Software News, Tips, Tricks & Ideas

Embracer is done with their long-term restructuring.

When Steven Spohn wants to play a video game, he boots up the computer and puts on a baseball cap that allows him to use head movements to input keyboard presses. Attached to the hat is a piece of hardware called TrackIR, which uses an infrared camera and metallic reflectors to read the position of his head; Spohn then uses another program to turn those head movements into keyboard presses.

The stereotype of PC gaming is a huge desktop tower filled with rainbow lights and spinning fans, while water gurgles through pipes. However, the reality is much more modest, and most people don't even need a big rig PC to play.

A patent application by streaming TV company Roku suggests it wants to be able to display ads on its branded smart TVs when HDMI devices such as consoles are paused.

Google Pixel 8 Pro's fantastic camera offers a multitude of features, ranging from Super Res Zoom to astrophotography capabilities, along with editing tools like Magic Eraser. While relying on the camera's intelligent software can yield incredible photos effortlessly, users also have the option to utilize the Pro Controls for more precise adjustments.

The US Government has dealt a blow to the Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB) by turning down its facial-age estimation tool for gaming. In a new announcement, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) rejected an application seeking approval for this ESRB-backed technology, at least for the time being.

The upcoming Redmi 13 smartphone has recently surfaced in FCC listings, providing a glimpse into its specifications. Expected to be an affordable handset, the Redmi 13 is anticipated to offer impressive features despite its budget-friendly nature.

The recent warning issued by the Indian government has put Apple iPhone, iPad, MacBook, and Vision Pro headset users on high alert due to a critical vulnerability identified in their devices. The warning, issued by the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In), emphasizes the risk associated with remote code execution.

The latest PlayStation Portal update has supposedly addressed an exploit that allowed PlayStation Portable (PSP) games to be emulated natively on the streaming handheld.

Unity has announced it will no longer be selling or supporting Ziva Dynamics products, and has entered an agreement with VFX and animation studio DNEG to license the software.

AMD plans to open-source portions of its ROCm software stack and hardware documentation in a future update as the company aims to refine its software and AI ecosystem for consumers.

PS Portal owners may have noted that system update 2.0.6 is now available, requiring the usual restart rigamarole. The patch notes for the update are incredibly sparse but potentially quite profound, reading simply: «We've improved system software performance and stability.» In the hours since, players have been reporting a drastic increase in video quality.

The US Federal Trade Commission has denied an attempt to add facial age estimation technology to the list of acceptable forms of obtaining parental consent for collecting kids' information under the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).

Nvidia and AMD make the best graphics cards you can buy, but choosing between them isn’t easy. Unlike previous generations, AMD and Nvidia trade blows point-for-point in 2024, and picking a brand to go with isn’t as easy as counting the dollars in your wallet.

Gearbox Entertainment has confirmed layoffs at the company, following the announcement of its sale by Embracer.

The Android 15 update is coming soon and will surely be full of exciting new features. If you're interested in trying the beta or wondering if your phone is supported, here's which Pixel phones and tablets will officially get Android 15 and which won't.

The upcoming Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree expansion has been rated in the US by the ESRB, but its description might come across as familiar.

The US Federal Trade Commission has blocked plans to introduce «privacy-protective facial age estimation» technology, which would have analysed the geometry of a user's face to determine their age.

Just days after revealing the smartphones that are to benefit from the Xiaomi HyperOS update, the company has now announced that several Poco smartphones will get the same. The update was introduced in February this year but was limited to a handful of devices. While the new Poco X6 Pro came with HyperOS out of the box and Poco M6 Pro and M4 5G received it later on, other Poco smartphones still featured MIUI, but not anymore. Check out the full list of Poco smartphones that will get Xiaomi's most powerful software update. 

The best gaming keyboards don’t always need to be full-size. Tenkeyless (TKL) options can be just as great if not better, especially for those tight on gaming desk space or who want to take their keyboard on the go to a LAN party or tournament. So, if you’re okay with losing that number pad, consider a TKL mechanical gaming keyboard, like our favorite the Higround Basecamp 65. Even if that’s not for you, we’ve found three others; one is bound to fit your needs.

Apple failed to announce any iPad upgrade last year, and the company appears to be taking its time again this year. The OLED iPad Pro has seen various delays in the past, and we experienced another one last week. Originally, the OLED iPad Pro was reported to launch in the last quarter of 2023 alongside the M3 MacBook Pro models. However, the company saw fit to announce the new M3, M3 Pro, and M3 Max MacBook Pro models. With so many delays in the past, could Apple launch the OLED iPad Pro models at its WWDC 2024 event?

Easter is coming early this year, which means Easter sales are available to shop right now from all your favorite retailers like Godeal24. To help you find all the best offers in one place, this guide is here with the best 2024 Easter sales and stand-out deals for MS Software keys - Godeal24 Easter Deals. Windows 11 Pro is built for business. Simple and flexible management - Windows 11 Pro is user-friendly and flexible: connect to business resources with Azure Active Directory. Windows 11 Pro from Godeal24 is no longer out of reach.

Welcome to the 2024 edition of Gematsu‘s annual April Fools’ Day games industry jokes and gags roundup, featuring a new Goddess of Victory: NIKKE shooter game, Palworld dating simulation game, a 16-bit edition of Kanon, and more.

The government has issued a warning urging citizens to be cautious when using public phone charging stations in places like airports, cafes, hotels, and bus stands. The advisory comes amidst growing concerns over the "USB charger scam," a tactic cybercriminals use to exploit unsuspecting individuals who rely on these stations while on the move.

One UI 6.1 is finally making its way to Galaxy S23 and all the other supported devices. The new update brings a number of improvements, including Galaxy AI. However, the latest update now appears that the latest update appears to be throttling the charging speed, which could be an issue for a lot of people.

There are few things more frustrating than trying to work, game, or stream a movie and experiencing stuttering, pausing, and other unstable behavior due to a dodgy internet connection. Even if your Wi-Fi signal is strong or you’re using a wired connection, you can still experience hiccups due to the irritating phenomenon of packet loss.

Keychron’s keyboards may not be as flashy as most models from Corsair or Razer, but it can’t be argued that they absolutely nail the basics. If you need a reliable daily driver with some extensive customization options, you can currently pick up the Keychron K8 from Amazon for its lowest price to date. Originally $69.99, the Keychron K8 is available for $56, but only if you click the on-page coupon before checkout.

Following the sales of Saber Interactive (to a new company founded by Saber CEO Matthew Karch) and Gearbox Software (to Take-Two), the Embracer Group held an investors call to confirm the end of its dreaded restructuring program.

Activision is reportedly in the midst of investigating a hacking campaign that's stealing login credentials from people playing its games. According to TechCrunch, bad actors have been successfully installing malware onto victims' computers and using their access to steal logins for their gaming accounts and even their crypto wallets. The video game publisher has apparently been helping victims remove the malware and regain control of their accounts, but it doesn't have enough information at the moment to say how the malware is spreading.

Rumours about the possible launch dates of the Apple iPad Pro and iPad Air models have been surfacing for some time now, with a handful of them suggesting they could come out on March 26. Obviously, that did not come to fruition. While this isn't the first time that the launch of new iPads has been delayed, the updates are desperately needed because there have been no upgrades in the last two years. Now, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has suggested that both new iPads may debut in early May 2024 ahead of Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2024. 

Video game giant Activision is investigating a hacking campaign that’s targeting players with the goal of stealing their credentials, TechCrunch has learned.

Embracer Group finally confirmed that it is selling Borderlands studio Gearbox Entertainment to Take-Two Interactive, but there’s a catch: Embracer Group will retain ownership of Gearbox Publishing.

Take-Two Interactive Software will acquire The Gearbox Entertainment Company from Embracer Group in a $460 million deal, the companies announced (2).

Embracer Group has been itching to sell some of its recently acquired studios for quite some time now, having seemingly had eyes bigger than its belly during its spending spree a couple of years ago. Borderlands creator Gearbox Software was one of the developers lined up for a potential sale, and it's now been confirmed that Take-Two is the publisher to have acquired the studio.

Intel has just released its latest MLPerf v4.0 performance figures covering the Gaudi 2 Accelerators & 5th Gen Xeon "Emerald Rapids" CPUs, with the former showcasing strong performance per dollar values against NVIDIA's H100 GPU.

NVIDIA continues to push the AI envelope with its strong TensorRT-LLM suite, boosting the H200 GPUs to new heights in the latest MLPerf v4.0 results.

Looking to up your photo game? A new, camera-focused smartphone will do wonders for your social media pictures. These are the best Android camera phones that will make sunsets sparkle, food look irresistible, and nighttime landscapes dazzle.

The next version of Android is closer than we think. Android 14 was just released late last year, but Google is already working on what's next, with Android 15 now being in an early stage of testing. If you don't mind very broken software, you can install the next OS on your Android phone and see how it fares. Now, Google has just released the second developer preview of Android 15, and it'll be a bigger release than we initially thought.

The much-awaited Snapdragon X Elite CPU platform has been demoed running Baldur's Gate 3 at 30 FPS as a demonstration of its gaming GPU performance.

Nintendo Switch update 18.0.0 has been rolled out by Nintendo and here's what this new firmware version does officially and unofficially.

Nvidia earned its $2.2 trillion market cap by producing artificial-intelligence chips that have become the lifeblood powering the new era of generative AI developers from startups to Microsoft, OpenAI and Google parent Alphabet.

Cyber threats aren’t just an abstract thing that affects big companies and financial institutions. In fact, from 2020 to 2022, Canadians who experienced cybersecurity incidents increased from 58 percent to 70 percent in 2022, according to Statistics Canada, which explains how important your operating system is! MS Windows 11 Pro, chosen by most people, is the most popular operating system. Windows 11 Pro takes a proactive approach to safeguarding your PC. The inclusion of BitLocker, Microsoft's encryption tool, ensures that your data remains secure, even in the event of a device theft or loss. Virtualization-based security (VBS) and Windows Defender Antivirus further fortify your system against evolving cyber threats. For businesses handling sensitive information, these security features make Windows 11 Pro an indispensable choice.

Phil Spencer has tried all of the new PC gaming handhelds: the Asus ROG Ally, the Lenovo Legion Go, and the Steam Deck. He’s impressed. But he can’t shake one question. How would he make them more Xbox?

Final Fantasy 14 Online's Dawntrailexpansion finally has a release date, and it'll be welcome news for those looking forward to a certain highly-anticipated From Software DLC.

Microsoft has proposed a new method to make ray tracing in games faster with future DXR API updates by leveraging SSDs to limit VRAM usage.

Every community-uploaded Super Mario Maker has officially been beaten ahead of the end of the game’s online functionality.

Qualcomm is said to have new Arm-based laptops of its own in the pipeline, while consumer versions of the new Surface Pro 10 and Surface Laptop 6 that run on the Snapdragon X Elite chipset are believed to be on the way. While that in the past would have meant the makers of x86- and x64-based Windows software needing to port their apps, Qualcomm sought to assure game developers that their titles will run just fine out of the box on any unannounced Snapdragon X Elite systems that just happen to be coming up.

Sign up for the GI Daily here to get the biggest news straight to your inbox

The Operator is an investigative puzzler that mixes the footage-scrubbing clue analysis of Her Story with the nail-biting crime mysteries of X-Files - and its newest trailer from the Future Games Show Spring Showcase shows off both!

New features for the PlayStation 5 system software are on the way, and while some are much needed improvements, it's hard not to feel like these particular additions should have been part of the console's user experience from the beginning. Sony's PS5 is approaching its fourth anniversary, and while the system software itself rightfully takes a back seat to the actual games available on the hardware, its home screen and system navigation have always been a sticking point. Recent updates for the DualSense controller improved audio input and output, and similar incremental changes for the PS5 are on the horizon.

Looking to upgrade the internal storage of your ASUS ROG Ally or Steam Deck? Amazon currently has the Corsair MP600 Mini 1TB M.2 2230 NVMe PCIe x4 Gen4 Solid State Drive (SSD) for only $69.99. That's the best price we've seen for a 1TB 2230 SSD from a brand we've actually heard of. The installation isn't as simple as an SSD upgrade in your PS5 console - but just as worth it - so read on to see if you're willing to take on the (modest) challenge.

From the looks of it, Sony is looking to add new features to its console through an upcoming new PS5 update.

Intel has released its latest Game On driver, 5379 WHQL, which brings another round of huge FPS uplifts for Arc A-Series GPUs & Core Ultra CPUs.

Have you ever wanted to play some of the video games you grew up with? There’s nothing like taking a trip down memory lane with our 8-bit heroes of yesteryear, but not everyone has a classic console hanging around to re-experience these titles with. Fortunately, we live in a world of console emulators, which means you won’t have to spend precious weekend time trying to find a PS2 or SNES at that indie game store that’s 25 miles away.

One of the big stories this year so far has been Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth’s relative underperformance in its home territory of Japan. Historically one of the region’s most popular franchises, the Square Enix sequel couldn’t even outsell fellow PS5 console exclusive Final Fantasy 16 in its first week on the market – a surprise considering its strong critical reception.

In the wake of Yuzu's $2.4 million settlement with Nintendo, the Mario maker has redoubled its work to fight Switch emulation, but these efforts don't involve any argument that emulation itself is illegal. Instead, Nintendo is relying on an extremely specific part of a decades-old copyright law to kill a load of software that can be used to pirate Switch games.

Services and software giant Keywords has appointed 25-year vet Blandine Prost as its new global business development director.

Denuvo developer Irdeto has announced a watermarking feature for its anti-piracy software which will make it easier for developers to track down the source of leaks.

Nvidia Chief Executive Jensen Huang on Monday kicked off his company's annual developer conference with a slew of announcements designed to keep the chip maker in a dominant position in the artificial-intelligence industry.

Artificial intelligence semiconductor powerhouse Nvidia kicked off its annual developer conference on Monday, with investors focused on new chip announcements from Chief Executive Jensen Huang in an afternoon keynote address.

The makers of the anti-piracy software Denuvo have recently revealed a new technology called TraceMark for Games, which will help devs track down leaks. Denuvo is mostly known for its DRM software, which is used in several recent and upcoming PC games, such as Shin Megami Tensei 5: Vengeance, Dead Island 2, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, and Visions of Mana, for example.

Graphics software Nvidia has announced that Diablo 4 will receive full Ray Tracing support with an update on March 26! Earlier this year, both Blizzard and Nvidia hinted at a March release for the Ray Tracing update while providing a pretty convincing reveal trailer. Ray Tracing Coming to Diablo 4 This March

The North American Apex Legends finals have been postponed after hackers appeared to give competitors cheats in the middle of tournament games, in an unprecedented attack on a major esports event.

If you’re about to switch to Windows 11 Pro, now is the right time. Godeal24 Spring Sale offers Windows 11 Pro at a special price of $13.55. It is a real opportunity for those who want to update their computer without spending a fortune. But it’s not just the price that makes this offer a must-have but the Windows 11 Pro itself.

NVIDIA is hosting the world's largest and most important conference centered around AI, its GTC, where CEO Jensen Huang will talk about the next innovations in the segment and unveil the next generation of GPUs powering the latest cloud and data center markets.

As everyone eagerly awaits the release of the Apple iPhone 16 series, some Apple fans are worried about recent news. A leak from an tipster Majin Bu suggests that the new iPhones might see a reduction in battery life, which is making users who want their phones to last longer feel uneasy. The leak talks about the Apple iPhone 16 Plus battery size: The suggestion is that -

For two decades, no company better embodied the promise of the stock market than Apple Inc. Its transformation from niche computer maker to the most valuable corporation on the planet made its shares a cornerstone of investment portfolios worldwide.

The government has dropped the permit requirement for untested AI models but emphasised the need to label AI-generated content, according to a latest advisory on Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology.

Google I/O started off primarily as a developer conference, but over the years it has become Google's main yearly event for announcements around Android, Chrome, AI, and everything else. The company has now confirmed a date for Google I/O 2024, which is likely when we'll see more of Android 15 and Google's future AI ambitions.

The Samsung Galaxy S24 arrived with several exciting new software features in One UI 6.1, most notably the new suite of Galaxy AI tools. And now, that same software experience and Galaxy AI goodies are about to arrive for select older phones and tablets.

Games services and software behemoth Keywords Studio tried to make a brand new project using only generative AI.

Apple Inc. has acquired Canadian artificial intelligence startup DarwinAI, adding technology to its arsenal ahead of a big push into generative AI in 2024. The iPhone maker purchased the business earlier this year, and dozens of DarwinAI's employees have joined Apple's artificial intelligence division, according to people with knowledge of the matter, who asked not to be identified because the deal hasn't been announced. 

Not only is Minecraft the bestselling game of all time, but it’s also insanely addictive to play. Who could say no to an immersive polygonal world of mining, agriculture, and digital zombies? Released all the way back in 2009, both PC and console versions of the famous title have come along.

There’s a new system software for your PS5, as Sony has released version 24.02-09.00.00 to the masses. But what does it do?

Intel shared a few more updates on its AI strategy and accelerators including next-gen Gaudi 3 and Falcon Shores which reveal how the company is bringing AI to the enterprise and all aspects of the data center segment with its products and software stack.

Software engineers should probably be "cautious" as an AI startup has created an autonomous agent known as Devin that can replace conventional programmers.

Discord is making a play to not simply be the software you use to talk while playing games with your pals, but the software you use to play them too. The ubiquitous chat client already lets you play a handful of approved games inside itself without dowloading or launching anything seperate, along with other 'Activities' like watching YouTube together, and next week it will open up to a whole lot more. Discord will let all developers make their own Activities, wanting to jam in more games and social hangout experiences and stuff. I'm broadly up for things removing faff from getting casual hangout games running with pals.

There’s a new system software for your PS5, as Sony has released version 24.02-09.00.00 to the masses. But what does it do?

AI roundup: In today's top news on artificial intelligence (AI), billionaire and Tesla chief Elon Musk has grabbed attention with his views on the future of AI; US-based startup Cognition unveiled its AI software engineer called Devin, which can write and deploy codes. Check more AI news from today here.

UPDATE 13/3/24: Remember that beta update for PlayStation 5 that added the ability for users to adjust the brightness of the console's power indicator? Well, it's now live for the rest of us.