The Fallout franchise received its most recent mainline installment 10 years ago with Fallout 4. Today, during its 2025 Fallout Day Broadcast, the company officially announced the Fallout 4: Anniversary Edition. The Elder Scrolls fans should be familiar with this release pattern. Just like that version, the Fallout package comes with every expansion and DLC pack, as well as a bundle of curated Creation Club. Check out the brand-new trailer above.

This special edition release comes with the full Fallout 4 base game with its award-winning campaign, as well as its six post-launch add-ons. This includes the Far Harbor, Nuka-World, and Automatron expansions, as well as the Wasteland, Vault-Tec, and Contraptions Workshop additions for base building.

The new edition also introduces Creations to Fallout 4 via an in-game menu. Just like in Skyrim, these community-created add-ons let players customize their game across PC and consoles easily, without needing to even leave the game. The Anniversary Edition bundle comes with a selection of premium mods that Bethesda has chosen to include with the package.

"But that’s not all! The Anniversary Edition also bundles over 150 pieces of Creation Club content, including fan favorites and previously unreleased items designed to enhance your journey," said the company, explaining the community additions included in the package. "From new weapons and different Dogmeat breeds like a husky or a Dalmatian, to gameplay tweaks and quest expansions, there’s something for every Vault Dweller."

The Fallout 4: Anniversary Edition will be available on November 10, 2025, across Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC, PlayStation 5, and PlayStation 4.

In a surprise reveal, Bethesda also announced at the event that the Nintendo Switch 2 will receive Fallout 4 for the first time. The Anniversary Edition will be available on the handheld console sometime in 2026.

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Posted Friday 24 October 2025 at 6:07 pm AEST (my time).

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Obsidian Entertainment — the storied Xbox Game Studios game developer known for creating Fallout: New Vegas, Pillars of Eternity, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2 — has had a huge 2025. Earlier this year, it launched both Avowed and Grounded 2 on Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, and Xbox Game Pass, and it's about to release a third game with The Outer Worlds 2.

The Outer Worlds 2 is a direct follow-up to the studio's popular 2019 RPG, and like the first game, it evokes the same lighthearted, yet biting political sci-fi satire that folks often look to Fallout for. With the new title, though, Obsidian has focused on expanding every aspect of the experience, from the size and detail of world spaces to branching narrative and gameplay progression paths.

Ever since getting a closer look at the game in The Outer Worlds 2 Direct presentation, players across its Xbox, PC, and PS5 platforms have been hyped for the game's release — and that excitement has only grown with previews detailing its impressive combat systems and choice-based story structure, among other things.

Naturally, that means lots of fans are curious about when exactly they can play The Outer Worlds 2. And thankfully, while Xbox and Obsidian haven't officially revealed the game's launch times, they've been gleaned from countdown timers on its Steam and PlayStation store pages.

Based on what those store pages are displaying, The Outer Worlds 2 is officially scheduled to launch on Wednesday, October 29 at 10 a.m. PT / 1 p.m. ET. Note that Early Access — a period of five days during which those who preorder the $99.99 Premium Edition () can play early — is starting imminently, with The Outer Worlds 2 Early Access beginning on Friday, October 24 at 10 a.m. PT / 1 p.m. ET.

Something important to note is that these launch times are global, so the game is launching at the same time around the world. If you live outside of the above time zones, that means it will release later in the day for you, and potentially even early in the morning of October 25 (Early Access) or October 30 (full release) if you're in a far eastern region.

The table below displays when The Outer Worlds 2 is coming out in a variety of time zones around the world:

For decades, human engineers have designed the algorithms that agents use to learn, especially reinforcement learning (RL), where an AI learns by receiving rewards for successful actions. While learning comes naturally to humans and animals, thanks to millions of years of evolution, it has to be explicitly taught to AI. This process is often slow and laborious and is ultimately limited by human intuition.

Taking their cue from evolution, which is a random trial and error process, the researchers created a large digital population of AI agents. These agents tried to solve numerous tasks in many different, complex environments using a particular learning rule.

Overseeing them was a "meta-network," a parent AI that analyzed how well the agents performed and then changed the learning rule so the next generation of agents could learn faster and perform better. This allowed the system to discover a new learning rule, DiscoRL, which the researchers called Disco57 (evaluated on 57 Atari games), that was superior to any previously designed by humans.

The team then used Disco57 to train a new AI agent and compared its performance against some of the best human-designed algorithms, such as PPO and MuZero. First, it was trained on well-known Atari games, and then on unseen challenges, including games like ProcGen, Crafter and NetHack.

The results were outstanding. On the Atari Benchmark (a set of classic Atari video games used to evaluate AI performance), the DiscoRL-trained achieved better results than all human-designed algorithms. When confronted with unseen challenges, it performed at a state-of-the-art level, proving the system had discovered its own learning rule.

"Our findings suggest that the RL algorithms required for advanced artificial intelligence may soon be automatically discovered from the experiences of agents, rather than manually designed," wrote the researchers in their paper published in the journal Nature. "This work has taken a step towards machine-designed reinforcement learning algorithms that can compete with and even outperform some of the best manually-designed algorithms in challenging environments."

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In a landmark moment for computing, Google has announced that its latest quantum processor, Willow, has achieved a staggering 13,000× speed advantage over the world's fastest classical supercomputers.

The breakthrough, revealed on 22 October 2025, marks the first time a quantum computer has executed a verifiable algorithm with real-world applications—a milestone long anticipated by researchers in the field.

According to Google Quantum AI, the Willow chip successfully ran a complex physics simulation using a novel algorithm called 'Quantum Echoes,' completing the task in seconds, whereas the most advanced classical supercomputers would take several days to match.

The Quantum Echoes Algorithm

The experiment centred on simulating out-of-time-order correlators (OTOCs), a quantum phenomenon that helps measure interference effects in particle systems. These simulations are notoriously tricky for classical machines to handle due to the exponential complexity of quantum interactions.

Google's new algorithm, Quantum Echoes, was explicitly designed to exploit the strengths of quantum hardware. It enabled the 65-qubit Willow processor to complete the simulation with unprecedented speed and accuracy.

The company claims this is the first demonstration of a 'verifiable quantum advantage,' meaning the results can be independently checked and have practical implications beyond theoretical benchmarks.

From Theory to Application

While quantum supremacy—the point at which quantum computers outperform classical ones—was first claimed by Google in 2019, critics argued that the earlier experiment lacked real-world relevance. This time, however, the company says the algorithm has direct applications in fields such as molecular modelling, materials science, and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy.

Hartmut Neven, Google's Vice President of Engineering, acknowledged that while the Quantum Echoes algorithm marks a significant milestone, practical real-world applications of quantum computing may still be around five years away.

Vadim Smelyanskiy, Director of Quantum Pathfinding at Google, added that the achievement reflects six years of sustained progress since their 2019 milestone.

He noted that the Willow processor is the product of a strategic roadmap that has advanced both hardware and software in parallel, reflecting Google's dual-track approach to quantum innovation. This perspective was shared in Google's official announcement of the Quantum Echoes achievement.

Implications for Science and Industry

The implications of this breakthrough are vast. Quantum simulations could revolutionise the way scientists design new drugs, develop advanced materials, and understand complex chemical reactions. Traditional supercomputers, while powerful, struggle with the exponential scaling required for such tasks.

By demonstrating a 13,000× speed advantage, Google's quantum platform could drastically reduce the time and cost of scientific discovery. Experts believe this could lead to a new era of computational chemistry and physics, where problems once deemed intractable become solvable in real time.

A Race Among Tech Giants

Google's announcement places it ahead in the global race for quantum dominance, where rivals such as IBM, Microsoft, and China's Baidu are also investing heavily. IBM recently unveiled its 1,121-qubit Condor processor, but has yet to demonstrate a comparable speed advantage in practical tasks.

While Google's Willow chip operates with fewer qubits, its performance underscores the importance of algorithmic efficiency and error correction—areas where the company has focused its research.

Cautious Optimism in the Scientific Community

Despite the excitement, some researchers urge caution. Experts note that scalability, stability, and accessibility remain significant challenges in quantum computing, even as milestones such as Google's mark considerable progress.

Nonetheless, the scientific community broadly agrees that Google's results represent a genuine leap forward. The fact that the algorithm is verifiable and tied to real-world applications sets it apart from previous claims of quantum advantage.

What's Next?

Google currently provides limited access to its quantum hardware through its cloud-based Quantum AI platform, enabling select research and enterprise partners to run experiments under an approved-access model. The company continues to develop both its hardware and software as part of its roadmap toward fault-tolerant quantum computing.

While Google has not confirmed specific timelines, it has indicated that future milestones, including new prototype chips and algorithmic improvements, are in active development beyond 2025. As quantum computing inches closer to mainstream adoption, breakthroughs like this one suggest the future of computation may arrive sooner than expected.

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The Outer Worlds 2 doesn't reinvent the wheel, but delivers a more refined version of a formula that worked. Better exploration and combat buoy a tight role-playing experience that feels crunchy and isn't afraid of cutting off branches depending on player skills. The overarching story is a bit more self-serious than its predecessor, but the numerous side quests still lean comedic. A few bugs aside, it's not a game to miss.

In 2019, legendary role-playing game (RPG) developer Obsidian Entertainment launched The Outer Worlds almost a year after the company had been acquired by Microsoft. Published by Private Division due to preexisting contracts, The Outer Worlds was a hit, delivering something of a cross between Firefly, Cowboy Bebop, and Fallout. It was a fun, space western romp that leaned heavily into satirizing megacorporations while still handing out handfuls of heartwarming stories. Fast-forward to 2025, and a sequel is launching in a banner year for Obsidian Entertainment, coming just months after the studio already delivered a fantasy RPG for Xbox Game Studios with Avowed, as well as an early access follow-up to its surprise survival hit, Grounded.After 40 hours, I'm happy to say that The Outer Worlds 2 is more of the same where it counts, with a couple of key improvements that elevate the whole experience. A few bugs aside, it's a game worth making time for.

What is The Outer Worlds 2?

Gamers Nexus (2.52M subscribers)

October 23, 2025

Video length: 28m 39s

In this hardware news recap for the week, we talk about the Amazon AWS internet outage, RAM prices skyrocketing partly due to AI demand from companies like OpenAI, Intel's B580 price drop, and more. Coverage includes Frore's LiquidJet cooling solution, Lenovo's 9070 XT video card designs, chip tariffs, and potential AMD utilization of Intel's fabs.

00:00 - Recap for the Week 

01:28 - Consumer RAM Price Skyrockets 

07:06 - Amazon AWS Takes Out the Internet 

09:24 - Intel CPU Price Hike 

13:59 - Intel B580 GPU Price Drops 

15:23 - Lenovo Making 9070 XT GPUs 

17:25 - Frore's LiquidJet 

19:52 - US Chip Tariffs Again, Again 

25:57 - AMD Considering Intel Fab

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Posted Thursday 23 October 2025 at 11:52 am AEST (my time).

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The calendar is a recommendation engine that finds games that the user might be interested in and populates the days with those upcoming titles.

"We've been drawn to the idea of having a visual representation of upcoming releases in calendar form to help understand how far away an exciting new launch is," explains the company. "So this new calendar view takes the list of soon-to-release titles, filters them down to the set that we recommend most for you, and maps them out across time for you to see at-a-glance."

The system takes wishlist data from other users with similar playtimes of games and shows them up in your calendar. It is also refreshed daily to keep it up to date with the latest releases and trends. The calendar also includes any existing wishlisted items too.

There are customization controls attached to the experiment. This includes filtering by tags, adjusting the number of games visible between 10 and 500, and even respects preferences set in the Steam store, such as ignored products or early access games.

This test does not require the Steam Beta Client. Steam users can simply head to the new Personal Calendar page over here to see what Valve has cooked up for them using their algorithms. Keep in mind that you will need to log in to your Steam account to get the interactive recommendations to begin running.

As usual for these kinds of Steam Labs Experiments, Valve is looking for feedback on this implementation. It wants users to jump in on the discussions going on in the Steam Community Forums and say if the calendar format is useful, how the recommendations are, if there is any more information that needs showing, and other aspects.

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Posted Wednesday 22 October 2025 at 12:45 pm AEST (my time).

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After the success found with both Dying Light and Dying Light 2, Techland wasn't done. Jumping right back into it, they developed Dying Light: The Beast, which brought back the fan favorite Crane from the first game.

Dying Light: The Beast has been a rather big success. Hitting shelves earlier this September, Techland has come out swinging with the promise of some massive update features. In a blog post this past Thursday, Techland announced the following would be coming to Dying Light: The Beast:

"Over the coming weeks, players can look forward to a series of updates focused on replayability and endgame depth, including the anticipated New Game+, Legend Levels, and Nightmare Difficulty. The roadmap will also bring new weapon executions, Ray Tracing support on PC, an exciting collaboration with PUBG Mobile, and even more surprises yet to come!"

An article posted by Wikimedia Foundation's Marshall Miller highlights how global trends have negatively impacted Wikipedia. The article says that Wikimedia Foundation's algorithms classify traffic from humans and bots. In May 2025, the foundation observed unusually high amounts of seemingly human traffic from Brazil. After investigating the matter, it updated its bot detection systems. Then the traffic data was reclassified for March to August 2025. It appears that a lot of the traffic was actually bots that were designed to evade detection.

The analysis reveals that Wikipedia saw a drop in human user traffic of around 8%, for the same duration, compared to 2024. Wikimedia believes that this decline is due to the bots, which are due to generative AI summaries on search engines, chatbots and social media. It says that Wikipedia's data sets are used to train almost all large language models (LLMs), but they may not always link to its sites. The report also notes that this behavior is not unique to Wikipedia, other platforms, publishers are observing the same.

You may recall that Google has previously denied that AI in search results in less traffic, as in it does not steal traffic from blogs and other websites, contrary to reports that said Google AI Overviews has over 2 Billion monthly users.

. Well, here is solid proof that's not the case, and this is coming from a company whose business is entirely dependent on web traffic.

(Image courtesy: Wikimedia)

When a user finds what they want from an AI, they don't visit the source, or continue with that session. This results in a loss of traffic for the source.

As TechCrunch reports, Wikipedia itself had experimented with AI-generated summaries in June, and drew criticism from editors. It's unethical.

Don't get me wrong. AI search offers a lot of value, it can save you a lot of time depending on the topic that you are researching. Personally, I have found AI search useful for specific scenarios like shopping, searching for coupons, pulling up product information, terms and conditions, etc., that may be buried deep on a website that doesn't really show up on a regular search.

However, the problem is that the quality of AI search results is often not better than a traditional search engine. Bots may spit out a summary based on low-effort posts, inaccurate content, fabricated posts on social media, etc. How many people take the time to verify the results? Not a lot I guess, they just assume whatever the AI says is true, which can often be misleading, as a lot of the things that you across on the web are themselves AI-generated. Such inaccuracies are often called "hallucinations", which I find to be a bit misleading. AI models are not sentient, they are trained on datasets. If it can't think on its own, it cannot hallucinate. They just reproduce information, not create them.

AI in search needs to be improved, and ensure websites are credited with proper links. Wikipedia is encouraging AI users to visit the source material. It is working on 2 new readers teams called Reader Growth and Reader Experience), in order to improve the ways users access Wikipedia, and is also working on a framework for attribution, among other improvements.

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Posted Tuesday 21 October 2025 at 4:00 am AEST (my time).

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According to EA, the game will be delisted from the App Store and Google Play Store on October 21st at 1:30 PM UTC. After that point, you'll also no longer be able to find it with a search. The company says the only exception is for those who've already downloaded it. If it is in your purchase history, you can re-download it until the servers go dark. Oh, and all real-money purchases have already been disabled.

While the game will remain playable for existing users for a while longer, the servers are scheduled to be shut down permanently on January 20, 2026, at 1:59 PM UTC. Until then, EA has scheduled 14 final events to run, giving players a last chance to engage with the content. Here is what that final roadmap looks like:

This shutdown is a complete step away from its promise back in January 2024 that the servers would remain online. At the time, EA stated the game would simply stop receiving new events and would instead cycle through old ones.

The Sims Mobile is not the only EA title getting the axe in January next year. It will be joining the BioWare-developed online multiplayer game Anthem, which sees its servers shut down on January 12, 2026. Anthem, released in early 2019, was a departure for the traditionally single-player RPG-focused studio BioWare.

The game failed to meet both fans' and EA's expectations, and despite an attempted rework (codenamed Anthem NEXT), support for the title was officially ended in 2021.

You also might have heard that EA itself is reportedly close to going private in a leveraged buyout. According to The Wall Street Journal, the deal is valued at approximately $50 billion.

The investors supposedly include Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF), which has been showing a growing interest in games, with stakes in companies like Nintendo and Capcom.

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Posted Tuesday 21 October 2025 at 3:58 am AEST (my time).

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Quick links:

1. Windows 10 and 11
2. Windows Insider Program
3. Updates are available
4. Reviews are in
5. Gaming news

Windows 11 and Windows 10

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

October 2025 Patch Tuesday updates are now out, which means Windows 10 is out of support. However, you can give your PC 12 more months of support with the Extended Security Updates program, which is now available (Microsoft will continue updating Defender). In addition, Office 2016 and 2019 are now unsupported as well.

Also, Microsoft released new recovery updates for Windows 10 and 11.

With the end of Windows 10 support, many Linux developers want affected customers to join their ranks (some claim we are finally in the so-called year of Linux). Zorin OS, for one, experienced a big influx of users, with Zorin OS 18 reaching 100,000 downloads in just over two days, with over 72% of new customers coming from Windows 10. Microsoft, naturally, is fighting back, with Windows 11 version 25H2 becoming more available.

Microsoft also announced updates on various known bugs in Windows 11. For one, the company confirmed issues with IIS websites on Windows 11 versions 25H2 and 24H2. There is a workaround, which you can check out here.

Also, Microsoft blocked upgrades to Windows 11 version 24H2 on many PCs due to a bug with a third-party system driver, and issued a warning that some USB-based keyboards and mice might now function correctly in WinRE after updating to Windows 11 version 25H2.

Finally, Microsoft confirmed an Active Directory sync failure bug on Windows Server.

Moving from updates and bugs, we have Copilot and a bunch of AI-related announcements. On October 16, Microsoft announced that the "Hey Copilot" command is now publicly available (this one brings some memories). This one lets you invoke Copilot and start a voice conversation by simply talking to your PC. Also, with the new command, Microsoft launched Copilot Vision worldwide, announced a new taskbar experience for Windows 11 users, and introduced the ability to delegate various actions to Copilot while you do something else and access system settings (more features are on the way).

If you want to update from Windows 10 to 11 or clean install the latter, you may want to do it offline and with a local account. Since Microsoft is making it harder for everyone, we prepared a guide detailing how to install Windows 11 with a local offline account (this method could also work, but it is a bit more complicated).

Additionally, you may use the updated Flyoobe app, one of the many programs for skipping Windows 11's hardware requirements and limitations, or tiny11 25H2, the latest release of the popular lightweight Windows 11 mod, which has no hardware limitations, bloat, or other stuff that a lot of users want to keep away from their PCs.

Interestingly, you currently cannot update using one of Microsoft's official methods, as the company confirmed that the Media Creation Tool app is broken on Windows 10.

Windows Insider Program

Here is what Microsoft released for Windows Insiders this week:

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.

This week, Microsoft released PowerToys 0.95, a new feature update for everyone's favorite set of modules for Windows 11. The update introduced a new "toy" called Light Switch, which can change the system's appearance on schedule. Also, PowerToys borrowed a great productivity tool from Mac, which allows for easier file preview in File Explorer.

You may remember that Microsoft recently announced a major redesign for Microsoft 365 icons, offering users a fresh new look for the first time since 2018. This week, Microsoft revealed some of the prototypes and design inspirations that did not make their way to the final version.

This week's browser updates include a new version of Microsoft Edge Game Assist, a special gaming-focused browser for Game Bar. The latest version adds support for more games, some new features, fixes, and more.

Mozilla released Firefox 144.0 with some long-requested features, such as improved tab groups, profile manager, Google Lens integration, and more. Mozilla is also working on a built-in Firefox VPN, and the company wants you to test it.

Here are other updates and releases you may find interesting:

• Windows 10/11 users have a reason to rejoice as Microsoft's rival gains platform support.

• Microsoft brings 365 Copilot to schools for $18/month, adds new AI teaching tools.

• VMware Workstation Pro 25H2 is out with a new command-line tool, USB 3.2 support, and more.

• Here are all the new features in SQL Server Management Studio 22 Preview 3, now available.

• Microsoft commits to making Windows drivers better through strict WHCP policies.

• Microsoft really wants you to try out Windows hotpatch updates.

• Microsoft unveiled MAI-Image-1, its first in-house developed image generation model.

• Microsoft brings a highly requested feature to SQL Server Management Studio.

   

Here are the latest drivers and firmware updates released this week:

• Nvidia 581.57 with support for ARC Raiders and more.

On the gaming side

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

Nvidia announced new games for the GeForce NOW streaming service. The latest additions include Splinter Cell Pandora Tomorrow, Ball x Pit, Fellowship, Escape from Duckov, Street Fighter V, Wobbly Life, and more.

Finally, check out this week's Weekend PC Game Deals article, where you can find a multitude of various discounts and the latest freebie from the Epic Games Store, which is Amnesia: The Bunker and Samorost 3.

Other gaming news includes the following:

• Black Myth: Wukong gained improved lighting quality, FSR 4, and more upgrades.

• Battlefield 6 sold seven million copies at launch, setting franchise records for EA.

• Surviving Mars: Relaunched releases this November, with more expansions incoming.

• Stardock is launching Elemental: Reforged remaster into Steam early access next week.

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Posted Monday 20 October 2025 at 3:32 am AEST (my time).

News posts... 2023: 5,800+ | 2024: 5,700+ | 2025 (till end of September): 4,533

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Battlefield 6 launched on October 10, and I've spent more time than I'd like to admit getting to know the latest game in my favorite first-person shooter series. As we all know, no Battlefield game has had a perfect launch, and Battlefield 6 is no different.

Despite smooth running on my PC and a complete lack of any connection issues (I know some of you out there would say differently), there are a few nagging issues that, if sorted out promptly, would give Battlefield 6 a much better chance at achieving legendary status.

Here are the 5 biggest issues I, a Battlefield veteran, have with Battlefield 6 one week into its life.

1. Hit registration, or lack thereof

Would it really be a Battlefield launch without some early netcode issues? If you've been playing this past week and have noticed that some of your shots aren't hitting, you're not alone.

 

It's something I've come across several times, and I chalked it up to lag. But maybe it wasn't, and I have some good news.

 

DICE has clarified that while the "bloom" effect on weapons is intended to punish full-auto firing at distance, missing hit registration is not an intended effect (no duh).

 

It seems like the game will display blood splatters and other visible hit indications, but will not do any damage. Florian Le Bihan, game designer at DICE, took to X on October 13 to clarify that the team is working on hit registration issues. Good to know this is already being fixed.

2. Sniping is way too easy when using the zeroing trick

You shouldn't be able to automatically zero your scope every time you pull the trigger.

(Image credit: Future)

 

A look at the Battlefield 6 sniper keybind option causing so many issues.

(Image credit: Future)

 

It didn't take long for avid Recon players to discover one simple trick that infantry hates.

 

A big part of sniping in Battlefield games is gauging range, zeroing your rifle manually, and hitting shots from a distance. There are all sorts of mechanics at play, including "sweet spots," that keep snipers engaged.

 

Or, at least, that's how it used to be. Battlefield 6 now includes a custom control setting that allows you to automatically zero the range on your rifle anytime you fire.

 

That means that there's no longer as much skill required to hit long shots — just center your crosshair and click. No matter the distance, the setting will automatically make the bullet land where you aim. How did that make it past the beta stage?

3. Where's the dynamic weather?

Every day is just as sunny and bright as the last in Battlefield 6.

(Image credit: Future)

 

Every match in the Battlefield 6 universe takes place during a sunny, bright day. While that would be great if this were a beach simulator, this is a war simulator.

 

Where's the inclement weather? Where's any kind of changing weather? I want fog that rolls in to obscure sight lines. I want rain that makes it harder to aim. I want clouds that darken the rooms in which I'm hiding as I cap a flag. I don't think I'm alone in those sentiments.

 

On that note, would it be too much to ask for different times of day? Popping the tops of the tanks in the dead of night would be such a great sight.

4. Weapon balancing is out of whack

SMGs in Battlefield 6 seem to be able to outgun most other weapons, even at range. 

(Image credit: Future)

 

When it feels like every high-ranked player is running the same type of gun, no matter the class (assuming you're playing on open weapons playlists), you know something is wrong.

 

That's currently the case with SMGs, which can outgun the assault rifles made specifically for more distant engagements. The fact that I can aim down the sights and absolutely laser a player who should be out of range of an SMG isn't ideal.

 

Assault rifles are currently my least favorite type of weapon, whereas in previous titles, they were some of the most used. A rebalance of weapons is certainly needed.

5. Critical mission failure happens too quickly

The match is ending due to the critical mission failure timer, when it's only just begun!

(Image credit: Emp_Dandroid (Reddit))

 

Some of the best Battlefield experiences I've had over the years involve an epic comeback where one team seemed destined to lose but clawed back over time to snatch victory.

 

In Battlefield 6, that can certainly still occur, but the critical mission failure feature often gets in the way. It's a timer that pops up when one team holds all objectives, and it's painfully short.

 

I suspect that DICE is attempting to remove the chance of players joining late to a real stomping, but it also often kills the chance of a comeback. A bit more time on the timer or at least a pause as points are being capped would go a long way here.

DICE is already making big changes to Battlefield 6

While I was putting this article together, DICE has been busy working overtime to deliver Battlefield 6 updates.

 

A couple of my gripes — like out-of-bounds time limits for vehicles and challenge grinds/imbalance — have already been fixed with recent updates.

 

Other issues, which DICE created for itself with post-launch updates, have been reverted. I'm talking about the temporary Conquest ticket reduction due to DICE saying that some matches were ending before tickets could expire.

 

Considering the game has only been out for a week, I'd say that DICE is doing a bang-up job of listening to feedback and making tweaks where it deems necessary. Most promising is the willingness to revert changes that the player base doesn't like.

 

Battlefield 6 (hopefully) has a long life ahead, and with continued updates based on feedback, it has the potential to be one of the best.

 

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Posted Monday 20 October 2025 at 3:29 am AEST (my time).

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Paul's Hardware (1.53M subscribers)

October 19, 2025

Video length: 12m27s

0:00 Welcome to Paul’s Tech News - October 19, 2025 

1:46 RIP Windows 10 - Microsoft Ends Support 

4:09 Intel’s (Definitely Not Celestial) Arc XE3 Panther Lake iGPU Performance Leak 

6:24 GPU Prices Down, RAM / SSD / HDD Prices Up 

TECH BRIEFS 

8:26 Four more burned RTX 50 series power cables in just 2 days, 9070 XT too 

9:40 Asetek has a mysterious new mega-customer 

10:20 MSI denies involvement after pallets of GeForce RTX 5090 cards spotted in China 

11:19 Paul’s Hardware Holiday Build / Giveaway Series

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Posted Sunday 19 October 2025 at 5:39 pm AEST (my time).

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Backblaze is a backup and cloud storage company that has been tracking the annualized failure rates (AFRs) of the hard drives in its datacenter since 2013. As you can imagine, that’s netted the firm a lot of data. And that data has led the company to conclude that HDDs “are lasting longer” and showing fewer errors.

That conclusion came from a blog post this week by Stephanie Doyle, Backblaze’s writer and blog operations specialist, and Pat Patterson, Backblaze’s chief technical evangelist. The authors compared the AFRs for the approximately 317,230 drives in Backblaze’s datacenter to the AFRs the company recorded when examining the 21,195 drives it had in 2013 and 206,928 drives in 2021. Doyle and Patterson said they identified “a pretty solid deviation in both age of drive failure and the high point of AFR from the last two times we’ve run the analyses.”

As Doyle and Patterson wrote, the tested drives’ high failure percentage peaks this year were 4.25 percent at 10 years and three months, compared to 13.73 percent at about three years and three months in 2013 and 14.24 percent at seven years and nine months in 2021.

“Not only is that a significant improvement in drive longevity, it’s also the first time we’ve seen the peak drive failure rate at the hairy end of the drive curve. And, it’s about a third of each of the other failure peaks,” Doyle and Patterson wrote.

You can check out Paterson and Doyle’s August blog post for more information about the drives they analyzed this year. The drives were from HGST, Seagate, Toshiba, and WDC, and they had an average age of 3.7 months to 103.9 months (about 8.7 years). The drives ranged from 4TB to 24TB. In 2021, Backblaze’s sample had drives from the same vendors, and the drives tested for each model had an average age of 3.57 to 80.85 months (about 6.7 years). The drives ranged from 4TB to 16TB.

As Backblaze has done in the past, Doyle and Paterson compared the behaviors of Backblaze’s datacenter HDDs with the bathtub curve, an engineering principle that says component failure rates tend to follow a U-shape over time, with more failures occurring early in life before the rate drops, settles, and then picks up again as the component ages.

But as seen in Backblaze’s graph above, the company’s HDDs aren’t adhering to that principle. The blog’s authors noted that in 2021 and 2025, Backblaze’s drives had a “pretty even failure rate through the significant majority of the drives’ lives, then a fairly steep spike once we get into drive failure territory.”

The blog continues:

What does that mean? Well, drives are getting better, and lasting longer. And, given that our trendlines are about the same shape from 2021 to 2025, we should likely check back in when 2029 rolls around to see if our failure peak has pushed out even further.

Speaking with Ars Technica, Doyle said that Backblaze’s analysis is good news for individuals shopping for larger hard drives because the devices are “going to last longer.”

She added:

In many ways, you can think of a datacenter’s use of hard drives as the ultimate test for a hard drive—you’re keeping a hard drive on and spinning for the max amount of hours, and often the amount of times you read/write files is well over what you’d ever see as a consumer. Industry trend-wise, drives are getting bigger, which means that oftentimes, folks are buying fewer of them. Reporting on how these drives perform in a data center environment, then, can give you more confidence that whatever drive you’re buying is a good investment.

The longevity of HDDs is also another reason for shoppers to still consider HDDs over faster, more expensive SSDs.

“It’s a good idea to decide how justified the improvement in latency is,” Doyle said.

Questioning the bathtub curve

Doyle and Paterson aren’t looking to toss the bathtub curve out with the bathwater. They’re not suggesting that the bathtub curve doesn’t apply to HDDs, but rather that it overlooks additional factors affecting HDD failure rates, including “workload, manufacturing variation, firmware updates, and operational churn.” The principle also makes the assumptions that, per the authors:

• Devices are identical and operate under the same conditions
• Failures happen independently, driven mostly by time
• The environment stays constant across a product’s life

While these conditions can largely be met in datacenter environments, “conditions can’t ever be perfect,” Doyle and Patterson noted. When considering an HDD’s failure rates over time, it’s wise to consider both the bathtub curve and how you use the component.

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Posted Saturday 18 October 2025 at 3:42 am AEST (my time).

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During the first three days of launch, Battlefield 6 had sold over seven million copies across all platforms. EA did not give any platform splits on how it sold across PC, Xbox, and PlayStation.

“First and foremost we want to thank our players,” said Byron Beede, General Manager of Battlefield. “Battlefield 6 was built with our fans. From the initial concept through to the implementation of Battlefield Labs and into the record-shattering Open Beta we have been obsessed with player feedback. Together, with our players we’ve had a singular goal: to craft the best Battlefield ever. "

EA also shared some more player and gameplay stats from the launch. Concurrent players had been another record-breaking metric, which had happened during the first launch weekend. Meanwhile, so far, over 172 million matches have been played by the community, while 15 million hours of Battlefield 6 have been watched on streaming services like Twitch.

“We never take moments like this for granted, so I want to express our sincere gratitude to our global Battlefield Studios and passionate community that has helped get us to this point,” said Vince Zampella, Executive Vice President. “We appreciate you joining us for Battlefield 6’s momentous launch. We have so much more to come in the weeks ahead.”

With the launch behind it, Battlefield Studios is now working on shipping the first seasonal content update. Season 1 is slated to land on October 28, carrying a new map and new modes.

Battlefield 6 is available on PC (Steam, the EA App, and the Epic Games Store), Xbox Series X|S, and PlayStation 5.

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Posted Friday 17 October 2025 at 12:53 pm AEST (my time).

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According to the tech giant, the new GPU architecture and Neural Engine (this is what Apple calls its in-house NPU) together claim to deliver some big performance improvements that are said to especially boost local AI processing throughput.

In terms of specs, the M5 packs a 10‑core CPU, with up to four performance cores and six efficiency cores. Apple says this design delivers up to 15 percent faster multithreaded performance compared to the M4. The GPU, also 10 cores, integrates a Neural Accelerator in each core, a first for Apple silicon. Due to these changes, Apple is promising over 4x peak GPU compute compared to M4, and more than 6x compared to the original M1 for AI‑specific tasks.

The Neural Engine itself remains 16 cores but is faster and more efficient, implying significant potential IPC (instructions per cycle) gains gen-on-gen.

Graphics are also said to see a very big bump up. The M5 introduces Apple’s third‑generation ray‑tracing engine, combined with "enhanced" shader cores and second‑generation dynamic caching. Together, these claim to deliver up to 45 percent higher graphics performance than M4 and as much as 2.5x faster than M1. Overall, Apple is promising smooth gameplay in graphically-heavy titles such as Cyberpunk 2077 on Mac, along with faster 3D rendering and video editing.

All the performance gains are not possible without sufficient memory bandwidth, and in this regard, Apple says it is delivering a near 30 percent boost at 153GB/s, and the capacity up to 32GB of unified memory.

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Posted Thursday 16 October 2025 at 3:32 am AEST (my time).

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Autumn Gardiner thought updating her driving license would be straightforward. After getting married last year, she headed to the local Department of Motor Vehicles office in Connecticut to get her name changed on her license. While she was there, Gardiner recalls, officials said she needed to update her photo. That’s when things started to go wrong.

Every time staff tried to take her photo, Gardiner says, the system would reject it. “Everyone's watching. They’re taking more photos,” she recalls. Gardiner, who works as a grant manager for an environmental conservation charity, is one of a small number of people globally who live with Freeman-Sheldon syndrome. Sometimes known as Whistling Face syndrome, the genetic condition impacts muscles around the face and skull, which can result in an undersized mouth.

As more staff members at the DMV were called to help, Gardiner says she started to believe the rejected photos were being caused by her facial difference. The camera system didn’t seem to work for her, she says. “It was humiliating and weird. Here’s this machine telling me that I don’t have a human face,” Gardiner says.

Gardiner isn’t alone. Around half a dozen people living with a variety of facial differences—from birthmarks to craniofacial conditions—tell WIRED they are increasingly struggling to participate in modern life as identity verification software, which often is powered by machine learning, is quickly becoming commonplace.

Courtesy of Rick Guidotti for Positive Exposure

Some of those living with facial differences tell WIRED they have undergone multiple surgeries and experienced stigma for their entire lives, which is now being echoed by the technology they are forced to interact with. They say they haven’t been able to access public services due to facial verification services failing, while others have struggled to access financial services. Social media filters and face-unlocking systems on phones often won’t work, they say.

“The facial difference community is constantly overlooked,” says Phyllida Swift, the CEO of Face Equality International (FEI), an umbrella group representing other facial difference and disfigurement charities and organizations. There are more than 100 million people worldwide who live with facial disfigurements, FEI estimates. People with facial differences have experienced problems with airport passport gates, photo apps, social media video filters, background blurring on video calls, and more, according to FEI’s research. “In many countries, facial recognition is increasingly a part of everyday life, but this technology is failing our community,” Nikki Lilly, a patron for FEI, told a United Nations meeting in March.

Access Denied

From phones to hotel rooms, your face increasingly acts as a digital key. Over the past decade, rapid machine learning and AI advancements have led to the creation of a range of face recognition technologies—meaning that more than ever before, your appearance can be used as a digital identifier. Police have widely deployed face recognition systems, which have frequently been found to be inaccurate and biased against Asian and Black people, while the wider world of face checking has seen government services, anti-fraud systems, and financial institutions using AI to complete identity checks. Most recently, social media and porn websites have adopted face scanning as part of age verification measures.

These “authentication” face checks can take multiple forms. Selfies can be automatically compared to existing ID documents; while liveness tests can require you to take a short video to show you are real—not a fraudster holding a printed photo to the camera. Broadly speaking, these biometric systems often measure your facial features—such as the distance between your eyes, or the size of your jaw—to create “faceprints.” While these kinds of surveillance technologies may be effective for a lot of people, they may not be able to detect people with facial differences. The underlying machine learning technology may not be trained on datasets with a variety of faces, for example.

“The case of Face Equality International—of people who have different faces—is a really important canary in the coal mine of what can go wrong when these systems don’t work,” says Greta Byrum, the founder of technology consultancy firm Present Moment Enterprises, which focuses on the social impact of technologic systems and has provided some pro bono work to FEI. “We’re seeing facial recognition technologies becoming one of those hammers to which everything looks like a nail,” Byrum says.

“I would like to see people realize that not everyone looks the same, from basic skin tone to facial features to the standard facial appearance,” says Crystal Hodges, a speaker and writer who lives with Sturge-Weber syndrome and has a purple “port wine stain” across part of her face. “People’s facial symmetry may not be the same. Other people have different facial features that you don't always see every day, but they exist.”

Courtesy of Crystal Hodges

Hodges, who lives in Arizona, says that last year she and her husband were trying to get their credit scores from a large credit reporting agency when its face verification service wouldn’t work for her. “I tried five to eight times,” she says. Towards winter, Hodges says, the birthmark will become darker. “We were trying a different ring light, we were trying calmer lighting, and it would not accept. My husband had a beard, and it accepted his.” Hodges says she recently tried the same system again, and while it worked this time, she still never got her credit score.
 

“If you don’t include people with disabilities or people with facial differences in the development of these processes, no one’s going to think of these issues,” says Kathleen Bogart, a psychology professor at Oregon State University who specializes in disability research and lives with a facial difference. “AI has amplified these issues, but it’s rooted in long-standing underrepresentation and prejudice towards people with facial differences that occurred long before AI was a thing.”

Too Little, Too Late

When face verification systems fail, it’s often hard to find help—piling more pressure on a stressful situation. For months, Maryland resident Noor Al-Khaled has struggled to create an online account with the Social Security Administration. Al-Khaled, who lives with the rare cranio-facial condition Ablepheron Macrostomia, says having an online account would allow her to easily access SSA records and quickly send documents to the agency.

“I don’t drive because of my vision; I should be able to rely on the site,” Al-Khaled says. “You have to take a selfie, and the pictures have to match,” Al-Khaled says. “Because of the facial difference, I don't know if it’s not recognizing the ID or the selfie, but it’s always saying images don’t match.”

Not having that access makes life harder. “On an emotional level, it just makes me feel shut out from society,” she explains. Al-Khaled says that all services should provide alternative ways for people to access online systems. “The lack of other fallback options means that sometimes people get trapped in these labyrinths of technological systems,” says Byrum from Present Moment Enterprises.

An SSA spokesperson says alternative options to face verification are available, and it is “committed” to making its services accessible to everyone. The agency, the spokesperson says, does not run facial recognition systems itself but uses Login.gov and ID.me for verification services. The General Services Administration, which runs Login.gov, did not respond to WIRED’s request for comment. “Accessibility is a core priority for ID.me,” a spokesperson for ID.me says, adding it has previously helped people with facial differences and offered to directly help Al-Khaled after WIRED was in touch.

Courtesy of WIRED source

“There are few things more dehumanizing than being told by a machine that you’re not real because of your face,” says Corey R. Taylor, a New York–based actor and motivational speaker who lives with a craniofacial anomaly. Last year, Taylor says, he was using a financial app to access a small amount of money; as he tried to complete the payment processes, he found that the face verification system could not match his selfie to the image on his ID. To get the system to work, he had to move into different positions. “I had to literally raise my eyes and contort my face,” Taylor says. When he emailed the company, he got what appeared to be a boilerplate response.

“One of the main things that we are advocating for is alternative methods,” says Hannah Saunders, the head of policy and education at FEI. “There’s possibly a long-term fix in terms of changing the technology, but at the moment, we’re most concerned that people can apply for jobs, they can access their money, they can get through passport control with their family, and that negotiating those kinds of systems isn’t as stressful as it is.”

Swift, the CEO at FEI, says the organization has been “approached” multiple times to work with businesses to address some of the issues but has not yet been able to sort out any formal arrangements. Swift says FEI wants to put the “right systems and safeguards in place” to protect its members. Also, Swift adds, “we get the sense that this is quite low down on the list of priorities [of tech companies], and therefore progress is seemingly slow.”

However, the problems extend beyond emerging technologies. Many of the people WIRED spoke to explained that they often face appearance-based bullying online, and the internet’s wider pivot to short-form video content like TikTok and Instagram Reels leaves them feeling isolated. “The internet, for so long, was a safe haven for me,” Al-Khaled says. “I found my home and solace online because it was the only place where I could meet people and actually be myself without being stared at or gawked at.” Hodges says people have previously said to her that they are shocked that she can leave her house. “I feel like that’s kind of transferred now to: ‘I can’t believe you leave your house, and I can't believe you go online,’” she says.

Courtesy of Corey Taylor

At the DMV in Connecticut last year, Gardiner says that staff were able to manually override the photography system, although she did explain her facial difference to them in the process. She received her replacement temporary license that day and full license later in the mail. “I’ve dealt with a lot of shit when it comes to my face, but after I left, I just cried,” Gardiner recalls. “It was kind of like a reminder that yes, I’m different and I don't fit in.”

After leaving, Gardiner messaged a state representative she knew and told her about the experience, according to messages shared with WIRED. The official got in touch with the local DMV commissioner and discussed the issue plus staff training, they say.

“While we adhere to stringent guidelines to guarantee photo compliance, our employees approach their roles with empathy, ensuring they understand and address the needs of those they serve,” a DMV CT spokesperson says. “We want our residents to have professional interactions with the DMV.” A spokesperson for Idemia, which provides the DMV with technology, says it regularly offers staff training, and its algorithms have been ranked highly in external evaluations.

Gardiner says that while there was ultimately a positive response, she has heard stories of people with facial differences running into problems at the DMV in other states. “I really want to try to pressure for better protocols: What do humans do when the AI doesn't work?” she says. But with face recognition systems being used so broadly, the problem can seem insurmountable. “After that whole DMV experience, I then had to get my passport done,” Gardiner says, “and I ran into the same problem with my passport photo.”

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Aside from new products, Broadcom has introduced a new flexible licensing option for its Wi-Fi 8 intellectual property to accelerate industry deployment in devices such as IoT, automotive, and mobile devices.

Wi-Fi 8 focuses on Ultra High Reliability (UHR) over chasing raw peak speed. This delivers predictable performance in challenging conditions. AI workloads need robust low-latency symmetrical uplink-downlink capacity for tasks like real-time voice, video uploads, and device-to-cloud interactions.

Broadcom’s solutions bring together advanced scheduling technology with Wi-Fi 8 capabilities to deliver faster speeds, longer range, and predictable performance. UHR, which we mentioned above, includes features such as Inter-AP Coordination (Co-SR, Co-BF), Congestion Avoidance (DSO, NPCA, DBE), Range Enhancements (ELR, dRu), and Seamless Roaming.

According to Broadcom, the Wi-Fi 8 access silicon includes a hardware-accelerated telemetry engine, which is described as a “game-changer” for AI-driven network optimization. The engine collects real-time data on network performance, device behavior, and environmental conditions, which serves as a critical input for AI models, whether they are trained and run on the edge or in the cloud. Some of the use cases for this telemetry include measuring and optimizing Quality of Experience (QoE), strengthening security and anomaly detection, and lowering total cost of ownership (TCO) through predictive maintenance.

Broadcom’s product portfolio consists of four chips: BCM6718 for residential access, BCM43840 and BCM43820 for enterprise access, and BCM43109 for mobile clients such as smartphones, laptops, and automotive. All of the chips are fully compliant with IEEE 802.11bn and WFA Wi-Fi 8 specifications.

The BCM6718 and enterprise chips feature BroadStream wireless telemetry and up to 30% greater energy efficiency thanks to advanced eco modes. The BCM43109 client chip is also a highly integrated combo chip supporting Wi-Fi 8, high-bandwidth Bluetooth 6.0, and 802.15.4 (Thread V1.4 and Zigbee Pro).

Source: Broadcom

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Posted Wednesday 15 October 2025 at 4:36 am AEST (my time).

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DL-empowered A-Textile. (B) Photographic image showing the A-T extile–integrated garment for voice perception. Scale bar, 4 cm. (C) Photographic image showing the developed A-T extile (dimension, 3.3 cm by 3.3π cm). Scale bar, 2 cm. (D) Photographic image showing the flexibility of the A-T extile. Scale bar, 2 cm. Credit: Science Advances (2025). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adx3348

There could soon be a new way to interact with your favorite AI chatbots—through the clothing you wear. An international team of researchers has developed a voice-sensing fabric called A-Textile. This flexible patch of smart material turns everyday garments into a kind of microphone, allowing you to speak commands directly to what you're wearing. This lets you communicate with AI systems such as ChatGPT or smart home devices.

Wearable devices that sense and interact with the world around us have long been the stuff of science fiction dreams. However, traditional sensors currently in use are often bulky, rigid and uncomfortable. They also lack sensitivity, meaning they struggle to hear soft or normal speaking voices, making it hard for AI to understand commands.

The researchers addressed this issue by exploring triboelectricity, the principle behind static electricity. A-Textile is a multi-layered fabric, and as you move the layers, they rub together to create a tiny electrostatic charge on the fabric. When you speak, the sound waves cause the charged layers to vibrate slightly, generating an electrical signal that represents your voice. To boost the signal, the team embedded flower-shaped nanoparticles into the fabric to help capture the charge and prevent it from dissipating. This ensures it is clear enough to be recognized by AI.

DL-empowered A-Textile for accessing a generative AI chatbot. Credit: Science Advances (2025). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adx3348

The signal is then sent wirelessly to a device, such as a smartphone or a computer, that hosts a deep learning model the team developed, which recognizes the commands generated by the fabric. One of the technology's best aspects is that it doesn't require the wholesale redesign of clothing. You can simply sew or attach an A-Textile patch to any common garment, like a collar or shirt sleeve.

"This work develops voice-AI clothing by combining advanced materials, device design, and DL [deep learning] to transform everyday garments into intuitive voice-AI interfaces," wrote the researchers in a paper about their technology published in the journal Science Advances.

Putting A-Textile to the test

In tests, the prototype A-Textile generated an output of up to 21 volts and recognized commands with 97.5% accuracy, even in noisy environments. The system could also interact directly with ChatGPT and control smart home appliances, such as turning a lamp on and off, using only voice commands.

But these applications may only be the beginning, according to the team. "It is believed that the integration of imperceptible voice AI systems into clothing will provide easy access to AI while providing previously unexplored application prospects in various areas such as health care, fitness monitoring, and personalized assistance."

Source

Early this year, NVIDIA announced Project Digits, claiming it to be the world's smallest AI supercomputer at CES. At GTC 2025, NVIDIA revealed that Project Digits would ship under the DGX Spark branding and began accepting pre-orders for $3,000 USD.

Today, NVIDIA announced that it has started shipping DGX Spark units to pre-order customers and select AI labs around the world. Starting tomorrow, October 15, interested developers will be able to order the DGX Spark on NVIDIA.com. Leading PC OEMs, including Acer, ASUS, Dell Technologies, GIGABYTE, HP, Lenovo, and MSI, will also offer mini supercomputers based on DGX Spark.

In a compact desktop form factor, with system dimensions of 15 cm (L) x 15 cm (W) x 5 cm (H) and a weight of 1.2 kg, the DGX Spark delivers a petaflop of AI performance powered by the NVIDIA GB10 Grace Blackwell Superchip, NVIDIA ConnectX-7 200 Gb/s networking, and NVIDIA NVLink-C2C technology. Thanks to 128 GB of unified memory, developers can run inference on AI models with up to 200 billion parameters and fine-tune models of up to 70 billion parameters entirely locally.

NVIDIA highlighted that leading AI startups and enterprises, including Anaconda, Cadence, ComfyUI, Docker, Google, Hugging Face, JetBrains, LM Studio, Meta, Microsoft, Ollama, and Roboflow, are testing, validating, and optimizing their tools, software, and models for DGX Spark.

Jensen Huang, founder and CEO of NVIDIA, said:

“In 2016, we built DGX-1 to give AI researchers their own supercomputer. I hand-delivered the first system to Elon at a small startup called OpenAI — and from it came ChatGPT, kickstarting the AI revolution. DGX-1 launched the era of AI supercomputers and unlocked the scaling laws that drive modern AI. With DGX Spark, we return to that mission — placing an AI computer in the hands of every developer to ignite the next wave of breakthroughs.”

Apart from the impressive hardware capabilities, the DGX Spark comes preinstalled with the full NVIDIA AI ecosystem, including tools, models, libraries, and NVIDIA NIM microservices, allowing developers to easily get started with AI development with minimal environment setup.

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Posted Tuesday 14 October 2025 at 6:14 pm AEST (my time).

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It feels like the rollout of Wi-Fi 7 is barely out of the gate, but TP-Link is already making advancements towards the next generation of connectivity. The company announced on Monday that it has successfully tested an early prototype of Wi-Fi 8 hardware, marking a “critical milestone” in its development.

While the test is light on details, TP-Link says it has validated the Wi-Fi 8 (802.11bn) beacon and data transfer capabilities, proving its viability for future consumer products. The prototype hardware was developed through a “joint industry partnership,” according to TP-Link, and the company expects consumer devices to be available ahead of the standard being ratified, which the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) expects to be finalized by 2028.

In a July blog post breaking down the new standard, Qualcomm explains that Wi-Fi 8 aims to keep devices online and stable, rather than chasing faster speeds. Like its predecessor, Wi-Fi 8 will utilize 2.4GHz, 5GHz, and 6GHz bands with a theoretical maximum channel bandwidth of 320MHz and peak data rate of 23Gbps, but aims to improve real-world performance and connection reliability.

This Qualcomm graphic shows the developmental focus behind the last few generations of Wi-Fi standard.

Image: Qualcomm

 

The goal is to provide better performance in environments with low signal, or under high network loads, where an increasing number of devices are sharing the same connection. Wi-Fi 8 can theoretically manage more devices at once, and reduce lag when positioned further away from your router or moving around your home. That should provide users with a smoother gaming and streaming experience, and prevent freezes, drops, and “robot voice” from occurring during video calls.

“Wi-Fi 8 marks a fundamental pivot — moving beyond peak speeds to prioritize reliable performance in challenging real-world conditions,” Qualcomm said. “It’s designed to bring Wi-Fi closer than ever to the reliability and responsiveness of wired infrastructure.”

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Posted Tuesday 14 October 2025 at 3:08 am AEST (my time).

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US-based artificial intelligence giant OpenAI announced on Monday a collaboration with chip firm Broadcom to produce and deploy its own 10 gigawatt AI accelerators.

"OpenAI will design the accelerators and systems, which will be developed and deployed in partnership with Broadcom. By designing its own chips and systems, OpenAI can embed what it’s learned from developing frontier models and products directly into the hardware, unlocking new levels of capability and intelligence," the company said in a statement.

Broadcom plans to begin installing racks of AI accelerators and network systems in the second half of 2026 and complete them by the end of 2029.

The statement said OpenAI has reached more than 800 million weekly active users, and that this collaboration will help the company advance its mission to "ensure that artificial general intelligence benefits all of humanity."

“Developing our own accelerators adds to the broader ecosystem of partners all building the capacity required to push the frontier of AI to provide benefits to all humanity," OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said.

Broadcom CEO Hock Tan said "OpenAI has been in the forefront of the AI revolution since the ChatGPT moment, and we are thrilled to co-develop and deploy 10 gigawatts of next generation accelerators and network systems to pave the way for the future of AI."

OpenAI added Broadcom to the list of chip companies that it has collaborated recently. The list had included AMD, Oracle and Nvidia.

Over the last three weeks, OpenAI has announced around 33 gigawatts of computing commitments through collaborations with AMD, Broadcom, Oracle, and Nvidia.

Source

Quick links:

1. Windows 10 and 11
2. Windows Insider Program
3. Updates are available
4. Reviews are in
5. Gaming news

Windows 11 and Windows 10

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

Remember what happened in the Summer of last year, when a CrowdStrike outage caused blue screens of death on millions of PCs? Apple decided to take a jab at Microsoft with a new 8-minute ad that pitches Mac as a much safer alternative to Windows. Of course, comments under that video are turned off; we wonder why.

If you are still on Windows 11 version 23H2, it is time to pack things up and move to something more recent. Microsoft issued a 30-day reminder that Windows 11 version 23H2 would be out of support by November 11, 2025. If you want to continue receiving fixes and security updates, version 24H2 and 25H2 wait for you to upgrade.

Several useful tools for Windows users, particularly those planning to upgrade to Windows 11, received some updates. Flyoobe has been updated to version 1.30 with guided setup and reworked navigation. WhyNotWin11, a very handy app for compatibility checks, received a new version with improved GPU/CPU detection and other improvements.

Finally, check out a couple of editorials from Usama Jawad, where he rumbles about what is allegedly the most useless key on modern keyboards, problems with recent Microsoft 365 outages, and how the end of Windows 10 support will put users in a very sticky situation.

Windows Insider Program

Here is what Microsoft released for Windows Insiders this week:

Besides fixing dark mode in File Explorer, the latest Dev and Beta builds introduced a not-so-welcome change. Microsoft is making it much harder to set up Windows 11 without an active internet connection for local account-only use. Fortunately, there are still methods to bypass that, so check out this guide to learn more.

Finally, Microsoft has updated the Copilot app for Windows with the ability to tap into third-party services and create Office documents for you.

Updates are available

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

Microsoft announced several upgrades for OneDrive this week. For starters, the company unveiled seamless Copilot integration in OneDrive for enterprise users, document auto-save in OneDrive by default, and more. For regular users, Microsoft announced a major upgrade to the photos experience in OneDrive.

For OneNote users, Microsoft is finally rolling out a highly-requested feature, particularly by those who frequently insert images into their notebooks. At long last, OneNote lets you crop images without using third-party tools.

Browser updates from this week include some useful changes for Firefox. The browser is finally getting built-in profile support, something that other browsers have had for many years. While this feature was clearly borrowed from Chrome and other browsers, Firefox on mobile has a unique "Share to summarize" feature, which got a special mention in TIME Magazine.

Microsoft Edge, on the other hand, got a small update with a redesigned profile selector that should help users better distinguish between personal and work/school accounts. The update also brought bug fixes and security patches.

Finally, Google Chrome will soon offer you a "quieter" browsing experience on Android and desktop, which will change how website notifications work on certain websites.

Here are other updates and releases you may find interesting:

• Microsoft unveils ambitious AI roadmap for Visual Studio, but users fear tool reliability.

• Microsoft is making an important change to inline images in Outlook.

• Microsoft really wants IT admins to enable web search in Microsoft 365 Copilot.

• Microsoft wants organizations to compete on Copilot adoption.

• Microsoft will reportedly reduce GitHub's independence and move its servers to Azure.

• Former British PM Rishi Sunak joined Microsoft and Anthropic as a senior advisor.

• Microsoft delayed the Exchange Online feature after major backlash from frustrated IT admins.

• Microsoft's Hyper-V upgrades finally unlock confidential Linux security.

   

Here are the latest drivers and firmware updates released this week:

• Microsoft announced big changes to Surface firmware in an attempt to make it more secure and reliable through Rust.
• Surface Laptop 7 and Surface Pro 11 received new firmware with fixes for Windows Studio Effects bugs.

• AMD released 25.10.1 preview graphics driver with Battlefield 6 support.

On the gaming side

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

Some users will be spared from the upcoming Xbox Game Pass Ultimate increase. This week, Microsoft sent emails to subscribers in certain countries, such as Germany, Ireland, South Korea, Poland, and India, stating that they can continue to pay the old price, at least for now and only as long as they don't cancel the subscription.

Speaking of Game Pass, more games are coming to the service in October. Look out for Hogwarts Legacy, Ninja Gaiden 2 Black, Ninja Gaiden 4, He Is Coming, Eternal Strands, Supermarket Simulator, and more.

Xbox Design Lab now has a new The Outer Worlds 2 design for the standard controller and the Elite variants. These look nice, and fans of the franchise will like them, but the price tag is pretty hefty even before you add extra customization.

Activision was very busy with Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 and its public beta, which was extended to October 9, particularly in the cheater area. According to Activision's RICOCHET team, the studio's anti-cheat efforts resulted in 97% of cheaters getting ban hammers in only 30 minutes after signing in, and only 1% actually made their way to matches, only to be banned in less than one minute.

Finally, check out this week's Weekend PC Game Deals article with plenty of various discounts on PC games, a new freebie from the Epic Games Store, and more.

Other gaming news includes the following:

• Jurassic World Evolution 3 received Island Generator and enhanced PS5 Pro visuals.

• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 passes five million copies sold, studio teases new content.

• Cities: Skylines II Bridges & Ports expansion is finally releasing later this month.

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Paul's Hardware (1.53M subscribers)

October 12, 2025

Video length: 11m 57s

0:00 Welcome to Paul’s Tech News - October 12, 2025 

1:32 Intel Arc Celestial GPU Architecture Coming - XE3 or XE3P? 

4:42 AMD and OpenAI Announce Strategic Partnership to Deploy 6 Gigawatts of AMD GPUs 

7:02 Microsoft Blocks Basic Windows 11 Local Account Installs 

TECH BRIEFS 

8:41 Battlefield 6 Launches, is actually well received 

9:43 Further Confirmation of Zen6 on AM5 

10:35 Hundreds of wasps eliminated with 140mm case fan, 3D printer

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Posted Sunday 12 October 2025 at 5:38 pm AEST (my time).

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CNBC reports that leadership at computer vision startup Prompt AI has informed its members that Apple is in the process of acquiring top talent and technology from the firm. This is being positioned as an "acquihire" deal, so employees who don't end up joining the Cupertino firm will be paid a reduced salary.

Prompt AI is an 11-person startup that had many potential suitors, including Elon Musk's xAI and Neuralink, but it is Apple that will possibly end up closing the deal, as the tech giant is in late-stage talks. Investors have been told that they will be paid out a portion of Apple's investment, but they won't be "made whole". Existing employees have been requested not to mention the transaction if they search for other jobs.

Prompt AI was founded in 2023 by Phd researcher Tete Xiao and Trevor Darrell, who is also a founder of the Berkeley Artificial Intelligence Research (BAIR) lab. The company's flagship product is the Seemour app, which connects to home security cameras to enable detection of multiple types of moving objects and send alerts and notifications, or answer questions about them.

However, CEO Tete Xiao made a rather interesting announcement in the recent all-hands meeting that while the technology is working well, the business model isn't a great fit. As such, the app is being retired, and user data will be deleted after customers are informed. This suggests that it's actually the backend technology and the talented individuals responsible for building it that Apple is interested in acquiring. We'll likely find out more over the next few days or weeks.

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Posted Sunday 12 October 2025 at 4:42 am AEST (my time).

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