NVIDIA's high-TDP flagship GPU, the GeForce RTX 5090, appears to cause additional headaches for users, not including the high power bill. According to a Reddit user, we now have the first documented case of a melted power connector on NVIDIA's flagship GeForce RTX 5090 Founders Edition, reigniting concerns over high-wattage GPU safety from the last generation. While playing Battlefield 5, Reddit user ivan6953 detected a burning odor and immediately shut down their system, only to discover severe damage to both the RTX 5090's 12V-2×6 connector and their ASUS ROG Loki SFX-L PSU. The user had employed a Moddiy 12VHPWR cable, marketed as ATX 3.0/PCIe 5.0-compliant and rated for RTX 5090's 600 watts of power. Despite claims of secure installation—audible clicks at both ends—the cable melted at 500-520 W load, charring connectors on the GPU and PSU.

Notably, the same cable had powered an RTX 4090 FE for two years without issue. NVIDIA's RTX 5090 FE ships with a redesigned adapter featuring a longer, more flexible cable and an angled connector to reduce strain in compact builds. NVIDIA asserts that no incidents have occurred with its bundled adapter, emphasizing compliance with the updated 12V-2×6 standard, which shortens sensing pins to prevent power flow if connections loosen. Hence, an older connector can not provide 100% secure usage despite the user thinking that the sensing pins are touching properly.

The more I learn about the Living Lands of Avowed, an island ripe with riches, mystery, and magic, the more it feels like it's the Wild West of Eora. A frontier full of adventurers, mercenaries, and thieves, all looking to stake a claim—as a player, that's exactly where I want to be. It projects this unique, early-modern period look and feel where it's not quite medieval, but sophisticated enough that society is utilizing things like gunpowder and blast furnaces, with cultures developing their own distinct means of survival - much like moments in the history of our world. In talking with the team at Obsidian, I learned that all of this is intentional in its design, giving us a look at what a new frontier would look like if it were a first-person fantasy role-playing game. Borrowing elements from our world also helps to inform the "rules" Obsidian follows for crafting a player experience within the Living Lands, turning the dials just enough to give us something wholly unique, where souls are real and gods exist - but not necessarily in a way that we think of them.

"When you're informed by those two basic facts, it guides a lot about both the kind of content you develop and the tone and flavor you give it," explains Game Director Carrie Patel. "The flow of souls, the presence and existence of that energy, is key and core to life continuing in Eora in a way that will resonate with players who have been through Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire. We have a traditional pantheon in the world of Pillars, and you will get glimpses of some of these gods in Avowed." This all feeds into the various cultures you will encounter along the way—what's important to them (like their gods) is what gives life to the game. The Aedyrans, for example, are a nation that heavily values the ideas of rightful rule, leadership, and order—and now they're plopped into the greatest frontier of Eora. What would it look like as they start to try and blend in with the locals? It may be a small change in their outfit or adapting to how they choose to live. This "Wild West" attracts all sorts, and rigidity may not blend very well with what's required to survive the Living Lands.

NVIDIA unveiled its RTX Mega Geometry technology during their recent CES 2025 presentation, coinciding with the introduction of various new RTX branches. At the time, Team Green mentioned that Remedy Entertainment would be upgrading their Northlight Engine with RTX Mega Geometry technology. Last week, Digital Foundry published their early impressions of an enhanced version of Alan Wake 2, outlining "clear and measurable" improvements; especially with previous-gen GeForce RTX gaming hardware—in particular, on an RTX 4060 GPU. NVIDIA has released version 9.0 of their OptiX SDK—signalling a wider distribution of the Mega Geometry tech to game development and visualization houses. This new API, for building clusters, is advertised as being able to: "dramatically speed up BVH builds of large meshes."

Late last week, NVIDIA updated its Neural Texture Compression (NTC) toolkit BETA. RTXNTC version 0.5.0's quick start guide outlines the fundamental functions of Team Green's AI-enhanced image compression technology: "(an) algorithm designed to compress all PBR textures used for a single material together. It works best when the texture channels are correlated with each other, for example, detail in the albedo texture corresponds to detail in the normal texture. Up to 16 texture channels can be compressed into one NTC texture set. Typical PBR materials have 9-10 channels: 3x albedo, 3x normal, metalness, roughness, ambient occlusion, opacity."

The GameSir X3 Pro integrated cooler mobile controller merges an advanced cooling system with high-quality performance. It is designed to enhance your gaming comfort and elevate your gaming experience with extreme esports sensation. It's compatible with Android devices and iPhone 15 and above, supporting phones with a length of 110-180 mm. Now available in exclusive Deadpool edition.

Officially licensed by Marvel, this edition showcases Deadpool's iconic black and red color scheme, capturing the essence of the beloved anti-hero. Equipped with a 900 mm cooling plate, it delivers an impressive 12 W of cooling power, keeping your phone cool even during long gaming sessions or in high temperatures. The GameSir Hall Effect anti-drift sticks offer 360° precision control, providing seamless and pinpoint accuracy. Combined with their durability, they meet the high standards that gamers demand for a top-tier gaming experience.

Zotac has come up with a new way to fight graphics card scalping by starting a "Priority Access Campaign" on their Discord server, with a Zotac employee named Bryant making the announcement. The plan is simple and has only one main goal: to help regular buyers get a real chance of buying NVIDIA's new GeForce RTX 5080 and 5090 models at the right price. These cards have been almost impossible to get because they sell out fast and end up on resale sites at high prices. Zotac says it wants to use its online community to help real gamers, not scalpers.

The process is pretty straightforward, with users being selected based on engagement in discussions and various challenges. Then, using a random number generator, eligible buyers will be selected. The campaign is already active (is limited to users in the U.S.) with special Discord channels to give out RTX 5080 models (currently Zotac has only ten RTX 5080 cards) while the RTX 5090 isn't yet available. The company has insisted on warning scalpers; each card sold via this method will have its serial number recorded, and any user caught trying to resell it at a higher price will be permanently banned from any future Zotac direct sales events or raffles. Zotac isn't the first to try this approach, in the past, companies like Newegg and NVIDIA have used lottery systems or sold directly to customers to avoid scalpers. While there is no guarantee of completely avoiding scalpers, the action is commendable and it is possible that we will see similar actions from other brands or retailers in the future.

GAMEMAX, an emerging brand of PC gaming components including gaming cases and power supply units, announces the VISION GMX32UCDM gaming monitor. The VISION GMX32UCDM is the brand's first ever QD-OLED gaming monitor. It is a 31.5-inch 4K QD-OLED gaming monitor set to redefine immersive gaming with its ultra-fast 240 Hz refresh rate, delivering smooth, and blur-free visuals. Featuring a Samsung 3rd-gen QD-OLED panel, the VISION GMX32UCDM monitor offers rich colors and deep contrast without color shift or luminosity loss, as well as HDR support for enhanced image quality.

The VISION GMX32UCDM supports AMD FreeSync Premium Pro and NVIDIA G-SYNC, delivering tear-free gameplay with low latency. Additionally, flicker-free and low blue light technology help reduce eye strain during long gaming sessions. Designed for both gaming and professional creative work, the VISION GMX32UCDM QD-OLED monitor ensures unmatched color accuracy with factory calibration, achieving Delta E < 2 and 99% DCI-P3 color coverage. The enhanced Type-C port supports mobile work devices with 90 W power delivery for efficient reverse charging. A built-in headset stand adds convenience and organization, making it a perfect addition to any gaming setup.

The Sennheiser brand today announces the HD 505, a headphone crafted for listeners looking to elevate their love for audio to the next level of performance. With its blend of analytical tuning, precise detail, and enduring comfort, the HD 505 brings the essential Sennheiser experience to listening setups and gaming rigs of all kinds.

"The HD 505 is for anyone ready to experience the audio awakening a great set of Sennheiser headphones is known for," said Klaus Hanselmann, Sennheiser Audiophile Product Manager. "There is something truly special in here that puts serious listening within arm's reach of the emerging audiophile or gamer."

ASUS today announced the ASUS Cobble SSD enclosure, a stylish and durable external storage solution. Featuring a unique cobblestone-inspired design and IP55 water- and dust-resistance, ASUS Cobble combines stylish aesthetics with durable, reliable protection in the most demanding environments. The enclosure supports both M.2 NVMe PCIe and SATA SSDs, and features a USB-C 3.2 Gen 2x1 interface for superfast data transfer speeds of up to 10 Gbps. The tool-free design allows for easy installation, while broad compatibility with Windows 11, macOS, mobile devices, and game consoles makes ASUS Cobble perfect for gamers, professionals, and content creators.

The ASUS Cobble SSD enclosure has a sleek cobblestone-inspired design that's available in gray or black. Speckle-painting techniques enabled designers to incorporate organic textures and colors into the design, giving the enclosure a warm and natural aesthetic that perfectly complements any workspace or gaming setup. A special scratch-resistant coating offers a durable surface that protects the enclosure from minor impacts, and enables the sturdy metallic chassis to withstand high temperatures for long-lasting stability and reliability.

Yet another Brix mini PC from Gigabyte has hit the scene, powered by the very modest six-watt Intel N250 CPU. Undoubtedly, this mini PC is targeted at folks with modest computing demands. If the system's specifications are anything to go by, the BTIP-N250 is most likely to command an affordable price tag, although that cannot be said with certainty for now considering that Gigabyte is yet to reveal any pricing or availability details regarding the system.

As mentioned, the Intel N250 quad-core, quad-thread processors is not here to set any performance records. That said, the N250 is actually as performant as the Zen+ Ryzen 5 3500U, which means moderate workloads and office-based workflows are likely not going to be much of a challenge for the system. The processor can be paired with up to 16 GB of DDR5 memory, and the system supports M.2 as well as 2.5" drives to take care of storage requirements. Dual USB-C 3.2 Gen 2, dual USB-A 3.2 gen 2, HDMI, and audio in/out ports are also present. Wireless connectivity can be added via the M.2 2230 slot, while the 1G ethernet takes care of wired networking.

Docking stations are particularly useful for folks who own laptops with limited I/O. Having more ports is seldom a bad thing, and ORICO's latest 20-in-1 docking station packs excellent potential in that regard. As the name suggests, the product packs a total of 19 ports, split between its front and rear. The dock, dubbed the ORICO DKA22, is currently available on Amazon, commanding a price tag of $129.99.

At the rear, the dock sports dual USB-A 2.0, dual DisplayPort, HDMI, good old VGA, 1G Ethernet, and a USB-C port with 60 watts of power delivery. On the front, triple USB-A 3.0, dual USB-C 3.2 Gen 2, SD/TF, USB-A 2.0, and audio input, output, as well as combo jacks. A volume control knob is also present on the front, which is quite a neat addition. In terms of video output, the dock is capable of running dual four displays simultaneously, although only with the HDMI, VGA, and DP ports limited to 1080p60, while the remaining DP limited to 1080p30. For a detailed understanding of the supported video output configurations, please refer to the third embedded image.

A recent Cinebench R23 result portrayed the upcoming Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX lagging behind its predecessor by a few points in single-core performance, despite pulling well ahead in multicore performance. Now, the high-end Arrow Lake-HX chip has made its debut on Passmark, and the result appears quite enticing, to say the least. In single-core, the Core Ultra 9 275HX leads the i9 14900HX by around 10% - a fair generational uplift. In overall performance, however, the Core Ultra 9 275HX shines bright, pulling off a 33% lead over its predecessor. Of course, the actual improvements are likely to be lower, considering that the Passmark database contains over 1800 entries for Core i9 14900HX-powered systems with varying thermal capabilities, while only a single one so far for the 275HX.

For a refresher, the Core Ultra 9 275HX debuted at CES 2025, and packs 8 Lion Cove P-cores along with 16 Skymont E-cores. Intel has left Hyper-Threading in the rearview mirror with its Arrow Lake lineup, although the Passmark entry seems to suggest Arrow Lake-HX will do just fine without it. Unsurprisingly, for laptops, the performance of the system will boil down to its thermal capabilities, which basically means that there will be a plethora of systems where the 275HX will be unable to fully spread its wings. Besides that, as with all pre-release performance benchmark leaks, be sure to accept this information with a grain of salt. The Ryzen 7945HX3D is also left behind, albeit by a far smaller margin of just around 7% in overall performance. With the Ryzen 9 9955HX3D just around the corner, however, Intel's high-end laptop reign might be short-lived after all.

Welcome to week two of February, during which one of the oldest game franchises is launching its seventh iteration, although this time around it steps away quite a bit from its past versions, for better or worse. This is followed by some mayhem, Hollywood drama, an action co-op RPG, some classic side scrolling action with a lot of big guns and the week is rounded off with a JRPG.

Sid Meier's Civilization VII / This week's AAA release / Tuesday 11 February
In Civilization VII, your strategic decisions shape the unique cultural lineage of your evolving empire. Rule as one of many legendary leaders from throughout history and steer the course of your story by choosing a new civilization to represent your empire in each Age of human advancement. Steam link

The Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX was unveiled by Big Blue at CES 2025, packing 8 Lion Cove performance cores and 16 Skymont efficiency cores for a total of 24 cores and 24 threads, thanks to Intel doing away with Hyper-Threading support. As such, we already had quite low expectations for multicore performance from Arrow Lake-HX, although a recently listed Cinebench R23 run appears to confirm the contrary. However, considering the nature of leaks, be sure to accept this information with a fair amount of skepticism until more information comes our way.

To be honest, this result is quite a doozy, for the aforementioned reason. Like its predecessor, the Core Ultra 9 275HX will also boast the same number of performance and efficiency cores, without Hyper-Threading support. But somehow, the result indicates that the 275HX handily outperforms the Core i9-14900HX in multicore performance by ~11%, despite losing out in single-core performance by the skin of its teeth. Of course, there are plenty of desktop-replacement laptops that can pull off higher multicore scores, although it would be best to stick to median figures considering that the details of the tested system are not known. Clearly, something is going on here, that I am unable to wrap my head around. It is possible that Intel has massively improved multicore scaling, but that is not what we witnessed with a recent Passmark result, where the Core Ultra 7 255H portrayed healthy improvements over its predecessor in single-core, but not quite so in multicore.

If you want to learn to code, then take a look at this bundle that pairs Microsoft Visual Studio Pro 2022 with the 2025 Premium Learn to Code Certification Bundle. It's a comprehensive introduction to programming paired with an industry-standard tool for mobile and desktop app development. It's on sale for $49.97.

Visual Studio Pro is a 64-bit IDE from Microsoft that handles larger workloads and supports multiple languages and platforms. It's ideal for cross-platform app development with.NET MAUI and web UI creation using Blazor. It also supports development, debugging, and testing for.NET and C++ apps on Linux.

A lifetime license for Microsoft Visual Studio Pro 2022 and Lifetime Access to the 2025 Premium Learn to Code Certification Bundle is now available for $49.97 (reg. $1,999).

We frequently find ourselves stunned with the sheer number of mini PCs and SFF systems that are hitting the market as of late. This segment of the personal computing market is undeniably expanding at an unprecedented rate, clearly indicating a positive growth in interest surrounding compact systems. However, a majority of such SFF and mini PCs lack the advantage of being able to thermally afford discrete graphics, which makes them rely either on passable iGPU performance, or go the eGPU route. Thankfully, the list of eGPUs available on the market also appear to be on the rise, especially systems with OCuLink support, which allows for a comparatively low performance downgrade as compared to USB4.

GMKTec has now announced its latest offering for the segment, dubbed the AD-GP1. This eGPU, unlike many others, comes pre-installed with a Radeon RX 7600M XT GPU, which means that it is not upgradeable or replaceable down the road. The RDNA 3-based 7600M XT is a decently potent GPU, which is commonly found in gaming laptops. However, the GPU is paired with a paltry 8 GB of GDDR6 memory, which is might not be enough for a number of modern demanding titles, considering that AMD GPUs generally need more VRAM than NVIDIA counterparts (different texture compression methods, for the most part). In terms of ports, the AD-GP1 sports dual HDMI 2.1 ports, dual DisplayPort 2.0 ports, USB4, and the aforementioned OCuLink port. Priced at $460 on GMKTec's official website as of this writing, the AD-GP1 is an interesting option for those on the lookout for a mid-range eGPU with OCuLink support.

The list of potent mini PCs continues to expand, with the Minix NGC-NR6600 being one of the latest additions. The mid-range mini PC should be sufficiently potent for the majority of non-intensive workloads, and should be able to fly through daily workloads without breaking a sweat. The system is already available for purchase on Amazon, starting at $399 for the entry-level variant with 16 GB of memory and a 512 GB SSD. Specs-wise, the Minix mini PC appears to be a well-equipped system that should suffice for most moderately intensive workloads, as long as it is forgiving on the GPU side.

At its core, the Minix mini PC in question is powered by the AMD Ryzen 5 6600H APU with 6 Zen 3+ cores and 12 threads, which can be paired with up to 64 GB of DDR5-4800 memory, courtesy of dual SO-DIMM slots. The diminutive 5 x 5.12 x 1.97 inch chassis, unsurprisingly, lacks the physical space for the comfort of discrete graphics, and has to settle for the decently capable Radeon 660M with 6 CUs, although it is by no means sufficient for modern AAA gaming. Some lightweight gaming is not our of the question, though. A 512 GB SSD takes care of storage requirements, while a supplementary M.2 slot allows for expansion down the road, up to a whopping 8 TB. The system packs HDMI 2.1 (TMDS, so basically HDMI 2.0), DisplayPort 1.4, USB4, as well as dual 2.5G LAN ports.

At some point this week, HP's North American online store was updated with new high-end EliteBooks that feature AMD Strix Point APUs. Three models appear to support up to 128 GB of LPDDR5X-8533 memory—these curious entries were highlighted by tech enthusiast Hoang Anh Phu (AnhPhuH). The advertised maximum 8533 MT/s transfer rate exceeds Team Red's official reference figure (7500 MT/s) for the EliteBook X G1a's Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 APU. Looking further up in the Team Red "Strix Point" product stack, we spotted their Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375 spec sheet boasting a maximum LPDDR5x transfer speed of 8000 MT/s. Press outlets have expressed doubt when analyzing three of HP's EliteBook X G1a SKUs. Theories point to product pages containing possible placeholder information, or inaccuracies.

Working with the belief that the specs are legit, AnhPhuH commented: "this is the first laptop featured with 128 GB LPDDR5x-8533 128-bit memory. That would mean it's using four 256 Gb x32 modules(?!). As far as I know, all three major DRAM manufacturers currently only have 128 Gb x32 modules...the EliteBook X G1a uses Strix Point, not Strix Halo, so it only pairs with four x32 modules (two 64-bit channels)." HP's web shop states that the EliteBook X G1a models are due to launch on March 14. We hope that further clarification and concrete specifications appear online closer to release time. Initial pricing starts at $2749 for the lowliest of the three "128 GB LPDDR5X-8533" equipped models. The agonizingly named flagship "HP EliteBook X G1a 14 inch Notebook Next Gen AI PC Wolf Pro Security Edition" offering comes in at an eye-watering $4299.

25 years ago, The Sims made history with the first instalment of a legendary series that would go on to be one of the best-selling of all time. Few simulation games have enjoyed the success and longevity of The Sims—and the freedom and creativity to play with life however you want has afforded the series near-unrivalled appeal in the years since. This week, Electronic Arts is celebrating this milestone and the history of the series in a big way, which includes a huge The Sims 4 Free Content Update containing new Create a Sim options, clothing, Build/Buy Items and much more. The festivities will also include the limited-time Blast From The Past Event, which lets players earn revamped versions of iconic items from the original The Sims game via in-game goals.

We had the opportunity to chat with Kevin Gibson, Production Director for The Sims at EA. Gibson has been working in production roles across the franchise since 2003, and has first-hand experience of how the series has evolved in that time. The studio is abuzz with excitement about the franchise's birthday, and Gibson shares that digging deep into the series' past to rediscover nostalgic highlights has been extremely rewarding. "Our incredible players have shown us that no one does life like The Sims, and we wanted to celebrate this journey we have been on together," Gibson says. "25 years ago there was a game with an idea that made big a splash at E3, and look where we are today! We've been part of multiple generations and touched millions of lives.

Cristiano Amon, Qualcomm's Chief Executive Officer, made a major announcement during a recent company earnings call. Since late last year, technology news outlets have kept a collective eye trained on legal wranglings involving the mobile processor specialist and Arm Holdings. Qualcomm won a partial victory in December—a Delaware jury unanimously found that the: "use of Oryon cores in its Snapdragon X processors for client PCs did not violate its licensing agreements with Arm." However, said jury did not deliver a unanimous verdict on the trial's other lines of query—soon after concluding, Arm filed a motion for a new session.

According to a relatively new Reuters follow-up report, Arm has terminated one of its pursuits. During Wednesday's (February 5) meeting with industry analysts, the Qualcomm boss declared: "Arm recently notified us that it was withdrawing its October 22, 2024 notice of breach, and indicated that it has no current plan to terminate the Qualcomm architecture license agreement." Amon and his colleagues are likely celebrating this development, as well as claimed "positive growth" for Snapdragon X Elite-powered devices. Industry watchdogs believe that Arm could file for a retrial in the near future. According to The Register, the two companies are due to face-off again—albeit under different circumstances: "Qualcomm continues to pursue another case against Arm, alleging the UK outfit didn't honor some of its contractual obligations. Arm reckons that matter will reach the courts in the first half of 2026."

Razer has solidified its position as the ultimate choice for esports professionals with the Razer Viper V3 Pro officially crowned the #1 most-used gaming mouse by esports pros, according to Prosettings.net (as of December 2024). This monumental achievement completes our pro peripherals trifecta of dominance, with the Razer BlackShark V2 Pro reigning as the #1 most used esports headset as of December 2024 and the Razer Huntsman V3 Pro TKL leading as the #1 most used esports keyboard as of December 2024.

What Sets the Razer Viper V3 Pro Apart
Razer's long-standing dedication to esports innovation has led to the creation of groundbreaking gear trusted by champions. The Razer Viper V3 Pro is not just another gaming mouse; its precision-engineered excellence is designed for, and by, esports pro athletes. From its ultra-lightweight form to next-gen sensor, the Razer Viper V3 Pro is meticulously engineered to meet the uncompromising demands of competitive gaming where a single millisecond makes all the difference. Extensive feedback on shape, weight, button placement and feel of switches were taken from pro players, with more than 45 of them testing the mouse across major tournaments such as the BLAST Fall Finals 2024 Copenhagen. We listened—and the result is a mouse that transcends expectations. Read more about "The Rise of the Razer Viper V3 Pro" on Prosettings.net.

Supply chain and board partner (AIB) insiders have once again signalled a murky future for Team Green's "Ada Lovelace" generation of gaming graphics cards—Chinese industry soothsayers believe that supplies of GeForce RTX 4060 GPUs will change significantly throughout February. A somewhat similar disclosure popped up online half-way through January—when members of the Board Channels discussion board predicted an end of the month stock depletion of NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 GPUs. Several web entities believe that NVIDIA is paving the way for a next wave of GeForce RTX 50-series "Blackwell" graphics cards.

Gory details appeared on Board Channels—yesterday morning's China market-focused bulletin stated: "supply of the main models of the RTX 4060 series will be greatly reduced from the first quarter of 2025, that is, from February 2025 in the domestic market, NVIDIA's supply of RTX4060 series GPUs will be greatly reduced, which is at least 60% less than the estimated Q4 of 2024." Team Green and its partners are reportedly working on a March launch window for GeForce RTX 5060 (non-Ti) and RTX 5060 Ti graphics card models—neatly aligning with the RTX 4060-related timeframes proposed by industry insiders. The Board Channels article added further clarification: "the number of GPUs that each core AIC brand manufacturer can get from NVIDIA will be greatly reduced."

The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) today announced global semiconductor sales hit $627.6 billion in 2024, an increase of 19.1% compared to the 2023 total of $526.8 billion. Additionally, fourth-quarter sales of $170.9 billion were 17.1% more than the fourth quarter of 2023, and 3.0% higher than the third quarter of 2024. And global sales for the month of December 2024 were $57.0 billion, a decrease of 1.2% compared to the November 2024 total. Monthly sales are compiled by the World Semiconductor Trade Statistics (WSTS) organization and represent a three-month moving average. SIA represents 99% of the U.S. semiconductor industry by revenue and nearly two-thirds of non-U.S. chip firms.

"The global semiconductor market experienced its highest-ever sales year in 2024, topping $600 billion in annual sales for the first time, and double-digit market growth is projected for 2025," said John Neuffer, SIA president and CEO. "Semiconductors enable virtually all modern technologies - including medical devices, communications, defense applications, AI, advanced transportation, and countless others - and the long-term industry outlook is incredibly strong."

Keep Driving is finally out! It's hard to express how it feels releasing a game we've worked on since 2016. We failed once, put it on ice, came back to it and devoted all our effort to make it happen. It's been helluva project, much bigger than we initially thought it would be, but we're incredibly proud to finally say: IT'S OUT! Thanks so much to all of you who have come on this ride with us in the months since we announced. When we revealed our game last fall, we would've never thought we'd have this much support at launch. We really hope you enjoy this game, we've worked so hard on making it.

What is Keep Driving?
Keep Driving is a management RPG about slowly making your way through a procedurally generated pixel art open world. Pick up hitchhikers with their own personalities and stories; upgrade, customize and repair your car. Solve challenges on the road using a unique turn-based "combat" system, using your own skills and whatever's lying around in the glovebox to make it through and explore your summer possibilities.

So far, this Friday (February 7) has been a bumper day for Intel CPU-related leaks. Golden Pig Upgrade and Jaykihn appear to be in competition with each other—they have uncovered all manner of speculative treasures across desktop and mobile segments. The latest revelation provides an early insight into unannounced feline-themed next-gen CPUs, courtesy of a Jaykihn social media post. Team Blue's Panther Lake processor family is slated for launch within the latter half of 2025—Intel officially stated that it would be their "lead product" on 18A. Older rumors had the "mobile-exclusive" Panther Lake processor family linked to a mixed configuration of new "Cougar Cove" P-cores and updated "Skymont" E-cores. According to today's leak, a variety of core configurations and feature sets are in the pipeline.

Jaykihn has listed three Panther Lake SKUs, and a "more mainstream" lower-end Wildcat Lake model. Common features include support for Thunderbolt 4 connectivity and LPDDR5X memory. Team Blue's rumored highest-end Panther Lake-H (PTL-H) processor appears to max out with a grand total of sixteen cores—consisting of 4 P-cores, 8 E-Cores, and 4 LP cores. The integrated graphics solution is (allegedly) a 12 core Xe3 "Celestial" GPU, with support for LPDDR5X memory—it is the only one on the list to completely jettison DDR5 compatibility. Insiders believe that the total platform (TOPS) rating is 180. As interpreted by VideoCardz, a 12-core "Panther Lake-U" (PTL-U) SKU is reportedly free of efficiency (E) units. The sole Wildcat Lake (WCL) model seems to sport a 2 P-core, 4-LP, and 2-Xe3 configuration.

The NVIDIA RTX 50-series witnessed quite a contentious launch, to say the least. Hindered by abysmal availability, controversial generational improvement, and whacky marketing tactics by Team Green, it would be safe to say a lot of passionate gamers were left utterly disappointed. That said, while the desktop cards have been the talk of the town as of late, the RTX 50 Laptop counterparts are yet to make headlines. Occasional leaks do appear on the interwebs, the latest one of which seems to indicate the 3D Mark Time Spy performance for the RTX 5080 Laptop GPU. And the results are - well, debatable.

We do know that the RTX 5080 Laptop GPU will feature 7680 CUDA cores, a shockingly modest increase over its predecessor. Considering that we did not get a node shrink this time around, the architectural improvements appear to be rather minimal, going by the tests conducted so far. Of course, the biggest boost in performance will likely be afforded by GDDR7 memory, utilizing a 256-bit bus, compared its predecessor's GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus. In 3D Mark's Time Spy DX12 test, which is somewhat of an outdated benchmark, the RTX 5080 Laptop managed roughly around 21,900 points. The RTX 4080 Laptop, on an average, rakes in around 18,200 points, putting the RTX 5080 Laptop ahead by almost 19%. The RTX 4090 Laptop is also left behind, by around 5%.

Is this week even real?! After 3+ years of pouring our hearts into each beat, and a DECADE after launching Crypt of the NecroDancer, we've hit the launch button! Rift of the NecroDancer is Out Now! 3...2...1... LET'S GO! The Rift is fully open for battle! The NecroDancer's back in an all-new rhythm game! Dragged into a strange new world, Cadence must engage in musical combat with monsters surging through the Rift! Face pulse-pounding Rhythm Rifts where every beat is a battle, all set to an original soundtrack by Danny Baranowsky and friends.

What YOU Think
We really wanna know! Come join our Discord for maximum launch hype vibes! We're also on Bluesky now too! We'll also be closely monitoring in-game bug reports. This is just the beginning for Rift, and we're so excited to be on this journey with y'all! You can also hang with us during our livestreams. P.S. The best way to support us is to grab the game during launch week, but if you wanna go the extra mile, we've also released a Supporter Upgrade with a couple cute cosmetics

Intel is reported to be eyeing a revival of its "Arrow Lake Refresh" desktop processor design—Golden Pig Upgrade disclosed this "strange" revelation via an updated Weibo blog post. Back in 2023, the Chinese hardware reviewer and leaker extraordinaire theorized that Team Blue's much-rumored shelving of "ARL-S/HX Refresh" came down to cost/benefit considerations relating to accommodating an upgraded NPU in the chip's tile-based design. Last September, reports suggested that Intel had put the final kibosh on a 14th Gen Core Ultra 8P+32E "Arrow Lake Refresh" processor series—leaked roadmaps had a launch window marked down for late 2025, going into 2026. Industry watchdogs have picked up on Golden Pig Upgrade's latest forecast—prompting further theorizing.

Intel has its mobile segment's future covered with Panther Lake (later in 2025) and Nova Lake (2026), but a notable gap exists in their desktop world. Nova Lake's desktop S-series is slated for launch at some point in 2026, so this year could be prime territory for a mild refresh of existing Arrow Lake-S processors—on the LGA1851 socket. Golden Pig Upgrade reckons that refreshes of ARL-S (desktop) and ARL-HX (high-end laptop) are back on Team Blue's upcoming product roadmap. Industry moles reckon that an updated NPU design—potentially similar to the one housed in Lunar Lake mobile chips—will be the only major upgrade lined up for the so-called "Core Ultra 300" processor series. Intel's current-gen flagship model—Core Ultra 9 285K—has NPU performance topping off at 13 TOPS. Refreshed Arrow Lake SKUs could be deployed with an improved NPU aspect, perhaps capable of hitting 48 TOPS.

The Nintendo Switch 2, in all likelihood, is set to see the light of day on the 2nd of April at Nintendo Direct. Among the many rumored features, mouse-like functionality for the Joy-Cons have graced the interwebs quite a few times now. In the recently uploaded Switch 2 teaser video on YouTube, a portion of the video showed the Joy-Cons sliding on a surface akin to a tracking device, which added credibility to the aforementioned rumors. A recently uploaded patent filing also seems to confirm mouse-like functionality for the Joy-Cons, making the possibility all the more likely.

The patent reveals that Nintendo intends to allow the Joy-Cons to be used like a mouse with the help of laser tracking underneath, with the shoulder triggers cosplaying as the left and right mouse buttons. The drawings seem to indicate that the analogue sticks will be functional even in mouse mode, while another image portrays both the Joy-Cons being used in mouse mode with the user's thumbs on the analogue sticks. Using one Joy-Con in traditional mode, while the other in mouse mode also seems to be possible, which would be quite helpful for FPS games, at least in my opinion. Of course, it is entirely possible for a patent to never see the light of day in action, but considering that Nintendo themselves hinted at such functionality in the official teaser, the probability is enticing for sure.

Intel's upcoming "Nova Lake" desktop processors are taking shape slowly, featuring a three-tier core design that could reach 52 total cores. Set for 2026, the flagship SKU combines 16 "Coyote Cove" P-cores with 32 "Arctic Wolf" E-cores, supplemented by 4 LPE-cores for background task management. Intel is reportedly also considering 28-core (8P + 16E + 4LPE), and 16-core (4P + 8E + 4LPE) SKUs too. The architectural design choice centers on Intel's hybrid manufacturing approach, leveraging both its internal 14A node and TSMC's 2 nm process technology. This strategic decision addresses supply chain resilience while potentially enabling higher yields for critical compute tiles. Intel's interim co-CEO Michelle Johnston Holthaus noted that Intel Foundry will need to earn Intel Product's trust with each new node, so if a node is not the best for their in-house IP, Intel will move to TSMC for production.

Initial engineering samples are already circulating among developers, according to shipping documentation from NBD, suggesting the validation phase is proceeding on schedule. Some specifications point to significant cache improvements, with documentation suggesting a 144 MB L3 cache implementation. However, the cache topology—whether unified or segmented—remains unspecified. The platform is expected to support PCIe Gen 6.0, though Intel has yet to confirm socket compatibility or memory specifications. However, we need to hold our expectations low. Previously unrealized configurations in Intel's roadmaps, like 40-core "Arrow Lake," never materialized, and instead, we got an eight-P-core version with 16 E-cores, totaling 24 cores. Final specifications may evolve as the platform progresses through development phases.

The mini PC market has grown substantially in the past few years, in no small part thanks to the commendable performance and efficiency improvements brought to the table by the x86 giants. Gigabyte has unveiled its fair share of such systems, with its latest offering sporting an Intel Core Ultra 5 225H CPU paired with up to a whopping 96 GB of memory. As of right now, we do not have any concrete information regarding when the system will be made available to the public, and at what price. But given the system specifications and Gigabyte's track record, we can expect the system to command an affordable price tag.

As mentioned, the mini PC, dubbed the GB-BRU5-225H, is powered by the Intel Core Ultra 5 225H CPU including four high-performance "Lion Cove" cores, eight high-efficiency "Skymont" cores, as well as two additional "low power" cores for a total of 14 cores and 14 threads. The 12.6 x 3.4 x 11.9 cm mini PC has no room for discrete graphics, and has to rely on the integrated Arc 130T iGPU with eight Xe cores. The system can be equipped with up to 96 GB of DDR5-6400 memory courtesy of its dual SO-DIMM slots. Considering the specifications, the mini PC should be sufficiently potent for the vast majority of moderately intensive workloads thrown its way.

Ride like a lord, not a common stable hand. Join PROS and claim the Lord of Skalitz Caparison as your welcome reward. What is PROS? PROS is our optional account system, allowing us to create a community program which you can sign up to in order to get the latest news and rewards from Deep Silver.

What can I get for signing up to PROS for Kingdom Come: Deliverance II?
As a welcome reward for joining the program, all players will receive the Lord of Skalitz caparison. There will be additional rewards and Twitch drops over the next few months, so keep an eye on the in-game message of the day, follow us on social, and/or sign up to our community emails for more info.

Where can I access my PROS items?
PROS rewards can be found in your shared stash after completing the mission "Laboratores." These shared stashed can be found when purchasing lodging that includes shared stash in selected taverns; or by following the main quest line, where they can be found in your shared stash, which is in the room the local miller and blacksmith let you use after you complete the first part of their quests.

Ever since Apple graced the industry with its M-series chips, Windows enthusiasts have been holding out for a similar Arm-powered revolution for Windows laptops. Qualcomm attempted to do just that with its Snapdragon X Elite chip, advertising performance and efficiency that trades blows with Apple Silicon, while outpacing x86-based laptops in battery life. In reality, the X Elite SoC did bring impressive efficiency to the table, although its CPU performance and efficiency were soon bested by AMD's offerings, while the Adreno iGPU struggled to keep up with even last-gen counterparts since day-one.

Moreover, software compatibility was a major hurdle, making the X Elite systems borderline unusable for professionals with specific requirements that do not have Arm-native alternatives. As a result, the X Elite laptops had a sub 1% market share last fall - a daunting figure considering that Qualcomm had initially targeted 30 - 50% market share by 2029. That said, the story appears to be taking somewhat of a positive turn, with CEO Christiano Amon asserting that Snapdragon X-powered laptops accounted for over 10% of all $800+ laptops sold in December, in the US. Of course, the statement clearly addresses a very specific segment of the market, which makes the 10%+ number more modest that it may appear on paper.

Mid-way through January, insider sources reckoned that AMD's China-exclusive Radeon RX 6750 GRE 10 GB GPU was on the way out—a rumored successor was seemingly in line to replace this popular budget-friendly RDNA 2-based model. According to VideoCardz, Team Red's latest "Golden Rabbit Edition" design has launched—exclusively for a China-based buying audience. Team Red and its local board partners have produced a plethora of Radeon RX 7650 GRE 8 GB custom models—reports suggest that a reference model (MBA) does not exist. Several manufacturers have models readied for launch, including: ASRock, ASUS, PowerColor, Sapphire, Yeston and VASTARMOR. Official MSRP for the region is 2099 yuan (~$289 USD). In the West, original launch pricing for the Radeon RX 7600 was $269. The fancier Radeon RX 7600 XT was priced at $329 on day one.

Roughly a year ago, AMD decided against releasing its (RDNA 3) Radeon RX 7600 XT 16 GB GPU in China. Their Radeon RX 7600 (non-XT) 8 GB model did make it to China, but it was largely overshadowed by older tech—mainly Team Red's compellingly priced Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB and 10 GB cards. Spec-wise, the Radeon RX 7650 GRE sits somewhere in-between its two "Hotpink Bonefish" Navi 33 siblings. All three cards share the same number of compute units (32 CUs), but differ in terms of boost clocks and thermal design power ratings. The GRE features a max. boost clock speed of 2695 MHz and a board TDP of 170 W—just a nudge over the Radeon RX 7600's 2655 MHz boost capability and 165 W board power rating. Both cards are frugal enough to rely on a single 8-pin power connector. By contrast, the hungrier 190 W TDP-rated Radeon RX 7600 XT sports two 8-pin inputs—this GPU can boost up to 2755 MHz. VideoCardz has kindly assembled a comparison chart (see below).

Altergaze is thrilled to announce that HoverGrease 2 will be part of Steam Next Fest: February 2025, giving players the first chance to experience the adrenaline-fueled action of its single-player campaign and 5v5 multiplayer mode during special weekend playtests. This is the first opportunity to dive into HoverGrease 2 and explore its high-speed combat, deep strategy, and diverse mutant roster ahead of launch.

Whether you prefer mastering a story-driven campaign or testing your skills in competitive multiplayer, the demo offers something for every player.

Phanteks, a leading innovator in custom PC water-cooling solutions, today announce its upcoming designed for NVIDIA's flagship GeForce RTX 5090 and all major third-party GPU brands. These new water blocks embody Phanteks' dedication to premium cooling solutions, combining top-tier performance with effortless installation.
Featuring the EZ-Fit system with fittings already integrated, they offer a true plug-and-play experience while delivering exceptional thermal
efficiency—perfect for enthusiasts and overclockers demanding peak cooling performance.

Sports Interactive regret to inform that, following extensive internal discussion and careful consideration with SEGA, we have made the difficult decision to cancel Football Manager 25 and shift our focus to the next release. For the large numbers of you who pre-ordered FM25, we thank you enormously for your trust and support—we're very sorry to have let you down. Please see the FAQs below on obtaining your refund. We know this will come as a huge disappointment, especially given that the release date has already moved twice, and you have been eagerly anticipating the first gameplay reveal. We can only apologize for the time it has taken to communicate this decision. Due to stakeholder compliance, including legal and financial regulations, today was the earliest date that we could issue this statement.

Development Update: Football Manager 25
We have always prided ourselves on delivering the best value for money games that bring you countless hours of enjoyment, that feel worth every moment and every penny you spend. With the launch of FM25 we set out to create the biggest technical and visual advancement in the series for a generation, laying the building blocks for a new era. Due to a variety of challenges that we've been open about to date, and many more unforeseen, we currently haven't achieved what we set out to do in enough areas of the game, despite the phenomenal efforts of our team. Each decision to delay the release was made with the aim of getting the game closer to the desired level but, as we approached critical milestones at the turn of the year, it became unmistakably clear that we would not achieve the standard required, even with the adjusted timeline.

A change in leadership at GlobalFoundries could affect Intel's ongoing CEO hunt as Tim Breen will become GlobalFoundries' new CEO on April 28, 2025, while current CEO Thomas Caulfield will move to Executive Chairman. This switch has got people in the industry talking about whether Caulfield might play a role at Intel or its foundry operations in the future. Caulfield has done well at GlobalFoundries since 2018, he helped the company make money in 2019 by shifting away from making the newest chips to focus on making special semiconductors. This success happened without counting money from selling facilities to ON Semiconductor and Vanguard International Semiconductor.

However, some industry experts point out a possible weak spot in Caulfield's background. While he knows a lot about materials science and engineering, he doesn't have much experience designing integrated circuits, according to BITS&CHIPS. The timing matters a lot for Intel, which has some big tech goals coming up like their new Panther Lake processor set to come out in late 2025 and will use Intel's 18A process node. Both the 18A and 14A nodes need to succeed for Intel's manufacturing future to be strong. Bloomberg reported that Intel is currently focusing on external candidates for its CEO position, among the people under consideration are Marvel's CEO Matt Murphy and Lip-Bow Tan, former Cadence CEO and also a former member of Intel's board.

QNAP Systems, Inc., a leading computing, and storage solutions innovator, has expanded its diverse portfolio of short-depth NAS products designed for edge storage. The new 1U short-depth rackmount 4-bay 2.5GbE NAS TS-h765eU features a shorter chassis depth and is perfect for small media cabinets and wall-mounted network racks in space-constrained office environments or industrial settings. The TS-h765eU is a long-term supply model till 2031, making it a reliable NAS choice for organizations planning long-term projects or multi-site deployments.

The TS-h765eU combines robust performance, multitasking capabilities, and great I/O expandability to meet diverse application requirements. It features the latest Intel Atom x7000C Series processor, supports built-in 8 GB DDR5 RAM, upgradable to 16 GB (In-Band ECC), has dual 2.5GbE ports, and provides four 3.5-inch SATA drive bays and three E1.S/M.2 PCIe NVMe slots for installing E1.S/M.2 2280 SSDs to enhance read/write performance or upgrading to 10GbE using E1.S interface network modules. Running the ZFS-based QuTS hero operating system, the TS-h765eU prioritizes data integrity, immutability with WORM protection, and powerful data reduction.

Acer today announced the expansion of its Predator Helios Neo portfolio with the all-new Predator Helios Neo 16 AI and Predator Helios Neo 18 AI gaming laptops. These cutting-edge devices are powered by up to an Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX processor and up to an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Laptop GPU, built to deliver game-changing AI capabilities for players entering the next era of gaming with these accessible, power-driven devices.

Powered by NVIDIA Blackwell, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 50 Series Laptop 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. Multiply performance with NVIDIA DLSS 4, generate images at unprecedented speed, and unleash creativity with NVIDIA Studio. Plus, access NVIDIA NIM microservices - state-of-the-art AI models that let enthusiasts and developers build AI assistants, agents, and workflows with peak performance on NIM-ready systems.

Hackers successfully cracked the Linux version of Sid Meier's Civilization VII four days before its scheduled February 11 release. The compromise stems from the Linux build's DRM-free architecture, which contrasts its Windows counterpart's Denuvo anti-tampering protection. The cracked version, identified under the signature "Linux-Razor1911," has proliferated across multiple file-sharing networks and torrents, presenting immediate challenges for publisher 2K and developer Firaxis Games. The straightforward exploitation process utilizes standard Linux mounting protocols and executable script deployment. While the crack enables immediate access to the base game, circumventing official distribution channels could compromise essential network features and post-launch stability patches.

The persistent vulnerability of DRM-free releases on alternative operating systems potentially influences future platform support strategies among major publishers. Widespread pre-release piracy could significantly impact initial sales figures and threaten future native Linux port development. Firaxis Games and 2K, game publishers, are presumably investigating the crack, though the DRM-free nature of the Linux release limits their immediate response options. As the official launch approaches, this incident shows the ongoing challenge of balancing platform-specific security measures with maintaining broad operating system support in modern game development. While the SteamOS and Linux community represent a significantly smaller market than Windows gamers, it still has a noticeable impact on publishers relying on sales from all compatible platforms.

ASUS China has launched an extensive customer support program addressing potential graphics card damage linked to its PCIe Q-Release Slim mechanism. The initiative includes full motherboard replacements, compensation packages, and warranty coverage for affected customers. The compensation package encompasses a 200 RMB ($27) store credit and complete motherboard replacement for affected units across multiple product lines, including the Z790, B860, Z890, B850, and X870 series motherboards. Particularly, the affected motherboard lineup includes high-end models like the ROG Maximus Z890 Extreme and ROG Crosshair X870E Hero. The controversy centers on the mechanism's internal peg design, which reportedly can affect graphics card PCIe connectors during repeated installation and removal cycles.

ASUS China has confirmed the development of a revised Q-Release Slim design, though no specific timeline has been announced. Warranty coverage varies by graphics card manufacturer. ASUS and MSI have committed to priority repairs and free card replacements for both PCB wear and gold finger damage when repairs prove unsuccessful. However, Gigabyte and Colorful cards require evaluation at repair centers before determining coverage eligibility. This regional response contrasts sharply with ASUS's US position, which maintains that internal testing shows no correlation between the Q-Release Slim mechanism and graphics card damage. While ASUS continues to defend the mechanism's design integrity internationally, its comprehensive response in the Chinese market suggests a more cautious approach to potential hardware compatibility issues. We must wait and see if the worldwide ASUS position will change in the coming days and if the North American department issues any different response.

BIOSTAR, a leading manufacturer of motherboards, graphics cards, PC peripherals, and IPC solutions, proudly unveils the B860MT-E PRO motherboard, designed to meet the growing needs of modern office users, home entertainment, and mid-range gaming. The B860MT-E PRO, built on Intel's B860 single-chip architecture, supports Intel Core Ultra 9/7/5 processors, providing outstanding performance and advanced AI PC features for seamless computing, entertainment, and gaming. With support for up to 256 GB of 4-DIMM DDR5 memory, it effortlessly handles heavy multitasking and demanding generative AI applications.

Featuring PCIe 5.0 M.2, the latest storage technology, it offers a significant performance boost—doubling the speed of its predecessor with a data transfer rate of up to 32 GT/s and a maximum bandwidth of 128 GB/s for smooth, high-speed communication. Backward compatibility ensures a seamless user experience for those upgrading their systems.

Silicon Motion Technology Corporation, a global leader in designing and marketing NAND flash controllers for solid-state storage devices, today proudly announces its PCIe Gen 4 SSD controller has achieved ASPICE Capability Level 3 (CL3) after assessment by UL Solutions, positioning Silicon Motion as the world's first SSD controller vendor to achieve this milestone. This certification highlights the company's capability to not only manage individual projects effectively but also establish organization-wide standardized workflows, creating process assets at the corporate level.

"The rise of software-defined vehicles and advancements in autonomous vehicles have made software quality control more critical than ever," said Nelson Duann, Senior VP of Client & Automotive Storage Business. "This CL3 achievement underscores our commitment to exceeding the rigorous standards of the automotive industry. Our expanding market presence and growing portfolio reflect our dedication to innovation, delivering solutions that shape the future of automobiles. As a trusted partner, we remain focused on upholding the highest standards of quality, safety, and efficiency for automotive customers worldwide."

ASRock told PCMag it plans to move some of its production out of China. "We need time to shift the manufacturing of GPU cards and other products hit by the 10% tariff to different countries," they said. This week, the White House put a 10% tax on all Chinese imports to the US, this tax applies on top of any other taxes the US already had on certain Chinese goods. ASRock also said, "While we move from making things in China to making them elsewhere, we might take on some of the cost and raise prices a bit to show the higher costs." But they added, "It's not easy to raise prices because the market is still very competitive." ASRock also told PCMag that it already pays a 25% tax on its power supplies made in China. "For items like PSUs that already have an extra 25% tax, makers will keep doing what they've been doing," the company said.

If Trump administration doesn't follow through with his threats of huge tariffs against Taiwan, the PC gaming industry will primarily feel the effects on companies like ASRock and MSI (which makes its motherboards in Shenzhen, China). These are the component and peripheral makers that have part or all of their manufacturing processes in China. ASRock's announcement isn't a huge surprise, as we saw hints of this trend in late 2024 when PC Partner (second-biggest graphics card maker, producing PCBs for brands such as Inno3D and Zotac) moved its headquarters from China to Singapore. It will be no surprise if other top-tier brands such as GIGABYTE, MSI, and ASUS take similar actions sooner or later.

Hey hunters, how's it going? February is here, which means we are officially in the launch month of Monster Hunter Wilds! On February 28, your journey into the Forbidden Lands begins. Now, to help ensure you have a satisfying, fun experience come launch, we're pleased to share that the Monster Hunter Wilds Benchmark we'd previously mentioned we were looking into, is real, it's ready, and it's live from right now for you to try!

With the Monster Hunter Wilds Benchmark, we want to help our PC players feel more confident about how their PC will run Monster Hunter Wilds. In the next section, we're going to explain what the Monster Hunter Wilds Benchmark is, how it works, as well as some important information and differences you'll see between this and the Open Beta Test 1 and 2 experiences, so please take a moment to check it out.

As documented on the Linus Tech Tips (LTT) subreddit, a lucky customer presented their freshly-delivered Founders Edition (FE) GeForce RTX 5080 graphics card model. Newly registered member, EssDee3D, had much to celebrate—having acquired launch stock, presumably at a non-scalped price—but they were confused by their package's contents. A question was pushed out to the LTT community: "can someone explain what happened here? Direct from NVIDIA...I ordered an RTX 5080, and I got a graphics card with 5090 engraved on it. The outer box has the 5080 SKU on it. Wondering if anyone else has seen something like this before?" Unique circumstances—possibly caused by a mix-up during the manufacturing process—have produced an oddball hybrid. EssDee3D proceeded to add this curiosity to their PC build—following an absorption of (very mixed) feedback from other LTT members. Basic diagnostics—performed in a Windows OS environment—revealed that the card in question housed a bog-standard GeForce RTX 5080 GB203-based GPU.

NVIDIA's two Founders Edition shroud designs—for its GeForce RTX 5090 and 5080 SKUs—look nigh identical. TechPowerUp's resident graphics card reviewer extraordinaire—W1zzard—captured a handful of comparison shots for usage in his evaluation of NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 5080 Founders Edition model. The GeForce RTX 5090 FE's cooling solution—utilizing liquid metal, instead of thermal paste—is more robust when compared to the one present on its step-down sibling—rated for a TDP of 575 W (versus 360 W). Evidently, designed to temper any radiance emitted by Team Green's GB202 GPU. EssDee3D's "chimera" card was placed in the correct packaging; a 5080-labelled paper-fiber box—but the shroud's backside advertises itself as a GeForce RTX 5090 FE. PC hardware news outlets and Redditors are wondering whether additional examples—of jumbled up "Blackwell" GPU Founders Edition parts—will appear online over the next month or two, or three...or more.

The next generation of graphics performance has arrived. We've prepared an all-new series of cards: ROG Astral. Featuring a new, sophisticated design and an outstanding cooling solution, the ROG Astral GeForce RTX 5090 and ROG Astral GeForce RTX 5080 are your premium picks for supercharging the performance of your gaming PC. All this new hardware in the ROG Astral GeForce RTX 5090 requires no small amount of power so that it can stretch its legs and run. Your PSU should be capable of at least 1000 W to run this card—more on that later. The circuitry that delivers this power is just as important, and it's one reason why many enthusiasts prefer ROG graphics cards. We've equipped the ROG Astral GeForce RTX 5090 and 5080 for premium power delivery with 80-amp MOSFETs that can supply over 35% more headroom than standard designs. A massive 24-phase VRM array for the GPU and a seven-phase VRM for the GDDR7 memory chips distribute the work of supplying power, ensuring rock-solid stability and long-lasting performance. To give you peace of mind that your 16-pin PCIe power connector is seated properly, we provide monitoring through Power Detector+ in the GPU Tweak III app so that you can verify that the connector is fully seated. The app can even tell you exactly which pin is not seated properly, if that ever becomes a concern.

Ada, meet Blackwell
With the GeForce RTX 50 Series, NVIDIA debuts its latest Blackwell architecture. Armed with fifth-gen Tensor cores, new streaming multiprocessors optimized for neural shaders, and fourth-gen Ray Tracing cores built for Mega Geometry, the new graphics cards unlock access to the next generation of graphics technologies. For many gamers, the highlight of the new architecture is DLSS 4. DLSS is a revolutionary suite of neural rendering technologies that uses AI to boost FPS, reduce latency, and improve image quality. The latest breakthrough, DLSS 4, brings new Multi Frame Generation and enhanced Ray Reconstruction and Super Resolution. But there's more. NVIDIA Reflex 2 with Frame Warp provides game-winning responsiveness, and these cards are equipped to give you the best experience with ray-traced graphics yet.

AMD debuted its first wave of RDNA 4 graphics cards—consisting of Radeon RX 9070 XT and RX 9070 (non-XT) models—at the beginning of January. At the time, press outlets and PC gaming hardware enthusiasts were equally flummoxed by Team Red's confusing presentation strategy. Invited attendees of CES 2025 were allowed to handle demonstration samples, but board partners appeared to be sworn to secrecy regarding technical specifications or performance figures. Miscellaneous leaks and rumors have seeped out since then—according to insiders, AMD was prepping its new Radeon product line for launch late last month. A re-scheduled rollout is seemingly in the works, possibly on next month's calendar entry. Benchlife (via VideoCardz) believes that a pre-launch showcase event is lined up for late February.

Following publication of the latest RDNA 4-related leaks, a brave soul engaged with AMD's Frank Azor on social media. Dee Batch, a loyal and long-term supporter of Radeon gaming hardware, sent a query to Team Red's chief architect of gaming solutions: "can we see the RDNA 4 full presentation? I honestly feel you can prevent many gamers from getting a GeForce RTX 5070 or RTX 5070 Ti GPU...Please, do not miss this opportunity to gain gamer mind share." Azor replied with a short sentence: "yes, full details are coming soon." This brief interaction attracted additional participants—VideoCardz noted that the Team Red executive was taking on board feedback about expectations surrounding RDNA 4 MSRPs. Late last month, Azor refuted rumors of the Radeon RX 9070 XT pricing starting at a baseline of $899. NVIDIA has officially disclosed price points of $549 (RTX 5070) and $749 (RTX 5070 Ti)—AMD enthusiasts have their fingers crossed in hope of TBA competitive numbers.

Soulforged, it's finally time to bind you and your friends in an oath to overthrow a corrupted Arthur! SWORN is now available in Early Access! We can't express enough how thankful we are to our community for joining us on this journey to Early Access—helping us refine and shape SWORN into a game that we are immensely proud of. We hope you enjoy SWORN! The Early Access launch version of the game is packed full of highly polished content. Our development process means that the game we release into Early Access, while not containing all of the features and content we plan to have in the final game, plays like the base version of a finished game—without major features missing or work-in-progress content.

About SWORN
SWORN is a 1-4 player action roguelike that sets you and your friends on a unique quest to reclaim a fallen Camelot in a dark retelling of the Arthurian tale. A co-op first roguelike with a classic fast-paced dungeon crawler combat. You must work together, with aid from familiar Camelot characters to become knights worthy of facing Arthur himself. You can play solo or unite with up to four friends to stand off against the Knights of the Round Table. Choose from four characters: Vigilante, Rook, Spectre, and Monk and combine the strengths of each character in surprising ways and master abilities to become knights worthy of standing off against Arthur himself.

MSI introduced an impressive number of new AMD B850 and B840 chipset-based motherboards at January's CES trade event. According to a Wccftech report, the company's AM5—socketed lineup will expand in the near future—a leaked presentation slide provides an early preview of (allegedly) incoming budget-friendly offerings. MSI's leaked roadmap (Q1 to Q2 2025) shows new additions—mostly smaller form factor—across performance (MPG) and Pro Series product ranges. Their Arsenal Gaming (MAG) B850 range seems to be fully released, as of the first quarter of this year—consisting of models already unveiled at CES.

Five new models are seemingly lined up for release within the next couple of months—the Wccftech article listed the following SKUs: MPG B850I Edge WIFI (Mini-ITX), PRO B850M-P WIFI (M-ATX), PRO B850M-B (M-ATX), B850 Gaming PLUS WIFI PZ (ATX) and PRO B850M-A WIFI PZ (M-ATX). The publication commented on its discoveries: "as you can see, MSI will have at least one new variant within the MPG lineup which will feature a Mini-ITX design. The company has already released the full ATX-sized version of the EDGE TI WIFI, and it's nice to know that we will get a Mini-ITX variant too." The report proposes that MSI has prepped its new budget models with the latest connectivity features—most notably, Wi-Fi 7 rated at the full 320 MHz band. Support for Zen 4 and 5 Ryzen X3D CPUs is expected upon launch.

French indie developer Exalted Studio and independent publisher Dear Villagers are proud to announce that Big Helmet Heroes (trailer, website, press kit), the zany 3D beat'em up that combines charismatic heroes with unique powers, exhilarating action and beautifully detailed animations is now available on PC (Steam, EGS), Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S.

The game is available at the price of 24,99 USD for the base edition on all platforms, and 29,99 USD for the Exalted Edition (includes an art book and the OST) on Steam, Epic Games Store, Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 5.

2024 was a year for Age of Empires and Age of Mythology players shaped by your passion, creativity, and epic moments. Thanks to your dedication, it's been an incredible year not just for the community, but for the franchise as a whole. Together, we've had an incredible year. We kicked things off with the New Year, New Age showcase, crowned champions at Red Bull Wololo: El Reinado, connected with many of you at Gamescom, and celebrated the launches of Age of Mythology: Retold and Age of Empires Mobile. Along the way, we expanded the franchise in new ways and welcomed over 10 million new players—reaching an incredible milestone of 60 million Age of Empires players worldwide. Our players continue to influence the many ways in which the franchise moves forward. Today we're thrilled to start 2025 by unveiling what's ahead. Settle in, because we've got a lot to share!

Immortal Pillars Expansion Launches March 4, Pre-Order Now
For Age of Mythology: Retold players, the wait is almost over! After revealing the Immortal Pillars expansion for Age of Mythology: Retold at Tokyo Game Show, we're excited to announce it will launch on March 4th—and pre-orders are live now! Packed with brand-new content, this expansion introduces the Chinese pantheon, alongside stunning new maps, myth units, and gameplay features. Check out some highlights of all the exciting content here! As a reminder, if you already own the Age of Mythology: Retold Premium Edition, Immortal Pillars is yours at no additional cost—jump in and play on day one!

EVGA has kept a very low profile over the past two years—according to TPU's news section, the company last introduced new power supply products around August 2023. Last July, we heard about extreme overclocker KINGPIN's transition to PNY, and the emergence of an EVGA-designed AMD X670E chipset prototype motherboard. The summer 2023 news cycle generated further rumors about EVGA's motherboard endeavors having ended. Alleged disagreements with Team Green prompted the company—as a board partner—to shutter its NVIDIA GeForce graphics card business in 2022. Late last night, the American computer hardware manufacturer made a surprising "out of the blue" announcement, via its official discussion board—as spotted by VideoCardz.

Unfortunately, EVGA's latest bulletin signals the end of community activity on its popular forum—a statement reads as follows: "responding to the feedback from our valued customers and in light of Reddit's widespread popularity, EVGA would like to encourage its community to transition to Reddit. As of this announcement, our existing forums will be read only and our team will actively engage with customers on Reddit threads moving forward. EVGA and our Moderators would like to thank all its forum members for the years of posts bringing together a great community of PC Enthusiast, and we hope to continue this community at its new home on Reddit." EVGA recommends that its members "head over" to the almost decade old TEAMEVGA subreddit. A nice welcome message greeted new arrivals: "I know a lot of you will miss the forums, but I would like to point out that many PC companies stopped using forums and switched to Reddit and/or Discord. Mods are still here to help you."

OXS is excited to announce the launch a new white version of the Storm G2 Gaming Headset, a cutting-edge addition to the world of gaming accessories. Featuring a 50 mm full-range dynamic driver and cutting-edge 7.1 virtual surround sound technology, the Storm G2 promises an unmatched audio experience for gamers and audiophiles alike. The OXS Storm G2 Wireless Gaming Headset is available from Amazon US / OXS Website for $79.99 and Amazon UK for £79.99.

The OXS Storm G2 Gaming Headset sets a new standard in gaming audio, combining superior sound quality, versatile functionality, and exceptional comfort. This headset is poised to become an essential accessory for gamers and audio enthusiasts seeking the ultimate in performance and convenience at an accessible price point. The Storm G2 Gaming Headset has been meticulously engineered to deliver premium sound quality with crisp highs, rich mid-tones, and powerful bass. This headset ensures an immersive audio experience that elevates gaming sessions to new heights. The detachable omnidirectional microphone, equipped with enhanced sensitivity, provides crystal-clear communication, ensuring that every command is heard with precision.

GeForce NOW celebrates its fifth anniversary this February with a lineup of five major releases. The month kicks off with Kingdom Come: Deliverance II. Prepare for a journey back in time—Warhorse Studios' newest medieval role-playing game (RPG) comes to GeForce NOW on its launch day, bringing 15th-century Bohemia to devices everywhere. Experience the highly anticipated sequel's stunning open world at GeForce RTX quality in the cloud, available to stream across devices at launch. It leads seven games joining the GeForce NOW library of over 2,000 titles, along with MARVEL vs. CAPCOM Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics.

Chainmail Meets the Cloud
Kingdom Come: Deliverance II continues the epic, open-world RPG saga set in the brutal and realistic medieval world of Bohemia. Continue the story of Henry, a blacksmith's son turned warrior, as he navigates political intrigue and warfare. Explore a world twice the size of the original, whether in the bustling streets of Kuttenberg or the picturesque Bohemian Paradise. The game builds on its predecessor's realistic combat system by introducing crossbows, early firearms and a host of new weapons, while refining its already sophisticated melee combat mechanics. Navigate a complex narrative full of difficult decisions, forge alliances with powerful figures, engage in tactical large-scale battles and face moral dilemmas that impact both the journey and fate of the kingdom—all while experiencing a historically rich environment faithful to the period.

Moore Threads, a Chinese manufacturer of proprietary GPU designs is (reportedly) the latest company to jump onto the DeepSeek-R1 bandwagon. Since late January, NVIDIA, Microsoft and AMD have swooped in with their own interpretations/deployments. By global standards, Moore Threads GPUs trail behind Western-developed offerings—early 2024 evaluations presented the firm's MTT S80 dedicated desktop graphics card struggling against an AMD integrated solution: Radeon 760M. The recent emergence of DeepSeek's open source models has signalled a shift away from reliance on extremely powerful and expensive AI-crunching hardware (often accessed via the cloud)—widespread excitement has been generated by DeepSeek solutions being relatively frugal, in terms of processing requirements. Tom's Hardware has observed cases of open source AI models running (locally) on: "inexpensive hardware, like the Raspberry Pi."

According to recent Chinese press coverage, Moore Threads has announced a successful deployment of DeepSeek's R1-Distill-Qwen-7B distilled model on the aforementioned MTT S80 GPU. The company also revealed that it had taken similar steps with its MTT S4000 datacenter-oriented graphics hardware. On the subject of adaptation, a Moore Threads spokesperson stated: "based on the Ollama open source framework, Moore Threads completed the deployment of the DeepSeek-R1-Distill-Qwen-7B distillation model and demonstrated excellent performance in a variety of Chinese tasks, verifying the versatility and CUDA compatibility of Moore Threads' self-developed full-featured GPU." Exact performance figures, benchmark results and technical details were not disclosed to the Chinese public, so Moore Threads appears to be teasing the prowess of its MTT GPU designs. ITHome reported that: "users can also perform inference deployment of the DeepSeek-R1 distillation model based on MTT S80 and MTT S4000. Some users have previously completed the practice manually on MTT S80." Moore Threads believes that its: "self-developed high-performance inference engine, combined with software and hardware co-optimization technology, significantly improves the model's computing efficiency and resource utilization through customized operator acceleration and memory management. This engine not only supports the efficient operation of the DeepSeek distillation model, but also provides technical support for the deployment of more large-scale models in the future."

Satechi has finally made its M4 Mac Mini Stand and Hub available for purchase, albeit with limited stocks for the time being. With a premium aluminium enclosure and decent expandability, the hub sure does appear to be a solid choice for Mac mini customers looking out for some much-needed expansion potential. The product is available on Satechi's website, with a starting price of $99.99.

In terms of the ports on offer, the Satechi hub does not disappoint. The product sports dual USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports on the front, an UHS-II SD card slot, as well as a single USB 2.0 Type-A port. Storage expansion is also an option, thanks to the M.2 SSD enclosure with support for 2230/2242/2260/2280 drives. The built-in USB-C cable takes care of host connection, and the corner cut-out allows for easy access to the Mac mini's 'undeniably well-placed' power button. At just over 2 cms tall, the Satechi hub is well-sized and fits in pretty well with the Mac mini. A thermal pad is also provided for efficient heat dissipation.

Thermal Grizzly, a high-performance cooling solutions provider, introduces a new series of thermal pads, consisting of the Minus Pad Basic, Minus Pad Advance, and Minus Pad Pro.

The non-electrically conductive thermal pads Minus Pad Basic, Minus Pad Advance, and Minus Pad Pro are based on the proven Minus Pad 8 and have been specifically optimized to significantly improve thermal conductivity, compressibility, and price-performance ratio. These thermal pads are suitable for SSDs, graphics card coolers, GPU water coolers, and electronic components such as voltage regulators and memory modules.

The AOKZOE A1 X was recently teased by its maker as a new AMD Strix Point-powered gaming handheld, featuring the commendably potent Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 APU with the equally admirable RDNA 3.5-based Radeon 890M iGPU. Details were scarce regarding the handheld, but now the company has shed some much-needed light on a few features of the upcoming handheld. We still do not have a clue as to when the handheld will finally see the light of day, or even an expected price bracket. Considering that AOKZOE is not nearly as well known as its competitors in this space, the A1 X can be expected to launch with a price tag that undercuts its rivals. Thanks to a previous teaser, already know that the A1 X will sport an 8-inch 120 Hz display with VRR support.

Addressing the features teased recently, AOKZOE has revealed that the handheld will sport a 72.7 Wh battery with support for bypass charging, allowing it to draw power directly without having to pass it through the battery, thereby increasing the battery's lifespan. Moreover, the A1 X will also sport MicroSD 4.0 support, allowing for transfer speeds of up to 300 MB/s. The handheld will sport dual USB4 ports, along with an OCuLink port which will allow for speedy eGPU connections for gaming sessions that demand more horsepower than the Radeon 890M can provide. Going by the shared images, the A1 X will also sport at least one USB-A port, which will surely come in handy when the need arises for additional peripherals.

Paradox Interactive AB (Paradox) has signed a binding agreement to acquire all shares in Haemimont Games AD (Haemimont Games). The acquisition is a further step in Paradox's strategic focus on growing in the management games genre, by building a strong internal capability that complements the Group's current studio organization. "We are very happy to welcome Haemimont Games to Paradox!" said Fredrik Wester, CEO of Paradox. "They bring a tight-knit team with long experience in developing management games with many well received projects in their portfolio. Moreover, they have a strong creative streak, technology developed for their niche, a new IP in development and a strong culture that fits Paradox's way of working. We have strong faith in their team and leadership, and our main focus now is to ensure that they can continue to create great games under new ownership."

Following the acquisition, Haemimont Games will be a wholly owned subsidiary of Paradox. The current leadership and team will remain active with the studio, and the studio's ongoing projects will remain in development. "We're delighted to become a part of the Paradox family!" said Gabriel Dobrev, Founder of Haemimont Games. "The cultural fit between our companies is remarkable, and we already feel at home. This partnership empowers us to push the boundaries of our games, delivering deeper and more intense experiences to our players. It also opens new horizons for our team, technology, and creative processes, which we're eager to explore. Expect amazing new games from us!" The acquisition consists of an upfront cash consideration and a performance-based earnout of similar size that is to be paid out over the coming years. Haemimont Games and Paradox have agreed to not disclose the purchasing price at this point. The acquisition is financed with cash at hand and expected to be completed within a few days.

The buying landscape for GeForce RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 graphics cards is looking barren, just one week post-launch—global demand has far outstretched initial supply. Mid-week news points to two of NVIDIA's board partners increasing MSRPs for the top-end Blackwell GPU models, seemingly adding insult to already inflicted injuries. ASUS and MSI's North American online stores are completely devoid of stock—at the time of writing, almost all product entries are accompanied by "notify me" tags. The two hardware manufacturers have implemented comprehensive price hikes—as reported by VideoCardz. The publication pinpointed flagship models, as prime examples. The liquid-cooled ASUS ROG Astral LC RTX 5090 OC Edition 32 GB model was already a pricey prospect at launch ($3099), but the official store has tacked on another $311. A total charge of $3410 gets you one of the nicest and feature-rich card designs on the market, but you will be paying a premium of $1411—above Team Green's official GeForce RTX 5090 MSRP of $1999—for the privilege of ownership and/or bragging rights. Further down in the product stack—TechSpot noted that a Prime GeForce RTX 5080 (non-OC) 16 GB model has jumped from an original figure of $999, up to $1,264. At the time of writing, this price has been re-adjusted back down to just below $1000—thanks to a special "deal." The overclocked Prime variant is currently priced at $1320.

Looking at the MSI US store, VideoCardz reported on all GeForce RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 cards being priced north of original MSRPs—they highlighted a lowly not-overclocked RTX 5080 16G VENTUS 3X model having its price adjusted upwards—now $1140, instead of the original $1000 (at launch). MSI's "cheapest" RTX 5090 card is another VENTUS 3X design—this non-OC model is now $380 more expensive than last week's asking price ($2000). Overall, MSI's US webshop has raised prices in the ranges of $140 to $500 for GeForce RTX 5080 cards, and $380 to $790 for RTX 5090 offering—according to VideoCardz research. The company's RTX 5090 SUPRIM LIQUID SOC flagship design is not quite expensive as the equivalently appointed ASUS liquid-cooled model, but the newly adjusted MSRP of $2790 is difficult to digest. Press outlets have noted that listings on Newegg are up to $40 more expensive, when compared to the prices published on MSI's first-party store. As an added incentive, the MSI North American store is offering potential buyers a saving of: "$200 on MPG 322URX QD-OLED at checkout with RTX 5080/5090 series purchase."

AOC, a global leader in display technology, is thrilled to announce the launch of the AOC CQ27G4ZH Ultra-Fast 27" QHD 300 Hz Curved Gaming Monitor. Designed for the ultimate gaming experience, this groundbreaking monitor combines blazing speed, vivid clarity, and ergonomic comfort, raising the bar for competitive gamers and immersive play.

Unmatched Speed and Precision
The AOC CQ27G4ZH boasts an Ultra-smooth 300 Hz refresh rate and a lightning-fast 0.3 ms (MPRT) response time. Whether you're a professional esports player or an enthusiast seeking the upper hand, the CQ27G4ZH delivers the speed and precision needed to dominate every match.

Fire up your rockets and journey back to the golden age of adventure gaming; Elroy and the Aliens launches on April 2nd, and will be part of this month's Steam Next Fest. Travel back in time to 1993 in the live demo and meet Elroy, a passionate but chaotic rocket engineer who teams up with the daring reporter Peggie to investigate the mysterious disappearance of his father. Their search for the truth will launch them on an unforgettable intergalactic adventure spanning 60 locales to explore across two sprawling planets.

Puzzles, peculiar aliens, and ancient legends await on Elroy's path, with a tale of love, loss, and regret presented in a 90s-era cartoon style inspired by LucasArts and Sierra games. You'll meet an eclectic cast of human (and non-human) locals to befriend as Elroy and Peggie begin to unravel an ancient archaeological mystery…

Clear River Games, a video game publisher specialising in classic and retro games, in conjunction with Japanese publisher and developer City Connection, announced today that celebrated arcade shooter Under Defeat is now available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch.

The ultimate version of the classic arcade shooter. Under Defeat has been developed by retro port specialists City Connection, and includes DLC content previously only available in Japan. Alongside an 'Arcade Mode' that faithfully replicates the original arcade experience, a fresh 'New Order Mode' adapts the game for modern displays, while 'New Order Mode+' brings brand new elements to the game, including a 'WARNING GAUGE', which mixes up the classic shooter formula.

Saber Interactive and Focus Entertainment are thrilled to welcome the third major content update for the blockbuster Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2. Titled "Datavault," this new update brings more free content and much-requested quality-of-life improvements to all players, while also granting Season Pass owners even more cosmetics to customize their characters. Space Marine 2 is available now on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC. Check out everything the "Datavault" update has to offer with today's new trailer!

New challenges and rewards await in the Datavault!
Directly accessible through the Armory, today's main addition comes in the form of the Datavault, a brand-new Battle-Barge chamber where Tech-Priests collect and store intel on the many enemies of the Imperium. By completing Ordeals, players will accumulate Research Data that they'll be able to trade for Requisition Points and new cosmetics like pauldron markings, weapon skins (Thunder Hammer, Auto Bolt Rifle) and even new armor pieces (breastplate, gauntlet).

Well, unless someone has been living under a rock for the past four years, freshly launched gaming hardware getting scalped to oblivion should hardly come as a surprise. We witnessed this just recently with the launch of the NVIDIA RTX 50-series GPUs, considering the multiple-thousand-dollar premiums that the cards were sold for on platforms such as eBay. One might foresee a similar predicament for the much-awaited Nintendo Switch 2, but if Nintendo President Furakawa's recent statements are anything to go by, that might not be the case after all.

According to Furakawa, Nintendo is well-aware of the potential stock shortages that the Switch 2 may face, taking lessons from the OG Switch launch back in 2017, and is taking "all possible measures" to make sure the Switch 2 launch plays out smoothly. Of course, what this essentially means, is that Nintendo will be attempting its best to produce as many units of the Switch 2 as possible in order to meet customer demand at launch. This is exactly what Furakawa mentioned in his interview with Nikkei, citing that the supply chain constraints that hindered production in 2024 and 2023 no longer exist in 2025. As such, there should not be any further hurdles that hold back Nintendo from its production targets.

Corsair is excited to announce the newest addition to its modular desk family; the Platform:4. This desk measures four feet across (120 cm), providing a spacious work and gaming surface in a more compact form than its predecessor, the six-foot-wide Platform:6. Despite its smaller size, it maintains the same modular design, high-quality craftsmanship, premium materials, and wide array of useful features. Its compact dimensions allow it to fit into plenty of work and gaming spaces, while its modular design allows it to be as utilitarian or as expansive as needed.

The Platform:4 retains the upgradeable design of the Platform:6, featuring an industry standard aluminium T-channel rails under and above the desk designed for mounting accessories and peripherals as well as expansion, as well as a number of functional upgrades to more traditional desk designs. Earth Platform:4 includes an upgraded single monitor arm with a VESA 100 mount capable of supporting oversized ultrawide monitors up to 27 lbs. The monitor arm is mounted to the main desk rail system, enabling the addition of extra monitor arms and myriad compatible accessories such as a microphone and webcam mount. It also features in-desk USB power with both Type-A and Type-C ports to simplify device charging. Cables and power bricks can be easily tucked away behind the desk via the Corsair RapidRoute Wire Management Tray.

Add an extra dimension of storage and organization to almost any desk with the Corsair Multi Frame Pegboard. This versatile add-on easily attaches to a desk with just two clamps, delivering a vital upgrade to available storage space. It can be attached in less than 30 minutes and allows items to be moved off the desk surface and onto the pegboard and its shelves, decluttering the work or gaming area while keeping all essential gear within arm's reach.

With two large pegboards, three adjustable shelves, and a variety of hooks, the Multi Frame Pegboard opens a new realm of storage possibilities. It features a universal standard 3060 aluminium T-channel crossbar that supports hundreds of aftermarket accessories. The included T-nuts and adapters enable easy mounting of everything from your favorite Elgato hardware such as the Key Light and Flex Arm, to custom 3D-printed creations. The rail also allows for easy mounting of a VESA monitor Arm (or two) to move even the biggest monitors up and off the desk for flexible placement and a cleaner desktop. Handy wire management channels keep accessory cables out of sight, delivering a professional and tidy look.

Capcom held a double-feature livestream, combining our latest news and updates in one special show. We shared the news on our upcoming lineup in Capcom Spotlight, followed by a deep dive into the highly anticipated Monster Hunter Wilds ahead of launch on February 28. Here's the big news from the show.

Onimusha: Samurai's Destiny remaster announced, Onimusha: Way of the Sword update
Additional details were shared on the brand-new title in Capcom's legendary swordplay action series, Onimusha: Way of the Sword. Onimusha: Way of the Sword tells the heroic tale of a sole samurai fighting against hordes of twisted creatures known as the Genma. Wielding an Oni Gauntlet, our new protagonist will mow down enemies in this dramatic story, set in a beautiful and eerie rendition of Kyoto. True to the series' soul-sucking action combat, absorbing souls to restore health and use special moves in the heat of battle is key to victory. Experience thrilling sword fights and slice through hordes of Genma when Onimusha: Way of the Sword launches in 2026.

Obsidian's latest RPG, Avowed, is undoubtedly quite a challenging game to run even on capable hardware, if recent reports are anything to go by. It was previously mentioned that the game will focus on visuals and fidelity instead of fast-paced gameplay, and might be limited to 30 FPS on the Xbox Series X. For those who need a refresher, the 4-year-old Xbox Series X packs a GPU with just over 12 TFLOPS of raw performance, courtesy of its 52-CU RDNA 2 GPU. Now, however, it appears to have been confirmed that the game will indeed be able to hit 60 FPS on the Series X.

In a recent interview with YouTuber MinnMax, Avowed game director Carrie Patel confirmed that the game will be able to hit 60 FPS on the aforementioned console. Previous leaks sourced from a person who was able to play the game on Microsoft's consoles stated that the game will be limited 40 FPS on the Series S, and 60 on the Series X, the latter part of which has now been confirmed to be the case. Of course, there will be a downgrade in the quality of visuals to be able to hit the vaunted 60 FPS mark, but that is nothing out of the ordinary for consoles. UE 5-based Avowed is set to launch on the 18th of February, and will be available with the Xbox Game Pass, which has witnessed quite a delightful series of major launches lately.

Intel's data center business has experienced a lot of decline in recent years. Once the go-to choice for data center buildout, nowadays, Xeon processors have reached a 13-year low. According to SemiAnalysis analyst Sravan Kundojjala on X, the once mighty has fallen to a 13-year low number, less than 50% of its CPU sales in the peak observed in 2021. In a chart that is indexed to 2011 CPU volume, the analysis gathered from server volume and 10K fillings shows the decline that Intel has experienced in recent years. Following the 2021 peak, the volume of shipped CPUs has remained in free fall, reaching less than 50% of its once-dominant position. The main cause for this volume contraction is attributed to Intel's competitors gaining massive traction. AMD, with its EPYC CPUs, has been Intel's primary competitor, pushing the boundaries on CPU core count per socket and performance per watt, all at an attractive price point.

During a recent earnings call, Intel's interim c-CEO leadership admitted that Intel is still behind the competition with regard to performance, even with Granite Rapids and Clearwater Forest, which promised to be their advantage in the data center. "So I think it would not be unfathomable that I would put a data center product outside if that meant that I hit the right product, the right market window as well as the right performance for my customers," said Intel co-CEO Michelle Johnston Holthaus, adding that "Intel Foundry will need to earn my business every day, just as I need to earn the business of my customers." This confirms that the company is now dedicated to restoring its product leadership, even if its internal foundry is not doing okay. It will take some time before Intel CPU volume shipments recover, and with AMD executing well in data center, it is becoming a highly intense battle.

Huawei Technologies reported a robust 22% year-over-year revenue increase for 2024, reaching 860 billion yuan ($118.27 billion), demonstrating remarkable resilience amid continued US-imposed trade restrictions. The Chinese tech giant's resurgence was primarily driven by its revitalized smartphone division, which captured 16% of China's domestic market share, overtaking Apple in regional sales. This achievement was notably accomplished by deploying domestically produced chipsets, marking a significant milestone for the company. In collaboration with Chinese SMIC, Huawei delivers in-house silicon solutions to integrate with HarmonyOS for complete vertical integration. The company's strategic diversification into automotive technology has emerged as a crucial growth vector, with its smart car solutions unit delivering autonomous driving software and specialized chips to Chinese EV manufacturers.

In parallel, Huawei's Ascend AI 910B/C platform recently announced compatibility with DeepSeek's R1 large language model and announced availability on Chinese AI cloud providers like SiliconFlow. Through a strategic partnership with AI infrastructure startup SiliconFlow, Huawei is enhancing its Ascend cloud service capabilities, further strengthening its competitive position in the global AI hardware market despite ongoing international trade challenges. Even if the company can't compete on performance versus the latest solutions from NVIDIA and AMD due to the lack of advanced manufacturing required for AI accelerators, it can compete on costs and deliver solutions that are typically much more competitive with the price/performance ratio. Huawei's Ascend AI solutions deliver modest performance. Still, the pricing makes AI model inference very cheap, with API costs of around one Yaun per million input tokens and four Yuan per one million output tokens on DeepSeek R1.

FFmpeg, the popular open-source multimedia library for compressed video and audio formats, just introduced a component to libavcodec that integrates AMD Accelerated Media Framework (AMF) SDK. This component is called AMFDEC, and it allows libavcodec to utilize hardware-accelerated decoding features on AMD Radeon RX GPUs and the integrated graphics of AMD Ryzen processors. On machines with compatible hardware, AMFDEC provides libavcodec with hardware acceleration for decoding of H.264, H.265 or HEVC, and AV1. FFmpeg also introduced filters that implement AMD FSR Video Super Resolution. This lets applications that use FFmpeg to take advantage of VSR features on Radeon RX GPUs to provide superior upscaling quality. The filter is labelled "ar_amf." The commit can be accessed here.

FSP, a well-known brand in the power supply and chassis has launched a new series of CPU air coolers. The lineup includes the high-efficiency MP7, powerful NP5, and NE5 models. Optimized for the latest Intel and AMD CPUs, these coolers are compatible with Intel LGA1851 and AMD AM5 sockets. Featuring high-quality designs, they offer superior cooling performance and versatile options to meet various user needs, perfectly blending extreme performance with silent operation for a cooling solution that exceeds expectations.

The MP7, NP5, and NE5 cooler series utilize antigravity heat pipe technology to enhance performance when the motherboard is mounted vertically inside the case, maximizing cooling efficiency. Additionally, the MP7 features a copper base with heat pipe welding, increasing the contact area with the CPU, significantly improving heat dissipation.

SK hynix Inc. announced today that it has acquired TISAX, the global automobile industry information security certification, for the first time in the memory industry. SK hynix has obtained TISAX for all domestic sites located in Icheon, Bundang and Cheongju, and has been internationally accepted for the security capabilities required by the global automobile industry. Through this, the company aims to accelerate the development of high-performance memory solutions essential for realizing AI-based future automobile technology.

With the expansion of the electric vehicle market, autonomous driving, and the development of connected car technology, the importance of electronic parts is growing rapidly. In line with these changes, automotive semiconductors, which are widely used in electric equipment, are positioned as major components of automobiles. In particular, automotive semiconductors are applied to key safety systems of automobiles such as ADAS, brake systems and engine control, requiring a higher level of reliability than general semiconductors. In addition, as hacking and malicious code attacks targeting automobiles have increased recently, systematic security management in the manufacturing process is being emphasized as well as strengthening the performance of semiconductors themselves.

ASUS ROG Astral GeForce RTX 5090 was reviewed by us at launch, where we remarked that it is the most expensive custom-design, with a launch price of $2,800 against the NVIDIA baseline of $2,000 (a 40% premium). The card is further marked up by retailers, and is going for nearly $3,000. While this is going on, ASUS released its first halo variant, the ROG Astral RTX 5090 OC Dhahab Edition. Probably targeting the MENA (Middle-East and North Africa) markets, the Dhahab Edition is a luxurious collector's edition item that's finished in gold. Dhahab is Arabic for gold, and you can see elements of this across the cooler shroud, backplate, and the GPU retention bracket. Even the heatsink underneath has gold color. We don't know the exact material of this card—whether it is a gold-like polish, or gold electroplated.

Contrasting all this gold is a turquoise-like stone embellishment that refracts light in a blue-green tone, just like the actual stone. There are several other cultural elements to this design, including Arabic calligraphy, and motifs representing "strength, courage, and unity." The gold backplate even has machined regional motifs representing the desert, and skyscrapers. Given that the regular ROG Astral RTX 5090 OC is already at around $3,000 on the streets, sky is the limit for what ASUS could ask for this collector's item.