The Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) has recently announced plans to form a special working group within its ecosystem, whose mission will be to develop standards for XR (eXtended Reality) products and development. XR envelops both VR (Virtual Reality) and AR (Augmented Reality), and VESA has apparently had enough of differing vendor implementations. According to VESA, "the lack of standardization is causing compatibility issues between products from different vendors, as well as increasing the complexity and cost of development, ownership and replacement. Lack of compatibility can also create confusion for end users and impede broader acceptance of AR/VR products."

Considering the XR market's value is expected to hit roughly $162 billion dollars by 2020, we can certainly see how "compatibility issues" and "lower acceptance of AR/VR products" could affect what is looking to be an extremely lucrative market. Let's just gloss over the fact (slightly paradoxical, actually) that we're now looking at two different XR standards groups, VESA's newly-announced initiative, and Khrono's OpenXR.

LG is looking to launch what seems to me one of the most well-rounded monitors for our use cases, with the LG 43UD79-B. Barring the enormous size of the monitor (I for one don't think a 43" on my desk would be the best way of going around computing), this monitors ticks almost all the boxes. It features 4K resolution (3840 x 2160) and an IPS panel with non-glare coating, which delivers a peak brightness of 350 cd/m2, a contrast ratio of up to 1000:1, and an 8 ms gray-to-gray (GTG) response time, which is the only sour point I see here (though it's still miles ahead of most 4K television sets.) The panel ticks on at 60 Hz, which, let's face it, is probably right for the resolution your graphics card will have to be driving anyway. The presence of Freesync here is mighty welcome indeed, ensuring you can make the most of those 60 FPS. LG mention support for 1.07 billion colors which come factory-calibrated, but the absence of any information regarding this being a 10-bit panel (which manufacturers naturally jump towards marketing) probably indicates this is actually an 8-bit panel using A-FRC to achieve a 10-bit color depth.

In an AMA (ask me anything) session with Tom's Hardware community, AMD desktop processor marketing exec Don Woligrosky answered a variety of AMD Ryzen platform related questions. He did not shy away from making a key comment about the company's upcoming high-end graphics card, Radeon Vega, either. "Vega performance compared to the Geforce GTX 1080 Ti and the Titan Xp looks really nice," Woligrosky stated. This implies that Radeon Vega is in the same league of performance as NVIDIA's two top consumer graphics SKUs, the $650 GeForce GTX 1080 Ti, and the $1,200 TITAN Xp.

It is conceivable that AMD's desktop processor marketing execs will have access to some privileged information from other product divisions, and so if true, this makes NVIDIA's recent memory speed bump for the GTX 1080 a failed gambit. NVIDIA similarly bumped memory speeds of the GTX 1060 6 GB to make it more competitive against the Radeon RX 580. Woligrosky also commented on a more plausible topic, of the royalty-free AMD FreeSync becoming the dominant adaptive v-sync technology, far outselling NVIDIA G-Sync.

AMD today released its Radeon Software Crimson ReLive Edition 17.4.1 drivers. These drivers add support for Oculus Asynchronous Spacewarp (ASW) on Radeon R9 Fury series, Radeon R9 390 series and Radeon R9 290 series graphics cards; and support for SteamVR Asynchronous Reprojection on Radeon RX 480 and Radeon RX 470 (requires Windows 10). The drivers also enable DisplayPort 1.4 HBR3 mode on GPUs based on the "Polaris" architecture, letting you run 8K @ 60 Hz over a dual-cable connection, and 8K @ 30 Hz over a single cable. The drivers also fix display fickering noticed on AMD FreeSync setups running 3D applications in borderless-fullscreen mode, and bad multi-GPU scaling in "Ghost Recon: Wildlands." Grab the drivers from the link below.DOWNLOAD: AMD Radeon Software Crimson ReLive 17.4.1

ASUS introduced the VG245Q, a 24-inch gaming-grade monitor targeting a sub-$250 price point. This monitor comes with 1 ms response time (GTG), and support for AMD FreeSync technology. Under the hood is a TN-film panel with Full HD (1920 x 1080 pixels) resolution, 250 cd/m² maximum brightness, 170°/160° viewing angles (H/V), and flicker-free LED brightness adjustment. The monitor comes with display presets optimized for the various genres of gaming (racing sims, RTS, RPG, FPS, etc). Inputs include one DisplayPort 1.2a (required for FreeSync), two HDMI 1.4a, and one D-Sub.

AMD today released the 17.3.2 Beta version of its Radeon Software Crimson ReLive. This release features official support for the upcoming Mass Effect: Andromeda space opera, and a 12% performance boost in the game for RX 480 graphics cards compared to results obtained under the previous driver release.

This driver release also sees some fixed issues with texture corruption on some surfaces of The Division under DX12. In addition, this driver release features a fix for what could only have been a rare issue with texture flickering while task-switching on For Honor, considering it only affected 4x Multi-GPU system configurations. This release also features long lists of Known Issues, which you can take a look at after the break.

As always, you can grab the drivers right here at TPU, through our revamped downloads section. Just follow the link below.DOWNLOAD: AMD Radeon Software Crimson ReLive Edition 17.3.2 Beta

AOC today introduced two new AGON CX series curved gaming monitors in the conventional 16:9 aspect ratio, the 32-inch AG322QCX, and the 27-inch AG272FCX. The two feature VA (vertical alignment) panels, which serve up 144 Hz refresh-rates, and support for AMD FreeSync technology (over DisplayPort). The monitors look "gaming grade," boasting glossy red+black color schemes, and an acrylic tripod stand. Controls are handled by an AOC QuickSwitch RF remote control. The AG322QCX offers native resolution of 2560 x 1440 pixels, and inputs that include two each of DisplayPort and HDMI connectors, with one D-Sub (VGA); while the AG272FCX is Full HD (1920 x 1080 pixels), featuring two DisplayPorts and one HDMI, besides the D-Sub. Slated for May 2017, the AG272FCX is expected to be priced at 449€, and the AG322QCX at 599€ (including taxes).

Acer today unveiled its high-end XR382CQK 38-inch monitor. This ultra-wide curved monitor with a curvature of 2300 R, serves up a native resolution of 3840 x 1600 pixels, with a response time of 5 ms, viewing angles of 172°/178° (H/V), 300 cd/m² brightness, and 10-bpc (1.07 billion colors) support. The display takes input from DisplayPort 1.2a, and HDMI 2.0, with support for AMD FreeSync technology over DisplayPort.

The XR382CQK features active blue-light reduction technology, a non-PWM method of controlling brightness (reduces LED flicker), "black boost," which improves contrast, and game modes (presets) specific to various game genres. Measuring 896.9 mm x 327.7 mm x 309.1 mm (WxDxH), it weighs about 10.71 kg. It supports VESA wall mount. Other features include a 4-port USB 3.0 hub including one type-C port. Available now, the XR382CQK is priced at USD $1,299.

Already an industry leader renowned for integrating cutting-edge technology into its premium, high-resolution monitors, LG Electronics (LG) is pushing the industry to the next level with plans to introduce a HDR-compatible 32-inch UHD 4K monitor at the 2017 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas next month.

The availability of HDR content continues to expand, covering a wide range of fields from movie to games. The enhanced picture quality offered by HDR technology is instantly recognizable to even the most casual user and manufacturers are already pushing this promising technology to its fullest potential. With professional-grade picture quality and exceptionally vibrant colors, HDR compatible monitors will appeal to creative professionals, gamers, and anyone else that takes image quality seriously.

AOC's AGON line of PC monitors has been increasingly added to by the company - which usually signifies strong sales and brand recognition. In trying to cater to an even more diverse consumer base, AOC has now added a new offer to their AGON line of gaming monitors: the AG251FZ.

The AG251FZ 25" is a 16:9 ratio monitor, which comes in at the still-dominating 1920*1080 resolution, sporting a TN-type panel with a 1ms Grey-to-grey response time which allows it achieve a 240Hz refresh rate. The panel offers 16.7 million colors, brightness of 400cd/m2, contrast ratio of 1000:1, and pretty decent viewing angles of 170/160. On top of that, the monitor also includes AMD's royalty-free FreeSync (active from 48Hz towards the 240Hz maximum refresh rate), with 1x HDMI 2.0 and 1x DisplayPort 1.2a adaptive sync compatible inputs, as well as more legacy 1x DVI and 1x VGA inputs. The monitor also features a connectivity hub, sporting 4 x USB 3.0, Audio out/in, and Microphone in/out ports.

AOC today announced availability of the AGON AG352QCX, its premium 35-inch curved gaming monitor. The monitor features a VA (vertical alignment) ultra-wide display panel with 2560 x 1080 pixels resolution, 4 ms response time, 2000:1 contrast-ratio, and a staggering 200 Hz refresh-rate. Its gaming credentials are further bolstered with support for AMD FreeSync technology. The monitor takes input from DisplayPort 1.2a (needed for FreeSync), HDMI 2.0, and D-Sub. Other features include a 4-port USB 3.0 hub, a headset stand, and 5W stereo speakers. Expect this monitor to be priced around the $600 mark.

Samsung Electronics America, Inc. announced an exclusive collaboration with Ubisoft, offering a free PC download of Watch_Dogs 2 with the purchase of qualifying Samsung solid state drives (SSDs) and its newest Curved Gaming Monitors. The partnership delivers gamers an incredible package for high-level gameplay.

"Samsung is dedicated to providing best-in-class technology to gamers, so we're excited to offer Ubisoft's highly anticipated Watch_Dogs 2 as an added value with our industry-leading SSDs and monitors," said Andrew Sivori, Vice President of CE-IT Marketing at Samsung Electronics America. "Our high-performance SSDs and stunning new monitors deliver an enhanced gaming experience, providing exceptional visuals and lag-free gameplay."

AOC late last week unveiled the AG241 line of 24-inch monitors featuring high refresh-rates, and WQHD (2560 x 1440 pixels) resolutions, under its AGON brand targeted at PC gamers. The series includes two models, the AG241QG and the AG241QX. Both displays feature 23.8-inch TN-film LCD panels by AU Optronics, and are visually similar for the most part, except two key features. The AG241QG offers up to 165 Hz refresh-rates and supports NVIDIA G-SYNC technology; while the AG241QX offers refresh-rates of up to 144 Hz, and supports AMD FreeSync technology.

Both models offer viewing angles of up to 170°/160° (H/V), 1 ms response time (GTG), 1000:1 static contrast ratios, a rheostat-based WLED illumination (flicker-free), active blue-light reduction, and matte anti-glare screen surfaces. Gamer-specific features such as display presets that are specific to gameplay type (genre-specific), a retractable headset hook on the side, VESA wall-mount, and a 4-port USB 3.0 hub. Both monitors take input from DisplayPort 1.2/1.2a and HDMI connectors. Available from November, the AG241QG is expected to be priced at £519, and the AG241QX at £389.

Samsung Electronics today announced the global launch of its newest industry-leading gaming monitor. The CFG70 curved monitor, designed specifically for professional gamers, includes enhanced picture quality and player-friendly features for a truly immersive gaming experience. The display was first introduced at the Gamescom 2016 and IFA 2016 conferences.

As the industry's first curved gaming monitor to feature quantum dot technology, the CFG70 monitor (24- and 27-inch models) expresses brilliant and accurate colors across a 125 percent sRGB spectrum. This added luminance produces a 3,000:1 contrast ratio and amplifies previously-hidden gaming details in both light and dark settings. The monitor also employs an environmentally-safe, cadmium-free design.

According to TweakTown, AMD may be preparing to bring the fight to the as-of-yet unannounced GTX 1050 Ti with a $10 price-drop on their 1080p price-performance king RX 470 from the current $179, bringing the price down to $169. NVIDIA is purportedly planning to bring the GTX 1050 Ti to market at the $149 price point, with a rated TDP of only 75 W and apparently no need for additional power connectors (at least on reference designs). However, faced with a measly $20 difference from the supposedly higher-performing RX 470 - which could sometimes be up to 30% faster - the battle for the $150 bracket might prove to be an uphill battle for the green camp.

Add to that the latest updates unveiled by Oculus on Oculus Connect 3, with the RX 470 being stamped with the VR-ready approval, as well as the greater availability and lower price of FreeSync monitors (sometimes with as much as four times the number of FreeSync offers versus G-Sync ones), and it really does seem that AMD is poised to offer the best value in its price bracket. Of course, things get muddier if you take into account the current pricing landscape for graphics cards from either manufacturer (where most models are selling upwards of their MSRP).

AMD today released its latest version of its Radeon Software Crimson Edition drivers. Version 16.10.1 comes with optimization for "Gears of War 4" and "Mafia III." The drivers also add CrossFire support for "Shadow Warrior 2." The drivers also correct various game-specific bugs, including the stutter and crash affecting CrossFire systems on "Deus Ex: Mankind Divided," FPS drops with "The Crew," surface flickers for CrossFire systems in "Battlefield 1," and CrossFire/FreeSync users noticing flickering on "Paragon." A Radeon WattMan bug that prevents it from applying its settings, was also fixed.DOWNLOAD: AMD Radeon Software Crimson Edition 16.10.1 for Windows 10 64-bit | Windows 10 32-bit | Windows 8.1 64-bit | Windows 8.1 32-bit | Windows 7 64-bit | Windows 7 32-bit

LG Electronics unveiled the 24UD58-B, its entry-level 24-inch 4K Ultra HD monitor, which could be priced around the $300 mark. Its specifications are anything but "entry-level," with an IPS panel that puts out 4K Ultra HD (3840 x 2160 pixels) at 60 Hz, with 10-bit color support (1.07 billion colors), active blue light reduction, 5 ms response time, 250 cd/m² maximum brightness, 178°/178° viewing angles, and dynamic mega-contrast ratio. On the input side of things, the monitor supports AMD FreeSync technology, HDMI 2.0, and DisplayPort 1.2a.

LG Electronics (LG), the industry leader in wide 21:9 aspect monitors for three consecutive years, is prepared to unveil two new 21:9 UltraWide monitors at IFA 2016 in Berlin. The 38-inch UltraWide curved monitor (model 38UC99) and 144Hz IPS 21:9 Curved UltraWide gaming monitor (34UC79G) represent significant advances in display innovation. Both monitors boast classic features that LG's 21:9 UltraWide monitors have become famous for, such as wide field of view, vivid color rendering as well as ease of usability.

Offering unrivaled screen real-estate, model 38UC99 is ideal for tasks that require attention to details. In addition to its roomy design, this monitor's advanced IPS UltraWide QHD+ (3840 x 1600) resolution and wide color gamut covering 99 percent of the sRGB color space make the 38UC99 a natural choice for anyone who takes visual performance seriously. The monitor boasts crystal clear immersive picture quality alongside a number of convenience enhancing features, creating an unparalleled user experience. These factors make the 38UC99 the perfect workstation monitor for visual content creators, data crunchers and other multitasking professionals.

Samsung Electronics extends its innovation in displays with the release of its most powerful and visually compelling curved gaming monitors to date. The CFG70 (available in 24 and 27 inch) and CF791 (34-inch) monitors provide distinguished curvatures of 1800R and 1500R, respectively. Other best-in-class features include interactive LED lighting, an intuitive user dashboard, and AMD FreeSync Technology for the ultimate gaming experience.

"Incorporating the same quantum dot technology found in our incredible TV lineup, the CFG70 and CF791 monitors are poised to deliver the most realistic experience for gamers and consumers alike," said Andrew Sivori, Vice President, Consumer IT Marketing at Samsung Electronics America. "In addition, we've bolstered color accuracy, refined the display curvature and significantly reduced MPRT (Moving Picture/Pattern Response Time)."

AMD today announced the new Lenovo Y27f Curved Gaming Monitor, its first free-standing display incorporating AMD FreeSync technology, offering low input latency and an ultra-smooth, stutter free gaming and multimedia experience.1 With "the most extreme curve available today,"2 the 27-inch-wide, vertically aligned display provides extraordinary gaming immersion and a true-to-life viewing experience.

AMD FreeSync technology helps ensure smooth and fluid gameplay. AMD FreeSync technology enhances communication between the Lenovo Y27f Curved Gaming Monitor and an AMD FreeSync-capable GPU, allowing the display to dynamically adapt its refresh rate in alignment with the GPU's creation of new frames. This prevents tearing by ensuring no new frames are drawn during the refresh period. FreeSync also eliminates stuttering, since the refresh rate is locked to the creation of new frames. FreeSync is supported on a wide range of AMD Radeon GPUs, including the recently launched Polaris architecture-based Radeon RX Series graphics cards.

AMD released its latest version of Radeon Software Crimson Edition. Version 16.8.2 comes with optimization for this week's biggest release, "No Man's Sky," (if you can get it to work). It also comes with optimization for "Paragon" beta. The game addresses bugs related to "Overwatch," idle flickering on machines with FreeSync enabled, and installation issues affecting Windows 10 Anniversary Edition. Grab the drivers from the links below.DOWNLOAD: AMD Radeon Software Crimson Edition 16.8.2 for Windows 10 64-bit | Windows 10 32-bit | Windows 8.1 64-bit | Windows 8.1 32-bit | Windows 7 64-bit | Windows 7 32-bit

TUL Corporation, a leading and innovative manufacturer of AMD graphic cards since 1997, has released a brand new video card in PowerColor Red Devil RX 470 4 GB GDDR5. It is based on AMD's latest GCN 4 architecture designed for GloFo 14 nm FinFET that delivers premium VR capability, increased level of performance, smooth VR, seamless support for next-gen gaming monitors, and CPU-free game streaming or recording. Furthermore, the model also supports AMD's newest technologies such as Direct 12 and Vulkan, FreeSync, and Liquid VR.

PowerColor Red Devil RX 470 4 GB GDDR5 utilizes 4 GB of GDDR5 memory with 2048 stream processors, ships core clock up to 1270 MHz, and has 1750 MHz memory clock speed which is connected via a new high speed 256-bit memory interface. Having a 8 Pin power connector plus superior 6+1 multi-phases where each phase supplies 25W instead of 22.5W found in other boards this board is designed for the ultimate performance and supplying stable power.

MSI is proud to add AMD's latest Radeon RX 480 to its graphics card lineup. The new Polaris architecture combines the latest FinFET 14 process technology and AMD's advanced power, gating and clocking technologies for a superior cool and quiet gaming experience. The new 14 nm process allows for an impressive increase in efficiency, providing 2.5 times more performance per watt over the last generation.

Get ready for a whole new level of gaming at 1440p where powerful Async shaders and new geometry capabilities enable unique support for DirectX 12 and Vulkan in the best version of Graphics Core Next yet. Every PC gamer knows how incredibly smooth gaming can be at a steady 60+ FPS. Now you can have that polished experience at virtually any framerate with AMD FreeSync technology.

Microsoft added two new features to its Universal Windows Platform (UWP), the company's non-Win32 application environment built around the Windows Store and modern UI. With the latest update to Windows 10, Microsoft updated UWP to support adaptive-sync technologies such as NVIDIA G-SYNC and AMD FreeSync; and removed frame-rate limits. Games built on UWP (such as "Quantum Break") suffered from frame-rate caps.

UWP continues to be criticized for taking a "walled-garden" approach to third-party apps, restricting them to Microsoft APIs such as DirectX. The platform continues to suffer from several limitations for games, such as support for APIs such as OpenGL and Vulkan; and proprietary multi-GPU technologies such as SLI and CrossFire; or support for game-mods.

AOC, one of the top global brands in the display market, recently presented their premium line of gaming monitors - the AGON series. Its first model is the 27" (68.6 cm) AG271QX powered by a high-speed TN panel at a native resolution of 2560 x 1440 pixels. It delivers ultra-smooth images with a 144 Hz refresh rate and a response time of 1 ms, supported by Adaptive-Sync Technology (FreeSync compatible, at a 30-144 Hz range) that reduces stuttering and tearing - focusing on the best gaming performance.

Gamers that play competitively not only rely on fast and smooth images, but also on instantaneously-executed commands and perfect vision in every situation. The AOC Low Input Lag mode disables picture post-processing on the monitor's electronics and, therefore, accelerates the command pass-through from mouse, keyboard and gamepad to result in immediate actions while the AOC Shadow Control enables gamers to quickly adjust contrast in overly dark or bright areas without sacrificing the quality of well-balanced areas across the rest of the screen.