Citrix VDI Gets Intel Low-power Island E-core Awareness and HDX Super
Citrix announced that the Citrix VDI (virtual desktop) platform has been updated with greater awareness of Intel Hybrid core architecture, particularly for processors with low-power island E-cores (LPE cores). The company also announced that Citrix will leverage Intel Video Processing Library to implement a display stream super resolution feature that should improve image-quality in virtual desktop sessions. Since Citrix is essentially "GeForce NOW for work," the client's side of the application has a tiny compute footprint, of decoding the display stream from the server, and conveying user inputs to it. The new LPE-core awareness lets Citrix Desktop confine its workload to the low-power island, allowing the processor to clock-gate, or even power-gate the main CPU complex, significantly improving battery life on commercial notebooks handed out by businesses to their employees.
First-party testing by Citrix shows that LPE-core awareness is found to reduce power consumption by up to 25% on commercial notebooks. For administrators, the update requires no IT policy changes, simply deploy the latest version of Citrix desktop across clients, and the application will automatically detect and work with processors featuring low-power island E-cores. LPE cores were introduced by Core Ultra "Meteor Lake" mobile processors. These got a major update in significance with Core Ultra 200V "Lunar Lake," where all "Skymont" E-cores of the chip are located in the low-power island of the SoC tile, separate from the Compute complex. The latest Core Ultra 300 "Panther Lake" builds on LPE core concept with up to 4 "Darkmont" LPE cores.[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...]
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AMD Joins Intel in Raising PC CPU Prices by Up to 15%
Last week, we reported that Intel is [Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] CPU prices by 10% across its client PC sector. However, a new report from Nikkei Asia suggests that AMD is also joining this trend, with plans for a PC CPU price hike as well. Reportedly, AMD Ryzen CPUs could see prices rise by 15% compared to the same time last year, when prices were typically around the MSRP at retailers. Now, as CPU demand has depleted inventories and the focus remains on server and data center CPU production, capacity for the client segment has been significantly reduced, leading to little to no inventory for PC enthusiasts. Large OEMs like HP and Dell are among the first to feel the pressure from the dwindling supply chain and have reported a significant gap between demand and supply for their PC systems.
Nikkei also notes that both AMD and Intel have informed their clients that CPU price increases will take effect by the end of March and into April, which should start to manifest very soon. What used to be a one or two-week wait from order to CPU shipment has now stretched to a process lasting eight to twelve weeks. This means that a CPU batch ordered in April might not arrive until June. This period is expected to be the worst in terms of supply in the second quarter of this year. Even if OEMs are willing to pay extra to secure CPU supply, availability is lacking. The CPU shortage is worsening daily, coinciding with the ongoing memory and storage shortage we are already experiencing.[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...]
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(PR) Gamdias Launches Atlas M5 Series Case with Curved Tempered Glass
GAMDIAS, a global leader in high-performance gaming hardware, announces the ATLAS M5 Series, a new mid-tower case lineup designed for immersive performance and standout aesthetics. Featuring a panoramic showcase and three built-in NOTUS M1 ARGB PWM fans, the case delivers both visual impact and efficient cooling. Aligned with GAMDIAS' 2026 vision, "AUGMENTED IMMERSION," ATLAS M5 Series showcases the brand's dedication to immersive design and high-grade engineering. "ATLAS M5 Series reflects our commitment to gamers who expect both performance and aesthetics, our goal is to deliver a truly immersive gaming experience at an accessible price" said Stimson Wang, CEO of GAMDIAS. The lineup features the ATLAS M5 CG, distinguished by its seamless one-piece curved tempered glass panel. An embodiment of "Immersion" and a clear expression of GAMDIAS' vision for the year.
The ATLAS M5 Series is designed to present your entire build through a refined panoramic showcase. The ATLAS M5 CG elevates the presentation with a striking L-Shaped curved tempered glass panel, meanwhile the ATLAS M5 features seamless tempered glass panels on the front and side. This immersive design removes visual corner obstructions, delivering an uninterrupted view of the internal components.[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] [Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] [Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] [Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] [Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...]
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(PR) MSI Announces Safeguard+ for its MPG Ai TS Series PSUs
High-end GPUs are hungrier than ever, and connector safety is a top priority. MSI's new MPG Ai TS Series PSU introduces GPU Safeguard+, a proactive protection for 12V-2x6 interfaces that stops hardware damage before it even starts.
Proactive Detection, Not Reactive Shutdown
Most PSUs only react after a crash. GPU Safeguard+ is different—it spots hidden issues in real-time to stop damage or melting before it happens. Say goodbye to sudden system crashes. With our "Save Buffer," you'll get instant alerts from a hardware buzzer and a software pop-up screen. This gives you plenty of time to save your work or exit your game safely. Keep your hardware safe and your progress secure.[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] [Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] [Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] [Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...]
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Intel's Binary Optimization Tool Results Marked as Potentially Invalid
Alongside "Arrow Lake Refresh," Intel released a new Binary Optimization Tool, available for Core Ultra 270K Plus and 250K Plus SKUs. However, since the tool essentially changes the way .exe applications run, scores on popular benchmarking applications may be deemed invalid. According to Primate Labs, the developer behind Geekbench, the use of Intel's binary optimization tool will result in a special flag on Geekbench scores. Reportedly, as the tool modifies the instruction sequence that the CPU exhibits, benchmark scores will deviate from the standard range. In a standardized benchmarking environment, this is a massive negative consequence, as the inner workings of the Binary Optimization Tool are unknown and resemble a black box that benchmark makers like Primate Labs have to deal with. To combat the use of this tool, Geekbench will now display the message "This benchmark result may be invalid due to binary modification tools that can run on this system" as a warning.
In [Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] of the Binary Optimization Tool, we found that Intel's Binary Optimization Tool boosts Geekbench v6 single-core performance by 8.2%, while the multi-core score has risen by 7.8%, resulting in about an 8% average uplift in Geekbench testing. Games like Cyberpunk 2077 experience smaller uplifts, while some select titles like Shadow of the Tomb Raider can see up to a 22% increase using the Binary Optimization Tool. In reality, Intel only supports 12 games for now, which will expand further as the company labs release more optimizations. For gamers, this is fantastic news as the performance uplift is essentially free without any drawbacks, but for benchmarks, it is a potential issue as it represents an execution mystery since no one outside Intel knows exactly how the tool runs and how the code paths get modified.[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] [Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] [Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] [Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...]
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(PR) GAMEMAX Introduces MAX PB Series ATX 3.1 80 Plus Bronze PSUs
GAMEMAX, a rising innovator in PC gaming hardware, today announced the MAX PB-Series 80 Plus Bronze Power Supply, a new lineup designed to deliver stable, efficient, and reliable power for modern gaming systems.
Engineered to meet the demands of today's hardware, the GAMEMAX MAX PB-Series is fully compliant with the latest Intel ATX 3.1 specification, supporting high transient power loads from next-generation GPUs while maintaining consistent performance. Built with premium internal components and a robust power design, the MAX PB-Series is positioned as a dependable and cost-effective solution for entry-level and mainstream PC builders.[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] [Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] [Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] [Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] [Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...]
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(PR) COLORFUL Presents iGame Z890 ULTRA-S W and iGame Z890M ULTRA Z Mo
Colorful Technology Company Limited, a leading brand in gaming PC components, gaming laptops, and Hi-fi audio products, proudly introduces the iGame Z890 ULTRA-S W and iGame Z890M ULTRA Z motherboards designed to support the latest Intel Core Ultra 200S Plus Series processors. Designed to meet the needs of modern gamers, creators, and PC enthusiasts, both the new iGame ULTRA Series motherboards feature a white color scheme designed to complement the our popular iGame ULTRA W Series graphics cards.
With high-speed memory support, robust power delivery, and user-centric features such as simplified building mechanisms and cleaner cable management approaches, the new iGame Z890 series aims to deliver a balance of performance, usability, and distinctive visual identity for today's high-performance PC builds.[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] [Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...]
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Lofree Hyzen Keyboard Features All-New Hybrid Mechanical-Magnetic Swit
Lofree is no stranger to peculiar peripheral designs, with the brand having previously released devices like the Hypace wireless gaming mouse and the Lofree Flow 2, with all its ergonomic quirks. It seems as though Lofree's next release, the Hyzen keyboard, may be even more unique than even those examples. The Hyzen is a futuristic, but otherwise unassuming 65% keyboard made out of CNC-cut aluminium, but its design conceals a few nifty features and an entirely new switch design that supposedly combines the best of both mechanical and magnetic tech. The Hyzen will be a wireless keyboard with a gasket mount design, and Lofree claims that the 10,000 mAh battery can last up to 80 hours. It will launch on Kickstarter on April 23, but early bird reservations are available on the [Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] ahead of the official launch. Kickstarter pricing plans include the tri-mode wireless version priced at $189 with a $299 claimed MSRP further down the line or a $169 wired version that will later retail for $279.
The Nexus switch is a hybrid mechanical switch, designed by Lofree in collaboration with Kailh, that features both a magnet in the stem for TMR functionality and metal contacts and pins for traditional mechanical operation. Lofree says that the new switch design, which it claims is the first of its kind, combines the tactile feedback of mechanical switches with the low latency, customizable actuation distance and analog features of TMR switches. Aside from the new switches, the keyboard also has a physical toggle that switches the number row to a function row, with the function indicated by a row of LEDs above the num row when the function row is active. The Hyzen also has a knob on the back edge for volume control and a switch to select between 2.4 GHz, Bluetooth, and wired operation. It will also be powered by a Nordic nRF54L series MCU and be capable of 8 kHz polling.[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] [Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] [Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...]
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Upgraded PSSR Uses INT8 FSR 4 Implementation That AMD Denied Older RDN
Shortly after AMD released FSR 4, [Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...], the company seemingly accidentally [Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...], revealing that there may have been a version of FSR 4 planned for RDNA 3 and RDNA 2 GPUs. While this open-sourced oops was later [Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...], a recent [Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] with Sony's Mark Cerny suggests that the INT8 version of FSR 4 may have been a compatibility version of the upscaling tech that would later make an appearance as [Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] (or PSSR 2.0) on the [Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...].
According to Cerny, "FSR Redstone and the new PSSR have somewhat different implementations due to the underlying hardware, e.g. FSR Upscaling uses 8-bit floating point and PSSR uses 8-bit integer." He adds that "in practice, the same model is used, but it's trained on different data, e.g. if targeting a 2:1 fixed upscale then the training data used is just for that upscaling ratio - and that different training results in different parameters...not seeing too much difference in results, the various flavors in the updated FSR Upscaling really are rather close to the new PSSR." He also mentions that, on PC, because players are generally so much closer to their monitors than living room gamers are to their TVs, the goals of FSR and PSSR differ slightly.[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] [Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...]
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New Xbox CEO Plans Game Pass Changes With Cheaper Tier to Draw Subscri
Asha Sharma has faced her [Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] since stepping into the role of CEO of Microsoft Gaming earlier in 2026, but she has repeatedly made statements that she would try to guide the company in what [Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...]. According to a new report by The Information, one of Sharma's first moves as CEO of Microsoft Gaming will be to introduce a new lower-price tier of Game Pass in order to attract new gamers to the service and to make the service inticing to a broader range of consumers.
This comes shortly after [Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...], perhaps a rebranding in the name of unifying Microsoft's gaming offerings—a mission that is clearly part of Microsoft's plan, given that its next-gen console is confirmed to be a PC-console hybrid. Previously, there were rumors of an [Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...], but Microsoft also [Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...]. A [Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] that Game Pass was profitable as a service, but that Xbox had to emphasize flexibility in its strategy, and introducing a cheaper Game Pass tier may be a viable way to draw in new Game Pass gamers, some of whom will presumably hop over to the more premium tiers, depending on Microsoft's implementation of the new entry-level tier.[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...]
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OpenAI Shuts Down Sora API and App, Disney Withdraws $1 Bn Investment
There has been much said about OpenAI's Sora video app—both positive, about how the tech would make video creators and social media influencers obsolete, and negative, about how it would kill creativity and fill the internet with soulless slop—but it seems like neither side of that argument will ever get to find out if they were correct. In a recent post on X, OpenAI announced that it would be shutting down both the Sora app and API, suggesting a pivot away from video generation at OpenAI. A final date for the app and API closure has not yet been announced, but OpenAI says it will reveal more information soon.
Following the announcement, [Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] reported that a Disney spokesperson had confirmed that the media giant would be withdrawing a previously announced $1 billion investment into OpenAI's video generation model and product. Disney's statement reads: "As the nascent AI field advances rapidly, we respect OpenAI's decision to exit the video generation business and to shift its priorities elsewhere. We appreciate the constructive collaboration between our teams and what we learned from it, and we will continue to engage with AI platforms to find new ways to meet fans where they are while responsibly embracing new technologies that respect IP and the rights of creators." The closure of Sora comes after backlash and legal action against OpenAI from a number of publishers, including Square Enix, Bandai Namco, and [Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] over AI-generated videos created with some of their characters and other IPs.[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] [Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...]
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1047 Games Announces New Movement Shooter With Titanfall and CoD Origi
One of the reasons players loved the original Splitgate game was its fast-paced, highly kinetic gameplay that relied as much on positioning as it did gunplay and tactics. Despite its somewhat rough start to life, Splitgate: Arena Reloaded, featured many of those same mechanics. In a recent [Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...], Ian Proulx, CEO of 1047 Games, announced that "a small section of the team" has started working on a new movement shooter that takes inspiration from Titanfall and Call of Duty Black Ops 3. While he doesn't share much more beyond that, Proulx did ask the community for feedback on what players would like to see from a game like that and has [Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] to apply to test the new game. The fact that the studio is already recruiting play testers suggests that the game has been in development for a good while. The studio was also sure to follow up the announcement with a [Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] clarifying that 1047 Games is not abandoning Splitgate: Arena Reloaded now that there's another game in the works.
Proulx says that part of the reason for pursuing a new game is that 1047 Games has always had the dream of being a multi-game studio, and the timing of the announcement suggests that a second project may have been partly motivated by the recent backlash against 1047 Games following the middling launch of Splitgate: Arena Reloaded. For its part, Splitgate: Arena Reloaded Season 2 will launch before the end of March and introduce a number of new features, many of them based on community feedback, including a more cohesive theme, a new battle pass and accompanying skins, three new maps, a new biome that's a twist on a biome from Splitgate 1, and a classic Splitgate 1 TDM gameplay starts, which have been heavily requested by the community. Season 2 will also reintroduce time trial races from Splitgate 1, replete with user-created maps with their own leaderboards. Players will also be able to buy all of the Splitgate: Arena Reloaded Season 2 battle pass with the Splitcoin in-game premium currency instead of needing to spend real money aside from Splitcoin they may already have.[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...]
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Steam Breaks Concurrent Player Count Record Yet Again
Not four months ago, we [Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...], but much like [Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...], Valve's gaming platform doesn't seem to be slowing down, even during an unlikely time of year. According to [Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...], Steam has once again broken its own record for concurrent players, reaching 42,318,602 players on Sunday, March 22, 2026, at 14:20 UTC. Steam's own statistics report a peak concurrent player count of 42,282,922 players, which is a little less than SteamDB reports, but still a record high.
Compared to February 2026, which itself was a slower month for the gaming giant, Steam saw an increase of over a million players at its peak. This doesn't necessarily mean all of those players were in-game—in fact, SteamDB reports that there were only 13,731,783 players in-game at the time of the new record. The new player count record was set on a Sunday, which tends to be Steam's busiest day of the week both for players on the platform and in-game. This new player-count record comes in spite of a [Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] and [Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...], which have historically signalled a downturn in the gaming industry.[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] [Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...]
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New Xbox Game Pass Tier Appears in Leak With Only Xbox Studios Games
It was [Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] that Xbox's new CEO, Asha Sharma, is planning to announce a new Game Pass subscription tier in order to draw in more gamers, and, although there has been no official announcement from Xbox itself, it seems as though those rumors have been confirmed by Better xCloud, an open-source service that adds features to Xbox Cloud Gaming, in a recent analysis of the Game Pass update code.
According to a post by the [Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...], there is a new Game Pass tier that uses the codename "Triton" in the Game Pass update code, and all of the games in the new tier are from first-party Xbox Game Studios, as opposed to regular Game Pass, which features games from third-party developers as well. The exact pricing Xbox will use for the new Game Pass tier is still unknown, but there has been speculation that it will be an ad-supported free or low-cost subscription. This first-party approach could theoretically allow Microsoft to keep costs down, effectively eliminating licensing costs from the equation. It would also be a way for Microsoft to leverage the numerous studio acquisitions it has made during the last few years. There have also been [Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] between Xbox and Netflix for bundled subscriptions, so this may be the groundwork for that.[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...]
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Asha Sharma Killed "This Is An Xbox" Campaign Because "It Didn't Feel
Microsoft unceremoniously killed off the "This is an Xbox" marketing campaign in mid-March, shortly after the new CEO, Asha Sharma, took office, with all but a few traces of the campaign disappearing from the world-wide web in the blink of an eye. Now, in response to [Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...], Xbox CEO, Asha Sharma, has explained why she decided to retire the unfortunate branding so soon after it was launched. The response issued by Microsoft, which is rather short, explained that "Asha retired 'This is an Xbox' because it didn't feel like Xbox," with the representative going on to say that Asha is "personally leading a reset of how we show up as a brand."
This isn't the first time we've seen mention of a reset from Asha or Xbox representatives under Asha's leadership. Since it was announced that Asha would be taking over from Phil Spencer, she has been pushing her messaging of a "return to Xbox," although her efforts have sometimes been more successful than others. In addition to the new messaging, Sharma recently confirmed the future of Xbox hardware with the announcement of [Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...]x, which Sharma confirmed will be able to play both Xbox and PC games when it launches. It would not be surprising to learn that Sharma was also behind the simplification of other branding, like the [Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...].[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] [Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...]
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URCDKeys March Sale: Windows 11 Pro from $24, Office from $30
URCDKeys brings you its biggest seasonal sale on genuine, globally-valid software you need, to spring-clean your IT setup. Discounted genuine software allows you to spend more on hardware by saving big on software. Get genuine [Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] at just $24. [Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...]. Free yourself from annual Microsoft 365 payments with lifetime-valid Office 2019 Professional at $62.50. Better yet, combine it with Windows 10 Pro at $63. Check out other great deals on Windows and Office versions you'd like.
Please use the coupon code TP25 to avail the prices you see below.
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Digital Extremes Updates Warframe's "Follie's Hunt" Game Mode After Ba
Alongside the [Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...], Digital Extremes recently shipped its "[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] with a new quest, Warframe, and game mode for all platforms. Almost immediately after the update went live, [Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] about the difficulty of the new mission, Follie's Hunt, with most complaints centering around the unkillable foe, and some even going so far as to say that the mission was impossible for most to complete. Now, having seen the feedback, Digital Extremes has shipped a hotfix with changes to Follie's Hunt that aim to make it more approachable and less punishing. Digital Extremes explains that it interpreted much of the feedback as a design mismatch—Follie's Hunt is a "deviation from regular Warframe gameplay...so understandably there may be some players who don't align with its design," reads the post announcing the upcoming changes, which will be implemented and iterated on in the coming weeks.
With the first Follie's Hunt update, Digital Extremes has made the Follies hunting players less brutal by removing their invulnerability. Players seeking reprieve can now shoot Follie, and she will retreat momentarily if enough damage is dealt. Further, Follie's Aura doesn't do as much damage to players, and Inky Walls will no longer damage players or inflict knock-down, increasing survivability. Resources are also now easier to find and gather: Atramentum balloons are easier to see; there are fewer balloons to find, and the Atramentum reward per mission has been increased from 5 to 15. The [Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] also contain a slew of unrelated changes, and Digital Extremes has already said it will be monitoring player feedback to see what more needs to be done to make the gameplay fun.[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...]
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Sony Makes PlayStation 5 Price Hike Official: PS5 Pro $899.99 From Apr
A [Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] across the board by as much as €100 in Europe, although it was unclear at the time whether the US and other international markets would see the same price increases. Now, thanks to an official [Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...], Sony has confirmed the extent and details of the price increases, which apply the US, UK, Europe, and Japan. Starting on April 2, US buyers will pay $649.99 for the PS5, $599.99 for the PS5 Digital Edition, and $899.99 for the PS5 Pro, while UK buyers see the PS5 go up to £569.99, the Digital Edition increase to £519.99, and the PS5 Pro spike to £789.99. In Europe prices increase to €649.99, €599.99, and €899.99 for the PS5, PS5 Digital Edition, and PS5 Pro, respectively. In Japan, the PS5 increases to ¥97,980, while the PS5 Digital Edition and PS5 Pro increase to ¥89,980 and ¥137,980, respectively.
The price of the PlayStation Portal will also increase in all the aforementioned regions to $249.99 in the US, £219.99 in the UK, €249.99 in Europe, and ¥39,980 in Japan. Meanwhile, Sony has confirmed that price increases are inbound for South-East Asia—specifically Indonesia, Malaysia, the Phillipines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam—but it has not yet revealed the exact price changes, stating that the blog would be updated at a later date. Sony blames the price increases on "pressures in the global economic landscape," which is not particularly specific, but it's likely that at least part of the price increase is down to the current RAM and general hardware shortages and [Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...].[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...]
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Valve Clamps Down on Counter-Strike 2 Farmer Bots With 960,000 VAC Ban
Aside from the recent [Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...], Valve's Counter-Strike 2 _has a bit of a sordid history when it comes to case farmers and bots, thanks to its strong in-game item economy, which raked in over [Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...]. In a recent post on Reddit, [Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] that the gaming giant has just issued 960,000 bans using Valve Anti-Cheat.
These sorts of bans are often celebrated by the Counter-Strike community, because, aside from interfering with the CS2 skin and key market, farming accounts generally have a negative effect on gameplay, either throwing matches by being AFK in-game or by having the match played by bots. After revealing the ban wave, Magal encourages players to report farming bans by email (csgoteamfeedback@valvesoftware.com).[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...]
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Windows 11 Will No Longer Trust Old Drivers by Default Under New Kerne
Microsoft is finally updating its long-standing kernel policy, which previously allowed old drivers with expired certificates to run and be trusted by the Windows 11 NT Kernel. This change means that Microsoft's early 2000s program for cross-signing root programs as valid will no longer function. This program had enabled NT Kernel-trusted code signing programs to execute even after their certificates expired. As a result, third-party driver developers, such as printer makers with their old printer drivers, could run old drivers on Windows 11 without a valid security certificate. However, this is coming to an end, as Microsoft will use its April update to instruct the Windows NT Kernel to only accept new drivers signed through the Windows Hardware Compatibility Program (WHCP).
The WHCP will ensure that each driver receives a valid security certificate that meets Microsoft's security standards. This update will be implemented with OS versions Windows 11 24H2, 25H2, 26H1, Windows Server 2025, and future releases. Despite this change, Microsoft will still allow Windows to load older, trusted drivers to maintain backward compatibility and its long-standing plug-and-play feature. The April 2026 Windows update will begin enforcing the new policy in evaluation mode on supported systems. During this period, Windows will monitor driver activity and only fully activate the policy once it determines that doing so will not cause compatibility issues. Microsoft is also maintaining a curated allow list of reputable cross-signed drivers, ensuring that widely used software and hardware can continue to function where necessary, easing the transition.[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...]
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