Welcome to the first week of April and the month kicks off on the slow side. This week's major release is a remaster of a game that launched on the PS4 in 2020, which is why we decided to avoid calling it a AAA release, even though the original console game was. This is followed by some parkour, going on adventures with a puppy, some mechs, running a roman outpost and finally being in charge of some police officers.

The Last of Us Part II Remastered / This week's major release / Thursday 3 April
Five years after their dangerous journey across the post-pandemic United States, Ellie and Joel have settled down in Jackson, Wyoming. Living amongst a thriving community of survivors has allowed them peace and stability, despite the constant threat of the infected and other, more desperate survivors. When a violent event disrupts that peace, Ellie embarks on a relentless journey to carry out justice and find closure. Steam link

Everybody's favorite plaintext editor, Notepad, has been gathering features in the last couple of years. For over three decades, the Windows accessory could do little more than just input and save plaintext files, but Microsoft has been adding features to it. It began with the 2022 addition of tabs—the ability to have multiple text files open as tabs. This was roughly when Microsoft changed Notepad from a Win32 application to a UWP app. Then in 2024, as part of a larger care package to all Windows accessories, Microsoft added spelling and grammar checks; and now the company brought Copilot integration directly into Notepad. A dedicated Copilot button in the Notepad toolbar now shows up. It spawns a menu that lets you use Copilot to proof the text, such as rewriting it, making it longer/shorter, changing the tone of the text, or even formatting it.

If learning a new language has been on your bucket list for as long as you can remember, Babbel makes it easier than ever. This language-learning app makes the experience more like a game than school, so you don't lose motivation—and StackSocial is offering an unbeatable deal on the app. This weekend, you can get a Babbel lifetime subscription for just $124.99 with code LEARN at checkout (worth $599 on Babbel's website). You'll get forever access to their mobile and desktop apps and 14 language courses, including French, Spanish, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, and more.

Babbel encourages you to set a weekly language-learning goal, but you set the pace with 10-15 minute lessons that you can take as frequently as you like. Each builds your skills in conversation, grammar, and pronunciation. A brand-new app update added an AI-powered conversation partner that helps you practice your language skills in real time. You'll build listening, comprehension, and speaking skills in an environment where you're completely free to make mistakes.

Don't miss out on this Babbel discount from StackSocial: $124.99 with code LEARN at checkout (reg. $599). This code expires on March 31 at 11:59 p.m. PT.

Chinese PC hardware company UNIS, a subsidiary of the Tsinghua Unigroup, unveiled a potentially disruptive new consumer M.2 Gen 5 NVMe SSD that could undercut the fastest Gen 5 drives in its form-factor. The new UNIS S5 is built in the M.2-2280 form factor, with a PCI-Express 5.0 x4 host interface. The company claims a maximum sequential read speed of 14.9 GB/s, which is higher than that of the current M.2 Gen 5 NVMe client-segment SSDs. Here's how the drive could undercut its Western contemporaries—it's DRAMless.

The drive features a first-party SSD controller designed by UNIS, which relies on HMB (host memory buffer) technology. Besides its 14.9 GB/s max read speeds, the drive offers a maximum sequential write speed of 12.9 GB/s—also among the highest in the industry—and 4K random access performance of up to 1.8 million IOPS reads, with up to 1.7 million IOPS writes. The performance claims make the UNIS S5 significantly faster than any DRAMless Gen 5 SSD, with the fastest such drives offering around 12 GB/s sequential transfer speeds; and faster than drives based on a DRAM-cached controller platform. For instance, the recently launched Samsung 9100 PRO offers up to 14.8 GB/s sequential reads, but at higher sequential write speeds of up to 13.4 GB/s. Pictured below is the UNIS S5 Ultra, the company's flagship drive based on a proprietary DRAM-cached controller.

Here are some of the first pictures of the ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Extreme, the company's new flagship Socket AM5 motherboard. Until now, the company's AMD 800-series chipset motherboard lineup topped off with the ROG Crosshair X870E Hero for connectivity and the ROG Crosshair X870E Apex for overclocking chops, and the company is looking to push things up a notch, especially given that AMD's Ryzen 9000X3D series is established as the fastest processor series for gaming PC builds. This board is designed to compete with the likes of the MSI MEG X870E Godlike and the GIGABYTE X870E AORUS Xtreme. It is firmly into the E-ATX territory in terms of dimensions. The board draws power from a combination of 24-pin ATX, two 8-pin EPS, and an 8-pin PCIe power. It uses the company's most powerful CPU VRM solution for the AMD platform, above even the 22-phase solution of the Hero.

The ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Extreme comes with a large number of 4-pin PWM fan and water pump headers. Storage connectivity includes one M.2-22110 Gen 5 on the board with a chunky heat pipe-based cooler; a second Gen 5 and two Gen 4 slots on the board, and a DIMM.2 module that provides additional slots. The expansion slots provided are a PCI-Express 5.0 x16 and a second PCI-Express 4.0 x4 (physical x16). There are a boat-load of USB ports, including a couple of 40 Gbps USB4, 20 Gbps USB 3.2 Gen 2x2, and several 10 Gbps and 5 Gbps USB 3.2 ports. Networking interfaces include Wi-Fi 7, a 10 GbE, and a 5 GbE. The board features the company's most premium onboard audio solution that probably combines a Realtek ALC4082 with an ESS ES9219 DAC for the front channels, an audiophile-grade OPAMP, and premium capacitors. The board offers many of the exclusive overclocker-friendly features found in the company's ROG Maximus Extreme motherboards. A star-attraction is its 4-inch true-color display over the VRM heatsinks, which can be programmed to show anything. There is no word on availability or pricing.

Welcome Coven members, old and new. We—at Chucklefish and Robotality—are so excited to finally pull back the curtain and share a glimpse of what we've been brewing in the studio these past few years. Witchbrook has been a true labour of love, crafted by our small team here at Chucklefish (with some recent, incredible help from our friends at Robotality!). It's been a journey of hundreds of hours poured into art, music, and code, and we're beyond excited to give you a first look at the magical world of Witchbrook.

We'll also have a fresh edition of The Oracle, our in-game newspaper with a new editor at the helm, where you can catch up on the latest happenings in the sunny seaside city of Mossport, releasing in the next few days. It's your gateway to staying connected with the in-world happenings, so be sure to sign up here. Over the next few months, we'll be sharing more gameplay, details, and fun surprises. In the meantime, we'd love for you to join us and the rest of the community over on Discord. We pride ourselves on having a warm and welcoming community, and would love for folks to join us on our journey.

Here's something exciting—a first look at DRAGON QUEST I & II HD-2D Remake! We've released a brand-new teaser for the game, which gives you the most tantalizing of glimpses at these beautiful new remakes. Take a look and read on to learn a little more about the game. DRAGON QUEST I & II HD-2D Remake reimagines the first two DRAGON QUEST games with the beautiful HD-2D visual style featured in titles like OCTOPATH TRAVELER series, TRIANGLE STRATEGY, LIVE A LIVE and, of course, DRAGON QUEST III HD-2D Remake. As you can see in the teaser (below), both titles have been remade with the same level of passion and attention to detail as the recent DRAGON QUEST III HD-2D Remake. Speaking of which…

Why is this releasing after DRAGON QUEST III HD-2D Remake?
If you're not familiar with DRAGON QUEST, you may be wondering—why are Square Enix releasing DRAGON QUEST I & II HD-2D Remake after last year's DRAGON QUEST III HD-2D Remake? That's because these three games are narratively connected and together form the "Erdrick Trilogy." DRAGON QUEST III is chronologically the first game, set many years before DRAGON QUEST I, so it makes sense for it to come out first. That said, each game tells its own largely standalone story, so you can start with any of them and get a complete tale with a beginning, middle and end.

Digital Chat Station (DCS)—a tenured leaker of Qualcomm pre-release information—has shared new "Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 2" chipset details. Earlier today, their Weibo feed was updated with a couple of technological predictions. The announced smartphone chip's "SM8850" identifier was disclosed once again, along with the repeated claim that Qualcomm has selected a 3 nm "N3P" node process. Industry watchdogs expect to see the San Diego-headquartered fabless semiconductor designer introduce its next-generation flagship smartphone SoC in October. The current-gen Snapdragon 8 Elite platform was unveiled last Fall; sporting cutting-edge "Oryon" (aka Phoenix) processor cores and an integrated Adreno 830 graphics solution. DCS reckons that the natural successor will reuse a familiar "2 + 6" core configuration; comprised of two prime "big performance" units, and six "normal" performance-tuned units. An Adreno 840 iGPU was listed as DCS's final point of conjecture.

The incoming "Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 2" chipset was mentioned in the same sentence as rumored "Pegasus" cores (Phoenix's sequel)—slightly far-fetched rumors from 2024 suggested Qualcomm's upgraded processor architecture being tested at maximum frequencies of 5.0 GHz (on performance cores). As pointed out by Wccftech, Gen 1's performance cores run at 4.47 GHz (by default). In today's follow-up post, DCS claimed that Qualcomm's: "self-developed CPU architecture is now in the second generation, with a performance setting of over 380 W+." Industry watchdogs reckon that the "Snapdragon 8 Elite 2" chip will be capable of recording 3.8+ million point tallies in AnTuTu V10 gauntlets, thanks to the alleged utilization of ArmV9 architecture. DCS theorized that the speculated "SM8850" SoC will support ARM's Scalable Matrix Extension 1 (SME 1) and Scalable Vector Extension 2 (SVE2) instruction sets.

Hello Raidou fans, we're pleased to announce RAIDOU Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army! Unleash the supernatural in a thrilling detective adventure set in a fantastical era of 1930s Tokyo. Play the action JRPG remaster in a brand-new way with revamped visuals, QOL changes, an overhauled battle system, and much more!

The Return of Raidou Kuzunoha | World Spotlight
Want to dive deeper into the world of Raidou? Watch "The Return of Raidou Kuzunoha | World Spotlight," a special spotlight video now live on our YouTube channel (check it out after the jump). This 22-minute showcase details the game's setting, enhancements from the original version, as well as an interview with Director Kazuyuki Yamai.

AYANEO today officially launched its latest retro-style Android handheld, the AYANEO Pocket ACE. Featuring a horizontal retro design, this handheld is exquisitely crafted, elegant, and portable, while being powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon G3x Gen 2 gaming platform for top-tier performance that effortlessly handles both classic games and popular mobile titles. Upholding its philosophy of "Real Gamers, Know Gamers," AYANEO once again pushes the boundaries of retro horizontal handheld gaming with the Pocket ACE.

Honoring Classics, Reinventing Elegance - Inheriting the brand's aesthetic DNA, retro design meets modern craftsmanship. The AYANEO Pocket ACE continues the brand's design philosophy, paying homage to classic horizontal handhelds while incorporating modern manufacturing techniques to breathe new life into the form. Its sleek, flowing body and meticulously refined button layout deliver a comfortable grip, allowing players to experience the perfect fusion of retro charm and contemporary refinement in every gaming session.

Coinciding with the launch of GeForce RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 "Blackwell" graphics cards earlier in the year, Original Price House and MSI initiated a compelling promotional competition for Taiwanese PC hardware enthusiasts. As covered on TechPowerUp at the end of last week, eager collectors of signature "Lucky Dragon" figurines were seeking the completion of whole "Blind Box Of Lucky" sets. A qualifying quantity—of nine individual/unique designs—would grant access to a "free" MSI GeForce RTX 5080 VANGUARD SOC graphics card; supplied by Original Price House (a regional shop). The promo's original terms proudly proclaimed that "there is no limit to the exchange for a complete set." In a follow-up report, HKEPC Hardware put a spotlight on the campaign's apparent premature end.

The Hong Kong-based news PC news outlet provided evidence of the event organizers "modification of the rules"—advancing claim/collection deadlines from the (original) May 31, 2025 end date to March 31, 2025. Extra international attention has reportedly "ruined" MSI and Original Price House's local campaign. HKEPC commented on the circumstances: "it is understood that (the shop) originally estimated that the number of Lucky Dragon dolls that can be found in Taiwan is/was limited, but it obviously underestimated the power of the community. Many people bought dolls from all over the world at high prices to participate in the event, resulting in the store being 'overwhelmed with sales'." Last week's report suggested that five completed sets of Lucky Dragon figurines had happily been exchanged for premium-tier MSI GeForce RTX 5080 VANGUARD SOC models. Within the last couple of days, another six "winners" have turned up with qualifying collections of cute toys. According to HKEPC's latest coverage: "this number (of claimants) is already double the original expectation. Therefore, according to the instructions of the manufacturer (MSI), Original Price House has decided to advance the exchange deadline to March 31."

Konami Digital Entertainment, has announced the GRADIUS ORIGINS collection—this compilation will release on the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam on August 7 with digital pre-orders starting on March 27 (yesterday). GRADIUS ORIGINS is the definitive collection of the earliest games from the GRADIUS series—2D shoot 'em up classics that embody nostalgic gaming from the 1980s.

GRADIUS holds a special place in gaming history - not just for its side-scrolling spacecraft battles, but also for introducing a legendary cheat code. First appearing in the original 1986 Japanese FAMICOM version, the now-iconic code (activated once players pushed the ↑ ↑ ↓ ↓ ← → ← → B A buttons on their controllers) gave players a crucial power-up boost, and would later go on to become a staple in gaming culture. With this new collection, players can relive the challenge of GRADIUS while paying homage to the origins of one of gaming's most famous secrets.

According to a report produced by semiconductor industry analysts at Kiwoom Securities—a South Korean financial services firm—Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC) is expected to complete the development of a 5 nm process at some point in 2025. Jukanlosreve summarized this projection in a recent social media post. SMIC is often considered to be China's flagship foundry business; the partially state-owned organization seems to heavily involved in the production of (rumored) next-gen Huawei Ascend 910 AI accelerators. SMIC foundry employees have reportedly struggled to break beyond a 7 nm manufacturing barrier, due to lack of readily accessible cutting-edge EUV equipment. As covered on TechPowerUp last month, leading lights within China's semiconductor industry are (allegedly) developing lithography solutions for cutting-edge 5 nm and 3 nm wafer production.

Huawei is reportedly evaluating an in-house developed laser-induced discharge plasma (LDP)-based machine, but finalized equipment will not be ready until 2026—at least for mass production purposes. Jukanlosreve's short interpretation of Kiwoom's report reads as follows: (SMIC) achieved mass production of the 7 nm (N+2) process without EUV and completed the development of the 5 nm process to support the mass production of the Huawei Ascend 910C. The cost of SMIC's 5 nm process is 40-50% higher than TSMC's, and its yield is roughly one-third." The nation's foundries are reliant on older ASML equipment, thus are unable to produce products that can compete with the advanced (volume and quality) output of "global" TSMC and Samsung chip manufacturing facilities. The fresh unveiling of SiCarrier's Color Mountain series has signalled a promising new era for China's foundry industry.

Eurocom launches the new BLITZ Ultra 2, a lightweight, robust, and fully customizable laptop designed for engineers, military and defense contractors, content creators, and all kinds of computer users who require lightweight professional-grade computing on the go. Combining the latest Intel Core Ultra 7 255H processors with military-tested MIL-STD 810H durability and a long-lasting 10hr battery, the BLITZ Ultra 2 is engineered for users who demand lightweight, performance, long battery life and mobility without compromise.

Powered by Intel Core Ultra 7 255H - Fast, Efficient, and Ready for Modern Workloads
At the heart of the BLITZ Ultra 2 is the latest Intel Core Ultra 7 255H processor, featuring 16 cores, 16 threads, and Intel Arc 140T integrated graphics, pushing up to 5.1 GHz for demanding tasks. Also available with the Intel Core Ultra 5 225H variant, this platform delivers exceptional single-core and multi-core performance for professionals working on code compilation, 3D modeling, virtual machines, and everyday productivity.

A new hunt begins in Path of Exile 2 on April 4th, 12pm ET, unleashing a brutal new era of carnage. Dawn of the Hunt marks the first major content update since the game's Early Access debut last year.

• Strike down your prey with the new Huntress class, a dexterous Spear and Buckler user specialising in hybrid melee and ranged combat
• Master the forces or exploit notables with five new ascension classes- the Ritualist, Amazon, Smith of Kitava, Tactician, and Lich
• Face dozens of new encounters in the endgame along with significant mechanical overhauls
• Discover over one hundred new unique items as well as significantly expanded crafting options to enhance your monster slaying abilities

If you ever wondered when a Windows 11 feature you are looking for is coming, there is now a way to check that out, as Microsoft is now committed to being more transparent with its upcoming features. In the latest Windows IT Pro blog, the statement reads: "At Microsoft, we've had the privilege to talk to thousands of IT professionals just like you, across the globe, about your experience managing Windows. Across those conversations, one thing rings loud and clear: the need for more transparency around what's shipping and when so that you can manage change for your estate." Interestingly, the roadmap will display features currently available for validation in the Windows Insider Program, those gradually rolling out to broader users, and those that will become generally available as part of a future monthly non-security update.

However, Microsoft is using the roadmap for feature cancellations, too. "The Windows roadmap provides estimated release dates and descriptions for features being released. All information is subject to change. As a feature or product is canceled or postponed, information will be removed from this website." This roadmap is tailored for Microsoft's Windows 11 client builds, not the Windows Server users. Large organizations have to manage many PC clients, so knowing when a new feature drops can lead to a better-planned OS update path for minimal downtime and productivity loss. Plus, PC enthusiasts running the latest Windows build can now know when to expect a feature they look forward to, like Recall and Click to Do.

ASUS Republic of Gamers (ROG) and Team Vitality are delighted to announce the extension of their partnership. As of today, Team Vitality's Counter-Strike 2 and VALORANT teams will also benefit from a full range of ROG laptops, desktops and handheld consoles, providing them with even better hardware on their road toward excellence.

Thanks to this new phase of collaboration, Team Vitality players will benefit from cutting-edge gaming equipment, adapted to the demands of the highest competitive level. These computers will offer unrivalled processing power, ultra-high refresh rates and minimal latency, guaranteeing maximum precision and responsiveness in both training and competition. This partnership with Team Vitality marks a further step in ROG's drive to innovate and offer professional and amateur gamers alike an increasingly immersive and high-performance gaming experience.

In a letter addressed to stockholders, Intel's new CEO—Lip-Bu Tan—roadmapped the importance of a couple of major upcoming product launches. Starting off, Team Blue's new chief detailed a fresh approach, with the casting off of old strategies: "achieving the results I know Intel is capable of starts by refocusing on our customers. This has been priority number one since my first day on the job. I am listening carefully to their feedback so that we continue driving the changes needed to delight our customers and strengthen our competitive position. Plain and simple, the time for talk is over. We must turn our words into action and deliver on our commitments. I have been pleased to see the leadership team has already started driving the culture change needed to make this happen. As CEO, I will continue to drive this transformation so that we move faster, work smarter and make it easier for customers to win with Intel."

Tan's mentioning of Core Ultra "Panther Lake" processors arriving within the second half of this year aligns with prior official statements. Insiders posited that Panther Lake-H (PTL-H) mobile CPUs were delayed into 2026 due to issues with the Foundry's 18A process node, but an Intel executive dismissed these claims a few weeks ago. Interestingly, the firm's Chinese office outlined an "early 2026 volume launch" of "Panther Lake (18A)" chips during a mid-March AI PC press event. A presentation slide indicated that an Early Enablement Program (EEP) is expected to start in October; Team Blue's loose terminology likely classes the sending off of samples—to OEMs, for approval—as a "real" product launch.

A German retailer has listed NVIDIA GeForce RTX 50 series GPUs with missing ROPs as B-stock, reigniting discussions about the previously reported issue. We first reported the problem in February, which affects multiple Blackwell-based GPUs, including the RTX 5090, RTX 5080, and RTX 5070 Ti. These cards were found to have fewer ROPs (Render Output Units) than advertised, leading to up to 11% performance loss in certain applications. At the time, NVIDIA acknowledged the issue, claiming that only 0.5% of the supply was affected, and worked with retailers to offer replacements for affected buyers. However, not all defective units were returned to manufacturers. Instead, some are now being resold as B-stock, typically indicating returned or refurbished items with minor defects.

One such listing on Alternate, a German retailer, features the ZOTAC GeForce RTX 5090 SOLID OC with only 168 active ROPs instead of the expected 176. Despite the reduced specifications, the card is priced at €2,899—the same as the fully functional version. Another similar B-stock listing is available at the same price, while a third unit with additional packaging damage is priced slightly lower at €2,799. Unlike the initial retail period when buyers could exchange these GPUs, the B-stock versions may not be eligible for replacement. However, under EU consumer protection laws, buyers can still return them within a limited timeframe. While NVIDIA has ensured that no affected notebook models were shipped, the resale of desktop variants as B-stock suggests that some retailers opted not to return them to manufacturers. Currently, no other B-stock RTX 50 series models with missing ROPs have been spotted, but this development raises questions about how many such units may still be in circulation.

Intel and SK Hynix have finalized an $8.85 billion transaction involving Intel's NAND flash memory operations, marking the conclusion of a two-phase deal initiated in 2020. In the first phase of the transaction, SK Hynix acquired Intel's SSD division along with a NAND production facility in Dalian, China, for $6.61 billion. The Dalian facility was later rebranded as Solidigm. Notably, this phase transferred only the physical assets and operational facilities, leaving behind critical intellectual property, research and development infrastructure, and specialized technical staff. The second phase, finalized with a payment of $1.9 billion this Tuesday, addressed these remaining components. With this payment, SK Hynix secured full rights to Intel's proprietary NAND technology, R&D resources, and the technical workforce dedicated to NAND operations.

During the transition period, Intel maintained control over these elements, which limited integration between Solidigm and Intel's NAND teams. This separation was designed to manage operational risks and gradually transfer capabilities. Completing this deal helps with a strategic restructuring of Intel's portfolio as it shifts focus toward high-growth areas such as AI chip development, foundry services, and next-generation semiconductor manufacturing. A $1.9 billion financial injection is perfect in time for Intel Foundry business, burning billions per year, to offset some of the losses. For SK Hynix, consolidating the complete range of Intel's NAND operations enhances its competitive position in the global NAND market, providing access to established technologies and key industry expertise. This finalization is part of a broader trend where companies divest from commoditized memory products to concentrate on more advanced semiconductor solutions like AI chips and other accelerators, which are enjoying higher margins and a better business outlook.

Wizordum, the retro first-person spell caster developed by Emberheart Games and published by Apogee Entertainment, summons a 1.0 launch for PC via Steam on Tuesday, April 29, 2025, for $19.99. As one of the last surviving mages, traverse seven new levels on a journey to eradicate Chaos for good in this magical finale of Wizordum.

Battle arcane foes aboard speedy mine carts across Episode 3's chaotic fire and ice levels, filled with fiery lava and razor-sharp falling icicles. Face formidable bosses using all-new mage-tastic weapons, including the bolt-throwing Faewood Crossbow and the Staff of Chaos, an elemental triple-threat harnessing ferocious ice, fire, and storm spells.

The Eternal Life of Goldman is a vibrant yet dark platformer adventure that weaves together legends, fairy tales, and myths. Explore a vast hand-drawn Archipelago, inspired by ancient fables and depicted in classic frame-by-frame animation, and defeat a mysterious Deity! It takes the genre at an unusual angle and offers something unexpected at every turn. Upgrade your cane with new parts and unlock new abilities, to explore the hidden corners of the Archipelago and face incredible creatures.

Hand-crafted to the smallest detail
The Eternal Life of Goldman is the result of years of work by people who love and appreciate the same cartoons, comics and games that you do - meticulously drawn, colored and animated by hand using classic frame-by-frame techniques. Every place, every object, every character, every visual effect -- everything is carefully planned and executed to the finest detail.

AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT and RX 9070 "MBA" models have turned up for sale through Chinese black market channels; with local PC hardware enthusiasts quickly snapping up these "reference design" curios—for "scientific" analysis, and in some cases: bragging rights. Officially, Team Red has relied on its board partners to produce an all-custom first wave of RDNA 4 gaming graphics cards. Recent discoveries of authentic-looking "Made by AMD" specimens suggested a very limited distribution of first-party units to trusted partners. According to a fresh ITHome news article, Team Red's Radeon RX 9070 XT reference PCB design was fully revealed via a comprehensive teardown. Kyogre shared heavily watermarked photos with the online publication; showcasing their disassembly of a "leaked" example.

Team Red's proprietary triple-fan cooling solution and backplate were removed; leading to the exposure of gory innards. ITHome provided a quick rundown visual clues—the analyzed unit features: "dual PCIe 8-Pin power supply interfaces, and a black shell with a tough and simple shape. It is about three slots thick and is equipped with a rear open and ventilated cooling backplane with a core back frame...Looking deeper into the internal structure of the graphics card, we can find that this graphics card is equipped with five heat pipes, the corresponding position of the GPU core uses a copper base, and the surrounding memory positions are also in contact with the metal frame through thermal pads. In addition, it is equipped with four video output interfaces."

A great surface makes a whole lot of difference for PC gaming and work. It's part aesthetics, part utility. Here's what you need to know when shopping around. A mousepad is not just a simple accessory. SteelSeries QcK mousepads have proven, over and over, that they are best in gaming. They're washable and durable, feature a non-slip base, and micro-woven cloth optimized for low and high CPI mouse tracking. With more than 15 million sold, our iconic esports mousepads have enabled gamers around the globe to deliver top tier performance. And now, you can join them. Let's dive into a few reasons why.

Pick the exact style you want
The great thing about our new QcK Performance mousepad series—our latest—is that you can pick the kind of surface you want to adapt to your gameplay style. Do you prefer your mouse to glide super smoothly, or do you want more controlled precision with a little friction? Improved glide, more control, or something in between. This gaming mousepad is truly reflective of your style and preference.

Intel GPU enthusiasts have been waiting patiently for news regarding higher-end models; ever since the launches of wallet-friendly Arc Xe2 "Battlemage" B580 and B570 graphics cards. As the cliché goes; recent silence has been deafening—we last heard about a speculative expanded lineup of B-series SKUs around late January. At the time, three mysterious "Battlemage" PCI identifiers turned up online; courtesy of Tomasz Gawroński's detective work. Opinions were split about the exact nature of these leaked "BMG" IDs; one camp envisioned Team Blue having professional variants of their existing B580 in the pipeline—presumably with generously specced pools of 24 GB VRAM onboard. A more optimistic group posited that Intel's Arc Xe2 desktop gaming family would welcome more potent "B750, B770," and (maybe) "B780" SKUs.

Yesterday, Tomasz Gawroński (aka GawroskiT) interacted with another notable source of inside track information: Jaykihn (jaykihn0). Plenty of Team Blue-related "scoops" have emerged via Jaykihn's social media channel; mostly predictions regarding upcoming desktop, mobile and enterprise CPUs. Their latest leak indicates Intel's alleged abandoning of a high-end/larger "BMG-G31" GPU die in 2024; within the third quarter of that year. Insiders have long insisted that the Arc Xe2 "Battlemage" project navigated choppy waters during development; hence the appearance of endless theories about the whole caboodle being called off. Jaykihn clarified that he believes that a "retail" launch of "BMG-G31" dGPUs will no longer take place. Many watchdogs will assume that a gap will be filled by forthcoming Arc Xe3 "Celestial" discrete GPUs. Jaykihn stated that they have no fresh insights into how that project is going.

Surprise game alert! SaGa Frontier 2 Remastered is digitally available now for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Steam, iOS and Android! This excellent RPG is a real fan-favorite thanks to its unique storytelling, beautiful watercolor graphics, satisfying turn-based combat and character progression and top-tier soundtrack. This new remastered edition enhances the game further, with updated visuals and UI, new gameplay features, additional playable characters, new events and more.

Basically, it's one of the crown jewels of the franchise brought bang up to date… and available today. SaGa fans are no doubt frantically checking their respective storefronts to download the game, but for anyone unfamiliar with SaGa Frontier 2, read on and we'll explain everything you need to know about this epic history-spanning RPG, including what's new.

The next generation of the award-winning all-in-one coolers is here. The Liquid Freezer III Pro features optimized premium fans and takes ARCTIC's CPU water cooling to a new level of performance. It starts with the Liquid Freezer III Pro 360, which is also available in A-RGB and A-RGB (White) versions. The launch also marks the introduction of the next major promotion. Further variants in 240, 280 and 420 mm will be introduced in Q2 2025.

The Liquid Freezer III Pro offers PC enthusiasts and gamers an impressive performance upgrade. The new Pro fans set new standards at both high and low speeds. Compared to the previous model, the performance has been increased once again - for even more effective cooling with minimal noise.

Super Micro Computer, Inc., a Total IT Solution Provider for AI/ML, HPC, Cloud, Storage, and 5G/Edge, is announcing the availability of new single-socket servers capable of supporting applications that required dual-socket servers for a range of data center workloads. By leveraging a single-socket architecture, enterprises and data center operators can reduce initial acquisition costs, ongoing operational costs such as power and cooling, and reduce the physical footprint of server racks compared to previous generations of systems based on older processors.

"We are entering a new era of compute where energy-efficient and thermally optimized single-socket architectures are becoming a viable alternative to traditional dual-processor servers," said Charles Liang, president and CEO of Supermicro. "Our new single-socket servers support 100% more cores per system than previous generations and have been designed to maximize acceleration, networking, and storage flexibility. Supporting up to 500-watt TDP processors, these new systems can be configured to fulfill a wide range of workload requirements."

Launching today, KARMA: The Dark World invites players to confront their fears and uncover hidden truths in this first-person psychological thriller. From award-winning indie publisher Wired Productions and developer Pollard Studio KARMA: The Dark World is available now on PC and PlayStation 5with a Deluxe Edition, featuring an exclusive soundtrack, digital EP, and digital artbook.

Inspired by the works of legendary creators such as David Lynch (Twin Peaks), Hideo Kojima (Metal Gear Solid, Death Stranding), and Christopher Nolan (Inception, Interstellar), KARMA: The Dark World blends psychological horror with immersive storytelling, challenging players to uncover the deepest secrets hidden in the minds of their targets. Developed in Unreal Engine 5, the game delivers an intensely atmospheric experience with stunning visuals and a haunting narrative.

According to ComputerBase, NVIDIA now requires laptop makers to clearly share full graphics power details for its upcoming GeForce RTX 50 Series "Blackwell" GPUs. This aims to fix long-standing issues with hidden performance limits that have led to unexpected differences between laptops with the same GPU model. In the past, many laptop makers did not provide complete information about total graphics power (TGP). This often meant that some lower-powered models performed better than higher-end ones because the power limits were unclear. Under the new guidelines, manufacturers must list important details such as base TGP, Dynamic Boost limits, and clock speeds on their product pages. NVIDIA said, "We work with laptop manufacturers to ensure they list graphics power on their product websites."

Companies like ASUS, MSI, and XMG have already started to show full specifications for models such as the ROG Scar 18 and Titan 18 HX. While most companies are following the rules, some remain unchanged. For example, Razer's Blade 16 (2025) initially left out the base TGP from its main specifications, hiding it in the product description. This can confuse buyers, as thinner laptop designs might use lower-powered GPUs even in high-end models. The fix for this issue is simple, and listing TGP and TDP values will ensure that gamers who plan on getting a laptop with a new RTX 50 series Blackwell GPU will choose their desired TDP for performance and power on the go aspects.

Intel has released its latest version of the Arc GPU Graphics Driver, version 101.6653 Beta. The latest GPU graphics driver update brings Game On driver support for inZOI, KARMA: The Dark World, and The First Berserker: Khazan games, and improves performance Intel Arc B-series Graphics GPUs in Rise of Ronin game. According to Intel, you can expect up to 15 percent performance increase at 1080p resolution and up to 18 percent at 1440p resolution, both with Ultra Settings.

As it is the Beta released, Intel did not fix any previously known issues, so there is still an extensive list, including issues in Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0 and Call of Duty: Blackops 6 games, as well as some other applications like PugentBench, Topaz Labs Photo AI, MLPerf, Adobe Lightroom Classic, and others. You can check out the full release notes below.

DOWNLOAD: Intel Arc GPU Graphics Drivers 101.6653 Beta

Rebellion, the independent video game studio behind the smash hit Sniper Elite and Zombie Army franchises, has today launched Atomfall. The game is available to play now on Game Pass, as well as purchase for Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Windows PC and PC via Steam and Epic Games Store, PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4. Atomfall is also Certified on Steam Deck. UK-based post-apocalyptic survival-action game, Atomfall is inspired by the real life Windscale nuclear incident in the 1950s. Players will embark on a fictionalized adventure meeting a cast of weird and wonderful characters as they try to uncover the mystery of what happened at the Atom Plant and escape the Quarantine Zone. Atomfall's Standard Edition is available digitally, as well as in a boxed physical edition for consoles published by Fireshine Games.

Atomfall's Deluxe Edition is available digitally. This Deluxe Edition gives players the Basic Supply Bundle DLC, that offers additional items and supplies to uncover as you explore, including an exclusive melee weapon variant, additional loot caches and an item recipe. It also gives players an Enhanced Supply Bundle, which includes an exclusive pistol variant, metal detector skin and character upgrades. Alongside this, players will also enjoy access to the Story Expansion Pack: Wicked Isle DLC when released. Players who purchase the Standard Edition can purchase the Deluxe Upgrade to enjoy the same additional content.

In celebration of one of the world's most successful and epic MMO games, gear up with Razer and elevate your World of Warcraft: Retail gameplay with a legendary event in-game bundle, which includes: Iron Skyreaver, Coral-Stalker Waveray, and Razeshi B. Players can look forward to having legendary mounts and a pet as they time wake through classic dungeons and explore the latest Undermine(D) update, items, events, and more.

Available with a purchase of any of the following Razer's best-selling gaming peripherals: Razer Naga V2 Pro, Razer Mouse Dock Pro, Razer BlackWidow V4 Pro, Razer Kraken V4 Pro, and Razer Firefly V2 Pro, prepare for a new wave of nostalgia with our best-in-slot gear specialized for the job.

Kioxia Corporation, a world leader in memory solutions, highlighted the critical role of Kioxia's next-generation high-performance storage solutions for AI applications at the China Flash Market Summit/MemoryS 2025 ("CFMS 2025") held on March 12 in Shenzhen, China.

At CFMS 2025, theme as "MEMORY LANDSCAPE, VALUE RE-SHAPE", Kioxia exhibited its eighth-generation BiCS FLASH 3D flash memory technology, for efficient and reliable storage solutions required by evolving cloud computing and large-scale AI models. Kioxia also presented its SSD product lineup which meets high performance, high efficiency, and high scalability required for AI applications. Kioxia's exhibition included its recently-announced KIOXIA LC9 Series, its first high-capacity 122.88 terabyte (TB) NVMe enterprise SSD which incorporates 2 terabit (Tb) QLC BiCS FLASH.

TSMC is reconfiguring its US strategy after a challenging start at its Fab 21 facility near Phoenix, Arizona. The company's initial module took nearly five years to move from groundbreaking to production—far longer than the typical two-year process observed in Taiwan. Early setbacks, including labor issues, rising costs, and cultural differences, slowed progress, but these hurdles have provided valuable lessons. With a clearer understanding of the local construction environment, TSMC plans to speed up future projects. Company executives have identified reliable local contractors and addressed many bottlenecks that once hindered progress. As a result, the Taiwanese maker is gearing up to accelerate construction timelines for its upcoming modules. Notably, TSMC intends to start building its third fab—Fab 21 module 3—this year, aiming for a pace similar to that in Taiwan.

In the current phase, TSMC is finalizing equipment installations for Fab 21 module 1 while laying the groundwork for module 2. The plan is to begin trial production of advanced 3 nm-class chips at module 2 in 2026, with high-volume manufacturing expected to kick off by 2028. The accelerated schedule for module 3 is seen as a pathway to faster production of next-generation chips, including those using the N2-series and A16 process technologies. However, rapid construction is not without risks. A critical concern remains the timely procurement of essential fab tools. Leading suppliers such as ASML and Applied Materials face significant backlogs and capacity constraints, which may delay the delivery of necessary equipment. As TSMC vows to build its US capacity more swiftly, the entire supply chain is watching closely to see if these supply chain challenges can be resolved, ensuring that the company meets its ambitious production timelines while expanding its foothold in the American market.

ASUS today announced the arrival of the A31 Computer Chassis - The A31 is a compact dual panel panoramic chassis offering that easily supports ATX motherboards and supporting high-performance components while allowing for a highly visible aesthetic. The ASUS A31 case readily supports large 360 mm AIO cooling solutions, including those with thicker radiators and thicker fans. It also easily supports large graphics cards like ASUS GeForce RTX 50 series accommodating up to lengths up to 380 mm. For those focusing on a bold, bright and well cooled aesthetic you can support up to 7 120 mm chassis fans, alongside a triple fan 360 mm AIO cooling solution. With an angled base and dual sided tempered glass panels, the ASUS A31 offers an unobstructed view of the main chamber while maintaining structural integrity. Currently, the case is available in two colors: black and white, with both models featuring color-matched interior cables.

The ASUS A31 was built to empower the PCDIY experience, as a case that could be a first step into the world of pc building or a showcase for an experienced builder. The case incorporates design queues such a cable routing channel with hook and loop fasteners for quick and easy cable management. Simplifying front panel connections there is a color matched unified front I/O cable (or FIO cable). These unified FIO cables are also color-matched to the case model, blending in seamlessly into the background instead of adding noticeable contrast.

GIGABYTE Technology, one of the top global manufacturers of motherboards, graphics cards, and hardware solutions, today announced the launch of its latest B760 GEN5 motherboards featuring full-line PCIe Gen 5 x16 support that dramatically elevates graphics processing capabilities to new heights. The "GEN5" suffixed to the model names represents that these new B760 motherboards are designed with future compatibility in mind, which perfectly support the latest GeForce RTX 50 series and Radeon RX 9000 series graphics cards.⁠

The new B760 GEN5 motherboards harness the full potential of PCIe Gen 5's doubled bandwidth, delivering lightning-fast frame rates, reduced latency, and superior visual fidelity that gives competitive gamers the critical edge needed to win. For content creators and professionals, this translates to significantly faster rendering times and smoother workflow with even the most demanding visual applications.⁠

After many rumors and supposed leaks claimed that Tencent was preparing a buyout of Ubisoft, it seems as though an alternative solution was reached, with Ubisoft today announcing that it has created a new subsidiary to house some of its biggest gaming franchises. According to the announcement, the new business entity is "based on its Assassin's Creed, Far Cry, and Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six brands," and it received initial funding from Tencent, which owns a 25% stake in the new business. Tencent's investment in the new subsidiary is to the tune of €1.16 billion.

The announcement also gives us an indication of what to expect from these game franchises going forward. For starters, Ubisoft mentions that the new subsidiary—and likely the capital injection from the Tencent investment—is part of a new business model that would allow it to invest more in increasing the quality of its creative outputs. Supposedly, it will focus on quality story-driven solo games and growing its multiplayer offerings with more frequent content updates, more social features, and introducing "free-to-play touchpoints." The acquisition comes after a series of delays marred the lead-up to the launch of the latest Assassin's Creed Shadows, which ultimately seems to have been a commercial success. In keeping with other trends, Ubisoft mentions in the press release that the move to split off these gaming IPs will also help accelerate its recent moves to make these gaming franchises multi-platform. Recently, Ubisoft has repeatedly stated that its strategy moving forward would include more multi-platform day-one launches, as opposed to console exclusives and timed exclusives.

Amazon Luna, the online game streaming service, has officially announced that it will be expanding further into Europe, introducing availability in Belgium, Luxembourg, Portugal, and Sweden. The launch includes both the free-to-play games available via Amazon Prime Gaming and the standalone Luna+ subscription service. Along with that announcement, it was also revealed that Amazon Luna has entered into a multi-year partnership with EA to bring some of the game studio's AAA hits to Luna+ members. EA joins GOG, Ubisoft, and Jackbox Games as publishers and game studios whose games are now available on Luna.

Kicking off the EA partnership are Star Ward: Jedi Survivor, Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order, and Dead Space. Unlike the Ubisoft and Jackbox games, which require an additional subscription tier to access, EA's games are available in the basic Luna+ subscription. Amazon says that more EA games will be coming to Luna soon, specifically mentioning the EA Sports portfolio, although it did not specify which games or say when they would be coming to the platform. With Luna's expansion into more European countries, Amazon is also increasing the availability of the Luna controller, which connects directly to the cloud game streaming servers for reduced latency. The Luna controller will now be available in Belgium, Luxembourg, and Sweden for €69.99 MSRP or 799.99 SEK, with introductory sales bringing prices down to €44.99 and 519.99 SEK, respectively. The Luna controller is not yet available in Portugal, but it will launch there later this year. Luna+ subscribers can play on a variety of devices, including Mac, Windows, iOS/iPadOS, Android, and ChromeOS devices (via Chrome or Safari web browsers), as well as Amazon Fire tablets and TVs and Samsung and LG TVs.

CD Projekt RED unveiled its primary development project late last year: The Witcher IV. A pre-rendered cinematic trailer—utilizing a highly-customized Unreal Engine 5 build running on mystery NVIDIA GPU—showcased next-generation visuals. As revealed by NVIDIA in the new year, a GeForce RTX 5090 graphics card acted as the processing conduit for CD Projekt Red's fantasy featurette. Months later, company leadership has divulged a very loose timeframe for the highly-anticipated sequel's eventual launch. During a recent call with investors—exploring financial results from 2024, and future forecasts—the company expects profits to climb consistently over the next three years. As highlighted by many news reports, long-term franchise fans will need to remain patient—CD Projekt's calendar for next year seems to be free of forthcoming AAA content: "even though we do not plan to release The Witcher 4 by the end of 2026, we are still driven by this financial goal."

Given the Polish company's flagship branch kicking into a "full production" high gear phase around late 2024, a project on the (triple-A+) scale of The Witcher IV would require a long gestation period. Renewed online theories have placed a potential release window somewhere in 2027, possibly coinciding with the rollout of next-gen consoles. A noted industry soothsayer and veteran games journalist—Jason Schreier (resident at Bloomberg)—weighed in on the matter. He has dismissed many predictive reports about The Witcher IV arriving in 2026, as well as Naughty Dog's "The Heretic Prophet"—commenting on this topic, he stated: "I'm pretty sure I said they were both going to be very early teases. Neither of those games will be out next year." Piotr Nielubowicz—CD Projekt's chief financial officer—did not go into specifics during his firm's recently concluded earnings call: "we are not going to announce the precise launch date for the game yet. All we could share now to give more visibility to investors is that the game will not be launched within the time frame of the first target for the incentive program, which ends December 31, 2026."

While we are used to gamers buying GPUs over their MSRPs just to get the latest and greatest, it appears that there are some limits to that. According to a Redditor, who pictured a Microcenter hardware store in Dallas, Texas, there are full shelves of ASUS ROG Astral RTX 5090 GPUs with AIO liquid cooling. Instead of the usual sold-out reaction, gamers are drawing a line at these $3,719 GPUs, leaving shelves full of GPUs retailing for almost two times their MSRP. Despite being a flagship model with great performance (we tested an air-cooled ASUS ROG Astral RTX 5090 version), all its bells and whistles aren't convincing enough for gamers to justify spending almost $4,000 on a single GPU. It could be the unusual 360 mm radiator that is difficult to accommodate in most cases or the case where gamers have started waiting for more realistically priced GPUs.

Interestingly, the regular air-cooled variants like the ASUS TUF version or the air-cooled Astral OC are nowhere to be found, as these models are priced much lower, with the TUF version carrying a $2,450 and Astral OC air-cooled version carrying a $2,800 MSRP. Of course, while these cards are not being sold at MSRP, they are likely being sold for much less than the Astral LC version, which nears the $4,000 price point. It appears that gamers are stopping the trend of paying astronomical prices over MSRP and are waiting for the supply to improve so prices can come down. In the past period, one tracker of RTX 5090 listings on eBay, averaging data for 30 days, noted that the flagship RTX 5090 tops the chart with a staggering $4,222 on secondary markets compared to its $2,000 MSRP, an increase of roughly 111%. We hope the supply situation improves and that MSRP prices with slight premiums for high-end designs make a return.

Starting this week, we're rolling out even more value to Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass members with in-game benefits for free-to-play games. Members will get items like cosmetics, characters, in-game currency, and more for additional games, including Heroes of the Storm, Naraka: Bladepoint, Smite 2, and The Finals. Plus, we're adding even more benefits starting in April 2025, like Call of Duty: Warzone and Enlisted. With seasonal content drops, members always have new benefits to look forward to.

These new additions expand upon existing in-game benefits, including unlocking the full roster of champions in League of Legends, six skins in Overwatch 2, all Agents in Valorant, and more. Whether it's customization, personalization, or progression, players get even more from Game Pass. To access all these in-game benefits, Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass members just need to log in with their Xbox profile or link their Xbox profile with each game's account. Then, simply launch the game with Xbox on PC or console and your extra benefits will be available in-game. For Game Pass Ultimate members, these benefits will be available when playing with Xbox across cloud, console and PC.

ASUS and MSI's price hiking of GeForce RTX 50-series graphics cards is already a well explored subject matter (news-wise), but GPU market watchdogs have spent time investigating circumstances further down from the perch of NVIDIA's most visible board partner players. Citing evidence presented on the official Team Green subreddit, VideoCardz has levelled criticism in ZOTAC's direction. Apparently, the brand's North American store has—quite recently—jacked up asking prices for its custom GeForce RTX 5090 designs. The Hong Kong-based manufacturer only offers a choice of two models via its US webstore: SOLID OC and AMP Extreme INFINITY. At the time of writing, ZOTAC's webshop is undergoing "construction work"—fortunately, screenshots and crucial points of info were preserved by Redditors and media outlets. The flagship AMP Extreme INFINITY SKU has hit an unprecedented $2999.99 price point, although not reaching the heights of ASUS Astral ($3359.99!). A mid-March Wayback Machine save state reveals a previous RTX 5090 AMP Extreme INFINITY listing at $2599.99, but its initial launch price was $2499.99. Naturally, a flagship design—comprised of a robust cooling solution, fancy features/accessories and ARGB lighting—demands a premium upcharge, but ZOTAC's top-tier SKU is priced $1001 above Team Green's $1999 MSRP baseline.

ZOTAC's GeForce RTX 5090 SOLID (non-OC) SKU was supposed to act as the "barebones" baseline MSRP-conformant model, but price watchers noted that ZOTAC USA had removed this entry from the official webstore. Tom's Hardware reckons that the last recorded cost of ownership was $2199.99. ZOTAC's next best option is the brand's factory-overclocked variant—GeForce RTX 5090 SOLID OC—now adjusted up to $2699.99. Launch pricing was somewhere just above $2200, but that figure has changed over time. It was $2369.99, prior to this week—according to a Wayback Machine archived state. As reported last month, ZOTAC rolled out a "Priority Access Campaign" via Discord—this anti-scalping strategy received praise upon initiation, but VideoCardz's watchful eye has kept track of very few successful transactions. According to their latest investigative piece, a "top secret" ZOTAC Discord group was formed—this separate elite member-focused channel offers even "easier access" to coveted cutting-edge gaming graphics card.

Shadow Labyrinth is the forthcoming 2D action platformer from our team at Bandai Namco Studios where players will control Swordsman No.8, summoned to a mysterious planet by the enigmatic Puck to complete a mission where others have failed. The two will discover secrets and battle huge bosses in their struggle to survive. The concept of a dark Pac-Man game is bold new ground for the brand, delivering a unique experience that existing and new PAC players will be excited to dig into. Shadow Labyrinth emerges from the darkness on July 18.

Gamers may have noticed that Puck looks quite a bit like Pac-Man, and there's the amazing visual of a huge foreboding and dark Pac-Man chomping down on the body of a downed foe. But Shadow Labyrinth's inspiration from Pac-Man is more than skin deep, our team worked to build from the ground up with careful consideration of what it means to be a Pac-Man game.

NVIDIA's supply of Chinese market-exclusive H20 AI GPU faces an uncertain future, due to recently introduced energy-efficiency guidelines. As covered over a year ago, Team Green readied a regional alternative to its "full fat" H800 "Hopper" AI GPU—designed and/or neutered to comply with US sanctions. Despite being less performant than Western siblings, the H20 model proved to be highly popular by mid-2024—industry analysis projected "$12 billion in take-home revenue" for NVIDIA. According to a fresh Reuters news piece, demand for cut-down "Hopper" hardware has surged throughout early 2025. The report cites "a rush to adopt Chinese AI startup DeepSeek's cost-effective AI models" as the main cause behind an increased snap up rate of H20 chips; with the nation's "big three" AI players—Tencent, Alibaba and ByteDance—driving the majority of sales.

The supply of H20 AI GPUs seems to be under threat on several fronts; Reuters points out that "U.S. officials were considering curbs on sales of H20 chips to China" back in January. Returning to the present day, their report sources "unofficial" statements from H3C—one of China's largest server equipment manufacturers and a key OEM partner for NVIDIA. An anonymous company insider outlined a murky outlook: "H20's international supply chain faces significant uncertainties...We were told the chips would be available, but when it came time to actually purchase them, we were informed they had already been sold at higher prices." More (rumored) bad news has arrived in the shape of alleged Chinese government intervention—the Financial Times posits that local regulators have privately advised that Tencent, Alibaba and ByteDance not purchase NVIDIA H20 chips.

According to an investment bank UBS note, two industry titans—NVIDIA and Broadcom—are potential future clients that could significantly enhance Intel's Foundry business revenue. To revitalize Intel, newly appointed CEO Lip-Bu Tan reportedly aims to forge strategic alliances with two AI chip manufacturers. Tan, who assumed leadership earlier this month, is determined to rebuild the company's reputation by focusing on customer satisfaction and accelerating the development of its foundry business. UBS analyst Tim Arcuri suggests that while Broadcom might join the client roster, NVIDIA appears to be the more likely candidate. Rather than initially manufacturing NVIDIA's AI GPUs, Intel is expected to begin production with gaming GPUs. NVIDIA could even move to AI GPU production at Intel's fabs if satisfied.

Despite some early optimism, Intel's new CEO is now committed to addressing issues related to power consumption in Intel's manufacturing processes. UBS analyst Tim Arcuri noted that the firm is pushing hard to introduce a lower-power version of its 18A process, the so-called 18AP, which has reportedly struggled to meet energy requirements. Additionally, Intel is working to improve its advanced packaging techniques to rival Taiwan's TSMC CoWoS (S/L/R variants) technology, aiming to overcome packaging constraints that have slowed AI chip production. Analysts speculate that Intel might also become a secondary supplier to tech giant Apple. A promising partnership with Taiwan's United Microelectronics (UMC) could pave the way for Intel's chips to find their way into future Apple products. Whatever materializes, we are yet to see. Switching foundries from TSMC to Intel entirely is not possible for any of the aforementioned fabless designers, so it will likely be dual-sourcing at first, with some non-flagship SKUs getting the full port to Intel 18A.

The power of Xbox is now in your hands—anywhere, anytime. The new Designed for Xbox: Backbone One Xbox Edition transforms your phone into the ultimate companion for gaming on mobile. Enjoy your games with an enhanced D-pad for precise control and magnetic adapters that secure your phone in place, even with your phone case on. Quickly access your Xbox dashboard with a single press of the Xbox button and jump straight into games like Halo Infinite and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. All this, with a look that captures the classic Xbox design, featuring a stunning translucent green inspired by the original Xbox.

Stream with cloud gaming and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, play natively, or use remote play from your Xbox console or PC—wherever you are. Designed for low-latency and responsive controls, Backbone One Xbox Edition keeps you in the game. The Backbone app unifies your gaming experience, connecting your favorite titles, streaming services, and social features into one intuitive hub. And to kickstart your adventure, each purchase includes one month of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate at no cost (for new members only), unlocking hundreds of games ready to play on the go.

Introducing Wildgate—a crew-based shooter featuring out-of-this-world spaceship combat! In Wildgate, players ("Prospectors") team up in crews of four to venture into a hostile, unpredictable, and mysterious region of space ("The Reach") in search of an ancient relic known as the Artifact. While in pursuit of the Artifact, players must work together to pilot their spacecraft, plunder wreckage, and discover forgotten loot. To win, crews must successfully find and escape with the Artifact...or they can go for a domination victory, destroying all rival ships in the Reach by whatever means necessary.

NEW ADVENTURES, EVERY MATCH
Stay one step ahead as you and your crew navigate the Reach—a vast, procedurally-generated map with randomized encounters, rewards, and more that change with every game. EXPLORE THE REACH: the Reach is a wild place, filled with deadly hazards and treasure beyond your wildest dreams. Navigate through cosmic storms, battle space vermin, and plunder alien outposts for loot. Just be sure to beat other Prospectors to the punch, or risk flying away empty-handed.

To Western audiences, ZOTAC's X-Gaming graphics card product line is not a well known quantity—a search of TechPowerUp's news archive produces one result (from 2021). As reported by VideoCardz, X-Gaming models are only available to buy in China. Roughly two months ago, the Hong Kong-headquartered manufacturer teased four new designs based on NVIDIA's emerging GeForce RTX 50-series "Blackwell" GPUs. As mentioned during our very recent coverage of ZOTAC's GeForce RTX 5080 Apocalypse OC model, the brand introduced familiar SOLID and AMP Extreme INFINITY families. A 2025 refresh of the company's "youthful" X-Gaming series was advertised as a subversion of: "the coldness of traditional graphics card industrial design through high-saturation contrasting color splicing, modular geometric segmentation and other techniques."

Since its beginnings, X-Gaming's core design concept is described as "breaking the dimensional wall between hardware and fashion." ZOTAC's local branch has just released brand-new X-Gaming GeForce RTX 5070 Ti and RTX 5070 SKUs, in factory-overclocked and standard/reference configurations. VideoCardz believes that the GeForce RTX 5080 X-Gaming OC model launched—in China—earlier in the year. So far, all of the launched variants share the same visual theme—ZOTAC cites "inspiration" from a famous source: "the GeForce RTX 50 X-Gaming series graphics cards have a white base and large areas of contrasting colors. The front pattern design is inspired by the well-known artist Mr. Doodle (aka Sam Cox), whose iconic intensive linearism style is accurately restored on the X-Gaming: the front of the graphics card is covered with hundreds of lines, and the seemingly disordered graffiti combination creates a vibrant visual effect. Through a special printing process, the front pattern presents a unique visual effect under different light angles, further increasing the texture and layering of the card's appearance." Regional ZOTAC enthusiasts expected the GeForce RTX 5070 Ti option to borrow its "larger" sibling's robust cooling solution, but the GB203 GPU-based model makes do with a thinner shroud profile—also present on the GeForce RTX 5070 (non-Ti) X-Gaming SKU.

Tachyum today announced that it has successfully enabled DRAM Failover correct system on its Prodigy Universal Processor, demonstrating enhanced reliability for even larger-scale AI and HPC applications even in the case of DRAM chip failures.

Tachyum's DRAM Failover is an advanced memory error correction technology that improves the reliability of DRAM and provides a higher level of protection than traditional Error Correction Code (ECC). DRAM Failover can correct multi-bit errors within a single memory chip or across multiple memory chips, allowing continued memory operation in the event of device-level faults in memory. With DRAM Failover, even a whole DRAM chip failure can be tolerated without affecting the system and applications.

Quantum networks—where entanglement is distributed across distant nodes—promise to revolutionize quantum computing, communication, and sensing. However, a major bottleneck has been scalability, as the entanglement rate in most existing systems is limited by a network design of a single qubit per node. A new study, led by Prof. A. Faraon at Caltech and conducted by A. Ruskuc et al., recently published in Nature (ref: 1-2), presents a groundbreaking solution: multiplexed entanglement using multiple emitters in quantum network nodes. By harnessing rare-earth ions coupled to nanophotonic cavities, researchers at Caltech and Stanford have demonstrated a scalable platform that significantly enhances entanglement rates and network efficiency. Let's take a closer look at the two key challenges they tackled—multiplexing to boost entanglement rates and dynamic control strategies to ensure qubit indistinguishability—and how they overcame them.

Breaking the Entanglement Bottleneck via Multiplexing
One of the biggest challenges in scaling quantum networks is the entanglement rate bottleneck, which arises due to the fundamental constraints of long-distance quantum communication. When two distant qubits are entangled via photon interference, the rate of entanglement distribution is typically limited by the speed of light and the node separation distance. In typical systems with a single qubit per node, this rate scales as c/L (where c is the speed of light and L is the distance between nodes), leading to long waiting times between successful entanglement events. This severely limits the scalability of quantum networks.

Shipping manifests have served as fairly reliable sources of pre-launch information—Everest (aka Olrak29) has discovered many juicy details in recent times. Their latest sleuthing session—combing through NBD documents—has indicated AMD's (alleged) prepping of a larger socket design for next-generation mobile processors. A leaked document alludes to the existence of various "MEDUSA01" jig and block "FP10" socket validation parts. Current-generation Ryzen AI "Strix Point" 300 series APUs utilize the FP8 socket format. Based on the "MEDUSA01" shipping manifest, it seems that a successor will arrive with a larger footprint—measurements of 25 mm x 42.5 mm are repeated throughout the leaked description list. Industry watchdogs surmise that "Medusa Point's" BGA FP10 socket will be approximately 6% larger than its predecessor.

Mid-way through last month, insider theorizations pointed to "Medusa Point" being a chiplet-based design. A "single 12-core Zen 6 CCD" was linked to a TSMC 3 nm-class node, with "N4P" reportedly selected for a separate mobile client I/O die. Readily available 4 nm Ryzen AI "Strix Point" processors are monolithic in nature. Initial inside track info mentioned RDNA 4 technology in the same equation as "Medusa Point," but recent Team Red's recent-ish targeting of "GFX1153" places RDNA 3.5 as the de facto choice.

Thank you for all your amazing feedback! It's incredible that 60,000 of you played our demo and helped us test Descenders Next. It's been incredible watching everyone play, and reading through your feedback has blown us away, so a massive thank you from all of us at RageSquid and No More Robots! We're driven to make Descenders Next the best it can be, and reading through your feedback you made some great calls. We understand you feel the game needs some tweaks to make it feel like the ultimate Descenders experience, and we agree!

You hit on a few bits in your feedback that we want to iron out before we launch into early access. The team are already on it, adding in some highly requested features like key bindings, the first-person camera and the return of Enemy, Kinetic and Arboreal, but others will be a bigger undertaking. This means getting Descenders Next ready for early access launch will take a little bit longer than we were anticipating, so we're going to give the game a little bit more time in the oven, and push the launch date back. We don't have a date for you just yet, as we're making sure that we've taken all your feedback on board and got our changes just right, but we're not going to keep you waiting too long.

ASUS silently releases its first AMD B850 motherboard featuring the GC-HPWR connector, allowing it to deliver up to 600 W to a compatible graphics card without needing external cables. The TUF Gaming B850 BTF Wi-Fi W motherboard supports Ryzen 7000, 8000, and 9000 CPUs, including the latest 9950X3D, and offers all the typical features expected from a mid-tier AMD motherboard. On a quick look over main specifications, we can see it uses a 14+2+1 power stage design and an eight-layer PCB, supports DDR5 memory up to 8000 MT/s, PCIe 5.0 x16 with updated Q-Release system, one Gen 5 M.2 slot, ALC1220P audio, and BIOS flashback.

ASUS first created its Back to the Future (BTF) lineup with the intention of moving all motherboard connectors to the back of the PCB. While this makes installation and cable routing a bit more challenging, it results in a much tidier-looking motherboard and a cleaner overall system look without the usual mess of wires. BTF-compatible GPUs help eliminate power cables by replacing the standard 8-pin or 12VHPWR connectors with a metal plug at the end of the PCIe slot. ASUS is now bringing this connector to its more affordable B850 boards, which could help make this rare GPU power solution more common. As a BTF board, it hides all cable connectors on the front—even for GPU power as we said, you'll find the GC-HPWR connector at the end of the PCIe x16 slot, just below the RAM slots. However, you don't have to use this feature—the motherboard works fine with any modern graphics card, whether it relies on the new power option or standard connectors. That said, to achieve a completely cable-free setup, you'll need to pair it with one of ASUS's BTF graphics cards. This currently limits you to the RTX 40-series, as ASUS has yet to release any 50-series BTF cards. The fact that ASUS is adding this new type of connector to midrange motherboards could suggest that it plans to expand the BTF lineup in the future. ASUS didn't reveal pricing or any release date information for the TUF Gaming B850 BTF Wi-Fi W motherboard.

Kuroutoshikou—a Japanese PC hardware brand—has introduced a special Blade and Soul NEO collaboration Radeon RX 7600 8 GB model. The company's press release goes into great detail about their retail packaging being "decorated with the beautiful characters and gorgeous stages of Blade," but the card itself is not adorned with any fancy illustrations or markings. In fact, the bare black design seems to be borrowed almost directly from PowerColor's Fighter stable (minus two stickers). As pointed out by VideoCardz, Kuroutoshikou already offers a "normal edition" Radeon RX 7600 SKU—minus NCSoft-related material. An exclusive in-game bonus seems to be the main draw here—as disclosed in the company's marketing spiel: "if you purchase this product and apply on the special page, you will receive a campaign code for the limited costume 'Gentleness' that can be used in Blade and Soul NEO."

Kuroutoshikou will deliver their "RD-RX7600-8G/Blade & Soul NEO Collaboration" edition to market on April 4, which could place it in a similar release timeframe with natural successors—AMD and board partners are expected to launch Radeon RX 9060 Series graphics cards in the second quarter of 2025. Surprisingly, the lower end of RDNA 3 keeps generating news articles—PowerColor seems to be working on a "V2" Fighter Radeon RX 7600 SKU, while plenty of China market-exclusive Radeon RX 7650 GRE cards have appeared within the past month or two. A possible surplus of Navi 33 GPUs could explain the sudden "reemergence" of previous-gen hardware. Going back to Kuroutoshikou; their current graphics card portfolio seems to consist of slightly rebranded PowerColor designs for the AMD side of things, while NVIDIA GeForce offerings are rebadged GALAX IPs.

A new resident is moving into the cloud—KRAFTON's inZOI joins the 2,000+ games in the GeForce NOW cloud gaming library. Plus, members can get ready for an exclusive sneak peek as the Sunderfolk First Look Demo comes to the cloud. The demo is exclusively available for players on GeForce NOW until April 7, including Performance and Ultimate members as well as free users. And explore the world of Atomfall—part of 12 games joining the cloud this week.

Cloud of Possibilities
In inZOI—a groundbreaking life simulation game by Krafton that pushes the genre's boundaries—take on the role of an intern at AR COMPANY, managing virtual beings called "Zois" in a simulated city. The game features over 400 mental elements influencing Zois' behaviors. Experience the game's dynamic weather system, open-world environments inspired by real locations and cinematic cut scenes for key life events—and even create in-game objects. inZOI lets players craft unique stories and live out their dreams in a meticulously designed virtual world. Dive into the world of Zois without the need for high-end hardware. Members can manage their virtual homes, customize characters and explore the game's dynamic environments from various devices, streaming its detailed graphics and complex simulations with ease.

Indie publisher Brain Seal just announced Dark Quest 4, the latest entry in the beloved Dark Quest series—a bold, standalone return to the dungeon that feels like a living board game.

Inspired by iconic board games such as Hero Quest, Descent, and Dungeon Saga, Dark Quest 4 is a turn-based RPG dungeon crawler that blends strategy, imagination, and unforgettable quests into one immersive experience.

Marvell Technology, Inc., a leader in data infrastructure semiconductor solutions, today announced in collaboration with TeraHop, a global optical solutions provider for AI driven data centers, the demonstration of the industry's first end-to-end PCIe Gen 6 over optics in the Marvell booth #2129 at OFC 2025. The demonstration will showcase the extension of PCIe reach beyond traditional electrical limits to enable low-latency, standards-based AI scale-up infrastructure.

As AI workloads drive exponential data growth, PCIe connectivity must evolve to support higher bandwidth and longer reach. The Marvell Alaska P PCIe Gen 6 retimer and its PCIe Gen 7 SerDes technology enable low-latency, low bit-error-rate transmission over optical fiber, delivering the scalability, power efficiency, and high performance required for next-generation accelerated infrastructure. With PCIe over optics, system designers will be able to take advantage of longer links between devices that feature the low latency of PCIe technology.

xMEMS Labs, developers of the foremost platform for piezoMEMS innovation and creators of the world's leading all-silicon micro speakers, today announced xMEMS Lassen, the company's newest innovation for delivering micro fidelity (µFidelity) audio to mass-market consumer earbuds.

Responding to industrywide praise and enthusiastic reviews of xMEMS speaker technology for creating the highest quality sound, xMEMS has introduced Lassen, a lower cost all-silicon micro tweeter solution for TWS (True Wireless Stereo) earbuds.

Other World Computing (OWC), !a trusted leader in high-performance storage, docks, and memory card solutions that empower professionals in video and audio production, photography, and business with the tools to seamlessly maximize the performance and reliability of their workflows, today announced the general availability (GA) launch of the OWC Jellyfish B24 and OWC Jellyfish S24, two powerful new additions to its award-winning shared storage lineup. Designed to meet the evolving needs of media teams, the OWC Jellyfish B24 delivers a cost-effective, high-capacity solution for seamless collaboration and nearline backup, while the OWC Jellyfish S24 offers a full SSD production server with lightning-fast performance for demanding video workflows. With scalable expansion options and rock-solid reliability, these new OWC Jellyfish solutions give video editors, post-production teams, and content creators the tools they need to work faster, collaborate more easily, and keep their projects moving - without storage ever slowing them down.

Video editors, post-production teams, and content creators are constantly juggling massive file sizes, complex collaborations, and the need for seamless access to their media - all while making sure their work is safely backed up. But as video resolutions continue to climb to 4K, 8K, and beyond, many storage solutions just can't keep up, creating frustrating bottlenecks that slow down the creative process. The OWC Jellyfish B24 and S24 are built to solve these problems, delivering high-performance, scalable shared storage that keeps workflows smooth, file transfers fast, and backups reliable. Whether a team needs affordable nearline storage - with plenty of capacity, or lightning-fast SSDs - for real-time editing, these solutions ensure creatives can focus on what they do best - telling great stories - without storage getting in the way.

Chieftec is excited to introduce their new mini-tower PC case, the UNI Series BS-20B-OP. This versatile, compact case combines modern professional design with practical functionality, making it the perfect solution for home and office environments. With a minimal footprint and a total volume of less than 20 liters, the BS-20B-OP ensures that you don't have to sacrifice essential features for space efficiency. It supports full microATX mainboards, ATX PSUs, ultra-slim ODDs, and even graphics cards up to 270 mm in length. The timelessly elegant front panel features all relevant connectors, including a USB Type-C port. Hidden air vents ensure ideal airflow.

GL.iNet, a leading technology company specializing in innovative networking solutions, announces the launch of its latest product, the Slate 7 (GL-BE3600), a next-generation dual-band Wi-Fi 7 travel router featuring an interactive touchscreen. Designed to meet the demands of modern digital lifestyles, the Slate 7 delivers exceptional performance for bandwidth-intensive tasks such as 4K/8K streaming, gaming, and seamless video conferencing.

The Slate 7 began accepting pre-orders on March 4, 2025, and the overwhelming demand was immediately evident, with Super Early Bird and Early Bird deals selling out rapidly.

Rugged embedded computer brand—Cincoze has added a new 15.6-inch FHD display option for HMI applications in harsh environments to its Display Computing - CRYSTAL product line. Almost 20 new products have been launched at this time, including rugged industrial panel PCs (CV-W115FH/P) and monitors (CV-W115FH/M) suitable for general harsh environments, as well as sunlight readable panel PCs (CS-W115FH/P) and monitors (CS-W115FH/M) designed for high-brightness outdoor environments, providing even more comprehensive options across the CRYSTAL product line.

The Cincoze 15.6-inch industrial panel PC (CV-W115FH/P) and monitor series (CV-W115FH/M) offer exceptional picture quality for industrial applications such as displaying complex SCADA data or image monitoring. This is thanks to its FHD (1920x1080) resolution, 800:1 contrast ratio, and 16.7 million color display, which, when combined with resistive or capacitive touch and a wide 178° viewing angle, provide the optimal user experience. The backlight life of up to 50,000 hours ensures long-term stable operation. The panel PC series has various performance options, including Intel Atom, Pentium, or Core to suit specific use cases.

Qualcomm has filed confidential complaints with antitrust regulators in the US, Europe, and South Korea, accusing Arm Holdings of leveraging its dominance to suppress competition in chip design. The filings, submitted to the US FTC European Commission and Korea Fair Trade Commission, alleged that Arm is restricting access to critical technologies and altering licensing terms to favor its own chip ventures, Bloomberg reported. Arm swiftly denied the claims, claimining that this is a distraction from a broader commercial dispute. "Arm remains focused on enhancing innovation, promoting competition, and respecting contractual rights and obligations," a company spokesperson told Tom's Hardware. "Any allegation of anti-competitive conduct is nothing more than a desperate attempt by Qualcomm to detract from the merits and expand the parties' ongoing commercial dispute for its own competitive benefit. Arm is confident that it will ultimately prevail in this dispute."

Qualcomm's filings argue that Arm is abandoning its longstanding open licensing model, which enabled a global ecosystem of chipmakers and software developers. Instead, the company claims Arm is prioritizing its compute subsystems (CSS)—pre-packaged chip designs for client devices and data centers—by limiting rivals' ability to license core technologies. Qualcomm also alleges Arm is withholding IP and violating agreements, particularly for clients developing custom silicon based on CSS designs. The complaints follow a recent legal victory for Qualcomm in a Delaware court, where a judge ruled the company did not breach licensing deals by acquiring chip startup Nuvia and using its IP in Snapdragon X processors for PCs. Arm, which plans to appeal the decision, insists Qualcomm's regulatory push is an escalation of the same dispute. According to Bloomberg's sources, Qualcomm's EU complaint—filed before the December court ruling—warned that Arm's post-2024 licensing changes would force chipmakers to obtain direct architecture licenses to use CSS designs, which could marginalize competitors. Arm confirmed it is preparing a formal response to the EU filing, while Qualcomm has reportedly engaged regulators in Washington and Seoul on similar concerns.

XPG, a fast-growing provider of systems, components, and peripherals for Gamers, Esports Pros, and Tech Enthusiasts, is proud to announce the global launch of the XPG LEVANTE II 360 AIO Liquid Cooler. This cutting-edge cooling solution is designed to set a new benchmark in thermal efficiency and aesthetic appeal, offering gamers and PC enthusiasts the ultimate performance upgrade.

At the heart of the LEVANTE II 360 there's an innovative high-performance dual-chamber pump that delivers exceptional thermal efficiency, handling up to 320W TDP, making it the ideal cooling solution for even the most demanding systems. Whether you're gaming, streaming, or creating, this cooler ensures your CPU stays incredibly cool and performs at its best under pressure.

Team Group Inc., a global leader in memory solutions, today announced the launch of the Team Group ULTRA MicroSDXC A2 V30 Memory Card, which delivers read speeds of up to 200 MB/s and write speeds of up to 170 MB/s. This high-speed performance enables seamless transfer of high-resolution images and gaming files, ensuring a smooth and efficient mobile storage experience. With a massive 1 TB capacity, it offers ample storage for different types of data and high-definition videos, providing comprehensive protection for users' valuable content while ensuring reliable and effortless access.

The ULTRA MicroSDXC A2 V30 meets the A2 application performance standard, which significantly improves application loading speeds. With a V30 video speed rating, it ensures smooth, uninterrupted video recording. Its specifications meet the various usage scenarios of the consumer MicroSD market. It is also compatible with a wide range of devices, including cameras, drones, game consoles, surveillance systems, and mobile devices. Combining high performance with broad compatibility, this memory card effortlessly handles data storage, game launching, and high definition 4K video recording.

Yield Engineering Systems, Inc. (YES), a global leader in materials and interface engineering equipment solutions, proudly announces the shipment of the first commercial VeroTherm Formic Acid Reflow tool to a leading global semiconductor manufacturer from its Sulur, Coimbatore, manufacturing facility. This landmark achievement signifies a pivotal moment for YES and the burgeoning semiconductor ecosystem in India, as it represents the first equipment produced in India for advanced semiconductor applications like High Bandwidth Memory (HBM), which is critical for AI and High-Performance Computing (HPC) applications worldwide.

YES commenced operations in September 2024 at this state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Sulur, Coimbatore, India, located at 96/3 Vadakku Sambala Thottam, Trichy Road, Kannampalayam, Sulur Taluk. This facility is integral to YES's strategic expansion plan, aimed at serving its global customers' operations in India and the world with greater efficiency.

The AMD Ryzen 5 9600 launched recently as a slightly more affordable variant of the popular Ryzen 5 9600X. Despite launching over a month ago, the 9600 still appears rather difficult to track down in retail stores. However, a recent PassMark benchmark has provided some insights as to the performance of the non-X variant of AMD's six-core Zen 5 budget CPU. Unsurprisingly, the Ryzen 5 9600X and the Ryzen 5 9600 are neck-and-neck, with the 9600X scraping past its non-X counterpart by a mere 2.2% in the CPU benchmark.

According to the PassMark result, the Ryzen 5 9600 scored 29,369, compared to the Ryzen 5 9600X's 30,016, while single-core scores were 4581 for the 9600X and 4433 points for the 9600, representing a 3.2% disparity between the two CPUs. The result is not surprising, since the only real difference between the 9600 and the 9600X is 200 MHz boost clock. All other specifications, including TDP, core count, cache amount and base clock speed, are identical. Both CPUs are also unlocked for overclocking, and both feature AMD Precision Boost 2. While the Ryzen 5 9600 isn't available just yet, it will seemingly be a good option for those who want to stretch their budget to the absolute maximum, since recent reports indicate that it will be around $20 cheaper than the Ryzen 5 9600X, coming in at around the $250-260 mark.

Fussing with a traditional scanner in 2025 is like still using a flip phone—it gets the job done, but there's a much smarter way to handle things. The iScanner is a professional-grade scanning app that turns your iPhone or iPad into a full-fledged document scanner, editor, and organizer.

Whether you're working remotely, running a business, or just need to digitize receipts and notes on the go, iScanner lets you scan, edit, and manage files anywhere—no bulky equipment required. For a limited time, you can grab a lifetime subscription to iScanner for just $24.99 (reg. $199.99) with code SCAN. That's a one-time payment for unlimited access.

iScanner can turn paper into searchable PDFs, extract text using AI-powered OCR, and even help you solve math problems by scanning equations. You can edit documents, add e-signatures, mark up text, and merge multiple files without ever touching a desktop computer.Get lifetime access to the iScanner app for just $24.99 (reg. $199.99) with code SCAN through March 30 only.

The AMD Ryzen 9 9955HX3D is an upcoming laptop CPU with 64 MB of L3 3D V-Cache paired with 16 Zen 5 cores that clock at up to a claimed 5.4 GHz. While the 995HX3D hasn't even received an official retail launch date aside from "H1 2025," tech publication Hot Hardware has published some early benchmarks of the new Ryzen 9 CPU, showing off some impressive performance chops that should translate to excellent gaming performance. The test system in question was the MSI Raider A18HX, which pairs the AMD Ryzen 9 9955HX3D with up to 64 GB of RAM and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 or 5090. According to CPU-Z screenshots taken by Hot Hardware, the 9955HX3D is configured to run at 55 W, although the CPU is capable of up to 75 W TDP. Hot Hardware noted that the 9955HX3D clocked up to 5194.88 MHz on two cores, while one core sat at 5139,98 MHz, and the rest of the cores all sat well below the 2 GHz mark when not loaded.

While Hot Hardware was unable to run direct gaming benchmarks due to release embargoes, the publication did run Cinebench, PCMark 10, and Geekbench, including Geekbench AI. While performance across the board was impressive, with the 9955HX3D scoring a massive 2094 in Cinebench 2024 multicore, which is 20% higher than the next CPU on Hot Hardware's benchmark charts, the AMD Ryzen 9 7945HX from the ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17. Geekbench 6 and UL PCMark 10 tell a somewhat different story, though, with the 9955HX3D scoring slightly behind the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 in both benchmarks. Geekbench 6 was particularly peculiar, since the Ryzen AI Max+ 395 outperformed the 9955HX3D by as much as 48%. The 9955HX3D still beats out all the other chips on the Geekbench 6 test, though, especially in multicore testing, where the next-fastest chip on the chart was the Apple M3 Max. Despite the mixed results when it comes to multicore benchmarks, though, the AMD Ryzen 9 9955HX3D managed to come out on top in every test where single-core performance was directly tested.

Greetings Commanders, Grit and Valor - 1949 is now available for purchase on Steam! Thank you all for your support on the journey so far. Seeing you react to our content, leave feedback and participate in our demos and beta has meant everything to us. We hope you enjoy the full game and cannot wait to hear what you think, so please leave a review.

Set in an alternate-history World War II, command an elite squad of resistance mech pilots against the technologically superior forces of the Evil Axis. The year is 1949, and the Axis powers have dominated with their mechanical war machines. As the commander of the resistance, you must rally Allied mech pilots and lead a daring mission into the heart of New Germany to deliver the EMP weapon and end the war once and for all. Command your squad and strategize your every move adapting to dynamic battlefields and overwhelming enemy war machines. With a blend of tactical decision-making, rogue-lite progression, and intense boss encounters, you will be challenged to make split-second decisions and discover the best strategy for survival and reclaim Europe region by region!

At the tail end of 2024, AMD technical staffers added the "GFX1153" target to their first-party GPU supported chip list. Almost three months later, PC hardware news outlets and online enthusiasts have just picked up on this development. "GFX1150" family IPs were previously linked to Team Red's RDNA 3.5 architecture. This graphics technology debuted with the launch of Ryzen AI "Strix Halo," "Strix Point" and "Krackan Point" mobile processors. Recent leaks have suggested that Team Red is satisfied with the performance of RDNA 3.5-based Radeon iGPUs; warranting a rumored repeat rollout with next-gen "Medusa Point" APU designs.

Both "Medusa Point" and "Gorgon Point" mobile CPU families are expected to launch next year, with leaks pointing to the utilization of "Zen 6" and "Zen 5" processor cores (respectively) and RDNA 3.5 graphics architecture. RDNA 4 seems to be a strictly desktop-oriented generation. AMD could be reserving the "further out" UDNA tech for truly next-generation integrated graphics solutions. In the interim, Team Red's "GFX1153" IP will likely serve as "Medusa Point's" onboard GPU, according to the latest logical theories. Last year, the "GFX1152" target was associated with Ryzen AI 7 300-series "Krackan Point" APUs.

MagStor, an industry leader in advanced data storage solutions, proudly announces the launch of the world's first Thunderbolt 5 LTO drive, marking a monumental step forward in data storage technology. This groundbreaking innovation continues MagStor's tradition of trailblazing advancements, following its historic introduction of the patented world's first Thunderbolt 3 LTO drive. Designed with cutting-edge Thunderbolt 5 technology, the new LTO drive offers unprecedented speed, reliability, and compatibility for professional data backup and archival needs.

"At MagStor, we are committed to pushing the boundaries of what's possible in data storage," said Tim Gerhard, VP of Product at MagStor. "After revolutionizing the market with the first-ever Thunderbolt 3 LTO drive, we're excited to raise the bar again with Thunderbolt 5, ensuring our customers have access to the most powerful and flexible storage solutions available."

The status of Intel "Meteor Lake-S" (MTL-S) desktop processors was the subject of much speculation throughout 2023—by September of that year, Team Blue leadership projected an upcoming launch in 2024. Technically, Meteor Lake was deployed to "sort-of desktops" platforms—albeit in mini-PCs that utilized Core Ultra mobile chips. Industry moles insisted that Intel was still actively engaged in production of MTL-S samples in late 2023. According to a recent ITHome report, those insider tales turned out to be legitimate. On Monday (March 24), the online publication revealed the existence of a mysterious "Q46W" engineering sample—courtesy of Kyoka (a trusted source). A CPU-Z diagnostic revealed the unannounced CPU's turboboost capability reaching 4.5 GHz, while base frequency sat at the 2.8 GHz mark.

According to ITHome's investigative piece, Team Blue: "tested a very special desktop processor: it uses the Meteor Lake architecture, has 6 performance cores and 8 energy efficiency cores (6P+8E), but the performance cores (P-cores) do not support Hyper-Threading. The production date of the product in hand is the 51st week of 2023, which is obviously later than the time when Meteor Lake-S was reported to be cancelled for external sales. From this situation, 'Q46W' may be a development test processor for FCLGA1851 platform or the 800 series chipset. Kyoka believes that the processor should be in the ES2 stage." A Xianyu seller—tbNick_3u8k4—is reportedly offloading a surprising quantity of "Intel Confidential Q46W" processors, allegedly manufactured back in early 2024. Photos show tray-mounted units available for sale on Taobao's second hand market platform. tbNick_3u8k4 mentions that this particular batch of Q46W chips "requires a special motherboard to light up," suggesting that readily available Intel 800 Series chipset-based models are not fit for purpose.

Take center stage in EA SPORTS F1 25, releasing worldwide on May 30 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. As Formula 1 celebrates its 75th anniversary, F1 25 reflects the real-world sport's biggest driver line-up change in years, featuring six rookie drivers and the landmark move of seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton, who makes the unprecedented switch from Mercedes to Ferrari. As the F1 25 Iconic Edition cover star, fans of Lewis and Ferrari will be able to show their support with a number of in-game perks tied to that edition of the game. With new stars trying to make a name for themselves, established drivers challenging for podiums, and drivers aiming for a World Championship on a new team, F1 25 lets you re-create every breathtaking moment through single-player and new collaborative options.

Blockbuster Action at Every Turn
Take the spotlight and experience the latest instalment of the fan-favorite story mode, Braking Point, with Konnersport taking the fight to the biggest names on the grid. Hot off the heels of the 2023 season and under new ownership, the familiar faces of Callie Mayer, Aiden Jackson, and of course, Devon Butler, make their return. However, with a dramatic event threatening to derail their title aspirations, will you have what it takes to steer the team to championship glory? Featuring rebalanced difficulty options that cater to new and veteran players, decisions you make will have an impact on how this thrilling chapter unfolds.

So far, AX Gaming has mainly released triple-fan cooled custom GeForce RTX 50-series graphics cards under their "Rebel" product line. For example, TechPowerUp's GPU database lists a GeForce RTX 5070 X3W SKU—promo images showcase fairly straightforward white shroud and backplate designs; somewhat belying the family's namesake. Earlier today, VideoCardz put a spotlight on an extravagantly-decorated sibling—the X2W. TechPowerUp's news archive seems to lack in AX Gaming content, but a forumite correctly informed others about this sub-brand existing under the umbrella of Inno3D. The Singaporean AIB launched its AX Gaming off-shoot a few years ago; with its main market focus being China.

The freshly revealed AX Gaming Rebel GeForce RTX 5070 X2W 12 GB model sports a very busy shroud design; thus effortlessly distinguishing itself from nearby plain triple-fan products. Mayan civilization-inspired graffiti graphics are spreads across the card's front face. This funky aesthetic is also present on the model's retail packaging. Interestingly, the two cooling fans are adorned with a hand graphic; clutching a modern gamepad. Disappointingly, the manufacturer has not applied this loud patterning onto the X2W's backplate—we are looking at a mostly white landscape adorned with some sort of Rebel series emblem and "GeForce RTX" text. AX Gaming's specification sheet indicates that their X2W SKU sticks to NVIDIA's reference specifications. The manufacturer's "Punk 4.0" cooling system consists of two fans, paired with a heatsink that features five heatpipes. VideoCardz reckons that the housed PCB also exists within Inno3D's RTX 5070 TWIN X2 cards.

CD Projekt Red, the studio behind wildly popular The Witcher and Cyberpunk 2077 game franchises, is once again entering the mobile gaming scene, this time in partnership with Scopely, the massive publisher that recently made news for buying Niantic, developer behind Pokémon Go. CD Projekt Red announced the partnership in its 2024 financial earnings report, although the announcement is rather vague.

According to the earnings report, CDPR and Scopely will develop "a game set within one of CD PROJEKT's IPs," and nothing more than that. Currently, a Witcher or Cyberpunk spin-off seem equally likely, although with The Witcher 4 expected to launch within the next few years, CDPR may be looking to build up hype around the Witcher universe leading up to that launch. That said, there is also reportedly a Cyberpunk 2077 sequel in the works as well, so a Cyberpunk spin-off is also a possibility. CDPR has already released a number of iOS and Android games set in The Witcher IP, including Gwent: The Witcher Card Game, Gwent: Rogue Mage, The Witcher, Monster Slayer, The Witcher Battle Arena, The Witcher Adventure Game, and Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales. Meanwhile, there has been but one mobile game based on the Cyberpunk universe—Roach Race—so it would not be surprising to see a Cyberpunk 2077 spin-off come out of the partnership.

In industrial environments, equipment runs 24/7, handling frequent and intensive write operations. To support these demanding workloads, storage solutions must offer high endurance to extend lifespan, minimize downtime, and lower Total Cost of Ownership (TCO). Designed to meet these demands, the Cervoz T455 Series, M.2 2280 NVMe SSD delivers 35% greater endurance through a refined firmware architecture and proven storage technologies. Ideal for industrial automation, edge computing, and high-performance computing (HPC), it ensures reliable performance under heavy workloads.

Enhanced Endurance for Demanding Industrial Applications—Over-Provisioning Technology: Endurance SSD Performance and Longevity
Cervoz's Over-Provisioning technology optimizes SSD performance by reserving extra storage space, boosting efficiency, and extending lifespan. How SSD Over-Provisioning Delivers Benefits:

• Extended Lifespan: Efficiently reserves additional storage space, enhancing NAND durability at least 35%.
• Consistent Performance: Maintains steady performance levels even under high-intensity workloads.
• Optimized Resource Management: Reserved space allocation for optimal write efficiency.

Over a week ago, ASUS "quietly" unveiled a revamped Q-Release Slim mechanism—eagle-eyed hardware media outlet—Uniko's Hardware—spotted this revised quick release PCIe system on a freshly detailed premium ROG CROSSHAIR X870E APEX motherboard model. Wider press reportage jumped on the manufacturer's mixed bag of official responses; regarding reported damage inflicted by a "problematic" design. The ASUS North American office downplayed the severity of this matter, while colleagues in China launched a fairly comprehensive compensation program. According to VideoCardz, the latter organization has confirmed—as of last week—that a problem-free/improved Q-Release Slim system is on the way.

On Monday, Tweakers divulged its direct communication with ASUS—a spokesperson answered the Dutch site's query: "yes, a change has been made to the Q-Release Slim system for new X870 motherboards. Based on user feedback, we have modified the PCIe slot for the Q-Release Slim system, including removing a metal component to reduce the possibility of damage to the video card." The company representative noted that newly introduced/attached stickers will inform users about "correct system usage." Based on the aforementioned ASUS statement, Tweakers reported: "that both the original and revised versions of the system have been extensively tested and that users should study the included documentation to use the Q-Release Slim system properly. According to the manufacturer, both versions of the technology meet 'industry standards for wear resistance'." That last point suggests that ASUS will not be issuing a wide recall of currently released boards that feature original Q-Release Slim mechanisms.

Sarcina Technology, a global semiconductor packaging specialist, is excited to announce the launch of its innovative AI platform to enable advanced AI packaging solutions that can be tailored to meet specific customer requirements. Leveraging ASE's FOCoS-CL (Fan-Out Chip-on-Substrate-Chip Last) assembly technology, this platform includes an interposer which supports chiplets using UCIe-A for die-to-die interconnects, allowing for the delivery of cost-effective, customizable, cutting-edge solutions.

Sarcina Technology is on a mission to push the boundaries of AI computing system development by providing a unique platform that enables efficient, scalable, configurable and cost-effective semiconductor packaging solutions for AI applications. As AI workloads continue to evolve, there is a need for increasingly sophisticated packaging solutions capable of supporting higher computational demands. Sarcina's novel interposer packaging technology integrates leading memory solutions with high-efficiency interconnects. Whether prioritizing cost, performance or power-efficiency, Sarcina's new AI platform can deliver.

Accordance Systems Inc., a leading global provider of RAID box, unveiled its latest innovation, the ARAID M6 series RAID Box for PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2, at Embedded World 2025 in Nuremberg, Germany, from March 11-13. Accordance has been delivering easy, user-friendly RAID solutions worldwide for over a quarter of a century, providing businesses worldwide with instantaneous backup for their OS and data. The new M6 series aims to provide reliable, high-speed backup for edge computing and edge AI applications across industries.

High-Speed Data Backup and Storage for PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 Drives
Making its debut at Embedded World was Accordance's M6 series RAID box. This latest addition to the company's long-running ARAID product line supports multiple drive interfaces, including 2.5" SATA, SAS, U.2, U.3 and NVMe M.2 (PCIe Gen 4x4). The ARAID RAID box automatically backs up a PC's system and data into a second drive, ensuring critical systems keep running in the event of boot drive failure, OS corruption or ransomware attacks. The new M6 series is designed to support the high data speeds needed in AI applications growing more common across industries, such as finance, agriculture, transportation, and manufacturing. Keeping with the original vision for ARAID—a RAID box as easy to use as a point-and-shoot camera—the M6 series requires no IT knowledge to use, enabling all users to quickly upgrade their systems with RAID 1.

Following hot on the heels of the massive Worlds Part II update back in January which introduced a whole range of visual enhancements, gameplay additions and quality of life improvements to No Man's Sky, the team have let their imaginations run wild on something whimsical but remarkably transformative for what is possibly our most surprising update yet. We're calling it Relics, and it is available to download for PC, console and VR free to existing players from today. Since launch, because of the way that No Man's Sky's planetary terrain works, players have enjoyed being able to dig down through the earth to find buried technologies or other valuable items hidden beneath their feet. From today, players will start to find a whole new category of palaeontological finds—the skeletal remains of alien creatures which used to inhabit these worlds. So, terrain manipulators at the ready!

Just as the living creatures which continue to populate the star systems, there is a huge variety of prehistoric bones, in all shapes and sizes, to excavate and collect. It's up to you how you reassemble them and there's a lot of fun to be had building ever-more outrageous skeletons to put on display in your bases-turned-museums or share with your fellow Travellers. Much like with the aquatic life from the Aquarius expedition from last year, the skulls and bones out there to be discovered vary hugely in rarity so you never quite know what you're going to unearth. The most uncommon finds hold huge value and can be bartered with at the Space Station. To coincide with Relics, a tailor-made community expedition starts shortly which challenges players to compete for the rarest finds.

Earlier in March, Mindfactory Germany's webshop looked very threadbare—in terms of readily available modern PC hardware stock—thus generating plenty of online speculation about bankruptcy/insolvency. Regional news outlets have highlighted a recently-issued official press release—titled: "things are running smoothly again at Mindfactory." According to Heise Online, regular webstore customers were subjected to "internal changes" last week—requiring the creation of brand-new accounts. Logging in with old credentials (apparently) prompted a friendly auto-greeting message: "hey, it's great to see you back! Our store database has been technically optimized and tidied up. Please register again with your data." Additionally, Heise Online reckons that Mindfactory did not respond to any press inquiries throughout the month.

Monday's German language PR piece confirms normal service being re-established (via machine translation): "the online store is open as usual, and customers can once again access a growing selection of products...Mindfactory's suppliers have resumed deliveries—without requiring advance payments. In fact, they are even offering discounts to support the restructuring process." A portion of Heise Online's readership reported problems with Mindfactory's after-sales support department (around mid-March); the organization appears ready to address these issues: "along with sales, the company's service operations have also returned to normal. Returns and other service requests are now being processed as usual. Pending cases from the start of the self-administration process are also being gradually handled and resolved." VideoCardz put a spotlight on newly-replenished inventory turning up on Mindfactory's online shop. Multiple XFX and PowerColor Radeon RX 9070 series cards are back in stock—as of last week—with slightly elevated prices. Various AIB GeForce RTX 50-series options are also available to purchase. Heise Online noted that "Mindfactory is rarely one of the cheapest providers, at least at the moment," given the shop's €539.50 (including VAT) listing of AMD's popular Ryzen 7 9800X3D gaming CPU.

SiCarrier, a Huawei-backed Chinese semiconductor tool manufacturer, has launched a comprehensive suite of semiconductor manufacturing tools at this year's Semicon China. These tools are strategically essential to China's semiconductor self-sufficiency and a major step towards competitive nodes from the mainland. The new lineup spans multiple categories: optical inspection, deposition, etch, metrology, and electrical performance testing. Until now, Chinese chipmakers often depended on older-generation foreign equipment, but SiCarrier's new lineup promises domestic alternatives tailored to modern manufacturing processes. The tools address every stage of semiconductor fabrication, from inspecting microscopic defects to etching intricate circuits.

For quality control, SiCarrier's Color Mountain series functions like a high-powered microscope, using intense lighting and advanced imaging algorithms to examine both sides of silicon wafers for flaws as small as dust particles. Complementing this, the Sky Mountain series ensures the perfect alignment of circuit layers, which need perfect stacking, using diffraction-based measurements (analyzing light patterns) and direct image comparisons. The New Mountain suite combines specialized tools to analyze materials at the atomic level. One standout is the atomic force microscope (AFM), which maps surface topography with a nanoscale "finger," while X-ray techniques (XPS, XRD, XRF) act like forensic tools, revealing the chemical composition, crystal structure, and elemental makeup.

As we touched on last week, there are now over 1000 developers utilizing Xbox Play Anywhere (XPA) for their games, bringing their amazing experiences to players across a variety of devices they own. If you've never heard of XPA before, let us give you a refresher: when you buy a digital game that supports XPA through the Xbox Store or the Windows Store, it's available to play on your Xbox console, Windows 10/11 PC, and supported handheld gaming devices at no additional cost. Even better, your progression comes with you across all platforms.

While the benefits of XPA for players are clear, we wanted to show you how developers have embraced this feature for their games. At this year's annual ID@Xbox Showcase event at GDC, we chatted with the teams behind upcoming XPA games Clair Obsur: Expedition 33, Detective Dotson, and Towerborne to learn more about what influenced their decision to implement this feature and what benefits it may hold for their gaming communities.

The world's leading computer brand, GIGABYTE, is bringing its high-performance pre-built gaming PC, AORUS SUPREME 5, to the North American market. Designed for gamers and power users seeking seamless performance without the complexity of building a PC, this pre-built system combines preinstalled Windows 11, cutting-edge high-end hardware of an AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D processor, an X870E AORUS PRO motherboard and up to NVIDIA RTX 5090 graphics cards. The system also leverages optimized cooling and user-friendly features for an unparalleled gaming experience. Additionally, users can adjust hardware settings, fine-tune performance, and synchronize RGB lighting with other GIGABYTE hardware through the GIGABYTE Control Center.

Designed with users' needs in mind, the EZ designs on AORUS SUPREME 5 include tool-free accessibility side-opening glass panel access to the interior for quick maintenance and standard-sized components for hassle-free compatibility and scalability. The built-in easy-to-clean magnetic dust filter maintains efficient airflow for long-term system stability. Combined with a comprehensive set of I/O ports, including one USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C, four USB 3.0 ports, and audio jacks on the top-front panel, while four USB 3.2 Gen 1 and three USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports at the backside for diverse connectivity.

HP New Zealand's own webstore and Best Buy Canada have both listed OMEN 16L pre-built compact gaming PC systems with GeForce RTX 5060 Ti graphics cards. At this stage in time, NVIDIA's lower end "Blackwell" gaming GPUs are no longer big secrets—"full specifications" leaked out last week, and industry watchdogs recently predicted an April 16 launch day. As per usual, momomo_us sniffed out HP NZ's accidental publication of NDA-busting material—at the time of writing, the company's Kiwi branch has scrubbed these offending items from their webshop. Judging from preserved screenshots, both models were specced with GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB graphics cards.

Best Buy Canada's listing is still active, and advertises HP's upcoming white OMEN 16L variant as: "powered by an AMD Ryzen 7 8700F processor and 16 GB DDR5 RAM, it ensures smooth gaming and multitasking. NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 5060 Ti graphics card with dedicated memory enhances immersion with seamless visuals...(the) GeForce RTX 5060 Ti graphics card with 16 GB GDDR7 dedicated memory ensures fluid visuals." Cost of ownership is listed as $1799.99 CAD (~$1263 USD), with a May 16 release—potentially placeholder information. Insiders reckon that Team Green's GeForce RTX 5060 (non-Ti) launch is delayed to mid-May. Roughly two weeks ago, a GeForce RTX 5060-based Acer pre-built gaming PC turned up online.

Corning Incorporated (NYSE: GLW) today announced the introduction of Corning Gorilla Glass Ceramic, an innovative, transparent, and strengthenable glass ceramic material to help bring advanced toughness to more mobile devices. Gorilla Glass Ceramic significantly improves drop performance on rough surfaces compared to competitive aluminosilicate glasses. The new material expands Corning's portfolio of durable cover materials for OEMs.

"Gorilla Glass has built a reputation of strength and resilience, and our new glass ceramic material continues this tradition. Designed to offer enhanced toughness, Gorilla Glass Ceramic reinforces our commitment to innovating and engineering high-quality, durable materials for display covers and enclosures," said David Velasquez, Vice President & General Manager, Corning Gorilla Glass.

Global fab equipment spending for front-end facilities in 2025 is anticipated to increase by 2% year-over-year (YoY) to $110 billion, marking the sixth consecutive year of growth since 2020, SEMI announced today in its latest quarterly World Fab Forecast report.

Fab equipment spending is projected to rise by 18% in the following year, reaching $130 billion. This growth in investment is driven not only by demand in the high-performance computing (HPC) and memory sectors to support data center expansions, but also by the increasing integration of artificial intelligence (AI), which is driving up the silicon content required for edge devices.

Hi everyone, as you all hopefully know, we released Kaiserpunk on Friday! While we're proud of the work we've done, we're not satisfied. The release clearly shows there's a lot of interest in Kaiserpunk and its promise, but it also shows that we didn't fully achieve what we are aiming for. That means that the work continues—on delivering the game that Kaiserpunk deserves to be, and the game you deserve to play. We're incredibly grateful for all the feedback you've shared—both those of you telling us how much and why you like the game, and from those of you who let us know what's keeping you from enjoying the game. All your feedback helps us understand how to move forward, and every player is equally deserving of our gratitude.

For now, however, our focus will be on the latter group—seeing what we can do in the short and medium term to ensure that even more of you enjoy our game. The feedback we're receiving seems to come in three primary categories; performance, UI/UX and game balance. We'll be focusing on all three in the coming days and weeks. Regarding performance, some of you have experienced issues you shouldn't have—that's not ok—end of story. We're working as fast as we can to improve performance for all players. However, it will likely take about a week or so for us to make a meaningful impact. Second is UI/UX. UI/UX for complex games is always challenging, but that doesn't mean we won't work on improving it. We'll work hard with this starting with the first patch, but we'll need ongoing help and feedback from you. Please share any additional feedback you may have—you can find the best ways to reach us at the end of this message.

Samsung Display today announced plans to boost sales of its QD-OLED for monitors to popularize this cutting-edge, self-emitting display technology. The company expects shipments of QD-OLED for monitors to grow more than 50% this year compared to last year's shipments of 1.43 million units, and is ramping up its supply to meet high consumer demand.

According to the market research firm Omdia, OLED panel monitor shipments have experienced significant growth over the past few years: 8,300 units in 2021, 160,000 units in 2022, and 820,000 units in 2023, reflecting an almost 300% annual increase from 2021 to 2024. This data highlights a rapid shift from Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) to OLED technology, largely driven by the adoption of QD-OLED. Last year, Samsung Display held a commanding 71.2% share of the OLED panels for monitors according to Omdia.

Keychron, the innovative leader in keyboard technology, announces that the UK Keychron is launching the UK-ISO layout versions of two groundbreaking models: the Keychron K2 HE Wireless Magnetic Switch Custom Keyboard and the Keychron K3 Max QMK/VIA Wireless Custom Mechanical Keyboard. Both keyboards offer innovative features and refined designs tailored for productivity and gaming enthusiasts.

The Keychron K2 HE redefines mechanical keyboard technology by integrating magnetic switches with customizable actuation points and dynamic rapid triggers, delivering unmatched precision and responsiveness. Following a successful Kickstarter campaign that raised over $1M USD in 2024, the K2 HE is now available for direct purchase at Keychron UK, starting at £137.

TrendForce reports that NAND Flash suppliers began reducing production in the fourth quarter of 2024, and the effects are now starting to show. In anticipation of potential U.S. tariff increases, consumer electronics brands have accelerated production, further driving up demand. Concurrently, inventory restocking is underway across the PC, smartphone, and data center sectors. As a result, NAND Flash prices are expected to stabilize in the second quarter of 2025, with prices for wafers and client SSDs projected to rise.

Client SSD prices to rise 3-8% while enterprise SSD prices to remain flat
After three consecutive quarters of inventory depletion, client SSD demand is rebounding as OEMs resume production early. The upcoming end of Windows 10 support and the launch of new-generation CPUs are expected to drive replacement demand for PCs. Meanwhile, the DeepSeek effect is accelerating the adoption of edge AI, further fueling client SSD demand. With production cuts and supply adjustments gradually restoring balance, client SSD contract prices are projected to rise 3% to 8% QoQ in Q2.

Dreamhaven development studio Secret Door today announced Sunderfolk, a tactical co-op adventure inspired by a deep love of tabletop gaming, will launch on Steam, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch on April 23, 2025, for $49.99 USD. Future heroes of the Sunderlands can wishlist the game now on Steam, the PlayStation Store, Xbox, and the Nintendo eShop. Players eager to try the game can play the free, exclusive First Look Demo on the NVIDIA GeForce NOW cloud gaming service, available today through April 7.

Sunderfolk's First Look Demo showcases the game's early experience with all playable characters unlocked. Players can replay the demo to experiment with different character combinations and gameplay strategies. Be among the first to try it with NVIDIA GeForce NOW. To access the demo, players can simply create a membership with NVIDIA GeForce NOW and launch Sunderfolk, along with the Sunderfolk mobile app to use as the game's controller. Signing up for an NVIDIA GeForce NOW membership is free-no paid membership is required to play Sunderfolk's First Look Demo.

Back in February, we reported on Intel considering a resurrection of the "Arrow Lake Refresh" Core Ultra 300 series of CPUs. However, it seems that @Jaykihn, a reliable source of Intel leaks, has confirmed that Intel will indeed push the refresh of Arrow Lake in the form of Core Ultra 300 series of CPUs, limited to K and KF SKUs only. This means we will likely see only overclockable SKUs being refreshed, with possibly enhanced boost frequency and/or core count. With 125 W TDP, these new SKUs would target high-end markets, passionate overclockers, and system integrators selling high-end builds with these CPUs. The refresh's journey to confirmation has been turbulent. Initial rumors in 2023 suggested an ambitious core-count bump for Arrow Lake-S, followed by speculation that Intel would prioritize NPU upgrades, potentially mirroring Lunar Lake's reported 48 TOPS capability—a massive leap from the current Core Ultra 9 285 K's 13 TOPS. By late 2023, leaks hinted at the project's cancellation, but insiders like Chinese leaker Golden Pig Upgrade later revived hopes, asserting that desktop-focused "ARL-S Refresh" had been quietly resurrected.

Jaykihn's latest intel narrows the scope: only K/KF-series chips will receive tweaks, leaving non-overclockable SKUs untouched. Intel is also reportedly developing new performance profiles for existing Arrow Lake CPUs, separate from warranty-voiding BIOS tweaks. These optimizations, alongside the upcoming Intel Performance Optimization (IPO) program, aim to help OEMs and system integrators push pre-built systems further via safer, stability-focused adjustments to clock speeds, power limits, and memory overclocking. While enthusiasts may still prefer manual overclocking, IPO could democratize performance gains for mainstream users. The Core Ultra 300 series will slot into Intel's LGA-1851 roadmap between the base Arrow Lake-S (Core Ultra 200) and 2026's next-gen Nova Lake-S (Core Ultra 400).

Fatshark has released its latest free update for Warhammer 40,000: Darktide, called Nightmares & Visions. The latest updated brings a new wave-based activity, improvements to the end-game mode Havoc, overhaul of the Ogryn Talent Tree, time-limited special event, balance and quality of life changes, support for NVIDIA DLSS 4, and some bug fixes and changes.

The biggest update is the new game activity, Mortis Trials, which is a wave-based activity, with randomized abilities and buffs. Nightmares & Visions also bring a big refresh to the Havoc mode, with plenty of improvements, including rank overhaul and campaigns, as well as new challenges. The update also adds a time-limited special event, called "A Day At The Theatre", which focuses on playing Mortis Trials, while Ogryn Talent Tree also got a big rework.

SteelSeries, the original esports brand that fuses gaming and culture, today unveiled the newest additions to the multi-award-winning Apex Pro Gen 3 Series keyboards: the black Apex Pro Mini Gen 3 and white Apex Pro TKL Gen 3. The new additions offer a sleek aesthetic - perfect for the spring season and all new games coming this year.

Embracing and embodying the mantra that "Mini is Mighty," the Apex Pro Mini Gen 3 takes Gen 3 performance to new heights (and lengths) with its smaller, smarter, faster, and stronger silhouette. The compact 60% form factor is one of the fastest-growing genres of keyboards for both casual gamers and professional esports players.

The 90° WireView Pro GPU offers the same functionality as the already available Pro variant. As the name implies, the 90° version changes the cable routing, as the 90° WireView Pro GPU acts as a right-angle adapter. This means that the 12VHPWR cable from the power supply is directed toward the case floor from the front of the GPU (when the GPU is installed horizontally).

As usual, the 90° WireView Pro GPU will be available in both "N" and "R" versions, allowing users to match the orientation of the GPU's 12VHPWR connector. Due to its design, the 90° WireView Pro GPU is not compatible with all GPU models and series. This is primarily due to the size of various cooler designs and the position of the 12VHPWR connector on the GPU's PCB.

We are inching closer to Valve releasing an official, unmodified version of SteamOS for third-party handhelds and PCs, a significant push to broaden its gaming ecosystem beyond the Steam Deck. While the final build remains pending, tech reviewer The Phawx recently showcased an unofficial SteamOS 3.8 installation on the ASUS ROG Ally (2023), offering a glimpse into its current capabilities—and limitations. Running on Ally's Ryzen Z1 Extreme chip, SteamOS already delivers solid performance in titles like Batman: Arkham Knight (73.3 FPS) and Horizon Zero Dawn (55.9 FPS) at 720p. However, challenges persist: hardware-specific features like Ally's VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) work, but its TDP controls and dedicated buttons remain non-functional. In Cyberpunk 2077, the Steam Deck narrowly outperformed the Ally (47.8 vs. 45.8 FPS), a result attributed to Valve's bespoke optimizations for its own hardware. The lack of TDP adjustment also led to inefficiencies, with some games defaulting to 20 W power draws.

Valve's upcoming "Powered by SteamOS" branding initiative aims to standardize third-party integrations, requiring partners to use official system images and launch directly into SteamOS. Early collaborations, like Lenovo's CES-announced Legion Go S, also contribute to this goal. Meanwhile, updates like SteamOS 3.6.19 have expanded support for devices such as the ROG Ally and third-party controllers, suggesting broader compatibility ahead. Valve's expansion could position SteamOS as a rival to Windows in the portable PC space, leveraging its gaming-first interface and growing developer support. While The Phawx's demo has shown SteamOS's potential, Valve's official release—expected to resolve current hardware quirks—will determine its viability for partners. As competition heats up, SteamOS's success may hinge on balancing open accessibility with the tailored optimizations that made the Steam Deck a hit. Further software tweaks will bring ecosystem stability and improved performance, and we expect Valve's partners to join and develop better integration with SteamOS, too.

Tom's Hardware just published an intensive data collection of online prices of the latest GPUs from AMD and NVIDIA, suggesting that real-world prices are nowhere near MSRP. With an investigation into the 30-day eBay average price based on listings, the data shows that a lot of GPU SKUs are retailing for well-above-average price premiums. The data tracker also looked for the best-priced listing of a specific SKU. For instance, NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 5070 is seen retailing at around $700—a 27% increase over its official MSRP of $550—while the RTX 5080 pushes these premiums even further by selling at over 50% above its suggested price. The flagship RTX 5090 tops the chart with a staggering $4,222 on secondary markets compared to its $2,000 MSRP, an increase of roughly 111%.

In contrast, earlier models like the RTX 4060 and RTX 4060 Ti show relatively minor inflation, with increases of only about 3% and 5%, respectively, according to recent eBay averages. Still, selling years-old GPUs at MSRP today proves that there is demand. On the AMD side, the Radeon RX 9070 series is no less dramatic. The base RX 9070, with a $550 MSRP, averages around $817 in real-world sales—a nearly 48% premium—while its high-end sibling, the RX 9070 XT, jumps to approximately $1,001 from a $600 MSRP, marking an increase of roughly 66%. Early figures even suggest that first-week sales for the RX 9070 series were ten times higher than those of previous AMD models, justifying the price surge. AMD is working on addressing this supply, which should improve in April, and NVIDIA is working with AIB partners, too, to deliver more Blackwell GPUs.

GEEKOM has introduced the latest addition to its versatile mini PC lineup—the IT13 2025 Edition. As an upgrade over the fan-favorite GEEKOM IT13, which was released in 2023, the IT13 2025 Edition is engineered to deliver even more outstanding computing capabilities across multiple domains than its predecessor.

The IT13 2025 Edition shares the widely adored design of the IT13, featuring a premium matte blue aluminium chassis which ensures both durability and aesthetic appeal. Despite its compact size, the mini PC is packed with ports, offering four USB-A, two USB4, two HDMI, an SD card reader, a 2.5 Gbps Ethernet port, and a headphone jack. At the heart of the IT13 2025 Edition is the Intel Core i9-13900HK, a processor that features 10 CPU cores, 16 threads, and 24 MB Intel smart cache. This chip provides a 5% performance boost over the IT13's Core i9-13900H, delivering faster processing speeds and improved efficiency for demanding tasks.