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Today — 23 February 2026Tech

EPOMAKER Galaxy 100 Lite Review: Exceptionally Smooth Typing Experience

23 February 2026 at 02:32

A mechanical keyboard with a black and gray color scheme is displayed on a wooden surface, featuring a numeric keypad and

I have been finding it hard to transition to mechanical keyboards despite having used a couple of good keyboards, such as the Womier SK80 Pro. Despite major improvements in modern mechanical keyboards, many still lack the consistent acoustic profile that truly inspires awe. It's not that there aren't such mechanical keyboards in the market, but you will often find them at a price tag that competes with magnetic keyboards. As far as the keyboard vendors are concerned, there are plenty that are currently competing with major brands, offering a wide variety of keyboards in various flavors. If you have ever […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/review/epomaker-galaxy-100-lite-review/

Bill Gurley says that right now, the worst thing you can do for your career is play it safe

23 February 2026 at 01:08
"The number one thing is to get out of your head this ideal that gets passed around in the self-help world: 'go get a mentor,' and everyone runs out and cold calls someone that's ridiculously too high and unachievable, and it doesn't work."
Yesterday — 22 February 2026Tech

Quantonation’s double-sized second fund shows quantum still has believers

22 February 2026 at 22:00
Quantonation Ventures, a venture firm investing in quantum and physics-based startups, has closed its oversubscribed second fund at €220 million, or approximately $260 million. That’s more than twice the size of its inaugural fund, and comes in addition to other signals that the quantum winter isn’t coming yet.

Several Users Report MSI’s Yellow-Tip 16-pin Connector Pushes Out Itself, Greatly Increasing Melting Risk

22 February 2026 at 22:15

A close-up image shows a '600W' power connector plugged into an NVIDIA GeForce graphics card.

The MSI connector might be the real root cause for the connector burning in cases where users have used the yellow-tipped connector. Redditor Notices 16-pin Yellow-Tipped MSI Connector Pushing Out Itself Slowly, Exposing The Yellow Part; Numerous Others Confirmed the Same This is a big finding, at least for those who are using the MSI Yellow-tipped 16-pin power connector on their GPUs. As of now, the 16-pin connector melting is one of the most widespread issues on the RTX 50 series and has even affected the RX 9070 XT cards with the 12V-2x6 connector. Every burning and melting issue we […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/several-user-report-msi-yellow-tip-16-pin-connector-pushes-out-itself/

Trump says Netflix will face ‘consequences’ if it doesn’t fire board member Susan Rice

22 February 2026 at 21:39
Netflix board member Susan Rice had predicted that corporations that “take a knee” to Trump will be “held accountable” when Democrats return to power.

Intel’s ‘Unified Core’ Ambitions With Next-Gen CPUs Remain Intact as a New Job Posting Signals Further Progress on the Concept

22 February 2026 at 20:11

A digital rendering of a blue and gold modular Intel processor on a gridded surface.

Intel's unified core strategy is something the world anticipates as the next pivot towards the P/E-core duopoly, and recent job postings indicate that the shift is being developed internally. Intel Is Looking Towards Pivoting Away From Current P/E-Core Designs, But the Idea is In Early Stages The idea of having one 'big core' has been discussed several times in the past, but it remains unclear how major CPU manufacturers will implement this approach in their next-gen lineups. However, Intel's recent job posting reveals that the company has a dedicated "Unified Core" team working on the venture, further bolstering the credibility […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/intels-unified-core-ambitions-with-next-gen-cpus-remain-intact/

Samsung’s Memory Comeback Is One to Watch as the Korean Giant Reclaims the Top Spot in the Industry After Losing Ground Just a Few Quarters Ago

22 February 2026 at 19:25

DRAM Memory Supply To Experience Shortages As Manufacturers Shift Focus Towards HBM Production 1

Samsung has reclaimed the top spot in the DRAM industry, as the Korean giant's efforts to restructure its HBM business have proven fruitful. Samsung's DRAM Market Share Now Surpasses SK hynix, Credited to Recent HBM & Memory Breakthroughs For those unaware, Samsung has been leading the memory market for several years now, and the Korean giant was known to have one of the largest DRAM production capacities; however, last year, the company failed to achieve key objectives. This allowed competitors to gain market share from Samsung, which is why the firm lost its lead to SK hynix. However, according to […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/samsung-memory-comeback-is-one-to-watch/

China’s brain-computer interface industry is racing ahead

22 February 2026 at 20:00
China’s brain-computer interface industry is rapidly scaling from research to commercialization, driven by strong policy support, expanding clinical trials, and growing investor interest.

Things are looking worse for laptop prices, but not for Microsoft's ultimate Snapdragon X Elite laptop — this 5-Star Copilot+ PC is now under $1,000

22 February 2026 at 19:47
The Microsoft Surface Laptop's mid-range configuration with a Snapdragon X Elite CPU, 120Hz display, and other beneficial features for hardworking typists has had its high MSRP reduced, so its cost is now under $1,000.

New discovery lets sodium-ion batteries store more energy while purifying water

22 February 2026 at 19:27

University of Surrey researchers discovered a compound known as nanostructured sodium vanadate hydrate (NVOH) – a layered sodium-based material that naturally contains water within its crystalline structure. Traditionally, researchers treat such compounds with heat to evaporate that water, assuming it weakens the material's stability. The Surrey team tested that assumption...

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Wine Wiz – AI sommelier that picks the right wine for you


Wine Wiz lets you decode any wine list in seconds, helping you pick the right wine for your budget and mood without using star ratings or wine-world lingo. Simply take a photo of the wine list or paste text, tell Wine Wiz what you're feeling—date night, celebration, or rough Tuesday—and set your budget. You receive three clear recommendations from the list you shared, including why you'll like it in simple terms, what to expect in a straightforward way, and exactly what to say to the waiter. Enjoy no expert ratings, no searching through reviews, and no pretentious jargon. Just "order this one, here's why."

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GIGABYTE RTX 5090 With A Second Added 12V-2×6 Connector Ends Up Burning Holes In The PCB

22 February 2026 at 18:44

A person holds a disassembled Gigabyte graphics card, showing its exposed circuitry and GPU chip on a blue anti-static mat.

It was bound to happen since the GPU was already showing weird behavior, and with two 16-pin connectors, the GPU just got two holes in it. Frame Chasers Shunt-Mods and Adds Another 12V-2x6 Connector on the GIGABYTE RTX 5090; Overheating PCB Ends up with Holes Modding is a risky business, particularly with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090. Many modders and enthusiast overclockers have been going crazy to ensure their GPUs can pull as much power as possible to push the card beyond its potential. While shunt-modding has been one of the major workarounds to increase the power limit to the […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/gigabyte-rtx-5090-with-a-second-added-12v-2x6-connector-ends-up-burning-holes-in-the-pcb/

Apple Eyeing A “Deep Red” iPhone 18 Pro And Pro Max After The Phenomenal Popularity Of The Cosmic Orange iPhone 17 Pro Duo

22 February 2026 at 18:19

Two red Apple iPhones with triple-camera setups are placed on a wooden table near a brown leather wallet and a white mug.

Apple has a new secret sauce for giving its sales cadence for the upcoming iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max a little extra 'oomph factor,' especially in critical markets such as China. And that secret sauce relates to leveraging color options that are generally considered auspicious in several Asian markets. Mark Gurman: Apple eyeing the launch of the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max in a "deep red" color option We recently noted that a quirky reason why Apple's iPhone 17 Pro Max was doing so well in China lately had a lot to do with its 'Cosmic […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/apple-eyeing-a-deep-red-iphone-18-pro-and-pro-max-after-the-phenomenal-popularity-of-the-cosmic-orange-iphone-17-pro-duo/

Apple Potentially Launching Five Products In March As iPhone 16e, M4 MacBook Air, M4 Pro, M4 Max MacBook Pro Models & More, Are Running Out Of Stock At Retail Outlets

22 February 2026 at 18:12

Apple to potentially showcase five product announcements in March

The month of March is expected to be a spectacular one because Apple is scheduled to host a product launch event in the first week, but there’s even more good news. According to the latest update, at least five announcements might happen next month, with the low-cost MacBook most likely the ‘center of the action.’ Moreover, Apple’s retail stores are witnessing the stock decline of the iPhone 16e, M4 MacBook Air, M4 Pro, M4 Max MacBook Pro models, M3 iPad Air, Apple Studio Displays, and more, so if that doesn’t provide you with hints on what’s about to arrive, then we […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/apple-potentially-launching-five-hardware-products-in-march/

Lenovo Asks Partners To “Place Orders As Soon As Possible” Before Implementing A Price Hike Next Month

22 February 2026 at 17:57

AMD Ryzen logo on a laptop screen displaying a racing game with cars emitting smoke.

Lenovo urges its partners to place the orders as quickly as possible if they don't want to order at higher prices in the next month. Lenovo NA Chief Wade McFarland Warns Against Price Hike in March; Recommends Placing Orders for its Partners by February 25 More vendors are now announcing price hikes for their products. Lenovo, which is the largest PC OEM is also about to revise its pricing very soon, and it looks like the new pricing strategy will also be affected by the timeline. Unlike how one would assume, the price hikes may not just affect the orders […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/lenovo-asks-partners-to-place-orders-as-soon-as-possible-before-implementing-a-price-hike-next-month/

Lenovo's excellent Legion 5i gaming laptop with an RTX 5060 and 32GB of memory is $400 off — features a Core Ultra 7 255HX CPU & 2.5K 165Hz OLED display

Lenovo has its Legion 5i gaming laptop with an RTX 5060 & Core Ultra 7 255HX CPU on sale for just $1,299, discounted $400 at B&H right now. With that you're getting a stunning 15.1-inch OLED display, 32GB of RAM, a 1TB SSD that's expandable, and a stealthy design with solid build quality.

DLSS Enabler Guide: How To Install, Enable, and Test It On Modern GPUs

22 February 2026 at 17:05

The image showcases a DLSS Enabler 4.0.0.11 Tech Preview with features like 'Dynamic Frame Generation,' 'Semi-Interpolated

Modding continues to be one of the most prominent boons of PC gaming. The open nature of the PC platform gives gamers an unparalleled level of freedom compared to consoles, given how there are dedicated communities who create and share mods that can improve older and newer titles alike by adding new content, resolving bugs, and improving graphics/performance beyond what developers have achieved at launch. Nexus Mods has a massive quantity of mods available from user-created enhancements to games— over hundreds of thousands — allowing players to customize their gaming experience each time they play their favorite games, well after […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/how-to/dlss-enabler-guide-how-to-install-enable-and-test-it-on-modern-gpus/

Dell's new prebuilt PC has special custom power connector for Nvidia GPU — even large OEMs apparently fear the 16-pin power connector meltdowns

Dell's solution to the 16-pin connector overheating issues seems to bea custom connector to lock it into place. At least, that's what the OEM has done in a new prebuilt featuring the RTX 5070 Ti. The 12V-2x6 connector is forcibly fixed using genuine Amphenol brackets.

How to watch Tottenham vs Arsenal: Free Streams, TV Guide, Preview for North London derby

All the ways to watch Tottenham vs Arsenal live streams online and from anywhere, as the title-chasing Gunners take on their bitter rivals in the North London derby.

QuoteCraft AI – Create and send proposals with AI, pricing, and e-sign


QuoteCraft AI generates complete, client-ready proposals in seconds, including scope, deliverables, timeline, and smart pricing. Describe your project and send a branded email with view tracking and a legally binding e-signature to close deals quickly. The Context Engine learns your voice and rates from accepted proposals to improve results over time. Track activity in your dashboard and tailor details before sending. It's built for freelancers, agencies, creative studios, and consulting firms.

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User Snags 32 GB DDR5 Memory For $120 After Seller Mistakes It For DDR4

22 February 2026 at 15:27

A desktop setup featuring a GeForce RTX GPU, Corsair Dominator RAM, and an MSI X670E EDGE MAX WIFI motherboard.

Another user got lucky with his purchase and bought a 32 GB DDR5 RAM kit for much lower than the current prices. Seller Lists DDR5 Corsair Dominator RAM as "DDR4", Buyer Grabs it for Just $120 We are regularly hearing stories of someone getting extremely lucky in snagging high-end PC hardware for a much lower price, and this one is no different. The user u/HappifyChris is another Redditor who was able to get a DDR5 memory kit for a much lower price than he would have found on the retailers. As you might know, a 32 GB DDR5 memory kit […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/user-snags-32-gb-ddr5-memory-for-120-after-seller-mistakes-it-for-ddr4/

Nvidia's Chinese competitor Moore Threads beats it to launching a laptop featuring custom 12-core Arm chip — "MTT AI Book" can run Windows, seems to have adopted Arm before Nvidia's N1X

Moore Threads seems to have done what Nvidia couldn't... well, at least, at first glance. The company's new MTT AI Book laptop is powered by a custom ARM-based SoC that features 12 CPU cores, an unknown GPU based on in-house "MUSA" architecture, and a 50 TOPS-delivering NPU. The device can even run Windows, but not natively.

Colorado law could force surveillance for 3D printers to prevent use for making gun parts — fourth state to propose new bans is expanding firearms laws to regulate digital files

Colorado is joining the growing list of states attempting to crack down on the manufacture of 3D printed “ghost guns,” joining New York, Washington, and California on a quest to expand firearms laws to regulate digital files and potentially ban 3D printers that are not under its surveillance.

Hit the road, jack? Not at all, iFi's tiny Go Blu Air DAC brings the headphone port back to your phone — and levels up the audio to boot

This tiny Bluetooth DAC brings the headphone jack back to your smartphone, laptop and more. It delivers long battery life and impressive power output for such a small device. It sounds great too.

This Week in Gaming (Week 9)

22 February 2026 at 14:49
Welcome to the last week of February and this week we kick off with a AAA release from a franchise that started 30 years ago and it's the 9th major game about an umbrella manufacturer that turned evil or something like that. As for this week's other releases, we have a game about vermin, but they want to be royalty, a bunch of pirates that want your bounty, a chance of experiencing life in the medieval times, a new take on spellslining where everyone's flying and finally a remake of an action JRPG.

Resident Evil Requiem / This week's AAA release / Friday 27 February
A new era of survival horror arrives with Resident Evil Requiem, the latest and most immersive entry yet in the iconic Resident Evil series. Experience terrifying survival horror with FBI analyst Grace Ashcroft, and dive into pulse-pounding action with legendary agent Leon S. Kennedy. Both of their journeys and unique gameplay styles intertwine into a heart-stopping, emotional experience that will chill you to your core. Steam link

Modu – Collect and manage user feedback with polls and forms


Modu helps teams collect, organize, and act on user feedback through polls, forms, and public boards. Use modules wherever your users are, then analyze votes and comments, track verified profiles, and prioritize what to build next. Collaborate with teammates, integrate your stack, customize branding and domains, and share roadmaps. Enterprise features like SSO, password protection, spam detection, and email verification protect your data.

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CopyDock.app – One-click copy buttons that help teams reuse text instantly


CopyDock is a lightweight workflow tool that helps teams standardize and reuse repeatable text with one-click copy buttons. It is built for operations, support, and contact center teams that need fast, consistent messaging across chat, email, and ticketing systems. CopyDock runs entirely in the browser as a Chrome, Edge, and Firefox extension. Teams can save common replies, disclaimers, and IDs, then paste them instantly into any app. Everything is stored locally for privacy and security, with no servers or complex setup required.

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Say Goodbye to the Idea of Chinese RAM Being Cheap; 32GB DDR5 Modules Now Retail for Over $500 as Local Prices Catch Up Globally

22 February 2026 at 13:43

A KingSpec X16GB DDR5 4800MHz RAM module labeled '1.1V' is placed above an open CPU socket on a motherboard.

Well, the idea that Chinese memory modules are cheaper has been outdated, as a recent DDR5 listing by a domestic vendor shows that RAM prices have almost leveled out worldwide. KingBank's DDR5 Modules Are Now Retailing For Prices Similar to Western Alternatives, As Shortages Leave No Other Way We did see the narrative of Chinese memory emerging as a 'saviour' for gamers pop up a few weeks ago, and it was mainly driven by the fact that manufacturers like CXMT weren't as mainstream compared to the 'Big 3' memory suppliers. However, it didn't take much time for the Chinese RAM […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/chinese-memory-prices-have-started-to-catch-up-with-global-markets/

Galaxy S26 Ultra’s Battery Runtime Concerns Downplayed By Tipster, Says The 5,000mAh Cell Will Last For Much Longer, But The Comparison Says Otherwise

22 February 2026 at 13:14

Galaxy S26 Ultra battery life concerns downplayed by tipster

Samsung’s penchant for sticking to a ‘safer’ approach for its flagship smartphones is undoubtedly one of the reasons why the company has fallen out of favor with consumers, losing its top spot to Apple. Even now, the Korean giant has limited the Galaxy S26 Ultra’s battery capacity to 5,000mAh, a figure that has been retained since the Galaxy S20 Ultra launch that happened six years ago. Naturally, we don’t expect the device to flaunt impressive runtimes, but one tipster says that we’re in for a pleasant surprise. Then again, the latest battery life comparison doesn’t put us at ease. Battery […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/galaxy-s26-ultra-5000mah-battery-concerns-downplayed-by-tipster/

Breadboard – The modern HyperCard—build apps using design and English


Stop fighting black-box AI or messy code! Breadboard is an open-canvas app builder where app development feels as visual as Figma. Inspired by Apple HyperCard, you build your app’s brain by attaching natural language logic cards directly to the UI elements they affect. Our canvas renders real web tech using Auto Layout, so your apps are always production-ready and responsive. No broken layouts or dev-ops; just build, wire in English, and publish in two clicks.

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Stop Killing Games Update Indicates Positive Outlook in EU Battle Despite Roadblocks

22 February 2026 at 09:41
The Stop Killing Games initiative announced not too long ago that it had accrued and validated the necessary number of signatures to be heard out by the EU parliament via the Stop Destroying Videogames EU citizen's initiative. According to a new video put out by activist and spokesperson for the movement, Ross Scott, key players in the movement have been hard at work in the background since that announcement, and that there has been progress since that update, although not all of it positive. The first important note is that the Stop Destroying Games citizen's initiative already has a date secured to present its case to the EU Commission, but despite this, it seems to have already had an impact on EU lawmakers.

According to Scott, in October, it seemed as though the EU was considering adding protections for videogames to the Digital Fairness Act, which is a new set of laws that aim to regulate digital ethics and consumer rights—however, it seems as though video game industry lobbyists had gotten to lawmakers first, since they parroted arguments about discouraging small indie developers, who would ostensibly have a hard time keeping games running indefinitely, but this allowed the movement to clarify to the EU that the movement doesn't seek to force publishers to maintain games indefinitely, but only to provide a way for gamers to play the games they have purchased after support is ended. Despite this, the representatives at the meeting seemed to think that the commission didn't favor adding laws surrounding gaming to the Digital Fairness Act.

SkillShield – Browse AI skills pre-scanned for malware and risks


SkillShield is a security-first directory for AI SKILL.md extensions. It pre-scans submissions from major sources for malicious code, prompt injection, and vulnerabilities using static analysis, targeted tests, and sandboxed execution. Clean skills receive a security score (0-100) and are listed for safe browsing, while risky files are quarantined. It is open-source with a free tier available. Developers can submit via the portal or API and review live scan data and risk breakdowns across marketplaces. Protect your AI agents before they go to production.

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Samsung’s Promo Material For The Galaxy S26 Ultra Puts The Camera Specs And Battery Size Debate To Rest

22 February 2026 at 06:13

A hand holding a Samsung S26 Ultra smartphone with multiple rear cameras, alongside the text 'SAMSUNG S26 Ultra' on the right.

To be or not to be. Over the past few weeks and months, in what can only be described as a case of chronic myopia, tech enthusiasts approached the contentious debate around the camera specs and the battery size of the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra with a gravitas that equaled - or perhaps even surpassed - the one hinted at within this famous Shakespearean soliloquy. Now, however, Samsung's official promo material for the upcoming 'Galaxy Unpacked' event has formally put an end to any lingering uncertainty on both counts. Samsung's promo material for the upcoming 'Galaxy Unpacked' event reveals […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/samsungs-promo-material-for-the-galaxy-s26-ultra-puts-the-camera-specs-and-battery-size-debate-to-rest/

Confab – Track notes, agendas, and action items for small teams


Confab helps managers of small teams stay organized across every interaction. You can capture personal and meeting notes, build agendas and action items with reminders, and sync with Google Calendar and Zoom. Use AI to surface sentiment, topics, and indicators like happiness, engagement, flight risk, and trust to guide one-on-ones. Run performance reviews and 360 feedback, integrate Slack messages into notes, and keep data secure with encryption and role-based access, along with BYOK for AI providers.

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ScreenURL – Capture any website as a pixel-perfect image via an API


ScreenURL is an API that turns any URL into pixel-perfect screenshots in milliseconds. It captures full pages or custom viewports up to 4K, waits for JavaScript, and returns PNG or JPEG over a simple REST endpoint. Developers receive fast performance, a 99.9% SLA, and copy-paste examples for cURL, JavaScript, and Python. Use it for link previews, automated tests, monitoring, documentation, and content aggregation with a free tier of 100 screenshots per month.

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Newly named Xbox CEO Asha Sharma has shared her gamertag — so what is she playing and why does it matter?

New Xbox CEO Asha Sharma has shared her top three favorite games of all time and her gamertag, which looks to be little more than a month old, in hopes of earning some street cred among the Xbox community.

AMD Seemingly Stops Driver Updates for Ryzen Z1 Extreme Processor

22 February 2026 at 01:53
AMD has reportedly stopped driver updates for its Ryzen Z1 Extreme APU solution for handheld consoles, according to the latest Lenovo Korea update. This means that only after 2 and a half years, AMD is pulling support for its SoC, leaving many enthusiasts in a difficult spot. Confirmation from multiple sources are piling up as Reddit users and customers of other handheld consoles are stating that support for their specific devices, based on the Ryzen Z1 Extreme SoC, are also stuck using drivers that are several months old. For example, a user has commented that his ASUS ROG Ally non-X version based on the Ryzen Z1 Extreme SoC has been stuck with six-month-old SoC drivers from August 2025. This means that AMD has effectively placed the Ryzen Z1 and Ryzen Z1 Extreme chips into a periodic update window, with no latest driver support coming to this 2023 SoC.

However, the situation is quite complex. OEMs like Lenovo and ASUS receive drivers from AMD and test them for their specific configurations. AMD offers configurable TDP (cTDP) for the Z1 Extreme with values ranging from 9 to 30 W. This means that OEMs can get a SoC with reduced clocks and power settings to match their desired handheld designs, or simply run the most aggressive 30 W configuration that will sacrifice some battery life but deliver overall higher CPU and GPU clocks. Hence, drivers must be tested to ensure they work properly on the specific TDP configuration by the OEM before they are installed by the user. Finding the "blame" is proving to be difficult, as it could be that AMD is not bothering with new updates, or OEMs are not eager to test their specific configurations.

LenoChat – A simple AI live chat for startups without a support team


LenoChat is an AI-powered live chat and multichannel inbox built for startups and small teams that need faster replies without paying for enterprise software they don’t need. It brings website chat, WhatsApp, Instagram, and Messenger into one inbox. AI acts as a first-level support agent, answering common questions instantly and handing conversations to a human when needed. If no one is available, it shows an offline form instead of leaving customers stuck in a live queue.

The free plan includes unlimited live chats, AI replies, and core features so founders can run support themselves. Mobile apps are available, and it works on any website.

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PlayStation 6 – Everything We Know About Sony’s Next-Gen Console So Far

22 February 2026 at 00:00

A concept image of a sleek black and blue PlayStation 6 console with the logo 'PS6 PlayStation 6' displayed prominently next

Sony hasn't even officially announced the PlayStation 6 yet, but that hasn't stopped the rumor mill from churning out an increasingly steady stream of leaks, insider reports, and solid hints from the company itself. With the PlayStation 5 well into the latter half of its lifecycle and the PS5 Pro already on shelves, the attention of hardcore gamers is increasingly turning toward whatever comes next. Here is everything we know so far about the PlayStation 6, from its release window and hardware to pricing and the possibility of an entirely new PlayStation handheld launching alongside it. Read this article with […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/roundup/playstation-6-everything-we-know-release-date-specs-price-games/

Repaint – Build a professional website by chatting with AI


Repaint is an AI website builder that allows anyone to create a professional website by talking to an AI chatbot. It begins with an interview to understand your needs, searches online to gather information about you, finds images, and collects social media links. You can request whatever you want, and it generates a complete website with your content in about two minutes.

From there, you can edit simply by asking. The AI chat is flexible and smart, using information and styles from screenshots, PDFs, and other website links. You can also make small adjustments manually. It's free to start, and $24-30 per month for expanded usage and publishing to a custom domain.

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Tuck Me In – Create personalized bedtime stories with soothing audio


Every kid deserves a bedtime story that stars them and teaches them something that matters. Tuck Me In creates personalized AI bedtime stories featuring your child's name, friends, and interests, with audio narration built in. Choose adventures, mysteries, or learning stories that tackle real lessons like sharing, being brave, and managing big emotions, woven naturally so kids absorb values without feeling lectured. Each story ends with a conversation prompt to turn bedtime into a meaningful ritual. Generate a unique story in seconds and make bedtime the best part of the day.

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Before yesterdayTech

ASRock Launches NUC Ultra 300 Box Series With Up To 16-Core Ultra X7 358H And 128 GB Memory

21 February 2026 at 23:08

ASRock Industrial advertisement featuring 'Unlock Every Dimension' with Intel Core Ultra Series 3 processors, showing a NUC

The latest NUC BOX series has debuted, featuring processors from the current-gen Intel Panther Lake series. ASRock Silently Rolls Out NUC Ultra 300 Box Mini PCs, Featuring Intel Core Ultra 325 and Core Ultra X7 358H As it may seem, it's not a sudden or unexpected launch of the latest ASRock NUC Ultra 300 Box series. ASRock has previously announced the latest NUC Ultra 300 Box series, packed with Intel Core Ultra 300 aka Panther Lake CPUs, last month. However, the latest NUC Box machines have only been added recently on the official website, confirming the SKU selection by the […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/asrock-launches-nuc-ultra-300-box-series-with-up-to-16-core-ultra-x7-358h-and-128-gb-memory/

Here’s How NVIDIA’s Blackwell Ultra GB300 AI Racks Are Dominating Long-Context DeepSeek Workloads, Delivering Impressive Gains Versus GB200

21 February 2026 at 22:51

A person stands next to a large NVIDIA data center server rack with multiple GPUs and visible branding.

NVIDIA's GB300 NVL72 AI racks have been tested across DeepSeek's latest open source models, and through fine-tuning and optimized inference, the results are indeed promising. NVIDIA's Blackwell Ultra Scores Up to a 1.5x Lead Over GB200 NVL72 In Latency-Sensitive Workloads With GB300, NVIDIA's primary focus has been on delivering optimal long-context performance in order to capitalize on the agentic AI wave. In a recent post, we discussed how Blackwell Ultra delivers a 50x increase in throughput per megawatt compared to Hopper GPUs through its extreme co-design approach. Now, the Large Model Systems Organization (LMSYS) has tested GB300 NVL72 for long-context […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/heres-how-nvidia-blackwell-ultra-is-dominating-long-context-deepseek-workloads/

Akasa Launches “Fanless” Euler CMX Case For Intel Core Ultra-Compatible Mini-ITX Motherboards

21 February 2026 at 22:40

An Intel Core Ultra processor is displayed beside a compact, unbranded black mini PC with several USB ports against a blue

The Euler CMX ITX case is an ultra-compact chassis for Intel processors with up to 35 W of TDP, offering silent operation. Akasa Debuts Compact 4.0 Litre Euler CMX Fanless ITX Chassis, Offering Support for Intel ITX Motherboards Coupled With CPUs rated at up to 35W of TDP Popular consumer and enterprise hardware maker, Akasa, has introduced its latest compact mini ITX chassis called the "Euler CMX" for Intel platforms, offering a small footprint, but sufficient to handle older-gen and the latest Intel Core Ultra series-compatible ITX motherboards. The Euler CMX looks a lot like its other Euler Mini-ITX cases, […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/akasa-launches-fanless-euler-cmx-case-for-intel-core-ultra-compatible-mini-itx-motherboards/

Lenovo Reportedly Halts Driver Updates For Two Year Old Lenovo Legion Go With AMD Z1 Extreme

21 February 2026 at 22:00

Lenovo's Legion Go Handheld Now Natively Ships With SteamOS 1

One of the fastest gaming handhelds from Lenovo is supposedly getting its driver updates halted. Users will need to rely on Windows updates. Lenovo Korea States Legion Go Won't Get Any More Driver Updates; Recommends Users to Depend on Windows Update and Lenovo Vantage It's not just frustrating but weird to see a nearly two-year-old gaming handheld getting its driver updates halted. The Legion Go handheld, which launched in Q4 2023, just got its driver updates paused by Lenovo, as per the latest report by DCInside. Lenovo Korea released a statement regarding the Legion Go gaming handheld, which confirms that […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/lenovo-reportedly-halts-driver-updates-for-two-year-old-lenovo-legion-go-with-amd-z1-extreme/

27-inch 1440p curved gaming beast is now 40% off — Samsung Odyssey G55C falls $9 short of historic low

Samsung’s Odyssey G55C features a 165 Hz refresh rate, 1000R curvature, and FreeSync support, making it a solid budget-friendly option for 1440p gamers at its current Amazon discount.

ATMs are getting hacked the old-fashioned way: with keys and USB drives

21 February 2026 at 21:23

Banks across the United States are grappling with a wave of physical malware attacks on their ATMs, according to a new cybersecurity alert from the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The agency's report warns that attackers are bypassing both digital and physical safeguards by exploiting outdated technology and generic maintenance hardware...

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Google VP warns that two types of AI startups may not survive

21 February 2026 at 20:00
As generative AI evolves, a Google VP warns that LLM wrappers and AI aggregators face mounting pressure, with shrinking margins and limited differentiation threatening their long-term viability.

This Homegrown ARM Laptop Chip From Moore Threads Could Be the First Real Alternative to Intel, AMD & Qualcomm in China

21 February 2026 at 21:20

A person holding a white laptop stands on stage with large text in the background saying 'MTT Aibook' and a conference logo

Well, after entering the discrete GPU market, Moore Threads has also taken its chance in the APU segment, showcasing its high-end SoC for laptops. Moore Threads' New Laptop Chip Offers Impressive Edge AI Performance, Rivaling Current-Gen Lineups Moore Threads have been a popular name in our coverage, and in many of them, they have been known for coming up with rather interesting solutions that turn out to be pretty interesting. Like, one example of this is how the Chinese GPU manufacturer was one of the first to showcase a PCIe 5.0 GPU, which eventually turned out to be slower than […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/this-homegrown-chinese-laptop-chip-might-be-the-first-real-alternative-to-amd-and-intel/

iPhone Fold And iPhone 18 Pro Mass Production Timeline Mentioned In Latest Rumor, With Apple Launching Both Flagships Simultaneously To Avoid Launch Hiccups

21 February 2026 at 20:54

iPhone Fold and iPhone 18 Pro launch month provided by tipster

All the pieces are in place for Apple to enter the mass production phase of the iPhone Fold and iPhone 18 Pro, with a new rumor providing the month when both flagships will enter the official manufacturing stage. Based on this timeline, the Cupertino giant appears to be gearing up for yet another September keynote, and for the first time, its smartphone lineup will include a member with an entirely unique form factor. Apple is rumored to begin mass production of the iPhone Fold and iPhone 18 Pro in July, highlighting that the company has addressed the crease problems It isn’t […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/iphone-fold-and-iphone-18-pro-entering-mass-production-in-july/

AMD Zen 6 and Intel Nova Lake CPUs reportedly arriving late, delayed to CES 2027 — next-gen chips rocked by industry turmoil

AMD and Intel are both preparing next-gen desktop CPUs with major architectural improvements that now seem to be delayed. This includes Nova Lake, which has been confirmed for a 2026 year-end release time and again, and Zen 6, which has been on AMD's roadmap as a 2026 product for a while.

Nvidia RTX 5090 Ti/ Titan Blackwell GPU specifications leak

21 February 2026 at 20:16

Nvidia’s reportedly building a new RTX Blackwell flagship According to a report from Moore’s Law is Dead, Nvidia has been working on a new flagship-level RTX 50 Blackwell GPU since H1 2025. Currently, it is unknown what the GPU will be marketed as, though RTX 5090 Ti or RTX Titan Blackwell branding seems likely. Early specifications […]

The post Nvidia RTX 5090 Ti/ Titan Blackwell GPU specifications leak appeared first on OC3D.

Final Fantasy VII Remake Part 3 is built PC-first, then scaled down to consoles

21 February 2026 at 20:09

During an interview with Automaton, Final Fantasy 7 Remake game director Naoki Hamaguchi explained why Square Enix is developing "PC first" and how it benefits all platforms. He said that by creating assets for the highest-end environments first, the FF7R team avoids being constrained by lower-end hardware. Once the high-end...

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Bill Gates-backed fusion startup begins licensing for futuristic reactor in Tennessee

21 February 2026 at 19:13

For six decades, the Bull Run Fossil Plant in Claxton, Tennessee, powered a region on fossil fuel. Last year, the plant was decommissioned, collapsing the plant's twin smokestacks in a controlled demolition. Their fall didn't just erase a landmark from the Tennessee skyline; it symbolized the state's newly emerging role...

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Runner AI – The AI that builds and optimizes e-commerce stores


Runner AI is an AI-native e-commerce engine that builds, optimizes, and scales your online store autonomously without templates, coding, or third-party plugins. By simply chatting with the AI, you can generate a bespoke, high-performance store including homepage, product pages, payment, checkout, and backend. Beyond just the initial build, Runner AI acts as a 24/7 growth partner. It analyzes every click and scroll, detects friction, and launches A/B testing on content, layout, and checkout to improve conversion rates. It’s the ultimate build-and-scale solution that lets you focus on your products while the AI handles design, optimization, and growth.

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AI-Assisted Threat Actor Compromises 600+ FortiGate Devices in 55 Countries

A Russian-speaking, financially motivated threat actor has been observed taking advantage of commercial generative artificial intelligence (AI) services to compromise over 600 FortiGate devices located in 55 countries. That's according to new findings from Amazon Threat Intelligence, which said it observed the activity between January 11 and February 18, 2026. "No exploitation of FortiGate

7 days until ticket prices rise for TechCrunch Disrupt 2026

21 February 2026 at 19:00
Lowest ticket prices to TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 end February 27. Up to $680 off individual passes and up to 30% off group passes. Register before they go up to join 10,000 founders, tech operators, and VCs.

Even CPUs Aren’t Safe from ‘Delayed Launches’ Anymore, With Intel’s Nova Lake-S Reportedly Pushed to 2027

21 February 2026 at 18:18

Intel Evaluating Both TSMC & It's Own 14A Foundry Process Nodes For Next-Gen Nova Lake CPUs 1

One of Intel's most anticipated desktop CPU lineups, the Nova Lake series, reportedly won't launch this year as the broader consumer industry gets affected by revised product plans. Intel's Nova Lake-S Won't Launch This Year At All; AMD's Zen 6 Desktop CPUs Also Delayed as Well The PC industry is currently facing tough times, not just because of the retail situation, but also because many manufacturers have begun revising their initial product roadmaps, and we have already seen this unfold in the consumer GPU segment. And it looks like the situation has spread to gaming CPUs as well, according to […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/even-cpu-arent-safe-from-delayed-launches-anymore-with-intel-nova-lake-pushed-to-2027/

Paystub Studio – Generate professional paystubs with automated tax calculations


Paystub Studio lets you create accurate, professional paystubs in minutes with automatic tax calculations for all 50 states. Skip sign-up, start for free, and only pay when you download. Enter employer and employee details, pay period, and earnings, and the generator computes deductions like federal, state, Social Security, and Medicare to produce a polished earnings statement.

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Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra Beats The Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max In The Latest Geekbench 6 Tests

21 February 2026 at 15:17

Two smartphones are held in hands: one with an Apple logo featuring three cameras on a white back, and the other in light

If Samsung were looking for additional bragging rights just before the unveiling of the Galaxy S26 series, it certainly got those today, when a Galaxy S26 Ultra smoked the Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max in the latest Geekbench 6 tests. Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra smokes the Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max in single-core and multi-core Geekbench 6 tests Without further ado, here are the latest Geekbench 6 scores for the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra: Do note that the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra employed in this test was powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip, as is expected to […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/samsung-galaxy-s26-ultra-beats-the-apple-iphone-17-pro-max-in-the-latest-geekbench-6-tests/

Hands-on with Cooler Master’s Cosmos Alpha full-tower chassis – sliding, configurable interior makes for lots of possibilities

21 February 2026 at 16:00
The Cosmos Alpha is an excellent update over the previous 2022-era model. The large internal spaces offer tons of configuration possibilities, all inside a modern, good-looking, premium full-tower chassis.

27 years after launch, Apple's decades-old iBook lineup can still get legacy updates from the company's servers — 21-year-old iBook G4 seamlessly connects to Wi-Fi, downloads updates with no mods

A Redditor has passionately shown off their 21-year-old iBook G4 on the r/MacOS subreddit, arguing that Apple's extensive software support goes against the planned obsolescence accusations they get. In the post, OP's vintage iBook can be seen ready to download updates after connecting to the internet, even today.

Lenovo Warns of PC Price Hikes Coming in March Amid Rising Memory Costs

21 February 2026 at 15:00
In a new letter to channel partners, Lenovo has stated that the company expects PC price hikes in March amid the memory crunch affecting the industry. The letter, obtained by CRN, notes that Lenovo's North America channel chief, Wade McFarland, mentioned there will be some pricing changes to certain products and configurations that Lenovo offers, which will be communicated later with the exact specification changes. In the letter, Wade McFarland noted that there have been some changes to the ordering policy for the Intelligent Devices Group (IDG), responsible for PCs like desktops, notebooks, and tablets, while the Infrastructure Solutions Group (ISG) unit responsible for server solutions is also experiencing the same changes. Lenovo's North American president, Ryan McCurdy, noted that "we've absolutely had to adjust and continue to adjust [pricing]. There's no way around it."

However, the company has advised its partners to submit orders while it is still February, as that will lock in the pricing at which Lenovo can supply PCs before the price hike expected in March. "Pricing is influenced by both order timing and fulfillment timing, and Lenovo reviews pricing periodically in response to evolving market conditions," notes Wade McFarland, adding that Lenovo's memory suppliers have been good and that the company has been informed of every pricing change in advance so that it can effectively communicate with its clients and warn them before any changes happen. That way, clients don't experience pricing shocks that may impact their purchasing decisions, as Lenovo sells millions of PCs every month. A slight, unexpected price change may result in a significant change in purchasing decisions, so communication with clients is key.

AlcoInsights – Track drinking with live BAC estimates and AI insights


AlcoInsights helps you track your drinking with live BAC estimates, session logging, and clear analytics so you can stay in control. Set weekly goals, monitor your pace, and review BAC curves and a heatmap calendar to spot patterns. Get AI insights, hangover predictions, calorie tracking, and risk guidelines to plan safer sessions, with hydration modifiers and BAC calibration for accuracy. The Learning Hub teaches the science behind alcohol and habits, and the platform keeps your data secure, private, and GDPR compliant.

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BioShock Movie and New Game’s Releases Will Roughly Coincide, Says Movie Producer

21 February 2026 at 13:30

BioShock Film

The BioShock movie adaptation has been in discussion for a long time. Less than a year after the original game's debut, publisher Take-Two Interactive announced that it had signed a deal with Universal Studios for a film that would have been directed by Gore Verbinski (The Ring, the first three Pirates of the Caribbean, and The Lone Ranger) and written by John Logan (Gladiator, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Skyfall, and Spectre). The tentative theatrical release window was 2010, but the project kept being put on hold for various concerns, including budget and the director's insistence on […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/bioshock-movie-new-game-releases-will-roughly-coincide/

Anthropic Launches Claude Code Security for AI-Powered Vulnerability Scanning

Artificial intelligence (AI) company Anthropic has begun to roll out a new security feature for Claude Code that can scan a user's software codebase for vulnerabilities and suggest patches. The capability, called Claude Code Security, is currently available in a limited research preview to Enterprise and Team customers. "It scans codebases for security vulnerabilities and suggests targeted

CISA Adds Two Actively Exploited Roundcube Flaws to KEV Catalog

The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) on Friday added two security flaws impacting Roundcube webmail software to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, citing evidence of active exploitation. The vulnerabilities in question are listed below - CVE-2025-49113 (CVSS score: 9.9) - A deserialization of untrusted data vulnerability that allows remote code

EC-Council Expands AI Certification Portfolio to Strengthen U.S. AI Workforce Readiness and Security

With $5.5 trillion in global AI risk exposure and 700,000 U.S. workers needing reskilling, four new AI certifications and Certified CISO v4 help close the gap between AI adoption and workforce readiness. EC-Council, creator of the world-renowned Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) credential and a global leader in applied cybersecurity education, today launched its Enterprise AI Credential Suite,

NavNotes – Pin requirements and workflows directly on your site


NavNotes keeps project knowledge connected to your website rather than scattered across tools. Pin requirements, decisions, technical notes, and feedback directly to pages, allowing relevant context to automatically appear as you navigate.

It works on any website you manage, including client sites, internal tools, and staging environments. You can highlight sections, attach documents, link external resources, and collaborate with your team—all contextual to specific pages and features. Track work with built-in status, owners, and releases, and share access with clients or teammates. It's your website's institutional memory, finally in one place.

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DietVox – Scan meals to spot gut triggers and get personalized guidance


DietVox is an AI gut health coach that helps you eat without flare-ups. Snap a photo of your meal to detect hidden acids, spices, and irritants, then get a personalized Red/Amber/Green safety rating based on your stomach rules.

Follow diet protocols for GERD, sugar reduction, weight loss, and receive proactive daily coaching to achieve you goals.

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Intel "Nova Lake-S" Coming in 2027, CES Launch Alongside AMD "Olympic Ridge" Likely

21 February 2026 at 09:28
It was revealed in a recent leak that the next-gen AMD Zen 6 Ryzen CPUs would be delayed until 2027, and it has now emerged, that the upcoming Intel "Nova Lake-S" Core Ultra Series 4 CPUs may be joining AMD for an early 2027 launch, when previous reports placed the launch in late 2026. The news comes by way of ubiquitous leakers, HXL on X and Golden Pig Upgrade on Weibo, who say that a CES 2027 launch seems likely for both new CPU generations.

Previously, we got a taste of what to expect from Nova Lake-S in a series of leaks and rumors, which pointed to increased NPU performance as well as core counts that range from 12 on the low-end (4 P-cores, 4 E-cores, 4 LP-cores) to 52 on the high-end (16 P-cores, 32 E-cores, 4 LP-cores). Obviously, these are early leaks, and the official launch is still a way out, so dates may still change, but it seems as though the current silicon and DRAM shortages may result in the lengthening of product launch cycles across the PC industry in general—an outcome that was previously predicted.

PractoPal – All-in-one software for optical retailers


PractoPal delivers an all-in-one platform for optical retailers to run daily operations with less effort. You can manage inventory, purchase orders, patient records, prescriptions, sales, invoicing, and marketing from a clean, secure interface that works across devices, including iPads. PractoPal provides regular feature updates and responsive live support via phone, chat, or screen sharing, helping clinics and stores streamline workflows and elevate customer experience.

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Free ChatGPT is surprisingly expensive, here's why

OpenAI is confronting the enormous cost of running ChatGPT at global scale, prompting a shift toward ads, new pricing tiers, and long-term revenue strategies to keep the service sustainable

Microsoft Gaming's New CEO Wants To Embrace AI Without "Soulless AI Slop"

21 February 2026 at 07:25
It was recently revealed that Xbox Gaming's long-time CEO, Phil Spencer, would be leaving Microsoft after nearly 40 years at the company, with Asha Sharma taking over as CEO of Microsoft Gaming after her role as chief of the company's CoreAI platform. Shortly after the announcement of his departure, Sharma released an internal statement with comments about the future of Xbox Gaming and her views on topics like AI, monetization, and art. In short, Sharma says she wants to prioritize creating "great games" with unforgettable characters, stories that resonate, and creative, innovative gameplay. In the latter part of the statement, she addresses the inevitable questions and concerns about a former AI leader taking over the gaming division. She makes a number of comments about AI and the future of gaming, stating that "As monetization and AI evolve and influence this future, we will not chase short-term efficiency or floor our ecosystem with soulless AI slop. Games are and always will be art, crafted by humans, and created with th e most innovative technology provided by us."

Later, in a statement to Variety, Sharma reinforced these statements, stating that she wants to "earn the right to be trusted by players and developers," and noting that "AI has long been part of gaming and will continue to be." She again emphasized the importance of "deep emotional resonance" in games, and reiterated her stance that she has "no tolerance for bad AI." It's worth noting that CoreAI, the platform Sharma was previously in charge of at Microsoft, is a suite of AI-powered developer tools designed for "the AI era," with a significant focus on agentic AI. If Sharma's statements are to be believed, it seems reasonable to assume we will be seeing more AI trickle into first-party Xbox games, but it may not be the AI-first approach that companies like EA have recently adopted in the name of efficiency.

FaveCard – Digital loyalty cards in Apple & Google Wallet with no app


FaveCard lets businesses create digital loyalty cards that customers can add to Apple or Google Wallet with a single tap. There’s no app for customers to install, and cards update automatically after each visit. Use the card creator to brand stamps and rewards, share via QR code or link, and track performance in a real-time dashboard. Staff can use the FaveCard app to scan cards and award stamps while you monitor returns, visit history, and peak days to drive repeat business.

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ASUS RTX 5070 EVO Dual Targets SFF Builds With Short, Thinner Design

21 February 2026 at 04:28
In late 2025, ASUS announced the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 and 5060 Ti Dual Evo graphics cards, which touted a slimmer, shorter design for improved compatibility with small form factor PC builds. Now, it has silently expanded the Dual Evo line with the ASUS Dual GeForce RTX 5070 Evo and Evo OC, both of which stuff an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 12 GB GPU into a package measuring just 229 × 120 × 50 mm. ASUS has not yet publicly announced the GPUs, and they don't seem to be available via retail channels just yet, but the spec sheets and product pages are available in full on the ASUS site. As such, pricing is not yet available at the time of writing.

The OC model steps up the standard boost clock from 2,512 MHz to 2,542 MHz and the OC mode clock speed from 2,542 MHz to 2,572 MHz. Both GPUs feature the same 2.5-slot shroud and cooler design, and it seems unlikely that the OC Edition has any additional changes other than a slight vBIOS tweak to achieve the higher clocks, suggesting that you can likely get similar clock speeds with a bit of tuning in GPU Tweak III. This 2.5-slot design is thicker than the 2.0-slot design of the 5060 series Dual Evo cards, but still notably thinner than most other RTX 5070 models, like the 3.2-slot ROG Strix GeForce RTX 5070. The GPU shroud design is also somewhat more reserved than some of ASUS's recent designs, with just an angular, black, dual-texture shroud housing dual axial fans, while the GPU heat sink has a flow-through design for the rear fan. Much like the 5060 variants of the same series, the PCIe power plug is located almost centrally on the side of the GPU, instead of the traditional rearward position.

SuppleMindHQ – Automate supplement schedules and reminders with AI


SuppleMindHQ is an AI-powered supplement command center that builds your optimal dosing schedule, times reminders to your routine, and adjusts when you miss a dose. It tracks intake and inventory, predicts when you'll run low, and allows for one-click or auto reordering from your preferred brands. The app checks interaction safety, spaces conflicting supplements, and provides clear analytics on consistency and progress. Start free, then upgrade for deeper history, templates, and cross-device sync.

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Capcom Acts on Resident Evil Requiem Gameplay Leaks, Asks Community for Help

21 February 2026 at 03:39
With the launch of Resident Evil Requiem merely a week away, it's expected that gameplay and story leaks would start to show up online and subsequently be shared online. Capcom, however, has taken to social media platform, X, to decry the early gameplay and story leaks, asking players not to share the leaks. The gaming giant says that it wants "everyone to enjoy the game's story and experience as much as possible." Capcom adds that its legal department is working to issue DMCA take-downs of any leaks posted online, "in order to preserve your day-one experience."

The gameplay leaks in question have revealed major plot points and twists, as well as potential endings to the latest installment in the Resident Evil franchise. One Reddit thread—which fortunately is covered with spoiler tags—has collated the vast majority of the leaks, including gameplay footage of part of the game's ending. It's easy to see why a game studio would want to keep a lid on such extensive leaks about a story-driven game. Another post in the subreddit was removed by the moderators, so it looks like Capcom's take-down requests or social media plea has had some effect already.

RetroDECK Emulator Removes Nintendo Switch Emulation Over "Toxicity" and DMCA Risk

21 February 2026 at 02:42
Given the similar form factors, it's unsurprising that many gamers turned to their Steam Decks to emulate Nintendo Switch games, but that era seems to be drawing to a close, as RetroDECK, a Linux emulation platform capable of emulating multiple game systems, has just confirmed that it will be removing support for Ryubing, a fork of the now-infamous Ryujinx Switch emulator, from its available emulators. The developer behind the emulator explained in a February 19 blog post that Switch emulation would be removed in a minor update. This comes after support for Ryubing was added in a November update.

The blog mentions two main reasons for the removal of Ryubing, stating that "Switch emulation has consistently been the source of the most issues within the project, generating the highest volume of warnings, bans, toxicity, and support tickets," and adding that the questionable legality of emulators like Ryubing and Nintendo's aggressive protection of its intellectual property exposes the volunteers and community involved in the RetroDECK project to undue legal exposure. As of an upcoming update, indicated in an edit to an old blog post to be 0.10.4b, Switch emulation will be removed from RetroDECK "forever," and discussions about Switch emulation will also be banned from all of RetroDECK's communities and social platforms effective immediately.

PropertyLedger – Track rental income and expenses—generate Schedule E reports


PropertyLedger helps small landlords manage rental property accounting with simple expense tracking, organized categories, and tax-ready Schedule E reports. You can log income and expenses, attach receipts, track depreciation, and export CSVs to streamline tax prep. Organize your portfolio across single-family, multi-family, condos, and commercial units. Manage tenants and leases, monitor ROI analytics, and get monthly summaries and renewal reminders without banking add-ons or upsells.

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The creator economy’s ad revenue problem and India’s AI ambitions

21 February 2026 at 03:00
The creator economy is evolving fast, and ad revenue alone isn’t cutting it anymore. YouTubers are launching product lines, acquiring startups, and building actual business empires. In fact, MrBeast’s company bought fintech startup Step, and his chocolate business is outearning his media arm. This isn’t just one creator’s strategy. For many, it’s the new playbook.  On this episode of TechCrunch’s Equity podcast, hosts Kirsten Korosec, Anthony Ha, and Rebecca Bellan unpack how creators are diversifying beyond ads, […]

Xbox Boss Phil Spencer is Leaving Microsoft After Nearly 40 Years

21 February 2026 at 01:44
The name synonymous with Xbox—Phil Spencer—is leaving Microsoft after nearly 40 years at the company. He started as an intern back in 1988 and has been with the Xbox team since 2001, helping the project thrive in the following decades. According to the announcement, Microsoft is overhauling its Gaming division with some new names, while the old executive team has left the company. In addition to Phil Spencer, Xbox president Sarah Bond has also left the company. From now on, Asha Sharma, who currently serves as the company chief for the CoreAI product, will be taking on the new role as the CEO of Microsoft Gaming. Microsoft's CEO Satya Nadella shared a memo with all Microsoft employees about the status of this update.
Satya NadellaLast year, Phil Spencer made the decision to retire from the company, and since then we've been talking about succession planning. I want to thank Phil for his extraordinary leadership and partnership. Over 38 years at Microsoft, including 12 years leading Gaming, Phil helped transform what we do and how we do it.

More fun, shorter waits: Disneyland says it added 1.5 million ride experiences in 2025 without new builds

Disneyland is investing heavily in reliability upgrades that are already delivering more rides, shorter waits, and smoother visits – even as major new attractions remain years away.

Anthropic-funded group backs candidate attacked by rival AI super PAC

21 February 2026 at 00:52
Dueling pro-AI PACs have centered around backing or targeting one New York congressional bid: Alex Bores, whose RAISE Act requires AI developers to disclose safety protocols and report serious system misuse.

Valve is “Clearly Not” Cooperating Fairly, Says CEO Leading £656M Lawsuit Against Steam’s 30% Cut of Game Sales

21 February 2026 at 01:30

Steam logo on a collage of video game covers including Gears 5, Cyberpunk, and Stardew Valley.

Last month, a UK judge ruled that Valve would have to face its day in court over a £656 million class-action lawsuit being led by Parent Zone chief executive officer, Vicki Shotbolt, over the 30% cut that the company takes from all transactions on Steam. It's not a dissimilar case to what Epic Games brought against Apple, as Shotbolt has called Valve's 30% cut "excessive" and that the company "is rigging the market and taking advantage of UK gamers." In a new report from GamesIndustry.Biz, Shotbolt further explained her case against Valve and Steam, adding that Valve is "clearly not" […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/valve-is-clearly-not-cooperating-fairly-says-ceo-leading-656m-lawsuit-against-steams-30-cut-of-game-sales/

Major Shake-Up at Xbox: Phil Spencer Retires, Sarah Bond Resigns, and Asha Sharma to Become the new CEO of Microsoft Gaming

21 February 2026 at 01:14

A smiling Phil Spencer stands in front of a large Xbox logo backdrop, wearing a shirt with the Xbox logo.

Update 21/02/2026: Following the publication of this article, former Xbox president Sarah Bond has shared her statement she sent internally within Xbox and Microsoft on her personal LinkedIn account. Notably, she mentions that her decision to step away comes at a time when she feels she has completed the commitment she made four years ago to help lead Xbox through the post-Activision Blizzard acquisition transition. "When we announced our intention to acquire Activision Blizzard in 2022, I committed to helping lead Xbox through what would be a critical period of change," Bond writes. "Over the past four years, we’ve navigated […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/microsoft-phil-spencer-retires-sarah-bond-resigns-asha-sharma-takes-over-xbox/

Qualcomm Aims To Give Its Snapdragon X Chipsets A Massive Adoption Push With The Hiring Of Former AMD Executive Jason Banta

21 February 2026 at 00:58

Qualcomm hires former AMD executive Jason Banta to boost Snapdragon X chipset sales

The Snapdragon X series of chipsets has carved its place in the computer industry, but Qualcomm has a ton of ground to cover in both adoption and technological improvements. The recent Snapdragon X2 Elite and Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme are ideal examples of the San Diego firm’s desire to take on its chip rivals, but it needs that extra boost that could be fulfilled by the recent hiring of former AMD executive Jason Banta. He will now serve as Qualcomm’s Vice President of Global Compute Sales, putting him in charge of consumer and commercial ‘go to market’ channels. Banta’s 23-year career […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/qualcomm-snapdragon-x-chipsets-to-receive-major-push-with-hiring-or-ex-amd-executive-jason-banta/

NieR: Automata Will Continue, Finally Confirms Square Enix as the Game Breaks 10M Units Sold

21 February 2026 at 00:38

NieR: Automata Square Enix

It's been nearly nine years since the launch of NieR: Automata, the highly acclaimed action RPG developed by PlatinumGames and published by Square Enix. Fans have long been waiting for news of a sequel. Today, as part of a celebration for the game's latest sales milestone (it has now sold 10 million units across all platforms), they at least got a teaser. It sounds like the gears are finally moving. But why did it take so long? Well, it seems like Game Director Yoko Taro and Square Enix found it hard to reach an agreement. The outspoken creative first said […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/nier-automata-continue-game-breaks-10m-units-sold/

Ubisoft CEO Spills Beans About 2 Far Cry Projects, "Several" Assassin's Creed Games, Both Multi- and Single-Player

20 February 2026 at 23:22
Yves Guillemot recently made an appearance in an interview with Variety, in which the Ubisoft CEO spoke about both the ongoing cost-cutting measures and in-development projects at the French gaming giant. When asked about upcoming projects in the Assassin's Creed and Far Cry franchises, Guillemot responded that there are "several" Assassin's Creed titles in development at Ubisoft, and that those titles will involve both single-player and multiplayer gameplay. Similar is true for the Far Cry franchise, in that Ubisoft currently has two Far Cry projects in development, although Guillemot declined to specify any further on what those projects were. One of the upcoming Assassin's Creed projects is almost certainly the much-rumored Assassin's Creed Black Flag remake that is slated to launch sometime in 2026.

This interview and the promises of new Far Cry and Assassin's Creed games comes the same week as Ubisoft confirmed a round of layoffs at its Toronto studio as part of its heavily criticized company-wide restructuring and cost-savings plan that will likely see up to 18% of the company laid off in order to save €200 million in five years. That same plan has seen Ubisoft divide development efforts into five creative houses, each of which will be responsible for a handful of IPs. When asked about this and the necessity for the cost reduction, Yves Guillemot blamed rapid post-COVID growth and flat-lining demand where continued growth had been anticipated. He goes on to say that "our priority today is to build a more focused, agile company, with stronger teams that strike the right balance between senior expertise and young talent and who are well positioned to deliver the highest quality games." If recent game cancellation trends at Ubisoft are anything to go by, nothing is set in stone, and the projects that have been in the pipeline for the longest seem to be the most likely to be cancelled or delayed, as was the case with the Prince of Persia: Sands of Time remake.

Intel's "Bartlett Lake-S" Core 200E Family Leaks: Up to 12 P-Cores and 5.9 GHz ST Boost

20 February 2026 at 23:15
Thanks to a new table specification matrix published by a known leaker Jaykihn on X, we are seeing the final specifications of Intel's long-rumored "Bartlett Lake-S" Core 200E family of CPUs with P-Cores only. This platform is designed to fit inside Intel's LGA-1700 socket, but from a consumer standpoint represents a non-existent product that will not reach their hands, as Intel has abandoned the plan to launch this highly anticipated gamer CPU. Instead, Intel will only offer it for its edge and embedded products. At the top of the stack is the Core 9 273 PQE SKU, which is a 12 P-Core variant with 24 threads and a base frequency of 3.4 GHz. This model can boost all of its 12 cores to 5.3 GHz, while a single thread can go up to 5.9 GHz independently for tasks that require intensive single-threaded performance. It is equipped with 36 MB of L3 cache and an integrated GPU with 32 EUs of Xe-LP graphics.

Interestingly, the entire lineup is separated into three categories. One is a high-TDP PQE with a base power of 125 W, while the middle PE models are 65 W designs with lower clocks. The weakest models are the PTE SKUs that have a TDP of 45 W, which are more ideal for edge deployments where power/efficiency is the most important factor. Across the lineup, there are versions with 8, 10, and 12 cores, all with Hyper-Threading for 16, 20, and 24 threads. Some SKUs from the PE and PTE lineups do not enjoy Intel vPro and ECC memory support, while the PQE high-power SKUs are all equipped with vPro and ECC memory support. You can check out the complete table comparison and product segmentation below for more specific information on different models.

Snapveil – Collect guests' event photos automatically in one place


Snapveil lets you create private, shareable photo galleries for weddings and events. Guests upload by scanning a QR code—no app required—while you control permissions, set passwords, and manage collaboration. It organizes images with AI tags and location data, supports custom albums, and delivers fast browsing even with thousands of photos. Pay per event with flexible storage and download options, from SD to original quality.

View startup

Apple’s iOS 26.4 arrives in public beta with AI music playlists, video podcasts, and more

20 February 2026 at 23:44
Several updates are introduced in iOS 26.4, including an AI-powered playlist-generation feature in Apple Music, support for video content in the Podcasts app, end-to-end encryption (E2EE) for RCS messages, and more. 

InScope nabs $14.5M to solve the pain of financial reporting

20 February 2026 at 23:24
The startup, founded by accountants who worked at Flexport, Miro, Hopin and Thrive Global, automates the difficulties of prepping financial statements.

Microsoft: ‘Summarize With AI’ Buttons Used To Poison AI Recommendations

20 February 2026 at 23:15

Microsoft found 31 companies hiding prompt injections inside "Summarize with AI" buttons aimed at biasing what AI assistants recommend in future conversations.

The post Microsoft: ‘Summarize With AI’ Buttons Used To Poison AI Recommendations appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

This New AI Chipmaker, Taalas, Hard-Wires AI Models Into Silicon to Make Them Faster and Cheaper; Early Results Crush Modern Solutions

20 February 2026 at 22:21

The image shows a Taalas HCI Technology Demonstrator featuring the Llama 3.1 8B model, TSMC 6nm technology, 815mm² area, 53

Well, it appears that the chip startup Taalas has found a solution to LLM response latency and performance by creating dedicated hardware that 'hardwires' AI models. Taalas Manages to Achieve 10x Higher TPS With Meta's Llama 8B LLM, That Too With 20x Lower Production Costs When you look at today's world of AI compute, latency is emerging as a massive constraint for modern-day compute providers, mainly because, in an agentic environment, the primary moat lies in token-per-second (TPS) figures and how quickly you can get a task done. One solution the industry sees is integrating SRAM into their offerings, and […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/this-new-ai-chipmaker-taalas-hard-wires-ai-models-into-silicon-to-make-them-faster/

The great Bench GPU retest begins — how we're testing for our GPU Hierarchy in 2026, and why upscaling and framegen are still out

20 February 2026 at 22:18
Here's how we're updating our GPU Hierarchy and Bench database for 2026, with a breakdown of our setup, the current state of play, and our test suite, which includes many new games—but no upscaling or framegen.

God of Startups – Helps founders validate ideas before spending money


God of Startups is an AI-powered venture architect that turns raw ideas into professional, investor-ready business documentation. The platform guides founders through structured Discovery workflows covering problem validation, customer analysis, market research, competitors, risks, and strategy. Unlike generic AI tools or expensive consultants, it continuously aligns hypotheses and key decisions in one dynamic system of record. God of Startups supports validation by prompting critical questions, identifying risks, and updating strategy as insights emerge. The result is faster, more consistent decision-making that turns uncertainty into validated, actionable business plans.

View startup

Ukrainian man jailed for identity theft that helped North Koreans get jobs at US companies

20 February 2026 at 21:38
A Ukrainian man has been sentenced for helping North Koreans gain fraudulent employment at dozens of U.S. companies and funnel that money back to the regime to fund its nuclear weapons program.

Google Ads Surfaces PMax Search Partner Domains In Placement Report

20 February 2026 at 21:41

Google Ads PMax placement reporting is now populating with data for more accounts, revealing Search Partner domains and impression counts for brand safety review.

The post Google Ads Surfaces PMax Search Partner Domains In Placement Report appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

Thermal Grizzly sells delidded AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D CPUs with a warranty

20 February 2026 at 21:12

Thermal Grizzly is now selling delidded versions of AMD’s most powerful gaming processor Thermal Grizzly has officially released delidded versions of AMD’s new Ryzen 7 9850X3D gaming CPU, offering users pre-delidded CPUs that have been thoroughly tested and backed by a 2-year warranty. These processors ship with their IHS (Integrated Heat Spreader) removed, allowing users […]

The post Thermal Grizzly sells delidded AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D CPUs with a warranty appeared first on OC3D.

(PR) Akasa Launches Euler CMX Compact Fanless Case for Mini-ITX Motherboards

20 February 2026 at 21:39
Akasa, a leading provider of thermal solutions, introduced the Euler CMX, a compact, aluminium, fanless case designed for Mini-ITX motherboards. The Euler CMX supports Intel Core (8th-14th Gen) and Core Ultra (15th Gen) processors up to 35 W TDP and integrates a 220 W DC-to-DC power converter, delivering reliable performance in space-constrained environments while ensuring long-term durability for industrial automation, point-of-sale (POS), kiosk, digital signage, surveillance or other commercial systems.

This case is compatible with Mini-ITX motherboards with Intel LGA1851, LGA1700, LGA1200 or LGA115X sockets, supporting Intel Core (8th-14th Gen) and Core Ultra (15th Gen) processors up to 35 W TDP.

Thermal Grizzly Announces Delidded AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D CPU

20 February 2026 at 21:25
Thermal Grizzly announced its TG Delidded CPUs, which would see the company sell delidded AMD Ryzen 9000 CPUs for enthusiast use with direct-die cooling solutions. The program started with the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D and has since expanded to include the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D, with the latest addition being the recently released AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D. The delidded 9850X3D comes in at $876.33 on the Thermal Grizzly store, which is a marked increase over the $500 MSRP, but it also includes a warranty in the case of any manufacturer defects or issues that might arise during the delidding process. The aforementioned warranty is valid for two years and covers material defects of the CPU and even extends to overclocking within manufacturer spec, as long as adequate cooling is provided. It does not cover any physical or liquid damage to the silicon, SMDs, or the PCB.

[Editor's note: Our in-depth review of the AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D is now live]

Roman Hartung, aka Der8auer, famous overclocker and CEO of Thermal Grizzly, published a YouTube video demonstrating the delidding process and documenting potential performance and thermal improvements as a result of delidding and direct-die cooling. In the video, Hartung tests the 9850X3D in Cinebench R23, demonstrating a 90.2° C peak temperature on one CCD, with the average die temperature getting as high as 88.1° C with a peak power draw of 182.35 W in the 10-minute CPU benchmark run. Individual peak CPU core temperatures ranged from 78 to 88.2° C, whereas after applying liquid metal and a direct-die cooling solution resulted in peak CPU core temperatures of 66.1-75.3° C and a peak average CPU temperature of 75.3°C—temperatures were down around 15° C across the board following the delid. Power draw was slightly lower during this test, at 178.09 W peak package power, although the same settings were applied in BIOS ahead of the tests. Hartung also goes on to test the overclocking capabilities of the delidded CPU on the direct-die cooling solution, which can be seen in the video below.

Luckfox Introduces 16-Inch 4K and 2K Portable Touch Monitors

20 February 2026 at 20:34
Luckfox, a small Chinese company mostly known for its development boards and kits, expanded its portfolio with two new 16-inch 4K (3840 × 2400) and 2K (2560 × 1600) portable touch monitors. The 4K model uses an IPS panel with a pixel pitch of 0.0897 mm, 120 Hz refresh rate, and HDR support. Brightness is rated at 350 cd/m² while the 178° viewing angles are typical for a standard IPS panel. The display uses optical bonding and supports 10-point capacitive touch through a toughened glass surface. Connectivity includes Mini HDMI and USB Type-C for display input, plus a USB touch interface. A 3.5 mm audio jack and built-in Hi-fi speakers are also present. The enclosure is CNC-machined, and the monitor supports VESA 75 mm mounting. It ships with a detachable magnetic protective case that doubles as a stand with two viewing angles. The 4K model is priced at $319.99.

Luckfox also offers a more affordable 2K variant that keeps the IPS panel, HDR support, optical bonding, and 10-point touch, but increases the refresh rate to 165 Hz. It comes with the same magnetic case and multi-device compatibility, including support for full-featured USB-C PCs and smartphones, as well as boards such as Raspberry Pi and Jetson. Worth mentioning that both monitors are powered via USB-C with support for 20 W PD. The 2K version is listed at $189.99.

AI-powered defenses help Google shield Android users from malicious apps

20 February 2026 at 20:13

According to Vijaya Kaza, Google's VP of app and ecosystem trust, the company rejected more than 1.75 million potentially harmful apps during the review process and blocked over 80,000 developer accounts for various policy violations. Both figures are significantly lower than in 2024, when 2.36 million apps were rejected and 158,000 developer accounts were blocked.

Read Entire Article

BeyondTrust Flaw Used for Web Shells, Backdoors, and Data Exfiltration

Threat actors have been observed exploiting a recently disclosed critical security flaw impacting BeyondTrust Remote Support (RS) and Privileged Remote Access (PRA) products to conduct a wide range of malicious actions, including deploying VShell and  The vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2026-1731 (CVSS score: 9.9), allows attackers to execute operating system commands in the context of the

Fake Proton VPN extensions slip into Chrome Web Store — here’s how to stay safe

Proton has warned that fake VPN extensions using its branding appeared in the Chrome Web Store, with takedowns taking weeks. Here’s what happened, the risks for users, and how to protect yourself.

I’ve spent months with the Drop + Epos PC38X wired gaming headset, and its audiophile audio quality and performance are hard to beat

The Drop + Epos PC38X could almost be considered old now, but it’s still great. If you can find it in stock, then it’s an easy recommendation for those looking for a wired gaming headset that can make your games’ audio sing.

AI’s promise to indie filmmakers: Faster, cheaper, lonelier

20 February 2026 at 19:30
AI expands access to filmmaking for resource-constrained creators. But as efficiency becomes the industry’s north star, creativity risks being overwhelmed by a deluge of low-effort, AI-generated content.

Prepare for pitch battle: Startup Battlefield 200 nominations are open

20 February 2026 at 19:30
Nominations for TechCrunch Startup Battlefield 200 are open. Pitch at Disrupt 2026 in October in front of top VCs and the full TechCrunch audience. Nominate your startup or for one that's deserving.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 Started 2026 as January’s Best-Selling Game in the US, While Subscriptions Drove 3% Spending Growth

20 February 2026 at 20:30

Four armed characters stand against a split background with 'Call of Duty Black Ops 7' text below them.

Circana executive director Mat Piscatella has shared his first monthly sales report of 2026 for video game sales in the US, and it's Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 taking the top spot on the premium sales charts for January 2026. Overall spending in the video game industry in the US was up 3% compared to last year, with subscription services and hardware sales driving that growth. It's Call of Duty: Black Ops 7's second month in a row sitting atop the US premium game sales charts, though finishing 2025 as the best-selling game of December was not enough to […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/call-of-duty-black-ops-7-best-selling-game-in-us-january-2026/

Low-Cost MacBook’s Vibrant Colors Were Supposed To Debut With The M2 MacBook Air, But Apple Decided Against It

20 February 2026 at 20:28

Low-cost MacBook's bright colors were supposed to arrive with the M2 MacBook Air

Apple is expected to treat its low-cost MacBook with the same importance as its more expensive portable Macs, as the technology giant has been reported to utilize the same unibody aluminum chassis paired with some bright colors, so the machine stands out from the competition. However, the Cupertino firm had an entirely different plan for when it launched the M2 MacBook Air, as the latter was supposed to be treated to the aforementioned finishes, at least according to the latest rumor. Apple’s invite image suggests that the low-cost MacBook will arrive in the colors blue, green, and blue, with these finishes expected to debut […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/low-cost-macbook-vibrant-colors-supposed-to-debut-with-m2-macbook-air/

Ubisoft CEO Confirms Two Far Cry Games are in Development Alongside “Several” Single-Player and Multiplayer Assassin’s Creed Titles

20 February 2026 at 19:45

Characters from the Assassin's Creed series are lined up on the left with the game's logo, and Vaas from Far Cry 3 is

Ubisoft chief executive officer Yves Guillemot has finally spoken outside of the company's financial earnings reports after kicking off 2026 by confirming a "major reset" that involved huge structural changes to Ubisoft and saw hundreds of developers get laid off, either through cuts at different branches or just full studio shutdowns. In an interview with Variety, Guillemot didn't offer any meaningful comments in response to questions about the strikes across different studios within the company or provide any further comment as to why projects like Prince of Persia: Sands of Time Remake were cancelled that we hadn't heard before. But […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/ubisoft-ceo-confirms-two-far-cry-projects-several-assassins-creed-games-single-player-and-multiplayer/

NVIDIA’s Revised Investment in OpenAI Expected to Be More Than ‘Three Times Lower’ Than What the Industry Originally Believed

20 February 2026 at 19:18

Three unidentified men stand together in front of a large server rack in a modern, angular interior space.

Details about NVIDIA's financing scheme towards OpenAI are here, and it is claimed that the company intends to invest 'one-third' of the initial figure everyone perceived. NVIDIA Plans To Make Its Largest-Ever Investment Into OpenAI Soon, Investing $100 Billion Into the AI Lab Team Green's investments and stake acquisitions are attracting significant attention in the industry, as they are an indirect indicator of where the world of AI is moving. We have extensively reported the NVIDIA-OpenAI story, but one of the more interesting aspects of this fiasco is actually the financial commitments involved. For those unaware, NVIDIA and OpenAI agreed […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/nvidia-investment-in-openai-is-anticipated-to-be-more-than-three-folds-lower-than-what-was-initially-perceived/

AWS outages caused by AI coding bot blunder, report claims

Amazon suffered from a couple of small outages driven by actions of AI agents. The company insists that these are user errors because it accidentally gave the AI permission to execute actions without approval from another user.

The latest jobs in search marketing

20 February 2026 at 20:23
Search marketing jobs

Looking to take the next step in your search marketing career?

Below, you will find the latest SEO, PPC, and digital marketing jobs at brands and agencies. We also include positions from previous weeks that are still open.

Newest SEO Jobs

(Provided to Search Engine Land by SEOjobs.com)

  • Overview You will be working with an internal team that functions as an SEO helpdesk for a large international client in the hospitality sector with over 120 locations worldwide. The helpdesk receives a wide range of SEO-related requests from internal senior members and locations via email daily, and it is their responsibility to triage, process, […]
  • Job Description Salary: Up to 80K Position: Senior SEO Analyst Company: Mason Interactive Job Overview: As a Senior SEO Analyst at Mason Interactive, you will take a leading role in optimizing search engine performance for our diverse clientele. This position requires an individual who can combine deep technical SEO knowledge with creative problem-solving to enhance […]
  • Company Description Thought Industries powers the Business of Value – enabling enterprises to unlock growth across the customer lifecycle. From our Boston headquarters, we help organizations drive measurable impact, maximize customer lifetime value, and fuel innovation through our leading enterprise solutions. Unlock growth with us – where your potential meets boundless possibilities. Job Description We’re […]
  • Job Description Marketing Strategist (SEO, ORM & Marketing Automation, Mortgage Industry) Location: Hybrid – Irvine, CA Job Type: Full-Time   Mutual of Omaha is a Fortune 300 Company. Mutual of Omaha Mortgage is inspired by hometown values and a commitment to being responsible and caring for each other. We exist for the benefit of our customers […]
  • Nectiv is an organic growth consultancy focused on technical SEO, content strategy, information architecture, and optimization for AI answer engines (AEO/GEO). We work with SaaS companies, marketplaces, and enterprise brands to solve complex organic search challenges — from site architecture and crawl optimization to structured content systems and AI search visibility.   We prefer systemic […]
  • Job Title: Off-Page SEO Specialist Experience: 5+ Years Schedule: 8 AM to 5 PM CST Compensation: $15/hour base minimum (based on experience) Location: Fully Remote Job Type: Full-Time Contract Position Job Overview We’re looking for a seasoned Off-Page SEO Specialist to own and scale our off-page SEO operations across multiple HVAC, plumbing, and electrical service […]
  • Join the Tilt team At Tilt (formerly Empower), we see a side of people that traditional lenders miss. Our mobile-first products and machine learning-powered credit models look beyond outdated credit scores, using over 250 real-time financial signals to recognize real potential. Named among the next billion-dollar startups, we’re not just changing how people access financial […]
  • Nectiv is an SEO and AI search agency focused on helping brands grow their visibility across search engines and AI-driven discovery platforms. We work with fast-growing SaaS companies, marketplaces, and enterprise brands to solve complex organic search challenges — from technical architecture and crawl optimization to content strategy and search performance analysis. The Role We’re […]
  • The Role We’re seeking a Senior Content Marketing Manager dedicated exclusively to Southwest Airlines, helping one of America’s most iconic companies redefine travel inspiration and organic discoverability. This role will act as the content lead within an embedded, cross-functional Earned & Owned team, working onsite at Southwest Airlines’ office in Dallas, TX for key meetings […]
  • About the Role Zarifa USA is adding a flexible, resourceful teammate to help with everything from content writing and design work to website tweaks, email campaigns, and customer support. You don’t need to know it all on day one—bring curiosity, initiative, and solid Photoshop skills, and we’ll provide structured, on‐the‐job training so you can grow […]

Newest PPC and paid media jobs

(Provided to Search Engine Land by PPCjobs.com)

  • Job Description DEL Records, Inc. is on the lookout for a dynamic Social Media Manager to elevate our Social Media team! If you’re passionate about music, events, and digital storytelling, we want you on board. Join us and play a pivotal role in connecting fans with their favorite artists and events. Responsibilities: Develop and implement […]
  • About Us AirSculpt® is a next-generation body contouring treatment designed to optimize both comfort and precision, available exclusively at AirSculpt offices. The minimally invasive procedure removes fat and tightens skin, while sculpting targeted areas of the body, allowing for quick healing with minimal bruising, tighter skin, and precise results. More than 75,000 AirSculpt cases have […]
  • Job Description Drive our digital strategy across all performance marketing campaigns, channels and touch-points. Champion a performance thinking through the organization to establish a centralized hub experience within the agency and then deploy precise, coordinated and measurable engagement strategies that deliver the right message, to the right person through the right channel. Help understand what […]
  • Job Description This is a remote position. We are looking for a strategic and results-oriented Performance Marketing Manager to lead and optimize our performance marketing campaigns. This role requires a strong command of B2C paid social advertising, creative strategy, team leadership, and conversion optimization. The ideal candidate is a data-driven marketing expert with proven experience […]
  • Job Description Position Title: Performance Marketing Manager Reports To: SVP of Marketing Location: Remote: Some Travel Required Compensation: $85,000-$105,000 Annual Salary Position Overview: The Performance Marketing Manager owns demand quality and performance channels. Accountable for Pay Per Click governance, reviews performance, and OPP-level visibility. This role is a primary owner of the demand pillar of […]

Other roles you may be interested in

Meta Ads Manager, Cardone Ventures (Scottsdale, AZ)

  • Salary: $85,000 – $100,000
  • Develop, execute, and optimize cutting-edge digital campaigns from conception to launch
  • Provide ongoing actionable insights into campaign performance to relevant stakeholders

Senior Manager of Marketing (Paid, SEO, Affiliate), What Goes Around Comes Around (Jersey City, NJ)

  • Salary: $125,000
  • Develop and execute paid media strategies across channels (Google Ads, social media, display, retargeting)
  • Lead organic search strategy to improve rankings, traffic, and conversions

Search Engine Optimization Manager, Method Recruiting, a 3x Inc. 5000 company (Remote)

  • Salary: $95,000 – $105,000
  • Lead planning and execution of SEO and AEO initiatives across assigned digital properties
  • Conduct content audits to identify optimization, refresh, pruning, and gap opportunities

Senior Manager, SEO, Kennison & Associates (Hybrid, Boston MA)

  • Salary: $150,000 – $180,000
  • You’ll own high-visibility SEO and AI initiatives, architect strategies that drive explosive organic and social visibility, and push the boundaries of what’s possible with search-powered performance.
  • Every day, you’ll experiment, analyze, and optimize-elevating rankings, boosting conversions across the customer journey, and delivering insights that influence decisions at the highest level.

Backlink Manager (SEO Agency), SEOforEcommerce (Remote)

  • Salary: $60,000
  • Managing and overseeing backlink production across multiple campaigns
  • Reviewing and approving backlink opportunities (guest posts, niche edits, outreach-based links, etc.)

PPC Specialist, BrixxMedia (Remote)

  • Salary: $80,000 – $115,000
  • Manage day-to-day PPC execution, including campaign builds, bid strategies, budgets, and creative rotation across platforms
  • Develop and refine audience strategies, remarketing programs, and lookalike segments to maximize efficiency and scale

Performance Marketing Manager, Mailgun, Sinch (Remote)

  • Salary: $100,000 – $125,000
  • Manage and optimize paid campaigns across various channels, including YouTube, Google Ads, Meta, Display, LinkedIn, and Connected TV (CTV).
  • Drive scalable growth through continuous testing and optimization while maintaining efficiency targets (CAC, ROAS, LTV)

SEO and AI Search Optimization Manager, Big Think Capital (New York)

  • Salary: $100,000
  • Own and execute Big Think Capital’s SEO and AI search (GEO) strategy
  • Optimize website architecture, on-page SEO, and technical SEO

Senior Copywriter, Viking (Hybrid, Los Angeles Metropolitan Area)

  • Salary: $95,000 – $110,000
  • Editorial features and travel articles for onboard magazines
  • Seasonal web campaigns and themed microsites

Paid Search Marketing Manager, LawnStarter (Remote)

  • Salary: $90,000 – $125,000
  • Manage and optimize large-scale, complex SEM campaigns across Google Ads, Bing Ads, Meta Ads and other search platforms
  • Activate, optimize and make efficient Local Services Ads (LSA) at scale

Senior Manager, SEO, Turo (Hybrid, San Francisco, CA)

  • Salary: $168,000 – $210,000
  • Define and execute the SEO strategy across technical SEO, content SEO, on-page optimization, internal linking, and authority building.
  • Own business and operations KPIs for organic growth and translate them into clear quarterly plans.

Search Engine Op imization Manager, NoGood (Remote)

  • Salary: £80,000 – $100,000
  • Act as the primary strategic lead for a portfolio of enterprise and scale-up clients.
  • Build and execute GEO/AEO strategies that maximize brand visibility across LLMs and AI search surfaces.

Note: We update this post weekly. So make sure to bookmark this page and check back.

Merchant Center flags feeds disruption

20 February 2026 at 20:04
Google Shopping Ads - Google Ads

Google Merchant Center is investigating an issue affecting Feeds, according to its public status dashboard.

The details:

  • Incident began: Feb. 4, 2026 at 14:00 UTC
  • Latest update (Feb. 20, 14:43 UTC): “We’re investigating reports of an issue with Feeds. We will provide more information shortly.”
  • Status: Service disruption

The alert appears on the official Merchant Center Status Dashboard, which tracks availability across Merchant Center services.

Why we care. Feeds power product listings across Shopping ads and free listings. Any disruption can impact product approvals, updates, or visibility in campaigns tied to retail inventory.

What to watch. Google has not yet shared scope, root cause, or estimated time to resolution. Advertisers experiencing feed processing delays or disapprovals may want to monitor the dashboard closely.

Bottom line. When feeds stall, ecommerce performance can follow. Retail advertisers should keep an eye on diagnostics and campaign delivery until more details emerge.

Dig Deeper. Merchant Center Status Dashboard

What’s next for PPC: AI, visual creative and new ad surfaces

20 February 2026 at 20:00

PPC is evolving beyond traditional search. Those who adopt new ad formats, smarter creative strategies, and the right use of AI will gain a competitive edge.

Ginny Marvin, Google’s Ads Product Liaison, and Navah Hopkins, Microsoft’s Product Liaison, joined me for a conversation about what’s next for PPC. Here’s a recap of this special keynote from SMX Next.

Emerging ad formats and channels

When discussing what lies beyond search, both speakers expressed excitement about AI-driven ad formats.

Hopkins highlighted Microsoft’s innovation in AI-first formats, especially showroom ads:

  • “Showroom ads allow users to engage and interact with a showroom where the advertiser provides the content, and Copilot provides the brand security.”

She also pointed to gaming as a major emerging ad channel. As a gamer, she noted that many users “justifiably hate the ads that serve on gaming surfaces,” but suggested more immersive, intelligent formats are coming.

Marvin agreed that the landscape is shifting, driven by conversational AI and visual discovery tools. These changes “are redefining intent” and making conversion journeys “far more dynamic” than the traditional keyword-to-click model.

Both stressed that PPC marketers must prepare for a landscape where traditional search is only one of many ad surfaces.

Importance of visual content

A major theme throughout the discussion was the growing importance of visual content. Hopkins summed up the shift by saying:

  • “Most people are visual learners… visual content belongs in every stage of the funnel.”

She urged performance marketers to rethink the assumption that visuals belong only at the top of the funnel or in remarketing.

Marvin added that leading with brand-forward visuals is becoming essential, as creatives now play “a much more important role in how you tell your stories, how you drive discovery, and how you drive action.” Marketers who understand their brand’s positioning and reflect it consistently in their creative libraries will thrive across emerging channels.

Both noted that AI-driven ad platforms increasingly rely on strong creative libraries to assemble the right message at the right moment.

Myths about AI and creative

The conversation also addressed misconceptions about AI-generated creative.

Hopkins cautioned against overrelying on AI to build entire creative libraries, emphasizing:

  • “AI is not the replacement for our creativity… you should not be delegating full stop your creative to AI.”

Instead, she said marketers should focus on how AI can amplify their work. Campaigns must perform even when only a single asset appears, such as a headline or image. Creatives need to “stand alone” and clearly communicate the brand.

Marvin reinforced the need for a broader range of visual assets than most advertisers maintain. “You probably need more assets than you currently have,” she noted, especially as cross-channel campaigns like Demand Gen depend on testing multiple combinations.

Both positioned AI as an enabler, not a replacement, stressing that human creativity drives differentiation.

Strategic use of assets

Both liaisons emphasized the need for a diverse, adaptable asset library that works across formats and surfaces.

Marvin explained that AI systems now evaluate creative performance individually:

  • “Underperforming assets should be swapped out, and high-performing niche assets can tell you something about your audience.”

Hopkins added that distinct creative assets reduce what she called “AI chaos moments,” when the system struggles because assets overlap too closely. Distinctiveness—visual and textual—helps systems identify which combinations perform best.

Both urged marketers to rethink creative planning, treating assets as both brand-building and performance-driving rather than separating the two.

Partnering with AI for measurement

The conversation concluded with a deep dive into what it means to measure performance in an AI-first world.

Hopkins listed the key strategic inputs AI relies on:

  • “First-party data, creative assets, ad copy, website content, goals and targets, and budget. These are the things AI uses to optimize towards your business outcomes.”

She also highlighted that incrementality — understanding the true added value of ads — is becoming more important than ever.

Marvin acknowledged the challenges marketers face in letting go of old control patterns, especially as measurement shifts from granular data to privacy-protective models. However, she stressed that modern analytics still provide meaningful signals, just in a different form:

  • “It’s not about individual queries anymore… it’s about understanding the themes that matter to your audience.”

Both encouraged marketers to think more strategically and holistically in their analysis rather than getting stuck in granular metrics.

💾

Google and Microsoft liaisons explain why dynamic ad surfaces, distinct assets and smarter AI inputs will define the next era of paid media.

How to vibe-code an SEO tool without losing control of your LLM

20 February 2026 at 19:00
How to vibe-code an SEO tool without losing control of your LLM

We all use LLMs daily. Most of us use them at work. Many of us use them heavily.

People in tech — yes, you — use LLMs at twice the rate of the general population. Many of us spend more than a full day each week using them — yes, me.

LLM usage amount

Even those of us who rely on LLMs regularly get frustrated when they don’t respond the way we want.

Here’s how to communicate with LLMs when you’re vibe coding. The same lessons apply if you find yourself in drawn-out “conversations” with an LLM UI like ChatGPT while trying to get real work done.

Choose your vibe-coding environment

Vibe coding is building software with AI assistants. You describe what you want, the model generates the code, and you decide whether it matches your intent.

That’s the idea. In practice, it’s often messier.

The first thing you’ll need to decide is which code editor to work in. This is where you’ll communicate with the LLM, generate code, view it, and run it.

I’m a big fan of Cursor and highly recommend it. I started on the free Hobby plan, and that’s more than enough for what we’re doing here. 

Fair warning – it took me about two months to move up two tiers and start paying for the Pro+ account. As I mentioned above, I’m firmly in the “over a day a week of LLM use” camp, and I’d welcome the company.

 A few options are:

  • Cursor: This is the one I use, as do most vibe coders. It has an awesome interface and is easily customized.
  • Windsurf: The main alternative to Cursor. It can run its own terminal commands and self-correct without hand-holding.
  • Google Antigravity: Unlike Cursor, it moves away from the file-tree view and focuses on letting you direct a fleet of agents to build and test features autonomously.

In my screenshots, I’ll be using Cursor, but the principles apply to any of them. They even apply when you’re simply communicating with LLMs in depth.

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Why prompting alone isn’t enough

You might wonder why you need a tutorial at all. You tell the LLM what you want, and it builds it, right? That may work for a meta description or a superhero SEO image of yourself, but it won’t cut it for anything moderately complex — let alone a tool or agentic system spanning multiple files.

One key concept to understand is the context window. That’s the amount of content an LLM can hold in memory. It’s typically split across input and output tokens.

GPT-5.2 offers a 400,000-token context window, and Gemini 3 Pro comes in at 1 million. That’s roughly 50,000 lines of code or 1,500 pages of text.

The challenge isn’t just hitting the limit, especially with large codebases. It’s that the more content you stuff into the window, the worse models get at retrieving what’s inside it.

Attention mechanisms tend to favor the beginning and end of the window, not the middle. In general, the less cluttered the window, the better the model can focus on what matters.

If you want a deeper dive into context windows, Matt Pocock has a great YouTube video that explains it clearly. For now, it’s enough to understand placement and the cost of being verbose.

A few other tips:

  • One team, one dream. Break your project into logical stages, as we’ll do below, and clear the LLM’s memory between them.
  • Do your own research. You don’t need to become an expert in every implementation detail, but you should understand the directional options for how your project could be built. You’ll see why shortly.
  • When troubleshooting, trust but verify. Have the model explain what’s happening, review it carefully, and double-check critical details in another browser window.

Dig deeper: How vibe coding is changing search marketing workflows

Tutorial: Let’s vibe-code an AI Overview question extraction system

How do you create content that appears prominently in an AI Overview? Answer the questions the overview answers.

In this tutorial, we’ll build a tool that extracts questions from AI Overviews and stores them for later use. While I hope you find this use case valuable, the real goal is to walk through the stages of properly vibe coding a system. This isn’t a shortcut to winning an AI Overview spot, though it may help.

Step 1: Planning

Before you open Cursor — or your tool of choice — get clear on what you want to accomplish and what resources you’ll need. Think through your approach and what it’ll take to execute.

While I noted not to launch Cursor yet, this is a fine time to use a traditional search engine or a generative AI.

I tend to start with a simple sentence or two in Gemini or ChatGPT describing what I’m trying to accomplish, along with a list of the steps I think the system might need to go through. It’s OK to be wrong here. We’re not building anything yet.

For example, in this case, I might write:

I’m an SEO, and I want to use the current AI Overviews displayed by Google to inspire the content our authors will write. The goal is to extract the implied questions answered in the AI Overview. Steps might include:

1 – Select a query you want to rank for.
2 – Conduct a search and extract the AI Overview.
3 – Use an LLM to extract the implied questions answered in the AI Overview.
4 – Write the questions to a saveable location.

With this in hand, you can head to your LLM of choice. I prefer Gemini for UI chats, but any modern model with solid reasoning capabilities should work.

Start a new chat. Let the system know you’ll be building a project in Cursor and want to brainstorm ideas. Then paste in the planning prompt.

The system will immediately provide feedback, but not all of it will be good or in scope. For example, one response suggested tracking the AI Overview over time and running it in its own UI. That’s beyond what we’re doing here, though it may be worth noting.

It’s also worth noting that models don’t always suggest the simplest path. In one case, it proposed a complex method for extracting AI Overviews that would likely trigger Google’s bot detection. This is where we go back to the list we created above.

Step 1 will be easy. We just need a field to enter keywords.

Step 2 could use some refinement. What’s the most straightforward and reliable way to capture the content in an AI Overview? Let’s ask Gemini.

Reverse-engineering Google AI Overviews

I’m already familiar with these services and frequently use SerpAPI, so I’ll choose that one for this project. The first time I did this, I reviewed options, compared pricing, and asked a few peers. Making the wrong choice early can be costly.

Step 3 also needs a closer look. Which LLMs are best for question extraction?

Which LLMs are best for question extraction

That said, I don’t trust an LLM blindly, and for good reason. In one response, Claude 4.6 Opus, which had recently been released, wasn’t even considered.

After a couple of back-and-forth prompts, I told Gemini:

  • “Now, be critical of your suggestions and the benchmarks you’ve selected.”
  • “The text will be short, so cost isn’t an issue.”

We then came around to:

AI Mode - comparisons

For this project, we’re going with GPT-5.2, since you likely have API access or, at the very least, an OpenAI account, which makes setup easy. Call it a hunch. I won’t add an LLM judge in this tutorial, but in the real world, I strongly recommend it.

Now that we’ve done the back-and-forth, we have more clarity on what we need. Let’s refine the outline:

I’m an SEO, and I want to use the current AI Overviews displayed by Google to inspire the content our authors will write. The idea is to extract the implied questions answered in the AI Overview. Steps might include:

1 – Select a query you want to rank for.
2 – Conduct a search and extract the AI Overview using SerpAPI.
3 – Use GPT-5.2 Thinking to extract the implied questions answered in the AI Overview.
4 – Write the query, AI Overview, and questions to W&B Weave.

Before we move on, make sure you have access to the three services you’ll need for this:

  • SerpAPI: The free plan will work.
  • OpenAI API: You’ll need to pay for this one, but $5 will go a long way for this use case. Think months. 
  • Weights & Biases: The free plan will work. (Disclosure: I’m the head of SEO at Weights & Biases.)

Now let’s move on to Cursor. I’ll assume you have it installed and a project set up. It’s quick, easy, and free. 

The screenshots that follow reflect my preferred layout in Editor Mode.

Cursor - Editor Mode

Step 2: Set the groundwork

If you haven’t used Cursor before, you’re in for a treat. One of its strengths is access to a range of models. You can choose the one that fits your needs or pick the “best” option based on leaderboards.

I tend to gravitate toward Gemini 3 Pro and Claude 4.6 Opus.

Cursor - LLM options

If you don’t have access to all of them, you can select the non-thinking models for this project. We also want to start in Plan mode.

Cursor - Plan mode

Let’s begin with the project prompt we defined above.

Cursor - project prompt

Note: You may be asked whether you want to allow Cursor to run queries on your behalf. You’ll want to allow that.

Cursor - project integrations

Now it’s time to go back and forth to refine the plan that the model developed from our initial prompt. Because this is a fairly straightforward task, you might think we could jump straight into building it, which would be bad for the tutorial and in practice. If you thought that, you’d be wrong. Humans like me don’t always communicate clearly or fully convey our intent. This planning stage is where we clarify that.

When I enter the instructions into the Cursor chat in Planning mode, using Sonnet 4.5, it kicks off a discussion. One of the great things about this stage is that the model often surfaces angles I hadn’t considered at the outset. Below are my replies, where I answer each question with the applicable letter. You can add context after the letter if needed.

An example of the model suggesting angles I hadn’t considered appears in question 4 above. It may be helpful to pass along the context snippets. I opted for B in this case. There are obvious cases for C, but for speed and token efficiency, I retrieve as little as possible. Intent and related considerations are outside the scope of this article and would add complexity, as they’d require a judge.

The system will output a plan. Read it carefully, as you’ll almost certainly catch issues in how it interpreted your instructions. Here’s one example.

Cursor - model selection

I’m told there is no GPT-5.2 Thinking. There is, and it’s noted in the announcement. I have the system double-check a few details I want to confirm, but otherwise, the plan looks good. Claude also noted the format the system will output to the screen, which is a nice touch and something I hadn’t specified. That’s what partners are for.

Cursor - output format

Finally, I always ask the model to think through edge cases where the system might fail. I did, and it returned a list. From that list, I selected the cases I wanted addressed. Others, like what to do if an AI Overview exceeds the context window, are so unlikely that I didn’t bother.

A few final tweaks addressed those items, along with one I added myself: what happens if there is no AI Overview?

Cursor - what happens if there is no AI Overview?

I have to give credit to Tarun Jain, whom I mentioned above, for this next step. I used to copy the outline manually, but he suggested simply asking the model to generate a file with the plan. So let’s direct it to create a markdown file, plan.md, with the following instruction:

Build a plan.md including the reviewed plan and plan of action for the implementation. 

Remember the context window issue I discussed above? If you start building from your current state in Cursor, the initial directives may end up in the middle of the window, where they’re least accessible, since your project brainstorming occupies the beginning.

To get around this, once the file is complete, review it and make sure it accurately reflects what you’ve brainstormed.

Step 3: Building

Now we get to build. Start a new chat by clicking the + in the top right corner. This opens a new context window.

This time, we’ll work in Agent mode, and I’m going with Gemini 3 Pro.

Cursor - Agent mode

Arguably, Claude 4.6 Opus might be a technically better choice, but I find I get more accurate responses from Gemini based on how I communicate. I work with far smarter developers who prefer Claude and GPT. I’m not sure whether I naturally communicate in a way that works better with Gemini or if Google has trained me over the years.

First, tell the system to load the plan. It immediately begins building the system, and as you’ll see, you may need to approve certain steps, so don’t step away just yet.

Cursor - Load the plan

Once it’s done, there are only a couple of steps left, hopefully. Thankfully, it tells you what they are.

First, install the required libraries. These include the packages needed to run SerpAPI, GPT, Weights & Biases, and others. The system has created a requirements.txt file, so you can install everything in one line.

Note: It’s best to create a virtual environment. Think of this as a container for the project, so downloaded dependencies don’t mix with those from other projects. This only matters if you plan to run multiple projects, but it’s simple to set up, so it’s worth doing.

Open a terminal:

Cursor - terminal

Then enter the following lines, one at a time:

  • python3 -m venv .venv
  • source .venv/bin/activate
  • pip install -r requirements.txt

You’re creating the environment, activating it, and installing the dependencies inside it. Keep the second command handy, since you’ll need it any time you reopen Cursor and want to run this project.

You’ll know you’re in the correct environment when you see (.venv) at the beginning of the terminal prompt.

When you run the requirements.txt installation, you’ll see the packages load.

Cursor - packages

Next, rename the .env.example file to .env and fill in the variables.

The system can’t create a .env file, and it won’t be included in GitHub uploads if you go that route, which I did and linked above. It’s a hidden file used to store your API keys and related credentials, meaning information you don’t want publicly exposed. By default, mine looks like this.

API keys and related credentials

I’ll fill in my API keys, sorry, can’t show that screen, and then all that’s left is to run the script.

To do that, enter this in the terminal:

python main.py "your search query"

If you forget the command, you can always ask Cursor.

Oh no … there’s a problem!

I’m building this as we go, so I can show you how to handle hiccups. When I ran it, I hit a critical one.

Cursor - no AI Overview found

It’s not finding an AI Overview, even though the phrase I entered clearly generates one.

Google - what is SEO

Thankfully, I have a wide-open context window, so I can paste:

  • An image showing that the output is clearly wrong.
  • The code output illustrates what the system is finding.
  • A link (or sometimes simply text) with additional information to direct the solution. 

Fortunately, it’s easy to add terminal output to the chat. Select everything from your command through the full error message, then click “Add to Chat.”

Cursor - Add to Chat.

It’s important not to rely solely on LLMs to find the information you need. A quick search took me to the AI Overview documentation from SerpAPI, which I included in my follow-up instructions to the model.

My troubleshooting comment looks like this.

Cursor - troubleshooting comment

Notice I tell Cursor not to make changes until I give the go-ahead. We don’t want to fill up the context window or train the model to assume its job is to make mistakes and try fixes in a loop. We reduce that risk by reviewing the approach before editing files.

Glad I did. I had a hunch it wasn’t retrieving the code blocks properly, so I added one to the chat for additional review. Keep in mind that LLMs and bots may not see everything you see in a browser. If something is important, paste it in as an example.

Now it’s time to try again.

Cursor - troubleshooting executed

Excellent, it’s working as we hoped.

Now we have a list of all the implied questions, along with the result chunks that answer them.

Dig deeper: Inspiring examples of responsible and realistic vibe coding for SEO

Logging and tracing your outputs

It’s a bit messy to rely solely on terminal output, and it isn’t saved once you close the session. That’s what I’m using Weave to address.

Weave is, among other things, a tool for logging prompt inputs and outputs. It gives us a permanent place to review our queries and extracted questions. At the bottom of the terminal output, you’ll find a link to Weave.

There are two traces to watch. The first is what this was all about: the analyze_query trace.

W&B Weave

In the inputs, you can see the query and model used. In the outputs, you’ll find the full AI Overview, along with all the extracted questions and the content each question came from. You can view the full trace here, if you’re interested.

Now, when we’re writing an article and want to make sure we’re answering the questions implied by the AI Overview, we have something concrete to reference.

The second trace logs the prompt sent to GPT-5.2 and the response.

W&B Weave second trace

This is an important part of the ongoing process. Here you can easily review the exact prompt sent to GPT-5.2 without digging through the code. If you start noticing issues in the extracted questions, you can trace the problem back to the prompt and get back to vibing with your new friend, Cursor.

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Structure beats vibes

I’ve been vibe coding for a couple of years, and my approach has evolved. It gets more involved when I’m building multi-agent systems, but the fundamentals above are always in place.

It may feel faster to drop a line or two into Cursor or ChatGPT. Try that a few times, and you’ll see the choice: give up on vibe coding — or learn to do it with structure.

Keep the vibes good, my friends.

AMD Next-Gen Ryzen "Olympic Ridge" Zen 6 Delayed to 2027

20 February 2026 at 18:43
AMD's next-generation Ryzen "Olympic Ridge" desktop processors are rumored to have been delayed to 2027. Company roadmap slides point to a debut of the "Zen 6" microarchitecture in 2026. This could be a signal that AMD is prioritizing "Zen 6" chiplets for EPYC server processors as the enterprise market has a better-secured supply of memory, and enterprise customers are more likely to stick to their procurement roadmaps for CPUs, in stark contrast to the client segment, which has been grappling with acute shortages of DDR5 memory.

With PC memory selling at prices 5-8 times above normal, 2026 may not present an ideal environment for AMD to debut a new Ryzen desktop processor generation, especially given that AMD processors tend to be heavily favored by the DIY retail channel compared to Intel, which retains a hold over the pre-built OEM market. Besides increased IPC and an updated ISA, "Zen 6" is expected to see AMD increase CPU core counts, as well as update the client I/O die. This new cIOD, likely built on 4 nm, is expected to come with updated DDR5 memory controllers that support higher speeds and have a greater degree of parallelism for dual-channel DDR5, likely with each controller addressing two 40-bit sub-channels from different channels, an approach similar to Intel's with "Arrow Lake." If your best feature is, say, DDR5-9000 support with CUDIMM optimization, you rather hold off when a 32 GB >9000 MT/s CUDIMM kit costs upward of $800.

HeyOz – Create high-converting ads and auto-post to TikTok, IG, YouTube


HeyOz helps brands create ads and social content in minutes. Paste a product URL and it pulls images and details, then generates carousels, static ads, UGC videos, product demos, and more from viral-ready templates. Customize voices, avatars, and scenes with a built‑in editor, then schedule and auto‑post to YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram. Use AI ad intelligence to spin up high‑performing variations, manage multiple products with workspaces, and keep everything on-brand with reusable assets.

View startup

Cline CLI 2.3.0 Supply Chain Attack Installed OpenClaw on Developer Systems

In yet another software supply chain attack, the open-source, artificial intelligence (AI)-powered coding assistant Cline CLI was updated to stealthily install OpenClaw, a self-hosted autonomous AI agent that has become exceedingly popular in the past few months. "On February 17, 2026, at 3:26 AM PT, an unauthorized party used a compromised npm publish token to publish an update to Cline CLI

Peak XV raises $1.3B, doubles down on AI as global VC rivalry in India heats up

20 February 2026 at 19:10
Peak XV says most of its new capital will target India as the firm prioritizes AI, fintech and cross-border bets while navigating recent partner departures.

OpenAI says 18- to 24-year-olds account for nearly 50% of ChatGPT usage in India

20 February 2026 at 17:57
The company said on Friday that users between 18 and 24 years of age account for nearly 50% of all messages sent by Indians to ChatGPT, and users under 30 account for 80% of usage in the country.

Apple’s Product Launch Tally For The Coming Weeks Keeps Growing

20 February 2026 at 18:40

A desktop setup with an Apple iMac displaying a vibrant abstract wallpaper.

As if the low-cost MacBook, the M5 Pro and M5 Max MacBooks, and the iPhone 17e were not enough, we've just received an inkling that Apple might launch two new Studio Displays in the coming weeks, and possibly right around the time it holds its March event. Now you can add two new Apple Studio Displays to the Cupertino giant's growing roster of imminent product launches Bloomberg's Mark Gurman expects Apple to launch the much-anticipated low-cost MacBook, along with a host of new MacBook Pro and MacBook Air, as well as the new Apple Studio Displays "over the course of […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/apples-product-launch-tally-for-the-coming-weeks-keeps-growing/

“We’ve Heard the Message Very Clear”: DICE is Focusing on Larger Battlefield 6 Maps, but Don’t Expect Them in Season 2

20 February 2026 at 18:38

A scene from Battlefield 6 depicting soldiers in tactical gear moving through a forested area with a tank in the background.

Season 2 for Battlefield 6 finally arrived earlier this week after an unexpected one-month delay. While we can hopefully trust the Battlefield Studios teams when they say the length between Season 1 and Season 2 was an isolated case, the new content in Season 2 hasn't exactly set the game's community on fire, and players still have several issues with the new content. Outside of complaints about the new VL-7 gas (which a scroll through the r/Battlefield page will show you players are either very positive on or very against), one thing that Battlefield 6 players agree on is that […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/ea-dice-heard-the-message-players-want-larger-maps-battlefield-6/

Emina Demiri talks surviving firing your biggest client

20 February 2026 at 18:14

On episode 352 of PPC Live The Podcast, I spoke to Emina Demiri Watson, Head of Digital at Brighton-based Vixen Digital, where she to shared one of the most candid stories in agency life: deliberately firing a client that accounted for roughly 70% of their revenue — and what they learned the hard way in the process.

The decision to let go

The client relationship had been deteriorating for around three months before the leadership team made their move. The decision wasn’t about the client being difficult from day one — it was a relationship that had slowly soured over time. By the end, the toxic dynamic was affecting the entire team, and leadership decided culture had to come first.

The mistake they didn’t see coming

Here’s where it got painful. When Vixen sat down to run the numbers, they realized they had a serious customer concentration problem — one client holding a disproportionately large share of total revenue. It’s the kind of thing that gets lost when you’re busy and don’t have sophisticated financial systems. A quick Excel formula later, and the reality hit harder than expected.

Warning signs agencies should watch for

Emina outlined the signals that a client relationship is shifting — beyond the obvious drop in campaign performance. External factors inside the client’s business matter too: company restructuring, team changes, even a security breach that prevents leads from converting downstream. The lesson? Don’t just watch your Google Ads dashboard — understand what’s happening on the client’s side of the fence.

How they clawed back

Recovery came down to three things: tracking client concentration properly going forward, returning to their company values as a decision-making compass, and accepting that rebuilding revenue simply takes time. Losing the client freed up the mental bandwidth to pitch new business and re-engage with the industry community — things that had quietly fallen by the wayside.

Common account mistakes still haunting audits in 2026

When asked about errors she sees in audited accounts, Emina didn’t hold back. Broad match without proper audience guardrails remains a persistent problem, as does the absence of negative keyword lists entirely. Over-narrow targeting is another — particularly for clients chasing high-net-worth audiences, where the data pool becomes too thin for Smart Bidding to function.

The right way to think about AI

Emina’s take on AI is pragmatic: the biggest mistake is believing the hype. PPC practitioners are actually better positioned than most to navigate AI skeptically, given they’ve been working with automation and black-box systems for years. Her preferred approach — and the one she quietly enforces with junior team members via a robot emoji — is to treat Claude and other LLMs as a first stop for research, not a replacement for critical thinking.

The takeaway

If you’re sitting on a deteriorating client relationship and nervous about pulling the trigger, Emina’s advice is simple: go back to your values. If commercial survival sits at the top of the list, keep the client. If culture and team wellbeing matter more, it might be time.

AI agents in SEO: A practical workflow walkthrough

20 February 2026 at 18:00
AI agents in SEO: A practical workflow walkthrough

Automation has long been part of the discipline, helping teams structure data, streamline reporting, and reduce repetitive work. Now, AI agent platforms combine workflow orchestration with large language models to execute multi-step tasks across systems.

Among them, n8n stands out for its flexibility and control. Here’s how it works – and where it fits in modern SEO operations.

Understanding how n8n AI agents are deployed

If you think of modern AI agent platforms as an AI-powered Zapier, you’re not far off. The difference is that tools like n8n don’t just pass data between steps. They interpret it, transform it, and determine what happens next.

Getting started with n8n means choosing between cloud-hosted and self-hosted deployment. You can have n8n host your environment, but there are drawbacks:

  • The environment is more sandboxed.
  • You can’t recode the server to interact with n8n workflows in custom ways, such as de-sandboxing the saving of certain file types to a database.
  • You can’t install or use community nodes.
  • Costs tend to be higher.

There are advantages, too:

  • You don’t have to be as hands-on managing the n8n environment or applying patches after core engine updates.
  • Less technical expertise is required, and you don’t need a developer to set it up.
  • Although customization and control are reduced, maintenance is less frequent and less stressful.

There are also multiple license packages available. If you run n8n self-hosted, you can use it for free. However, that can be challenging for larger teams, as version control and change attribution are limited in the free tier.

How n8n workflows run in practice

Regardless of the package you choose, using AI models and LLMs isn’t free. You’ll need to set up API credentials with providers such as Google, OpenAI, and Anthropic.

Once n8n is installed, the interface presents a simple canvas for designing processes, similar to Zapier.

n8n workflow in practice

You can add nodes and pull in data from external sources. Webhook nodes can trigger workflows, whether on a schedule, through a contact form, or via another system.

Executed workflows can then deliver outputs to destinations such as Gmail, Microsoft Teams, or HTTP request nodes, which can trigger other n8n workflows or communicate with external APIs.

In the example above, a simple workflow scrapes RSS feeds from several search news publishers and generates a summary. It doesn’t produce a full news article or blog post, but it significantly reduces the time needed to recap key updates.

Dig deeper: Are we ready for the agentic web?

Building AI agent workflows in n8n

Below, you can see the interior of a webhook trigger node. This node generates a webhook URL. When Microsoft Teams calls that URL through a configured “Outgoing webhook” app, the workflow in n8n is triggered.

Users can request a search news update directly within a specific Teams channel, and n8n handles the rest, including the response.

n8n webhook URL

Once you begin building AI agent nodes, which can communicate with LLMs from OpenAI, Google, Anthropic, and others, the platform’s capabilities become clearer.

 AI agent nodes communicating with LLMs

In the image above, the left side shows the prompt creation view. You can dynamically pass variables from previously executed nodes. On the right, you’ll see the prompt output for the current execution, which is then sent to the selected LLM. 

In this case, data from the scraping node, including content from multiple RSS feeds, is passed into the prompt to generate a summary of recent search news. The prompt is structured using Markdown formatting to make it easier for the LLM to interpret.

Returning to the main AI agent node view, you’ll see that two prompts are supported.

The user prompt defines the role and handles dynamic data mapping by inserting and labeling variables so the AI understands what it’s processing. The system prompt provides more detailed, structured instructions, including output requirements and formatting examples. Both prompts are extensive and formatted in markdown.

On the right side of the interface, you can view sample output. Data moves between n8n nodes as JSON. In this example, the view has been switched to “Schema” mode to make it easier to read and debug. The raw JSON output is available in the “JSON” tab.

This project required two AI agent nodes.

n8n project nodes

The short news summary needed to be converted to HTML so it could be delivered via email and Microsoft Teams, both of which support HTML.

The first node handled summarizing the news. However, when the prompt became large enough to generate the summary and perform the HTML conversion in a single step, performance began to degrade, likely due to LLM memory constraints.

To address this, a second AI agent node converts the parsed JSON summary into HTML for delivery. In practice, a dual AI agent node structure often works well for smaller, focused tasks.

Finally, the news summary is delivered via Teams and Gmail. Let’s look inside the Gmail node:

n8n news summary delivered

The Gmail node constructs the email using the HTML output generated by the second AI agent node. Once executed, the email is sent automatically.

n8n news summary delivered via Gmail

The example shown is based on a news summary generated in November 2025.

Dig deeper: The AI gold rush is over: Why AI’s next era belongs to orchestrators

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n8n SEO automations and other applications

In this article, we’ve outlined a relatively simple project. However, n8n has far broader SEO and digital applications, including:

  • Generating in-depth content and full articles, not just summaries.
  • Creating content snippets such as meta and Open Graph data.
  • Reviewing content and pages from a CRO or UX perspective.
  • Generating code.
  • Building simple one-page SEO scanners.
  • Creating schema validation tools.
  • Producing internal documents such as job descriptions.
  • Reviewing inbound CVs, or resumes, and applications.
  • Integrating with other platforms to support more complex, connected systems.
  • Connecting to platforms with API access that don’t have official or community n8n nodes, using custom HTTP request nodes.

The possibilities are extensive. As one colleague put it, “If I can think it, I can build it.” That may be slightly hyperbolic.

Like any platform, n8n has limitations. Still, n8n and competing tools such as MindStudio and Make are reshaping how some teams approach automation and workflow design.

How long that shift will last is unclear.

Some practitioners are exploring locally hosted tools such as Claude Code, Cursor, and others. Some are building their own AI “brains” that communicate with external LLMs directly from their laptops. Even so, platforms like n8n are likely to retain a place in the market, particularly for those who are moderately technical.

Drawbacks of n8n

There are several limitations to consider:

  • It’s still an immature platform, and core updates can break nodes, servers, or workflows.
  • That instability isn’t unique to n8n. AI remains an emerging space, and many related platforms are still evolving. For now, that means more maintenance and oversight, likely for the next couple of years.
  • Some teams may resist adoption due to concerns about redundancy or ethics.
  • n8n shouldn’t be positioned as a replacement for large portions of someone’s role. The technology is supplementary, and human oversight remains essential.
  • Although multiple LLMs can work together, n8n isn’t well-suited to thorough technical auditing across many data sources or large-scale data analysis.
  • Connected LLMs can run into memory limits or over-apply generic “best practice” guidance. For example, an AI might flag a missing meta description on a URL that turns out to be an image, which doesn’t support metadata.
  • The technology doesn’t yet have the memory or reasoning depth to handle tasks that are both highly subjective and highly complex

It’s often best to start by identifying tasks your team finds repetitive or frustrating and position automation as a way to reduce that friction. Build around simple functions or design more complex systems that rely on constrained data inputs.

SEO’s shift toward automation and orchestration

AI agents and platforms like n8n aren’t a replacement for human expertise. They provide leverage. They reduce repetition, accelerate routine analysis, and give SEOs more time to focus on strategy and decision-making. This follows a familiar pattern in SEO, where automation shifts value rather than eliminating the discipline.

The biggest gains typically come from small, practical workflows rather than sweeping transformations. Simple automations that summarize data, structure outputs, or connect systems can deliver meaningful efficiency without adding unnecessary complexity. With proper human context and oversight, these tools become more reliable and more useful.

Looking ahead, the tools will evolve, but the direction is clear. SEO is increasingly intertwined with automation, engineering, and data orchestration. Learning how to build and collaborate with these systems is likely to become a core competency for SEOs in the years ahead.

Dig deeper: The future of SEO teams is human-led and agent-powered

Google now attributes app conversions to the install date

20 February 2026 at 17:46
Google Ads (Credit: Shutterstock)

Google is updating how it attributes conversions in app campaigns, shifting from the date of the ad click to the date of the actual install.

What’s changing. Previously, conversions were logged against the original ad interaction date. Now, they’re assigned to the day the app was actually installed — bringing Google’s methodology closer in line with how Mobile Measurement Partners (MMPs) like AppsFlyer and Adjust report data.

Why this helps:

  • It should meaningfully reduce discrepancies between Google Ads and MMP dashboards — a persistent headache for mobile marketers reconciling two different numbers.
  • Google’s default 30-day attribution window meant many conversions were being reported too late to be useful for campaign learning, effectively starving Smart Bidding of timely signals.
  • Tying conversions to install date gives the algorithm fresher, more accurate data — which should translate to faster optimization cycles and more stable performance.

Why we care. The change sounds technical, but its impact is significant. Attribution timing directly affects how Google’s machine learning optimizes campaigns — and a 30-day lag between ad click and conversion credit has long been a silent drag on performance. This change means Google’s machine learning will finally receive conversion signals at the right time — tied to when a user actually installed the app, not when they clicked an ad weeks earlier.

That shift should lead to smarter bidding decisions, faster campaign optimization, and fewer frustrating discrepancies between Google Ads and MMP reporting. If you’ve ever wondered why your Google numbers don’t match AppsFlyer or Adjust, this update is a direct response to that problem.

Between the lines. Most advertisers never touch their attribution window settings, leaving Google’s 30-day default in place. That default has quietly been working against them — delaying the conversion signals that machine learning depends on to make better bidding decisions.

The bottom line. A small change in attribution logic could have an outsized impact on app campaign performance. Mobile advertisers should monitor their data closely in the coming weeks for shifts in reported conversions and optimization behavior.

First spotted. This update was first spotted by David Vargas who shared receiving a message of this post on LinkedIn.

PC will be the “lead platform”, for Final Fantasy VII Remake Part 3

20 February 2026 at 17:59

The Final Fantasy VII Remake series is no longer a PlayStation-first series Square Enix has officially made its Final Fantasy VII Remake series multi-platform, moving the series away from its PlayStation-first strategy. Now, all future games in the series will be day-1 multi-platform releases. This means that Part III will be coming to PC, Xbox […]

The post PC will be the “lead platform”, for Final Fantasy VII Remake Part 3 appeared first on OC3D.

Amazon says AWS AI tools were involved in two outages, but calls it "coincidence"

20 February 2026 at 18:06

One disruption occurred in mid-December, when AWS engineers allowed internal AI assistant Kiro to implement system changes without human intervention. According to four people familiar with the matter, the agent determined that the best course of action was to delete and recreate the environment for an AWS system that lets...

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ClickFix Campaign Abuses Compromised Sites to Deploy MIMICRAT Malware

Cybersecurity researchers have disclosed details of a new ClickFix campaign that abuses compromised legitimate sites to deliver a previously undocumented remote access trojan (RAT) called MIMICRAT (aka AstarionRAT). "The campaign demonstrates a high level of operational sophistication: compromised sites spanning multiple industries and geographies serve as delivery infrastructure, a multi-stage

The OpenAI mafia: 18 startups founded by alumni

20 February 2026 at 16:45
Many employees have come and gone since OpenAI first launched a decade ago, and some have launched startups of their own. Among these, some have become top rivals (like Anthropic), while others, just on investor interest alone, have managed to raise billions without even launching a product.

Riot Games Allegedly Tried to Buy Ashes of Creation in 2022-2023; Intrepid CEO Steven Sharif Files Counter-Lawsuit

20 February 2026 at 17:00

A split image showing the 'Riot Games' logo on the left and Steven Sharif, CEO of Intrepid Studios, developer of Ashes of Creation, on the right.

The story behind the MMORPG Ashes of Creation, its development team (Intrepid Studios), its founder and CEO Steven Sharif, and its major investors (Robert Dawson, Jason Caramanis) continues to get messier. As you might remember, Jason Caramanis publicly accused Steven Sharif of fraud, embezzlement, and other illegal acts, and mentioned that Sharif would be the target of several lawsuits, including one already filed by TFE Games Holdings against Steven Sharif and his husband, John Moore, on February 9, 2026, in the Nevada District Court, Clark County. However, a few days ago, Sharif himself filed a counter-lawsuit in the United States […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/ashes-of-creation-riot-games-acquisition-sharif-counter-lawsuit/

AMD Olympic Ridge “Zen 6” Ryzen Desktop CPUs Reportedly Launching In 2027

20 February 2026 at 16:51

AMD Olympic Ridge "Zen 6" Ryzen Desktop CPUs Reportedly Launching In 2027 1

AMD is reportedly going to launch its next-gen Ryzen Desktop CPUs based on the Zen 6 architecture, codenamed Olympic Ridge, in 2027. AMD Eyeing 2027 For Its Next-Gen Ryzen Launch? Olympic Ridge With Zen 6 For Desktop Ready But Might Come After Intel's Nova Lake Yesterday, we reported that AMD's next-gen Ryzen Desktop CPUs based on the Zen 6 core architecture will include several core configurations, starting at 6 cores and all the way up to 24 cores. While we wait for more information from AMD itself, it looks like we will have to wait a bit for the official […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/amd-olympic-ridge-zen-6-ryzen-desktop-cpus-launching-2027/

‘One Failed Us. One Rejected Us’: Next God of War Egyptian Setting Is Heavily Hinted At By New Datamined Discoveries

20 February 2026 at 15:45

A character from God of War stands in front of a torch with a lightning strike in the background.

With God of War Ragnarok bringing the Norse saga to an end for Kratos and Atreus, the next entry in the series by Santa Monica Studio is set to feature a completely different setting and ancient gods for the two to wrestle with. Rumors of a possible ancient Egypt setting have been circulating for some time now, and they may not be too far off the mark, as newly discovered information hidden inside God of War Ragnarok’s files heavily hints at such a setting. Over on the God of War Ragnarok subreddit, user TheMorse_ reported having found a couple a hidden cutscene inside the game's file, which could be the […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/next-god-of-war-egyptian-setting-datamined/

Corsair's new "Vault" series FRAME 4000D cases have color-shifting paintjobs — Priced at $140, these limited-edition towers also feature upgraded front panel I/O

The FRAME 4000D from Corsair was already a great case and if you couldn't justify the $400 LCD version, the company has another looker on the market now. Dubbed the "Vault" series, these new limited-edition FRAME 4000D towers feature two color-shifting paintjobs, revised front I/O and corner to corner tempered glass side panel.

How to use GA4 and Looker Studio for smarter PPC reporting

20 February 2026 at 17:00
How to use GA4 and Looker Studio for smarter PPC reporting in 2026

Data isn’t just a report card. It’s your performance marketing roadmap. Following that roadmap means moving beyond Google Analytics 4’s default tools.

If you rely only on built-in GA4 reports, you’re stuck juggling interfaces and struggling to tell a clear story to stakeholders.

This is where Looker Studio becomes invaluable. It allows you to transform raw GA4 and advertising data into interactive dashboards that deliver decision-grade insights and drive real campaign improvements.

Here’s how GA4 and Looker Studio work together for PPC reporting. We’ll compare their roles, highlight recent updates, and walk through specific use cases, from budget pacing visualizations to waste-reduction audits.

GA4 vs. Looker Studio: How they differ for PPC reporting

GA 4 is your source of truth for website and app interactions. It tracks user behavior, clicks, page views, and conversions with a flexible, event-based model. It even integrates with Google Ads to pull key ad metrics into its Advertising workspace. However, GA4 is primarily designed for data collection and analysis, not polished, client-facing reporting.

Looker Studio, on the other hand, serves as your one-stop shop for reporting. It connects to more than 800 data sources, allowing you to build interactive dashboards that bring everything together.

Here’s how they compare functionally in 2026.

Data sources

GA4 focuses on on-site analytics. In late 2025, Google finally rolled out native integration for Meta and TikTok, allowing automatic import of cost, clicks, and impressions without third-party tools. 

However, the feature is still rigid. It requires strict UTM matching and lacks the ability to clean campaign names or import platform-specific conversion values, such as Facebook Leads vs. GA4 Conversions. 

Looker Studio excels here, allowing you to blend these data sources more flexibly or connect to platforms GA4 still doesn’t support natively, such as LinkedIn or Microsoft Ads.

Metrics and calculations

GA4’s reporting UI has improved significantly, now allowing up to 50 custom metrics per standard property, up from the previous limit of five. However, these are often static. 

Looker Studio allows calculated fields, meaning you can perform calculations on your data in real time, such as calculating profit by subtracting cost from revenue, without altering the source data.

Data blending

Looker Studio lets you blend multiple data sources, essentially joining tables, to create richer insights. While enterprise users on Looker Studio Pro can now use LookML models for robust data governance, the standard free version still offers flexible data blending capabilities to match ad spend with downstream conversions.

Sharing and collaboration

Sharing insights in GA4 often means granting property access or exporting static files. Looker Studio reports are live web links that update automatically. You can also schedule automatic email delivery of PDF reports for free.

Enterprise features in Looker Studio Pro add options for delivery to Google Chat or Slack, but standard email scheduling is available to everyone.

Dig deeper: How to use GA4 predictive metrics for smarter PPC targeting

Why you need Looker Studio

Here’s where Looker Studio moves from helpful to essential for PPC teams.

1. Unified, cross-channel view of PPC performance

You don’t rely on just one ad platform. A Looker Studio dashboard becomes your single source of truth, pulling in intent-based Google Ads data and blending it with awareness-based Meta and Instagram Ads for a holistic view.

Instead of just comparing clicks, use Looker Studio to normalize your data. For instance, you might discover that X Ads drove 17.9% of users, while Microsoft Ads drove 16.1%, allowing you to allocate budget based on actual blended performance.

2. Visualizing creative performance

In industries like real estate, the image sells the click. A spreadsheet saying “Ad_Group_B performed well” means nothing to a client.

Use the IMAGE function in Looker Studio. If you use a connector that pulls the Ad Image URL, you can display the actual photo of that luxury condo or HVAC promotion directly in the report table alongside the CTR. This lets clients see exactly which creative is driving results, without translation.

3. Deeper insight into post-click behavior

Reporting shouldn’t stop at the click. By bringing GA4 data into your Looker Studio report, you connect the ad to the subsequent action.

You might discover that a Cheap Furnace Repair campaign has a high CTR but a 100% bounce rate. Looker Studio lets you visualize engaged sessions per click alongside ad spend, proving lead quality matters more than volume.

4. Custom metrics for business goals

Every business has unique KPIs. A real estate company might track tour-to-close ratio, while an HVAC company focuses on seasonal efficiency. 

Looker Studio lets you build these formulas once and have them update automatically. You can even bridge data gaps to calculate return on ad spend (ROAS) by creating a formula that divides your CRM revenue by your Google Ads cost.

5. Storytelling and narrative

Raw data needs context. Looker Studio allows you to add text boxes, dynamic date ranges, and annotations that turn numbers into narratives.

Use annotations to explain spikes or drops. Highlight the so what behind the metrics. If cost per lead spiked in July, add a text note directly on the chart, “Seasonal demand surge + competitor aggression.” This preempts client questions and transforms a static report into a strategic tool.

Dig deeper: How to leverage Google Analytics 4 and Google Ads for better audience targeting

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Use cases: PPC dashboards that drive real insights

These dashboards go beyond surface metrics and surface insights you can act on immediately.

The budget pacing dashboard

Anxious about overspending? Standard reports show what you’ve spent, but not how it relates to your monthly cap.

Use bullet charts in Looker Studio. Set your target to the linear spend for the current day of the month. For example, if you’re 50% through the month, the target line is 50% of the budget.

This visual instantly shows stakeholders whether you’re overpacing and need to pull back, or underpacing and need to push harder, ensuring the month ends on budget.

The zero-click audit report

High spend with zero conversions is the silent budget killer in service industries.

Create a dedicated table filtered for waste. Set it to show only keywords where conversions = 0 and cost > $50, or whatever threshold makes sense for you, sorted by cost in descending order.

This creates an immediate hit list of keywords to pause. Showing this to a client proves you’re actively managing their budget and cutting waste, or you can use it internally.

Geographic performance maps

For local services, location is everything. GA4 provides location reports, but Looker Studio visualizes them in ways that matter.

Build a geo performance page that shades regions by cost per lead rather than traffic volume.

You might find that while City A drives the most traffic, City B generates leads at half the cost. This allows you to adjust bid modifiers by ZIP code or city to maximize ROI.

Dig deeper: 5 things your Google Looker Studio PPC Dashboard must have

Getting the most out of GA4 and Looker Studio in 2026

To ensure success with this combination, keep these final tips in mind.

Watch your API quotas

One of today’s biggest technical challenges is GA4 API quotas. If your dashboard has too many widgets or gets viewed by too many people at once, charts may break or fail to load.

If you have heavy reporting needs, consider extracting your GA4 data to Google BigQuery first, then connecting Looker Studio to BigQuery. This bypasses API limits and significantly speeds up your reports.

Enable optional metrics

Different clients have different needs. In your charts, enable the “optional metrics” feature. This adds a toggle that lets viewers swap metrics, for example, changing a chart from clicks to impressions, without editing the report each time.

Validate and iterate

When you first build a report, spot-check the numbers against the native GA4 interface. Make sure your attribution settings are correct.

Once you’ve established trust in the data, treat the dashboard as a living product, and keep iterating on the design based on what your stakeholders actually use and need.

From reactive reporting to proactive PPC strategy

Master Looker Studio to unlock GA4’s full potential for PPC reporting. GA4 gives you granular behavioral metrics; Looker Studio is where you combine, refine, and present them.

Move beyond basic metrics and use advanced visualizations — budget pacing, bullet charts, and ad creative tables — to deliver the transparency that builds real trust.

The result? You’ll shift from reactive reporting to proactive strategy, ensuring you’re always one step ahead in the data-driven landscape of 2026.

Dig deeper: Why click-based attribution shouldn’t anchor executive dashboards

Google Ads shows how landing page images power PMax ads

20 February 2026 at 16:36
In Google Ads automation, everything is a signal in 2026

Google Ads is now displaying examples of how “Landing Page Images” can be used inside Performance Max (PMax) campaigns — offering clearer visibility into how website visuals may automatically become ad creatives.

How it works. If advertisers opt in, Google can pull images directly from a brand’s landing pages and dynamically turn them into ads. Now when creating your campaigns, before setting it live, Google Ads will show you the automated creatives it plans on setting live.

Why we care. For PMax campaigns your site is part of your asset library. Any banner, hero image, or product visual could surface across Search, Display, YouTube, or Discover placements — whether you designed it for ads or not. Google Ads is now showing clearer examples of how Landing Page Images may be used inside those PMax campaigns — giving much-needed visibility into what automated creatives could look like.

Instead of guessing how Google might transform site visuals into ads, brands can better anticipate, audit, and control what’s eligible to serve. That visibility makes it easier to refine landing pages proactively and avoid unwanted surprises in live campaigns.

Between the lines: Automation is expanding — but so is creative risk. Therefore this is a very useful update that keeps advertisers aware of what will be set live before the hit the go live button.

Bottom line: In PMax, your website is no longer just a landing page. It’s part of the ad engine.

First seen. This update was spotted by Digital Marketer Thomas Eccel who showed an example on LinkedIn.

This press release strategy actually earns media coverage

20 February 2026 at 16:00
Press release evolution

I stopped using press releases several years ago. I thought they had lost most of their impact.

Then a conversation with a good friend and mentor changed my perspective.

She explained that the days of expecting organic features from simply publishing a press release were long gone. But she was still getting strong results by directly pitching relevant journalists once the release went live, using its key points and a link as added leverage.

I reluctantly tried her approach, and the results were phenomenal, earning my client multiple organic features.

My first thought was, “If it worked this well with a small tweak, I can make it even more effective with a comprehensive strategy.”

The strategy I’m about to share is the result of a year of experiments and refinements to maximize the impact of my press releases.

Yes, it requires more research, planning, and execution. But the results are exponentially greater, and well worth the extra effort.

Research phase

You already know what your client wants the world to know — that’s your starting point.

From there:

  • Map out tangential topics, such as its economic impact, related technology, legislation, and key industry players.
  • Find media coverage from the past three months on those topics in outlets where you want your client featured.
    • Your list should include a link to each piece, its key points, and the journalist’s contact information. Also include links to any related social media posts they’ve published.
  • Sort the list by relevance to your client’s message.

Planning phase

As you write your client’s press release, look for opportunities to cite articles from the list you compiled, including links to the pieces you reference.

Make sure each citation is highly relevant and adds data, clarity, or context to your message. Aim for three to five citations. More won’t add value and will dilute your client’s message.

At the same time, draft tailored pitches to the journalists whose articles you’re citing, aligned with their beat and prior coverage.

Mention their previous work subtly — one short quote they’ll recognize is enough. Include links to a few current social media threads that show active public interest in the topic. Close with a link to your press release (once it’s live) and a clear call to action.

The goal isn’t to win favor by citing them. It’s to show the connection between your client’s message and their previous coverage. Because they’ve already covered the topic, it’s an easy transition to approach it from a new angle — making a media feature far more likely.

Execution phase 

Start by engaging with the journalists on your list through social media for a few days. Comment on their recent posts, especially those covering topics from your list. This builds name recognition and begins the relationship.

Then publish your press release. As soon as it goes live, send the pitches you wrote earlier to the three to five journalists you cited. Include the live link to your press release. (I prefer linking to the most authoritative syndication rather than the wire service version.)

After that, pitch other relevant journalists.

As with the first group, tailor each pitch to the journalist. Reference relevant points from their previous articles that support your client’s message. The difference is that because you didn’t cite these journalists in your press release, the impact may be lower than with the first group.

Track all organic features you secure. You may earn some simply from publishing the press release, though that’s less common now. You’re more likely to earn them through direct pitches, and each one creates new opportunities.

Review each new feature for references to other articles, especially from the list you compiled earlier. Then pitch the journalist who wrote the original article, citing the new piece that references or reinforces their work.

The psychology behind why this works

This strategy leverages two powerful psychological principles:

  • We all have an ego, so when a journalist sees their work cited, it validates their perspective.
  • We look for ways to make life easier, and expanding on a topic they’ve already covered is far easier than starting from scratch.

Follow this framework for your next press release, and you’ll earn more media coverage, keep your clients happier, and create more impact with less effort — while looking like a rockstar.

Regimen – Track peptides, GLP-1s, and compounds with reminders


Regimen is an all-in-one tracker for peptides, GLP-1s, TRT, and performance compounds. It includes peptide reconstitution and mL dose calculators to prevent dosing errors, plus flexible schedules and smart reminders so you never miss a dose or cycle. Log every injection, track your weight and key metrics, and compare progress with side-by-side photos. Manage both simple and complex protocols while browsing a complete compound library.

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Identity Cyber Scores: The New Metric Shaping Cyber Insurance in 2026

With one in three cyber-attacks now involving compromised employee accounts, insurers and regulators are placing far greater emphasis on identity posture when assessing cyber risk.  For many organizations, however, these assessments remain largely opaque. Elements such as password hygiene, privileged access management, and the extent of multi-factor authentication (MFA) coverage are

Ukrainian National Sentenced to 5 Years in North Korea IT Worker Fraud Case

A 29-year-old Ukrainian national has been sentenced to five years in prison in the U.S. for his role in facilitating North Korea's fraudulent information technology (IT) worker scheme. In November 2025, Oleksandr "Alexander" Didenko pleaded guilty to wire fraud conspiracy and aggravated identity theft for stealing the identities of U.S. citizens and selling them to IT workers to help them land

Wisconsin scraps VPN ban from age verification bill following backlash

Lawmakers hear the concerns of VPN users across the country, removing VPN blocking requirements from the age verification bill. Yet, experts warn that the proposed law still comes with some major issues.

Thermal Grizzly Starts Selling Delidded AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D At $876

20 February 2026 at 15:26

A Thermal Grizzly package labeled 'TG Delidded CPU' accompanies a Ryzen 9850X3D processor on a red background.

All three delidded Ryzen 9000X3D processors are now available on the official Thermal Grizzly website, including the recently launched 9850X3D. Thermal Grizzly Introduces AMD TG Delidded Ryzen 7 9850X3D CPU for $876.33 With Two Years of Warranty Thermal Grizzly was quick in introducing the delidded AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D processor, which was launched roughly three weeks ago. Ryzen 7 9850X3D is right now the fastest gaming processor, succeeding the 9800X3D with most of its specs identical except for the boost clock. If you remember, Thermal Grizzly started selling the delidded Ryzen 7 9800X3D CPUs in Q1 2025, just a few […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/thermal-grizzly-starts-selling-delidded-amd-ryzen-7-9850x3d-at-876/

Google Tensor Chip IP Theft Might Land Three People In Prison For A 20-Year Stint As The Iranian Angle Gains Prominence

20 February 2026 at 14:20

A close-up of a Google chip with a prominent G logo centered on the processor.

Corporate espionage is a tricky affair at the best of times. And, when your target vector involves a behemoth like Google and its prized Tensor chip, the stakes become nosebleed-high, as three Silicon Valley engineers are now finding out to their detriment. Two sisters and one of their husbands now stand accused of stealing trade secrets related to Google's Tensor chip As per a press release issued by the United States Attorney's Office, Northern District of California, three Silicon Valley engineers - Samaneh Ghandali, Mohammadjavad Khosravi, and Soroor Ghandali - have now been indicted "on charges of conspiring to commit […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/google-tensor-chip-ip-theft-might-land-three-people-in-prison-for-a-20-year-stint-as-the-iranian-angle-gains-prominence/

XCOM’s Jake Solomon Closes Midsummer Studios, Which Was Working on a Narrative-Driven Life Sim

20 February 2026 at 14:15

A split image shows Jake Solomon from Midsummer Studios on the left and characters from the game in development at Midsummer Studios on the right.

Veteran game designer Jake Solomon, known mostly for XCOM: Enemy Unknown, XCOM 2, and Marvel's Midnight Suns, announced the closure of Midsummer Studios. Solomon had founded the development team after leaving Firaxis. In 2024, I interviewed him to learn more about his next game, a narrative-driven life simulation for which he had already raised $6 million in seed funding. Rather than going for a traditional sandbox-like approach in the vein of the king of the genre, The Sims from Maxis, the game was conceived around player-driven storytelling. It was a systems-based approach where conflict, relationships, and consequences would combine to […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/xcom-jake-solomon-closes-midsummer-studios-life-sim/

30 years later, the iconic 'Bliss' green hill from Windows XP is still thriving — lucky passerby captures the hill looking almost identical to the 1996 photograph in 'super rare' event

A Redditor travelling through Napa Valley on 18th February 2026 was lucky enough to see the iconic "Bliss" hill in a form close to the original wallpaper. This terrain is usually covered in vineyards, so it doesn't look as picturesque, but during rare times of the year, you can catch glimpses of its unaltered beauty.

Pokémon Fire Red and Leaf Green are coming to Switch

20 February 2026 at 14:13

Nintendo will celebrate Pokémon Day 2026 with new Switch versions of Fire Red and Leaf Green On February 27th (Pokémon Day 2026), Nintendo will celebrate 30 years of Pokémon by bringing Pokémon Fire Red and Leaf Green to their Switch and Switch 2 consoles. These games are the definitive versions of Pokémon’s original Kanto adventure, […]

The post Pokémon Fire Red and Leaf Green are coming to Switch appeared first on OC3D.

(PR) Sci-fi Action-adventure Aphelion gets First Gameplay Trailer

20 February 2026 at 13:52
French developer and publisher Don't Nod has presented a new trailer for Aphelion, its upcoming third-person action-adventure game soon to be launched in Spring 2026, at the Convergence Showcase. This gameplay deep dive shows more of what awaits Ariane and Thomas on Persephone: anomalies, dangers surfacing during the planet's exploration, an unknown facility full of questions (and blood), and more tense encounters with the Nemesis.

Aphelion is a sci-fi action-adventure on the edge of the solar system. In the shoes of ESA astronauts Ariane and Thomas, players will explore and survey the uncharted planet Persephone, and solve the mystery of the crash, all while trying to survive in the terrifying presence of a hostile and unknown lifeform.

AMD Zen 6 desktop CPUs may deliver 24 cores, 7 GHz targets, and AM5 support

20 February 2026 at 14:24

According to well-known leaker HXL, Zen 6 will span four single-CCD processor variants alongside three higher-end dual-CCD designs. While the exact Ryzen branding for each chip hasn't been disclosed, the rumored Ryzen 10000 series lineup appears to back earlier whispers that AMD's next flagship desktop CPU will push core counts...

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Free Card Sort – Run card sorts and surveys with fast AI analysis


Free Card Sort helps you design and validate information architecture with card sorting, tree testing, and surveys in one place. Create studies in minutes, recruit participants via share links or Prolific, and watch results roll in quickly. It provides AI-generated test responses, automatic clustering with similarity matrices and dendrograms, visual analytics, and CSV export. Gamified participant experiences boost engagement and data quality, while templates and bulk import speed up setup so you can move from idea to insights fast.

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'Iranians are resilient; they always find ways to speak:' How Iranians are overcoming unprecedented internet censorship

After the January 8 blackout, Iran's internet has not gotten back to normal yet — probably it never will. Yet, "Iranians are resilient; they always find ways to speak," even when the regime cracks down on VPNs.

Nioh 3 Sells 1M Copies, Is the Fastest-Selling Game in the Series; Franchise Reaches 10M Units Sold

20 February 2026 at 13:30

Promotional image for 'Nioh 3' showcasing various fantasy creatures, with text stating '1 Million Copies Sold' and 'Nioh

This morning, KOEI TECMO and TEAM NINJA announced that Nioh 3 has already become a million-seller and is, to date, the fastest-selling game in the action RPG series. We previously had a glimpse of the game's early success in its concurrent player peak on Steam, which far surpassed its predecessors'. Another side is the very strong critical reception, which is being celebrated with a dedicated accolades trailer that prominently features our own review score (9.8/10). Earlier this month, Francesco De Meo explained in great detail why he felt Nioh 3 is the Japanese developer's best work yet: Nioh 3 is […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/nioh-3-sells-1m-copies-fastest-selling-game-series/

Guest2Host – Turn an Airbnb listing into a commission-free site


Guest2Host lets short-term rental hosts turn an Airbnb listing into a branded direct-booking website in seconds. Paste your listing URL and it imports photos, reviews, and details, then launches a Stripe-ready checkout with your own pricing and rules.

It auto-syncs calendars with Airbnb to prevent double bookings, gives you full control over cancellations and refunds, and requires no lock-in contracts. You can customize themes, amenities, and content, keep payouts in your Stripe account, and retain more of each booking. There are no hidden fees and no commission.

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Corippl – Grow your audience with AI-powered content sharing


Corippl automates reciprocal content promotion between creators using AI. The give-to-receive model ensures fairness: AI shares others' content on your behalf and distributes yours to matched creators based on niche, audience overlap, and engagement.

There are three tiers: Free (manual matching with limits), Premium ($15/month, unlimited uploads and partnership management), and AI Enhanced ($20/month, full autopilot—automatically shares content, predicts performance, provides optimization suggestions, prioritizes high-engagement matches). It's ideal for newsletter writers, bloggers, podcasters, and video creators seeking growth without ad spending.

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FBI Reports 1,900 ATM Jackpotting Incidents Since 2020, $20M Lost in 2025

The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has warned of an increase in ATM jackpotting incidents across the country, leading to losses of more than $20 million in 2025. The agency said 1,900 ATM jackpotting incidents have been reported since 2020, out of which 700 took place last year. In December 2025, the U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) said about $40.73 million has been collectively

Wildlight Reveals First Highguard Content Update Since Layoffs

20 February 2026 at 11:06
Wildlight Entertainment, the studio behind ailing free-to-play raid shooter, Highguard, has had a rough time since the game's launch and middling reception, with mass layoffs casting doubt on the game's future, despite the studio's assurances that there is content planned for the future. In a recent post to X, Wildlight announced that it will soon be releasing the first content update for the game since the aforementioned layoffs. The update, which is slated to launch the same week as the announcement, will almost certainly include bug fixes and changes to the game, but Wildlight has highlighted two important new pieces of content coming to the game.

The first bit of content is a new base, Cloudreach, which is an airship base with an airship docked high above the ground and the Anchor Stone target inside the airship itself. Players will face off in and around the airship, where gameplay will range from long-ranged sniper engagements to close-quarters combat in tight corridors. The update also introduces the Lockpick, a new Raid tool that fires darts at doors and windows to open them, temporarily disable them, and give control to your team. The Lockpick will use a new ammo type, Darts, and the tool itself can be equipped in the start loadout menu or found in red chests.

Former Google Engineers Indicted Over Trade Secret Transfers to Iran

Two former Google engineers and one of their husbands have been indicted in the U.S. for allegedly committing trade secret theft from the search giant and other tech firms and transferring the information to unauthorized locations, including Iran. Samaneh Ghandali, 41, and her husband Mohammadjavad Khosravi (aka Mohammad Khosravi), 40, along with her sister Soroor Ghandali, 32, have been accused

MSI Teases "Frieren Beyond Journey's End" Special Edition GPU Incoming

20 February 2026 at 09:48
Hot on the heels of the MSI NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Lightning Z launch, it seems as though the hardware maker is planning yet another special edition GPU launch. MSI recently teased in a Bilibili post on its official GPU account that it is planning a limited edition launch in collaboration with popular fantasy anime, Frieren: Beyond Journey's End. It may also be the case that the GPU is part of a special edition bundle, although there's no evidence to back this up. Given that it is a limited edition, it seems reasonable that the GPU will be an RTX 5090 or 5080.

Not much else is known about the upcoming launch, although speculation suggests that the new GPU will be based on one of the brand's designs with a white shroud and a Frieren-inspired theme, purely because white is a consistent color for the character in the anime. It's also almost guaranteed to be an NVIDIA GPU, since MSI only makes GeForce GPUs. This is hardly the first GPU design or collaboration to lean into non-gaming properties, with the recent ASUS x Hatsune Miku Astral GPU and hardware series being a notable example of one such collaboration. Frieren has also been featured in a Starforge prebuilt PC design, which was also an almost entirely white build.

PMM Teases Logitech G Pro X2 Superstrike Custom Mouse Mod With Near 50% Weight Reduction

20 February 2026 at 09:17
PMM is a mouse mod maker that provides commercially available custom ultra-light shells for popular gaming mice, like the Razer Viper V3 Pro and the Endgame Gear OP1 8K, often shaving off upwards of 15 g from the stock weight. The latest mouse on the PMM mod radar is the Logitech G Pro X2 Superstrike, which weighs in at a hearty 60 g in stock form. The custom shell designer revealed in a post on X that an ultra-light G Pro X2 Superstrike shell is in development, asking for community feedback on a target weight and design in the process.

Throughout the thread, there are implications that the mouse modder may be able to get the mouse weight as low as 35 g, with PMM going so far as to comment that 39 g may even be possible with a solid shell with no weight-reduction holes. Replies to comments also indicate that a final weight as low as 29 g—over 50% reduction from stock—may be possible, if somewhat challenging, while 33 g would be "ambitious" while also retaining the battery. PMM also suggests that a mod kit with a different battery position could solve the forward weight bias that some users have complained about. It will likely be a while before PMM actually launches a mod kit for the Superstrike, since the design process involves 3D scanning an existing mouse and then optimizing the design from there.

Aditya Labs – Build AI customer service agents for small businesses


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Slay the Spire 2 Switches Up Predecessor's Formula With 4-Player Co-Op, Gets March 5 Steam Launch

20 February 2026 at 08:01
Slay the Spire is a beloved single-player indie roguelike deck-builder that debuted on Steam in 2019 and has somehow maintained an active community of over 24,000 concurrent daily players, even seven years after its initial launch. The game's sequel, Slay the Spire 2 has been hotly anticipated, and, according to an update to the game's Steam Store page, the developer will be adding four-player co-op to the game. The updated Steam Store page also revealed that the game now has a launch date of March 5, 2026 and a new Early Access trailer.

The original game's format and unique hand-crafted world will make a return in the sequel, but the world has evolved for the second installment, offering new monsters, characters, abilities, and secrets to discover. The four-player co-op mode is likely the biggest change to come to the game, though, and according to the description of the multiplayer features, there will be team-specific cards and team synergies to explore and test out. Of course, the classic single-player mode will also be an option for players who prefer to go alone or simply need to play at their own pace. The total roster of playable characters will also grow to five, offering players some added flexibility in how to approach the gameplay. Slay the Spire 2 will be launching in Steam Early Access initially, so expect the game to change as community feedback is submitted.

AMD GPU Prices Rebound Slightly As Demand Drops

20 February 2026 at 07:16
It's no secret that GPU prices have skyrocketed lately as a result of increased AI data center demand. This has been especially true for any GPU featuring more than 8 GB of VRAM, like AMD's Radeon RX 9060 and 9070 series. However, while AMD GPUs were previously seen as a viable alternative when NVIDIA GPUs were unaffordable or unavailable, that increased demand resulted in price spikes of up to 40% by December 2025. This is based on Japanese data collected by Gaz:Log, who also found that, since that massive price hike, reduced demand has forced retailers to drop prices for both the RX 9070 XT and RX 9060 XT 16 GB GPUs by as much as 15% and 20% respectively.

Obviously, this is just one market, and it can't be guaranteed that events will play out similarly in other regions, but it is an indication that hardware pricing may be reaching a tipping point, after which we may see prices stabilize or fall slightly in response to reduced demand. It's also worth noting that AMD and NVIDIA have both been rumored to be planning to effectively increase MSRP in early 2026, which would result in price increases of at least 10% across the board. This is on top of a late 2025 price increase of $20-40 on both 8 and 16 GB GPUs.

Kachilu – Automate hiring, sales, and back-office tasks with AI


Kachilu is a cloud-integrated business platform that uses AI to automate core operations across recruiting, sales, and back office. It offers modules like Kachilu Scout for AI-driven candidate sourcing and outreach, Sales for automated lead selection and DM/form sending, Stock Option for issuing equity with compliant documents, Sign for e-signatures, Scheduler for meeting coordination, Invoice for billing, and Shift for workforce scheduling. Use one account to move between services, start quickly at low cost, and scale processes with automation.

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Sony Closes Bluepoint Games Following Cancelled Multiplayer God of War Game

20 February 2026 at 03:40
In late 2025, screenshots surfaced of a cancelled multiplayer, live-service God of War game that had been in development at Bluepoint Games, the studio responsible for a number of high-profile remakes, like Demon Souls and Shadow of the Colossus. It seems as though that game's cancellation may have been a sign of the times for the Sony-owned studio, as the gaming giant recently confirmed that it has closed Bluepoint Games. According to Bloomberg, this studio's closure will affect 70 employees, who will be laid off at the time of the studio's closure in March 2026. This news comes amid a slew of closures and layoffs, including 40 workers at Ubisoft Toronto losing their jobs to cost-cutting measures and NetEase closing an entire studio before it had even released or announced a game. Game Developer reports that Sony confirmed the studio's closure and issued a statement explaining that the decision to close the studio was made following a business review.
"Bluepoint Games is an incredibly talented team and their technical expertise has delivered exceptional experiences for the PlayStation community. We thank them for their passion, creativity and craftsmanship." -Sony via Game Developer.

GPT for Work – AI for Sheets and Excel to streamline your tasks


GPT for Work brings AI to Google Sheets and Microsoft Excel for bulk tasks. It helps you write formulas, clean and analyze data, run web and image searches at scale, and generate or translate content across thousands of rows. You can choose your AI provider, monitor progress in real time, and process up to 1,000 cells per minute with enterprise-grade security and admin controls.

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Neoshift BI – Talk to your data and build dashboards in minutes


Neoshift BI is an AI-powered analytics platform designed to eliminate the friction between raw data and decision-making. Instead of wrestling with complex SQL or static spreadsheets, Neoshift allows you to query millions of rows using natural language, instantly generating interactive dashboards and deep-dive insights. Whether you’re connecting databases, APIs, or spreadsheets, Neoshift centralizes your stack into a secure, high-performance cloud warehouse. It’s built for teams that need to move fast, allowing sales, marketing, and finance departments to collaborate on real-time metrics without waiting on a data analyst.

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Our all-time favorite Xbox gaming headset with "immaculate sound and a cavernous soundscape" is on a 25% discount — and it's got a monstrous battery

20 February 2026 at 02:05
The Turtle Beach Stealth 700 (Gen 3), a fantastic gaming headset for Xbox that we gave a perfect 5-Star rating to, has received a sizeable 25% price cut to give players a chance to enhance their auditory gaming experiences for less.

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Melts 12V-2×6 Connector Despite -100 W Power Limit

20 February 2026 at 03:25
The melting and burning 12V-2×6 connectors on high-end NVIDIA—and some AMD—GPUs is well documented at this point, and although there is mounting evidence to support the fact that the new connector standard itself is partially to blame, there is still the idea that high power draw is to blame for these meltdowns. This is not necessarily the case, according to one user of the Mobile01 forum. According to the forum post about the incident, the top row of pins in a Gigabyte Aorus Master Ice RTX 5090's GPU power connector has melted down, despite the user having implemented a steep undervolt and power limit.

When installed, the user had limited GPU power to 500 W and dropped the voltage limit down to 0.9 v—that's a reduction of 100 W and 0.205 v compared to stock settings. It's worth noting that the GPU in question was connected to the PSU using a 16-pin adaptor, and the connector melted at the GPU side, not the PSU side, and the first indication of the meltdown was frequent crashing during gaming sessions. Both connector ends at the GPU side seem to be affected, but it's entirely possible that the GPU would have suffered even more damage had the power limit been higher. Currently, independent research seems to indicate that the 12V-2×6 cable itself seems to suffer from an unstable or inadequate connection, which increases the current and temperature across individual pins. Unofficial adaptors also seem to exaggerate these contact issues.

JAPANNEXT Adds 31.5-Inch 6K IPS Monitor to Its Portfolio

20 February 2026 at 01:45
JAPANNEXT has expanded its portfolio with a new 31.5-inch monitor, named the JN-IPS326K-HSPC9 featuring 6K (6016 × 3384) resolution. The IPS panel with its 60 Hz, 8 ms response time, and E-LED backlighting is certainly suited towards home and office work rather than gaming. Pixel pitch is listed at 0.1159 mm, delivering a noticeably sharper image than standard 4K displays at this size. Brightness is rated at 500 nits, with a 1500:1 contrast ratio. The monitor covers 100% of the sRGB color space, 96% DCI-P3, and includes HDR 10 support. Viewing angles are specified at 178° horizontally and vertically, typical for an IPS panel.

The monitor comes with Picture-in-Picture and Picture-by-Picture options. These features can be useful for people who need to work with content from different sources at the same time. It also has Flicker-Free and Low Blue Light settings, HDCP support for DisplayPort, HDMI, and USB-C, and a built-in KVM switch. For connections, you'll find two HDMI 2.1 ports, one DisplayPort 1.4, and a USB-C 3.1 port that can deliver up to 90 W of power. There is also an audio output and built-in 2 W speakers, and compatibility with AMD FreeSync and NVIDIA G-Sync. The stand supports tilt, swivel, height, and pivot adjustments. VESA mounting (75 × 75 mm) is also available. The JAPANNEXT JN-IPS326K-HSPC9 monitor is currently listed at €1,399 on the company's official website.

AMD Sets a New GPU OC World Record With Radeon RX 9060 XT @ 4,769 MHz

20 February 2026 at 01:40
VideoCardz first spotted that AMD set a new GPU overclocking world record with its Radeon RX 9060 XT graphics card running at an amazing 4,769 MHz using liquid nitrogen as the coolant. This record was set in tandem with the world-renowned overclocker "Splave" from the United States, who already held the previous world record with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 running at 4,020 MHz. This time, using RDNA 4 silicon, "Splave" made the GPU maintain stability at a 4,769 MHz core clock. While no official HWBot submissions have been made, AMD posted a video on its AMD Gaming YouTube channel where the company showcased the amazing achievement. We are left to wonder why AMD didn't promote this record, which is a very impressive achievement for its RDNA 4 silicon. In a brief frame, "Splave" was seen running a custom tool to fine-tune the GPU. AMDships this GPU with a base clock of 1,700 MHz, a game clock of 2,530 MHz, and a maximum boost clock of 3,130 MHz, meaning that the new world record pushed the GPU boost by an additional 50%.

DON’T NOD’s Aphelion Preview Reveals an Alien Isolation-Inspired Sci-Fi Adventure

20 February 2026 at 01:30

The two protagonists of Dontnod's sci-fi game Aphelion.

Wccftech recently attended a remote press presentation in which French developer DON'T NOD (Life is Strange, Vampyr, Banishers: Ghost of New Eden, Lost Records: Bloom & Rage) unveiled an extended preview of Aphelion, their upcoming sci-fi narrative-driven adventure game, showcasing two early chapters that introduced the game's hostile alien world and the mechanics that will define the experience. The presentation was led by Dimitri Weideli, executive producer, and Florent Guillaume, creative director, who walked us through gameplay and then answered some questions. In this article: A Desperate Mission Gone Wrong Set in 2062, Aphelion tells the story of astronauts Ariane […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/dont-nod-aphelion-preview-alien-isolation-inspired-sci-fi-adventure/

AMD's next-gen Ryzen 10000 desktop CPUs rumored to come in seven different configs — Starting from 6 cores, flagship "Olympic Ridge" silicon may feature up to 24 cores

The next desktop chips from AMD are said to refresh the core configs of the Ryzen brand in a major way. Finally stepping away from 8-core CCDs, "Ryzen 10000" is said to bring 12-core chiplets that should enable a new 24-core dual CCD flagship option. The base config is reportedly 6 cores, so budget buyers shouldn't worry.

Sony shuts down Bluepoint Games, the remake masters

20 February 2026 at 01:20

Sony shuts down Bluepoint Games less than five years after acquiring it Sony has confirmed to Bloomberg that it will be shutting down Bluepoint Games in March. The studio’s closure will result in the loss of 70 jobs and mark the end of a studio with an almost impeccable legacy. Bluepoint Games is well-known for […]

The post Sony shuts down Bluepoint Games, the remake masters appeared first on OC3D.

Vibe Otter – Generate a professional website from your description in minutes


Vibe Otter is an AI website builder for busy people that generates a 90% complete site from your description, so you never start from a blank page. It includes custom domains, hosting, built-in SEO, and mobile optimization, allowing you to launch a professional online presence in about an hour without drag-and-drop complexity. You can edit content, swap images, capture leads with forms, and publish instantly; donations are supported today, and Shopify ecommerce integration is on the roadmap.

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Slay the Spire 2 Arrives in Early Access in Two Weeks

20 February 2026 at 00:39

A lineup of five characters from the game Slay the Spire, each showcasing unique armor and headgear designs.

After MegaCrit missed its initial 2025 release goal for Slay the Spire 2, the beloved indie developer confirmed today that the long-awaited sequel to the popular roguelike deckbuilder will arrive on March 5, 2026. Announced during the Indie Fan Fest, its Early Access release trailer includes a few sneak peeks at gameplay mixed in between some high-quality animations. Back in September 2025, when MegaCrit confirmed that Slay the Spire 2 wouldn't arrive in 2025, it gave a release window that was vague and specific at the same time. The studio confirmed the game would arrive on "a secret Thursday in […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/slay-the-spire-2-release-date-megacrit/

AOC Launches Q27G4ZD QD-OLED 280Hz Gaming Monitor With 1000 Nits Peak Brightness

19 February 2026 at 23:57

AOC gaming monitors display an action scene from a video game featuring armored warriors in a desert setting with structures

Popular monitor maker AOC has added another QD-OLED gaming monitor in its Gaming series, filling the gap between Q27G4ZDR and Q27G4SDR. AOC Launches Gaming Q27G4ZD With 3rd-Gen QD-OLED Panel; Features 280 Hz Refresh Rate, QHD Resolution, and DisplayHDR400 Certification Monitor manufacturer AOC is back with another affordable gaming monitor in the Gaming series. AOC recently launched its first QD-OLED gaming monitors in the Gaming lineup, following a couple of high-end OLED monitors in the AGO PRO lineup. The Gaming OLED series has been further expanded with the launch of the Q27G4ZD gaming monitor, which fills the gap between the two […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/aoc-launches-q27g4zd-qd-oled-280hz-gaming-monitor/

Lil’ Guardsman Developer Reveals Curse of Resthaven, an Eldritch “Radical Shift” From its Debut Award-Winning Project

19 February 2026 at 23:30

The artwork for the game 'Curse of Resthaven' shows a character holding a torch with mysterious figures and a windmill

Toronto-based developer Hilltop Studios has just revealed its second major project, Curse of Resthaven, a narrative-driven roguelike that studio director Scott Christian calls "a radical shift" from the team's award-winning debut game, Lil' Guardsman. Announced during the Indie Fan Fest, you'll enter the dark and gloomy island colony of Resthaven with seven days to discover the mystery behind the cursed island and save its inhabitants from the time loop. While the colourful presentation of Lil' Guardsman can make you feel like the stakes are relatively small, deciding whether or not to let people into the kingdom with its comedic twist […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/lil-guardsman-developer-reveals-curse-of-resthaven-radical-shift-from-debut-award-winning-game/

Intel’s Fix for PC Problems Is… “Agentic AI”; a Microsoft Copilot Bot That Promises Solutions While You Cross Your Fingers

19 February 2026 at 23:22

Intel logo above a keyboard highlighting a processor chip amid glowing blue and purple lights.

Intel has rolled out its virtual assistant on Microsoft's Copilot Studio platform, aiming to solve user queries about hardware problems and, hopefully, find solutions. Intel's Virtual Assistant Helps Users to Solve Out Redundant Problems, Redirecting Complex Queries to Humans Intel's efforts for consumers have been really interesting over the past few months, given that the company saw massive success with its Panther Lake launch, which suggests that, at least on the launch front, Team Blue is doing great. However, in terms of after-sales services and customer support, Intel has lagged on several occasions, and we saw significant flaws in how […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/intels-fix-for-system-problems-is-agentic-ai-a-microsoft-copilot-driven-bot/

New ARC Raiders Hurricane Map Condition Arrives in Shrouded Sky Update Next Week

19 February 2026 at 23:20

A character in 'ARC Raiders' explores a rocky, stormy landscape with a flashlight, with logos for Embark Studios and Nexon

Embark Studios has just revealed the next update and map condition coming to ARC Raiders, with hurricanes arriving next week on February 24, 2026, in the game's new Shrouded Sky update. The short teaser doesn't show any gameplay, but it does make it clear how disruptive and dangerous the hurricanes will be for raiders who choose to brave the weather while the condition is in effect. A blog post on the ARC Raiders' official website digs further into what raiders will have to deal with, and it's a little more than some high-speed winds. "The climate is damaged and unpredictable, […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/new-arc-raiders-hurricane-map-condition-arrives-in-shrouded-sky-update-next-week/

PlayStation Is Shutting Down Demon’s Souls Remake Developers, Bluepoint Games

19 February 2026 at 23:15

A knight in armor stands in a desolate medieval castle setting in the game 'Demon's Souls'.

We've been surprised by video game studio closures before, like when Xbox shut down Arkane Austin and Tango Gameworks, but this latest studio closure is arguably the most shocking one we've seen in a long time. Bluepoint Games, the studio responsible for the Demon's Souls Remake and decades of remakes and remasters across several iconic franchises, is being shut down by PlayStation. It was Bloomberg's Jason Schreier who broke the news that just five years after the studio officially joined the PlayStation Studios family, its remaining 70 developers are losing their jobs in what is yet another baffling decision by […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/playstation-shutting-down-bluepoint-games/

Razer unveils$500 flagship gaming keyboard — Huntsman Signature Edition built from CNC-machined aluminum, featuring 8,000 Hz polling and Snap Tap

Razer has a new flagship gaming keyboard, the Huntsman Signature Edition, that embraces a fully CNC aluminum construction and PVD mirror finish on the back. The $500 keyboard is basically a spruced-up Huntsman V3 Pro aimed at gamers that wanted a more aesthetically pleasing keyboard.

ChatGPT ads spotted and they are quite aggressive

19 February 2026 at 23:40
OpenAI ChatGPT ad platform

OpenAI is serving ads inside ChatGPT, and new findings suggest the experience looks quite different from what the company originally envisioned.

What’s happening. Research from AI ad intelligence firm Adthena has identified the first confirmed ads appearing on ChatGPT for signed-in desktop users in the U.S.

The big surprise. Early speculation suggested ads would only surface after extended back-and-forth conversations. That’s not what’s happening. When a user asked “What’s the best way to book a weekend away?”, sponsored placements appeared immediately — on the very first response.

What they look like. The ads feature a prominent brand favicon and a clear “Sponsored” label, a design that differs slightly from the concepts OpenAI had previously shared publicly.

Why we care. ChatGPT is one of the most visited sites on the internet. Ads appearing in its responses marks a significant moment for the future of AI monetization — and a potential shift in how brands reach consumers at the point of inquiry.

Between the lines. The immediacy of the ad trigger suggests OpenAI is treating single, high-intent prompts — not just sustained conversations — as viable ad inventory. That’s a meaningful strategic signal for advertisers evaluating where to place budget.

The bottom line. ChatGPT’s ad era has quietly begun. For marketers, the question is no longer if they need an AI search strategy — it’s whether they’re already late.

First spotted. CMO of Adthena, Ashley Fletcher shared his team spotting the ads on LinkedIn.

Reddit tests AI shopping carousels in search results

19 February 2026 at 23:22
Crawl, walk, run- A smarter Reddit strategy for organic and AI search visibility

Reddit is piloting a new AI-powered shopping experience that transforms its famously trusted community recommendations into shoppable product carousels — a move that could reshape how the platform monetizes its search traffic.

What’s happening. A small group of U.S.-based users are seeing interactive product carousels appear in search results when their queries signal purchase intent — think “best noise-canceling headphones” or “top budget laptops.”

  • The carousels sit at the bottom of search results and include pricing, images and direct retailer links.
  • Products are surfaced from items actually mentioned in Reddit posts and comments — not just ad inventory.
  • For consumer electronics queries, Reddit is also pulling from select Dynamic Product Ads (DPA) partner catalogs.

How it works. The AI identifies purchase-intent queries, scans relevant Reddit conversations for product mentions, and assembles them into structured, shoppable cards. Users can tap a card to get more details and link out to retailers.

Why we care. Reddit’s shopping carousels give advertisers a rare opportunity to reach consumers at peak purchase intent — at the exact moment they’re seeking peer validation for a buying decision. Unlike traditional display ads, products surfaced here benefit from the implicit trust of Reddit’s community context, making them feel less like ads and more like recommendations.

For brands already running Dynamic Product Ads on Reddit, this is a direct pipeline from community buzz to conversion.

Between the lines. Reddit is doing something its competitors haven’t quite cracked — using organic, peer-driven content as the foundation of a commerce experience rather than pure ad targeting.

That’s a meaningful distinction. Consumers increasingly distrust sponsored recommendations, and Reddit’s entire value proposition is built on authentic community voice. Formalizing that into a shopping layer could give it a credibility edge over traditional retail media networks.

The big picture. Retail media is a fast-growing business, and platforms with high-intent audiences are racing to claim their share. Reddit’s search traffic has grown significantly since its Google search partnership, making this a natural next frontier.

The bottom line. Reddit is experimenting with turning intent-driven search into commerce, aiming to make it easier for users to move from recommendation to transaction — without leaving the community context that drives trust.

Dig deeper. In Case You Saw It: We are Testing a New Shopping Product Experience in Search

Next-gen AMD Ryzen “Olympic Ridge” Zen 6 desktop CPU core counts leak

19 February 2026 at 22:50

AMD’s Zen 6 “Olympic Ridge” Zen 6 desktop CPUs will have between six and twenty-four CPU cores Core counts for AMD’s next-generation Zen 6 “Olympic Ridge” CPU lineup have leaked, confirming significant increases in core counts for AMD’s next-generation Ryzen processors. HXL (via WCCFTECH) has unveiled seven CPU core configurations, with four using a single […]

The post Next-gen AMD Ryzen “Olympic Ridge” Zen 6 desktop CPU core counts leak appeared first on OC3D.

Ubisoft Lays Off 40 Workers at Toronto Studio

19 February 2026 at 23:13
Following the recent announcement of a grand restructuring plan, Ubisoft has confirmed that 40 employees have been laid off at its Toronto studio, according to a statement made to MobileSyrup. This most recent round of layoffs is part of the aforementioned restructuring and cost-savings plan that could eventually see up to 18% of Ubisoft's staff laid-off. Prior to the layoffs, Ubisoft Toronto was said to have roughly 500 staff, so the layoffs make up just shy of 10% of the studio.

Despite the recent game cancellations that came as a result of the restructuring—cancellations that included a hotly anticipated Price of Persia remake—Ubisoft Toronto clarified in the statement that the in-progress Splinter Cell remake was still being worked on. This is in addition to the development assistance that Ubisoft Toronto will continue to provide on other projects, like Rainbow Six Siege. Workers' unions across Canada and France have already spoken out about the sweeping changes recently announced by the gaming giant, going so far as to strike for three days in mid-February.

(PR) NVIDIA GeForce NOW Supports Over 4,500 Titles and Gets 12 New Games This Week

19 February 2026 at 22:41
The GeForce NOW anniversary celebration keeps on rolling, and this week is all about the games that make it possible. With more than 4,500 titles supported in the cloud - plus 12 new games this week - there's always something new to stream, share and discover. The #6YearsofGFN fun continues with a community giveaway hosted on the GeForce NOW Reddit. Share in-game screenshots and memes to celebrate the anniversary for a chance to win prizes such as an Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K, a Thrustmaster HOTAS ONE flight stick and more - through Friday, Feb. 20. Gamers can also join the GeForce NOW community Discord to join in on more celebrations and events.

A Library Built for Every PC Gamer
GeForce NOW features an ever-growing library of over 4,500 titles that are ready to stream in seconds. From cozy indies and competitive shooters to sprawling role-playing games and strategy epics, the collection has something for everyone. The GeForce NOW library spans popular stores like Steam, Xbox - including supported PC Game Pass titles - Epic Games Store, Ubisoft Connect and GOG.com, bringing together free-to-play hits and paid blockbusters in one place. Install-to-Play further expands access by letting members install Steam games opted in for cloud gaming, doubling the number of titles that can be launched through the service.

PromptSpy Android Malware Abuses Gemini AI to Automate Recent-Apps Persistence

Cybersecurity researchers have discovered what they say is the first Android malware that abuses Gemini, Google's generative artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot, as part of its execution flow and achieves persistence. The malware has been codenamed PromptSpy by ESET. The malware is equipped to capture lockscreen data, block uninstallation efforts, gather device information, take screenshots,

INTERPOL Operation Red Card 2.0 Arrests 651 in African Cybercrime Crackdown

An international cybercrime operation against online scams has led to 651 arrests and recovered more than $4.3 million as part of an effort led by law enforcement agencies from 16 African countries. The initiative, codenamed Operation Red Card 2.0, took place between December 8, 2025 and January 30, 2026, according to INTERPOL. It targeted infrastructure and actors behind high-yield investment

Microsoft Patches CVE-2026-26119 Privilege Escalation in Windows Admin Center

Microsoft has disclosed a now-patched security flaw in Windows Admin Center that could allow an attacker to escalate their privileges. Windows Admin Center is a locally deployed, browser-based management tool set that lets users manage their Windows Clients, Servers, and Clusters without the need for connecting to the cloud. The high-severity vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2026-26119, carries a

The Trump administration wants Silicon Valley to fix federal tech

19 February 2026 at 22:32

Tech Force – spearheaded by the Office of Personnel Management and led by Scott Kupor, a former Andreessen Horowitz venture capitalist – has secured partnerships across the tech industry. Apple, Coinbase, Meta, Microsoft, Nvidia, OpenAI, xAI, and Palantir have all agreed to participate, providing executives and training resources to support...

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UniBee – Subscription billing platform with usage metering and insights


UniBee is an open-source billing platform designed for SaaS, fintech, and AI companies. It manages the full subscription lifecycle, including trials, renewals, and complex usage-based metering for API calls or tokens. You can automate global invoicing, handle multiple currencies, and use smart dunning to recover failed payments. Since it’s open-source, you can self-host to avoid vendor lock-in or choose our managed cloud. It connects to your existing payment gateways and provides real-time insights into MRR, churn, and customer lifetime value from one dashboard.

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Google Offers AI Certificate Free For Eligible U.S. Small Businesses

19 February 2026 at 23:33

Google launched an AI Professional Certificate with seven self-paced modules and three months of AI Pro access. Eligible U.S. small businesses can enroll free.

The post Google Offers AI Certificate Free For Eligible U.S. Small Businesses appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

AMD Breaks GPU Frequency Overclocking World Record By Pushing Radeon RX 9060 XT To 4.769 GHz

19 February 2026 at 22:56

Hands are adjusting the connections on a piece of hardware with the on-screen text 'OVERCLOCK: 4.769 GHZ' and 'AMD Now

A new GPU overclocking world record has been set by AMD, using its budget Radeon RX 9060 XT GPU. Splave and AMD Collaborate to Break GPU Frequency World Record at AMD's Office; Overclock Radeon RX 9060 XT to 4.769 GHz There is only a single official 4.0+ GHz dGPU overclocking record ever registered, and that's by Splave on the GeForce RTX 4090. SkatterBencher also previously pushed the GPU frequency to 4.25 GHz, but it was on the integrated graphics on the Arrow Lake processor. These are the only two GPU OC world records to have ever crossed the 4.0 GHz […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/amd-breaks-gpu-frequency-overclocking-world-record-by-pushing-radeon-rx-9060-xt-to-4-769-ghz/

“It’s Not the Engine’s Fault, It’s the State of the Industry” – Eternal Darkness Creator Defends UE5, Says Embracer’s $2B Failed Deal Was “Extinction Level Event”

19 February 2026 at 22:30

The left image shows a rocky landscape with the 'Unreal Engine 5' logo, and the right image displays part of the 'Embracer Group" fractured.

Eternal Darkness and Legacy of Kain creator Denis Dyack shared a lot of interesting thoughts in a two-hour-long interview with KiwiTalkz, in which he addressed the lack of optimization of many Unreal Engine 5 games. You might remember that his upcoming game, Deadhaus Sonata, was powered by the Amazon Lumberyard engine when we last talked to him a few years ago. Well, Dyack's studio went through several engine changes before eventually landing on Epic's technology after patching things up with the company following their previous dispute over Too Human. Now a user of the leading game-making tool, Dyack pointed the […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/denis-dyack-defends-ue5-decries-state-of-the-industry/

NVIDIA RTX 5090 Gets Its Top Connector Row Cooked Despite A 500W Max Power Ceiling By The User

19 February 2026 at 22:22

A collage showing a close-up of a burnt 'PCI-E' connector, a hand holding a scorched 12-pin connector, and an empty 12-pin

No matter what you do, the notorious 16-pin power connector won't be safe. This user was another victim of connector melting, but he tried to mitigate it beforehand. User Reports Burnt 16-pin Power Connector on GIGABYTE RTX 5090 Despite Restricting it to Consume No More Than 500W The amount of effort users have to put in just to keep their GPUs safe from connector melting now feel unsettling. It was never like this with the regular 6-pin or 8-pin PCIe connectors, but the notorious 16-pin connector cannot just run without running into issues, despite numerous mitigation attempts by some manufacturers […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/nvidia-rtx-5090-gets-its-top-connector-row-cooked-despite-a-500w-max-power-ceiling-by-the-user/

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