News: Technology News

"Bethesda tried to hype this up so much just for it to fall short." Starfield's Shattered Space DLC opens to 'Mixed' Steam, Xbox reviews despite a "new, handcrafted world"

Wed, 02 Oct 2024 03:42:40 +0000

So far, the reception of Starfield's first DLC has been very lukewarm.

What you need to know

Starfield: Shattered Space is the first DLC story expansion for Bethesda's space exploration RPG, and takes players to House Va'ruun's home world of Va'ruun'kai to investigate a disaster caused by an experiment gone horribly wrong.
The expansion released on Xbox Series X|S and Windows PC on September 30, though so far, it's opened with "Mixed" reviews on Steam and an average score of 3.6/5 stars on Xbox and the Microsoft Store.
Most reviewers appreciate that Shattered Space is centered on one location and allows for some deeper roleplaying compared to the ocean-sized base game, though many lament a paltry amount of overall content.
Many reviews for the Xbox and Microsoft Store version of the DLC specifically mention not being able to start the expansion, so keep that in mind if you were thinking of picking it up on one of those platforms.

Standing as the biggest addition to the space exploration RPG yet and significantly hyped up by Bethesda itself, Starfield's Shattered Space DLC seemed poised to give the game a huge boost when it launched on Xbox Series X|S and Windows PC on September 30 earlier this week. In the immediate wake of its release, though, it's become apparent that it hasn't delivered the experience many players were hoping for.

At the time of writing, Shattered Space has a "Mixed" reception on Valve's PC gaming platform Steam, with only 42% of its 730 user reviews giving it a "Positive" thumbs up. Scores on the Xbox/Microsoft Store storefront are kinder — right now, it's got an average of 3.6/5 stars from 203 total reviews — though they still fall short of being generally positive.

Set on the enigmatic House Va'ruun home world of Va'ruun'kai and centered around a mysterious and deadly "vortex incident" that fractured the interstellar organization and devastated its seat of power, Shattered Space was marketed as a meatier and deeper roleplaying adventure compared to the base game, with a "new, handcrafted world" — after all, Starfield is often criticized for having too wide of a setting and not enough depth in it. However, while most reviews note that the expansion is an improvement in this regard, many also assert that it still fails to live up to expectations.

"Bethesda tried to hype this up so much just for it to fall short. Was it the worst thing ever? No, but worth $30? Also no, this should have been included in the base game," reads one review from user chaoticotaku. "It's basically another faction quest line with one new world to roam around in ... for a total of 4 hours of gameplay."

"The base game had more interesting writing and better story beats than anything in this DLC. The 'new' content that IS here is mostly reskins of weapons and armor along with some variants of already existing POIs," writes player Khronico in another. " ... As someone who liked Starfield despite its flaws, Shattered Space fixed nothing I had problems with and even made me less hopeful for the game going forward."

Overall, the consensus amongst negative reviewers is that Shattered Space is frustratingly short and lacking in overall content to enjoy, with many positive evaluations even mentioning this as a caveat. Players report that its main story can be completed in just 4-5 hours, and engaging with side activities to get all the DLC's new achievements will only take a few more to do. Compared to something like the Far Harbor expansion from Bethesda's own Fallout 4 that had a 7-8 hour narrative and a little over 20 hours' worth of stuff for completionists to dig into, that sounds pretty disappointing, though I should note that I haven't played Shattered Space myself yet and can't offer my own opinion.

Something else worth highlighting is that many negative Xbox and Microsoft Store reviews indicate fans were not able to begin the expansion despite following the process to start the Starfield: Shattered Space DLC correctly, suggesting that there could be a widespread bug with that version. There hasn't been official word from Bethesda about this yet, though.

The Scaled Citadel, which serves as the seat of power for House Va'ruun on Va'ruun'kai.

(Image credit: Bethesda | Microsoft)

Ultimately, I think Starfield's developers are moving in the right direction with more Fallout and The Elder Scrolls-style content that prioritizes depth over width, but these initial waves of reviews largely contend that there's still a lackluster amount of the former. The DLC did just come out, though, and it will be interesting to see if wider community opinion shifts or settles in the coming days.

For $29.99 — $10 shy of half the base game's MSRP — you can pick up Shattered Space and form your own opinion, though the best thing to do is probably to wait for a good sale, especially since the expansion isn't included with Xbox Game Pass subscriptions. It's actually discounted to $26.79 at CDKeys right now despite the DLC coming out yesterday, but there's a good chance we'll see steeper markdowns in the next few weeks or months. Don't forget you'll also have access to Shattered Space if you buy Starfield's Premium Edition or tack the Premium Edition upgrade onto your standard copy.

Source

RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend

Hope you enjoyed this news post.

Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every day for many years.

2023: Over 5,800 news posts | 2024 (till end of September): 4,292 news posts

GIGABYTE unveils X870E/X870 motherboards for the AMD Ryzen 9000 series processors

Tue, 01 Oct 2024 17:49:20 +0000

GIGABYTE has released its new X870E and X870 series motherboards with the AM5 socket, designed to maximise the capabilities of AMD Ryzen 9000 series processors. These motherboards bring AI-accelerated performance, advanced thermal management, and improved connectivity, catering to gamers, creators, and PC enthusiasts.

One of the main features of the new motherboards is the AORUS AI SNATCH, an AI-powered tool that allows users to boost memory and system performance. This technology simplifies overclocking, enhances multitasking, and optimises system responsiveness.

The boards also support DDR5 memory with speeds of up to 8600MT/s, thanks to a 20-phase power design with 110A SPS and an 8-layer server-grade PCB, ensuring stable overclocking and performance.

To maintain system efficiency during heavy loads, the X870E/X870 motherboards include advanced thermal management solutions such as the DDR Wind Blade and vented back panel. These, along with the VRM and M.2 thermal solutions, help dissipate heat effectively, keeping the system cool.

Additionally, Gigabyte has made installation and maintenance easier with several DIY-friendly features. These include M.2 EZ-Match for quick heatsink reattachment, Wi-Fi EZ-Plug for simplified antenna installation, and PCIe EZ-Latch Plus for tool-free graphics card installation. A centralised EZ-Debug Zone provides easier access to LED indicators and control buttons for troubleshooting.

The upgraded UC BIOS offers a redesigned user interface with customisable themes and performance adjustments. Features such as AIO Fan Control allow users to manage fan speeds directly through the BIOS, while the Power Monitor provides real-time CPU power phase tracking. The tech giant has also partnered with HWiNFO to enhance system monitoring with an on-screen display for real-time performance data.

In terms of connectivity, the X870E/X870 motherboards are equipped with Wi-Fi 7, PCIe 5.0 storage support, and dual USB4 Type-C ports capable of transfer speeds up to 40 Gbps. These features provide high-speed connections for tasks like large file transfers, video editing, and VR experiences.

Users can get their hands on the latest X870E/X870 lineup as they are now available in the market. For more information, you can head over to the dedicated webpage here.

Source

RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend

Hope you enjoyed this news post.

Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every day for many years.

2023: Over 5,800 news posts | 2024 (till end of September): 4,292 news posts

Microsoft Bing expands generative search experience

Tue, 01 Oct 2024 17:48:07 +0000

In July, Microsoft first previewed the Bing generative search experience. This new experience uses the power of generative AI and large language models (LLMs) within the search results page to create a customized and dynamic response to each search query. It features dynamically created answers as the main results and moves the traditional blue links to the right column of the search results page.

Today, Microsoft announced the expansion of generative search to cover more informational queries, such as those where users are seeking detailed explanations, solutions to complex problems, or conducting in-depth research. To try the new Bing generative search experience in the US, simply type "Bing generative search" into the Bing search bar. You can select a demo query from the carousel or click the "Deep search" button for other searches.

It's important to note that this new search experience is still in beta, so you may notice a slight delay in displaying the results. Generative search results are indicated by the sentence "Results enhanced with Bing generative search" beneath the search box.

The Bing team is continuing to roll out this new generative search experience gradually to ensure a quality experience before making it broadly available. They are also working to balance this new approach with sending traffic to website owners using proper citations and links.

You can provide feedback to the Bing team about this new experience using the thumbs up and thumbs-down icons at the top of the generative search results page. You can also use the familiar Feedback icon at the bottom of the search results page to provide further feedback.

Source: Microsoft

Source

RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend

Hope you enjoyed this news post.

Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every day for many years.

2023: Over 5,800 news posts | 2024 (till end of September): 4,292 news posts

In fear of more user protests, Reddit announces controversial policy change

Tue, 01 Oct 2024 07:56:02 +0000

Moderators now need Reddit's permission to turn subreddits private, NSFW.

Following site-wide user protests last year that featured moderators turning thousands of subreddits private or not-safe-for-work (NSFW), Reddit announced that mods now need its permission to make those changes.

Reddit's VP of community, going by Go_JasonWaterfalls, made the announcement about what Reddit calls Community Types today. Reddit's permission is also required to make subreddits restricted or to go from NSFW to safe-for-work (SFW). Reddit's employee claimed that requests will be responded to “in under 24 hours.”

Reddit’s employee said that “temporarily going restricted is exempt” from this requirement, adding that “mods can continue to instantly restrict posts and/or comments for up to 7 days using Temporary Events.” Additionally, if a subreddit has fewer than 5,000 members or is less than 30 days old, the request “will be automatically approved,” per Go_JasonWaterfalls.

Reddit’s post includes a list of "valid" reasons that mods tend to change their subreddit's Community Type and provides alternative solutions.

Last year’s protests “accelerated” this policy change

Last year, Reddit announced that it would be charging a massive amount for access to its previously free API. This caused many popular third-party Reddit apps to close down. Reddit users then protested by turning subreddits private (or read-only) or by only showing NSFW content or jokes and memes. Reddit then responded by removing some moderators; eventually, the protests subsided.

Reddit, which previously admitted that another similar protest could hurt it financially, has maintained that moderators' actions during the protests broke its rules. Now, it has solidified a way to prevent something like last year's site-wide protests from happening again.

Speaking to The Verge, Laura Nestler, who The Verge reported is Go_JasonWaterfalls, claimed that Reddit has been talking about making this change since at least 2021. The protests, she said, were a wake-up call that moderators’ ability to turn subreddits private “could be used to harm Reddit at scale. The protests “accelerated” the policy change, per Nestler.

The announcement on r/modnews reads:

… the ability to instantly change Community Type settings has been used to break the platform and violate our rules. We have a responsibility to protect Reddit and ensure its long-term health, and we cannot allow actions that deliberately cause harm.

After shutting down a tactic for responding to unfavorable Reddit policy changes, Go_JasonWaterfalls claimed that Reddit still wants to hear from users.

"Community Type settings have historically been used to protest Reddit’s decisions," they wrote.

"While we are making this change to ensure users’ expectations regarding a community’s access do not suddenly change, protest is allowed on Reddit. We want to hear from you when you think Reddit is making decisions that are not in your communities' best interests. But if a protest crosses the line into harming redditors and Reddit, we'll step in."

Last year's user protests illustrated how dependent Reddit is on unpaid moderators and user-generated content. At times, things turned ugly, pitting Reddit executives against long-time users (Reddit CEO Steve Huffman infamously called Reddit mods "landed gentry," something that some were quick to remind Go_JasonWaterfalls of) and reportedly worrying Reddit employees.

Although the protests failed to reverse Reddit’s prohibitive API fees or to save most third-party apps, it succeeded in getting users’ concerns heard and even crashed Reddit for three hours. Further, NFSW protests temporarily prevented Reddit from selling ads on some subreddits. Since going public this year and amid a push to reach profitability, Reddit has been more focused on ads than ever. (Most of Reddit’s money comes from ads.)

Reddit's Nestler told The Verge that the new policy was reviewed by Reddit’s Mod Council. Reddit is confident that it won’t lose mods because of the change, she said.

“Demotes us all to janitors”

The news marks another broad policy change that is likely to upset users and make Reddit seem unwilling to give into user feedback, despite Go_JasonWaterfalls saying that “protest is allowed on Reddit.” For example, in response, Reddit user CouncilOfStrongs said:

Don't lie to us, please.

Something that you can ignore because it has no impact cannot be a protest, and no matter what you say that is obviously the one and only point of you doing this - to block moderators from being able to hold Reddit accountable in even the smallest way for malicious, irresponsible, bad faith changes that they make.

Reddit user belisaurius, who is listed as a mod for several active subreddits, including a 336,000-member one for the Philadelphia Eagles NFL team, said that the policy change “removes moderators from any position of central responsibility and demotes us all to janitors."

As Reddit continues seeking profits and seemingly more control over a platform built around free user-generated content and moderation, users will have to either accept that Reddit is changing or leave the platform.

Advance Publications, which owns Ars Technica parent Condé Nast, is the largest shareholder in Reddit.

Source

RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend

Hope you enjoyed this news post.

Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every day for many years.

2023: Over 5,800 news posts | 2024 (till end of September): 4,292 news posts

Apple backs out of backing OpenAI, report claims

Tue, 01 Oct 2024 07:55:21 +0000

Apple dropped out of the $6.5 billion investment round at the 11th hour.

A few weeks back, it was reported that Apple was exploring investing in OpenAI, the company that makes ChatGPT, the GPT model, and other popular generative AI products. Now, a new report from The Wall Street Journal claims that Apple has abandoned those plans.

The article simply says Apple "fell out of the talks to join the round." The round is expected to close in a week or so and may raise as much as $6.5 billion for the growing Silicon Valley company. Had Apple gone through with the move, it would have been a rare event—though not completely unprecedented—for Apple to invest in another company that size.

OpenAI is still expected to raise the funds it seeks from other sources. The report claims Microsoft is expected to invest around $1 billion in this round. Microsoft has already invested substantial sums in OpenAI, whose GPT models power Microsoft AI tools like Copilot and Bing chat.

Nvidia is also a likely major investor in this round.

Apple will soon offer limited ChatGPT integration in an upcoming iOS update, though it plans to support additional models like Google's Gemini further down the line, offering users a choice similar to how they pick a default search engine or web browser.

OpenAI has been on a successful tear with its products and models, establishing itself as a leader in the rapidly growing industry. However, it has also been beset by drama and controversy—most recently, some key leaders at OpenAI departed the company abruptly, and it shifted its focus from a research-focused organization that was beholden to a nonprofit, to a for-profit company under CEO Sam Altman. Also, former Apple design lead Jony Ive is confirmed to be working on a new AI product of some kind.

But The Wall Street Journal did not specify which (if any) of these facts are reasons why Apple chose to back out of the investment.

Source

RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend

Hope you enjoyed this news post.

Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every day for many years.

2023: Over 5,800 news posts | 2024 (till end of September): 4,292 news posts

How to start Starfield: Shattered Space DLC on Xbox and Windows PC

Mon, 30 Sep 2024 18:55:55 +0000

The followers of the Great Serpent await in this expansion for Starfield, so here's how to begin.

Va'ruun'kai awaits.

The first expansion for Bethesda Game Studios' science-fiction role-playing game Starfield is now here, coming just over a year after the base game launched. Titled Shattered Space, this expansion cleaves closer to the design philosophy of past Bethesda titles like Fallout and The Elder Scrolls, taking place entirely in one location.

This isn't a separate launcher, but is instead woven into the main game, meaning you can't just pick Starfield up for the first time and immediately play it. Don't worry though, follow my guide and you'll be observing the terrors of House Va'ruun before long. Here's how to start Starfield: Shattered Space on Xbox and Windows PC.

How to start Starfield: Shattered Space

First off, you'll want to make sure you actually own the Shattered Space expansion for Starfield.

If you have the Premium Edition of the game, then you've got it. If you only bought the Standard Edition of Starfield, or you're playing through Xbox Game Pass Ultimate or PC Game Pass, then you'll need to buy the Premium Upgrade.

Once you own Starfield: Shattered Space, make sure you've got it installed. It's around a 15GB download. There's also a separate update that must also be installed.

Finally, hop into the game. In order to embark on the new questline, you'll have to have completed the main story mission called One Small Step. After that, you simply need to take a Grav Jump somewhere in the galaxy that is not a main mission or random encounter. Exactly when that part triggers is out of your control, but make a couple of jumps and you'll eventually get one. When you do, you'll suddenly encounter a space station called The Oracle, which your companions will note is not on the charts.

Getting closer will reveal a strange call for help, adding a quest to your log titled What Remains, kicking off the events of Starfield: Shattered Space and leading you to planet of Va'ruun'kai in the Kavnyk system. This is the homeworld of House Va'ruun, a strange faction that worships the Great Serpent.

While you are technically allowed to start playing the expansion from this point on, it's highly recommended that you be around level 35 or above, as the DLC has some challenging stuff that's not meant for a completely fresh character to face down.

Starfield: Shattered Space LOOKUP FAILED bug

Some players are reporting encountering a bug where their companions' dialogue triggers as normal, but the quest and space station don't appear, while subtitles give the all-caps message LOOKUP FAILED.

If this happens to you, you need to exit the game and make sure you've installed both Starfield: Shattered Space and the latest game update. Installing the update and restarting the game with a save from before the bug should fix the problem.

Starfield and Starfield: Shattered Space are currently available on Xbox Series X|S consoles and Windows PC. The Standard Edition of Starfield is included in Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscriptions.

Source

RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend

Hope you enjoyed this news post.

Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every day for many years.

2023: Over 5,800 news posts | 2024 (till end of September): 4,292 news posts

Doom finally ported to quantum computers, and you can play it now

Mon, 30 Sep 2024 18:54:08 +0000

A new port of the first-person shooter Doom has been developed to run on quantum computers. Known as Quandoom, the version was created by Luke Mortimer, a quantum computing researcher at ICFO in Barcelona who releases projects under the name Lumorti. It is written as a single QASM file with the language used to program quantum circuits and algorithms.

While there is currently no quantum hardware capable of playing the game, Lumorti's work shows the potential for gaming on new architectures. The quantum port pushes the limits with specifications that dwarf even the most powerful classical PCs. It requires 72,376 qubits and 80 million gates just to execute the basic code.

However, Quandoom can still be experienced today. Lumorti included a lightweight QASM simulator that translates the quantum instructions into classical computation. Even on an ordinary laptop, the simulator allows Quandoom to run at 10-20 frames per second. Early gameplay footage looks like a 1980s vector graphics shooter.

Although such a quantum computer doesn't exist right now, Quandoom is efficiently simulatable on a classical computer, capable of running at 10-20 fps on my laptop using the accompanying lightweight (150 lines of C++) QASM simulator.

To play Quandoom, download the files from GitHub and drag the QASM file onto the simulator executable. You should be aware it will take around 5-6GB of RAM to load. Only the first level is playable for now with simplified graphics and no sound or music. Lumorti provides tips for compilation to test advanced technical aspects on other systems, too.

The Quandoom code file was significantly compressed using abbreviations, but it is still sizable at an estimated 30GB without them. Work continues to reinsert missing parts of classic DOOM into the quantum version over time, with development sometimes a little slow since Lumorti admits that he sometimes gets bored with the ambitious project.

Source

RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend

Hope you enjoyed this news post.

Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every day for many years.

2023: Over 5,800 news posts | 2024 (till end of September): 4,292 news posts

"I see you're exploring the galaxy." A Starfield player made this insane Clippy space ship, taking the old school Microsoft assistant interstellar.

Mon, 30 Sep 2024 18:52:13 +0000

Clippy heads to the stars, in this fun space ship build from Starfield.

What you need to know

It's Monday and nobody has logged on yet, so I can post whatever I feel like.
Clippy is Microsoft's notorious Office assistant from the 90s, who remains a cherished icon of a bygone age.
To celebrate Clippy's legacy, Starfield player /u/lililiilillil from Reddit recreated the fun and cheeky Office tool as an interstellar space ship.
Using Starfield's space ship crafter, you can create ships of all shapes and sizes, and go even further using mods on PC.
Starfield gets its first major story DLC drop today, dubbed Shattered Space.

Happy Monday gamers and Microsoft 365 users everywhere. None of the other editors have logged in yet, so I'm abusing the lack of oversight to post something fun and fanciful to get your week started.

If you're of a certain age (potentially with back pain), you may remember Clippy, Microsoft's fun and friendly Office assistant of yore. Clippy would pop up over the top of Word and other application documents, offering tips and tricks, sometimes unwantedly so, while you were working. These days we have Microsoft Copilot and the promise of AI tools like Windows Recall popping up unwantedly on our Microsoft documents, and they're certainly far less fun than Clippy was. Alas, Clippy is gone, consigned to the ancient past of Microsoft's vast and expanding graveyard of products no longer with us.

Clippy may have gone to software heaven, but what if Clippy had the capability to literally travel the heavens? One Starfield player over on reddit named /u/lililiilillil dared to imagine.

Are you trying to head to infinity and beyond?(Image credit: /u/lililiilillil on reddit)

Using a variety of ship prefabs, any shape is potentially possible. (Image credit: /u/lililiilillil on reddit)

Clippy travels the heavens at the speed of light. (Image credit: /u/lililiilillil on reddit)

It's perhaps not the most sci-fi ship design out there. (Image credit: /u/lililiilillil on reddit)

Starfield is the latest game from Bethesda Softworks, now owned by Microsoft under the firm's Xbox gaming division. Bethesda is known for megahits like Fallout 3, 4, and The Elder Scrolls franchise, and its latest outing took players to one of the most expansive playgrounds the industry has seen, comprised of dozens of planets in a wide open galaxy.

To travel around, players build their own ships (or use the basic one provided in the story). The ships are essentially comprised of blocks that connect together intuitively almost like Lego, but have limitations. A bigger ship needs more power to escape planetary gravity, inter-system flight requires bigger fuel storage capacity, and so on. Using Starfield mods, however, you can circumvent some of the restrictions on PC, and create ~~monstrosities~~ awesome ships like reddit's friendly Clippy ship up there.

On September 30, 2024 (today, in fact), Bethesda is launching Shattered Space, its first story DLC expansion for Starfield. The game proved controversial at launch, with some users criticizing the game's over-reliance on procedurally-generated planets. Shattered Space conversely is an entirely hand-crafted experience, with heavy horror vibes, where players help (or hinder) a space cult in crisis.

I long for Clippy, but this will do

Clippy lives on in memes, such as this fun Microsoft Christmas sweater. (Image credit: Microsoft)

Clippy is essentially a meme these days, at least among users of a certain age (you and me, probably), but I can't help but reminisce about its impact. It represents a more "fun" and less "corporate" time for Microsoft in some ways. Microsoft Copilot might be infinitely more useful thanks to its ChatGPT back end, but Clippy or even Cortana were more fun. Ultimately, I know people don't really want work tools to be fun, right? Maybe they do, which would explain why Microsoft put games in Microsoft Teams and LinkedIn.

Clippy lives on in tributes like the above, but also in Microsoft's own Windows 11 emoji (📎), at least on the latest versions. I can't help but feel like Microsoft Copilot or even Bing itself would be far better received if it had a dash of Clippy in it, though. Maybe I'm just overly nostalgic. What do you think?

Either way, have an awesome week, Windows Central friends.

Source

RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend

Hope you enjoyed this news post.

Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every day for many years.

2023: Over 5,800 news posts | 2024 (till end of September): 4,292 news posts

Starfield: Shattered Space expansion is now available on Xbox Series X|S and PC

Mon, 30 Sep 2024 18:50:38 +0000

Bethesda just released the first expansion of its latest sci-fi RPG experience, Starfield. Shattered Space takes players to a previously inaccessible planet for a brand-new questline involving House Va’ruun. The major expansion is touting a hand-crafted experience that throws players into a mystery surrounding an experiment gone wrong, and it's now available as a standalone purchase as well as via the game's special editions.

Starfield players are recommended to be at least level 35 before jumping into the new content, though it's not a requirement. The studio says that only the "One Small Step" introductory mission in the base campaign needs to be completed before the game prompts players to start the expansion's journey. This will happen in the form of a distress call being made by a star station titled The Oracle. To prompt this event to appear, grav-jump to a system without any active missions or encounters.

Be warned that those wanting to experience the new storyline without spoilers should skip the next paragraph entirely. It gives an overview of what happened before the player's arrival.

The story expansion takes players to House Va’Ruun’s hidden homeworld, Va'ruun'kai. The events begin in the capital city, Dazra, where a secret Grav-Drive experiment had caused the fabric of spacetime to rip apart. A large portion of the city, citizens, and even its leadership have gone missing with the incident, making for a chaotic situation for the locals. This is where the player and his crew land, offering plenty of role-playing opportunities.

Bethesda says the expansion's content will not take players outside of the planet, meaning they could focus on making this a much more dense and hand-crafted experience, comparable to the studio's previous titles.

Starfield: Shattered Space expansion is now available for PC (Microsoft Store and Steam) and Xbox Series X|S platforms with a $29.99 price tag. Premium and Constellation edition owners of Starfield also have access to the expansion for no extra cost. Keep in mind Game Pass subscribers must purchase the expansion or the Digital Premium Upgrade to jump in.

Source

RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend

Hope you enjoyed this news post.

Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every day for many years.

2023: Over 5,800 news posts | 2024 (till end of September): 4,292 news posts

Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 to cost roughly 20% more than its predecessor

Mon, 30 Sep 2024 18:49:02 +0000

It seems that smartphone manufacturers now have one more reason to increase the prices of their upcoming flagship processors. According to a new leak, the prices of the next-gen flagship processors from Qualcomm and MediaTek are expected to rise by almost 20%.

A Chinese leaker Digital Chat Station (via a post on Weibo), has shared the alleged pricing of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 and MediaTek Dimensity 9400 processors. The tipster shares that the upcoming processors will be roughly 20% more expensive than their predecessors because of the cost associated with TSMC's 3nm manufacturing process.

Specifically, the MediaTek Dimensity 9400 SoC is tipped to cost $155, whereas the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 processor is said to cost $190. The leaker has duly mentioned that these were approximate pricing only.

Notably, the prices of the processors can vary on various factors including exclusivity and volume of production. Brands such as Samsung, Xiaomi, etc., could pay variably for the procurement of the chipset, based on the aforementioned factors. However, it could eventually lead to an increase in prices of the smartphones, which may not be good for customers.

This price leak information aligns with a previous report by Min-Chi Kuo, which suggested that next year's flagship processors could be 20%-30% more expensive than the current ones. He even suggested a $190-$200 price tag.

As far as usability is concerned, Samsung is expected to introduce the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 processors in next year's Galaxy S25 series. There were also rumors that Samsung could also add MediaTek processors to its flagship lineup, alongside Exynos 2500.

Xiaomi is expected to launch the Xiaomi 15 series, making the Chinese OEM the world's first Android smartphone brand to launch a Snapdragon 8 Gen 4-powered phone. It is then expected that Asus could launch the ROG Phone 8 powered by Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 chipset in Q1 of 2025.

Source

RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend

Hope you enjoyed this news post.

Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every day for many years.

2023: Over 5,800 news posts | 2024 (till end of September): 4,292 news posts

Raspberry Pi launches AI Camera for $70 with integrated neural network

Mon, 30 Sep 2024 18:47:38 +0000

Raspberry Pi has just announced the Raspberry Pi AI Camera. It is built around the Sony IMX500 image sensor and contains an integrated AI accelerator. According to Raspberry Pi, the AI Camera can run a variety of neural network models and boasts low power consumption and low latency.

Key features of the Raspberry Pi AI Camera include:

12 MP Sony IMX500 Intelligent Vision Sensor
Sensor modes: 4056 × 3040 at 10 fps, 2028 × 1520 at 30 fps
1.55 µm × 1.55 µm cell size
78-degree field of view with manually adjustable focus
Integrated RP2040 for neural network and firmware management
Can be connected to all Raspberry Pi models using regular camera ribbon cables

Explaining why it has made the AI Camera, the company said that its Raspberry Pi AI Kit, which was launched in June, is powerful but requires a separate camera module to capture visual data. By launching the AI Camera, customers have an easier way to get a camera.

Another benefit of acquiring a Raspberry Pi AI Camera is that it has seamless integration with the Raspberry Pi camera software stack. Given this, you don't even need the Raspberry Pi AI Kit if your project does not demand it.

Explaining which kit you should opt for, Raspberry Pi says that AI Kit has a higher theoretical performance than AI Camera and supports more models, but is only compatible with Raspberry Pi 5. The new AI Camera, on the other hand, is more compact, has a lower total cost if you don't already own a camera, and is compatible with all models of Raspberry Pi, not just the Pi 5.

To learn more about AI Camera, you can check out the Getting Started guide and check out the product page where you can find a retail partner to buy the $70 device.

Source: Raspberry Pi

Source

RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend

Hope you enjoyed this news post.

Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every day for many years.

2023: Over 5,800 news posts | 2024 (till end of September): 4,292 news posts

Apple M4 MacBook Pro alleged packaging reveals a few key upgrades

Mon, 30 Sep 2024 06:53:37 +0000

It has been reported multiple times that Apple is all set to refresh the MacBook Pro with an M4 chipset. Alongside, the M4 MacBook Pro, Apple could also introduce new iPad Mini, Mac mini, iMac, and iPad 11th generation.

Apple is rumored to launch 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models featuring the M4, M4 Pro, and M4 Max chipsets. While the new M4 MacBook Pros aren't expected to receive any major overhauls, the latest packaging leak suggests a few key upgrades that weren't anticipated.

According to the leak (via ShrimpApplePro), the new M4 MacBook Pro will come with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of onboard storage, corroborating previous leaks about the RAM capacity. Additionally, the packaging leak reveals that the base M4 MacBook Pro model will have a 10-core CPU and 10-core GPU. For comparison, the current M3 MacBook Pro comes with an 8-core CPU and 10-core GPU.

One of the main highlights of the latest leak is that the m4 MacBook Pros will come with three Thunderbolt 4 ports. Notably, the current MacBook Pro base model only features two Thunderbolt ports.

The specs also mention "SPB/10C CPU/10C GPU/16GB/512GB." In this, "SPB" is short for Space Black on MacBook packaging, whereas the silver color uses "SLV." This also hints that the base MacBook Pro comes in Space Black rather than Space Gray like last year.

One X user highlighted an important detail about the leak that it features a QR code to learn more about the MacBook, which is something Apple has started doing only with the iPhone 16 launch. Also, the leak also mentions "Apple ID" on the packaging, adding something more to prove its authenticity.

For now, we would advise you to take any information about the leak with a huge grain of salt, since something like this can be easily faked.

Source

RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend

Hope you enjoyed this news post.

Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every single day for many years.

2023: Over 5,800 news posts | 2024 (till end of August): 3,792 news posts

Apple is reportedly readying a new smart home display for next year

Sun, 29 Sep 2024 19:13:51 +0000

Apple may have had a rough start with the Vision Pro headset, but the company has other plans to expand its product lineup (that's not an iPhone, iPad, or Apple Watch). According to Mark Gurman, Apple is working on a new smart display to cater to the smart home market.

The product is expected to launch "as early as next year." It will be a low-end smart display (dubbed J490) intended to make FaceTime calls and control home appliances. Gurman said the unreleased display will have Apple Intelligence baked in and run a new operating system called homeOS - a spin-off of the existing tvOS.

This corroborates previous rumours of the homeOS in the making. References to the mysterious operating system were discovered earlier this year in the source code of tvOS 17.4. Moroever, rumors of a smart display from Apple or a HomePod with a screen have been around for a while now.

Apple is developing another smart display, which will be on the pricier side and powered by homeOS and Apple Intelligence. However, Gurman previously reported that it will feature a large iPad-like display attached to a robotic arm that can rotate 360 degrees and tilt up or down.

The robotic device is expected to cost $1,000 or more when it is released. While Apple dreams of bringing Apple Intelligence to more platforms, Gurman notes that its current smart home lineup, including Apple TV, HomePod, and HomePod mini, doesn't have the required hardware to run on-device AI models.

Apple has an ongoing trend of having each of its hardware platforms have a dedicated operating system, be it mainstream products like iPhone, Mac, Apple Watch, or devices like Apple TV and Vision Pro. HomePod runs a forked version of tvOS; it's expected that Apple will eventually combine tvOS with homeOS to run on every Apple home device, according to Gurman.

Source: Bloomberg

Source

RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend

Hope you enjoyed this news post.

Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every single day for many years.

2023: Over 5,800 news posts | 2024 (till end of August): 3,792 news posts

Microsoft Weekly: Recall improvements, Windows 11 24H2 is close, and more

Sun, 29 Sep 2024 19:12:13 +0000

In this episode of Microsoft Weekly, we look at security improvements for Windows Recall, Windows 11 version 24H2 getting closer, one month without Canary builds (they are coming soon), new Xbox controllers, Windows updates, and more.

Table of contents:

Windows 10 and 11 news
Windows Insider Program
Updates are available
Gaming news
Great deals to check

Windows 11 and 10

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

Windows 10 version 22H2 received a new non-security optional update. KB5043131 arrived with some Start Menu changes, fixes for media playback issues, and more. The long-standing bug that prevents users from changing their profile picture is still there.

Windows 11 version 23H2 also received a non-security update, KB5043145. It introduced updates to the taskbar, Settings app, Windows Share UI, Lock Screen, Start menu, and other parts of the operating system. Before you pull the trigger, though, mind the fact that Microsoft confirmed a problem with some systems crashing to blue screens of death after installing KB5043145. The company is investigating the issue.

While Windows 11 version 24H2 is not out yet, its evaluation images are now available for download. Enterprise, LTSC, Server 2025, and Azure Stack HCI version 24H2 are now live, allowing everyone to try the operating system for free for 90 days.

The biggest Windows announcement this week was the update on Recall, Microsoft's controversial flagship AI feature for Windows 11. In a new blog post, Microsoft revealed updates to Recall's security mechanisms, which should ensure no third party can access your snapshots. In addition, Microsoft confirmed that Recall will be uninstallable, plus users will get the option to delete all data (including training data), data for certain periods, and data from certain apps or websites.

Another interesting read from Microsoft this week is about Windows 10 and 11 blocking keylogger malware in complex scenarios (keyloggers are a type of malware that can track your keyboard input).

Windows Insider Program

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

	Windows 11	Windows 10	Server
Canary Channel	Nothing in Canary	Not Applicable	26296
Dev Channel	Nothing in Dev	Not Applicable
Beta Channel	Nothing in Beta	Nothing in Beta
Release Preview Channel	26100.1876 22621.4247 22631.4247	Nothing in RP

Shortly after Windows 11 build 26100.1876 was released in the Release Preview Channel, Microsoft updated the changelog to confirm two new features and one known issue.

As for the Canary Channel, which has been without new builds for one month, Microsoft hinted that next week, we might finally get a new update. The development team is still sorting out bugs, so look out for a fresh build in a few days (or not).

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 has released a new version of Skype for Insiders. Version 8.129 is now available on supported platforms, and it packs various improvements and fixes across the app. There are no new features, but the messenger should now work better and with fewer bugs.

Microsoft 365 (Office) version 2409 is now rolling out to users. The latest update contains updates to Excel data aggregation functions, a reworked permission experience across apps, and multiple fixes. Also, Microsoft released Outlook Mobile 4.2437.0 with menu changes.

If you use the new Teams client on an older version of Windows 10 and 11, get ready to update your system in order to continue using Teams. Microsoft posted a notification in the Admin Center to warn users that in a few months, it will block access to the new Tams on unsupported versions of Windows 10, 11, and macOS.

OneDrive, another productivity-focused service from Microsoft, received Copilot integration. Copilot for OneDrive is now generally available for commercial customers with eligible Copilot licenses. It lets OneDrive users compare files, get file summaries, provide answers to complex questions, and pitch ideas based on the content stored in your OneDrive. Sadly, Copilot for OneDrive is not yet available for regular users.

This week's Microsoft Edge updates include version 129 for Android and iOS and a fresh Dev update with fixes for crashes in Settings and other bugs. In the Beta Channel, version 130 landed with a reworked Settings section, and the Stable Channel got a small update with sidebar changes.

Other notable updates include the following:

And here are the newest drivers released this week:

Intel 32.0.101.6078 and 5736 WHQL with support for the Intel Core Ultra Series 2 processors.
Intel 32.0.101.6079 non-WHQL with optimizations for FC25, Delta Force, and Throne and Liberty.
Surface Laptop 4 (Intel) received new firmware with fixes for the non-working Battery Limit feature.
Surface Book 3 received new firmware with updated network drivers and security improvements.
Surface Laptop Studio and Laptop Studio 2 received big firmware updates with battery improvements.
Surface Pro 9 also received new firmware with fixes for keyboard, sleep, and charging issues.

Finally, here is this week's Microsoft 365 Roadmap Weekly with the latest features coming soon to Microsoft's productivity apps, such as Teams and Outlook.

On the gaming side

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

Steam might soon work natively on ARM-powered machines. A recent update revealed traces of "proton-arm64-ec-4," which might point to Valve testing an ARM-native version of Proton, its software layer that makes it possible to run Windows games on Linux.

Microsoft Flight Simulator has received a new addition to its "Famous Flyer" aircraft collection. Flight sim fans can now purchase the legendary Boeing 707-320C, the most produced version of Boeing's first four-engine commercial jet airliner. If you are interested, you can get the aircraft in the in-game marketplace for $14.99.

Bethesda published a new animated trailer for Starfield: Shuttered Space. It reveals the events leading to the Shuttered Space expansion, which will be available for download on September 30, 2024.

Alan Wake 2 also received a new trailer for an upcoming DLC. The Lake House story expansion is coming this October, and you can already check out its creepy trailer.

During its latest State of Play event, Sony announced that Monsted Hunter Wilds is coming to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC on February 28. If you plan to play the game on a PC, get ready to allocate quite a lot of storage space on your drive.

Also, Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered is now a thing, offering PlayStation 5 and PC users better visuals for just $10 (upgrade) or $49.99 (standalone). The game will be available on October 31, 2024.

Speaking of Sony games on PC, there is now a simple mod that lets you remove the PlayStation Network requirement in God of War Ragnarok.

Ubisoft announced that its controversial Assassin's Creed Shadows is not coming in November 2024. Instead, the game is now scheduled for February 14, 2025, but do not expect to get a playable demo at EGX. The publisher also admitted lackluster launch sales of Star Wars Outlaws.

On the hardware side, this week, Microsoft announced some updates to its controller collection. Xbox Design Lab has received a new set of faceplates, D-pads, and paddles for the Xbox Elite Wireless Controller. You can now spec one with a transparent case and chrome accents.

Microsoft also launched a new Ghost Cipher variant of the standard Xbox Wireless Controller. It has a transparent case and bronze accents.

Finally, Microsoft revealed that the Xbox Game Pass mobile app is going away. Its capabilities are now available in the standard Xbox mobile app, and it will be delisted from digital stores in November. The company also shipped some updates to Xbox Insiders. Beta Ring users received a new friends and followers experience, while Alpha Ring received fixes for bugs and glitches.

By the way, if you are an Xbox Insider, you can sign up for the closed beta of FragPunk. It starts on October 10, and it will be free for participants.

Deals and Freebies

If you are looking for some games with discounts or titles you can get for free, check out this week's Weekend PC Game Deals issue. It features specials from the Tokyo Game Show, Jurassic bundles, an indie freebie from the Epic Games Store, and a metric ton of discounts on all sorts of games from different stores.

Other gaming stories from this week include the following:

Source

RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend

Hope you enjoyed this news post.

Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every single day for many years.

2023: Over 5,800 news posts | 2024 (till end of August): 3,792 news posts

Paul's Tech News - These RTX 5090 specs are unbelievable. [Video]

Sun, 29 Sep 2024 08:07:46 +0000

Paul's Hardware (1.48M subscribers)

September 29, 2024

Video length: 13m 53s

0:00 Welcome to Paul’s Tech News - Sept 29, 2024

1:19 CHANNEL UPDATES AND MEMBERS SHOUTOUT

1:53 GeForce RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 specs leak - more details, 2 more RTX 50 GPUs

4:56 Ryzen 7 9800X3D might show up sooner than expected - October?

6:24 AMD Ryzen AI Max Strix Halo CPUs are STACKED

8:32 Intel finds cause of overheating 13th/14th gen CPUs, provides another BIOS update

9:58 Hope for Intel? Battlemage “G21” 20-core GPU with 12GB VRAM Benchmark leak

TECH BRIEFS

11:26 Qualcomm and ARM Explore Takeover of Intel

12:05 “Boost Noodle” Caffeinated ramen in a squeeze tube is peak “gamer” grub

12:51 $3000 'Lamp' DIY Wood PC Case by MXC Builds

Source

RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend

Hope you enjoyed this news post.

Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every single day for many years.

2023: Over 5,800 news posts | 2024 (till end of August): 3,792 news posts

Welcome to Meta’s future, where everyone wears cameras

Sat, 28 Sep 2024 19:56:47 +0000

The Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses were all around Meta’s campus. It was a glimpse into a world where cameras are the new phones.

All around Meta’s Menlo Park campus, cameras stared at me. I’m not talking about security cameras or my fellow reporters’ DSLRs. I’m not even talking about smartphones. I mean Ray-Ban and Meta’s smart glasses, which Meta hopes we’ll all — one day, in some form — wear.

I visited Meta for this year’s Connect conference, where just about every hardware product involved cameras. They’re on the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses that got a software update, the new Quest 3S virtual reality headset, and Meta’s prototype Orion AR glasses. Orion is what Meta calls a “time machine”: a functioning example of what full-fledged AR could look like, years before it will be consumer-ready.

But on Meta’s campus, at least, the Ray-Bans were already everywhere. It was a different kind of time machine: a glimpse into CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s future world where glasses are the new phones.

I’m conflicted about it.

The Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses.

Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge

Meta really wants to put cameras on your face. The glasses, which follow 2021’s Ray-Ban Stories, are apparently making inroads on that front, as Zuckerberg told The Verge sales are going “very well.” They aren’t full-fledged AR glasses since they have no screen to display information, though they’re becoming more powerful with AI features. But they’re perfect for what the whole Meta empire is built on: encouraging people to share their lives online.

The glasses come in a variety of classic Ray-Ban styles, but for now, it’s obvious users aren’t just wearing glasses. As I wandered the campus, I spotted the telltale signs on person after person: two prominent circle cutouts at the edges of their glasses, one for a 12MP ultrawide camera and the other for an indicator light.

This light flashes when a user is taking photos and videos, and it’s generally visible even in sunlight. In theory, that should have put my mind at ease: if the light wasn’t on, I could trust nobody was capturing footage of me tucking into some lunch before my meetings.

But as I talked with people around campus, I was always slightly on edge. I found myself keenly aware of those circles, checking to see if somebody was filming me when I wasn’t paying attention. The mere potential of a recording would distract me from conversations, inserting a low hum of background anxiety.

When I put a pair on for myself, the situation changed

Then, when I put a pair on for myself, the situation suddenly changed. As a potential target of recording, I’d been hesitant, worried I might be photographed or filmed as a byproduct of making polite eye contact. With the glasses on my own face, though, I felt that I should be recording more. There’s something really compelling about the experience of a camera right at the level of your eyes. By just pressing a button on the glasses, I could take a photo or video of anything I was seeing at exactly the angle I was seeing it. No awkward fumble of pulling out my phone and hoping the moment lasted. There might be no better way to share my reality with other people.

Meta’s smart glasses have been around for a few years now, and I’m hardly the first person — or even the first person at The Verge — to be impressed by them. But this was the first time I’d seen these glasses not as early adopter tech, but as a ubiquitous product like a phone or smartwatch. I got a hint of how this seamless recording would work at scale, and the prospect is both exciting and terrifying.

The camera phone was a revolution in its own right, and we’re still grappling with its social effects. Nearly anyone can now document police brutality or capture a fleeting funny moment, but also take creepshots and post them online or (a far lesser offense, to be clear) annoy people at concerts. What will happen when even the minimal friction of pulling a phone out drops away, and billions of people can immediately snap a picture of anything they see?

Personally, I can see how incredibly useful this would be to capture candid photos of my new baby, who is already starting to recognize when a phone is taking a picture of her. But it’s not hard to imagine far more malicious uses. Sure, you might think that we all got used to everyone pointing their phone cameras at everything, but I’m not exactly sure that’s a good thing; I don’t like that there’s a possibility I end up in somebody’s TikTok just because I stepped outside the house. (The rise of sophisticated facial recognition makes the risks even greater.) With ubiquitous glasses-equipped cameras, I feel like there’s an even greater possibility that my face shows up somewhere on the internet without my permission.

There are also clear risks to integrating cameras into what is, for many people, a nonnegotiable vision aid. If you already wear glasses and switch to prescription smart glasses, you’ll either have to carry a low-tech backup or accept that they’ll stay on in some potentially very awkward places, like a public bathroom. The current Ray-Ban Meta glasses are largely sunglasses, so they’re probably not most people’s primary set. But you can get them with clear and transition lenses, and I bet Meta would like to market them more as everyday specs.

Of course, there’s no guarantee most people will buy them. The Ray-Ban Meta glasses are pretty good gadgets now, but I was at Meta’s campus meeting Meta employees to preview Meta hardware for a Meta event. It’s not surprising Meta’s latest hardware was commonplace, and it doesn’t necessarily tell us much about what people outside that world want.

Camera glasses have been just over the horizon for years now. Remember how magical I said taking pictures of what’s right in front of your eyes is? My former colleague Sean O’Kane relayed almost the exact same experience with Snap Spectacles back in 2016.

But Meta is the first company to make a credible play for mainstream acceptance. They’re a lot of fun — and that’s what scares me a little.

Source

RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend

Hope you enjoyed this news post.

Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every single day for many years.

2023: Over 5,800 news posts | 2024 (till end of August): 3,792 news posts

OpenAI projects staggering revenue growth: $3.7 Billion in 2024, $11.6 Billion in 2025

Sat, 28 Sep 2024 07:41:45 +0000

Over the past few months, OpenAI has been in discussions with potential investors worldwide, including Microsoft, Apple, Nvidia, Tiger Global, and MGX, for its latest investment round, which values the company at $150 billion. Today, The New York Times reported some details from the pitch deck OpenAI presented to these potential investors.

First and foremost, OpenAI is still experiencing exponential growth. As of June, over 350 million people were using OpenAI’s services every month, up from 100 million monthly active users in March. OpenAI saw staggering growth in ChatGPT after allowing users to utilize the service without creating an account or logging in. In fact, OpenAI expects ChatGPT to generate $2.7 billion in revenue this year, up from $700 million in 2023.

Overall, OpenAI’s monthly revenue is now at $300 million, a 1,700 percent increase since the beginning of 2023, and the company anticipates about $3.7 billion in annual sales this year. In 2025, OpenAI estimates its revenue will increase to a mind-boggling $11.6 billion, representing roughly 300% year-over-year growth.

Currently, OpenAI has about 10 million ChatGPT Plus customers paying $20 per month, and the company plans to increase the subscription price by 10% to $22 per month by the end of this year. According to internal documents, OpenAI will increase its subscription cost to $44 per month over the next five years. Furthermore, OpenAI expects its revenue to hit $100 billion in 2029.

Earlier this week, three key executives announced their departure from OpenAI: Mira Murati, Chief Technology Officer; Barret Zoph, Vice President of Research (Post-Training); and Bob McGrew, Chief Research Officer. Additionally, reports indicate the company is planning to transition to a fully for-profit company.

OpenAI's impressive growth trajectory and ambitious revenue projections highlight its potential in the AI market. However, the company must navigate challenges like executive departures and the complexities of transitioning to a fully for-profit structure to sustain its success.

Source: The New York Times

Source

RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend

Hope you enjoyed this news post.

Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every single day for many years.

2023: Over 5,800 news posts | 2024 (till end of August): 3,792 news posts

“Not a good look”: Google’s ad tech monopoly defense widely criticized

Sat, 28 Sep 2024 03:16:35 +0000

Google wrapped its defense of its ad tech empire this week.

Google wound down its defense in the US Department of Justice's ad tech monopoly trial this week, following a week of testimony from witnesses that experts said seemed to lack credibility.

The tech giant started its defense by showing a widely mocked chart that Google executive Scott Sheffer called a "spaghetti football," supposedly showing a fluid industry thriving thanks to Google's ad tech platform but mostly just "confusing" everyone and possibly even helping to debunk its case, Open Markets Institute policy analyst Karina Montoya reported.

"The effect of this image might have backfired as it also made it evident that Google is ubiquitous in digital advertising," Montoya reported. "During DOJ’s cross-examination, the spaghetti football was untangled to show only the ad tech products used specifically by publishers and advertisers on the open web."

One witness, Marco Hardie, Google's current head of industry, was even removed from the stand, his testimony deemed irrelevant by US District Judge Leonie Brinkema, Big Tech On Trial reported. Another, Google executive Scott Sheffer, gave testimony Brinkema considered “tainted,” Montoya reported. But perhaps the most heated exchange about a witness' credibility came during the DOJ's cross-examination of Mark Israel, the key expert that Google is relying on to challenge the DOJ's market definition.

Google's case depends largely on Brinkema agreeing that the DOJ's market definition is too narrow, with an allegedly outdated focus on display ads on the open web, as opposed to a broader market including display ads appearing in apps or on social media. But experts monitoring the trial suggested that Brinkema may end up questioning Israel's credibility after DOJ lawyer Aaron Teitelbaum's aggressive cross-examination.

According to Big Tech on Trial, which posted the exchange on X (formerly Twitter), Teitelbaum's line of questioning came across as a "striking and effective impeachment of Mark Israel’s credibility as a witness."

During his testimony, Israel told Brinkema that Google's share of the US display ads market is only 25 percent, minimizing Google's alleged dominance while emphasizing that Google faced "intense competition" from other Big Tech companies like Amazon, Meta, and TikTok in this broader market, Open Markets Institute policy analyst Karina Montoya reported.

On cross-examination, Teitelbaum called Israel out as a "serial 'expert' for companies facing antitrust challenges" who "always finds that the companies 'explained away' market definition," Big Tech on Trial posted on X. Teitelbaum even read out quotes from past cases "in which judges described" Israel's "expert testimony as 'not credible' and having 'misunderstood antitrust law.'"

Israel was also accused by past judges of rendering his opinions "based on false assumptions," according to USvGoogleAds, a site run by the digital advertising watchdog Check My Ads with ad industry partners. And specifically for the Google ad tech case, Teitelbaum noted that Israel omitted ad spend data to seemingly manipulate one of his charts.

"Not a good look," the watchdog's site opined.

Perhaps most damaging, Teitelbaum asked Israel to confirm that "80 percent of his income comes from doing this sort of expert testimony," suggesting that Israel seemingly depended on being paid by companies like Jet Blue and Kroger-Albertsons—and even previously by Google during the search monopoly trial—to muddy the waters on market definition. Lee Hepner, an antitrust lawyer with the American Economic Liberties Project, posted on X that the DOJ's antitrust chief, Jonathan Kanter, has grown wary of serial experts supposedly sowing distrust in the court system.

“Let me say this clearly—this will not end well," Kanter said during a speech at a competition law conference this month. "Already we see a seeping distrust of expertise by the courts and by law enforcers.”

“Best witnesses money can buy”

In addition to experts and Google staffers backing up Google's proposed findings of fact and conclusions of law, Google brought in Courtney Caldwell—the CEO of a small business that once received a grant from Google and appears in Google's marketing materials—to back up claims that a DOJ win could harm small businesses, Big Tech on Trial reported.

Google's direct examination of Caldwell was "basically just a Google ad," Big Tech on Trial said, while Check My Ads' site suggested that Google mostly just called upon "the best witnesses their money can buy, and it still did not get them very far."

According to Big Tech on Trial, Google is using a "light touch" in its defense, refusing to go "pound for pound" to refute the DOJ's case. Using this approach, Google can seemingly ignore any argument the DOJ raises that doesn't fit into the picture Google wants Brinkema to accept of Google's ad empire growing organically, rather than anti-competitively constructed with the intent to shut out rivals through mergers and acquisitions.

Where the DOJ wants the judge to see "a Google-only pipeline through the heart of the ad tech stack, denying non-Google rivals the same access," Google argues that it has only "designed a set of products that work efficiently with each other and attract a valuable customer base."

The main problem with Google's defense appears to be the evidence emerging from its own internal documents. AdExchanger's Allison Schiff, who has been monitoring the trial, pulled out the spiciest quotes from the courtroom, where Google's own employees seem to show intent to monopolize the ad tech industry.

Evidence that Brinkeman might find hard to ignore include a 2008 statement from Google's former president of display advertising, David Rosenblatt, confirming that it would "take an act of god" to get people to switch ad platforms because of extremely high switching costs. Rosenblatt also suggested in a 2009 presentation that Google acquiring DoubleClick for Publishers would make Google's ad tech like the New York Stock Exchange, putting Google in a position to monitor every ad sale and doing for display ads "what Google did to search." There's also a 2010 email where now-YouTube CEO Neal Mohan recommended getting Google ahead in the display ad market by "parking" a rival with "the most traction."

On Friday, testimony concluded abruptly after the DOJ only called one rebuttal witness, Big Tech on Trial posted on X. Brinkema is expected to hear closing arguments on November 25, Big Tech on Trial reported, and rule in December, Montoya reported.

Google’s “strong” day in court

It's still unclear whose description of Google's products Brinkema is buying into most. While Google had some apparent credibility issues with some witnesses, its defense was not entirely unsuccessful, experts agreed.

By not addressing the DOJ's evidence, which "looked terrible for Google," Big Tech on Trial reported, Google has softened "once visceral memories" and managed to muddy the waters enough to potentially make the market definition a "toss-up."

"There are so many pitfalls and landmines in the fields of bad facts put forth by the government—trying to army crawl through there and defuse all of them may just be too messy and not worth Google’s time," Big Tech on Trial reported.

Perhaps Google's best day in court came on Tuesday when Google expert Paul Milgrom broke down for Brinkema "an organic and chronological framing of how Google’s ad empire came to be."

"I’m not sure if Google’s legal team heard all the criticism following Friday’s 'spaghetti football' exhibit and decided to hire someone new to make their exhibits—but today’s exhibits were fantastic, and I found them to be quite potent in presenting a competing theory to what the government has alleged," Big Tech on Trial reported.

According to Big Tech on Trial, Milgrom compellingly testified that advertisers and publishers—not Google—control bidding and prices on its platform. Further, "the bid amounts and the instrumentality of deciding on the winning bid is not as preferential to Google as the government alleges," Milgrom reportedly argued.

Whether Brinkema buys Google's apparent attempt to blame publishers for harms has yet to be seen, but experts have repeatedly noted throughout the trial that the judge has demonstrated a sophisticated understanding of the technical aspects of the case. Brinkema likely won't easily dismiss publishers' testimony describing harms just because Google seemingly cares more about its advertisers.

Big Tech on Trial suggested that Google could have presented a stronger case by presenting evidence on "how rival ad exchanges could in fact succeed" or by bringing in more publishers and advertisers who could credibly testify that Google's ad tech stack is winning because it's the best. But Google seemed to run away from that kind of defense, Big Tech on Trial suggested, while Montoya noted that "none of Google's witnesses" challenged the DOJ's claims of publisher harms that allegedly have exacerbated the "crisis in journalism across the country."

Montoya told Ars that "Google has yet to demonstrate that it has not caused anti-competitive harms in the digital advertising market, especially when it comes to news publishers."

"Through its expert witnesses, Google might have made its case for its own market definition, in which it fears Amazon and Meta. But it is no news that tech giants race against each other, not only in advertising," Montoya said. "It was clear Google had to obscure the relevance of news publishers in this market, but this already defies reality. I don't believe Google has successfully tackled key testimony by news publishers about the reality of digital ads on the open web, so we'll see if they can do it in the next rebuttal stage."

It's widely expected that Google will appeal the decision if the DOJ wins.

What is also clear is that any remedies sought in this case won't come for years. Google CEO Sundar Pichai recently downplayed the idea that this trial or the unfavorable search monopoly verdict would post any "immediate threat to the company’s business" on an upcoming episode of The David Rubenstein Show: Peer to Peer Conversations, Bloomberg reported.

"It’s going to take time for it to play out," Pichai said on the show. The CEO reportedly pointed out that it took Google four years to overturn a $1.7 billion European Union fine.

Google has proposed that Brinkema conclude that "far from anticompetitive effects, Google’s conduct in this case has led to increased consumer choice, dramatically increased output, decreased prices, and greater opportunities for businesses of all sizes, especially small businesses. This is hardly a commercial market in need of government intervention."

Additionally, Google has warned that a DOJ win would "threaten to disrupt and impede the millions of businesses, especially small businesses, that rely on a very complex ecosystem that for 16 years has been constantly improving to serve their needs."

Pichai seemed to echo this, suggesting that these types of regulatory actions do more harm than good by obstructing innovation.

"Where we think it really harms our ability to innovate on behalf of our users, we are going to be vigorous in defending ourselves," Pichai said.

Source

RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend

Hope you enjoyed this news post.

Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every single day for many years.

2023: Over 5,800 news posts | 2024 (till end of August): 3,792 news posts

Ubisoft cancels plan for Assassin's Creed Shadows playable demo at EGX

Sat, 28 Sep 2024 03:15:03 +0000

Ubisoft has confirmed it is canceling another event Assassin's Creed Shadows was supposed to show up in. This time, the video game trade show EGX in the UK is being skipped by the upcoming RPG, where it was originally supposed to offer a playable demo for attendees. The high-profile title was just delayed by Ubisoft just a few days ago.

The company confirmed pulling out of EGX via its social media channels earlier today, saying that the postponement of Assassin's Creed Shadows means the offer for a playable demo at the event is no longer possible.

"We appreciate the incredible passion and dedication of our community, and we've seen your excitement to get hands-on with the game, so we sincerely apologise for any disappointment this change may cause. - Ubisoft UK," said the company in a post on X.

A similar post showed up on EGX's own social media, saying, "unfortunately Assassin’s Creed Shadows will no longer be playable at MCM x EGX after the decision to push the game’s release date to 14 February."

This is the second event Ubisoft pulled out of showcasing its latest Assassin's Creed experience this week. On Tuesday, the publisher canceled Tokyo Game Show plans entirely "due to various circumstances." The Shadows delay announcement arrived just a day later, which seems to have been the cause of all these last-minute event changes.

Instead of November 15, 2024, Assassin's Creed Shadows is now slated to land on February 14, 2025. It seems the lower-than-expected sales of its other big release of the year, Star Wars Outlaws, led to this decision. Ubisoft will also be putting the game on Steam on day one, as the company will stop having exclusivity periods on PC stores going forward.

Source

RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend

Hope you enjoyed this news post.

Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every single day for many years.

2023: Over 5,800 news posts | 2024 (till end of August): 3,792 news posts

Intel rejects Arm Holding's acquisition inquiry, says company 'not for sale'

Fri, 27 Sep 2024 17:40:13 +0000

With an all-time low demand for Intel's products, it is evident that Team Blue is struggling to make ends meet. Intel has faced significant challenges, including a sharp decline in market share and disappointing earnings reports, leading to the steepest drop in its stock price in a decade. However, when Arm Holdings approached Intel to discuss acquiring its product division, Intel reportedly rejected the offer, saying that the division was not for sale.

As part of cost-cutting and restructuring efforts, Intel is laying off 15,000 employees, scaling back factory expansions, and suspending its long-standing dividend. Intel's dominance in the semiconductor industry is now diminished with cutthroat competition from companies such as TSMC, Nvidia, and AMD.

For starters, Intel has two main business units: product and manufacturing. The product division focuses mainly on selling chips for personal computers, servers, and networking equipment, such as the Core and Xeon product lines. The manufacturing division operates its own chip factories, aka fabrications, that help Intel manufacture its products. Other clients can also get their chips manufactured via Intel's fabs, but the company has struggled with delays in manufacturing processes compared to competitors like TSMC.

As part of the restructuring process, Intel plans to separate its product and manufacturing divisions more clearly so that the product group can act as a standalone business unit that can partner with external foundries, like TSMC, to manufacture chips at a faster rate.

Arm is not the only one interested in acquiring Intel. Recently, Qualcomm also expressed interest in acquiring Intel's product division. Qualcomm, which specializes in designing Arm-based chips, also expressed interest in other parts of Intel's business, such as its programmable logic device manufacturing company, Altera, and even the foundry business. Apollo Global Management has also shown interest in investing in Intel, reportedly offering up to $5 billion.

via Bloomberg (paywall)

Source

RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend

Hope you enjoyed this news post.

Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every single day for many years.

2023: Over 5,800 news posts | 2024 (till end of August): 3,792 news posts

Blizzard may have new StarCraft shooter in the works, insider suggests

Fri, 27 Sep 2024 17:37:40 +0000

According to details shared in journalist Jason Schreier's new book on Blizzard Entertainment, the company may be developing of a new StarCraft shooter. Speaking on the IGN's Unlocked podcast, Schreier mentioned learning of a StarCraft shooter project currently being led by Dan Hay, the Executive Director of Far Cry at Ubisoft.

If this is correct, it would be the third attempt Blizzard had made at crafting a shooter set within the StarCraft universe. The first was StarCraft: Ghost, announced back in 2002 as a stealth-action title. After numerous delays, development shifted hands between various studios before being officially scrapped in 2014. The other codenamed project, titled StarCraft: Ares, had also been in internal development since 2017 before being axed by mid-2019.

Despite two failed previous efforts, it seems Blizzard is unwilling to give up on the idea of a StarCraft shooter. However, as Schreier noted, none of the podcast participants had much faith the current project would release, given the studio's track record. According to information the journalist had at the time of finishing his book, set for an October 8 release, the shooter was still in production internally.

The mixed development history of StarCraft shooters reveals Blizzard's consistent ambition to take its most storied RTS franchise into other genres. But organizational challenges and shifting visions have repeatedly derailed such ambitions. Blizzard faces high expectations for success with any new IP.

While StarCraft has fallen by the wayside in recent years as Blizzard continued work on other games, the series received renewed attention recently. During the Xbox Tokyo Game Show 2024 presentation, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer revealed that StarCraft Remastered and StarCraft 2: Campaign Collection are coming to PC Game Pass on November 5, 2024.

What do you think of the StarCraft shooter rumor? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

Source

RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend

Hope you enjoyed this news post.

Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every single day for many years.

2023: Over 5,800 news posts | 2024 (till end of August): 3,792 news posts

Print AI: HP injects AI into its printers

Fri, 27 Sep 2024 17:35:14 +0000

HP jumped on the AI bandwagon today when it announced Print AI for its printers. Is it a ploy to extract even more money from unsuspecting customers, or something truly useful?

Here are the details:

Print AI is available as a Beta.
It adds new features to select HP printers.
HP has not mentioned the price of the feature.

Perfect Output

HP highlighted two features of Print AI. It calls the first Perfect Output; a feature designed to remove unwanted elements before printing and to optimize printouts.

The example that HP gives is that of a webpage printout. These may waste a lot of ink and paper, if they are not optimized, as printouts may include ads, menus, and other unwanted content.

HP says that Perfect Output takes care of that through AI. The new feature will also help when printing spreadsheets. The new feature ensures that tablets and charts are not split across multiple printout pages.

How does it work? Through an interface that resembles other AI interactions. HP Print AI seems to combine options to communicate with the AI directly with options that the AI displays to the user that may be selected.

The AI displays several options in the previously mentioned webpage output interface. These allow users to switch between text, text and image, or text with more images. There are also options to increase the text size or generate a new design of the output. Other changes may be submitted via text input.

Print AI turned 47 pages of printout into a single page printout in the example that HP gives. It remains to be seen how well the feature handles printouts in real-world scenarios and tests.

HP provided the following before and after screenshots:

Next to optimizing printing, Print AI is also "simplifying the customer experience" according to HP. The AI improves workflows and helps users, accepting natural language input.

The last option allows customers to "transform photos into creative projects". This allows users through chats with the AI to create "unique layouts, custom styles, and fonts to personalize greeting cards for every occasion".

The AI is also auto-correcting common print errors. HP mentions the removal of unwanted objects and automatic upscaling of images here.

Closing Words

It is too early to tell how well the two features function. Print AI is available via an exclusive beta program at the time of writing. It is unclear when it lands, for which printers it will become available, and how much it will cost. There is no doubt that HP will charge for the feature, either directly or indirectly.

One thing that has not been mentioned either is privacy. Is the processing happening on servers elsewhere, or locally?

It will be interesting to see when customers get into an argument with the AI over third-party printer ink cartridges and other attempts to extract more money from customers.

What is your take on Print AI? Does it sound useful to you and would you use it even? Feel free to write a comment down below.

Source

RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend

Hope you enjoyed this news post.

Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every single day for many years.

2023: Over 5,800 news posts | 2024 (till end of August): 3,792 news posts

Nvidia probably doesn't care about gamers as RTX 5080 allegedly has just 16 GB VRAM

Fri, 27 Sep 2024 07:32:59 +0000

While Nvidia is praised for all the advancements it makes in terms of ray tracing performance and AI upscaling improvements, the company has faced criticism for the amount of VRAM or the lack thereof in its recent GeForce gaming GPUs.

In traditional games, textures and decals are typically the game assets that demand the most VRAM. However, in more recent titles with modern features such as ray tracing or frame generation / interpolation, also require decent amount of video memory.

For example, in the current 40-series Ada Lovelace GPUs, the RTX 4060 has just 8 GB of VRAM and is actually less than what the preceding RTX 3060 had. The 4060 Ti also launched with 8 GB but the company later released another variant with 16 Gigs of memory that is only worth buying if you hate your money.

Likewise, the RTX 4070 also had too little VRAM which we touched on in detail in our AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT review. Even the 4070 Super had the same amount of VRAM at 12 GB despite being much improved in other areas.

Meanwhile, the VRAM capacities on the RTX 4080 (Super), and 4090 weren't chided as much as 16 GB and 24 GB respectively were sufficient.

However, it looks like Nvidia may be about to make the same mistake again and this time with the RTX 5080 as the upcoming Blackwell GPU is rumoured to feature just 16 GB of VRAM. The report comes courtesy of X user kopite7kimi who has generally proved to be a reliable leakster in the past.

Apparently, the RTX 5080 has only 16 GB across its 256-bit wide memory bus which will complement 10,752 CUDA cores on the GPU. While 16 Gigs was sufficient for an x80 tier card in the past, it is probably not a stretch to say that the same capacity on a succeeding product is not a good option for gamers or artists who may potentially be looking to upgrade from a 4080 or even a 4070.

The leaker had also previously claimed that the 5080 would have a TGP (total graphics power) of 400 watts, which is 200 watts lower than the alleged 5090's.

Similarly, the leaker has also published the alleged specs of the RTX 5090:

The 32 GB VRAM of the purported RTX 5090 is in line with Neowin's previous speculation which based on the rumor that the GPU will feature a 512-bit bus.

Source

RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend

Hope you enjoyed this news post.

Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every single day for many years.

2023: Over 5,800 news posts | 2024 (till end of August): 3,792 news posts

Is the Starfield: Shattered Space DLC a free expansion?

Fri, 27 Sep 2024 07:31:10 +0000

Shattered Space is almost here, but will Starfield players have to pay to play it?

A player looks out at the Scaled Citadel in Starfield's Shattered Space DLC.

(Image credit: Xbox Game Studios)

Is the Starfield: Shattered Space DLC a free expansion?

You don't have to pay for Starfield's Shattered Space expansion if you already own the Starfield Premium Edition. However, you'll need to buy it or a Premium Edition upgrade if you only own the base game or have access to it through Microsoft's Xbox Game Pass service.

Not free, but included with the Premium Edition

Starfield's new REV-8 buggy will come in handy while you're traversing Va'ruun'kai's bizarre extra-terrestrial terrain.

(Image credit: Bethesda | Microsoft)

The long-awaited Shattered Space expansion for Bethesda's popular sci-fi RPG Starfield is just days away from launching on Xbox Series X|S and Windows PC on September 30, and it looks to be a huge addition to the title. Set on the home world of the mysterious House Va'ruun faction, it's giving players the opportunity to adventure through "over 50 new locations to discover and explore" and investigate the aftermath of a deadly Grav Drive experiment that recently fractured the organization and left its capital city, Dazra, in shambles.

Between quests to aid survivors, influence the political feuds between different House Va'ruun splinter groups, and ultimately figure out the truth behind the "vortex incident" and what happened to the people caught within its area-of-effect, Shattered Space seems like it will offer a deep, satisfying Fallout 4 Far Harbor-style roleplaying experience to Starfield. Notably, Bethesda has also said it will be more intense than the base game was, with the expansion emphasizing tough close-range encounters and dark, unsettling atmospheres that give off horror vibes.

With the DLC slated to drop on September 30, many players are wondering if Shattered Space will be free for Starfield players to check out when it arrives next week. However, I can confirm that this is not the case, as the expansion is actually available to preorder now for $29.99. That means everyone — including folks who enjoy Starfield on Xbox Game Pass, as Shattered Space isn't on the service — will have to pay for it before they can chart a course to Va'ruun'kai and embark on the new adventure.

If you purchase or already own the $99.99 Starfield Premium Edition, though, you'll get access to Shattered Space the moment it's out, as a copy of the DLC is one of the perks of that version of the game. Alternatively, Standard Edition owners and Game Pass players can spend $34.99 to upgrade to the Premium Edition, giving them the aforementioned expansion access as well as some exclusive cosmetic goodies.

Luckily, it's on sale for a huge discount

Shattered Space's $30 price tag will likely disappoint folks hoping that it would be a free addition to the Settled Systems, but the good news is that CDKeys has some fantastic deals on both the expansion and Starfield's Premium Edition that gives you access to it. You'll find all of them linked below, so be sure to check them out and save money while picking up the DLC.

While the Xbox edition of Shattered Space sadly isn't on sale anywhere right now, the Steam versions of it, the Premium Edition, and the Premium Edition upgrade are all available for significant discounts at CDKeys. It's also worth noting that the Xbox version of the full Premium Edition is actually on sale for a few dollars off, too, which makes it the most affordable way to get permanent access to both Starfield and Shattered Space if you don't already own the RPG on Microsoft's console.

By the way, CDKeys is fully legitimate, so if you're worried that it's not reputable or safe to use, don't be. Our CDKeys FAQ goes into more detail about the retailer and why you can trust it, but ultimately, it's become one of our favorite places to get games since it frequently offers unbeatable deals on old and new codes alike. It's also the only place you'll find markdowns for Shattered Space and the Starfield Premium Edition at the moment, so if you play on Steam, there's no reason to get one of these anywhere else.

Source

RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend

Hope you enjoyed this news post.

Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every single day for many years.

2023: Over 5,800 news posts | 2024 (till end of August): 3,792 news posts

Specs For Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 & RTX 5080 Leaks

Thu, 26 Sep 2024 19:14:49 +0000

Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 is all set to replace the flagship RTX 4090, whereas RTX 5080 will replace the RTX 4080. RTX 5090 looks to be a very powerful graphics card.

Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 is among the most awaited upcoming graphics card. It’s a graphics card which is all set to replace the current flagship RTX 4090.

So far, we have known some things about it. Including the full specs of it’s GPU and such. We also had rumors suggesting that RTX 5090 is all likely to hit near 2.9GHz base clock and that it will be made on the 4nm process instead of the earlier rumored 3nm.

Now we have more leaks that almost confirm the specs of the RTX 5090 graphics card.

RTX 5090 & RTX 5080 Specs Leak

One of the most trusted leakers online, @kopite7kimi, has leaked the specs for the RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 graphics cards. These specs, in all likelihood, are going to be the final specs for both the cards.

The RTX 5090 will use a cut-down version of the GB202 GPU. While the full Nvidia GPUs reach 400, the RTX 5090 will use a GB202-300-A1 version of the GPU.

Due to this, the CUDA cores are reduced than what the original rumors suggested. The RTX 5090 will now come with 21,760 CUDA cores, which is 28% more CUDA cores than RTX 4090, which came with just 16,384 CUDA cores. However, just like it’s predecessor, the RTX 5090 graphics card doesn’t utilize the full GPU, which is actually capable of 24,576 CUDA cores, so the GPU has been underutilized by almost 12% here.

The RTX 5090 is likely to come with 32GB VRAM while using GDDR7 memory chips and a 512-bit memory bus. This too is a massive upgrade over the RTX 4090, which came with 24GB of VRAM, used GDDR6X memory chips and had a 384-bit memory bus.

As for the power requirements, kopite7kimi states that the RTX 5090 will use 600W. Though, VideoCardz says it doesn’t confirm whether it’s TGP or TBP (or TDP). This is going to be a massive 150W increase over the RTX 4090 which is rated for the TGP of 450W. There are some rumors that the RTX 5090 will come with two 16-pin power plugs, but that’s unconfirmed as of now.

When asked whether the RTX 5090 is use an 2-slot cooler, kopite7kimi says yes. The 2-slot cooler design was leaked earlier and is likely to be smaller compared to the 3-slot one currently used in RTX 4090.

RTX 5080 Specs

As for the RTX 5080, kopite7kimi says that it will use a full size GB203 GPU. The RTX 5080 graphics card is going to use GB203-400-A1 GPU to power itself.

The RTX 5080 is expected to come with 10,752 CUDA cores, which is just 10% more than RTX 4080 (9,728 CUDA cores) and just 5% more than RTX 4080 Super (10,240 CUDA cores).

As for the memory, the RTX 5080 is expected to come with 16GB VRAM and will use GDDR7 memory chips and come with a 256-bit memory bus. Here we see almost no difference or increase in VRAM and hence no increase in its memory bus. The only difference is that, as expected, RTX 5080 too will use the new GDDR7 VRAM instead of GDDR6X found in the various RTX 4000 graphics cards.

The RTX 5080 is expected to use 400W of power. Which too is an increase over the RTX 4080 and RTX 4080 Super that had a TGP of 320W.

Table

For the better understanding of our readers, we have made a simple table with the rumored specs for both RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 graphics cards.

Graphics Card	RTX 5090	RTX 4090	RTX 5080	RTX 4080
GPU	GB202-300-A1	AD102-300-A1	GB203-400-A1	AD103-400-A1
GPU Base Clock	2.9GHz	2.2GHz	–	2.2GHz
CUDA Cores	21,760	16,384	10,752	9,728
VRAM Capacity	32GB	24GB	16GB	16GB
VRAM Gen	GDDR7	GDDR6X	GDDR7	GDDR6X
VRAM Speed	28Gbps	21Gbps	–	23Gbps
Memory Bus	512-bit	384-bit	256-bit	256-bit
TGP	600W	450W	400W	420W

The GDDR7 speeds were leaked by kopite7kimi earlier.

Conclusion

The leaked specs for the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 show that it’s likely to be a very powerful graphics card. Whereas, the RTX 5080 seems to be only a minor upgrade over the RTX 4080 series.

While these are just rumors, kopite7kimi has an almost impeccable track record when it comes to leaks. So, except some minor changes here and there, consider these specs as almost confirmed.

While now we know the specs of these graphics cards, we don’t know what they will be priced at.

We don’t know about their release date either. While earlier it was suggested that they will release next year, newer rumors suggest that they could release or be announced later this year.

There’s one thing for sure, though. Nvidia’s next-gen flagship graphics cards are going to be very exciting ones.

Source

RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend

Hope you enjoyed this news post.

Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every single day for many years.

2023: Over 5,800 news posts | 2024 (till end of August): 3,792 news posts