Biwin, a world-renowned innovator in cutting-edge memory and storage solutions, proudly introduces the Biwin Black Opal OC Lab Gold Edition DW100 RGB DDR5 192 GB Memory Kit (48 GB x 4), available in DDR5-6400 CL30-39-39-108 1.4 V and DDR5-6000 CL28-36-36-102 1.4 V specifications. Breaking the capacity limits of traditional consumer memory, this ultra-large 192 GB kit offers the performance boost needed for AI computing, large-scale data processing, and next-gen computing.

Push Memory Performance with Revolutionary 192 GB Memory Kit
Biwin Black Opal DW100, delivering an ultra-high-capacity 192 GB (48 GB x4) configuration, redefines what's possible with desktop memory and exceptional memory bandwidth, stability, and efficiency. This breakthrough enables users to take full advantage of DDR5's enhanced data throughput to power fast, out-of-the-box speeds for AI computing, large language models (LLMs), generative AI, and edge computing, and other data-rich workloads.

The upgrade for Grand Theft Auto V on PC is now available to play from the Rockstar Games Launcher, and also via Steam or Epic Games. Introducing features previously only available on the latest generation of consoles, this upgrade also optimizes the game experience and performance on modern PCs. Players who already own GTAV on PC can upgrade to this new version for free, with the ability to migrate your Story Mode and Online progress, while anyone jumping into GTAV and GTA Online on PC for the first time will get this new version (GTAV Enhanced) along with the original version (GTAV Legacy) when purchased.

GTA ONLINE FEATURES
Get access to powerful new vehicles, stunning Chameleon Paints, high-performance modifications, and much more—all from Hao's Special Works. Newly added vehicles for PC include the Pegassi Weaponized Ignus and Coil Cyclone II supercars, the Karin S95 sports car, the Imponte Arbiter GT muscle car, and the Pfister Astron Custom SUV, which join a fleet of 20 vehicles already available in GTA Online, and all are now available for tuning from HSW. Plus, GTA+ Members can claim a Principe Deveste Eight (Super) for free through May 28 as part of a special Classics Collection to commemorate GTA+ arriving on PC. Anyone looking to take in the fauna can also now relish in the animal ecosystem, with Ambient Animals encounters and a daily Wildlife Photography Challenge available from the LS Tourist Board at Chiliad Mountain State Wilderness.

XFX appears to be lining up separate tranches of Radeon RX 9070 Series graphics cards for different markets; Chinese media outlets have reported a wide-spanning lineup of "domestic" and "overseas" edition SKUs. VideoCardz has spotted another potential China-exclusive model—their past weekend investigative piece put the spotlight on a Radeon RX 9070 XT dual-fan SWIFT design. This variant was found on XFX's Tmall e-tail store. The manufacturer's Chinese language official site does not list this curiosity, and recent press material has focused on a lineup of triple-fan cooled solutions. XFX's Western web presences do not allude to any twin-fan variants within the MERCURY, QUICKSILVER, or SWIFT classes.

AMD's recent full-fledged introduction of RDNA 4 included promotional renders of reference card designs, but the launch of Radeon RX 9070 XT and RX 9070 involves an entirely board partner-manufactured pool of SKUs. The XFX Radeon RX 9070 XT SWIFT dual-fan model is priced exactly at the level of Team Red's regional guide MSRP: 4999 RMB (including VAT). It likely serves as a direct alternative to an absent AMD-built dual-fan reference card. According to a comparative table of XFX model specifications (see below), the dual-fan variant shares identical data points—excluding physical measurements—with its longer siblings.

Today, the Open Compute Project Foundation (OCP), the nonprofit organization bringing hyperscale innovations to all, and JEDEC Solid State Technology Association, the global leader in the development of standards for the microelectronics industry, announce the availability of new Chiplet Design Kits for use with today's EDA tools covering Assembly, Substrate, Material and Test developed in collaboration within the OCP Open Chiplet Economy Project. Leveraging the alliance between OCP and JEDEC, these design kits are now part of the Global Worldwide Standard JEDEC JEP30: Part Model Guidelines.

The release of the Assembly, Substrate, Material, and Test Design Kits build on earlier joint efforts between the OCP and JEDEC integrating OCP Chiplet Data Extensible Markup Language (CDXML) specification into JEDEC JEP30: Part Model Guidelines, enabling Chiplet builders to provide electronically a standardized Chiplet part description to their customers, paving the way for automating System-in-Package (SiP) design and build using Chiplets.

Late last week, AMD posted a helpful reminder; a special RDNA 4 Friday (February 28) event is on the calendar. Additionally, they quietly confirmed that the upcoming launch of Radeon RX 9070 series graphics cards will not include reference/MBA models. Team Red enthusiasts and other interested parties are anticipating an official unveiling of performance data, technical specifications, and decisive pricing. Recent leaks have produced speculative figures for various board partner options, but industry whispers suggest that AMD's guide MSRP has fluctuated over the past couple of weeks. An almost definitive answer has arrived online, courtesy of another VideoCardz investigative piece.

The article does not class the latest pre-release disclosure as a true "leak," VideoCardz believes that their sharing of AMD press briefing slides serves as an intriguing teaser. The report dismisses yet another case of pre-launch retail spillage: "there are many rumors about relatively high prices for the RX 9070 series. For instance, a Reddit thread allegedly shows prices from Best Buy's internal system, with prices starting at $739 (see screenshot below)... From what we have been told and shared during the media briefing, AMD showed one slide that may confirm where the prices will be. The Radeon RX 9070 series is focusing on a sub-$700 price point, and AMD wants their cards to be 'more accessible.' AMD says that 85% of gamers buy cards below $700, and this is what the RDNA 4 series will focus on." Another leaked presentation slide indicates that Team Red is targeting higher resolutions (1440p and 4K), better performance; especially with "ray tracing games," as well as "easy upgrades." The last point emphasizes drop-in 8-pin power connector options. ASRock and Sapphire appear to be breaking away from this traditional connection mold with their upcoming premium-tier designs, but the majority of AIB cards are expected to stick with a tried and trusted solution.

Upcoming AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT and RX 9070 (non-XT) graphics card specification sheets remain under wraps; we will very likely be presented with the full kibosh on February 28. Throughout early 2025, Team Red and its board partners have divulged very little. Instead, PC hardware news outlets have depended on a steady flow of leaked information. The opening round of Team Red RDNA 4 models have been comprehensively linked to PCIe 4.0 connection standards, but recent anomalies have appeared online. Contradictory spec info arrived late last week, courtesy of a leaker having pre-release access to an allegedly very high-end custom design. The validity of an uploaded GPU-Z session screenshot was questioned by the PC gaming hardware community; the detected candidate card seemed to be connected via a PCI-Express 5.0 x16 bus interface. VideoCardz has stumbled upon additional evidence—their weekend reporting activities pointed to a compelling new product listing on the Micro Center website.

The North American e-tailer's webstore features a "PowerColor AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT Red Devil Limited Edition Overclocked Triple Fan 16 GB GDDR6 PCIe 5.0 Graphics Card." Micro Center's threadbare product page is devoid of promotional images/renders, in-depth technical details or specifications. The "no longer available" special edition package has an SKU assignment code of 796672, and a manufacturer part number read-out of LERX9070XT16GEO. VideoCardz reached out to their "inside source" at PowerColor for research purposes. The company mole confirmed that the PCIe 5.0 spec point is genuine. The leaked photo of "Red Devil packaging" did not reveal any PCIe interface-related info. The publication reckons that the PowerColor Radeon RX 9070 XT Red Devil model's interface "matches the appearance of the PCIe 5.0 standard," as seen on the new generation of NVIDIA RTX 50-series graphics cards. Looking back into recent history, Intel dropped initial plans for PCIe 5.0 connectivity with Arc "Battlemage" graphics cards. The B580 and B570 models have arrived at retail with bog-standard PCIe 4.0 x8 bus interfaces.

EK, the premium liquid cooling gear manufacturer, is proud to introduce EK-Quantum Vector³, our latest line of high-performance water blocks designed to provide the ultimate liquid cooling solution for NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 & RTX 5080 Series GPUs. Unmatched performance and cooling efficiency—the EK-Quantum Vector³ RTX 5090 & RTX 5080 water blocks deliver high-performance liquid cooling, premium aesthetics, and precision engineering, ensuring ultra-low temperatures and maximum performance.

Next-Gen Cooling for NVIDIA RTX 50 Series GPUs
The EK-Quantum Vector³ RTX 5090 & RTX 5080 water blocks maximize cooling efficiency with an improved structure, expanded fin array, and optimized coolant flow paths. These blocks actively cool the GPU core, VRAM, and power stages while passively cooling PCB hotspots through a custom backplate—ensuring optimal performance.

MODDIY has swiftly updated its Help Center site with new guidelines, following recent reports of one of its older 12VHPWR cable designs having a high temperature disagreement with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Founders Edition card and ASUS ROG Loki SFX-L power supply unit. The company's newest batch of (2025) 12V-2X6 and 12VHPWR are manufactured with the latest specifications and standards in mind, thus given the all-clear for utilization with NVIDIA's recently introduced GeForce RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 graphics cards. Any products from the 2024 production cycle (and before) are deemed safe to use with the GeForce RTX 40-series, but not "officially" valid for anything newer.

The company's renewed guidelines state: "as of 2025, the industry standard has transitioned to 12V-2X6, replacing the previous 12VHPWR standard. Our new cables incorporate significant advancements, including enhanced terminal and connector housing materials, along with thicker wires, to provide an additional safety buffer for the latest GPUs. At MODDIY, all 12VHPWR / 12V-2X6 cables purchased from 2025 onward are manufactured in accordance with the new 12V-2X6 specifications and standards, ensuring compatibility and optimal performance with the RTX50 series GPUs. Prior to 2024, the RTX50 series GPUs had not yet been introduced, and the prevailing standard was 12VHPWR. All cables produced before this period were designed and tested for use with the RTX40 series GPUs. We recommend that all users upgrade to the new 12V-2X6 cables to take full advantage of the enhanced safety and performance features offered by this new standard." They believe that their messily-named "ATX 3.1 PCIe 5.1 H++ 12V-2X6 675 W 12VHPWR 16 Pin Power Cable" premium custom tailor-made model is the best candidate for Team Green's modern generation of gaming cards.

Yet another Brix mini PC from Gigabyte has hit the scene, powered by the very modest six-watt Intel N250 CPU. Undoubtedly, this mini PC is targeted at folks with modest computing demands. If the system's specifications are anything to go by, the BTIP-N250 is most likely to command an affordable price tag, although that cannot be said with certainty for now considering that Gigabyte is yet to reveal any pricing or availability details regarding the system.

As mentioned, the Intel N250 quad-core, quad-thread processors is not here to set any performance records. That said, the N250 is actually as performant as the Zen+ Ryzen 5 3500U, which means moderate workloads and office-based workflows are likely not going to be much of a challenge for the system. The processor can be paired with up to 16 GB of DDR5 memory, and the system supports M.2 as well as 2.5" drives to take care of storage requirements. Dual USB-C 3.2 Gen 2, dual USB-A 3.2 gen 2, HDMI, and audio in/out ports are also present. Wireless connectivity can be added via the M.2 2230 slot, while the 1G ethernet takes care of wired networking.

AMD debuted its first wave of RDNA 4 graphics cards—consisting of Radeon RX 9070 XT and RX 9070 (non-XT) models—at the beginning of January. At the time, press outlets and PC gaming hardware enthusiasts were equally flummoxed by Team Red's confusing presentation strategy. Invited attendees of CES 2025 were allowed to handle demonstration samples, but board partners appeared to be sworn to secrecy regarding technical specifications or performance figures. Miscellaneous leaks and rumors have seeped out since then—according to insiders, AMD was prepping its new Radeon product line for launch late last month. A re-scheduled rollout is seemingly in the works, possibly on next month's calendar entry. Benchlife (via VideoCardz) believes that a pre-launch showcase event is lined up for late February.

Following publication of the latest RDNA 4-related leaks, a brave soul engaged with AMD's Frank Azor on social media. Dee Batch, a loyal and long-term supporter of Radeon gaming hardware, sent a query to Team Red's chief architect of gaming solutions: "can we see the RDNA 4 full presentation? I honestly feel you can prevent many gamers from getting a GeForce RTX 5070 or RTX 5070 Ti GPU...Please, do not miss this opportunity to gain gamer mind share." Azor replied with a short sentence: "yes, full details are coming soon." This brief interaction attracted additional participants—VideoCardz noted that the Team Red executive was taking on board feedback about expectations surrounding RDNA 4 MSRPs. Late last month, Azor refuted rumors of the Radeon RX 9070 XT pricing starting at a baseline of $899. NVIDIA has officially disclosed price points of $549 (RTX 5070) and $749 (RTX 5070 Ti)—AMD enthusiasts have their fingers crossed in hope of TBA competitive numbers.

Weavers, we've made it: Eternal Strands is released on all platforms! Play as Brynn, a young but fearless Weaver, determined to recover her people's cultural home in the debut fantasy action-adventure title from Yellow Brick Games, a new independent studio founded by industry veterans.

Armed with powerful magical abilities and an arsenal of magical weapons, face enemies that range from humanoid constructs to towering beasts. Use the environment and temperature to your advantage in battles against a diverse roster of fantastical creatures, like turning a dragon's fiery breath against ice-covered minions. Climb every surface and use arcane skills to create new paths. Explore the world in pursuit of the Enclave's lost mysteries and challenge giant titans on your journey. Here's everything you need to know before you meet your Weaverband.

NVIDIA's upcoming RTX 5090 and 5080 graphics cards are maintaining similar L1 cache architectures as their predecessors while introducing marginal improvements to L2 cache capacity, according to recent specifications reported by HardwareLuxx. The flagship RTX 5090 maintains the same 128 KB L1 cache per SM as the RTX 4090 but achieves a higher total L1 cache of 21.7 MB thanks to its increased SM count of 170. This represents a notable improvement over the RTX 4090's 16.3 MB total L1 cache, which features 128 SMs. In terms of L2 cache, the RTX 5090 sees a 33.3% increase over its predecessor, boasting 96 MB compared to the RTX 4090's 72 MB, with SM count going up by 32.8%, so there is a slight difference.

However, this improvement is relatively modest compared to the previous generation's leap, where the RTX 4090 featured twelve times more L2 cache than the RTX 3090. The RTX 5080 shows more conservative improvements, with its L1 cache capacity only marginally exceeding its predecessor by 1 MB (10.7 MB vs 9.7 MB). Its L2 cache maintains parity at 64 MB, matching the RTX 4080 and 4080 Super. To compensate for these incremental cache improvements, NVIDIA is implementing faster GDDR7 memory across the RTX 50 series. Most models will feature 28 Gbps modules, with the RTX 5080 receiving special treatment with 30 Gbps memory. Additionally, some models are getting wider memory buses, with the RTX 5090 featuring a 512-bit bus and the RTX 5070 Ti upgrading to a 256-bit interface.

The majority of AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT GPU-related leaks have emerged thanks to insiders playing around with pre-launch PowerColor RDNA 4 sample models. During and since CES, Team Red and its board partners have kept mum about specifications and performance figures—but happy accidents have allowed tech enthusiasts to pore over NDA-busting information. As reported by VideoCardz yesterday, Overclockers UK (OCUK) published a landing page that provided a brief look at basic Radeon RX 9070 XT and RX 9070 (non-XT) specs—the British retailer has since scrubbed this entry from its site.

Leaks have revealed alleged core counts—4096 for XT, and 3584 for non-XT—but Overclockers UK's charts listed a count of 4096 for both Navi 48 GPUs. They both sport 16 GB GDDR6 VRAM and 256-bit memory buses, and the leak reveals another shared trait: a 260 W TDP rating. VideoCardz reckons that this is an error—based on previous clock speed insider info, the Radeon RX 9070 non-XT's power consumption figure should be rated lower. The accidentally published clock speeds appear to be sourced from overclocked examples—AMD is reportedly not going to release full/finalized information until closer to launch, so OCUK could have relied on preliminary product guides. The FAQ section states that Team Red's RDNA 4 generation is sticking with a PCI-Express 4.0 x16 host interface—PCIe 5.0 systems are "thankfully" backwards compatible. NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 50 series will be leading the way into PCIe 5.0 spec territories.

ZOTAC's website has been updated with technical specifications for its GeForce RTX 5090 GPU-based custom models—the Hong Kong-based hardware company is perhaps the first NVIDIA board partner to publicly disclose these details. According to VideoCardz, this discovery was made by a loyal reader—product pages for SOLID, SOLID OC and AMP Extreme INFINITY seemed to have appeared online within the past couple of days. A resultant report suggests that Team Green has only recently communicated (potentially) finalized specs with its AIBs.

The aforementioned discoverer of ZOTAC's GeForce RTX 5090 spec sheets noticed an unusual memory clock figure on the SOLID OC model's listing—30 Gbps instead of 28 Gbps. This was an error—ZOTAC has since amended that particular data point (see VideoCardz's screenshots below)—their presumably more expensive AMP Extreme INFINITY card's memory clock spec is set at 28 Gbps. Interestingly, ZOTAC's upcoming flagship is the first example of an NVIDIA GPU configured with a power consumption rating of 600 W. It is not immediately apparent whether this TDP figure is an out-of-the-box default—VideoCardz reckons that the GeForce RTX 5090 AMP Extreme INFINITY will arrive with dual-BIOS functionality. A high-performance mode could be user selected. Will rival flagship GeForce RTX 5090 custom cards roll out with similar TDPs? TechPowerUp anticipates the emergence of pre-launch technical details—from other brands/manufacturers—over the next two weeks.

HDMI Forum, Inc. today announced the upcoming release of Version 2.2 of the HDMI Specification. The new HDMI Specification delivers enhanced options for the vast HDMI ecosystem, with more advanced solutions to create, distribute and experience the best end-user outcome.

New technology enables higher quality options now and in the future for content producers such as TV, movie and game studios, while enabling multiple distribution platforms. Higher 96 Gbps bandwidth and next-gen HDMI Fixed Rate Link technology provide optimal audio and video for a wide range of device applications. An end-user can be assured that their displays support a native video format in the best way possible and can deliver a seamless and reliable experience.

The Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA)today announced that it is working with members to introduce new DP80LL ("low loss") ultra-high-bit-rate (UHBR) cables that enable up to four-lane UHBR20 link rate support - a maximum throughput of 80 Gbps - over an active cable up to three meters in length. The spec for these new cables will be a key highlight of DisplayPort version 2.1b, which will be released in the spring of 2025. As a result, the DisplayPort 2.1b update will provide for up to 3X the cable length for UHBR20 GPU-to-display connections compared to existing VESA certified DP80 passive cables. VESA certified DP80LL cables are expected to roll out into the market within the next several months.

UHBR20 and DP80LL Product Demos at CES 2025
VESA will showcase samples of pre-certified DP80LL cables alongside product demonstrations of DisplayPort 2.1 UHBR20 - the highest-performance UHBR tier in the DisplayPort 2.1 spec - as well as other VESA standards at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), taking place this week in Las Vegas, January 7-10.

The Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) today announced that it has published updates to several of its front-of-screen performance standard and logo programs, which are designed to help drive the industry to produce better-quality display products for consumers and content creators. These updates include the addition of new performance tiers for VESA's ClearMR standard for measuring motion blur that are designed for the next generation of ultra-high-refresh-rate displays for competitive gamers, such as 480-Hz and above displays. They also include a new 1000 luminance performance tier for VESA's DisplayHDR True Black standard to validate new OLED displays featuring the high luminance and greater color accuracy necessary to support professional video content creation.

VESA and its member companies will showcase product demonstrations of its latest video standards, including the new ClearMR and DisplayHDR True Black performance tiers, at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), taking place next week in Las Vegas, January 7-10.

Thanks to kopite7kimi, we are able to finalize the leaked specifications of NVIDIA's upcoming GeForce RTX 5070 and RTX 5070 Ti graphics cards.
Starting off with RTX 5070 Ti, it will feature 8,960 CUDA cores and come equipped with 16 GB GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit memory bus, offering 896 GB/s bandwidth. The card is reportedly designed with a total board power (TBP) of 300 W. The Ti variant appears to use the PG147-SKU60 board design with a GB203-300-A1 GPU. The standard RTX 5070 is positioned as a more power-efficient option, with specifications pointing to 6,144 CUDA cores and 12 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 192-bit bus, with 627 GB/s memory bandwidth. This model is expected to operate at a slightly lower 250 W TBP.

Interestingly, the non-Ti RTX 5070 card will be available in two board variants, PG146 and PG147, both utilizing the GB205-300-A1 GPU. While we don't know what the pricing structure looks like, we see that NVIDIA has chosen to make more considerable differentiating factors between its SKUs. The Ti variant not only gets an extra four GB of GDDR7 memory, but it also gets a whopping 45% increase in CUDA core count, going from 6,144 to 8,960 cores. While we wait for the CES to see the initial wave of GeForce RTX 50 series cards, the GeForce RTX 5070 and RTX 5070 Ti are expected to arrive later, possibly after RTX 5080 and RTX 5090 GPUs.

Intel has announced it will not proceed with X86S, an experimental instruction set architecture that aims to simplify its processor design by removing legacy support for older 32-bit and 16-bit operating modes. The decision comes after gathering feedback from the technology ecosystem on a draft specification that was released for evaluation. The x86, and its 64-bit x86-64 we use today, is a giant cluster of specifications that contains so many instructions rarely anyone can say with precision how many are there. All of this stems from the era of original 8086 processor, which has its own 16-bit instructions. Later on we transitioned to 32, then 64-bit systems with all have brought their own specific instructions. Adding support for processing of vector, matrix, and other data types has increased the ISA specification so much that no one outside a few select engineers at Intel (and AMD) understands in full. From that x86S idea was born to solve the issue of supporting legacy systems and legacy code, and moving on to the x86S ISA, where "S" stands for simplified.

The X86S proposal included several notable modifications, such as eliminating support for rings 1 and 2 in the processor's protection model, removing 16-bit addressing capabilities, and discontinuing legacy interrupt controller support. These changes would have potentially reduced hardware complexity and modernized the platform's architecture. A key feature of the proposed design was a simplified boot process that would have allowed processors to start directly in 64-bit mode, eliminating the current requirement for systems to boot through various legacy modes before reaching 64-bit operation. The architecture also promised improvements in handling modern features like 5-level paging. "Intel will continue to maintain its longstanding commitment to software compatibility," the company stated in the official document on its website, acknowledging that the x86S dream is over.

The UEFI Forum today announced the release of the Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) 2.11 specification and the Platform Initialization (PI) 1.9 specification. The goal of these specification updates is to streamline user implementation by providing increased compatibility across hardware architectures, including security updates, algorithm support and improving alignment implementation guidance.

"We have created a vibrant firmware community, and these specification updates provide maintenance and enhancement of fundamental capabilities in order to help increase the momentum of the UEFI specifications and add value to the ecosystem," said Mark Doran, UEFI Forum President. "The latest specifications continue the UEFI Forum's commitment to developing standards for all significant CPU architectures as underscored by additions such as the new LoongArch support in the PI 1.9 specification."

With the upcoming Nintendo Switch 2 all but a given, much has been said about the new handheld gaming console in leaks and rumors. Now, a new set of supposed leaks from Decky Wizard on X have caused a bit of consternation among the Switch community, given the seemingly random mix of upgrades and perceived downgrades coming to the next-gen Switch. Minor details include larger buttons, a redesigned dock, and three colorways at launch, however, details around the new display and controls are more significant. For starters, the leaks suggest that the Switch 2 will have larger buttons and Hall-effect joysticks, both of which would likely be a massive upgrade in the eyes of most gamers, however it also seems as though the Switch 2 will use an LCD, as opposed to an OLED display, for the base model.

It seems as though most Switch fans were expecting an OLED panel right out the gate, given the Nintendo Switch OLED has been available for quite some time, now. Hall-effect joysticks will also likely solve one of the community's biggest complaints about the Switch controls—that being stick drift—but Nintendo would have to also provide a calibration tool in the Switch software to correct for wear and tear on the joysticks. Larger buttons may also be a welcome change for most Switch gamers, since cramped controls are a fairly common criticism of the original Switch. In addition to the news of the physical and technical specifications, Decky Wizard also claims that the Switch 2 will be lighter than the Steam Deck and be launched as soon as January 2025. In a subsequent post, Decky Wizard uploaded leaked images of the new Switch 2, showing off not only a fresh looking chassis with smaller screen bezels and a new built-in kickstand design, but also the design of the new first-party dock and two new, larger Joycon release buttons on the backs of each Joycon.

The HDMI Forum confirmed the development of the next-generation HDMI standard with increased bandwidth. According to various media reports, including Videocardz and Dday, the press release from HDMI Forum indicates the possibility of new cables or refinement of existing specifications. Moreover, it could mean we will have new HDMI 2.2 specs. The current HDMI 2.1 specifications, established in 2017, provide bandwidth up to 48 Gbps and support native non-DSC configurations for 4K at 144 Hz and 8K at 30 Hz. When combined with Display Stream Compression (DSC) technology, the current standard can handle up to 10K at 120 Hz. A bandwidth increase could enable higher resolutions and refresh rates without DSC compression.

This development of new HDMI specifications is due to the emergence of other display interface standards such as DisplayPort 2.1, which offers up to 80 Gbps over UHBR20. AMD's Radeon RX 7000 series and Intel's recently launched Arc Battlemage GPUs support UHBR 13.5 while the Radeon PRO supports UHBR20. The HDMI Forum is scheduled to release these new specifications on January 6th, one day before the official CES 2025 opening event on January 7th. With the launch of NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 50 and AMD's Radeon RX 8000 series at CES 2025, it would be interesting to see if the latest graphics cards will support the HDMI 2.2 specs.

Mozilla says that "many sites do not respect" Do Not Track requests, as they rely on voluntary compliance, adding that the feature may actually harm user privacy—likely alluding to the fact that it makes it easier for sites to fingerprint and track you. As such, as of Firefox version 135, Mozilla will disable the Do Not Track feature. As a replacement for the feature, Mozilla recommends using the more advanced "Tell websites not to sell or share my data" toggle built into Global Privacy Control, which it says is more widely respected and backed by law in some regions.

This is also just the latest in a long line of changes to both Firefox and web privacy, at large. For one, Google recently completely removed third-party cookies from its Chrome browser—a move it claims is in support of user privacy but has been widely criticized for putting Google in something of a monopoly position when it comes to tracking the data of Chrome users. Overall, the community feedback on Reddit seems to be either positive or indifferent, although one criticism of the new reliance on Global Privacy Control is that GPC doesn't block Google Analytics tracking requests, although the reasoning behind leaving Google Analytics in-tact is that many sites don't function correctly when it is blocked or disabled.

The CXL Consortium, an industry standard body advancing coherent connectivity, announces the release of its Compute Express Link (CXL) 3.2 Specification. The 3.2 Specification optimizes CXL Memory Device monitoring and management, enhances functionality of CXL Memory Devices for OS and Applications, and extends security with the Trusted Security Protocol (TSP).

"We are excited to announce the release of the CXL 3.2 Specification to advance the CXL ecosystem by providing enhancements to security, compliance, and functionality of CXL Memory Devices," said Larrie Carr, CXL Consortium President. "The Consortium continues to develop an open, coherent interconnect and enable an interoperable ecosystem for heterogeneous memory and computing solutions."

JEDEC Solid State Technology Association, the global leader in the development of standards for the microelectronics industry, today announced the publication of JESD230G: NAND Flash Interface Interoperability Standard. JESD230G introduces speeds of up to 4800 MT/s, as compared to 400 MT/s in the first version of JESD230 published in 2011. Also, JESD230G adds a separate Command/Address Bus Protocol (SCA), delivering enhanced throughput and efficiency by allowing hosts and NAND devices to take maximum advantage of the latest interface speeds. JESD230G is available for free download from the JEDEC website.

"JEDEC is excited to release JESD230G," said David Landsman, Distinguished Engineer at Western Digital and Chair of the JEDEC NAND TG. He added, "This version of JESD230 further advances the capabilities of NAND flash devices to meet the growing demands of their expanding range of applications and continues the JEDEC tradition of building interoperable ecosystems through open industry standards."