Intel has kicked off a widespread round of job cuts this week, informing staff members individually about their future with the company. CEO Lip-Bu Tan first advised employees in April to expect significant layoffs, following years of production challenges and declining sales. Although Intel has not provided a total headcount for the reductions, the process will unfold over several weeks, with some workers receiving immediate notice and others awaiting final decisions. Within Intel's manufacturing division, known as Intel Foundry, the company plans to eliminate approximately 15% to 20% of technician, engineer, and researcher positions in its Oregon facilities. At the same time, Intel will close its automotive technology unit, resulting in layoffs for most employees in that business, and outsource marketing activities to Accenture under a new arrangement designed to harness AI for greater efficiency.

Initial layoff notices have gone out in California, and further announcements are expected soon in Arizona and Oregon, Intel's largest US sites. These cuts follow last summer's reduction of 15,000 roles, which left Intel with roughly 109,000 employees worldwide. In 2024, the company reported a $19 billion loss as rivals such as TSMC, AMD, and NVIDIA outpaced Intel with more advanced and cost-effective chips. Plans to expand fab capacity in Ohio, Germany, and Israel have been put on hold due to diminished revenue and shifting market priorities. Intel is counting on its next-generation 18A process node, due for release later this year, to restore its competitive edge. For external customers, the interest is drawn from 18A-P and 14A.

The GeForce RTX 5090 flagship graphics card may be a hot commodity in Asia due its dual-use in AI acceleration farms, and in the US it may be saddled with crippling import tariffs, besides unethical retail practices, but gamers in Europe have it good. ComputerBase.de reports that their price-tracker has detected RTX 5090 cards briefly available at prices lower than MSRP—a first for the RTX 5090 anywhere in the world.

The MSI RTX 5090 Ventus 3X OC was launched as an MSRP-priced card listed at USD $1,999. German retailer Mindfactory.de had the card listed at €1,999 including VAT, which would make this lower than the MSRP and street prices of RTX 5090 in the US and Asia. Hours later, the retailer corrected the price to €2,600. The general trend with graphics card pricing seems to be that EEA (European Economic Area) countries currently have the best pricing on graphics cards, due to their lower import tariffs than the US, relatively rare scalper gray-marketing, and lower demand cards like RTX 5090 for use-cases other than gaming or professional graphics.

Intel is reportedly rethinking its marketing strategy as the business prepares for an overhaul. Intel's CEO, Lip-Bu Tan, is preparing to lay off Intel's marketing division and outsource the entire marketing effort to Accenture, a business consulting and professional services company. As one of the largest service companies, Accenture will utilize AI to extract information and design new marketing campaigns for Intel, thereby bypassing Intel's internal marketing department. As Oregon Live reports, the final decision will be made on July 11, when the marketing department employees will receive the final notification of their layoff.

This strategic restructuring is all part of an effort to better connect with customers, as Intel's previous marketing campaigns failed to do so. This has been evident in the company's recent trend of declining revenues and market share losses, as AMD and NVIDIA have managed to secure a significant share of revenues in both the data center and client spaces. Late last week, Accenture reported it is consolidating its services in Strategy, Consulting, Song, Technology, and Operations into a singular unit called Reinvention Services. "AI can help us analyze large amounts of information faster, automate routine tasks, personalize customer experiences, and make smarter business decisions," said management to Intel's marketing department, adding that "Our goal is to empower teams with more time to focus on strategic, creative and high-impact work by automating repetitive or time-consuming tasks." If the July 11 verdict comes as a green light for Accenture outsourcing, this Reinvention Services unit will be the new Intel marketing operator, alongside AI for some basic tasks.

Nintendo's Switch 2 hybrid console is due to arrive at retail tomorrow (June 5), and pre-launch marketing campaigns are in full swing. The Japanese gaming giant has called in a high profile partner—Jensen Huang—to add some surprisingly technical heft during hype festivities. At this stage in time, NVIDIA's Tegra "T239" chipset is a well known quantity—thanks to years of leaked "internal info," and disabled examples turning up for close analysis in China. Industry experts did not anticipate Nintendo's fairly frank discussions that covered Switch 2's hardware capabilities. The Nintendo "Creator's Voice" video series has featured a number of high-profile third-party software development buddies (including CD Projekt RED), but yesterday's Team Green CEO contribution received widespread press attention.

Jensen paid tribute to Satoru Iwata, a former and much missed Nintendo president. Their collaboration started during the era of OG Switch development: "he wanted to create something no one had seen before. A console powerful enough for big, cinematic games—but small enough to take anywhere. It sounded impossible. But that vision became the original Nintendo Switch. We lost Iwata-san before the launch, but his clarity, his purpose, it still inspires our work every day. Together, we poured everything into that system." As mentioned back in April, NVIDIA dedicated significant resources into making their latest "technical marvel."

How NVIDIA's AI factory platform balances maximum performance and minimum latency, optimizing AI inference to power the next industrial revolution. When we prompt generative AI to answer a question or create an image, large language models generate tokens of intelligence that combine to provide the result. One prompt. One set of tokens for the answer. This is called AI inference. Agentic AI uses reasoning to complete tasks. AI agents aren't just providing one-shot answers. They break tasks down into a series of steps, each one a different inference technique. One prompt. Many sets of tokens to complete the job.

The engines of AI inference are called AI factories—massive infrastructures that serve AI to millions of users at once. AI factories generate AI tokens. Their product is intelligence. In the AI era, this intelligence grows revenue and profits. Growing revenue over time depends on how efficient the AI factory can be as it scales. AI factories are the machines of the next industrial revolution.

GALAX's modular "Boomstar" series of GeForce RTX 50-series cards are not well known in the West, but a little bit of global coverage trickled out last month. The Chinese manufacturer often releases regional exclusives, and its latest LUNA (white) and NOX (black) options are prime examples. Lucky owners can attach/detach Boomstar shrouds and cooling fans via a convenient and fully magnetic system. According to their latest teaser/promo material, GALAX seems to be preparing another modular part. A snazzy mirror finish backplate design has turned up online—as pointed out by VideoCardz. So far, published renders show only white examples sporting reflective back surfaces. Current LUNA and NOX SKUs cover GeForce RTX 5080, RTX 5070 Ti, and RTX 5070 GPU tiers. Unfortunately, NVIDIA's slightly nerfed flagship "Blackwell" chip is no longer available in China—another GeForce RTX 5090D downgrade is pending. Up until recently, GALAX was promoting an impressive Hall of Fame record-breaking lineup. Looking at the other end of Team Green's "Blackwell" gaming GPU spectrum, a GeForce RTX 5060 Ti Boomstar model seems to be in the pipeline.

Dragon Quest is the beloved series that's widely credited for founding the entire JPRG (Japanese role-playing game) genre. Every year, fans around the world (usually) celebrate Dragon Quest Day on May 27-the release date of the very first game in 1986. And so: Happy (belated) Dragon Quest Day! Whether this is your first time hearing about the series or you're a longtime fan, it's the perfect day to step into the world of these amazing games! So, celebrate with us as we tell you all about the wonders of Dragon Quest.

Introducing Legendary Creators
The Dragon Quest franchise was brought to life by a trio of legendary creators. Yuji Horii is the visionary game designer and creator of the series and has shaped its direction since the original title's release in 1986. The distinctive character designs were crafted by the late Akira Toriyama, the world-renowned manga artist. Complementing visuals and storytelling is the iconic music composed by the late Koichi Sugiyama. Together, these three pioneers established a legacy that continues to inspire RPGs today, and each of their specific elements have become the defining traits of the Dragon Quest experience.

Roughly a month ago, Yeston introduced its new generation Game Ace design along with a mysterious no. 207 mascot. The Chinese manufacturer is best known for creating bright and sparkly graphics cards, but a couple of darker products have emerged from their HQ. Their latest offering—finished in varying tones of pink, purple and black—was debuted with GeForce RTX 50-series hardware. At the start of this week, the 2025 Game Ace lineup welcomed a new member. Yeston's social media accounts introduced a custom Radeon RX 9060 XT 16 GB model: "the black and purple cyberpunk RX 9060 XT Game Ace launched today. Would he be your choice?" In a reply to a follower's question, a company rep confirmed that the better known Sakura and Sakura Atlantis backplate/shroud designs are currently reserved for higher-end Radeon RX 9070 XT and non-XT options (within the RDNA 4 family). Game Ace will probably not escape the confines of Navi 44 (XT) hardware.

Unsurprisingly, the Yeston Radeon RX 9060 XT 16 GB Game Ace SKU exhibits only minor visual differences, when compared to its "Blackwell" GPU-based relatives. We are looking at a fairly typical triple-fan + three 6 mm heat pipes cooling solution. A single 8-pin power connector is visible in some of Yeston's promotional renders. According to ITHome's inspection of specifications: "the boost frequency and game frequency under standard mode (STD) are 3230 MHz and 2620 MHz respectively, and the VAR mode further overclocks to 3230 MHz and 2780 MHz." Despite claiming that their freshly unveiled Game Ace model has reached launch status, the AIB likely has to conform with official AMD decree. Team Red's board partners will be releasing Radeon RX 9060 XT cards on June 5.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt celebrates its 10th anniversary this month, and we at CD Projekt Red have commemorated the milestone by collaborating with the Xbox team to create a tempered and battle-ready controller for players looking to expand their witcher's toolkit. Embark on the path with the Xbox Wireless Controller - The Witcher 3 10th Anniversary Special Edition and Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2 - Core The Witcher 3 10th Anniversary Special Edition. This is such a special moment for both our teams, and we wanted to share some insight into how Geralt's journey brought this design to life.

Our team has put great care into representing the style of The Witcher 3 and Geralt himself, headlined by the wolf medallion iconography at the center of the controller. The medallion acts as a constant for Geralt, one that allows him to adventure and warns him of lurking dangers, and we want players to connect with these controllers in the same way. We love how the design fits the layout of the controller, with the wolf's head coming below the Xbox button and between the other inputs with its glowing red eyes. It's very ominous and epic at the same time!

The majority of PowerColor coverage—emerging from Computex 2025—focused on custom Radeon RX 9060 XT graphics cards. The usual staple of Reaper and Hellhound options were showcased in Taiwan, but a brand-new family made an appearance. As highlighted by Shroud/syurarara (a YouTuber), a whole corner of the brand's booth was dedicated to a lone demonstration unit. Not much context was provided, beyond a logo and an accompanying mascot/icon/protagonist. Shroud shared a couple of tidbits: "apparently a new PowerColor model will be released in the future! It's a mix of white and gray. The name of the new graphics card hasn't been decided yet, but the female character's name is apparently REVA."

Given the lack of specifications and little explanation (provided by company representatives), PowerColor could jump-start a full-blown marketing campaign in the near future. Their brand-new REVA graphics card series seems to be semi-related to the familiar Hellhound IP; observers noticed the presence of two Hellhound emblem-branded cooling fans on the Computex sample/prototype. Despite having an almost direct line to a source at (or adjacent to) PowerColor, VideoCardz did not get an inside scoop on REVA. Their news report opined that the white/gray card could leverage Radeon RX 9070 XT (or non-XT) hardware, and be lined up for a possible global release.

Whether you're building a new PC or bringing your battle-tested rig into the future, you'll want graphics power to keep up with the latest games. That's why we're giving you choices galore with our new AMD-powered Radeon RX 9060 XT (16 GB and 8 GB) graphics cards from TUF Gaming, Prime, and ASUS Dual. You have four distinct options, ensuring there's a Radeon RX 9060 XT that's perfect for your unique rig.

Get ready for next-gen features and designs
All these next-gen graphics cards come packed with RDNA 4 architecture and FSR 4 support. These technologies mean you'll get AMD's latest upscaling solution, granting you incredible high-resolution visuals and impressive system performance to boot. And you'll have the output options you need to enjoy high-res games at jaw-dropping framerates, because all ASUS Radeon RX 9060 XT graphics cards pack DisplayPort 2.1a technology. DP 2.1a provides the bandwidth necessary to see your PC's glorious performance accurately displayed on your monitor. All four of our Radeon RX 9060 XT graphics cards come with two DisplayPort 2.1a ports and one HDMI 2.1b port.

Acer's dedicated Computex 2025 preview landing page mostly concentrates on brand-new AI PC products, but eagle-eyed observers have noticed the inclusion of an NDA-busting item. The manufacturer's web marketing team has inadvertently unveiled their forthcoming Nitro Radeon RX 9060 XT OC 16 GB model; days in advance of AMD's official unveiling (May 21). Over a week ago, momomo_us shared a screenshot of an unnamed retailer's listing of not-yet-official Acer Nitro 16 GB and 8 GB SKUs. The keen tech industry watcher followed up with today's discovery; complete with a promotional render.

As expected, the Taiwanese brand has prepared a new dual-fan design—borrowing elements from semi-recently revealed Radeon RX 9070 Series cards. Despite rumors of leveraging lesser hardware—probably a "Navi 44 XT" GPU—Acer's pre-launch hype material has outlined an ambitious resolution target: "enjoy stunning 8K visuals and use AI tools to craft your next masterpiece based on RDNA 4 architecture." Acer acts as a board partner for Team Red and Team Blue—surprisingly, the firm's pre-game teaser does not outline an upcoming Intel Xe2 "Battlemage" desktop product line. Instead, a fresh-ish Nitro Arc "Alchemist" A380 LP 6 GB model was placed next to the aforementioned Radeon RX 9060 XT card. So far—during day zero booth inspections—the TechPowerUp has not stumbled upon any physical examples of cheaper RDNA 4 options.

AI is creating value for everyone—from researchers in drug discovery to quantitative analysts navigating financial market changes. The faster an AI system can produce tokens, a unit of data used to string together outputs, the greater its impact. That's why AI factories are key, providing the most efficient path from "time to first token" to "time to first value." AI factories are redefining the economics of modern infrastructure. They produce intelligence by transforming data into valuable outputs—whether tokens, predictions, images, proteins or other forms—at massive scale.

They help enhance three key aspects of the AI journey—data ingestion, model training and high-volume inference. AI factories are being built to generate tokens faster and more accurately, using three critical technology stacks: AI models, accelerated computing infrastructure and enterprise-grade software. Read on to learn how AI factories are helping enterprises and organizations around the world convert the most valuable digital commodity—data—into revenue potential.

Yesterday, Lei Jun—the CEO of Xiaomi—finally introduced his firm's proprietary XRING 01 mobile chipset, via a couple of Weibo posts. In an initial afternoon short blog entry, the executive informed his followers with a happy unveiling: "I would like to share with you a piece of news: Xiaomi's self-developed and designed mobile phone SoC chip, named XRING 01, will be released in late May. Thank you for your support!" About a month ago, the company's oft-rumored return to in-house chip efforts was linked to a major corporate offshoot. The speculated "chip platform department" was likely established a while ago, given early May reports of the division's staff headcount exceeding 1000+. At the time, an "Xring" codename was mentioned by industry tipsters (in China).

In a follow-up "Weibo Text" bulletin, Xiaomi's head honcho recalled older project timelines and technological attempts: "even drinking ice for ten years can't cool your blood! Xiaomi's journey to making chips began in September 2014. Time flies, and more than ten years have passed in the blink of an eye...Figures 2 and 3 are photos of Xiaomi's first chip launch conference in February 2017." Jun's did not provide any hints about the XRING 01 chip's underpinnings. Late 2024 leaks alluded to a reportedly troubled prototype—insiders connected this design to fairly new Arm Cortex architecture, and a TSMC 4 nm "N4P" node process. The vast majority of Xiaomi's modern flagship smartphone devices utilize top-end Qualcomm Snapdragon chipsets. For example, the brand's latest Xiaomi Ultra 15 model is powered by the ubiquitous Snapdragon 8 Elite (Gen 4) platform.

In advance of and coinciding with today's launch of ID Software's DOOM: The Dark Ages, an impressive number of partner companies have revealed licensed hardware and accessories. Surprisingly, NVIDIA has joined in on the fun—with a fan favorite franchise-themed flagship Founders Edition (FE) card. This lone contribution is only available through an online competition; as outlined by the firm's GeForce social media account. This afternoon's announcement stated: "Stand and Fight for a chance to win. We're giving away a DOOM: The Dark Ages custom wrapped NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 (FE) to celebrate its official release with native ray tracing, NVIDIA DLSS 4 + Reflex." Hopeful entrants are tasked with contributing "thumbs ups," and writing in with comments.

Team Green's ($1999 MSRP) extremely special DOOM-themed card is decorated with highly expensive custom livery. According to official estimates, this level of custom wrapping adds about $600 to the flagship "Blackwell" card's base price. Despite this giveaway being open to worldwide participants, (small print) terms and conditions seem to excluded. As reported by Wccftech, these territories include: "Australia, the Province of Quebec, and a few more. The Middle East region and some Asian countries are also" shut out. Paying customers can consider alternative "step down" options from ASUS and (maybe Asia-only) COLORFUL. The Republic of Gamers (ROG) Astral RTX 5080 DOOM OC Edition is limited to a devilishly low number of units: 666. The Bethesda webshop is running short with available stock, but they offer all manner of extra bundled-in digital and physical tchotchkes (on top of a $1999.99 baseline).

Our diverse lineup of GeForce RTX 50 Series graphics cards is getting even larger with the arrival of new White Editions. With these high-performance, cutting-edge cards, you'll be able to keep your frost-hued battlestation color coordinated. Check out the snazzy new White Edition offerings from ROG, TUF Gaming, and Prime.

Max out your snow-white rig with peak power from ROG Astral
If you want the most power possible in a ravishing white graphics card, consider the ROG Astral GeForce RTX 5090 White Edition 32 GB and ROG Astral GeForce RTX 5080 White Edition 16 GB. These VRAM-loaded cards comprise the top of the power stack. They both feature a quad-fan design for more airflow than last-gen's flagship cards, our patented vapor chamber tech, and eight heatpipes for incredible heat dissipation. These cards also swap out thermal paste for a premium phase-change thermal pad, enhancing the longevity of the graphics card's thermal interface material.

In an almost uncanny case of recent history repeating itself, AMD has kicked off another RDNA 4 new product teaser campaign. Today's reminder—regarding Jack Huynh's upcoming Computex presentation—included a promotional render of a stubbier dual-fan Radeon RX 9000 Series card design. Casting our memories back to late January (2025), Team Red rolled out an ill-timed advertisement—not long after the official delay of Radeon RX 9070 XT and non-XT cards. Despite denying the existence of "Made-By-AMD" (MBA) reference designs, AMD staffers were likely enraged by Chinese black market channel offerings of alleged "real deal examples." Days after first wave RDNA 4's March 6 global launch, a triple-fan specimen was outed.

Throughout early Q2, insiders and members of the Chiphell forum have played around with Radeon RX 9070 XT and RX 9070 MBA cards. The latter unit (see photo below) seems to utilize a dual-fan configuration in a fairly long enclosure format. Team Red's latest promo post likely points to a forthcoming unveiling of Radeon RX 9060 XT partner models, but curious industry observers will be wondering whether the shorter reference design actually exists in real life. As per usual, a tiny disclaimer claims otherwise: "Artistic Render. Not Available For Purchase." So far, leaks have suggested the presence of Acer, ASUS, GIGABYTE, and XFX custom options during introductory proceedings. Today's refresher outlined upcoming new product categories and partner contributions: "join AMD on May 21 as we reveal what's next in gaming, AI PCs, and more. (Our) SVP and GM of Computing and Graphics Group, along with industry leaders and partners showcase what is built to power the next level."

MSI's European spare parts website has listed a rear plate that can fit on its previous and current generation 7-inch handheld gaming PCs. Eagle-eyed investigators noted the presence of a third unannounced option within a compatible device list: "Claw 7 A2HM (MS-1T41)." In addition, observers noticed that the Japan Audio Society had granted certification back in February. These discoveries have fired up online debates once again; regarding a theorized AMD Ryzen Z2 APU-powered portable gaming device. An early 2025 leak suggested MSI's preparing of an unusual Claw model; apparently breaking away from their "traditional" selection of Intel SoCs. Last month, Haze2K1 reiterated their belief that the manufacturer would eventually release a new handheld with Ryzen Z2 Extreme silicon onboard. Given the complete lack of a "AI" tags/branding, MSI's speculated "Claw A2HM" SKU could arrive with a less potent NPU (or completely disabled). Current-gen marketing campaigns have hyped up the Claw 8 AI+ and Claw 7 AI+'s Copilot+ credentials; driven by Team Blue's "Lunar Lake" Core Ultra 7 258V all-in-one processor.

Very recently, the Taiwanese tech firm introduced a "Polar Tempest Edition" 8-inch flagship spin-off—industry experts posit that MSI is attempting to elevate the Claw 8 AI+'s profile, following a reportedly stuttery early 2025 global rollout. Closer analysis of the "officially" leaked "A2HM" identifier points to a possible "Arrow Lake-H" visitation. As outlined by VideoCardz, this handheld could be based around some sort of Intel Core Ultra 200H chip. Elaborating on their thought process, the online publication commented: "this platform does not use Xe2 GPU cores but instead features Alchemist+ or Xe-LPG+, which is also said to deliver solid gaming performance thanks to XMX core support. Arrow Lake-H also lacks a powerful NPU, which means it doesn't meet the criteria for Copilot+ PC, so Core 200H makes sense." Three months ago, Team Blue's Robert Hallock revealed "big plans" involving futuristic "Arrow Lake-H" and "Panther Lake" portable gaming products. Given recent-ish certification to retail release timelines, handheld enthusiasts could be sizing up MSI's "Claw 7 A2HM" by late summer.

Last December, MSI announced the launch of its Intel "Lunar Lake" APU-powered Claw 8 AI+ and Claw 7 AI+ PC gaming handhelds. Almost two months later, international buyers were left puzzled by a seemingly staggered new product rollout. Despite proudly exhibiting finalized "Sandstorm-colored" units at CES 2025, North American buyers missed out on experiencing a (semi-promised) mid-January release. By March, the brand had fired up its new-gen Claw device marketing campaign again. It is not clear whether MSI shipped a lot of stock to international markets, but fresh news reports indicate an upcoming arrival of their "Polar Tempest Edition" 2 TB variant. As disclosed by Notebookcheck, this special model popped up momentarily earlier on last month.

Re-upped listings point to a potential mid-July launch; starting prices in the US are hovering around the $999 mark. Amazon Germany is accepting orders; €1107.21 (including VAT) grants access to MSI's slightly redecorated Core Ultra 7 258V-powered flagship. The manufacturer's dedicated product page states: "(our) Polar Tempest Edition features a new color scheme and MSI's custom-formulated polyurethane coating, evoking ice-blue crystals on a snow-white landscape." Despite Intel's recent boosting of "Lunar Lake" integrated graphics solution performance, the Claw 8 AI+ (and its 7-inch sibling) face strong "next-gen" competition. ASUS seems to be readying a ROG Ally sequel—according to leaks, this portable PC will make use of AMD's Ryzen Z2 Extreme processor. A distant "third-gen" MSI Claw design could be equipped with futuristic Intel gaming chipsets; in "Arrow Lake-H" or "Panther Lake" form.

They say that the most difficult part of transportation planning is last-mile delivery. A network of warehouses and trucks can bring products within a mile of almost all customers, but logistical challenges and costs add up quickly in the process of delivering those goods to the right doors at the right time. There's a similar pattern in the AI space. Massive data center installations have empowered astonishing cloud-based AI services, but many researchers, developers, and data scientists need the power of an AI supercomputer to travel that last mile. They need machines that offer the convenience and space-saving design of a desktop PC, but go well above and beyond the capabilities of consumer-grade hardware, especially when it comes to available GPU memory.

Enter a new class of AI desktop supercomputers, powered by ASUS and NVIDIA. The upcoming ASUS AI supercomputer lineup, spearheaded by the ASUS ExpertCenter Pro ET900N G3 desktop PC and ASUS Ascent GX10 mini-PC, wield the latest NVIDIA Grace Blackwell superchips to deliver astounding performance in AI workflows. For those who need local, private supercomputing resources, but for whom a data center or rack server installation isn't feasible, these systems provide a transformative opportunity to seize the capabilities of AI.

Manli introduced its new generation Polar Fox graphics design earlier this year; accompanied by an "exclusive two-dimensional" product mascot. Prior to 2025, the manufacturer did not market these mid-range offerings with cute character illustrations and graphics. Several Chinese graphics card specialist companies have adopted this aesthetic; seemingly taking major influence from Yeston. According to the Manli's PR material, the latest Polar Fox graphics cards are: "perfect for users who love anime...we've crafted a unique IP identity that makes Polar Fox truly special. The most special feature is wave-shaped heat sink, it enhances airflow to minimize noise, delivering a quieter and more comfortable experience."

The brand launched their icon-themed GeForce RTX 5070 12 GB factory overclocked custom design early on in March, starting off with sections finished with an unusually deep blue tone. As observed by VideoCardz, this aesthetic—covering a significant portion of the card's shroud and a central 9 cm cooling fan—is not a subtle prospect; especially when showcased via a vertical orientation. The brand has prepped a less flashy variant—swapping out the launch model's dark blue tones, in favor of a light-hearted shade of aqua teal. Manli's signature mascot backplate illustration remains the same across both SKUs, although the newer option features additional fractal graphics and "Polar Fox" text. Going back to last month; the manufacturer unveiled this lighter teal setup during an introduction of (mostly dual-fan) new GeForce RTX 5060 Ti models.

HYTE, a leading manufacturer of cutting-edge PC components and peripherals, announced today its continued partnership with ATLUS for its latest HYTE Collection with Metaphor: ReFantazio. Starting today, fans can pre-order a Y70 computer case themed after the game, accompanying keycaps, desk pads, and more—all with an aesthetic that is fit for aspirant royalty! To learn more, and to pre-order these items, head over here. As part of this latest project, HYTE worked closely with the Metaphor: ReFantazio team on the case, keycaps, and desk pad's design to ensure a high-quality product that is authentic to the game's environment and themes. The Metaphor: ReFantazio Y70 case lovingly displays the game's incredible artwork on its glass panels. Fans can also expect in-game elements thoughtfully integrated across the Y70's metal paneling, a custom metal plate that calls back to the game, and a deep mahogany colorway made for this collaboration.

Fans can also pre-order the Metaphor: ReFantazio Keycap Set, which comes with 152 individual keycaps that are fully compatible with ANSI / ISO / JIS WW keyboards. Like with the Y70, in-game elements, typography, and design inspired by the game, along with the deep mahogany colorway, have also been integrated into the keycaps. As part of this lineup, HYTE is also launching three 900 mm x 400 mm Desk Pads, a 60 cm x 45 cm Wall Scroll, and a Metaphor: ReFantazio keychain with a special glowing effect that lets natural backlight shine through - all of which feature the game's impeccable artwork in stunning detail.

ASUS has added a brand-new ROG Strix GeForce RTX 5070 Ti 16 GB GDDR7 OC Edition SKU to its wide-ranging NVIDIA GPU portfolio. The company introduced new generation ROG Strix cards earlier this year, but these offerings were missing during the various GeForce RTX 50-series launch periods. Within the first quarter of 2025, ASUS seemingly concentrated on getting its TUF Gaming and PRIME lines onto retail shelves. As reported by VideoCardz, ROG Strix GeForce RTX 5070 Ti evaluation samples seem to be in the possession of media outlets. BenchLife.info has teased an upcoming full review, but their swift "hands-on" bit of coverage divulged an interesting claim about an alleged reshuffling of ASUS product hierarchies.

The article's author—Chris L.—stated: "ROG Strix RTX 50-series is finally on the market! After finishing GeForce RTX 5060 Ti tests, we return to a GeForce RTX 5070 Ti graphics card. ASUS has made some changes to the GeForce RTX 50-series, replacing ROG Strix with ROG Astral to become the highest-end graphics card product line (for GeForce RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 tiers). As for ROG Strix and TUF Gaming, ProArt, Prime and DUAL series, they provide players with different choices. The flagship ROG Matrix still exists, but we won't see it until it is needed." Currently, new product listings point to ROG Strix being limited to custom (standard and overclocked) GeForce RTX 5070 Ti and RTX 5070 options.

ZOTAC started teasing a refresh of its Apocalypse product line earlier in the year. Two months later, fairly concrete details of the (still) upcoming GeForce RTX 5080 16 GB variant emerged via the NVIDIA board partner's Weibo blog. Unfortunately, ZOTAC's ultra premium 3.5-slot thick/ARGB-lit behemoth design is expected to remain exclusive to the Chinese PC hardware market. Western hardcore gaming enthusiasts are best served by the manufacturer's alternative flagship triple-slotter: GeForce RTX 5080 AMP Extreme INFINITY ULTRA. ZOTAC's mainland China and Hong Kong offices have declared the arrival of brand-new Apocalypse SKUs at retail; utilizing NVIDIA's "Blackwell" GeForce RTX 5080 and RTX 5070 Ti GPUs.

Yesterday's Weibo bulletin commenced with: "when mecha aesthetics collide with technology, and gaming passion merges with extreme performance, the ZOTAC GeForce RTX 50 Apocalypse series graphics cards are born! After (our) continuous R&D, improvement, testing and adjustment—today, newly upgraded flagship graphics cards are officially launched!" The brand has advertised the return of an apparently much-missed product line mascot: "Apocalypse Princess is back with a new look, starting a game/AI exploration journey with you." Promotional imagery and box art feature a prominent illustration of ZOTAC's flagship series heroine—this "mecha artwork" demonstrates a serious sci-fi aesthetic, albeit with a cute female protagonist leading the way. A rival AIB specializes in this type of "marketing"—Yeston's similar-ish presentation language concentrates on enchanting fantasy characters.

South of Midnight is available now globally on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox App for Windows PC, Steam, Cloud, & Game Pass! As Hazel, you will explore the mythos and encounter creatures of Southern folklore in a macabre and fantastical world. When disaster strikes her hometown, Hazel is called to become a Weaver: a magical mender of broken bonds and spirits. Imbued with these new abilities, Hazel will confront and subdue dangerous creatures, untangle the webs of her own family's shared past and—if she's lucky—find her way to a place that feels like home. From the entire Compulsion Games Team: Thank you for your support, and happy playing!

Deep in the heart of the bayou, something stirs. Bigger than any gator you've ever seen, Two-Toed Tom is a legend of scales, survival, and insatiable hunger. More than double the size of the world's biggest recorded alligator, Tom is an unstoppable force of nature. To celebrate the launch of South of Midnight, in which Tom makes a very big appearance, Xbox has brought this monstrous gator to life in the gator-infested waters of Marrero, Louisiana, a location chosen for its haunting resemblance to the game's Southern-inspired setting. Murky swamps, ancient cypress trees, and the distant splash of unseen creatures make it the perfect place to step into Hazel's world and experience the bayou's dark magic first-hand.