TechPowerUP NEWS

[NextPowerUP]

During a recent earnings call, Co-CEO of CD Projekt Red (CDPR) Michal Nowakowski confirmed that thanks to the success of the Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, the development team will be looking at further animation projects.
"[The developer is] definitely planning to do more in terms of animation," says Nowakowski (on Gizmodo). "Expect to see more for sure, but that's as far as I can go right now."

Considering the fact that upcoming projects, The Witcher 4 (given the codename "Polaris") and Cyberpunk 2 (given the codename "Orion") are massive projects which would definitely take a lot of resources and focus, it will probably take a while to finish the animated series. But then again, considering the fact that CDPR will likely play a supervisory role for any project undertaken, a new animated series might not take a huge amount of time.
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[NextPowerUP]

Perhaps you recently tried booting up the mobile versions of the Resident Evil 4, 7 and Village and discovered something surprising, you needed an internet connection. Simply put, you're not the only one. The reason why it was probably surprising is that it's really rare for single player games to require internet connection. If we're talking about mobile games in general, then it would be very common for an internet connection to be required, but not for a single player game like Resident Evil.

After Capcom's recent update to the Resident Evil 4, 7, and village on IOS, Capcom dropped an update note for each of the games, stating: "Due to changes to the startup process, an internet connection is now required when starting this app." Now, this is somewhat strange considering the fact that it would be odd for Resident Evil, being a single player game, would need the internet connection for data collection or DRM checks, as some suggest on Reddit. And would be strange because, there are lots of mobile games like Resident Evil in mobile game stores, and they don't require being connected to the internet like Resident Evil.
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[NextPowerUP]

As AI workloads continue to evolve and expand, memory bandwidth and capacity are increasingly critical for system performance. The latest GPUs in the industry need the highest performance high bandwidth memory (HBM), significant memory capacity, as well as improved power efficiency. Micron is at the forefront of memory innovation to meet these needs and is now shipping production-capable HBM3E 12-high to key industry partners for qualification across the AI ecosystem.

Micron's industry-leading HBM3E 12-high 36 GB delivers significantly lower power consumption than our competitors' 8-high 24 GB offerings, despite having 50% more DRAM capacity in the package
Micron HBM3E 12-high boasts an impressive 36 GB capacity, a 50% increase over current HBM3E 8-high offerings, allowing larger AI models like Llama 2 with 70 billion parameters to run on a single processor. This capacity increase allows faster time to insight by avoiding CPU offload and GPU-GPU communication delays. Micron HBM3E 12-high 36 GB delivers significantly lower power consumption than the competitors' HBM3E 8-high 24 GB solutions. Micron HBM3E 12-high 36 GB offers more than 1.2 terabytes per second (TB/s) of memory bandwidth at a pin speed greater than 9.2 gigabits per second (Gb/s). These combined advantages of Micron HBM3E offer maximum throughput with the lowest power consumption can ensure optimal outcomes for power-hungry data centers. Additionally, Micron HBM3E 12-high incorporates fully programmable MBIST that can run system representative traffic at full spec speed, providing improved test coverage for expedited validation and enabling faster time to market and enhancing system reliability.
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[NextPowerUP]

With German retailer Mindfactory.de listing the Ryzen 5 7600X3D, European hardware reviewers are beginning to put the chip through its paces on their Socket AM5 test beds still warm from last month's Ryzen 9000 "Zen 5" launch coverage. PCGH is among the first such reviewers, and has an interesting set of findings. The biggest question everyone is looking to be answered is "how does it game?" and here PCGH has some good news. The processor is very fast at gaming, and in fact beats the 8-core Ryzen 7 9700X "Zen 5" chip in gaming benchmarks, ending up 6% faster than when averaged across the games in PCGH's test suite. It's also about 9% slower than the Ryzen 7 7800X3D, which remains the reigning champion.

Being faster than the 9700X also means that the Ryzen 5 7600X3D is faster than every other Ryzen 9000 series processor launched till date, including the flagship Ryzen 9 9950X. The 7600X3D is a whopping 11% faster than the 9950X at gaming. When compared to Intel contemporaries, the 7600X3D ends up about 1% slower than the Core i5-13600K, and 2% slower than the newer i5-14600K. These were the two chips the 7600X3D was sent to beat at gaming, so crowds are drawn to the Ryzen 5 series, and the chip ends up falling a touch short. A lot will depend on whether AMD gives the 7600X3D a wider launch, and what its street price ends up being. Find the complete PCGH review of the Ryzen 5 7600X3D in the source link below.

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[NextPowerUP]

Toshiba today introduced the updated N300 series 3.5-inch internal SATA hard drives targeting NAS applications. These drives come with new product branding the company introduced with its recent S300 series HDDs for surveillance/NVR applications. The drives come in capacities of 2 TB, 4 TB, 6 TB, 8 TB, 10 TB, 12 TB, 14 TB, 16 TB, 18 TB, 20 TB, and 22 TB, with the higher capacity models—12 TB and above—being helium-filled, to reduce power/noise characteristics. All models in the series come with CMR (conventional magnetic recording), which ensures predictable write and rewrite performance. The drives come with 7,200 RPM spindle-speed, and depending on the capacity variant, between 64 MB to 512 MB of write cache. The drives come with SATA 6 Gbps host interface, and offer sequential transfer speeds of up to 281 MB/s reads, with up to 268 MB/s writes, with an MTBF rated between 1-1.2 million hours.

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[NextPowerUP]

The world's leading brand for memory modules and flash memory - ADATA Technology's gaming brand, XPG, a fast-growing provider of systems, components, and peripherals for Gamers, Esports Pros, and Tech Enthusiasts announced today the launch of the LANCER NEON RGB DDR5 gaming memory module. LANCER NEON RGB adopts an exclusive heat dissipating PCB coating to greatly increase heat dissipation area, improve heat dissipation efficiency, and mitigate memory heat generation when running at high clock speeds. Enjoy extreme overclocking while maintaining high performance and never compromise on speed.

At the same time, LANCER NEON RGB boasts an RGB illuminated area of 60% and employs environmentally friendly processes inside and out, including a heatsink made from PCR (post-consumer recycled) plastic, IMR (In-Mold Roller) transfer technology, and FSC certified packaging. An outer box made from sustainable paper paired with an environmentally friendly PCR plastic inner tray fully embraces the ideals of environmental protection and carbon reduction.
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[NextPowerUP]

Details have emerged about Intel's upcoming "Panther Lake" processors, set to be the third generation of Core Ultra mobile chips. Called the Core Ultra 300 series, these CPUs are expected to succeed "Lunar Lake". According to recent leaks, Panther Lake-H will be manufactured using Intel's cutting-edge 18A process node. The chips are said to feature a combination of Cougar Cove P-Cores, Skymont E-Cores, and Xe3 (Celestial) integrated graphics. This architecture builds upon Intel's hybrid core design, refining it for even better performance on mobile devices. The leaked information suggests a range of configurations for Panther Lake-H, the high-perfomance variant of the lineup. These include models with varying core counts and power envelopes, from efficient 25 W parts to more interesting 45 W options. Notably, some SKUs reportedly feature up to 18 cores in total, combining P-cores, E-cores, and LP E-cores in a five-tile package. This is an increase from previously believed 16 cores.
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[NextPowerUP]

AMD Ryzen 5 7600X3D Socket AM5 desktop processor isn't a MicroCenter USA-exclusive anymore, with the chip now being available across the pond in Germany. Major German retailer Mindfactory.de has the processor listed at €329 (including taxes). This puts its pricing €60 less than that of the popular Ryzen 7 7800X3D (going for €390 on the site). Unlike the MicroCenter deal, the Mindfactory listing is standalone—you get the processor in a retail PIB package, and not part of a bundle. To sweeten things, you also get an AMD-branded T-shirt.

The 6-core/12-thead processor is based on the older "Zen 4" microarchitecture, but supercharged with 3D V-cache technology, which gives it 96 MB of last-level cache that is known to have a significant impact on gaming performance. The 7600X3D comes with a 4.10 GHz base frequency, and 4.70 GHz maximum turbo frequency. The retail PIB box resembles that of the 7800X3D, but with the Ryzen 5 brand extension. There's no cooling solution included in the box, but the cooling requirements of this processor aren't steep, with its TDP being rated at just 65 W.

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[NextPowerUP]

A Microsoft spokesperson confirmed that the delay of Black Myth Wukong on Xbox is not due to the platform's technological limitations but something else entirely. Black Myth: Wukong is a widely known game, reaching a large amount of sales within few months after launch. This well known Black Myth: Wukong, is available for PC and PlayStation 5 players, however one direct competitor is missing. Microsoft's representatives reiterate that Black Myth: Wukong would launch on Xbox soon, but the delay is not due to technological limitations but a case of timed exclusivity by a direct rival, Sony PlayStation.

This claim by the Microsoft representative may be true, after all, before the current generations, Microsoft boasted that their Xbox Series X would be the most powerful household console till date, that surpasses the performance of direct rivals. So that alone may clear the doubts about delay of the game due to platform limitations. Another reason to believe it is because, this isn't the first time we've heard that Sony signed a timed exclusivity contract with devs of a highly potential game title. To avoid competition with direct competitors and just watch the show from the front seat, it's possible that Sony may have done the same again. But then again, it could also be that the developers found out about the technological gaps between the two platforms and decided to hold back the game for a few optimizations before launch. And what the representatives are saying, is just a way to divert the attention from the platform's limitations.
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[NextPowerUP]

OpenSIL is an open-source CPU initialization framework project that seeks to replace on-chip initialization microcode, such as AGESA, across both client- and server processors. AMD looks to implement OpenSIL as it makes its AMD EPYC processors more friendly to large customers that want to take control of this aspect of the processor. Since its open-sourcing in June 2023, AMD has come up with reference motherboards implementing OpenSIL, as well as modifying a Supermicro server motherboard to the architecture, to demo at conferences. AMD firmware engineer Paul Grimes presented the company's progress with implementing OpenSIL, at the OSFC conference, in Germany. It's been known that AMD is targeting a 2025-26 timeline for OpenSIL to hit product, but AMD put out specifics, such as its next-generation "Venice" server processor supporting OpenSIL.

"Venice" is codename for an AMD EPYC server processor generation succeeding "Turin." It is built on the future "Zen 6" microarchitecture, and AMD could at least unveil the processor some time in 2025, if not mass-produce it. late-2024 thru 2025 could see the company ramp up "Turin" and other server processors implementing "Zen 5." That's not all, AMD plans to being OpenSIL even to client processors, with the generation of Ryzen processors based on "Zen 6." This will see the AGESA microcode replaced by a first-party firmware from AMD based on OpenSIL, which PC OEMs will be able to customize. The biggest impact of this change will be felt in the commercial notebook and commercial desktop segments, where large organizations can take greater control over the chip initialization firmware.
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[NextPowerUP]

Rambus Inc., a premier chip and silicon IP provider making data faster and safer, today announced the industry's first HBM4 Memory Controller IP, extending its market leadership in HBM IP with broad ecosystem support. This new solution supports the advanced feature set of HBM4 devices, and will enable designers to address the demanding memory bandwidth requirements of next-generation AI accelerators and graphics processing units (GPUs).

"With Large Language Models (LLMs) now exceeding a trillion parameters and continuing to grow, overcoming bottlenecks in memory bandwidth and capacity is mission-critical to meeting the real-time performance requirements of AI training and inference," said Neeraj Paliwal, SVP and general manager of Silicon IP, at Rambus. "As the leading silicon IP provider for AI 2.0, we are bringing the industry's first HBM4 Controller IP solution to the market to help our customers unlock breakthrough performance in their state-of-the-art processors and accelerators."
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[NextPowerUP]

Apple today announced a groundbreaking new lineup of AirPods models and features. The new AirPods 4 are the most advanced and comfortable headphones Apple has ever created with an open-ear design, and today, customers can choose between two distinct models: AirPods 4 and AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation (ANC). AirPods Max now come in midnight, starlight, blue, purple, and orange, and offer USB-C charging for more convenience. This fall, AirPods Pro 2 will introduce the world's first end-to-end hearing health experience, delivering active Hearing Protection, a scientifically validated Hearing Test, and a clinical-grade Hearing Aid feature.

AirPods 4 and AirPods Max will be available to pre-order starting today, with availability in stores beginning Friday, September 20. New hearing health features will be available this fall for AirPods Pro 2 users in more than 100 countries and regions.
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[NextPowerUP]

Block ads on your devices with this intuitive app offering data privacy and malware protection. AdGuard's Family Plan is now $18.97 (reg. $79), and you can save extra with code ADGUARD. If you're watching a Twitch livestream, YouTube how-to video, or simply scrolling through Wirecutter, you've likely encountered one very annoying thing: ads. Ads and other pop-ups are incredibly pesky, getting in the way of our content and putting a dent in our online experience.

Tired of wasting time clicking out of ads? You can banish ads for good, all while protecting your devices and information, with the AdGuard Family Plan. Secure up to nine devices with AdGuard's comprehensive data privacy tools, now on sale for $18.97 (reg. $79). Use code ADGUARD to save extra. AdGuard is designed to block all types of advertisements, whether they're distracting banners, intrusive pop-ups, or irritating video ads. You can also create filters to customize your experience on different platforms and manually block any missed ads.

Never see an ad again when you get lifetime access to AdGuard's Family Plan for just $18.97. Use code ADGUARD to save an additional $2!
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[NextPowerUP]

Apple today announced iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus, built for Apple Intelligence, the easy-to-use personal intelligence system that understands personal context to deliver intelligence that is helpful and relevant while protecting user privacy. The iPhone 16 lineup also introduces Camera Control, which brings new ways to capture memories, and will help users quickly access visual intelligence to learn about objects or places around them faster than ever before. The powerful camera system features a 48MP Fusion camera with a 2x Telephoto option, giving users two cameras in one, while a new Ultra Wide camera enables macro photography. Next-generation Photographic Styles help users personalize their images, and spatial photo and video capture allows users to relive life's precious memories with remarkable depth on Apple Vision Pro. The new A18 chip delivers a huge leap in performance and efficiency, enabling demanding AAA games, as well as a big boost in battery life.

iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus will be available in five bold colors: black, white, pink, teal, and ultramarine. Pre-orders begin Friday, September 13, with availability beginning Friday, September 20.
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[NextPowerUP]

Apple today introduced iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max, featuring Apple Intelligence, larger display sizes, new creative capabilities with innovative pro camera features, stunning graphics for immersive gaming, and more—all powered by the A18 Pro chip. With Apple Intelligence, powerful Apple-built generative models come to iPhone in the easy-to-use personal intelligence system that understands personal context to deliver intelligence that is helpful and relevant while protecting user privacy. Camera Control unlocks a fast, intuitive way to tap into visual intelligence and easily interact with the advanced camera system. Featuring a new 48MP Fusion camera with a faster quad-pixel sensor that enables 4K120 FPS video recording in Dolby Vision, these new Pro models achieve the highest resolution and frame-rate combination ever available on iPhone. Additional advancements include a new 48MP Ultra Wide camera for higher-resolution photography, including macro; a 5x Telephoto camera on both Pro models; and studio-quality mics to record more true-to-life audio. The durable titanium design is strong yet lightweight, with larger display sizes, the thinnest borders on any Apple product, and a huge leap in battery life—with iPhone 16 Pro Max offering the best battery life on iPhone ever.

iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max will be available in four stunning finishes: black titanium, natural titanium, white titanium, and desert titanium. Pre-orders begin Friday, September 13, with availability beginning Friday, September 20.
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