TechPowerUP NEWS

[NextPowerUP]

Nintendo hardware enthusiasts have been scouring the internet for more than two decades in search of special prototype Nintendo GameCube consoles - the Space World 2000 expo model has long been sought after by hardcore collectors. Nintendo revealed (at the time) its upcoming home console as well as the Game Boy Advance handheld system at their annual video game trade show held near Tokyo, or the company's hometown of Kyoto, Japan. Space World 2000 (Makuhari Messe, Chiba) would end up being the penultimate show, with Nintendo choosing to not continue with their regular consumer event post-2001.

Consolevariations, a gaming hardware database, this week reported via a blog post that an interesting GameCube prototype was up for sale, following a tip received on Discord, and it quickly became apparent that this slightly bashed and chipped example was indeed one of the very first models revealed to the public at Nintendo's Space World 2000 expo. Several preview units were also demoed on the showroom floor at the August 2001 event, but experts think that these were sourced from the previous year's batch.
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(PR) Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition - Return of Rome Expansion Explained in Detail
Everything you need to know - what to expect with the newest Return of Rome DLC for Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition. What is Return of Rome? Return of Rome is a completely new type of expansion, which brings classic Age of Empires gameplay, style and key experiences as a brand new self-contained experience. Also...

Starting this weekend, some of your favorite content creators are ready to show YOU an exclusive preview of the upcoming DLC for Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition - Return of Rome. Want to know more about the upcoming addition of the 16 Age of Empires civilizations, the brand-new Lac-Viet, or the new Romans to Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition? Well, we have fantastic news for you: some of your favorite content creators have been granted early access to the Return of Rome DLC, and you'll be getting a sneak preview of the exclusive units, civilization bonuses, and other new additions ahead of release!
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Newegg Selling AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D for $629.99
Newegg is selling AMD's top-of-the-range Ryzen 9 7950X3D CPU for $629.99 - so $70 below the usual asking price in the USA - although buyers will have to venture onto the e-tailer's Ebay store in order to pick up some fancy 16-core silicon action, Newegg's main site lists the CPU for the regular sum of $699.99. This weekend's sudden discount represents the lowest ever price for Ryzen 9 7950X3D only two months into its product lifespan. According to Ebay's tracking stats (for this particular product page) only four units have sold in the past 24 hours, and that a "limited quantity" of AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D CPUs are available to purchase.

TPU's February review of this processor was filled with praise (plus awards: Editor's Choice & Innovation), but the high asking price was a point of contention. This weekend's (likely temporary) discount now gives the potential buyer a little bit of extra value - with the CPU's per core price dropping just under $40, and per thread cost being slightly south of $20. AMD's Ryzen 7000X3D series has been through a bumpy batch since late April - some owners have reported hardware burnouts and AMD is currently working on fixes. Buyer perception could have been affected by recent publicity, so it is possible that Newegg is attempting to get some surplus stock out of the door.

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(PR) Bohemia Interactive's Hybrid RTS/FPS "Silica" Available Through Early Access
Baltarus is waiting for you, soldier. You can battle on the scorching deserts either as a Commander in RTS mode or as Infantry in FPS. Welcome to the world of Silica, a crossover of FPS and RTS, taking place in the scorching deserts of Baltarus, an exo-planet located thousands of light-years from Earth. Your mission is to locate and harvest Balterium, a powerful element with tremendous potential, or defend Baltarus from the invading humans as an insect-like alien. Choose from several game modes, including Strategy, where two teams build, harvest, and fight for domination.

Hello soldiers. The day you've been waiting for is finally here! Silica is out on Steam in Early Access. You can now immerse yourself in the scorching deserts of Baltarus, where RTS seamlessly blends with FPS. The price of the game is set at $19.99 during Early Access and at $24.99 after its conclusion. Choose your role between the Commander in real-time strategy, whose mission is to build the base and structures needed to achieve victory, or as an Infantry soldier in FPS, where you fight on the front lines against your enemies. You'll get to control all the units and vehicles along with their arsenal.
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PowerLeader Announces x86 CPU for the Chinese Market
Rather unexpectedly, a mostly unknown Chinese company called PowerLeader—who seems to have mainly been in the server market space until now—has launched an unheard of x86 compatible CPU. There's no product information on the company website, not even a press release on the CPU which was announced only yesterday according to IT Home. Fortunately, there's a picture of the new CPU, which gives us a few more details. The CPU appears to be called the Pstar P3 and has the model name P3-01105. Luckily the clock frequency of the CPU, which is 3.7 GHz, is also printed on the chip.

However, a closer look at the picture would have most people that are interested in tech scratching their heads, as it appears to be an Intel CPU using the LGA-1200 socket. Even the model name and what is supposedly the spec ID of the CPU, follows Intel's style of naming its CPUs. The comments on IT Home and elsewhere, all suggest that this is simply a re-branded Intel Core i3-10105 CPU, although it's entirely possible this is a chip that only looks like an Intel CPU. It's entirely possible that this is some kind of unannounced licensing deal by Intel, but if so, it would be the first such licensing deal Intel has done since the 286 days, to our knowledge. PowerLeader claims that the CPU is specifically designed for desktop computers and the company is expecting to sell 1.5 million units per year.

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This Week in Gaming (Week 19)
As we enter the second week of May, we have a rather eclectic range of games for you, with no clear headline title of this upcoming week's releases. That said, we have dungeons, hype trains, occupations and all kinds of crazy things to look forward to in the coming week.

Darkest Dungeon II / Monday 8 May
Darkest Dungeon II is a roguelike road trip of the damned. Form a party, equip your stagecoach, and set off across the decaying landscape on a last gasp quest to avert the apocalypse. The greatest dangers you face, however, may come from within...
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GoDeal24 International Labor Day Sale Brings You Genuine Software at Some of the Lowest Prices
GoDeal24 celebrates the 2023 International Labor Day with a flash sale that brings genuine, globally valid software to you at some of the lowest prices on the web. Get Genuine Office 2021 Professional Plus at just $24.25 and free yourself from annual 365 subscription payments. Save more when you buy multi-PC packs. Don't need the latest and greatest? Choose from Office 2019 and Office 2016 at lower prices. Windows 11 Pro is the most advanced PC operating system, and can be had at just $10.25. Save even more when you combine your preferred edition of Windows and Office.

Buy Office 2021 Professional Plus at $24.25 | Buy Office 2021 Professional Plus 2-PC at $39.25 | Buy Office 2021 Professional Plus 3-PC at $56.25 | Buy Office 2021 Professional Plus 5-PC at $65.25 | Buy Office 2019 Professional Plus at $22.25 | Buy Office 2016 Professional Plus at $19.25 | Buy Office 2021 Home and Business for Mac at $37.99 | Buy Office 2019 Home and Business for Mac at $33.99 | Buy Windows 10 Pro at $7.25 | Buy Windows 10 Pro 2-PC at $12.25 | Buy Windows 11 Pro at $10.25 | Buy Windows 11 Pro 2-PC at $20.25 | Buy Windows 10 Home at $7.15 | Buy Windows 10 Home 2-PC at $12.01 | Buy Windows 11 Home at $9.98 | Buy Windows 11 Home 2-PC at $19.25 | Buy Windows 10 Pro + Office 2021 Professional Plus at $27.69 | Buy Windows 10 Pro + Office 2019 Professional Plus at $25.69 | Buy Windows 11 Pro + Office 2021 Professional Plus at $29.99 | Buy Windows 11 Pro + Office 2019 Professional Plus at $28.99

Please use the coupon code SGO50 on the following items to avail the prices you see here.
Buy Windows 10 Enterprise 2021 LTSC at $12.81 | Buy Windows 10 Enterprise 2019 LTSC at $9.14 | Buy Windows Server 2019 Standard at $16.06 | Buy Visio Professional 2021 at $30.23 | Buy Project Professional 2021 at $33.82
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[NextPowerUP]

Get ready to face your fears with Shadowman: Darque Legacy ! In this heart-pounding single-player action horror game, take up the scythe of novice Shadowman Jack Boniface, to defend humanity against the terrors of the Deadside. Enter a vivid, horrifying world, shifting between two planes of existence, each with their own twisted challenges. Master visceral, rewarding combat with deadly supernatural weapons and brutal finishing moves, as you battle both human foes and hellish abominations. With its intriguing narrative and dark atmosphere, Shadowman offers an unforgettable experience, blending the best of the Action, Horror and Adventure genres. Don't miss out on this unique and spine-chilling game.

For centuries, the Boniface family has carried a dark legacy - the mantle of the Shadowman, walker between worlds, sworn to preserve the veil between life and death. Now, novice Shadowman Jack Boniface is thrust into the path of a growing evil that threatens everything his predecessors fought for. Building upon the decades of Shadowman tales told within Valiant Comics, this new chapter is an original story developed in partnership with Valiant Entertainment. In Shadowman: Darque Legacy, duel against a horrifying cast of enemies in challenging, visceral combat. Clash with the fanatical Brethren cultists, from hammer-wielding brutes to sorcerous necromancers, and battle truly wretched creatures that have slithered forth from the most desolate depths. Deliver brutal and bloody finishers with a range of Shadowman weapons.
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AMD's Dr. Lisa Su Thinks That Moore's Law is Still Relevant - Innovation Will Keep Legacy Going
Barron's Magazine has been on a technology industry kick this week and published their interview with AMD CEO Dr. Lisa Su on May 3. The interviewer asks Su about her views on Moore's Law and it becomes apparent that she remains a believer of Gordon Moore's (more than half-century old) prediction - Moore, an Intel co-founder passed away in late March. Su explains that her company's engineers will need to innovate in order to carry on with that legacy: "I would certainly say I don't think Moore's Law is dead. I think Moore's Law has slowed down. We have to do different things to continue to get that performance and that energy efficiency. We've done chiplets - that's been one big step. We've now done 3-D packaging. We think there are a number of other innovations, as well." Expertise in other areas is also key in hitting technological goals: "Software and algorithms are also quite important. I think you need all of these pieces for us to continue this performance trajectory that we've all been on."

When asked about the challenges involved in advancing CPU designs within limitations, Su responds with: "Yes. The transistor costs and the amount of improvement you're getting from density and overall energy reduction is less from each generation. But we're still moving (forward) generation to generation. We're doing plenty of work in 3 nanometer today, and we're looking beyond that to 2 nm as well. But we'll continue to use chiplets and these type of constructions to try to get around some of the Moore's Law challenges." AMD and Intel continue to hold firm with Moore's Law, even though slightly younger upstarts disagree (see NVIDIA). Dr. Lisa Su's latest thoughts stay consistent with her colleague's past statements - AMD CTO Mark Papermaster reckoned that the theory is pertinent for another six to eight years, although it could be a costly endeavor for AMD - the company believes that it cannot double transistor density every 18 to 24 months without incurring extra expenses.

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(PR) Drop Introduces "The Lord of the Rings" Mordor Artisan Keycaps, Pre-Orders Available Now
Introducing three new officially licensed keycaps - one does not simply type into Mordor. You need the right artisan keycap to make it happen. Try the new Drop + The Lord of the Rings Mordor Artisan Keycap—featuring three entrancing exclusives inspired by Mordor's most menacing icons. Three for the Elven-kings under the sky, seven for the Dwarf-lords in halls of stone, nine for Mortal Men, doomed to die—and three for Drop, on our dark throne in the Land of Mordor, where the Shadows type.

We speak not of rings, but of keycaps. Forged in secret by the skilled hands at Dwarf Factory, a new line of artisan keycaps has fallen over the free lands of our Mech Keys community. It's the Drop + The Lord of the Rings Mordor Artisan Keycap—featuring three entrancing artisan keycaps inspired by Mordor's most menacing icons. Adorn your keyboard with The Eye of Barad-dûr, Morgul Fellbeast, and Sauron The Dark Lord. Because we could all use a little more Mordor.
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Money Message Ransomware Group Uploads Stolen MSI Data to Dark Web
MSI suffered a massive data breach at the start of April and the Taiwanese electronics company promptly alerted its customers about the cyberattack on its "information systems." A few days later it emerged that a relatively young ransomware group "Money Message" was behind the hacking effort - these cybercriminals stated that they had infiltrated MSI's internal network. Gang members proceeded to acquire sensitive company files, database information and source code. At the time, Money Message demanded that MSI pay them a ransom of $4 million, with the added threat of stolen data getting leaked to the general public on the internet (in the event of MSI failing to pay up).

Money Message has this week claimed that MSI has refused to meet their demands - as a result, an upload of stolen data started on Thursday with files appearing on the group's own website, and spreading to the dark web soon after. Binarly, a cybersecurity firm, has since analyzed the leaked files and discovered the presence of many private code signing keys within the breached data dump. Alex Matrosov, Binarly's CEO states via Twitter: "Recently, MSI USA announced a significant data breach. The data has now been made public, revealing a vast number of private keys that could affect numerous devices. FW Image Signing Keys: 57 products (and) Intel Boot Guard BPM/KM Keys: 166 products." Binary has provided a list of affected MSI devices (gaming laptops & mobile workstations) on their GitHub page.
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(PR) Crusader Kings III: Tours & Tournaments Gets Feature Breakdown Trailer
Hello, Crusaders! Less than a week to the release of Tours & Tournaments! On May 11, you will be able to travel through your realm to check on your vassals. Attend royal weddings to demonstrate your loyalty to a distant lord. Or, if you are brave enough, enter competitions of body or mind in tournaments. As always, there are no guarantees, and danger still lurks around every corner. But with great risk, comes great renown...

Life is a journey of chivalric adventure, so why don't you embrace yours, ruler?
Create your very own epic story with the major expansion, Crusader Kings III: Tours & Tournaments. Be awed by the sights and events that await you, from bold, mock combat in the jousting area to adventuring perilous wilds with your royal entourage.
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(PR) Western Digital Provides Update on Network Security Incident
Western Digital Corp. today provided an update on a network security incident involving the Company's systems.

On March 26, 2023, we identified a network security incident where an unauthorized third party gained access to a number of the Company's systems. On April 2, 2023, we disclosed that upon discovery of this incident, we implemented incident response efforts and initiated an investigation with the assistance of leading security industry experts. This investigation is underway and includes analysis to understand the nature and scope of data obtained by the unauthorized party.

As a precautionary measure to secure our business operations, the Company proactively disconnected our systems and services from the public Internet. We are progressing through our restoration process and the majority of our impacted systems and services are now operational. Our factories are and have been operational throughout this incident and we are shipping products to meet our customers' needs. While initially impacted by our proactive measures, as of April 13, 2023, My Cloud service was restored. Account access to Western Digital's online store also was impacted and is expected to be restored the week of May 15, 2023.
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(PR) Valve Improves Steam Search System, Makes it Easier For Store Users to Find Games
Store Quick-Search now includes developer pages and tags, also it will be better at handling of misspelled words. Today, we rolled out an update to the Steam store search to add more ways for players to search. Recently we've noticed more players searching for particular store hubs, tags, or developers so we've updated Steam store search to handle those destinations. For these new results, we'll show a new format with a subtle background generated from images of the most popular games in that result. Let's take a quick look at all the recent search updates...

Search for Developers, Publishers, and Franchises
Additionally, players can now search directly for your developer or publisher if you have set up a homepage. For more about developer and publisher homepages, please see: partner.steamgames.com/doc/store/creator_homepage. Looking for a particular developer or publisher on Steam? Excited about a specific gaming franchise? Now those appear in the quick search results too. Looking for "Bethesda" games? Or perhaps you want to browse all the "Star Wars" or "Final Fantasy" games. Now you can!
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[NextPowerUP]

Hogwarts Legacy has become one of the most popular games ever released and has sold over 15 million copies, making over $1 billion in sales, which earned it a place in the company's earnings call. The numbers will keep growing as the game is launching on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One today, and the Nintendo Switch version is coming in July.

The result does not come as a big surprise considering it sold over 12 million copies and made $850 million in the first two weeks from the launch. The newest result makes it one of the best selling games of 2023, at least so far. The result also makes Hogwarts Legacy the fifth $1 billion-plus gaming franchise from WB Games, joining Mortal Kombat, Game of Thrones, Lego games, and DC.
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(PR) AMD Shares Reminder of Radeon RX 7900 Series & FSR 2 Maximizing Ray Tracing Performance
Real-time ray tracing (RT), using Microsoft DirectX ray tracing (DXR) and Vulkan Ray Tracing, adds a new level of incredible realism to games through effects like ray-traced reflections, shadows, ambient occlusion, and global illumination. Ray tracing is used in many of the latest games such as The Callisto Protocol, F1 22, Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales, and Returnal to maximize graphics fidelity and deliver the ultimate visual experience.

AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution 2 (AMD FSR 2) is the cutting-edge temporal upscaling technology designed to produce incredible image quality and boost framerates in supported games. AMD Radeon RX 7900 Series graphics feature advanced AMD RDNA 3 compute units with 2nd generation ray tracing accelerators to help deliver incredible RT performance in games.
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Palit GeForce RTX 4060 Ti GPU Specs Leaked - Boost Clocks of Up to 2685 MHz & 18 GB/s GDDR6 Memory
More leaks are emerging from Russia regarding NVIDIA's not-yet-officially-confirmed RTX 4060 Ti GPU family - two days ago Marvel Distribution (RU) released details of four upcoming Palit custom design cards, again confirming the standard RTX 4060 Ti GPU configuration of 8 GB VRAM (plus 128-bit memory bus). Earlier today hardware tipster momomo_us managed to track down some more pre-launch time info (rumors point to late May), courtesy of another Russian e-retailer (extremecomp.ru). The four Palit Dual and StormX custom cards from the previous leak are spotted again, but this new listing provides a few extra details.

Palit's four card offerings share the same basic specification of 18 GB/s GDDR6 memory, pointing to a maximum theoretical bandwidth of up to 288 GB/s - derived from the GPU's confirmed 8 GB 128-bit memory interface. The standard Dual variant appears to have a stock clock speed of 2310 MHz, the StormX and StormX OC models are faster at 2535 MHz and 2670 MHz (respectively), and the Dual OC is the group leader with 2685 MHz. The TPU database's (speculative) entry for the reference NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Ti GPU has the base clock listed as 2310 MHz, and the boost clock at 2535 MHz - so the former aligns with the Palit Dual model's normal mode of operation (its boost clock number is unknown), and the latter lines up with the standard StormX variant's (presumed) boost mode. Therefore the leaked information likely shows only the boosted clock speeds for Palit's StormX, StormX OC and Dual OC cards.

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(PR) Hyperkin's "Xenon" Xbox 360-Style Wired Controller Available for Pre-Order
Secure a time machine to 2005. The Xenon is a replica of the official Xbox 360 Controller - licensed with Designed for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and Windows 10|11 PCs, priced at $49.99. Pre-orders begin at MIDNIGHT PDT / May 5th via HyperkinStore.com. Announced in November of last year, the Xenon is a replica of the official Xbox 360 Controller. The Xenon is named after the codename of the Xbox 360's first console iteration. Although a replica of the official Xbox 360 controller, the Xenon will include some modern amenities for the Xbox Series X|S. It will initially come in four colors: black, white, pink and red.

Hyperkin has recreated the Xbox 360 Controller as an officially Xbox-licensed controller. The Xenon features precision analog triggers, a share button for Xbox Series X|S, vibration feedback for realistic experiences, a 3.5 mm headset jack, and a detachable 10 ft. Type-C cable. The Xenon takes you back to 2005, when you and your buds spent nights filled with fun, competition, and bonds that last to this day. You've come full circle.
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(PR) LIAN LI Launches V3000 PLUS White GGF Edition Case
Lian Li has updated the impressive V3000 Plus case to a beautiful new white finish. The Lian Li V3000 Plus White is the ideal choice for the enthusiast who wants plenty of space to build a custom white gaming PC. Boasting an impressive ability to facilitate three different modes of interior layout, this case is an ideal foundation for a wide range of builds.

New Look for an Old Favorite
The Lian Li V3000 Plus White keeps the same outstanding styling found on its black counterpart. The V3000 Plus has kept the impressive glass panels on each side, but made them crystal clear, alongside changing the finish to a pure white. Thanks to these two factors combined, you can build a clean gaming PC that highlights your components.
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[NextPowerUP]

The day has come - Voidtrain is finally available on Steam! Grab the game with a 10% launch discount, bring your friends with you and embark on an endless journey through the breathtaking worlds of the Void. And there's Deluxe Edition as well! While Voidtrain is already a visually appealing game (at least we hope so), we also have a Supporter Upgrade for approx. half price of the game that will take it to the next level. This pack includes a variety of unique in-game skins and decor items, as well as our heartfelt gratitude for your support.

Become a crew member of an Interdimensional Express Train! Discover a new world full of mysterious creatures, enemies and places. Upgrade and customize your train, gather new materials and build better weapons. Play solo or online сo-op with up to 4 people. You are an engineer thrust into the strange and mysterious Void, a world with its own history, rules and future. Build and upgrade your own train, craft powerful weapons, fight various enemies and survive the surreal landscapes of the Void alone or together with friends.
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Sapphire Radeon RX 7600 PULSE GPUs Photographed Ahead of Late May Launch
VideoCardz has today received a tip-off from an anonymous source about a batch of Sapphire Radeon RX 7600 PULSE graphics cards - boxed products have been photographed sitting in a hardware store located "somewhere" in Asia. It is not immediately clear whether the Sapphire cards were pictured in a store-front setting, or an employee has taken a snap of stock stored in a backroom and shared it with their internet buddies. Previous leaks relating to AMD Radeon RX 7600 and 7600 XT cards have pointed to a May 25 launch day - so today's tip indicates that products have been readied well in advance of the anticipated release window.

The insider source claims that the Sapphire Radeon RX 7600 PULSE graphics card will be sold for about $249 in that particular territory. Specifications on the outer packaging can be read (if you zoom in enough) - the Pulse custom variant is labeled as being overclocked out-of-the-box, so it is highly likely that it will be fitted with a custom cooling solution. The packaging's blurb lists the presence of 32 RDNA3 CUs - indicating a full configuration of AMD's Navi 33 GPU die, consisting of 2048 stream processors. The Pulse card gets an Infinity Cache allocation of 32 MB, and a specification of (now typical) 8 GB GDDR6 video memory is confirmed.

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(PR) Apex Legends Arsenal New Season Starts Today
The new season of Apex Legends is here! Arsenal launches today and ushers in a ton of new content and updates, including a new Legend, major map updates to World's Edge, and so much more. Here are the features I'm the most excited for, but you can expect a ton more content when you jump into Apex Legends today and throughout this season!

Before the Apex Games, a more brutal competition held sway: the Thunderdome Games! Here, sibling fighters Sok Leng and Kit Siang Phua reigned supreme. They were joined by August Brinkman, Sok Leng's eventual husband. But when August's selfish playstyle led to Kit Siang's death, August would retreat from the Games, from Sok Leng, and from their young son, Nate. August spent decades as a recluse. When Nate decides to follow his family's legacy into the arena, August returns to strike a deal to reenter the Games in his son's place.
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DeepCool Readying Assassin IV Premium CPU Air Cooler For Launch
DeepCool debuted its Assassin IV Dual Tower CPU cooler earlier this year at the CES 2023 trade show - as covered by TPU at the time - its very eye-catching design was described as looking: "like (a) big dark cube inside your case, with a shroud covering all its sheet-metal." The flagship high-performance CPU cooler seems to ready for an imminent launch, with press material and product images being released today for the Chinese market. Early impressions indicate that hardware enthusiasts are appreciative of the almost all-black monolithic aesthetic, with some folks predicting that DeepCool is going to win computer hardware product design awards.

DeepCool press material states (via translation) that its Assassin IV CPU cooler provides super silent operation while dealing with up to 280 W of heat - Intel's latest high-end Core i9 CPUs could be tamed with relative ease. The heatsink is comprised of 7 heat pipes with a dual fan attachment that includes 120 and 140 mm FDB fans - said to operate silently at high RPMs. The fans are rated at 500 - 1700 RPM, with an airflow delivery of 79.1 / 58.06 CFM in performance mode, and 63.76 / 46.75 CFM airflow for the gentler quiet mode. Deepcool's specifications indicate that these cooling fans produce less than or equal to 29.3 dB(A) noise at peak performance, and less than or equal to 22.6 dB(A) noise in quiet mode. The entire cooling solution consumes 2.88 W in performance mode.
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(PR) Boox Introduces its Poke5 Compact 6" eReader With 300 PPI E Ink Display
We are excited to announce the launch of Poke5, the new member of our 6" eReader lineup. Here you will learn more about the compact eReader with an optimized new design. Poke5 boasts an unparalleled screen-to-body ratio, thanks to its optimized internal construction. Its design prioritizes a refined experience with better grip and viewing comfort. Its 6" touchscreen features E Ink Carta technology with 300 PPI, which mimics the feel of reading on paper and reduces eye fatigue.

Even with the magnetic cover attached, the compact design fits comfortably in the palm of your hand. Additionally, the flush screen design makes the core component of the ePaper screen resistant to impact. The device offers ample storage space for all of your digital content with its upgraded configuration of 2 GB RAM + 32 GB ROM. It also provides expandable storage options through a microSD card or USB-C flash drive. Furthermore, every user can enjoy 10 GB of free cloud storage for Onyx cloud services upon registration.
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[NextPowerUP]

Guerrilla Games is celebrating its 20th anniversary as a AAA games developer, and has marked the occasion by releasing a very thorough story on the official PlayStation blog as well as an accompanying video (see below). The introduction states: "From our early days with Killzone to the growth of our studio with Horizon, we're grateful you've been on this journey with us so far. Thank you for an incredible 20 years." The first-party Sony PlayStation development studio has risen from humble origins prior to 2003 - as a producer of third-party Nintendo Game Boy titles under the guise of a smaller outfit called the "Lost Boys." The Dutch team had to step up their game in order to embrace the power offered by current-gen consoles at the time: "The year we formed Guerrilla, 2003, was an interesting time for gaming. The PlayStation 2 had launched three years earlier to critical acclaim. People were losing their minds over the technological feats being achieved with all the power it offered (six whole GFLOPS!)."

After working on the very successful Killzone first-person shooter franchise for over a decade, Guerrilla Games decided to move onto the creation of a new I.P - Horizon - and plenty of successful milestones, both critical and financial, have been reached since "Zero Dawn" debuted on the PlayStation 4 back in the Spring of 2017: "As of April 16, 2023, the Horizon franchise has sold through more than 32.7 million units worldwide, of which Horizon Forbidden West has sold through over 8.4 million units. Millions more around the world have discovered Horizon thanks to PlayStation's subscription services and initiatives, including PlayStation Plus, and Play at Home. All told, it's a milestone we never imagined possible twenty years ago when we first started making games."
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NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Variant Could be Refreshed With AD103 GPU
Hardware tipster kopite7kimi has learned from insider sources that a variant of NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 4070 graphic card could be lined up with a different GPU - the AD103 instead of the currently utilized AD104-derived AD104-250-A1. The Ada Lovelace-based architecture is a staple across the RTX 40-series of graphics cards, but a fully unlocked AD103 is not yet attached to any product on the market - it will be a strange move for NVIDIA to refresh or expand the mid-range RTX 4070 lineup with a much larger GPU, albeit in a reduced form. A cut down variant of the AD103 is currently housed within NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 4080 graphics card - its AD103-300-A1 GPU has 9728 CUDA Cores and Team Green's engineers have chosen to disable 5% of the full article's capabilities.

The hardware boffins will need to do a lot of pruning if the larger GPU ends up on the rumored RTX 4070 sort-of upgrade - the SKU's 5,888 CUDA core count spec would require a 42% reduction in GPU potency. It is somewhat curious that the RTX 4070 Ti has not been mentioned by the tipster - you would think that the more powerful card (than the standard 4070) would be the logical and immediate candidate for this type of treatment. In theory NVIDIA could be re-purposing dies that do not meet RTX 4080-level standards, thus salvaging rejected material and repurposing it for step down card models.

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European Space Agency Readies 432-Core RISC-V Processor with Chiplets
European Space Agency has formed a group with researchers at ETH Zürich and the University of Bologna to design and develop a RISC-V processor aimed at boosting computational capabilities in space. The task was assigned to the Parallel Ultra Low Power (PULP) Platform project, which created open-source RISC-V silicon with actual tape-outs. Called Occamy, it is a high-performance AI chip designed for efficiency. Built on GlobalFoundries' 12 nm GF12LPP low-power process, the chiplet design is placed on top of a passive 65 nm interposer. Based on RISC-V ISA, Occamy uses as many as 231 cores with 32-bit word length on each of two chiplets, totaling 432 32-bit cores. Combined with 64-bit Floating Point Units (FPUS), the Occamy chip can achieve 0.768 TeraFLOPS at FP64, 1.536 TeraFLOPS at FP32, 3.072 TeraFLOPS at FP16, and 6.144 TeraFLOPS at FP8 precision.

Featuring about one billion transistors, they are packed in a 72 square millimeter solution, which is placed on a 52.5x45 mm carrier PCB for Fan-Out mounting. Being a chiplet design, Occamy uses 2.5D integration and features two 16 GB HBM2E DRAMs from Micron. Additionally, the chip dedicates a compact 32-bit RISC-V control chip to route the information of the rest of the AI-enabled cores. The single Occamy die uses 10 Watts at 1000 MHz speed, so two dies plus HBM memory would more than double the power usage in the final chip. Not only tested on AMD Xilinx Virtex UltraScale+ HBM and the Virtex UltraScale+ VCU1525 FPGAs but the chip has also been taped out in less than 15 months. Taped out on the 1st of July 2022, the chiplet started the development journey on the 20th of April 2021. The entire chip is being assembled, and more information will be available in Q3 of 2023.

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MediaTek Announces Dimensity 8050 SoC, Seems to be a Rebadged Dimensity 1300/1200
MediaTek has been unveiling some new mobile chipsets this week, but keen-eyed news outlets have noticed that the Taiwanese fabless semiconductor company is simply renaming and relaunching hardware from last year, with some tweaks here and there. Today's announcement of the Dimensity 8050 SoC was almost immediately questioned - GSMArena noticed that this "new" model was a near dead ringer, in terms of specifications, for last year's mid-range Dimensity 1300 and 1200 smartphone chipsets. There are some upgrades in terms of memory bandwidth, and MediaTek boasts that the 8050 has been updated with its sixth generation HyperEngine technology.

Alarm bells were ringing when folks realized that the much older Dimensity 8000 SoC was built on a 5 nm process - the supposedly superior (in terms of model number hierarchy) 8005 is a 6 nm chip. Last week the mobile specialist site also spotted that MediaTek's Dimensity 7050 chipset was yet another example of the smartphone tech company rolling out a "rebranding phase." The news outlet pointed out that this newly revealed mobile CPU was just a renamed Dimensity 1080 - with the original model having hit the market in November 2022. MediaTek seems to renaming several older chipsets based on TSMC's 6 nm process - it is possible that this effort is part of a company drive to clear surplus silicon.

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(PR) Cherry Launches the KW X ULP Ultra Slim Mechanical Keyboard
CHERRY, the specialist for computer, office and gaming accessories and market leader in mechanical key switches, has launched the KW X ULP, a dynamic ultra-slim mechanical keyboard featuring the award-winning CHERRY MX ULTRA LOW PROFILE (ULP) mechanical switches for an unrivaled typing experience. At the heart of the remarkably slim KW X ULP are CHERRY MX Ultra Low Profile switches. This specially developed switch type has a height of just 3.5 millimetres, which is 70 percent less than standard MX switches, and thus facilitates keyboards that offer the full mechanical typing feel despite their ultra-slim form factor. Additionally, the discreet cupping of the polycarbonate keycaps offers optimal grip.

ULTRA stylish
The keyboard sports a timelessly elegant case with a noble black finish, an anodized and milled aluminium plate on top and edges in silver. Paired with the stylish monochrome backlight, the KW X ULP becomes an eye-catcher on any desk. At the same time, it delivers the precision and durability previously reserved for much thicker mechanical keyboards.
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[NextPowerUP]

Phanteks has unveiled its latest product, the Eclipse G300A, a compact ATX chassis that offers exceptional value. Small in size and big on features, it boasts a range of impressive features, including high airflow performance. The G300A chassis features a sleek and minimalist design that combines high-quality materials making it the perfect fit for any environment. The chassis can accommodate ATX motherboards and large GPUs, like the ASUS RTX 4090 STRIX, that can fit perfectly even with front fans installed. Effortlessly cool high-end CPUs with support for front 360 or top 240 radiator while providing ample space for a powerful system build.

The G300A chassis features a unique I/O panel with two USB 3.0 ports (1x Type A & 1x type C) and a microphone / headphone jack, allowing for easy access to all your peripherals. The chassis also includes a tempered glass side panel, which allows you to showcase your build and adds a touch of elegance to your setup. The G300A chassis is optimized for airflow, with a mesh front panel that provides maximum ventilation and a dust filter that keeps your system clean and free of debris. The chassis also includes cable management features, allowing you to keep your cables organized and out of the way for a clean and professional look.
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Nintendo President: No New Switch Until at Least Spring 2024
Earlier today Nintendo released its financial/earning reports for the fiscal year ending March 2023, and company president Shuntaro Furukawa has briefed investors about sales forecasts, according to a report published by Bloomberg. Furukawa-san predicts that the Switch gaming console will only sell 15 million units over the next fiscal year - sales have been slowing down for a while according to Nintendo's figures, with almost 18 million units purchased throughout 2022-23. The numbers are still very impressive when you consider that Nintendo's flagship gaming platform has been on the market for just over six years - across that span of time, total unit sales have hit the 125.62 million mark.

Furukawa also informed shareholders about the prospect of a Switch console successor arriving within the next fiscal period - Bloomberg's article brings the bad news at this point - it seems that Nintendo is not anticipating a new hardware launch within that time frame. Nintendo's software release schedule - especially in regards to first party titles - looks very threadbare for the rest of the year. The much anticipated Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom arrives on Friday (May 12) followed by Pikmin 4 in July, but things look to be quiet after that - unless Nintendo has a few surprises lined up for June's preview event season. Rumors of a next generation Switch have been doing the rounds since 2020, back then a "Pro" model was often touted - fans later found out that Nintendo had simply refreshed the system with an OLED panel, some tweaks to chipset efficiency, and updated the docking system to modern output standards - this premium model hit the market in late 2021.
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(PR) Report: DRAM and NAND Flash Prices Expected to Fall Further in 2Q23 Due to Weak Server Shipments and High Inventory Levels
TrendForce's latest research indicates that, as production cuts to DRAM and NAND Flash have not kept pace with weakening demand, the ASP of some products is expected to decline further in 2Q23. DRAM prices are projected to fall 13~18%; NAND Flash is expected to fall between 8~13%.

TrendForce reports that the significant drop in DRAM prices was mostly attributed to high inventory levels of DDR4 and LPDDR5 as PC DRAM, server DRAM, and mobile DRAM collectively account for over 85% of DRAM consumption. Meanwhile, the market share for DDR5 remains relatively low.
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(PR) Lexar Announces The Lexar FLY microSDXC UHS-I Card for drones and action cameras
Lexar, a leading global of flash memory solutions, today announced the Lexar FLY microSDXC UHS-I Card. Designed for drone and action camera photography enthusiasts, the Lexar FLY microSDXC UHS-I Card lets users quickly capture and transfer high-quality media files, including Full-HD and 4K UHD video with speeds up to 160 MB/s read and up to 90 MB/s write.

This card is also rated Class 10, UHS Speed Class 3 (U3) and Video Speed Class 30 (V30), giving users the stable write speed performance they need to ensure smooth and efficient recording so dropped frames are a thing of the past. And, with up to 256 GB capacity, drone enthusiasts can stay airborne, capturing more aerial footage on one card.
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(PR) NVIDIA Brings DLSS 3 to Diablo IV Server Slam, More Games Get DLSS 2
Each week we're bringing you the latest news on games launching with NVIDIA DLSS. Last week, Redfall launched with support for NVIDIA DLSS 3 and NVIDIA Reflex, and this week Diablo IV's DLSS 3-enhanced Server Slam Beta begins!

Additionally, Fobia - St. Dinfna Hotel, No One Survived, and Someday You'll Return: Director's Cut are adding support for DLSS 2 via game updates, giving GeForce RTX gamers the fastest frame rates possible.
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(PR) Diablo IV NVIDIA GeForce RTX 40 Series Bundle Available Now
Blizzard and NVIDIA have partnered to bring our game-changing technologies to Diablo IV, giving GeForce gamers the definitive experience. Accelerate frame rates with NVIDIA DLSS 3, and make gameplay even more responsive using NVIDIA Reflex. And if that weren't enough, players can raise Hell with ray tracing in Diablo IV when it becomes available post-launch.

To celebrate Diablo IV coming June 6th, we've launched the Diablo IV GeForce RTX 40 Series Bundle, available now until June 13th. Buyers of eligible GeForce RTX 4070, 4070 Ti, 4080 and 4090 graphics cards and desktop PCs from select retailers and etailers will receive a Battle.net copy of Diablo IV.
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EA Details Upcoming Star Wars Jedi Survivor Patch 4
Electronic Arts and Respawn Entertainment have detailed the upcoming Star Wars Jedi Survivor Patch 4 that should be coming later today for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S, and for PC later this week. Previous updates already brought performance improvements for non-raytraced rendering, and this time around, it should update the raytraced performance, at least on the PC.

The Patch 4 brings a handful of both PC-only and PS5-only improvements, and further fixes data handling when toggling ray tracing, improving non-raytraced performance, updates occlusion behavior for ray tracing, updates the streaming budget that should improve traversal hitching, and brings performance improvements for some VFX. There are also several gameplay fixes, various crash fixes, save state errors fixes, and more.
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(PR) AMD to Showcase Next-Generation Data Center and AI Technology at June 13 Livestream Event
Today, AMD (NASDAQ: AMD) announced the "AMD Data Center and AI Technology Premiere," an in-person and livestreamed event to showcase the company's growth strategy and expanding product portfolio and capabilities for data center and AI. AMD Chair and CEO Dr. Lisa Su will be joined by other AMD executives and key customers to detail new products, and momentum across data center, AI, adaptive and high-performance computing solutions.

The live stream will start at 10 a.m. PT on Tuesday, June 13 at www.amd.com/datacenter as well as the AMD YouTube channel.

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(PR) AGON by AOC Secures Number 1 Spot as the World's Leading Gaming Monitor Brand
AGON by AOC - leading gaming monitor and IT accessories brand - proudly announces its position as the world's number one gaming monitor brand, as declared by the IDC Quarterly Gaming Tracker report for Q4/20221. The gaming-focussed sub-brand of the display specialist AOC, AGON by AOC, has outpaced its competitors to secure the top spot on the global gaming monitor market, thanks to the cutting-edge technologies offered (such as MiniLED and DisplayHDR 1400), exceptional performance (with refresh rates up to 360 Hz), and unwavering commitment to providing the ultimate gaming experience. In the last year, AGON by AOC launched its 5th generation of AGON monitors with refreshed designs as well as fast, responsive panels, and introduced brand-new technologies in its AGON PRO line-up.

Anna Stefańczyk, AOC Global Marketing Lead, says, "We are thrilled to be the world's top gaming monitor brand. This couldn't be possible without the incredible support of the gaming scene and customers worldwide who faithfully trust our expertise to deliver exceptional products with great value. As we continue to grow, we are committed to bringing innovative and state-of-the-art products to the market, tailored to the preferences of our diverse gaming community."
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[NextPowerUP]

be quiet!, the German manufacturer for premium PC components, introduces the Dark Power Pro 13 series. This successor to the award-winning Dark Power Pro 12 series presents a future-proof way to update your system by offering full ATX 3.0 compatibility for next-generation PCIe 5.0 graphics cards, and comes in two wattage classes: 1300 and 1600 watt.

Dark Power Pro 13 features an extraordinary 80 PLUS Titanium efficiency, a frameless fan with full mesh fan grill, and fully digital regulation of PFC, LLC, and SR with full bridge topology. An overclocking key lets users combine the six 12 V rails into one with high power output, ideal for overclocked processors or graphics cards. All these features are rounded off with a premium design, including fully modular, single sleeved cables and a stunning aluminium case, making this PSU the perfect choice for current and future high-end systems.
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[NextPowerUP]

Embark on a journey where you face your worst fears and are confronted with the emotional impact of your actions. After its release as an exclusive launch title on Google Stadia in 2019, GYLT will be now accessible to new players starting July 6th on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series, Xbox One and PC, with wishlist open on Steam.

We, Tequila Works, the studio behind RiME and the upcoming Song of Nunu: A League of Legends Story, among other titles, announces July the 6th as the chosen release date for its delicate horror game GYLT on new platforms.
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(PR) Zotac GAMING GeForce RTX 40 Series White Edition GPUs Available Globally
The White Edition model range expands with the Trinity OC White Edition. With its signature sleek design, the 40-Series Trinity OC White Edition GPUs walk the fine line between sophistication, minimalist design, and performance.

ICONIC WHITE
Gracefully pure and beautifully elegant, the ZOTAC GAMING GeForce RTX 40 Series White Edition GPUs are the culmination of sleek design and the allure to build the desirable. The White Edition series walk the fine line between sophistication and function, expressing the pure essence of clean design overlaying the raw performance underneath.
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Xbox Series S Hitting VRAM Limits, 8 GB is the Magic Number
Microsoft launched two flavors of its Xbox Series console back in November of 2020 - a more expensive and powerful "X" model appealing to hardcore enthusiasts arrived alongside an entry-level/budget friendly "S" system that featured lesser hardware specifications. The current generation Xbox consoles share the same custom AMD 8-core Zen 2 processor, albeit with different clock configurations, but the key divergence lies in Microsoft's choice of graphical hardware. The Series X packs an AMD "Scarlett" graphics processor with access to 16 GB of VRAM, while the Series S makes do with only 8 GB of high speed video memory with its "Lockhart" GPU.

Games studios have historically struggled to optimize their projects for the step down Xbox model - with software engineers complaining about memory allocation issues thanks to a smaller pool of VRAM - the Series S CPU and GPU have to fight over a total of 10 GB GDDR6 system memory. Microsoft listened to this feedback and made necessary changes last year - an updated SDK was released and a video briefing explained: "Hundreds of additional megabytes of memory are now available to Xbox Series S developers...This gives developers more control over memory, which can improve graphics performance in memory-constrained conditions."

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(PR) Epic Games Introduces Unreal Engine 5.2
We're excited to announce that Unreal Engine 5.2 is now available. With this release, we've further expanded UE5's groundbreaking toolset as it continues to deliver on the promise of making Unreal Engine the most open and advanced real-time 3D creation tool in the world. Alongside feature refinements and stability improvements, Unreal Engine 5.2 pushes the boundaries of what creators can expect out of the box, delivering innovative new functionality.

Procedural Content Generation framework
Unreal Engine 5.2 offers an early look at a Procedural Content Generation framework (PCG) that can be used directly inside Unreal Engine without relying on external packages. The framework includes both in-editor tools and a runtime component. The PCG tools enable you to define rules and parameters to populate large scenes with Unreal Engine assets of your choice, making the process of creating large worlds fast and efficient.
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(PR) Quantinuum Solves Quantum Computing Error Correction With System H2 Model
Quantinuum is proud and excited to announce this significant step towards fault tolerant quantum computing. This achievement has been uniquely enabled by the release of Quantinuum's System Model H2 - the highest performing quantum computer ever built. The official launch of Quantinuum's H2 quantum processor, Powered by Honeywell, follows extensive pre-launch work with a variety of global partners and was essential to the controlled creation and manipulation of non-Abelian anyons. The precise control of non-Abelian anyons has been long held as the path to using topological qubits for a fault tolerant quantum computer.

Tony Uttley, President and COO of Quantinuum, stated "With our second-generation system, we are entering a new phase of quantum computing. H2 highlights the opportunity to achieve valuable outcomes that are only possible with a quantum computer. The development of the H2 processor is also a critical step in moving towards universal fault tolerant quantum computing." He added "This demonstration is a beautiful proof point in the power of our H-Series hardware roadmap and reinforces our primary purpose which is to enable our customers to tackle problems that were previously beyond the reach of classical computers. The implications for society are significant and we are excited to see how this technology truly changes the world."
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TPU YouTube: Corsair iCUE Elite H100i/H115i/H150i/H170i Overview
At TPU we're masters of written content, but there's no denying that YouTube is an interesting medium with new possibilities. That's why we're starting to explore making video content, thanks to David who's making an appearance in these videos. In recent weeks you might have noticed that we've begun releasing first videos on YouTube. Here's the official announcement. Our written content is not going away of course—it's our core business and what you love about TPU—no plans to change that in any way.

In this overview video we're going hands-on with Corsair's iCUE Elite series of AIO, closed-loop liquid cooling solutions, show what's in the box, how to set it up and check out the various models. We explore the different sizes available, from 240 mm all the way up to 420 mm. Feel free to comment with your feedback.




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(PR) EA Sports Releases First Episode of Gameplay Deep Dive into F1 23
Following on from the reveal of EA SPORTS F1 23 last week, dive into the details you might have missed and more about what to expect ahead of launch on June 16, 2023 for Xbox, PlayStation, and PC. F1 23's handling and physics have had a significant upgrade on previous years, resulting in better handling, low-speed traction, and overall vehicle driveability. Veteran players will immediately notice a difference, as vehicle behaviour in particular is more authentic thanks to three key areas of reworking: acceleration, braking, and cornering.

Updates to physics calculations for the slip of the tyres and how this interacts with the inertia of the car have been made. Plus, the way each car's engine delivers torque has been refined, with more progressive steps relative to gear and throttle input. On-track surfaces such as kerbs and rumble strips will be noticeably more pronounced, thanks to improvements made to the underfloor of each car, delivering a more true-to-life experience. Adopting feedback from real F1 teams and drivers such as Anthony Davidson, players will notice a closer balance between mechanical grip from tyres and aerodynamic grip from the cars. All these changes result in F1 23 offering the most authentic F1 driving experience around.
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[NextPowerUP]

Sapphire's Radeon RX 7600 PULSE graphics card was leaked, albeit in fully boxed form, earlier this week. VideoCardz received a tip on Tuesday about a stack of products sitting in a retail store located somewhere in Asia - an insider source had taken photos of several boxes, weeks ahead of the rumored May 25 hardware launch. A brave seller on Singapore's Carousell online marketplace listed a number of Sapphire Radeon RX 7600 PULSE cards on the site, but these pages were swiftly taken down by admin. Specifications printed on outer packaging revealed that this GPU model packs 8 GB of VRAM and 32 RDNA3 CUs - indicating a full configuration of AMD's Navi 33 GPU die.

The embargo has been broken once again - earlier today VideoCardz published leaked images of the card itself (out of the box). The photos seem to be of official origin - perhaps destined for product pages on Sapphire's website(s) or online retail listings. A new PULSE custom cooling solution is on view - revealing a dual-fan and dual-slot design with a largely black cooler, accented with red markings plus a bit of white lettering. The shroud seems to lack any integrated RGB lighting zones or strips. An 8-pin power connector is present, possibly indicating that the custom card only requires 150 W (8-pin) + 75 W (PCIe) or more in operational power.

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Team Cherry Has Delayed Hollow Knight: Silksong
Team Cherry, the indie development outfit responsible for producing smash hit 2D platformer Hollow Knight (2017), has this week announced that the sequel - Silksong - will be missing its proposed early-ish 2023 launch window. The Australian team's publishing and marketing manager Matthew Griffin confirmed via a tweet that Hollow Knight: Silksong is still a work-in-progress project: "Hey gang, just a quick update about Silksong. We had planned to release in the 1st half of 2023, but development is still continuing. We're excited by how the game is shaping up, and it's gotten quite big, so we want to take the time to make the game as good as we can."

Hollow Knight: Silksong was first revealed to the public back in 2019, with Team Cherry taking a quiet approach to the release of preview material since then. A playable demo was on show at E3 2019, but a wider internet-based public has only had access to a pair of video trailers, some screenshots and minimal written details on official sites and product pages. Silksong was initially conceived as a DLC/expansion for the base game, but the designers expanded their project's scope - thus creating a standalone and entirely new entry in the series. It seems that the development team's ambitions have grown over the years - Griffin has not confirmed a revised release date but requests that fans wait for further announcements: "Expect more details from us once we get closer to release."
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(PR) Meet the ROG Ally, the Perfect Handheld Companion for Any Gamer
The future is here. The Republic of Gamers is proud to announce the ROG Ally, a brand-new Windows 11 gaming handheld featuring a 7-inch 1080p screen, up to 512 GB of NVMe storage, and enough power to play the latest AAA games at smooth framerates. Sporting an AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme APU, the Ally has incredible graphics performance, rivaling modern living room consoles while weighing in at a lightweight 608 grams.

The Ally ushers in a new generation of handheld gaming consoles. Handhelds have always been a frustratingly compromised experience, with lower resolution graphics, lower framerates, and clunky controls - they allowed you to play games on the go, but it was never the same as the living room. In fact, many titles were handheld-friendly spinoffs of their console counterparts, rather than the same game. Now, all that changes: the Ally lets you play all your games, from any platform, wherever you go. Welcome to a new age of portable gaming.
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NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang's Earnings Cut by a Small Margin
NVIDIA's co-founder and current CEO Jensen Huang will be receiving a slightly reduced salary this year, due to his company not meeting some financial goals. Team Green has published their report for the financial year of 2023, and several tech news outlets have been poring over the details - The Register was the first to spot that the intrepid leather jacketed leader was not being as handsomely compensated (when cross-referenced with previous FY results). Huang's pay has been cut by almost $2.5 million, so a 10% fall from before - given that he is already a billionaire, going into double digits, this verdict is a minor sting to the proverbial (matching leather?) wallet.

The company's annual review (for FY 2023) document provides a reason for select executive pay cuts: "Fiscal 2023 was a challenging year, with macroeconomic headwinds, channel inventory corrections, COVID-19 and product architecture transitions affecting several of our businesses. As a result, our Fiscal 2023 revenue and non-GAAP Operating Income performance fell short of the CC's (compensation committee's) pre-established goals for executive compensation." Huang will not be hurting too much from the small pay cut since he is set to earn $21.356 million in total, thanks to generous stock awards and miscellaneous benefits outside of his base salary (now a mere $996,216). NVIDIA is expected to rake in even more cash across the coming year, or two, due to growing interest in artificial intelligence (AI) processing. Tech companies are snapping up NVIDIA's enterprise-grade H100 GPUs in anticipation of an AI-powered future.

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(PR) Diablo IV Developers Discuss Post-Launch Content
Over the last few months, we have communicated details about customization, Endgame offerings, moment-to-moment gameplay, and given players a first-hand taste of Sanctuary through Act I during our Early Access and Open Beta Weekends. But what about the post-launch experience, and how do we plan to increase the heat? We'll answer this question by explaining our approach to Seasons, Season Journeys, Battle Pass, and the Shop, and how they work in unison to enhance and diversify the robust campaign and Endgame offerings available to players at launch. There was also a Diablo IV Developer Update Livestream today (see below) that further expands on the aforementioned areas—give it a watch after reading this blog.

Stoking the Flames of Hell: Seasons
Seasons are quarterly releases that will add additional gameplay features, questlines (with new and old faces alike), Battle Passes, Legendary Items, class balance changes, quality-of-life improvements, and much more. Seasons will introduce fresh concepts and ideas into the world of Sanctuary, for all wanderers to enjoy while simultaneously iterating upon your baseline experience. Above all, we want Seasons to be celebratory moments; something to look forward to and enjoy with your friends and other members of the Diablo community. Season 1 will begin in mid to late July, and to embark on this next chapter, you must first complete the Campaign. Because of this, we recommend you begin your pursuit of Lilith in advance so you can jump into the first Season as soon as it becomes available.
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Oppo Could be Exiting France by the End of June
There are strong indications that Oppo is winding down its operations in France according to a report published by Frandroid last weekend, which goes against the company's denial that it was exiting several markets across the European Union, including France. Frandroid's investigative piece states that French retail workers had provided enough evidence, back in late March, for the publication to make the claim that Oppo was withdrawing from that region. The news outlet has gathered more insider information since then and now claims that a promotions company - Atmospheres - has not been contracted to help market Oppo's lastest smartphone models, including the Find N2 Flip. The agreement between the two firms was already set to end on June 30, but the promo team was expecting a renewal or extension - their boss finally admitted that it was all over and done with.

Frandroid has observed that Oppo is not updating its display material at big box stores, in particular Fnac Darty, and a salesperson confirmed that that they were only obligated to clear existing smartphone stock and related accessories. A former Oppo regional sales manager told the publication about a cessation of product training - under normal circumstances the team gets briefed about the latest products in advance, but the insider confides (under an alias): "We understood that they were leaving...We see the Find X coming out in China, oh no, it's not coming out in France. We see the new Reno phones arriving, will they be released in France? Neither. When the Find N2 Flip arrives, we are told of a store release, and then finally no, it is only available on the web store."
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[NextPowerUP]

Just a few hours before the official launch, ASUS ROG Ally handheld console has been leaked online in Europe, where German retailers, Mediamarkt and Saturn, have it listed for €799.99. This is the price of the high-end model equipped with AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme APU and 512 GB of internal storage. So far, there is no listing for the less expensive version that should come with the Z1 non-Extreme APU.

The listing does not offer any new details, but it does say that it will ship on June 13th, so this can be considered as a pre-order. In case you missed it, the ASUS ROG Ally RC71L will pack the AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme APU, featuring 8-core/16-thread Zen 4 CPU and RDNA 3 GPU with 12 Compute Units. The less expensive one, will get the Ryzen Z1 APU, packing a 6-core/12-thread Zen 4 CPU and RDNA 3 GPU with only 4 Compute Units. Both versions will feature a 7-inch 120 Hz screen with 1920x1080 resolution. As detailed earlier, the ASUS ROG Ally will ship with the Windows 11 OS and 90 days of free Xbox PC Game Pass Ultimate membership.

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(PR) Fairphone Launches the Fairbuds XL Modular Headphones
Dutch social enterprise Fairphone is proud to announce the launch of its latest device, Fairbuds XL, once again pioneering more sustainable ways to make electronics. Fairbuds XL are the company's first modular audio device. The headphones are the next step in Fairphone's journey to develop fair and long-lasting audio
devices, after launching its first generation earbuds in 2021.

By introducing Fairbuds XL, Fairphone is applying its market-leading experience in making sustainable, repairable smartphones. The headphones are produced with the same values used to make all Fairphone devices - focus on people and planet. Like all Fairphone devices, the headphones are designed to last. The modular construction and spare parts make them easy to repair, which lets users enjoy and keep their device for longer. Fairbuds XL allow for the replacement of parts that can wear over time, such as the ear cushions. The long-term use of electronics isn't only great for the user experience, it also helps reduce their environmental footprint.
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(PR) Thermaltake Launches TOUGHDESK 350 Smart Gaming Desk
Thermaltake, the leading PC DIY premium brand for Case, Power, Cooling, Gaming peripherals, and enthusiast Memory solutions, unveils the TOUGHDESK 350 Smart Gaming Desk, equipped with a series of smart features to provide users with a more customized, flexible, and secure experience. The TOUGHDESK 350 Smart Gaming Desk matches the RGB Desk Mobile App and the iTake Engine Software allowing users to adjust desk height and RGB lighting through their own digital devices. On top of that, anti-collision safety sensors and upgraded dual electric motors enhance the safety and stability of the smart desk's lifting process.

With an exclusive TT Smart Control Unit, the TOUGHDESK 350 can be easily controlled by your phone or PC via WiFi. After connecting to WiFi, through the RGB Desk Mobile App, besides customizing the RGB lighting effects on the peripherals, you can set the desk height from 70 cm to 110 cm (27.5" ~ 43.3") or quickly switch to 4 levels of preset heights (70 cm, 80 cm, 90 cm, 100 cm). Additionally, with the powerful MCU built into the control unit, the mobile app can track your usage habits to automatically adjust the desk height based on your schedule.
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(PR) NVIDIA GeForce NOW Priority Membership 40% Off, More Games Added to the Library
Make gaming a priority this GFN Thursday time's running out to upgrade to a GeForce NOW Priority six-month membership at 40% off the normal price. Find out how new Priority members are using the cloud to get their game on.

Plus, the week brings updates for some of the hottest games in the GeForce NOW library, and four more titles join the list. GeForce NOW RTX 4080 SuperPODs are now live for Ultimate members in Atlanta, where the gamers game. Follow along with the server rollout, and upgrade today for the Ultimate cloud gaming experience.
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(PR) ASRock Releases New BIOS with AGESA PI1007 to Support 24 GB and 48 GB Memory Modules
AMD has released new AGESA PI1007 to support 48 GB and 24 GB DDR5 memory module for AM5 motherboards including X670E/B650E/B650/A620 platform, boosting the maximum memory capacity from 128 GB to 192 GB on 4 DIMMs, providing performance and compatibility to enthusiasts.

Apart from the wider memory capacity support, the latest AMD AGESA PI1007 also implements the CPU voltage protection updates, please flash your ASRock AM5 motherboard to BIOS version 1.24 for the most up to date technical revision.

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(PR) MSI Launches SPATIUM M480 PRO SSD Series
MSI is announcing the launch of our flagship PCIe 4.0 lineup to its SSD product line - SPATIUM M480 PRO series. MSI SSDs refine our company's identity as a high-performance PC brand by expanding our ecosystem and covering the high-performance storage category. These SSDs are built with high-quality, high-density 3D NAND flash that deliver the ultimate PRO performance for PCIe 4.0 with up to 7400 MB/s sequential read and 7000 sequential write.

The SPATIUM M480 PRO boasts up to 60% faster random read/write speeds, enabling a supremely responsive experience and minimal latency in gameplay and productivity under heavy workloads for professionals, content creators, and gamers. Other performance-improving technologies include DRAM cache buffer and an SLC cache.
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(PR) Cincoze showcases its latest AIoT solutions at Automate and COMPUTEX 2023
Rugged embedded computer brand - Cincoze, will make an appearance at two major international exhibitions in May 2023: Automate, the largest exhibition of automation in North America, in Detroit, USA on 22-25 May, and COMPUTEX, one of the largest computer and technology trade shows in the world, in Taipei, Taiwan on 30 May-2 June. The theme of Cincoze's exhibit is The Diverse Applications of AIoT. The booth has four areas: Rugged Embedded Fanless Computers, Industrial Panel PC & Monitors, Embedded GPU Computers, and New Products, each showcasing Cincoze's latest solutions for specific applications at the industrial field side. Visit our booth to explore and discuss the future of the AIoT field.

Cincoze's Rugged Computing - DIAMOND product line offers rock-solid stability for edge computing in harsh industrial environments. The seven series of computers in the range have wide temperature, wide voltage, and other industrial-grade protections, and each has different performance, expandability, and size options. The exclusive CMI/CFM/MEC modules also support additional I/O and functionality. The DX-1200 is the newest addition to the DIAMOND line, boasting the improved performance of the Intel Alder Lake-S platform. Meeting international standards and certifications such as UL, and E-mark certification, the DX-1200 is the best choice for efficient, safe, and stable AIoT applications.
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[NextPowerUP]

LIAN LI Industrial Co. Ltd., a leading manufacturer of chassis and PC accessories, announces its first performance-focused UNI FAN with the P28, a 120 mm PWM fan available in black, and in white. With a 28 mm thick frame, Liquid Crystal Polymer blades, Fluid Dynamic Bearing, and 3-speed modes: quiet operation, balanced noise/performance, and maximum performance, the P28 is geared towards performance. As with all UNI FANs, the P28 can be interconnected to create clusters of fans capable of being powered via a single cable, and up to 2 clusters can be bridged with an extension cable. For users wanting added flare without sacrificing performance, an optional Side RGB Strip accessory is added to the side of the fan.

The P28 features a 9-blade design made of liquid crystal polymer (LCP), a stronger material capable of supporting higher speeds without deformation for tighter tolerances with the fan frame (0.6 mm). Combined with an overall frame thickness of 28 mm, the increase in the surface area of the blades results in added performance. In addition, the P28 is equipped with Fluid Dynamic bearings (FDB) for the fan motor to operate quieter and smoother. The use of a thicker fan frame, sturdy LCP blade material, and the FDB result in great performances, and quieter operation.
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(PR) Chieftec Upgrades Popular Gaming Cases with Type-C USB 3.2 Gen2x2
Chieftec is excited to announce the launch of the new upgraded versions of our popular Scorpion 3, Scorpion 4, Stallion 2, and Stallion 3 cases with the introduction of USB 3.2 Gen2x2 Type-C (20 Gbps) port. The new models, GL-03B-UC-OP, GL-04B-UC-OP, and GP-02B-UC-OP, will be available in June, then GP-03B-UC-OP following in July, and there will be a transition period with old and new versions available on the market.

The new upgraded versions are designed to provide enhanced functionality and faster data transfer (20 Gbps) speeds. Customers who want to buy the new upgraded versions should look for the model numbers with "UC" in the model number or check the box for the Type-C Logo, which we have included in the packaging.

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(PR) SMIC Reports Q1 2023 Results, Revenue and Profits Down
Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SEHK: 00981; SSE STAR MARKET: 688981) ("SMIC", the "Company" or "we"), one of the leading semiconductor foundries in the world, today announced its consolidated results of operations for the three months ended March 31, 2023.

According to the international financial reporting standards, in the first quarter, the Company's revenue slightly beat guidance, gross margin was close to the high end of our guided range; in the second quarter, the Company expects the capacity utilization rate and shipments will perform better than first quarter. Revenue is expected to increase by 5% to 7% sequentially, with a decline in blended ASP due to the impact of changes in product mix; gross margin is expected to be between 19% and 21%.
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Crucial T700 Gen 5 SSD Throttles Down to HDD Performance Levels Without a Cooler
Crucial T700, the company's flagship M.2 NVMe Gen 5 SSD, runs hot—like every other drive based on the Phison E26-series controller (such as the Corsair MP700). ComputerBase.de discovered what the drive does without some sort of cooling. The E26 controller has a Tjmax value of around 86°C, and what happens when it's reached depends on the drive in question. The Corsair MP700 can turn itself off to protect the controller—something that will definitely cause your machine to hang with a BSOD.

The Crucial T700, on the other hand, aggressively throttles down the controller in an attempt to lower temperatures. While the drive won't stop (and your machine won't hang), its performance drops to hard drive levels, with CrystalDiskMark (CDM) measurements pointing to around 101 MB/s (of course, with much lower access times than a HDD). Both Crucial and Corsair offer the drive with large heatsinks, and recommend users to use them. This should severely limit the adoption of Gen 5 NVMe SSDs among notebooks, where the notebook chassis has room for only bare drives. However, some OEMs specializing in larger high-end gaming notebooks and desktop-replacement workstations, can find ways to connect the drives to the notebook's main cooling system using flattened heatpipes. You can catch ComputerBase's review of the MP700 in the source link below.

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(PR) The Expanse: A Telltale Series Announced
Telltale, the leading narrative game development studio and publisher, announced today that its upcoming episodic narrative adventure game, The Expanse: A Telltale Series, has been named an Official Selection for the 22nd Annual Tribeca Festival. Developed in conjunction with award-winning studio Deck Nine Games, The Expanse: A Telltale Series marks the first new Telltale title released since the company's resurrection.

Telltale and Deck Nine will premiere all-new gameplay during the New York City-based festival, which runs June 7-18, and during the adjacent Digital Tribeca Festival Game showcase on June 9th. The Tribeca Festival is also hosting an in-person panel with the game's development team on Saturday, June 10 at 4:30 PM ET. The Expanse: A Telltale Series will be available for hands-on play for ticket holders throughout the event and, as an Official Selection, the game is eligible for the 2023 Tribeca Festival Game Award.
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(PR) Legislation Introduced to Restore America's Printed Circuit Board Industry after Two Decades of Decline
The bipartisan Protecting Circuit Boards and Substrates Act of 2023 introduced by Representatives Blake Moore (R-UT-1) and Anna Eshoo (D-CA-16) finishes the job the CHIPS Act began by incentivizing investment in the domestic printed circuit board (PCB) industry. This bill is a necessary follow-on to the CHIPS Act: without a trusted, reliable domestic source of PCBs and substrates, computer chips don't connect to end use electronic devices.

Domestic PCB production shrunk over the past 20 years, falling from 30% to barely 4% of the world's supply. Ninety percent of the world's supply now comes from Asia…56% in China alone.
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KeysOff Software Flash Sale—Special Discounts on Genuine Software
KeysOff is celebrating Mother's Day with a special discount on genuine, globally-valid software. Get Genuine Office 2021 Professional Plus at just $26.25, spare yourself of recurring 365 payments. Save even more when you buy multi-PC packs, or when you pair it with your preferred edition of Windows. Get the latest and greatest operating system for just $10.45 for Windows 11, and $7.35 for Windows 10. Start saving!

Buy Office 2021 Professional Plus at $26.25 | Buy Office 2021 Professional Plus 2-PC at $41.25 | Buy Office 2021 Professional Plus 3-PC at $58.25 | Buy Office 2021 Professional Plus 5-PC at $69.25 | Buy Office 2019 Professional Plus at $24.25 | Buy Office 2016 Professional Plus at $20.25 | Buy Office 2021 Home and Business for Mac at $37.99 | Buy Office 2019 Home and Business for Mac at $33.99 | Buy Windows 10 Pro at $7.35 | Buy Windows 10 Pro 2-PC at $12.45 | Buy Windows 11 Pro at $10.45 | Buy Windows 11 Pro 2-PC at $20.65 | Buy Windows 10 Home at $7.25 | Buy Windows 10 Home 2-PC at $12.41 | Buy Windows 11 Home at $10.25 | Buy Windows 11 Home 2-PC at $20.48

Please use the coupon code SKK62 on the following items to avail the prices you see here.
Buy Windows 11 Pro + Office 2021 Professional Plus at $34.99 | Buy Windows 11 Pro + Office 2019 Professional Plus at $31.99 | Buy Windows 10 Pro + Office 2021 Professional Plus at $31.76 | Buy Windows 10 Pro + Office 2019 Professional Plus at $28.69 | Buy Visio Professional 2021 at $22.97 | Buy Project Professional 2021 at $25.70

Please use the coupon code SKK50 on the following items.
Buy Windows 10 Enterprise 2019 LTSC at $9.14 | Buy Windows 10 Enterprise 2021 LTSC at $12.81 | Buy Windows Server 2019 Standard at $16.06 | Buy Windows Server 2022 Standard at $35.36
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AMD Ryzen 7 7700X Drops Down to $294.99
The AMD Ryzen 7 7700X has been discounted down to $294.99 in the US, which actually makes it less expensive than the Ryzen 7 7700 (non-X). Since it launched at $399.99 and later pushed down to $329.99, the latest discount makes it quite a catch. In Europe, the price is still holding at around €320, depending on the region, although it has been seen at €309 earlier.

The AMD Ryzen 7 7700X is an 8-core/16-thread Zen 4 CPU with 40 MB of cache and a 105 W TDP. It works at 4.5 GHz base and 5.4 GHz Turbo clocks. As spotted by Videocardz, the discount was available on both Amazon and Newegg but the one on Amazon has either been removed or ended and now holds at $339. It is possible that it was a limited deal coming directly from AMD. The next step is the Ryzen 7 7800X3D, but the price has not budged from $449.

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CD Projekt RED Releases The Witcher 3 Next-Gen Update 4.03
CD Projekt RED has released the newest update for The Witcher 3 Next-Gen, bringing performance improvements for ray tracing, adding support for Intel XeSS, and fixing some issues seen earlier.

According to the update release notes, the latest The Witcher 3 Next-Gen Update 4.03 introduces general performance improvements for ray-traced global illumination and ray-traced reflections, and fixes some issues seen with ray-traced shadows. It also addresses issue with DirectX 11 crashing on certain AMD GPUs, adds support for Intel Xe Super Sampling, and fixes lighting issues with Screen Space Reflection when ray-traced global illumination is off. There are also plenty of visual, quest, and gameplay fixes on both the PC and other platforms.
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(PR) Intel Surpasses First 2030 Goal: $2 Billion in Diverse Supplier Spending
Three years ago, Intel announced a goal to increase global annual spending with diverse suppliers to $2 billion by 2030. We are proud to announce we reached $2.2 billion in diverse supplier spending in 2022, eight years ahead of schedule. This $2.2 billion represents nearly 15 times the annual total when our supplier diversity program launched in 2015 and double our 2019 results.
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(PR) Samsung Develops Industry's First CXL DRAM Supporting CXL 2.0
Samsung Electronics, a world leader in advanced semiconductor technology, today announced its development of the industry's first 128-gigabyte (GB) DRAM to support Compute Express Link (CXL) 2.0. Samsung worked closely with Intel on this landmark advancement on an Intel Xeon platform.

Building on its development of the industry's first CXL 1.1-based CXL DRAM in May of 2022, Samsung's introduction of the 128 GB CXL DRAM based on CXL 2.0 is expected to accelerate commercialization of next-generation memory solutions. The new CXL DRAM supports PCle 5.0 interface (x8 lanes) and provides bandwidth of up to 35 GB per second.
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[NextPowerUP]

According to data from Mercury Research posted on Twitter, AMD has gained CPU market share against Intel over the past year. AMD has gone from a 27.7 percent market share in Q1 2022 to a 34.6 percent market share in the first quarter of 2023, which is an increase of 6.9 percent, whereas Intel has gone from 72.3 percent to 65.4 percent, still placing Intel at almost two thirds of the market of x86 CPUs. It should be noted that this includes all types of CPUs, but it's unclear if it includes the chips AMD sells to Microsoft and Sony for their respective consoles.

A separate screenshot posted by @firstadopter details server CPU market share, excluding IoT, although it's unclear what that means in this specific case. Here, AMD has gained 6.3 percent market share, but the company has only gone from a meager 11.6 percent last year, to 18 percent this year, with Intel holding a massive 82 percent market share. AMD's gain here was lower than overall, but it shows that larger corporations are starting to adopt more and more AMD hardware on the server side, where in all fairness, AMD has taken something of a lead over Intel when it comes to the maximum amount of CPU cores each company can offer, even though the per core performance still lags behind Intel to a degree. It'll be interesting to see if AMD can maintain its momentum in market share gain once Intel launches more competitive products later this year, especially in the server market space.

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(PR) Zotac GAMING GeForce RTX 40 Series White Edition GPUs Available Globally
The White Edition model range expands with the Trinity OC White Edition. With its signature sleek design, the 40-Series Trinity OC White Edition GPUs walk the fine line between sophistication, minimalist design, and performance.

ICONIC WHITE
Gracefully pure and beautifully elegant, the ZOTAC GAMING GeForce RTX 40 Series White Edition GPUs are the culmination of sleek design and the allure to build the desirable. The White Edition series walk the fine line between sophistication and function, expressing the pure essence of clean design overlaying the raw performance underneath.
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Xbox Series S Hitting VRAM Limits, 8 GB is the Magic Number
Microsoft launched two flavors of its Xbox Series console back in November of 2020 - a more expensive and powerful "X" model appealing to hardcore enthusiasts arrived alongside an entry-level/budget friendly "S" system that featured lesser hardware specifications. The current generation Xbox consoles share the same custom AMD 8-core Zen 2 processor, albeit with different clock configurations, but the key divergence lies in Microsoft's choice of graphical hardware. The Series X packs an AMD "Scarlett" graphics processor with access to 16 GB of VRAM, while the Series S makes do with only 8 GB of high speed video memory with its "Lockhart" GPU.

Games studios have historically struggled to optimize their projects for the step down Xbox model - with software engineers complaining about memory allocation issues thanks to a smaller pool of VRAM - the Series S CPU and GPU have to fight over a total of 10 GB GDDR6 system memory. Microsoft listened to this feedback and made necessary changes last year - an updated SDK was released and a video briefing explained: "Hundreds of additional megabytes of memory are now available to Xbox Series S developers...This gives developers more control over memory, which can improve graphics performance in memory-constrained conditions."

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(PR) Epic Games Introduces Unreal Engine 5.2
We're excited to announce that Unreal Engine 5.2 is now available. With this release, we've further expanded UE5's groundbreaking toolset as it continues to deliver on the promise of making Unreal Engine the most open and advanced real-time 3D creation tool in the world. Alongside feature refinements and stability improvements, Unreal Engine 5.2 pushes the boundaries of what creators can expect out of the box, delivering innovative new functionality.

Procedural Content Generation framework
Unreal Engine 5.2 offers an early look at a Procedural Content Generation framework (PCG) that can be used directly inside Unreal Engine without relying on external packages. The framework includes both in-editor tools and a runtime component. The PCG tools enable you to define rules and parameters to populate large scenes with Unreal Engine assets of your choice, making the process of creating large worlds fast and efficient.
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(PR) Quantinuum Solves Quantum Computing Error Correction With System H2 Model
Quantinuum is proud and excited to announce this significant step towards fault tolerant quantum computing. This achievement has been uniquely enabled by the release of Quantinuum's System Model H2 - the highest performing quantum computer ever built. The official launch of Quantinuum's H2 quantum processor, Powered by Honeywell, follows extensive pre-launch work with a variety of global partners and was essential to the controlled creation and manipulation of non-Abelian anyons. The precise control of non-Abelian anyons has been long held as the path to using topological qubits for a fault tolerant quantum computer.

Tony Uttley, President and COO of Quantinuum, stated "With our second-generation system, we are entering a new phase of quantum computing. H2 highlights the opportunity to achieve valuable outcomes that are only possible with a quantum computer. The development of the H2 processor is also a critical step in moving towards universal fault tolerant quantum computing." He added "This demonstration is a beautiful proof point in the power of our H-Series hardware roadmap and reinforces our primary purpose which is to enable our customers to tackle problems that were previously beyond the reach of classical computers. The implications for society are significant and we are excited to see how this technology truly changes the world."
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TPU YouTube: Corsair iCUE Elite H100i/H115i/H150i/H170i Overview
At TPU we're masters of written content, but there's no denying that YouTube is an interesting medium with new possibilities. That's why we're starting to explore making video content, thanks to David who's making an appearance in these videos. In recent weeks you might have noticed that we've begun releasing first videos on YouTube. Here's the official announcement. Our written content is not going away of course—it's our core business and what you love about TPU—no plans to change that in any way.

In this overview video we're going hands-on with Corsair's iCUE Elite series of AIO, closed-loop liquid cooling solutions, show what's in the box, how to set it up and check out the various models. We explore the different sizes available, from 240 mm all the way up to 420 mm. Feel free to comment with your feedback.




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(PR) EA Sports Releases First Episode of Gameplay Deep Dive into F1 23
Following on from the reveal of EA SPORTS F1 23 last week, dive into the details you might have missed and more about what to expect ahead of launch on June 16, 2023 for Xbox, PlayStation, and PC. F1 23's handling and physics have had a significant upgrade on previous years, resulting in better handling, low-speed traction, and overall vehicle driveability. Veteran players will immediately notice a difference, as vehicle behaviour in particular is more authentic thanks to three key areas of reworking: acceleration, braking, and cornering.

Updates to physics calculations for the slip of the tyres and how this interacts with the inertia of the car have been made. Plus, the way each car's engine delivers torque has been refined, with more progressive steps relative to gear and throttle input. On-track surfaces such as kerbs and rumble strips will be noticeably more pronounced, thanks to improvements made to the underfloor of each car, delivering a more true-to-life experience. Adopting feedback from real F1 teams and drivers such as Anthony Davidson, players will notice a closer balance between mechanical grip from tyres and aerodynamic grip from the cars. All these changes result in F1 23 offering the most authentic F1 driving experience around.
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[NextPowerUP]

Over the last 20 years, Age of Empires II has consistently been viewed as the cornerstone of this great RTS franchise. Praised for its myriad mechanical improvements over the first game, unique units and the addition of gates to stop yourself accidentally imprisoning your on-screen warriors, Age of Empires II ushered in an era almost as unforgettable as the in-game factions we love to roleplay.

But a groundbreaking sequel always has an origin story that started it all, and the first Age of Empires title is by no means being left behind. The latest expansion, Return of Rome, is set to bring integral parts of the game's original content into Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition as its own self-contained offering, plus some brand new additions for fans to get stuck into.
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Foxconn to Build New Factories in South India with $500 Million First Phase Investment
Foxconn has commited to $500 million of investments into new operations within Telangana, a southern state located in India. The region's IT minister, K. T. Rama Rao, broke the news earlier today and declared that the Taiwanese multinational electronics contract manufacturer will be building new factory facilities - with the first example breaking ground in Kongara Kalan (a village to the south of Hyderabad) this morning.

The minister estimates that the "first phase" of new Foxconn manufacturing plants will help generate 25,000 "direct jobs" across the state of Telangana. Reuters has previously reported that Foxconn has been granted a new contract for the manufacture of next generation AirPods - Apple is a key client for the company, and executives have pushed for a shift in production locations due to problems encountered in China. Foxconn's move into India is observed as a strategic decision - facilities are less likely to get shutdown (due to health restrictions) and the country is not getting hit with advanced semiconductor sanctions.

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(PR) Sharkmob Ends "Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodhunt" Dev Support, Servers to Stay Online
Hello Bloodhunt Community! Bloodhunt is a game that we developed as a standout title in the popular Battle Royale genre, where we focused on creating an immersive and unique experience for players that enjoy games that are easy to learn but difficult to master. Ever since launch, we have been on a journey to excite and delight our players, however, while we have an amazing and very engaged community, we haven't been able to reach the critical mass needed to sustain development. This has led us to the decision to stop further development of Bloodhunt.

With that said, Bloodhunt servers will stay up and the game will remain available to play. Our aim is to keep the servers going for as long as we have an active player base and community. For those who enjoy the game and want to continue playing, we have worked on some solutions to ensure that the game continues to be interesting. An in-game player voting system will be deployed to regularly unlock new things and keep Bloodhunt fresh. We will share more granular details about how this system works when we get closer to releasing our next update, which will be the last planned patch for Bloodhunt. Beyond that update, patches will only be related to maintenance.
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(PR) Maxon One Spring 2023 Enhancements Announced
Maxon, developers of professional software solutions for editors, filmmakers, motion designers, visual effects artists and creators of all types, announced today a comprehensive update to Maxon One. Maxon's Spring 2023 release offers exciting new features and workflow enhancements across the entire product line, that will empower designers and artists to turn their creative ideas into reality with stunning results. Cinema 4D 2023.2 offers an improved Commander, enhancements to its Nodes system, simulation improvements and a new Thicken generator for modeling. Updates to the Red Giant toolset feature new tools and augmentations; most notably the introduction of Symbol Mapper for Universe 2023.1, anamorphic lens support for Real Lens Flares for VFX 2023.3, and Trapcode 2023.3 includes performance optimizations for Particular and a new collection of Atomic Age sprites.

Redshift 3.5.14 brings a fantastic new Sky and Sun Model, a new Flakes Shader and new Camera Backplates. The latest release of ZBrush is highlighted by two new revolutionary workflow tools, Proxy Pose and Drop 3D. Forger updates include new features for lighting and previews, and the integration of ZBrush's powerful ZRemesher. The latest additions to Capsules include new material collections, a new dynamic Swirl Modifier and a new Redshift Shaderball. Rounding out this exciting release is an update to Cineware, focused on Unreal 5.0 and 5.1 integration.
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Giga Computing Leaked Server Roadmap Points to 600 W CPUs & 700 W GPUs
A leaked roadmap (that seems to be authored) by Giga Computing provides an interesting peak into the future of next generation enterprise-oriented CPUs and GPUs. TDP details of Intel, AMD and NVIDIA hardware are featured within the presentation slide - and all indications point to a trend of continued power consumption growth. Intel's server CPU lineups, including fourth generation Sapphire Rapids-SP and fifth-gen Emerald Rapids-SP Xeon chips, are projected to hit maximum TGPs of 350 W by mid-2024. Team Blue's sixth gen Granite Rapids is expected to arrive in the latter half of 2024, and Gigabyte's leaked roadmap points to a push into 500 W territories going forward into 2025.

AMD's Zen 5-based Turin server CPUs are expected to ship by the second half of 2024, and power consumption is estimated to hit a maximum of 600 W - representing a 50% increase over the Zen 4-based Genoa family. The 2024 NVIDIA PCIe GPU lineup is likely hitting TDPs of up to 500 W, it is rumored that these enterprise cards will be based on the Blackwell chip architecture - set to succeed current generation H100 "Hopper" PCIe accelerators (featuring 350-450 W TDPs). It is possible that AMD's Instinct-class PCIe accelerator family will become the direct competition, these cards are rated up to 400 W. The AMD Instinct MI250 OAM category has a maximum rating of 560 W. The NVIDIA Grace and Grace Hopper CPU Superchips are said to feature 600 W and 1000 W TDPs (respectively).

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EU Regulators Approve Microsoft's Activision Blizzard Acquisition
Microsoft's $68.7 billion deal to acquire Activision Blizzard has been approved by EU regulators today - rumors emerged late last week that the bloc's executive arm, the European Commission, would give the takeover bid a thumbs up this week, with early indications that May 15 would be the day of declaration. EU antitrust regulators have let the acquisition pass due to commitments/reassurances from Microsoft relating to the cloud gaming sector. This is in sharp contrast to the UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) organization's judgment, who chose to block the deal in late April and have since added restrictions (as of late last week) via a new interim order.

EU antitrust regulators have found that Microsoft "would have no incentive to refuse to distribute Activision's games to Sony" and that "even if Microsoft did decide to withdraw Activision's games from the PlayStation, this would not significantly harm competition in the home gaming console market." But the European Union's competition regulators have found points of concern (much like the UK CMA's further investigations) and reckon that the segment could be disrupted in the area of cloud gaming services - on PC and console platforms. The body has received the promise of several remedies from Microsoft - these matters will be resolved through flexible terms - including a free license to consumers in EU countries that will grant stream access to "any cloud game streaming services of their choice" - with the ownership of Activision Blizzard PC and console titles (current and future). Cloud providers operating within EU markets will also be offered a free license to stream the Acti-Blizz library.
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(PR) Ethernovia, an Automotive Ethernet Startup, Receives $64 Million Investment
Ethernovia, Inc., a Silicon Valley-based startup, today announced that it has completed its A-round financing of $64 million. The funding round consists of multiple investors, including Porsche Automobile Holding SE (Porsche SE), Qualcomm Ventures, VentureTech Alliance, AMD Ventures, Western Digital Capital, Fall Line Capital, Taiwania Capital, ENEA Capital and others.

As vehicle architectures evolve from domain-centric controllers, networking solutions must concurrently evolve to support higher data rates of advanced vehicle applications while meeting demand for improved reliability and security. Such advanced applications include Advanced Driver-Assisted Systems (ADAS), autonomous driving (AD) and a rich ecosystem of customer software delivered Over the Air (OTA).
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(PR) OCCT Celebrates 20 Years of Stability Testing, Shares Thank You Message and Giveaway
2003 : WHEN IT ALL STARTED - OCCT started as a project when I was an exchange student in Oklahoma, USA, back in 2003. Everything began following a conversation on ICQ about verifying overclocking builds sent to a database. This led me to implement the first CPU test of OCCT, and building a GUI around it. Despite being only launched on forums, OCCT was quickly spread through the overclocking community, and climbed in popularity very quickly.

2004 - 2009 : YOU PLAY FOR FUN, I DEV FOR FUN
I returned back to France, living in Lille, then Douai, and I started working as a System administrator. OCCT became a hobby - something I would work on during evenings. Some people were doing raids on World of Warcraft - I was coding and releasing OCCT in my free time. I started pumping more features in OCCT : Linpack, test reports, the 3D standard test... the latter got me into the headlines when it revealed a design flaw in AMD's flagship GPU at the time : Radeon HD4870. This led AMD to issue a response: they called OCCT a "Power virus," as if it was a malicious program. I still hear that today.
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[NextPowerUP]

The UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has set further restrictions on Microsoft and Activision Blizzard, thus preventing the mega corporations "acquiring an interest" in each other. An interim order has been published and uploaded to the United Kingdom government's website, as of last week - stating that these companies would require "prior written consent" from the CMA before the making of any business deals. The order is applicable to their main entities as well as smaller subsidiaries.

It was reported a week ago that Microsoft was lawyering up in preparation for its appeal against the UK ban of the $69 billion acquisition (encompassing Activision, Blizzard Entertainment, and King Digital Entertainment). Rumors emerged just before last weekend that EU regulators had largely approved the merger - with Reuters claiming that the deal had received clearance from the European Commission.

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Apple M3 Pro Chip to Pack Entry-Level Configuration of 12 CPU Cores and 18 GPU Cores on TSMC 3 nm Technology
Thanks to the latest release of the Power On newsletter from Mark Gurman, we have additional information about Apple's upcoming M3 Pro chip. Currently in testing and reported on by an App Store developer, Apple is looking to upgrade the microarchitecture of the forthcoming chip and add additional cores to the system for more performance. As the report notes, the entry-level M3 Pro chip currently in testing will have 12 CPU cores, six for efficiency and six for performance tasks, with 18 graphics cores, all manufactured on TSMC's 3 nm node. The current baseline for M2 Pro is 10 CPU cores, where four are dedicated to efficiency, and six are dedicated to performance. The current generation entry-level M2 Pro also features a 16-core GPU, which is two cores fewer than the upcoming model.

Generally, the M3 Pro chip will boost integrated memory across the board, as the sample spotted in testing shows 36 GB of memory. The M2 Pro offered 32 GB in that memory tier, so a four GB increase is inbound there. Presumably, the 16 GB version (if it exists) and 64 GB version will also get memory bumps by going the M3 Pro route. Of course, we have to wait for more information as these chips become more widely available to developers.

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Bandai Namco Declares 20.5 Million Elden Ring Unit Sales
A recent Bandai Namco investor report has indicated that FromSoftware's hugely popular action action role-player has sold a total of 20.5 million units, which is highly impressive when you consider that the game launched last February. The publisher and developer's preceding Dark Souls series, as a whole, was reported to have sold 27 million copies in total by mid-2020. Bandai Namco states that uptake of its recently released games titles have not met company expectations, but FromSoftware's smash hit seems to be picking up the slack: "Repeat sales of existing titles such as Elden Ring were strong, especially overseas, worldwide sales reaching 20.5 million. New worldwide titles got off to slow starts, but smaller more medium-sized products moved steadily."

The report suggests that interest in Elden Ring is expected to dip: "We expect a pullback in repeat Elden Ring sales, which made a particularly large contribution to this previous year." The Elden Ring twitter account boasted about hitting the 20 million sales mark back in February 2023, so it can be assumed that a mere 500,000 units have been sold in the interim period between then and this month's investor report. Bandai Namco's document states that an Elden Ring DLC/expansion is in the works, but no further details are provided about the content or release time frame.

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Samsung to Detail SF4X Process for High-Performance Chips
Samsung has invested heavily in semiconductor manufacturing technology to provide clients with a viable alternative to TSMC and its portfolio of nodes spanning anything from mobile to high-performance computing (HPC) applications. Today, we have information that Samsung will present its SF4X node to the public in this year's VLSI Symposium. Previously known as a 4HPC node, it is designed as a 4 nm-class node with a specialized use case for HPC processors, in contrast to the standard SF4 (4LPP) node that uses 4 nm transistors designed for low-power standards applicable to mobile/laptop space. According to the VLSI Symposium schedule, Samsung is set to present more info about the paper titled "Highly Reliable/Manufacturable 4nm FinFET Platform Technology (SF4X) for HPC Application with Dual-CPP/HP-HD Standard Cells."

As the brief introduction notes, "In this paper, the most upgraded 4nm (SF4X) ensuring HPC application was successfully demonstrated. Key features are (1) Significant performance +10% boosting with Power -23% reduction via advanced SD stress engineering, Transistor level DTCO (T-DTCO) and [middle-of-line] MOL scheme, (2) New HPC options: Ultra-Low-Vt device (ULVT), high speed SRAM and high Vdd operation guarantee with a newly developed MOL scheme. SF4X enhancement has been proved by a product to bring CPU Vmin reduction -60mV / IDDQ -10% variation reduction together with improved SRAM process margin. Moreover, to secure high Vdd operation, Contact-Gate breakdown voltage is improved by >1V without Performance degradation. This SF4X technology provides a tremendous performance benefits for various applications in a wide operation range." While we have no information on the reference for these claims, we suspect it is likely the regular SF4 node. More performance figures and an in-depth look will be available on Thursday, June 15, at Technology Session 16 at the symposium.

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NVIDIA RTX 4000 Ada Lovelace GPU Roughly Equivalent to GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, Consumes 65% Less Power
The NVIDIA RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation graphics card was released to the public in late April, but very few reviews and benchmarks have emerged since then. Jisaku Hibi, a Japanese hardware site, has published an in-depth evaluation that focuses mostly on gaming performance. The RTX 4000 Ada SFF has been designed as a compact workstation graphics card, but its usage of an AD104 die makes it a sibling of NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 4070 and 4070 Ti gaming-oriented cards. Several PC hardware sites have posited that the 70 W RTX 4000 Ada SFF would "offer GeForce RTX 3070-like performance," but Jisaku Hibi's investigation points to the RTX 3060 Ti being the closest equivalent card (in terms of benchmark results).

According to the TPU GPU database: "NVIDIA has disabled some shading units on the RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation to reach the product's target shader count. It features 6144 shading units, 192 texture mapping units, and 80 ROPs. Also included are 192 tensor cores which help improve the speed of machine learning applications. The card also has 48 ray tracing acceleration cores. NVIDIA has paired 20 GB GDDR6 memory with the RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation, which are connected using a 160-bit memory interface. The GPU is operating at a frequency of 1290 MHz, which can be boosted up to 1565 MHz, memory is running at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective)." The SKU's 70 W TGP and limited memory interface are seen as the card's main weak points, resulting in average clock speeds and a maximum memory bandwidth of only 280 GB/s.
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(PR) Turtle Beach Announces Recon 70 Lavender and Recon 50 in Classic Blue for Nintendo Fans
Leading gaming accessory maker Turtle Beach Corporation (Nasdaq: HEAR) today announced two new colorways are available for the best-selling headset brand's Recon 70 and Recon 50 headsets. The Turtle Beach Recon 70 Lavender joins the esteemed family of affordable wired gaming headsets as the series' latest color option for gamers. The Turtle Beach Recon 50 Red/Blue dawns the classic and unmistakable colors of the Nintendo Switch. Both models feature high-quality 40 mm over-ear speakers and a high-sensitivity microphone for superior game sound and clear chat. They also have a lightweight and comfortable design with leatherette-wrapped cushions that provide added noise-isolation and improved bass response.

The Recon 70 Lavender has a convenient flip-to-mute mic and on-ear volume controls, while the Recon 50 Red/Blue utilizes Turtle Beach's removable boom microphone and in-line volume controls. Both models are multiplatform compatible for gaming across all devices with a wired 3.5 mm connection. Turtle Beach's Recon 70 Lavender and Recon 50 Red/Blue are available now on the Turtle Beach website, and participating retailers for $39.99 MSRP (€39.99 | £34.99) and $24.99 MSRP (€24.99 | £19.99), respectively.
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Samsung Said to Open Chip Development Unit in Japan
In a rather unexpected move, Samsung will reportedly open a chip development facility in Yokohama, Japan. According to the Nikkei, Samsung is readying a 30 billion yen or US$222 million investment near its current R&D institute in Japan. Samsung is hoping to be able to leverage a combination of Japanese and Korean expertise at the site, although exactly what kind of chip development that will take place at the site is currently unknown, beyond it being focused on the back-end processor of chip manufacturing. This generally involves the wafer packaging process or chip stacking, processes that have evolved a lot of the past few years.

The facility is said to be employing hundreds of people once it starts operating sometime in 2025. The Nikkei is also reporting that Samsung is hoping to take advantage of subsidies offered by the Japanese government, which might also be one of the reasons for opening the development unit in Japan. The subsidies are said to be in excess of 10 billion yen. Considering that Japan and Korea aren't on the best terms at the moment, for many reasons and most of them irrelevant to this news post, it's surprising to see Samsung making this move, as although it might be a fairly minor investment for the company, it's doing so on what could only be referred to as hostile soil.

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AMD Ryzen 8000 "Granite Ridge" Zen 5 Processor to Max Out at 16 Cores
AMD's next-generation Ryzen 8000 "Granite Ridge" desktop processor based on the "Zen 5" microarchitecture, will continue to top out at 16-core/32-thread as the maximum CPU core-count possible, says a report by PC Games Hardware. The processor will retain the chiplet design of the current Ryzen 7000 "Raphael" processor, with two 8-core "Zen 5" CCDs, and one I/O die. It's very likely that AMD will reuse the same 6 nm client I/O die (cIOD) as "Raphael," just the way it used the same 12 nm cIOD between Ryzen 3000 "Matisse" and Ryzen 5000 "Vermeer;" but with updates that could enable higher DDR5 memory speeds. Each of the up to two "Eldora" Zen 5 CCDs has 8 CPU cores, with 1 MB of dedicated L2 cache per core, and 32 MB of shared L3 cache. The CCDs are very likely to be built on the TSMC 3 nm EUV silicon fabrication process.

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the PCGH leak would have to be the TDP numbers being mentioned, which continue to show higher-performance SKUs with 170 W TDP, and lower tiers with 65 W TDP. With its CPU core-counts not seeing increases, AMD would bank on not just the generational IPC increase of its "Zen 5" cores, but also max out performance within the power envelope of the new node, by dialing up clock speeds. AMD could ride out 2023 with its Ryzen 7000 "Zen 4" processors on the desktop platform, with "Granite Ridge" slated to enter production only by Q1-2024. The company could update its product stack in the meantime, perhaps even bring the 4 nm "Phoenix" monolithic APU silicon to the Socket AM5 desktop platform. Ryzen 8000 is expected to retain full compatibility with existing Socket AM5, and AMD 600-series chipset motherboards.

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[NextPowerUP]

Raijintek today introduced the Cratos line of premium modular power supplies that meet the ATX 3.0 specification. These are available in a total of six models, three variants based on Wattage—850 W, 1000 W, and 1200 W, and their sub-variants based on body color—black and white. All three Wattage-based variants include one modular 16-pin ATX 12VHPWR connector that's capable of 600 W continuous output. The 850 W model includes three 6+2 pin PCIe power connectors, while the 1000 W and 1200 W ones include four of these. The other connectors common to all models include a 24-pin ATX, two 4+4 pin EPS, eight SATA power connectors, three 4-pin Molex, and a Berg (FDD).

Under the hood, the Raijintek Cratos series PSUs feature a single +12 V rail design with 80 Plus Gold and Cybenetics Silver (230 V) switching efficiency, an all-Japanese capacitor design, DC-to-DC switching, and most common electrical protection mechanisms, including against over/under-voltage, overload, short-circuit, and overheat. All modular cables included are flat, ribbon-type. All three models feature a compact design, with a depth of just 140 mm. A 120 mm fluid-dynamic bearing fan is used to keep cool, which is programmed to stay completely off until a certain load level. The PSU meets Cybenetics Acoustic A- rating. The company didn't reveal pricing. Raijintek is backing these with a 5-year warranty.

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Oppo Closes Chip Design Unit Zeku
Following the news that Oppo is likely to pull out of the French market, it now appears that the company has closed its chip design unit named Zeku. According to the South China Morning Post, workers at Zeku got less than a day's notice that the company was shutting down, which was on Thursday last week. Employees weren't even allowed back into the office to collect their personal belongings. As recent as two weeks ago, Zeku was still looking for new hires, which makes the abrupt closure even more peculiar, especially as Zeku is said to have employed upwards of 3,000 people.

Considering that Oppo is ranked as the fourth largest smartphone maker in terms of globally shipped units in Q1, the way the company has handled the closure of its chip design unit reeks of desperation. It should be noted that Zeku wasn't designing chips to power Oppo's phones, but presumably Zeku was behind the MariSilicon X, which was Oppo's own imaging co-processor. In all fairness, Oppo is far from the only company to have closed down business units this year, but the company is also said to be suffering in terms of shipments of smartphones, as the company saw a drop of 22 percent in shipments last year, to 103 million units. This appears to be part of the reason behind the shutdown of Zeku, but Oppo hasn't provided much in terms of details behind the closure.

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(PR) HyperX Announces Third HX3D Personalized Keycap in Collaboration with Valkyrae
HyperX, the gaming peripherals team at HP Inc. and brand leader in gaming and esports, today announced the HyperX x Valkyrae Limited Edition Keycap - Mika the Shiba will be available starting Friday, May 19. As the third HX3D personalized keycap drop, the HyperX x Valkyrae Limited Edition Keycap features a unique and adorable design inspired by Valkyrae's furry friend Mika. As a must-have for gamers and fans of Valkyrae and Shiba Inu dogs alike, this personalized keycap demonstrates HyperX's continued commitment to innovation and collaboration within the gaming community.

As the inspiration behind the HyperX x Valkyrae Limited Edition Keycap, Mika the Shiba Inu is now a fun keyboard accent or collectable and forever keepsake. Involved in every step of the design process and showcasing her personal touch, Valkyrae worked closely with the HyperX team to create the keycap to be included in the HyperX HX3D collection. The keycap features Mika holding a dagger in his mouth symbolizing Valkyrae's love for swords and a red collar - a nod to 100 Thieves.
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Kioxia and Western Digital Merger Talks Said to be Picking Up Pace
Due to the current lack of demand for NAND flash, the merger talks between Kioxia and Western Digital have picked up pace once again. The two companies have been at it since 2021 and it was reported back in January that the two companies once again wanted to try and combine their NAND production business. According to Reuters, the two have been pushed into the meeting room once again, largely due to the two NAND giants wanting to cut costs in a market where demand for their products isn't what it once was.

Kioxia and Western Digital are the second and fourth largest manufacturers of NAND flash, although all the memory is made in Kioxia's facilities. A merger of the two would create a company that is said to be owned at 43 percent by Kioxia and 37 percent by Western Digital, with current shareholders of the two companies getting the remaining 20 percent. However, a potential merger isn't without hurdles, as it's likely to be scrutinised by both the US and the PRC due to potential antitrust issues, with the combined company owning a third of the global NAND flash market. Kioxia has even shelved plans for a public offering, due to the sluggish demand for NAND flash. Time will tell if the two can come to an agreement, but it doesn't look like the best of times for a merger either.

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