This coming Thursday, February 12, 2026, is when Sony and PlayStation will host the first State of Play event of 2026. It is set to air at 2pm PT / 5pm ET / 10pm BT, and we now know that it's not the only showcase event of the evening. Konami has revealed that it will host a Silent Hill Transmission event that same night, featuring news about what's next for the Silent Hill franchise, including Silent Hill: Townfall. And it'll kick off approximately an hour after the State of Play ends. The news was announced in a short post on [โฆ]
HEVCut compresses videos from your iCloud photo library by up to 70%, allowing you to reclaim storage on both your iPhone and iCloud without losing quality. It scans your entire library, lets you choose what to compress, and processes everything locally on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac for privacy.
Start for free and unlock unlimited compression with an optional Pro upgrade. Use batch compression to quickly free up gigabytes, keep your memories intact, and avoid the 'Cannot Take Photo' warning.
Obsclair helps you find local spots, compare vibe, distance, and availability, and book in seconds with clear pricing and confirmations. You can browse profiles, filter what matters, and get reminders to ensure you show up on time. Obsclair also supports creators and venues with calendar and wallet features!
I highly recommend these retro gaming-focused products, whether you're diving into the classics for the first time, or applying a shiny new coat to old-gen hardware.
4URPCโs wireless HDMI transmitter doubles as a 10Gbps USB hub with SD slots and 100W charging, turning a simple casting tool into a compact dock for laptops and tablets.
A misplaced iPhone 17 Pro Maxย always feels like youโve been punched in the gut, which is why the astute decision would always be to pay a monthly AppleCare+ fee that covers theft and loss. One lucky customer, who may not have known that he would fall into this specific circumstance, recounts how Apple sent a new unit touting eight times the internal memory of the first one. Keeping in mind the ludicrous premium the technology giant charges for storage upgrades, whether itโs an iPhone or a Mac, getting a replacement with more space than before will always put a sparkle [โฆ]
SearchAblePDF converts image-only PDFs into selectable, searchable documents with an invisible text layer while preserving layout and formatting. It extracts up to 4.5 times more text than basic OCR by deskewing pages, boosting resolution, and reducing noise and watermarks, while supporting over 35 languages.
Use it to make documents accessible to screen readers, indexable by search engines, and easy to find across your files. Files auto-delete after 24 hours, and temporary access tokens keep data private.
Samsung has confirmed that its first Galaxy Unpacked event of 2026 will take place on February 25 in San Francisco, California, with the Galaxy S26 lineup expected to headline the show alongside a continued push around Galaxy AI.
All the ways to watch Winter Olympics Short-Track Speed Skating 2026 live streams for FREE, with William Dandjinou and Arianna Fontana headlining the action.
With modern PC games continuing to push the trend of increasingly demanding requirements on PC hardware, default โ and especially maximum โ graphics presets often miss that coveted sweet spot between performance and visuals. Niohโฏ3 is expected to be no exception to this rule. Unfortunately, early impressions from the gaming press and community alike show a mixed bag of technical behavior across a multitude of PC setups, with reports of lower-than-expected framerates, high CPU usage, and other miscellaneous technical issues. Consequently, this guide's purpose is to help you attain an optimal balance between performance and visuals in Niohโฏ3. We shall [โฆ]
iBuyPower has a 9% discount for its RDY Element 9 Pro R07 gaming PC. With AI consuming RAM left and right, buying pre-built PCs like this will be much better for you than buying expensive parts to build one by yourself.
Alinea Analytics estimates reveal Subnautica 2 as the most wishlisted game releasing in 2026 on Steam with 3.8 million wishlists, followed by Forza Horizon 6 and Resident Evil Requiem, both showing strong pre-release momentum.
The original creators of the Fallout series have revealed it was a "B-tier product" for a while, and failed to secure two major licenses during development.
Applied Materials, Inc., the leader in materials engineering for the semiconductor industry, today introduced new deposition, etch and materials modification systems that boost the performance of leading-edge logic chips at 2 nm and beyond. The technologies supercharge AI compute through atomic-scale improvements to the most fundamental electronic building block - the transistor.
The transition to Gate-All-Around (GAA) transistors is a major industry inflection and a critical enabler of the energy-efficient computing needed to deliver more powerful AI chips. As 2 nm-class GAA chips ramp to volume production this year, Applied is introducing new material innovations to enhance next-generation GAA transistors for angstrom nodes. The combined impact of the new chipmaking systems contributes a significant portion of the total energy-efficient performance gains of GAA process node transitions.
Marathon is slated to launch on March 6, 2026, but a handful of influencers in China have apparently already been testing the game out ahead of the official launch, according to a post on Reddit and UCG on YouTube. The post and YouTube review detail some of the reports from the hands-on testing, revealing both in-game content and some first impressions about gameplay. First off, it's notable that the game has received a massive visual overhaul in terms of assets and UI, which is something the Marathon dev team has already shown off in previews and gameplay teasers, but the game world is overall much darker and more mysterious. The first-hand experiences in the post claim that there is deep world-building with a focus on the narrative and personalities in the game. The PvE is reportedly "extremely challenging," with enemy AI proactively calling in reinforcements to keep up the pressure, offering players little rest between combat encounters.
That's not to say players should expect to be getting buddy-buddy with other players, since the loot game pushes players to see each other as an easy way to grab loot. The reviewer also suggests that Marathon will seemingly emphasize the late game experience rather than encouraging early PvP and combat. Players are instead encouraged by the game systems to focus on completing missions, levelling up base stats, and upgrading gear before heading into combat situations. According to the reviewer, there will be decent variety when it comes to weapons and skills, and the skill balance is well tuned between the seven different character classes we know of so far. There are apparently 28 guns in the game, each with at least two skins, and the ability to change the gun model in some cases. Some additional information posted in the comments from the Chinese game event claim that there will be "more verticality than players expect," and that completing faction quests can unlock permanent map shortcuts between zones. There is also apparently an in-game creature called the Anomaly, which will be able to reshape the map mid-game. One source also claims that, in one game, there were three teams of six players each, bringing it up to 18 players per match.
A team at the University of California, San Diego has redesigned how RRAM operates in an effort to accelerate the execution of neural network models. According to UCSD electrical engineer Duygu Kuzum, the approach could eventually enable a new class of local AI applications, assuming the technology's remaining challenges can...
StepCapture lets you capture workflows and turn them into clear SOPs in seconds. Start a recording in your browser, and it automatically takes smart screenshots, labels clicks and keystrokes, and compiles step-by-step guides with editable page titles and URLs that you can share via encrypted links.
You can use StepCapture to onboard faster, train teams, and publish searchable knowledge bases with custom branding. Its features include advanced blur, AI-powered capture, and one-click sharing across any website or app.
Here's how to watch the F1 2026 Bahrain pre-season testing. Stream all the live action from the two three-day tests at the Bahrain International Circuit.
After numerous news reports documented Masha Bucher's close business and personal relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, Bucher took to X to explain.
The tech giant handed over the personal information of a journalist and student who attended a pro-Palestinian protest in 2024. This is the latest example of ICE using its controversial subpoena powers to target people critical of the Trump administration.
Whatever the cause of the departures, the cumulative impact is alarming. There is a lot of work left to do at xAI, and an IPO will bring more scrutiny than the lab has ever faced before.
Last week, Blizzard Entertainment hosted the second of its flurry of showcases to kick off 2026 with an Overwatch Spotlight, digging into the future of the game and everything players can expect for the coming year. Outside of the official name change back to just 'Overwatch,' we got a look at everything coming in Season 1: Reign of Talon, which has officially gone live. The showcase clearly reinvigorated the Overwatch community, because not only did the game have its "biggest weekend by player count in over a year," according to a press release after the showcase, but the launch of [โฆ]
Apple has managed to use its considerable market heft to aggressively manage the cost of various key components, allowing the base storage variants of the upcoming iPhone 18 lineup to launch at the same price points as their iPhone 17 counterparts, as per a fresh supply chain analysis. Jeff Pu: Appleโs goal is to keep starting selling prices of the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max "unchanged or at a similar level" to those of their iPhone 17 counterparts TF International Securities analyst, Ming Chi-Kuo, noted towards the end of January that Apple was working round the clock to prevent [โฆ]
Sometime in 2027 to 2028, AMD could release Medusa Halo, its next-gen entry in the high-performance Halo APU lineup. It's said to feature Zen 6 CPU cores and RDNA 5 graphics. A new leak suggests it could also support LPDDR6 memory, enabling bandwidths up to 460.8 GB/s on a 256-bit interface with 14,400 MT/s speeds.
One of the biggest problems facing Microsoft's capex pertains to chip tariffs, and the U.S. might finally be waking up to the self-inflicted pain it's causing.
Trust announces the launch of the new Seron Slim Multi-Wireless Hyperscroll Mouse - combining a portable design with ultimate productivity, this wireless mouse is the ideal companion for professionals who work across multiple devices and locations.
At just 31 mm in height, the Seron's ultra-thin design easily slips into any bag, whilst its premium metal hyperscroll wheel with tilt function makes navigating through lengthy documents and spreadsheets effortless. Whether scrolling vertically through reports and webpages or horizontally across data tables, users can work more efficiently throughout the day.
SilverStone has quietly expanded its comprehensive range of CPU cooling solutions with a myriad of brand-new designs, across both air and liquid cooling lines. A pair of 2U small form factor server/workstation CPU cooling solutions have gained the most media attention. As expected, the Taiwanese manufacturer has not issued any press material for this pair of freshly introduced AMD-oriented products. The SST-XE02-AM5B cooler's naming scheme clearly states that it is intended for deployment on Team Red's AM5 socket, although SilverStone's specification sheet mentions compatibility with the older AM4 platform. The SST-XE02-TR5B SKU's credentials list support of AMD's sTR5, SP6, TR4, and SP3 socket types.
The newest AM5B and TR5B models share similar traits; mainly a provision of five 6 mm heat-pipes combined with aluminium finsโmarketed as offering "excellent heat conducting efficiency"โand a centrally-positioned 60 mm PWM dual ball bearing fan. This fan model's specification sheet lists an RPM range of 2000 to 14,000, a 72.8 CFM maximum airflow rating, and max. air pressure of 47.18 mmH2O. Mean Time To Failure (MTTF) is estimated at 70,000 operational hours. Despite featuring the same fan, the two low-profile SST-XE02 models deviate in terms of CPU TDP ratingsโthe AM5/AM4 compatible cooler is rated up to 170 W, while the ever so slightly larger/heavier sibling (sTR5/SP6/TR4/SP3) is capable of tempering up to 350 W. Naturally, the more capable unit is tasked with handling (for example) EPYC 8004 and Ryzen Threadripper 7000 processors.
On February 28, Monster Hunter Wilds will celebrate its first anniversary, and Capcom will be marking the occasion with a sizeable new content update that will introduce performance improvements and a slew of in-game events throughout February and March. Update 1.041, which lands on February 18, delivers the new missions, monsters, weapons, and rewards, alongside the aforementioned anniversary events. Monster Hunter Wilds producer, Ryozo Tsujimoto, announced the new update in a video posted on the official Monster Hunter YouTube channel. Tsujimoto also announced that Capcom is working on a new expansion for Monster Hunter Wilds that is on the same level as Iceborne and Sunbreak for Monster Hunter Worlds and Rise. Given the direct comparison, it's likely that this will also be a premium paid expansion coming in at around the same $39.99 price point as the aforementioned Worlds expansions. Aside from sharing that more details will arrive "this summer," meaning between June and August, no details have been shared about the contents of the new update, but the comparison also suggests we will see it launch with a new locale with a new hub, missions, and enemies.
The February 2026 update will add a new boss, the Arch-tempered Arkveld, a monster available to hunters above rank 100, in its own 10-star event quest alongside special 10-star quests featuring all four previous Arch-tempered monsters and rare rewards. Completing the Arch-tempered Arkveld quest will unlock a special optional hunt-a-thon quest pitting players against all four Arch-tempered monsters in a single quest. The update also makes the winning sword and pendant from the weapon design contest available to everyone as a special event quest reward. There will also be a collaboration with Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection, and the anniversary events will make all previous time-specific event rewards available again through a weekly rotation of previous seasonal events. The anniversary events and collaboration will feature new and fun twists on existing quests to match the Festival of Accord vibes, with matching Stories rewards. The event festivities will last for a month, from February 18 to March 19, and there will be special one-time event rewards. The development team has also analyzed game data and prepared a special limited-time event featuring a buffed version of the least-hunted monster in the game, with the quest again delivering special cosmetics and rewards. Tsujimoto says that Capcom still has more in-store for Monster Hunter fans that it will reveal closer to the anniversary event start date.
Hello everyone! The twenty-something devs at Vermila Studios would like to thank you very much for your interest in Crisol: Theater of Idols. Today is an incredible day because, after more than five years under development, we can see everyone experiencing the game. Do not hesitate to leave a review, they are very encouraging and help us improve the game within our abilities. We hope Tormentosa surprises and terrifies you equally, and that your blood will protect you from all evil. Go for it, good luck!
Crisol: Theater of Idols is a first-person horror/action game set in Hispania, a twisted version of Spain. Play as Gabriel, a soldier who uses blood as both weapon and lifeline. Explore the cursed island of Tormentosa, uncover dark secrets, and battle horrifying enemies. Will you survive? Crisol is developed by Vermila Studios, and published by Blumhouse Games.
The Logitech G Pro X2 Superstrike is now available for purchase at a hefty $180 price tag. The Swiss manufacturer claims that the new mouse can provide a competitive edge over traditional solutions โ a selling point likely to appeal to esports athletes and other professional gamers.
Microsoft introduced a scanner that detects poisoned open-weight language models by analyzing attention behavior, memorization leaks, and trigger flexibility.
Rivian, along with other automakers, has been under pressure to make the manual door releases easier to access. The new R2 SUV does that โ here's how.
The number of wishlists a game has is never a one-to-one for how many copies it'll see when it finally releases, but you can't say those wishlists count for nothing, especially when there are millions of them, which is exactly what Subnautica 2, Forza Horizon 6, and Resident Evil Requiem have on Steam. Instead of its usual sales reporting, analyst firm Alinea Analytics' latest report digs into which upcoming titles have the most wishlists on Steam. Now, it's worth noting that the report clarifies that Valve's own ranking for the 'Top Wishlists' games on Steam also accounts for how quickly [โฆ]
According to two separate and trustworthy sources, Microsoft is reportedly considering the merging of the Xbox Game Pass Premium console subscription tier with PC Game Pass. The Verge's Tom Warren heard that the plans are far from finalized, but that's what Microsoft is thinking right now, and Windows Central has subsequently backed up the reporting with its own sources. Here's a breakdown of the respective feature sets as they are currently available to users: Feature PC Game Pass Xbox Game Pass Premium Price $11.99/month $14.99/month Platforms PC only Console, PC, Cloud First-Party Day-One Access Yes No (added within 1 year) [โฆ]
Expect huge power draw from Intelโs 52-core Nova Lake CPU flagship According to the leaker kopite7kimi, the next-generation CPU flagship from Intel will have a HUGE maximum power draw. With 52 total cores, Intelโs next-generation โNova Lakeโ flagship will reportedly be able to draw over 700 watts of power. This is for a dual Compute [โฆ]
Searches for "Discord alternatives" jumped by 10,000% following the company's announcement of planned global age verification, and Stoat seems to be the top option.
Lenovo North America President Ryan McCurdy said in a recent interview that "pricing sensitivity" means current prices are likely the best you'll get for the next 6-12 months.
According to fresh news reports ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT) has just announced the initiation of HBM3 module mass manufacturing activities. The Chinese computer memory maker is slowly catching up with more mainstream international rivalsโmost notably, South Korean companies started full production of fourth-generation high-bandwidth memory (HBM3) products back in 2023. Over the past year, CXMT has demonstrated improved capabilities across a promising range of (mostly) commercial linesโfor example, their proprietary DDR5 and LPDDR5X designs were showcased in preview form, last November. By early February (2026), the likes of ASUS, Acer, Dell, and HP were reportedly weighing up the sourcing of CXMT consumer-grade memory products.
The first signs of CXMT's diversification into the development of "homegrown" HBM3 modules were divulged by industry insiders, last May. By early autumn, a joint ventureโinvolving YMTCโseemed to pave the way for an acceleration of the Chinese industry's overall HBM manufacturing footprint. Huawei's newest/futuristic Ascend AI accelerator relies on "in-house" HBM tech, due to global sanctions preventing the supply of cutting-edge Micron, Samsung, SK Hynix components to Chinese firms. An MK South Korea reports cites recent information disclosed by an anonymous source, regarding a secret partnership: "Huawei, which is leading the development of AI semiconductors in China, is developing HBM together with CXMT. It is expected to enter mass production despite (talk of) low yield(s)." Further inside track info posits that CXMT is planning a per month output of 60,000 wafers for "HBM3 production." This impressive guesstimate allegedly accounts for about 20% of the memory maker's total manufacturing capacity of 300,000 wafers per month, at least for 2026.
Intel and Google published the results of a significant joint security review of Intel Trust Domain Extensions (Intel TDX). The five-month engagement between Intel's INT31 research team and Google Cloud Security focused on hardening Intel TDX Module 1.5, the core software responsible for managing confidential virtual machines. The review identified five vulnerabilities and 35 other weaknesses or areas for improvement. According to Intel, all five vulnerabilities were patched in the latest code version released to partners.
Intel TDX represents a shift in data center security. Unlike traditional virtualization, where the hypervisor has full access to guest data, TDX creates "Trust Domains" (TDs), or hardware-isolated virtual machines. These are cryptographically isolated from the hosting infrastructure using Intel's Secure Arbitration Mode (SEAM). The system relies on the Intel TDX Module, a digitally signed software shim running in SEAM. It enforces security policies that hardware alone cannot handle. Because a compromise of this module could theoretically bypass the system's isolation guarantees, it is a critical verification target.
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.
This week, both High On Life 2 and Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties are launching with support for DLSS 4 with Multi Frame Generation. And Reniamal launches February 13th with DLSS Super Resolution. And our Resident Evil Requiem GeForce RTX 50 Series Bundle is available now.
Intel's upcoming Core Ultra Series 4 "Nova Lake-S" could be the company's first desktop processor series to offer Microsoft Copilot+ native acceleration capability. The NPU of "Nova Lake" offers throughput of 74 TOPS, far exceeding the 40 TOPS required by Copilot+. Intel already met this with its "Lunar Lake" mobile processors, but its current "Arrow Lake-S" and upcoming "Arrow Lake-S Refresh" processors only do 13 TOPS as they implement an older generation NPU carried over from "Meteor Lake."
This is not to say that all desktop processor models of "Nova Lake-S" offer 74 TOPS, some could offer lower throughput, but there's plenty of product segmentation room for Intel to ensure that even its cheapest retail model offers at least 40 TOPS to meet Copilot+ requirements. AMD might end up beating Intel to the title of first socketed desktop processor with a Copilot+ capable NPU. The company could launch its Ryzen AI 400 series "Gorgon Point" Socket AM5 APUs sooner than Intel's rumored late-2026 debut of the Core Ultra Series 4 desktop processors.
Carbice, a leader in vertically-aligned carbon nanotubes and manufacturing assembly solutions for advanced computing and power systems, today announced a strategic partnership with DarkNX, a global digital infrastructure company building next-generation AI data centers optimized for high-density workloads. Through the partnership, Carbice becomes a system-level solutions expert in data center design, with interface assembly and material expertise, and long-term performance validation to support next-generation AI infrastructure at scale.
Under the partnership, Carbice will support DarkNX and its customers' data center development projects with expertise and data collection through the Carbice Lab, a recognized center of thought leadership in thermal interface reliability. Carbice will work alongside other partners whose technology was selected as a core element of DarkNX's recently announced 300MW data center campus in Ontario, Canada. Together, DarkNX, Carbice, and others will support performance and reliability from chip-level cooling through critical thermal, mechanical, and electrical interfaces that impact long-term uptime and hardware life, and lower the cost to OEMs of building servers.
ChintzyPC, a new member of the TechPowerUp community, has kindly shared their experience of picking up an unreleased "Ampere" generation engineering sample. Their forum debut appeared in the form a very in-depth exploration of NVIDIA's very rare GeForce RTX 3080 Ti 20 GB model. Late last year a scruffy yet fairly official-looking ASUS ROG Strix non-Ti variant turned up via the Chinese second-hand market. Fortuntely, ChintzyPC has acquired a comparatively pristine example of Team Green's Founders Edition design. GA102 GPU-based GeForce RTX 3080 Ti and 3080 (non-Ti) 20 GB cards are unusual prospects, given that NVIDIA has not officially disclosed the existence of these past-gen models. TechPowerUp's GPU database lists the former, with a release date of January 2022 and a $1199 (USD) MSRP, but the GeForce RTX 3080 (non-Ti) 20 GB SKU remains unregistered.
ChintzyPC recounted an acquaintance's purchasing of two "3080 Ti 20 GB Engineering Samples" via a local seller, to the tune of $200 per unit. Surprisingly, the cards turned up in formal packaging, complete with a sticker that bears model codes, serial numbers, and barcodes. They note that not much confidence was inspired when the vendor disappeared soon after processing their friend's orders. ChintzyPC's write-up details a "mix of teardown notes, benching results, and general observations, while figuring out what exactly this thing is and how it behaves." After initial tinkering sessions, ChintzyPC concluded that their latest curio is an: "unreleased (GeForce) RTX 3080 Ti 20 GB engineering sample with GA102-250 on a hybrid (RTX) 3090-style PCB. 320-bit bus, requires patched driver. Gaming performance sits around a GeForce RTX 3080 (non-Ti) 12 GB. Compute workloads crash. Overclocks normally but firmware is heavily locked down. Very strange card, (but) a fun one to dig into...In case anyone wonders (whether) there is an uploaded version of this VGA BIOS, (it is available) here (through TPU's collection)." A commenter (Dr. Do) and VideoCardz reckon that only a limited batch of retail-grade MSI GeForce RTX 3080 Ti 20 GB cards seeped out via back channel avenues in 2021โonly within Russian territories.
On your Windows PC, the Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) firmware has a Secure Boot Certificate that mandates only verified software starts the boot-up sequence. Microsoft is preparing to refresh these certificates, and the company announced that millions of Windows PCs in circulation will receive new Secure Boot Certificates in an industry-wide gradual rollout to replace aging certificates that are expiring soon. According to the latest Windows Blog, the original Secure Boot Certificates introduced way back in 2011 are reaching the end of their planned lifecycle, with the expiration date set for late June 2026. This not only mandates updating but also requires a massive staged rollout from OEMs and Microsoft's partners to ensure that all Windows devices stay secure.
According to Microsoft, this is one of the largest industry collaborations that spans the Windows ecosystem, including servicing, firmware updates, and countless device configurations from OEMs and other hardware makers. Firmware makers are at the center with their UEFI BIOS patches, which will now have to replace their aging Secure Boot Certificates. The blog also states that OEMs have been provisioning updated certificates on their new devices, with some devices from 2024 and almost all PCs from 2025 updated to support the new certificate. Interestingly, older PCs and devices that were shipped prior to these years will also be taken care of, with major OEMs providing their own guidance on updating the certificate. If you don't see your OEM offering an update, be patient as the rollout is gradual.
Kysona is known for its affordable, high-performance gaming peripherals, having previously launched the Jupiter and Mercury wireless symmetrical gaming mice, which weigh in at 40-46 g, and the brand has now announced the Saturn series gaming mice, which bring the same sensor and MCU hardware found in the aforementioned symmetrical models into an ergonomic shell. The Saturn series comes in two flavors: the more expensive Pro model, which comes with a PixArt PAW 3395 sensor and a bigger 500 mAh battery, and the Saturn SE, which uses the PixArt PAW 3311 sensor, ditches the 8 kHz polling, features a different coating, and comes in around 2 g lighter for itโ56 g for the SE, 58 g for the Pro.
The Saturn gaming mice use a shell design reminiscent of something like the Razer Basilisk V3 or the more recent Mchose G7 seriesโthat is to say, the Saturn shell is a right-handed ergonomic gaming mouse with a thumb rest. Kysona suggests that the shape is optimized for palm and claw grips and that the "ice-feeling coating" is resistant to sweat and helps maintain grip during intense gaming sessions. The Saturn measures in at 126 ร 75 ร 41 mm, making it 4 mm shorter than the Aforementioned Razer Basilisk and 5 mm shorter and 4 mm narrower than the venerable Logitech G502. The Saturn also looks to have slightly more palm support and a pronounced curve to the right near the back of the mouse shell. No specific switches or encoder are mentioned, but an image on the site suggests that the Saturn mice will use Huano 100M Transparent Green Shell White Dot switches, which are a medium force mechanical switch with an MTBF of 100 million clicks. Aside from the main click buttons, the Saturn features two programmable side buttons, and both models feature wired, 2.4 GHz, and Bluetooth connectivity. The Saturn Pro comes in black, pink, and white, and is available for $35.99 after a 60% launch discount, while the Saturn SE is available in white or black and comes in at $24.99 after that same launch discount, but this model includes a charging dock that doubles as a receiver extender.
Hey readers, ever hear the story of the FBI Space-Time Police Special Agent Romeo, who takes down space-time criminals in search of his lost girlfriend? No? Well, you'll be able to find out with the arrival of Romeo is a Dead Man! We've uploaded one final trailer for you all today, featuring some brand-new music that'll be in the game. Seeing is believing as they say, so take a good hard look.
As you can see we're getting some pretty serious artists to contribute to the game's soundtrack, further reinforcing Romeo is a Dead Man as a dead-serious action-adventure game. How serious exactly? Well, we asked Grasshopper Manufacture CEO, director, and scenario writer Goichi Suda (pictured left) and co-director and scenario writer Ren Yamazaki (pictured right) to find out.
Axiomtek, a world-renowned leader relentlessly devoted to the research, development, and manufacture of innovative, highly efficient, and reliable industrial computer products, is proud to announce the IMB550, a high-performance ATX motherboard designed for demanding AI vision inspection, high-performance computing (HPC), and image analysis applications.
The IMB550 is powered by 15th Gen Intel Core Ultra 9/7/5 processors (Arrow Lake-S) with the Intel W880 chipset. It features a PCIe Gen 5 x16 slot for multiple high-end graphics or acceleration cards, and two M.2 Key M slots for NVMe SSD storage with RAID 0/1 support, providing scalable performance, flexibility, and reliability to meet the demands of next-generation AI workloads.
The plaintiffs claimed that G.Skill violated federal consumer protection laws by falsely advertising the speeds of its DDR4 desktop memory modules, rated above 2133 MHz, and DDR5 DIMMs, rated over 4800 MHz. The lawsuit argued that the misleading labeling led customers to believe the advertised speeds could be achieved by...
For the fourth quarter of 2025, Spotify generated โฌ4.5 billion ($5.4 billion) in total revenue โ a six percent increase quarter-over-quarter and up seven percent compared to the same period in 2024. Gross margin reached 33.1 percent, and operating income of โฌ701 million exceeded expectations due to lower than anticipated social charges.
UppaGame empowers K-12 teachers, educators, and homeschoolers to generate national standards-aligned lessons and exams in minutes, emphasizing critical thinking through AI-driven variability. It reduces over 20 hours of prep time weekly, helping to combat teacher burnout. Tailored to curricula in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the US, UK, South Africa, and Singapore, it ensures a seamless local fit from launch.
The information technology (IT) workers associated with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) are now applying to remote positions using real LinkedIn accounts of individuals they're impersonating, marking a new escalation of the fraudulent scheme.
"These profiles often have verified workplace emails and identity badges, which DPRK operatives hope will make their fraudulent
Intel's ZAM memory approach has seen significant traction recently, and Team Blue has surprisingly unveiled the prototype of the technology, making promising claims. Intel & Partners Are Working on the Z-Angle Memory to Solve Thermal & Compute Constraints With Existing Solutions While Team Blue has been out of the DRAM business for several decades now, the company has recently entered a new frontier with the SoftBank subsidiary Saimemory, unveiling a solution called Z-Angle Memory (ZAM) to break HBM's monopoly. While we did discuss on ZAM last week, it appears that Intel was quick to showcase a prototype to the world, [โฆ]
Later this week, Sony is set to host its first State of Play event of 2026. This hour-long showcase will include several announcements we could guess at, and many we won't be able to, but a new report from Billbil-kun at Dealabs has pretty much cemented one of the announcements that we'll see at Thursday's show (if we don't see it tomorrow): the games entering the PS Plus Extra Catalog for February 2026. Which, according to the report, will be headlined by Marvel's Spider-Man 2. The first of Insomniac's Spider-Man titles, Marvel's Spider-Man (the remastered variant, that is), entered the [โฆ]
PlayStation is ready to reclaim the spotlight after the Xbox Developer Direct and the Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase. After a quiet start to the year, Sony has officially pulled back the curtain on a massive February State of Play, which promises to be a beefy broadcast that will set the tone for the PS5โs 2026 lineup. With rumors of new first-party reveals and long-awaited updates on third-party projects, here is everything you need to know about the upcoming showcase. Official Livestream You can watch the official State of Play stream directly below when it goes live: When and Where to [โฆ]
While all makers of microelectronics are set to benefit from the AI supercycle, the memory industry is projected to generate more than twice the revenue of the foundry industry.
Ayaneoโs latest flagship handheld pairs AMDโs most powerful mobile APU with an oversized battery, a high-refresh OLED display, and multiple high-end configurations aimed at enthusiasts.
The White House is considering a tariff carve-out for big AI tech companies, like Amazon, Google, and Microsoft, allowing them to purchase imported AI chips from TSMC without getting slapped with an import tax.
Fresh leaks reveal that Nova Lake might have a maximum power limit of 700W on the top-end, unlocked silicon with dual compute tiles. Moreover, Nova Lake is apparently blocking TJMax offsets and removing the ability to prevent thermal throttling. Lastly, the family can apparently boot without the P-cores entirely, relying on LP-E cores or E-cores.
Microsoft is refreshing Secure Boot certificates for Windows PCs. If you bought one in the past year, you should be set, but others should be sure to keep up with Windows 11 updates.
Fitbitโs personal health coach experience is expanding to more people around the world.Starting today and over the next few weeks, the personal health coach (which is alโฆ
Google is now promoting its own AI features inside Google Ads โ a rare move that inserts marketing directly into advertisersโ workflow.
Whatโs happening. Users are seeing promotional messages for AI Max for Search campaigns when they open campaign settings panels.
The notifications appear during routine account audits and updates.
It essentially serves as an internal advertisement for Googleโs own tooling.
Why we care. The in-platform placement signals Google is pushing to accelerate AI adoption among advertisers, moving from optional rollouts to active promotion. While Google often introduces AI-driven features, promoting them directly within existing workflows marks a more aggressive adoption strategy.
What to watch. Whether this promotional approach expands to other Google Ads features โ and how advertisers respond to marketing within their management interface.
First seen. Julie Bacchini, president and founder of Neptune Moon, spotted the notification and shared it on LinkedIn. She wrote: โNothing like Google Ads essentially running an ad for AI Max in the settings area of a campaign.โ
Microsoft today launched AI Performance in Bing Webmaster Tools in beta. AI Performance lets you see where, and how often, your content is cited in AI-generated answers across Microsoft Copilot, Bingโs AI summaries, and select partner integrations, the company said.
AI Performance in Bing Webmaster Tools shows which URLs are cited, which queries trigger those citations, and how citation activity changes over time.
Whatโs new. AI Performance is a new, dedicated dashboard inside Bing Webmaster Tools. It tracks citation visibility across supported AI surfaces. Instead of measuring clicks or rankings, it shows whether your content is used to ground AI-generated answers.
Microsoft framed the launch as an early step toward Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) tooling, designed to help publishers understand how their content shows up in AI-driven discovery.
What it looks like. Microsoft shared this image of AI Performance in Bing Webmaster Tools:
What the dashboard shows. The AI Performance dashboard introduces metrics focused specifically on AI citations:
Total citations: How many times a site is cited as a source in AI-generated answers during a selected period.
Average cited pages: The daily average number of unique URLs from a site referenced across AI experiences.
Grounding queries: Sample query phrases AI systems used to retrieve and cite publisher content.
Page-level citation activity: Citation counts by URL, highlighting which pages are referenced most often.
Visibility trends over time: A timeline view showing how citation activity rises or falls across AI experiences.
These metrics only reflect citation frequency. They donโt indicate ranking, prominence, or how a page contributed to a specific AI answer.
Why we care. Itโs good to know where and how your content gets cited, but Bing Webmaster Tools still wonโt reveal how those citations translate into clicks, traffic, or any real business outcome. Without click data, publishers still canโt tell if AI visibility delivers value.
How to use it. Microsoft said publishers can use the data to:
Confirm which pages are already cited in AI answers.
Identify topics that consistently appear across AI-generated responses.
Improve clarity, structure, and completeness on indexed pages that are cited less often.
The guidance mirrors familiar best practices: clear headings, evidence-backed claims, current information, and consistent entity representation across formats.
Whatโs next. Microsoft said it plans to โimprove inclusion, attribution, and visibility across both search results and AI experiences,โ and continue to โevolve these capabilities.โ
B2B advertising faces a distinct challenge: most automation tools werenโt built for lead generation.
Ecommerce campaigns benefit from hundreds of conversions that fuel machine learning. B2B marketers donโt have that luxury. They deal with lower conversion volume, longer sales cycles, and no clear cart value to guide optimization.
The good news? Automation can still work.
Melissa Mackey, Head of Paid Search at Compound Growth Marketing, says the right strategy and signals can turn automation into a powerful driver of B2B leads. Below is a summary of the key insights and recommendations she shared at SMX Next.
The fundamental challenge: Why automation struggles with lead gen
Automation systems are built for ecommerce success, which creates three core obstacles for B2B marketers:
Customer journey length: Automation performs best with short journeys. A user visits, buys, and checks out within minutes. B2B journeys can last 18 to 24 months. Offline conversions only look back 90 days, leaving a large gap between early engagement and closed revenue.
Conversion volume requirements: Googleโs automation works best with about 30 leads per campaign per month. Google says it can function with less, but performance is often inconsistent below that level. Ecommerce campaigns easily hit hundreds of monthly conversions. B2B lead gen rarely does.
The cart value problem: In ecommerce, value is instant and obvious. A $10 purchase tells the system something very different than a $100 purchase. Lead generation has no cart. True value often isnโt clear until prospects move through multiple funnel stages โ sometimes months later.
The solution: Sending the right signals
Despite these challenges, proven strategies can make automation work for B2B lead generation.
Offline conversions: Your number one priority
Connecting your CRM to Google Ads or Microsoft Ads is essential for making automation work in lead generation. This isnโt optional. Itโs the foundation. If you havenโt done this yet, stop and fix it first.
In Google Adsโ Data Manager, youโll find hundreds of CRM integration options. The most common B2B setups include:
HubSpot and Salesforce: Both offer native, seamless integrations with Google Ads. Setup is simple. Once connected, customer stages and CRM data flow directly into the platform.
Other CRMs: If you donโt use HubSpot or Salesforce, you can build a custom data table with only the fields you want to share. Use connectors like Snowflake to send that data to Google Ads while protecting user privacy and still supplying strong automation signals.
Third-party integrations: If your CRM doesnโt integrate directly, tools like Zapier can connect almost anything to Google Ads. Thereโs a cost, but the performance gains typically pay for it many times over.
Embrace micro conversions with strategic values
Micro conversions signal intent. They show a โhand raiserโ โ someone engaged on your site who isnโt an MQL yet but clearly interested.
The key is assigning relative value to these actions, even when you donโt know their exact revenue impact. Use a simple hierarchy to train automation what matters most:
Video views (value: 1): Shows curiosity, but qualification is unclear.
Form fills (value: 100): Reflects meaningful commitment and willingness to share personal information.
Marketing qualified leads (value: 1,000): The highest-value signal and top optimization priority.
This value structure tells automation that one MQL matters more than 999 video views. Without these distinctions, campaigns chase impressive conversion rates driven by low-value actions โ while real leads slip through the cracks.
Making Performance Max work for lead generation
You might dismiss Performance Max (PMax) for lead generation โ and for good reason. Run it on a basic maximize conversions strategy, and it usually produces junk leads and wastes budget.
But PMax can deliver exceptional results when you combine conversion values and offline conversion data with a Target ROAS bid strategy.
One real client example shows whatโs possible. They tracked three offline conversion actions โ leads, opportunities, and customers โ and valued customers at 50 times a lead. The results were dramatic:
Leads increased 150%
Opportunities increased 350%
Closed deals increased 200%
Closed deals became the campaignโs top-performing metric because they reflected real, paying customers. The key difference? Using conversion values with a Target ROAS strategy instead of basic maximize conversions.
Campaign-specific goals: An underutilized feature
Campaign-specific goals let you optimize campaigns for different conversion actions, giving you far more control and flexibility.
You can set conversion goals at the account level or make them campaign-specific. With campaign-specific goals, you can:
Run a mid-funnel campaign optimized only for lead form submissions using informational keywords.
Build audiences from those form fills to capture engaged prospects.
Launch a separate campaign optimized for qualified leads, targeting that warm audience with higher-value offers like demos or trials.
This approach avoids asking someone to โmarry you on the first date.โ It also keeps campaigns from competing against themselves by trying to optimize for conflicting goals.
Portfolio bidding: Reaching the data threshold faster
Portfolio bidding groups similar campaigns so you can reach the critical 30-conversions-per-month threshold faster.
For example, four separate campaigns might generate 12, 11, 0, and 15 conversions. On their own, none qualify. Grouped into a single portfolio, they total 38 conversions โ giving automation far more data to optimize against.
You may still need separate campaigns for valid reasons โ regional reporting, distinct budgets, or operational constraints. Portfolio bidding lets you keep that structure while still feeding the system enough volume to perform.
Bonus benefit: Portfolio bidding lets you set maximum CPCs. This prevents runaway bids when automation aggressively targets high-propensity users. This level of control is otherwise only available through tools like SA360.
First-party audiences: Powerful targeting signals
First-party audiences send strong signals about who you want to reach, which is critical for AI-powered campaigns.
If HubSpot or Salesforce is connected to Google Ads, you can import audiences and use them strategically:
Customer lists: Use them as exclusions to avoid paying for existing customers, or as lookalikes in Demand Gen campaigns.
Contact lists: Use them for observation to signal ideal audience traits, or for targeting to retarget engaged users.
Audiences make it much easier to trust broad match keywords and AI-driven campaign types like PMax or AI Max โ approaches that often feel too loose for B2B without strong audience signals in place.
Leveraging AI for B2B lead generation
AI tools can significantly improve B2B advertising efficiency when you use them with intent. The key is remembering that most AI is trained on consumer behavior, not B2B buying patterns.
The essential B2B prompt addition
Always tell the AI youโre selling to other businesses. Start prompts with clear context, like: โYouโre a SaaS company that sells to other businesses.โ That single line shifts the AIโs lens away from consumer assumptions and toward B2B realities.
Client onboarding and profile creation
Use AI to build detailed client profiles by feeding it clear inputs, including:
What you sell and your core value.
Your unique selling propositions.
Target personas.
Ideal customer profiles.
Create a master template or a custom GPT for each client. This foundation sharpens every downstream AI task and dramatically improves accuracy and relevance.
Competitor research in minutes, not hours
Competitive analysis that once took 20โ30 hours can now be done in 10โ15 minutes. Ask AI to analyze your competitors and break down:
Current offers
Positioning and messaging
Value propositions
Customer sentiment
Social proof
Pricing strategies
AI delivers clean, well-structured tables you can screenshot for client decks or drop straight into Google Sheets for sorting and filtering. Use this insight to spot gaps, uncover opportunities, and identify clear strategic advantages.
Competitor keyword analysis
Use tools like Semrush or SpyFu to pull competitor keyword lists, then let AI do the heavy lifting. Create a spreadsheet with columns for each competitorโs keywords alongside your clientโs keywords. Then ask the AI to:
Identify keywords competitors rank for that you donโt to uncover gaps to fill.
Identify keywords you own that competitors donโt to surface unique advantages.
Group keywords by theme to reveal patterns and inform campaign structure.
What once took hours of pivot tables, filtering, and manual cleanup now takes AI about five minutes.
Automating routine tasks
Negative keyword review: Create an AI artifact that learns your filtering rules and decision logic. Feed it search query reports, and it returns clear add-or-ignore recommendations. You spend time reviewing decisions instead of doing first-pass analysis, which makes SQR reviews faster and easier to run more often.
Ad copy generation: Tools like RSA generators can produce headlines and descriptions from sample keywords and destination URLs. Pair them with your custom client GPT for even stronger starting points. Always review AI-generated copy, but refining solid drafts is far faster than writing from scratch.
Experiments: testing what works
The Experiments feature is widely underused. Put it to work by testing:
Different bid strategies, including portfolio vs. standard
Match types
Landing pages
Campaign structures
Google Ads automatically reports performance, so thereโs no manual math. It even includes insight summaries that tell you what to do next โ apply the changes, end the experiment, or run a follow-up test.
Solutions: Pre-built scripts made easy
Solutions are prebuilt Google Ads scripts that automate common tasks, including:
Reporting and dashboards
Anomaly detection
Link checking
Flexible budgeting
Negative keyword list creation
Instead of hunting down scripts and pasting code, you answer a few setup questions and the solution runs automatically. Use caution with complex enterprise accounts, but for simpler structures, these tools can save a significant amount of time.
Key takeaways
Automation wasnโt built for lead generation, but with the right strategy, you can still make it work for B2B.
Send the right signals: Offline conversions with assigned values arenโt optional. First-party audiences add critical targeting context. Together, these signals make AI-driven campaigns work for B2B.
AI is your friend: Use AI to automate repetitive work โ not to replace people. Take 50 search query reports off your teamโs plate so they can focus on strategy instead of tedious analysis.
Leverage platform tools: Experiments, Solutions, campaign-specific goals, and portfolio bidding are powerful features many advertisers ignore. Use whatโs already built into your ad platforms to get more out of every campaign.
Watch: Itโs time to embrace automation for B2B lead genย
Microsoft has a golden opportunity to evolve Windows into an OS perfect for gaming, and in five years, I expect the landscape will look very different from what it does now.
South Korean memory makers, SK hynix and Samsung, are preparing to showcase their next-generation LPDDR6 memory solutions at the International Solid-State Circuits Conference (ISSCC) 2026 in San Francisco, which will take place from February 15-19. As the premier event for showcasing advancements in silicon design, South Korean makers will present their best new technologies. For SK hynix and Samsung, this includes an update to their low-power DDR memory, now in its 6th generation. The LPDDR6 modules from SK hynix will arrive in 16 Gb capacities and offer a transfer rate per pin of 14.4 Gbps, built on the 1c generation (1ฮณ generation) semiconductor node, which is the company's 6th generation of 10 nm DRAM. SK hynix runs these new modules at JEDEC's highest LPDDR6 speeds, meaning that the company is close to maxing out the new technology, and overclocked LPDDR6X versions might be arriving soon.
Samsung, on the other hand, has improved its LPDDR6 since the original CES 2026 presentation. The company will now present its 16 Gb LPDDR6 modules running at 12.8 Gbps, which is a significant improvement over the 10.7 Gbps modules from a few weeks ago. Samsung reportedly manufactures this LPDDR6 memory on a 12 nm process, which is slightly larger than SK hynix's 10 nm, but these modules also deliver great benefits. The company claims a 21% improvement in energy efficiency over its predecessor LPDDR5X. Additionally, Samsung's LPDDR6 memory uses NRZ signaling for I/O with a 12DQ subchannel, while SK hynix modules likely follow suit.
Samsung is readying its Exynos 2600 application processor (AP) for a late February debut in next-gen Galaxy S26 smartphone models. Recent promotional fanfare has focused on the South Korean semiconductor giant's 2 nm GAA process (SF2), but early 2026 leaks have suggested work continuing on two futuristic frontsโa more advanced manufacturing process (SF2P), and the mysterious Exynos 2700 mobile processor design. Earlier today, Park Yu-ak of Kiwoom Securities made a bold prediction about Samsung's next-gen AP design: "the Exynos 2700 will enter full-scale mass production in the second half of this year using Samsung Foundry's SF2P process and will record a market share of around 50% in the Galaxy S27."
Currently, smartphone industry experts believe that Exynos 2600 chipsets will only deploy in 25% of the soon-to-be-launched Galaxy S26 series. The remaining share will be powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 "for Galaxy" SoC. Samsung leadership is very likely pursuing a more favorable spread of in-house technologies, as future Exynos designs become more competitive in a bustling market. Mixed rumors of 2 nm GAA node production yields have somewhat dampened expectations of the South Korean megacorp's foundry business, but the latest Kiwoom Securities forecast outlines a cool operating profit of 1.8 trillion won by 2027 for Samsung Electronic's non-memory division. Within the past month or two, industry insiders have whispered about potential SF2 and SF2P deals being signed in the same sentence as AMD, Qualcomm, and Tesla.
Control Resonant is slated to launch later this year, and with the gaming industry what it is in 2026, there were bound to be questions about the use of generative AI in the upcoming third-person shooter. In a Q&A session during a recent earnings call, Remedy CEO, Markus Mรคki, confirmed that Control Resonant will not feature any content with generative AI: "I can say that, for example, Control Resonant does not use generative AI content at all." However, he goes on to explain that the exclusion of AI at Remedy may not last very long into the future. Mรคki said that "making far-reaching promises about the future is pretty hard at this point," and that the company is following the development of generative AI tools to evaluate whether "there is anything that is really ethically in the right place, and is something that can add player value and that our teams want to use."
He also mentioned that there is "varied interest in different crafts at Remedy into investigating these AI tools," signalling that there is some internal interest in different departments. This somewhat echoes a recent survey of game industry workers, which found that as many as 81% of game industry workers use generative AI for brainstorming and 35% used it for prototyping. At the same time, only 7% of those game industry workers surveyed by the GDC Festival of Gaming thought that generative AI was having a positive impact on the game industry. A number of gaming giants have also recently thrown their weight behind AI tools in the name of efficiency or novelty, including Take-Two, whose CEO similarly said that GTA VI will feature no generative AI, but hinted that future games likely would include the controversial technology. Ubisoft, likewise, is exploring the possibility of AI teammates in games, while EA has announced a full-scale AI pivot. These announcements are in spite of the recent DRAM crisis resulting in unaffordable PC hardware, delayed product launches, and severe strain on the supply chain.
Forza Horizon 6 is coming to Xbox Series X|S and PC on May 19! Just a few weeks ago, we introduced you to some of the incredible new features and experiences you can look forward to discovering in Japan. Whether you're only catching up with the news now, or you just want a refresher on some of the coolest details we revealed at Developer_Direct, this blog is for you!
#1 World Famous Japanese Landmarks
As you already know, Forza Horizon 6 takes the Horizon Festival to the breathtaking landscapes of Japan! Tokyo City's iconic downtown area is home to iconic landmarks like Shibuya Crossing, Ginko Avenue and Tokyo Tower. You'll also get to drive on roads inspired by the C1 loop, as well as iconic mountain passes like Mt. Haruna and Bandai Azuma.
Last November, ASUS launched its GeForce RTX 5090 ROG MATRIX Platinum 30th anniversary 32 GB graphics card model. This strictly limited edition releaseโat the time, only 1000 units were producedโdemanded a whopping $3999 (per unit) price tag. Unique selling points (USPs) included an unusual overall design, 3 oz copper PCB layers, a dual-power input involving the 16-pin 12V-2x6 connector and BTF-supplied power delivery, as well as the integration of a tiny Bosch Sensortec BMI323 inertial measurement unit (IMU). By early December, it was not clear whether initial quality issues had caused an official(?) recall of extremely overengineered MATRIX custom flagships. Months later, a Chinese market variant has hit the pre-order stageโover the weekend, ITHome reported on the pre-release status of this sanction-conforming model.
Despite featuring downgraded specifications, the customized GeForce RTX 5090 D V2 24 GB version still demands a hefty cost of entryโa main JD.com listing advertises a price tag of 29,999 yuan (~$4341 USD). Last month, Tony Yuโthe manager of ASUS Chinaโshowcased a MATRIX GeForce RTX 5090 D V2 sample achieving a 3DMark Time Spy Extreme score of 28,638 points. This impressive tally was enabled via an 800 W operation mode, ITHome noted that this figure: "even surpasses NVIDIA's RTX PRO 6000 (21,760 cores vs. 24,064 cores), which is closer to (utilizing) the 'full-blooded' GB202 (GPU die's max. count of 24,576 units)." The older GeForce RTX 5090 D "V1" 32 GB card was no slouch in gaming and AI performance departments, but global tensions led to an eventual cut-off of supplies into China. Oddly, ITHome tracked the 25,999 yuan (~$3762 USD) listing of an MSI GeForce RTX 5090 D Gaming Trio 32 GB SKU on the JD.com e-tail platform, earlier on in 2026. In any case, local hardcore PC enthusiasts and AI companies can access top-tier "Blackwell" GPU hardware, whether in V2 or V1 guises. Black market options, including "truly banned" models are also (reportedly) available.
Amkor is preparing to greatly expand its Arizona-based operations, and the company will boost its spending not by a few percent, but by several multiples. The company is planning to triple its capital expenditures next year, with a dramatic increase from roughly $900 million in 2025 to as much as $3 billion in 2026, betting on massive demand from Intel and TSMC packaging technologies. This includes working with Intel and TSMC to enable their most advanced technologies like EMIB and CoWoS, all of which come in various form factors. We previously reported that Intel partnered with its long-time OSAT partner Amkor to take additional EMIB capacity that Intel's customers are interested in, in Incheon, South Korea.
However, as Amkor expands its facilities in Arizona, Intel will also collaborate with Amkor to deliver advanced EMIB packaging types on United States soil. While TSMC has been a primary choice for many high-density assemblies, growing interest in Intel's EMIB and Foveros options has led partners like MediaTek, Google, Qualcomm, and Tesla to consider alternatives. Interestingly, Amkor will also offload some of the CoWoS packaging work from TSMC by creating CoWoS packages on U.S. soil, instead of sending these chips back to TSMC's Taiwan fabs to finish production. Both CoWoS and EMIB/Foveros offer a list of benefits, making them highly sought-after packaging technologies for companies seeking to extract maximum performance from their chips. Amkor plans to be at the center of that supply chain and help Intel and TSMC handle more customers.
Published in Nature, the study details the first large-scale demonstration of a photonic Ising machine operating without the cryogenic constraints typical of quantum computing systems. The device, developed by physicist Bhavin J. Shastri and collaborators at McGill University, builds on a concept rooted in early 20th-century magnetism and adapts it...
YUMI remains a reliable pick for building multi-boot USB drives, especially if you like having control over how your media is set up. The latest release introduces a handy new preparation menu: users can now reserve unformatted space and choose the target filesystem upfront, making it easier to fine-tune a USB stick for specific use cases or future expansion.
The hydrogel behaves like a programmable canvas. Rather than using traditional pigments, researchers embedded data directly into its physical structure during printing. When the hydrogel warms or interacts with a different solvent, hidden information inside โ ranging from letters to portraits โ gradually comes into view. In one demonstration, the...
Envoye Pay turns handshakes into legally binding contracts with built-in payments and e-signatures. Pick a customizable template, set terms like payment plans, interest, hold fees, and milestones, and invite the counterparty to sign. Contracts are securely stored, with payment tracking and a full paper trail. Stripe Connect powers transactions with automated reminders, allowing you to cut out the 30% middlemen and $500+ lawyers for vehicle sales, equipment purchases, and freelance projects, all for a simple 1% platform fee.
Artwurk.ai enables you to create AI videos, images, talking avatars, and your own AI clone without the need for editing skills. Generate text-to-video and image-to-video clips, design product videos, and produce studio-quality results rapidly. Craft images using text-to-image and image-to-image tools, and customize actors, style, voice, and emotions to match your brand. Designed for creators and teams, Artwurk.ai includes commercial rights and offers plans that scale from hobbyists to studios.
Control Resonant does not utilize generative AI, however, Remedy interim CEO Markus Mรคki has confirmed that there is interest in the tech at the company.
Jony Ive's new supercar, an all-electric Ferrari Luce, is devoid of touchscreens because Ive doesn't like them, but he might be wrong about the need for them in cars.
If you're shopping for a new mid-sized OLED TV and you have a tight budget, then it's easy to recommend this excellent LG B5 while it's massively reduced in the Presidents' Day sales at Best Buy.
Walmart's Presidents' Day sale is live, and I'm rounding up my top deal picks that I'd buy, including TVs, kitchen appliances, AirPods, furniture, and more.
From privacy-first chatbots to advanced security tools designed to mitigate danger: here's what Proton, ExpressVPN, and NordVPN are shaping their offering.
The startup claims that it has developed a "hack-proof" chip that can't be bypassed by devices like Flipper Zero, a widely available hacking tool that can be used to tamper with wireless systems. These chips are linked with digital certificates to verify the authenticity of the products.
The Singaporean government said the China-backed hackers gained "limited access to critical systems" run by the country's top four telecommunication giants, but said they did not disrupt services or steal customers' data.
Vega Security raised $120 million, bringing its valuation to $700 million, in a round led by Accel. The company aims to rethink how enterprises detect cybersecurity threats.
Supermassive Games, the studio you'll recognize as the team behind games like Until Dawn and The Quarry, has announced the release date for their next narrative-driven horror adventure, Directive 8020. This new sci-fi entry in Supermassive's Dark Pictures anthology will arrive on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S this coming May 12, 2026. The news was announced with a new release date trailer, which also ushered in the launch of pre-orders going live on both PS5 and Xbox Series. Pre-orders for the game on Steam will go live "soon" according to the video description, so just keep an eye on [โฆ]
China's CXMT is expanding its presence in the HBM market, aiming to capitalize on the AI frenzy, as the company is now reported to be converting a large chunk of its DRAM output. CXMT's Capacity Shift Towards HBM Does Put the Idea of "Cheaper" Consumer Memory Under Threat Given how competitive the DRAM industry has become in recent times, it has opened up newer opportunities for Chinese memory manufacturers like CXMT. One of the more interesting talks in recent times is how DRAM suppliers from China are 'somehow' going to save gamers from the ongoing memory shortages, but it appears [โฆ]
A series of older games and some newer ones have started to make their way to iOS and Android as native ports, as smartphone chipsets have finally attained sufficient performance and efficiency to fluidly run titles that were heavily taxing on decade-old systems. On this occasion, Tomb Raider 2013 is demonstrated to maintain a healthy 60FPS average during various parts of the game when running on both the A19 Pro and Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5. However, a consistent framerate doesnโt necessarily mean the game is running at the same image quality on both phones, with the details posted below. [โฆ]
The February Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase brought new information about several third-party games launching on Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2. A good portion of the presentation focused on ports launching this year for the current-generation Nintendo system, including Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, Fallout 4 Anniversary Edition, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered, and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. With the recent Nintendo Switch 2 port of Final Fantasy VII Remake Integrade running and looking great on the system, many are wondering how the console will handle the second entry in the series, which is a more complex game [โฆ]
A little more than two years ago, while Capcom was enjoying the critical and commercial success of its latest Resident Evil remake at the time, Resident Evil 4 Remake, the company confirmed that players could expect more remakes in the future. We didn't get any indication as to which games would get the RE Remake treatment next, but at this point, there are only so many options left. Now, despite most of the rumours in the time since Capcom gave that confirmation circling around Resident Evil: Code Veronica, a new ESRB rating (spotted by Kotaku) may have just spoiled Capcom's [โฆ]
There are some truths and judgements that should not be viewed via a political lens. And, Trump Mobile's T1 phone constitutes one such occasion, where irrespective of the inherent political bias, the beholder is forced to concede that the device is an extremely tacky imitation of what a sleek smartphone looks like. The T1 Phone is a device that is all show, and retains an empty void for a soul; cheap, gaudy, garish, and an abomination of the device's original promise. Trump Mobile's T1 Phone has now surfaced in its final form, and we can't help but cringe at the [โฆ]
Monster Hunter Wilds will be getting a "large-scale expansion" later this year, with Capcom set to reveal the expansion at some point in Summer 2026, the company confirmed today in its update regarding what's coming to the game in February 2026. After digging into what players can look forward to in Monster Hunter Wilds' new update, which is set to be out on February 18, 2026, producer Ryozo Tsujimoto concluded by looking ahead to what's next for Wilds as we move deeper into the year. "Now, I'd like to talk about what's next for Monster Hunter Wilds," Tsujimoto began. "We [โฆ]
Google announced in its Q4 earnings call this week that it expected to more than double its capital expenditure in 2026 over 2025's already sky-high numbers, to up to $185 billion.
Harvard researchers have developed a rotational 3D printing technique that can create malleable structures with built-in motion logic in a single, seamless step that could have a huge impact on the field of soft robotics.
Let me guess: you just spent three months building a perfectly optimized product taxonomy, complete with schema markup, internal linking, and killer metadata.ย
Then, the product team decided to launch a site redesign without telling you. Now half your URLs are broken, the new templates strip out your structured data, and your boss is asking why organic traffic dropped 40%.
Sound familiar?
Hereโs the thing: this isnโt an SEO failure, but a governance failure. Itโs costing you nights and weekends trying to fix problems that should never have happened in the first place.
This article covers why weak governance keeps breaking SEO, how AI has raised the stakes, and how a visibility governance maturity model helps SEO teams move from firefighting to prevention.
Governance isnโt bureaucracy โ itโs your insurance policy
I know what youโre thinking. โGreat, another framework that means more meetings and approval forms.โ But hear me out.
The Visibility Governance Maturity Model (VGMM) isnโt about creating red tape. Itโs about establishing clear ownership, documented processes, and decision rights that prevent your work from being accidentally destroyed by teams who donโt understand SEO.
Think of it this way: VGMM is the difference between being the person who gets blamed when organic traffic tanks versus being the person who can point to documentation showing exactly where the process broke down โ and who approved skipping the SEO review.
This maturity model:
Protects your work from being undone by releases you werenโt consulted on.
Documents your standards so youโre not explaining canonical tags for the 47th time.
Establishes clear ownership so youโre not expected to fix everything across six different teams.
Gets you a seat at the table when decisions affecting SEO are being made.
Makes your expertise visible to leadership in ways they understand.
Remember when SEO was mostly about your website and Google? Those were simpler times.
Now youโre trying to optimize for:
AI Overviews that rewrite your content.
ChatGPT citations that may or may not link back.
Perplexity summaries that pull from competitors.
Voice assistants that only cite one source.
Knowledge panels that conflict with your site.
And youโre still dealing with:
Content teams who write AI-generated fluff.
Developers who donโt understand crawl budget.
Product managers who launch features that break structured data.
Marketing directors who want โjust one small changeโ that tanks rankings.
Without governance, youโre the only person who understands how all these pieces fit together.ย
When something breaks, everyone expects you to fix it โ usually yesterday. When traffic is up, itโs because marketing ran a great campaign. When itโs down, itโs your fault.
You become the hero the organization depends on, which sounds great until you realize you can never take a real vacation, and youโre working 60-hour weeks.
What VGMM actually measures โ in terms you care about
VGMM doesnโt care about your keyword rankings or whether you have perfect schema markup. It evaluates whether your organization is set up to sustain SEO performance without burning you out. Below are the five maturity levels that translate to your daily reality:
Level 1: Unmanaged (your current nightmare)
Nobody knows whoโs responsible for SEO decisions.
Changes happen without SEO review.
You discover problems after theyโve tanked traffic.
Youโre constantly firefighting.
Documentation doesnโt exist or is ignored.
Level 2: Aware (slightly better)
Leadership admits SEO matters.
Some standards exist but arenโt enforced.
You have allies but no authority.
Improvements happen but get reversed next quarter.
Youโre still the only one who really gets it.
Level 3: Defined (getting somewhere)
SEO ownership is documented.
Standards exist, and some teams follow them.
Youโre consulted before major changes.
QA checkpoints include SEO review.
Youโre working normal hours most weeks.
Level 4: Integrated (the dream)
SEO is built into release workflows.
Automated checks catch problems before they ship.
Cross-functional teams share accountability.
You can actually take a vacation without a disaster.
Your expertise is respected and resourced.
Level 5: Sustained (unicorn territory)
SEO survives leadership changes.
Governance adapts to new AI surfaces automatically.
Problems are caught before they impact traffic.
Youโre doing strategic work, not firefighting.
The organization values prevention over reaction.
Most organizations sit at Level 1 or 2. Thatโs not your fault โ itโs a structural problem that VGMM helps diagnose and fix.
VGMM coordinates multiple domain-specific maturity models. Think of it as a health checkup that looks at all your vital signs, not just one metric.
It evaluates maturity across domains like:
SEO governance: Your core competency.
Content governance: Are writers following standards?
Performance governance: Is the site actually fast?
Accessibility governance: Is the site inclusive?
Workflow governance: Do processes exist and work?
Each domain gets scored independently, then VGMM looks at how they work together. Because excellent SEO maturity doesnโt matter if the performance team deploys code that breaks the site every Tuesday or if the content team publishes AI-generated nonsense that tanks your E-E-A-T signals.
VGMM produces a 0โ100% score based on:
Domain scores: How mature is each area?
Weighting: Which domains matter most for your business?
Dependencies: Are weaknesses in one area breaking strengths in another?
Coherence: Do decision rights and accountability actually align?
The final score isnโt about effort โ itโs about whether governance actually works.
You donโt need to explain VGMM theory. You need to connect it to problems leadership already knows exist.
Frame it as risk reduction: โWeโve had three major traffic drops this year from changes that SEO didnโt review. VGMM helps us identify where our process breaks down so we can prevent this.โ
Frame it as efficiency: โIโm spending 60% of my time firefighting problems that could have been prevented. VGMM establishes processes so I can focus on growth opportunities instead.โ
Frame it as a competitive advantage: โOur competitors are getting cited in AI Overviews, and weโre not. VGMM evaluates whether we have the governance structure to compete in AI-mediated search.โ
Frame it as scalability: โRight now, our SEO capability depends entirely on me. If I get hit by a bus tomorrow, nobody knows how to maintain what weโve built. VGMM establishes documentation and processes that make our SEO sustainable.โ
The ask: โIโd like to conduct a VGMM assessment to identify where our processes need strengthening.โ
What success actually looks like
Organizations with higher VGMM maturity experience measurably better outcomes:
Fewer unexplained traffic drops because changes are reviewed.
More stable AI citations because content quality is governed.
Less rework after launches because SEO is built into workflows.
Clearer accountability because ownership is documented.
Better resource allocation because gaps are visible to leadership.
But the real win for you personally:ย
You stop being the hero who saves the day and become the strategist who prevents disasters.ย
Your expertise is recognized and properly resourced.ย
You can take actual vacations.ย
You work normal hours most of the time.
Your job becomes about building and improving, not constantly fixing.
Getting started: Practical next steps
Step 1: Self-assessment
Look at the five maturity levels. Where is your organization honestly sitting? If youโre at Level 1 or 2, you have evidence for why governance matters.
Step 2: Document current-state pain
Make a list of the last six months of SEO incidents:
Changes that werenโt reviewed.
Traffic drops from preventable problems.
Time spent fixing avoidable issues.
Requests that had to be explained multiple times.
This becomes your business case.
Step 3: Start with one domain
You donโt need to implement full VGMM immediately. Start with SEOGMM:
Document your standards.
Create a review checklist.
Establish who can approve exceptions.
Get stakeholder sign-off on the process.
Step 4: Show resultsย
Track prevented problems. When you catch an issue before it ships, document it. When a process prevents a regression, quantify the impact. Build your case for expanding governance.
Step 5: Expand systematically
Once SEOGMM is working, expand to related domains (content, performance, accessibility). Show how integrated governance catches problems that individual domain checks miss.
Governance isnโt about making your job harder. Itโs about making your organization work better so your job becomes sustainable.
VGMM gives you a framework for diagnosing why SEO keeps getting undermined by other teams and a roadmap for fixing it. It translates your expertise into language that leadership understands. It protects your work from accidental destruction.
Most importantly, it moves you from being the person whoโs always fixing emergencies to being the person who builds systems that prevent them.
You didnโt become an SEO professional to spend your career firefighting. VGMM helps you get back to doing the work that actually matters โ the strategic, creative, growth-focused work that attracted you to SEO in the first place.
If youโre tired of watching your best work get undone by teams who donโt understand SEO, if youโre exhausted from being the only person who knows how everything works, if you want your expertise to be recognized and protected โ start the VGMM conversation with your leadership.
The framework exists. Whatโs missing is someone in your organization saying, โWe need to govern visibility like we govern everything else that matters.โ
A YouTube creator has built a full Windows gaming PC inside an Xbox One S shell, using an RTX 3050, Ryzen 5 3600, internal 250W PSU, and a working disc drive while keeping the original exterior intact.
Capcom has unveiled new information regarding Monster Hunter Wilds' final major update for the base game, releasing on February 18, 202,6 along with news of when we can expect to see the game's DLC expansion.
Microsoft is officially shutting down EWS for Microsoft 365 and Exchange Online in 2027, and the company suggests making the necessary changes sooner rather than later to avoid service interruption.
Supermassive Games is proud to reveal that its sci-fi survival horror narrative adventure, Directive 8020, will launch on 12 May 2026 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC (Steam). The game will be available in both physical and digital formats, with pre-orders now live across PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. PC (Steam) will be digital-only, with Steam digital pre-orders coming soon. Pre-orders include a free Deluxe Edition upgrade (while retail stocks last).
Every Choice Has a Consequence
The Comply Pre-Order Trailer explores Directive 8020's paranoia-fuelled decision-making where trust is fragile and every choice can be deadly.
Choice-Based Gameplay: Cooper, the ship's medic, is fuelled by paranoia and faces a harrowing decision as her crewmate Mitchell pleads for release from behind a sealed door. Cooper, unknowing if he's human or not, has a difficult decision to make. This moment underscores a core theme of Directive 8020: trust no one, as every action has consequences.
The "Double" Reveal: Based on how the game branches and your previous decisions, Cooper can now possess the gun instead of Commander Stafford. Two identical versions of Cernan (the ship's Engineer) rush into view and you must choose: who is the mimic and who do you allow back into the crew? One choice will prove fatal.
Planetary Exploration: For the first time, the trailer teases on-planet gameplay showcasing the harsh, alien landscape of Tau Ceti f.
Talent & Track: The trailer features lead talent Lashana Lynch as pilot Brianna Young, accompanied by the track "Comply" from Brighton-based band, Blood Red Shoes.
Optoma, the No. 1 DLP laser home projector brand in the Americas, today expands its line of award-winning 4K resolution projectors with the introduction of Optoma's UHZ36, a true 4K UHD laser projector for big-screen entertainment. With 3,500 lumens, HDR support, PureEngine technology, FILMMAKER MODE and a long-lasting laser, the UHZ36 delivers vibrant color and smooth performance in a compact, easy-to-set-up design.
Replace your TV and expand your entertainment experience by projecting anywhere from a compact 50" screen to a massive 300" display. Whether it's a casual night in or a full-blown movie marathon, scale your experience to fit the vibeโno wall too small, no screen too big. The UHZ36 provides unparalleled, lifelike imagery for enjoying your favorite movies and TV shows to viewing live sports with a 1,500,000:1 contrast ratio and for greater visual detail and depth, and HDR support enhances content for improved dynamic range and color precision.
Microsoft is reportedly considering merging some of its subscription services into a single offering. According to The Verge, and later confirmed by sources from Windows Central, Microsoft is exploring the possibility of combining the PC Game Pass and Xbox Game Pass Premium subscription tiers into one "super" tier. This potential consolidation would address the increasingly complicated subscription lineup, which often confuses gamers and affects their subscription choices. Offering support for more than one platform in a single subscription could potentially revitalize the struggling subscription services sector at Xbox and align well with the timing of a new console release. The company is also looking into ways to incorporate more third-party service bundles into its Game Pass offerings.
Currently, PC Game Pass costs $16.49 per month after a significant price increase of nearly 40% last October, while the Xbox Game Pass Premium tier costs $15 but doesn't include the full library available to PC subscribers. At the top end is Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for $30 monthly, which offers day-one access to all Microsoft first-party releases, along with bundled perks from EA Play, Ubisoft+ Classics, and Fortnite Crew. Combining the PC and Premium tiers could simplify this structure, though it raises questions about pricing and feature access for current PC subscribers, or whether Microsoft will maintain the $16.49 price.
Worldwide silicon wafer shipments in 2025 increased 5.8% to 12,973 million square inches (MSI) while wafer revenue slipped 1.2% to $11.4 billion over the same period, the SEMI Silicon Manufacturers Group (SMG) reported in its year-end analysis of the silicon wafer industry.
2025 marks an inflection year for wafer shipments, with silicon MSI resuming growth supported by strong demand for advanced epitaxial wafers in logic and polished wafers for high-bandwidth memory (HBM), driven by AI applications. Softness in wafer revenue is mostly attributed to the slow momentum in traditional semiconductor applications where the demand and pricing environment are yet to improve.
Grasshopper Manufacture Inc. (GhM) has today unleashed bloody action adventure ROMEO IS A DEAD MAN for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Steam, alongside a funky launch trailer which includes music from legendary Japanese rap group Scha Dara Parr, whose music can also be heard throughout ROMEO IS A DEAD MAN.
ROMEO IS A DEAD MAN is the first self-published title by GhM, and the first brand-new IP from the studio and Goichi Suda, AKA SUDA51 (No More Heroes trilogy, The Silver Case, Shadows of the Damned) in more than five years. The game blends the iconic ultra-violent action gameplay for which the studio is acclaimed, with an original story, of love, loss, and lots (and lots) of the gushing red stuff.
Today (February 9) marks the day where every single story event and encounter is now fully playable. A lot of polishing awaits us and don't get me wrongโit's a ton of work! But it's all more predictable. No new content will be added, no new sections. Just bug fixing and making things look pretty or play/read better. QOL improvements, optimization, editing, localization. Like I said, it's a ton, just more predictable. If everything goes well we'll divulge a release date in a couple of months. Stay tuned!
This is definitely my favorite part of development, and I'm getting that feeling I had when we were about wrap up VA-11 Hall-A's production; with a combination of good and bad anxiety. The only difference is that we're self-publishing this time, so a ton more is falling on our shoulders. We're betting on ourselves, and we have no clue if it's gonna be worth it by the end of it. This current stage implies more grind than problem-solving, so don't expect me to talk much from here unless catastrophic things happen that make us rewrite systems or something. Or funny anecdotes. Let's hope for funny anecdotes! Wish us luck, too.
Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) continues to transform the network into an AI innovation platform, today unveiling the Silicon One G300, a 102.4 Tbps switching silicon designed for massive AI cluster buildouts. The Cisco Silicon One G300 will power new Cisco N9000 and Cisco 8000 systems that push the frontier of AI networking in the data center. The systems feature innovative liquid cooling and support high-density optics to achieve new efficiency benchmarks and ensure customers get the most out of their GPU investments. In addition, the company enhanced Nexus One to make it easier for enterprises to operate their AI networksโon-premises or in the cloudโremoving the complexity that can hold organizations back from scaling AI data centers.
"We are spearheading performance, manageability, and security in AI networking by innovating across the full stack - from silicon to systems and software," said Jeetu Patel, President and Chief Product Officer, Cisco. "We're building the foundation for the future of infrastructure, supporting every type of customerโfrom hyperscalers to enterprisesโas they shift to AI-powered workloads."
This season's AMD Rewards campaign started going live this morning, across several regions. Officially, this promotional period started today (February 10), at 9:00 a.m. ET, and is due to end on April 25. Participants have until May 23 (11:59:59 p.m. ET) to get/redeem "Crimson Desert with select AMD products." Hints of a Pearl Abyssโthe game's South Korean development teamโand Team Red collaboration appeared online last week; eventually leading to the reveal of Sapphire's Nitro+ Radeon RX 9070 XT OC Crimson Desert Edition graphics card model. In terms of qualifying desktop processor products, AMD has narrowed its selection down to current-gen 3D V-Cache-augmented gaming models, including the 16-core Ryzen 9 9950X3D, 12-core Ryzen 9 9900X3D, and 8-core Ryzen 7 9800X3D. The semi-recently launched Ryzen 7 9850X3D SKU gets some special treatmentโaccording to the latest reward scheme's small print: "purchases of this product prior to the Campaign Period are eligible to receive a Coupon Code."
The Crimson Desert promotion also encompasses RDNA 4 generation graphics cards, although the Red Team has only deemed its upper echelon options worthy of this Pearl Abyss sponsorship. The Radeon RX 9070 XT and Radeon RX 9070 (both 16 GB models) are qualifiers in this category. Oddly, cheaper Radeon RX 9060 XT (16 GB and 8 GB) cards are not listed in freshly published material. Also absent is the Chinese market exclusive Radeon RX 9070 GRE 12 GB or 16 GB models. The less potent Radeon RX 9000-series products are very likely capable of running the Black Desert Online prequel to a satisfying degreeโas noted by VideoCardz, Crimson Desert's minimum PC specification requirements hark back to pre-2020s processor and GPU hardware.
Gigabyte, the world's leading computer brand, collaborates with NVIDIA for the Resident Evil Requiem game bundle across eligible graphics cards, desktops, and laptops powered by NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 or above GPUs or Laptop GPUs. Powered by NVIDIA Blackwell architecture, the GeForce RTX 50 Series GPUs bring game-changing capabilities to gamers and creators. Equipped with a massive level of AI horsepower, the RTX 50 Series enables new experiences and next-level graphics fidelity. Combined with Gigabyte's cutting-edge cooling designs, the bundle aims to unleash smoother gameplay and a more immersive Resident Evil Requiem gaming experience.
The GeForce RTX 50 Series GPUs leverage a trio of key technologies to elevate gameplay. Path tracing simulates the physical behavior of light to deliver photorealistic and real-time 3D graphics. Alongside NVIDIA's suite of neural rendering technologies, DLSS 4 leverages AI technologies to boost FPS, reduce latency, and enhance image quality, while NVIDIA Reflex further reduces system latency for more responsive control.
IBM (NYSE: IBM) today unveiled the next generation of IBM FlashSystem, co-run by agentic AI, ushering in a new era of autonomous storage. By enhancing FlashSystem's existing AI capabilities with agentic AI, IBM is redefining resilience through sustained protection, autonomous threat analysis, and customized recovery recommendations. Clients can now turn storage into an always-on layer of intelligence, enabling reliable and secure storage operations that can reduce the manual effort of storage management by up to 90%.
The new portfolio includes:
Three new systems - the IBM FlashSystem 5600, 7600, and 9600 - which deliver up to 40% greater data efficiency for improved capacity footprint and performance, compared to the previous generation.
FlashSystem.ai, a new set of intelligent data services that help administrators manage, monitor, diagnose, and remediate issues across the entire data path.
The new fifth-generation FlashCore Module all-flash drive, which is engineered to provide hardware-accelerated real-time ransomware detection, data reduction, analytics and operations, with advanced telemetry and consistently low latency at scale.
Gigabyte, the world's leading computer brand, partners with AMD to announce the Crimson Desert game bundle to enhance game value across a wide range of components and consumer products. Spanning graphics cards, select AMD Ryzen 9000X3D processors are paired with recommended Gigabyte motherboards, as well as laptops and desktops. Together, Gigabyte and AMD deliver a richer and more immersive gaming experience through cutting-edge hardware innovation.
Gigabyte Radeon RX 9070 Series graphics cards are powered by the AMD RDNA 4 architecture with enhanced ray tracing capabilities and AMD FSR "Redstone" technology, which boosts frame rates and reduces system latency delivering the horsepower needed for demanding gaming. Equipped with Gigabyte's WINDFORCE cooling system, including the Hawk fan design and server-grade thermal conductive gel, these GPUs maintain exceptional thermal efficiency for consistently optimized gameplay.
AppControl, a user-friendly Windows system monitoring utility, today unveiled its industry-first application designed to make understanding your PC simple, visual, and stress-free. Built for everyday Windows users, AppControl shows exactly how your computer behaves so you can finally understand what's slowing it down, heating it up, or running in the background without your knowledge. AppControl is a certified member of the Intel Partner Alliance; the AppControl app requires no registration and is available as a free download directly from the AppControl website or via Softpedia.
Unlike traditional system tools that only show what's happening in the moment, AppControl delivers an easy-to-navigate historical timeline of CPU, GPU, memory, disk usage, and temperature. Users can scroll back in time to see what apps were running, what changed, when it changed, and why their PC behaved the way it did, turning confusing performance issues into clear, explainable events. AppControl also provides insights into privacy-relevant behavior, such as apps accessing the webcam, the microphone, or the user's location.
Tune in live this Thursday for 60+ minutes of news, gameplay updates, and announcements from game studios across the globe. February's State of Play will spotlight eye-catching third-party and indie games headed to PS5, along with the latest from teams at PlayStation Studios. State of Play broadcasts live February 12 at 2pm PT / 5pm ET / 11pm CEST | February 13 at 7am JST on YouTube and Twitch, and will be broadcast in English with Japanese subtitles also available. We'll see you then!
Regarding co-streaming and video-on-demand (VOD)
Please note that this broadcast may include copyrighted content (e.g. licensed music) that PlayStation does not control. We welcome and celebrate our amazing co-streamers and creators, but licensing agreements outside our control could interfere with co-streams or VOD archives of this broadcast. If you're planning to save this broadcast as a VOD to create recap videos, or to repost clips or segments from the show, we advise omitting any copyrighted music.
ParrotOS is a compelling Linux alternative for users who want strong security features without the bloat. Version 7.0 is a significant upgrade, bringing a reworked backend, a modern KDE Plasma 6 desktop, and a refreshed Echo theme, while keeping the system lean and responsive.
The breakthrough, detailed in Nature Photonics, centers on a fundamental problem facing 6G: how to efficiently transmit and receive data at terahertz frequencies. These frequencies, which are thousands of gigahertz above current 5G bands, can carry staggering amounts of information, theoretically approaching one terabit per second.
Cybersecurity researchers have disclosed details of an emergent ransomware family dubbed Reynolds that comes embedded with a built-in bring your own vulnerable driver (BYOVD) component for defense evasion purposes within the ransomware payload itself.
BYOVD refers to an adversarial technique that abuses legitimate but flawed driver software to escalate privileges and disable Endpoint Detection
Are ransomware and encryption still the defining signals of modern cyberattacks, or has the industry been too fixated on noise while missing a more dangerous shift happening quietly all around them?
According to Picus Labsโ new Red Report 2026, which analyzed over 1.1 million malicious files and mapped 15.5 million adversarial actions observed across 2025, attackers are no longer optimizing for
Crealityโs Hi Combo is now $200 off, down to $399 for a fast, beginner-friendly 3D printer with multi-color support, auto-calibration, and near plug-and-play setup.
Proton VPN's Android users can now exclude specific cities and countries from its "Quick Connect" and "Random" server selection. Here is how to use it and why it is a win for privacy die-hards.
I test wireless speakers for a living โ and based on my hands-on experience, these offer the kind of superb sound and fantastic features you wonโt want to miss
Mario Tennis Fever injects its fun arcade sports gameplay with Mario Kart-style antics, with a variety of content to unlock and mayhem to master, even if its Adventure mode could have been more substantial.
A modder has released a new Witcher 3 questline that acts as a prelude to The Witcher 4 and stars Ciri, and it took them approximately 800 hours to create.
Startup Runway has raised a $315 million round at a $5.3 billion valuation, funds it will use to expand beyond AI video generation and into world models.
Today, AMD and Pearl Abyss have announced the Crimson Desert AMD Game Bundle. Purchasing select AMD hardware from eligible retailers will give you access to the upcoming open world action/adventure game for free on PC. The following AMD processors, graphics cards, and laptops that include an AMD Ryzen processor are eligible: Qualifying AMD Products Crimson Desert AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3DAMD Ryzen 9 9900X3DAMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D*AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3DAMD Radeon RX 9070 XTAMD Radeon RX 9070 *Purchases of this product prior to the Campaign Period are eligible to receive a Coupon Code. โ Select laptops that contain an AMD Ryzen [โฆ]
NVIDIA's Resident Evil Requiem game bundle for GeForce RTX 50 GPUs is now available, offering gamers a free copy of the latest entry in the Resident Evil franchise. NVIDIA Bundles A Free Copy of Resident Evil Requiem In Latest GeForce RTX 50 GPUs Promo Resident Evil Requiem, or Resident Evil 9, is the latest title in the long-running survival horror/action franchise. The game comes out on the 27th of February, so with just a few days left, NVIDIA has decided to update its RTX bundle to include a free copy of the game with its RTX 50 series GPUs. As [โฆ]
Mario Tennis has become one of Nintendo's most predictable franchises, showing up relatively early in the lifespan of all of the company's recent platforms, and sure enough, Mario Tennis Fever is being served up within the Nintendo Switch 2's first year on the market. Promising more characters and modes than ever before, as well as a wide array of new gameplay-altering "Fever Rackets," this may well be the most feature-rich Mario Tennis to date. Is Mario Tennis Fever a swinging good time or will it leave fans cold? Lace up your shoes and tighten your rackets; it's time to find [โฆ]
Suda51 and Grasshopper Manufacture have always approached game design with an "art-first" philosophy. While their titles aren't always the most modern in terms of raw mechanics, they are always more than the simple sum of their parts. Powered by a singular, punk-rock vision, each title possesses a distinct flair that is becoming increasingly rare in the risk-averse AAA space. Following No More Heroes III, which was based on a very strong vision but was ultimately constrained by the unrealized open-world setting, and Shadows of the Damned: Hella Remastered, a remaster of a rather niche game of the PS3/ Xbox 360 [โฆ]
If imitation is the highest form of flattery, Samsung appears to have elevated it to an art form, riding Apple's coattails for the better or worse. This appears to be a growing view in light of a series of recent decisions by Samsung, be it the reintroduction of a variable aperture lens, the rumored Galaxy Z Wide Fold, or the aluminum frame for the upcoming Galaxy S26 lineup. Samsung appears quite fond of copying Apple, as evidenced by a spate of its recent decisions Apple introduced a titanium frame for the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max in September 2023. [โฆ]
Battery drain tests conducted on smartphones often donโt show the full picture because, the majority of the time, these devices are exclusively connected to Wi-Fi. However, the latest comparison does things a little differently, with an iPhone 17 Pro Maxย taken through its paces solely on a 5G and home Wi-Fi network to see what kind of runtimes can be experienced. Even without checking the entire test, we can assume our winner, but if you read on, there are some bits youโll find interesting. New battery drain test shows that the iPhone 17 Pro Max had 25% of charge remaining, while [โฆ]
TSMC's board of directors approves spending on new production capacities and promotes a key executive leading the development of A10 fabrication process due in 2030 or later.
If youโve been managing PPC accounts for any length of time, you donโt need a research report to tell you something has changed.ย
You see it in the day-to-day work:ย
GCLIDs missing from URLs.
Conversions arriving later than expected.
Reports that take longer to explain while still feeling less definitive than they used to.
When that happens, the reflex is to assume something broke โ a tracking update, a platform change, or a misconfiguration buried somewhere in the stack.
But the reality is usually simpler. Many measurement setups still assume identifiers will reliably persist from click to conversion, and that assumption no longer holds consistently.
Measurement hasnโt stopped working. The conditions it depends on have been shifting for years, and what once felt like edge cases now show up often enough to feel like a systemic change.
Why this shift feels so disorienting
Iโve been close to this problem for most of my career.ย
Before Google Ads had native conversion tracking, I built my own tracking pixels and URL parameters to optimize affiliate campaigns.ย
Later, while working at Google, I was involved in the acquisition of Urchin as the industry moved toward standardized, comprehensive measurement.
That era set expectations that nearly everything could be tracked, joined, and attributed at the click level. Google made advertising feel measurable, controllable, and predictable.ย
As the ecosystem now shifts toward more automation, less control, and less data, that contrast can be jarring.
It has been for me. Much of what I once relied on to interpret PPC data no longer applies in the same way.ย
Making sense of todayโs measurement environment requires rethinking those assumptions, not trying to restore the old ones. This is how I think about it now.
The old world: click IDs and deterministic matching
For many years, Google Ads measurement followed a predictable pattern.ย
A user clicked an ad.ย
A click ID, or gclid, was appended to the URL.ย
The site stored it in a cookie.ย
When a conversion fired, that identifier was sent back and matched to the click.
This produced deterministic matches, supported offline conversion imports, and made attribution relatively easy to explain to stakeholders.ย
As long as the identifier survived the journey, the system behaved in ways most advertisers could reason about.ย
We could literally see what happened with each click and which ones led to individual conversions.
That reliability depended on a specific set of conditions.
Browsers needed to allow parameters through.ย
Cookies had to persist long enough to cover the conversion window.ย
Users had to accept tracking by default.ย
Luckily, those conditions were common enough that the model worked really well.
Why that model breaks more often now
Browsers now impose tighter limits on how identifiers are stored and passed.
Appleโs Intelligent Tracking Prevention, enhanced tracking protection, private browsing modes, and consent requirements all reduce how long tracking data persists, or whether itโs stored at all.
URL parameters may be stripped before a page loads. Cookies set via JavaScript may expire quickly. Consent banners may block storage entirely.
Click IDs sometimes never reach the site, or they disappear before a conversion occurs.
This is expected behavior in modern browser environments, not an edge case, so we have to account for it.
Trying to restore deterministic click-level tracking usually means working against the constant push toward more privacy and the resulting browser behaviors.
This is another of the many evolutions of online advertising we simply have to get on board with, and Iโve found that designing systems to function with partial data beats fighting the tide.
The adjustment isnโt just technical
On my own team, GA4 is a frequent source of frustration. Not because itโs incapable, but because itโs built for a world where some data will always be missing.ย
We hear the same from other advertisers: the data isnโt necessarily wrong, but itโs harder to reason about.
This is the bigger challenge. Moving from a world where nearly everything was observable to one where some things are inferred requires accepting that measurement now operates under different conditions.ย
That mindset shift has been uneven across the industry because measurement lives at the periphery of where many advertisers spend most of their time, working in ad platforms.
A lot of effort goes into optimizing ad platform settings when sometimes the better use of time mightโve been fixing broken data so better decisions could be made.
What still works: Client-side and server-side approaches
So what approaches hold up under current constraints? The answer involves both client-side and server-side measurement.
Pixels still matter, but they have limits
Client-side pixels, like the Google tag, continue to collect useful data.
They fire immediately, capture on-site actions, and provide fast feedback to ad platforms, whose automated bidding systems rely on this data.
But these pixels are constrained by the browser. Scripts can be blocked, execution can fail and consent settings can prevent storage. A portion of traffic will never be observable at the individual level.
When pixel tracking is the only measurement input, these gaps affect both reporting and optimization. Pixels havenโt stopped working. They just no longer cover every case.
Changing how pixels are delivered
Some responses to declining pixel data focus on the mechanics of how pixels are served rather than measurement logic.
Google Tag Gateway changes where tag requests are routed, sending them through a first-party, same-origin setup instead of directly to third-party domains.
This can reduce failures caused by blocked scripts and simplify deployment for teams using Google Cloud.
What it doesnโt do is define events, decide what data is collected, or correct poor tagging choices. It improves delivery reliability, not measurement logic.
This distinction matters when comparing Tag Gateway and server-side GTM.
Tag Gateway focuses on routing and ease of setup.
Server-side GTM enables event processing, enrichment, and governance. It requires more maintenance and technical oversight, but it provides more control.
The two address different problems.
Hereโs the key point: better infrastructure affects how data moves, not what it means.
Event definitions, conversion logic, and consistency across systems still determine data quality.
A reliable pipeline delivers whatever itโs given, so itโd be just as good at making sure the garbage you put in also comes back out.
Offline conversion imports: Moving measurement off the browser
Offline conversion imports take a different approach, moving measurement away from the browser entirely. Conversions are recorded in backend systems and sent to Google Ads after the fact.
Because this process is server to server, itโs less affected by browser privacy restrictions. It works for longer sales cycles, delayed purchases, and conversions that happen outside the site.ย
This is why Google commonly recommends running offline imports alongside pixel-based tracking. The two cover different parts of the journey. One is immediate, the other persists.
Offline imports also align with current privacy constraints. They rely on data users provide directly, such as email addresses during a transaction or signup.
The data is processed server-side and aggregated, reducing reliance on browser identifiers and short-lived cookies.
Offline imports donโt replace pixels. They reduce dependence on them.
Even with pixels and offline imports working together, some conversions canโt be directly observed.
Matching when click IDs are missing
When click IDs are unavailable, Google Ads can still match conversions using other inputs.
This often begins with deterministic matching through hashed first-party identifiers such as email addresses, when those identifiers can be associated with signed-in Google users.
When deterministic matching, if this then that, isnโt possible, the system relies on aggregated and validated signals rather than reconstructing individual click paths.
These can include session-level attributes and limited, privacy-safe IP information, combined with timing and contextual constraints.
This doesnโt recreate the old click-level model, but it allows conversions to be associated with prior ad interactions at an aggregate level.
One thing Iโve noticed: adding these inputs typically improves matching before it affects bidding.
Bidding systems account for conversion lag and validate new signals over time, which means imported or modeled conversions may appear in reporting before theyโre fully weighted in optimization.
Matching, attribution, and bidding are related but separate processes. Improvements in one donโt immediately change the others.
Modeled conversions as a standard input
Modeled conversions are now a standard part of Google Ads and GA4 reporting.
Theyโre used when direct observation isnโt possible, such as when consent is denied or identifiers are unavailable.
These models are constrained by available data and validated through consistency checks and holdback experiments.
When confidence is low, modeling may be limited or not applied. Modeled data should be treated as an expected component of measurement rather than an exception.
Tools like Google Tag Gateway or Enhanced Conversions for Leads help recover measurement signal, but they donโt override user intent.ย
Routing data through a first-party domain doesnโt imply consent.ย Ad blockers and restrictive browser settings are explicit signals.ย
Overriding them may slightly increase the measured volume, but it doesnโt align with usersโ expectations regarding how your organization uses their data.
Legal compliance and user intent arenโt the same thing. Measurement systems can respect both, but doing so requires deliberate choices.
Designing for partial data
Missing signals are normal. Measurement systems that assume full visibility will continue to break under current conditions.
Redundancy helps: pixels paired with hardened delivery, offline imports paired with enhanced identifiers, and multiple incomplete signals instead of a single complete one.
But hereโs where things get interesting. Different systems will see different things, and this creates a tension many advertisers now face daily.
Some clients tell us their CRM data points clearly in one direction, while Google Ads automation, operating on less complete inputs, nudges campaigns another way.
In most cases, neither system is wrong. Theyโre answering different questions with different data, on different timelines. Operating in a world of partial observability means accounting for that tension rather than trying to eliminate it.
The shift toward privacy-first measurement changes how much of the user journey can be directly observed. That changes our jobs.
The goal is no longer perfect reconstruction of every click, but building measurement systems that remain useful when signals are missing, delayed, or inferred.
Different systems will continue to operate with different views of reality, and alignment comes from understanding those differences rather than trying to eliminate them.
In this environment, durable measurement depends less on recovering lost identifiers and more on thoughtful data design, redundancy, and human judgment.
Agentic AI is increasingly appearing in leadership conversations, often accompanied by big claims and unclear expectations. For SEO leaders working with ecommerce brands, this creates a familiar challenge.
Executives hear about autonomous agents, automated purchasing, and AI-led decisions, and they want to know what this really means for growth, risk, and competitiveness.
What they donโt need is more hype. They need clear explanations, grounded thinking, and practical guidance.ย
This is where SEO leaders can add real value, not by predicting the future, but by helping leadership understand what is changing, what isnโt, and how to respond without overreacting. Hereโs how.
Start by explaining what โagenticโ actually means
A useful first step is to remove the mystery from the term itself. Agentic systems donโt replace customers, they act on behalf of customers. The intent, preferences, and constraints still come from a person.
What changes is who does the work.
Discovery, comparison, filtering, and sometimes execution are handled by software that can move faster and process more information than a human can.
When speaking to executive teams, a simple framing works best:
โWeโre not losing customers, weโre adding a new decision-maker into the journey. That decision-maker is software acting as a proxy for the customer.โย
Once this is clear, the conversation becomes calmer and more practical, and the focus moves away from fear and toward preparation.
Another important role for SEO leaders is to slow the conversation down. Agentic behavior will not arrive everywhere at the same time. Its impact will be uneven and gradual.
Some categories will see change earlier because their products are standardized and data is already well structured. Others will move more slowly because trust, complexity, or regulation makes automation harder.
This matters because leadership teams often fall into one of two traps:
Panic, where plans are rewritten too quickly, budgets move too fast, and teams chase futures that may still be some distance away.ย
Dismissal, where nothing changes until performance clearly drops, and by then the response is rushed.
SEO leaders can offer a steadier view. Agentic AI accelerates trends that already exist. Personalized discovery, fewer visible clicks, and more pressure on data quality are not new problems.ย
Agents simply make them more obvious. Seen this way, agentic AI becomes a reason to improve foundations, not a reason to chase novelty.
Change the conversation from rankings to eligibility
One of the most helpful shifts in executive conversations is moving away from rankings as the main outcome of SEO. In an agent-led journey, the key question isnโt โdo we rank well?โ but โare we eligible to be chosen at all?โ
Eligibility depends on clarity, consistency, and trust. An agent needs to understand what you sell, who it is for, how much it costs, whether it is available, and how risky it is to choose you on behalf of a user. This is a strong way to connect SEO to commercial reality.
Questions worth raising include whether product information is consistent across systems, whether pricing and availability are reliable, and whether policies reduce uncertainty or create it. Framed this way, SEO becomes less about chasing traffic and more about making the business easy to select.
Explain why SEO no longer sits only in marketing
Many executives still see SEO as a marketing channel, but agentic behavior challenges that view.
Selection by an agent depends on factors that sit well beyond marketing. Data quality, technical reliability, stock accuracy, delivery performance, and payment confidence all play a role.
SEO leaders should be clear about this. This isnโt about writing more content. Itโs about making sure the business is understandable, reliable, and usable by machines.
Positioned correctly, SEO becomes a connecting function that helps leadership see where gaps in systems or data could prevent the brand from being selected. This often resonates because it links SEO to risk and operational health, not just growth.
For most ecommerce brands, the earliest impact of agentic systems will be at the top of the funnel. Discovery becomes more conversational and more personal.
Users describe situations, needs, and constraints instead of typing short search phrases, and the agent then turns that context into actions.
This reduces the value of simply owning category head terms. If an agent knows a userโs budget, preferences, delivery expectations, and past behavior, it doesnโt behave like a first-time visitor. It behaves like a well-informed repeat customer.
This creates a reporting challenge. Some SEO work will no longer look like direct demand creation, even though it still influences outcomes. Leadership teams need to be prepared for this shift.
Reframe consideration as filtering, not persuasion
The middle of the funnel also changes shape. Today, consideration often involves reading reviews, comparing options, and seeking reassurance.
In an agent-led journey, consideration becomes a filtering process, where the agent removes options it believes the user would reject and keeps those that fit.
This has clear implications. Generic content becomes less effective as a traffic driver because agents can generate summaries and comparisons instantly. Trust signals become structural, meaning claims need to be backed by consistent and verifiable information.
In many cases, a brand may be chosen without the user being consciously aware of it. That can be positive for conversion, but risky for long-term brand strength if recognition isnโt built elsewhere.
Executives care about measurement, and agentic AI makes this harder. As more discovery and consideration happen inside AI systems, fewer interactions leave clean attribution trails. Some impact will show up as direct traffic, and some will not be visible at all.
SEO leaders should address this early. This isnโt a failure of optimization. It reflects the limits of todayโs analytics in a more mediated world.
The conversation should move toward directional signals and blended performance views, rather than precise channel attribution that no longer reflects how decisions are made.
Promote a proactive, low-risk response
The most important part of the leadership discussion is what to do next. The good news is that most sensible responses to agentic AI are low risk.
Improving product data quality, reducing inconsistencies across platforms, strengthening reliability signals, and fixing technical weaknesses all help today, regardless of how quickly agents mature.
Investing in brand demand outside search also matters. If agents handle more of the comparison work, brands that users already trust by name are more likely to be selected.
This reassures leaders that action doesnโt require dramatic change, only disciplined improvement.
Agentic AI changes the focus, not the fundamentals
For SEO leaders, agentic AI changes the focus of the role. The work shifts from optimizing pages to protecting eligibility, from chasing visibility to reducing ambiguity, and from reporting clicks to explaining influence.
This requires confidence, clear communication, and a willingness to challenge hype. Agentic AI makes SEO more strategic, not any less important.
Agentic AI should not be treated as an immediate threat or a guaranteed advantage. Itโs a shift in how decisions are made.
For ecommerce brands, the winners will be those that stay calm, communicate clearly, and adapt their SEO thinking from driving clicks to earning selection.
That is the conversation SEO leaders should be having now.
Antecโs Vortex View is a CPU cooler with a HUGE screen Antec has just launched its new Vortex View 360 CPU liquid cooler, featuring an adjustable 5-inch LCD screen and LED backlighting. With its new pump design, this cooler promises to run cooler and quieter than older liquid cooling solutions. The Vortex View is available [โฆ]
Best Buy is hosting a grand Presidents' Day sales event, and some of the biggest items being discounted include the Microsoft Surface Pro 11 and Surface Pro 12-inch laptops, along with a few of their configurations.
AYANEO Next 2 is launching with early bird pricing starting at $1,799 and climbing to $4,299 for its top configuration. It aims to push Windows handheld performance to the extreme.
Microsoft ships PowerToys v0.97.2 with fixes for several bugs, crashes, and other issues, including a fix for the Image Resizer not working issue after upgrading PowerToys in Windows 10.
The SKILLER SGK55W from Sharkoon takes gaming to a new level: Equipped with a rotary knob for volume control, this elegant 75 % layout is combined with a gasket-mount design for an especially smooth typing experience. In addition, the pre-lubed Sharkoon switches, robust PBT keycaps, and dynamic ARGB illumination all make this the ideal dual-mode keyboard for those thrilling gaming matches.
Pleasant Typing Experience
The SKILLER SGK55W impresses with a pleasant typing feel and a deep, subdued acoustic thanks to its gasket-mount design with a polycarbonate positioning plate as well as a silicone layering and a sound-insulating, double-layer foam damping.
Synology today announced that it has achieved the ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certification, the internationally recognized standard for information security management systems (ISMS). "Security and trust are foundational to everything we build at Synology," said Philip Wong, Chairman and CEO of Synology. "This certification reflects our commitment to protecting customer data and building secure, reliable solutions that our users can trust."
ISO/IEC 27001:2022 provides a risk-based framework for protecting information across confidentiality, integrity, and availability. Synology's certification encompasses its ISMS, core infrastructure, secure development lifecycle (SDLC), and security response processes that support its global operations. "This certification helps ensure that data entrusted to Synology is securely protected and our operations adhere to consistent security practices aligned with the most stringent international standards." said Kuei-Huan Chen, Senior Director of the Synology Engineering Group.
AGON by AOC, the world's leading gaming monitor brand - introduces the 23.8-inch (60.5 cm) AOC GAMING 24G4ZR and the 27-inch (68.6 cm) 27G4ZR. Two new monitors that elevate the baseline for entry-level competitive gaming. Built around Fast IPS panels with 260 Hz overclocked refresh rates (240 Hz native), rapid 0.3 ms MPRT and up to 1 ms GtG response times, these Full HD displays deliver the speed and clarity that fast-paced gaming demands, at prices that make competitive performance genuinely attainable. Tilt-only stand alternatives, the 24G4ZRE and 27G4ZRE, will follow for gamers seeking even greater value.
Not long ago, 260 Hz and sub-millisecond response times were specs one could only find on esports-grade displays with price tags to match. Entry-level gaming monitors offered solid performance, but competitive players who wanted the fastest panels had to step up. The 24G4ZR and 27G4ZR mark a shift. AOC GAMING brings 260 Hz overclocked performance and 0.3 ms MPRT response times to the G4 entry-level line-up, joining existing models like the 200 Hz 24G4HA and 27G4HA. For players picking up their first dedicated gaming monitor, whether diving into Counter-Strike 2, grinding ranked in Valorant, or pushing for Diamond in Rainbow Six Siege, this is competitive-grade speed without the entry barrier.
People familiar with the matter told the Financial Times that the plan, still in flux and awaiting presidential approval, would allow TSMC to grant tariff exemptions to its US clients based on the scale of its US expansion. In essence, the more TSMC builds stateside, the more tariff-free chips its...
Dictaboard is an AI-powered voice typing keyboard for Android that converts your speech into clean, correctly punctuated text. It works in every appโWhatsApp, Gmail, Slackโallowing you to dictate messages, emails, and notes without typing.
Use the one-tap Tune feature to fix typos, grammar, and clarity instantly, using ChatGPT to refine your writing. Talk naturally and maintain your flow at up to 220 wpm while Dictaboard manages the rest.
January 5, 2026, Seattle, USA โ ZAST.AI announced the completion of a $6 million Pre-A funding round. This investment came from the well-known investment firm Hillhouse Capital, bringing ZAST.AI's total funding close to $10 million. This marks a recognition from leading capital markets of a new solution: ending the era of high false positive rates in security tools and making every alert
Netflix has dropped the first Virgin River season 7 trailer and itโs total rage bait, with every storyline first-look is more infuriating than the last.
2XKO's development team has been slashed in half despite launch success: 'overall momentum hasnโt reached the level needed to support a team of this size long term'.
I've been building PCs for more than a decade, but it's time to hang up my thermal paste โ RAM prices are out of control, so pre-built is now the way to go.
This Apple Watch Ultra 2 deal at Best Buy is the best Apple Watch deal we've seen so far, but there are plenty of alternatives depending on your needs.
Two more affordable IPS gaming monitors from AOC have arrived, featuring satisfactory specifications and features for the masses. AOC Debuts 260 Hz 24-inch and 27-inch Fast IPS Gaming Monitors With NVIDIA G-SYNC Compatibility AOC is back with two more affordable gaming monitors. The company keeps releasing budget monitors quite frequently, and these are mostly IPS and VA displays specially designed for gamers on a budget. The two new gaming monitors launched today are 24-inch and 27-inch 1080p gaming displays that utilize Fast IPS panels to deliver good visual quality alongside fast response. 260 Hz and 0.3 ms MPRT used to [โฆ]
Despite having been released a long time ago, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt continues to be one of the most popular open-world games ever. Since the launch of the next-gen update, however, it's been up to the modding community to add new content and features to the game, including a full-fledged multiplayer mode, but in the past few weeks, it's been suggested that a new official DLC could be launching later this year to bridge the gap with the next entry in the series and begin the marketing for what is set to be another massively popular role-playing games. Following [โฆ]
The most powerful AYANEO gaming handheld will be available in various configurations and will cost $3,499 for a 128 GB, 2 TB configuration under the Early Bird Offer. AYANEO Starts Indiegogo Campaign for 9-inch OLED NEXT 2 Handheld, Powered by Ryzen AI Max 385/Max+ 395 and Available in Various Configurations AYANEO has finally announced the official price for its upcoming and most powerful gaming handheld called NEXT 2. It was announced last year, but the company was quite slow in announcing its specs, let alone launching it. NEXT 2 was teased as the most powerful gaming handheld with an "Exclusive" [โฆ]
A clever theory has just made a connection between one of Apple's largest ever acquisitions in recent memory, that of Q.ai, and the oft-rumored IR-equipped AirPods Pro that might launch as soon as this year. Apple's acquisition of Q.ai supposedly complements its ambitions of launching IR-equipped AirPods Pro As we noted recently, Apple has acquired the secretive Israeli AI company, Q.ai, for $2 billion, rendering the transaction one of Apple's priciest ever buyout moves. For the benefit of those who might not be aware, Q.aiย specializes in using machine learning to decipher whispered speech and enhance audio in challenging conditions. The [โฆ]
Built to impress, the Asus ROG Crosshair X870E Glacial packs seven M.2 slots, dual 10GbE, Wi-Fi 7, USB4, and a 5-inch LCD onto a fantastic-looking white motherboard.
AMD's upcoming openSIL firmware iis being ported early to an MSI B850 motherboard, making it the first AM5 motherboard to have a firmware option that does not feature AMD AGESA microcode.
This 15.6-inch Acer Nitro gaming laptop features an RTX 5060 GPU and a whopping 32GB RAM, along with a 10-core Intel CPU and a 512GB SSD, and all for just $899.99.
And it has big implications for how we should think about tracking AI visibility for brands.
In his research, he tested prompts asking for recommendations in all sorts of products and services, including everything from chefโs knives to cancer care hospitals and Volvo dealerships in Los Angeles.
Basically, he found that:
AIs rarely recommend the same list of brands in the same order twice.
For a given topic (e.g., running shoes), AIs recommend a certain handful of brands far more frequently than others.
For my research, as always, Iโm focusing exclusively on B2B use cases. Plus, Iโm building on Fishkinโs work by addressing these additional questions:
Does prompt complexity affect the consistency of AI recommendations?
Does the competitiveness of the category affect the consistency of recommendations?
Methodology
To explore those questions, I first designed 12 prompts:
Competitive vs. niche: Six of the prompts are about highly competitive B2B software categories (e.g., accounting software), and the other six are about less crowded categories (e.g., user entity behavior analytics (UEBA) software). I identified the categories using Contenderโs database, which tracks how many brands ChatGPT associates with 1,775 different software categories.
Simple vs. nuanced prompts: Within both sets of โcompetitiveโ and โnicheโ prompts, half of the prompts are simple (โWhatโs the best accounting software?โ) and the other half are nuanced prompts including a persona and use case (โFor a Head of Finance focused on ensuring financial reporting accuracy and compliance, whatโs the best accounting software?โ)
I ran the 12 prompts 100 times, each, through the logged-out, free version of ChatGPT at chatgpt.com (i.e., not the API). I used a different IP address for each of the 1,200 interactions to simulate 1,200 different users starting new conversations.
Limitations: This research only covers responses from ChatGPT. But given the patterns in Fishkinโs results and the similar probabilistic nature of LLMs, you can probably generalize the directional (not absolute value) findings below to most/all AIs.
So what happens when 100 different people submit the same prompt to ChatGPT, asking for product recommendations?
How many โopen slotsโ in ChatGPT responses are available to brands?
On average, ChatGPT will mention 44 brands across 100 different responses. But one of the response sets included as many as 95 brands โ it really depends on the category.
Competitive vs. niche categories
On that note, for prompts covering competitive categories, ChatGPT mentions about twice as many brands per 100 responses compared to the responses to prompts covering โnicheโ categories. (This lines up with the criteria I used to select the categories I studied.)
Simple vs. nuanced prompts
On average, ChatGPT mentioned slightly fewer brands in response to nuanced prompts. But this wasnโt a consistent pattern โ for any given software category, sometimes nuanced questions ended up with more brands mentioned, and sometimes simple questions did.
This was a bit surprising, since I expected more specific requests (e.g., โFor a SOC analyst needing to triage security alerts from endpoints efficiently, whatโs the best EDR software?โ) to consistently yield a narrower set of potential solutions from ChatGPT.
I think ChatGPT might not be better at tailoring a list of solutions to a specific use case because it doesnโt have a deep understanding of most brands. (More on this data in an upcoming note.)
Return of the โ10 blue linksโ
In each individual response, ChatGPT will, on average, mention only 10 brands.
Thereโs quite a range, though โ a minimum of 6 brands per response and a maximum of 15 when averaging across response sets.
But a single response typically names about 10 brands regardless of category or prompt type.
The big difference is in how much the pool of brands rotates across responses โ competitive categories draw from a much deeper bench, even though each individual response names a similar count.
Everything old (in SEO) truly is new again (in GEO/AEO). It reminds me of trying to get a placement in one of Googleโs โ10 blue linksโ.
How consistent are ChatGPTโs brand recommendations?
When you ask ChatGPT for a B2B software recommendation 100 different times, there are only ~5 brands, on average, that itโll mention 80%+ of the time.
To put it in context, thatโs just 11% of all the 44 brands itโll mention at all across those 100 responses.
So itโs quite competitive to become one of the brands ChatGPT consistently mentions whenever someone asks for recommendations in your category.
As youโd expect, these โdominantโ brands tend to be big, established brands with strong recognition. For example, the dominant brands in the accounting software category are QuickBooks, Xero, Wave, FreshBooks, Zoho, and Sage.
If youโre not a big brand, youโre better off being in a niche category:
When you operate in a niche category, not only are you literally competing with fewer companies, but there are also more โopen slotsโ available to you to become a dominant brand in ChatGPTโs responses.
In niche categories, 21% of all the brands ChatGPT mentions are dominant brands, getting mentioned 80%+ of the time.
Compare this to just 7% of all brands being dominant in competitive categories, where the majority of brands (72%) are languishing in the long tail, getting mentioned less than 20% of the time.
A nuanced prompt doesnโt dramatically change the long tail of little-seen brands (with <20% visibility), but it does change the โwinnerโs circle.โ Adding persona context to a prompt makes it a bit more difficult to reach the dominant tier โ you can see the steeper โcliffโ a brand has to climb in the โnuanced promptsโ graph above.
This makes intuitive sense: when someone asks โbest accounting software for a Head of Finance,โ ChatGPT has a more specific answer in mind and commits a bit more strongly to fewer top picks.
Still, itโs worth noting that the overall pool doesnโt shrink much โ ChatGPT mentions ~42 brands in 100 responses to nuanced prompts, just a handful fewer than the ~46 mentioned in response to simple prompts. If nuanced prompts make the winnerโs circle a bit more exclusive, why donโt they also narrow the total field?
Partly, it could be that the โnuancedโ questions we fed it werenโt meaningfully more narrow and specific than what was implied in the simple questions we asked.
But, based on other data Iโm seeing, I think this is partly about ChatGPT not knowing enough about most brands to be more selective. Iโll share more on this in an upcoming note.
If youโre not a dominant brand, pick your battles โ niche down
Itโs never been more important to differentiate. 21% of mentioned brands reach dominant status in niche categories vs. 7% in competitive ones.
Without time and a lot of money for brand marketing, an upstart tech company isnโt going to become a dominant brand in a broad, established category like accounting software.
But the field is less competitive when you lean into your unique, differentiating strengths. ChatGPT is more likely to treat you like a dominant brand if you work to make your product known as โthe best accounting software for commercial real estate companies in North America.โ
Most AI visibility tracking tools are grossly misleading
Given the inconsistency of ChatGPTโs recommendations, a single spot-check for any given prompt is nearly meaningless. Unfortunately, checking each prompt just once per time period is exactly what most AI visibility tracking tools do.
If you want anything approaching a statistically-significant visibility score for any given prompt, you need to run the prompt at least dozens of times, even 100+ times, depending on how precise you need the data to be.
But thatโs obviously not practical for most people, so my suggestion is: For the key, bottom-of-funnel prompts youโre tracking, run them each ~5 times whenever you pull data.
Thatโll at least give you a reasonable sense of whether your brand tends to show up most of the time, some of the time, or never.
Your goal should be to have a confident sense of whether your brand is in the little-seen long tail, the visible middle, or the dominant top-tier for any given prompt. Whether you use my tiers of โunder 20%โ, โ20โ80%โ, and โ80%+โ, or your own thresholds, this is the approach that follows the data and common sense.
Blizzard has confirmed it is discussing changes to the new Overwatch hero Anran after criticism from fans and voice actor Fareeha Anderson over the characterโs in-game appearance.
Microsoft Exchange Online mistakenly flags safe emails as phishing threats, sending them into quarantine. The company has confirmed a faulty detection rule as the cause.
Intel's 18A process is built around the Backside Power Delivery Network, or BSPDN, a structural overhaul known inside Intel as PowerVia. Instead of routing power through the chip's top layers, BSPDN moves that circuitry to the back.
Ferrari recently revealed the name and dashboard of its first all-electric vehicle, the Luce (pronounced "Luche," Italian for "Light"). The instrument panel, designed by one of the most influential minds behind the iPod, iMac, MacBook Air, iPhone, and iPad, aims to blend modern digital sensibilities with the supercar brand's traditional...
SmarterTools confirmed last week that the Warlock (aka Storm-2603) ransomware gang breached its network by exploiting an unpatched SmarterMail instance.
The incident took place on January 29, 2026, when a mail server that was not updated to the latest version was compromised, the company's Chief Commercial Officer, Derek Curtis, said.
"Prior to the breach, we had approximately 30 servers/VMs
If you want to get your hands on the latest and greatest Galaxy Watch 8, Samsung is offering an impressive discount when you trade in an eligible device.
The top vibe coding platforms of 2026, from beginner-friendly builders to enterprise-grade development environments. Find the right AI coding tool for your needs.
Discord plans a 'phased global rollout' of its age verification policy โ here's how you can cancel your Nitro subscription in the wake of this announcement.
A grieving man turns to tiny prophets for life-changing answers. Here's how to watch Small Prophets online from anywhere in the world, completely FREE.
Horizon Hunters Gathering is reportedly being worked on by the majority of the Guerrilla Games development team, as sources suggest Horizon Zero Dawn 3 is still years away.
YouTube Music is rolling out a new AI-powered playlist-generation feature that allows Premium users on iOS and Android to use text prompts to create playlists.
The depth of the combat system has always been the signature of the Nioh experience, and this is no different in Nioh 3. With the addition of a second fighting style, Ninja Style, combat is now deeper than ever, featuring so many unique techniques that let players play the way they want without penalty. While there's no real "correct" way to play the game, it's undeniable that some Martial Arts and Skills are more useful than others. Among the Skills you can equip, however, there is one called The More the Merrier that can take your gameplay to the next [โฆ]
The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 is the second-fastest graphics card in the "Blackwell" lineup, and features solid performance. The card launched at $999 US, but since launch, we have seen the price hover above the MSRP with premium models retailing close to the $1500 US figure. This is 4090 territory, and while the previous flagship doesn't support DLSS 4 MFG besides the Blackwell enhancements, it is still a potent offering, making the 5080 slightly more difficult to recommend based on its perf/$. Despite that, those of you who want a new Blackwell enthusiast-grade card without spending over $2000 US for [โฆ]
Our latest PC build keeps things frosty and productivity-focused, with white parts, an Intel CPU and GPU pairing, and RAM and storage that perform well, but are tough to swallow at current prices.
The CMA has today announced its intention to accept our commitments to resolve priority concerns arising from their assessment of our mobile platform. While we believe Pโฆ
Aqua Computer delivers active load balancing to 12V-2ร6 GPUs with its AMPINEL add-on Aqua Computer has officially released an active power management device for 12V-2ร6 graphics cards called the โAMPINELโ. This device adds three features to 12V-2ร6/12VHPWR (16-pin) graphics cards. These are active current balancing, monitoring, and emergency shutdown support. For โฌ99.90, it promises to [โฆ]
The current AI surge is anticipated to boost both the memory and wafer foundry sectors to record-breaking revenues by 2026, based on TrendForce's recent data. Limited supply and rapidly increasing prices are likely to grow the memory market's total worth to $551.6 billion. Meanwhile, the global foundry market is also expected to reach a new peak of $218.7 billion, but the memory industry's scale will have more than doubled that of wafer foundries.
A new memory supercycle: Demand resilience and pricing power far stronger than in 2017
The previous memory supercycle from 2017 to 2019 was primarily driven by cloud data center expansions and resulted in a significant gap between memory and foundry revenues.
The top Intel Core Ultra Series 4 "Nova Lake-S" desktop processor model, which comes with a total core-count of 52 and implements a big last-level cache (bLLC), could pull an astonishing 700 W in maxed out loads with power limits removed, kopite7kimi reports. The chip has a core-configuration of 16 P-cores, 32 E-cores, and 4 low-power island E-cores. For reference, a current Core Ultra 9 285K with Extreme power profile can pull up to 490 W PL4 in short bursts.
In related news, leaks by Jaykihn shed light on the way clock speeds of the various CPU core types are handled. The base frequency affects the clock speeds of P-cores and E-cores located in the Compute complex, but not those of the low-power island E-cores. "Nova Lake-S" will be Intel's first desktop processors to implement low-power islands, allowing the processor to clock-gate almost the entire compute complex when the PC is idling.
The next major refresh of AMD's Ryzen AI MAX APUs is still far away, but now we are putting together the pieces of the "Medusa Halo" APU puzzle. According to a famous leaker, @Olrak29_ on X, AMD's next-generation "Medusa Halo" APU will be complemented by LPDDR6 memory. This is one of the first LPDDR6 memory SoCs we are learning about, making it unique. Based on previous rumors, the silicon could have a 384-bit bus powering LPDDR6 memory, which would translate into massive bandwidth powering the SoC's new CPU and GPU configuration. This includes up to 24 "Zen 6" CPU cores and 48 RDNA 5/UDNA compute units for the GPU configuration. Paired with the added bandwidth from LPDDR6 memoryโwhich these APUs greatly benefit fromโ"Medusa Halo" will be one of the best-performing SoCs when it launches.
Interestingly, memory manufacturers like Samsung and Innosilicon are already supplying LPDDR6 modules to customers for validation. Innosilicon's LPDDR6 modules boast an impressive speed of 14.4 Gbps, significantly faster than Samsung's initial modules, which achieve 10.7 Gbps. Innosilicon's modules offer a 1.5x increase in IO speed capability compared to the 9.6 Gbps of LPDDR5X previously available, along with improved efficiency. The latest LPDDR6 also increases the number of bits per byte of IO from 8 to 12. This results in LPDDR6's bandwidth at a single-channel 24-bit I/O speed being double that of LPDDR5X at a 16-bit single-channel. The company is reportedly collaborating with TSMC and Samsung to ensure sufficient production capacity for LPDDR6 IP, while Samsung relies on its own fabs for manufacturing memory.
The jury trial in Santa Fe, brought by the New Mexico attorney general's office, argues that Meta prioritized profits and a claimed commitment to freedom of expression over the safety of its young users.
To celebrate the Chinese New Year, which lands in exactly one week, game developer Game Science has released six minutes of in-game footage from the upcoming game Black Myth: Zhong Kui, a follow-up to the massively successful Black Myth: Wukong. The content doesn't actually include anything that will be in the game itself; it's been crafted just for the celebration. However, it provides an early look at the visual upgrades that we'll see in the upcoming title. Black Myth: Wukong quickly became a sensation after its launch in August 2024, jumping to the second spot of Steam's all-time concurrent player [โฆ]
Yesterday, Finnish developer Remedy Entertainment announced its new CEO. As you may remember, the previous Chief Executive Officer, Tero Virtala, left in late October after nine years in the studio following the financial disaster that was FBC: Firebreak. The game, Remedy's first online multiplayer release, utterly failed to deliver a fun, replayable experience, a basic requirement for any successful online multiplayer game. The newly appointed CEO is Jean-Charles Gaudechon. He has over twenty years of experience in the industry, including senior leadership roles at CCP Games and Electronic Arts, although recently he was a Senior Vice President and General/Group Manager [โฆ]
Samsungโs estimated chipset share of the Exynos 2600ย found in the upcoming Galaxy S26 series is said to be 25 percent, with Qualcommโs Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 accounting for the remaining tally. Fortunately, this figure could see a drastic uplift next year with the arrival of the Exynos 2700. According to an analyst, not only is the chipset expected to enter mass production in the second half of this year, but Qualcomm isnโt going to be enjoying the lionโs share of its chipsets powering the Galaxy S27 family. The latest report states that the Exynos 2700 share of the Galaxy [โฆ]
Antec Inc., a global leader in high-performance computer components and accessories, proudly announces the launch of the Antec VORTEX VIEW 360, an advanced All-in-One (AIO) liquid cooler engineered for PC enthusiasts who demand both performance and personalization. At the heart of the Vortex View 360 is a striking integrated LCD, transforming the pump head into a customizable visual centerpiece. From real-time system stats to custom graphics and animations, users can make their build truly their ownโwithout compromising thermal performance.
Built for modern high-core CPUs and intense workloads, the Vortex View 360 pairs its immersive display with a high-efficiency 360 mm radiator and optimized airflow fans engineered for sustained cooling under pressure. Whether powering competitive gaming sessions, creative workflows, or showcase builds, the Vortex View 360 is designed to stay cool, quiet, and visually unforgettable.
AMD announced that Ariel Kelman has been appointed Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, effective immediately. Kelman will lead the AMD global marketing organization, overseeing brand, communications, events, developer relations and go-to-market strategy. Kelman will report to Ruth Cotter, Senior Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer, and will work closely with the AMD executive team to deepen engagement with customers, partners, developers and the broader technology ecosystem as AMD continues to scale its product and solutions leadership.
"Ariel is a proven marketing leader with deep experience building brands, driving marketing impact at scale and connecting innovation to customer value," said Cotter. "As AMD continues to expand our portfolio and deliver industry-leading high-performance and AI solutions across data center, embedded, client and gaming, Ariel's leadership will be instrumental in sharpening our storytelling, advancing our marketing organization and accelerating our momentum."
The Netherlands' Dutch Data Protection Authority (AP) and the Council for the Judiciary confirmed both agencies (Rvdr) have disclosed that their systems were impacted by cyber attacks that exploited the recently disclosed security flaws in Ivanti Endpoint Manager Mobile (EPMM), according to a notice sent to the country's parliament on Friday.
"On January 29, the National Cyber Security Center (
The new Mini PC looks like a small version of the PlayStation 5 console, but it is much more powerful when it comes to performance. Minisforum Launches AtomMan G1 Pro Mini PC for Gamers and Creators, Delivering up to 245W of Power to the CPU-GPU Combo Popular mini PC maker Minisforum has launched a new powerful mini PC that looks like a PlayStation 5 console, but it's much more compact than the latter. Measuring just 3.8L, the AtomMan G1 Pro is a compact powerhouse that caters to the demands of gamers and content creators. AtomMan G1 Pro uses a while [โฆ]
The new device can manage the load distribution to protect the 16-pin power connector, which is prone to melting. Aqua Computer Launches Ampinel at 100 Euros, Aimed to Mitigate the Notorious 16-pin GPU Power Connector Melting We now have a couple of devices to mitigate the connector melting issues on the GPUs, equipped with 16-pin power connectors. The latest one is called "Ampinel", launched by Aqua Computer, which was originally planned for a November 2025 launch. After some delay, the company has finally launched the device that aims to protect the 16-pin power connector (12V-2x6) from melting. Aqua Computer says [โฆ]
A Redditor has successfully installed the OpenClaw AI agent on MSI's Cubi Mini PC, which was running on the Linux OS. MSI's Cubi Mini PC Makes For A Tiny AI Agent Powerhouse, Runs OpenClaw Flawlessly on Linux OS Recently, AI Agents such as Clawbot, Motlbot, and OpenClaw have become very popular. These agents act as your personalized AI assistants and run on virtually any machine with persistent memory support and the ability for users to give access to the entire system. One user on Reddit has now successfully managed to run the OpenClaw AI Agent on his MSI Cubi Mini [โฆ]
To mark Safer Internet Day in the UK, weโre highlighting the ways students, parents and educators can work together to ensure safe, effective learning.From setting screeโฆ
Ship Poster helps founders create, schedule, and publish social content with AI. It learns your brand voice, generates captions and high-quality images, and auto-schedules posts across Instagram, X/Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, TikTok, and Threads at optimal times. Plan weeks of marketing in minutes with bulk scheduling, cross-platform customization, and auto-publish. Manage campaigns, keep your calendar full, and focus on building while Ship Poster runs your social channels. Create stunning product shots of your app or SaaS using advanced image generation models.
Fortinet has released security updates to address a critical flaw impacting FortiClientEMS that could lead to the execution of arbitrary code on susceptible systems.
The vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2026-21643, has a CVSS rating of 9.1 out of a maximum of 10.0.
"An improper neutralization of special elements used in an SQL Command ('SQL Injection') vulnerability [CWE-89] in FortiClientEMS may
Because employees could do more, work began bleeding into lunch breaks and late evenings. The employees' to-do lists expanded to fill every hour that AI freed up, and then kept going.
AMD's next-generation Ryzen AI MAX SoCs, codenamed Medusa Halo, will feature support for LPDDR6 memory. AMD Medusa Halo "Ryzen AI MAX" SoCs To Elevate Bandwidth Performance With LPDDR6 Memory AMD's Ryzen AI MAX series saw two new additions at this year's CES, and the company is already working on the refresh for its first-gen Halo lineup. The first-generation Strix Halo series already maintains a super-premium position as an SoC for AI PCs, and with Gorgon Halo (Ryzen AI MAX 400), AMD will continue to push performance further with boosted CPU/GPU clocks and higher memory speeds. As for the true successor [โฆ]
Spatial Split is the AI that handles expense admin for you. Drop in a screenshot or photo of anything, from scribbled notes and chat messages to invoices and receipts. The AI figures out who owes what in seconds, including item-by-item and uneven splits. If there's missing information, it asks your friends for you, keeps track, and follows up until you get paid.
Intel's Nova Lake-S Desktop CPUs featuring Dual Compute tiles are reportedly going to consume a lot of power. Intel's Mainstream Nova Lake Desktop CPUs To Consume HEDT-Like Power Intel is preparing its next-generation Nova Lake Desktop CPUs along with 900-series chipset boards that will feature the LGA 1954 socket. These will replace the existing Arrow Lake Desktop CPUs that utilize the 800-series chipset boards on the LGA 1851 socket. As per previous leaks, Intel's Nova Lake-S Desktop CPUs will feature two variants: a single compute tile offering with up to 28 cores and a dual compute tile offering with up [โฆ]
Gameplay details for Marvel Tลkon: Fighting Souls is an upcoming 4v4 team fighting game in development at Arc System Worksโa game studio known for massive fighting game franchises like BlazBlue and Guilty Gearโhave officially been leaked via the game's official Steam page. While the page has since been edited to remove the information, screenshots saved by @Wario64 on X show many of the details that Arc and PlayStation Publishing accidentally released ahead of schedule. We already knew, ahead of the upcoming PlayStation State of Play where the game is slated to launch, that Marvel Tลkon: Fighting Souls would be a 4v4 fighting game, but the screenshots reveal that there will be 20 Marvel characters to choose from at launch, and fights will be staged at iconic Marvel scenes, with the Steam Store art suggesting Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters may be one such location.
Additional details reveal that multiplayer modes can be both online or local, and online lobbies can feature up to 64 players at a time. There will also be a single player episode mode in which players can "dive deep on each team...to learn more about team dynamics and lore." It was also revealed that a PlayStation account will be required for multiplayer gameplay. While this may be frustrating to some PC gamers, it also means that cross-platform multiplayer will likely be supported at launch. Gameplay details for Marvel Tลkon: Fighting Souls are slated to be revealed at the upcoming Sony State of Play scheduled for "early February". This leak comes shortly after bad news from 2XKO, a 2v2 tag-team fighting game set in the League of Legends universe. The game will also be targeting 60 FPS and will be able to run at up to 4K resolution.
Super People, a once-popular battle royale game that takes the typical first- and third-person shooter gameplay and throws superpowers into the mix, is no stranger to hard times, with the battle royale having already suffered a shut-down once before in 2023, after it was launched to mixed reviews and subsequently riddled with cheaters. Super People was relaunched into Early Access in September 2025 after a series of successful closed beta tests and a change in ethos surrounding the game. On February 9, however, mere months after the relaunch, Wonder Games has officially announced that it will be shutting Super People down for good after player counts steadily dwindled from a peak of 47,000+ (4,514 after the September relaunch) to 99 daily concurrent players.
According to the announcement on Steam, Super People will be taken offline on February 23, 2026. The game will still be playable until that date, but in-game purchases will be disabled as of February 13, and Wonder People is offering refunds to players who have purchased in-game premium currency within seven days before the announcement. There is no word on the studio's fate or that of its developers, but Wonder People is supposed to be working on World of the Dead an upcoming "immersive zombie FPS game that combines the first-person shooter and extraction PvPvE genres," that has yet to have a release date attached to it.
BazaarBound is a marketplace for digital downloads and on-demand work. Users can grab templates, graphics, design assets, documents, and other ready-made digital files, all delivered instantly. If someone needs actual help instead of a download, they can submit a request and have an expert complete the task for them. There is no need for browsing profiles or bidding, just a simple form and fast delivery. Creators can upload their products, offer services, or do both in one place. The platform handles delivery, organization, and communication so users can focus on getting work done.
India's Aadhaar is moving into wallets and hotels and is policing through a new app. Critics say that amid the broader Aadhaar rollout, it's unclear how data shared through the new app would prevent breaches or leaks.
It appears the chip tariff threat against TSMC has faded, as the Trump administration is considering exempting the Taiwan giant following significant US commitments. TSMC Sees Exemptions Under an Upcoming Tariff Scheme, Allowing the Giant to Benefit Its Customers Semiconductor tariffs have long been a concern for TSMC, especially since the company has faced demands to increase its commitments to American manufacturing or face tariffs of up to 100%. Given how important the Taiwan chip giant is to the global AI supply chain, a tariff wave would've disrupted operations, causing significant concern for hyperscalers and fabless customers. However, according to [โฆ]
Steam's Early Access system started as a way for developers to introduce their games to the community and help fund development while simultaneously gathering community feedback, but it has become somewhat of a joke, given how long some games stay in early access. With Steam's latest update, the gaming platform is hoping to bring some transparency to the system with a clearly labelled date for when the developer plans to move from early access to the full 1.0 launch. Previously, it was fairly standard practice for developers to announce the planned release date in a news post that would inevitably be hidden after a few weeks if updates were frequent enough; adding this field is a standardized way to let gamers know when to expect the full release of a game they may be interested in.
This will also increase visibility and discoverability of these 1.0 launches, with the 1.0 launch dates automatically appearing in gamers' Steam personal calendars when they wishlist or follow a game that is in early access. Developers can add a vague time frameโlike just the yearโor a specific date to their 1.0 launch information, and, at least at the time of writing, the 1.0 release date is entirely optional. This still allows flexibility for smaller developers who aren't necessarily experienced enough to know when the 1.0 launch will happen while giving those who want to inform their player base the option to do so.
Sources recently told Windows Central that Microsoft remains uncertain about whether it can release a new Xbox console next year. Valve recently was forced to delay its upcoming PC-console hybrid due to RAM shortages, but for Microsoft, the readiness of Windows 11 may prove to be the bigger stumbling block...
Yolly AI is a creative platform that puts video, image, and music generation in one place. You can choose from multiple AI models, including Kling, Veo, Runway, and Sora for video, as well as others for images and music. Generate what you need and download it, without switching between apps or managing multiple subscriptions. The platform operates on a credit system instead of fixed monthly plans, so you only pay for what you actually create. If you need a video today and an image tomorrow, you can use the same balance. It's built for creators who want to get things done without overthinking which tool to open.
A new update has added the Xbox Series console navigational sounds to Xbox Ally handhelds, making the third-party gaming system feel more like its first-party console counterpart.
Ahead of its launch, 2XKO seemed to have decent support, replete with officially endorsed, fan-hosted competitive events, but as revealed in a new blog post from Riot Games, the developer of the League of Legends spin-off, 2XKO hasn't quite reached the heights the game studio was expecting. The game's executive producer, Tom Cannon, revealed Riot Games will be down-sizing the 2XKO team, explaining that, while there is a passionate core audience, 2XKO simply doesn't have the momentum "needed to support a team of this size long term." Riot assures 2XKO players that the game will not be discontinued, despite the rocky launch, and that the smaller, more focussed support team will "dig in and make key improvements to the game," including addressing some common community requests.
According to Game Developer, Riot Games confirmed that it would be laying off roughly 80 workers from the 2XKO team globally, which is roughly half of the game's development team. Riot says that the plans for the 2026 Competitive Series and its partnerships with community tournament organizers will remain unchanged, but that the changes made to the development team were ultimately necessary for sustainability of the game. Riot says it will help affected employees through the layoffs, providing them assistance to look for other opportunities within the studio where possible "and providing a minimum of six months of notice pay and severance where it's not possible.
Bing Webmaster Tools now shows publishers how often their content is cited in Copilot and AI-generated answers, with page-level data and grounding queries.
Discord will be the latest social media platform asking for government identification or a facial scan in order to access content deemed not safe for minors. In a new blog post, Discord has announced "teen-by-default" settings, which will go into effect in "early March 2026." The new settings will set all existing and new Discord accounts to the "teen-appropriate experience" mode, which will filter out all content inappropriate for minors. Discord users who wish to access age-gated content will need to go through an age verification process, which will involve uploading a scan of a government-issued ID or by scanning their faces to verify age. This policy has already been in place in the UK and Australia since 2025, but this move will see the change roll out globally. This may not be necessary for all users, since the social media platform will also be implementing its age inference model, which will analyze user accountsโlooking at the types of games users play, the amount of time users spend on Discord, and what time they are activeโto determine whether they belong to adults. Discord claims the new system is being implemented in the name of "giving teens strong protections while allowing verified adults flexibility."
Discord says that the selfie video used for age verification never leaves the user's phone, and that all processing is done locally. ID documents, on the other hand, are processed by a third party service provider, and documents are "deleted quicklyโin most cases, immediately after age confirmation." Discord divulged in a support page that it uses k-ID for age verification, and even in the short time that the age verification system has been a requirement, there have already been reports of privacy breachesโin one instance, up to 70,000 user profiles (emails, names, and other contact information), along with government IDs and credit card information were reportedly accessed by hackers in October 2025. This age verification system mirrors the system adopted by Roblox not too long ago, and the online response has been similarly pessimistic.
Omnara is a mobile and web-based command center for AI coding agents like Claude Code. It decouples the agent from the local terminal, allowing developers to monitor progress, review changes, approve steps, and intervene in live coding sessions running on their local machine or started directly in the cloud, from anywhere.
With seamless session handoff across local and cloud environments and optional voice input, Omnara enables asynchronous workflows for long-running agent tasks, so ideas, fixes, and architectural decisions donโt have to wait until youโre back at your desk.
BIOS is an AI Scientist that ranked #1 on BixBench for biological data analysis. It offers human-in-the-loop checkpoints to steer investigations mid-flight or fully autonomous mode for uninterrupted deep researchโyou choose how much control to keep. Four specialized agents handle orchestration, literature review, data analysis, and novelty detection. A free tier is available, and academic users with .edu emails get full access free.
Riot has announced that the 2XKO team, which just celebrated launching the new League of Legends-based 2v2 tag fighter out of early access less than a month ago on January 20, will lose 80 members of its development team in a round of layoffs. The news was confirmed in a blog post from the game's executive producer, Tom Cannon, who cited that despite the game doing well with its "core audience," the "overall momentum hasnโt reached the level needed to support a team of this size long term." While the statement itself doesn't cite the exact number of developers who [โฆ]
In just a couple of months, consumers who were hunting for a boatload of deals quickly began โpanic buyingโ because the DRAM crisisย has forced manufacturers to introduce price hikes that have never been seen before. Even Lenovo, which is the largest notebook maker in the world, has urged customers to head out and make hardware upgrades as quickly as possible. However, what about those seeking an M5 MacBook Pro? Well, you can rest easy because these machines are going in the completely opposite direction, with two configurations sporting up to 24GB of unified RAM and a 1TB SSD going for [โฆ]
MindsEye, from UK developer Build a Rocket Boy (BaRB), was arguably the worst game to come out in 2025. It was the worst game of last year by Metacritic's standards, reaching only a 37, and was called out ruthlessly for the broken state it arrived in on launch. While the studio has made several strides to update and fix the game and save the studio, a new report from GamesIndustry.Biz digs into whether that's even possible. According to some former members of BaRB staff, the answer is a resounding no. To say MindsEye and Build a Rocket Boy have had [โฆ]
To mark Safer Internet Day in the UK, weโre highlighting the ways students, parents and educators can work together to ensure safe, effective learning.From setting screeโฆ
PlayStation 6 leak suggests HUGE memory capacity upgrade, but not much more bandwidth Thanks to KeplerL2, new PlayStation 6 specifications have leaked online, revealing the memory capacities of the systemโs handheld and home console versions. The PS6 handheld will reportedly feature 24GB of LPDDR5X memory, while the PS6 console will feature 30GB of GDDR7 memory. [โฆ]
Insider Shinobi602 claims Starfieldโs next major update and long rumored PS5 port could be revealed soon, with March 2026 tipped for an announcement.
We have found a 32% discount on the Turtle Beach Stealth Ultra Pro, an Xbox and PC controller we rated highly for its superb controls, comfort, and customization. Here's why we think you should own in 2026.
Arrowhead has confirmed it has "ambitious plans" to expand the scope of Helldivers 2 and its Galactic War meta game as players push to invade Cyberstan.
Amazon is offering a 31% discount on the Samsung Galaxy Book 5 360 laptop for a limited time. Here's why you should consider purchasing this now, a more affordable 2-in-1 laptop if you need hardware to complete workflow tasks and art projects with great efficiency.
Blizzard Entertainment's ongoing early 2026 showcaseโand 35th anniversary celebrationโhas not produced many big surprises, although Overwatch 2's recent absorption into the larger/overall "Overwatch" brand has raised an eyebrow or three. Looking further ahead, new IP announcements could be made during September's BlizzCon 2026 event. Naturally, the North American company's dormant StarCraft franchise will be the topic of renewed online speculation. A 2017 remaster of Blizzard Entertainment's original title (1998) was not deemed substantial or good enough for a lot of the sci-fi RTS IP's fan base. The final tranche of StarCraft II DLC arrived back in late 2016; as the "Nova Covert Ops" single-player mission pack. According to a dnews report from a week ago, Blizzard and Nexon are co-operating on a "reimagination" of StarCraft as a "shooter experience." The South Korean news publication believes that "full-scale development" has commenced on a "new game utilizing the StarCraft IP (intellectual property)."
Going into further inside track detail, Nexon has allegedly completed preliminary preparations (aka a pre-production phase) in the recent past. According to an unnamed industry insider, a content development agreement was given the thumbs up by Blizzard leadership, last year. This "cooperation contract" could lead to the creation ofโas phrased by the dnews articleโa "megaton project capable of shaking the global gaming market." Nexon has reportedly assigned this highly important undertaking to their internal "Shooter Division" studio. Arc Raiders (2025) is a notable hit for the South Korean/Japanese video game developer and publisher, although Sweden's Embark Studios was responsible for the development of this popular PvPvE extraction shooter.
The infamous Intel Software Defined Silicon initiative appears to be dead โ or at least, Intel has no plans to continue developing it. The US chipmaker first unveiled SDSi in 2021 as a software-based solution that could selectively block or unlock certain CPU capabilities depending on the end customer's budget.
According to tipster Jaykihn, the 900-series platform will have five PCH variants: Z990, Z970, W980, Q970, and B960. All five are expected to appear on next-gen LGA 1954 motherboards, set to launch alongside Nova Lake-S later this year. The chipsets will reportedly differ in several areas, including the number of...
This Anker portable charger, which is small enough for everyday carry, has become my go-to travel accessory for keeping phones and other devices powered on the move.
OpenAI faced a backlash late last year when it tested app suggestions that looked like unwanted ads. Still, the AI company needs to generate revenue from its popular chatbot to cover the costs of developing its technology and growing the business.
A couple of months ago, independent developer Chaos Manufacturing unveiled its debut game, a sci-fi action roleplaying game titled SOL Shogunate. The game is quite different from your average science fiction setting: the developers describe it as a "samurai space opera". Essentially, the developers have imagined an alternate future in which humanity has colonized the Solar System, but society has somehow retained feudal Japanese culture. The game takes place primarily on the Moon, where the way of the sword is law under the rule of a powerful Shogunate. The Moon features artificial gravity-creating cities, each designed as an homage to [โฆ]
The Ampinel GPU power adapter finally goes on sale following a three-month delay, bringing real-time six-channel load balancing and meltdown prevention features
Rumors have sprung up that Nexon, the developer behind The First Descendant, Dungeon & Fighter, and Blue Archive, is working on a new game with the StarCraft IP.
Discord has announced an early-March rollout for its new "Teen-by-Default" stance, which requires all users around the world to prove their age using facial scans or ID checks.
After only five months of use, my ยฃ800 ASUS ROG Ally X has completely died. Between the "troubleshooting" hurdles at UK outlet Currys and ASUS admitting to "high repair volumes" in the UK, my journey to get a repair (RMA) is off to a rocky start.
The First Descendant has surged 167% on Xbox following its addition to Xbox Play Anywhere and launch on the Xbox PC app. Increased visibility and cross progression may be driving renewed interest.
Bandai Namco Entertainment America Inc. has launched MY HERO ACADEMIA: All's Justice, the super-powered 3D arena fighter based on the global anime phenomenon My Hero Academia. The game features multiple modes where players are thrust into unforgettable battles set in the My Hero Academia universe, including an explosive Story Mode set during the climactic Final War arc. Players experience "ONE LAST SMASH" through iconic battles, exclusive new stories and missions, and action-packed PvP that showcase the series' legendary Heroes and Villains in their final and most powerful forms. MY HERO ACADEMIA: All's Justice is available now on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam in Standard, Deluxe, and Ultimate Editions.
As the news cycle approached Christmas (2025), rumors emerged of other smartphone chip manufacturers considering an adoption of Samsung's intriguing "Heat Path Block" (HPB) technology. By the middle of January, the Fixed-focus digital cameras Weibo account surmised HPB being picked up by "many chip manufacturers that commonly use Android chips." Earlier today, a leaked "SM8975" packaging set of schematics seem to show Qualcomm's integration of a Samsung-designed Heat Path Block into a next-gen Snapdragon mobile chipset. The latest findingโagain, courtesy of Fixed-focus digital camerasโindicates the speculative Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro model borrowing a key piece of heatsink technology from Samsung's soon-to-be-launched Exynos 2600 SoC.
By the end of last week, multiple news articles claimed that Qualcomm was borrowing the HPB design from an arch-rival. The San Diego, California-headquartered fabless semiconductor specialist's recent flagship processors have enjoyed high placements in terms of benchmark results, but these cutting-edge chips have seemingly hit thermal limit barriersโeven when combined with expensive vapor chamber-based cooling solutions. Samsung Foundry's HPB is placed over and in contact with the chipset die, without any blockage (unwantingly) enabled by a layer of DRAM. Instead, the latter aspect is moved to the side (refer to the fourth image below). Reports from late last year mentioned Qualcomm and Apple being the two main (external) frontrunners of HPB adoption, outside of Samsung pioneering the way with its 2-nanometer Exynos 2600 application processor.
In a frontier where lawlessness and legend walk side by side, a new ARPG is revealed today. The Dark West is an occult Action RPG from the new independent studio Black Hand, a team of ARPG enthusiasts determined to restore the genre to its former glory. The Dark West takes place in a frontier where faith has worn thin and something sinister has seeped into the soil. Combat is brutal and quick. Define your builds through skills, itemization, and a poker-style deck system where forming familiar hands unlocks powerful effects.
"We made The Dark West because we love ARPGs and wanted to create the kind of game we have always wanted to play. From the start, we've included the community in every step of development. Their feedback is shaping the combat, the story, and the world. This is a game made with players, not just for them," said the Game Director at Black Hand.
One of the defining traits of the Gothic franchise has always been its living world. A dynamic ecosystem full of creatures, NPCs, and critters that carry out their daily routines, whether the player is watching or not. This self-sustaining environment has long been key to Gothic's unmistakable atmosphere, turning the Valley of Mines into more than just a backdrop; it's a breathing, believable place that feels alive.
In the fifth entry of their ongoing Making Of series, the developers at Alkimia Interactive take players behind the scenes to show how this hallmark feature has been faithfully reimagined for the new generation. Every area, landmark, and character has been rebuilt from the ground up, carefully balancing authenticity with fresh detail and modern technology.
During a recent interview with Taiwanese television channel CTS, Taiwan Vice Premier Cheng Li-chiun said she made it very clear to Washington that the country couldn't move 40 percent of its semiconductor manufacturing capacity to the US.
For years, Torvalds has managed kernel versioning with a lighthearted logic: increase the major number only when he can no longer keep count on his fingers and toes.
Helpmaton provides simple workspaces to create, run, and govern AI agents across your team. Agents remember conversations, schedule tasks, and connect to Gmail, Google Calendar, Drive, Notion, Slack, and Discord. It includes features such as document search, memory, web search, webhooks, per-agent budgets, and built-in analytics to track usage. You can quickly launch on the hosted service or self-host the source-available code when necessary.
Discord has announced that it's rolling out age verification checks globally from March, and the decision has sparked fury from many privacy-conscious users.
One of the best OLED TVs of 2025 is on sale at Best Buy. I already own one and can recommend you jump on this one fast and save even more money than I did.
Update 10/02/2026: Embark Studios has shared the patch notes for today's update and more details as to how ARC Raiders' new Shared Watch event works. Though it doesn't involve you queuing into a PvE-only mode, you're rewarded Merits only for damaging and taking down ARCs, whether by yourself or assisting other Raiders. Every 100XP you earn from damaging and destroying ARCs equals 1 Merit point, and you'll need 1,050 Merits to earn all of the awards in the event. As for the rest of the patch notes, there are a couple of notable fixes, but more notable is what's still [โฆ]
As per Colorful, the new X3D AI Turbo feature can deliver a noticeable boost in gaming performance when users use Ryzen X3D chips. Colorful Announces X3D AI Turbo Mode, Delivering Nearly 8% Higher Average and 16% Higher 1% Low FPS on CVN 800-Series ARK Motherboards With the launch of Ryzen 7 9850X3D, a new gaming benchmark has been set, and motherboard makers are now designing special features to squeeze more performance out of the chip. AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D remains a competitive CPU that delivers nearly identical gaming performance to the 9850X3D, and considering millions of users already have 9800X3D [โฆ]
Now that we're roughly one year away from the planned launch of EXODUS, the Mass Effect-inspired sci-fi action RPG in development at Archetype Entertainment, the developers are starting to share more about the game. Speaking with Gamesradar, Narrative Director Drew Karpyshyn (who wrote the first three Mass Effect games while at BioWare) stressed that side content in EXODUS will always feel tied to the companions and the game's overarching themes, rather than being tacked on as in some roleplaying games. We don't want things to feel tacked-on. We definitely don't want you to feel like you're doing it because you're [โฆ]
Last month, Blizzard Entertainment announced that it would host four showcase events for its biggest ongoing franchises, to update players on what's next for each series. We've already seen the showcases for World of Warcraft and Overwatch, with today's Hearthstone presentation coming next, followed by a Diablo showcase later this week. But you might have noticed that one major franchise is missing from that list: StarCraft. In fairness, it's not surprising that StarCraft was left out of getting a showcase to start the year, only because it's been years since we've seen a new entry in the StarCraft series. When [โฆ]
The HBM markets are now seeing a shift in momentum following the validation and production stages of HBM4, and it appears Korean memory giants will be in the spotlight this time. Micron Faces Validation Challenges With HBM4, Giving Ample Room For Samsung to Snatch Market Share With Vera Rubin and the Instinct MI400 series, major chip manufacturers have shifted their focus to integrating HBM4. This technological leap combines logic and memory into a single package, delivering higher performance benefits. We won't go into much depth. However, from an industry POV, the HBM market share, primarily distributed between SK hynix, Micron, [โฆ]
We take a look at the Ultra Ethernet 1.0.1 specification in a bid to find out what has changed compared to the traditional Ethernet โ and how it will change tomorrow's data-center connectivity.
Linux Torvalds confirms that the Linux kernel 7.0 is almost ready with multiple performance improvements. We could see it in April with Ubuntu 26.04 LTS.
Eighty million people use Reddit search every week, Reddit said on its Q4 2025 earnings call last week. The increase followed a major change: Reddit merged its core search with its AI-powered Reddit Answers and began positioning the platform as a place where users can start โ and finish โ their searches.
Executives framed the move as a response to changing behavior. People are increasingly researching products and making decisions by asking questions within communities rather than relying solely on traditional search engines.
Reddit is betting it can keep more of that intent on-platform, rather than acting mainly as a source of links for elsewhere.
Why we care. Reddit is becoming a place where people start โ and complete โ their searches without ever touching Google. For brands, that means visibility on Reddit now matters as much as ranking in traditional and AI search for many buying decisions.
Redditโs search ambitions. CEO Steve Huffman said Reddit made โsignificant progressโ in Q4 by unifying keyword search with Reddit Answers, its AI-driven Q&A experience. Users can now move between standard search results and AI answers in a single interface, with Answers also appearing directly inside search results.
โReddit is already where people go to find things,โ Huffman said, adding the company wants to become an โend-to-end search destination.โ
More than 80 million people searched Reddit weekly in Q4, up from 60 million a year earlier, as users increasingly come to the platform to research topics โ not just scroll feeds or click through from Google.
Reddit Answers is growing. Reddit Answers is driving much of that growth. Huffman said Answers queries jumped from about 1 million a year ago to 15 million in Q4, while overall search usage rose sharply in parallel.
He said Answers performs best for open-ended questionsโwhat to buy, watch, or tryโwhere people want multiple perspectives instead of a single factual answer. Those queries align naturally with Redditโs community-driven discussions.
Reddit is also expanding Answers beyond text. Huffman said the company is piloting โdynamic agentic search resultsโ that include media formats, signaling a more interactive and immersive search experience ahead.
Search is a โbig oneโ for Reddit. Huffman said the company is testing new app layouts that give search prominent placement, including versions with a large, always-visible search bar at the top of the home screen.
COO Jennifer Wong said search and Answers represent a major opportunity, even though monetization remains early on some surfaces.
Wong described Reddit search behavior as โincremental and additiveโ to existing engagement and often tied to high-intent moments, such as researching purchases or comparing options.
AI answers make Reddit more important. Huffman also linked Redditโs search push to its partnerships with Google and OpenAI. He said Reddit content is now the most-cited source in AI-generated answers, highlighting the platformโs growing influence on how people find information.
Reddit sees AI summaries as an opportunity โ to move users from AI answers into Reddit communities, where they can read discussions, ask follow-up questions, and participate.
If someone asks โwhat the best speaker is,โ he said, Reddit wants users to discover not just a summary, but the community where real people are actively debating the topic.
OpenAI confirmed today that itโs rolling out its first live test of ads in ChatGPT, showing sponsored messages directly inside the app for select users.
The details. The ads will appear in a clearly labeled section beneath the chat interface, not inside responses, keeping them visually separate from ChatGPTโs answers.
OpenAI will show ads to logged-in users on the free tier and its lower-cost Go subscription.
Advertisers wonโt see user conversations or influence ChatGPTโs responses, even though ads will be tailored based on what OpenAI believes will be helpful to each user, the company said.
How ads are selected. During the test, OpenAI matches ads to conversation topics, past chats, and prior ad interactions.
For example: A user researching recipes might see ads for meal kits or grocery delivery. If multiple advertisers qualify, OpenAI shows the most relevant option first.
User controls. Users get granular controls over the experience. They can dismiss ads, view and delete separate ad history and interest data, and toggle personalization on or off.
Turning personalization off limits ads to the current chat.
Free users can also opt out of ads in exchange for fewer daily messages or upgrade to a paid plan.
Why we care. ChatGPT is one of the worldโs largest consumer AI platforms. Even a limited ad rollout could mark a major shift in how conversational AI gets monetized โ and how brands reach users.
Bottom line. OpenAI is officially moving into ads inside ChatGPT, testing how sponsored content can coexist with conversational AI at massive scale.
Googleโs AI Mode isnโt more likely to cite content that appears โabove the fold,โ according to a study from SALT.agency, a technical SEO and content agency.
After analyzing more than 2,000 URLs cited in AI Mode responses, researchers found no correlation between how high text appears on a page and whether Googleโs AI selects it for citation.
Pixel depth doesnโt matter. AI Mode cited text from across entire pages, including content buried thousands of pixels down.
Citation depth showed no meaningful relationship to visibility.
Average depth varied by vertical, from about 2,400 pixels in travel to 4,600 pixels in SaaS, with many citations far below the traditional โabove the foldโ area.
Page layout affects depth, not visibility. Templates and design choices influenced how far down the cited text appeared, but not whether it was cited.
Pages with large hero images or narrative layouts pushed cited text deeper, while simpler blog or FAQ-style pages surfaced citations earlier.
No layout type showed a visibility advantage in AI Mode.
Descriptive subheadings matter. One consistent pattern emerged: AI Mode frequently highlighted a subheading and the sentence that followed it.
This suggests Google uses heading structures to navigate content, then samples opening lines to assess relevance, behavior consistent with long-standing search practices, according to SALT.
What Google is likely doing. SALT believes AI Mode relies on the same fragment indexing technology Google has used for years. Pages are broken into sections, and the most relevant fragment is retrieved regardless of where it appears on the page.
What theyโre saying. While the study examined only one structural factor and one AI model, the takeaway is clear: thereโs no magic formula for AI Mode visibility. Dan Taylor, partner and head of innovation (organic and AI) at SALT.agency, said:
โOur study confirms that there is no magic template or formula for increased visibility in AI Mode responses โ and thatย AI Mode is not more likely to cite text from โabove the fold.โ Instead, the best approach mirrors whatโs worked in search for years:ย create well-structured, authoritative content that genuinely addresses the needs of your ideal customers.
โโฆthe data clearly debunks the idea that where the information sits within a page has an impact on whether it will be cited.โ
Why we care. The findings challenge the idea that AI-specific templates or rigid page structures drive better AI Mode visibility. Chasing โAI-optimizedโ layouts may distract from work that actually matters.
About the research. SALT analyzed 2,318 unique URLs cited in AI Mode responses for high-value queries across travel, ecommerce, and SaaS. Using a Chrome bookmarklet and a 1920ร1080 viewport, researchers recorded the vertical pixel position of the first highlighted character in each AI-cited fragment. They also cataloged layouts and elements, such as hero sections, FAQs, accordions, and tables of contents.
A newly discovered settings panel offers a first detailed look at how ads could work inside ChatGPT, including how personalization and privacy controls are designed.
Driving the news. Entrepreneur Juozas Kaziukฤnas found a way to trigger ChatGPTโs upcoming ad settings interface. The panel repeatedly stresses that advertisers wonโt see user chats, history, memories, personal details, or IP addresses.
What the settings reveal. The interface lays out a structured ad system with dedicated controls:
A history tab logs ads users have seen in ChatGPT.
An interests tab stores inferred preferences based on ad interactions and feedback.
Each ad includes options to hide or report it.
Users can delete ad history and interests separately from their general ChatGPT data.
Personalization options. Users can turn ad personalization on or off. When itโs on, ChatGPT uses saved ad history and interest signals to tailor ads. When itโs off, ads still appear but rely only on the current conversation for context.
Thereโs also an option to personalize ads using past conversations and memory features, though the interface stresses that chat content isnโt shared with advertisers. Accounts with memory disabled wonโt see this option active.
Why we care. This settings panel offers the clearest view yet of how ad personalization and privacy controls could work with ChatGPT ads. It points to a system built on strict privacy boundaries. The controls suggest ads will rely on contextual signals and opt-in personalization, not deep user tracking. That shift makes creative relevance and in-conversation intent more important than traditional audience profiling for brands preparing for conversational ad environments.
The bigger picture. The discovery suggests OpenAI is building an ad system that mirrors familiar controls from major ad platforms while prioritizing clear privacy boundaries and user choice.
Bottom line. ChatGPT ads arenโt live yet, but the framework is coming into focus โ pointing to a future where conversational ads come with granular privacy and personalization controls.
First seen. Kaziukฤnas shared the preview of the platform on LinkedIn.
The invasion of Cyberstan will soon begin in Helldivers 2, with the infamous Cyborgs from the first game returning to fight alongside their bot comrades.
Following a mid-January PlayStation 6 chipset leak, Kepler L2 has predicted memory configurations for Sony's next-gen home console (sometimes codenamed "Orion"), as well as a futuristic handheld system. This past weekend, the experienced tech soothsayer outlined key points of interest via the NeoGAF discussion board. In a thread mostly focused on a "next-gen Xbox," a slight deviation into PlayStation territories produced a notable prediction of "up to 30 GB of GDDR7 memory" for the PS5's rumored successor. When answering queries about this impressive dollop of system RAM, Kepler L2 believes that this maximum provision is achievable through the use of 3 GB GDDR7 memory modules in an unusual clamshell configuration.
Commenters did not think that this would be possible with "only 4 GB (GDDR7) modules on a 160-bit bus." In theory, a total bandwidth of 640 GB/s could be enabled, even with a reduced bus (from 256-bit down to 160-bit)โleading to an 11% higher figure than the PS5 Pro's main transfer credential (576 GB/s). Additionally, Kepler L2 believes that the Sony PlayStation engineering team will be bunging (up to) 24 GB of memory into the speculated "PS6 Portable" (aka "Project Canis") handheld gaming console. Previous leaks have suggested the implementation of premium low-power DRAM (LPDDR5X), an expected selection for manufacturers of high-end mobile devices. This memory spec could place the PS6 handheld within the region of ASUS ROG's Xbox Ally X model. Currently, the main caveat of generous/impressively large pools of system memory boils down to pricing and availability. An ongoing supply crisis has already driven fresh rumors of Sony delaying its next-gen gaming systems beyond a proposed 2027 launch window.
A free trial for Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection lets you get a taste of the game before its March 13, 2026 release. In addition to jumping right into the beginning of the story, you'll be able to customize your character, try out the battle system, and start collecting equipment and Monsties just like in the full version. You can transfer your save data to the full version and continue playing where you left off.
Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted ReflectionโTrial Version
The trial version has only one save slot (the full version will have three). You can only advance to level 10 in the trial version. You can continue playing upon reaching the level cap, but you will no longer gain any experience points. The amount of Trade Points and Monsties you can accumulate are also capped. In order to carry over your progress to the full version, you must use the same account, with the save data on your PC.
Intel's oft-leaked Core Ultra 200 Plus "Arrow Lake Refresh" processor series is expected to launch in March or April, according to rumors floated just after the conclusion of CES 2026. This past weekend, HXL/9550pro weighed in with a more focused timeframeโthey propose that Team Blue will lift an important review embargo on March 23, at a very specific 6 a.m. (PST) morning slot. Evaluations of incoming Core Ultra 7 270K Plus, Ultra 5 250K, and Ultra 5 250KF desktop models are reportedly due for publication on that Monday. Oddly, the latest leak does not allude to an imminent embargo lift affecting "-HX" variants for the laptop/notebook market. Many Intel enthusiasts were looking forward to a major "Arrow Lake Refresh" unveiling at last month's CES trade show, but company leadership decided to go all-in with the introduction of "Panther Lake-H" mobile chips.
Throughout early 2026, Team Blue has kept quiet about forthcoming "Arrow Lake-S Refresh" desktop processors, but an official mid-January announcementโcourtesy of the ASUS social media accountโindicated a readying of BIOS support updates, in advance of an eventual retail launch. Up until recently, the Core Ultra 5 250K Plus model has been the most mysterious of Intel's "ARL-S Refresh" partsโa sudden increase in pre-release benchmarking activity and premature e-tail listings has occurred in parallel with whispers of a non-arrival of its flagship sibling. Late last week, two anonymous sourcesโin correspondence with VideoCardzโposited that Intel had removed the 24-core Ultra 9 290K Plus SKU from its near future "Arrow Lake-S Refresh" launch lineup. This past weekend Tom's Hardware (via momomo_us) spotted prematurely published pricing information, regarding the remaining Core Ultra 7 270K Plus, Ultra 5 250K, and Ultra 5 250KF models. An unspecified webstore listed price tags of $357.12, $245.92, and $227.38 (respectively).
Intel's upcoming Core Ultra Series 2 "Arrow Lake Refresh" desktop processors are confirmed to bring CPU E-core count and L3 cache uplifts at their given price-points, recent benchmark leaks confirm. The series was originally rumored to consist of three SKUs, the Core Ultra 5 250K Plus, the Core Ultra 7 270K Plus, and the Core Ultra 9 290K Plus. The company was later reported to have cancelled the 290K Plus, and will proceed to launch the 250K Plus and 270K Plus very soon (details in our upcoming article).
The Core Ultra 5 250K Plus is significantly spruced up from the current Core Ultra 5 245K. The company has given this chip a 6P+12E core configuration, up from 6P+8E of the 245K. With three "Skymont" E-core clusters at its disposal, the chip also gets an increase in L3 cache, now increased to 30 MB, from the 24 MB of the 245K. There's also a nominal increase in frequency, with the P-cores boosting up to 5.30 GHz, a 100 MHz increase over the 245K. The Core Ultra 7 270K Plus is essentially a downclocked Core Ultra 9 285K. It maxes out the "Arrow Lake-S" silicon, enabling all 8 P-cores, all 16 E-cores, and the entire 36 MB L3 cache present, but has clock speeds resembling the Core Ultra 7 265K, with a maximum P-core boost frequency of 5.50 GHz, compared to 5.70 GHz of the 285K. The 270K Plus could also lack Thermal Velocity Boost available in the 285K. The 270K could come at an attractive price-point below that of the 285K.
Detective Jack Foster rejoins the police department after a traumatic incident to take over the investigation of what appears to be mere political blackmail. Soon, however, he's faced with the discovery of a gruesome ritual murder that took place in a sealed room, from which no one could have gotten in or out without being seen. Along with his new partner, Harvey Whitman, an expert on cults, Foster dives deep into the shadows of the city of Arkham.
The case will get even darker when they find out it is related to three witches that escaped the Salem trials in 1693, and a conspiracy that could put an end to the world as we know it.
Are you ready for another round? Iceberg Interactive and Luminous are thrilled to circle back to their favourite ring-shaped RTS franchise with Circle Empires 2 - now available on Steam with a 15% launch discount! Conquer a world of interconnected circles, with vicious foes (or your friends) to conquer and precious loot to plunder! Strengthen your armies, vanquish enemy bosses, and adapt to ever-changing circular worlds that make each playthrough feel unique.
In Circle Empires 2, Estonian developers Luminous grabbed the strongest elements from the previous games in the series and added new core mechanics for unit customization, town layout planning, a mount system, improved unit physics and much, much more! Whether you're a seasoned veteran of circular carnage or it's your first time around, Circle Empires 2 will keep you coming back for round after round after round.
Chinese firm M5Stack has released its new AI Pyramid series, a small-form-factor edge AI PC aimed at developers and makers working with local inference workloads that stands out with its unique pyramid shape design. The lineup consists of two variants: AI Pyramid and AI Pyramid-Pro. Both models are built around the Axera AX8850 SoC, which combines an octa-core Arm Cortex-A55 CPU running at up to 1.7 GHz with a 24 TOPS INT8 NPU. The platform targets fully local AI processing, covering use cases such as computer vision, multimodal input, and on-device model inference, without depending on cloud acceleration.
Memory configurations differ between the two versions, with the standard AI Pyramid shipping with 4 GB of LPDDR4x, while the Pro model offers 8 GB. Storage is provided by 32 GB of onboard eMMC. The AX8850 supports hardware-accelerated H.264 and H.265 encoding and decoding at resolutions up to 8K at 30 FPS, as well as up to 16 concurrent 1080p decode streams. The specs are completed with dual Gigabit Ethernet and USB 3.0 ports, HDMI output, with the AI Pyramid-Pro adding HDMI input support. The device also integrates onboard audio hardware, an OLED status display, RGB lighting, and an active cooling solution. Pricing starts at $199 for the 4 GB AI Pyramid Computing Box, with the 8 GB Pro variant listed at $249 on the M5Stack website.
The Cyber Security Agency (CSA) of Singapore on Monday revealed that the China-nexus cyber espionage group known as UNC3886 targeted its telecommunications sector.
"UNC3886 had launched a deliberate, targeted, and well-planned campaign against Singapore's telecommunications sector," CSA said. "All four of Singapore's major telecommunications operators ('telcos') โ M1, SIMBA Telecom, Singtel, and
Starting in January 2026, Microsoft will no longer distribute new "official" printer drivers through Windows Update. First announced back in 2023, the move is meant to improve the reliability and security of Windows printing by pushing the platform toward a single, unified driver standard. Despite early warnings about an extinction-level...
Discord is rolling out age verification worldwide, requiring a face scan or ID for full access starting next month. New and unverified accounts will move to a "teen" setting by default. That means tighter content filters, and safer DM handling with warnings and separate inboxes for messages from unfamiliar users.
LLM API unifies access to over 100 language models with an OpenAI-compatible endpoint, allowing for a single integration that lets you switch providers without code changes. It manages API keys, routes requests to cost-effective models that meet quality targets, and offers semantic caching to reduce costs.
The dashboard lets you track tokens, costs, errors, and reliability by model and provider. You can invite your team, issue per-user keys, and monitor performance and usage across projects while keeping keys secure.
The new Lyft service comes with a number of guardrails. Only a parent or guardian can create a teen account and drivers who are matched with these underage passengers must meet additional criteria and pass yearly background checks.
According to TechCrunchโs ongoing tally, including the most recent data spill involving uMobix, there have been at least 27 stalkerware companies since 2017 that are known to have been hacked, or leaked customer and victimsโ data online.ย
The company raised $13 billion in equity funding just five months ago, but intense competition between frontier labs and the ongoing cost of compute have made them eager to raise as quickly as possible.
Founded by former Google Japan leaders, InfiniMind is building enterprise AI to turn vast, unused video archives into searchable, actionable business intelligence.
With its new "Arrival Notifications," users can now set one-time or recurring alerts for locations beyond their home, providing an automatic way to share when theyโve arrived at their destination.
Callum Vinson, who you might recognize from the Chucky TV series or the recent mini series, Long Bright River, has been tapped to play Atreus in Amazon's God of War TV series, a new report from Variety has confirmed. It's the latest major casting announcement for the show, with Vinson joining the likes of Mandy Patinkin, Teresa Palmer, Max Parker, Danny Woodburn, and รlafur Darri รlafsson, to name a few. That said, we'll mostly see Vinson alongside Ryan Hurst, who is set to lead the show as Kratos. The official character description and logline for the show, included in Variety's [โฆ]
Krafton, the Korean publisher mostly known for being the shepherd of PUBG, who also gained a fair bit of notoriety last year for its ongoing legal battle with the founders of Subnautica developer Unknown Worlds, has reached an "all-time high" in revenue, according to its latest financial results. With growth driven by PUBG for a fifth consecutive year, Krafton surpassed โฉ3 trillion ($2.05 billion) in revenue. Most of that revenue growth came from its mobile sector, which brought in โฉ1.7 trillion ($1.1 billion), followed by PC titles bringing in โฉ1.1 trillion ($751 million), while consoles contributed โฉ42.8 billion ($29 million). [โฆ]
Lenovo's official has spoken about the state of the PC supply chain, revealing that channel partners and consumers should secure hardware with the utmost urgency. Lenovo's VP Says that "Pricing Sensitivity" With the AI Buildout Is High, Making Current Prices the Most Attractive Well, 2026 isn't a great year for gamers at all, considering the shortages we are seeing across multiple component segments, and, more importantly, there isn't a clear direction for consumers. Given that many of us are involved in the usual 'upgrade cycle', there is uncertainity about how the PC market will evolve moving forward, or whether there [โฆ]
AI might not be as big a cause of layoffs and redundancies as the companies enacting them might claim, and even when they are, it might be too much and far too soon, according to new bodies of research collated by Sherwood.
ASRock releases fresh AM5 motherboard updates with โno-bootโ fix ASRock has just released a new wave of beta BIOS versions that upgrade their AMD/AM5 motherboards to AGESA 1.3.0.0a. This new BIOS revision delivers โoptimised memory compatibilityโ and resolves โno-bootโ issues on ASRock motherboards. This can resolve boot failures on ASRock AM5 motherboards โon certain CPUsโ. [โฆ]
Tossing out 64GB of usable RAM is wasteful any day, but it seems preposterous during the ongoing memory squeeze that's seeing prices skyrocket. This PC hobbyist lucked out on a recent trip to the landfill.
Romeo is A Dead Man is coming to Xbox Series X|S, PS5, and PC (Steam/Windows) on February 11, 2026! In this third-person, action adventure, players will assume the role of Romeo Stargazer, a man trapped in the space between life and death created by a mysterious time paradox. In his new role as FBI Space-Time Agent "Dead Man", Romeo will uncover a wild, unpredictable story with intense battles, hunt down some of the universe's most dangerous fugitives, and search for his missing girlfriend, Juliet. There's a lot of weird and wonderful themes at play inside Romeo is A Dead Man, and so, I sat down with Executive Director Goichi Suda (Suda 51) and Director Ren Yamazaki to find how it all came together.
The game is pretty chaotic right off the bat. How'd it end up like that? Suda Goichi (Suda 51): The opening in particular is full speed ahead, yeah. If we're gonna cause some ruckus right off the bat, we might as well equally get the player in the thick of the action as fast as possible so they don't have to think too long about it. I'm just glad if they can enjoy the action right from the start.
InHand Networks, a global provider of industrial and enterprise networking solutions, today announced the unveiling of the CR602 5G Wi-Fi 7 Router, a next-generation connectivity solution designed to deliver high-speed, reliable, and flexible network access for modern business environments.
As businesses increasingly rely on cloud services, video collaboration, digital payments, and connected devices, the demand for stable, high-performance networking has never been greater. The CR602 addresses these challenges by combining ultra-fast 5G cellular connectivity with next-generation Wi-Fi 7 technology, enabling seamless communication across diverse professional scenarios.
Last Friday, an Overclocking.com article made an extremely bold claim about a new RTX 5000-series graphics card model arriving at some point later on in 2026. The France-based publication cites unnamed sources of inside information; mostly gathered during last month's CES trade show. The rumor-heavy report insists that the mysterious "Blackwell" gaming range-topper exists as a separate entity; distinct from Team Green's supposedly postponed GeForce RTX 50 "SUPER" refresh family. According to Overclocking.com's CES 2026 ground team, three unnamed brand representatives had whispered about "a new RTX card for 2026." Additionally, another OCC staffer heard of similar theoriesโfrom a "different set" of company repsโduring a recent trip through Asian. After gathering sufficient evidence from industry contacts, Overclocking.com proposes that a "model positioned above" NVIDIA's current "Blackwell" flagship gaming cardโthe GeForce RTX 5090 32 GBโis on the way. The French site even sent a tip-off to VideoCardzโlatterly, the highly-popular graphics card news specialist has not picked up on similar gossip from its own network of board partner moles.
The Overclocking.com news piece posits that Team Green could be working on a "Founders Edition-only" release, marked down for launch during the "Back to School" period (Q3 2026). A current-gen "TITAN-esque" design or a "GeForce RTX 5090 Ti" SKU are listed as possible candidates to dethrone the venerable GB202-300-A1 GPU-based GeForce RTX 5090 model. Over a year ago, ChipHell presented a curious sneak peek of an NVIDIA "GB202-200-A1" ASICโat the time, this "more capable" GPU was linked to a hypothetical GeForce RTX TITAN "Blackwell" card design. Given present-day component supply problems, bringing a possibly extremely expensive brand-new gaming product to market seems to be a tall task. GeForce RTX 5090 cards are often used for AI tasks, rather than for entertainment purposes. Allegedly, Intel has pivoted away from deploying its largest "Battlemage" GPU in Arc B-series gaming lines; instead favoring upcoming Arc Pro workstation solutions.
Following CES 2026 and the broader conversation around the role of AI in gaming, Razer is sharing more about how we think about AI, how it fits into the future of gaming, and the principles shaping our development efforts. These ideas reflect what Razer CEO and Co-founder Min-Liang Tan discussed during his appearance on The Verge's Decoder podcast.
Razer CEO Dislikes GenAI Slop in Gaming
"As gamersโฆ what we're unhappy with is GenAI slop. When I play a game, I want to be engaged. I want to be immersed. I want to compete. I don't want to see characters with extra fingers or shoddily written storylines." said Min. AI has played a role in gaming for decades, evolving from the predictable patterns of early arcade titles like Pac-Man into the adaptive NPCs and procedural systems of modern open worlds. What has changed recently is the rise of generative AI tools that can create large volumes of content quickly, sometimes at the expense of quality. For Razer, the question has never been whether AI belongs in gaming, but how it should be used to strengthen the craft of making games.
A week ago, Sapphire Technology's social media account started to tease a forthcoming Crimson Desert collaborative product. A few days later, the Hong Kong-based computer hardware specialist unveiled an officially redecorated variant of its current flagship RDNA 4 graphics cardโthe NITRO+ Radeon RX 9070 XT 16 GB model. In the time gap between Sapphire's two preview posts, web sleuths managed to find early retail listingsโpre-release info included the product code (11348-10-20G), GTIN/EAN number (4895106297623), and a full product nameโSapphire Nitro+ Radeon RX 9070 XT OC Crimson Desert. Across a smattering of prematurely published Austrian and German webstore pages, possible placeholder pricing seems to be hovering around โฌ970 - 980. Currently, the PCO Computer Handels GmbH online shop is advertising "in stock" availability.
Surprisingly, Sapphire's recent release of TRIXX v11.0 contained patch notes that mentioned the "Crimson Desert Version" special edition, as well as the PhantomLink spin-off. Crimson Desert, a single-player open-world fantasy action-adventure, is due to launch on multiple platforms next monthโspecifically March 19. The AMD x Sapphire Nitro+ x Pearl Abyss collaboration could bear fruit in the run-up to the Black Desert Online prequel's international arrival. Sapphire's promotional render shows a fairly typical Nitro+ RX 9070 XT card design that sports Crimson Desert livery; mainly on the backplate. Additionally and subtly, the triple-fan array features a different set of stickers, when compared to the standard model. Semi-recently, TechPowerUp's W1zzard was impressed by the high quality print present on ASRock and Capcom's Radeon RX 9070 XT Monster Hunter Wilds Edition cardโa more mid-range-type design. Hopefully, Sapphire has applied a similarโor superiorโlevel of treatment onto its premium-tier creation.
Microsoft has revealed that it observed a multiโstage intrusion that involved the threat actors exploiting internetโexposed SolarWinds Web Help Desk (WHD) instances to obtain initial access and move laterally across the organization's network to other high-value assets.
That said, the Microsoft Defender Security Research Team said it's not clear whether the activity weaponized recently
Need a new laptop? Best Buy's huge Presidents' Day sale is already live and it features excellent price cuts on laptops from Asus, Acer, Dell, and Apple.
The Lenovo ThinkVision P27Q-40 is a reliable 27-inch QHD Panel with decent colors, great blue light filtering, a spectacular variable refresh rate, built in USB-C hub, and integrated fleet management for IT pros to have a handle on their suite of devices
Proton VPN users on Windows no longer have to choose between convenience and security. A new update allows the app's three most powerful tools to run simultaneously.
The Chuwi CoreBook Air is a 14-inch mid-range Windows laptop designed for everyday work, students, and business professionals. Itโs a powerful yet affordable workstation that will keep up with the demands of the modern office, from productivity to some light content creation.
Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties supplies cathartic combat and a whole lot of new content, but can it live up to the high standards that RGG Studio set with its previous remakes?
More than half-a-million people who bought access to phone surveillance and social media snooping apps had their email address and partial payment card numbers published online.
The deal will see Uber paying $335 million at the outset to purchase Getir's food delivery business. Uber will also pay $100 million for a 15% stake in Getir's grocery, retail, and water delivery business.
The university's team reports that their approach centers on controlled "softening" of the material rather than complete melting. The process, known as hot-wire laser irradiation, reshapes tungsten carbide while maintaining its exceptional hardness and minimizing defects โ an achievement that could transform how cutting, drilling, and construction tools are manufactured.
The firm analyzed data from more than 22,700 vehicles across 21 models and found a striking pattern: batteries subjected to frequent charging sessions above 100 kilowatts degraded at roughly twice the rate of those primarily using lower-power options such as Level 2 chargers.
Apple recently launched the AirPods Pro 3 with a single marquee feature, one relating to Apple Intelligence. However, if the latest tidbit pans out, the device's next iteration would be all about spatial perception. A tipster declares that the next AirPods Pro will be able to "see around you" For the uninitiated, Apple's newย AirPods Pro 3ย feature smaller earbuds that offer a better fit, an improved spatial listening experience, up to 2x more effective noise cancelation, live translation powered by Apple Intelligence, a heart rate sensor, an 8-hour long battery, and IP57 sweat and water resistance, all for just $249. However, [โฆ]
As promised, ASRock has started rolling out the latest BIOS for improving overall system stability on its AM5 motherboards. ASRock Rolls Out Beta BIOS Version 4.0.7.AS01 on 600 and 800-Series Motherboards; Aims at Resolving Boot Failure and Optimizing Memory Compatibility ASRock has started rolling out new BIOS updates for several of its AM5 motherboards as promised in a recent statement. After acknowledging Ryzen 9000 CPU failures on its AM5 motherboards, the company said it has started investigating the issues alongside AMD to mitigate CPU failures. We have been seeing numerous CPU failure reports surfacing almost daily, and sometimes as many [โฆ]
Streamlining Kiryu's retirement down to a thirty-hour adventure cuts away so much of the original Yakuza 3 charm and replaces it with poor casting choices.
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Generative engine optimization (GEO) represents a shift from optimizing for keyword-based ranking systems to optimizing for how generative search engines interpret and assemble information.ย
While the inner workings of generative AI are famously complex, patents and research papers filed by major tech companies such as Google and Microsoft provide concrete insight into the technical mechanisms underlying generative search. By analyzing these primary sources, we can move beyond speculation and into strategic action.
This article analyzes the most insightful patents to provide actionable lessons for three core pillars of GEO: query fan-out, large language model (LLM) readability, and brand context.
Why researching patents is so important for learning GEO
Patents and research papers are primary, evidence-based sources that reveal how AI search systems actually work. The knowledge gained from these sources can be used to draw concrete conclusions about how to optimize these systems. This is essential in the early stages of a new discipline such as GEO.
Patents and research papers reveal technical mechanisms and design intent. They often describe retrieval architectures, such as:ย
Passage retrieval and ranking.
Retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) workflows.
Query processing, including query fan-out, grounding, and other components that determine which content passages LLM-based systems retrieve and cite.ย
Knowing these mechanisms explains why LLM readability, chunk relevance, and brand and context signals matter.
Primary sources reduce reliance on hype and checklists. Secondary sources, such as blogs and lists, can be misleading. Patents and research papers let you verify claims and separate evidence-based tactics from marketing-driven advice.
Patents enable hypothesis-driven optimization. Understanding the technical details helps you form testable hypotheses, such as how content structure, chunking, or metadata might affect retrieval, ranking, and citation, and design small-scale experiments to validate them.
In short, patents and research papers provide the technical grounding needed to:
Understand why specific GEO tactics might work.
Test and systematize those tactics.
Avoid wasting effort on unproven advice.
This makes them a central resource for learning and practicing generative engine optimization and SEO.ย
Thatโs why Iโve been researching patents for more than 10 years and founded the SEO Research Suite, the first database for GEO- and SEO-related patents and research papers.
Why we need to differentiate when talking about GEO
In many discussions about generative engine optimization, too little distinction is made between the different goals that GEO can pursue.
One goal is improving the citability of LLMs so your content is cited more often as the source. I refer to this as LLM readability optimization.
Another goal is brand positioning for LLMs, so a brand is mentioned more often by name. I refer to this as brand context optimization.
Each of these goals relies on different optimization strategies. Thatโs why they must be considered separately.
The three foundational pillars of GEO
Understanding the following three concepts is strategically critical.ย
These pillars represent fundamental shifts in how machines interpret queries, process content, and understand brands, forming the foundation for advanced GEO strategies.ย
They are the new rules of digital information retrieval.
LLM readability: Crafting content for AI consumption
LLM readability is the practice of optimizing content so it can be effectively processed, deconstructed, and synthesized by LLMs.ย
It goes beyond human readability and includes technical factors such as:ย
Natural language quality.
Logical document structure.
A clear information hierarchy.
The relevance of individual text passages, often referred to as chunks or nuggets.
Brand context: Building a cohesive digital identity
Brand context optimization moves beyond page-level optimization to focus on how AI systems synthesize information across an entire web domain.ย
The goal is to build a holistic, unified characterization of a brand. This involves ensuring your overall digital presence tells a consistent and coherent story that an AI system can easily interpret.
Query fan-out: Deconstructing user intent
Query fan-out is the process by which a generative engine deconstructs a userโs initial, often ambiguous query into multiple specific subqueries, themes, or intents.ย
This allows the system to gather a more comprehensive and relevant set of information from its index before synthesizing a final generated answer.
These three pillars are not theoretical. They are actively being built into the architecture of modern search, as the following patents and research papers reveal.
Patent deep dive: How generative engines understand user queries (query fan-out)
Before a generative engine can answer a question, it must first develop a clear understanding of the userโs true intent.ย
The patents below describe a multi-step process designed to deconstruct ambiguity, explore topics comprehensively, and ensure the final answer aligns with a confirmed user goal rather than the initial keywords alone.
Microsoftโs โDeep search using large language modelsโ: From ambiguous query to primary intent
Microsoftโs โDeep search using large language modelsโ patent (US20250321968A1) outlines a system that prioritizes intent by confirming a userโs true goal before delivering highly relevant results.ย
Instead of treating an ambiguous query as a single event, the system transforms it into a structured investigation.
The process unfolds across several key stages:
Initial query and grounding: The system performs a standard web search using the original query to gather context and a set of grounding results.
Intent generation: A first LLM analyzes the query and the grounding results to generate multiple likely intents. For a query such as โhow do points systems work in Japan,โ the system might generate distinct intents like โimmigration points system,โ โloyalty points system,โ or โtraffic points system.โ
Primary intent selection: The system selects the most probable intent. This can happen automatically, by presenting options to the user for disambiguation, or by using personalization signals such as search history.
Alternative query generation: Once a primary intent is confirmed, a second LLM generates more specific alternative queries to explore the topic in depth. For an academic grading intent, this might include queries like โGerman university grading scale explained.โ
LLM-based scoring: A final LLM scores each new search result for relevance against the primary intent rather than the original ambiguous query. This ensures only results that precisely match the confirmed goal are ranked highly.
The key insight from this patent is that search is evolving into a system that resolves ambiguity first.ย
Final results are tailored to a userโs specific, confirmed goal, representing a fundamental departure from traditional keyword-based ranking.
Googleโs โthematic searchโ: Auto-clustering topics from top results
Googleโs โthematic searchโ patent (US12158907B1) provides the architectural blueprint for features such as AI Overviews. The system is designed to automatically identify and organize the most important subtopics related to a query.ย
It analyzes top-ranked documents, uses an LLM to generate short summary descriptions of individual passages, and then clusters those summaries to identify common themes.
The direct implication is a shift from a simple list of links to a guided exploration of a topicโs most important facets.ย
This process organizes information for users and allows the engine to identify which themes consistently appear across top-ranking documents, forming a foundational layer for establishing topical consensus.
Googleโs โstateful chatโ: Generating queries from conversation history
The concept of synthetic queries in Googleโs โSearch with stateful chatโ patent (US20240289407A1) reveals another layer of intent understanding.ย
The system generates new, relevant queries based on a userโs entire session history rather than just the most recent input.ย
By maintaining a stateful memory of the conversation, the engine can predict logical next steps and suggest follow-up queries that build on previous interactions.
The key takeaway is that queries are no longer isolated events. Instead, theyโre becoming part of a continuous, context-aware dialogue.ย
This evolution requires content to do more than answer a single question. It must also fit logically within a broader user journey.
Patent deep dive: Crafting content for AI processing (LLM readability)
Once a generative engine has disambiguated user intent and fanned out the query, its next challenge is to find and evaluate content chunks that can precisely answer those subqueries. This is where machine readability becomes critical.ย
The following patents and research papers show how engines evaluate content at a granular, passage-by-passage level, rewarding clarity, structure, and factual density.
The โnuggetโ philosophy: Deconstructing content into atomic facts
The GINGER research paper introduces a methodology for improving the factual accuracy of AI-generated responses. Its core concept involves breaking retrieved text passages into minimal, verifiable information units, referred to as nuggets.
By deconstructing complex information into atomic facts, the system can more easily trace each statement back to its source, ensuring every component of the final answer is grounded and verifiable.
The lesson from this approach is clear: Content should be structured as a collection of self-contained, fact-dense nuggets.ย
Each paragraph or statement should focus on a single, provable idea, making it easier for an AI system to extract, verify, and accurately attribute that information.
Googleโs span selection: Pinpointing the exact answer
Googleโs โSelecting answer spansโ patent (US11481646B2) describes a system that uses a multilevel neural network to identify and score specific text spans, or chunks, within a document that best answer a given question.ย
The system evaluates candidate spans, computes numeric representations based on their relationship to the query, and assigns a final score to select the single most relevant passage.
The key insight is that the relevance of individual paragraphs is evaluated with intense scrutiny. This underscores the importance of content structure, particularly placing a direct, concise answer immediately after a question-style heading.ย
The patent provides the technical justification for the answer-first model, a core principle of modern GEO strategy.
The consensus engine: Validating answers with weighted terms
Googleโs โWeighted answer termsโ patent (US10019513B1) explains how search engines establish a consensus around what constitutes a correct answer.
This patent is closely associated with featured snippets, but the technology Google developed for featured snippets is one of the foundational methodologies behind passage-based retrieval used today by AI search systems to select passages for answers.
The system identifies common question phrases across the web, analyzes the text passages that follow them, and creates a weighted term vector based on terms that appear most frequently in high-quality responses.ย
For a query such as โWhy is the sky blue?โ terms like โRayleigh scatteringโ and โatmosphereโ receive high weights.
The key lesson is that to be considered an accurate and authoritative source, content must incorporate the consensus terminology used by other expert sources on the topic.ย
Deviating too far from this established vocabulary can cause content to be scored poorly for accuracy, even when it is factually correct.
Patent deep dive: Building your brandโs digital DNA (brand context)
While earlier patents focus on the micro level of queries and content chunks, this final piece operates at the macro level. The engine must understand not only what is being said but also who is saying it.ย
This is the essence of brand context, representing a shift from optimizing individual pages to projecting a coherent brand identity across an entire domain.ย
The following patent shows how AI systems are designed to interpret an entity by synthesizing information from across its full digital presence.
Googleโs entity characterization: The website as a single prompt
The methodology described in Googleโs โData extraction using LLMsโ patent (WO2025063948A1) outlines a system that treats an entire website as a single input to an LLM. The system scans and interprets content from multiple pages across a domain to generate a single, synthesized characterization of the entity.ย
This is not a copy-and-paste summary but a new interpretation of the collected information that is better suited to an intended purpose, such as an ad or summary, while still passing quality checks that verbatim text might fail.
The patent also explains that this characterization is organized into a hierarchical graph structure with parent and leaf nodes, which has direct implications for site architecture:
Patent concept
Corresponding GEO strategy
Parent Nodes (Broad attributes like โServicesโ)
Create broad, high-level โhubโ pages for core business categories (e.g., /services/).
Leaf Nodes (Specific details like โPricingโ)
Develop specific, granular โspokeโ pages for detailed offerings (e.g., /services/emergency-plumbing/).
The key implication is that every page on a website contributes to a single brand narrative.
Inconsistent messaging, conflicting terminology, or unclear value propositions can cause an AI system to generate a fragmented and weak entity characterization, reducing a brandโs authority in the systemโs interpretation.
The GEO playbook: Actionable lessons derived from the patents
These technical documents arenโt merely theoretical. They provide a clear, actionable playbook for aligning content and digital strategy with the core mechanics of generative search. The principles revealed in these patents form a direct guide for implementation.
Principle 1: Optimize for disambiguated intent, not just keywords
Based on the โDeep Searchโ and โThematic Searchโ patents, the focus must shift from targeting single keywords to comprehensively answering the specific, disambiguated intents a user may have.
Actionable adviceย
For a target query, brainstorm the different possible user intents.ย
Create distinct, highly detailed content sections or separate pages for each one, using clear, question-based headings to signal the specific intent being addressed.
Principle 2: Structure for machine readability and extraction
Synthesizing lessons from the GINGER paper, the โanswer spansโ patent, and LLM readability guidance, itโs clear that structure is critical for AI processing.
Actionable advice
Apply the following structural rules to your content:
Use the answer-first model: Structure content so the direct answer appears immediately after a question-style heading. Follow with explanation, evidence, and context.
Write in nuggets: Compose short, self-contained paragraphs, each focused on a single, verifiable idea. This makes each fact easier to extract and attribute.
Leverage structured formats: Use lists and tables whenever possible. These formats make data points and comparisons explicit and easily parsable for an LLM.
Employ a logical heading hierarchy: Use H1, H2, and H3 tags to create a clear topical map of the document. This hierarchy helps an AI system understand the context and scope of each section.
Principle 3: Build a unified and consistent entity narrative
Drawing directly from the โData extraction using LLMsโ patent, domainwide consistency is no longer a nice-to-have. Itโs a technical requirement for building a strong brand context.
Actionable advice
Conduct a comprehensive content audit.ย
Ensure mission statements, service descriptions, value propositions, and key terminology are used consistently across every page, from the homepage to blog posts to the site footer.
Principle 4: Speak the language of authoritative consensus
The โWeighted answer termsโ patent shows that AI systems validate answers by comparing them against an established consensus vocabulary.
Actionable advice
Before writing, analyze current featured snippets, AI Overviews, and top-ranking documents for a given query.ย
Identify recurring technical terms, specific nouns, and phrases they use.ย
Incorporate this consensus vocabulary to signal accuracy and authority.
Principle 5: Mirror the machineโs hierarchy in your architecture
The parent-leaf node structure described in the entity characterization patent provides a direct blueprint for effective site architecture.
Actionable advice
Design site architecture and internal linking to reflect a logical hierarchy. Broad parent category pages should link to specific leaf detail pages.ย
This structure makes it easier for an LLM to map brand expertise and build an accurate hierarchical graph.
These five principles arenโt isolated tactics.ย
They form a single, integrated strategy in which site architecture reinforces the brand narrative, content structure enables machine extraction, and both align to answer a userโs true, disambiguated intent.
Patents and research papers from the worldโs leading technology companies offer a clear view of the future of search.ย
Generative engine optimization is fundamentally about making information machine-interpretable at two critical levels:ย
The micro level of the individual fact, or chunk.
The macro level of the cohesive brand entity.ย
By studying these documents, you can shift from a reactive approach of chasing algorithm updates to a proactive one of building digital assets aligned with the core principles of how generative AI understands, structures, and presents information.
If youโre relying on GA4 alone to measure the impact of AI SEO, youโre navigating with a broken compass.
Donโt misunderstand me. Itโs a reasonable launch pad. But to understand how audiences discover, evaluate, and ultimately choose brands, measurement must move beyond the bounds of Googleโs tooling.
SEO is a journey, not a destination. If you optimize only for attributable visits, large parts of that journey disappear from view.
Sessions are an outcome. They canโt contextualize consideration sets increasingly shaped by algorithms and AI well before a visit ever happens.
Donโt lose potential customers in the Bermuda Triangle of traditional SEO measurement. Harness the power of share of voice to steer user intent. Guide them to you by mapping your brand visibility in AI analytics.
Measuring AI visits with GA4
Links are becoming more prevalent in AI systems. Traffic is climbing. GA4 makes it easy to set up a custom report to track these sessions.
Create an exploration with โsession source / mediumโ as the dimension and โsessionsโ as the metric. Then apply this regex filter on the referrer:
Donโt be concerned if the output report is messy. Thatโs normal. Many AI systems send multiple sets of partial referral information. Some send none at all, so sessions appear as dark traffic.
This report is an easy first step. But donโt be fooled into thinking it can measure the impact of AI on your brand on its own.
The most viewed AI outputs โ Googleโs AI Overviews and AI Mode โ canโt be seen here. They are attributed to either โgoogle / organicโ or โ(direct) / (none),โ depending on how the user accessed Google.
With these limitations, looking only at GA4 traffic from generative AI is not a holistic enough data source to understand the reality of usage by your target audience and the impact on your brand.
Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools donโt separate AI queries
Bing Webmaster Tools technically reports Copilot data. But in the most Microsoftesque fashion, chat is combined with web metrics, obscuring the chat data and making the report ineffective for understanding the impact of generative AI.
This approach laid the foundation for Google Search Console to do the same. AI Overviews and AI Mode impressions and clicks are lumped in with Search, and the Gemini app is not included at all.
What you can do is look for more conversational-style queries using a Google Search Console regex, such as:
But this is becoming less valuable as query fan-out becomes the standard, making synthetic queries indistinguishable from human queries while inflating impression numbers.
Worse, both GSC and BWT will become increasingly myopic as websites are bypassed by MCP connections or accessed directly by AI agents.
Both Google and ChatGPT offer AI agents that can browse and, with permission, convert on a humanโs behalf.
When an AI agent uses a text-based browser, it canโt be tracked by cookie-based analytics.
If the agent switches to a visual browser, it often accepts cookies, 78% of the time in my testing. But this creates problems in GA4:
Odd engagement metrics. These are agent behaviors, not human ones.
An unnatural resurgence of desktop traffic. Agents use desktop browsers exclusively.
An uptick in Chrome. Agents run on Chromium.
On the plus side, agentic conversions are recorded, but they are attributed to direct traffic.
As a result, many SEOs are turning to bot logs, where AI agent requests can be identified. But those requests are not a headcount of humans sending agents to complete tasks.
When an agent renders a page in a visual browser, it fires multiple requests for every asset. CSS. JS. Images. Fonts. A bloated front end equals inflated request counts, making raw volume a vanity metric.
The insight lies not in totals, but in paths.
Follow the request flow through the site to the conversion success page. If there are plenty of requests but none reach the conversion path, you know the journey is broken.
Traditional SEO reporting isnโt up to the task of tracking AI
To track the impact of AI SEO, you need to reassess your reporting.ย
Its benefits extend beyond the bounds of GA4, Google Search Console, and log file analysis, all of which assume the user reached your website directly from an AI surface. Thatโs not required for brand value.
Many SEO tools are now adding AI tracking, or are built entirely around it. The methodology is imperfect, with chat outcomes that are probabilistic, not deterministic. Itโs similar to running focus groups.
With an unbiased sample, unbiased prompts, and regular testing, the resulting trends are valuable, even if any individual response is not. They reveal the set of brands an AI system associates with a given intent, forming a consensus view of a credible consideration set.
But AI search analytics tools are not all created equal.
Make sure your tool tracks not only website citations, but also in-chat brand mentions and citations of brand assets such as social media profiles, videos, map listings, and apps.
These are no less valuable than a website link. Recognizing this reflects SEOโs growth.
As an industry, we are returning to meaningful marketing KPIs like share of voice. Understanding brand visibility for relevant intents is what ultimately drives market share.
Itโs not SEOโs job to optimize a website. Itโs to build a well-known, top-rated, and trusted digital brand. That is the foundation of visibility across every organic surface.
Weโve all been there. A client wants to scale their Google Ads account from โฌ10,000 per month to โฌ100,000. So, you do what any good PPC manager would do:
Refine your bidding strategy.
Test new ad copy variations.
Expand your keyword portfolio.
Optimize landing pages.
Improve Quality Scores.
Launch Performance Max campaigns.
Three months later, youโve increased ad spend by 15%. The client isโฆ fine with it. But you know you should be doing better.
Hereโs the uncomfortable truth: Most pay-per-click (PPC) optimization work is sophisticated procrastination.
What the theory of constraints teaches us about PPC
The theory of constraints, developed by Eliyahu Goldratt for manufacturing systems, reveals something counterintuitive. Every system is limited by exactly one bottleneck at any given time.
Making your marketing team twice as efficient wonโt help if production capacity is the constraint. Similarly, improving your ad copy click-through rate (CTR) by 20% wonโt move the needle if your real constraint is budget approval or landing page conversion rate.
The theory demands radical focus. Identify the single weakest link and treat everything else as less important.
Applied to PPC, this means: Stop optimizing everything. Find your number one constraint. Fix only that and then move on.
In my years of managing PPC accounts, Iโve found that almost every scaling challenge falls into one of seven categories:
1. Budget
Signal: You could profitably spend more, but youโre capped by client approval.
Example: Your campaigns are profitable at โฌ10,000 per month with room to spend โฌ50,000, but your client wonโt approve the additional budget. Sometimes itโs risk aversion, but other times itโs a cash flow issue.ย
The fix: Build a business case demonstrating profitability with a higher spend. Show historical return on ad spend (ROAS), competitive benchmarks, and projected returns.
What to ignore: Avoid ad copy testing, keyword expansion, bidding optimization, and new campaigns. None of this matters if you canโt spend more money anyway.
Signal: Youโre already capturing 90%+ impression share and canโt buy more traffic.
Example: Youโre targeting a niche B2B market with only 1,000 relevant searches per month.
The fix: Expand to related keywords or use broader match types. Alternatively, enter new geographic markets or add complementary platforms like Microsoft Ads or LinkedIn Ads.
What to ignore: Donโt worry about bidding optimization, since youโre already buying almost all available impressions.
3. Creative
Signal: You have high impression share but low CTRs, resulting in a premium cost per click (CPC).
Example: Youโre showing ads on 80% of searches, but CTR is 2% when the industry average is 5%.
The fix: Aggressively test ad copy, better message-market fit, and more compelling.
What to ignore: Avoid keyword expansion. Your ads are already visible, they just arenโt getting clicks.
4. Conversion rate
Signal: Youโre generating strong traffic volume and acceptable CPC, but terrible conversion rates.
Example: Youโre getting 10,000 clicks per month. But you have a 1% conversion rate when you should be getting 5%+.
The fix: Optimize landing pages, improve offers, and refine sales funnels.
What to ignore: Donโt launch more traffic campaigns. Youโre already wasting the traffic you have.
5. Fulfillment
Signal: Your campaigns could generate more leads. But the clientโs sales or operations team canโt handle more.
Example: Youโre generating 500 leads per month, but sales can only process 100.
The fix: This is a client operations issue, not a PPC issue. Help them identify it, but know that the solution lies outside your control. Do more business consulting for your client while maintaining the current PPC level.
What to ignore: Pause all PPC optimization, as the system canโt absorb more volume.
6. Profitability
Signal: You can scale volume, but cost per acquisition (CPA) is too high to be profitable.
Example: You need โฌ50 CPA to break even, but youโre currently at โฌ80 CPA.
The fix: Improve unit economics through better targeting or creative optimization. Alternatively, help the client rethink their pricing or improve customer lifetime value (LTV).
What to ignore: Set aside volume tactics until the economics work at the current scale.
7. Tracking or attribution
Signal: Attribution is broken, so you canโt confidently scale the campaign.
Example: Youโre seeing complex multi-touch customer journeys where you canโt definitively prove PPCโs contribution.
The fix: Implement better tracking and test different tracking stacks (e.g., server-side, fingerprinting, or cookie-based). You can also update your attribution modeling or develop first-party data capabilities.
What to ignore: Avoid scaling any channel until you know what actually drives results.
Identifying your constraint requires methodical analysis rather than gut feeling. Hereโs how to uncover whatโs holding your account back.
Run an audit
Start by benchmarking critical metrics:
Impression share: If youโre capturing less than 50% of available impressions, your constraint is likely budget or bids preventing you from competing effectively.
CTR: Performance below industry benchmarks signals a creative constraint where your messaging isnโt resonating with searchers.
CPC: Unusually high CPCs often indicate a Quality Score constraint, which reflects poor ad relevance or landing page experience.
Conversion rate: If this metric lags compared to historical performance or industry standards, your constraint is the landing page.
Search volume: If youโve already captured the majority of relevant searches, your constraint is inventory exhaustion.
Donโt overlook operational metrics either. Check fulfillment capacity by determining how many leads your clientโs team can handle per month.
Finally, document your approved budget against what you could profitably spend. If thereโs a sizable difference, budget approval is your primary constraint.
Ask the critical question
With your audit complete, resist the temptation to create a prioritized list. Instead, force yourself to answer one question: โIf I could only fix one of these metrics, which would unlock 10x growth?โ
That single metric is your constraint. Everything else, regardless of how suboptimal it appears, is secondary until youโve broken through this bottleneck.
Apply radical focus
Once youโve identified your primary constraint, itโs time to change your entire approach. This is where marketers tend to fail. They acknowledge the constraint but continue hedging their efforts across multiple fronts.
Why constraints are dynamic (and why thatโs good)
Understanding constraint theory means recognizing that bottlenecks shift as you scale.
Consider a typical scaling journey. In month one, youโre stuck at a โฌ10,000 monthly budget despite profitable performance metrics.
Your constraint is budget, so leadership wonโt approve more ad spend. You build the business case, secure approval, and immediately scale to โฌ30,000 monthly spend.
Success, right? Not quite. Youโve just revealed the next constraint.
By month two, youโre capturing 95% of core keyword inventory. Your new constraint is impression share, as youโve exhausted available traffic in your primary audience.
The fix is to expand to related terms and broader match types to bring new searchers into your funnel. This expansion takes you to โฌ50,000 per month.
Month three presents a new challenge. Your expanded traffic converts at 2% while your original core traffic maintains 5% conversion rates. Your constraint has shifted to conversion rate.
The broader audience needs different messaging or a modified landing page experience. So, you focus exclusively on improving the post-click experience until conversion rate recovers to 4%. This lets you scale to โฌ80,000 per month.
By month four, your sales team is drowning in 500 leads per month, which more than they can effectively manage. Your constraint shifts from the PPC account to fulfillment capacity. The client hires additional sales staff to handle volume, and you scale to โฌ120,000 per month.
Each new constraint is proof youโve graduated to the next level. Many accounts never experience the problem of fulfillment constraints because they never break through the earlier barriers of budget and inventory.
Common traps to avoid when scaling PPC
The โoptimize everythingโ approach
When you try to optimize everything, you might spend:
10 hours optimizing ad copy (+0.2% CTR)
10 hours improving landing page (+0.5% CVR)
10 hours refining bid strategy (+3% efficiency)
After investing 30 hours, you only achieve 5% account growth.
Instead, identify the primary constraint (e.g., conversion rate).Then, invest all 30 hours in landing page optimization. Continue to monitor your conversion rate.
Shiny object syndrome
Say your budget is capped by the client at โฌ10,000 by client. But you spend 20 hours testing Performance Max because itโs new and interesting.
After running those tests, you achieve zero scale. And your budget is still capped at โฌ10,000.
Instead, recognize that your primary constraint is budget approval. Build a business case, secure approval, and start scaling immediately.
Analysis paralysis
If you wait for perfect Google Analytics 4 tracking before scaling,ย competitors may move forward with good enough attribution.
This can mean losing six months with no scale.
Aim for 80% accurate tracking. Perfect attribution is rarely the actual constraint.
How to implement the theory of constraints in your agency or in-house team
For your next client strategy call
Donโt say: โWeโll optimize your campaigns across multiple dimensions, bidding, creative, targeting, and see what drives the best results.โ
Instead, say this: โBefore we optimize anything, I need to diagnose your constraint. Once I identify it, Iโll focus exclusively on fixing that bottleneck while maintaining everything else. When itโs resolved, weโll tackle the next constraint. This is how weโll reach your goals.โ
For your team
Implement a Constraint Monday ritual. Every Monday, each account manager identifies the primary constraint for their top three accounts. The team focuses the weekโs efforts on moving those specific constraints.
On Friday, review the results. Did the constraint move?
If yes, whatโs the new constraint?
If not, you had the wrong diagnosis. Try again.
From tactical to strategic PPC scaling
The difference between a good PPC manager and a great one isnโt technical skill. Instead, itโs the ability to identify constraints.
Good PPC managers optimize everything and achieve incremental gains. Great PPC managers identify the one thing preventing scale and fix only that, achieving exponential gains.
When you master the theory of constraints, you stop being seen as a tactical campaign manager and start being recognized as a strategic growth partner.
Youโre no longer reporting on CTR improvements and Quality Score gains. Youโre diagnosing business constraints and unlocking growth that seemed impossible.
Thatโs the shift that transforms PPC careers and accounts.
Intel reportedly cancels its Arrow Lake Refresh flagship over value concerns Intel has reportedly axed its Core Ultra 9 290K PLUS CPU, the flagship of the companyโs upcoming โArrow Lake Refreshโ lineup. The long-rumoured CPU has reportedly been cancelled due to value concerns. With Intelโs Core Ultra 7 270K PLUS featuring the same CPU core [โฆ]
Benchmarks from Hardware Canucks show just how well the upcoming Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Elite chip can compete with the latest from Apple, Intel, and AMD.
Meet the G7 Pro 8K PC, a wireless esports controller engineered for competitive PC gaming. Featuring ultra-responsive 8K Hz wired and 2.4G wireless polling, every movement and action is captured with lightning-fast precision, delivering a true competitive edge. In collaboration with Aimlabs, the well-known FPS training software, it combines pro-level performance with striking, software-inspired cyan aesthetics, earning its status as an officially licensed Aimlabs accessory.
With an 8000 Hz polling rate over both wired and 2.4G wireless connections, the G7 Pro 8K PC delivers smoother control and instant response, ensuring every input is registered with esports-grade precision. Designed for pro-level performance, the G7 Pro 8K PC features second-generation GameSir Mag-Res TMR sticks. Compared to the first generation, the Gen-2 TMR sticks continue to use magnetic technology to eliminate physical contact, delivering long-lasting anti-stick drift reliability. At the same time, with 8K Hz polling, they provide smoother, more linear control and ultra-low power consumption, ensuring precise and responsive gameplay for competitive gamers.
Intel's upcoming Core Ultra 5 250K Plus desktop processor has appeared in the Geekbench database, according to a post by Benchleaks on X. The CPU is part of Intel's Core Ultra 200S Plus "Arrow Lake Refresh" lineup, which is expected to launch next month. The Core Ultra 5 250K Plus features an 18-core configuration with 6 Performance cores and 12 Efficiency cores, up four E-Cores from the Core Ultra 5 245K 6P+8E layout. The processor runs at a 4.2 GHz base clock and 5.3 GHz boost. Cache specifications include 6 MB of L2 cache and 30 MB of L3 cache. Compared with the 245K, the Core Ultra 5 250K Plus keeps the same power ratings with a 125 W base power and a 159 W maximum turbo power, despite the higher core count and slightly increased boost clocks. P-core turbo frequencies are up by 100 MHz compared to the 245K, while E-core clocks reportedly remain unchanged at up to 4.7 GHz.
The test system used an ASUS PRIME Z890-P WIFI motherboard with 32 GB of memory. The processor scored 3,113 points in the single-core test and 15,251 points in the multicore test. As with most early database entries, performance may improve with final firmware and retail silicon. Intel is expected to position the Core Ultra 5 250K Plus in the sub-$300 segment, offering a modest upgrade over the Core Ultra 5 245K, which currently sells for around $200-215. The processor will be compatible with LGA 1851 motherboards and is part of what is expected to be the final CPU family for the socket, ahead of Intel's transition to LGA 1954 with the upcoming Nova Lake architecture later this year.
Cyber threats are no longer coming from just malware or exploits. Theyโre showing up inside the tools, platforms, and ecosystems organizations use every day. As companies connect AI, cloud apps, developer tools, and communication systems, attackers are following those same paths.
A clear pattern this week: attackers are abusing trust. Trusted updates, trusted marketplaces, trusted apps, even
Lenovoโs Yoga 7i 16-inch 2-in-1 laptop is now just $649 for Presidentโs Day โ save $400 on a Core Ultra 7, 16GB, 1TB touchscreen convertible at Best Buy.
Calling Pre-Series A founders: nominations for TechCrunch Startup Battlefield 200 are open. Compete in the worldโs most iconic pitch competition at Disrupt 2026 from October 13 - 15.
Gather AI has closed funding from former Salesforce CEO's firm Smith Point Capital. Its warehouse AI system doesn't just scan. It seeks out specific data.
Kris Marszalek bought AI.com from an unknown seller ahead of the Super Bowl, so an ad for the site could air during the game. Unfortunately, shortly after the ad ran, many noticed the website was down.
The work, reported in Optica by scientists from Tianjin University and Nanyang Technological University, marks the first experimental realization of skyrmions that can be actively toggled between electric and magnetic configurations.
PhasedTech notes that a number of people have turned their consoles into gaming PCs, but these usually relied on external power bricks and integrated graphics.
Intel appears to have secured a second major customer, this time for its bleeding-edge 14A process, with a wild rumor identifying MediaTek and its Dimensity chips as a source of marginal strength for Intel's still-fledgling advanced node. After Apple tentatively tapped its 18A process, Intel appears to have secured MediaTek as a major customer for the bleeding-edge 14A process We already know that Apple might opt for Intel's 18A-P process for its lowest-end M-series chips that are expected to ship in 2027, as well as non-Pro iPhone chips in 2028. In fact, GF Securities recently went a step further by [โฆ]
The variable aperture has been absent from Samsungโs smartphone camera arsenal for years, but given that Apple has been reported on multiple occasions to bring the technology to its iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, the company has little choice but to respond. As for the lineup thatโs expected to receive the upgrade, the Galaxy S26 series could be the obvious recipient, but plans can change in the blink of an eye. Multiple generations of Galaxy S flagships have remained stagnant in camera technology; variable aperture could be the first step from Samsung towards reviving innovation Samsungโs Electro-Mechanics [โฆ]
Even though Alan Dye, the architect of Apple's Liquid Glass UI, has left for greener pastures, a new report asserts that Apple will not abandon its new design language with the upcoming iOS 27. Apple's upcoming iOS 27 update will focus on AI enhancements and stability improvements rather than implementing a comprehensive UI overhaul When Dye left Apple for Meta in December 2025, many expected Apple to tone down its Liquid Glass UI or abandon it altogether. After all, Apple's design language has attracted its fair share of criticism over the past few months, especially on legibility concerns, with critics [โฆ]
Taiwan authorities have no problems with TSMC investing in the U.S. as long the bulk of its fabs and leading-edge process technologies remain in Taiwan.
Another chip from Intel's upcoming Arrow Lake refresh lineup has leaked online, this time appearing on the Geekbench platform with solid scores. The Core Ultra 250K Plus, the company's next desktop midranger, posted 3,113 points in the single-threaded results and 15,251 points in the multi-threaded test.
Cursor, an AI-assisted development environment, essentially an IDE, is being used by Nvidia internally to boost coding efficiency. Cursor says the Green Team's internal code commits have tripled since its implementation while the bug rate has stayed flat, leading to increased productivity across every phase of the development lifecycle.
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Learn more about Google Photosโ new Ask button as well as other functions of its Ask Photos feature. 
Thereโs a new, simpler way for people to request the removal of non-consensual explicit images from Search. 
Results about you tool now helps you find and request the removal of Search results containing your government-issued IDs. 
At the second Google for Singapore event, Google announced new AI investments in the nation. 
To mark Safer Internet Day in the UK, weโre highlighting the ways students, parents and educators can work together to ensure safe, effective learning.From setting screeโฆ 
Weโre sharing our latest updates designed to support families, kids and teens in the digital world. 
Around the world, people of all ages โ including young people โ are using AI to learn. A few easy steps can help you do so more safely. 
