Lords of the Fallen 2 (stylized as Lords of the Fallen II) is an upcoming indie dark fantasy RPG with Souls-like combat that was originally slated to launch in fall 2026. According to a new update by CI Games founder, Marek Tyminski on X, Lords of the Fallen II has been moved to Q1 2027. There is still no fixed launch date, however, and Tyminski has provided some insights as to why the launch window was moved, and, surprisingly, it isn't entirely because of GTA VI, although that is certainly part of the reason for the change.

According to the executive, the delay "strategically positions Lords of the Fallen II outside of a highly competitive holiday period," allowing the game to avoid a number of highly anticipated launches coming towards the end of 2026—not the least of which is Grand Theft Auto VI, whose launch has already resulted in countless game launches being moved in order to not be overshadowed by Rockstar's latest outing. Tyminski adds, however, that the development team will use the additional months before launch in order to "further refine and strengthen the overall experience." Supposedly, this will allow the studio to add more polish to the experience and deliver a "worthy successor to the Lords of the Fallen franchise."

Following the launch of the Intel Arc G3 series CPUs designed for next-gen gaming handhelds, OneXPlayer has officially revealed its first handheld gaming PC based on the new Arc G3 CPU. OneXPlayer has pitched the OneXPlayer 3 as a 3-in-1 productivity and gaming handheld, bundling the new handheld with a magnetic keyboard and detachable controllers, and allowing it to work as both a mini laptop, a standalone tablet, or a gaming tablet, like the Lenovo Legion Go. The OneXPlayer 3 and many of its core specs have been unveiled on Indiegogo. The OneXPlayer 3 will feature a built-in 85 Wh battery, an 8.8-inch, 144 Hz native landscape display with VRR and HDR support, and Hall-effect joysticks. The OneXPlayer 3 will also have a built-in kickstand and come with a controller connector with what seems to be a built-in trackpad for gaming when seated. Exact specs for the ports are also elusive, but the images on Indiegogo indicate that the OneXPlayer 3 will feature two USB Type-C ports and a single USB Type-A port along the top edge alongside a 3.5 mm audio jack.

Update Jun 23rd: OneXPlayer has officially revealed pricing for the OneXPlayer 3 gaming handheld. There will be two SKUs at launch, both with the Intel Arc G3 Extreme CPU and different RAM and storage configurations. At the time of writing, the 32 GB RAM and 1 TB storage variant costs HK$13,320 ($1,698.98) with an MSRP of HK$15,672 ($1,9998.99), while the version with 24 GB of RAM and a 1 TB SSD costs HK$11,752 ($1,498.98) with a HK$14,104 ($1,798.99) MSRP, and the handheld with 24 GB of RAM and a 512 GB SSD comes in at HK$10,968 ($1,398.98) with a HK$13,320 ($1,698.98) MSRP. All three versions will include a hard-shell carry case, a soft screen protector, and a OneXPlayer backpack with early bird orders. It should also be noted that the 32 GB RAM version has faster LPDDR5X-8533 memory, while the 24 GB version comes with LPDDR5X-7467 memory.

It seems as though, shortly after the launch of Marathon, Bungie realized that it would need to take player feedback seriously if it wanted the new extraction shooter to be successful and retain players. One bit of feedback that repeatedly came up was the need for more PvE-focused gameplay. Initially, Bungie addressed this by adding the C.A.R.R.I. Protocol, which encouraged players to work together. On June 23, however, Bungie announced a series of key dates relating to new content coming to Marathon in the coming months. There are a number of changes and updates coming, including the new Cradle Evolution System which introduces a new way to reset player accounts in exchange for specific benefits and cosmetics.

More importantly, Bungie is introducing Vault Breaker, a new PvE play style that allows players to work together instead of fighting against one another. Vault Breaker launches in a major mid-season update to Marathon on July 21 and will see players take on a series of challenging vaults. Players can enter the Cryo Archive—a notoriously difficult endgame map—to play Vault Breaker in a crew, duos, or solo, and each run through the vaults will see players get progressively stronger as they face off against more and more powerful enemies until they reach a "mysterious entity" in the last vault. Instead of the loot-focused extraction shooter gameplay loop of traditional Marathon runs, Vault Breaker sees players leave behind almost all of their loot when they exfiltrate, except for Vault Data, a new currency that can be found in the Cryo Archives. Vault Data will be used to purchase upgrades for both regular kit and the specialized Sponsored Kit that is required to enter the Cryo Archives. The full announcement details follow.

1047 Games, the developer behind Splitgate, recently announced that its upcoming Titanfall-inspired shooter, Empulse, would be launching in Early Access on Xbox, PS5, and Steam on June 24 at 9 AM PT (16:00 UTC). Less than a day ahead of that launch, however, 1047 Games announced on X that the new shooter would be delayed on PS5 due to the certification process, which is apparently taking longer than anticipated. At the time of writing, it is unclear when the new movement shooter will launch on Sony's console, but FragPunk was delayed for similar reasons and was released on console nearly two months after it launched on PC.

Despite the rousing success of its first shooter, Splitgate, 1047 Games has had a rough run of it with the aforementioned game's sequel, Splitgate: Arena Reloaded, but it's currently somewhat unclear how well Empulse will do at launch. While Empulse has managed to make it onto the wishlists of over 250,000 players across PlayStation, Steam, and Xbox platforms, SteamDB indicates that the demo peaked at just 4,316 players in a little over a month since it went live. A recent update from 1047 Games also indicates that the developer has been pouring a lot of resources into the game and plans to make significant changes based on community feedback.

It's no secret that large game studios are leaning into generative AI in search of greater productivity and efficiency, but there is a growing resentment in the gaming and game dev community towards games created with generative AI. In a recent analysis published on Game Oracle, data analyst, Ross Burton, presents evidence that the use of generative AI may be negatively affecting game sales significantly. The exact numbers are hard to pin down, since AI usage isn't accurately reported, and Steam does not publicly disclose sales figures, however, Burton analyzed game performance based on how many reviews a game received instead. He found that, on average, and after accounting for other factors (like luck and developer experience and skill), games that used AI—or at least those that disclosed their use of AI—received around 53% fewer reviews on Steam, indicating that they potentially sold as much as 53% fewer units.

What's more, of the games in the analysis, those with AI-generated content consistently received lower player ratings. The data indicates that for games with AI-generated content, the median review rating was 84.6% positive, while games that did not use AI had a median of 88.3% positive reviews. Digging further into it, the analyst found that AI had a stronger negative correlation when the games in question were made by large studios and publishers. Higher profile games also seemed to be more impacted by AI use than low-quality games, leading the analyst to call the effect a stigma, since the negative response appears to be linked to AI use. Anecdotally, this is also backed up by the backlash related to accusations and confirmations of AI use in games like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Crimson Desert and The Alters.

8BitDo is marking the Nintendo 64's 30th anniversary with two new products: a Clear Blue colorway for the Retro 87 Mechanical Keyboard and a matching Ultimate 2 Wireless Controller. The Retro 87 N64 Edition keyboard leans hard into the nostalgia. The yellow arrow keys correspond to the C-buttons on the original N64 controller. The A and B keys match the blue and green of the controller buttons while the left Ctrl key is red, like the Start button. The rest of the keycaps are clear blue, with gray knobs and buttons up top. It ships with two wired Super Buttons in matching color, unlike the wireless Super Buttons that came with the Apple AP50 Edition. Other features are similar to previous 8BitDo Retro 87 keyboards like the aluminium plate, a hot-swappable PCB and Cloud Gray Linear switches co-developed with HUANO. Connectivity covers Bluetooth, 2.4G wireless, and wired USB, with N-key rollover, full software customization via 8BitDo Ultimate Software V2, and a dedicated Xbox Game Bar button. Windows and Android are supported.

The Ultimate 2 Wireless Controller N64 Edition features a translucent blue top shell, colored ABXY buttons, translucent white D-pad and bottom shell, gray thumbsticks, and blue back buttons, with a gray charging dock included. The internals are unchanged from the standard Ultimate 2: TMR thumbsticks, RGB, six-axis motion sensor, 1000 Hz polling rate in wired and 2.4G modes, and compatibility with Windows, Android, SteamOS, and Apple devices. The keyboard is $99.99 with shipping starting August 14, and the controller is available now at $59.99.

It's no secret that Valve's Steam Machine is launching at possibly the worst moment for both PC and console gaming hardware, given the ongoing DRAM crisis, but Valve engineer, Pierre-Loup Griffais, has recently shed light on the pre-RAM crisis pricing of the Steam Machine, revealing that it was never going to be a cheap device. According Griffais in an interview with IGN, the price difference between the actual Steam Machine at launch and the price if it had launched without the influence of the DRAM crisis was "probably similar" to the price increase Valve was all but forced to apply to the Steam Deck in May. That means that the Steam Machine could have cost as little as $730-750, based on the 30% difference between the current entry-level Steam Deck pricing and its original MSRP.

This pricing would have put the Steam Machine within spitting distance of the Sony PlayStation 5 and below the $899.99 price of the PS5 Pro after the recent Sony price hikes. Given that the Steam Machine is a hybrid device and can easily serve as both a console and a desktop computer, it's easy to see how the original price would have been more palatable, even if more expensive than a base PS5. Part of the high pricing can no doubt be attributed to the Steam Machine's openness. Where consoles like the Xbox and PS5 are subsidized by game sales, there's nothing stopping anyone from installing Windows on it and leaving Valve's ecosystem, removing the incentive to subsidize hardware entirely—you wouldn't even need to remove SteamOS to play games outside of Steam on the Steam Machine.

Each week, new games and apps integrating NVIDIA DLSS, NVIDIA Reflex, and advanced ray-traced effects are released or announced, delivering the definitive PC experience for GeForce RTX players. Last week, Valve kicked-off their latest Steam Next Fest, enabling developers to release time-limited demos of their upcoming titles. Many include support for DLSS and other RTX technologies, including two we're highlighting today, which are still playable: the Mortal Shell II Open Beta, and The Sinking City 2 demo.

Additionally, Empulse is out now with DLSS, and Subnautica 2 has upgraded to native DLSS 4.5 Super Resolution.

According to the June update of the TOP500 list, which tracks 500 of the world's most powerful supercomputers, China has taken the number one spot with its LineShine supercomputer. This system is capable of running 2.198 ExaFLOPS when measured on HPL, making it the world's first system to exceed 2 ExaFLOPS in dual-precision FP64 data processing for sustained workloads. It has a theoretical peak performance of 2.736 ExaFLOPS, meaning the system can sustain about 80% of its peak performance. This setup is powered by a massive network of traditional CPUs, with no GPUs or other accelerators contributing to the high FP64 figure. While traditional data centers have shifted toward 8-bit FP8 data formats for AI workloads, scientific HPC systems and supercomputers continue to use the traditional FP64 data. The Chinese LineShine is the first-ever system to sustain over 2 ExaFLOPS of compute capability, surpassing U.S.-based El Capitan, Aurora, and Frontier.

The LineShine comprises 13.79 million ARMv9 cores, spread across 20,480 nodes in a non-uniform memory access (NUMA) configuration. Each node contains two LX2 CPUs, with 304 cores and 32 GB of HBM memory. The CPU uses HBM for fast memory access, then offloads to system DDR memory, which has about 256 GB per CPU. The CPU is split across two dies, each divided into four NUMA domains. Each NUMA domain contains 38 cores running at 1.55 GHz and has 4 GB of HBM assigned to it. Four of these NUMA domains make up a die, and each die is assigned 128 GB of DDR memory. This is likely DDR5, but we haven't confirmed those details yet.

So far, every time Valve has spoken about the possibility of a Steam Deck 2, it has said that it is waiting for a true generational leap in performance, and that that has not yet happened. Following the launch of the Steam Machine, Valve engineer, Pierre Loup-Griffais, commented on the Steam Deck 2 in an interview with IGN, revealing, seemingly for the first time, that things are moving in the right direction for the Steam Deck 2, even if they're not quite there yet. According to the developer, the current crop of mobile CPUs are beginning to show promise in terms of performance, but efficiency is now becoming a bigger problem.

"I'd say we're closer than we were the last time we talked. We're definitely getting there," said Griffais, going on to explain that "I would say that the new chips that are coming out are still in power envelopes that are not quite the right segment that you'd want for a true handheld experience." Going a little deeper into it, he said that "I think a lot of them are more low-end laptop chips or playing in that sort of form factor that are then repurposed for handhelds and maybe not leading to, I guess the trade-off that we would've chosen in terms of power and better life and that and all that."

Earlier this year, the Munich Regional Court banned ASUS and Acer from directly selling their notebooks in Germany due to a patent dispute with Nokia. However, the two major notebook OEMs have reached an agreement with Nokia that allows them to sell their notebooks through agreements or by circumventing the rule. Readers may recall that Nokia's patent claims, which included patents related to core HEVC/H.265 encoding and decoding technology, forced both ASUS and Acer to halt notebook sales in Germany. Since their products use GPUs, processors, and other digital decoding/encoding engines for video, they must be licensed, and sales can only proceed with Nokia's approval. The judges concluded that the two OEMs had not demonstrated the behavior of willing licensees under FRAND rules, allowing the court to grant injunctive relief instead of limiting the remedy to damages.

However, Acer has now confirmed to its partners at a conference in Hamburg that it will resume shipping the disputed notebooks, though it did not provide specific details. In a statement obtained by ChannelPartner, Acer said, "Acer will ship products both with and without the HEVC codec. For products without a pre-installed HEVC codec, customers can activate support by installing the necessary software separately via official third-party channels." This could effectively be a circumvention of the rules, but a way to continue sales in Europe's largest economy.

TerraMaster, a leading global private cloud storage brand, today announced the global debut of its latest 4-bay flagship NAS, the F4-425 Pro, scheduled for June 23 to coincide with Amazon Prime Day. Powered by TOS 7, the world's first AI-native operating system, the F4-425 Pro redefines the private cloud storage eperience with natural language interaction, localized intelligent computing, and enterprise-grade performance.

To celebrate the launch, the F4-425 Pro will be offered at a limited-time 20% discount during Prime Day, along with several other best-selling NAS and DAS products.

[Editor's note: Our in-depth review of the TerraMaster F4-425 Pro is now live]

AGON by AOC, the world's leading gaming monitor brand, today announces the debut of the AGON 7 series with the launch of its first model, the AGON PRO AGP277QKDC. This 26.5-inch (67.3 cm) professional-grade monitor is the first to combine Dual Frame Mode (DFM) with next-generation Tandem WOLED technology. Engineered for competitive esports, the display offers a new standard in functional balance and technical precision.

The AGON PRO AGP277QKDC represents a new step for the AGON 7 era, bringing together advanced performance features and a more integrated "full desk experience".

• Revolutionary Tandem WOLED: This 4th-generation panel technology uses an advanced stacked-layer design to improve light efficiency and sustain a peak brightness of 1,500 nits. The structure also helps ensure long-term reliability and panel durability by distributing the emissive workload across multiple layers.
• 540 Hz / 720 Hz Dual Frame Mode: An advanced feature that allows players to quickly adapt the monitor to the needs of different games. Players can choose between a native 540 Hz refresh rate at QHD resolution for sharper image quality, or an ultra-fast 720 Hz mode at HD resolution for exceptional motion clarity in competitive esports titles.
• Refined workspace: The symmetric stand base maximises space for mouse and keyboard movement, supporting the wide and precise motions required in professional gaming.
• Intuitive control: The AG7 line features a redesigned OSD for a more seamless user experience. Its improved layout makes settings easier to navigate and quicker to find. Simply hover over a setting to instantly preview its available sub-settings. Controlled through a joystick, supported by two customisable quick-access buttons for fast and easy setting adjustments.

A single missed frame can mean losing the strongest shot from an entire session. For photographers, videographers, and content creators working with demanding formats, storage performance is not just a technical detail. It directly affects how smoothly the camera records, how quickly files move into post-production, and how confidently creators can work under time pressure.

Goodram introduces the new Goodram PRO S6B0 SD card, designed for users who need fast, stable, and predictable performance in everyday creative work. The card supports workflows built around 4K video recording, RAW photography, burst shooting, and large media file transfers.

Ceva, Inc. (NASDAQ: CEVA), the leading licensor of silicon and software IP for the Smart Edge, today announced RealSpace Elevate for Windows, a Microsoft-certified, licensable Windows Audio Processing Object (APO) that enables gaming headset and PC OEMs to deliver fully customizable spatial audio experiences for gaming and entertainment content. RealSpace Elevate expands Ceva's Sense portfolio of audio and sensing technologies, enabling OEMs to deliver richer user experiences across consumer devices.

As spatial audio becomes a standard feature in PC gaming, OEMs are facing increasing challenges balancing performance, differentiation, cost, and integration complexity. Existing approaches, ranging from built-in OS or game engine solutions to third-party branded applications, often limit customization, increase cost, or result in fragmented user experiences not optimized for individual OEM headset product lines.

Samsung Electronics, the world leader in advanced memory technology today announced that, for the first time in the industry, it has developed the industry's fastest Universal Flash Storage (UFS) 5.0 solution, which will help enable seamless and highly efficient AI services on future mobile devices.

The milestone sets a new benchmark for the next-generation mobile memory market as the enhanced performance is expected to allow mobile device users with significantly reduced latency and faster response times when running large language models (LLMs) in on-device AI environments.

With the explosive growth of Artificial Intelligence (AI) applications, AI PCs and super workstations are becoming increasingly dependent on high-end GPUs, driving system power consumption to record highs. Under our annual theme of "Powering AI Together" FSP, a global leader in power supplies, announced today a series of revolutionary products for high-end AI PCs and computing workstations. From the ultra-high wattage 2500 W AI PC ATX PSU (FSP2500-57APB) to the compact yet powerful 1200 W SFX-L AI PC power supply (FSP1200-57SFB), FSP leverages its R&D capabilities to meet the demands of various AI edge computing scenarios.

Flexible "Micro-Customization" as a Core Competitive Advantage
As AI technology integrates into diverse sectors, FSP recognizes that different application scenarios require highly specific power specifications. To address this, FSP utilizes its flexible "micro-customization" services as a core competitive advantage. By providing precision power solutions tailored to varied and complex requirements—whether for specific chassis dimensions or unique power distribution needs, FSP enables partners to bring AI applications to life more efficiently and reliably.

EIZO Corporation (TSE: 6737) today announced the FlexScan EV3851X and EV3451X - two ultrawide, curved monitors that are 37.5 and 34.1 inches respectively. The EV3851X succeeds the EV3895 as the next-generation ultrawide flagship, while the EV3451X serves as a streamlined alternative to the current EV3450XC for users who do not require built-in communication features such as a webcam.

Modern professional environments are evolving in several ways: how people work, as workflows grow increasingly information dense, hybrid, and collaborative; how organizations manage their technology, with growing emphasis on long-lifecycle and sustainable IT; and how a single device is expected to flexibly support a wide range of tasks across different workflows. These simultaneous shifts are shaping new expectations for display technology, and in response, EIZO has expanded its ultrawide lineup with monitors designed to deliver the efficiency, sustainability, and flexibility required in today's versatile and future-focused workplaces.

Valve announced the availability of its long-awaited Steam Machine yesterday, bringing its mini home gaming cube to the masses. However, some interesting details about SteamOS—the operating system behind the Valve machines—have surfaced thanks to an interview with Valve's Pierre-Loup Griffais by The Verge. According to him, Valve has been working on expanding SteamOS compatibility with other hardware, even collaborating with NVIDIA to bring support for NVIDIA GeForce RTX GPUs to SteamOS, alongside numerous optimizations. Reportedly, Valve has been rolling out SteamOS improvements and optimizations to achieve much wider hardware compatibility than the current AMD-centric stack, meaning that the future landscape is expected to be much broader for Linux gaming enthusiasts.

For instance, SteamOS is Valve's fork of Arch Linux, with additional customization and optimization added to the operating system. Technically, NVIDIA GPUs can work under that OS with the installation of regular drivers, but Valve's modifications might hinder smooth usage due to many underlying OS changes. As a result, Valve has reportedly hired a "growing team" of engineers and developers to work on achieving proper support for NVIDIA drivers, which is expected to be available in the coming months. Griffais noted that this support might not arrive this year as Valve is optimizing the software stack for its current hardware like the Steam Deck and Steam Machine, but it will be available next year at the latest.

GIGABYTE is kicking off Prime Day Week with a strong mix of motherboard and monitor deals on Amazon from June 23 through June 26. PC builders can find major savings across AMD platforms, including the B550M K, B650 EAGLE AX, B850 AORUS ELITE WIFI7, X870 EAGLE WIFI7, and the premium X870E AORUS PRO ICE. With promo prices starting at $59.99 and select X870-series boards dropping as low as $159.99, the lineup gives gamers and creators several upgrade paths across entry-level, mainstream, and enthusiast builds. For full details on GIGABYTE's Amazon Prime Day savings, check out GIGABYTE's brand store page.

The promotion also features standout gaming monitor discounts, including the GO27Q24G, GS27QA SA, M27Q2, and MO27Q28GR. Shoppers can save up to $150 on select displays, with OLED and high-refresh-rate options available for gamers looking to refresh their setup. For anyone planning a new build or upgrading a current battle station, GIGABYTE's Amazon Prime Day Week offers a timely chance to pair core components with a new display at reduced prices.

GIGABYTE is bringing major savings to Micro Center Tech Days with a lineup of motherboard, CPU, and RAM bundles designed for gamers, creators, and PC builders looking to upgrade their systems. Running from June 23 to June 25, the promotion features high-performance AMD and Intel bundle options built around popular GIGABYTE motherboards, including the X870E AORUS MASTER, Z890 AORUS PRO ICE, B850 Gaming X WiFi6E, and more.

Shoppers can save up to $519.98 on select bundles, with options ranging from premium enthusiast builds featuring the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D and Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, to value-focused upgrades powered by the Ryzen 5 9600X, Ryzen 7 9700X, and Ryzen 7 9800X3D. Each bundle pairs a GIGABYTE motherboard with a compatible processor and DDR5 memory kit, making it easier for customers to jump-start a powerful new PC build.

For a limited time during Micro Center Tech Days, customers can explore these GIGABYTE-powered bundles and take advantage of exclusive in-store savings while supplies last.

1047 Games, the developer behind Splitgate and its infamous sequel, has just wrapped up a Steam Next Fest demo of its upcoming game, Empulse, which is inspired by Titanfall, with a heavy focus on mobility, verticality, and high-octane gunplay. Following the play testing and the user feedback, 1047 Games published a short update post on Steam detailing the changes that would be coming to Empulse ahead of launch. In general, the changes seem to be in service of greater mobility, a stronger identity, more variety, and an overall faster pace. The official early access launch date for Empulse is June 24, so some of these updates will likely be ready by EA launch, while others will follow the launch.

The post by 1047 Games reveals that the studio will make bigger maps for Empulse and rework the visual direction to give the world more characters. Apparently, there was consistent feedback that the world was too clean and simple, which 1047 explains is as a result of prioritizing readability over character, but the studio has confirmed that it will be addressing the lack of personality by adding weathering and destruction to the maps. Some of the gameplay changes include balancing weapons and the Speed P.A.I.N.T. mechanic, in order to make other gameplay styles more viable and attractive. The grappling hook will also be updated to be faster and carry more player momentum in order to make swinging around the cityscape feel more natural.

Ubisoft recently released what it called the final update for Assassin's Creed Shadows, which was meant to give fans one final hurrah for the characters of Naoe and Yasuke with a Black Flag Resynced tie-in to see them off. It seems as though this might not be the case, however. As archived Zephryss in a clip on X, Naoe and Yasuke's story ends with the pair pondering what to do with the MacGuffin that has thus far driven the plot of the game forward, and instead of ending on decision, Naoe proposes that they might seek out the Brotherhood of Assassins "one day." This open-ended conclusion to the story of Yasuke and Naoe's chapter in the Brotherhood's history suggests that there may be more to come, and fans have been speculating just that.

At the same time, in its announcement of the "Black Tides" update Ubisoft said that it was trying to fix parts of the AC Shadows story that "didn't resonate" with the community, and in recent reports about the next Assassin's Creed game, it was revealed that the new game would be much more like a classic Assassin's Creed game than the open-world affairs we've seen more recently, and that Ezio would be making a comeback in some form or another, suggesting that Ubisoft may be planning to weave the different Assassin's Creed stories together more cohesively. Famously, Ezio's trilogy is the only real example of an Assassin's Creed protagonist returning to the franchise in multiple games. It's not outside the realm of possibility that Naoe and Yasuke will return in a future game or that another DLC will launch later on to expand their story.

GIGABYTE's Newegg Fantastech promotion brings a focused lineup of motherboard and monitor deals from June 22 through June 28. For display upgrades, the GS27QCA drops to $139.99, while the MO27Q28G SA OLED gaming monitor is available for $454.99, giving shoppers strong options for QHD gaming and premium OLED performance. Check out the monitor promotions here.

The motherboard offers are built around extra value, with several deals including bundled add-ons. The Z890 AORUS MASTER features a $499.99 bundle price when paired with Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus processor, a total savings of $170.00. Meanwhile, the X870 AORUS ELITE WIFI7 and AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D bundle includes savings of $99.00 and includes a free GAMDIAS 360 AIO Cooler. The B550 Eagle WIFI6 and AMD Ryzen 5 5500 bundle offers a 22% off in savings and also includes a free $49.99 air cooler. Whether shoppers are building around Intel, upgrading to AMD AM5, or extending the life of an AM4 system, the Fantastech lineup gives GIGABYTE customers multiple ways to save on core PC hardware.

It's been over seven months since Valve announced the Steam Machine and every single leak and educated guess in relation to its cost can now be confirmed to have been wrong, since the base system will come in at a rather steep US$1,049. At this point we all knew it was going to cost more than an Xbox Series X or a PlayStation 5, despite the consoles having increased in price these past few months, but that's not even the worst of it. The base spec Steam Machine is in many ways worse than those consoles, as it only includes 512 GB of local storage and the 2 TB model will set you back US$1,349, a price difference which is higher than what a mid-range 2 TB NVMe SSD costs in retail. If you live in the Euro area, you're looking at €1,039 for the base model and €1,359 for the 2 TB SKU.

Valve is also offering bundles with the Steam Controller, which starts at US$1,228/€1,108 when bundles with the 512 GB Steam Machine and if you want the 2 TB version with a controller, then you're looking at US$1,428/€1,428. It's not as if you can get a Steam Machine today either, as you have to sign up to a list before the 25th of June for a chance to get your hands on a Steam Machine. Yes, you read that correctly, a chance, since Valve in its wisdom decided to randomise the email addresses of those that signed up, so it's pot luck if you'll get a chance to get your hands on one of the first Steam Machines. Valve claims they did this to be fair to everyone and that it's a system that causes less frustration, but we're not sure that's how people will feel about it at the end of the day. On the other hand, scalpers will at least not be buying up all the units to then resell them at higher prices online. On top of that, you need to have a Steam account in good standing, having made at least one purchase on Steam prior to the 27th of April this year and of course, every household is limited to on Steam Machine. If you miss to sign up before the deadline, you will be added to the end of the randomised list, which does at least seem pretty fair. Oh and there's no changes once you've signed up.

AMD has released its latest Adrenalin Edition 26.6.2 WHQL Drivers today, bringing FSR Upscaling 4.1 to the RDNA 3 GPU family, commonly known as the Radeon RX 7000 series. This driver release is the second in June, specifically tailored for RDNA 3 gamers, with general improvements for everyone else as well. Starting with new game support, the Adrenalin Edition 26.6.2 WHQL drivers introduce support for Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced and DOOM: The Dark Ages | Revelations across all RDNA generations. This means Radeon GPUs will now power these titles without any issues. Interestingly, there have been a few fixes for issues such as playing RoadCraft on Radeon RX 7000 series, as well as screen corruption when using third-party VR headsets on the Radeon RX 6000 series of GPUs. Some known issues, like Battlefield 6 crashing on Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 APU, remain, and AMD is working on a fix that will likely be included in the next driver release.

DOWNLOAD: AMD Software Adrenalin 26.6.2 WHQL.For a full list of details, check the release notes below.

AMD has officially released the RDNA 3-focused FSR Upscaling 4.1 model for the Radeon RX 7000 series of graphics cards. This marks the first step towards deploying the FSR 4 technology across all RDNA gaming GPUs. According to a post on X by AMD's Jack Huynh, Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Computing and Graphics Group, FSR Upscaling 4.1 is now available for RDNA 3 GPUs. With the latest AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition 26.6.2 graphics driver download, Radeon RX 7000 series gamers can enjoy more than 300 games running FSR 4.1, providing a significant performance boost and finally offering features that RDNA 4 gamers have been enjoying for a while. You can find some AMD-provided performance comparisons in the slides below.

We have confirmed that AMD's FSR Upscaling 4.1 model for RDNA 3 GPUs is fundamentally different from the RDNA 4 version. RDNA 4 has native processing for 8-bit floating point data, allowing FSR 4.1 on RDNA 4 to run on FP8 data types. To get the FSR 4.1 Upscaling model to run on RDNA 3, AMD must convert this to 8-bit integer data, as RDNA 3 hardware uses INT8 data types without FP8 support. Generally, integer math is sufficient to optimize these models, but the conversion work is necessary, which explains the delay between RDNA 4 and RDNA 3 support. This difference required AMD to completely modify the FSR 4.1 model for the new data type and ensure there is no quality loss in the final visual output. AMD officially states that the visual fidelity is on par with the FSR 4.1 model that runs on RDNA 4.

Micron Technology, Inc. (Nasdaq: MU) today announced a strategic agreement with Anthropic that spans memory and storage AI architecture design, supply and demand, enterprise adoption of Claude across Micron and a strategic investment in Anthropic's Series H funding round. The agreement directly links the demands of frontier AI models to how infrastructure is designed, supplied, and deployed at scale.

"The AI revolution has permanently elevated the role of memory and storage solutions from the data center to the edge," said Sumit Sadana, executive vice president and chief business officer, Micron. "Micron's strategic collaboration with Anthropic brings together the industry-leading capabilities of both companies to innovate and scale next-generation AI infrastructure."

Microsoft late last week confirmed this year's update to Windows 11, version 26H2. This update would be exclusive to PCs powered by x86-64 processors (compatible processors from Intel and AMD); as devices based on Qualcomm Snapdragon Elite and NVIDIA RTX Spark are now on a separate update trunk. If you recall, the company earlier this year released Windows 11 26H1, but the update was exclusive to Windows-on-Arm devices, mainly powered by Snapdragon chips. Although announced at Computex, notebooks and mini PCs powered by RTX Spark aren't currently available, and will be released to market this Fall. OEMs will launch them with Windows 11 26H1.

Windows 11 26H2 won't be a major update involving a total replacement of all system files and migration of the user's environment; rather, it will be a minor update since 26H2 is based on the same code base as 25H2. The update would be effortless, take no longer than a typical monthly Patch Tuesday update, and simply roll up security and quality updates released till that time. The update to 26H2 will be recommended because Windows will release security updates to Windows 11 versions going back two years—in this case, 24H2 and 25H2 besides 26H2. Businesses looking to lock in on a particular version would have to look out for Windows 11 Enterprise LTSC versions, which lock on to a particular kernel code base, and gather security updates until a specified date in the future.

GravaStar, the cyberpunk-inspired industrial design brand known for its distinctive approach to gaming peripherals, today announced the Mercury K98 Pro, a 98% full-size wireless mechanical keyboard. Designed for players and creators who want a full-layout keyboard without sacrificing performance or visual presence, the Mercury K98 Pro brings together GravaStar's signature industrial design language with a feature set built for both competitive use and everyday productivity.

A Distinct Cyberpunk Industrial Design
CNC Aluminium Skeletonized Chassis: The Mercury K98 Pro is built around a fully CNC-machined aluminium alloy chassis with an exposed, skeletonized cyberpunk aesthetic. The gasket-mount structure, which is also compatible with top-mount builds, delivers a soft, springy keystroke feel across the full 98-key layout.

Most people use Office every day without ever touching half of what it can do. Through StackSocial's Deal Days, the company's version of Prime Day, this bundle pairs Microsoft Office 2024 Home & Business with an 8-course training program built to close that gap, all for $115.97, down from $409.99.

The software side gets you the latest versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and OneNote, with real upgrades baked in. Excel handles large datasets faster, PowerPoint adds more advanced recording tools for voice and video, and Outlook picks up better accessibility and organization features. The interface is also more consistent across apps, so switching between them doesn't require relearning.

Get the Microsoft Office 2024 Home & Business and 8-course training bundle for $115.97 (reg. $409.99) before the Deal Days sale ends June 28.

Switching between ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and a handful of other AI tools just to land on one solid answer means you're paying for overlapping capabilities several times over, easily $60 to $80 a month, or hundreds a year. ChatPlayground AI doesn't just bundle the big three. It puts more than 20 models, including GPT-4o, Claude Sonnet, Gemini, DeepSeek, Llama, and Perplexity, side by side on a single dashboard. Run a single prompt and compare every response at once, no tab-hopping, no separate logins, no extra monthly charges.

Currently, a lifetime subscription to ChatPlayground AI is $79, down from $619, a one-time payment that replaces your subscriptions.

Get ChatPlayground AI's lifetime subscription for $79 (reg. $619) before the Deal Days sale ends June 28. No coupon needed.

SilverStone introduces the FLP03—a retro-inspired microATX chassis that brings classic PC aesthetics into a more compact and versatile form factor, combining nostalgic exterior details with support for modern storage, high-end graphics cards, and efficient cooling configurations.

The FLP03 continues SilverStone's mission to reimagine the golden age of personal computing for today's builders. With its familiar beige exterior, functional Turbo button, front 5.25" expansion bays, and secure key lock design, the FLP03 captures the spirit of classic desktop systems while offering the flexibility required for modern PC builds.

Dell Technologies (NYSE: DELL) introduces the Dell PowerEdge XE8812 server, a new addition to the Dell AI Factory with NVIDIA, purpose-built for the world's most demanding HPC and AI workloads, featuring NVIDIA Vera Rubin NVL4 architecture and delivering up to 144 GPUs per rack. The announcement comes as Dell AI Factory deployments accelerate worldwide, advancing sovereign AI initiatives, engineering and design workflows, and genomic science.

Why it matters
As AI and HPC simulation workloads converge, the scale and pace of these workloads are outgrowing what incremental infrastructure upgrades can keep up with. At the same time, organizations are pushing the boundaries of science and industry, resulting in a need for platforms that deliver a generational leap.

Montech today released the TG3, a cost-effective ATX mid-tower case with a pillarless front-left corner. The case features two tempered glass panels to make up its left- and front panels. While designed to be a horizontally partitioned case, there is no 3.5-inch drive cage where you'd expect it, instead, the bottom compartment is confined to the rear end, serving as an enclosure for the PSU. On the black version of this case, this features a contrasting metallic silver tone. On both the black and white variants, it is crowned by an LED diffuser. The motherboard tray has cutouts that make it compatible with certain kinds of backside-connector motherboards, although Montech doesn't explicitly advertise this.

Montech includes the GF360 U REV, a 360 mm x 120 mm compound fan with the TG3 case, which comes pre-installed on the side-facing fan vent. It also includes a 120 mm rear exhaust, which is the GF120 U. Both feature ARGB LED lighting on the impellers. The motherboard tray serves up room for graphics cards up to 43 cm in length, and CPU coolers up to 18 cm in height, while the bottom compartment has room for PSUs up to 25 cm in length. The case measures 465 mm x 239 mm x 523 mm. Available from today, the black version is priced at $60, and the white version at $80.

Killscreen today announced the launch of SFC-1, a new custom performance controller inspired by the Japanese Super Famicom and the 16-bit era of gaming. Built for PC and PlayStation 5 players, SFC-1 brings the unmistakable visual style of classic Japanese gaming hardware into a modern performance controller. SFC-1 features a retro SFC-inspired aesthetic with a soft gray body, graphite directional controls, and multicolor face buttons in blue, green, red, and yellow. The design draws from the Japanese Super Famicom console and controller—16-bit hardware many players in the U.S. first discovered through magazines, import shops, and collector culture.

"Growing up, the Super Famicom always felt like this mysterious, cooler version of the system we got in the U.S.," said Erik at Killscreen. "The gray body, the colored buttons, the shape of the console—it had this completely different energy. It felt like hardware from another world. With SFC-1, we wanted to capture a little bit of that feeling and bring it forward for PC and PS5."

Valve has begun integrating AMD's FSR Upscaler 4.1 into its Proton compatibility layer to enable FSR 4.1 on the SteamOS Linux-based operating system. Recently, we reported that AMD has been developing a separate model for FSR Upscaling 4.1 to function on RDNA 3. This involves converting from the FP8 data type used on RDNA 4 GPUs to INT8 data types to ensure smooth operation on RDNA 3. One of the biggest questions surrounding FSR 4.1 compatibility was whether the solution would work with RDNA 3.5 integrated graphics, in addition to the already announced RDNA 3 IP support. Valve has now leaked the FSR 4.1 INT8 model, which has been observed running on RDNA 3.5 thought Radeon 890M GPU.

Valve has included preliminary FSR 4.1 support in its Proton Experimental build, which is used for testing features before they appear in the stable release that ships with SteamOS builds. A Redditor managed to download the leaked file before Valve removed it and ran a few tests using OptiScaler to force different FSR DLL versions in games. Since the file is officially signed, games checking for DLL signatures reportedly ran without issues. This is great news for those waiting for the official DLL release, especially RDNA 3.5 users who were left uncertain about whether FSR 4.1 would work with RDNA 3.5.

LG Display, the world's leading innovator of display technologies, announced today that its entire lineup of large-sized OLED panels, including for monitors and TVs, has become the first in the world to receive "Perfect Color/Brightness Accuracy up to 500 lux" certification from global testing and certification organization Intertek. This certification confirms that a display can accurately reproduce both color and brightness regardless of viewing conditions or content.

The certification is particularly meaningful as it quantitatively validates how accurately a display reproduces color and brightness. Previously, display quality had largely been assessed based on specifications such as color gamut or peak luminance, which have limitations in objectively verifying how closely a display reproduces real-world colors.

iiyama today launched its first gaming monitor based on an OLED panel, the G-Master GOB2701QSC-B1 Titan Falcon. The 27-inch flat-screen uses a 4th Generation Meta 3.0 OLED panel sourced from LG Display. It offers a WQHD (2560 x 1440 pixels) resolution with 280 Hz refresh-rate, and a response time as low as 0.03 ms. The monitor is NVIDIA G-SYNC compatible. The display also offers DisplayHDR True Black 400, with typical panel brightness of 335 cd/m², and HDR content can achieve peak brightness of 1500 cd/m². In terms of color reproduction, the monitor offers 99.5% DCI-P3, 95% Adobe RGB, and 150% sRGB coverage.

Display inputs on the G-Master GOB2701QSC-B1 Titan Falcon include two HDMI 2.1, and a DisplayPort 2.1, along with a USB-C that takes in DisplayPort and 65 W USB-PD power input. All inputs support the full 280 Hz refresh rate, along with variable refresh-rate. Besides G-SYNC compatibility, the monitor is AMD FreeSync Premium rated. Other features include an integrated KVM for two input sources, a USB 3.2 type-A hub, and two 5 W speakers. The company didn't reveal pricing.

GIGABYTE expanded its AORUS Infinity line of flagship custom-design GeForce RTX 50-series graphics cards with three new models, two of which are based on the GeForce RTX 5080, and the third one on the GeForce RTX 5070 Ti. The company had debuted the AORUS Infinity series with the top-dog GeForce RTX 5090 AORUS Infinity, which was unveiled at CES 2026, and went on sale from May. The RTX 5080 AORUS Infinity Wood was showcased earlier this month at Computex, and gets formally launched.

GIGABYTE's AORUS Infinity series is its take on the dual flow-throw cooler architecture NVIDIA innovated with the RTX 50-series Founders Edition graphics cards. The PCB with the GPU, memory, and VRM, are centrally located, any rely on breakout boards to interface with power, display I/O, and possibly even the PCIe interface. The RTX 5080 AORUS Infinity Wood, unlike the other three AORUS Infinity cards, switches to a matte-white+beige wood 2-tone color trim on the cooler shroud, and features a real wood trim along its top edge. It aesthetically blends with the company's Aero Wood series motherboards, such as the X870E Aero X3D Wood. The card offers a massive factory overclock of 2805 MHz core, compared to 2617 MHz NVIDIA-reference.

Princeton Memory introduced the PHD-ISM2G4DG, a mainstream M.2 NVMe Gen 4 SSD. The drive comes in 512 GB, 1 TB, and 2 TB capacities, and is based on a Phison E27T series DRAMless controller, which it surprisingly pairs with 3D TLC NAND flash memory. The entry-level 512 GB variant offers up to 7100 MB/s sequential reads with up to 4300 MB/s sequential writes; while the 1 TB and 2 TB variants offer the same maximum sequential reads, but with increased sequential writes of up to 6400 MB/s. Write endurance for the three models is rated at 160 TBW, 320 TBW, and 640 TBW. The company is backing these drives with 3-year warranties.

Last week, it was reported that Intel is bringing back its Core "Raptor Lake" client microarchitecture a second time under the "Raptor Lake Next" internal codename, and newer Core (non-Ultra) nomenclature, to cater to the PC crowd benefiting from its DDR4 memory backwards compatibility to save on memory costs. It turns out that the company is also bringing this second refresh to the gaming notebook segment, specifically the HX segment that uses discrete GPUs. These processors will feature Core (non-Ultra) series 2 (200 series) processor model numbering to align with Intel's new naming scheme.

Intel uses a common silicon for its desktop S-segment and the HX-segment, so the top SKU based on "Raptor Lake Next-HX" will max out the silicon, with a core-configuration of 8P+16E, with HyperThreading enabled on the P-cores, for a total logical processor count of 32. The monolithic die is built on the Intel 7 foundry node, and the lack of low-power island E-cores mean that these will be power hungry chips by contemporary standards. The HX segment calls for a processor base power of 55 W, and a three-figure maximum turbo power. For reference, the Core i9-14900HX from the "Raptor Lake Refresh" generation came with 55 W base power, and 159 W of maximum turbo power, requiring notebook OEMs to bundle power bricks with 320 W on tap, with some OEMs even including 400 W bricks.

If readers recall, earlier this year in mid-March, Microsoft stopped automatically installing its Microsoft 365 Copilot App on Windows 11 by default. Instead, the company decided to leave this option to users, which makes sense considering it is their operating system. However, Microsoft is now reversing this decision after only a few months, once again requiring the installation of the Microsoft 365 Copilot application on Windows 11 systems. For those familiar with the regular Copilot application, Microsoft 365 Copilot is the rebranded version of what was originally called Microsoft 365 / Office Hub. This app was introduced alongside the regular Copilot app on Windows 11 systems, offering AI-enhanced Microsoft 365 services.

In a recent note on the Microsoft Admin Portal, the company states that users will have to opt out if they don't want the Microsoft 365 Copilot App installed by default on their system. This means users might end up installing the app without their consent, even if they don't want it on their systems. To remove it, users must do so manually or opt out of the installation, which involves additional steps, particularly for IT admins managing an organization's infrastructure. The company now states, "This change simplifies access to Copilot and ensures users can easily discover and engage with productivity-enhancing features."

NVIDIA's next generation of graphics cards, under the "Blackwell-Next" name, began their integration into the Linux kernel some time ago. The latest set of patches now includes updates for handling Compute Express Link (CXL). This particular patch is intriguing because it refers to the next generation of NVIDIA GPUs with the "Blackwell-Next" architecture, even though NVIDIA has publicly confirmed the codenames for its upcoming GPU architectures multiple times. From the "Blackwell" generation, we have seen another variant called "Blackwell Ultra" in the B300 series. However, the next-generation architecture has been publicly confirmed to be called "Rubin." Therefore, it is unclear why NVIDIA's engineers are referring to the next generation GPU design as "Blackwell-Next," given that the codenames have been public for some time.

Furthermore, this is not a case of separating consumer and server products, as both consumer GeForce RTX GPUs are available in "Blackwell" and will be available in "Rubin" variants. This is also true for server-grade AI accelerators. We have learned that NVIDIA plans to update its RTX Spark SoC with the "Vera" CPU and "Rubin" GPU, ensuring name consistency across both server and consumer products. This makes the "Blackwell-Next" patch an isolated case, but it serves as a good reminder that progress toward the general launch of the first "Rubin" GPUs is underway.

TrendForce's latest research reveals that structural tightening in mature-node DRAM supply is forcing consumer DRAM buyers to adopt legacy memory products to secure larger supply allocations. This has triggered a new wave of demand for procuring older-generation DRAM components, driving continued price momentum across legacy products such as DDR2 and DDR3.

Following strong gains in 1Q26, TrendForce estimates DDR2 contract prices will rise by approximately 55-60% in 2Q26, followed by a further 35-40% increase in 3Q26.

Mini PC and notebook brand AceMagic today announced a flash sale on two of its latest AMD Ryzen-powered mini PCs on Amazon, open from today until June 30, 2026. Up for sale is an AceMagician M1, powered by AMD Ryzen 7 7735HS processor, 24 GB of LPDDR5 memory, and a 512 GB NVMe SSD. Normally priced at $489.99, it's up for a 20% off price of $439.99 during the sale period, but TechPowerUp readers get a further 10% off, for a final price of just $395.10!

Next up, is the AceMagic K1, a cost-effective mini PC powered by a Ryzen 3 4300U processor, backed by 16 GB of DDR4 memory, and a 256 GB NVMe SSD. It originally launched at $512, and is available at a 10% discount that pushes its price down to $409, but TechPowerUp readers get a further 10% off, so you can have it for $368! Like what you're seeing? Hurry, offer ends on 30th June.

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As we've just passed the summer solstice and are heading towards darker times (at least in the northern hemisphere), we should soon be back to the time of the year when there are some bigger game releases. However, this week isn't one of those weeks, but we do at least have one bigger release this week which is the return of a fighting game franchise. The rest of this week's releases includes running an animal hotel, adventuring with a deer, some 6v6 PvP action in a futuristic setting, a spooky walking simulator and a rather bizarre fishing game.

Dead or Alive 6 Last Round / This week's major release / Thursday 25 June
Fan-favorite 3D fighting game Dead or Alive 6 is back with stylish moves, striking animations, and a cast of colorful characters to go head-to-head in the fighting game world's most extreme battles! Place, pose, and take picture-perfect screenshots of your favorite characters in the new Photo Mode. Steam link

Microsoft on Friday released a feature that lets game developers better assess game crashes at the graphics API level, with the new DirectX Dump feature. Released as a preview, the feature requires support from GPU vendors in the form of graphics driver-level awareness. AMD released a preview driver for Radeon GPUs to support this feature. When enabled, the feature gathers and outputs a detailed DirectX runtime crash dump file with the file extension ".dxdmp," which the game's crash-handler can upload to the game developer. Game developers can then use PIX (Performance Investigator for Xbox) to analyze dxdmp files.

Socket AM4 is here to stay as long as DDR4 memory remains affordable, and AMD resurrected the Ryzen 7 5800X3D to restore a flagship gaming processor and upgrade path for this platform. Motherboard vendors are trickling out a new crop of AM4 motherboards. ASRock recently debuted its Rock brand of entry-mainstream motherboards and recently a new product to its lineup, the B550 Rock WiFi. Built in the ATX form-factor, this board features a modern product styling from the Rock series, with its blocky chipset/VRM heatsinks. It draws power from a combination of 24-pin ATX and single 8-pin EPS connectors; and uses an 8+2 phase CPU VRM.

The Socket AM4 is wired to four DDR4 DIMM slots, supporting a maximum of 128 GB of DDR4-3200 memory; the board's PCI-Express 4.0 x16 slot, and an M.2 NVMe Gen 4 x4 slot with an included heatsink. Besides this M.2 slot, the board offers two M.2 Gen 3 slots, one of which is x4, the other x2, and four SATA 6 Gbps ports. Networking options include a 2.5 GbE wired Ethernet driven by a Realtek DragonLAN RTL8125BG controller; and a Realtek RTL8852CE WLAN module in an easy to upgrade M.2-2230 E-key slot that offers Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 interfaces. The onboard audio solution is an entry-level one, driven by a Realtek ALC897 HDA codec.

AMD backpedaled on its recent decision to remove Transparent Secure Memory Encryption (TSME) feature on its consumer Ryzen processors, which was typically enabled by default. The company had, in April, quietly disabled the feature for Ryzen consumer processors through an AGESA update encapsulated into motherboard firmware updates. The idea probably was to restrict TSME to Ryzen commercial-segment processors, sold under the Ryzen PRO brand, besides Ryzen Threadripper WX workstation processors, and EPYC server processors. For reference, Intel offers a similar feature, TME-MK (Total Memory Encryption-Multi-Key) on even its consumer Core processors, and not just its commercial Core vPro processors.

AMD said that it has decided to restore TSME "based on valuable community feedback," and end-users should expect UEFI firmware updates that restore the feature starting next month (July 2026). TSME is a hardware-based feature that leverages fixed-function hardware on the silicon to encrypt the contents of the memory, providing an additional layer of security. Since AMD shares a common IOD design across its Ryzen consumer and Ryzen PRO commercial product lines, the feature is physically present.

Meccha Chameleon is a new multiplayer "friendslop" hide and seek game that launched on June 9 and sees players conceal themselves on surfaces by painting over their bodies to match the surface textures. As the developer recently announced in a Steam community update on June 19, Meccha Chameleon has sold over 5 million units in its first 10 days on Valve's storefront. According to SteamDB, Meccha Chameleon reached a peak concurrent player count of 244,731 players on June 18. That performance almost matches the recent success of Resident Evil: Requiem, for reference.

As a result of the game's success, the developer has also promised more content coming soon, although they have not specified what those content updates will entail. However, the developer has been busy since the game launched, having already added another map and expanded an existing map, in addition to the usual bug fixes and optimization updates, following the game surpassing 3 million sales on June 16. Part of the game's success is almost certainly due to its low $5.99 price, but it's also riding on a wave of recent successes in the "friendslop" or party game genre, which has seen games like Peak and REPO blow up thanks to their multiplayer and social gameplay.

Despite the recent announcement of the Grand Theft Auto VI June 25 pre-order date, gamers have become concerned about the game being delayed yet again. Shortly after the pre-order announcement, all mentions of GTA VI's November 19 official launch date have been removed from the official Rockstar site for GTA VI, leading to theories that the game has been delayed, and that Rockstar will wait to announce the delay until just after pre-orders go live.

Others have pointed out that on sites like Bilibili, the official Rockstar account still reflects the November 19 launch date. A more likely explanation seems to be that Rockstar is focusing on a marketing push for the June 25 pre-orders, which will inevitably end up providing a surge of funds for the game studio. Only showing a single date across the site will also simplify things for those looking to place a pre-order. Take-Two CEO, Strauss Zelnick previously commented that GTA VI would definitely launch on November 19, despite having previously been delayed twice.

The open-source, community-driven NVIDIA Linux driver stack has been on a constant march towards feature-parity with the proprietary NVIDIA driver. The latest news in Mesa driver stack comes by way of NVK, the open-source NVK Vulkan driver, which recently merged support for DLSS support on NVIDIA GPUs. As reported by Phoronix, the pull request will see DLSS support merge into Mesa 26.2 via the VK_NVX_binary_import binary extension, which is slated to launch in the stable update in August 2026, and the feature is currently set to experimental by default. In order to enable DLSS support, players will need to add NVK_EXPERIMENTAL=dlss environmental variable.

Recent performance comparisons still show significant performance differences between the open-source driver and NVIDIA's proprietary driver, however, it seems as though continued community contributions have started to close those gaps. Support for DLSS on the open-source driver should also help mitigate some of the performance regressions present in current NVK driver versions.

As we've seen previously, many modern game studios are leaning on artificial intelligence to accelerate game development workflows—both for code completion and graphics applications—and Sony recently confirmed in an annual SEC form that it too is using AI. As spotted by The Game File, Sony says in the regulatory filing that it is using AI in a number of ways throughout the game development process, with the filing making specific mention of automating "repetitive tasks," in order to improve efficiency and productivity in software development, QA, 3D modelling, and animation workflows. It's unclear if this means players will soon start seeing AI-generated textures in games, but it seems likely that this will eventually be the case. The verbiage in the SEC filing suggests that Sony wants to lean into generative AI so that its game developers and artists can spend more time on hand-made game art.

Within the studio business, AI powered tools are automating repetitive workflows and improving productivity across areas such as software development, quality assurance, 3D modeling, and animation, allowing production teams to focus on building richer worlds and gameplay experiences.

EK by LM TEK is proud to introduce the EK-Quantum Reflection³ Uni Distro Plate 300 D5, our first universal ATX distribution plate to feature an integrated bypass valve. The EK-Quantum Reflection³ Uni Distro combines a 300ml reservoir and D5 PWM pump on standard 120 mm fan mount, universally compatible with a large number of modern ATX PC cases, including the Lian Li O11D series and ASUS ROG Hyperion GR701.

The EK-Quantum Reflection³ features our latest innovation, the EK bypass valve for fast, efficient draining, flushing and refilling. No disconnected fittings, no mess, no lifting or tilting your case—simply drain your loop, close the bypass valve to pressurize, then attach an air blower to clear any residual coolant. Loop maintenance, solved. The hardest part is picking your next coolant color.

ViewSonic introduced a new 23.8-inch gaming monitor, the VX24G26J-4K with a 3840 x 2160 (4K) resolution. The monitor uses a Fast IPS panel with a native 160 Hz refresh rate, 1 ms GtG, 1,000:1 contrast ratio, and up to 400 nits brightness. The combination of UHD resolution with a pixel density of 185 PPI is something not often found on typical 24-inch 1080p or 1440p displays. The panel is treated with ViewSonic's Nano Obsidian Screen technology that provides a matte, anti-reflective finish. The monitor supports Adaptive-Sync alongside AMD FreeSync and NVIDIA G-Sync compatibility. It also sports HDR10, VESA DisplayHDR 400 certification, 8-bit color depth, 100% sRGB and 95% DCI-P3/Adobe RGB color gamuts coverage.

The ViewSonic VX24G26J-4K gaming monitor has a three-sided narrow-bezel design with the stand offering height, tilt, swivel and pivot adjustments. Additional features include Flicker-Free backlighting, Low Blue Light mode, Black Stabilization, and on-screen crosshair overlays. On the connectivity side, it has one DisplayPort 1.4 input, two HDMI 2.1 ports, a 3.5 mm audio jack and a built-in power supply. The monitor has so far appeared only in the Chinese market, ViewSonic not disclosing yet its pricing or global availability.

Epic Games has been working on enhancing its Epic Games Store (EGS) to better compete with Steam, and the upcoming Epic Games Launcher version 2 will bring significant performance improvements to the desktop application. According to the latest rumors, EGS Launcher v2 will be 5 to 6.5 times faster than the current launcher. This aims to attract more users with a substantial redesign of the storefront, both architecturally and visually. It should open about five times faster on a cold start, while returning from the system tray to the library could be roughly 6.5 times quicker on average. For players who have grown accustomed to waiting on menus and slow page loads, this may be the most meaningful change.

Epic also seems to be redefining what the store aims to represent, as engaging players is one of the best ways to keep them returning to the platform. The new storefront layout is built around a more personalized home page, with quick-access categories and a scrollable hero section designed to help players find relevant games faster. Product pages are also being reworked to do more than just display a title, price, and rating. Epic wants them to highlight story elements, community activity, and even a player's own progression where relevant. With this, EGS hopes to counter earlier claims by two former Epic Games employees that the EGS saw only an initial spike in active users during free game promotions, with gamers eventually returning to Steam.

Compared to their non-pro variants, Duronaut Pro and Hydronaut Pro offer increased thermal conductivity while otherwise meeting the specific requirements of their predecessors. Duronaut Pro was developed for particularly high long-term stability, while Hydronaut Pro can be used as a thermal paste in industrial systems thanks to its silicone-free carrier structure.

At first glance, the temperature differences measured under laboratory conditions between the Pro pastes and the non-pro variants appear marginal. However, when considering how little room for improvement still exists in thermal paste development with regard to temperature, these improvements in thermal conductivity must be considered significant.

Colorful Technology Company Limited, a leading brand in gaming PC components, gaming laptops, and Hi-fi audio products, proudly announces the launch of the limited-edition Chitu MAG-60 Magnetic Switch Keyboard, inspired by the Chinese zodiac sign of 2026-the Year of the Horse. Chitu (赤兔) is the famous warhorse in the Chinese legend Red Hare. The Chitu MAG-60 is a collector-grade mechanical keyboard that combines traditional Chinese artistry with cutting-edge magnetic switch technology, delivering a premium typing and gaming experience.

Limited to just 300 units worldwide, the Chitu MAG-60 Magnetic Keyboard represents a fusion of cultural heritage, luxury craftsmanship, and next-generation performance. From its handcrafted Alcantara and leather exterior to its exclusive TTC magnetic switches and advanced TMR sensing technology, every aspect of the keyboard has been meticulously designed for enthusiasts, collectors, and competitive gamers alike.

Play favorite titles from popular game libraries, keep progress synced and jump back into gaming sessions on virtually any device. That's the power of GeForce NOW cloud gaming. From providing access to members' favorite game libraries to offering some of the season's best membership pricing, GeForce NOW is making it easier than ever to get more from the cloud this summer. Plus, check out the seven new games arriving in the GeForce NOW library this week.

Hit Play Across Top Game Stores
Whether it's blockbuster franchises, competitive shooters, sprawling role-playing games (RPGs) or indie gems, GeForce NOW supports thousands of games from leading PC game stores, making it easy to bring existing game libraries to the cloud. Connect supported game store accounts and stream titles with GeForce RTX power. Games that include cloud-save functionality help keep progress intact across devices. Start a game on one screen, pick up where playtime left off on another and spend less time managing installs and storage space.

Intel Corporation today announced the appointment of Seok-Hee Lee as executive vice president of Intel Foundry, reporting directly to CEO Lip-Bu Tan. In this role, Lee will lead all advanced packaging, system integration, back-end technology development, and back-end manufacturing, strengthening Intel's ability to deliver differentiated, system-level innovation for customers.

Seok-Hee Lee Appointed to Lead Advanced Packaging
As part of the continued evolution of the Intel Foundry strategy, the company is establishing advanced packaging as a focused business with dedicated leadership. This reflects the growing importance and complexity of packaging as a key enabler of performance, power efficiency, and heterogeneous integration across AI systems.

It was recently rumored that the development of Persona 6 had been concluded, indicating that the game would likely be launching somewhat soon, and that previous rumor has been somewhat substantiated by the recent announcement and publication of the store pages for Persona 6 on Steam, PS5, and Xbox Series consoles. Notably, there is no Nintendo Switch 2 store page just yet, and it's unclear if Persona 6 will release on the Switch 2. An official release date has not been set, but Atlus West has strongly suggested in a post on X that Persona 6 will launch after Persona 4 Revival, which is slated to launch on February 18, 2027. Current rumors claim a September 2027 launch for Persona 6.

The store pages provide some clues as to the game's themes and aesthetic, with screenshots hinting that Persona 6 will take on a somewhat darker tone than Persona 5 Royal. According to the Steam Store page, Persona 6 will feature "a completely fresh, standalone story and new cast of characters," and players will be confronted with "strange rumors, unsettling urban legends, and occult incidents." Of course, Persona 6 will still follow the party-based, turn-based JRPG combat format combined with relationship simulation and slice of life elements. Atlus is also careful to note that Persona 6 requires no prior Persona experience and is a self-contained story, much like the other numbered entries in the franchise.

There has been much commotion when it comes to console vs. PC game release strategies from both Sony's PlayStation and Microsoft Xbox Game Studios, with recent commentary by PlayStation CEO, Hideaki Nishino, to Famitsu magazine expanding on previous rumors of PlayStation all but moving away from PC ports for its single-player games. According to the Nishino, the release platforms of PlayStation games will be determined by the characteristics of the game, and games will only be released on PC if the platform can "maximize" the gaming experience of the game. He went on to explain that this effectively boils down to the same thing being repeated by prior rumors: live-service multiplayer games will release to PC, while single-player narrative experiences will be kept on PlayStation in order to deliver value on the platform, however, the CEO did not exclusively rule out PC ports.

Commentary by Bloomberg games journalist, Jason Schreier, on the ResetEra forums, however, argues that the line is much more black and white than that, with the reporter stating that two sources told him that a town hall meeting two weeks ago saw Hermen Hulst, CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment, confirm that single-player narrative games will be PlayStation exclusive, with the console maker wanting to "keep their IP aligned to their own platform." The justification for the return to PS-exclusives was that first-party PlayStation games just haven't made enough money as PC ports to justify the work, which is much the same as what was hinted at in previous rumors, as well. As for multi-player games, Sony wants to reach as wide an audience as possible, since those games depend on having a large player-base, so having as many players as possible enhances the gameplay for all platforms.

Gearbox and 2K Games have officially debuted new content for Borderlands 4, including an upcoming new vault hunter, new free endgame content, and a number of paid DLCs with new bosses, missions, vehicles, and other activities. As per the announcement, the first round of upcoming new features and content will drop on June 26 with version 1.8, and one of the major new features in update 1.8 is cross-platform save. Cross-platform saves will depend on players' SHiFT accounts, and players can manually sync save files via the in-game SHiFT interface in order to continue on another platform. Notably, Golden Keys will not transfer between platforms and will only be available for the platform the keys were redeemed on. June 26 will also herald the arrival of the Takedown at Hadron Abyss, which is a new free endgame challenge that will be available to all Borderlands 4 players, as well as a new raid boss, a new mini-boss, nine new legendary items, a new pearlescent item, and new challenge-based cosmetics. The Takedown at Hadron Abyss reveal trailer gives players an idea of what to expect from the new challenge, which takes place in an undersea research station and sees players face off against the Child of Terramorphous. The new content comes alongside claimed performance improvements, general balance updates, bug fixes, and vault hunter balance updates.

Borderlands 4 will also receive four new paid DLCs: Bounty Pack 3: A Zane to Kill For, landing on June 25, Bounty Pack 4: Murders & Acquisitions, landing on July 30, Story Pack 2, and Bounty Pack 5, both of which land in early September. A Zane to Kill For adds a new mission, a new boss, and two new mini-bosses, as well as new pearlescent and legendary gear, a new vehicle, a vault hunter skill, and an Echo-4 drone skin. A Zane to Kill For will hurl players into an investigation into who killed Zane's clone. Bounty Pack 4 will again introduce a new mission, a new boss, and three new mini-bosses, as well as a new vehicle and cosmetics. Most excitingly for many, the early September Story Pack 2 paid DLC will introduce the next playable vault hunter, Loveless, an ex-Anshin hacker who relies on cybernetic enhancements and shares her mind with a digital virus that can manifest in physical form via digistruct tech to enact her will. Not much has been revealed about Loveless's abilities, other than what was shown in a short character teaser and a character sheet in an X post, and that isn't much to go on. These DLCs will be available in both bundles and individually, with Bounty Pack 3's narrative content and gear available for $5.99 and the Vault Card 3 portion (new cosmetics and related gear) costing another $5.99. Loveless and her cosmetics will cost $9.99, while the narrative content for Story Pack 2 will cost $19.99.The trailer for Loveless, the Hacker, follows.

The overwhelming demand for the Steam Controller led Valve earlier this year to set up a reservation system by which buyers could sign up and get priority access when the new gaming peripheral was available to purchase. Reservations opened on May 8, and while it promised availability the week following the announcement, Valve didn't provide an estimated date for following batches of the Steam Controller.

Now, the gaming giant has updated its reservation system based on current demand and production capabilities, giving players an estimate for when the Steam Controller will be available for shipping based on when a reservation was made. At the time of writing, Valve is providing three estimated order windows, letting players know that they will be able to order by September 2026, December 2026, or at some point in 2027. Buyers who already have a Steam Controller reservation will already have an estimated order window assigned to their Steam account when they log in and navigate to the Steam Controller page. The 72-hour order window remains in place, and Valve has advised in the notice that current reservations "indicate a 2027 date for shipping."

An MSI online store listing recently revealed the pricing on the new Intel Arc G3 Extreme-powered Claw 8 EX AI+, which will apparently retail at a whopping $1,799.99, but, in a recent interview with FRVR, MSI product marketing lead, Andy Chu, explained that things are likely to get worse as the ongoing AI-driven DRAM and component shortage worsens. Chu, who said that even he, as an insider, is "unsure of where the market will go," also says that "there's much room for another price hike, at least from my own observation."

According to the executive, handheld sales are stable, and MSI is "confident with the new handheld, not just the new platform," referring to Intel's new handheld-specific G3 CPUs. He also championed the idea of releasing handhelds with expanded capabilities, stating that "it's good timing to take a look at what kind of true potential or the capability of this new handheld can provide us." His argument appears to be that, since handheld prices are high, it stands to reason that they should be more performant and more capable—to his credit, this is a topic that has been discussed online in social media posts and YouTube videos asking whether something like a Lenovo Legion Go or Steam Deck can be used as a desktop PC with an external monitor and a dock, for example.

There have already been several strong reactions from developers to generative AI in video games and their development—and many large studios advocating for the new tech—and Pocketpair, the developer behind Palworld, has once again clarified its stance on generative AI in a new interview with GamesRadar+ after the studio had to previously defend Palworld against accusations of AI.

In the interview, John Buckley, Pocketpair's publishing and communications head, once again reiterated that the studio behind the ever-expanding Palworld universe does not use generative AI and has no plans to adopt the tech in the future. He commented that "Gamers don't want it, and if the gamers don't want it, I guess that's it, right? Not much of a conversation to be had." He goes on to acknowledge that there are many big game developers using AI to save time on their projects, but that Pocketpair has a large team of in-house artists who "like doing stuff themselves," and that it "seems pointless" to replace them in favor of AI art.

AMD has fixed a couple of threading bottlenecks in HandBrake that were holding back transcoding performance on high-core-count systems, and the fixes have been included in HandBrake 1.11.0. AMD found that the issues came down to two things. HandBrake wasn't built to efficiently manage systems with more than 64 logical processors, so on chips like Threadripper, available compute was sitting idle instead of being put to work. Separately, some workloads were chopped into jobs that were too small, creating scheduling overhead that affected the actual transcoding time, particularly noticeable at 720p. AMD found cases where performance actually dropped by up to 60% rather than scaling as more cores were assigned. The fix improves thread management and job scheduling so HandBrake can split work more effectively across high core counts, keeping more cores busy with actual transcoding instead of coordination overhead.

According to an AMD blog post, a Threadripper 7980X (64 cores, 128 threads) CPU with 128 GB of DDR5-5600 paired with a Radeon RX 9070 XT measured gains up to 215% in Perfume H.264 720p, 203% in LG_8K HEVC 8-bit 4320p and 105% in LG 8K 60 FPS HEVC 10-bit 4320p. Across all the tested workloads, improvements ranged from 16% to 215%. In HEVC, a Threadripper PRO 9995WX (96 cores, 192 threads) with the same RX 9070 XT achieved gains of up to 181%, depending on the workload. The biggest gains were up to 181% in Perfume H.264 720p, 151% in Perfume HEVC 10-bit 2160p and 149% in LG_8K HEVC 8-bit 4320p.

Following Epic Games's recent announcement of a slew of new generative AI features coming to Unreal Engine 5.8 and the upcoming Unreal Engine 6, as well as its video demonstrating how it uses AI in daily game development and asset creation, the developer of Vampire Survivors, Poncle, announced in a comment on Reddit that it was reviewing its Fortnite x Vampire Survivors collaboration. Details about the collaboration had not been revealed, but Epic Games mentioned Vampire Survivors as a headline collaboration in its Unreal Fest on June 17. At the time of writing, it's unclear what action Poncle will take regarding the Vampire Survivors x Fortnite collaboration, but it seems as though there is a growing divide in the gaming industry, specifically between developers and studios open to using generative AI and those who oppose it. While Poncle has not explicitly stated its reasons for concerns over generative AI, common concerns range from IP an art direction issues to environmental concerns and even more esoteric issues surrounding the validity of AI art.

Poncle Official on RedditFollowing today's news about gen AI usage by Epic to create all sort of game assets, including Fortnite characters, we're currently "reviewing" our collaboration with Fortnite. We'll let you know if anything moves forward.

Witchfire, the single-player, dark fantasy RPG shooter from The Astronauts, has released Revelations, a major update introducing a wealth of new content, localization for 15 languages, and a dialogue system. Players can now engage in multithreaded conversations with Fallen Preyers, making pivotal choices that impact both gameplay and story. This system establishes the narrative baseline for the game's upcoming 1.0 release, providing fleshed-out storylines that unveil the tragic history of the Preyers.

Revelations introduces the Marshland, a hostile wetland map crawling with new abominations. This grim region hides the secrets of the Cathedral of Saint Aurelian, shedding light on historical Vatican failures and the mystery of a forgotten Fallen Preyer.

Despite the Valve Steam Machine being right around the corner, there has been a lot of interest from gamers who want to run SteamOS on custom gaming desktops or DIY Steam Machine console builds, while others may be looking to extract as much of the Steam Deck experience out of something like a used Lenovo Legion Go after the recent Steam Deck price increases. Fortunately, the latest SteamOS release, version 3.8, has officially landed in the stable release channel with a host of compatibility, performance, and usability upgrades. First and foremost, SteamOS 3.8 brings initial support for the upcoming Steam Machine and improvements to the desktop mode for those who want to use the Steam Machine as a PC-console hybrid. This is aside from a host of bug fixes for both the OS and certain game bugs and general improvements to the overall level of polish of the OS.

SteamOS 3.8 updates both the Arch Linux base and the KDE Plasma desktop mode to KDE 6.4.3 and switches to the Wayland display protocol by default. The update also improves VRR frame pacing and adds support for HDMI Variable Refresh Rate thanks to AMD's recent efforts to bring HDMI 2.1 support to Linux. The OS now also supports the LAVD CPU scheduler if manually enabled via the command "steamosctl set-cpu-scheduler lavd". SteamOS 3.8 also updates the graphics driver and fixes performance discrepancies between game mode and desktop mode, specifically addressing performance regressions in desktop mode. It also re-enables Bluetooth wake from sleep on Steam Deck LCD models. There are also improvements to game capture in game mode, as well as support for HDR, VRR, and per-display scale factor on external displays in desktop mode. Critically for desktop builds, SteamOS 3.8 also significantly improves video memory management on systems with discrete GPUs and support for recent Intel and AMD platforms.

GMKtec today announces that early access registration for the upcoming EVO-X3 will officially open on June 22 [Editor's note: the global launch date has been changed to July 6], giving users the first opportunity to secure early access benefits ahead of global launch. EVO-X3 is a next-generation compact AI workstation designed for local AI computing, professional content creation, and enterprise edge workloads.

As AI computing continues to shift from cloud-based processing to local deployment, EVO-X3 represents a new category of desktop AI workstation built to deliver high-performance computing in a compact form factor comparable to a PS4-sized footprint. Powered by the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 flagship APU, EVO-X3 integrates CPU, GPU, and AI acceleration into a unified architecture, enabling users to run local AI models, perform real-time inference, and handle demanding creative workloads without relying on cloud infrastructure.

Zyxel Networks, a leader in delivering secure and AI-powered cloud networking solutions, has unveiled three new additions to its range of ruggedized, outdoor wireless access points, to help managed service provider (MSP) partners meet the growing demand for fast, reliable bandwidth in challenging environments.

The trio of devices is designed for use in large, industrial or semi-industrial locations, smaller businesses and homes, and where wireless connectivity needs to reach places a significant distance away from the main coverage area. All three can be managed using Zyxel Networks' Nebula cloud platform, making them easy for MSP partners to deploy them and to subsequently monitor and optimize Wi-Fi performance for customers.

Grand Theft Auto fans, rejoice! The latest sequel in the GTA franchise—GTA VI—is opening up for pre-orders on June 25, allowing fans to gear up for one of the most anticipated AAA releases this year. Although the game officially launches on November 19, 2026, fans will be able to place pre-orders in about a week from now. This means that PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S players can add GTA VI to their pre-order list. Interestingly, the website doesn't mention any pricing for the game, so we might have to wait a few more days for that information. Additionally, no editions are listed, so it's still a mystery which GTA VI editions will be available on day one and how they will be priced compared to other AAA releases. We don't expect the game to be priced below the industry standard, and a slight premium compared to existing AAA titles is anticipated.

Chinese companies like Gloway and KingBank, which provide DDR5 memory kits for consumer platforms, have started integrating domestically produced CXMT DDR5 memory into their RAM kits, effectively ending their reliance on DRAM from Micron, SK hynix, and Samsung after years of external dependence. It has been reported that Gloway and KingBank have begun incorporating CXMT's 24 Gb DDR5 modules, which are being shipped as part of 48 GB RAM kits. With 3 GB per module, this results in eight modules per DDR5 DIMM for a total of 24 GB of capacity. In the regular dual DIMM configuration, Gloway and KingBank are offering consumers 48 GB of capacity.

Gloway has prepared the Longwuyi Yi Special Edition kit, which operates at 6,000 MT/s with latencies of CL36-38-38-80. This kit runs at a voltage of 1.2 V and is specialized for AMD CPUs. Reportedly, it features custom heat spreaders to maintain cooling and control heat dissipation, with 5 W/mK thermal pads included. Meanwhile, KingBank DIMMs use 2 mm heat spreaders and have a custom thermal interface material applied over the PMIC, along with dual-side RGB LED lighting that can be controlled via software.

AEWIN is glad to launch our new member of AEWIN Network Expansion Module, the NCT802. Built upon Intel Ethernet Controller E610-XAT2, it provides 8-port 10GbE RJ45 with four pairs of AEWIN Gen 4 Bypass. The module is with AEWIN standard Expansion Module form factor of PCIe Gen 4 x8 connection. The front-access design ensures effortless maintenance and servicing while its modular compatibility with various existing AEWIN platforms offers exceptional flexibility for tailored, high-performance solutions.

Intel Ethernet Controller E610-XAT2 features over 50% lower power consumption compared to previous generation controller (X710-AT2) which helps to reduce operational costs in the meantime. In addition, Intel committed over 10-year full support lifecycle which makes it perfect to build new projects that are expected to have long-term support. For enhanced Ethernet security, Intel E610-XAT2 features a hardware Root of Trust (RoT) for firmware resiliency.

AceMagic on Wednesday launched the Kron Mini K5, a compact mini PC powered by Intel Core 5 320 "Wildcat Lake" mobile processor. This chip features a 2P+4LPE core configuration, with a 4.60 GHz maximum P-core boost frequency, and 6 MB of L3 cache. AceMagic maxed out its cTDP to offer 15 W base power and 35 W maximum turbo power. The chip is paired with 16 GB of LPDDR5-6400 memory, and a 512 GB M.2 Gen 3 x4 NVMe SSD.

Networking options include 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6) + Bluetooth 5.2; along with a 2.5 GbE wired LAN. Display outputs include one each of HDMI 2.0, DisplayPort 1.4, and USB-C with DisplayPort 1.4 passthrough. Among the USB connections are four 5 Gbps USB 3.2 Gen 1 type-A, two 10 Gbps USB 3.2 Gen 2 type-A, and one 20 Gbps USB 3.2 Gen 2x2, which doubles up as a 100 W power input, although there is also a separate 2-pin DC input jack. The USB-C provides single-cable convenience if you want to pair it with docking stations that also put out USB-PD power to their upstream USB sources.

AMD, through its official documentation portal, has confirmed the arrival of the next-generation Ryzen Threadripper TR6 "Mustang Peak" platform, along with some intriguing details about the upcoming CPU lineup. Based on the "Zen 6" CPU architecture, AMD is incorporating the latest I/O standards for these workstation powerhouses, including PCIe 6.0 and DDR5. As the "Zen 6" CPU cores are manufactured on TSMC's 2 nm semiconductor node, we expect AMD to increase the core count over its previous "Zen 5" Ryzen Threadripper workstation platform and deliver a significant performance boost due to advancements in node and microarchitecture. While specific details like TDP, clock speed, core counts, and segmentation are still lacking, we have learned that AMD is retiring its TR5 socket in favor of the new TR6 socket that will accommodate the platform.

With the introduction of PCIe 6.0, which doubles the bandwidth of PCIe 5.0 per lane configuration, AMD needs to add more pins to handle the increased bandwidth. Additionally, with varying core counts and clock speeds, the CPU socket likely requires more electrical capacity to support the new platform, necessitating an overhaul. If readers recall, the previous TR5 socket used 4,844 pins. For the TR6 update, it is possible that the pin count could exceed that number.

According to an investigation by Ars Technica, AMD has quietly removed a memory encryption feature from its consumer-focused Ryzen processors after years of inclusion. This feature, known as Transparent Secure Memory Encryption (TSME), is used to encrypt a system's memory content and prevent possible physical exploits that unencrypted memory data could be vulnerable to. Reportedly, AMD introduced TSME about a decade ago and began shipping it across all of its processors, including regular Ryzen, professional Ryzen Pro, Threadripper, and EPYC solutions. However, a random test on a Ryzen 7 9700X CPU, which uses "Zen 5" IP, has highlighted the absence of TSME support in consumer chips. In various exchanges between AMD engineers and some security professionals, the investigation led to a single response from AMD stating that "TSME is a security feature only applied to PRO CPUs as part of AMD PRO Technologies."

AMD has reportedly removed the feature quietly without prior notice. Discovering that the feature is missing is incredibly difficult on Windows-based machines, but still possible on Linux-based OS installations. Under a Linux-based OS, checking for firmware security revealed a missing encrypted RAM flag, despite TSME being enabled in the BIOS previously. It turns out that starting with the AGESA 1.2.7.0 build and in future AGESA versions, AMD has systematically removed the feature from its consumer Ryzen processors. After further investigation and inquiries to AMD, there is no information on whether the AGESA firmware is disabling this feature or if newer CPUs will ship with TSME disabled at the silicon level. All we know so far is that the feature is no longer present after years of being included on the consumer side.

SK hynix Inc. announced today that it has shipped samples of HBM4E, a next-generation DRAM for AI, to major customers. "The company was able to deliver samples of the 12-stack HBM4E on schedule thanks to its advanced HBM development and production expertise for HBM," said SK hynix, adding that "We will work closely with partners for mass production in a timely manner." The 12-layer HBM4E shows improvements in both performance and power efficiency. The product features a maximum data processing speed of 16 Gbps per pin and power efficiency that is up more than 20 percent from previous models. These enhancements improve data processing capabilities for AI training and inference.

The HBM4E reduces data transfer latency through its latest interface and design optimization while maintaining stable operation in high-bandwidth environments. This enables customers to increase efficiency in processing data for AI datacenters and large-scale computing systems. SK hynix utilizes Advanced MR-MUF technology for HBM4E products to achieve a 48 GB capacity in a 12-layer stack while ensuring structural stability. In particular, the company has also improved heat resistance by 17 percent, compared to the preceding HBM4, enabling stable operation of memory chips in high-performance computing environments.

The Stop Killing Games movement and the resulting Stop Destroying Videogames European Citizens' Initiative came to a head recently with a hearing in front of the European Commission, after a petition in support of the initiative garnered over 1.3 million signatures. Following the hearing, the European Commission published a press release detailing its response to the arguments presented by the Stop Destroying Games Initiative, and, while the Commission seemingly recognizes many of the issues with modern video game preservation and the consumer rights issues surrounding game licensing, the Commission has declined to put any laws in place to regulate the video games industry. It says that "The Commission considers that at this stage it cannot propose a legal obligation to keep video games playable after they stop being provided commercially." Instead, the European Commission will publish a code of conduct for the video games industry "on managing video games' end of life."

The European Commission justifies this course of action by stating that intellectual copyright concerns, which give copyright holders exclusive rights over their creations, and other IP rights "may also be relevant as they protect different visual and technological aspects of a video game." The Commission leans on existing EU law, which it says "provides for important safeguards protecting the economic interests of consumers," in that "video game providers must inform consumers about the duration and the conditions for terminating the contract before the consumers signs up for the video game." It goes on to point out that any consumer that is affected by a video game developer or publisher shutting down a game before the stated date may be eligible for a proportionate refund. The response by the Commission has largely been negatively received, with many gamers expressing their frustration at the lack of action in a follow-up post by the Commission on Instagram. Many of those commenting on the post say that they are disappointed that the democratic process seemed ineffectual, and many others said that a non-binding code of conduct is not what people asked for, blaming industry lobbying and monetary power for the lack of change. The full statement by the European Commission follows.

Unreal Engine 5.8 has just been announced by Epic Games as the last major update to Unreal Engine 5 before the launch of Unreal Engine 6. While there are a number of changes present in UE 5.8, including streamlined texturing and landscape creation, and sandboxes for isolated experimentation, to name but a few, two new headline features are coming to the real-time rendering pipeline with UE 5.8. The first is Lumen Lite, a new version of Lumen dynamic global illumination specifically designed to offer as many of the features and as much of the artistic quality as full-scale Lumen with much lower GPU compute costs. According to the update notes, Lumen Lite can be as much as twice as fast as Lumen High Quality, and it is lightweight enough to run on the Nintendo Switch 2 at 60 FPS.

The other new tool available to developers is MegaLights, which is now production-ready and allows artists and developers to place dynamic and shadowed area lights into scenes to improve quality and reduce noise. Epic cites a performance target of 60 FPS on current consoles and has included dedicated debugging tools to make game optimization easier with MegaLights. Unreal Engine 5 has been the scapegoat of many complaints by PC gamers about poor game performance—even if there are examples of visually striking games built on UE5 that are well optimized—and Lumen global illumination is one of the features that tends to take at least some of that blame. Both of the new features are supported on PC, along with many of the other new rendering tools, like Fog Screen Space Scattering, which improves volumetric fog and dust rendering, and a new toon shader for stylized games.

There has been a lot of talk in recent months about AI-powered teammates in video games of late, with everyone from NVIDIA to Ubisoft and Take-Two expressing interest in the feature. That same Ace AI tech that NVIDIA demonstrated over a year ago has now made its way into PUBG: Battlegrounds as a time-limited game mode called Ally Duo. Announced for the PUBG: Battlegrounds update 42.1, PUBG will be introducing the new Ally Duo game mode, which will pair players with an AI-powered companion in a new arcade mode in the Sanhok jungle map.

In a demo shown off previously by NVIDIA, Ella, the player's AI companion powered by NVIDIA Ace, responds to spoken instructions with natural language, guides players with in-game info and advice, and can be controlled by the player with those same spoken instructions—for instance, helping players look for resources and vehicles, delivering those vehicles, spotting and engaging enemies, and helping set up strategic attacks. Ella and the Ally Duo game mode are currently in beta and will only be available in PUBG: Battlegrounds from June 17 to July 1. The new mode strictly requires an NVIDIA RTX GPU for AI processing, with the RTX 2080 Ti and RTX 3060 8 GB cards and 16 GB of system memory being the minimum spec, while the RTX 4070 paired with 24 GB of system RAM is recommended. Players must also enable hardware-accelerated GPU scheduling if not enabled already. The NVIDIA Ace AI PUBG demo follows.

By now, the whole gaming industry has more or less mourned the loss of Destiny 2 in some way or another, with the game receiving its final content update on June 9 and mass layoffs expected at Bungie in the coming weeks. Destiny fans, however, seem to have not received the message or simply not cared. Following the Monument of Triumph content update, Destiny 2's performance has skyrocketed, both in terms of finances and player retention. It's hardly surprising to see Destiny still have a loyal fan base, given the recent outcry from Destiny fans for a Destiny 3 from Sony and Bungie.

According to SteamDB, Destiny 2 reached a two-year-high peak concurrent player count, at 167,867 concurrent players on the day of the update's release. While that's impressive enough on its own, Destiny 2 has also floated to the top ranks of the Steam Top Seller chart, which ranks games based on financial performance. Simultaneously, Destiny 2 climbed to third place in the Top Sellers chart for week 25 of 2026 (June 9-16), falling just short of the evergreen Counter-Strike 2 and the hot new Mecca Chameleon. While Bungie has so far decided to keep Destiny 2 online, the next step with these sorts of sunsetting operations is to shut down game servers, making the game unplayable.

We recently reported that Xbox Game Studios is apparently looking to shutter or sell off a handful of its in-house game studios, with Ninja Theory, the studio behind the Hellblade/Senua game franchise being one of the impacted studios. With the news of the potential shuttering, there were questions about the Ninja Theory's new Senua game, which was revealed at an Xbox Showcase less than two weeks ahead of the studio closure rumors.

Ostensibly, the new Senua game was meant to be a sequel to Hellblade 2, but according to a recent report by The Game File, Xbox Game Studios already knew about the split with Ninja Theory ahead of the game's reveal in early June 2026. The prevailing theory behind the strategy to continue with the unveiling of Senua is that it would attract buyers when it was eventually revealed that Ninja Theory was being sold off, theoretically increasing the value of the company to a potential buyer, thereby allowing Xbox to recoup its investment in the studio, and making a buyout quicker. When reports surfaced about the upcoming closure or sale of Ninja Theory, it was revealed that the studio received word of its fate on Monday, June 15, 2026, and it is unclear if the machinations behind the Senua announcement were Microsoft's doing or if the leadership at Ninja Theory were also involved.

Despite prior harsh criticism from the company's CEO, Tim Sweeney, it seems as though Epic Games may finally be changing its tone on Linux gaming. According to a recent job posting on the Epic Games site, the game studio is currently looking to hire a security engineer with "deep knowledge of Linux and Windows OS internals." The engineer will work on Epic Online Services, more specifically, Epic is looking for a Senior Game Security Engineer for its anti-cheat systems to work on "not only our titles but a wide variety of games from around the world" and to "champion Linux anti-cheat capabilities for Epic." All of this is to say that Epic Games is looking to expand Linux support for Easy Anti-Cheat, and the job description includes mentions of reverse engineering common cheats and malicious software and working with external game developers on EAC implementations based on data analysis.

It's worth noting that EAC already has a Linux compatibility mode, although it appears to simply deactivate the kernel-level anti-cheat capabilities, since that's the main component of EAC that is incompatible with Linux. Previously, the head of Epic Games, Tim Sweeney, has been skeptical about supporting Linux in EAC, despite eventually implementing a Linux mode after the launch of the Steam Deck. Notably, however, Epic's flagship game, Fortnite, still does not support Linux, despite the user-space EAC implementation other games use. Recently, there appear to also have been changes in Fortnite's player base and playing habits that resulted in a round of layoffs that have affected over 1,000 workers at the company, so it would not be a surprise to see Epic Games switch up its strategy surrounding Fortnite and EAC in response to the Fortnite downturn.

ALOGIC, the global professional AV and connectivity brand announces the launch of five new products at InfoComm 2026: The FOKUS wall-mounted touchscreen range in 43", 55" and 65" sizes; the Folio portable single & dual touchscreens for Mac and Windows; the Aspekt Touch 27" docking monitor; and a wireless-charging Active Stylus; and IRIS 2.4K autofocus webcam.

FOKUS is ALOGIC's new line of wall-mounted 4K touchscreens for meeting rooms and collaboration spaces, in 43", 55" and 65" sizes. FOKUS instantly connects with the Mac or Windows laptop and lets you present, annotate or sketch right on the screen, with full multitouch and 4096 levels of pressure-sensitive ALOGIC Active Stylus. The daisy-chain function lets Fokus work smoothly with Windows devices supporting a laptop, desktop or a mini PC running Windows. Underneath sits the same docking smarts as ALOGIC's Aspekt monitors—90 W USB-C charging, USB-C and USB-A ports, a top port for a webcam, Gigabit Ethernet and daisy-chaining, behind a 500-nit, 100% sRGB matt panel that keeps glare down. An included slim bracket sets it almost flush to the wall (or onto any 400 × 400 VESA mount), and it comes in Space Black. FOKUS screens include a remote control, allowing users to switch them on and off, toggle the touchscreen functionality, and conveniently switch between different video inputs.

Qualcomm Technologies Inc. today announced at Augmented World Expo the Snapdragon Reality Elite Platform, designed to power immersive spatial computing experiences with stunning visual fidelity and deeply integrated on‑device AI across a spectrum of form factors. It will power high-performance all‑in‑one video-see-through (VST) headsets and lightweight tethered optical-see-through (OST).

"XR adoption continues to expand, with more than 60 million devices already in market and growing momentum across industries." said Ziad Asghar, Senior Vice President and General Manager of XR, Wearables and Personal AI. "As more advanced and integrated XR platforms are developed, demand is increasing for XR technologies that deliver higher performance, greater intelligence, and improved power efficiency. Snapdragon Reality Elite is designed to meet those demands with powerful on‑device AI, enabling faster, longer‑lasting, and more immersive experiences, and reinforcing our leadership in VR and MR as we build purpose‑built XR chipsets from the ground up."

MSI, a world leader in gaming hardware, today introduced the MAG Infinite Z, an AMD-powered gaming desktop built for players who want strong performance, smart cooling, and easy upgradability in a compact tower design. Featuring up to an AMD Ryzen 7 9700X processor and up to NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti graphics, the MAG Infinite Z delivers powerful gaming performance in a space-saving 25L chassis.

Designed for modern gamers, the MAG Infinite Z combines high-performance hardware, intelligent thermal optimization, and practical upgrade features in one refined gaming desktop. Whether for competitive gaming, AAA titles, streaming, or daily multitasking, the system gives players the speed, stability, and flexibility they need without the oversized footprint of a traditional gaming tower.

BIOSTAR, a leading manufacturer of motherboards, edge computing solutions, industrial motherboards, graphics cards, and storage devices, today is excited to introduce the B850MS-E motherboard, a modern AMD B850 platform engineered for efficient productivity, immersive home entertainment, and reliable system integration.

Built to bring current-generation features to mainstream AMD Socket AM5 PC builds, the B850MS-E combines DDR5 memory support, PCIe 5.0 M.2 storage, and Wi-Fi 7 readiness in a versatile Micro ATX platform designed for everyday productivity, home entertainment, and business deployment. Supporting AMD Ryzen 9000 / 8000 / 7000 series processors, with readiness for future AMD Ryzen processors via BIOS update, the B850MS-E delivers a strong foundation for users seeking dependable performance across office workloads, multimedia streaming, and customer-facing applications.

MSI today announces the launch of the Maestro 500 Wireless, a versatile headset designed for users who move fluidly between work, entertainment, calls, and daily listening. Featuring Active Noise Cancellation with Transparency mode, high-resolution 40 mm drivers, beamforming and ENC-assisted voice pickup, multi-mode connectivity, and exceptional battery life, the Maestro 500 Wireless helps users hear clearly, communicate with confidence, and stay focused throughout the day.

The Maestro 500 Wireless delivers clear, immersive audio across everyday scenarios—from online meetings and music to video streaming and gaming. Its 40 mm drivers support a wide frequency response of up to 40 kHz, while Active Noise Cancellation reduces background distractions for improved focus. Transparency mode lets users stay aware of their surroundings without removing the headset.

AI runs at the speed of light. More and more, that light is made in Texas. Coherent broke ground today on an expanded manufacturing building in Sherman, Texas. The company makes the lasers, optical components and compound semiconductors that wire AI systems together—and runs what it calls the world's first 6-inch indium phosphide fab.

NVIDIA founder and CEO Jensen Huang and Coherent CEO Jim Anderson were on hand for the ceremony, joined by Sherman Mayor Shawn Temann and Adriana Cruz, executive director of Texas Economic Development and Tourism, who delivered remarks. The expanded building will scale production of the same InP wafers that carry data between chips, servers and data centers at the speed of light—the optical backbone of modern AI infrastructure.

As the 2026 PC DIY market undergoes a dramatic structural shift driven by volatile memory pricing, global hardware enthusiasts are entering a new era of "precise investment and smart building." To help consumers seamlessly balance core system performance with stunning external aesthetics, XPG proudly introduces the INFINITY F360/F120/R120 infinity mirror fan series and the MAESTRO 42SA/62DA CPU air coolers. These highly calculated, high-value cooling solutions allow users to optimize every single penny of their hardware budgets and build elite, high-performance gaming setups without making sacrifices on powerful thermal control or striking visual impact.

According to recent market data from IDC and arXiv, booming AI infrastructure development is aggressively competing for vital DRAM and NAND flash capacity, triggering widespread hardware inflation that will reshape the global PC market landscape well through 2027[1][2]. Under these fixed total budgets, players are forced to compress PC components investments like chassis and cooling, which unfortunately compromises overall system stability and visual appeal. Addressing this critical market pain point, XPG actively embraces the "Smart Building" trend by launching the INFINITY fan lineup and MAESTRO series coolers. Shattering the outdated myth that accessible pricing dictates performance compromise, XPG delivers premium, value-driven cooling solutions that provide elite gaming power and striking aesthetics to budget-conscious creators worldwide.

NVIDIA has published its latest update for the RTX Remix framework, with version 1.5 bringing impressive improvements. As some may recall, NVIDIA's RTX Remix is a tool for remastering older games to enable the game engine to support modern visual enhancements like full ray tracing, neural rendering with DLSS 4, and multi-frame generation. It also automatically enhances materials with generative AI. NVIDIA has been updating classic games like Half-Life 2 and Portal. According to the company blog post, RTX Remix 1.5 now includes new visual enhancements and a more efficient storage system that can reduce file sizes by roughly one-third, depending on the specific game.

The first major feature update is Smooth Normals. This feature, highly requested by the RTX Remix modding community, adds automatic smooth-normal generation to the legacy geometry in the game. This prevents older in-game assets from appearing blocky or faceted when path-tracing lighting is applied. Interestingly, NVIDIA has prepared a demonstration in a concrete tunnel within the game, which now looks like a uniform piece instead of the multi-piece rendering it once was. The company also added lighting control from various viewpoints, meaning that remixes and modding community will get to play with more lighting controls.

Since the news broke that the Valve Steam Machine would be delayed, there have been countless conversations online about how the Steam Machine would be dead on arrival because of its expected pricing and aging internals—a six-core Zen 4 CPU and a RDNA 3 Radeon Navi 33 GPU with 8 GB of VRAM—but a recent set of leaked Geekbench 6 benchmarks, labelled "Valve Fremont," have reignited these concerns. The Geekbench 6 result, shared by @Olrak29_ on X, show the Steam Machine scoring 7,316 points in the multicore test and 2,334 in the single-core test.

As a point of comparison, the Intel Core Ultra X7 358H in the ASUS VivoBook S16 managed to score a multicore score of 16,104 points and a single-core score of 2,868 points. There are no GPU test results available on Geekbench yet at the time of writing, although estimates based on the hardware of the Steam Machine's GPU put expected performance around the level of an AMD Radeon RX 7600, which is, based on Geekbench's GPU tests, around 50% faster than the iGPU in the Core Ultra X7 358H. For its part, Valve expects the Steam Machine to handle upscaled 4K gaming at 60 FPS with ray tracing and FSR support, to boot. What's perhaps more important to glean from these Geekbench scores is that the Steam Machine now appears to be in the hands of at least one hardware reviewer, suggesting that the Steam Machine may be launching sooner rather than later.

We previously covered the announcement of the GPD Box, a new Panther Lake mini PC that features an MCIO 8i port and dual USB4 v2.0 ports for expanded connectivity with eGPUs and other high-bandwidth applications. Now, the GPD Box has finally launched on Indiegogo with a starting price of HK$11,377 ($1,452.25 converted). The base configuration is powered by an Intel Core Ultra 7 356H with 32 GB LPDDR5-8533 RAM and a 1 TB M.2 2280 NVMe SSD. The next level up upgrades the CPU to the Core Ultra X7 358H for HK$12,020 ($1,534 converted), and the bundles with the Box mini PC and the G2 MCIO eGPU Dock come in at HK$14,394 ($1,837 converted) for the Core Ultra 7 356H version and HK$15,036 ($1,919 converted) for the X7 358H variant. The biggest difference between the Core Ultra X7 358H and the Ultra 7 356H is the significantly more powerful Arc B390 iGPU in the former—importantly, there is no MCIO connection on the Core Ultra X7 358H version of the Box, leaving it with only USB4 for eGPU connections.

Despite its compact chassis, at just 175 × 134 × 39.5 mm, the GPD Box has decent I/O capabilities, with the highlight of the show being the MCIO 8i port that allows for eGPU expansion with minimal bandwidth loss compared to USB4 and Thunderbolt connections. According to GPD, the maximum bidirectional bandwidth of the GPD Box's MCIO port is 512 Gbps, which effectively matches a native PCIe 5.0 x8 cable connection. Notably, while the G2 eGPU dock does include a PSU with an 800 W ATX 3.1 PSU with two GPU power cables, you will need to bring your own GPU if you buy the bundle with the dock. The G2 dock can also be purchased separately via Indiegogo at a starting price of $385. The GPD Box itself also features dual 2.5 GbE RJ45 ports with link aggregation support. For wireless support, there is Bluetooth 5.3 and Wi-Fi 6E, while the physical I/O includes 2× USB4 V2 Type-C ports, 2× USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A, and a 3.5 mm audio combo jack on the front. The rear I/O has a DP 2.1 UHBR20 port, 1× HDMI 2.1 FRL ports, 2× RJ45 ports with 2.5 Gbps speeds, 2× USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports, and the MCIO 8i port.

CTL, an EdTech lifecycle products and services provider, today announced an expansion of its product ecosystem with the introduction of the CTL MTIP24OPS 24" Open Pluggable Specification (OPS)-Ready Monitor, alongside two new CTL OPS All-in-Ones with ChromeOS, powered by Intel Core i3 and i7 processors. These new products provide flexible, upgradeable, and easily managed desktop computing solutions for schools and businesses where fleets of flexible desktop computers are needed, such as libraries, labs, test-taking centers, call centers, healthcare facilities, and more.

"CTL has a rich history of delivering reliable desktop monitors and innovative 2-in-1 computing solutions, dating back to our previous generations of Chromebox-powered workstations," said Jeremy Burnett, Vice President of Technology at CTL. "We are pleased to continue serving our customers with this next-generation set of modular desktop computing solutions, which can incorporate the inherently cybersecure, easily managed platform of ChromeOS."

Just on time, following the recent beta launch, which saw the addition of the new KDE Plasma Bigscreen view, KDE Plasma 6.7 has officially launched for public download and is now available from the KDE site. Unlike many previous versions, version 6.7 of the Plasma desktop environment for Linux doesn't have any real ground-breaking features, instead delivering a host of small changes that elevate the desktop environment to new heights and enable more versatile use cases. One such example is improved support for simultaneous HDR and ICC color profiles, making managing a desktop that pulls double duty as a media creation and consumption machine simpler. It also has expanded support for the Wayland protocol and its portals, and the new per-screen virtual desktop switching system has also been implemented. There are also performance improvements at hand across the board, with a focus on power usage and systems with Intel iGPUs.

Perhaps the only major change is the new Union theming system, which is still in its infancy but allows for easier theming of Plasma, QtQuick apps and QtWidget theming via CSS document editing. A much-awaited update to the Oxygen theme also makes its debut in KDE Plasma 6.7. On the UI side, Plasma 6.7 now has a toggle to switch the global theme to and from night mode from the control panel. The Application Menu, Dashboard, and Launcher widgets now also feature drag and drop to add apps to favorites; a system tray update now shows how many jobs are in the print queue on hover, and there is now support for more apps in the Background Apps system tray entry; the built-in calendar widget shows the time difference between the different time zones configured in the widget. For a full list of the tweaks and changes, check out the full changelog on the KDE site or the KDE Wiki.

At the VLSI Symposium held in Hawaii, Intel unveiled the new Intel 18A-P foundry node, a significant refinement of the Intel 18A node that carves out room for a 9% increase in performance at iso-power. The company announced that it commenced risk-production on this new node, and has earmarked it for its next-generation Xeon "Diamond Rapids" server processor. Besides 9% increase in performance at iso-power, Intel 18A-P is claimed to offer an 18% power reduction at iso-performance, a 20-40% improvement in die-level thermal resistance, and a 10-30% improvement in Via resistance in performance-critical layers.

The company detailed the physical changes to the Intel 18A node made to achieve these gains. Intel added new cell options across its 180HP and 160HD libraries to support a wider range of products. For low-power designs, it introduced W1 and W1.5 cells. For high-performance needs, it added the W3P cell, which utilizes a "dual contact" design to boost performance without exceeding the footprint of the existing W3 cell. The company significantly lowered thermal resistance by integrating a new heat-conducting material on the front side of the die. Intel also updated its EDA tools to support thermally-aware layouts, allowing designers to better manage heat dissipation at the structural level.

Sandisk today introduced the Optimus GX PRO 850P, an M.2 NVMe Gen 4 SSD tailor-made for the Sony PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 5 Pro consoles. The drive is an officially-licensed PlayStation accessory, and comes with performance and thermal optimization for the consoles. It comes in capacity variants of up to 8 TB. The drive is a variant of the Optimus GX PRO 850X that Sandisk targets at PC gamers and enthusiasts.

Given the way Sandisk is differentiating the 850P from the 850X, this new drive might have a different performance profile from its PC-targeted sibling, and perhaps even a different combination of controller and NAND flash. The company hasn't put out a detailed specs sheet, yet. We know that the 850X comes with WDC's in-house Black G2 PCIe Gen 4, 8-channel controller that uses a DRAM cache, paired with Kioxia 112-layer 3D TLC NAND flash. The company also hasn't put out pricing. For reference, the top 8 TB 850X is going for an eye-watering $2,700.

Today, at InfoComm 2026, HP Inc. introduced AI-powered communication and collaboration solutions designed to transform how work gets done. As organizations operate across increasingly distributed environments, HP is advancing its collaboration ecosystem—powered by the HP Workforce Experience Platform (WXP)—to deliver better experiences focused on connecting people, workspaces, and solutions.

"Organizations don't want more tools. They want to adopt intelligent collaboration solutions that not only deliver reliable meeting experiences, but that are easier to deploy, manage, and scale," said Carles Farre, Division President, HP Collaboration Solutions. "With innovations across HP devices, meeting room solutions, and platform capabilities, we're helping organizations create more seamless, engaging collaboration experiences for employees."

According to the latest research from Morgan Stanley, one of the leading investment banks, we have learned that the defect rate for Intel's 14A node is currently reported at D0=0.5. This means that defects in Intel's 14A node production are occurring at a rate of only 0.5, indicating a limited amount of purely non-functional silicon produced during the long and challenging semiconductor manufacturing process. For Intel, this suggests that the 14A node is still in the early stages of ramping up. However, the previous claims that this node is currently surpassing the 18A node at a similar development and ramp time are indeed accurate. For example, Intel plans to target a defect rate of only 0.1 to 0.2 by the first quarter of 2027, when the company intends to start running internal test chips and initiate a slight ramp-up for its own products. This will be followed by risk production in 2028 and high-volume production in 2029.

Looking at Intel's current "Panther Lake" SoC, which integrates multiple smaller dies into a unified package, we observe that Intel has utilized its 18A node for the compute tile's production. This tile measures approximately 8.004 x 14.288 mm, resulting in a silicon area of 114.304 mm². If we take this die size and apply the current parameters of the 14A node, we can estimate that a similar die, with the same surface area but increased density and manufactured on the 14A node, would achieve a yield of 56.45% for designs of that scale. Naturally, the current 18A node is providing better yields due to high-volume manufacturing, but the initial statistics for 14A appear promising. This assumption is based on a die of that specific size, with that particular defect rate, using High-NA EUV half-field exposures in the production process. We believe this is the stage Intel's 14A node is currently at, with room for many improvements. While Morgan Stanley notes in their report that the yield is about 40% for a test chip, its size must be significantly larger than the assumed size of the "Panther Lake" compute tile.

It was recently revealed by Xbox CEO, Asha Sharma, after many rumors and hints that it would be going in that direction, that Xbox would be reinvesting in exclusives going forward. However, there have been alleged insider reports and some skepticism from the community, who have been vocal about the need for Xbox console exclusives, that this move by Xbox was simply an appeal to that vocal player base. However, in response to a recent post on X by Jez Cordon, Xbox Chief Strategy Officer, Matthew Ball, has shot down those claims, stating that there is no plan to backtrack on currently planned Xbox exclusives, and that there are other exclusives in the works. Ball's full statement reads:

Matthew BallThese rumors are false. Gears of War: E-Day and Clockwork Revolution will stay exclusive. There are no conversations and have been no conversations to "reverse course." And as we said last week, players can continue to expect signature exclusives from us every year.

Lexar has been exploring various technologies to help consumers achieve faster data throughput and more reliable storage. The company now envisions a shift as the PC evolves from a traditional personal computer to a local AI-enhanced experience. We interviewed Lexar's Chief Technical Officer, Daniel Guo, about the technology Lexar is developing to help reduce some DRAM demand and shift the balance towards integrated hardware-software AI storage solution with NAND Flash. According to Guo, DRAM is about six times more expensive to manufacture than NAND Flash, and AI SSDs present opportunities to reduce DRAM requirements for running AI models on local hardware. This is where the Lexar AI Storage Solution comes into play, as the company is creating new storage solutions to support local AI deployments in constrained DRAM capacity by offloading some parts of large language models to SSDs. This approach allows larger and more powerful LLMs to fit into a PC build, reducing DRAM capacity requirements by up to 40% in specific scenarios.

Based on internal testing, Lexar managed to run the Qwen 3.5 122B AI model on a local PC. Traditionally, users would need to invest about $4,500 in a PC with a decent CPU and 128 GB of DRAM to run this model. Through hardware and software optimization, the Lexar AI suite with the Lexar AI SSD can reduce the DRAM requirement to 32 GB and run the model with 35 billion parameters at 15.6 tokens per second, compared to only 5.2 tokens per second using traditional frameworks. When attempting to load the 122B model on 32 GB of DRAM, the traditional Llama.cpp fails to load and crashes, while Lexar's SSD offloading provides about 4.4 tokens per second.

For more than 13 years, Surface has been shaped by the people who use it. Architects sketch buildings, developers train models, students build startups and field engineers solve problems that rarely make headlines. We didn't intend to design for one audience, but the people who've chosen Surface have defined it through their work. They build, shape, solve and ship, often before anyone else sees what's coming. That pattern is now the platform: new devices, new features and a continued commitment to the makers who show us what Surface means by how they use it.

Expanding Surface for the work ahead
2026 has brought important updates for Surface. We delivered our broadest Surface for Business lineup to date, with new enterprise features including an integrated privacy screen. Later this year, we'll deliver Surface Laptop Ultra, our most powerful Surface Laptop ever, built for developers and creative professionals pushing their work further. We'll also deliver Surface RTX Spark Dev Box, an entirely new category of Surface hardware purpose-built for AI developers who need sustained local compute. Surface is investing everywhere: from entry points to ultra-premium performance, from the enterprise to the individual maker. Today, we're introducing the next Surface Pro and Surface Laptop, powered by Snapdragon X2 processors.

Today Lenovo introduced the Tab Plus Gen 2, the next generation of its tablet created for the increasingly fluid ways people move between media consumption, multitasking, and shared experiences. With upgrades spanning audio, visuals, versatility, and intelligent features, it expands the role of the tablet across a broader range of activities and environments.

"Entertainment today isn't tied to a single place or routine," said Tony Chen, Vice President of Tablets, Intelligent Devices Group, Lenovo. "People are moving seamlessly between work, travel, and downtime, and they expect their devices to move just as naturally with them. With the Lenovo Tab Plus Gen 2, we created a device that keeps up with that rhythm, giving users the freedom to enjoy content on their terms."

Maono, a global leader in hybrid microphone technology that combines wireless freedom (2.4 GHz) with wired-level professionalism (USB/XLR), today announced the launch of the Maono P Series Hybrid Audio Interface, a new range designed to meet the evolving needs of creators working across multiple devices, platforms and workflows. The Maono P Series is now available on Amazon US and the Maono website for $129.99. There is currently a 10% off Discount available with code MAONOP110 from 15th to 21st June.

As content creation expands across platforms, creators increasingly move between laptops, smartphones, tablets, and camera-based setups, blending recording, livestreaming, and production workflows. The Maono P Series addresses this shift through a hybrid approach to connectivity and usability, enabling streamlined multi-device creation without added technical complexity.

Goodram expands its portfolio with a new gaming brand - Goodram RIVAL. Its first product is the Goodram RIVAL DDR5 SODIMM series: memory modules designed for gaming laptops and compact mobile workstations built to perform without hardware limitations.

The RIVAL brand was created for gamers, PC enthusiasts, and users who expect stability, speed, and predictable performance under load. DDR5 SODIMM is its mobile-focused lineup - an upgrade for users who want to get more from their laptop without replacing the entire platform.

Synology today announced the release of DiskStation Manager (DSM) 7.4, delivering DSM Agent, Synology ChatPlus and Meet, and Synology HDD-based post-processing deduplication and compression.

"As AI becomes more capable, the real challenge is no longer building intelligence itself, but putting it to work where data lives," said Bie-i Chu, Executive Vice President of the Synology NAS Group. "With DSM 7.4, we're providing users with a platform where AI drives greater productivity and smarter management, while keeping them in full control of their data and infrastructure."

Cable Matters, a leading innovator in connectivity solutions, today announced the launch of its new USB-C KVM Switch for 2 Computers, 1 Monitor, a powerful workspace upgrade designed for professionals who need to control two USB-C or Thunderbolt-enabled computers from a single desk setup.

Built for modern hybrid workstations, shared desks, content creators, IT professionals, and power users, the new Cable Matters USB-C KVM Switch lets users share one HDMI monitor, keyboard, mouse, USB peripherals, and charging source between two connected host computers.

SiMa.ai, a leader in Physical AI, today launched Palette Neat, the industry's first agentic development environment for Physical AI that collapses complex application timelines from months to days. The open source, purpose-built, integrated development environment combines a Physical AI execution library and agent workflow layer for productivity-focused agentic development. When paired with the full-production Modalix MLSoC System-on-Module (SoM) or its new PCIe companion card form factor, the unified platform delivers unmatched performance-per-watt for high-demand Physical AI workloads across robotics, automotive, drones, industrial automation, aerospace and defense, smart vision, and healthcare.

"SiMa.ai is an AI software company that builds its own silicon," said Krishna Rangasayee, founder and CEO of SiMa.ai. "Today, we are delivering the industry's first agentic development environment for Physical AI. Together, Palette Neat and our pin-compatible SoM dismantle the incumbent GPU moat, allowing developers to design systems in plain English and develop them in days—and in many cases, hours."

SAMA, a global leader in performance PC hardware, announces the S50, a compact ATX case that balances space efficiency, airflow, and high-end hardware support. The S50 features a tempered glass side panel and high-density mesh on the front and top for strong, balanced airflow. Its innovative front-mounted PSU compartment reduces the chassis footprint, enabling a compact size without sacrificing compatibility or cooling capacity. The S50 comes pre-installed with four 120 mm ARGB PWM fans for strong out-of-the-box airflow and lighting. It supports ATX, microATX, Mini-ITX, and back-connect ATX and microATX motherboards, along with graphics cards up to 410 mm, CPU coolers up to 165 mm, and ATX power supplies up to 180 mm. For expanded cooling and easier building, the case supports up to eleven 120 mm fans, a top-mounted 360 mm radiator, tool-less quick-release panels, 47 mm of cable management space, and a removable storage bracket.

NVIDIA has released its latest GeForce 610.62 WHQL game-ready drivers today, bringing support for the ultra-fast 6v6 shooter game "Empulse," which is scheduled for release on June 24, just a few days from now. NVIDIA is providing pre-release drivers to ensure gamers have day-one support when the game launches on Steam. The company also included a few bug fixes to improve the quality of use with GeForce RTX GPUs. For example, this driver release brings many fixes to World of Warcraft for improved stability during gameplay, as well as a remedy for visual corruption issues that occurred in Apex Legends at random times. Additionally, DLSS settings, which sometimes could gray out, have been fixed for regular contrast and access. Interestingly, this driver release also includes a crucial fix for the "Ada Lovelace" GeForce RTX 40 Series, which experienced frame pacing issues on some monitors when G-SYNC was enabled. General stability improvements have also been applied, making this driver release a worthwhile upgrade even for those not seeking day-one game support or using last-generation GeForce RTX GPUs.

DOWNLOAD: NVIDIA GeForce 610.62 WHQL

AMD and Rackspace Technology, a global enterprise AI infrastructure and solutions provider, today announced the signing of a definitive agreement for the phased deployment of an initial 30 MW footprint dedicated to AMD-based compute deployments across Rackspace's global data centers beginning in late 2026 through 2028. The agreement operationalizes the Memorandum of Understanding announced May 7, 2026, and establishes AMD as a strategic technology partner at the silicon layer of Rackspace's governed AI stack.

At full deployment, 30 MW of dedicated AMD compute across Rackspace's footprint will represent meaningful capacity to serve regulated enterprise workloads, including healthcare providers who have expressed early interest in accelerated compute for clinical AI and inference at scale. This collaboration incorporates both AMD Instinct GPUs (including MI355X, MI350P, and future successor solutions) and AMD EPYC CPUs inside an integrated Enterprise AI Cloud architecture, enabling Rackspace to route each workload to the right compute with full accountability for performance and outcomes end to end.

TechPowerUp today released the latest version of TechPowerUp GPU-Z, the graphics subsystem information, monitoring, and diagnostics utility for gamers and PC enthusiasts. Version 2.70.0 improves the security of the kernel-mode driver of the application, and you are highly encouraged to update to this latest version. This latest update also adds support for a whole range of new GPUs.

To begin with, support is added for Qualcomm Adreno 741, Snapdragon X2 Elite, Adreno 778G, and Adreno 782G iGPUs. Support is also added for Intel Arc Pro "Battlemage" B70 and B65 graphics cards; the A60 engineering sample, and certain Core "Alder Lake" engineering samples. Over in the NVIDIA front, support is added for NVIDIA RTX 6000D, RTX PRO 500 "Blackwell" Embedded GPU; Tesla V100-DGXS 32 GB; and PG500-216. Graphics card vendor detection has been added for AWES and HKC or Sambada.

DOWNLOAD: TechPowerUp GPU-Z v2.70.0The change-log follows.

Beyerdynamic presents a new in-ear monitor for musicians who want to get the most out of their performance. The DT 30 IE boasts balanced monitoring sound, high passive noise isolation of up to 39 dB, and an IP54-certified design that can withstand even the most intense performances - whether in the rehearsal room, at a club gig, or on the big stage.

DT 30 IE is specifically designed to meet the demands of modern live performances. Its powerful 11-mm dynamic driver delivers a balanced sound signature spanning a frequency range of 5-20,000 Hz. As a result, it enables ambitious musicians to perform with clarity and control, even in environments with high ambient noise levels, complex mixes or changing venue acoustics.

Noctua today introduced its first all-in-one liquid CPU coolers. With first-class cooling performance, superb quietness of operation and industry-leading reliability, the new NL-LC1 series brings classic Noctua virtues to the world of closed-loop liquid cooling. "The performance headroom of liquid cooling has always been tempting to us, but we first had to make sure that acoustics and reliability met the strict standards that customers expect from a Noctua product," said Roland Mossig, CEO of Noctua. "With the NL-LC1, we are proud to have achieved a level of thermal performance, acoustic refinement and dependability that sets a new standard."

The NL-LC1 series is based on Asetek's renowned, premium-grade Emma V2 platform, which has established itself as a gold standard for both thermal efficiency and long-term dependability. What makes the NL-LC1 coolers unique is Noctua's custom-engineered NL-PNA1 pump noise absorber: Leveraging a three-layer acoustic soundproofing structure and the tuned-mass damper effect, the NL-PNA1 reduces both air-borne noise and structure-borne vibrations, which can yield significant improvements in pump acoustics.

[Editor's note: Our in-depth review of NL-LC1-36 is now live]

KIOXIA today introduced a 4 TB variant to its Exceria G3 series of mid-range M.2 Gen 5 NVMe SSDs. The company had debuted this series last December, with only 1 TB and 2 TB variants at the time. It features a combination of Phison E31T series DRAMless controller, paired with Kioxia's own 218-layer BiCS8 3D QLC NAND flash memory, but now comes in a 4 TB variant.

The new 4 TB variant offers mostly similar performance to the existing 2 TB variant, with up to 10 GB/s sequential reads, and up to 9.6 GB/s sequential writes; along with up to 1.45 million IOPS for 4K random reads and writes. Write endurance is rated at 2,400 TBW. With a whole-drive peak power draw of just 6.4 W, the drive doesn't come with any cooling solution. The company didn't reveal pricing. The drive is backed by a 5-year warranty.

Following the unveiling of the new Intel Core processors (Series 3) (formerly Wildcat Lake) in April, AAEON's UP brand has announced its development timeline for four new platforms that will feature the processor line, with both developer boards and edge systems included. Expected to enter mass production in late Q3, 2026, the developer boards included in AAEON's roadmap are the UP WCL and UP Nexus WCL. The first of these is a credit card-sized board consistent with the original UP board's form factor, while the UP Nexus WCL represents a branding shift for the UP Squared Pro form factor, measuring 101.6 mm × 101.6 mm. Both boards will also offer a fully embedded edge system version, the UP WCL Edge and UP Nexus WCL Edge, designed to appeal to customers requiring plug-and-play systems.

All four platforms will be available with the option of Intel Core 7 processor 350 and Intel Core 5 processor 320 CPUs from the Wildcat Lake family, while the UP WCL will also provide SKUs with the Intel Core 3 processor 304. Delivering up to 40 TOPS of AI performance via integrated GPU and NPU but with a CPU prioritizing low power E-cores, the Intel Core series' first integrated heterogeneous compute architecture sees AAEON position its upcoming products as suitable for building advanced applications across market segments, but with the benefit of a lower power footprint than platforms tailored to high-performance computing needs.

AMD's upcoming Ryzen 10000 series of desktop processors, codenamed "Olympic Ridge" and based on the "Zen 6" CPU architecture, are rumored to introduce some interesting platform changes. According to the latest leak from X account "Gotou_3rd," AMD's upcoming AM5 platform is likely to replace its integrated graphics processing unit (GPU) with an integrated Neural Processing Unit (NPU), marking a significant shift from the current setup. Since the "Zen 4" based "Raphael" processors, part of the Ryzen 7000 series, AMD has included integrated graphics solutions with its desktop CPUs. This trend continued with the "Zen 5" based "Granite Ridge" Ryzen 9000 series, which also featured an integrated GPU for basic graphics output and boot functionality.

However, with the next-generation Ryzen 10000 series, AMD seems to be reallocating the silicon area for different purposes, as the role of integrated GPUs in desktop systems diminishes. Most PC builders pair a dedicated GPU with their DIY or OEM PC builds, using integrated graphics mainly for debugging when the discrete GPU encounters issues. Since the silicon space in the CPU can be repurposed, AMD might switch to an NPU to enhance local AI capabilities and offload some AI tasks from the GPU to the CPU's integrated NPU. This could mean the platform might become Copilot+ AI PC certified if the NPU achieves over 40 TOPS of compute power.

Logitech G today announced the expansion of the G3 Series suite of PC Gaming products. Designed to bring pro-inspired performance to more gamers, the extended lineup features the G305 X SUPERLIGHT wireless gaming mouse and the G316 X 98 wired mechanical gaming keyboard. These new products join the recently launched Logitech G325 gaming headset, completing the G3 series, a comprehensive high-performance desktop ecosystem that delivers excellent performance, world-class features, and unique customization at an affordable price point.

"By fusing elite precision, like our sub-micron HERO 44K sensor and 8 kHz report rates, with high-end heritage design, we are enabling everyday gamers the ability to level up their gaming experience at an approachable price tag," said Arnaud Perret-Gentil, Head of Product PC Gaming and Creators at Logitech G. "The G3 Series represents a strategic evolution in our mission to facilitate 'Play for All.'"

Modern data center infrastructure is evolving rapidly, and customers are increasingly facing a common challenge: access to memory. As AI models, data analytics, virtualization and high-performance computing workloads grow in size and complexity, memory has become a critical constraint across cloud and enterprise environments. For customers, addressing these bottlenecks is essential to improving performance per dollar, increasing efficiency and accelerating deployments at scale. AMD is addressing this challenge by acquiring MEXT, a pioneer in AI-driven memory optimization technology.

MEXT has developed innovative AI-powered predictive memory technology designed to make flash behave more like DRAM, helping expand usable memory capacity while maintaining performance and efficiency. This approach has the potential to reduce infrastructure costs, improve resource utilization, and help customers more effectively scale general-purpose and AI workloads.

A little over a year since the game launched, Ubisoft has announced the final content update, Title Update 1.1.11, for Assassin's Creed Shadows, launching on June 16, and delivering the final end-game quest, called Black Tides, to finally conclude the story of Yasuke and Naoe. Black Tides sees players go up against two mysterious Templars who have journeyed to Japan to hunt Yasuke and Naoe and fulfill their own ulterior motives along the way. Players will need to complete all previous free post-launch content drops in order to access the Black Tides quest, except for Claws of Awaji. The update also adds Domains, a new, replayable, arena-based endgame activity that challenges players and encourages build diversity.

Domains will feature boss battles and missions, but each level of difficulty (1-10) will apply additional modifiers to make things even more difficult. There are five separate gameplay simulations in Domains, and each one will challenge players in different ways. Players will be able to buy Domain-specific items from the Domain shop with a special in-game currency. Domain activities will also reward players with special weapons and cosmetics that will never be available outside the challenges. Black Tides will also link Shadows to Black Flag Resynced with two new live projects, Riptide and Undertow, wherein players can earn rewards that will cross over between the two games. As usual, there are also a host of new bug fixes and UI improvements, which can be seen in the full update notes. Trailers for Domains and the Black Tides quest follow.

Cooler Master, a global leader in innovative thermal solutions and PC hardware today announced Q300L V3, the next generation of its popular compact microATX case platform. Designed for first-time builders, price-conscious gamers, and system integrators, the Q300L V3 delivers a more capable build experience with improved airflow, stronger structure, tempered glass, and updated front I/O connectivity.

The Q300L V3 builds on the familiar identity of the Q300L series while addressing the needs of modern compact systems. With support for Mini-ITX and microATX motherboards, CPU air coolers up to 178 mm tall, graphics cards up to 366 mm long, and up to six fans, the case gives builders more room to work while keeping the small footprint that made the series popular.

It appears as though Xbox's recent financial troubles, which are expected to result in layoffs in July, may also result in studio closures, with Insider Gaming's Mike Straw reporting on Bluesky that Arkane Lyon (responsible for Deathloop, Dishonored, and the ongoing development of Marvel's Blade) and Compulsion Games (of Contrast, We Happy Few, and South of Midnight) may be facing potential closure in the coming months. This is according to sources inside those game studios, who say that internal communications and overheard conversations at Xbox Game Studios have them "scared" for the future of their studios.

Insiders are reporting that even game studios that had previously been insulated from potential layoffs and closures may be facing just that eventuality. A report by Bloomberg's Jason Schreier, corroborates these reports, stating that Double Fine Productions, Compulsion Games, and Ninja Theory—the latter, responsible for the Hellblade series, was informed of the closure in a call on June 15—are all in negotiations with Microsoft to reach a separation deal that would see the game studios become independent or be bought out in order to avoid closure. Insiders say that even successful buyout deals are likely to result in significant layoffs. Allegedly, some employees have already been informed of the financial instability and advised to proactively seek employment.

MSI revealed the new Intel Arc-powered Claw 8 EX AI+ gaming handhelds shortly ahead of Computex 2026, but pricing was still a mystery at that point in time, with availability and pricing announcements slated for June 23. However, it appears as though MSI has listed the new gaming handheld ahead of the official announcement. According to the apparent premature listing for the Claw 8 EX AI+ (CG3EM-024US) will cost $1,799, which isn't far off the €1,500 predictions from early leaks and rumors.

The MSI online store listing also confirms that the Claw 8 EX AI+ will start shipping on June 23, suggesting that component and memory shortages have not severely hampered the brand's ability to produce at least an initial production run for the launch. Hardware specifications are also unchanged from what MSI showed off at Computex, with the handheld still featuring 32 GB of LPDDR5x-8533 RAM, a 1 TB PCIe SSD, and an 80 Wh battery, alongside an 8-inch, 1080p, 120 Hz display with VRR and 500 nits peak brightness. The MSI store listing confirms that the Claw 8 EX AI+ will launch with Intel's Arc G3 Extreme, and there doesn't appear to be any word on a version of the new MSI handheld powered by the regular Intel Arc G3, which has an Intel Arc B370 iGPU, which has 10 Xe3 cores instead of the 12 found in the G3 Extreme.

Windows 10 support ended last year, so PCs still running it no longer get security patches and are becoming an easier target by the day. Moving up to Windows 11 Pro closes that gap, and the Pro edition layers on protection that Home leaves out. During StackSocial's version of Prime Day, a lifetime license is on sale for $9.97 (reg. $199).

Windows 11 Pro is the version for people who want to lock things down. The security tools that set it apart from Home include

• BitLocker drive encryption: scrambles your whole drive, so a lost or stolen laptop doesn't hand your files to whoever finds it.
• Windows Sandbox: a throwaway, walled-off space to open sketchy files or test untrusted software without it ever touching your main system.
• Hyper-V: runs full virtual machines, useful for isolating risky work or testing on a clean install.
• Azure AD: ties into business identity and access management for managed, secure sign-ins.
• TPM 2.0 with biometrics: backs fingerprint and facial login with hardware-level security instead of a guessable password.

Until June 28 at 11:59 p.m. PT, it's only $9.97 to get Windows 11 Pro.

Browse the full deal collection during StackSocial's answer to Prime Day.

Following the recent updates to the Keychron wireless keyboard line-up, with new ZMK firmware and mechanical and Hall effect models reaching gamers, Keychron has started to tease an upcoming version of its V6 keyboard that it is calling a next-gen keyboard architecture. The post on X revealing the keyboard's design and existence reveals that it will have TMR sensing technology, which is known to be more efficient than Hall-effect sensors, and a "Nova Socket architecture," with a hybrid platform. This all suggests that Keychron, which has long used TMR sensors in its wireless "HE" keyboard series, will leverage TMR sensors in order to support both mechanical and analogue magnetic switches.

A hybrid socket would allow users to switch between the feel of mechanical switches and the customization and performance benefits of magnetic switches. As for the hardware, the first keyboard apparently launching with the hybrid design is a full-size V6 keyboard, suggesting it will have a plastic case (usually, Keychron Q-series keyboards are aluminium, while K- and V-series are plastic). The image shared by the brand also reveals a proper full-size layout, replete with a programmable knob above the backspace key, a full-size navigation cluster over the arrow keys, a num pad with a full-width zero key, and a four-key macro row above the num pad. The keycaps in the image are Keychron's in-house OSA design, which use OEM height with more rounded edges and a cylindrical top.

We recently reported on comments by Xbox Gaming Chief Strategy Officer, Matthew Ball, about a future of Xbox Gaming experiences subsidized by non-intrusive in-game advertising, although it seemed as though Microsoft had yet to actually go down that route. More recently, EA (Electronic Arts) has announced EA Advertising, which it says will allow brands to "tap into the power of play," and access views from "some of the most invested gaming communities online." The idea is that brands can partner with EA to include ads in the gaming giant's games without breaking player immersion. EA chief experiences officer, David Tinson, said that the new ad platform "gives brands a meaningful opportunity to show up in ways that add value and respect the player experience, while maintaining authenticity in the worlds our teams are building."

The examples given on the official EA Advertising page include the Skate x Vans collaboration, which has existed since the launch of Skate, the Coach clothing brand in The Sims 4, and Visa and Chime field paint in EA Sports College Football. Reportedly, ad spots will include various integrations, including banners, digital ad boards, scoreboards, and broadcast overlays. EA has updated its Frostbite engine with integrations for the new ads program, adding a purpose-built ad server and SDK that allows advertisers to receive information on impressions, adjust targeting, and generally gather data about their ad campaigns in a "privacy-safe way."

Most people who open Claude treat it like a smarter search box: ask a question, copy the answer, move on. That barely scratches what it can do. This Claude AI Professional E-Degree takes you from those basic chats to building real workflows, and you can get it on sale for $19.99 (reg. $49).

This course pack includes four courses, more than 100 lectures, and over eight hours of video, plus quizzes and projects to keep it hands-on. You start with prompt engineering that goes well past "write me an email," learning context management and chain-of-thought techniques that get you sharper, more reliable answers. From there, it moves into agentic coding, where Claude writes, debugs, and works inside VS Code alongside you.

Get the Claude AI Professional E-Degree on sale for $19.99.

AMD has updated its product portfolio with three "new" processors, Ryzen 7 4700LE, Ryzen 5 3501U and Ryzen 3 3100U. These "new" processors revive the older Zen2 and Zen+ architectures for OEM and entry-level systems. Worth mentioning that the Zen+ architecture was launched in 2018, while the Zen2 was introduced in 2019. The Ryzen 7 4700LE is a Zen2 based CPU with eight cores, 16 threads, 3.6 GHz base clock, up to 4.2 GHz boost, and a 65 W TDP. The processor uses the AM4 socket and is listed as an OEM-only part. Unlike most Renoir desktop APUs, the AMD specifications page does not mention integrated graphics.

In the Ryzen 3000U series AMD has also added two Zen+, Picasso-based mobile processors. The Ryzen 5 3501U is a four-core, eight-thread CPU with a 2.1 GHz base clock and 3.7 GHz boost. The Ryzen 3 3100U is a dual-core, two-thread processor with a 1.9 GHz base frequency and up to 3.2 GHz boost. The two processors share identical specifications: Radeon Vega 8 iGPU with eight compute units at 1,200 MHz, support for DDR4-2400 memory and the FP5 package. AMD lists a 15 W as the default TDP, configurable between 12 W and 35 W depending on system design requirements. According to the AMD product pages, both Ryzen 3000U models are scheduled for Q2 2026. The Ryzen 7 4700LE is OEM dedicated, while the Ryzen 5 3501U and Ryzen 3 3100U are likely intended for low-cost notebooks and embedded platforms. No pricing information has been disclosed.

Gears of War: E-Day is officially slated to launch on October 6, 2026, and ahead of that launch date, Xbox Game Studios has published the recommended and minimum hardware specifications for E-Day, and it's yet another relatively low-power GPU, much like Forza Horizon 6. According to the game's Steam Store page, which was updated on June 15 with the minimum specifications, Gears of War: E-Day will require at least an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 or RTX 5050 or higher to play. The lowest-tier AMD or Intel GPU that will be able to play E-Day is the Intel Arc A580 or AMD Radeon RX 6600 GPU. Aside from the GPU specs, E-Day requires at least 130 GB of SSD storage, 12 GB of RAM, and an AMD Ryzen 5 2600X, Intel Core i7-6850K, or Core i5-10400.

Curiously, the recommended hardware specifications don't call for much more powerful hardware, with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 or 3060 Ti, AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT, or 9060 XT, or an Intel Arc B580 GPU, 16 GB of RAM, and an AMD Ryzen 5 5600 or Intel Core i5-11600K CPU. While it may seem, at first glance, as though The Coalition and Xbox Game Studios are opting for ray tracing-capable GPUs, it's worth noting that NVIDIA's Pascal GPU generation is officially out of active support, making the RTX 2060 part of the oldest GPU series still supported by NVIDIA. The GTX 1660 Ti is technically part of the same generation, but, in our testing, it is anywhere between 18 and 23% slower than the RTX 2060, even without ray tracing enabled. Of course, there are still questions surrounding the minimum and recommended specifications, the most important of which is the target resolution and frame rates, although those details will only likely be teased out after the game launches.

This week, at the 2026 IEEE/JSAP Symposium on VLSI Technology and Circuits, imec, a world-leading research and innovation hub in advanced semiconductor technologies, in partnership with the lithography solution provider ASML, and semiconductor foundry TSMC, presents a novel, robust and scalable 300 mm integration route for 2D-material based n and pFETs. For the first time, scaled nFETs (implementing MoS2 as the channel material) and pFETs (either WS2 or WSe2-based) with 50 nm contacted poly pitch (CPP) could be demonstrated, with good current-voltage characteristics. These results represent a crucial step in the lab-to-fab transition of 2D-material based transistors, envisioned for ultra-scaled logic as well as for back-end and wafer backside applications.

2D transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs, such as MoS2, WS2, and WSe2) have the potential to extend and augment the logic scaling technology roadmap. When integrated as atomically thin conduction channels replacing Si, these materials enable high-performance scaled transistors - attractive for ultra-scaled logic as well as for back-end-of-line and wafer backside applications. They owe this promise to their good electrostatic channel control while maintaining acceptable carrier mobilities, even at ultra-scaled gate and channel lengths. But the path to industrial adoption has so far been hampered by the lack of a 300 mm integration route that can offer TMD-based n and pFETs at industry-relevant dimensions, while preserving the performance that has extensively been demonstrated on a lab scale.

It seems as though CD Projekt Red is not in the business of resting on its laurels, with the studio recently celebrating the 13th anniversary of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt with a newly revealed update and DLC for the game, working on both The Witcher 4 and a Witcher 1 remake, Cyberpunk 2, and apparently a new co-op Witcher game, which has started to appear in rumors of late. The rumors of a co-op Witcher game started with a spin-off game called under the codename Sirrius, that would be primarily a single-player game with optional multiplayer layered over the top. Project Sirrius seems to align with rumors of a new Witcher co-op game, as reported by MP1st. The biggest change from previous games in the Witcher universe is that this will be a multiplayer co-op experience, with players working together to hunt and take down monsters.

CDPR has yet to reveal the game or any gameplay details, but the rumors purport that the co-op Witcher game will be free-to-play and launch for both PC and mobile—presumably both Android and iOS. Allegedly, Sirrius will be set in 1230, when Geralt was already active as a witcher. However, players will not play as Geralt or another established witcher. Instead, the game will feature typical ARPG customization and a matching skill tree. Combat will largely be skills-based, relying on dodging, blocking, parrying, and executions, and players will be able to select from different witcher schools for their class, combat style, and skills. The aforementioned skills and combat system will include Signs and casting as well as potion brewing. CD Projekt Red hinted in a March earnings report that the company's next collaboration with Scopely, a mobile developer the studio worked with on prior Witcher mobile games, would certainly not launch in 2026, so a 2027 or even 2028 launch date seem more realistic, depending on how far along development is.

At Computex 2026, we had the opportunity to interview AMD's Chief Software Officer, Andrej Zdravkovic, and Terry Makedon, Senior Director of Software at AMD, to discuss various developments happening in AMD's labs. One of our questions focused on the FSR 4.1 Upscaling algorithm, which is currently exclusive to the RDNA 4 generation with the Radeon RX 9000 series of graphics cards. However, it is expected to be available this July for RDNA 3-based Radeon RX 7000 series GPUs. We were curious whether the FSR 4.1 Upscaling model that currently runs on RDNA 4 would be the same one used on RDNA 3. AMD explained that the underlying model is slightly different, but the end result will be of the same quality. This is reassuring news for millions of RDNA 3 and RDNA 2 gamers worldwide, especially during a time when upgrading PC hardware is more challenging than it has been in years.

For example, we know there are some fundamental differences in the RDNA generations regarding microarchitecture. For RDNA 3, this means there is no 8-bit floating point support in older generations, as only the latest RDNA 4 uses FP8. To run the FSR 4.1 Upscaling model on RDNA 3, AMD must convert this to 8-bit integer data, since RDNA 3 hardware uses INT8 data types without FP8 support. Generally, integer math is sufficient to optimize these models, but the conversion work is necessary, hence the delay between RDNA 4 and RDNA 3 support. This difference requires AMD to completely modify the FSR 4.1 model for the new data type and ensure there is no quality loss in the final visual output. AMD's software officials have confirmed that the company has been working hard on this issue, and more information will be released next month, in July, as the launch approaches.

Intel is planning a new line of processors featuring integrated graphics solutions by NVIDIA, according to a report by tech journalist Erdi Özüağ. The company is planning to introduce these processors by CES 2028. There are no details on what the processor will be. Intel has, in the past, sourced big integrated GPUs from third-party vendors. For example, the 7th Gen Core "Kaby Lake-G," a limited production-run mobile processor that paired a 4-core "Kaby Lake" CPU die with an AMD Radeon RX Vega M GPU on a multi-chip module.

Fast-forward to today, and there are several approaches Intel could take to developing such a chip. Given that it makes tile-based disaggregated client processors with SoC tiles made on TSMC nodes, it's possible that this chip could be a "Panther Lake" or "Nova Lake" derivative that combines Compute and a truncated SoC tile from Intel; with a GPU tile from NVIDIA. Unlike Intel's own Graphics tile, the NVIDIA tile could also integrate display engines and media accelerators. In related news, Özüağ says that Apple is in advanced stages of consultation with Intel over using its Intel 18A foundry node for manufacturing of some of its Apple Silicon products.

Baseus today announced the launch of the Baseus Spacemate RD1 Pro 15-in-1 Docking Station, a next-generation desktop solution that combines intelligent charging, advanced connectivity, and streamlined workspace organization in one compact device.

Baseus Spacemate RD1 Pro combines multi-device charging, smart functionality and versatile connectivity in a compact design. Designed for modern professionals working across home, office and hybrid environments, dual-display capability streamlines complex workflows across separate screens, driving productivity in both everyday operations and creative projects. Beyond performance, Baseus Spacemate RD1 Pro also reduces plugs and cable clutter, elevating both workspace efficiency and desktop aesthetics.

Thrustmaster unveils a new Sim Racing wheel born from a unique collaboration with Ferrari, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and Le Mans Ultimate: the Ferrari 499P Centenary Winner Edition. Produced in a limited run of 499 individually numbered units, this exclusive piece celebrates the historic victory of the Ferrari 499P #51 at the centenary edition of 24H LE MANS, marking Ferrari's triumphant return to the pinnacle of endurance racing.

Designed at 1:1 scale, inspired by the Ferrari 499P steering wheel, this product represents the ultimate convergence between endurance motorsport and sim racing. Combining a molded carbon back cover, a 4.3-inch screen, LEDs, and backlit controls, it delivers an unprecedented level of ergonomics and immersion, bringing drivers closer than ever to the cockpit of the winning Hypercar.

The premium CPU water blocks of the DeltaMate MPII series have been designed to the highest standards and are manufactured and assembled under strict quality controls. Only high-quality materials are used in production to meet the demands of hardware enthusiasts and set new industry standards:

• The nickel-plated Ultra-High-Performance cold plate is milled from copper.
• The solid nickel-plated housing with G1/4-inch ports is made of brass.
• The viewing window is made of borosilicate glass, whose edges are sanded after cutting.
• The cover is made of anodized aluminium.

Stylish RGB LED lighting highlights the elegant design of the water block when illumination is desired. The RGB LEDs can be controlled via a 3-pin ARGB header (+5V/DATA/GND) through the motherboard.

ASUS today announced the availability of ASUS ExpertCenter Pro ET900N G3, a next-generation deskside AI supercomputer engineered to bring data-center-class AI performance directly to enterprises, AI developers, researchers, and data scientists. Powered by NVIDIA GB300 Grace Blackwell Ultra Desktop Superchip and built on NVIDIA DGX Station GB300 architecture, ExpertCenter Pro ET900N G3 delivers exceptional AI compute, massive coherent memory capacity, and enterprise-grade AI infrastructure in a deskside form factor, with future support planned for Windows-based AI development and agentic environments.

As AI adoption rapidly expands across industries, organizations increasingly require powerful local AI infrastructure capable of supporting large-scale AI training, inference, and autonomous agentic AI workflows without relying entirely on cloud computing. ExpertCenter Pro ET900N G3 addresses this growing demand by enabling enterprises to deploy advanced AI capabilities locally with greater control, lower latency, predictable operational costs, and enhanced data privacy. The system is now available worldwide. To learn more or explore deployment opportunities, visit the Contact Me page for further information and consultation.

NVIDIA over the weekend released the GeForce Hotfix driver version 610.52. Hotfixes are non-WHQL drivers is released out of turn to address glaring bugs or issues affecting users from a recent driver release. Version 610.52 addresses a frame-pacing bug affecting certain monitors with G-SYNC being enabled on a machine with GeForce RTX 40-series "Ada" GPUs. The drivers also resolve an issue that prevented EDID from being read on certain monitors, causing them to be identified as "NVIDIA NV-Failsafe." Gaming stability on multi-monitor configurations with V-Sync and DLSS Frame Generation being enabled, has been improved. A bug that caused certain monitors to not correctly wake up from sleep, causing users to restart the monitors, has been fixed.

The Hotfix also addresses certain other issues. Certain gaming stability issues with "World of Warcraft" have been fixed. An issue that causes jittering or ghosting in DirectX 11 games with Smooth Motion enabled, has been fixed. Another issue that caused certain games to crash at launch with Smooth Motion enabled, has been fixed. The drivers also introduce stability issues related to the system when it fails to create a new allocation.

DOWNLOAD: NVIDIA GeForce Hotfix Driver version 610.52

Since the 13th Gen Core "Raptor Lake" microarchitecture already got its refresh with the 14th Gen Core "Raptor Lake Refresh," the company decided to go with "Raptor Lake Next" as codename for its next line of Socket LGA1700 desktop processors. These chips are born out of necessity, to provide options to PC buyers stuck with the decade-old DDR4 memory standard in wake of the DDR5 memory pricing crisis, given that the current Core Ultra "Arrow Lake" processors lack DDR4 backwards compatibility.

An inside report by JayKihn suggests that Intel could switch to the newer Core Series 3 processor model numbering scheme for its new processors, without the "Ultra" brand extension, denoting the lack of an integrated NPU. Intel could use the opportunity to carve out new combinations of CPU P-core counts, E-core counts, and L3 cache sizes, with the top part in the series expected to be 8P+8E, and not 8P+16E that the "Raptor Lake-S" silicon physically has. These chips could occupy price points in the entry-thru-performance segments, and Intel will ensure they don't tread on the market space of its next-generation Core Ultra "Nova Lake-S"

Welcome to midsummer week and a tad slower week when it comes to new releases. This week's major release is an anime inspired APRG set in its own universe. If that's not your style, then the week kicks off with some underground drilling, followed by driving cars in a city and a salvage operation. We round the week off with a new RPG from Square Enix and a job interview from your worst nightmares.

Zenless Zone Zero / This week's major release / Wednesday 17 June
Zenless Zone Zero is HoYoverse's brand-new urban fantasy ARPG. Players act as "Proxies" who explore Hollows alongside a wide range of unique Agents, fighting enemies, and completing commissions on their journey to unveil the mysteries behind New Eridu. Steam link

AMD announced in May 2026 that the Ryzen AI Halo Developer Platform mini PC would arrive in June, and launch day has apparently arrived, with the Strix Halo-powered mini PC now available for pre-order via Micro Center in the US. The Ryzen AI Halo developer kit is mostly aimed at AI developers, and although there are two SKUs, both have identical hardware, featuring the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 CPU, with its Radeon 8060S iGPU, and 128 GB of LPDDR5x-8000 memory shared across both the CPU and GPU cores. The mini PC is launching with 2 TB of SSD storage, and it includes a 120 W PSU.

Pricing is set at $3,999, and the only difference between the two available SKUs is that one ships with Linux, while the other ships with Windows 11 Pro. No shipment date has yet been confirmed. Physical I/O is limited to USB Type-C, with three unspecified USB Type-C ports, likely USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 or USB4, one of which has DisplayPort Alt Mode support, an HDMI 2.1 port, a 10 Gbps Ethernet port, and a USB Type-C port for power input. It will also ship with both Bluetooth 5.4 and Wi-Fi 7. The mini PC itself measures just 149 × 149 × 43.18 mm, and the chassis appears to be mostly aluminium.