The Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA ) today announced that it has published a major update to its widely adopted High-Performance Monitor and Display Compliance Test Specification (DisplayHDR), which launched the display industry's first fully open standard specifying high dynamic range (HDR) quality. The updated spec, DisplayHDR version 1.2, includes significantly tighter performance requirements, including for luminance, color gamut and bit depth, as well as several new test requirements for color accuracy, contrast ratio, black levels, and subtitle flicker, to address recent advances in display technology.

Companies can begin certifying products under the new DisplayHDR 1.2 spec today. In addition, VESA will continue to allow products to be certified under the previous DisplayHDR 1.1 spec through the end of May 2025 for monitors, and May 2026 for laptops, to allow for products already in development that have been designed to meet the previous spec. To date, more than 3000 display models have been certified to the DisplayHDR standard.

Apple today unveiled the groundbreaking new iPad Pro in a stunningly thin and light design, taking portability and performance to the next level. Available in silver and space black finishes, the new iPad Pro comes in two sizes: an expansive 13-inch model and a super-portable 11-inch model. Both sizes feature the world's most advanced display—a new breakthrough Ultra Retina XDR display with state-of-the-art tandem OLED technology—providing a remarkable visual experience. The new iPad Pro is made possible with the new M4 chip, the next generation of Apple silicon, which delivers a huge leap in performance and capabilities. M4 features an entirely new display engine to enable the precision, color, and brightness of the Ultra Retina XDR display. With a new CPU, a next-generation GPU that builds upon the GPU architecture debuted on M3, and the most powerful Neural Engine yet, the new iPad Pro is an outrageously powerful device for artificial intelligence. The versatility and advanced capabilities of iPad Pro are also enhanced with all-new accessories. Apple Pencil Pro brings powerful new interactions that take the pencil experience even further, and a new thinner, lighter Magic Keyboard is packed with incredible features. The new iPad Pro, Apple Pencil Pro, and Magic Keyboard are available to order starting today, with availability in stores beginning Wednesday, May 15.

"iPad Pro empowers a broad set of pros and is perfect for anyone who wants the ultimate iPad experience—with its combination of the world's best displays, extraordinary performance of our latest M-series chips, and advanced accessories—all in a portable design. Today, we're taking it even further with the new, stunningly thin and light iPad Pro, our biggest update ever to iPad Pro," said John Ternus, Apple's senior vice president of Hardware Engineering. "With the breakthrough Ultra Retina XDR display, the next-level performance of M4, incredible AI capabilities, and support for the all-new Apple Pencil Pro and Magic Keyboard, there's no device like the new iPad Pro."

ASRock, the global leading manufacturer of motherboards, graphics cards, mini PCs and gaming monitors, today announced the launch of a brand-new generation of gaming monitors with a high refresh rate of 180 Hz. The initial models released are the highly anticipated PG27QFT2A and PG27QFT1B, featuring 27-inch QHD high-resolution IPS panels combined with 180 Hz high refresh rate technology. This delivers incredibly smooth visuals, catering to responsive gaming experiences and keeping players one step ahead in their games!

Not just fast, but faster than ever! The ASRock Phantom Gaming 180 Hz gaming monitor series is set to unleash a wave of speed, boasting a 25% increase in speed compared to conventional 144 Hz gaming monitors. This significant leap reduces motion blur and screen tearing, offering a highly clear and smooth visual experience. More than just dominating the gaming world, high refresh rate monitors are also perfect companions for creators. With seamless screen performance, they elevate the editing and content creation experience for film editors, content creators, and beyond.

NVIDIA has been offering its GPU IP for more than a decade now ever since the introduction of Kepler uArch, and its IP has had relatively low traction in other SoCs. However, that trend seems to be reaching an inflection point as NVIDIA has given MediaTek a license to use its GPU IP to produce the next generation of processors for the auto industry. The newest MediaTek Dimensity Auto Cockpit family consists of CX-1, CY-1, CM-1, and CV-1, where the CX-1 targets premium vehicles, CM targets medium range, and CV targets lower-end vehicles, probably divided by their compute capabilities. The Dimensity Auto Cockpit family is brimming with the latest technology, as the processor core of choice is an Armv9-based design paired with "next-generation" NVIDIA GPU IP, possibly referring to Blackwell, capable of doing ray tracing and DLSS 3, powered by RTX and DLA.

The SoC is supposed to integrate a lot of technology to lower BOM costs of auto manufacturing, and it includes silicon for controlling displays, cameras (advanced HDR ISP), audio streams (multiple audio DSPs), and connectivity (WiFi networking). Interestingly, the SKUs can play movies with AI-enhanced video and support AAA gaming. MediaTek touts the Dimensity Auto Cockpit family with fully local AI processing capabilities, without requiring assistance from outside servers via WiFi, and 3D spatial sensing with driver and occupant monitoring, gaze-aware UI, and natural controls. All of that fits into an SoC fabricated at TSMC's fab on a 3 nm process and runs on the industry-established NVIDIA DRIVE OS.

ASUS Republic of Gamers (ROG) today announced availability of the ROG Swift OLED PG32UCDM gaming monitor. It boasts a 32-inch 4K QD-OLED anti-reflective panel that delivers astounding visuals at a buttery-smooth 240 Hz. Featuring third-generation QD-OLED technology, the PG32UCDM delivers vibrant colors, the deepest black hues, and the brightest imagery. Plus, a 0.03 ms gray-to-gray (GTG) response time ensures blur-free action, even in intense gameplay. Inside, an advanced custom heatsink offers exceptional cooling to reduce the likelihood of burn-in and improve performance and longevity of the OLED panel. This premium monitor is designed for gamers who demand the very best, offering an unbeatable combination of size, image quality, and refresh-rate speed for exhilarating gaming experiences.

The 240 Hz refresh rate of PG32UCDM eradicates motion blur and delivers buttery-smooth visuals, even in the most fast-paced titles. The 0.03 ms GTG response time eliminates ghosting and ensures pixel-perfect precision to provide gamers with a competitive edge. AMD FreeSync Premium Pro technology and NVIDIA G-SYNC compatibility ensure supersmooth, tear-free visuals with low latency. Plus, the back of the panel is wrapped in graphene film to improve heat dissipation while the custom heatsink with integrated airflow channels optimizes thermal performance to minimize the risk of burn-in.

NVIDIA is giving finishing touches to a new feature called RTX TrueHDR. This was discovered by a user on NexusMods, who went ahead and published a mod based on it. This is essentially a driver-level utility that converts SDR games to HDR in real-time by leveraging the generative AI capabilities of GeForce RTX GPUs and their Tensor cores. From the looks of it, it appears to be a derivative of RTX Video HDR enhancement, except it works with the lossless output of a game. A vast selection of gaming monitors these days come with at least DisplayHDR 400 capability and the ability to display HDR content; which gives NVIDIA a sizable market to address with RTX TrueHDR. There's no word on when NVIDIA plans to release this feature, but it could only be a matter of time (weeks, if not months), given that NVIDIA drivers are already capable of SDR-to-HDR conversion technologies.

Samsung Electronics today unveiled the Galaxy S24 Ultra, Galaxy S24+ and Galaxy S24, unleashing new mobile experiences with Galaxy AI. Galaxy S series leads the way into a new era that will forever change how mobile devices empower users. AI amplifies nearly every experience on Galaxy S24 series, from enabling barrier-free communication with intelligent text and call translations, to maximizing creative freedom with Galaxy's ProVisual Engine, to setting a new standard for search that will change how Galaxy users discover the world around them.

"The Galaxy S24 series transforms our connection with the world and ignites the next decade of mobile innovation," said TM Roh, President and Head of Mobile eXperience (MX) Business at Samsung Electronics. "Galaxy AI is built on our innovation heritage and deep understanding of how people use their phones. We're excited to see how our users around the world empower their everyday lives with Galaxy AI to open up new possibilities."

Hot on the heels of LG's UltraGear 4K OLED monitor with Dual-Hz feature, specifications and pictures of the upcoming HP OMEN Transcend 4K OLED monitor have leaked online. It will come with 32-inch 4K OLED panel with 240 Hz refresh rate and peak brightness of 1000 nits in HDR mode. The monitor will feature HP's Omen Tempest Cooling Tech to mitigate the risk of burn-in problems, as well as support for AMD FreeSync and Dolby Vision.

The rest of the known specifications, reported by Windows Report, include KVM switch, a feature that is quite popular in monitors these days, as well as HDMI 2.1 and DisplayPort 2.1 support. It also includes several other USB Type-C and Type-A ports. The monitor is expected to be the star of HP's OMEN CES 2024 lineup.

Gearbox Publishing and Blackbird Interactive have officially unveiled the system requirements for Homeworld 3, the highly anticipated next installment in the GOTY-winning sci-fi RTS series, launching in 2024. Blackbird Interactive continues its work to optimize the game to ensure the fidelity, scale and immersiveness of Homeworld 3's gameplay can be experienced across a wide array of PCs.

Players with the latest graphics cards and processors can enjoy the game in 4K with all of the settings turned up while players with older components can still experience Homeworld 3's hallmark 3D strategy experience with dynamic space battles and incredible visuals.

Valve has announced an updated version of the Steam Deck and the headline feature is the new 7.4-inch OLED display. That's a mere 0.4-inches bigger than the original Steam Deck LCD display and it retains the same 1280 x 800 resolution. However, everything else related to the display has been improved and the refresh rate is now 90 Hz rather than 60 Hz. The display is also a lot brighter, with an SDR rating of 600 nits and an HDR rating of 1000 nits. Valve also claims a 110 percent P3 colour gamut, a one million to one contrast ratio and a sub 0.1 ms response time. On top of that, Valve has added what the company calls "high performance touch" which is said to improve the responsiveness of the display.

It's not just the display that has been improved, as Valve has moved to a 6 nm AMD Zen 2 based SoC which seems to allow the GPU to run at 1.6 GHz at all times, as Valve no longer lists a frequency range for the GPU. The power envelope remains the same though, with a range of 4-15 Watts. Paired with the new SoC is faster LPDDR5 memory at 6400 MT/s, up from 5500 MT/s, which should provide a small boost in gaming performance. An improved cooling solution is also part of the package, which is also likely a reason for the more constant GPU clocks. Gone are the entry level storage SKUs and the OLED version of the Steam Deck only comes with 512 GB or 1 TB of internal storage. The WiFi and Bluetooth module has also been overhauled and now supports WiFi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3. The battery has also been boosted from a 40 Whr pack to a 50 Whr pack and Valve now claims three to 12 hours of battery life during gaming, as well as faster charging times. Finally the weight has dropped by 29 grams, which might not be much, but still impressive considering the larger battery pack. The downside you ask? That would be the price, as Valve is asking for US$549/€569 for the 512 GB version, with the 1 TB coming at US$649/€679 when it becomes available on the 16th of November.

LG Electronics (LG) is unveiling its latest LG SMART Monitor lineup (models 32SR50F and 27SR50F). The versatile, new 31.5- and 27-inch monitors don't require any PC connection at all, and are ideal for productivity. Along with advanced IPS displays that deliver true-to-life colors and strong contrast, LG SMART Monitors feature LG's webOS 23 platform, which provides more convenience for working remotely as well as streaming favorite shows, sports and music.

Great for entertainment and getting work done, LG SMART Monitors boast high-performance IPS displays and HDR 10 support. The vibrant, accurate images produced by the new monitors help bring content to life and also enhance the user's experience when participating in conference calls, working on documents or researching on the Internet. With its 3-sided virtually borderless design, the 27-inch model presents a sleek, minimalist look that can elevate one's space and boost the sense of immersion.

Thanks to the information from Windows Report, we have received numerous details regarding Qualcomm's upcoming Snapdragon Elite X chip for laptops. The Snapdragon Elite X SoC is built on top of Nuvia-derived Oryon cores, which Qualcomm put 12 off in the SoC. While we don't know their base frequencies, the all-core boost reaches 3.8 GHz. The SoC can reach up to 4.3 GHz on single and dual-core boosting. However, the slide notes that this is all pure "big" core configuration of the SoC, so no big.LITTLE design is done. The GPU part of Snapdragon Elite X is still based on Qualcomm's Adreno IP; however, the performance figures are up significantly to reach 4.6 TeraFLOPS of supposedly FP32 single-precision power. Accompanying the CPU and GPU, there are dedicated AI and image processing accelerators, like Hexagon Neural Processing Unit (NPU), which can process 45 trillion operations per second (TOPS). For the camera, the Spectra Image Sensor Processor (ISP) is there to support up to 4K HDR video capture on a dual 36 MP or a single 64 MP camera setup.

The SoC supports LPDDR5X memory running at 8533 MT/s and a maximum capacity of 64 GB. Apparently, the memory controller is an 8-channel one with a 16-bit width and a maximum bandwidth of 136 GB/s. Snapdragon Elite X has PCIe 4.0 and supports UFS 4.0 for outside connection. All of this is packed on a die manufactured by TSMC on a 4 nm node. In addition to marketing excellent performance compared to x86 solutions, Qualcomm also advertises the SoC as power efficient. The slide notes that it uses 1/3 of the power at the same peak PC performance of x86 offerings. It is also interesting to note that the package will support WiFi7 and Bluetooth 5.4. Officially coming in 2024, the Snapdragon Elite X will have to compete with Intel's Meteor Lake and/or Arrow Lake, in addition to AMD Strix Point.

MSI, the world's leading manufacturer of true gaming hardware, is expanding the hardware possibilities for all gamers. We're proudly introducing the latest line-up of monitors showcasing cutting-edge Rapid VA technology, delivering an immersive curved experience and lightning-fast response times. The response time can reach 1 ms GtG to reduce monitor ghosting in games. These monitors come equipped with the WQHD 1000R rapid VA panel, offering refresh rate options of 240 Hz or 170 Hz. Gain a competitive edge and make precise decisions in fast-moving games with ease. With the support of gaming intelligence, users can configure screen functions effortlessly through mouse operations, effectively replacing the need for physical buttons on the display. In addition to a night vision feature that empowers gamers to adapt to visually challenging dark scenes, this software offers a Smart Crosshair that dynamically adjusts its color to match the game's background, firmware updates, and KVM functionality with just a few clicks.

Quantum Dot technology
With MSI's innovative Quantum Dot technology, both the MAG 325CQRF-QD and MAG 275CQRF-QD monitors boast extensive gamut coverage and higher peak brightness, delivering unparalleled vividness not only for gaming but also for productivity tasks. Prepare to be captivated by the most lifelike and vibrant colors, enhancing your overall visual experience.

ASUS today announced the October availability of ASUS ProArt PA169CDV Pen Display, a portable 15.6-inch 4K UHD display featuring a 10-bit IPS panel. It includes the ProArt Pen featuring Wacom EMR technology for great writing and drawing experiences. PA169CDV is the world's first portable monitor that's both PANTONE Validated and Calman Verified to provide creators with the most accurate onscreen colors. Its innovative design includes upper and lower kickstands that enable different tilt angles for daily productivity and creative workflows.

Impeccable visuals with great levels of detail
ProArt PA169CDV is designed to empower creators and streamline creative workflows. The 4K UHD (3840 x 2160) panel offers 4X the pixel density and up to 3X more onscreen space that similarly sized FHD displays. Brightness levels of up to 500 nits and VESA DisplayHDR 400 certification delivers brighter, lifelike images with unmatched levels of detail.

BenQ, the global leading DLP 4K projector brand and innovator of digital lifestyle devices, today unveiled three all-new 4K HDR smart projectors. Designed specifically for AAA console gaming, each projector offers players unparalleled audiovisual experiences tailored to various rooms within the home.

Following closely after the success of the BenQ X3000i, 2022's best 4K LED gaming projector, the new models X3100i, X500i, and X300G showcase BenQ's revolutionary detail enhancement engine. They set new standards by integrating the projector-tailored HDR-PRO, CinematicColor, and CinematicSound technologies, offering a richer and more immersive gaming experience than ever before.

First, an enormous thank you to all of you playing Starfield and your support. We are absolutely blown away by the response and all you love about the game. We're also reading all your great feedback on what you'd like to see improved or added to the game. This is a game we'll be supporting for years and years to come, so please keep all the feedback coming! Even if we don't get to your requests immediately, we'd love to do it in the future, like city maps. Our priority initially is making sure any top blocker bugs or stability issues are addressed, and adding quality-of-life features that many are asking for.

This first update is a small hotfix targeted at the few top issues were are seeing. After that, expect a regular interval of updates that have top community requested features including:

• Brightness and Contrast controls
• HDR Calibration Menu
• FOV Slider
• Nvidia DLSS Support (PC)
• 32:9 Ultrawide Monitor Support (PC)
• Eat button for food!

LG Electronics (LG) is releasing a limited-edition UltraGear OLED gaming monitor (model 27GR95QL) for League of Legends fans. In addition to a vibrant 27-inch OLED display boasting a fast 240 Hz refresh rate, the monitor features distinctive League of Legends-themed designs and icons applied to its exterior and on-screen menus, developed with valuable feedback from League of Legends gamers. As one would expect of an UltraGear product, the 27GR95QL delivers smooth, immersive gaming experiences and comes packed with gamer-centric features.

The limited-edition League of Legends UltraGear OLED gaming monitor is the latest example of LG's strong partnership with Riot Games, the developer and publisher of League of Legends. First released in 2009, the beloved multiplayer online battle arena game now has the largest gaming fandom in all of esports. Over 600 million fans have played League of Legends over the past decade and the game has amassed an average of 180 million players per month.

THX Ltd., a world-class high-fidelity audio and video tuning, certification, and technology company, today announced it is launching THX Interconnect, designed in partnership with Pixelgen. THX Interconnect are a family of Ultra High Speed HDMI 2.1 cables capable of delivering 100% uncompressed 48 Gbps signaling to optimize the fidelity and reliability of nearly any sized or configured home theater system. THX is also relaunching its popular home theater installer THX Certified Training series. Both will be highlighted in early September in Denver, Colorado at the CEDIA Expo.

"The THX mission is to empower high-fidelity entertainment, regardless of where and how consumers want to enjoy movies, music and games," said Jason Fiber, chief executive officer, THX Ltd. "The THX Interconnect cables ensure all home theater components work in harmony at the highest resolutions, regardless of the length. We are pleased to bring home theater enthusiasts around the globe this cost-effective and incredibly reliable new solution. We also look forward to reintroducing the THX Certified Training program which has been dormant for a few years but is back due to overwhelming demand from the home theater installation industry."

AMD Radeon RX 6000 and RX 700 series based on RDNA 2 and RDNA 3 GPU architectures have been benchmarked by folks over at ComputerBase. However, these weren't regular benchmarks of performance but rather power consumption. According to their latest results, they discovered that enabling Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) can lower the power consumption of AMD Radeon cards in idle. Using a 4K display with a 144 Hz refresh rate, ComputerBase benchmarked Radeon RX 6800/6700 XT and RX 7900 XT, both last-generation and current-generation graphics cards. The performance matrix also includes a comparison to Intel Arc A770, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, RTX 3080, and RTX 4080.

Regarding performance figures, the tests compare desktop idle consumption, dual monitor power consumption, window movement, YouTube with SDR at 60 FPS, and YouTube with HDR at 60 FPS, all done on a 4K 144 Hz monitor setup. You can see the comparison below, with the most significant regression in power consumption being Radeon RX 7900 XTX using 81% less power in single and 71% less power in dual monitor setup.

ASUS has added a new addition to its TUF Gaming series of monitors, which goes under the model name VG34VQL3A. The new monitor is a 34-inch ultra-wide model with a WQHD or 3440 x 1440 resolution. It features a 180 Hz refresh rate panel that has a 1500R curvature and a peak brightness in both SDR and HDR mode of 400 cd/m². The panel itself is of VA type and features a common LED backlight and delivers a 1 ms GtG response time, a 4000:1 contrast ratio and finally covers 125 percent of the sRGB colour gamut.

When it comes to gaming features, ASUS has added support for Freesync Premium Pro as well as Adaptive Sync and the VG34VQL3A also sports support for ELMB (Extreme Low Motion Blur) and variable overdrive, which are two features you normally only find on higher-end gaming monitors. Included are of course ASUS typical gaming features like shadow boost, FPS counter, crosshairs etc. as well as various presets for different modes. When it comes to connectivity, ASUS has somewhat unusually equipped the VG34VQL3A with two DP 1.4 inputs, as well as two HDMI 2.0 inputs. There's also a three port USB Type-A hub that supports speed of up to 10 Gbps. The supplied stand supports tilt, swivel and height adjustment and also has an integrated quarter inch tripod mount for mounting webcams or lights. ASUS claims a mere 27 Watt power usage for the VG34VQL3A, which almost sounds too good to be true. The VG34VQL3A is expected to launch sometime later this quarter.

Samsung Electronics today announced the global launch of the Odyssey OLED G9 gaming monitor (G95SC model), which has been enhanced with next-level AI upscaling technology. Building on the success of last year's Odyssey OLED G8 (G85SB), the new monitor joins the lineup to open a new era of OLED gaming. "Last year, Samsung addressed the demands and expectations of even the most experienced gamers with the launch of the Odyssey OLED G8," said Hoon Chung, Executive Vice President of the Visual Display Business at Samsung Electronics. "With the introduction of the Odyssey OLED G9, equipped with unrivaled picture quality, we are excited to offer our customers these powerful gaming monitors and raise the bar for OLED gaming."

Measuring 49 inches in size with a 1800R curvature, the Odyssey OLED G9 is the first OLED monitor to offer Dual Quad High Definition (DQHD; 5,120 x 1,440) resolution with a 32:9 ratio. The large and wide screen ratio enable users to lose themselves in super-ultrawide vistas—equivalent to two QHD screens side by side. At the same time, its rapid 0.03 ms gray-to-gray (GtG) response time and 240 Hz refresh rate offer players a competitive edge.

Today, Intel introduced the Intel Arc Pro A60 and Pro A60M as new members of the Intel Arc Pro A-series professional range of graphics processing units (GPUs). The new products are a significant step up in performance in the Intel Arc Pro family and are carefully designed for professional workstations users with up to 12 GB of video memory (VRAM) and support for four displays with high dynamic range (HDR) and Dolby Vision support.

With built-in ray tracing hardware, graphics acceleration and machine learning capabilities, the Intel Arc Pro A60 GPU unites fluid viewports, the latest in visual technologies and rich content creation in a traditional single slot factor.

Samsung Electronics today announced the global launch of its full 2023 Smart Monitor lineup. The new M8, M7 and M5 Smart Monitors (Model Name: M80C, M70C, M50C) from Samsung enable users to tailor their monitors to their unique styles and needs, as they watch, play and work.

"We are raising the bar for Smart Monitors globally with our new lineup and especially our enhanced M8 model," said Hoon Chung, Executive Vice President of Visual Display Business at Samsung Electronics. "Within a single monitor, users can enjoy the best of entertainment and gaming, productivity, design and personalized convenience and comfort."

Imagination Technologies is bringing seamless visual experiences to cost-sensitive consumer devices with the new IMG CXM GPU range which includes the smallest GPU to support HDR user interfaces natively.

Consumers are looking for visuals on their smart home platforms that are as detailed, smooth, and responsive as the experience they are accustomed to on mobile devices. At the same time, ambitious content providers are aligning the look and feel of their applications' user interfaces with their cinematic content, by integrating advanced features such as 4K and HDR.

LG Electronics USA announced pricing and availability of the latest addition to its LG CineBeam lineup, the LG CineBeam PU700R. Featuring an intuitive and interior-friendly design that doesn't compromise on picture quality, the PU700R is available now at LG.com for $1699. Consumers who purchase an LG CineBeam PU700R projector through June 11 will receive a free LG XBOOM 360 Bluetooth speaker XO3QBE ($299.99 ARV).

The PU700R allows for content to be cast up to 120 inches in exceptional 4K UHD picture quality, and with optimized brightness levels and HDR support, users can enjoy high-quality picture in ambient lighting environments.