The downward spiral for PC shipments continued during the third quarter of 2023 (3Q23) as global volumes declined 7.6% year over year with 68.2 million PCs shipped, according to preliminary results from the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Personal Computing Device Tracker. Though demand and the global economy remain subdued, PC shipments have increased in each of the last two quarters, slowing the rate of annual decline and indicating that the market has moved past the bottom of the trough.

PC inventory has also become leaner in the past few months and is near healthy levels in most channels. However, downward pressure on pricing persists and will likely remain an issue within the consumer and business sectors. While most of the top 5 vendors experienced double-digit declines during the quarter, Apple's outsized decline was the result of unfavorable year-over-year comparisons as the company recovered from a COVID-related halt in production during 3Q22. Meanwhile, HP's growth was largely due to the normalizing of inventory.

Qualcomm is poised to significantly rebrand its PC chip lineup as it transitions from the existing 8cx series to the Snapdragon X Series, designed to differentiate its PC chips from Snapdragon processors in mobile devices. The new Snapdragon X Series will incorporate Qualcomm's Oryon CPU SKU, based on Nuvia's IP and praised for its advanced performance and power efficiency. In addition to the new CPU core, Qualcomm also plans to use a dedicated NPU for accelerating on-device AI applications. However, questions remain regarding the reactions of hardware partners, particularly in response to Qualcomm's request for proprietary power management integrated circuits (PMICs) to be used alongside Oryon SoCs.

This strategic rebranding also entails new logos and badges for the system, symbolizing the shift in the product lineup, and the company plans to introduce a simplified tiering structure for its PC ecosystem. Qualcomm currently holds a dominant position as an Arm-based SoC manufacturer for Windows-on-Arm devices. With this rebranding, Qualcomm hopes to position itself competitively in performance and in marketing as well, with established PC chip providers like AMD and Intel, potentially expanding Arm's market share in the PC industry. Further insights and details regarding the Snapdragon X Series will be revealed during the forthcoming Snapdragon Summit, scheduled from October 24 to 26.

In 2021, we introduced the Shift Special Edition Controller series with the Aqua Shift, followed by the Lunar and Stellar Shift controllers. We have been thrilled by the Xbox community's response to each controller and are delighted to announce that the Shift series is now available through Xbox Design Lab. Alongside the Aqua, Lunar, and Stellar Shift designs making their debut on Xbox Design Lab, we are equally excited to introduce the newest member to the Shift series family - Cosmic Shift. These color-shifting top cases change color with light and motion - including the blue shimmer of Aqua Shift, silver-gold shimmer of Lunar Shift, blue-purple shimmer of Stellar Shift, and white-pink shimmer of Cosmic Shift.

At its core, the Shift series symbolizes the essence of exploring distinct realms, as each controller has a design story tied to traversing from one dimension to another. The blue shimmer of the Aqua Shift symbolizes the sea and its rhythmic tides. The silver-gold shimmer of the Lunar Shift embodies the captivating aura of the moon. The Stellar Shift transports us to the depths of space, where the deep purple and blue shimmer mimic the mysterious themes of the galaxy.

Moore Threads latest driver update, 230.40.0.1, is a noteworthy advancement, bringing many improvements and new features, most significantly introducing OpenGL 3.3 support. This inclusion is crucial, as this API was previously incompatible with MTT S70 and S80 GPUs, highlighting MTT's commitment to broadening user experience across various platforms and games. Moreover, the update offers substantial performance enhancements, with notable increases in frame rates in popular games. Valorant supposedly gets a 40% FPS improvement at 1080p, while Project CARS brings a 10% increase. Game engines such as CryEngine v5.7 also receive a 40% performance uplift. However, the release of only percentage improvements without specific framerate values calls for measured optimism, as the tangible impact on playability is yet to be assessed.

Equally important in this update is the emphasis on stability, with many popular titles seeing enhancements for a smoother and more reliable gaming experience. This focus underscores MTT's dedication to maintaining a robust and stable gaming environment on the Windows 10 operating system. Integrating 20 fixes and ongoing resolutions to existing issues mark this update as crucial for users aiming for a refined and seamless experience in graphics-intensive applications and games. The amalgamation of enhanced compatibility, heightened performance, and bolstered stability in this update is pivotal for users looking to maximize graphic and gaming capabilities.

This marks an incredible week for PC Game Pass members - on the heels of Starfield, highly anticipated titles Lies of P, Payday 3, and Party Animals all arrive this week - and October is shaping up sterling as well with the likes of Forza Motorsport and The Lamplighter's League. That's on top of well over a hundred more PC games available at your fingertips; sometimes the question is: where to start?

To help players find the right game for them, we asked one of our favorite variety streamers, Bruce Greene, to pick some of his favorites from the PC Game Pass library. Why him? "I've been playing PC games for 25 years and I'm super impressed by what's on PC Game Pass," he told me, as he shared his list. "When I was asked to pick games from PC Game Pass that you would recommend, I picked like 40 or 50 cause like there were so many good games on there and I had to pare them down which is hilarious. Being a curator, it's perfect for me."

Today we announced incredible AI experiences from across Microsoft and four new Surface devices. These products have been redesigned to reflect our longstanding commitment to integrating the voice of commercial customers. Our new Surface devices have been built for the needs and wants of end-users to be more productive, creative and collaborative while supporting the needs of IT professionals to deploy, manage and support these devices at scale through the lifecycle. With these new products, we not only bring new innovation and technology but are delivering on some of the most requested commercial features with more performance, improved security, manageability and repairability.

Each product brings unique value and features to meet the many needs of businesses, across industries and functions. Whether you are optimizing for frontline workers needing mobility and versatility, or developers and creators with graphic intensive needs, we have developed these products to ensure we deliver the value you need across your workforce.

Microsoft has revealed that it will phase out support for third-party printer drivers utilized by printing devices on Windows operating systems, thankfully this is not getting limited to Windows 11. Their update document states that: "the release of Windows 10 21H2, Windows offers inbox support for Mopria compliant printer devices over network and USB interfaces via the Microsoft IPP Class Driver. This removes the need for print device manufacturers to provide their own installers, drivers, utilities, and so on. Device experience customization is now available via the Print Support Apps that are distributed and automatically installed via the Windows Store."

A streamlined Windows print platform will be welcomed by folks who have had to deal with unreliable third-party drivers, operating system updates causing printers to stopping working, and getting older models to communicate with modern versions of Windows. Microsoft appears to be confident in their improved solution—the implementation of native support via updates has resulted in: "the end of servicing of the legacy v3 and v4 Windows printer drivers. As this is an impactful change, end of servicing will be staged over multiple years." Techradar has highlighted that the migration will not cause a complete lockout of legacy devices: "it's important to note that even when the switchover is complete, buyers will still have access to any existing third-party drivers. This means your old printer that's still kicking won't be rendered useless once support ends and only first-party drivers are updated."

Microsoft has quietly added WordPad to their list of "Deprecated features for Windows client," as of September 1—this classic word processor application has been part of their operating systems stretching back in time to Windows 95—when it debuted as Microsoft Write's successor. The announcement stated: "WordPad is no longer being updated and will be removed in a future release of Windows. We recommend Microsoft Word for rich text documents like.doc and.rtf and Windows Notepad for plain text documents like.txt." Updates for the bundled rich-text editing program ceased following UI tweaks introduced around the Windows 8 era.

Microsoft presents two alternative paths for the near future—naturally, one involves a paid 365 subscription—you can opt for Word. An online version is available at no cost, but it involves registration (with MS) and only functions as a web app. Notepad is the next best free-to-use native word processor—it has been modernized with new features, albeit via Windows 11. HotHardware has hyped it up: "One major update that users have been asking for was recently added to Notepad, that being the ability to open multiple tabs within the same session. Future updates include an autosave feature and the ability to restore previously open tabs as well as unsaved content and edits across those open tabs." Microsoft will be adding a snipping tool at some point, with the introduction of a: "combined capture bar, making it easier to switch between capturing screenshots and screen recordings without having to open the app."

Maxon, developers of professional software solutions for editors, filmmakers, motion designers, visual effects artists and creators of all types, is thrilled to announce the highly anticipated release of Cinebench 2024. This latest iteration of the industry-standard benchmarking software, which has been a cornerstone in computer performance evaluation for two decades, sets a new standard for performance evaluation, embracing cutting-edge technology to provide artists, designers, and creators with a more accurate and relevant representation of their hardware capabilities.

Redshift Rendering Engine Integration
Cinebench 2024 ushers in a new era by embracing the power of Redshift, Cinema 4D's default rendering engine. Unlike its predecessors, which utilized Cinema 4D's standard renderer, Cinebench 2024 utilizes the same render algorithms across both CPU and GPU implementations. This leap to the Redshift engine ensures that performance testing aligns seamlessly with the demands of modern creative workflows, delivering accurate and consistent results.

Ampere Computing, known for its Altra (Max) and upcoming AmpereOne families of AArch64 server processors tailored for data centers, has released a guide for enthusiasts on running Steam for Linux on these ARM64 processors. This includes using Steam Play (Proton) to play Windows games on these Linux-powered servers. Over the summer, Ampere Computing introduced a GitHub repository detailing the process of running Steam for Linux on their AArch64 platforms, including Steam Play/Proton. While the guide is primarily designed for Ampere Altra/Altra Max and AmpereOne hardware, it can be adapted for other 64-bit Arm platforms. However, a powerful processor is essential to appreciate the gaming experience truly. Additionally, for the 3D OpenGL/Vulkan graphics to function optimally, an Ampere workstation system is more suitable than a headless server.

The guide recommends the Ampere Altra Developer platform paired with an NVIDIA RTX A6000 series graphics card, which supports AArch64 proprietary drivers. The guide uses Box86 and Box64 to run Steam x86 binaries and other x86/x86-64 games for emulation. While there are other options like FEX-Emu and Hangover to enhance the Linux binary experience on AArch64, Box86/Box64 is the preferred choice for gaming on Ampere workstations, as indicated by its mention in Ampere Computing's Once the AArch64 Linux graphics drivers are accelerated and Box86/Box64 emulation is set up, users can install Steam for Linux. By activating Proton within Steam, it becomes feasible to play Windows-exclusive x86/x86-64 games on Ampere AArch64 workstations or server processors. However, the guide doesn't provide insights into the performance of such a configuration.

Explore the possibilities of what you can create on a bigger canvas with incredible detail (218 PPI) and true color accuracy. The ViewFinity S9 is Samsung's first 5K high resolution IPS display designed for creators (5,120 x 2,880). The 27-inch display offers DCI-P3 99% color gamut and 600 nits of brightness to deliver the color saturation and detail that brings your ideas to life. You can see improved image shadow and highlight details and preserve screen color accuracy with a Matte Display that works to drastically reduces light reflections.

ViewFinity S9 is also Pantone Validated, offering authentic reproduction of more than 2,000 Pantone colors and 100 Pantone SkinTone shades on screen. To customize the display calibration for different projects, the S9 can use your smartphone to adjust settings like DCI-P3 or sRGB color space, color temperature, luminance, and gamma. Smart Calibration allows for simple and intuitive customization without the need for additional, complex calibration tools.

Independent developer Free Range Games and publisher North Beach Games today announced the release date for their highly anticipated co-op survival crafting title, The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria, which will welcome Dwarves into the storied mines on Oct. 24 with a digital release for the PlayStation 5 computer entertainment system and Windows PC version via the Epic Games Store. The game will see a physical release for the PS5 at retail on Dec. 5, and is scheduled to release for the Xbox Series X|S console systems in early 2024. Eager adventurers can pre-order the title digitally starting today on PC via the Epic Games Store or wishlist the game on the PlayStation Store for PS5. Set in the Fourth Age of Middle-earth, the epic fantasy world created by J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria follows the Dwarves as they embark on unique adventures to reclaim and restore their Dwarven homeland of Moria.

The story of The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria takes players beyond the books and into the Fourth Age of Middle-earth, the fantastical world created by J.R.R. Tolkien. Summoned to the Misty Mountains by Lord Gimli Lockbearer, players take control of a company of Dwarves tasked to reclaim the lost spoils from the Dwarven homeland of Moria—known as Khazad-dûm or Dwarrowdelf—in the depths below their very feet. Their quest will require fortitude and teamwork, delving deep into the Mines of Moria to recover its treasures and in the hopes of one day restoring them to their former glory.

Microsoft Corp. today announced the following results for the quarter ended June 30, 2023, as compared to the corresponding period of last fiscal year:

• Revenue was $56.2 billion and increased 8% (up 10% in constant currency)
• Operating income was $24.3 billion and increased 18% (up 21% in constant currency)
• Net income was $20.1 billion and increased 20% (up 23% in constant currency)
• Diluted earnings per share was $2.69 and increased 21% (up 23% in constant currency)

"Organizations are asking not only how - but how fast - they can apply this next generation of AI to address the biggest opportunities and challenges they face - safely and responsibly," said Satya Nadella, chairman and chief executive officer of Microsoft. "We remain focused on leading the new AI platform shift, helping customers use the Microsoft Cloud to get the most value out of their digital spend, and driving operating leverage."

VisionTek Products LLC (VisionTek), a recognized leader in the field of high-performance upgrades and accessories for PCs and Macs, today announced the introduction of the VisionTek VT4950 KVM docking station. This innovative product is the upgraded successor to the previously celebrated VT4900 KVM docking station and is designed to enhance the workflow of users in today's professional and remote work environments. The VT4950 enables users to seamlessly swap between two connected Windows, Mac, or Chromebook host systems with up to three 4K displays, accessories, and peripherals through a single USB-C connection to each.

"The VT4950 simplifies the process of switching between systems, saving users valuable time and making their workflow more efficient," said Nick Bill, director of product development and product marketing. "This frees these users from the tedium of unplugging and reconnecting everything as they switch between systems, resulting in significant time savings."

Rapid loading and smooth navigation through endless open worlds has long been a goal of gamers and developers alike. Even with the incredible performance of NVMe SSDs, this goal has remained out of reach. Modern game engines have exceeded the capability of traditional storage APIs; a new generation of Input/Output (IO) architecture is needed.

Enter NVIDIA RTX IO, enabling fast GPU-based loading and game asset decompression, massively accelerating IO performance compared to hard drives and traditional storage APIs. NVIDIA RTX IO leverages GPU decompression for smaller data packages, enabling faster load times and lower CPU utilization, allowing developers to create a new generation of games with massive, highly detailed worlds. NVIDIA RTX IO makes its debut alongside the free Portal: Prelude RTX mod today, and will also feature in Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, launching July 26th.

JLab, a leading innovator in audio and technology, is thrilled to announce the highly anticipated launch of its Epic Wireless Keyboard in the United Kingdom. Combining exceptional performance with an array of features, this keyboard is set to revolutionize the way users work, create, and play. The Epic Wireless Keyboard is now available for purchase at Amazon and on JLab's official website for £69.99.

The Epic Wireless Keyboard is designed to seamlessly connect with devices through Bluetooth or a USB wireless dongle, providing users with flexibility and convenience. With the ability to switch between three saved devices, including laptops, phones, tablets, and more, users can effortlessly transition between these, eliminating the need for multiple keyboards and saving time.

The PC market is dominated by the Windows operating system. There are alternatives, but most commercial applications run Windows OS, and the usage for the average user makes sense. However, Linux users often dream of the "year of Linux on desktop," where Linux starts dominating the PC market and mass adoption starts. In reality, this isn't the case as most people use the default or install the Windows OS. Today, we learn that Linux broke the 3% market share number after 30 years of presence. Being the highest market share it ever recorded, the OSes based on the Linux kernel now represent 3.07% of the entire market.

The survey data conducted by StatCounter shows that Windows holds 68.23%, OS X for macOS holds 21.32, ChromeOS has a 4.13% share, while unknown OSes hold 3.24%. This includes BSD-based alternatives and others. It is worth noting that Linux adoption could be a part of Steam Deck, which runs on a SteamOS 3.0 distribution based on Arch Linux. It also includes a Proton compatibility layer, which helps Windows games run on Linux, so users have an easier time running their favorite applications.

The Windows Update Restored project was launched not along ago—this community led initiative aims to fill a gap, once occupied by official Microsoft support. The team wants to "restore the legacy Windows Update websites, (allowing) older operating systems (Windows 95, NT 4.0, 98, Me, 2000, and XP) to obtain updates like they used to." Volunteers have so far made the service available to users actively running Windows 95, 98 (& SE), and NT 4.0. Their system is currently limited to a clone of the Windows Update v3.1 website (of 1997 vintage). They hope to get Update v4 (2001) and Update v5 (2004) running in the future. It is stressed to visitors of the page that their project is not affiliated at all with Microsoft, and users are at risk of exposure to security exploits—given the outdated nature of older variants of Windows OS and the recreated update sources.

The Windows Update Restored mission statement reads: "Ever since 2011 when Microsoft pulled the plug on nearly all the Windows Update websites, the Windows Update feature for older Windows operating systems was no longer functional. The only way to install updates after that point was through external third-party installers which didn't cover all the updates that the operating system would fully support. So, with this project, we can now update operating systems as old as Windows 95 all the way through Windows XP RTM like we used to back in the day. The Windows Update Website provides users with security updates, optional updates, driver updates, and other types of software for the operating system. This project only restores the Windows Update website, not the Automatic Updates feature. To find out more about the Windows Update Website and what it does, follow this link."

Microsoft published its Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 23481 a few weeks ago. However, the latest build preview came with a big change, primarily targeting the File Explorer. Microsoft's File Explorer for Windows 11 serves as an interactive tool to explore files and access their locations. However, Microsoft developers have released a preview build for insiders that removes some folder options from File Explorer. The following will no longer appear under "Folder Options": Hide Folder Merge conflict; Always show icons, never thumbnails; Display file icon on thumbnails; Display file type information on Folder tips; Hide protected OS files; Show drive letters; Show popup description for Folder and Desktop items; Show encrypted or compressed NTFS files in color; Use sharing wizard.

The company explains the reason for these changes: "We are removing a handful of old settings under Folder Options in File Explorer as part of an effort to clean up the number of settings for File Explorer. Many of these are legacy settings that have been around for ages and are not being regularly used by people on Windows 11." However, there are some promising signs, as these settings can still be accessed via registry keys. It is not entirely gone, just much more difficult to enable.

Kensington, a worldwide leader of desktop computing and mobility solutions for IT, business, and home office professionals, today announced availability of the MK7500F QuietType Pro Silent Wireless Mechanical Keyboard with Meeting Controls (K72201). Ideal for use in noise-sensitive home or office work environments, the MK7500F delivers a combination of beauty, durability, and functionality, to provide professionals with a premium, quiet, typing experience.

Quieter, sturdier, and more tactile than mainstream membrane keyboards, the MK7500F features QuietType keys, which are 15db quieter than traditional mechanical office keyboards, and greatly reduce keystroke noise to minimize distractions during online meetings and in the surrounding workspace. Built-in meeting controls provide convenient camera and audio controls to simplify and optimize the virtual meeting experience when using popular conferencing applications such as Microsoft Teams and Zoom.

To help bridge the growing gap between modern systems and the legacy technology still in use around the world, global industrial computing specialists, OnLogic (www.onlogic.com), have released the Helix 511 Edge Computer. Designed for use in manufacturing, automation, energy management, and other edge and IoT applications, the Helix 511 easily interfaces with on-site systems thanks to a broad selection of modern and legacy connectivity options.

"We frequently have conversations with customers who are struggling to update their technology infrastructure simply because they can't connect existing systems to newer, more powerful and more capable devices," says OnLogic Product Manager, Hunter Golden. "The embedded computing space has traditionally lagged behind when it comes to adopting new technologies. We want to shift that paradigm while still allowing innovators to access and exchange data with their existing equipment. In many cases, you don't need to rip and replace everything, you just need a Helix 511."

PFU America, Inc., the U.S.-based subsidiary of PFU Limited and the leader in digital transformation solutions, today announced the launch of the RICOH Portable Monitor Series. Designed as an easily accessible, portable extra screen for enhanced creative collaboration, the new RICOH monitors feature vivid picture quality, a touch screen for drawing and writing, and the option of wired or wireless connectivity.

The RICOH Portable Monitor Series is available in two versions - a 150 wired model and the battery-powered 150BW wireless model. These new monitors are the world's lightest compared to other 15.6 inch touchable OLED products currently on the market, with the wired model weighing in at just over one pound - including the integrated stand, and despite having a touch display - with a super-slim bezel of less than one-fifth of an inch. Both monitors feature a 15.6" OLED display with exceptional image quality, including better contrast, higher brightness and rapid response time. Built for portability, two USB-C inputs near the center of the device enable easy connectivity to video display, or so that two devices connected wirelessly, such as a PC and a smartphone, can be connected at the same time, enabling switching between displays at the touch of a button. An integrated stand, cable management, and two integrated speakers make it easy to set up and manage power, input, and speaker controls.

Pursue your dream of an aviation career with Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024. This brand-new simulator is designed to take advantage of the latest technologies in simulation, cloud, machine learning, graphics and gaming to create the most sophisticated, immersive and awe-inspiring flight simulator of all time. To achieve this unprecedented level of accuracy, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 is powered by the significantly evolved Asobo Studio engine.

Available day one on Xbox Game Pass, PC Game Pass, Xbox Cloud Gaming, Windows 10/11, and Steam. Coming 2024. We look forward to sharing more information about Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 in the future.

Kensington, a worldwide leader of desktop computing and mobility solutions for IT, business, and home office professionals, today announced the expansion of its portfolio of innovative docking solutions for Microsoft Surface devices, with the launch of the SD5765T Thunderbolt 4 Dual 4K Docking Station. Kensington's portfolio of Designed for Surface (DfS) Thunderbolt 4, USB4 and USB-C docking stations enhance the usability of Surface devices to optimize the productivity of professionals and creatives.

Thunderbolt 4 Dock Adds Speed, Power, Video Options to Surface Devices
Designed to enhance the productivity of professionals using Thunderbolt based Surface devices running Windows, Kensington's new Plug-and-Play SD5765T Thunderbolt 4 Dual 4K Docking Station is an affordable, high-speed dock that enables users to connect multiple 4K monitors and accessories without using adapters.

Today, during the Summer Game Fest live showcase, Ubisoft announced Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, an action-adventure platformer game set in a mythological Persian world. Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown will release on 18th January, 2024 on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One, Amazon Luna as well as Windows PC through the Epic Games Store and the Ubisoft Store. Players can also subscribe to Ubisoft+ on PC, Xbox and Amazon Luna.

In this brand-new adventure, players will embody Sargon, a young, gifted warrior, and member of an elite group called The Immortals. As they are sent to rescue Prince Ghassan, they will explore Mount Qaf, a once wondrous place, now cursed and hostile. Sargon and his brothers-in-arms will soon discover that time itself will be a treacherous foe and that the world balance must be restored.