TechPowerUP NEWS

[NextPowerUP]

This month brings a variety of exciting updates across our gaming platforms, including easy and convenient purchasing within the Xbox app on mobile, the ability to stream your own game on Xbox consoles, recommended ways to free up storage space, and more. Read on below for more information on these features and others coming soon to your favorite devices.

Xbox App on Mobile
Buy games, Join Game Pass, and Redeem Perks Directly from the Xbox app. We're excited to announce that one of the most requested features from the Xbox community is coming to the Xbox app. Players will soon be able to buy games and add-on content, join Game Pass, and redeem Perks directly from the Xbox app on mobile. Be ready to play on day one by pre-ordering games like Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4 and then set it to pre-install on Xbox consoles from the app. Buy games like Assassin's Creed Shadows and MLB The Show 25. Players will also be able to join Game Pass directly from the Xbox app. Ultimate members can redeem Perks like the Sea of Thieves Seventh Serving Emote directly from the app. This experience will start to roll out to beta users on iOS and Android and will be available soon for everyone on the Google Play Store on Android devices and the Apple Store. If players already have a saved form of payment, the Xbox app will display a Buy button on game detail pages, allowing them to purchase games and add-on content with just two clicks.
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GIGABYTE's GeForce RTX 5060 Ti EAGLE OC graphics card model was officially unveiled on Tuesday (April 15). Two days later, the manufacturer's PR team disclosed extra in-depth details—a hype-up section stated: "(our) EAGLE series features a design inspired by the fusion of aerospace battleships and sci-fi elements, making it a preferred choice for sci-fi enthusiasts and younger users...These graphics cards are more than just components—they become battleships within the system, enhancing the overall aesthetic and immersive experience.⁠" Yesterday's press release did not delve into under-the-hood information, but reviewers have discovered that GIGABYTE's engineering department has bunged an extra short PCB design into the new-gen EAGLE's dual-fan enclosure.

Germany's HardwareLuxx received samples for evaluation purposes—directly from three brands: the aforementioned GeForce RTX 5060 Ti EAGLE OC 16 GB SKU, as well as MSI's GAMING TRIO model, and PALIT's Infinity 3 card. The site's editor—Andreas Schilling—was enchanted by the EAGLE's diminutive setup; both externally and internally. As explained at the beginning of HardwareLuxx's review, a main highlight is the brand-new product's size: "at 215 mm, the card is particularly short. Also striking is the 8-pin connector located directly behind the slot cover—an unusual position for the additional power supply. Equally striking is the short PCI Express connector. Since the GeForce RTX 5060 Ti features a PCI Express interface with eight lanes, Gigabyte eliminates the need for a longer PCB and shortens the connector accordingly." GIGABYTE has likely deployed its dinky PCB layout in new WINDFORCE (standard and overclocked) options. VideoCardz believes that the shorter design is reserved for dual-fan cards. By rule of thumb, triple-fan cooled cards are available with the regular length board and connector. Even GIGABYTE's upcoming GeForce RTX 5060 OC Low Profile 8G (182 mm) model sticks with a "full-sized" PCIe interface.

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[NextPowerUP]

Today, NVIDIA made its tech demo Zorah, A New Era of Rendering, available as a free 108 GB download. Built for Unreal Engine 5, Zorah shows off the sheer power of the new Blackwell architecture, led by the GeForce RTX 5090 and its neural rendering capabilities. After debuting the first version at CES 2025 and refining it at GDC, the company has now opened the doors for anyone with a fast connection and enough storage to explore it firsthand. Downloading the project takes about 15 minutes on a Gigabit link, after which you can fire up Unreal Engine 5 (available from the Epic Games Store) and dive straight into the demo. Once it's running, you'll find yourself in a scene built from nearly 500 million triangles, more than 30,000 materials, over 2,000 particle lights, and 1,500 textures. All of that horsepower would grind any GPU to a halt without NVIDIA's suite of neural tricks.

At the core of Zorah's performance are features like DLSS 4 with frame generation, a Transformer‑based AI model, and the full set of RTX Neural Shaders. These small neural networks run right inside the shaders, creating textures, materials, lighting volumes, and even hair detail in real time. Supporting tools such as RTX Texture Filter, Neural Material networks, Neural Texture Compression, Character Rendering, Neural Faces, Neural Hair, and Mega Geometry help round out the package, delivering visuals that look every bit as rich as big‑budget CGI. That level of efficiency shows how neural rendering can boost image quality and interactivity without hogging resources. NVIDIA hopes developers will experiment with these new tools and push game graphics into what the company calls a new era. If you have a modern RTX 5090 rig and a bit of patience, you can see that future for yourself. Click here to start the 108 GB download.
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[NextPowerUP]

The game is out now! Hello everyone! It's hard to believe, but the game is now available on Steam Early Access! After two years of hard work, me and my team are incredibly excited for all of you to finally give this game a try. We poured our hearts and souls into this project, and I can confidently say that this is the best and most ambitious game I've ever produced in 13 years of my game development journey!

But this is just the first step for the long road of Early Access for Gedonia 2. We will constantly improve our game based on your feedback and suggestions, and will try to fully realize our ambitious vision. Right now the game is in fairly solid state, based on our internal testing, but there still might be some bugs and issues in there, especially with multiplayer, which could produce some disconnects and other bugs. We will try to find and fix all of them in the next weeks post launch. Thank you all for your support over these years, and please, leave your feedback, we will read all of it!
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Apple is reportedly working on two different new-gen Vision mixed reality headset models. As covered on TechPowerUp's news section earlier on in the week, one rumored "more budget-friendly" option could be a lightweight product. Yesterday, Kosutami (@Kosutami_Ito) posited that Apple engineers have realized a thinner design. According to inside information, weight reduction has been achieved through the fitting of select titanium parts—Kosutami highlighted the lighter Vision package's connectors and battery as potential candidates. Industry watchdogs reckon that the rest of this rumored design will rely on (largely) aluminium and plastic pieces. The tipster also teased a "graphite dark blue" colorway; harkening back to iPhone 5's Slate Black aesthetic. A theorized "Vision Air" label has emerged from Kosutami's recent social media post.

Historically, Apple's Air notebook models have consistently launched as lighter/cheaper alternatives to MacBook Pro offerings. Mac specialist and general PC hardware news sites have picked up on additional Kosutami bulletins, going back to late last week. Photos of a speculated "Vision Air" power cable were shared online, last weekend. An initial upload showcased an anodized aluminium "Lightning-style" connector "finished in Apple's distinctive Midnight Blue/Black" colorway. MacRumors inspected a newer set of images, and explained: "the (original) Vision Pro uses a similar connector, except with twelve pins instead of eight, suggesting that the new cable is part of a more significant redesign, at least of the external battery. The audio strap connector appears to be the same design as that of the Vision Pro."

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[NextPowerUP]

Welcome—or welcome back—to Days Gone, Bend Studio's sprawling open-world adventure-survival epic. In this PlayStation 5/PC remaster launching April 25, you'll once again be able to enjoy Deacon St. John's journey across the gorgeous natural beauty of the Oregon wilderness-provided you can deal with the mind-boggling amount of mutant Freaker monstrosities that want to shred you into tiny little chunks. We reached out to Kevin McAllister, Creative and Product Lead at Bend Studio, for some additional details about the anticipated remaster, including its notable new additions. So grab your survival gear, gas up your bike, and read on to hear about how Days Gone is better than ever on the PlayStation 5 (and PC).

Back in the days
We first asked how Bend Studio feels about revisiting their flagship game: "Days Gone is a special game for us," says McAllister. "It's a special game to our players, too. We got the opportunity to remaster a game that we released originally on the PS4 in 2019 and ported to the PC in 2021. Six years after the original, technology has improved-we have the power of the PS5 now. There was a lot more we could do to showcase the game's potential." We then asked about how the PlayStation 5's capabilities are enhancing the Days Gone experience. "The graphical improvements we've made-you'll see the difference," McAllister explains. "There's increased lighting, increased shadow quality, increased fog depth. For example, nighttime is now darker; the moon is more natural-looking. The blue sky is more natural, too-Days Gone is a very realistic-looking game. And we've taken that to a new level with the PS5." Sounds like a great fit for the remaster's new-and-improved Photo Mode, with more lighting options and instant day-and-night switches for beautiful environmental photography.
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[NextPowerUP]

Bethesda Studios has confirmed that it will officially reveal its long‑rumored remaster of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion in a live stream set for April 22. The event begins at 8:00 a.m. PT (11:00 a.m. ET, 4:00 p.m. BST) and will be available to watch on both YouTube and Twitch. The teaser image shows a close‑up of a battle‑worn eye alongside the Roman numeral IV, with the simple tagline "All will be revealed." Fans have already started marking their calendars in anticipation of what promises to be a significant announcement. This confirmation arrives after a plethora of leaks over the past week. Community members uncovered a hidden backend link to an official Oblivion remaster website, and images allegedly supplied by Virtuos Studio compared the original 2006 game to an impressive modernized version. And now these rumors are true, with Bethesda posting a teaser on X.

Bethesda has rebuilt Oblivion using Unreal Engine 5, bringing enhanced textures, fully redone lighting, and potentially new environmental effects. Rumors also suggest that the combat system may see updates inspired by Souls‑style blocking, while stealth, archery, and stamina management could receive fresh tuning to meet today's standards. Speculation continues that Bethesda might "shadow drop" the remaster on the same day it is revealed, allowing players to purchase or download it immediately. Reports indicate the game will launch on PC, Xbox Series X|S, and PlayStation 5, mirroring the modern platforms of the original's 2006 debut on Xbox 360 and Windows, with a PlayStation 3 port arriving in 2007. There is no word yet on a Nintendo Switch 2 edition, but as an Xbox first‑party title, the remaster will almost certainly be available on Xbox Game Pass from day one, granting subscribers instant access.

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[NextPowerUP]

Today, Chinese PC maker FEVM introduced the FA‑EX9 mini PC, powered by AMD's new Ryzen AI MAX+ 395 "Strix Halo" processor. This compact system measures just 192 × 190 × 55 mm (2 L volume) and packs 16 Zen 5 CPU cores alongside 40 RDNA 3.5 compute units (Radeon 8060S) and a dedicated XDNA 2 neural engine capable of 50 TOPS. FEVM configures the MAX+ 395 to run at up to 120 W sustained power, putting it in the same performance class as a Ryzen 9 9955HX paired with an RTX 4070 Laptop GPU. Memory comes as 128 GB of LPDDR5X on a 256‑bit bus, with up to 96 GB usable as video memory for large‑model inference. Storage is handled by dual M.2 PCIe 4.0 SSD slots, supporting up to 2 TB onboard and up to 16 TB total. The FA‑EX9 offers one HDMI 2.1 port, one DisplayPort 1.4, two USB4 Type‑C connectors for up to four 8K displays, and an OCuLink port for external GPU expansion. Inspiration for this mini PC seems to be NVIDIA's DGX Spark, which is Team Green's custom solution for local AI processing in an incredibly compact housing.

In comparison, NVIDIA's DGX Spark brings the GB10 Grace Blackwell superchip to a palm‑sized AI appliance. It combines a 20‑core Arm CPU cluster with a Blackwell GPU featuring next‑gen Tensor and RT cores, delivering up to 1,000 FP4 AI TOPS. The DGX Spark is built around 128 GB of unified LPDDR5X memory at 273 GB/s, up to 4 TB of self‑encrypting NVMe storage, four USB4 ports, one HDMI output, and a ConnectX‑7 SmartNIC providing 200 GbE networking for multi‑node clusters. Its chassis measures 150 × 150 × 50.5 mm (1.24 L volume) and draws approximately 170 W under load, with pricing starting at $2,999 for a 1 TB model or $3,999 for the 4 TB Founder's Edition, now available for preorder. While the FA‑EX9 balances general‑purpose computing, flexible GPU expansion, and high‑speed I/O for edge AI and creative professionals, the DGX Spark focuses on out‑of‑the‑box AI throughput and scale‑out clustering. The FA-EX9 is more of a general-purpose Swiss army knife, which can be used for anything from AI to gaming. Release date and pricing are still unknown.

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[NextPowerUP]

Thermaltake expands the entry-level range of CPU air coolers with the new UX400 series, which includes three models: ARGB Sync White, ARGB Sync Black, and matte black. Using a single-tower design, they measure 125 mm × 92 mm × 152 mm and are equipped with four Ø6 mm U-shaped copper direct-contact heat pipes. The Thermaltake UX400 series sports a 120 mm fan with PWM speeds of 700-1800 RPM, providing an airflow of 62.72 CFM, a static pressure of 1.47 mm-H2O, and a noise level of 25.0 dBA. The fan of the UX400 ARGB Sync features 9 addressable LEDs that can be customized via 5 V motherboard sync software from ASUS, MSI, GIGABYTE, BIOSTAR, and ASRock.

With a cooling capacity of 240 W TDP, the UX400 comes with universal brackets for Intel and AMD CPUs, including the latest LGA1851 and AM5 CPU sockets. It looks very similar to the UX200 SE series launched in 2023, with the main differences being in the heatpipes areas (for better clearance) and the updated 120 mm fan. Regarding price, the Thermaltake UX400 ARGB Sync (Black, CL-P142-AL12SW-A / White, CL-P143-AL12SW-A) are listed on the Thermaltake's Taiwan website for NT$790.00 (approximately $24), and the UX400 (Matte Black, CL-P149-AL12BL-A) for NT$690.00 (roughly $21).

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[NextPowerUP]

LincPlus, a technology-driven brand committed to innovation, quality, and intelligent design, is excited to announce its participation in the 2025 Hong Kong Electronics Fair (Autumn Edition). Taking place from October 13-16, 2025, at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC), the event is one of Asia's largest and most influential electronics trade fairs, bringing together global tech leaders and forward-thinking brands.

At this year's exhibition, LincPlus will be presenting its latest lineup of smart NAS (Network Attached Storage) and tablet products—the two core pillars of its consumer and prosumer technology offerings. Visitors will get an exclusive preview of new releases, engage with live demos, and explore the brand's vision of smarter, simpler, and more stylish technology.
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[NextPowerUP]

G.SKILL International Enterprise Co., Ltd., the world's leading brand of performance overclock memory and PC components, is thrilled to unveil DDR5 memory with an ultra-high kit capacity of 256 GB (64 GB x4), overclocked to DDR5-6000 CL32. Built with high-performance SK hynix DDR5 ICs, this overclock memory speed and timing pushes the boundaries of memory overclocking by fully loading 4 modules of high-capacity DDR5 64 GB U-DIMM modules on a single system; marking a new milestone for high-performance computing, content creation, AI applications, and advanced workstation workloads.

Overclocked, Ultra-Capacity 256 GB (64 GB x4) at DDR5-6000 CL32 In content creation and recent advancements in AI, the need for higher DRAM capacity is essential. Whether calculating large language models or working with complex or high-resolution video content, high-speed memory of high-density 64 GB modules would help to provide a smoother and more efficient workflow. Loaded with AMD EXPO memory overclock profiles, see the DDR5-6000 CL32 256 GB (64 GB x4) kit being stress-tested in the screenshots below on the ASUS ROG CROSSHAIR X870E HERO motherboard with the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D desktop processor, as well as on the MSI MPG X870E CARBON WIFI motherboard with the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X desktop processor.
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[NextPowerUP]

ASUS Republic of Gamers today announced the ROG Crosshair X870E Extreme and ROG Crosshair X870E Apex, which join the previously-released ROG Crosshair X870E Hero to triple the number of premium ASUS motherboard options for high-end AMD Ryzen systems. Equipped with premium components, heavy-duty power solutions, and offering next-level connectivity options, these motherboards cater to those who dare to build a PC that shatters boundaries. ASUS AI Advisor, available within the ASUS DriverHub app, can help users learn all about this new hardware and get performance tips.

ROG Crosshair X870E Extreme
The ROG Crosshair X870E Extreme carries forward the AMD Ryzen 9000 Series of ROG motherboards with a no-holds-barred feature set and an all-new design that exudes luxury. Its massive power solution unleashes the full potential of new CPUs. 20+2+2 power stages effortlessly slake the thirst of the top-end AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D, even when firing on all cylinders. Thick-and-tall VRM heatsinks keep the power circuitry operating comfortably, while 8+8 ProCool II power connectors with solid pins give the CPU a direct line to the power supply.
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Huawei recently revealed that its CloudMatrix 384 AI super node cluster can outperform NVIDIA's GB200 NVL72 in standard benchmarks, even though it consumes more power per performance unit. That system relies on Huawei's current Ascend 910C accelerators, which deliver strong raw compute performance but lag behind in efficiency metrics. To address this gap, Huawei is preparing the Ascend 920 family, with the training‑focused Ascend 920C built on SMIC's 6 nm process. According to DigiTimes, each 920C card will deliver more than 900 TeraFLOPS of BF16 half-precision performance. It also upgrades memory to HBM3 modules, providing 4,000 GB/s of bandwidth, which is up from the Ascend 910C's eight HBM2E stacks and 3,200 GB/s.

The existing Ascend 910C peaks at 780 TeraFLOPS in BF16 operations and uses a chip‑to‑chip interconnect bandwidth of 400 GB/s. Its packaging limits that bandwidth, but it still supports high‑speed communication between nodes in ultra‑dense AI clusters. Huawei will retain the chiplet‑based design in the 920C and refine the tensor acceleration engines for Transformer and Mixture‑of‑Experts models. Internal projections estimate that overall training efficiency on the 920C will improve by 30-40 percent compared to the 910C. This should narrow the performance‑per‑watt difference against competitors' solutions. In terms of system integration, the Ascend 920C will support PCIe 5.0 and next‑generation high‑throughput interconnect protocols. These features aim to improve resource scheduling and reduce latency in super node deployments, where tight node‑to‑node synchronization is critical. Huawei has not announced a firm release date for the Ascend 920C, but DigiTimes sources claim that it will enter mass production in the second half of 2025, which could mean just a few months from now.

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[NextPowerUP]

A recent job listing at Intel for a memory sub-system validation engineer—a person that tests and validates memory with new types with prototype silicon, suggests that Intel is implementing the contemporary GDDR7 memory standard with an upcoming GPU. The position calls for drive-and-deliver pre- and post-silicon validation and characterization of GDDR6 and GDDR7 memory types on Intel's Arc GPU products. Given that Intel is putting this listing out now, in Q2-2025, an actual product that implements GDDR7 could be rather far out, considering typical GPU silicon development timelines. We predict such a chip could be taped out only by 2026, if not later.

A possible-2026 tapeout of a GPU silicon implementing GDDR7 points to the likelihood of this being a 3rd Gen Arc GPU based on the Xe3 "Celestial" graphics architecture. Given Intel's initial success with the Arc B580 and B570, the company could look to ramp up production of the two through 2025, and continue to press home its advantage of selling well-priced 1080p-class GPUs. Intel could stay away from vanity projects such as trying to create enthusiast-class GPUs, sticking to what works, and what it could sell in good volumes to grab market share. This is a business decision even AMD seems to have taken with its Radeon RX RDNA 4 generation.

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[NextPowerUP]

Based on recent shipping manifests that point to custom test hardware for its next "Nova Lake‑S" processors, Intel seems to be gearing up for a big desktop platform update. According to documents obtained by NBD.ltd, Intel isn't moving full motherboards yet. Instead, it's sending out mechanical interposers and re-balling jigs for an 888‑ball BGA chip. Those tools, likely meant for the upcoming 900‑series PCH, aren't finished products but specialized fixtures used to check voltage regulation during assembly. Right now, desktop builders are tied to the LGA‑1700 socket, but Nova Lake‑S is expected to adopt LGA 1954, which offers 1,954 active lands (and possibly more than 2,000 total pads when you count debug pins). That boost in pin count could allow Intel to expand power delivery and I/O without compromise. Still, anyone holding out for Nova Lake‑S will have to wait. Intel plans to roll out "Arrow Lake Refresh" later this year, with Nova Lake‑S not arriving until 2026.

Under the "NVL‑S" codename, Nova Lake is said to combine two clusters of eight high‑performance "Coyote Cove" P‑cores with 16 "Arctic Wolf" E-cores, plus four ultra‑low‑power LPE cores in a separate SoC tile. That layout would create a 52‑core hybrid chip, though Intel engineers are reportedly still fine‑tuning the exact mix before tape‑out. The new south‑bridge package measures about 25 × 24 mm (around 600 mm²), slightly smaller than the 650 mm² footprint used by today's 800‑series chipsets. Shipping lists reveal jig sizes from roughly 38 × 28 × 6.97 mm up to 50 × 50 × 6.32 mm, which tells us multiple fixture types are being used in test labs around the world. Additionally, moving from LGA‑1851 to LGA‑1954 could hint at a longer‑lived socket, but Intel's history suggests most desktop platforms span just two generations. Whether Nova Lake‑S or any future "Razer Lake" follow‑up will fully exploit this new interface remains to be seen. We are watching closely as more concrete specs emerge ahead of that 2026 launch.

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