Today, The Khronos Group, an open consortium of industry-leading companies creating advanced interoperability standards, publicly releases the OpenCL 3.0 Provisional Specifications. OpenCL 3.0 realigns the OpenCL roadmap to enable developer-requested functionality to be broadly deployed by hardware vendors, and it significantly increases deployment flexibility by empowering conformant OpenCL implementations to focus on functionality relevant to their target markets. OpenCL 3.0 also integrates subgroup functionality into the core specification, ships with a new OpenCL C 3.0 language specification, uses a new unified specification format, and introduces extensions for asynchronous data copies to enable a new class of embedded processors. The provisional OpenCL 3.0 specifications enable the developer community to provide feedback on GitHub before the specifications and conformance tests are finalized.

AMD has today released an update to its Radeon Software Adrenalin 2020, in the so-called edition 20.4.2. The new driver revision brings a heap of features and improvements that fix a lot of issues that users have experienced. AMD now brings support for titles like Gears Tactics and Predator: Hunting Grounds. Some of the fixes are big ones for RX Vega cards like the resolvent of system hang or black screen when running Folding@Home while also running an application using hardware acceleration of video content. Others include a fix for a system crash or hang that may be experienced when using the Edge browser to play Netflix content. For a full list of features and improvements please check out the list below.

DOWNLOAD: Radeon Software Adrenalin 2020 Edition 20.4.2

SteelSeries, the leader in gaming and esports peripherals, today announces its acquisition of A-Volute, the leading independent developer of 3D sound solutions for gaming, including its flagship Nahimic software. The acquisition of A-Volute will continue to bolster SteelSeries' reputation of industry-leading gaming audio performance across both hardware and software.

For nearly two decades, SteelSeries has been a frontrunner in the gaming industry, offering high-quality gaming peripherals to pro and enthusiast gamers. Its SteelSeries Engine software platform has millions of daily users and is integrated with games and applications. Over the years, the company has built a strong brand and has leveraged this to outpace category growth globally. The award-winning Arctis line of gaming headsets redefined the category as is the new standard in excellence in gaming audio hardware.

According to VideoCardz, ASRock has already listed Intel's upcoming lineup of motherboards in its Polychrome Sync software for controlling the RGB lighting of your motherboard. In the installed program files, ASRock displays several of the models that are a part of Intel's upcoming LGA1200-based Comet Lake-S 10th generation of CPUs. There are a total of nine Z490 motherboards and they are ASRock Z490 AQUA, Phantom Gaming 4, Phantom Gaming 4 SR, Phantom Gaming 6, Pro4, Steel Legend, Taichi, Z490M ITX AC, and Z490M Pro4.

When it comes to the cheaper, non-overclockable H470 chipset, there are two motherboards listed - H470 Steel Legend and H470M ITX AC. Additionally, perhaps one of the most interesting finds is the appearance of W480 chipset meant for workstation solutions. The motherboard using the new chipset is a model named W480 Creator, which should be a new addition to the consumer motherboard lineup.

AMD today released Radeon Software Adrenalin 20.1.3 beta drivers. These drivers add support for the new Radeon RX 5600 XT graphics card that's hitting the shelves today; in addition to fixing a handful issues. To begin with, the drivers address a display signal loss noticed when performing parallel actions such as web browsing, gaming or watching video. Game crashes related to Nioh, Dragon Quest Builders 2, WWE 2K20, Dead or Alive 6 and Atelier Ryza were fixed. Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus now appears correctly in Radeon Software. Text overflow in some UI elements have been fixed. Loss of fan-tuning settings when switching between available GPUs has been fixed. Another kind of intermittent black screen on desktop idling for extended periods has been fixed.

DOWNLOAD: AMD Radeon Software Adrenalin 20.1.3

CHERRY, the specialist for computer input devices, presents CHERRY KEYS. This free software tool for straightforward customization of keyboards and mice allows users to configure their input devices according to their individual demands. The software tool works with virtually every keyboard and mouse on the market, although it achieves best results with original CHERRY products.

CHERRY KEYS offers an intuitive user interface for assigning specific tasks to individual keys of the keyboard or mouse. The tool shows the configurable keys or buttons on all available input devices and lets you customize them with the click of a mouse button, using different colours to show which keys have been reprogrammed. CHERRY offers a variety of options to reprogram individual keys, such as opening programs, files, folders or web pages at the touch of a button. System functions (logoff, lock, standby) or multimedia commands are also possible. Complete input sequences — so-called macros — or even recorded texts can be saved as a shortcut and started or inserted as required.

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AMD has today released a new and improved version of their "Adrenalin" graphics card driver with the release of the version 19.11.1. The new release brings many bug fixes and most importantly a support for Red Dead: Redemption II game. Some of the improvements with the 19.11.1 are the fixes for frame rate limit of 60 FPS in some game titles that utilize Vulkan API; OBS streaming now doesn't get a heavy frame drop when using AMF encoding and error when some users try to connect to Twitch from the connect page in Radeon Settings for live streaming is gone.

Download the AMD Radeon Software Adrenalin 19.11.1 Driver.

TUM_APISAK has done of his well-regarded snoopings again, and this one could have relevant information for the democratization of threads in next-gen Intel products. Intel has been slowly (as they can) increasing the amount of cores and threads in their respective product lines across i3, i5, and i7 CPUs after AMD's Ryzen onslaught. Luckily, from two core, four-thread Core i3 of a few years ago, we now seem to be entering a new era for entry-level computing, with a new SiSoftware benchmark seemingly showing an Intel next-gen "Comet Lake" Core i3 CPU sporting 4 physical threads with Hyper Threading enabled (so, basically, the equivalent of Skylake Core i7's from just three years ago).

The benchmark submission lists what appears to be a four-core, eight-thread Core i3-10100. It sports a 3.6 GHz base clock, which likely isn't final, so take that frequency with a grain of salt. This shuffle in the low-end definitely means an upscale in Intel's more powerful lineups, with HyperThreading likely being active for all of their product stack across Comet Lake - 4C, 8T Core i3; 6C, 12T Core i5; 8C, 16T Core i7; and a likely 10C, 20T Core i9 10900K that straddles the line between consumer and HEDT platforms. Of course, remember these are still built upon the 14 nm process, give or take a few "+" symbols, so don't expect too much in terms of energy efficiency gains.

AMD today released a newest update to its Radeon Adrenalin driver. Dubbed version 19.10.1, the new release brings many new bug fixes and improvements to the table. For starters it will enable support for the newly released Radeon RX 5500 an 5500M desktop and mobile graphics cards, so now the buyers of these cards will have a driver from day one to start their experience smoothly. Additionally, support for the upcoming game "GRID", set to release on October 11th, is also included with this driver release.

Download the Adrenalin 19.10.1 Driver here.The change-log follows.

HTC has invested heavily into its VR place in the market, with the company being one of the most prolific in both exploring the market (that's till a relative niche) and developing improvements on their products. The new Vive Cosmos VR headset is another take on the VR world, one with modularity in mind and set with better technical specification than the original Vive - while undercutting the Vive Pro by $200, down to $699.

The Vive Cosmos features a higher 2880 x 1700p combined lens resolution (90Hz refresh rate), up from the original Vive's 2160 x 1200p. Usability improvements include the faceplate, which is now of a flip-up design that keeps the headset resting on your head when you need to actually take a look at the world around you (or your pet, or your staring significant other and the cold food that lays on the table by now).

AMD late Thursday released the Radeon Software Adrenalin 19.9.2 beta drivers. These drivers add optimization for "Borderlands 3," with up to 16 percent improvement in frame-rates compared to the older 19.9.1 drivers, as tested with a Radeon RX 5700. The drivers also introduce support for Radeon Image Sharpening on graphics cards based on the "Polaris" architecture (such as RX 580, RX 480, etc), for DirectX 12 and Vulkan games. Among the issues fixed with 19.9.2 are frame-rates getting locked to 30 with V-sync enabled on some displays with 75 Hz refresh-rate set; system instability when watching videos in a web-browser on some machines with RX 5700 series graphics cards; audio in ReLive desktop capture being corrupted; and problems with Enhanced Sync. Grab the driver from the link below.

DOWNLOAD: AMD Radeon Software Adrenalin 19.9.2The change-log follows.

Today, AMD has released their latest Radeon Software Adrenalin 2019 Edition drivers. Beta version 19.6.3 offers support for F1 2019 and comes with a host of addressed issues. A couple of these fixes include one for system hangs when overclocking or underclocking GPU memory in a three display Eyefinity configuration and Radeon ReLive and Radeon Overlay failing to function correctly when starting to record with Radeon Relive. AMD has also fixed the issue where Hyper V enabled systems would fail to boot after driver install. Even with a solid list of fixes, some problems continue to persist while new ones have been found. One of the issues listed with this release is that Radeon Overlay may fail to enable when playing DOTA 2 in fullscreen, meanwhile Facebook streaming and uploading is currently unavailable. There is also an issue with the graphics driver failing to uninstall using the express uninstall option on Ryzen APUs. Sadly there were no performance improvements listed with these drivers.

DOWNLOAD: AMD Radeon Software Adrenalin 19.6.2 betaThe change-log follows.

Intel has launched a software overclocking utility tool for their latest 9th Gen, unlocked CPUs that promises to take the guesswork and BIOS delving out of the overclocking equation. The Intel Performance Maximizer tries to do exactly what the name implies by automagically overclocking your unlocked (read, K-suffix CPU for unlocked multipliers) with no further user intervention needed. Intel describe this tool as the one that "(...) makes it easier than ever to dynamically custom-tune an unlocked Intel processor based upon its individual performance potential."

Intel says they will offer you a one-time, free CPU replacement in addition to your usual 3-year warranty on a company CPU, should anything wrong arise during this method of overclocking. Intel say's this is a way to maximize your CPU performance on a per-sample basis, so results may vary according to your CPU's thermal properties (as we know, some CPUs perform and overclock better than others due to slight variations in the manufacturing process). But if you don't want to get inside your BIOS for a dirty, hands-on approach, you can always use Intel's software, which has been released at a very conspicuous time indeed, considering AMD's Ryzen 3000 series release.

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AMD today released the latest version of their Radeon Adrenalin 2019 Drivers. Version 19.3.1 is game-ready for the release of Devil May Cry 5, promising an "up to 4%" performance improvement in that title, with a Vega 64 graphics card. High-profile fixes include fixes for Radeon WattMan on Radeon VII, mouse lag or system slowdown with one of multiple displays shut off, black screen issues with Acer's KG251Q display, and corrupted video on an HDR display. Follow the link below, and check after the break for the more complete listing of this driver release.DOWNLOAD: AMD Radeon Adrenalin Edition 19.3.1 Beta

We saw a glimpse of this at the NVIDIA suite during CES 2019, with a beta version coming out shortly after. NVIDIA and OBS (Open Broadcaster Software) have since brought out the full release of a new OBS Studio, version 23.0.1, that adds improved support for NVIDIA GeForce cards. In particular, their latest and greatest RTX lineup, including the new desktop RTX 2060 as well as the mobile and Max-Q variants, will see an FPS impact drop by as much as 66% according to NVIDIA's internal testing. Some example results are seen below, with games such as Fortnite, PUBG, Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 - Blackout, and Apex Legends seeing a frame rate boost by up to 48% compared to x264 Fast, and 27% compared to x264 Very Fast.

Given this is a result of NVENC, NVIDIA's hardware encoder, in place, older GeForce GPUs (GTX 600-series and newer that support NVENC) will also see some benefits. GeForce RTX GPUs just get to enjoy a bit more- up to 15% more, in fact, in efficiency as far as bitrate consumption for the same graphical fidelity. NVIDIA effectively says that "GeForce RTX GPUs can stream with superior image quality compared to x264 Fast, and on par with x264 Medium", thus putting in a strong case for single-PC gaming and streaming, as opposed to having a dedicated streaming PC. They have even put out a video to go over the enhancements, which will no doubt interest game streamers on the PC platform.

In what is likely to cause some hand wringing or chuckles depending on upon your personality, Microsoft's Windows 10 Insider Preview Slow Ring (beta versions of the OS) has not seen a new release in months. This is due to a common Anti-cheat software running amok and causing GSODs (replacement for BSODs in preview builds). The problem itself has existed for a few months and needs to be fixed by the creators of the software as noted by Chief of the Windows Insider program, Dona Sarkar, on twitter. Apparently, this isn't something Microsoft can fix due to how the software itself functions. Essentially the unspecified anti-cheat software runs in kernel mode and tampers with various aspects of the OS that it is not supposed to tamper with. While it is possible, the software is using allowed hooks in order to function. It is also possible that in the process it is damaging kernel data structures and code. This situation is likely to stir up debate on how effective anti-cheat software is considering it seldom seems to stop determined cheaters and as of now is causing the OS crash and is proving to be a thorn in Microsoft's side.

Still, this has more ramifications than just some system crashes or a software company that needs to edit some code. It directly results in Microsoft having to delay Preview releases. Since these Slow Ring builds can't be tested or validated. Pair that with the fact Microsoft's testing of Windows 10 builds is already considered lackluster with many bugs and issues going unresolved and you end up with a rather grim situation. After all, it was only a few short months ago that the October 2018 update was released after suffering numerous problems and delays. If issues like that continue, it seems the April 2019 update could be delayed as well. To avoid this and to get something done, Microsoft will be pushing out a Slow Ring build to systems that do not have the offending anti-cheat software. Better late than never but you would have thought that this solution would have been implemented sooner.

AMD today posted the latest version of Radeon Software Adrenalin 2019 Edition. Version 19.2.1 beta ships with optimization for "APEX Legends" and "The Division 2 private beta." It also improves performance of "Assassin's Creed: Odyssey" by up to 5 percent, when tested on a Radeon RX Vega 64 graphics card. The company also fixed a number of issues.

To begin with, a bug affecting "Battlefield V" in which character outlines remain on the screen after revive has been fixed. Radeon Settings not automatically installing when updating Radeon Software on machines with hybrid graphics has been fixed. Also fixed is a Radeon Settings application crash noticed when switching tabs too quickly with long game lists. Some displays experiencing a loss in video when maximizing to fullscreen any software with FreeSync enabled, also has been fixed. A white-screen bug affecting "Anthem" has been fixed. HDMI Underscan settings not restoring after reboot has been fixed. An inverted color bug with ReLive has been fixed.DOWNLOAD: AMD Radeon Software Adrenalin 19.2.1 beta

The change-log follows.

The Vive Cosmos was not the only major announcement coming out of HTC's Vive business unit at CES this year. While that has massive mainstream appeal, the company was quick to let us know that it was still to early to comment further than what has already been covered in the aforelinked news post. Instead, they invited us to their suite to take a closer look at the Vive Pro Eye- one of the few things that really stood out for us at the trade show.

The Vive Pro Eye is, as the name would suggest, a new SKU with integrated eye tracking in the Vive Pro HMD. Working together with Tobii, the Vive Pro Eye allows for a more natural control mechanism within VR via eye controls, which in turn means a revamped menu navigation system is possible. This allows for increased accessibility to end users with disability, more optimization on VR performance, and detailed analysis of VR experiences for both the client and the businesses alike. Read past the break for a breakdown of our experience with the Vive Pro Eye, and the various demos on hand to showcase the feature.

With AMD's recent launch of their Adrenalin 2019 Edition drivers, it was only a matter of time until we saw another major release. Enter the Adrenalin 2019 18.12.3 Beta drivers. While no performance improvements have been directly listed for this release, they do contain a large number of fixes. These fixes include but are not limited too; RX Vega graphics cards having their memory locked at 800 MHz, WattMan fan speed gauge will sometimes overfill, Auto tuning controls not displaying a warning message in Radeon Overlay, etc. While these fixes are a welcome sight and were quickly implemented by AMD, they still have a ways to go in regards to getting all the kinks worked out. You can view the full change-log below.DOWNLOAD: AMD Radeon Software Adrenalin 18.12.3 Beta

(Update 1: It seems that Logitech has launched an updated version of their Options software with a fix for the vulnerabiity - but this only happened after the vulnerabiiity became public. You can go on over Logitech's own webpage to download the updated version, which includes the fix in its changelogs, from here. Safe browsing.)

Adding to the critical vulnerability galore that's been coming out of Google's Project Zero, a researcher has demonstrated how an inherent bug in the "Logitech Options" software renders users vulnerable when visiting web pages. Tavis Ormandy, with Google Project Zero, found that Logitech Options opens a local Websocket port that doesn't require authentication for external commands. Attackers could exploit this issue by sending simulated keystrokes from any website - and thus execute pretty much anything on affected systems.

AMD has released today the Radeon Software Adrenalin 18.12.1 beta drivers. Overall this release merely adds support for Just Cause 4, which is set to release on December 4, 2018. While it is good to see AMD improving support for games ahead of their release, this driver offers nothing else tangible, meaning no performance boosts in other titles, changes or fixes to speak of. That said, AMD has listed a few known Issues with these drivers, such as; mouse lag on multiple displays when they are enabled but one is powered off, and Assassin's Creed: Odyssey may crash at specific locations on Windows 7 systems. We have of course uploaded these latest drivers to our download section.DOWNLOAD: AMD Radeon Software Adrenalin 18.12.1 Beta

Microsoft is changing the way that hardware drivers work on the Universal Windows Platform (UWP), Windows 10 (and later), and Microsoft Windows Server 2019 (and later). Hardware running on these operating systems can use Windows Modern Drivers (also known as Universal Windows Drivers - UWDs). Note that Microsoft requires the use of Windows Modern Drivers for Windows 10 1809 (RS5) and later. Intel will begin distributing Windows Modern Drivers for its products beginning in November 2018.

As of November 2018, any driver updates for Intel products on these operating systems will be the Windows Modern Drivers. After a driver has been updated to a Windows Modern Driver, it's possible to roll back to a legacy driver. However, rolling back isn't recommended as it involves a complex process that could result in system instability. This system instability is especially pertinent to graphics drivers. You can find more information on this subject.

DOWNLOAD: Intel UWD-compliant Graphics Driver for Windows 10 v25.20.100.6444

This has been a long time coming for sure: the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is looking to launch an investigation into the practice of introducing loot boxes in video games. The issue has already been brought up numerous times in other countries around the globe (Belgium and the Netherlands being the most prominent ones against its implementation). Only now will the FTC investigate openly into this, though, following an official request by Senator Maggie Hassan during a Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation subcommittee hearing.