, will use AI to compete with Goolge
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 testing 250W to 600W coolers for next-gen GeForce RTX 50 series GPUs
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.
Hi-Fi Rush 2 pitch prepped by Tango before closure, Arkane was interested in Dishonored 3
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.
Fallout 76 player drops a nuke on Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer's Camp
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.
This external GPU dock has OCulink and a built-in 550W power supply, supports huge GPUs
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 unveils ROG Ally X: same Ryzen Z1 Extreme APU, over 16GB RAM, larger battery, and more
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.
More job cuts coming to Xbox shortly after Arkane Austin and Tango Gameworks closures
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.