Samsung's newest LDDR5X memory chips are built with a 12 nm process, delivering the smallest chip size among LPDDR solutions from other manufacturers. These chips can operate at speeds of up to 10.7 Gbps, which is a 25% improvement in performance over the previous generation.

In addition, the company increased the capacity by 30%, reaching 32GB in a single package. According to Samsung, this makes its new memory chips "an optimal solution for the on-device AI era that requires high-performance, high-capacity and low-power memory."

Speaking of power, the latest LPDDR5X memory chips from Samsung utilize new power-saving technologies to adjust the power draw according to a specific workload. Also, they feature expanded low-poser mode intervals for extended energy-saving periods. All those improvements make the new memory 25% more energy efficient than the previous-gen chips, delivering improved battery life while also offering better performance.

YongCheol Bae, Executive Vice President of Memory Product Planning of the Memory Business at Samsung Electronics, said the following about the launch:

As demand for low-power, high-performance memory increases, LPDDR DRAM is expected to expand its applications from mainly mobile to other areas that traditionally require higher performance and reliability such as PCs, accelerators, servers and automobiles.

 

Samsung will continue to innovate and deliver optimized products for the upcoming on-device AI era through close collaboration with customers.

Samsung will begin producing its latest LPDDR5X memory chips in the second half of this year after they are validated by device and processor manufacturers. You can find more information on the official Samsung Newsroom blog.

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According to today's announcement, the 40 million players the game has seen are spread between Xbox consoles, Microsoft Store on PC, and Steam. The game's executive producer Joe Neate had this to say about the milestone:

"As I’m sure you can imagine, when it comes to Sea of Thieves my days are full of numbers. Development costs, active servers, days until the next update… Sometimes, though, a truly extraordinary number stands out – a number like 40 million, which I’m incredibly pleased to say is the number of pirates who’ve now set sail in Sea of Thieves!"

To celebrate, the studio will be kicking off a Gold & Glory Weekend on April 19 through April 22, where reputation, gold, Seasonal Renown, Allegiance and Guild Reputation will all be boosted in-game.

The live service title has been receiving free updates with huge amount of content since its launch, adding new threats, regions, entire questlines (including Pirates of the Caribbean and Monkey Island cross-overs), tech advancements, and much more. Season 12 is on the horizon too, which is slated to bring throwing knives, a new scattershot canon ball variant, ziplines, and other features.

Rare is also preparing to welcome Sony PlayStation players for the first time to its oceans. "I’m also excited about getting to expand our community even further, as we’re just days away from launching on PlayStation 5 and introducing a whole new plethora of pirates to our shared world," added Neate. "The positivity and excitement coming out of our Closed Beta was infectious, and I can’t wait for even more fresh faces to arrive starting next week."

Sea of Thieves is currently available on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC, Game Pass, and Xbox Cloud Gaming. The PlayStation 5 version is arriving on April 30, and going by the beta accessible by pre-ordering players, it looks like the title is poised to be a massive hit on the platform.

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A revolutionary new memory device that combines the features of DRAM and NAND flash memory is being developed by a group of researchers at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST). 

Led by Professor Shinhyun Choi of the School of Electrical Engineering, the team's breakthrough promises cheaper, power-efficient solutions that could potentially replace existing memory solutions or be used to implement neuromorphic computing for the next-generation of AI hardware.

According to KAIST, the new device utilizes next-generation phase change memory with ultra-low power consumption, capable of replacing both DRAM and NAND flash memory.

Taking a novel approach

Typically, DRAM offers high-speed performance but is volatile, resulting in data loss when power is shut down. NAND flash memory offers a solution by preserving data even when the power is off, but it does not match the speed of DRAM. This new phase change memory provides a non-volatile, high-speed solution combining the best of both worlds.

Previous versions of phase change memory have had a problem – high power consumption. Despite attempts to reduce consumption by decreasing the physical size of such devices using state-of-the-art lithography technologies, the reductions were minimal, while costs soared.

To overcome this, Professor Choi's team have established a way to electrically form phase change materials in an extremely small area, successfully developing an ultra-low-power phase change memory device. Notably, this consumes 15 times less power than previous phase change memory models which used expensive lithography tools, a significant breakthrough in the quest for cost and energy efficient memory development. 

"The phase change memory device we have developed is significant as it offers a novel approach to solve the lingering problems in producing a memory device at a greatly improved manufacturing cost and energy efficiency, “ said Professor Choi. He went onto to say that he expects this new research to become the basis for future electronic engineering, paving the path for high-density three-dimensional vertical memory and neuromorphic computing systems. 

This isn’t the only neuromorphic computing solution being worked on at KAIST. Last month scientists there unveiled an AI chip that they claimed can match the speed of Nvidia's A100 GPU but with a smaller size and significantly lower power consumption.

(Image credit: KAIST)

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Since the first game was released back in 1997, the Fallout series has stood tall as one of the best RPG franchises in gaming, famous for its dark humor, biting satire, deep build and weapon variety, and retrofuturistic art direction. Interplay Entertainment, Obsidian Entertainment, and Bethesda Game Studios have all contributed entries to the post-apocalyptic IP, with each one taking place at different times and in different parts of what was once the United States throughout the years that followed nuclear armageddon.

There hasn't been a new Fallout title since Fallout 76's release in 2018, but Fallout 5 has at least been confirmed. Also, the popular new Fallout TV show as well as an ongoing Fallout Franchise Sale has begun something of a renaissance for the series, with player counts surging across all the games. Indeed, Fallout is on everyone's mind right now, including ours — and as a result, we've been reflecting on its games, voting and discussing to determine which ones we enjoy the most and which ones we wish were a little better. You'll find Team Windows Central's rankings for all the mainline Fallout RPGs below, organized from worst to best.

6. Fallout 76

Power Armor-clad players in Fallout 76. (Image credit: Bethesda Game Studios)

Bethesda took a huge risk when it chose to develop a multiplayer-focused Fallout game instead of another of the series' typical single-player entries, and the final product — Fallout 76 — got off to a shockingly poor start in 2018. The open wilderness of West Virginia initially had very little to do or see, and the meager amount of story content available at launch paled in comparison to what was included in past titles (for a long time, there weren't even any NPCs you could talk to). The game also ran disastrously, despite the torrent of huge patches the developers released in its opening weeks.

Thankfully, Fallout 76 has gotten much, much better since then, with various free expansions and updates adding tons of quality story, roleplaying, and gameplay content over time. Its performance has also improved dramatically over the years, though your mileage may vary (a friend of mine can't even get a consistent 30 FPS at 1080p on Medium settings, despite using a rig well over the recommended spec). It's still our least favorite Fallout, but it's still worth checking out, especially since it's free until May 15 if you have Amazon Prime.

5. Fallout 2

Enclave soldiers in Fallout 2's opening cutscene. (Image credit: Black Isle Studios)

Interplay Entertainment division Black Isle Studios released Fallout 2 a year after the original game, and while it has the same isometric perspective and gameplay systems, that's where the similarities — broadly speaking, at least — end. Compared to the tight and focused design of Fallout, Fallout 2 is significantly larger, with tons of different locations, factions, characters, quests, and random encounters to meet and play through. It can sometimes feel unfocused as a consequence of its wider scope, though at the end of the day, most of what's here is still great. Notably, it's also very zany at times, contrasting against the first game's darker, more serious tone. 

In it, you play as The Chosen One, a member of a village called Arroyo that worships the first game's Vault Dweller 80 years after the events of Fallout. The Chosen One is tasked with finding a Garden of Eden Creation Kit, or G.E.C.K., so that the people of Arroyo can use it to terraform their land and save their community.

4. Fallout

The Vault Dweller encounters Radscorpions in a cave. (Image credit: Interplay Entertainment)

The one that started it all. Released in 1997 by Interplay Entertainment, Fallout introduced gamers to the iconic world of the post-apocalyptic RPG series. It, like Fallout 2, is isometric and also a little awkward to play by today's standards due to funky controls and a confusing interface, but if you can get past that, there's a wonderful game to experience here. It puts you in the shoes of the Vault Dweller, a survivor of the Great War that emerges from their hardened Vault 13 bunker 84 years after the bombs fell to search the wastes of California for a replacement water chip for the Vault's purification system.

Though smaller than its sequel, the original Fallout has immaculate worldbuilding, amazing characters, and a great balance of both serious and comedic writing.  There's also an impressive number of branching story paths and different ways to complete its questlines, though one thing to be aware of is that many of the latter have some annoying time limits. Ultimately, Fallout is a beloved classic, and one every fan should at least try.

3. Fallout 4

A Protectron wandering the Commonwealth in Fallout 4. (Image credit: Bethesda Game Studios)

Fallout 4 is the most recent single-player entry from the franchise's current steward Bethesda Game Studios, and is set in the wasteland of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts 210 years after the Great War. Compared to the other single-player 3D Fallout games, Fallout 4 is notable for having the best graphics, gunplay, and build variety, and is the only one to feature the fan-favorite settlement base-building system that Fallout 76 would eventually adopt for its C.A.M.P. mechanic. It's also a phenomenal foundation for community-made mods, which are available on both PC and Xbox (here are some of the best Fallout 4 Xbox mods I recommend).

Though Fallout 4 has excellent worldbuilding and plenty of factions and characters to  encounter, its underwhelming dialogue options and lackluster opportunities for roleplaying keep it from reaching a higher spot on this list. Its highly customizable weapons, gunplay, and combat systems are the best in the series, but the second the shooting stops and the talking begins, the game's issues become glaringly apparent.

2. Fallout 3

The Lone Wanderer in the Capital Wasteland. (Image credit: Bethesda Game Studios)

Fallout 4's predecessor Fallout 3 may lack the former's gameplay refinements and its settlement mechanic, but it makes up for it by having much better dialogue, roleplaying, and writing overall. It was the first game Bethesda made for the franchise after acquiring the rights to it in 2007, and in our view, it's also the best. Notably, it was also the first 3D title in the series, as well as the first one to introduce the dynamic V.A.T.S. targeting system that's appeared in every new game since.

Fallout 3 takes place in the Capital Wasteland — what remains of Washington D.C. and its surrounding areas — and tasks you with searching for your father after he mysteriously disappears from your Vault. Factions from Fallout and Fallout 2 such as the Brotherhood of Steel and the Enclave make major appearances here, and the events that unfold throughout the narrative directly influence the story of Fallout 4.

1. Fallout: New Vegas

An NCR Veteran Ranger wielding a Ranger Sequoia revolver. (Image credit: Obsidian)

Yeah, you probably saw this coming, but hey — there's a reason why 2010's Fallout: New Vegas is often considered the best Fallout game, and also one of the best PC games and best Xbox games of all time. Several, actually; it's everything we love about Fallout 3, but with improved gameplay mechanics, even better writing and dialogue, a ridiculous number of branching story and quest paths, and a richer, denser open world brimming with unique groups and characters. Obsidian Entertainment's contribution to Fallout is arguably the studio's magnum opus, and pretty much everyone is hoping it'll work on the franchise again one day.

The only major issue with New Vegas is that the PC version is rather notorious for its bugs and crashes, but these are problems you can solve by installing stability and bugfix mods released by the community over the years. That process is actually a lot simpler than you might expect it to be, especially when resources like the Viva New Vegas modding guide exist.

What about the other games?

Fallout Shelter is one of the most successful free-to-play mobile games there is. (Image credit: Bethesda Game Studios)

I can already hear your furious typing, but don't worry — we didn't forget other Fallout games like Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel, Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel, or Fallout Shelter. Compared to both the main RPG titles as well as each other, these spinoffs are simply too different to rank fairly, so they're getting some honorable mentions here. And before you ask, no, we didn't include Fallout Pinball. It's technically Bethesda Pinball, anyway — Fallout is just one of the three tables you can play on.

Released in 2017, Fallout Shelter is a remarkably successful free-to-play base-building and management game that allows players to create and expand their very own Vault-Tec Vault. Over time, it's been updated to include characters from the RPG games as well as those from the TV show, and is available to play on Steam, Xbox, PlayStation, the Google Play Store, and Apple's App Store.

Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel was made by Interplay and came out in 2001, and is available for purchase on Steam (you'll get the best price at Green Man Gaming). The story is a bit campy and it doesn't have any direct ties to the narratives of Interplay's other games, but it's a very enjoyable tactics combat-heavy take on isometric Fallout. If you like turn-based strategy, definitely give it a shot.

Finally, there's Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel, which is often considered the black sheep of the series (most people don't even know it exists). Released in 2004 by Interplay on Xbox and PlayStation 2, it's a top-down action RPG with linear "chapters" and hack-and-slash combat. Notably, it's the only Fallout game that's considered non-canonical (Bethesda revised its decision to decanonize Fallout Tactics a few years back).

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April 17, 2024

Video Length: 23m 22s

In this hardware news episode, we recap the stability problems and "video memory" errors being seen on some Intel 13th & 14th series CPUs, AMD's new Ryzen 8000F and upcoming "9000" CPUs, discussion of a Lenovo Legion Go 2, and RGB LEDs allegedly bleaching video card backplates. It's a fun episode, made better with a conclusion on a unique Raspberry Pi hardware project!

• Recapping the Week
• Intel CPU Stability Issues
• The Curious Case of RGB Light Bleaching
• AMD Ryzen 9000 Confirmed, New 8000 CPUs
• Intel Battlemage Rumored for Fall of 2024
• Lenovo Talks Next-Gen Legion Go "2"
• CHIPS Act Provides TSMC $11.6B
• Google, Open AI Harvesting YouTube Videos
• Modder Makes Wristwatch of Raspberry Pi

Gamers Nexus Youtube Channel

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The company is announcing the Ryzen 8000 PRO SKUs for commercial PCs and Microsoft is quite excited about it too, and for two reasons. First up, these PCs will have the Pluton security processor built in, something which has been inside AMD chips since Ryzen 6000.

In case you may not be aware, Pluton was designed by Microsoft in order to provide additional chip-level security protection over TPM (Trusted Platform Module) since the latter is vulnerable to bus interface sniffing attacks.

The second reason is Copilot, which is nothing surprising considering we are seeing it inside all aspects of the Windows OS as well as other Microsoft products.

Ryzen 8000 PRO are essentially the enterprise variants of Ryzen 8000 series APUs launched last year and one of the highlights of the lineup is the improved AI performance. AMD has been including dedicated AI accelerators called NPU (Neural Processing Units) inside its processors since Ryzen 7000 mobile and the company promised that the Windows Task Manager would be able to track and report NPU usage soon.

Microsoft also claims up to 41% faster device deployment performance though we are not sure what the comparison is against. In its blog post, the tech giant writes:

AMD is expanding its commercial mobile and desktop AI PC portfolio with new AMD Ryzen PRO 8040 Series mobile processors and AMD Ryzen PRO 8000 Series desktop processors, which business pros will see on new laptops and desktops from AMD’s OEM partners. By leveraging the CPU, GPU and dedicated, on-chip NPU, new Ryzen AI-powered processors provide more trillions of operations per second (TOPS) than previous generations.

 

AMD PRO technologies help IT managers save time by enabling them to deploy devices up to 41% faster and manage them at scale with cloud-based tools, including Windows Autopilot.

 

In addition, the Microsoft Pluton security processor is integrated into the AMD Ryzen PRO processors, providing protection from the chip to the cloud. This helps safeguard user credentials, identities, personal data and encryption keys on Windows 11 PCs.

The full mobile Ryzen PRO lineup is given below:

The desktop lineup is given below:

Microsoft also mentions some of the other modern features of Ryzen 8000 PRO which include Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.3, and DDR5 support, among others.

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Groene posted his brief public notice about his new status on his LinkedIn page (via Windows Central), writing simply, "I’m happy to share that I’m now retired." There's no word on why he decided to retire from Microsoft at this time.

During his time at the company, Groene was one of the driving forces for Microsoft's Surface PC lineups. His designs started with the original Surface RT which first launched in October 2012. In 2015, he discussed how the Surface team came up with its kickstand feature.

Originally, the team just glued in a crude kickstand to a standard tablet. That's where it stood until a few days later when a member of the Surface team offered their opinion that this idea of adding a kickstand to a tablet "might actually be a good idea". As it turned out, the kickstand became one of the signature features of the entire Surface device lineup and has since been used by other PC makers who created Windows-based tablets.

Groene's retirement from Microsoft comes several months after yet another abrupt but major departure. Panos Panay, who led the Microsoft Surface team since its beginning, and later went on to lead the entire Windows team, left the company after 19 years in September 2023. A few days later, he was named as the head of the Devices and Services team at Amazon.

With the departure of Panay and now Groene, it will be interesting to see how the Surface division will evolve at Microsoft. The company announced the Surface Pro 10 and Surface Laptop 6 for business users in late March, and it's expected that consumer versions of those products will launch later this year. Also in March, Microsoft named Pavan Davuluri as the new head of both Windows and Surface divisions. We will have to wait and see how his leadership will affect future Surface devices.

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Microsoft's Flight Simulator development team periodically updates sections of the world available for players to explore with upgraded visuals. The latest upgrade to hit the game is City Update 6: Southwest Germany. Just as the name describes, it carries enhancements to the Southwest German state of Baden-Württemberg, "the nation's third largest state in both population and area."

The developer had chosen seven cities in the region to receive most of the touch-ups, which are "Mannheim, Heidelberg, Karlsruhe, Stuttgart, Esslingen, and Kehl in Germany, and the French city of Strasbourg, which lies just across the border from Kehl."

At the same time, Baden-Württemberg's third largest airport, the Friedrichshafen, has received updates to its visuals for better accuracy too.

High-resolution aerial imagery and the use of high-fidelity triangulated irregular network (TIN) surface modeling are the resources behind the latest update's accuracy and visuals, per the developer. Watch the trailer for Flight Simulator City Update 6 above, showing off the affected regions in better detail.

Here's how the developer described the newly enhanced region that players can fly across:

"Baden-Württemberg is one of Europe’s most geographically diverse regions. The state encompasses the famed Black Forest, rivers such as the Rhine, the Danube (including its source), and the Neckar, several lakes including Lake Constance, and rich farmland and vineyards. Its cities rank as some of the most prosperous and vibrant in all of Europe and include a juxtaposition of modern architectural marvels and centuries-old historic monuments.

Microsoft Flight Simulator City Update 6: Southwest Germany is now live across PC, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox and PC Game Pass, as well as Xbox Cloud Gaming via Game Pass Ultimate. It can be found as a free optional download from the marketplace. However, players need to keep in mind that their Flight Simulator version should be 1.36.2.0 or later to install the update.

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It was late last year when CD Projekt RED announced it would be bringing official modding tools to its hugely popular RPG The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. Arriving almost 10 years after the game's original release, the tools will let players on PC add new or edit existing content with "nearly limitless freedom."

Today, the studio announced a playtest for the upcoming editor, letting interested modders try out an early version of what's incoming to gather valuable feedback. The editor is described as powerful because it's based on the same toolset CD Projekt RED had used when developing the game.

Anyone interested in participating and who already owns a copy of The Witcher 3 can head over to the newly set up Steam store page for The Witcher 3 REDkit and click the Request Access button.

"Playtest access will be distributed in batches," explains the studio in today's announcement. "After receiving access 'The Witcher 3 REDkit Playtest' will appear in your Steam Library. Remember that the editor will require The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt game files in order to work properly, so make sure you have it installed too."

Feedback on this early version of the editor can be given straight from the REDkit toolset and via the Steam forums, the MODS section of CD Projekt RED's own forums, and the studio's official Discord server.

Adding to that, the studio had a surprise announcement today. Steam Workshop support is finally coming to The Witcher 3 soon, letting PC players easily get mods and install/remove them without requiring separate mod managers or digging through game files.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt players can access the Workshop Beta by joining the Steam group available here. Keep in mind that this is a separate test from the REDkit playtest. Following that, a beta option will show up for the game in its Steam properties titled "workshop_test." Selecting that will download the required changes to access the beta. The studio has not yet given official release dates for the REDkit editor nor the Workshop support.

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Intel has a Big Problem... - Tech News April 14

Table of contents:

1. Windows 10 and 11 news
2. Windows Insider Program
3. Updates are available
4. Gaming news
5. Great deals to check
6. A blast from Microsoft's past
7. Random fact about Microsoft

Windows 11 and 10

Here we talk about everything happening around Microsoft's latest operating system in the Stable channel and preview builds: new features, removed features, controversies, bugs, interesting findings, and more. And of course, you may find a word or two about older but still supported versions.

Microsoft released the April 2024 Patch Tuesday updates for all supported Windows 10 and 11 versions. This month's release is extra notable because it delivers the Moment 5 Update features to all users. Windows 11 received KB5036893, and Windows 10 got KB5036892.

Shortly after receiving the April 2024 Patch Tuesday updates, Windows 10 users started complaining about full-screen banners promoting Windows 11 on unsupported PCs, even though Windows 10 has over 18 months of active support ahead of it. Yikes.

Besides the slightly intrusive Windows 11 ad, the latest Patch Tuesday updates reportedly irritate users with all sorts of bugs, instabilities, slowdowns, and error codes, such as 0x8007000d/0x800705b9.

On the bright side, Microsoft has finally lifted a two-year-old upgrade block preventing Windows 10 users from upgrading to Windows 11. It was related to the Intel Smart Sound Technology Audio Controller driver on systems with 11th-generation Intel Core processors. Affected customers can now get the fixed drivers from Windows Updates and safely upgrade to Windows 11 without worrying about blue screens of death due to poor compatibility.

The next-generation Windows on ARM PCs are coming in a few months, and according to a new report, Microsoft is pretty confident in its latest venture. Leaked documents revealed that the company is sure the new AI PCs with ARM processors would be able to beat Apple's M3-based MacBook Air. The Surface Pro 10 and Surface Laptop 6 will be among the first AI PCs to hit the market this summer.

Windows enthusiasts discovered that Microsoft had updated the appraisers.sdb file in Windows 11 build 26100 and added a whole bunch of apps that could theoretically block you from updating to Windows 11 version 24H2. Check out the full list here.

Speaking of Windows 11 24H2, as it turned out, the leaked LTSC build does not check hardware requirements if you select the IoT Enterprise LTSC Edition.

Recent Patch Tuesday updates also quietly introduced a new UCPD driver that prevents apps from changing your default settings using registry tweaks and hacks. Microsoft has not officially announced this change, so its exact purpose is currently unknown.

Windows Insider Program

Here is what Microsoft Released this week for testing in the Windows Insider Program:

The biggest Windows Insider (and Windows in general) story of this week was the one about Microsoft adding more ads to the Start menu. The latest Windows 11 Beta Channel now features app recommendations ads "to help you discover great apps from the Microsoft Store." The OS might even get a dedicated button for ads and promos on the taskbar.

All those ad shenanigans led to a couple of Microsoft veterans calling out the company, mocking the current state of things, bad Start menu performance in Windows 11, and more.

Microsoft has not announced it yet, but Windows Insiders have already spotted a bunch of new features coming soon to the Snipping Tool app. The upcoming updates should allow users to add emojis to their screenshots, correct HDR images for SDR monitors, and scan QR codes on screenshots.

Finally, here is some news for Windows Server 2025, which is currently in preview. Microsoft published a blog post with a feature summary of what is coming to its server-focused version of Windows 11. If that is not enough, check out Windows Server 2012 build 8019, which leaked onto the internet in its full glory.

Updates are available

This section covers software, firmware, and other notable updates (released and coming soon) delivering new features, security fixes, improvements, patches, and more from Microsoft and third parties.

Microsoft will host its annual Build conference in May 2024, and its schedule is already spoiling some news. The official Build 2024 website revealed that Microsoft is working on AI-powered "Advanced Paste" for PowerToys and other AI-based experiences for Windows 11.

Microsoft has updated Outlook for Android with a new feature that lets you use the email client to sign into your Microsoft Account securely. Microsoft says with this feature, you "don't need to remember or type any passwords or use a one-time SMS code."

Speaking of security, Microsoft Edge received patches in the Stable Channel to resolve three high-severity Chromium vulnerabilities. The update also fixes sync-related issues that can lead to browser crashes.

Start11, everyone's favorite Start menu alternative, received a new update with early optimizations for Windows 11 version 24H2. Since the app does not rely on legacy code to do its magic, it should not fall victim to Microsoft's crusade against UI tweaking apps like ExplorerPatcher or StartAllBack.

Other notable updates include the following:

• Microsoft Edge 125 Dev received a new shopping toolbar feature and multiple fixes.
• Microsoft is testing even more Copilot ads in the Edge browser.
• AMD released new firmware with UEFI LogoFAIL vulnerability patches.
• Microsoft published a new Windows Registry Tweak for the Spectre vulnerability that still haunts Intel.
• Winpilot, which positions itself as an unofficial Clippy, received a few improvements.
• Microsoft confirmed that a Russian hacker group stole some government emails.
• Microsoft published more details about how it fights against attacks on AI guardrails.
• OneNote for Windows is getting improvements for the Meeting Details feature.

Here are the newest drivers released this week:

• Intel PROSet/Wireless Driver 23.40.0 with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth improvements.

Here is our weekly recap of the new features coming soon to Microsoft's productivity apps, such as Outlook, Teams, and more.

To finish the updates section, check out these newly published stock wallpapers found in the recently announced and launched Surface Pro 10 for Business. If you want to spice your desktop up with some alternative color variants of the stock "Bloom" wallpaper, you will like those four new backgrounds.

On the gaming side

Learn about upcoming game releases, Xbox rumors, new hardware, software updates, freebies, deals, discounts and more.

EA Play, a subscription service that lets you access dozens of Electronic Arts games for one monthly or yearly fee, now costs more. This week, EA announced the first price hike for EA Play and EA Play Pro.

Forza Motorsport received the latest update with a new track, a fresh set of cars, and many various fixes. Racers can now take it to Brands Hatch, a popular racing track in the United Kingdom. The new cars include the 2019 Ginetta G55 GT4, the 1970 Matra-Simca #146 Equipe Matra-Simca MS650 Tour de France, and the 2016 Ligier #11 Euro International JS P3.

Bethesda has finally set the release date for Fallout 4's next-gen update. It will be available on April 25, alongside additional PC optimizations, Steam Deck verifications, and other neat upgrades for the game about post-apocalyptic Boston.

Sea of Thieves is coming soon to PlayStation 5, and the game's official account is already hyping things up by claiming that its closed beta is experiencing a high volume of players, resulting in longer waiting times to hop on. This could indicate that the game is set to be a big hit on Sony's console.

Deals and freebies

The Epic Games Store is giving away Ghostrunner until the next Thursday. As usual, for more special offers and deals, check out our weekly Weekend PC Game Deals series.

Other notable gaming news include the following:

• The Xbox app on Windows PCs received Game Hub support.
• Xbox Insiders can try out some new social features for Xbox Cloud Gaming.
• Microsoft is bringing back Blizzard games to China.
• Fallout 4, Fallout 76, and more games are now playable on GeForce NOW.

To finish the gaming section, check out Robbie Khan's Gulikit KK3 Max review. This premium controller has great performance, solid materials, onboard memory for tweaks, and a bunch of extra accessories.

A blast from Microsoft's past

John Callaham's weekly "Look back" series provides throwbacks into the past, detailing the company's products, partnerships, mishaps, and successes from years ago.

This week, Windows 3.1 celebrated 32 years since its RTM. Codenamed "Janus," this rather minor upgrade delivered some notable changes, such as TrueType support, Windows Media Player, screensavers, SVGA support, and more.

Another anniversary, a rather sad one, is Windows XP's 10th year since its last security update. On April 8, 2014, Microsoft ended the five-year-long period of extended security updates for one of the most legendary Windows versions ever released.

Random fact about Microsoft

And here is a randomly selected piece of trivia about the company, Windows, and other Microsoft-made things.

The European Union is after big companies these days, forcing them to adopt more competition-friendly practices. The situation is anything but new, and Microsoft is no stranger to it. Did you know that in late 2005, the Korean Fair Trade Commission forced the software giant to release a special version of Windows XP without Windows Media Player and Windows Messenger?

Windows XP Home (K) and Pro (KN) were released on the South Korean market, and both included links to third-party messengers and media players, similar to how iOS shows third-party browsers during its setup in the EU.

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And if you are wondering where this leaked information is coming from, it is almost straight from the horse's mouth itself. AMD motherboard partner vendor Asus had recently released chipset driver release notes where it inadvertently revealed the "Ryzen 9000" moniker. The chipset driver version is 6.03.19.217. with the following note:

If you notice, the AMD PMF driver is indicating support for Ryzenn 9000 series processors. AMD PMF or Platform Management Framework essentially helps the chipset maintain the optimal performance of an AMD CPU based on inputs from sensor data, OS inputs, and other metrics.

If you recall, AMD fixed a Windows Modern Standby bug with a chipset driver from back in February earlier this year. The PMF was one of the technologies that aided there as it is also part of what helps manage the various sleep states in Windows.

This is in a way a good thing as Ryzen 8000 G-series APUs are based on Zen 4 which would lead to confusion among potential consumers.

Following Asus, MicroStar International (MSI) has also confirmed next-gen Ryzen, though this time, the motherboard maker was careful not to disclose the product name and has only referred to it as "next-gen CPU."

This confirmation comes as a part of the latest firmware released by MSI which now supports the next generation of AMD Ryzen processors. The AGESA (AMD Generic Encapsulated Software Architecture) firmware version has been updated to version 7D74v1D2, which is beta BIOS, and its description reads:

• AGESA ComboPI 1.1.7.0 Patch A updated for next-gen CPU.

Typically, CPUs begin to land in the retail around three months from the date of firmware arrival, which means we shouldn't be too far away from seeing Ryzen 9000 on shelves.

Aside from these two, monitoring software AIDA64 also added support for Zen 5 in the not-too-distant past.

Via: HXL (X/Twitter) (1, 2)

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The US government has been busy lately trying to get its arms around artificial intelligence, and now it's signed an accord with Japan to widen that net.

The US and Japan announced a partnership with a host of US and Japanese companies to fund AI research across both countries. The $110 million research commitment will allow for researchers at the University of Washington and the University of Tsukuba, as well as Carnegie Mellon University and Keio University, to collaborate on large language models, AI workforce development, and more.

"Today's announcement will build on President Biden and Prime Minister Kishida's commitment to advance US-Japan science and technology cooperation to develop a talented global workforce and strengthen economic security in both countries," US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said in a statement.

Nvidia, Microsoft, Amazon, Arm, and SoftBank, along with nine unidentified Japanese companies contributed to the fund, the governments said, without specifying how much each company invested.

The move is part of a broader push by the Biden administration to partner with allied governments on AI. Last week, in fact, the administration announced an accord with the UK government meant to allow both countries to share valuable information on AI development, research, and national security.

Meanwhile, the Biden Administration is trying to get ahold of AI usage in the US government and announced in March that every government agency must have a plan in place by December 2024 on safeguards for using AI. If the agencies fail to provide a plan, they'll be banned from using AI in any way.

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While cellular networks and Wi-Fi systems are more advanced than ever, they are also quickly reaching their bandwidth limits. Scientists know that in the near future they’ll need to transition to much higher communication frequencies than what current systems rely on, but before that can happen there are a number of — quite literal — obstacles standing in the way.

Researchers from Brown University and Rice University say they’ve advanced one step closer to getting around these solid obstacles, like walls, furniture, and even people — and they do it by curving light.

Advancements in Terahertz Communication

In a new study published in Communications Engineering, the researchers describe how they are helping address one of the biggest logjams emerging in wireless communication. Current systems rely on microwave radiation to carry data, but it’s become clear that the future standard for transmitting data will make use of terahertz waves, which have as much as 100 times the data-carrying capacity of microwaves. One longstanding issue has been that, unlike microwaves, terahertz signals can be blocked by most solid objects, making a direct line of sight between transmitter and receiver a logistical requirement.

A study that could help revolutionize wireless communication introduces a novel method to curve terahertz signals around an obstacle. Credit: Illustration provided by the Mittleman Group, edited

“Most people probably use a Wi-Fi base station that fills the room with wireless signals,” said Daniel Mittleman, a professor in Brown’s School of Engineering and senior author of the study. “No matter where they move, they maintain the link. At the higher frequencies that we’re talking about here, you won’t be able to do that anymore. Instead, it’s going to be a directional beam. If you move around, that beam is going to have to follow you in order to maintain the link, and if you move outside of the beam or something blocks that link, then you’re not getting any signal.”

The researchers circumvented this by creating a terahertz signal that follows a curved trajectory around an obstacle, instead of being blocked by it.

“This is the world’s first curved data link, a critical milestone in realizing the 6G vision of high data rate and high reliability,” said Edward Knightly, a co-author on the study and professor of electrical and computer engineering at Rice University.

The novel method unveiled in the study could help revolutionize wireless communication and highlights the future feasibility of wireless data networks that run on terahertz frequencies, according to the researchers.

“We want more data per second,” Mittleman said. “If you want to do that, you need more bandwidth, and that bandwidth simply doesn’t exist using conventional frequency bands.”

Novel Techniques for Signal Transmission

In the study, Mittleman and his colleagues introduce the concept of self-accelerating beams. The beams are special configurations of electromagnetic waves that naturally bend or curve to one side as they move through space. The beams have been studied at optical frequencies but are now explored for terahertz communication.

The researchers used this idea as a jumping off point. They engineered transmitters with carefully designed patterns so that the system can manipulate the strength, intensity and timing of the electromagnetic waves that are produced. With this ability to manipulate the light, the researchers make the waves work together more effectively to maintain the signal when a solid object blocks a portion of the beam. Essentially, the light beam adjusts to the blockage by shuffling data along the patterns the researchers engineered into the transmitter. When one pattern is blocked, the data transfers to the next one, and then the next one if that is blocked. This keeps the signal link fully intact. Without this level of control, when the beam is blocked, the system can’t make any adjustments, so no signal gets through.

This effectively makes the signal bend around objects as long as the transmitter is not completely blocked. If it is completely blocked, another way of getting the data to the receiver will be needed.

“Curving a beam doesn’t solve all possible blockage problems, but what it does is solve some of them and it solves them in a way that’s better than what others have tried,” said Hichem Guerboukha, who led the study as a postdoctoral researcher at Brown and is now an assistant professor at the University of Missouri – Kansas City.

The researchers validated their findings through extensive simulations and experiments navigating around obstacles to maintain communication links with high reliability and integrity. The work builds on a previous study from the team that showed terahertz data links can be bounced off walls in a room without dropping too much data.

Practical Applications and Ongoing Research

By using these curved beams, the researchers hope to one day make wireless networks more reliable, even in crowded or obstructed environments. This could lead to faster and more stable internet connections in places like offices or cities where obstacles are common. Before getting to that point, however, there’s much more basic research to be done and plenty of challenges to overcome as terahertz communication technology is still in its infancy.

“One of the key questions that everybody asks us is how much can you curve and how far away,” Mittleman said. “We’ve done rough estimations of these things, but we haven’t really quantified it yet, so we hope to map it out.”

Reference: “Curving THz wireless data links around obstacles” by Hichem Guerboukha, Bin Zhao, Zhaoji Fang, Edward Knightly and Daniel M. Mittleman, 30 March 2024, Communications Engineering.

DOI: 10.1038/s44172-024-00206-3

The work was supported by the National Science Foundation and the Air Force Office of Scientific Research.

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In addition to Best Game, Baldur's Gate 3 also won the Best Narrative and Best Music categories and voice actor Andrew Wincott won the Best Performer in a Supporting Role category for his work in the game voicing the character Raphael. The game also won the EE Game of the Year, which is voted on by the public.

Remedy's third-person horror-action game Alan Wake 2 won in two categories, Audio Achievement and Artistic Achievement. The full list of winners is below:

• Best Debut Game – Venba
• Audio Achievement – Alan Wake 2
• Multiplayer – Super Mario Bros. Wonder
• Evolving Game – Cyberpunk 2077
• Game Design – Dave The Diver
• British Game – Viewfinder
• Artistic Achievement – Alan Wake 2
• New Intellectual Property – Viewfinder
• Narrative – Baldur’s Gate 3
• Special Award – Special Effect
• Performer in a Supporting Role – Andrew Wincott (Baldur’s Gate 3)
• Family – Super Mario Bros. Wonder
• EE Player Choice – Baldur’s Gate 3
• Animation – Hi-Fi Rush
• Music – Baldur’s Gate 3
• Game Beyond Entertainment – Tchia
• Technical Achievement – The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
• Performer in a Leading Role – Nadji Jeter (Marvel’s Spider-Man 2)
• Best Game – Baldur’s Gate 3

Larian recently confirmed that it had started development on an expansion to Baldur's Gate 3, but then decided to not move forward with it. It has also decided not to make Baldur's Gate 4. Larian's founder and CEO Swen Vincke has only given hints about what the studio's next game might be like, stating it will be "different than what you think it is".

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The studio just announced fresh updates for the 2015-released Fallout 4 across last-gen and current-gen consoles, as well as PC, and they are landing on April 25.

Bethesda first revealed it is working on a "next-generation" for Fallout 4 in 2022, saying it will bring higher frame rates, 4K resolution, and more content for Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5. While its original 2023 release timeline was eventually pushed back, the update finally has a confirmed release date.

The update will upgrade Fallout 4 to native status on current-generation Xbox and PlayStation consoles, giving them Performance mode and Quality mode settings, alongside bug fixes and other improvements. Unfortunately, the studio does not go into detail on the exact resolution targets, but it does say the title will be playable at up to 60FPS on the current-gen consoles.

As for last-gen consoles, Bethesda says, "PlayStation 4 and Xbox One will also receive a free update with stability improvements, login and quest fixes."

Hopping over to PC, a hefty update will bring widescreen and ultra-widescreen support to the popular RPG across Steam, Microsoft Store, and GOG. Creation Kit fixes for mod makers and quest updates, alongside "stability, mods and bug fixes," will be included too. Moreover, Bethesda says login issues have been resolved for Japanese and Chinese language players on the platform, giving them access to mods.

For players on the go, Bethesda confirmed Fallout 4 will be Steam Deck Verified following this update. Plus, the title will be released on the Epic Games Store for the first time.

There's a whole bunch of Creation Club items being made available for free to mark the occasion. Head over to the announcement page to catch a glimpse at what players can claim and use in their games.

The Fallout 4 next-gen update, along with all the other aforementioned content, will be released on April 25 for all platforms.

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What you need to know

• Bethesda Game Studios has been working on a current-generation update for its 2015 game Fallout 4 for some time. 
• The free update is now slated to arrive on April 25, 2024, and will be available for all players on Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, or PlayStation 5.
• Console players will benefit from Quality and Performance modes, while everyone gets a bevy of bug fixes, Creation Club content, and more.

The Commonwealth is finally getting upgraded. 

The current-generation update for Fallout 4, which was first announced back in 2022, is slated to launch on April 25, 2024, as shared by Bethesda Game Studios on Thursday. This update brings native Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5 support for the game, with console players able to choose between a 60 FPS performance mode and a quality mode with increased visual fidelity.

Meanwhile, Windows PC players can expect official Ultrawide support, as well as a number of fixes for the Fallout 4 Creation Kit. Fallout 4 is also coming to the Epic Games Store, and will be officially Steam Deck verified. All players, regardless of platform, will benefit from bug fixes and new Creation Club content. 

Enclave Remnants arrive in Fallout 4

As part of the free update, Bethesda Game Studios is including some new and previously-released Creation Club content on all platforms. This includes a new quest where players will be tasked with stopping Enclave remnants from building back up in the Commonwealth. 

There's also a new Halloween Workshop pack, which does exactly what it sounds like, providing 38 Halloween-themed decorations to use when building and customizing settlements. Finally, there's the Makeshift Weapon Pack, which adds a variety of eclectic improvised weapons to choose from. You can see the full list of Creation Club content that's being included below:

• New quest - “Echoes of the Past”
• Workshop items
• Enclave Colonel uniform
• Enclave Weapon Skins
• Enclave Armor Skins
• Tesla Cannon
• Hellfire Power Armor
• X-02 Power Armor
• Heavy Incinerator
• Makeshift Weapon Pack
• Halloween Workshop - 38 new decorations

Fallout 4 is currently available on Xbox, PlayStation, and Windows PC. It's also included in Xbox Game Pass.

Analysis: Good timing for a great update

This update has been a long time in the making, but I'm glad it's finally almost here. I'll definitely be diving back in and giving more of my life to Fallout 4 soon. Between Fallout 4 and Starfield, I'm never going to escape. What a great problem to have, right? While I know the delays were annoying to many, this timing does work out, as it comes just shortly after the arrival of the Fallout TV series on Prime Video. The acclaim of the show is no doubt going to push more players to check this franchise out for the first time.

In my review of the Fallout TV series, I wrote that "Fallout represents some of the best of what game-to-TV adaptions can offer, carrying forward the look, action, and ideas of the iconic franchise while providing multiple viewpoints in a season that'll leave fans and newcomers alike wanting more."

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In a post on Xbox Wire, Microsoft says that Game Hubs will keep track of your progress and achievements in any PC game in your library. You will also be able to see if any extra content or DLC packs are available, along with news from the game's developers, and more.

Microsoft has also added, or rather returned, a feature that many fans have been waiting for. With the Xbox Game Bar in the PC Xbox app. you can now generate a screenshot or capture a clip in a specific game. That captured content will then be added to the title's Game Hub listing on the Xbox PC app with this update. Screenshots and clips are stored on the PC's local drive and can be shared with others.

In addition, Xbox Insiders and a small subset of Xbox PC app users will be able to see a new sub-navigation menu under the "What’s Happening” section of the Game Pass tab.

Xbox console owners also are getting a few software updates as well. They include support for hearing soundboard audio in Discord Voice from others in a Discord channel or call. If you use OneDrive to automatically save a screenshot or clip from your console, you will now get a notification if your amount of storage space is getting low.

Finally, there's a new way to keep other people who might live with you or visit from installing any games or apps on your Xbox console that you don't want. You can set up a PIN so that if a guest tries to install a game or app, they will be prompted to put in the number beforehand.

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Destiny 2’s The Final Shape expansion has a lot riding on it. It’s the culmination of a 10-year story and the conclusion of Destiny’s light and darkness saga. After a four-month delay, fans haven’t really seen much of The Final Shape, but today, Bungie delivered a preview of what’s to come. The teaser left me thinking that Destiny 2 is about to feel very different — and very broken — as players will be able to wield Light and Darkness abilities together for the first time ever.

 

A new Prismatic Subclass merges the powers of the Light and Darkness, allowing players to combine certain class abilities from different damage types. So you could throw a Stasis grenade into a stack of enemies to freeze them and then use a Solar ability to wipe them out with a giant explosion. “It feels a little game breaking, I’m not going to lie,” said Ben Wommack, combat area lead for Destiny 2, during a gameplay preview stream.

 

Being able to combine these abilities should add a new element to the game’s build crafting, but it’s bound to also break many aspects of the gameplay. That’s often part of the fun with Destiny, though; Bungie adds a broken gun or ability, and players grind for hours to feel ultrapowerful.

 

Destiny 2 players will get a new Prismatic Subclass in The Final Shape.

Image: Bungie

 

The height of this power fantasy was during Destiny 2: Forsaken, where Super abilities were broken across the player vs. player environment, and it felt like you could wipe out the enemies in the player vs. enemy part of the game with ease. It’s clear Bungie is trying to bring back this era of Destiny 2 fun and chaos.

 

Another big part of the amping up of the power fantasy in The Final Shape will be new Exotic class items that allow players to combine exotic armor perks. Bungie showed off class items for hunters where you can ready weapons quickly and also overcharge your super with Orbs of Power. There are random rolls here, so you can imagine there will be different combinations that will be very broken.

 

But for all this power, The Final Shape will also include some new enemies. Flying bats with guns are part of a new enemy type named Dread faction. These new combatants include the Tormentor that was introduced in Destiny 2: Lightfall and the Subjugators that Bungie has already teased. New enemies will include:

 

• Grim: the flying bats with guns that can suppress you if they get too close
• Husk: a melee-focused enemy that sends a deployable enemy toward you unless you hit their weak spot
• Attendant and Weaver: these wield Stasis and Strand abilities and “change the flow of the encounter and force Guardians to pay attention to their positioning on the battlefield”

 

The Final Shape will conclude as you face The Witness, the main antagonist of Destiny’s light and darkness saga who commands a Black Fleet of pyramid vessels that players have explored previously. “Facing The Witness is not the end of Destiny 2, and it’s definitely not the end of Destiny,” teased Luke Smith, executive creative director at Bungie. “After you face The Witness we’re going to tell you what’s coming next to Destiny 2 and beyond.”

 

Destiny 2: The Final Shape launches on Xbox, PlayStation, and PC on June 4th.

 

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What you need to know

• Intel's 13th and 14th Gen Core i9 CPUs are reportedly causing problems when it comes to PC gaming. 
• People are claiming these CPUs are unstable and can cause crashing, especially with games that were created in Unreal Engine. 
• These CPUs also reportedly create "out of video memory" errors when a system clearly has plenty of memory. 
• This has led to PC gamers in South Korea returning the Intel CPUs and seeking out alternatives like with AMD Ryzen. 
• Intel is now looking into the matter.

It seems that PC gamers using both 13th and 14th Gen Intel Core i9 CPUs (both Raptor Lake and Raptor Lake Refresh) have reported stability issues when playing video games (thanks TechRadar). This reportedly, is especially an issue for games that run on Unreal Engine where crashing isn't out of the question. Some players are also getting an error that claims their system is "out of video memory" even though their system has plenty of memory to use. 

According to Wccftech, this has led PC gamers in South Korea to return the Intel Core i9 processors and seek out alternatives like AMD Ryzen. Intel is reportedly looking into the matter. 

What this means for you

If you're getting a new gaming laptop or gaming PC then you might want to avoid 13th and 14th Gen Core i9 CPUs. 

(Image credit: Rebecca Spear / Windows Central)

There's been a long-standing rivalry between Intel vs AMD vs NVIDIA chip manufacturers, with people mostly acknowledging that Intel tends to be the top dog when it comes to CPUs — it certainly has the widest hold on the market. So, if Intel CPUs are the cause of these video game problems then this is extremely frustrating news. These Core i9 processors are supposed to be some of the most powerful Intel options out there, so this is especially frustrating for anyone wanting a top-of-the-line gaming PC. 

Many people tend to pair Intel Core i9 processors with an NVIDIA RTX 4090 or thereabouts specifically to create top-tier gaming PCs that can handle the latest and most graphically intensive games. But having a powerful PC tell you that it's out of memory when it isn't or simply having it crash on you when running a game it should be able to handle with ease is very annoying. Not to mention, there's the expense side of things. You should be able to rely on a processor you paid top dollar for to run your digital adventures without issue.

As it stands, right now if you're looking to build your own PC or purchase one of the best pre-built gaming PCs or best gaming laptops then you might want to stick to Intel Core i9 alternatives. These issues have not been reported with Intel Core i5 or Core i7 so those might be better choices to go with. 

Alternatively, Team Blue's biggest CPU rival, AMD, produces some potent processors that are specifically helpful with gaming. Pair these AMD CPUs with the right GPUs and you'll have yourself a device that can easily tackle the newest games on the market.

Intel really needs to figure out if this is actually an issue with their CPUs or if the root cause is elsewhere. If Intel CPUs are to blame, then the chip manufacturing company will really need to work fast to send out patches and updates to hopefully solve the problem. However, if the problem is more physical, having to do with the base processor design, then Intel will have to offer refunds to buyers or offer some other form of compensation if it wants to maintain its brand image. We at Windows Central will keep an eye on this matter and will report again if we learn more. 

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Intel has unveiled its latest AI chip, the Gaudi 3, in a bid to challenge NVIDIA's leadership in the AI industry. The new chip promises significant performance and efficiency improvements over NVIDIA's H100 GPU, the latter has a faster HGX H200 too.

According to Intel, the Gaudi 3 is more than twice as energy efficient and can perform AI tasks one and a half times faster than the H100. This improved efficiency could help reduce the exorbitant costs associated with training large AI models. The chip also comes in different modules, including an 8-chip configuration on a motherboard and a card compatible with existing Intel server designs.

Intel says it has tested the chip on popular AI models from Meta's Llama 2 and Falcon project, showing that Gaudi 3 is capable of training transformers and running complex applications.

According to Intel benchmarks, Gaudi 3 is on average 50% faster at training large language models such as Llama with 7 billion and 13 billion parameters and GPT-3 with 175 billion parameters. In addition, Gaudi 3 is expected to achieve 40% better power efficiency than the H100 for inference.

In comparison to Nvidia H100, Intel Gaudi 3 is projected to deliver 50% faster time-to-train on average across Llama2 models with 7B and 13B parameters, and GPT-3 175B parameter model. Additionally, Intel Gaudi 3 accelerator inference throughput is projected to outperform the H100 by 50% on average1 and 40% for inference power-efficiency averaged2 across Llama 7B and 70B parameters, and Falcon 180B parameter models.

The full spec details of the Gaudi 3 are given in the image below:

Gaudi 3 connects to its host CPU via a high-speed PCIe Gen 5 x16 link. Intel is also developing liquid-cooled variants for even higher performance.

The launch marks Intel's most serious challenge yet to NVIDIA's dominance, which is estimated at around 80% of the AI chip market. With customers like Dell, HP, and Supermicro on board to build servers with the new chips, Intel is aiming to steal a significant share.

"Gaudi 3 will be available to OEMs – including Dell Technologies, HPE, Lenovo and Supermicro – in the second quarter of 2024," Intel wrote in the blog post.

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Ubisoft today released the official story trailer for Star Wars Outlaws. The open world action-adventure entry under development at Massive Entertainment, the studio known for creating the world of The Division and other high-profile games such as Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora. Check out the latest trailer above, which follows our protagonist, Kay Vess across the galaxy. There are more than a few call backs to the source material too.

The story's main antagonist has now finally been revealed. Named Sliro, he is the leader of Zerek Besh, a new and powerful criminal syndicate spreading across the underworld in this universe. Despite Kay's skills as a thief, a job gone wrong has Sliro putting a bounty on her head, and the only way to escape this predicament is to pull "one of the greatest heists of all time."

This heist requires building reputation, resources, and the right personnel to pull off. Players will be dealing with iconic underworld groups like Pyke Syndicate, the Hutt Cartel, the Ashiga Clan (Massive and Lucasfilm original group), as well as Crimson Dawn to earn their support. According to Ubisoft, players will be exploring "Canto Bight, Kijimi, Tatooine, Akiva, and the windswept savannah of Toshara," and more vistas during their mission in this open-world adventure.

"In search of true freedom, the resourceful Kay and Nix will journey through the underworld and across the Outer Rim, taking on jobs from syndicates, facing off against intimidating foes, avoiding oppressive Imperial rule and recruiting a skilled outlaw crew in order to pull off one of the greatest heists the galaxy has ever seen," adds Outlaws Creative Director Julian Gerighty.

Star Wars Outlaws launches October 30, 2024, across PC, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and Amazon Luna for $69.99. The PC version will be available via Ubisoft Connect and Epic Games Store, but not Steam. Those who purchase the Gold Edition or Ultimate Edition will be able to jump in three days early on August 27 instead. The same early access period will be offered to Ubisoft+ Premium subscribers alongside the full game.

There is a pre-order bonus attached too, with a Kessel Runner Bonus Pack coming in with cosmetic items for Kay's ship and speeder.

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