TechPowerUP NEWS

[NextPowerUP]

OneXPlayer has officially announced its latest gaming handheld, the OneXFly Apex, which puts the exciting AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 APU and Radeon 8060 graphics into a compact handheld form factor with some interesting cooling and power tricks. The new Windows gaming handheld from OneXPlayer is clearly aimed to combat recent announcements from the likes of GPD, replete with a detachable battery, just like GPD's Win 5. Unlike the Win 5, however, OneXPlayer also saw fit to equip the OneXFly Apex with a liquid cooling system to keep the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 in check. OneXPlayer says that the powerful APU is capable of drawing as much as 120 W with this cooling solution, claiming that it is the first Windows gaming handheld to achieve this feat. The Apex will come with an 8-inch, 120 Hz IPS display with a maximum rated brightness of 500 nits and 100% coverage of the sRGB color space.

The watercooling solution is a detachable tower containing the radiator, pump, and reservior, much like the XMG Neo 17's Oasis system we reviewed prior. In handheld mode, without the water cooling tower, the OneXFly's APU is said to be capable of sustained 80 W TDP with up to 100 W supposedly also possible. This is all powered by an 85 Wh external battery in a similar piggyback configuration to GPD's Win 5 detachable battery. OneXPlayer showed off some comparative testing putting the device up against another handheld equipped with the AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme, and the Strix Halo-powered device expectedly blew the smaller APU out of the water when it came to gaming tests. As is the case with other portable devices using the same APU, the OneXPlayer OneXFly Apex will be available with up to 128 GB of LPDDR5x-8000 memory and a 2 TB NVMe SSD (with another M.2 slot available for upgrades). While the device is clearly intended primarily as a gaming handheld, OneXPlayer is openly marketing the Apex as a do-it-all machine, especially considering the water cooling dock.
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[NextPowerUP]

NVIDIA today announced that it is working with the U.S. Department of Energy's national labs and the nation's leading companies to build America's AI infrastructure to support scientific discovery, economic growth and power the next industrial revolution.

"We are at the dawn of the AI industrial revolution that will define the future of every industry and nation," said Jensen Huang, founder and CEO of NVIDIA. "It is imperative that America lead the race to the future—this is our generation's Apollo moment. The next wave of inventions, discoveries and progress will be determined by our nation's ability to scale AI infrastructure. Together with our partners, we are building the most advanced AI infrastructure ever created, ensuring that America has the foundation for a prosperous future, and that the world's AI runs on American innovation, openness and collaboration, for the benefit of all."
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[NextPowerUP]

NVIDIA today announced NVIDIA NVQLink, an open system architecture for tightly coupling the extreme performance of GPU computing with quantum processors to build accelerated quantum supercomputers.

Researchers from leading supercomputing centers at national laboratories including Brookhaven National Laboratory, Fermi Laboratory, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab), Los Alamos National Laboratory, MIT Lincoln Laboratory, the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and Sandia National Laboratories guided the development of NVQLink, helping accelerate next-generation work on quantum computing. NVQLink provides an open approach to quantum integration, supporting 17 QPU builders, five controller builders and nine U.S national labs.
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[NextPowerUP]

Linux gaming has quietly reached a new inflection point. A recent Boiling Steam summary of crowd-sourced ProtonDB compatibility reports shows that about 89.7% of Windows titles now at least launch on Linux systems. The numbers are spread into a few categories. Games rated "Platinum," meaning they install, run, and save on Linux without requiring user intervention, made up 42% of new releases tracked in October, up from 29% the previous year. At the same time the share of titles that refuse to launch, the so-called "Borked" cohort, has fallen to roughly 3.8%, a group that still includes deliberate blocks such as March of Giants, which explicitly detects Wine and Proton and exits to the desktop.

The most persistent obstacles are not obscure indies but anti-cheat middleware and contractual choices. Easy Anti-Cheat, BattlEye, and similar systems remain the primary gatekeepers for online multiplayer, and enabling them on Linux is often more a negotiation than a mere technical flip of a switch. When a studio approves Steam Deck support, desktop Linux compatibility frequently follows within a single build cycle, suggesting the code paths are already unified and only sign-off is pending.
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[NextPowerUP]

Razer, the leading global lifestyle brand for gamers, today unveiled the Razer Huntsman V3 Pro 8KHz and Razer Huntsman V3 Pro Tenkeyless 8KHz, its most advanced esports gaming keyboards to date. The Huntsman V3 Pro 8KHz and Huntsman V3 Pro Tenkeyless 8KHz build on the award-winning Huntsman legacy, introducing next-generation responsiveness and refined keystroke feel for a truly competitive edge.

"The Huntsman V3 Pro 8KHz is a reflection of our relentless pursuit of esports excellence. With the evolution of our Analog Optical Switches and the introduction of 8000 Hz HyperPolling, we've pushed performance to new heights," said Barrie Ooi, Head of Razer's PC Gaming Division. "It delivers the speed, control and precision that elite players demand. It's a showcase of what happens when engineering meets competitive ambition."
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[NextPowerUP]

PNY announced the addition of the CS3250 M.2 NVMe PCIe Gen 5 x4 SSD to its lineup of solid-state drives. The CS3250 pushes the limits of storage technology with ultra-fast NVMe PCIe Gen 5 x4 performance. With sequential read speeds of up to 14,900 MB/s and write speeds up to 14,000 MB/s, it delivers the speed and responsiveness required for today's most demanding workloads. Designed for AI developers, gamers, content creators, and performance-driven professionals, the CS3250 sets a new benchmark for high-end computing.

Enhanced Computing
Built for the future of computing, the CS3250 harnesses next-gen NVMe PCIe Gen 5 x4 technology to deliver next-level performance, making it the ultimate solution for powering AI image generation, AAA titles, and demanding workloads. Whether you are pushing the limits of creativity or performance, the CS3250 ensures lightning-fast load times, seamless multitasking, and unbeatable responsiveness, empowering professionals and enthusiasts alike - raising the bar for premium storage solutions.
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[NextPowerUP]

After the success of the highly acclaimed and award-winning Arx 500 and Arx 700 cases, ENDORFY presents their younger, equally ambitious sibling. The new Arx 500 White ARGB, finished in an elegant white color scheme, is a natural evolution of the series and another step toward a complete product portfolio that allows to build a reliable, visually consistent ENDORFY ecosystem. Designed with attention to detail, the white Arx 500 impresses with perfectly matched shades of white, ensuring that it looks great both right out of the box and after long-term use. It's a blend of performance and design that creators, gamers and professionals alike will appreciate.

Technology In Its Purest Form
Behind its beautiful form lies thoughtful engineering. The spacious interior can accommodate up to seven fans and radiators up to 360 mm, and it's compatible with ATX, microATX, and Mini-ITX motherboards. Straight out of the box, the case comes equipped with four pre-installed Stratus 140 White PWM ARGB fans, developed in collaboration with Synergy Cooling. Each operates between 200 and 1400 RPM, delivering not only excellent airflow but also silence.
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[NextPowerUP]

Ahead of the expected May 2026 launch of Grand Theft Auto VI, Rockstar Games has laid off between 30 and 40 employees across its Canada and UK offices. This sparked immediate tension between the Independent Workers Union of Great Britain and the game studio, with the IWGB Game Workers account on X posting that "This is the most ruthless act of union busting in the history of the UK games industry. Yesterday, @rockstarGames fired over 30 employees for union activity." According to reporting by Bloomberg, the affected workers were all either part of a workers union or in the process of becoming part of a union. The IWGB has vowed to "fight for every member to be reinstated."

Take Two, the parent company of Rockstar, for its part, defended the firings, citing "gross misconduct" on the part of the employees. Take Two's spokesperson, speaking to Bloomberg, also says that "we fully support Rockstar's ambitions and approach." There is speculation that these firings were part of a crackdown on leakers inside the company, which was also a justification for the company's recent return to office mandate. Previously, Rockstar also went after a hacker who managed to steal data from Rockstar and leak clips online, resulting in a life sentence in hospital. It remains to see how this most recent case plays out, though, and its unclear how many of the affected employees are from the Canada office, where the UK workers union would likely not be able to intervene.

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[NextPowerUP]

Small keyboards, like the Epomaker TH40 we reviewed previously, might seem more like a novelty than anything else, but they do a good job of offering the same satisfying mechanical keyboard experience in half the space, making them, if nothing else, a worthwhile alternative to low-profile travel keyboards. CannonKeys's latest release, the Minimi40, takes the idea of stuffing as much as possible into the smallest possible keyboard and runs with it. The Minimi40, as the name suggests, is a 40% mechanical keyboard that is available in both a conventional staggered layout or an ortholinear layout, with both wired and wireless options, and a host of fun colors available. The Minimi40's design is inspired by a lunchbox, of all things, but the lid that sits atop the keys serves as much a functional purpose as it does a visual one. For starters, it serves as a way to protect the keyboard's switches and keycaps when it's being carried around in a backpack, but it is also designed to pull double duty as a wrist rest or stationary tray once you've set up shop to get some work done.

The Minimi40 is made from injection-molded ABS and PBT plastic, and it is available as an ortholinear or conventional staggered kit from CannonKeys, with the ortholinear, with the wireless version of the keyboard coming in at $125, while the wired version comes in at $110. Note that this does not include switches, stabilizers, or keycaps, so those will need to be purchased separately. The Minimi40 is also a group buy, with the shipping date estimated for Q2 2026. There are a handful of layout options, including a 6 u spacebar and a two-split space bar that utilizes 2.25 u and 2.75 u space bars, with the bigger key optionally on the left or right side. The wireless PCB uses ZMK firmware, which has been shown by other CannonKeys keyboards to provide excellent efficiency and battery life—especially with the Minimi40's 1,000 mAh battery—and solid customization options via ZMK studio. Meanwhile, the wired version of the Minimi40 uses QMK firmware, the powerful open-source firmware that can be configured in the QMK Configurator web app.
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[NextPowerUP]

Following the strong launch of Arc Raiders, the new battle royale from Embark Studios, the developer behind The Finals, the studio has announced its 2025 content roadmap for Arc Raiders. Despite there only being little more than two months left in the year, it looks like Embark has a lot planned. According to the blog post revealing the roadmap, aside from the usual "bug fixes, balance tweaks, and QOL features," there will be two major updates, one in November and another in December. These updates are called North Line and Cold Snap, respectively, and both updates will introduce new quests, but that's about where the similarities end.

Where North Line adds a new map, two new Arc enemies, new in-game items (presumably weapons and other utilities), and a community unlock event, Cold Snap will introduce the "snowfall" map condition—just in time for winter—as well as the Flickering Flames event, a new raider deck (read: battle pass) and start the expedition departure window. Based on a previous blog post by Embark, it seems as though the December update will land right around December 14, since that's the expected end of the first expedition project. The roadmap also mentions new cosmetics, feats, and trials as ongoing work for an upcoming update, so there appears to be a wealth of content planned, perhaps in an attempt to forestall the player desertion that seems to plague all but a few multiplayer shooters.

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[NextPowerUP]

The future of the Intel Arc B770 GPU was already being called into question earlier this year, even before Intel and NVIDIA partnered up for what Intel called "complementary" GPU options. After all, reports as early as March 2025 claimed that the high-end Battlemage GPU project had been cancelled in 2024 already. More recently, however, rumors have surfaced about a potential late 2025 release for Intel's Arc B770 GPU. Now, a recent discovery in an Intel engineering graphics driver (shared by @GOKForFree on X) seems to substantiate the theory that Intel might have one more Arc Battlemage GPU in the chamber.

Specifically, the driver makes mention of the BMG-G31 GPU die—which is the silicon associated with the high-end Intel Arc B770 GPU—and four potential configurations of the high-end Xe2 die. If the leak is accurate, it would indicate that there are three "Pro" GPU configurations and a single consumer GPU—rumors suggested 32 Xe2 cores with 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus—spawn from the BMG-G31 die. While it makes sense that there would be multiple professional configurations—perhaps with slightly different NPU, processor, and memory configurations—it makes sense that the remaining consumer GPU would be the rumored Arc B770. Whether the mention of the new GPU indicates that B770 will eventually launch, or if Intel had simply included it in the driver from the start of development, is unclear, but it does suggest that there is significant progress toward an Arc B770.

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[NextPowerUP]

Redragon has announced its latest wireless TKL keyboard, the Otiim K729 Pro. Instead of opting for fancy Hall effect switches, like the upcoming Wooting 60HE v2, the K729 Pro instead uses traditional 5-pin mechanical switches, with a handful of visual and functional features to set itself apart from the wealth of TKL mechanical keyboards out there. The K729 Pro is a wireless mechanical keyboard with a traditional TKL layout, a plastic case stuffed with sound damping materials, and a rotary knob mounted in an unorthodox position horizontally along the top edge of the keyboard's case. It is available in a white and grey colorway with rounded OEM-like double-shot PBT keycaps or "Black Gradient" with OEM profile double-shot PBT keycaps with a side-printed legend. The case also features two-stage flip-out feet, although Redragon hasn't provided any exact typing angles. The Otiim K729 Pro wireless mechanical keyboard is available from Redragon for $64.99.

The Redragon Otiim K729 Pro is also Redragon's first mechanical keyboard to feature custom silent switches. The switches in question are simply called Silent Peach switches, but they seem to be Outemu Silent Peach V3 linear switches, judging from the colors and the construction. The switches feature a box stem, 3.3 mm of total travel, and a 40 gf actuation force. The actuation distance is a pretty standard 2.0 mm, but the overall travel is reduced from the usual 4 mm found in mechanical switches due to the internal silicone stops that silence the switch. In combination with the keyboard's gasket mount, those silent switches should provide a fairly soft and virtually silent typing experience, which Redragon says is a consideration for office users. If you're not a fan of the switches, the Otiim K729 Pro is compatible with regular 3- and 5-pin mechanical switches, so you can swap them out.
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[NextPowerUP]

Wooting previously revealed a bunch of details about the upcoming 60HE v2 Hall effect gaming keyboard and announced the November 6 pre-order date for the updated 60HE v2, but pricing and exact shipping dates have remained a mystery until now. In a new blog post, Wooting has revealed that the orders for the aluminium Wooting 60HE v2 will start shipping as early as December 2025, while the ABS plastic case will only start shipping in April 2026. The Wooting 60HE V2 will be available as both a pre-built keyboard, with either the plastic case or an aluminium case, and as a standalone PCB module, which is compatible with the original 60HE case—for those who want to supply their own switches, keycaps, and case. It might also be reassuring to keyboard enthusiasts to know that there appears to be no price difference between the split space and traditional space bar versions of the 60HE v2. New details about the plastic case were also revealed, including the addition of an aluminium reinforcement plate in the bottom of the case, which should help structural rigidity and help dampen the keyboard's sound somewhat.

Wooting also revealed a new add-on for the plastic case to replace the somewhat divisive strap. Owners of the plastic 60HE v2 case will also get a swappable translucent silicone wing to replace the strap mount, for a bit of visual flair. Both versions of the 60HE v2 will be available in black, with an additional "Shiny Silver" colorway in the case of the aluminium case, and both come with OEM profile shine-through PBT keycaps and the new Wooting Lekker Tikken switches by default. Aside from the aluminium case and the new switches, the 60HE v2 steps up the 60HE's design by swapping out the plate for a white FR4 plate, which should improve the sound characteristics over the original steel plate. The 60HE v2 also separates the PCB and plate assembly from the case with a friction fit gasket mount, removing any direct contact between the plate and case to reduce reverberation.
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[NextPowerUP]

Microsoft has done it again! The latest bug now hides in the least possible place—the one and only Task Manager. According to multiple user reports, the Windows 11 update KB5067036 is causing the Task Manager to remain open even after being closed, creating a new instance each time a user opens and closes it. Each instance uses around 20-95 MB of RAM, so if you open and close it 100 times, you could end up with 2 GB of RAM tied up by these persistent Task Manager instances. Additionally, these background instances can consume CPU resources. Despite being a minimally invasive application, each tskmgr.exe instance uses about 0.9% of CPU resources, so 10 instances could reduce your CPU's capacity by almost 10% without you even noticing.

We managed to replicate the bug, and found multiple instances running in the background, without any way to normally close it. A simple fix for this issue is clicking the "End Task" button instead of the classical "X" to exit application. However, if you opened multiple instances to play with how many times the process can be repeated, you will have a hard and boring time solving it manually. Instead, use the "taskkill /im taskmgr.exe /f" command in the command line as administrator to remove all existing Task Manager processes. As always, be cautious when running any command in the CMD as an administrator—but trust us on this one.
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[NextPowerUP]

AMD surprised its customers yesterday by announcing that its Radeon RX 5000 and RX 6000 series GPUs will be partially retired from the regular monthly game optimization cycle. These RDNA 1 and RDNA 2 GPUs will still receive essential patches for security vulnerabilities and critical issues. However, with the release of Software Adrenalin Edition 25.10.2, the company is reallocating its development resources to focus on newer hardware. This decision is particularly surprising given that the Radeon RX 6000 series is less than four years old, making gamers who bought these GPUs at inflated prices (during the crypto mining boom), extremely disappointed at their sand cubes.

As the company shifts these GPUs into maintenance mode, we don't know what to expect in the coming months. However, an AMD spokesperson has clarified to Tom's Hardware: "New features, bug fixes and game optimizations will continue to be delivered as required by market needs in the maintenance mode branch." AMD plans to shift focus on the upcoming Adrenalin Edition releases for performance enhancements and game-specific improvements. This will happen exclusively on RDNA 3 and RDNA 4 architectures. Nonetheless, we don't know what is AMD's definition of what the "market needs," so we have to follow and wait for future driver updates before we can rule out these GPUs completely.

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