We recently reported on the Good Old Games's Game Preservation Program's success, with the storefront preserving two 30-year-old Warcraft games. Now, however, GOG is partnering with the European Federation of Game Archives, Museums, and Preservation Projects (EFGAMP) for future preservation efforts. EFGAMP is "the largest organization in Europe dedicated to preserving video games as cultural heritage," giving GOG's commitment to game preservation a lot more weight than previously. The partnership could also help GOG work within and with European governmental and non-governmental institutions, like museums and other organizations, in order to further the game preservation cause.

Perhaps more interestingly, as a game distribution platform with some development talent behind it, GOG actually brings something to the table that was previously missing from EFGAMP as a foundation. In the announcement, the foundation and GOG claim that 2024 was something of a tipping point for consumers when it comes to both the erosion of game ownership and game preservation as a whole. The subject of game ownership was a recurring theme in 2024, with games like The Crew joining the aforementioned Warcraft games in being delisted from stores—at least with the GOG delisting, the games are still maintained for existing owners. The goal of both GOG and EFGAMP is to preserve the history of gaming culture, allowing future generations to experience and learn about important moments in gaming history.

For decades, leadership in computing and software ecosystems has been a cornerstone of American strength and influence worldwide. The federal government has wisely refrained from dictating the design, marketing and sale of mainstream computers and software—key drivers of innovation and economic growth. The first Trump Administration laid the foundation for America's current strength and success in AI, fostering an environment where U.S. industry could compete and win on merit without compromising national security. As a result, mainstream AI has become an integral part of every new application, driving economic growth, promoting U.S. interests and ensuring American leadership in cutting-edge technology.

Today, companies, startups and universities around the world are tapping mainstream AI to advance healthcare, agriculture, manufacturing, education and countless other fields, driving economic growth and unlocking the potential of nations. Built on American technology, the adoption of AI around the world fuels growth and opportunity for industries at home and abroad. That global progress is now in jeopardy. The Biden Administration now seeks to restrict access to mainstream computing applications with its unprecedented and misguided "AI Diffusion" rule, which threatens to derail innovation and economic growth worldwide.

Samsung Display unveiled two new, game-changing QD-OLED panels today at the CES 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada, that are expected to reinforce the company's plans to dominate the premium, self-luminous monitor market.

The new products includes the world's first 27-inch UHD (3840x2160) OLED panel with 240 Hz refresh rate and 27-inch 500 Hz OLED panel with QHD (2560x1440) resolution, boasting the highest refresh rate when compared to OLED displays currently on the market with the same resolution. Recently, global electronics manufacturers such as Samsung Electronics, ASUS, MSI, and others, announced the launch of their 2025 monitor lineups featuring these panels. Samsung Display intends to commence mass production of both panels in the first half of the year.

Biwin, a PC memory, SSD, and flash storage product licensee for top-tier PC brands, launched its consumer brand in December 2024. Here at CES 2025, the TechPowerUp team headed over to Biwin's booth to check out up close the entire lineup of products ranging from SSDs in all shapes and sizes, and DRAM modules to memory cards, and card readers. The products on display were available on Amazon Japan in December 2024, followed by Amazon UK this January, and at the start of 2025, they will be available in Taiwan, APAC, Mexico, Latin America, and the Indian market.

Biwin showcased Black Opal premium SSDs and DRAM modules such as the Biwin Black Opal X570 PRO PCIe Gen 5x 4 NVMe 2.0 SSD capable of reaching read speeds of up to 14,000 MB/s. The Black Opal DW100 RGB DDR5 CUDIMM series stands out with 9200 MT/s and a CAS latency of CL42, a product tailored for professionals and enthusiasts. For mainstream users, Biwin presented SSDs, DRR5 memory modules, memory cards, card readers, and USB flash drives.

CES 2025, the world's largest annual consumer technology trade show, kicked off in Las Vegas of America on January 7th, 2025, with more than 130,000 attendees and over 4,800 companies. As a high-performance esports equipment brand incubated by Haier Group, THUNDEROBOT showcased its comprehensive innovation capabilities in high-performance esports equipment under the theme "Powerful Esports Momentum".

At this event, THUNDEROBOT unveiled a range of flagship products encompassing esports laptops, smart glasses, monitors, desktops, and peripherals. Among these, the world's first THUNDEROBOT ZERO series of high-performance gaming laptops took the spotlight. This series is powered by the latest Intel's Core Ultra 200HX (codenamed Arrow Lake-HX) processor and NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 5090 laptop GPU. Notably, the flagship ZERO 18 model incorporates a triple-fan "Xiu Technology 2.0" cooling system with seven copper heat pipes and phase-change thermal grease to ensure optimal thermal management even under intense use. Additionally, the introduction of an 18-inch Hummingbird eye-care display with high refresh rates has significantly enhanced the immersive user experience. Each machine will undergo default color calibration to provide accurate color settings.

Alphacool International GmbH, based in Germany and a leading manufacturer in the field of water cooling, proudly presents the new graphics card water coolers for the latest NVIDIA Geforce RTX 5080 and 5090 generation.

The Alphacool Core GPU water cooler has been completely redesigned, and its appearance has also been adjusted. To further optimize cooling, all distances between the cooler and the components of the PCB were redefined and tested. The entire water flow was simulated using the latest software and then practically verified.

Today, Lenovo announced a lineup of new Lenovo Yoga and IdeaPad devices and software at CES 2025 that are designed to transform the way smarter technology adapts to and streamlines creative and productivity tasks. Lenovo Yoga laptops feature inventive form factors, never-before-seen innovations, intuitive ecosystems, and functional AI implementations designed to channel users' creative passions and maximize their potential. Embodying this pursuit are:

• The new Lenovo Yoga Slim 9i (14", 10) with its 98% screen-to-body ratio PureSight Pro OLED display courtesy of its world's first camera-under-display technology in a laptop.
• The Lenovo Yoga Book 9i (14", 10), featuring two larger PureSight OLED screens that act as the ultimate canvas for AI-driven creative pursuits.
• The Lenovo Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Aura Edition (14", 10), the newest addition to the Lenovo Yoga Aura Edition family imagined with Intel, a Copilot+ PC2 with a PureSight OLED display and up to Intel Core Ultra 7 processor.
• The Lenovo Yoga Tab Plus, Lenovo's first on-device AI tablet for amazing productivity with personalized AI experiences.

This week at CES 2025, KIOXIA America, Inc. will highlight the transformative potential of flash memory. As pioneers of NAND flash technology, KIOXIA will demonstrate how its innovative solutions empower users to achieve more, tackle challenges, and unlock creativity—making everyday moments and groundbreaking innovations possible.

Visitors to the KIOXIA exhibit will discover how flash memory is redefining storage for a digital-first world. The company will showcase cutting-edge solutions for diverse industries, from memory and SSDs for artificial intelligence and automotive to flash products for consumer and industrial applications.

GIGABYTE Technology, internationally renowned for its R&D capabilities and a leading innovator in server and data center solutions, continues to lead technological innovation during this critical period of AI and computing advancement. With its comprehensive AI product portfolio, GIGABYTE will showcase its complete range of AI computing solutions at CES 2025, from data center infrastructure to IoT applications and personal computing, demonstrating how its extensive product line enables digital transformation across all sectors in this AI-driven era.

Powering AI from the Cloud
With AI Large Language Models (LLMs) now routinely featuring parameters in the hundreds of billions to trillions, robust training environments (data centers) have become a critical requirement in the AI race. GIGABYTE offers three distinctive solutions for AI infrastructure.
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TCL, a pioneer in display across feature-rich smartphones, tablets, and connected devices, is elevating digital experiences to unprecedented levels at CES this year. Building on its comprehensive product ecosystem, TCL unveils the new NXTPAPER 4.0 display technology, the TCL NXTPAPER 11 Plus tablet, and the TCL 60 XE NXTPAPER 5G smartphone, marking significant advancements in enhancing visual clarity and comfort. TCL continues to 'Inspire Greatness' in daily life with the launch of its latest smart connectivity products, along with a strategic partnership with Microsoft to leverage advanced AI in TCL devices, reinforcing the commitment to providing users with innovative and accessible digital solutions.

The Future of Display Technology with TCL NXTPAPER 4.0
Driven by a mission to make technology more human, TCL's pioneering NXTPAPER technology addresses everyday visual comfort challenges as screen usage continues to increase globally. With an unwavering dedication and a strong sense of purpose, TCL has been on a remarkable journey to transform the way we interact with technology.

Dell Technologies builds on decades of PC innovation with a new, simplified portfolio featuring on-device AI for greater end-user creativity and productivity. To accelerate AI PC adoption across enterprises, Dell also provides developers and IT administrators with the tools to seamlessly build and deploy AI applications to Dell AI PCs.

As the number one provider of commercial AI PCs, Dell expands its portfolio with new product designs, increased performance and battery life, the latest silicon innovation and AI accelerators, and industry-leading capabilities across software, management and sustainability. Dell has unified its brand across PCs, displays, services and accessories to make it even easier for customers to find the right technology solutions they need today and in the future.

HAVIT, a leader in consumer technology, will unveil groundbreaking audio products at CES 2025, tackling key challenges in audio solutions. By leveraging cutting-edge technologies, HAVIT is advancing the industry and delivering a more immersive and realistic audio experience for users.

In 2024, HAVIT's global audio device sales surpassed 10 million units, reinforcing its market leadership. Several products have become favorites among consumers, highlighting HAVIT's innovation and user experience. At CES 2025, HAVIT will unveil a range of groundbreaking audio products, set to be event highlights.

According to ITHome, Solidigm has officially ended production of its P44 Pro and P41 Plus solid-state drives, marking its complete withdrawal from the consumer SSD market. These were the only consumer SSDs released under the Solidigm brand since the company's formation. The company has also removed all consumer drive listings from its website, which now focuses entirely on data center and enterprise storage solutions. The decision follows earlier developments in October 2023, when Solidigm reportedly dissolved its consumer SSD division and laid off staff working on consumer drives, Tom's Hardware learned from an unnamed source familiar with the matter. This has been reportedly done to stop consumer SSD development and re-route resources to enterprise SSD, which drives more revenue.

The shutdown reportedly occurred abruptly, just before the planned launch of a new consumer SSD that had already been distributed to reviewers. Consumer SSD space has been recording a lot of uncertainty recently, as larger brands have been able to launch consumer SSDs while enjoying profits from the enterprise buildout, and AI expansion is requiring massive storage units. These larger brands can distill some of their products into consumer-focused sections without much impact on margins, as the enterprise is willing to pay top Dollar for SSDs. Sadly, Solidgm has not chosen that path and is instead going all-in on the enterprise segment. Sadly, fewer SSD makers in the consumer space means less competition, so we hope that this trend doesn't continue.

What we've all been waiting for, might just have appeared and what we're talking about is of course the pricing of NVIDIA's upcoming graphics cards. @wxnod has posted a single screenshot on X/Twitter of what could be the MSRP of the RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 in China. The MSRP of the RTX 4080 was 9,499 RMB and the RTX 5080 appears to be not that much higher, at 9,999 RMB, but this still equates to about US$1,370, although do note that there's 13 percent sales tax/VAT in China.

Now as for the RTX 5090, things won't be as rosy. The RTX 4090 had an MSRP of 12,999 RMB in China and the RTX 5090 comes in at an insane 18,999 RMB or US$2,600. That's a price hike of a not insignificant 46 percent over the RTX 4090 and this might make it the most expensive consumer graphics card ever released. We'd suggest taking these prices with a helping of NaCl just to be on the safe side. The cards are expected to be available some time in January according to the screenshot.

Update 15:34 UTC: A second picture was posted in the same thread on X/Twitter that shows the expected launch months of the lower-tier RTX 5000-series cards as well and it appears to be taken from a video.

AMD's recently announced Strix Point APU lineup has received favorable reviews from critics and consumers alike. Especially for SFF/Mini PC enthusiasts, Strix Point brings commendable efficiency and performance to the table - both of which are absolutely essential for a high-end mini PC. The GMK EVO-X1 is surely among those, and the system is now available for purchase from GMKTec's official online store.

The EVO X1 sports a 110.19 x 107.3 x 63.2 mm chassis, which is decently compact for its class. As mentioned previously, the system is powered by the 12-core (4x Zen 5 + 8x Zen 5c) Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 APU with the shockingly potent RDNA 3.5-based Radeon 890M iGPU with 16 CUs. For most CPU-centric workloads, the EVO X1 should easily suffice. The iGPU, as mentioned, is potent enough to handle most graphically demanding tasks, including some lightweight gaming, but expecting anything more from it would be futile. Thankfully, an OCuLink port is present, which should allow for extremely fast eGPU connections courtesy of its 64 Gbps bandwidth.

Intel and AMD are both widely expected to hit the market with new high-performance mobile chips at CES 2025. We expect Team Blue to lift the curtains on its Core Ultra 200H and 200HX lineup, whereas Team Red will strike back with its Strix Halo products, a few of which were leaked recently with promising performance. However, that's not all that we expect from the x86 behemoths, as both are poised to introduce mid-range and budget offerings as well.

Interestingly, it appears that Intel has already pulled back the veil on its Raptor Lake-H Refresh-based Core 200H lineup, which has been revealed as the Core Processor series. The lineup consists of mostly rebadged Raptor Lake-H chips, with some confusing choices. The products, based on the Intel 7 node, are as follows.

NVIDIA's RTX 5000 series GPU hardware has been leaked repeatedly in the weeks and months leading up to CES 2025, with previous leaks tipping significant updates for the RTX 5070 Ti in the VRAM department. Now, Inno3D is apparently hinting that the RTX 5000 series will also introduce updated machine learning and AI tools to NVIDIA's GPU line-up. An official CES 2025 teaser published by Inno3D, titled "Inno3D At CES 2025, See You In Las Vegas!" makes mention of potential updates to NVIDIA's AI acceleration suite for both gaming and productivity.

The Inno3D teaser specifically points out "Advanced DLSS Technology," "Enhanced Ray Tracing" with new RT cores, "better integration of AI in gaming and content creation," "AI-Enhanced Power Efficiency," AI-powered upscaling tech for content creators, and optimizations for generative AI tasks. All of this sounds like it builds off of previous NVIDIA technology, like RTX Video Super Resolution, although the mention of content creation suggests that it will be more capable than previous efforts, which were seemingly mostly consumer-focussed. Of course, improved RT cores in the new RTX 5000 GPUs is also expected, although it will seemingly be the first time NVIDIA will use AI to enhance power draw, suggesting that the CES announcement will come with new features for the NVIDIA App. The real standout feature, though, are called "Neural Rendering" and "Advanced DLSS," both of which are new nomenclatures. Of course, Advanced DLSS may simply be Inno3D marketing copy, but Neural Rendering suggests that NVIDIA will "Revolutionize how graphics are processed and displayed," which is about as vague as one could be.

BIOSTAR, a leading manufacturer of motherboards, graphics cards, IPC solutions, and storage devices, introduces the Storming V 16 GB / 8 GB DDR4 memory ideal for budget-friendly, casual home entertainment systems.

The Storming V DDR4 memory is an excellent choice for modern home entertainment systems, combining outstanding performance with affordability. Designed for casual entertainment and gaming, it delivers exceptional speed and stability, handling popular mid-range titles effortlessly to provide smooth gameplay and rapid data transfer rates. With a strong emphasis on practicality and performance, the Storming V DDR4 is the smart choice to elevate your everyday computing and entertainment experience.

TrendForce reports that the global notebook market in 2024 is projected to recover at a moderate pace, hindered by high interest rates and geopolitical uncertainties. Annual shipments are forecast to reach 174 million units, marking a 3.9% YoY increase. Looking ahead to 2025, reduced political uncertainty following the U.S. presidential election and the Federal Reserve's rate cuts in September 2024 are expected to stimulate capital flow. Combined with the end-of-service for Windows 10 and demand for commercial device upgrades, global notebook shipments are predicted to grow by 4.9% to 183 million units in 2025.

TrendForce notes that notebooks remain primarily productivity tools, with shipment growth driven largely by deferred replacement demand. The impact of AI-integrated notebooks on the overall market remains limited for now. However, AI features are expected to naturally integrate into notebook specifications as brands gradually incorporate them, resulting in a steady rise in the penetration rates of AI notebooks.

In actively verifying its next-generation CAMM2 (Compression Attached Memory Module 2) memory modules, global memory leader Team Group Inc. today announced two specifications: consumer-grade CAMM2 DDR5 7200 MHz and industrial-grade CAMM2 DDR5 6400 MHz. These new products provide expanded options for the memory market, delivering faster data transfer speeds, enhanced performance, and greater user flexibility.

The consumer-grade CAMM2 memory from Team Group operates at DDR5 7200 MHz CL34-42-42-84 under manual overclocking, delivering exceptional performance. Compared to the default JEDEC specification, the module offers write, copy, and read speeds of up to 108,000 MB/s, 106,000 MB/s, and 117,000 MB/s, respectively, while reducing overall latency to 55ns. The module delivers smoother performance when running large applications, gaming, or multitasking. The potential to achieve ultra-high frequencies of 8000-9000 MHz in the future further underscores its superior capabilities. In addition, Team Group Industrial is developing an industrial-grade CAMM2 memory, optimized for DDR5 6400 MHz, which is designed for industrial control, edge computing, and AI applications, providing robust support for high-performance computing and real-time data processing. The module will play a critical role in the development of technologies such as smart manufacturing, autonomous driving, and smart cities by improving both performance and reliability.

TrendForce's latest investigations reveal that the combined market share of the top five SSD module makers in the retail sector has surged from 59% in 2022 to 72% in 2023, reinforcing a trend of larger companies expanding their dominance. These major players are leveraging their scale to negotiate more favorable prices for NAND Flash, boosting their competitive edge and ensuring they have sufficient resources to stock up in preparation for market shifts.

TrendForce reports that shipments of branded SSDs in the retail market reached 180 million units in 2023, marking a YoY growth of 3.7%. Reflecting on the SSD market for that year, it appeared that many PCs purchased during the pandemic had entered their typical replacement cycle.

At Snapdragon Summit, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. unveiled the Snapdragon 8 Elite Mobile Platform, the most powerful and world's fastest mobile system-on-a-chip ever. Our flagship mobile platforms are now taking on the Elite name, showcasing the remarkable progress it represents for the industry. This platform debuts industry leading technologies such as the second generation custom-built Qualcomm Oryon CPU, Qualcomm Adreno GPU and enhanced Qualcomm Hexagon NPU, all of which deliver game changing performance improvements.

These innovations empower the Snapdragon 8 Elite to transform user experiences with their devices - making on-device multi-modal generative AI applications a reality on smartphones powered by Snapdragon. These technologies also fuel many other experiences across camera capabilities, with our most powerful AI-ISP, as well as next level gaming, super-fast web browsing and more.

TrendForce's latest findings reveal that NAND Flash products have been impacted by weaker-than-expected seasonal demand in the second half of 2024, leading to a decline in wafer contract prices in Q3. This downward trend is projected to deepen, with prices expected to drop by more than 10% in Q4.

Enterprise SSDs are the only segment likely to see modest price growth—supported by stable order momentum—with contract prices forecast to rise by 0-5% in Q4. However, PC SSDs and UFS will see more cautious procurement strategies from buyers, as weaker-than-expected sales of end products drive buyers to adopt a conservative approach. As a result, TrendForce projects overall NAND Flash contract prices will decline by 3-8% in Q4.

Today at HP Imagine, HP Inc. (NYSE: HPQ) announced the company's newest innovations, including next-gen AI PCs, AI-enabled video conferencing solutions, and a scalable GPU performance sharing solution for AI developers - all designed to transform the future of work.

"HP is deeply ambitious in its commitment to reshape the way people work, fostering growth, nurturing creativity, and unleashing limitless innovation," said Alex Cho, President of Personal Systems at HP Inc. "We're bringing AI to life and delivering powerful new experiences through our next-gen AI PCs, advanced audio and video solutions, and innovative AI development platform."

Logitech announced the launch of MX Creative Console, a new product category that allows digital creators to focus on their artistry. With instant access to essential controls and ultimate customization, the MX Creative Console streamlines workflows and automates repetitive tasks.

"Digital creativity is undergoing a massive transformation, constantly evolving the way people create. The MX Creative Console is designed to help people redefine their workflow, enabling them to work smarter and faster," said Anatoliy Polyanker, general manager of the MX Business Unit at Logitech. "With the latest additions to the Logitech MX Ecosystem, the MX Creative Console and recently-announced MX Ink, we are tapping into the key trends of democratizing digital creation, 3D design and spatial computing, and AI-enabled workflows."