In comparison, AMD's Radeon division put up a somewhat sorry figure as it only revealed a new 16GB variant of the RX 7600 that it has misleadingly named as 7600 XT as the card does not feature more Stream processors/ compute units, just higher clocks.

However, this has been far from the worst launches AMD has done recently; that title goes to the 6500 XT that was revealed two years ago at CES 2022. In case you don't quite recall why, the company launched the GPU for $199 (equivalent to around $130 nowadays as it was during the period of chip shortage when everything was expensive), and it lacked AV1 decode and had no encoder either. What was even worse was the fact that this GPU only had four PCI Express (PCIe) lanes (x4) which meant it struggled to perform well on anything that was not PCIe Gen4.

And since it only had 4GB of VRAM, graphics assets like textures would often saturate the frame buffer and spill over which in turn led to stuttering or generally lowered fps output as the GPU tried to access the system RAM via the narrow PCIe bus in order to store the assets. AMD later launched an 8GB variant to mitigate the issues but it has rarely been seen in the wild.

Here's how the 6500 XT 4GB performs in modern AAA titles:

To put a final death nail to the RX 6500 XT's coffin, Nvidia is purportedly soon going to release a 6GB variant of the RTX 3050. It won't however be as powerful as its original 8GB counterpart since the 3050 6GB will allegedly have 10% fewer CUDA cores (2340 vs 2560) and 33% less bandwidth (168 vs 224 GB/s) as a result of the reduced memory interface (96-bit vs 128-bit).

While these are big reductions, the 8GB 3050 is around 30-35% faster than the 6500 XT in rasterization and twice as fast at ray tracing (on PCIe 4), which means the upcoming 3050 6Gig should be fairly close in performance to the AMD card and the 3050 6GB should perform better on a PCIe 3.0 board. In addition to that, the upcoming entry-level GeForce GPU will have AV1 decoding as well as encoders.

And the TGP also apparently comes down to 70W which means no PCIe power connector may be necessary.

Source: VideoCardz

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Turkey-based Monster Notebook has announced plans to bring its gaming PCs to the US.

The company—no relation to the cable maker or energy drink—was at CES this week to show off two laptops and a discrete Intel Arc graphics card, and to tout its plans to enter the US market later in 2024.

First, the products. The 14-inch Monster Huma H4 laptop, a productivity-focused model, runs the latest Intel Core Ultra 7 processor and relies on the CPU's built-in Intel Arc graphics silicon. The Core Ultra "Meteor Lake" chips also incorporate dedicated neural processing engine (NPU) elements for local artificial intelligence (AI) processing, one of the big trends from CES 2024.

(Credit: John Burek/PCMag)

More in keeping with the company's gaming-laptop focus is the 16-inch Tulpar T6 V1.2. Intel unveiled new 14th Gen Core "HX"-series mobile CPUs at CES, and the Tulpar runs one of them, an Core i9-14900HX processor with 24 cores (up to 5.8GHz max turbo frequency). That's paired with punchy Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 (12GB VRAM) graphics. There's also support for DDR5 memory and a 165Hz refresh rate for what Monster says is "an unparalleled gaming experience."

The discrete graphics cards, meanwhile, are based on the 16GB Intel Arc A770 and 8GB A750 and feature support for AV1 video encoding, as well as Intel XeSS hardware-upscaling technology, which helps boost frame rates while maintaining image quality. The AI infusions here also promise to streamline photo and video editing. (The 16GB version of the card offers an RGB lighting option, in a space where Arc partner cards are thin on the ground.)

Here Be Monsters (Soon)

Monster is Turkey's leading brand for gaming laptops (it has a significant retail-store presence there and in Berlin) and works with a variety of OEMs on its laptop designs. It also holds significant market share in Germany, and maintains support offices in London and Dubai to service their respective regions.

The company recently established its US presence with offices in Portland, Ore. (no coincidence, given proximity to Intel and its Hillsboro, Ore., operations), and it also now employs a handful of former Intel executives. One of them, whom PCMag spoke with at the show, is Justin Whitney, the company's new director of global strategy and business development. He's an Intel veteran who most recently was with the Intel NUC group, which was wound down last year.

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Table of contents:

1. Windows 11 news
2. Updates are available
3. Gaming news
4. A blast from Microsoft's past
5. Random fact about Microsoft

Windows 11

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.

The first Patch Tuesday update roundup is now available for download on supported Windows 10 and 11 versions:

In addition, Microsoft released KB5034440 and KB5034441 to fix a security flaw in WinRE that can lead to BitLocker encryption bypass. The tech giant also updated its Microsoft Printer Metadata Troubleshooter Tool with an RCE vulnerability patch.

Do you remember last week's story about Windows 11 "version 24H1" with Wi-Fi 7 support teased by Dell? The new Wi-Fi standard and devices to support it are upon us, with Wi-Fi 7 being locked in by Wi-Fi Alliance. That means the governing body is now certifying devices to support the latest and greatest Wi-Fi standard. Windows 11 still does not support Wi-Fi 7, so expect an update to resolve that in the near future.

Windows Insider Program

Here is what Microsoft released for testing this week:

Notable changes in the latest preview builds include support for 80Gbps USB4 for the upcoming laptops powered by Intel's 14th Gen processors and a rather odd change that automatically opens Copilot when Windows starts. Luckily, the latter is only available as an experiment on multi-monitor setups with the primary display larger than 27 inches in diagonal.

Speaking of the Copilot, the company revealed more details about the recently announced Copilot key. As it turned out, that key is not mandatory, and manufacturers are free to select where to place it on their keyboards.

Interestingly, Windows 10 is about to get some developer love back. Microsoft said it would add the new lock screen weather widget to Windows 10. Moreover, according to a new report, Microsoft plans to reopen the Beta Channel for Windows 10 users, letting them try new features before the public rollout.

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.

It looks like Notepad will soon get another big update. As spotted by users, the app is about to get an AI treatment called "Cowriter," with options to rewrite the text, make it shorter, make it longer, change the tone, and change the format. Microsoft has yet to announce the feature, so expect more details soon.

The File app, our favorite third-party alternative to the stock File Explorer, received a new feature update under version 3.1. It introduced a tray icon, smart archive extraction, better drag-and-drop support, improved sorting, and more. The update is now available for download from the Microsoft Store and GitHub.

Microsoft has a new PowerToys release. Version 0.77 introduced a new "Command Not Found" module and various additions and fixes for existing tools. Future PowerToys updates will bring additional enhancements, such as the ability to change language and better update notifications.

Also, Microsoft released Dev Home 0.9 with one major change: Windows 10 support. Those sticking to the good old Windows 10 can now use Microsoft's latest Dev-focused application and its capabilities.

Other notable updates released this week include the following:

• New features for Windows 365 Boot and Switch for Cloud PCs.
• New features for Microsoft Teams to assist retail store workers.
• Microsoft teams up with Typeface to add AI-powered features to Dynamics 365 Customer Insights.
• TLS 1.0 and TLS 1.1 support for Azure storage accounts will end on November 1, 2024.

And here are the latest drivers released this week:

• Intel 31.0.101.5085 and 5122 WHQL with 14th Gen processors and Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown support.
• Intel Wi-Fi 23.20.0 and Bluetooth 23.10.0 drivers with fixes for blue screens of death, the "No Wi-Fi networks found" message and more.

Finally, check out this week's Microsoft 365 Roadmap Weekly with the latest additions of upcoming features for productivity apps from Microsoft. Plenty of changes for Microsoft Teams users, video translation on Stream, and more.

On the gaming side

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

NVIDIA prepared plenty of gaming announcements for this year's Consumer Electronic Show in Las Vegas. Besides a trio of new graphics cards, NVIDIA revealed several improvements for its cloud gaming service, GeForce NOW. It will soon let you pay for a daily pass for $3.99 or $7.99, use G-SYNC with compatible monitors, stream in higher resolution on Android (up to 1440p), and, of course, new titles to play, such as critically acclaimed Diablo IV and Overwatch 2.

With the release of the initial RTX 40 SUPER lineup, NVIDIA discontinued the original RTX 4080 and RTX 4070 Ti.

Gamers can also expect a flood of old games remastered with modern technology. NVIDIA revealed its plans to launch RTX Remix open beta on January 22, giving mod-makers a chance to resurrect old DirectX 8 and 9 games with the latest gaming tech, such as PBR textures, ray tracing, DLSS, generative AI textures, and more. Need for Speed Underground 2 Remastered? Yes, please!

Speaking of ray tracing, look out for ray-tracing-based effects coming to Diablo IV on PC in March 2024. A bunch of upcoming games will also get DLSS 3 support, such as Half-Life 2 RTX, Horizon Forbidden West, Layers of Fear, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, and more.

On the "red side," AMD has unveiled its first desktop Ryzen 8000 processors, but do not let the name fool you. Ryzen 8000G chips are still based on the Zen 4 architecture. The biggest change is that these are the first desktop parts with dedicated AI-accelerating hardware or NPU. The integrated graphics on this is also very capable, which, according to AMD, can outperform NVIDIA's discrete GTX 1650.

If that does not sound nor look impressive or tempting, here is a new GPU from AMD: the RX 7600 XT is now official with its generous 16GB of video memory to eat 1080p for breakfast and even take on 1440p gaming for $329.

Finally, on the blue side, Intel unveiled the rest of its 14th Gen processors for desktop computers, giving potential customers more choice when building a PC powered by Intel's latest chips. The company also revealed new 14th Gen HX and U series laptop chips.

Moving from hardware updates to game updates, here is some good news for those still playing Bethesda's Starfield: the next update will be the biggest one so far, and the studio promises over one hundred fixes and improvements to make your gaming experience better.

Forza Motorsport is another Microsoft-owned title in need of some improvements. Turn 10 Studios said it will use player feedback to address multiple complaints and make the recently launched simulator better.

Minecraft Legends is no longer supported. Mojang announced that the game will no longer receive new content updates, pulling the plug on the title in less than a year since its launch in April 2023. However, the studio is open to exploring other ideas for more potential spin-offs of the popular sandbox game purchased by Microsoft in 2014.

Xbox fans should mark January 18 on their calendars. Microsoft has scheduled the Xbox Developer Direct event, which is expected to showcase some upcoming games, such as Avowed, Hellblade II, Ara: History Untold, and more. We might also see Bethesda's upcoming Indiana Jones game there.

Finally, Paramount revealed the full and final trailer for the upcoming second season of the Halo TV show.

Deals and freebies

If you are looking for something new to play without ruining your wallet, check out this week's Weekend PC Game Deals issue covering Ubisoft specials, a sailing freebie from the Epic Games Store, various bundles, and more.

Here are more gaming-related stories published this week:

• Square Enix will launch an open beta for Final Fantasy XIV Online on Xbox Series X|S in late February 2024.
• Some Xbox first-party games like Sea of Thieves might be coming soon to PlayStation 5.
• Hyperkin is bringing back the iconic Xbox Controller S, and its modern reincarnation is called "DuchesS."

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's blast from the past is about the company's canceled plans to publish an MMO game based on Marvel Comics. Also, with plenty of CES 2024 news flooding your news feed, here is a brief look back at some wacky concepts and ideas Razer showcased at CES in the past. Tri-screen laptops, a gaming chair with a curved 60-inch OLED monitor, a modular gaming desk, a gaming projector extending your primary display, and more.

Random fact about Microsoft

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

Some think Windows is Microsoft's oldest and longest-standing product. However, that is not true. Microsoft Flight Simulator is the oldest brand the company owns and still supports and develops. Windows, in fact, is three years younger than Microsoft Flight Simulator, which was initially released for MS-DOS in 1982. This year, the company is expected to release a new version called Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024.

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In 2024, I will walk into a physical space—a restaurant, a hairdresser, an arts venue, an artisanal cheese shop—and instead of being handed a physical piece of paper with some useful information on it, or being told it in words, I will be shown a faded roundel with a QR code on it. I will hold my phone’s camera up to it wearily. Sometimes it will work, but the font on the menu or the information will be small. I’ll have to enlarge it and take my glasses off to read it, because I’ve reached that age. Sometimes it won’t work at all. Sometimes the information on it will be out of date.

In all cases, many people—some elderly, others with access needs, children, anyone who just doesn’t fancy constantly looking at their phone—will be pushed toward more useless screen time and away from the kind of brief, friendly interactions with other humans that help us all feel part of the fabric of life. We’ll have reached the point of overdigitization.

It's not that there aren’t more gains to be made in technology. Incredible things are happening in biotech, especially since the pandemic. The world of continuous glucose monitors and lateral flow tests (LFT) will keep growing. In 2024 we will see new kinds of LFTs that test for other infections and problems. We will see more useful work in truly personalized medicine. But in the UK, at least, the benefit of those innovations will be increasingly available only for those who can pay for it themselves. The division between the technological haves and have-nots will only continue to grow.

And although technology will continue to flourish, my guess is that the truly big gains in digital communication have now been made for a generation. If there’s innovation to come in digital communication it will be in the field of overdigitization, using screens where paper and actual words from real people both work better. We could—and should—use this next decade to shore up the gains we’ve made for all members of society. But I predict that, in 2024, we won’t. The Good Things Foundation estimates that 10 million people in the UK lack the basic digital skills needed to access the modern world. And 6.9 million people will continue to be excluded if they’re not given proactive help. But the current British government doesn’t seem much interested in raising the floor for the worst off.

These things can’t be done by individual companies, which come up with good-sounding ideas like, “why don’t we let people order a coffee while they’re getting their hair done, using a QR code!” It’s exactly the kind of things that incorrigibly urban WIRED readers like me think would be fun to use—but companies don’t tend to think about how to help people who aren’t going to spend money with them, or who are too put off by over-exuberant digital-everywhere to actually go into the shop.

Companies can look after their employees. And they can work to overcome that other half of the overdigitization problem: that many jobs are becoming more boring and isolated because they involve the equivalents of more pointing-at-QR-code-roundels and less actual interaction with people. But while companies can think about employees and about good customer service, thinking about improving equality and fairness is the job of government, not businesses.

There is of course one thing I can predict with total certainty for the UK in 2024: That the British public will get to have their own say on digital inequality and a whole host of other issues. Because, in 2024, Parliament will be dissolved in advance of an election.

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Microsoft Outlook: New email sync button is coming

Microsoft previously said it was going to be putting lots of new features and improvements in the new Outlook for Windows in 2024. One of the new features is due in February 2024 for both Outlook for Windows and on the web. It will add a new email sync button to the app.

A button option to initiate email sync is coming to the new Outlook for Windows and Outlook on the web, this will allow users to ensure that their send and receive email experience is up-to-date. This functionality will be within the View tab of the Ribbon.

Microsoft Teams - New co-organizer feature for Town Hall and more

Microsoft Teams on Windows. Mac and the web will add a new Town Hall feature in February:

Co-organizers can edit town hall details, publish the event, and cancel the event, similar to the organizer.

Another new Teams feature for Windows due in February will offer some new call setting additions:

End users will now be able to change their external call routing settings directly from the Teams app, allowing them to decide how incoming PSTN calls are routed. Calls can be redirected based on existing unanswered call settings or sent to voicemail. This new capability provides more flexibility for handling customer communications.

More updates for Microsoft Stream and Forms

Microsoft Stream business users will be able to put in reactions to videos starting in June 2024.

This feature will allow users to add or remove reactions to specific points of a recorded video via Stream Web App and Embed. Viewers will be able to see how their colleagues feel about a video and show their support towards the video owner. These reactions will be present in the timeline to highlight the most important parts of the video and can be used for navigation. Also, owners of the video can see detailed analytics about when viewers are reacting to videos and have ability to disable the feature.

The Microsoft 365 Roadmap also mentions that Stream users will be able to add a video to a playlist directly from an embedded video in March.

Microsoft Forms users will be able to check out a new sync feature with Excel in a preview starting later in January.

Microsoft Forms supports quickly and easily syncing form responses to an Excel file. Now you’ll always have the latest information, updated automatically, so you can leverage the full range of Excel functions to analyze your data and collab with your peers.

The new feature will become generally available in July.

That's all for this week's Microsoft 365 Roadmap roundup. Come back next Sunday to see what's been added to the roadmap in the next seven days.

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Hard drives may become a technology that’s almost exclusively the preserve of enterprise and businesses over the next few years, and there’s every chance that consumer-grade graphics cards will follow suit.

Hard drive shipments declined sharply over the last five consecutive quarters, based on TrendFocus figures, as reported by Blocks and Files, with this trend suggesting the best SSDs are successfully eating into the wider market. 

This is despite many promising hard drive technologies on the horizon including SMR and HAMR options soon to be among the best hard drives.

Will Nvidia and AMD bow out of the consumer game?

Something similar might be happening in the GPU market as with the hard drive market – with Nvidia, for example, reported to be pivoting away from making some of the best graphics cards for consumers. 

Nvidia’s CEO Jensen Huang emailed staff last month to declare the company was pivoting to deep learning, and that the company was “no longer a graphics company”, according to the Guru of 3D.

With the company enjoying a huge degree of success in manufacturing the industry-leading GPUs used for AI training and inference, especially with the recent generative AI boom, the company could easily tap into this newfound goldmine moving forwards.

Indeed, as we have previously reported, despite both Nvidia and its key rival AMD being a fixture in this particular market, the sales of graphics cards have been poor lately. It could well be that, when it comes to Nvidia at least, the GeForce series is in its final few generations of life. 

This is because, considering the shortage in supply, there’s likely more money to be made from enterprises vying to get in on the AI action than on cash-strapped consumers right now – especially when the improvements between recent generations of GPUs have been incremental at best.

The forthcoming RTX 5000 series – and then the RTX 6000 series – could well be it for Nvidia’s consumer-grade graphics lineup, with the company instead spelling out a roadmap for annual releases of enterprise-grade GPUs. 

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One of the highlights of any CES is seeing what PC and console gaming hardware maker Razer shows off at their booth. This year, the company showed off new models in its Blade Windows gaming laptop lineup with some impressive OLED displays. It also showed the Razer Iskur V2 Gaming Chair which you can go ahead and buy right now at Amazon. There's also a new USB C Dock from the company that you can buy now.

However, Razer also usually announces at least one "concept" device during its CES product reveals. They typically never get released, at least not in the form that they were first presented. CES 2024 was no exception as the company revealed "Project Esther". It is a cushion made to be placed on gaming chairs but has 16 haptic actuators embedded inside. With the help of Razer's own Razer Sensa HD Haptics software, the cushion will be able to let gamers feel what's going on in the game world.

Will we see a haptic gaming cushion launch from Razer in the future? The jury is still out. However, many of the company's CES concepts never really made it into a shippable product. Here's a quick look back at just some of the company's CES concepts, including one that actually did become a real product.

Project Brooklyn - CES 2021

At the digital-only CES 2021, Razer showed off Project Brooklyn, a gaming chair that included RGB lighting and, more importantly, a 60-inch curved OLED rollout display for a truly immersive gaming experience. While these kinds of gaming chairs with embedded displays have been released by others, this design certainly looks cool and can turn back into a "normal" chair without the screen. If Razer ever does release a version of Project Brooklyn, expect it to be extremely expensive.

CES 2022 - Project Sophia

During CES 2022, Razer showed off Project Sophia, a PC desktop that's also literally a desk. The idea is that buyers of this PC can hot-swap modules of different products like RAID controllers, media controls, and more inside this desk design, with a huge screen over it. It's certainly a different way in both designing and using a desktop PC.

CES 2017 - Project Valerie

At CES 2017, Neowin actually got to see Project Valerie at Razer's booth. It was a triple-screen laptop design, with each screen sized at 17.3 inches with 4K resolutions that rolled out of the notebook. It looks like something Razer could actually make today. Unfortunately for Razer, it was too tempting for some CES attendees. Some people decided to steal the two Project Valerie prototypes from Razer's exhibit. Just a few days later, they briefly showed up on a China-based e-commerce site for sale. There's been no word since then on if those prototypes were ever recovered, or if the people who stole them were found and arrested.

CES 2017 - Project Ariana

Another concept device that Razer showed off at CES 2017 was Project Ariana. This was a projector that was designed to extend the PC gaming experience beyond a gamer's monitor. Razer said at the time that Project Ariana combined "a pair of 3D cameras together with a custom calibration software to automatically detect your monitor and environmental factors such as furniture and room lighting" to create the effect. This was extremely similar to another concept announced by Microsoft in 2013 called IllumiRoom. Neither concept projected ended up becoming a real retail product.

CES 2014 - Project Christine

Much like the later Project Sophia, Project Christine at CES 2014 was an attempt by Razer to come up with a new desktop PC design. This time, the idea was to come up with a desktop tower with hot-swappable modules to upgrade its CPU, GPU, storage, connections, power supply, and more. It's certainly a good idea, but 10 years later, we have yet to see something like this become a mainstream consumer product.

CES 2012 - Project Fiona

12 years ago, Razer announced Project Fiona at CES 2012. It was a high end Windows tablet that included two controllers that were attached to either side of the tablet for gaming. Unlike most of Razer's future concept designs, Project Fiona was announced to see if the public would like to use this kind of gaming tablet. In October 2012, Razer announced it would actually make Project Fiona, and in 2013, it launched to the public with its official name, the Razer Edge. the Windows 8-based 10.1 inch tablet would have a starting price of $999. Unfortunately, like most Windows 8 tablets, the Razer Edge failed to find its audience.

CES 2011 - Project Switchblade

Long before the release of the Steam Deck, Razer had an idea for a portable gaming PC called Project Switchblade that it announced at CES 2011. It included a small 7-inch touchscreen display with an embedded keyboard. The keys had LED displays that could actually change visually depending on which game you were playing. Razer said the Switchblade design was made for third party PC makers to use to make their own portable gaming PCs. However, it never moved beyond that concept stage, and Razer instead launched its more conventional Blade gaming laptops that went on sale later in 2011.

Again, that's just some of the Razer concepts that the company has revealed during past CES events. Which of these concepts would you like to see made into real products?

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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Meanwhile, Intel released the rest of its desktop 14th Gen lineup and these aren't as power-hungry as the K SKUs (A new driver is out as well). It also released Raptor Lake mobile U and HX parts. The latter, Intel has claimed is often faster than AMD's fastest mobile gaming APU, the one with the 3D V-cache.

Out of the three, Nvidia definitely had the most impressive product reveal as it launched three new top-of-the-line desktop GPUs and also knocked down the price by a significant amount. The trio of new RTX 4000 Super GPUs: the RTX 4080 Super, the 4070 Ti Super, and the 4070 Super boast higher shaders as well as more VRAM in some cases.

Nvidia also disclosed the specifications of the GPUs, and the company, inadvertently seemed to have under-specced its RTX 4070 Super (spotted by Wccftech). After stating in its press release that the card features 36MB of level 2 (L2) cache, Nvidia has since quietly updated the spec sheet of the GPU and it now reads 48 MB of L2, which is an increase of 33%.

Nvidia took a page from AMD's book and included this large pool of cache this time with its Ada Lovelace design. This cache pool helps compensate for memory bandwidth while also decreasing cache misses.

Before

After

You can view the rectified L2 cache specification in the before/after image above. The before image shows the 36MB and the after image shows 48MB (the full AD104 GPU die).

While we aren't exactly sure, the lower cache amount may have been a result of a miscommunication between the technical team and the marketing team as a specification upgrade in such short notice is not possible.

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Announced via its official social media channels, Bethesda is planning on bringing an update filled with "over 100 fixes and improvements" to Xbox console and PC players. Before that though, a Steam beta will kick off to test the stability of the changes, echoing the testing steps behind the DLSS update from November.

"This update contains a multitude of fixes to Quests," the studio says in a tweet. "Eye of the Storm issues such as being unable to dock with the Legacy or data transfer not starting, and Temples not showing up in Into the Unknown, will no longer prevent Constellation from exploring the cosmos."

Some screenshots were also shared to showcase the lighting and shadow improvements, seen them embedded above and below. Here are some more improvements included in the update:

"Additionally, this update brings stability improvements and numerous graphic improvements ranging from additional widescreen support to improved textures, lighting, and shadows. Other fixes and improvements include sun disk geometry, planet ring shadows, bulldozed objects reappearing when returning to an Outpost, ship hatches marked inaccessible, and another fix for asteroids following ships."

The Starfield beta update will launch for Steam users via a beta channel on January 17, with its changelog also coming on that date. Two weeks later, the update will launch to all players across Xbox, PC, and Game Pass.

More updates with features like modding support, FSR 3 and XeSS, new ways to travel, and more are coming later in 2024 too. Bethesda is also working on the game's first story expansion, Shattered Space. While only a name has been revealed about this DLC for now, we may get more information about it during the Xbox Developer_Direct showcase next week.

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Microsoft's AI products are generally under the banner name of Copilot, and the company has been trying very hard to build up the hype in order to convince the industry and people why it is such a great thing to have.

Back in November, Microsoft published a blog post explaining how users really needed to have Copilot even though they may not have wanted it. This was only a month after Microsoft's CEO Satya Nadella expressed how they felt about Copilot, and even likened it to the second coming of the Windows Start button in terms of its potential revolutionary impact.

Taking inspiration from its own idea perhaps, Microsoft, this CES, introduced the new Copilot button on keyboards that will launch Copilot, similar to the Windows key that launches the Start menu. This key, the company says, will be on new laptops and desktop keyboards starting this January; the tech giant is clearly trying to replicate the success of the Start button with this move, while also stimulating new hardware sales for manufacturers who will have to bring to market a keyboard with the new key.

In a statement to Dr. Windows, Microsoft has elaborated on the position of the key. The company said:

The placement of the Copilot key varies depending on the manufacturer, but generally it is on the right side of the space bar opposite the WIN key. In some cases the key replaces the right CTRL key, on some larger keyboards there is space for both the right CTRL key and the Copilot key, and in other cases the Copilot key is combined with the “Menu” key (the Menu key is accessed secondary with the Fn key + Copilot key).

And if you are one of the naysayers of this key, there is some good news for you too as the article further notes that the Copilot key is apparently not mandatory and hence won't be part of Windows device certification, at least not for the moment.

Hence, if you don't want the Copilot key taking up any real estate space on your keyboard, you will still have the option to choose not to, although, on laptops and notebooks, this choice will likely become very limited as they are prebuilt and you will have to balance features and performance aspects of the device as well.

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The Verge got a hold of an internal Discord memo written by its CEO Jason Citron. He stated that the company has "grown significantly over the past few years". However, as many tech companies have admitted recently, Discord also increased its number of team members to a point where it could not sustain its business. He said:

We grew quickly and expanded our workforce even faster, increasing by 5x since 2020. As a result, we took on more projects and became less efficient in how we operated.

The 170 team members affected by this decision will get five months of salary, put one additional week for each year they have been employed by Discord. There's no word on the specifics of the one-time charges the company will have to make with these layoffs.

Discord has been adding more features for gamers in the last year, including adding voice chat for PlayStation 5 gamers, and a way to stream gameplay from Xbox consoles to Discord channels.

So far in 2023, we have seen mass layoffs at several tech companies. They include Xerox, who let go of 15 percent of its team members last week. This week alone, Spotify announced 17 percent of its employees will be laid off and the Unity game engine company revealed a massive 25 percent of its workers will be let go.

Three Amazon divisions revealed layoffs this week, including 35 percent of the team members at its Twitch group. Google announced cut backs in its Devices and Services division, along with its Assistant and core engineering groups. Each will laid off several hundred employees.

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Each year begins with a slew of announcements and teases at CES. With new handheld gaming consoles and even gaming chairs with haptic feedback, this year seems to have lived up to expectations. In fact, the show surpassed my expectations. There are dozens of devices to look forward to, and I can't wait to see how some of these work in the real world.

On top of several intriguing devices, Intel, AMD, and NVIDIA announced internals that will power hardware through 2024 and beyond.

If you want to catch up on everything from CES 2024, make sure to check out our page on the event. But if you crave only the most extraordinary tech, at least in the eyes of myself, I have you covered here. CES 2024 runs through January 12, 2024, but the major announcements have already been made, so I couldn't wait to share.

MSI Claw is the vehicle that Intel Arc needs

The MSI Claw is a handheld gaming console that runs on Intel Arc graphics. (Image credit: Rebecca Spear | Windows Central)

• The MSI Claw is a handheld gaming console that features Intel Arc graphics rather than AMD graphics.
• The console supports Xe Super Sampling for upscaling.
• The MSI Claw faces stiff competition within the growing category of handheld gaming consoles.

I'll kick things off with a quick section by our Channel Editor Ben Wilson. He's obsessed with seeing Intel succeed in the fight against NVIDIA and AMD, so he couldn't resist adding a section in my roundup about the MSI Claw.

MSI, the manufacturer probably best known for its gaming desktop motherboards and OEM graphics cards, announced a new portable PC gaming handheld named 'MSI Claw,' presumably inspired by its iconic dragon logo. Some of the Claw's component specs leaked before the show started to reveal cutting-edge Intel Core Ultra mobile processors powering the CPU and GPU. MSI choosing Intel over AMD marks a considerable shift in the PC gaming handheld market, contrasting with competitors Valve, ASUS, and Lenovo. The brand-new Core Ultra chips feature higher core and thread counts than their competitors, suggesting a natural edge in raw performance.

The Claw's unique appeal lies in integrating an in-house real-time 3D graphics platform from the Intel Arc range of desktop cards and Xe Super Sampling (XeSS) upscaling technology inside a handheld running Windows 11. This tech is a similar, open-source answer to NVIDIA's Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS) as AMD's FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR) is, offering better portable gaming experiences with improved battery life and intelligently scaled on-screen graphics. The key selling point is the nature of cross-compatibility with AMD FSR, even combining elements of XeSS since both source codes are open to the knowledgeable public.

While MSI has a strong reputation in PC hardware, it can't guarantee success by the Claw's spec bump alone. It faces stiff competition from Valve's Steam Deck dominance in digital game distribution and years of accessibility advancements. The next few months will prove crucial for MSI to demonstrate the Claw's capabilities and establish its position in the competitive portable gaming market. So, as soon as review samples become available, we'll pit it against its major rivals and assess the MSI Claw's potential as a serious contender in the gaming handheld arena. Nevertheless, I'm thrilled to see Intel push forward with Arc graphics and hope they become a genuine third option to stand apart from NVIDIA GeForce and AMD Radeon. — Ben Wilson, Tech Editor

ASUS doubles down on dual screens with ZenBook Duo

The ASUS ZenBook Duo has two displays and can also be used as a traditional clamshell laptop, thanks to its detachable keyboard. (Image credit: Windows Central)

• The ASUS ZenBook Duo features two 3K 120Hz OLED displays and runs on an Intel Core Ultra processor.
• ASUS added a built-in kickstand to the ZenBook Duo, which makes it much easier to set up on a desk or table.
• The keyboard of the ZenBook Duo attaches magnetically and has POGO pins.

ASUS unveiled its new ZenBook Duo this year at CES 2024. The laptop features two 3K 120Hz OLED displays and a detachable keyboard. The evolution of the ZenBook Duo's design aligns it more with the Lenovo Yoga Book 9i, which also has two displays. The change puts the "Duo" into ZenBook Duo, and it makes a much more exciting laptop.

The previous ZenBook Duo had a secondary display that sat above the keyboard. It was fine for some multitasking, but not nearly as versatile as having an entire second display. The new ZenBook Duo can be used as a traditional laptop when the keyboard is attached over the second screen, or as a dual-screen system when you detach the keyboard.

From what I've seen of the ZenBook Duo, it's hard to even tell it's a special laptop at first glance. That's what needs to happen in this space. People don't want devices that feel fragile, have gaps, or require practice to figure out — looking at you folio keyboards.

The built-in kickstand of the ZenBook Duo is adjustable, metal, and robust. It lets you prop up the laptop when in dual-screen mode. You still can't use the laptop on your lap comfortably in the dual-screen form factor, but it's easy to set up on a desk or table.

Inside, the ZenBook Duo runs on up to an Intel Core Ultra 9 processor, which should deliver solid performance. That processor also has an NPU, which is optimized for AI features.

Our Managing Editor, Richard Devine, called the ZenBook Duo one of his favorite things from CES 2024, and I agree with him. I love the trend of laptop manufacturers moving toward taller devices, such as the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold. You can't get much taller than two displays on top of each other, and I think ASUS has designed the ZenBook Duo in an elegant way that's also functional.

Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 Hybrid is a new type of 2-in-1

Lenovo's ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 Hybrid has a Windows PC as a laptop base and a detachable Android tablet for a screen. (Image credit: Lenovo)

• Lenovo's ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 Hybrid is a Windows laptop and an Android tablet.
• The base of the device runs on an Intel Core Ultra 7 processor, and the detachable display has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1.
• The ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 Hybrid is expected to ship in Q2 2024 with a starting price of $1,999.

Versatility was a bit of a theme at CES 2024. Many devices announced during the event double up in one way or another. Lenovo's ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 Hybrid takes a different approach to the 2-in-1. Rather than being a single device that can fold or flip between form factors, the ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 Hybrid is two devices in one, quite literally.

The laptop base of the ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 Hybrid is a Windows PC. You can use that base as a traditional clamshell laptop when its screen is attached or use it to power an external display.

• Hands-on with Lenovo's ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 Hybrid

The ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 Hybrid's display looks like a lovely OLED screen with a 2.8K resolution, but its standout feature is that it is also a fully functional Android tablet. Pop off the top half of the ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 Hybrid, and you have a standalone Android tablet powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1.

I know that Windows' tablet mode has some fans, but I'm not among them. Windows is a great operating system for desktops and laptops, but it's just functional as a tablet OS. Android lags behind iOS when it comes to tablets, but there's no way that Apple would have an iPad attach to a Windows PC — did Apple ever learn what a computer was? That makes a Windows PC combined with an Android tablet the best combo available.

Razer Project Esther brings haptics to gaming chairs

Razer's Project Esther is a cushion that adds advanced haptics to gaming chairs. (Image credit: Future/Razer)

• Razer unveiled Project Esther, a haptic gaming cushion.
• The cushion has 16 haptic zones to increase immersion.
• At least for now, Project Esther is only a concept device, but we could see a consumer version in the future.

I remember the first time I played Star Fox on the N64 with a rumble pack. I even got a rumbling vest to along with my gaming set up when I was young. Haptics have come a long way since then, and Razer has a concept I hope hits shelves in the future.

If you want to purchase one of the best gaming chairs, Razer has you covered with the recently launched Iskur V2. While that chair upgrades the solid Iskur lineup, it's not the most astonishing chair Razer showed off at CES 2024. That title goes to Project Esther, a gaming chair cushion featuring haptics.

The concept gaming cushion isn't just a vibrating pad on a gaming chair. Project Esther uses Razer Sensa HD Haptics, which combines HyperSense haptics and tech from Interhaptics, which Razer acquired recently. We reviewed the Razer Nari Ultimate and its haptics a few years ago. Razer has improved its haptic game since then, including buying Interhaptics.

Project Esther is all about immersion. Razer Sensa HD Haptics supports directionality and multi-actuator functionality. That functionality allows developers to immerse you into games with more realistic haptic feedback.

While Project Esther looks natural on the Razer Iskur 2, it's a universal cushion, so you could add it to any gaming chair if it ever came out as a consumer product.

Acer Predator Z57

Acer's Predator Z57 is a gargantuan gaming monitor with a 7680x2160 resolution. (Image credit: Acer)

• Acer's new ultrawide monitor has a 57-inch display.
• That screen has a 7680x2160 resolution, making it essentially two 4K monitors combined.
• The Acer Predator Z57 will launch in Q2 2024 starting from $2,499.99.

Ultrawide monitors seem to grow each year. Acer unveiled its latest and largest gaming monitor at CES 2024, the Predator Z57. The new monitor is an ultrawide behemoth with a 57-inch display sporting a 7680x2160 resolution. That curved screen has a 120Hz refresh rate as well.

I could never justify a screen like this since I don't play games on a PC. But I love ultrawide monitors and dream of a day that Slack, AirTable, and Microsoft Edge can all sit on a giant screen on my desk.

With a 32:9 aspect ratio, the Acer Predator Z57 is essentially two 4K 16:9 displays placed next to each other. Acer has some built-in tools for managing a screen of this size, but it's worth grabbing PowerToys and using FancyZones for this massive monitor.

Acer will launch the Predator Z57 in North America in Q2 with a starting price of $2,499.99.

If you don't have a desk large enough for the Predator Z57 or want a smaller gaming monitor, Acer also announced the Predator X34 V2, which has a 21:9 curved display with a QHD resolution. That monitor has a quicker 180Hz refresh rate as well.

XREAL Air 2 Ultra

The XREAL Air 2 Ultra smart glasses support spatial computing and can mirror the screen of many devices. (Image credit: XREAL)

• The XREAL Air Ultra 2 are the company's first smart glasses to feature cameras.
• The new glasses are designed to compete with Microsoft HoloLens, Apple Vision Pro, and Meta Quest 3, though they are not a standalone device.
• Spatial computing appears limited to select devices, though the glasses can mirror the screen of anything with USB-C output.

Why get an expensive display that can only sit at your desk when you can attach a display to your face and take it anywhere? That's the question XREAL asks with the XREAL Air 2 Ultra, announced this week at CES. The XREAL Air Ultra 2 is the first smart glasses from the company to feature cameras. The cameras also let you use hand tracking and add support for interacting with real-world objects.

The XREAL Air 2 Ultra represents a significant step forward in augmented reality for the company that already holds a 51% stake in the category.

While the XREAL Air 2 Ultra improves on the already impressive XREAL Air 2 Pro, it has limits, especially compared to devices like the Apple Vision Pro or Meta Quest 3. The XREAL Air 2 Ultra requires an attached device; it's not a standalone product. XREAL's page on the glasses only lists the Samsung Galaxy S22 and Samsung Galaxy S23 as supported for spatial computing, though it's unclear if that list is exhaustive. Screen mirroring should work with any device with USB-C.

I like the concept of what XREAL is working on. Standalone AR devices have their place, but attached glasses play a role as well. As augmented reality shifts to general productivity rather than gaming or industrial work, devices like the XREAL Air 2 Ultra are important counters to the pricey Apple Vision Pro.

Razer Aether Monitor Light Bar is about more than RGB

The Razer Aether has lights on its front and back to illuminate your screen and immerse you in RGB. (Image credit: Razer)

• The Razer Aether Monitor Light Bar has an adjustable white light on the front to reduce eye strain and illuminate your desk.
• RGB lights stretch across the back of the Razer Aether Monitor Light Bar.
• You can sync the RGB lights of the Razer Aether Monitor Light Bar with your favorite games and other Aether accessories.

It's hard to find a modern Razer product without some form of RGB. But the Razer Aether Monitor Light Bar isn't just an RGB lamp. The front of the device has an adjustable white light that lights up your desk and screen without creating glare. Having a light in front of your monitor can make it easier to see what's on your screen and reduce eye strain.

The front of the Razer Aether Monitor Light Bar also has capacitive touch controls, though you can control it with a voice assistant if you prefer.

But don't worry; the Razer Aether Monitor Light Bar also has RGB lights. 16.8 million colours are supported, though you'll need a discerning eye to tell them all apart. The RGB lights of the Razer Aether Light Bar can sync with your games and other Aether accessories, such as the Razer Aether Light Strip or Razer Aether Lamp.

At $129.99, the Razer Aether Monitor Light Bar is the gadget from CES I'm most likely to actually buy. My desk doesn't get good natural light, and redoing the overhead lighting would be costly. A light bar could reduce eye strain, and Razer's new option can add some colour to my room as well.

CES sets the stage for 2024

Several devices shown off at CES focus on versatility. (Image credit: Windows Central)

CES is one of the most exciting times of the year for tech enthusiasts and journalists. Companies unveil everything from experimental concepts to consumer tech that will ship in 2024.

This year, several companies unveiled devices that center on doubling productivity. Whether having two screens, like the ASUS ZenBook Duo, or two devices attached at a hinge, like the Lenovo ThinkBook Gen 5 Hybrid, tech makers seem keen to deliver multitasking hardware.

On the processor side of things, AMD, Intel, and NVIDIA all had announcements at CES 2024. Almost every gadget and PC will have a processor from one of those companies (unless they exclusively run on Qualcomm chips), so those tech giants need to set the tone early in 2024.

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Why it matters: It's a potential changing of the guard among tech titans.

The big picture: Microsoft has briefly overtaken Apple as the most valuable U.S. company on a couple of occasions since COVID hit.

• Microsoft's recent romp higher — it's up more than 60% over the last 12 months, compared to Apple's 38% — reflects the fact that it's seen as well positioned for the AI boom that many investors view as a near certainty.

State of play: Microsoft was roughly flat on Thursday while Apple had slipped by about 0.8% shortly before noon.

If this holds through the market's close, Microsoft will edge past Apple's market valuation.

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Amazon is laying off hundreds of employees at its studio division as well as its subsidiary Twitch to reduce costs, the latest in a wave of new job cuts hitting the tech industry.

Twitch, a video streaming platform, will cut just over 500 roles, or 35 percent of its work force, according to a blog post on the company’s website. Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios will eliminate hundreds of jobs, said an email sent to staff on Wednesday.

Since late 2022, Amazon has laid off 27,000 workers, as the company has slashed costs in an effort to recover from overexpansion during the pandemic.

“It’s important that we prioritize our investments for the long-term success of our business, while relentlessly focusing on what we know matters most to our customers,” Mike Hopkins, senior vice president of Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios, wrote in the email. He said the company would shift its investments to focus on the highest-impact products and cut others.

Amazon’s cuts signal a concerning trend for tech companies, which laid off tens of thousands of employees last year in response to tough economic conditions and changes in consumer habits as people returned to everyday life in the wake of the pandemic. Xerox said this month that it would cut 15 percent of its 23,000-person staff, and the video game software provider Unity Software said it would cut 1,800 roles, or 25 percent of its work force.

Amazon said the layoff constituted a relatively small percentage of people in the division, although it declined to provide numbers. Twitch declined to comment beyond the blog post.

Amazon has worked to build its streaming platform for years, including acquiring MGM Studio in 2022 for $8.5 billion. The company considers streaming an important part of its package of Prime offerings, which charges an annual fee for fast shipping and other perks.

It also acquired Twitch, which is popular with gamers who stream their online video play, for roughly a billion dollars a decade ago. Last year, the company laid off 400 people as part of overall cuts at Amazon, and in December Twitch announced that it would shut down its services in South Korea by the end of February, citing “prohibitively expensive” costs.

“Unfortunately, despite these efforts, it has become clear that our organization is still meaningfully larger than it needs to be given the size of our business,” Twitch’s chief executive, Dan Clancy, wrote in the blog post. He added that the decision “is necessary to ensure that we can continue to serve our streamers sustainably without impacting their ability to support their careers on Twitch.”

In 2023, layoffs affected over 9,000 people in the gaming industry, according to data collected by Gabelli Funds, an investment management firm.

“Layoffs were well above historic industry averages and impacted employees at some of the biggest companies in the industry,” including Epic Games and Microsoft’s Xbox, said Alec Boccanfuso, a research analyst at Gabelli Funds.

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Google laid off hundreds of workers in several divisions Wednesday night, seeking to lower expenses as it focuses on artificial intelligence and joining a wave of other companies cutting tech jobs this year.

The Silicon Valley company laid off employees in its core engineering division, as well as those working on the Google Assistant, a voice-operated virtual assistant, and in the hardware division that makes the Pixel phone, Fitbit watches and Nest thermostat, three people with knowledge of the cuts said.

Several hundred employees from the company’s core engineering organization lost corporate access and received notices that their roles were eliminated, two of the people said. Google said that most of the hardware cuts affected a team working on augmented reality, technology that combines the real world with a digital overlay.

“We’ve had to make some difficult decisions about ongoing employment of some Google employees and we regret to inform you that your position is being eliminated,” the company told some workers in the division, according to text reviewed by The New York Times.

Google confirmed the Assistant cuts, earlier reported by Semafor, and the hardware layoffs, earlier reported by the blog 9to5Google.

“We’re responsibly investing in our company’s biggest priorities and the significant opportunities ahead,” a Google spokesman said in a statement. After cuts throughout the second half of 2023, “some teams are continuing to make these kinds of organizational changes, which include some role eliminations globally.”

The cuts continue a trend of tech layoffs, after large companies such as Google, Meta and Amazon laid off thousands of workers last year. Ten days into this year, more companies have announced job cuts. Earlier Wednesday, Amazon shed hundreds of workers from its Twitch streaming service, Prime Video and MGM studios. Xerox said this month that it would cut 15 percent of its 23,000-person staff, and the video game software provider Unity Software said it would eliminate 1,800 roles, or 25 percent of its work force.

At Google, Sundar Pichai, the chief executive, has pushed the company since July 2022 to sharpen its focus and to reduce expenses as global economic conditions deteriorated. In January 2023, Google shed 6 percent of its work force, or 12,000 people, in the largest layoffs that the company has conducted. Since then, executives at the company have said they would try to significantly reduce costs, as it focuses on the growing field of generative artificial intelligence.

Google, which had 182,000 employees as of Sept. 30, said the layoffs on Wednesday were part of a set of reorganizations that were made in the normal course of business.

The Alphabet Workers Union, a group representing more than 1,400 workers at Google’s parent company, Alphabet, described the layoffs as “needless.”

“Our members and teammates work hard every day to build great products for our users, and the company cannot continue to fire our co-workers while making billions every quarter,” the group said in a post on the social media site X.

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Dell's Alienware PC gaming division is best known for its high-end PC desktop, laptops, and their gaming PC monitors. Indeed, at CES 2024, the company announced new QD-OLED monitors, including one with a 4K display.

In addition, Alienware announced a new wireless mouse and wireless keyboard made for pro PC gamers. The Alienware Pro Wireless Mouse and Alienware Pro Wireless Keyboard were also designed with the input of over 100 eSports players, including members of Team Liquid.

Alienware's blog post states that its Wireless Pro Mouse's rounded symmetrical shape was designed specifically so that it could be held comfortably by almost anyone. It's also a lightweight mouse at under 60g.

The mouse has an optical sensor of 26,000 DPI. The polling rate for can go as high as 4KHz in wireless mode, with a 0.25ms response time, and as high as 8KHz, with a 0.125ms response time, if you decide to connect it with a USB cable.

Alienware says the mouse's keys include "Magnetic-Force Keyplates with optical switches." What does that mean? Alienware says:

Their magnetic force allows the Pro Mouse to deliver faster debounce times – the time it takes for the switch to register a mouse click – and improves rapid clicking speed while preventing button stick.

The battery on board the mouse will last up to 120 hours at 1KHz polling or up to 32 hours when using the higher 4Khz polling

The new Alienware Pro Wireless Keyboard has a smaller 75 percent form factor design. Inside, the keys use the company's custom Alienware Linear Mechanical Switches, which will have a 40g actuation force for speedy response times. However, the keyboard will also support most 5-pin and 3-pin switches, so owners can go in and switch out keys and switches with the included puller tool.

Both of the products will go on sale in North America on Thursday, January 11. The Alienware Pro Wireless Mouse will be priced at $149.99, and the Alienware Pro Wireless Keyboard will be priced at $199.99.

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In the decades to come, 2023 may be remembered as the year of generative AI hype, where ChatGPT became arguably the fastest-spreading new technology in human history and expectations of AI-powered riches became commonplace. The year 2024 will be the time for recalibrating expectations.

Of course, generative AI is an impressive technology, and it provides tremendous opportunities for improving productivity in a number of tasks. But because the hype has gone so far ahead of reality, the setbacks of the technology in 2024 will be more memorable.

More and more evidence will emerge that generative AI and large language models provide false information and are prone to hallucination—where an AI simply makes stuff up, and gets it wrong. Hopes of a quick fix to the hallucination problem via supervised learning, where these models are taught to stay away from questionable sources or statements, will prove optimistic at best. Because the architecture of these models is based on predicting the next word or words in a sequence, it will prove exceedingly difficult to have the predictions be anchored to known truths.

Anticipation that there will be exponential improvements in productivity across the economy, or the much-vaunted first steps towards “artificial general intelligence”, or AGI, will fare no better. The tune on productivity improvements will shift to blaming failures on faulty implementation of generative AI by businesses. We may start moving towards the (much more meaningful) conclusion that one needs to know which human tasks can be augmented by these models, and what types of additional training workers need to make this a reality.

Some people will start recognizing that it was always a pipe dream to reach anything resembling complex human cognition on the basis of predicting words. Others will say that intelligence is just around the corner. Many more, I fear, will continue to talk of the “existential risks” of AI, missing what is going wrong, as well as the much more mundane (and consequential) risks that its uncontrolled rollout is posing for jobs, inequality, and democracy.

We will witness these costs more clearly in 2024. Generative AI will have been adopted by many companies, but it will prove to be just “so-so automation” of the type that displaces workers but fails to deliver huge productivity improvements.

The biggest use of ChatGPT and other large language models will be in social media and online search. Platforms will continue to monetize the information they collect via individualized digital ads, while competition for user attention will intensify. The amount of manipulation and misinformation online will grow. Generative AI will then increase the amount of time people spend using screens (and the inevitable mental health problems associated with it).

There will be more AI startups, and the open source model will gain some traction, but this will not be enough to halt the emergence of a duopoly in the industry, with Google and Microsoft/OpenAI dominating the field with their gargantuan models. Many more companies will be compelled to rely on these foundation models to develop their own apps. And because these models will continue to disappoint due to false information and hallucinations, many of these apps will also disappoint.

Calls for antitrust and regulation will intensify. Antitrust action will go nowhere, because neither the courts nor policymakers will have the courage to attempt to break up the largest tech companies. There will be more stirrings in the regulation space. Nevertheless, meaningful regulation will not arrive in 2024, for the simple reason that the US government has fallen so far behind the technology that it needs some time to catch up—a shortcoming that will become more apparent in 2024, intensifying discussions around new laws and regulations, and even becoming more bipartisan.

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