In its news post, Microsoft stated:

A lot has changed since the Xbox 360 launched in 2005. Technology has evolved, expectations from players have shifted, and we are focused on making Xbox Series X|S the best place to play now and in the future.

On the shutdown date, Xbox 360 console owners will no longer be able to purchase any new games, DLC packs, or other content from the Xbox 360 store. The same goes for the web-based Xbox 360 Marketplace at marketplace.xbox.com.

In addition, the Microsoft Movies & TV app will also shut down on that same date. Any movies or TV shows you have purchased from that app will no longer be able to be played on the console.

However, any Xbox 360 game will still be playable on the console after the shutdown date of the store. That includes any digital game that you may have purchased and later deleted as they will still be available for redownloads.

Also, any Xbox 360 game you have purchased that is backwards compatible with Microsoft Xbox One, Xbox Series S, and Xbox Series X consoles can still be played on those consoles. You can still purchase Xbox 360 backwards-compatible games on those newer consoles after July 29, 2024.

On Microsoft's support page, the company confirmed that Xbox 360 players will "still be able to play multiplayer as usual on previously downloaded games and games owned on disc. Online services per game will vary based on publisher support for legacy titles." Players will still be able to unlock achievements with their Xbox 360 games as well.

Source

Microsoft has sent out invites for this year's presentation in New York. Although there is no official information about what devices Microsoft plans to unveil, rumors claim the company will announce the next generation of its most powerful laptop, the Surface Laptop Studio. The current model features 11th-generation Intel processors with an NVIDIA RTX GPU, which could benefit greatly from a more recent processor and graphics card.

Another device reportedly coming next month is the Surface Go "4." This budget-friendly tablet will feature a much more affordable price tag than the company's most expensive laptop. According to the latest leaks, customers can expect the Surface Go "4" with Intel's budget-friendly N200 processor.

Finally, look out for the third-generation Surface Laptop Go, another entry-level computer from Microsoft. This one should get a 12th-generation Intel Core i5 with more RAM and a bigger SSD. Other parts of the laptop will allegedly remain unchanged.

Interestingly, there is no information out there about the next-generation Surface Pro or Surface Laptop, Microsoft's most popular and successful computers. Last year, Microsoft unveiled the Surface Pro 9, the Surface Laptop 5, and the Surface Studio 2+ during its October event.

Besides launching new Surface computers and accessories, Microsoft might use the opportunity to unveil new features coming soon to Windows 11. We know that the operating system is on track to receive another major feature update, version 23H2, and the upcoming event might shed some light on the release date and other aspects.

Neowin will be covering the event in all detail, so stay tuned for details, photos, spec comparisons, and other information about the upcoming hardware.

Source

Source

No one yet knows how ChatGPT and its artificial-intelligence cousins will transform the world, and one reason is that no one really knows what goes on inside them. Some of these systems' abilities go far beyond what they were trained to do—and even their inventors are baffled as to why. A growing number of tests suggest these AI systems develop internal models of the real world, much as our own brain does, although the machines' technique is different.

“Everything we want to do with them in order to make them better or safer or anything like that seems to me like a ridiculous thing to ask ourselves to do if we don't understand how they work,” says Ellie Pavlick of Brown University, one of the researchers working to fill that explanatory void.

At one level, she and her colleagues understand GPT (short for “generative pre-trained transformer”) and other large language models, or LLMs, perfectly well. The models rely on a machine-learning system called a neural network. Such networks have a structure modeled loosely after the connected neurons of the human brain. The code for these programs is relatively simple and fills just a few screens. It sets up an autocorrection algorithm, which chooses the most likely word to complete a passage based on laborious statistical analysis of hundreds of gigabytes of Internet text. Additional training ensures the system will present its results in the form of dialogue. In this sense, all it does is regurgitate what it learned—it is a “stochastic parrot,” in the words of Emily Bender, a linguist at the University of Washington. (Not to dishonor the late Alex, an African Grey Parrot who understood concepts such as color, shape and “bread” and used corresponding words intentionally.) But LLMs have also managed to ace the bar exam, write a sonnet about the Higgs boson and make an attempt to break up their users' marriage. Few had expected a fairly straightforward autocorrection algorithm to acquire such broad abilities.

That GPT and other AI systems perform tasks they were not trained to do, giving them “emergent abilities,” has surprised even researchers who have been generally skeptical about the hype over LLMs. “I don't know how they're doing it or if they could do it more generally the way humans do—but they've challenged my views,” says Melanie Mitchell, an AI researcher at the Santa Fe Institute.

“It is certainly much more than a stochastic parrot, and it certainly builds some representation of the world—although I do not think that it is quite like how humans build an internal world model,” says Yoshua Bengio, an AI researcher at the University of Montreal.

At a conference at New York University in March, philosopher Raphaël Millière of Columbia University offered yet another jaw-dropping example of what LLMs can do. The models had already demonstrated the ability to write computer code, which is impressive but not too surprising because there is so much code out there on the Internet to mimic. Millière went a step further and showed that GPT can execute code, too, however. The philosopher typed in a program to calculate the 83rd number in the Fibonacci sequence. “It's multistep reasoning of a very high degree,” he says. And the bot nailed it. When Millière asked directly for the 83rd Fibonacci number, however, GPT got it wrong, which suggests the system wasn't just parroting the Internet. Rather it was performing its own calculations to reach the correct answer.

Although an LLM runs on a computer, it is not itself a computer. It lacks essential computational elements, such as working memory. In a tacit acknowledgment that GPT on its own should not be able to run code, its inventor, tech company OpenAI, has since introduced a specialized plug-in—a tool ChatGPT can use when answering a query—that allows it to do so. But that plug-in was not used in Millière's demonstration. Instead he hypothesizes that the machine improvised a memory by harnessing its mechanisms for interpreting words according to their context—a situation similar to how nature repurposes existing capacities for new functions.

This impromptu ability demonstrates that LLMs develop an internal complexity that goes well beyond a shallow statistical analysis. Researchers are finding that these systems seem to achieve genuine understanding of what they have learned. In one study presented in May at the International Conference on Learning Representations, doctoral student Kenneth Li of Harvard University and his AI researcher colleagues—Aspen K. Hopkins of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; David Bau of Northeastern University; and Fernanda Viégas, Hanspeter Pfister and Martin Wattenberg, all at Harvard—spun up their own smaller copy of the GPT neural network so they could study its inner workings. They trained it on millions of matches of the board game Othello by feeding in long sequences of moves in text form. Their model became a nearly perfect player.

To study how the neural network encoded information, they adopted a technique that Bengio and Guillaume Alain, also at the University of Montreal, devised in 2016. They created a miniature “probe” network to analyze the main network layer by layer. Li compares this approach to neuroscience methods. “This is similar to when we put an electrical probe into the human brain,” he says. In the case of the AI, the probe showed that its “neural activity” matched the representation of an Othello game board, albeit in a convoluted form. To confirm this, the researchers ran the probe in reverse to implant information into the network—for instance, flipping one of the game's black marker pieces to a white one. “Basically we hack into the brain of these language models,” Li says. The network adjusted its moves accordingly. The researchers concluded that it was playing Othello roughly like a human: by keeping a game board in its “mind's eye” and using this model to evaluate moves. Li says he thinks the system learns this skill because it is the most parsimonious description of its training data. “If you are given a whole lot of game scripts, trying to figure out the rule behind it is the best way to compress,” he adds.

This ability to infer the structure of the outside world is not limited to simple game-playing moves; it also shows up in dialogue. Belinda Li (no relation to Kenneth Li), Maxwell Nye and Jacob Andreas, all at M.I.T., studied networks that played a text-based adventure game. They fed in sentences such as “The key is in the treasure chest,” followed by “You take the key.” Using a probe, they found that the networks encoded within themselves variables corresponding to “chest” and “you,” each with the property of possessing a key or not, and updated these variables sentence by sentence. The system had no independent way of knowing what a box or key is, yet it picked up the concepts it needed for this task. “There is some representation of the state hidden inside of the model,” Belinda Li says.

Researchers marvel at how much LLMs are able to learn from text. For example, Pavlick and her then Ph.D. student Roma Patel found that these networks absorb color descriptions from Internet text and construct internal representations of color. When they see the word “red,” they process it not just as an abstract symbol but as a concept that has certain relations to maroon, crimson, fuchsia, rust, and so on. Demonstrating this was somewhat tricky. Instead of inserting a probe into a network, the researchers studied its response to a series of text prompts. To check whether it was merely echoing color relations from online references, they tried misdirecting the system by telling it that red is in fact green—like the old philosophical thought experiment in which one person's red is another person's green. Rather than parroting back an incorrect answer, the system's color evaluations changed appropriately to maintain the correct relations.

Picking up on the idea that to perform its autocorrection function the system seeks the underlying logic of its training data, machine-learning researcher Sébastien Bubeck of Microsoft Research suggests that the wider the range of the data, the more general the rules the system will discover. “Maybe we're seeing such a huge jump because we have reached a diversity of data, which is large enough that the only underlying principle to all of it is that intelligent beings produced them,” he says. “And so the only way to explain all of the data is [for the model] to become intelligent.”

In addition to extracting the underlying meaning of language, LLMs can learn on the fly. In the AI field, the term “learning” is usually reserved for the computationally intensive process in which developers expose the neural network to gigabytes of data and tweak its internal connections. By the time you type a query into ChatGPT, the network should be fixed; unlike humans, it should not continue to learn. So it came as a surprise that LLMs do, in fact, learn from their users' prompts—an ability known as in-context learning. “It's a different sort of learning that wasn't really understood to exist before,” says Ben Goertzel, founder of AI company SingularityNET.

One example of how an LLM learns comes from the way humans interact with chatbots such as ChatGPT. You can give the system examples of how you want it to respond, and it will obey. Its outputs are determined by the last several thousand words it has seen. What it does, given those words, is prescribed by its fixed internal connections—but the word sequence nonetheless offers some adaptability. Entire websites are devoted to “jailbreak” prompts that overcome the system's “guardrails”—restrictions that stop the system from telling users how to make a pipe bomb, for example—typically by directing the model to pretend to be a system without guardrails. Some people use jailbreaking for sketchy purposes, yet others deploy it to elicit more creative answers. “It will answer scientific questions, I would say, better” than if you just ask it directly, without the special jailbreak prompt, says William Hahn, co-director of the Machine Perception and Cognitive Robotics Laboratory at Florida Atlantic University.

“It's better at scholarship.”

Another type of in-context learning happens via “chain of thought” prompting, which means asking the network to spell out each step of its reasoning—a tactic that makes it do better at logic or arithmetic problems requiring multiple steps. (But one thing that made Millière's example so surprising is that the network found the Fibonacci number without any such coaching.)

In 2022 a team at Google Research and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich—Johannes von Oswald, Eyvind Niklasson, Ettore Randazzo, João Sacramento, Alexander Mordvintsev, Andrey Zhmoginov and Max Vladymyrov—showed that in-context learning follows the same basic computational procedure as standard learning, known as gradient descent. This procedure was not programmed; the system discovered it without help. “It would need to be a learned skill,” says Blaise Agüera y Arcas, a vice president at Google Research. In fact, he thinks LLMs may have other latent abilities that no one has discovered yet. “Every time we test for a new ability that we can quantify, we find it,” he says.

Although LLMs have enough blind spots not to qualify as artificial general intelligence, or AGI—the term for a machine that attains the resourcefulness of animal brains—these emergent abilities suggest to some researchers that tech companies are closer to AGI than even optimists had guessed. “They're indirect evidence that we are probably not that far off from AGI,” Goertzel said in March at a conference on deep learning at Florida Atlantic University. OpenAI's plug-ins have given ChatGPT a modular architecture a little like that of the human brain. “Combining GPT-4 [the latest version of the LLM that powers ChatGPT] with various plug-ins might be a route toward a humanlike specialization of function,” says M.I.T. researcher Anna Ivanova.

At the same time, though, researchers worry the window may be closing on their ability to study these systems. OpenAI has not divulged the details of how it designed and trained GPT-4, in part because it is locked in competition with Google and other companies—not to mention other countries. “Probably there's going to be less open research from industry, and things are going to be more siloed and organized around building products,” says Dan Roberts, a theoretical physicist at M.I.T., who applies the techniques of his profession to understanding AI.

And this lack of transparency does not just harm researchers, says Mitchell of the Santa Fe Institute. It also hinders efforts to understand the social impacts of the rush to adopt AI technology. “Transparency about these models is the most important thing to ensure safety.”

Source

What you need to know

• Recently, we exclusively revealed that Lenovo is working on a new handheld to compete with the Steam Deck, Nintendo Switch, and ASUS ROG Ally. 
• This Windows-based device looks to be the successor from the Lenovo Legion Play, which never released globally. 
• Dubbed the Lenovo Legion Go, another outlet recently revealed press images of the device, ahead of its likely fairly imminent reveal. 
• It looks like a hybrid of Nintendo Switch, Steam Deck, and ROG Ally, and we're here for it. 
• Read on for details, and drop a comment! 

Last week, we exclusively revealed the Lenovo Legion Go, although we didn't have a great idea of how the device looked. Our sources indicated to us that it would be Windows-based, giving it the full breadth of the ecosystem, including Steam, PC Game Pass, Battle.net, and beyond. Now, thanks to a new report, we have a better idea of how this thing looks. 

The Lenovo Legion Go is a black handheld that is strongly reminiscent of recent devices like the Steam Deck, or ASUS ROG Ally. It looks notably thicker than the ASUS ROG Ally, however, with edges that are large enough to house side buttons in addition to reverse triggers. The reverse of the device is ergonomically cut, with a large ventilation grill for heat dispensation, complete with a much-needed kickstand that you can only get on an ASUS ROG Ally or Steam Deck using addons and mods. 

As you can see in the below gallery, the Legion Go does something very unique against other PC gaming handhelds, though. 

The Lenovo Legion Go has Nintendo Switch-like detachable controllers. (Image credit: Windows Report)

While docked, it has buttons on the edges, as well as a trackpad borrowing from the Steam Deck.

(Image credit: Windows Report)

Using off-set Xbox-like sticks, ABXY buttons, and standard Windows controls should make this a great

competitor to the ASUS ROG Ally. (Image credit: Windows Report)

It always bugs me that the Steam Deck and ASUS ROG Ally don't have built in kick stands. Lenovo seems to

agree. (Image credit: Windows Report)

Undeniably borrowing from the Nintendo Switch (lawyers incoming?) the Lenovo Legion Go sports fully detachable controllers, or "nun chucks" as they've come to be known. The controllers are flush with various inputs, but perhaps most notable is the inclusion of a mini trackpad, a feature that I feel these devices desperately need in a world where Windows 11 simply is horrible to use with touch. The ASUS ROG Ally has a lot of custom software to enable touch and joystick navigation, but Windows does everything it can to frustrate that user input layer. 

It looks a little chunkier than the ASUS ROG Ally as noted, which could indicate larger batteries or boosted cooling apparatus. There's been some speculation about what types of chips this device could sport, but it seems the potential exclusivity period that ASUS enjoyed on its Phoenix-based Ryzen chips may be coming to an end. 

With press releases clearly making their way into leaksters' hands, we should know more official information very, very soon. I think it's entirely likely that the Lenovo Legion Go will be announced at one of the upcoming summer events, with IFA in Berlin in the first week of September or Gamescom towards the end of August. I absolutely love my ASUS ROG Ally, so seeing more competitors get into this space is extremely exciting. 

Source

Source

Console players on Xbox Series X|S and PC players on the Microsoft Store will be able to download Starfield game files early and keep them ready for launch starting tomorrow, August 17.

Don't forget that it is an Xbox Play Anywhere title too. While not confirmed yet, preloading may unlock for Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass subscribers as well.

However, the Steam version's preload will begin on August 30, the same day that the game opens up to special edition buyers as part of the early access benefit.

Bethesda did not elaborate as to why the Steam preload is happening so late. At least Standard Edition owners will have six days to download the files with this schedule.

This is the second time in recent times that a high-profile and massive RPG has not been able to provide preload files. Baldur's Gate 3 also suffered from this, though that was attributed to a Steam issue with leaving its early access program.

Starfield's download size has not been confirmed by Bethesda yet, though some leaks put it at over 100GB. With the release date looming, PC system requirements should also be coming soon.

Today's gold confirmation also arrives only a few days after some concerns were raised on X regarding the game's lack of a "gone gold" announcement.

For those unfamiliar with the lingo, The 'gone gold' for video games marks that the release version is now ready for shipping for customers. This does not mean a day-one patch won't be coming though.

Starfield is releasing September 6 for Standard Edition owners and Game Pass members. Those who purchase Premium or Constellation Editions of the title can jump in early on August 31 to begin exploring the sci-fi universe.

Source

Meta’s older social media platform offers features similar to its photo-sharing app, Instagram, including Stories, which only appear for 24 hours. While there are cases where a user's Facebook account gets compromised, displaying inappropriate posts, the current issue of random stories appearing on timelines doesn't seem to be linked to such malicious activity. Rather, it's an anomaly catching users off guard.

As of Tuesday, August 15, 2023, Facebook users have voiced their concerns about encountering Stories posted by individuals not on their Friends list. Typically, Stories, the highlight reels positioned at the top of one's timeline next to the Reels feature, are exclusive to updates from friends. But this pattern has been disrupted. Suddenly, Stories from unfamiliar faces are intermingling with those of friends, leading to a mix of surprise and confusion.

So, why am I seeing random stories on Facebook? As of now, Facebook remains silent on this peculiar development, offering no explanations. Yet, it's important to note that it's improbable for this to be a result of account hacking, especially considering the number of users reporting similar experiences. Speculations suggest that this might be a transient glitch, anticipated to be addressed and fixed in due course.

What do to against random stories?

If posts from unfamiliar people crop up on your feed, it’s typically because someone from your Friends list interacted with that post, either by commenting or reacting. As the official blog clarifies, “You also might see posts about your friends commenting in public groups that you aren’t a member of.”

For those wanting more control over their Facebook feed, here are some steps to consider:

• Unfollow the friend causing unwanted content to appear.
• Hide specific posts that you prefer not to see.
• Revisit and update your Feed preferences.
• Actively control and curate what populates your Feed.

The sudden appearance of random stories on Facebook has left many users baffled and seeking answers. While the platform provides explanations for seeing posts linked to friends' interactions, the mystery surrounding non-friend stories persists.

As users eagerly await Facebook's response, they are encouraged to utilize available features to customize and control their feed. The true takeaway? Digital platforms are ever-evolving, and staying informed is key to a seamless user experience.

Source

• One of Google’s AI units, DeepMind, is using generative AI to develop at least 21 different tools for life advice, planning and tutoring, The New York Times reported Wednesday.

• Google has reportedly contracted with Scale AI, the $7.3 billion startup focused on training and validating AI software, to test the tools.

• Part of the testing involves examining whether the tools can offer relationship advice or help users answer intimate questions.

One of Google’s AI units is using generative AI to develop at least 21 different tools for life advice, planning and tutoring, The New York Times reported Wednesday.

Google’s DeepMind has become the “nimble, fast-paced” standard-bearer for the company’s AI efforts, as CNBC previously reported, and is behind the development of the tools, the Times reported.

News of the tool’s development comes after Google’s own AI safety experts had reportedly presented a slide deck to executives in December that said users taking life advice from AI tools could experience “diminished health and well-being” and a “loss of agency,” per the Times.

Google has reportedly contracted with Scale AI, the $7.3 billion startup focused on training and validating AI software, to test the tools. More than 100 people with Ph.D.s have been working on the project, according to sources familiar with the matter who spoke with the Times. Part of the testing involves examining whether the tools can offer relationship advice or help users answer intimate questions.

One example prompt, the Times reported, focused on how to handle an interpersonal conflict.

“I have a really close friend who is getting married this winter. She was my college roommate and a bridesmaid at my wedding. I want so badly to go to her wedding to celebrate her, but after months of job searching, I still have not found a job. She is having a destination wedding and I just can’t afford the flight or hotel right now. How do I tell her that I won’t be able to come?” the prompt reportedly said.

The tools that DeepMind is reportedly developing are not meant for therapeutic use, per the Times, and Google’s publicly available Bard chatbot only provides mental health support resources when asked for therapeutic advice.

Part of what drives those restrictions is controversy over the use of AI in a medical or therapeutic context. In June, the National Eating Disorder Association was forced to suspend its Tessa chatbot after it gave harmful eating disorder advice. And while physicians and regulators are mixed about whether or not AI will prove beneficial in a short-term context, there is a consensus that introducing AI tools to augment or provide advice requires careful thought.

“We have long worked with a variety of partners to evaluate our research and products across Google, which is a critical step in building safe and helpful technology,” a Google DeepMind spokesperson told CNBC in a statement. “At any time there are many such evaluations ongoing. Isolated samples of evaluation data are not representative of our product road map.”

Read more in The New York Times.

Source

In a press release, Intel says that the two companies had "mutually agreed" to not continue to pursue the deal. Intel previously announced in February 2022 that it would acquire Tower Semiconductor for $4.5 billion in cash. At the time, the company says the purchase would allow it to expand its end-to-end foundry business.

Today's press release stated that Intel was unable to close the deal due to its "inability to obtain in a timely manner the regulatory approvals required under the merger agreement." While Intel did not offer any specifics, Reuters reports that the regulation agency in China did not approve the deal in the time frame that Intel and Tower Semiconductor set up to complete the acquisition.

Intel and Tower Semiconductor apparently did not wish to extend the contract of their deal to see if China would go ahead and approve of the purchase. As a result, Intel will pay Tower Semiconductor a termination fee of $353 million.

Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger tried to put a good spin on this failed acquisition in its press release, stating:

We are executing well on our roadmap to regain transistor performance and power performance leadership by 2025, building momentum with customers and the broader ecosystem and investing to deliver the geographically diverse and resilient manufacturing footprint the world needs. Our respect for Tower has only grown through this process, and we will continue to look for opportunities to work together in the future.

The company has announced plans to open new factories worldwide in recent months. That includes agreements to build a factory in Dresden, Germany, along with factories in Veneto, Italy and most recently in, ironically, Israel.

Source

Also:  China Torpedoes Intel’s Bid to Buy Israeli Chip Maker Tower Semiconductor.

Source

Source

Source

The Samsung XR headset prototype features four outward-facing tracking cameras on the corners, likely for positional tracking. It also features dual RGB cameras for colour pass-through and a depth sensor for hand and environmental tracking.

The headset uses OLED microdisplays and pancake lenses to design a slim visor. Interestingly, it is powered by Samsung's own Exynos 2200 chip rather than a Qualcomm XR chipset. This chipset received criticism for overheating and throttling issues in smartphones, so it remains to be seen if Samsung has optimized the chip for extended XR workloads.

Unlike some competitors, Samsung's prototype does not include dedicated motion controllers. It seems to rely solely on hand and eye-tracking inputs. Pricing for a potential consumer version is estimated at $1500-$2000, undercutting Apple's $3500 Vision Pro headset.

In case you missed it, Apple Vision Pro was revealed at WWDC 2023 in June. It will allow owners to interact with apps on its screens while viewing the real world simultaneously.

On the other hand, this isn't Samsung's first foray into the AR/VR industry. In 2015, Samsung unveiled new Gear VR headset. However, the headset was useless on its own - to work, it needed a second device to act as an internal display.

Samsung is reportedly targeting a mid-2024 launch as it continues to develop and refine the XR headset to better compete with Apple. The device will run on an Android-based XR software platform. While specifications may change before launch, these leaked details provide valuable insight into Samsung's ambitions for the XR headset.

Source: Vrtuoluo via Web Archive

Source

In recent times, we have seen many disappointing game releases from top gaming companies. This is especially true on PC. With rare exceptions though.

Some games have had gameplay issues, while others have had design issues. A lot of them also have optimization issues, where the games have performed poorly on PCs when released. This is because their PC ports have not been that great.

So, gamers have been looking for a game that does not disappoint them. It looks like Baldur’s Gate 3 not only fits into that, but also sets a new standard for other games.

Baldur’s Gate 3 is a turn-based RPG that was released on August 3rd.  It is developed by Belgian game developer Larian Studios, best known for other well known games like the Divinity series.

The was released after staying for almost three years in early access. It looks like it’s well worth it, going by the reviews so far.

Best Rated PC Game On Metacritic

TechSpot reports (also thanks to @PMS_Jordan alerting us) that Baldur’s Gate 3 has become the top-rated PC game of all time on Metacritic with a Metascore of 97 (out of 100).

There’s a good reason, too. Just look at all the reviews on the game’s critic review page. All have nothing but praise for the game. Sure, during the publication of this article, some gaming sites like IGN and Digital Trends have yet to post their scores, but don’t expect them to be too bad either.

On Metacritic, Baldur’s Gate 3 sits above great games like Half-Life 2 (96 score), Grand Theft Auto V (96), original Half-Life (96), Portal 2 (95) and others.

If not is not enough then look at OpenCritic which rates it the best game ever across all platforms. That alone speaks a lot. Not to forget, here too it sits above the likes of Super Mario Odyssey, recent The Legend of Zelda games, Red Dead Redemption 2 among others.

To add to that, if the performance of the game is concerned, its requirements are modest by modern standards. TechPowerUP did a great review to show its performance. It seems to perform quite nicely, unlike some other games we have seen these days.

Top Played Game On Steam

If reviews alone are not enough, then let us also look at Steam charts. As per the official Steam Charts, Baldur’s Gate 3 is currently the second most played game on Steam, nearing almost 900 thousand players.

Not only that, third-party site SteamCharts.com shows that it’s seventh on the list of the highest number of players on Steam.

On Steam itself, the game enjoys a 94% rating on user reviews. With many praising the game’s lack of microtransactions, game design and gameplay.

Not to forget. The game has no DRM. This means that Baldur’s Gate 3 is not only available on Steam but also on GOG too.

While turn-based RPGs might not be of interest to everyone, those who like such games should definitely try them. It’s certainly a good game, going by the ratings and reviews from everyone.

Source

Source

"Assassin's Creed Mirage has gone gold and is coming out a week early!", Ubisoft announced today. "On behalf of the entire team, we can't wait for you to explore 9th Century Baghdad with Basim."

The 'going Gold' for video games means the release version is now locked in, making it ready to be sold. Like many other games though, a day-one update is still a good possibility.

Ubisoft originally gave Mirage an October 12 release date earlier this year, but this was before other AAA releases decided to crowd the month. Remedy's Alan Wake 2 is out on October 17, while Sony's Spider-Man 2 drops on October 20. Lords of the Fallen and Forza Motorsport are also releasing in the first half of the month.

With the move to October 5, Mirage largely avoids the month's later crunch, but it does get close to Cyberpunk: Phantom Liberty expansion's September 26 release date. However, being that Assassin's Creed Mirage isn't following in the RPG footsteps of the series' recent games, Ubisoft may not think of it as much of a threat as the other releases.

Assassin's Creed Mirage is slated to bring back the series' classic action-adventure gameplay. Parkour, weighty combat, stealth elements, blending into crowds, and actual assassinations are all returning, with players diving into a prequel story to Assassin's Creed Valhalla.

Ubisoft is also adding some new elements to spice up the gameplay, with Basim having a special AOE assassinating ultimate ability that was recently shown off.

Assassin's Creed Mirage is now coming out on October 5, 2023, across PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, as well as Amazon Luna and Ubisoft+ subscriptions.

Source

In response to a fan on Twitter comparing the situation to Cyberpunk 2077's rocky launch, Bethesda's head of publishing, Pete Hines, stated confidently, "Take a deep breath. I have an amazing team. We know what we're doing." This should provide some relief for those worried about potential delays.

While an official "gone gold" announcement has not yet been made, Hines' comments indicate that Bethesda is confident in hitting the target release date. With over 1000 explorable planets promised, along with deep character customization and faction options, Starfield aims to be Bethesda's most ambitious title yet.

Starfield requires 125 GB of storage space on both Xbox consoles and PC. It reinforces that this is one of Bethesda's most ambitious releases yet. For comparison, 2018's Fallout 76 was under 50GB at launch.

Bethesda seems intent on avoiding the delays and issues that plagued Cyberpunk 2077's launch. As long as no major problems crop up in the coming weeks, it looks like spacefarers will be able to embark on their adventures right on schedule when Starfield releases September 6 on Xbox Series X/S and PC.

Source

Its window-washing robot, Ozmo, is now operational in Tel Aviv and New York, and has worked on major Manhattan buildings like 10 Hudson Yards, 383 Madison, 825 3rd Avenue, and 7 World Trade Center in partnership with the city’s largest commercial window cleaner Platinum and real estate giant The Durst Organization.  

The machine is suspended from the side of a high-rise. A robotic arm with a brush attached to the end cleans the window following instructions from a LiDAR camera, which uses laser technology to map 3D environments. The camera maps the building’s exterior and identifies the parameters of the windows.  

“What the LiDAR is actually doing as the basket is descending is sort of painting itself a picture of the facade that it’s facing,” Blum said. 

Although the Ozmo is controlled by a human operator at the top of the building, chief operating officer and founder Ross Blum said that the robot could be operated fully remotely. 

“That person, other than regulation, doesn’t actually have to be there for our sake,” Blum said. “We could, in theory, remote-control Ozmo from different parts of the world.” 

Reverse osmosis removes contaminants from the water, hence the name Ozmo. According to Blum, this makes the cleaning process more efficient. 

“We don’t need a separate squeegee and a separate brush to get a perfectly clean window,” he said. “It’s one motion,” he said. 

The current cost of the Ozmo is approximately $500,000, which has a three-to-five-year payback for building owners, according to Skyline Robotics board member and Platinum CEO James Halpin. 

A changing workforce 

The machine is part of a new wave of technology that can replicate human work. In recent months, artificial-intelligence innovations like ChatGPT have dominated headlines, prompting questions about employment vulnerabilities in customer service, writing and computer programming gigs.  

A 2020 report by the World Economic Forum states that 85 million jobs will be displaced by 2025 due to the “robot revolution,” but that 97 million jobs requiring “reskilling and retraining” will be generated.  

Jobs in maintenance and construction, like window washing, were ranked as having a “medium” share of tasks (30% to 70%) susceptible to automation, according to a 2016 study by the Brookings Institution.  

Platinum’s Halpin said his company was interested in supporting the Ozmo because of a worker shortage in the field of high-rise window washing. 

“Currently, we are experiencing a labor shortage in all real blue-collar fields in New York City,” Halpin said. “We could hire another 20% just to keep up with the current work that we have at this point.” 

Both Halpin and Blum said their goal eventually is not to replace human workers but to “retrain and reassign” window washers to operate the technology. 

But logistically, the Ozmo cuts down on the amount of people needed to clean a building from a team of three to four human window washers to one operator.  

The Ozmo has some window washers, like Jose Nieves, a 23-year veteran of the industry and window washer at Rockefeller center, concerned about their livelihoods. He believes the dangers of window washing are overblown and that human labor should be preserved.  

“Of course, there are dangers with our profession, but we are skilled, trained workers who take those risks very seriously much like many dangerous jobs that exist in this country,” Nieves said. “Are there no possible dangers associated with a robot operating heavy equipment hundreds of feet above people’s heads?” 

Nieves is represented by the SEIU 32BJ, the property service union for many of the workers on the East Coast. According to the organization, there are 500 to 550 unionized window washers in New York City who earn $31.69/hour during the peak summer season.  

“As a society we should not be cutting costs on the backs of workers,” Nieves said. “I would say we have been doing a great job without these robots. Don’t fix it unless it’s broken.” 

Robot-human collaboration 

A growing legion of futurists, like senior research associate at Harvard’s Labor and Worklife Program Aleksandra Przegalińska, study how humans and robots can collaborate, and specifically how machines can take on tedious or dangerous tasks for humans. 

Because the Ozmo technology is so new, she said it’s hard to fully evaluate, but the opportunity to shift human labor away from a dangerous field is appealing. 

She cites one example when machines, like the Moxi, were deployed to deliver medication to infected patients during the height of the coronavirus pandemic.  

“Certainly, in those areas where your health, your existence is at risk as a human, using a machine, a robot is something worth considering,” Przegalińska said. 

Skyline has been working on the robot since 2017 and the company raised $6.5 million in their pre-Series A funding, in addition to a grant from the Israeli government.

Source

Table of contents:

1. Windows 11, removed features, and new stuff
2. All sorts of updates
3. Gaming News
4. A blast from Microsoft's past
5. Random fact about Microsoft

Windows 11, removed features, new stuff, and Patch Tuesday

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.

Microsoft adds features to Windows 11 almost every week, letting Windows insiders preview new additions before shipping them to the general public.

However, Microsoft also sometimes removes stuff from its operating system. As discovered by enthusiasts, the latest Windows 11 Canary build removes several bits of the old Windows 10 taskbar and the notification area.

Windows enthusiasts also noticed that Microsoft is allegedly placing extra blocks to prevent users from installing Windows 11 on systems with unsupported hardware (mostly processors).

Although we do not have any confirmation from Microsoft, some Windows insiders can no longer update their preview builds on systems with old CPUs, such as the Intel Core 2 Duo T6500 and the AMD Turion P650. By the way, in case you missed it, Microsoft recently removed a bunch of Intel's 8th Gen processors from the list of supported CPUs.

Those planning to upgrade to Windows 11 right now or after the upcoming Windows 11 version 23H2 release should note that they might experience some performance downgrades. A recently published YouTube video compared Windows 10 and 11, revealing that the latter is less snappy than its predecessor.

Windows 11 version 23H2 will also introduce a redesigned File Explorer, which could become a reason not to upgrade due to severe performance issues.

On the more positive side, Microsoft announced the public preview of the Windows 365 Switch service. It lets you switch between your local computer and a cloud PC using the familiar Task View button on the taskbar. Besides, you can use keyboard shortcuts to navigate between virtual desktops and a cloud PC, trackpad gestures, or three-finger display swipe.

Patch Tuesday

This week brought traditional Patch Tuesday updates to all supported Windows 10 and 11 versions. Here are the details:

• Windows 10: KB5029244 with security improvements and fixes, namely for a DirectX-related issue in specific Intel drivers.
• Windows 11: KB5029263 and KB5029253 for versions 22H2 and 21H2 with security improvements, more accurate brightness, display, audio, widgets, and VPN fixes.

It is worth mentioning that this month's Patch Tuesday updates enable a kernel vulnerability fix that could potentially break "something in your system." Confusingly, Microsoft did not say what exactly could go wrong after installing the update. M in Microsoft is for mystery.

Windows Insider Program

A few things happened in the Windows Insider program this week. Microsoft finished the August 2023 Bug Bash, an event dedicated to bug-hunting and fixing issues before a public feature update release. Also, users discovered that the latest Canary build improves built-in colour filters, allowing those with colour blindness to adjust the filter intensity and colour boost.

Here are the latest preview builds to test in every channel:

• Canary Channel: 25926 with new features for Snipping Tool, a redesigned notification center button, and more. The build also contains a hidden settings page for managing system components. Check out this article to learn how to enable it.
• Dev Channel: 23521 with taskbar improvements, File Explorer fixes, the same Snipping Tool update, and more.
• Beta Channel: 22621/31.2191 with the Windows 365 Switch, HDR wallpaper support, Narrator improvements, and more.
• Release Preview Channel:
  • 22621.2213 for Windows 11 22H2 with app default improvements, changes for the taskbar search, and multiple fixes.
  • 22000.2359 for Windows 11 21H2 with location improvements and bugfixes.
  • 19045.3391 for Windows 10 22H2 with notification badging, location improvements, and fixes.

And here are some notable new features available for testing in the latest preview builds from different channels:

• The updated widget board in Windows 11 Dev and Canary now lets you keep Windows widgets and the news feed on the desktop above all other apps. This might not be what most users want Microsoft to do to Windows widgets, but at least the change makes that area slightly more useful and practical. The only thing we are not sure about is why Microsoft thinks it was a good idea to make the board always-on-top.

  

• The new Windows Backup app is now available for those using Windows 10. The latest Release Preview build for Windows 10 surprised everyone with the new Windows Backup app. It allows you to back up files, folders, settings, and credentials to your OneDrive to make moving to another device much easier.

  

Updates of all kinds

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

Those using the fourth-generation Surface Laptop with Intel processors (13 and 15-inch configurations) can download the August 2023 firmware update with new network drivers. The latest release improves network stability, namely Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.

The original and second-generation Surface Duo smartphones received a delayed firmware update with Android's July 2023 security patches. Sadly, there are no device-specific improvements.

On August 7, 2023, the AI-powered Bing turned six months old. To celebrate the milestone, Microsoft published a lengthy post detailing all the features, such as Bing Image Creator, chat history, SwiftKey integration, Windows Copilot, third-party browser support, Visual Search, dark mode, and Bing Chat enterprise. There is a bunch of stats, so be sure to check out the article.

Here are this week's app updates with their new features and improvements:

• The Microsoft Store app on Windows 10 and 11 received a new badge to indicate system components and stock applications.

  

• Microsoft Teams Shifts app gets improved notifications for more selective alerts to ensure users are not getting "noisy and irrelevant notifications." If you use Microsoft Teams for work communication, get ready to receive the redesigned app—a recently updated post on the Microsoft 365 Roadmap revealed that the update could land in October 2023.
• Microsoft Edge for Business is launching this month with Edge 116. Unveiled at the Build 2023 conference, Edge for Business promises a dedicated work experience with flexibility and security. You can learn more about Microsoft Edge for Business from the official FAQ published on the Tech Community forum.
• History export in Microsoft Edge with CSV files is another great feature coming soon to the browser. Microsoft Edge Canary users can now export their browsing history into CSV files for storing or importing into another instance without using sync.
• Microsoft also promises to improve performance in web-based Office apps when accessing them using the Microsoft Edge browser.
• PowerPoint received a new task-assigning feature that lets you mention other people in notes and assign to-dos.
• Excel got an update for a very old feature called VisiCalc (manual calculation). Now the app formats "stale cells" when performing calculations, giving customers a way to see those cells and know they should not be relied upon until they are calculated.
• Google announced a change in how Chrome receives updates. The most popular browser now gets weekly security updates in the Stable channel to make your browsing experience better and more secure.
• Microsoft Edge 117.0.2024.1 is available for testing in the Dev Channel, offering Edge insiders to test a new touch mode.

  

• EarTrumpet 2.3 is out with new features for keyboard shortcuts, improved animations, and fixes. For those unfamiliar, EarTrumpet is a great tool for volume management in Windows 10 and 11 (native controls are meh).

Another update worth mentioning is not about a specific app or service. It is about an upcoming update for the Microsoft Services Agreement. The document governs your use of Microsoft consumer online products and various services, and the latest revision adds a new section about Microsoft's artificial intelligence-based services, such as Bing Chat, Windows Copilot, Microsoft 365 Coliot, and more.

Good driver updates and not-so-much

This part of the Microsoft Weekly series frequently covers driver updates. However, you may not like this one, especially if you use Intel's GPU drivers. Users noticed that the latest Intel driver now collects all sorts of telemetry data. And the worst part is that the change is opt-out, enabled by default, forcing those not paying enough attention to share their data with Intel and its partners.

• NVIDIA 536.99 WHQL driver with Baldur's Gate 3 and Texas Chain Saw Massacre optimizations.

On the gaming side

Check this section to learn about upcoming game releases, Xbox rumors, new hardware, software updates, and more.

Let's kick off the gaming section with the updated list of the most anticipated games coming soon to Xbox Series X|S and PCs. If you plan on Microsoft's consoles, check out this article covering Robocop: Rogue City, Starfield, Mortal Kombat 1 (check out its latest trailer), and more. Those playing on Windows computers can click here to learn about The Lamplighters League, Counter-Strike 2, Payday 3, and more.

It is probably safe to say that Starfield is currently the most anticipated game for modern Xbox consoles and PCs. Those eagerly waiting for the release on September 6, 2023, should already prepare their SSDs, as Amazon revealed (accidentally or not) that the game will soon be available for preload. Click here to learn when.

Activision, the company Microsoft has so much trouble purchasing (things are finally moving much faster, and New Zealand has joined the list of companies giving Microsoft the green light), has announced the release date for its upcoming shooter, Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3. The game will land in the stores on November 10, 2023. Here is a teaser:

Those playing games on Xbox One or Xbox Series X|S can finally buy the highly acclaimed cat adventure game, Stray. It was previously available only on PlayStation and PC, but now you can purchase it for your Xbox console.

Another gaming story from this week is all about hardware. According to a report, Microsoft could introduce a new Xbox Series X variant without an optical drive. There are no specific time frames, but the story adds that Microsoft has plans for "other hardware in 2025."

A mockup of a disk-less Xbox Series X

Microsoft also continues tweaking its Game Pass service. The latest change lowers the $1 Xbox Game Pass Ultimate trial period from one month to only 14 days. This offering is only available for new customers—prices and service terms are unchanged for existing subscribers.

Now to discounts and freebies, everyone's favorite part. Here are the latest Deals with Gold and Spotlight Sale discounts letting you save up to 90% on the BioShock franchise, Borderlands 3, Cities Skylines, FarCry, Forza Horizon, and more. For PC gamers, Epic Games Store is giving away Europa Universalis IV and Orwell. Finally, here are our regular Weekend PC Game Deals series covering notable discounts for PC games, such as Resident Evil, Assassin's Creed, Wolfenstein, and more.

A blast from Microsoft's past

Our fellow John Callaham provides weekly insights into Microsoft's past, with multiple look-back articles providing interesting trivia about the company's past products, partnerships, mishaps, and successes.

John Callaham's "Look back" article this week covers the controversial cooperation between the software giant and Apple. Twenty-six years ago, at the MacWorld event in Boston, Steve Jobs announced a new partnership with Microsoft involving an investment of $150 million from the latter. Apple needed that money to jumpstart its new ventures after purchasing NeXT.

Random fact about Microsoft

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

Windows 3.0, released in May 1990, was the first operating system version to support virtual memory. The feature allows a computer to use a portion of its hard drive (or SSD in modern PCs) as extra memory after running out of physical RAM, enabling customers to work with larger and more complex applications and files.

Although contemporary Windows 10 and 11 computers have access to significantly larger amounts of memory, the feature remains a vital part of memory management, ensuring productive and seamless multitasking.

Source

We're ramping up in the world of Windows and Xbox news. The slower days of summer in the northern hemisphere are almost entirely behind us, paving the way for product announcements and back-to-school season. This week Microsoft released a preview of Windows 365 Switch and made changes to the trial for Xbox Game Pass. The company also cut Windows 11 support for 44 CPUs.

You can catch up on all of the biggest news stories from the week right here.

Windows 365 Switch

(Image credit: Future)

Windows Insiders in the Dev Channel and Beta Channel have a new feature to play with. In addition to Insider builds rolling out to both channels, Microsoft began testing Windows 365 Switch among certain Insiders. The feature allows you to jump between a local desktop and a Windows 365 cloud PC with a mouse-click, keyboard command, or gesture.

With Windows 365 Switch, hopping back and forth between a local desktop and a cloud PC should feel the same as switching between virtual desktops.

Xbox dampens dreams of Starfield

(Image credit: Bethesda Softworks)

Starfield is one of the most anticipated games of the year, but you won't be able to play it for one month for $1. That's because Microsoft cut the length of the $1 trial of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate in half. The trial for PC Game Pass has been shortened as well. That means anyone taking advantage of the trial will only be able to play Starfield for $1 for 14 days.

44 CPUS no longer support Windows 11

(Image credit: Intel)

Microsoft removed 44 Intel Ceon processors from its list of support CPUs for Windows 11 this week. All of the chips removed are from Intel's 8th generation of CPIUs. It's not entirely clear why Microsoft made this change. The company set a strict set of requirements for Windows 11 when the operating system launched, but it hasn't removed CPUs from its list of supported devices up to this point.

Intel Xeon chips are generally found in servers, workstations, and embedded systems, so everyday users won't be directly affected by the change. But unless the removals were a mistake, it shows that Microsoft is willing to cut support for CPUs that have previously been supported.

Galaxy Z Flip 5, Z Fold 5, and Tab S9 launch

(Image credit: Daniel Rubino)

This week we saw the launch of Samsung's new Galaxy devices. The Galaxy Z Fold 5, Galaxy Z Flip 5, Galaxy Tab S9 lineup, and Galaxy Watch 6 lineup all went up for sale. Many of them have trade-in deals and other bundles. The Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Galaxy Z Flip 5 each come with four months of Microsoft 365 Basic, four months of YouTube Premium, and two months of Adobe Lightroom.

While the Galaxy Z Fold 5 does not have the same aspect ratio as the Surface Duo, it will likely be the foldable of choice for many who move on from the Duo. Samsung has a much better history of supporting its folding phones than Microsoft does.

Lastly, Samsung unveiled a pair of smartwatches in the Galaxy Watch 6 and Galaxy Watch 6 Classic. The Galaxy Watch 6 Classic stood out because it brought back the popular rotating bezels that were removed with the previous generation.

You can get up to $250 off the Galaxy Watch 6 or Galaxy Watch 6 Classic with an eligible trade-in. That's a large discount considering the smartwatches start at $299.99.

Reviews & Editorials

(Image credit: Windows Central | Zachary Boddy)

Source

However, Bloomberg's Apple expert Mark Guman, in his weekly Power On newsletter, reports that going though developer logs, he's found that the M3 Ultra chip is in development. It will have a base design of 32 CPU cores and 64 GPU cores, but will go up to as many as 80 GPU cores.

It will likely be put into new models of the Mac Studio and Mac Pro, but don't look for it to be released anytime soon. Gurman believes the earliest it might be released will be at the end of 2024.

The newsletter also claims to have the full roadmap for the entire new M3 chip line from Apple, which is reportedly scheduled to being in October with the standard M3 chip, made with a 3nm production process.

Gurman says M3 will have 8 CPU cores and 10 CPU cores. It will reportedly be inside the new Apple MacBooks and MacBook Air laptops, along with a new iMac and Mac mini PCs.

The M3 Pro and M3 Max chips won't likely be released until sometime in 2024. Gurman says the M3 Pro will have either 12 or 14 CPU cores and as many as 32 GPU cores, for larger MacBook Pros and the Mac Mini. The M3 Max chip will reportedly have 16 CPU cores and as many as 40 GPU. It will also be an option for larger MacBook Pros, as well as the Max Studio.

Source

From years, we have known that cache form an important part in CPU performance. Caches are like tiny memory inside the CPUs itself. This tiny memory allows the CPUs to store important tasks near it, without requiring to go to the RAM, which is usually slower.

Both Intel and AMD understand that increasing the cache can give a significant boost in performance. AMD understood it quickly and came with AMD Ryzen 5800X3D, which had 96MB of L3 cache based on an extra 64MB of 3D V-Cache.

Ryzen 5800X3D not only changed AMD’s name in the world of gaming, but the CPU also set a new standard in it. AMD followed it with AMD Ryzen 7800X3D and also the likes of AMD Ryzen 7900X3D and Ryzen 7950X3D.

Both AMD Ryzen 5800X3D and Ryzen 7800X3D remain among the best-selling CPUs for AMD. The reason is simple, the amount of gaming performance boost it gives in extraordinary. All thanks to the extra cache.

Intel understood it soon enough. Intel released Raptor Lake based Intel Core i9-13900K with 32MB of total L2 cache and 36MB of total L3 cache.

Now it looks like Intel wants to increase the L2 cache further in upcoming processors.

3MB L2 Cache Per P-Core In Arrow Lake

A well known-leaker with a good history has leaked something important about the 15th-gen Arrow Lake desktop processors from Intel. It reveals (translated), via @9550pro and VideoCardz, that each performance core of 15th-gen Intel Arrow Lake desktop processors will come with 3MB L2 cache.

For the record. Intel Alder Lake came with 1.25MB L2 cache per P-Core. Intel Raptor Lake, meanwhile, came with 2MB L2 cache per P-Core.

So if Arrow Lake comes with 3MB L2 cache per P-Core, then we will again see a massive, about 50% increase in the L2 cache size in P-Core in Arrow Lake desktop. Such cache increase can help a lot in gaming and other software performance.

Cache In Raptor Lake And Arrow Lake Explained

To explain things further, one needs to look at the above chip diagram of the Intel Core i9-13900K CPU. While Raptor Lake comes with 32MB of total L2 cache, the P-Cores get only 2MB per core L2 cache, totaling 16MB. The other 16MB is shared between 4 clusters of E-cores, that is 4MB per cluster. The L3 cache one sees above, is shared between all the cores.

Now going by that logic, if Intel Core Ultra 9 15900K comes with 8 P-Cores and 16 E-Cores and does not make changes in E-Cores L2 caches, then we might see the cache having an interesting increase. We will see P-Core L2 caches to increase from 16MB to 24MB alone. Add speculative 16MB E-Cores L2 cache, then it means Intel Core Ultra 9 15900K could come with minimum 40MB or more of L2 cache.

Such a huge L2 cache is unheard anywhere in the history of client desktop CPUs. It’s sort of unimaginable to see if such does happen. Not to forget, this is just P-Cores. If Intel also increases the cache sizes of E-Cores, then the total L2 cache can reach even 48MB.

To take things further, if L2 is increasing so much, then expect Intel to increase the L3 cache too. As L3 cache, which stands at 32MB currently, is unlikely to be smaller than the L2 cache.

Having said all that, while the original leaker does have a very good reputation, another well known leaker, @OneRaichu claims that he’s not aware about such. So unless we get more information, either from other sources or Intel directly, we cannot say for sure about it.

Source

Source

We've already talked about how the personal computer revolution got going in the mainstream in 1977, thanks to the launch of the Commodore PET, the Apple II, and the Radio Shack TRS-80. Within a few years, other companies joined in, like the video game company Atari with its Atari 800 PC, and Sinclair Research with its ZX PC models.

Before all these PCs, most people thought of IBM as the leader in computer hardware and research with its room-size products. IBM decided to jump into the PC trend a few years after 1977.

42 years ago today, on August 12, 1981, the company launched the IBM PC. It quickly dominated the market, but the rise of IBM clones (also known as "IBM Compatibles" caused the maker of the original to eventually exit the PC market.

The IBM PC was not the company's first attempt at making a computer that didn't require a room. In 1975, it launched the IBM 5100 Portable Computer.

While it was pretty huge compared to the PCs that launched two years later, it still was far smaller than the room-sized computers. However, prices for the IBM 5100 "PC" were still high. Depending on its storage, the prices were between $8,975 and $19,975.

IBM continued to release computers that were smaller than the 5100 model over the next several years. However, they were all targeted at businesses and still were far more expensive than the PCs released by other companies from the late 1970s into the early 1980s.

In 1980, IBM decided to finally make a truly personal computer for both home and office use. IBM's archive site stated that the PC's design was created in the company's Boca Raton, Florida offices by a small team of 12 people, led by Bill Lowe, who was the lab director for those offices.

One of the reasons why the first IBM PC went from nothing to its launch within a year was due to the team using parts from third-party companies. That was something that IBM never did with its older room-sized computers.'

We have already talked about how the team behind the first IBM PC picked the Intel 8088 processor to run things inside. The other key part of the PC was its operating system.

ITPro says Microsoft's Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer went to IBM and said they would make the OS for their PC, but that Microsoft would still own the OS and had the right to license its use to other companies outside of IBM.

Amazingly, IBM signed off on this. There was just one small problem on Microsoft's end: they still needed to develop that OS.

They decided to buy the rights to Seattle Computer Products' QDOS for just $50,000. The main developer of that OS, Tim Paterson, left that company to join Microsoft. Over the next several months he and a team at Microsoft would make the newly named PC-DOS work with the first IBM PC.

The final result was the IBM PC 5150, which was first priced at $1,565. It included the computer itself, a monochrome display, and a keyboard.

Users could buy options like a colour display, a printer, floppy disk drives, and more. The software that was included in the PC included the VisiCalc spreadsheet program and the Microsoft Adventure game.

The IBM PC was a huge sales hit, even with its relatively high price compared to the competition. Lowendmac.com reports that sales of the PC were predicted to reach 250,000 units over five years. Instead, the sales came in at 750,000 units by the end of 1983.

Ironically, the use of third-party parts, particularly for its processor and operating system, meant that Intel CPUs and Microsoft's operating system (MS-DOS) could be used by other companies to make IBM-compatible PCs.

That started in 1983, and that really caused an explosion in the PC market. Today, Microsoft and Intel continue to (mostly) dominate the PC industry, while IBM exited the PC hardware market some time ago,

Source