Other World Computing (OWC), a trusted leader in high-performance storage, memory, connectivity, software, and accessories that empower creative and business professionals to maximize performance, enhance reliability, and streamline workflows, today announced the release of OWC SoftRAID 8.5, the latest update to its powerful RAID management software for macOS and Windows. Packed with dozens of enhancements, OWC SoftRAID 8.5 delivers dramatic increases in reliability, functionality, and performance - ensuring next-level data protection, functionality, and system stability for everyone from video editors to IT administrators, novices to power users.

The new OWC SoftRAID 8.5 driver, included with Apple's macOS 15.4 update, introduces significant improvements for RAID 4/5 volumes, particularly when dealing with failing HDDs and SSDs. The driver now proactively marks a disk as failed upon detecting the first read or write error, ensuring uninterrupted performance by leveraging RAID redundancy to reconstruct data dynamically.

As part of the upcoming Monster Hunter Wilds Title 1 update, Capcom plans to introduce a new Arena Quests mode, a ranked, timed multiplayer mode with a competitive leaderboard and in-game cosmetic prizes. In anticipation of the new game mode, Capcom has issued a stern warning to would-be cheaters, and it will be following that up with punitive measures. According to a post on X and a recent blog post about the new game mode, any confirmed cheaters may face repercussions like removal of rewards, disqualification from further participation in Arena Quests, or even account restriction or outright suspension.

Curiously, Capcom seems to be relying on community reporting for its cheater detection, since Monster Hunter Wilds notably does not feature an anti-cheat system. While this means the AAA game runs well on Linux and the Steam Deck alike, it also makes it more difficult to catch cheating players. It also presents the unfortunate side effect of innocent players being caught in the cross fire. Addressing the latter, Capcom says the following: "Individuals who are mistakenly deemed to have committed a prohibited act will not be compensated later with participation and ranking rewards," and it encourages any players who suspect that they have been teamed up with a cheater to leave the quest immediately and report the offending player.

Intel's Vision 2025 conference ended yesterday—since then, media outlets have spent time poring over a multitude of announcements made during the two-day Las Vegas, Nevada event. Notably, Team Blue leadership confirmed that their Core Ultra 300 "Panther Lake" processor series is built to scale (on) 18A, and is on track for production later this year." Prominently-displayed presentation material indicated a roadmapped 2026 launch of "Panther Lake" client chips. The success of this next-gen mobile processor family is intertwined with Intel's Foundry service making marked progress. As summarized by the company's social media account, production teams are celebrating another milestone: "Intel 18A has entered risk production. This final stage is about stress-testing volume manufacturing before scaling up to high volume in the second half of 2025."

Under Pat Gelsinger's command, Team Blue set off on a "five nodes in four years" (5N4Y) adventure around mid-2021. This plan is set to conclude with the finalization of 18A, at some point this year, under a newly refreshed regime—with Lip-Bu Tan recently established as CEO. During an on-stage Intel Vision 2025 session, Kevin O'Buckley—Senior VP of Foundry Services—explained the meaning of: "risk production, while it sounds scary, is actually an industry standard terminology, and the importance of risk production is we've gotten the technology to a point where we're freezing it...Our customers have validated that; 'Yep, 18A is good enough for my product.' And we have to now do the 'risk' part, which is to scale it from making hundreds of units per day to thousands, tens of thousands, and then hundreds of thousands. So risk production..is scaling our manufacturing up and ensuring that we can meet not just the capabilities of the technology, but the capabilities at scale." By original "5N4Y" decree, top brass demanded that process nodes be (fully) available for production, rather than be stuck in a (not quite there) final high volume manufacturing (HVM) phase.

Lexar, a leading global brand of flash memory solutions, is excited to ship of the world's first 1 TB microSD Express card. Built on the new SD card standard that combines PCI Express 3.0 and NVMe 1.3 interfaces, the PLAY PRO microSDXC Express Card delivers substantially improved performance, perfect for handheld gaming devices.

With up to 900 MB/s read and 600 MB/s write, the PLAY PRO microSDXC Express Card offers the fastest speeds in the microSD Express card format and gives gamers an epic performance power-up that delivers faster game loads and accelerated downloads. With capacity up to 1 TB, it also offers space for many large AAA games. It is backwards-compatible with UHS-I and UHS-II host devices (at UHS-I speeds), but future-proofed for tomorrow's cutting-edge handheld gaming systems and other upcoming devices that will leverage this next-gen technology.

NVIDIA and its laptop manufacturing partners managed to squeeze out higher end models at the start of the week (March 31); qualifying just in time as a Q1 2025 launch. As predicted by PC gaming hardware watchdogs, conditions on day one—for the general public—were far from perfect. Media and influencer outlets received pre-launch evaluation units—Monday's embargo lift did not open up floodgates to a massive number of published/uploaded reviews. Independent benchmarking of Team Green's flagship—GeForce RTX 5090 Mobile—produced somewhat underwhelming results. To summarize, several outlets—including Notebookcheck—observed NVIDIA's topmost laptop-oriented GPU trailing way behind its desktop equivalent in lab tests. Notebookcheck commented on these findings: "laptop gamers will want to keep their expectations in check as the mobile GeForce RTX 5090 can be 50 percent slower than the desktop counterpart as shown by our benchmarks. The enormous gap between the mobile RTX 5090 and desktop RTX 5090 and the somewhat disappointing leap over the outgoing mobile RTX 4080 can be mostly attributed to TGP."

The German online publication was more impressed with NVIDIA's sub-flagship model—two Ryzen 9 9955HX-powered Schenker XMG Neo 16 test units—sporting almost identical specifications—were pitched against each other, a resultant mini-review of benched figures was made available earlier today. Notebookcheck's Allen Ngo provided some context: "3DMark benchmarks...show that the (Schenker Neo's) GeForce RTX 5080 Mobile unit is roughly 10 to 15 percent slower than its pricier sibling. This deficit translates fairly well when running actual games like Baldur's Gate 3, Final Fantasy XV, Alan Wake 2, or Assassin's Creed Shadows. As usual, the deficit is widest when running at 4K resolutions on demanding games and smallest when running at lower resolutions where graphics become less GPU bound. A notable observation is that the performance gap between the mobile RTX 5080 and mobile RTX 5090 would remain the same, whether or not DLSS is enabled. When running Assassin's Creed Shadows with DLSS on, for example, the mobile RTX 5090 would maintain its 15 percent lead over the mobile RTX 5080. The relatively small performance drop between the two enthusiast GPUs means it may be worth configuring laptops with the RTX 5080 instead of the RTX 5090 to save on hundreds of dollars or for better performance-per-dollar." As demonstrated by Bestware.com's system configurator, the XMG NEO 16 (A25) SKU with a GeForce RTX 5090 Mobile GPU demands a €855 (~$928 USD) upcharge over an RTX 5080-based build.

GIGABYTE, the world's leading computer brand, announces the official availability of the AORUS MASTER 18 and AORUS MASTER 16 gaming laptops, hitting shelves and major e-tailers starting March 31st. These flagship systems are built for elite performance, designed to meet the demands of gamers, creators, and power users alike.

Equipped with up to the latest NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 and 5080 Laptop GPUs, the AORUS MASTER series unlocks next-level graphics power with up to 175 W Max TGP, delivering stunning visual fidelity, smoother gameplay, and AI-enhanced capabilities. Whether rendering 3D content, streaming high-action gameplay, or dominating in competitive titles, users can count on ultra-responsive performance across the board.

Both laptops feature WINDFORCE Infinity EX, GIGABYTE's cutting-edge thermal design, ensuring top-tier cooling under heavy loads. This system utilizes the frost fan with 158 asymmetric fan blades, the new lateral housing structure, internal blast via the third and fourth fan, and 3D VortX air-channeling with optimal airflow control to maintain performance and stability during the most intense sessions.The AORUS MASTER series will be available starting March 31st at major e-tailers. For more details, visit the official product page, and check Newegg for purchasing availability.

Omdia forecasts show that Nintendo Switch 2 will sell nearly 15 million units globally in 2025, following its confirmed launch date of June 5.

This would put the Switch 2 ahead of its predecessor by around 10% during its first calendar year on the market. Historical Omdia data reveals 13.4 million Nintendo Switch systems were sold in 2017, despite its earlier March release. The key factors driving this momentum include a strong user base - Omdia estimates 105 million Switch consoles remained in active use at the end of 2024, providing Nintendo with a solid foundation for the next generation.

At the end of our launch livestream last month, we teased Framework Laptop 12, a colorful little laptop that is the ultimate expression of our product philosophy. We received a ton of interest around this product, and we have a lot more to share on Framework Laptop 12… in exactly a week! We're opening pre-orders on April 9th at 8am Pacific. That's also when we'll share the full specifications, pricing, and shipment timing. We have a hunch that the early batches are going to go very quickly, so you may want to set up your Framework account ahead of time. In the meantime, you can check out the hands-on video we just posted on our YouTube channel where we go deeper on the design decisions we made.

We know that a lot of you are eager for updates on Framework Laptop 13 and Framework Desktop too. We're happy to share that we've started manufacturing ramp on the new Ryzen AI 300 Series-powered Framework Laptop 13, along with the new translucent Bezels and Expansion Cards. We expect first shipments to go out and press reviews to go live in mid-April. We have a lot of manufacturing capacity ready to work through the pre-order batches quickly.

Today in the Nintendo Switch 2 Showcase, we got to announce the big project we have been working on in the background: STARSEEKER: Astroneer Expeditions! STARSEEKER will take players on a multiplayer voyage of discovery, cooperative expeditions, and camaraderie. Exploring deep space on the ESS Starseeker, players will need to work together with the entire crew of the space station to complete planet-wide objectives across a multitude of star systems using cutting edge technology. STARSEEKER is a multi-platform game that is slated to release in 2026.

If you would like to follow development and get your hands on BETA access as soon as it becomes available, make sure to join our Discord; using this link. To answer the biggest question that Astroneer fans: No, STARSEEKER is not a direct sequel or Astroneer 2. STARSEEKER exists within the same universe as Astroneer, but it's a very different game. That being said, Astroneer is still in active development!

NVIDIA has not formally announced the GeForce RTX 5060 Ti GPU, but its existence was leaked months ago via usual insider channels. Despite whispers of a launch happening mid-way through this month, Team Green did not host a rumored special preview event back in March. Premature listings of lower end "Blackwell" GPU-powered pre-built gaming systems have popped up online; Lenovo is the latest company to join in one the fun. Their "Legion Tower 5i Gen 10" pre-build is advertised as "coming soon," and configurable with GeForce RTX 5070, RTX 5060 Ti and RTX 5060 discrete graphics solutions. Curiously, Lenovo is prepping this model with an "Intel ARL-HX customized HM870" microATX motherboard—implying that the Core Ultra 9 APU (285HX or 275HX) will be soldered on.

Lenovo's NDA-busting product page does not go into as much (GPU-related) detail as HP New Zealand's webstore and Best Buy Canada's listings. Last week, reports focused on a new-generation OMEN 16L compact pre-built series—providing further evidence of GeForce RTX 5060 Ti graphics cards being readied with 16 GB and 8 GB pools of VRAM. Interestingly, TechPowerUp's GPU curator has scrubbed the alleged GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16 GB model's page from the site's database. VideoCardz has trained its expert eye on the Legion Tower 5i Gen 10 model's spec sheet and promotional imagery—their investigation put a spotlight on Lenovo's pre-rendered mock-up of a dual-fan card design that sports a single 8-pin power connector. In the recent past, AIB insiders have alluded to several custom models being configured with this older standard. VideoCardz noted that the forthcoming Legion pre-build is listed with "limited DisplayPort 1.4 support." This could be a pre-release mistake (based on placeholder material), or an indication of NVIDIA's cheaper GeForce RTX 50-series options arriving without DisplayPort 2.1 capabilities.

Surface defects on the GPU die of a PowerColor Radeon RX 9070 XT Hellhound have been linked to excessive thermal hotspots, according to analysis following Igor's Lab's investigation. Microscopic examination revealed 1,934 pits across the silicon die surface despite proper thermal interface material application. The defects affect over one percent of the chip's surface area, with the largest measuring 12.59 µm in depth and 212.36 µm in diameter—significantly exceeding industry tolerances. These imperfections impede heat transfer, causing localized temperatures to reach 113°C, exceeding the 110°C threshold for RDNA GPUs and triggering thermal throttling. The defects appear to stem from flaws in the backgrinding process that thins silicon wafers for packaging. Improper process control creates surface irregularities that compromise thermal conductivity and structural integrity.

The discovery raises questions about the effectiveness of automated optical inspection systems in detecting subtle surface abnormalities. TSMC, the maker of these chips, uses optical recognition tools to see if any defects occurred. AMD stated: "We are aware of the reported issue and believe this to be an isolated incident. We are working with our partners and internal teams to understand the issue." The company maintains this is an isolated case, though the findings suggest potential gaps in quality control protocols. Users experiencing thermal issues with affected RX 9070 XT units should initiate the RMA process for replacement while AMD and PowerColor investigate whether these defects exist beyond the identified sample. We hope no further issues are present, and so far, PowerColor hasn't received any customer complaints. We are on the lookout for further situation development. We reviewed PowerColor's Radeon RX 9070 Hellhound, and found no issues on our unit, so this indeed remains an isolated case so far.

CRKD, the premium collectible gaming brand behind the award-winning Nitro Deck and NEO S collectible controllers, has announced an udderly incredible creative collaboration with Coffee Stain North, bringing the charm of the farm to the end of your arm with a new range of Goat Simulator-themed collectible controllers! The announcement came during Goat Simulator Direct, a presentation looking at the future of Goat Simulator, and reflecting on the last year of goat-tastic announcements in celebration of the franchise's 10-year anniversary.

Available exclusively from crkd.gg and for a limited time only, the new collectible controller collection is the collaboration ewe never knew you needed, and hooves that CRKD is delivering what gamers are bleating for. Easily the most popular goat-based video game released in modern times, Goat Simulator is a worldwide phenomenon hailing from the genius minds at Coffee Stain North. Celebrating ten years of farm-based fun, Goat Simulator 3 recently enjoyed a physical release on Nintendo Switch, ideal for pairing with one of CRKD's award-winning collectible controllers!

A small number of AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D CPUs have had trouble starting up on some ASRock AM5 motherboards. The issue was first noticed in February 2025, and both AMD and ASRock immediately looked into the problem. The investigation found that the older BIOS versions on specific ASRock boards had memory compatibility problems. When a Ryzen 7 9800X3D was used, the computer could not complete its normal boot process, known as POST. ASRock quickly released a beta BIOS update to fix the memory issue, and after testing, a final version of the update was made available as of now. Users who update their BIOS should now see the problem disappear. In one case, a report suggested that a Ryzen 7 9800X3D had been damaged. However, further checks showed no burn marks on the motherboard. The issue was simply due to some debris, and after careful cleaning, the motherboard started normally and passed further tests.

AMD pointed out that many reasons can cause a computer to not start up properly, and a POST failure does not always mean the CPU is broken. They advise users to update their BIOS to the newest version available for their motherboard model. If the problem continues even after updating, users should reach out to customer support for help. In a few cases, if the problem cannot be fixed on the spot, the CPU might need to be replaced. This quick fix shows that AMD and ASRock work well together to solve problems. Even though only a few systems were affected, the issue was taken seriously and fixed fast. With the latest BIOS update, users can now expect their systems to boot without trouble, ensuring that the Ryzen 7 9800X3D offers good performance for everyday tasks and gaming.

According to a fresh Money Today SK news article, Samsung is expected to launch a next-generation Galaxy Ring model later this year—this tiny wearable device is touted to operate with a "dream battery" design. The South Korean giant's Electro-Mechanics division is reportedly tasked with the challenging development of "all-solid-state" batteries for all manner of ultraportable products. Yesterday's report suggests that Samsung's upcoming Galaxy Ring sequel—apparently scheduled for launch within Q4'25—will be driven by the Electro-Mechanics team's pioneering effort. The production of all-solid-state battery units is an expensive endeavor, so industry watchdogs have predicted tough retail conditions for the forthcoming "Galaxy Ring 2" rollout—the original unit was not exactly a "hot property" in terms of sales figures.

Money Today's inside sources reckon that the Electro-Mechanics branch will—eventually—fit all-solid-state battery designs inside new-gen earphones (aka Galaxy Buds) by Q4 2026, and very futuristic smartwatches by the end of 2027. Given cost considerations, larger all-solid-state solutions—potentially for usage in smartphones—are not in the pipeline. Around early February of this year, the development of Samsung's (inevitable) "Galaxy S26" mobile series was linked to alleged 6000+ mAh silicon-carbon battery units. The South Korean's smartphone engineering team is reportedly trying to play catch up with more advanced solutions, as devised by competitors in China. The status of Samsung's proprietary silicon-carbon prototype is the subject of much online debate, but certain insiders believe that employees are still working hard on the perfection of an ideal "battery formula."

It's time to confront some magical creatures (or maybe just your backlog) with these games coming soon! Some surprise benefits and announcements you might have missed, day one games (with some amazing music; looking at you South of Midnight), and more. Let's get to it!

Coming Soon
Borderlands 3 Ultimate Edition (Cloud, Console, and PC) - April 3
Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass, Game Pass Standard
Borderlands 3 Ultimate Edition packs bazillions of guns and is a mayhem-fueled adventure, featuring the base game plus all four campaign add-ons, Director's Cut content, and all cosmetic packs! Blast through worlds and enemies as one of four Vault Hunters, each with deep skill trees, abilities, and customization. Play solo or join with friends to take on insane enemies, score loads of loot, and save your home from the most ruthless cult leaders in the galaxy.

Today, MLCommons released its latest MLPerf Inference v5.0 benchmarks, showcasing Intel Xeon 6 with Performance-cores (P-cores) across six key benchmarks. The results reveal a remarkable 1.9x boost in AI performance over the previous generation of processors, affirming Xeon 6 as a top solution for modern AI systems.

"The latest MLPerf results demonstrate Intel Xeon 6 as the ideal CPU for AI workloads, offering a perfect balance of performance and energy efficiency. Intel Xeon remains the leading CPU for AI systems, with consistent gen-over-gen performance improvements across a variety of AI benchmarks." - Karin Eibschitz Segal, Intel corporate vice president and interim general manager of the Data Center and AI Group

If learning a new language has been on your bucket list for as long as you can remember, Babbel makes it easier than ever. This language-learning app makes the experience more like a game than school, so you don't lose motivation—and StackSocial is offering an unbeatable deal on the app. This weekend, you can get a Babbel lifetime subscription for just $124.99 with code LEARN at checkout (worth $599 on Babbel's website). You'll get forever access to their mobile and desktop apps and 14 language courses, including French, Spanish, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, and more.

Babbel encourages you to set a weekly language-learning goal, but you set the pace with 10-15 minute lessons that you can take as frequently as you like. Each builds your skills in conversation, grammar, and pronunciation. A brand-new app update added an AI-powered conversation partner that helps you practice your language skills in real time. You'll build listening, comprehension, and speaking skills in an environment where you're completely free to make mistakes.

Don't miss out on this Babbel discount from StackSocial: $124.99 with code LEARN at checkout (reg. $599). This code expires on March 31 at 11:59 p.m. PT.

Mark Gurman—Bloomberg's resident soothsayer of Apple inside track info—has disclosed predictive outlooks for next-generation M5 chip-based MacBooks. Early last month, we experienced the launch of the Northern Californian company's M4 MacBook Air series—starting at $999; also available in a refreshing metallic blue finish. The latest iteration of Apple's signature "extra slim" notebook family arrived with decent performance figures. As per usual, press and community attention has turned to a potential successor. Gurman's (March 30) Power On newsletter posited that engineers are already working on M5-powered super slim sequels—he believes that these offerings will arrive early next year, potentially reusing the current generation's 15-inch and 13-inch fanless chassis designs.

In a mid-February predictive report, Gurman theorized that Apple was planning a major overhaul of the MacBook Pro design. A radical reimagining of the long-running notebook series—that reportedly utilizes M6 chipsets and OLED panels—is a distant prospect; perhaps later on in 2026. The Cupertino-headquartered megacorp is expected to stick with its traditional release cadence, so 2025's "M5" refresh of MacBook Pro models could trickle out by October. Insiders believe that Apple will reuse existing MacBook Pro shells—the last major redesign occurred back in 2021. According to early February reportage, mass production of the much-rumored M5 chip started at some point earlier in the year. Industry moles posit that a 3 nm (N3P) node process was on the order books, chez TSMC foundries.

Today, MLCommons announced new results for its industry-standard MLPerf Inference v5.0 benchmark suite, which delivers machine learning (ML) system performance benchmarking in an architecture-neutral, representative, and reproducible manner. The results highlight that the AI community is focusing much of its attention and efforts on generative AI scenarios, and that the combination of recent hardware and software advances optimized for generative AI have led to dramatic performance improvements over the past year.

The MLPerf Inference benchmark suite, which encompasses both datacenter and edge systems, is designed to measure how quickly systems can run AI and ML models across a variety of workloads. The open-source and peer-reviewed benchmark suite creates a level playing field for competition that drives innovation, performance, and energy efficiency for the entire industry. It also provides critical technical information for customers who are procuring and tuning AI systems. This round of MLPerf Inference results also includes tests for four new benchmarks: Llama 3.1 405B, Llama 2 70B Interactive for low-latency applications, RGAT, and Automotive PointPainting for 3D object detection.

In the latest MLPerf Inference V5.0 benchmarks, which reflect some of the most challenging inference scenarios, the NVIDIA Blackwell platform set records - and marked NVIDIA's first MLPerf submission using the NVIDIA GB200 NVL72 system, a rack-scale solution designed for AI reasoning. Delivering on the promise of cutting-edge AI takes a new kind of compute infrastructure, called AI factories. Unlike traditional data centers, AI factories do more than store and process data - they manufacture intelligence at scale by transforming raw data into real-time insights. The goal for AI factories is simple: deliver accurate answers to queries quickly, at the lowest cost and to as many users as possible.

The complexity of pulling this off is significant and takes place behind the scenes. As AI models grow to billions and trillions of parameters to deliver smarter replies, the compute required to generate each token increases. This requirement reduces the number of tokens that an AI factory can generate and increases cost per token. Keeping inference throughput high and cost per token low requires rapid innovation across every layer of the technology stack, spanning silicon, network systems and software.

More than 700 games and applications feature RTX technologies, and each week new games integrating NVIDIA DLSS, NVIDIA Reflex, and advanced ray-traced effects are released or announced, delivering the definitive PC experience for GeForce RTX players. In the near future, DLSS 4 with Multi Frame Generation is multiplying performance in Steel Seed. STORROR Parkour Pro is available now with DLSS Frame Generation. And check out new DLSS 4 trailers for Cyberpunk 2077 and FragPunk.

Steel Seed Launching With DLSS Multi Frame Generation, DLSS Frame Generation & DLSS Super Resolution April 22nd
Storm in a Teacup and ESDigital Games' Steel Seed is a stealth-action adventure set in a dark sci-fi world where humanity stands on the brink of extinction. Join protagonist Zoe and her flying drone companion, KOBY, as they investigate the depths of a hostile underground facility in search of answers and the key to the survival of mankind. After a catastrophic event rendered Earth uninhabitable, machines took control of the remnants of humanity's survival. The underground facility is a vast, machine-built structure designed for machines - not humans. Each region presents unique environmental storytelling, hazards, and secrets waiting to be uncovered. From towering industrial landscapes to eerie biodomes, the world of Steel Seed is as haunting as it is immersive. Explore a hand-crafted world filled with dynamic combat, formidable enemies, and an immersive narrative that challenges the very definition of humanity.

No kidding. This is not a drill. Monster Train 2 will be in your hands in under two months. If you haven't already, please enjoy the trailer (watch below), wishlist the game, and get ready for five all-new clans, dozens of new cards, and surprises of all shapes and sizes. As we ramp up towards launch, we'll be back at a regular cadence giving you deep dives into Monster Train 2's new content, from clan deep-dives to new game mode reveals and more. All aboard.

If you've spent enough time on the internet, you already know what today is about. It's about goofs. It's about tricks. It's about "pulling a fast one." April Fools' Day in the video game world is a particularly special time for video game studios like us. With the right April Fools' Day announcement, your game can land at the top of the gaming news sites and subreddits.

All Together, Anytime, Anywhere. With new ways to play and new ways to connect players, the Nintendo Switch 2 system arrives June 5 for a suggested retail price of $449.99 in the United States. Discover reimagined Joy-Con 2 controllers, each of which can now be used as a mouse in compatible games and that snap to the system with magnetic connectors. Experience the system's powerful processing speeds delivering visuals via a bigger screen showcasing vibrant color and clarity. From Nintendo Switch 2 games to compatible games in existing Nintendo Switch libraries - connect and play with friends and family in surprising new ways!

"Nintendo Switch 2 is the next step in at-home gaming that can be taken on the go based on eight years of play and discovery that began with Nintendo Switch," said Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa. "With its new features that expand the possibilities of gaming experiences, I truly believe that Nintendo Switch 2 is a leap forward in our journey of putting smiles on the faces of everyone that Nintendo touches."

Just over two weeks ago, Acer unveiled its brand-new Predator BiFrost and Nitro Radeon RX 9070 Series graphics cards. Despite being a late contributor to AMD's opening salvo of RDNA 4, the Taiwanese manufacturer made a big impression with its reveal of four premium specced models. In particular, Acer's Predator BiFrost Radeon RX 9070 OC 16 GB and Nitro Radeon RX 9070 XT OC 16 GB SKUs will be joining an elite group of custom options that boast 3100 MHz boost clocks. Mid-March press material did not provide any insight into launch pricing—weeks later, Overclockers UK has opened up pre-orders for the four Predator BiFrost and Nitro RX 9070 XT and RX 9070 cards. Just prior to RDNA 4 launch time, Overclockers UK (OcUK) received plenty of press attention—in particular, their building of a sizable cube out of an impressive quantity of Sapphire PULSE Radeon RX 9070 XT retail stock.

The British retailer seemed confident with its pre-kickoff accumulation of various AIB models, but demand quickly outstripped supply on day one. Unfortunately, OcUK has implemented dreaded price hikes across its Radeon RX 9070 Series product listings. Looking at Acer's main competition in the premium custom Radeon RX 9070 XT tier, OcUK has jacked up prices by £20 to £30 (approx.). ASRock's Radeon RX 9070 XT Taichi OC model—one of the elite 3.1 GHz boosters—launched at £700 (including VAT, shipping fee is extra), but was adjusted up to £728.99 (~$943 USD) at some point last month. The British store's pre-order price for the "cheaper" Nitro Radeon RX 9070 XT OC SKU is £749.99 (inc. VAT), while the flagship Predator BiFrost costs £779.99 (inc. VAT) for reservation. GIGABYTE's (almost) £800 AORUS RX 9070 XT ELITE model is the only other 3.1 GHz boost-capable option sitting above the £750 mark. Looking at "on paper" information (e.g. aluminium backplates, state-of-the-art cooling, etc.)—Acer's two headliners are impressive offerings, but rival cards already exist with similar credentials at "lower prices." Historically, TechPowerUp's resident GPU reviewer—W1zzard—has not received any graphics card samples from the manufacturer. Perhaps this drought will end in the near future...

StationPC, a reputable brand known for its private cloud innovations, has announced the launch of PocketCloud, the world's first truly portable NAS (Network Attached Storage) solution. Now live on Kickstarter, PocketCloud redefines data storage and backup, offering an intuitive, compact, and powerful way to safeguard files anywhere, anytime. Early backers can secure their PocketCloud at a special Kickstarter price starting at $199, a $100 discount from the $299 MSRP.

PocketCloud introduces a seamless, user-friendly data management experience. Designed with a compact form factor, it eliminates the complexities and bulk of conventional NAS systems while ensuring strong performance on the go. Photographers, content creators, and professionals can now back up, store, and secure their files effortlessly, without the need for large, stationary storage setups.

Qualcomm today announced the acquisition of MovianAI Artificial Intelligence (AI) Application and Research JSC (MovianAI), the former generative AI division of VinAI Application and Research JSC (VinAI) and a part of the Vingroup ecosystem. As a leading AI research company, VinAI is renowned for its expertise in generative AI, machine learning, computer vision, and natural language processing. Combining VinAI's advanced generative AI research and development (R&D) capabilities with Qualcomm's decades of extensive R&D will expand its ability to drive extraordinary inventions.

For more than 20 years, Qualcomm has been working closely with the Vietnamese technology ecosystem to create and deliver innovative solutions. Qualcomm's innovations in the areas of 5G, AI, IoT and automotive have helped to fuel the extraordinary growth and success of Vietnam's information and communication technology (ICT) industry and assisted the entry of Vietnamese companies into the global marketplace.

Rebellion, one of the world's most successful independent video game developers and publishers, has announced that Atomfall significantly surpassed the one million player mark over the weekend, having only launched last week. In total Atomfall has now been played by over 1.5 million players. A brand-new IP set in the north of England, Atomfall is Rebellion's most successful launch in the company's 32-year history.

"We are delighted that so many players are enjoying Atomfall," said Jason Kingsley CBE, CEO and co-founder of Rebellion. "To have surpassed the one million players in such a short space of time speaks volumes for the creativity and dedication of the entire team here at Rebellion. Our size and stability mean that we can take risks to create something as different as Atomfall. Happily, that risk is paying off. We are a British company, and the game is a true reflection of that. Not only is it set in the lush, beautiful countryside but Atomfall also draws inspiration from so many classic British books, films and TV series. We hope that players continue to enjoy exploring the world of Atomfall and are looking forward to future content for the game."

ASUS Republic of Gamers (ROG) today announced availability of the ROG Strix OLED XG27UCDMG gaming monitor, the second 27-inch 4K OLED gaming monitor offered by ROG. Positioned just under the flagship ROG Swift OLED PG27UCDM, the XG27UCDMG caters to a wider audience looking for a monitor for gaming, content consumption, and daily use. It features 4th generation ROG QD-OLED technology with a pixel density of 166 pixels per inch to deliver supersharp imagery, incredibly clear text, and infinite contrast.

It also offers the latest ASUS OLED Care Pro features, including a Neo Proximity sensor that protects the OLED panel from burn-in. New firmware updates to optimize the Neo Proximity sensor for both the Swift OLED PG27UCDM and the Strix OLED XG27UCDMG will be available in April 2025. In addition, ROG OLED Anti-Flicker 2.0 technology minimizes onscreen flicker even during intense gaming sessions. XG27UCDMG offers a host of comprehensive features including Auto KVM, a full-function USB-C port with DP Alt mode and 90-watt Power Delivery, along with Aspect Ratio Control.

Adobe recently announced support for 4:2:2 video color formats with Premiere Pro and Adobe Media Encoder, and NVIDIA today announced that its GeForce RTX 50-series GPUs and RTX Pro Blackwell series GPUs will receive support and optimization for them. The 9th Gen NVENC and 6th Gen NVDEC video accelerators on Blackwell GPUs, as well as its display engine, come with support for 4:2:2 color formats, which help greatly reduce file-size in comparison to 4:4:4 formats, while also offering superior color depth compared to 4:2:0. 10 bits per cell 4:2:2 retains more color information compared to 4:2:0 with 8 bits per cell. For video professionals, this also offers superior chroma keying ("green screen" background replacements). GeForce RTX 50-series GPUs when paired with Windows 11, come hardware acceleration for H.264 and HEVC 10-bit 4:2:2 formats.

Samsung Electronics today announced the Galaxy Tab S10 FE and Galaxy Tab S10 FE+, offering new entry points to the Galaxy ecosystem on a premium tablet design. Equipped with the largest screen yet on the Galaxy Tab S FE series and slimmer bezels that expand its display, the Galaxy Tab S10 FE+ provides a fun, immersive viewing experience for everything from entertainment to studying and day-to-day tasks. Samsung's Intelligent Features empower users to get more done with ease, while a slimmer design helps users to achieve their creativity and productivity on the go.

"The new Galaxy Tab S10 FE series brings advanced mobile AI experience and Samsung's connected ecosystem to even more tablet users, while still offering leading performance and design," said Changtae Kim, EVP & Head of New Computing R&D Team, Mobile eXperience Business at Samsung Electronics. "We're confident that the slim bezels and expansive displays, in addition to a whole host of functional improvements, will inspire people to do more, create more, and discover more."

Today, publisher ESDigital Games and Italian studio Storm in a Teacup announced that the release date of the highly anticipated stealth-action adventure Steel Seed has been pushed back to April 22 on PC (Steam and Epic Games Store), PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S, rather than launching on April 10 as previously announced. These extra few weeks will give the talented team behind the game more time to fine-tune both platform adaptation on consoles and game optimization.

"Since the game's announcement, your excitement has been truly inspiring, and we know how much you've been looking forward to a deep dive into a dark sci-fi future on all platforms. That's why we want to be completely open with you: We encountered some technical hurdles related to platform adaptation when running our platform certification tests. Rather than rushing the console release and risking a potentially substandard console user experience that requires swift patching, we have made the difficult, but necessary decision to delay the launch," said Ilia Svanidze, Head of Marketing of ESDigital Games.

XPG, a gaming brand of ADATA Technology, a global leader in memory modules and flash memory, is proud to announce its successful collaboration with GIGABYTE Technology. Leveraging the XPG LANCER RGB DDR5 memory and LN2 (Liquid Nitrogen) cooling technology, achieved an astonishing 12,762 MT/s overclocking speed, breaking the DDR5 memory overclocking world record. This remarkable achievement has been verified by the renowned international overclocking scoring platform, HWBOT, reinforcing XPG's leadership in extreme overclocking memory.

A Legendary Overclocking Record By Two Industry Titans
This record-breaking overclocking effort was spearheaded by GIGABYTE's renowned overclocker and engineer, HiCookie. The setup featured the Z890 AORUS TACHYON ICE motherboard, meticulously designed for overclocking, paired with the XPG LANCER RGB DDR5 memory and an Intel Core Ultra 9 285K processor. The XPG LANCER's optimized PCB design, IC tuning capabilities, and integrated circuit technology ensured stable operation even under the extreme LN2 environment, laying a crucial foundation for this world record. The Z890 AORUS TACHYON ICE motherboard, boasting an array of overclocking-centric features, including an OC button and an LN2_SW liquid nitrogen mode switch, further facilitated the CPU's ability to achieve its peak performance under extreme conditions.

AAEON's UP brand, has released the UP 710S Edge, the company's smallest Intel Processor N-powered Mini PC with Wi-Fi support, measuring just 92 mm x 77 mm x 38 mm.

Positioned as a compact platform for companies to upgrade industrial automation setups, the UP 710S Edge is available in models featuring the full Intel Processor N series family (formerly Alder Lake-N), as well as offering an 8-bit GPIO with optional SPI, I2C, and PWM, a first for the product line.

In response to user feedback, MSI has announced an enhanced update to its highly acclaimed OLED CARE 2.0 technology, delivering an even better experience for gamers and tech enthusiasts worldwide.

This update refines the Panel Protect activation timing based on cumulative usage. Originally set to activate automatically every 16 hours, some users reported that it could unexpectedly interrupt their ongoing activities. To enhance user experience and minimize disruptions, MSI has extended the refresh interval to 24 hours, ensuring greater flexibility while maintaining the panel's exceptional durability.

Team Group Inc., a global leader in memory solutions, proudly announces that its creator-focused brand, T-CREATE, has been honored with the iF DESIGN AWARD 2025 for the CinemaPr P31 Portable SSD. Designed specifically for camera crew and filmmakers, the CinemaPr P31 embodies an artistic design while supporting comprehensive media storage formats, real-time recording and storage capabilities, as well as high-speed data transfer. Powered by multiple patented technologies, its exquisite and compact palm-size design symbolizes a key to imagination, unlocking a world of infinite inspiration.

The iF DESIGN AWARD, often referred to as the "Academy Awards" of the design industry, is one of the world's most prestigious design honors. Each year, it attracts top-tier submissions globally, which will be evaluated by a panel of expert judges based on five key criteria: function, idea, form, differentiation, and sustainability. This year, sustainability has become a core focus of the evaluation process. Standing out among over 10,000 entries from 66 countries, the CinemaPr P31 Portable SSD was recognized for its innovative design and exceptional performance, reaffirming Team Group as the leader of design innovation.

Seagate Technology Holdings plc, a leading innovator of mass-capacity data storage, announced today that it has completed the acquisition of Intevac, Inc. (Nasdaq: IVAC) ("Intevac"), a supplier of thin-film processing systems. The previously announced cash tender offer for all of the outstanding shares of common stock of Intevac for $4.00 per share, payable in cash at closing, without interest and subject to reduction for any applicable withholding taxes, by Irvine Acquisition Holdings, Inc. ("Merger Sub"), an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Seagate, expired one minute after 11:59 p.m., Eastern Time, on March 28, 2025. Computershare, the depository agent for the tender offer, has advised Seagate that 23,968,013 Intevac shares, representing approximately 87.95% of the outstanding shares of Intevac common stock, were validly tendered pursuant to the tender offer and not properly withdrawn prior to the expiration time. All of the conditions to the consummation of the tender offer have been satisfied, and on March 31, 2025, Merger Sub accepted for payment, and will promptly pay for, all shares validly tendered pursuant to the tender offer and not properly withdrawn.

AAEON's UP brand, a leading provider of professional developer boards, has announced the release of the NV8600-Nano AI Developer Kit, available exclusively on the company's UP Shop. Comprised of an NVIDIA Jetson Orin Nano module with Super Mode support, custom AAEON carrier board, and a preinstalled Jetson Platform Services software package, the NV8600-Nano AI Developer Kit reflects a notable expansion for UP, which since its inception has been renowned for its ability to leverage the newest Intel technologies across a range of industrial maker boards across standardized form factors.

While not AAEON's first developer kit to provide preinstalled software tools, the NV8600-Nano AI Developer Kit is the company's first to do so on an NVIDIA-accelerated platform. This new offering will provide AAEON customers an array of software tools dedicated to AI model optimization, distinguishing the kit from AAEON's broader NVIDIA-based product catalog, which typically focuses on industrial, deployment-ready system-on-modules.

Industry insiders posit that TSMC's two flagship fabrication facilities are running ahead of schedule with the development of an advanced 2 nm (N2) process node. A cross-facility mass production phase is tipped to begin later this year, which leaves room for next-level experiments. Taiwan's Economic Daily News has heard supply chain whispers about the Baoshan "P2" plant making internal preparations for a truly cutting edge 1.4 nm-class product. According to the report, unnamed sources have claimed that: "TSMC has made a major breakthrough in the advancement of its 1.4 nm process. (The company) has recently notified suppliers to prepare the necessary equipment for 1.4 nm, and plans to install a trial production 'mini-line' at P2 (Baoshan Fab 20)."

Their Hsinchu-adjacent "Fab 20" site is touted as a leading player in the prototyping of this new technology. Industry moles reckon that "1.4 nm expertise" will eventually trickle over to nearby "P3 and P4 plants" for full production phases. Allegedly, these factories were originally going to be involved in the manufacturing of 2 nm (N2) wafers. Additionally, TSMC's "Fab 25" campus could potentially play host to trial 1.4 nm activities—the Economic Daily News article proposes that four plants based in the Central Taiwan Science Park are pitching in with collaborative work. As interpreted by TrendForce, "P1" could begin "risk trial production" by 2027, followed by full-scale output within the following year.

We are giving away a special item pack as a token of appreciation for everyone's support of Monster Hunter Wilds. Hello hunters! This is Yuya Tokuda, the director of Monster Hunter Wilds. Thank you so much for playing Monster Hunter Wilds. As announced yesterday, Monster Hunter Wilds has now sold more than 10 million copies globally. We are very happy that so many people around the world are playing the game. To commemorate the 10 million milestone, we have released a free item pack for the community.

We would also like to thank you for the many comments, thoughts and feedback we have received since the game was released. The development team has been reading your feedback, and we are encouraged by it. We are also using the comments and feedback we have received to help us plan our future actions. In this message, I'd like to take a moment to run through some of our upcoming plans based on your feedback, including a few areas that have already been in the works.

Intel's freshly concluded Vision 2025 "Products Update and GTM" showcase included a segment dedicated to forthcoming Core Ultra 300 "Panther Lake" client processors. Industry watchdogs have grabbed a select few screenshots from Team Blue's broadcast from Las Vegas, Nevada—one backdropped slide confirms that Intel's next-generation mobile CPU series will launch in 2026. This information mirrors the company's Chinese office presenting of an AI PC roadmap—coverage of last month's event highlighted a scheduled first quarter 2026 "volume" arrival of "Core Ultra Next-gen Panther Lake (18A)."

Going back to early March, Intel leadership refuted online rumors of "Panther Lake" mobile CPUs being delayed into 2026, due to alleged problems encountered during the development of the Foundry service's 18A process node. An interviewed executive repeatedly insisted that his firm's brand-new series was on track for release within the second half of 2025. Fast-forward to the end of last week; Lip-Bu Tan expressed a similar outlook in a letter addressed to investors. The newly-established boss stated: "we will further enhance our (leadership) position in the second half of this year with the launch of Panther Lake, our lead product on Intel 18A, followed by Nova Lake in 2026." Industry insiders propose that the Core Ultra 300 series will become available in a very limited capacity come October, via an Early Enablement Program (EEP). Returning to this week—Jim Johnson, senior vice president of the firm's Client Computing Group, informed a watchful audience about the merits of his group's design: "I'm personally excited about Panther Lake because it combines the power efficiency of Lunar Lake, the performance of Arrow Lake, and is built to scale 18A and is on track for production later this year...Our client roadmap is the most innovative we've ever had, and we are far from done."

Quantum Machines (QM), the leading provider of advanced quantum control solutions, has recently announced the NVIDIA DGX Quantum Early Customer Program, with a cohort of six leading research groups and quantum computer builders. NVIDIA DGX Quantum, a reference architecture jointly developed by NVIDIA and QM, is the first tightly integrated quantum-classical computing solution, designed to unlock new frontiers in quantum computing research and development. As quantum computers scale, their reliance on classical resources for essential operations, such as quantum error correction (QEC) and parameter drift compensation, grows exponentially. NVIDIA DGX Quantum provides access to the classical acceleration needed to support this progress, advancing the path toward practical quantum supercomputers.

NVIDIA DGX Quantum leverages OPX1000, the best-in-class, modular high-density hybrid control platform, seamlessly interfacing with NVIDIA GH200 Grace Hopper Superchips. This solution brings accelerated computing into the heart of the quantum computing stack for the first time, achieving an ultra-low round-trip latency of less than 4 µs between quantum control and AI supercomputers - faster than any other approach. The NVIDIA DGX Quantum Early Customer Program is now underway, with selected leading academic institutions, national labs, and commercial quantum computer builders participating. These include the Engineering Quantum Systems group (equs.mit.edu) led by MIT Professor William D. Oliver, the Israeli Quantum Computing Center (IQCC), quantum hardware developer Diraq, the Quantum Circuit group (led by Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon Professor Benjamin Huard), and more.

Over the past weekend Jukanlosreve declared via social media that Samsung's: "Exynos 2600 (mobile SoC) is definitely back, and it will be used in the Galaxy S26 series. But the chip volume is so limited that it'll likely be similar to the Exynos 990 situation. I'm not sure if SF2 is actually any good." Mid-way through March, the keen observer of semiconductor industry conditions posited that Samsung's Foundry business could abandon a 1.4 nm (SF1.4) process node. SF2 (aka 2 nm GAA) seems to be in a healthier place, according to insiders—thanks to rumored assistance from an external AI-specialist partner. The development of next-generation flagship Exynos smartphone processors are allegedly closely tied with Samsung Foundry's 2 nm GAA manufacturing process.

As alluded to by Jukanlosreve's recent prediction, the statuses of leaked 2 nm-based "Exynos 2600" and "Exynos 2500" chips were often questioned by industry watchdogs in the past. The latter is purportedly destined for rollout in forthcoming affordable "Galaxy Z Flip FE" models, albeit in mature 4 nm form. Vhsss_God—another source of inside track info—has weighed in on the topic of Samsung's next-gen chipset roadmap. Compared to Jukanlosreve's musings, their similarly-timed weekend projection seemed to be quite fanciful: "exclusive leak...Samsung doesn't want to use Exynos or Qualcomm Snapdragon chips anymore. S26 line is targeted to launch with the new Samsung developed chip (2 nm)—formerly referred to as Exynos 2600. (The company) will try its hardest to ditch Snapdragon on the entire Galaxy line next year." Perhaps there is too much of a negative stigma attached to Samsung's long-running chipset nomenclature, but the majority of foundry moles continue to label incoming designs as Exynos processors.

Altera Corporation, a leader in FPGA innovations, today announced production shipments of its Agilex 7 FPGA M-Series, the industry's first high-end, high-density FPGA to feature integrated high bandwidth memory and support for DDR5 and LPDDR5 memory technologies. Offering over 3.8 million logic elements, Agilex 7 FPGA M-Series is optimized for applications that demand the highest performance and highest memory bandwidth, including AI, data centers, next-generation firewalls, 5G communications infrastructure and 8K broadcast equipment.

As data traffic continues to increase exponentially due to the growth of AI, cloud computing and video streaming services, the demand for higher memory bandwidth, increased capacity, and improved power efficiency has never been greater. Agilex 7 FPGA M-Series addresses these challenges by offering users high logic densities, a high-performance fabric and a memory interface that accelerates data throughput speeds while reducing memory bottlenecks and latency.

GlobalFoundries is considering acquiring United Microelectronics Corporation (UMC) in a plan called "Project Ultron." The two companies want to work together to make older types of semiconductor nodes. Both companies have moved away from making the newest, most advanced chips. Instead, they focused on making older nodes (28 nm and larger) better and cheaper, keeping them from competing directly with giants like TSMC, Intel, and Samsung. This type of market is mature nodes, which is the main target of automakers and commercial electronics (fridges, washing machines) that aren't CPUs or GPUs, where the latest nodes aren't essential. If GF and UMC merge, they could control about 28% of the mature node market, making them stronger against growing rivals. The possible team-up comes as Chinese companies like SMIC are putting more money into making similar chips, creating more competition.

The combined companies would have factories in the United States, Germany, Singapore, Taiwan, and China. Spreading factories across regions could help them keep making chips even if problems happen in one region, be it some tense geopolitical situation or sanctions/tariffs. It might also appeal to customers who worry about supply chain problems. Money issues could make the deal tricky. GlobalFoundries is worth about $20.41 billion but would need to borrow money or get more funding from its main investor, Mubadala, to make the purchase. Government approvals are another big hurdle. Taiwan might not want a foreign company controlling UMC, while China might only approve if the new company promises to keep or add factories in China. UMC has Fab 12X in China, producing 25,000 wafers per month. All of this is happening as GlobalFoundries prepares for new CEO Tim Breen to start by the end of April. He must handle these merger talks while keeping the company running smoothly in a challenging mature node market. Meanwhile, UMC has denied merger talk, but Tom's Hardware claims it has reviewed documents of the merger assessment.

Mecha fandoms collide in an epic battle to determine the world's future in the upcoming tactical RPG series SUPER ROBOT WARS Y. Published by Bandai Namco Entertainment America Inc. and developed by Bandai Namco Forge Digitals Inc., the game features immersive strategic game play and is a return for the legendary series to the West in a English localized installment, following the success of SUPER ROBOT WARS 30. The anticipated sequel brings together iconic mecha characters and units from beloved series including COMBATTLER V, Aura Battler Dunbine, Mobile Fighter G Gundam, Mobile Suit Gundam the Witch from Mercury (Season 1), Majestic Prince, Macross Delta: Passionate Walküre, Code Geass Lelouch of the Re;surrection, Getter Robo Arc, and more. SUPER ROBOT WARS Y will launch in 2025 for PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch and PC via Steam.

In the looming calamity of inevitable ruin, SUPER ROBOT WARS Y challenges the guardians of steel to rise and conquer fate. The lauded series combines an all-star mecha cast, action-packed attack animations, and an upgrade system to customize various units and pilots. The game also features a deep and engaging original story that weaves together universes from a variety of mecha anime. In a battle to determine the world's future, players strategically command an army on a grid-based battlefield, utilizing their arsenal of weapons and abilities to defeat the opposing army. SUPER ROBOT WARS Y is the anticipated new entry to the franchise, following the 2021 hit SUPER ROBOT WARS 30, as a must-have for fans of the long-running game series in the West.

PC hardware media outlets have uncovered a not yet officially announced Kingston Fury Renegade G5 SSD product family. Promotional images and fairly detailed specifications were reportedly sourced directly from the North American manufacturer's main web presence. Three next-gen PCIe 5.0 SSD options were highlighted; likely coming soon—in quick response to Samsung's recently launched 9100 PRO Series. The South Korean megacorp's cutting-edge proprietary Presto
S4LY027-controlled offerings are considered to be the world's fastest SSDs, but this elite level of performance has arrived with substantial price tags. At several points, W1zzard's evaluation of the $300 Samsung 9100 Pro 2 TB model touched upon cost-performance considerations. Kingston's forthcoming Fury Renegade G5 4 TB, 2 TB, and 1 TB SSD NVMe M.2 2280 SKUs possess the potential to match main rivals—according to a leaked spec chart, the flagship boasts up to 14,800 MB/s read and 14,000 MB/s write speeds.

The apparent selection of Silicon Motion's SM2508 controller is a key point of interest—this "superior performance" low-power PCIe Gen 5 x4 NVMe 2.0 SSD solution was announced late last summer. September preview material painted a promising picture, in terms of promised power efficiency. By late December, a Chinese manufacturer demonstrated 14.5 GB/s sequential reads enabled by Silicon Motion's flagship controller. At CES 2025, TechPowerUp staffers documented a handful of previewed SM2508-controlled commercial products. Returning to the present day, Kingston's inadvertent self-leak did not reveal Fury Renegade G5's eventual launch window or price brackets—these facts are expected to arrive online with a possible imminent issuing of official press material.

Run, don't walk! It's time to play the full game. HASTE is finally out! It's been a long journey since our initial wobbler prototype in late 2021, and we're very excited to finally be able to share the full game with you all! HASTE: Broken Worlds is a high-speed third-person running game, set in a collapsing universe. Race through a variety of worlds, master your movement and use items and abilities to progress through each level before it falls apart around you. The game consists of ten Shards, each featuring a collection of procedurally generated levels that must be completed without fail to unlock the next. You'll encounter challenges and characters on your journey, seeking answers about what lies behind the destruction, and how to escape it!

Thank you to everyone who played the demo and helped us with the final feedback and motivation to get this game through the end portal! We hope you hit the ground running—literally—and have a great time with Zoe's crew. For any questions, support, or bug reports, please post in the Steam forums or reach out to us at support@landfall.se! Join the official HASTE Discord!

EMTEK has released a new custom GeForce RTX 5070 graphics card in South Korea; fresh retail/e-tail listings have popped up online via the Danawa price comparison engine. Similar circumstances were observed around mid-February for the launch of the brand's GeForce RTX 5080 MIRACLE WHITE D7 16 GB SKU. EMTEK's GB205 "Blackwell" GPU-based offering sports a slightly smaller shroud design; its larger siblings are 2.5-slotters. As noted by VideoCardz, the GeForce RTX 5070 MIRACLE WHITE D7 12 GB model's 329 mm-long triple-fan cooling solution tempers a less potent key component.

EMTEK's brand-new card conforms to NVIDIA's reference specifications, so a relatively slim heatsink seems appropriate for this deployment. A dual BIOS switcher grants access to "Cooling" and "Silent 0-db" modes. Another nearby physical switch can enable/disable the MIRACLE WHITE D7's integrated "Auto ARGB" system. EMTEK's pricier pale-toned offerings—in GeForce RTX 5080 and RTX 5070 Ti guises—feature intriguing USB-C connected Windows 11-controlled lighting schemes. The cheapest price for a RTX 5070 MIRACLE WHITE D7 card is 1,030,000 won (~$700 USD) according to Danawa SK aggregation. EMTEK products are only available in South Korea, therefore attract very little Western press coverage. Interestingly, the company also acts as a regional distributor of various PALIT GeForce and Sapphire Radeon graphics cards.

Lightmatter, the leader in photonic supercomputing, today announced Passage M1000, a groundbreaking 3D Photonic Superchip designed for next-generation XPUs and switches. The Passage M1000 enables a record-breaking 114 Tbps total optical bandwidth for the most demanding AI infrastructure applications. At more than 4,000 square millimeters, the M1000 reference platform is a multi-reticle active photonic interposer that enables the world's largest die complexes in a 3D package, providing connectivity to thousands of GPUs in a single domain.

In existing chip designs, interconnects for processors, memory, and I/O chiplets are bandwidth limited because electrical input/output (I/O) connections are restricted to the edges of these chips. The Passage M1000 overcomes this limitation by unleashing electro-optical I/O virtually anywhere on its surface for the die complex stacked on top. Pervasive interposer connectivity is enabled by an extensive and reconfigurable waveguide network that carries high-bandwidth WDM optical signals throughout the M1000. With fully integrated fiber attachment supporting an unprecedented 256 fibers, the M1000 delivers an order of magnitude higher bandwidth in a smaller package size compared to conventional Co-Packaged Optics (CPO) and similar offerings.

Hello, Creators. We have seen concerns in the community about the "short break" mentioned in my recent letter of gratitude to players. To be clear, the inZOI team's "short break" was just two days of vacation. We apologize for causing worry with our vague wording. We are aware of the wide range of feedback and improvement requests you have shared. Additional hotfix patches are scheduled for this week, and we are continuing to monitor feedback and develop builds. We are prioritizing fixing various bugs and issues that disrupt gameplay. But to reassure you about our dedication to making inZOI a better game, we would like to share our future update plans and how we will communicate them.

Short-Term Update Plans
As explained in our online showcase, we originally planned content updates for inZOI about once every two months during Early Access. However, given the spirit of Early Access—completing the game together with you—we intend to quickly apply fixes for reported issues through hotfixes during April. These short-term updates are smaller in scale compared to major updates, but we expect that rolling out content faster and incorporating feedback more promptly will have a more positive effect on your gameplay experience. Additionally, whenever we identify critical issues, we plan to keep addressing them through hotfixes. As mentioned, we want to stay true to our words about not taking advantage of the term "Early Access," and show gratitude to those who purchased the game by continuing to release updates and maintain open communication. We will continue to wait for and welcome your feedback.

NVIDIA and its laptop/notebook manufacturing partners have just about managed a very last minute launch of GeForce RTX 5090 Mobile, RTX 5080 Mobile, RTX 5070 Ti Mobile GPU-powered devices at retail. According to the latest reports, yesterday's—March 31—small trickle out of high-end portable "Blackwell" hardware qualified as a launch within the first quarter of 2025. Due to Team Green's GeForce RTX 50 series being affected by ROPs anomalies—across desktop and mobile platforms—involved firms anticipated deliveries being delayed into April. As stated early last month, unnamed industry sources divulged details about official instructions: "manufacturers (must) inspect already-produced notebooks with new mobile GeForce RTX 5000 graphics chips." Going further back in time, supply chain moles predicted that the entire product stack—starting at the top with GeForce RTX 5090 M, going down to RTX 5070 M—would be subject to postponements.

PC gaming hardware watchdogs noticed a very limited supply of GeForce RTX 5090 Mobile-based laptops on "day one," at least in North America. VideoCardz spent some time combing through Newegg listings, after hearing about the Q1 launch via official social media announcements. The likes of ASUS, GIGABYTE, HP, Lenovo, MSI and Razer opened up direct pre-orders on February 25, but yesterday's embargo lift seemed to extend to general retails outlets. VideoCardz noted that the cheapest—at $4299—GeForce RTX 5090 Laptop options were already sold out. MSI's North American store lists an "out of stock" Titan 18 HX Dragon Edition Norse Myth 18-inch model with an eye-watering price tag of $6199.99. Additionally, the publication pointed out the best GeForce RTX 5080 Laptop starting price: $2499.99. GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Laptops start at $1899.99 on Newegg, but RTX 5070 Mobile-based options seemed to be absent. The online retailer's stock notification system predicts late April or early May replenishments of higher-end stock.

Apricorn, the leading manufacturer of software-free, 256-bit AES XTS hardware-encrypted USB data storage devices, today announced the release of the Aegis Thunderbolt 4 Docking Station, designed to maximize connectivity, efficiency, and security for today's flexible workforce. The new docking station provides seamless device integration and high-speed data transfer, making it an ideal solution for professionals who require reliability and performance in both office and remote environments.

In a recent survey conducted by Apricorn, 54% of respondents primarily operate in a hybrid work environment, with 48% utilizing a hotdesking setup, underscoring the increasing need for technology that supports efficient transitions between remote and office settings. Additionally, nearly 68% of respondents use a docking station daily, highlighting the device's essential role in current workflows. Among the top reasons professionals use or consider using docking stations are connecting multiple monitors (95%), reducing cable clutter (80%), and quickly switching between home and office setups (65%).

Yesterday, at Intel Vision 2025, IBM announced the availability of Intel Gaudi 3 AI accelerators on IBM Cloud. This offering delivers Intel Gaudi 3 in a public cloud environment for production workloads. Through this collaboration, IBM Cloud aims to help clients more cost-effectively scale and deploy enterprise AI. Intel Gaudi 3 AI accelerators on IBM Cloud are currently available in Frankfurt (eu-de) and Washington, D.C. (us-east) IBM Cloud regions, with future availability for the Dallas (us-south) IBM Cloud region in Q2 2025.

IBM's AI in Action 2024 report found that 67% of surveyed leaders reported revenue increases of 25% or more due to including AI in business operations. Although AI is demonstrating promising revenue increases, enterprises are also balancing the costs associated with the infrastructure needed to drive performance. By leveraging Intel's Gaudi 3 on IBM Cloud, the two companies are aiming to help clients more cost effectively test, innovate and deploy generative AI solutions. "By bringing Intel Gaudi 3 AI accelerators to IBM Cloud, we're enabling businesses to help scale generative AI workloads with optimized performance for inferencing and fine-tuning. This collaboration underscores our shared commitment to making AI more accessible and cost-effective for enterprises worldwide," said Saurabh Kulkarni, Vice President, Datacenter AI Strategy and Product Management, Intel.

Jagex is thrilled to announce RuneScape: Dragonwilds, an all-new open world survival crafting game set in the beloved RuneScape franchise. Wishlist RuneScape: Dragonwilds on Steam today to be notified of the game's release, and to be amongst the first to experience this epic new adventure. On RuneScape's forgotten continent of Ashenfall, dragons have awoken. Gather, build, skill and craft to survive in this co-operative survival crafting game. Only by mastering survival and uncovering ancient secrets can you hope to slay the Dragon Queen—alone or with allies.

Wield wild, transformative magic to survive and level up skills to overcome challenges in this brand-new adventure powered by Unreal Engine 5. Explore a stunning, hand-crafted landscape infused with magical energy in an adventure that blends high fantasy with light RPG elements and iconic RuneScape lore. Harness the power of Anima to reshape your experience. Summon spectral axes to fell trees in an instant or channel nature's energy to repair broken armour. Discover RuneScape: Dragonwilds unique progression system to unlock new spells, crafting recipes and abilities, providing adventurers countless ways to interact with the world around them.

Rapidus Corporation today announced that its plans and budget for fiscal year 2025 have been approved by Japan's New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO). The approval covers two commissioned projects under NEDO's "Post-5G Information and Communication Systems Infrastructure Enhancement R&D Project / Development of Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology (Commissioned)." These projects are the "Research and Development of 2 nm-Generation Semiconductor Integration Technology and short TAT (turnaround time) Manufacturing Technology Based on Japan-U.S. Collaboration" and "Development of Chiplet, Package Design and Manufacturing Technology for 2 nm-Generation Semiconductors."

The first of these projects, focused on front-end processes, was launched in November 2022 as part of Japan's next-generation semiconductor R&D effort. Under this program, Rapidus has continued construction of the Innovative Integration for Manufacturing (IIM) facility in Chitose, Hokkaido, which will serve as its production base. It also sent engineers to IBM in the U.S. to jointly develop 2 nm logic semiconductor mass production technologies and continued to achieve target performance as planned. Furthermore, Rapidus has installed EUV lithography and other production equipment at the IIM facility, and started cleanroom operation. As a result of these efforts, the company achieved its performance targets for FY2024.

NVIDIA's stellar quality control with the $2,000 GeForce RTX 5090 saw quite a few customers end up with cards that had fewer ROPs than they should—168 as opposed to its original spec of 176. The 8 fewer ROPs results in a roughly 5% drop in performance. When you're ponying up over two grand, this is the last thing you want. But what if we told you there are cards out there were more ROPs than they should have? We have with us an ASUS ROG Astral GeForce RTX 5090 LC graphics card that we detected 192 ROPs on. That's right, the card has all the 192 ROPs active that are present in the "GB202" silicon, or two ROP partitions (16 ROPs) more than it should have. We received our ROG Astral RTX 5090 LC sample just a few weeks ago, and haven't had time to thoroughly test it yet, because we're in the middle of a full retest with new games and new drivers.

The ASUS ROG Astral LC is a factory overclocked card, with ASUS giving the card a generous OC to benefit from the liquid cooling solution (2580 MHz boost vs. 2407 MHz reference or +7.1%). To account for that, we tried our best to clock the card back down to reference specs, which is presented as the orange bar. This still isn't the same card as the RTX 5090 Founders Edition, because the superior cooling solution and power limits mean that the GPU enjoys better boost frequency residency, but this is as close as we can get to simulating reference spec. We ran the card through a battery of game tests, which show an average of 8% performance gains over the RTX 5090 Founders Edition.

In a letter to customers, Micron has announced upcoming memory price increases extending through 2025 and 2026, citing persistent supply constraints coupled with accelerating demand across its product portfolio. The manufacturer points to significant demand growth in DRAM, NAND flash, and high-bandwidth memory (HBM) segments as key drivers behind the pricing strategy. The memory market is rebounding from a prolonged oversupply cycle that previously depressed revenues industry-wide. Strategic production capacity reductions implemented by major suppliers have contributed to price stabilization and subsequent increases over the past twelve months. This pricing trajectory is expected to continue as data center operators, AI deployments, and consumer electronics manufacturers compete for limited memory allocation.

In communications to channel partners, Micron emphasized AI and HPC requirements as critical factors necessitating the price adjustments. The company has requested detailed forecast submissions from partners to optimize production planning and supply chain stability during the constrained market period. With its pricing announcement, Micron disclosed a $7 billion investment in a Singapore-based HBM assembly facility. The plant will begin operations in 2026 and will focus on HBM3E, HBM4, and HBM4E production—advanced memory technologies essential for next-generation AI accelerators and high-performance computing applications from NVIDIA, AMD, Intel, and other companies. The price increases could have cascading effects across the AI and GPU sector, potentially raising costs for products ranging from consumer gaming systems to enterprise data infrastructure. We are monitoring how these adjustments will impact hardware refresh cycles and technology adoption rates as manufacturers pass incremental costs to end customers.

The upcoming collaboration project between Microsoft and ASUS is slowly materializing in the form of a handheld gaming console, as recently released promotional material shows. The latest teaser video shows an ASUS ROG Ally and Xbox controller merging into a single unit, becoming an animated character, indicating a hardware partnership that combines Microsoft's software ecosystem with ASUS's portable hardware expertise. Project Kennan, as the device is reportedly codenamed, contradicts earlier Xbox executive statements regarding development timelines. Initial projections suggested the hardware launch within a 2-3 year window, yet current information suggests a potential Q3/Q4 2025 release, with perhaps an announcement in Q2 this year. Following Steam Deck's market success, the accelerated schedule may come from increased competitive pressure in the handheld PC gaming segment.

The device appears to feature a predominantly black chassis, though other specifications remain undisclosed. AMD architecture integration will likely continue the foundation established in both Xbox Series consoles and the ROG Ally platform. This hardware choice would prioritize performance-per-watt efficiency crucial for portable gaming applications. A significant technical decision remains regarding the operating system implementation: whether to deploy standard Windows with Xbox integration or develop a custom Xbox-centric interface layer. This choice will directly impact ecosystem compatibility, application support, and user experience fluidity. Both companies have maintained limited official communication regarding the project, with the teaser video serving as the primary confirmation of their collaboration.

When Microsoft first introduced the Copilot+ program alongside its renewed push for Windows-on-Arm laptops, the AI-powered assistant features were mostly limited to Snapdragon X-powered devices. In addition to the inclusion of these features on Intel and AMD systems, Microsoft is also announcing Voice Access, a new accessibility feature that will first launch on Qualcomm Snapdragon systems and make their way to Intel- and AMD-powered systems. These new updates come by way of the March 27 Preview update titled KB505365. However, there is still no mention of an AMD and Intel launch for the much maligned Recall feature that Microsoft was testing late last year and recalled due to privacy concerns.

According to the latest Windows Experience Blog post, users of AMD- and Intel-powered PCs will now be able to access features, like Live Captions, Cocreator, Restyle Image, and Image Creator more broadly across the line-up of Copilot+ PCs with Intel Core Ultra 200V and AMD Ryzen AI 300 CPUs. Live Captions is officially pitched as an accessibility feature, meanwhile Restyle Image and Image Creator are AI-powered image editing and generation features, and Cocreator lies somewhere in between as a text-to-image tool that is meant to augment drawing in Paint. Cocreator will be rolling out as of the announcement, and Restyle Image and Image Creator will be available in the Photos app on Intel and AMD systems. As for Voice Access, Microsoft claims that it will allow users to be more flexible with their language when using speech to navigate their PCs, as opposed to "learning complex steps, commands and syntax that voice access previously required" for voice navigation on PC. Voice Access will initially be limited to Snapdragon X PCs, but it will roll out to AMD and Intel Copilot+ PCs later this year.

Over three years ago, Bit Reactor was announced as the lead development partner on a mysterious "Star Wars strategy game." According to an early 2022 press release, Respawn Entertainment would collaborate on this new IP project. As disclosed in a recent Star Wars Celebration LIVE! schedule, company representatives will present a "first look at a new Star Wars turn-based tactics" title on Saturday, April 19. MP1st has somewhat spoiled this upcoming public reveal, by publishing an article that contains an impressive collection of "sneak peek" screenshots from project "Bruno." This alleged internal codename was uncovered when the online publication "procured" images from an unnamed Bit Reactor artist's portfolio. MP1st claims that the leaked images are: "dated to mid-2023, indicating that they belong to an early build of the game...The gameplay screenshots showcase elements common to the turn-based genre, like an isometric view and a party of characters."

Familiar Star Wars faction designs and technologies are showcased in captures of this older "Bruno" build. Gameplay and user interface concepts seemingly demonstrate where Bit Reactor's collective expertise lies. The Baltimore metropolitan area-based studio is headed by Greg Foerstch (formerly of Firaxis Games); a tenured artistic director of multiple turn-based strategy favorites. His indie outfit describes how members have (previously): "developed some of the most successful games you've heard of, such as XCOM, Civilization, Gears of War, and Elders Scrolls Online. We learned from the best and reached the pinnacle with the highest accolades, including Game of the Year and BAFTA." As interpreted by MP1st, the leaked early interface mock-ups suggest a multi-platform release—with "controller button" prompts spotted on several shots.

CRKD, the premium collectible gaming brand behind the award-winning Nitro Deck and NEO S collectible controllers, has announced the NEO S LINKIN PARK Edition, a licensed, special edition NEO S controller, designed for use with Fortnite Festival and other rhythm-based games. Compatible with Nintendo Switch, PC, Mobile, Tablet and Smart TVs, the NEO S LINKIN PARK Edition is a one-off drop that features artwork inspired by the LINKIN PARK Instruments in Fortnite Festival and the recent launch of two brand new Fortnite Festival Jam Tracks including the band's new single "Up From The Bottom" off of the upcoming Deluxe Edition album From Zero, out May 16, 2025 via Warner Records.

Available for pre-order today, the NEO S LINKIN PARK Edition is expected to ship in May of this year. The NEO S LINKIN PARK Edition is the second NEO S controller in CRKD's Festival range, bringing gamers closer to the music they love and transforming the Fortnite Festival experience thanks to the unique Festival Attachment (included), which replicates the frets found on a real guitar, providing a more authentic and immersive experience.

Going back to the start of this year, TSMC's trial run of a cutting-edge 2 nm (N2) node process was reportedly progressing beyond initial expectations. According to industry moles, two flagship fabrication facilities are "optimistically" tipped to pump out 80,000 units per month (by the end of 2025). This cross-facility total figure was linked to TSMC's Baoshan—located near the Northern Taiwanese city of Hsinchu—and Kaohsiung (in the South) plants. The latest regional reports suggest that the aforementioned trial phase was a resounding success, with pleasing results pointing to an "ahead of schedule" transfer to mass production phases. Insiders previously heard about the Kaohsiung production hub's schedule; with mass production set to start by early 2026—according to fresh rumors, revised calendars have a kick-off window repositioned somewhere in late 2025. Apparently a special "2 nm plant expansion ceremony" took place in that location, earlier today.

A noted semiconductor business analyst—Ming-Chi Kuo—reckons that recent 2 nm pilot yields have progressed well over the 60% mark, meaning that the involved foundry teams are more than ready to move onto kicking things into high gear. Taiwan's Economic News Daily anticipates significant financial gains, due to TSMC N2 products already being in high demand: "the quarterly revenue in the second half of the year is expected to reach one trillion yuan (~US$30.1 billion) for the first time, and it is poised to challenge the goal of earning twice the share capital in a quarter and rewrite the record for a single quarter." The local publication claims that TSMC Baoshan's "first batch of production capacity" is fully reserved for Apple, while Kaohsiung will take care of orders for other (i.e. less) important customers.

The call of the North beckons once more! Indie publisher Silver Lining Interactive and developer Infuse Studio are thrilled to announce that Spirit of the North 2 will launch on May 8th, 2025, bringing its stunning world of folklore, adventure and mysticism to PC via Steam, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series S/X. In addition to the digital release, an extraordinary physical Signature Edition for PC and PlayStation 5 will offer devoted fans a treasure trove of handcrafted collectibles.

This long-awaited sequel in the critically acclaimed series transports players into a vast and awe-inspiring world where a lone fox and its raven companion must embark on a perilous journey of healing, discovery, and ancient magic deeply rooted in Nordic legend. Wishlist Spirit of the North 2 now on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series S/X, and prepare to step into an unforgettable adventure.

Charles Reed returns to Oakmont, a city drowning in supernatural mystery and eldritch terror—now fully remastered with Unreal Engine 5! Coming soon to PC, PS5 and Xbox Series, including a free upgrade for existing owners. Check out some more comparison screenshots in 4K! In the 1920s, on the East Coast of the United States, a half-submerged city is gripped by supernatural forces. You're a private investigator, uncovering the truth of what has possessed the city and corrupted the minds of its inhabitants... and yours.

Don't Forget!
The Kickstarter for The Sinking City 2 is ending in just five days! Help us reach our next exciting stretch goal: introducing a brand new, terrifying version of the Shoggoth. You can also grab The Sinking City as an add-on through our campaign. Your support makes a huge difference!

MSI is excited to announce the launch of its exclusive "Relax, Refresh, and Get FREE Steam!" promotion, running from April 1 to June 30, 2025. This limited-time offer allows MSI customers to earn steam code on select eligible products, providing both savings and an upgraded tech experience.

As part of MSI's commitment to simplifying the PC-building process, the company has introduced its innovative EZ DIY features. These features align with MSI's "One-Concept" philosophy, designed to reduce complexity and enhance functionality across a variety of product lines, including motherboards, cooling solutions, power supplies, and PC cases.

ZOTAC GAMING has quietly added two more models to its SOLID GeForce RTX 50-series product range. Looking back into TechPowerUp's news archive, the Hong Kong-based manufacturer's latter half of March calendar has already introduced four brand-new SKUs, with adjusted dimensions. Two weeks ago, industry watchdogs spotted a low-key rollout of "slimmer profile" SOLID CORE GeForce RTX 5080 and RTX 5070 Ti options. As discovered earlier today by VideoCardz, ZOTAC has expanded its "no frills" range—again, without the issuing of an accompaniment press release. Starting with the most confusing aspect, their report highlighted the two-slot thick "GeForce RTX 5070 Ti SOLID SFF" model. The company's "SOLID CORE" cards were recently introduced with 2.5-slot thick shrouds, but attached I/O brackets still occupied three spaces. The original "SOLID" equivalents turned up at launch with substantial 3.5-slot thick cooling solutions.

Throughout early 2025, NVIDIA and certain board partners projected plenty of ballyhoo regarding multiple GeForce RTX 50-series custom options conforming to official "SFF-Ready" standards. ZOTAC seems to be heading in that direction with its "slimmer" new product strategy. Their freshly-added GeForce RTX 5070 Ti SOLID SFF SKU is advertised as an "NVIDIA SFF-Ready GeForce Enthusiast Card," and (thankfully) features a two-slot I/O bracket. A specification sheet lists this model's height as 41.6 mm—sporting a noticeable reduction in one dimension, when compared to SOLID CORE (56 mm) and SOLID (68 mm) equivalent dimensions. When looking at ZOTAC's brand-new GeForce RTX 5070 Ti SOLID CORE OC White Edition product page, we can see that it is simply a pale redecoration of the standard SKU. The manufacturer has seemingly missed another opportunity to bung in a matching white PCB design.

During the livestream reveal of Path of Exile 2: Dawn of the Hunt, we discussed several things in the Q&A that we'd like to provide some further clarification on. In today's news post we'd like to start with additional information about Map Portals in Dawn of the Hunt! We'd like to clarify the situation with having to use portals each time you die. The concern raised during the Q&A was that you would be consuming portals to have to store items in your stash or trade with players. With so few portals, as low as one, you would not be able to leave the map and return.

Map Portals
We have made the following change to address this problem: you will now be able to enter and exit your Maps as much as you like as long as you haven't died. The number of portals is now representative of the number of revives you have during the Map, so if you are able to survive you can come and go as you please. We also wanted to clarify that when returning to a map after dying you will return to the last checkpoint, so if you forgot to make a portal you won't have to run through too much of an empty map to get back to where you died. We're also currently making a change which hopefully will make it for release, otherwise shortly after. This change is that when you die in a Map then revive, assuming you have any revives remaining, you will be instantly placed at the last checkpoint without any loading screens, so you don't need to return to your hideout and re-enter the map every time. We'll continue to provide further updates to topics discussed during the Q&A in the lead up to launch, so keep an eye on our announcements!

Razer, the leading global lifestyle brand for gamers, today unveiled the Razer Skibidi headset, the world's first AI-powered, intelligent "Brainrot" translator. Powered by Razer AI Gamer Copilot, the Razer Skibidi serves as a real-time linguistic assistant that translates "brainrot" - what the internet has dubbed Gen Alpha's slang of seemingly unintelligible words - into "normal speak" and vice versa to facilitate intergenerational conversations.

In an era where internet slang evolves faster than the latest fad, communicating across generations has reached a whole new realm of complexity. Designed to help frustrated parents and older Gen Z siblings decode the often-perplexing lexicons of internet culture from Gen Alpha, the Razer Skibidi is coded with 1,337 unique Natural Language Processing (NLP) algorithms, tapping on the full capabilities of our patented AI to decipher the impossible - all in real time, at the touch of a button.

Over the past weekend, GMKtec's Weibo channel announced that pre-orders for its recently unveiled EVO-X2 mini PC model will start on April 7 (through JD.com), for customers located in China. Almost two weeks ago, the manufacturer boasted about its brand-new offering being the "world's first AI mini PC" equipped with AMD's Ryzen AI "Strix Halo" Max+ 395 APU. Extra international attention was gained, due to Lisa Su's autographing of a showcased unit during proceedings at the 2025 AI PC Innovation Summit (held on March 18, in Beijing). Pricing and availability were not mentioned during this press event, but GMKtec's Saturday (March 29) bulletin has revealed a (roughly) $2067 USD price point for the EVO-X2 launch model.

The manufacturer's blog entry stated that the: "EVO-X2 AI supercomputing host is coming, 128 GB + 2 TB priced at 14999 yuan, pricing reconstructs the desktop computing power boundary! Equipped with AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 flagship processor, 16-core 32-thread architecture with 5.1 GHz acceleration frequency, combined with 128 GB LPDDR5X memory and 2 TB high-speed storage, it can realize local deployment of 70 billion parameter large models, and AI performance exceeds NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 5090D graphics card." This potent compact AI-crunching solution is tempered by GMKtec's "innovative" Arctic Ocean cooling system. They advertise this design as using: "dual-turbofans and VC heat sinks to achieve silent heat dissipation at a peak power consumption of 140 W. The body adopts a recycled aluminium suspension design, equipped with HDMI, DP and USB4 interfaces, and supports Wi-Fi 6 + 2.5G network access." The brand has not yet announced an international release, but their EVO-X2 mini PC could face serious competition. Late last month, Framework debuted its Desktop product range—consisting of configurable 4.5L Mini-ITX systems—with a top-end Ryzen AI Max+ 395 (128 GB) model starting at $1999.

As the third part of what you might call a trilogy, I went into my first hands-on for DOOM: The Dark Ages with some expectations. While they have their differences, DOOM (2016) and DOOM: Eternal had lain the groundwork - I felt like I knew what id Software had in store for me, even if this prequel story and its new medieval sci-fi aesthetic might put it in a different context. Three hours later, my expectations had been blasted to pieces like so much Arachnotron meat. DOOM: The Dark Ages retains the core hallmarks of id's recent games—pulse-pounding combat, gloriously Grand Guignol aesthetics, and music as ear-rattling as its guns—but it pushes the structure of DOOM far beyond what we've known before. I was able to play slices of four distinct sections of The Dark Ages, each designed to show me a different facet of the game, and each revealing quite how wild this will get. Let me walk you through each one.

Story Mission
"Before he became a hero, he was the super weapon of gods and kings." So reads the text slate that opens DOOM: The Dark Ages. It's an absurdly badass mission statement for the game that follows. But, playing just the opening stretch of the game, it pays off multiple times. This section showed off the most familiar form of DOOM. A cutscene (yes, there are cutscenes for the story now, not just codex entries) introduces the demon-beleaguered planet of Argent D'Nur, the questionably benevolent god-race known as the Makyrs, and our familiar lead character kept captive to be unleashed on hellish threats. And from there, I'm handed a shotgun and a shield, and told to do what a DOOM Slayer does best.

Successors to AMD's current-generation lineup of Ryzen 8000G desktop APUs are reportedly in the pipeline—according to the latest HXL/9550pro predictive declaration, finalized units could arrive at retail later this year. They propose that an "AMD AM5 New APU" family could arrive alongside an unannounced MSI Unify-X enthusiast-grade motherboard design, within the final quarter of 2025. Press interpretations of this inside track information point to possible upcoming "Ryzen 9000G" processors, utilizing Team Red's Zen 5 and RDNA 3.5 technologies. This potent combination already exists, albeit in mobile form—namely within Team Red's stable of Ryzen AI "Strix Halo, Strix Point," and "Krackan Point" APUs.

Industry experts opine that AMD will most likely deploy high-end "Strix Point" silicon to desktop, or more fancifully: "Gorgon Point." The latter codename turned up via leaks last week. Around early 2024, we witnessed Team Red's transfer of "Phoenix"—from original mobile formats—to their AM5 desktop platform. TechPowerUp's W1zzard evaluated the Ryzen 5 8500G "Phoenix 2" APU last summer; this plucky budget-friendly model sports Zen 4 and Zen 4c cores. Theoretically a flagship "Ryzen 9000G" SKU could emerge with twelve processor cores (4x "Zen 5" + 8x "Zen 5c"), a Radeon 890M iGPU, and an XDNA 2 NPU.

Russian and Belarusian semiconductor manufacturers have achieved a significant milestone in domestic chip production capabilities. In collaboration with Belarus-based Planar, the Zelenograd Nanotechnology Center (ZNTC) has developed a new lithography system supporting 350 nm process technology for 8-inch (200 mm) silicon wafers. This development represents a strategic response to Western sanctions severely restricting Russia's access to advanced semiconductor manufacturing equipment. The system employs solid-state laser technology to project circuit patterns onto photoresist-coated wafers through a photomask that defines the circuitry. After selective exposure, the photoresist undergoes chemical processing to build circuit structures. While the 350 nm node marks a critical capability for domestic semiconductor production, it sits almost three decades behind leading-edge fabrication processes in high-performance computing applications.

This technology is comparable to what powered Intel's Pentium II processors in the late 1990s. Despite this technological gap, the equipment will enable the production of various electronic components suitable for consumer electronics and certain specialized military applications where bleeding-edge performance isn't required. ZNTC has already outlined plans to develop a more advanced 130 nm lithography system by 2026 as part of a government-backed initiative to incrementally enhance domestic semiconductor capabilities. While unable to match the 3-5 nm processes currently deployed by global semiconductor leaders, this lithography system establishes a foundation for domestic chip manufacturing infrastructure, especially in the category of mature nodes. The success of this intermediate solution will likely influence government funding priorities as the country attempts to narrow the technological gap with Western semiconductor capabilities in the coming years.

A German retailer has listed NVIDIA GeForce RTX 50 series GPUs with missing ROPs as B-stock, reigniting discussions about the previously reported issue. We first reported the problem in February, which affects multiple Blackwell-based GPUs, including the RTX 5090, RTX 5080, and RTX 5070 Ti. These cards were found to have fewer ROPs (Render Output Units) than advertised, leading to up to 11% performance loss in certain applications. At the time, NVIDIA acknowledged the issue, claiming that only 0.5% of the supply was affected, and worked with retailers to offer replacements for affected buyers. However, not all defective units were returned to manufacturers. Instead, some are now being resold as B-stock, typically indicating returned or refurbished items with minor defects.

One such listing on Alternate, a German retailer, features the ZOTAC GeForce RTX 5090 SOLID OC with only 168 active ROPs instead of the expected 176. Despite the reduced specifications, the card is priced at €2,899—the same as the fully functional version. Another similar B-stock listing is available at the same price, while a third unit with additional packaging damage is priced slightly lower at €2,799. Unlike the initial retail period when buyers could exchange these GPUs, the B-stock versions may not be eligible for replacement. However, under EU consumer protection laws, buyers can still return them within a limited timeframe. While NVIDIA has ensured that no affected notebook models were shipped, the resale of desktop variants as B-stock suggests that some retailers opted not to return them to manufacturers. Currently, no other B-stock RTX 50 series models with missing ROPs have been spotted, but this development raises questions about how many such units may still be in circulation.

Update 14:30 UTC: According to Alternate clearing up the case for ComputerBase, the retailer didn't sell the GPU as a B-stock, but instead the listing occurred as an error, that got listed from a customer return. "We have, of course, withdrawn the graphics card in question from sale. Some internal processes run automatically, where errors can occur," said Alternate for ComputerBase. The company by no means planned to deceive customers or anything else.

Cyan friends and family, we have some difficult news to share today. We would like to share with you some very unfortunate news. Despite our best efforts to avoid it, Cyan has made the difficult decision to reduce our overall staff size resulting in the layoff of twelve talented staff members, roughly half the team-effective at the end of March. Industry conditions have forced us into a tricky spot where we are having to weigh the future health of our studio against the month-to-month realities of game development in 2025.

Throughout the past year, we have been ultra-transparent with the entire Cyan team about the choppy waters we find ourselves in, as well as the dangers ahead. While the news of a layoff was not a surprise to the team, it was (and is) still deeply saddening for all of us. Although we have done our best to pad the landing for those affected with severance packages, we would implore any fellow developers looking for world-class talent to reach out. For now, our number one priority is to secure financing for our next project, and to restabilize the studio. We've been around for a very long time, and have been through tough times before. Our sincere hope is to continue to be around, and to provide the types of experiences that only Cyan can deliver.

As always, we are grateful for all the love and support from our amazing player community.
Sincerely, Cyan Leadership

HP is expanding into the DIY gaming PC market with a new line of Omen-branded components, moving beyond its traditional prebuilt systems and laptops. The upcoming product lineup includes a single 120 mm RGB fan, a triple-pack of 120 mm modular RGB fans, a 1000 W modular power supply, a 240 mm LCD liquid cooling system, and a 360 mm aRGB liquid cooling system. HP confirms these components will work with non-Omen desktop systems, giving PC builders more flexibility.

The fans feature an annular design to help increase the airflow (up to 74 CFM) while reducing vibration through improved static pressure. Each fan includes aRGB LEDs that are customizable via HP's Omen Gaming Hub (OGH) software. They support HP's daisy chain system (up to 10 fans), or connect up to 16 fans through a single Omen Modular Hub. The AIO liquid cooling uses Asetek's 7th Gen pump with a built-in 2.1-inch IPS LCD (for the 240 mm model) and fans with aRGB Gen 2 lighting effects with OGH. HP is also offering the OMEN 1,000 W ATX 3.1 PSU with Cybernetics Platinum and 80 Plus Gold certification. The power supply is fully modular featuring 12 V-2×6 and 12VHPWR connectors with up to 600 W of power and a Zero RPM fan mode for quiet operation., While specific release dates and pricing haven't been announced, HP's website indicates these products are "coming soon."

E-WIN is thrilled to announce the launch of its latest innovation, the E-WIN Breathable SoftWeave Fabric Flash XL Rev Edition (FLJ-XL-REV), poised to be the best gaming chair of 2025. This groundbreaking gaming chair redefines comfort, style, and performance for gamers and professionals alike. Inspired by the high-octane world of Formula 1, the FLJ-XL-REV combines advanced technology with a striking design, ensuring users experience both luxury and durability in their gaming setups.

The FLJ-XL-REV introduces cutting-edge features to elevate your seating experience. Equipped with magnetic headrests, magnetic side covers, and magnetic armrests, this chair allows for seamless customization, letting users adjust components effortlessly to suit their preferences. The 4D built-in lumbar support adapts to your spine, providing ergonomic support that promotes healthy posture during long gaming or work sessions. Crafted with breathable SoftWeave fabric, the chair ensures optimal airflow, keeping you cool and comfortable even during the most intense moments.

Around RDNA 4's launch period, ASRock's web presences listed an intriguing Radeon RX 9070 XT Steel Legend Dark 16 GB model—seemingly not mentioned in official introductory press material. As covered on TechPowerUp earlier this month, this unusual darkened spin-off of the "traditional white" Steel Legend design received little fanfare—the obvious reason being that gray/black stock was not readied for AMD's March 6 rollout to market. Over the past weekend, VideoCardz put an investigative spotlight on a Hermitage AkiHabara/GDM Japan press release. It turns out that ASRock's Radeon RX 9070 XT Steel Legend Dark SKU will become available early next month, starting with the Japanese "domestic market."

The manufacturer's global website was not updated with a similar PR item, so an international/widespread launch is likely planned for a later date. The "expected market price" upon release is 133,800 yen (including tax), which converts to roughly US$891. Industry watchdogs believe that the Dark variant will roll out "globally" with the exact same price tag as the already launched pale sibling. The Taiwanese brand did not introduce a Radeon RX 9070 (non-XT) Steel Legend Dark overclocked model, to exist alongside their white-hued RX 9070 Steel Legend OC offering. The wallet-friendlier triple-fan ASRock RX 9070 Challenger SKU—in black, with a splash of ARGB—is their only other Navi 48 XT GPU-based option.

Capcom Co., Ltd. today announced that worldwide sales of Monster Hunter Wilds, released on February 28, 2025, surpassed 10 million units.

Monster Hunter Wilds is the latest entry in the Monster Hunter series and is set in a dynamically changing world that is in one moment a severe wilderness, swarming with packs of attacking monsters, and in the next transforms into a rich natural environment teeming with life. The title features grand, beautiful visual depictions made possible by the RE ENGINE, Capcom's proprietary game development engine, and crossplay, allowing players to enjoy the game together regardless of their game platform.

Ayar Labs, the leader in optical interconnect solutions for large-scale AI workloads, today announced the industry's first Universal Chiplet Interconnect Express (UCIe) optical interconnect chiplet to maximize AI infrastructure performance and efficiency while reducing latency and power consumption. By incorporating a UCIe electrical interface, this solution is designed to eliminate data bottlenecks and integrate easily into customer chip designs.

Capable of achieving 8 Tbps bandwidth, the TeraPHY optical I/O chiplet is powered by Ayar Labs' 16-wavelength SuperNova light source. The integration of a UCIe interface means this solution not only delivers high performance and efficiency but also enables interoperability among chiplets from different vendors. This compatibility with the UCIe standard creates a more accessible, cost-effective ecosystem, which streamlines the adoption of advanced optical technologies necessary for scaling AI workloads and overcoming the limitations of traditional copper interconnects.

Acer today introduces two new QD-OLED gaming monitors, the Predator X32 X2 and Predator X27U X1, expanding its offering of cutting-edge displays with the latest panel technology. By integrating quantum dot and OLED display technologies, these monitors produce stunning images with high color reproduction and contrast ratios, while consuming less power compared with traditional LCD options.

Veteran and casual gamers alike would appreciate what these Predator monitors have to offer, with up to 4K resolution, rapid refresh rates of up to 240 Hz, and instantaneous response times of just 0.03 ms. Additionally, these displays are equipped with AMD FreeSync Premium Pro technology to ensure smooth viewing experiences without stuttering when playing HDR games, watching movies, or enjoying other content.

Greetings, heroes! Tribute Games, Dotemu, and Marvel Games assemble today to announce MARVEL Cosmic Invasion, an arcade-style beat 'em up featuring an incredible roster of characters from Marvel's golden eras!

A Cosmic Battle awaits!
After Annihilus has launched an unprecedented attack across the galaxy, all life hangs in the balance. Nova, Spider-Man, Wolverine, Phyla-Vell, Captain America, and many more heroes, both earth-born and cosmic, will join forces in a star-spanning brawling adventure against the deadly Annihilation Wave. Get ready to brawl through the streets of New York City and all the way to the depths of the Negative Zone to foil Annihilus' plan to spread death across the cosmos!

Today, AMD announced 5th Gen AMD EPYC processors power the Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) Compute E6 Standard shapes. 5th Gen AMD EPYC processors, the world's best server CPUs for enterprise, AI and cloud, enable OCI Compute E6 shapes to deliver up to a 2X increase in cost to performance, compared to the previous E5 instance generation based on testing by OCI.

The new OCI Compute E6 shapes build on the success of the previous E5 generation to deliver leadership performance and cost efficiency for general-purpose and compute-intensive workloads. These OCI shapes add to the selection of more than a thousand compute instances powered by AMD EPYC processors across all major cloud service providers.

MAINGEAR, the leader in premium-quality, high-performance gaming PCs, today unveiled its new 2025 pre-configured MG-1 gaming systems, equipped with NVIDIA's cutting-edge GeForce RTX 50-Series GPUs and powered by the latest AMD Ryzen 9000 Series CPUs and Intel Core Ultra Series 2 processors. This exciting lineup offers gamers a significant leap in power, performance, and value, reinforcing MAINGEAR's commitment to redefining the gaming experience across all levels of play.

"2025 is bound to be the best year yet for PC gamers, and the introduction of our newest MG-1 systems continues to drive MAINGEAR's mission to deliver the ultimate gaming experience," said Wallace Santos, CEO of MAINGEAR. "With NVIDIA's RTX 50-Series GPUs, and the latest AMD Ryzen and Intel Core Ultra processors, we've got more options than ever before, ensuring the perfect fit for gamers of all skill levels and budgets."

AMD today announced the completion of its acquisition of ZT Systems, a leading provider of AI and general-purpose compute infrastructure for the world's largest hyperscale providers. The acquisition will enable a new class of end-to-end AI solutions based on the combination of AMD CPU, GPU and networking silicon, open-source AMD ROCm software and rack-scale systems capabilities. It will also accelerate the design and deployment of AMD-powered AI infrastructure at scale optimized for the cloud.

AMD expects the transaction to be accretive on a non-GAAP basis by the end of 2025. The world-class design teams will join the AMD Data Center Solutions business unit led by AMD Executive Vice President Forrest Norrod. AMD is actively engaged with multiple potential strategic partners to acquire ZT Systems' industry-leading U.S.-based data center infrastructure manufacturing business in 2025.

V-Color Technology Inc., a global leader in advanced, high-performance memory solutions, proudly announces the groundbreaking launch of the industry's first-ever 64 GB (32 GB x2) DDR5 O CUDIMM memory kit, featuring unprecedented speeds up to 9000 MT/s. Specifically tailored for Intel Core Ultra processors and the latest Z890 motherboards, this cutting-edge product expands V-Color memory solutions. This new kit will also be part of the acclaimed SCC lineup (Speed Booster, Colorful Makeover, Cost-effective), delivering unmatched capacity, speed, and reliability to empower systems for AI training, gamers, creators, and professional users worldwide.

In line with V-Color's tradition of continuously pushing the envelope, the introduction of this groundbreaking 64 GB (32 GB x2) DDR5 OC memory kit represents a significant milestone in the memory industry. This new kit combines ultra-high memory capacity with setting frequencies, ensuring exceptional performance and responsiveness for intensive workloads, gaming, and creative applications.

ASUS has readied its first all-in-one water cooler with a built-in curved AMOLED screen called ROG RYUO IV SLC 360 ARGB. The upcoming ASUS ROG RYUO AIO cooler integrates a 6.67-inch 60 Hz AMOLED display for system monitoring, significantly larger than any commercial AIO cooler with a built-in display on the pump/water block combo. The cooler operates at 39.6 dB while its 120 mm fans deliver 71.4 CFM airflow at speeds between 500-2650 RPM through PWM/DC control. A copper water block connected to a 360 mm aluminium radiator forms the thermal transfer system, joined by 200 mm FEP sleeved tubing. Socket compatibility includes current-generation Intel LGA-1851/1700 and AMD AM4/AM5 platforms, with no support for legacy sockets.

The expanded display provides real-time data visualization during intensive computational workloads without requiring additional monitoring software. ASUS plans to release the cooler before the "618" Mid-Year Shopping Festival. While the initial product features a 360 mm radiator, smaller variants may follow for space-constrained builds. No pricing details have been announced. A similar solution to this is TRYX Panorama AIO, which features a 6.5-inch L-shaped 3D screen as well, but ASUS has outdone it with a 6.7-inch screen variant now. We are curious how this cooler will look in real life, and some photos are already available below.

GAMEMAX, an emerging brand of PC gaming components including gaming cases and power supply units, introduces the Leader 2 gaming PC cases - the designed based on the brand's new mid-tower PC chassis featuring a bold lion-themed design featuring claw mark details on the mesh and other parts, delivering both superior airflow and striking aesthetics.

Designed for high-end gaming and workstation PC configurations, the GAMEMAX Leader 2 offers extensive hardware support accommodating E-ATX motherboards including back-connector motherboards like the ASUS BTF, GIGABYTE STEALTH, and MSI PROJECT ZERO. The chassis supports up to 425 mm-long GPUs (RTX 50 Series ready), up to 245 mm-long ATX PSUs, up to 185 mm-tall air coolers, and up to 420 mm radiators for unmatched versatility. The Leader 2 supports up to 9x 120 mm or 8x 140 mm fans, including four pre-installed 140 mm ARGB/PWM fans and an ARGB/PWM controller for enhanced airflow and vibrant lighting effects.

Welcome to the first week of April and the month kicks off on the slow side. This week's major release is a remaster of a game that launched on the PS4 in 2020, which is why we decided to avoid calling it a AAA release, even though the original console game was. This is followed by some parkour, going on adventures with a puppy, some mechs, running a roman outpost and finally being in charge of some police officers.

The Last of Us Part II Remastered / This week's major release / Thursday 3 April
Five years after their dangerous journey across the post-pandemic United States, Ellie and Joel have settled down in Jackson, Wyoming. Living amongst a thriving community of survivors has allowed them peace and stability, despite the constant threat of the infected and other, more desperate survivors. When a violent event disrupts that peace, Ellie embarks on a relentless journey to carry out justice and find closure. Steam link

Everybody's favorite plaintext editor, Notepad, has been gathering features in the last couple of years. For over three decades, the Windows accessory could do little more than just input and save plaintext files, but Microsoft has been adding features to it. It began with the 2022 addition of tabs—the ability to have multiple text files open as tabs. This was roughly when Microsoft changed Notepad from a Win32 application to a UWP app. Then in 2024, as part of a larger care package to all Windows accessories, Microsoft added spelling and grammar checks; and now the company brought Copilot integration directly into Notepad. A dedicated Copilot button in the Notepad toolbar now shows up. It spawns a menu that lets you use Copilot to proof the text, such as rewriting it, making it longer/shorter, changing the tone of the text, or even formatting it.