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Intel's Arc A380 graphics card is now the only entry-level AV1 solution that retails close to $100 US and packs 6 GB memory. Intel's Arc A380 6 GB Graphics Card Matches The RX 6400 While Offering 6 GB Memory, AV1 Support & A $30 US Cheaper Price The Intel Arc A380 graphics card utilizes the ACM-G11 "Alchemist" GPU with 1024 cores and 6 GB of GDDR6 memory and support for Intel's AV1 hardware acceleration which has become a standard for video codecs. While the graphics card launched at 1149 RMB in China ($165 US) and $149 US in the states, the GUNNIR custom variant can now be bought for just 799 RMB at JD.com ($115) which is $35 US worth of savings versus the US MSRP and $50 US lower than the Chinese MSRP. The $115 US pricing makes the GUNNIR Intel Arc A380 Index graphics card the most affordable AV1 solution with the graphics power to match AMD's Radeon RX 6400 graphics card while saving you $20-$30 US. The cheapest RX 6400 in the US costs around $140 US whereas Chinese retailers have the single-slot Yeston variant listed at around 929 RMB or $130 US. If you are in the US, you can get the ASRock Challenger Arc A380 graphics card for $120 US which is still more affordable than AMD Radeon RX 6400 cards. The GUNNIR Intel Arc A380 Index G6 graphics card is seeing its second price drop since its release and is only available to JD.com'ss subscription service subscribers. The graphics card includes eight Xe HPG graphics cores with 2000 MHz graphics frequency. The GPU offers 6 GB of GDDR6 memory onboard with a 96-bit memory bus. The graphics card from GUNNIR measures 221 mm x 120 mm x 42 mm and recommends a power supply of 300 watts or higher. The GPU chip is based on the 6nm process technology from Intel. For connectivity, the GUNNIR Intel Arc A380 Index G6 graphics card offers three DisplayPort ports and one HDMI port for up to 8K resolution and HDR support. The graphics card provides a dual fan design to assist with keeping the temperatures low with use and has a TBP of 75W without an external power supply. The GUNNIR Intel Arc A380 Index G6 graphics card supports AV1 hardware acceleration. It supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, allowing for hardware-supported ray-tracing above 1080p at 60fps, especially in games such as League of Legends, Eternal Tribulation, and PUBG. This model requires the user to activate the "Resizable Bar Above 4G Decoding" mode to utilize the graphics card. It will help increase the memory efficiency of the GPU transmitting to the PCIe 4.0 bus. The card also supports Windows 10 and 11 21H2 (64-bit) operating systems and is compatible with the Intel 400 series or higher motherboards. The Intel Arc A380 graphics card was close to the competition in early performance previews compared to the AMD Radeon RX 6400 and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 cards. However, the graphics architecture has seen various performance optimizations and compatibility updates that would lead to a far better gaming experience than what users saw at launch. https://wccftech.com/intel-arc-a380-graphics-card-drops-to-115-us-the-most-affordable-av1-gpu-with-6-gb-memory/

A new Like a Dragon: Ishin! patch is now available on PC and consoles, addressing a variety of issues and making the experience smoother on all formats. Patch 1.03, according to the official patch notes, addresses shader compilation stuttering issues on PC, as well as rare startup crashes, UI elements being out of play on ultra-wide displays and improvements to monitor selection and resolution settings when using a multi-monitor setup. Alongside the PC-specific fixes above, the new Like a Dragon: Ishin! patch also addresses a variety of other issues on all platforms, such as teleporting enemies when activating heat actions near doors, a bug that prevented the use of special turrets placed on the stage, a progression-halting bug, and more. Like a Dragon: Ishin! launched on PC and consoles last month. The game, which serves as a prequel to the entire series previously known as Yakuza in the West, took a long time to come to North America and Europe due to localization challenges, but the wait was well worth it, as the remake features a compelling setting and the classic RPG mechanics that fans of the series love, as highlighted by Kai in his review. Like a Dragon: Ishin! was and still is a relic of its time, formerly thought impossible to see localized in the English language. Even with a new engine and series of console platforms, this chronological sequel to Yakuza 5 remains filled with the overall look and feel of how the long-running action JRPG series used to operate. Despite sequels and spinoffs that took the Yakuza series to new heights, Ishin! remains grounded in its period drama and political subterfuge that still hold up over time, even if the gameplay so greatly needed those timely improvements. As a title missing from the roster of Kiryu’s grand adventures, Like a Dragon: Ishin! still holds up as a historical drama worth seeing through to the end, even if the edges are starting to fray. Like a Dragon: Ishin! is now available on PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and Xbox One worldwide. https://wccftech.com/like-a-dragon-ishin-patch-1-03-addresses-stuttering-issues-on-pc-and-more/

NVIDIA is releasing a new GeForce Game Ready driver (version 531.14) today, and its main feature is the support for RTX Video Super Resolution. The AI-based technology was unveiled at CES 2023 when NVIDIA promised that RTX VSR could upscale 1440p (or lower, down all the way to the minimum of 360p) resolution videos up to 4K with near-native quality. NVIDIA provided Wccftech with advance access to the aforementioned driver so that we could test out RTX Video Super Resolution; the result, as you can see in the comparison video below, speaks for itself. Let's begin with the basics, however. The technology combines software (AI algorithms) and hardware (RTX Tensor Cores) to enhance the clarity and sharpness of videos watched through the Chrome and Edge browsers, provided you have updated them to version 110.0.5481.105 and 110.0.1587.56, respectively. It achieves this goal by upscaling the resolution and cleaning up compression artifacts. It's not the first time NVIDIA has used AI technology to upscale videos. A similar feature is available on the SHIELD Pro device, after all. However, since RTX Video Super Resolution leverages the Tensor Cores available in NVIDIA GeForce RTX GPUs, it is only available on 40 and 30 Series graphics cards. Turing support is coming later, as the official VSR FAQ reveals that NVIDIA needs to re-engineer the algorithms to support GeForce RTX 20 Series GPUs. Enabling RTX Video Super Resolution is extremely easy. You'll just have to open up the NVIDIA Control Panel app and head to the Adjust Video Image Settings tab under Video. There, near previously available features like edge enhancement, noise reduction, and deinterlacing, you'll find the RTX video enhancement box. After ticking the box, you will also have to select the Quality setting, which ranges from 1 to 4. According to NVIDIA, level 4 provides the best quality by augmenting the complexity of the underlying algorithm, but it also uses more GPU power than lower levels. In our testing, we checked out the same Twitch video FullHD recording (Avalanche Software's Tech Test feat. Guest Host!) on both Chrome and Mozilla Firefox, which doesn't support RTX Video Super Resolution. As you can see, alt-tabbing between the two windows shows an immediately noticeable sharper picture when using Chrome. Everything, from the faces of the hosts to the finer details in the background, including the sword's pommel, is much clearer with the enhancement provided by RTX VSR at the maximum level of quality. Long story short, this could be a game-changer for Netflix users who don't care about HDR or Dolby Vision and would like to watch content in near-4K quality without having to pay for the increasingly expensive Premium plan. Unfortunately, it does not seem to work across every streaming service. We tested it with the DAZN platform and noticed no visual improvement; we've reported it to NVIDIA to find out if it's a bug. Still, according to NVIDIA, you can expect RTX Video Super Resolution to work on Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, YouTube, YouTubeTV, Hulu, and Twitch. By the way, on the gaming side, the new driver reportedly delivers further optimizations for Atomic Heart and for the upcoming The Finals Closed Beta. NVIDIA also announced that The Finals features support for RTX GI, NVIDIA DLSS, and NVIDIA Reflex. There are also a handful of critical fixes that we found in the official driver changelog, including NVIDIA officially enabling ReBAR for the Dead Space remake. [Steam version] Forza Horizon 4 may freeze after 15-30 minutes of gameplay Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 occasional stability issues Enable Dead Space Resizable Bar profile Adobe After Effects / Media Encoder - issues with ProRes RAW files Adobe Premiere Pro application instability https://wccftech.com/rtx-video-super-resolution-out-now-testing-shows-significantly-sharper-results/

hiDRIVE SSD can be an ideal grab for professional photographers, gamers, and regular tech junkies who like to keep their data safe. Although it may appear a little bigger than the typical thumb drive, the hiDRIVE external SSD is far more powerful. This device allows you to deliver data at an incredible speed of up to 2500MB/s (2.5GB/s). While exceeding your expectations, it allows you to transfer an enormous amount of data in a flash. The external SSD supports thunderbolt 3 and has a data storage capacity of up to 8TB. The main feature of the hiDRIVE SSD, which makes it stand apart from other external SSDs, is "the Great Security Feature." This external NVMe SSD has a mobile app from which a user can give permission to other users to access specific data and specific permissions. You can lock, unlock, add, and remove other users according to your convenience. This hiDRIVE SSD is currently being funded on GadgetAny and has raised over USD 100,000 in the first month with the help of over 300 funders. You can join the journey of hiDRIVE and avail a discount of up to 60% on retail prices. Some incredible features of hiDRIVE that caught our attention - Security-enabled mobile and desktop app With hiDRIVE, you can unlock a wide range of advantages apart from its delivery speed and storage capacity. The next-generation device is highly compact with a rugged build and sleek design. The feature that makes hiDRIVE a masterpiece is its in-built mobile app support, as you can unlock the maximum benefits out of it. - User management With this feature, the user can grant access to specific files or folders to specific users and can also specify the level of access each user has (e.g., read-only, edit, delete, etc.). This allows for more granular control over who can access and modify files and can help ensure that sensitive information is only viewed and edited by authorized parties. Read-only access can also be granted to certain users, which means they can only view the files and cannot make any changes to them. This can be useful for sharing information with others without allowing them to modify the original files. - Rugged build with a glossy slim design The zinc-alloy construction of the hiDRIVE, which serves the dual purposes of being tough and, as a heat sink to help the hiDRIVE keep cool while in use, also enables it to do so without breaking a sweat. The hiDRIVE is made to be drop-proof and IP67 water-resistant, making it ideal for outdoor use in terms of durability. The tiny drive is ideal for all use scenarios due to its design and universal compatibility. - 8 TB storage capacity hiDRIVE's massive 8 TB data storage capacity is what distinguishes it as an ideal behemoth. You can handle all of your data problems with a variety of storage alternatives. - 2500 mb/s data transfer speed By cutting down on your uploading time, you can dominate any game with such a devilish transfer speed. It makes it possible for you to quickly transfer 4K videos. - Heat control tech hiDRIVE has built-in cooling characteristics that keep it cool and maintain a high data transmission speed. - Compact and lightweight hiDRIVE is an incredibly small and light device with dimensions of 16X120X45mm and a weight of 97.8g. Use it when you're on the go by slipping it into your pocket. - IP67 waterproof and dustproof It also has a shockproof rating in addition to the IP67 waterproof and dustproof rating. As a result, even during bad weather, your data is secure and undamaged. - Easy-to-use mobile app An easy-to-use mobile app from hiDRIVE enables users to quickly control their Portable SSD settings. The user interface and experience of the app are intriguing. It additionally regularly notifies users of firmware and software updates. - High-grade performance and protection AES-256 encryption is used by the device to provide an additional layer of security for user data. All types of data breaches and hackers can be effectively thwarted by password-enabled encryption. https://wccftech.com/hidrive-external-ssd-with-crazy-transfer-speed-data-security/

It is no surprise that Starfield is currently the most wishlisted game on Steam. It is the first new IP conceived by Bethesda Game Studios, the developer behind megahit franchises like Elder Scrolls and Fallout, in the last twenty-five years. It's also their first to be set in a sci-fi universe, which they described as 'Nasapunk' to convey the idea of a relatively grounded spacefaring future. The open world roleplaying game was originally scheduled to launch on November 11th, 2022, on the eleventh anniversary of the release of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Bethesda Game Studios' best-selling game to date. Starfield was, however, delayed to the first half of 2023 alongside Arkane's Redfall. While the latter game has now been reconfirmed for a May 2nd release date after the gameplay reveal during January's Bethesda and Xbox Developer Direct, Starfield fans are still waiting to get their own gameplay overview, which was confirmed to be coming separately from the aforementioned Developer Direct. The wait for the Starfield gameplay showcase's date could end shortly, however, according to the latest rumors. A few hours ago, Andy Robinson from VideoGamesChronicle tweeted that the announcement was due shortly. During the latest Xbox Two podcast episode, Jez Corden from Windows Central added that the showcase would be announced next week. They didn't say anything about the actual date, but it stands to reason that the Starfield gameplay showcase may happen sometime in March. Likely, the event will also include the new release date for Bethesda's space epic. It'll be interesting to find out whether BGS can hold on to the promise of launching before the end of the first half of the year, though that would put the game in competition with long-awaited triple-A releases such as Rocksteady's Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League (due May 26th), CAPCOM's Street Fighter 6 (due June 2nd), Blizzard's Diablo IV (due June 6th), and Square Enix's Final Fantasy XVI (due June 22nd). Starfield does have an advantage over all these games: it'll be available from day one to all Game Pass subscribers on PC and Xbox Series S|X, just like every Bethesda/Xbox first-party game. While the gameplay showcase will likely be in-depth and very long (the Fallout 4 presentation by Todd Howard clocked in at nearly 35 minutes), we already got a decent look at Starfield gameplay thanks to the 15-minute segment aired at last year's Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase. We've since gathered every scrap of information about the game in this roundup article. https://wccftech.com/starfield-showcase-rumored-to-be-announced-next-week/

Uber's forthcoming update will allow users to track their Uber rides right on the Lock screen or the Dyanamic Island. The company announced that it updating the app with support for Live Activities in more than 1,200 cities across the globe. The update is available on the App Store right now. Scroll down to read more details on what you should expect with the latest update. Uber updates Its app with support for Live Activities on iPhone, Uber Eats to follow "in coming months" Uber has been testing Apple's Live Activities API for months now, and it has finally updated the app with the feature intact. If you regularly use Uber on your iPhone, you will now be able to track your rides on the Lock Screen. If you are unfamiliar with the feature, Live Activities was introduced alongside iOS 16, allowing users to track events right on the Lock Screen. If you happen to own the latest iPhone 14 Pro models, Uber's Live Activities will also take advantage of the new Dynamic Island. Uber's adoption of Live Activities will enable users to track the progress of their ride at a glance. This will save time as you would not have to open the app to check for an update. As for what information will be displayed on the Lock Screen, you can check the updated ETA, and trip status, along with the vehicle's description and plate number. While Uber's Live Activities adoption is now available, the company will also update the Uber Eats application for food deliveries in the coming months, according to a company spokesperson. Live Activities is one of the forward-facing additions of iOS 16 that aims to make things easier for the general public. Companies are working with developers to bring support for the new API on iPhone soon, Google Maps, for instance. We will keep you guys updated with the latest, so be sure to stick around. Share your views with us in the comments. https://wccftech.com/you-can-now-easily-track-your-uber-rides-on-your-iphones-lock-screen-and-dynamic-island-with-live-activities/

Even more benchmarks of the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D 3D V-Cache CPU benchmarks have been leaked that show a 35% improvement over the 13900K. AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D 3D V-Cache CPU Up To 35% Faster Than Core i9-13900K In Gaming Benchmarks Yesterday, we got to see the official gaming performance benchmarks of the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D 3D V-Cache CPU leak out. It seems like the chip offers a 6% average improvement compared to Intel's Core i9-13900K across various titles at 1080p resolution. Now, the latest benchmarks have leaked out which come from a 3rd party source and it looks like we might witness an even larger performance increase in the final retail samples. The latest leaked benchmarks come from Twitter leaker, Chi11eddog, who has tested the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D CPU on the MSI MAG X670E Tomahawk motherboard using the latest 1.0.0.5c BIOS firmware. The AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D is the flagship & the first 16-core CPU to feature 3D V-Cache technology. The chip will incorporate a total of 32 threads, a total of 144 MB cache (64 MB CCD, 64 MB V-Cache + 16 MB L2), and a TDP of 120W. As for the clocks, the chip is rated at a base clock of 4.2 GHz which is 300 MHz slower than the standard 7950X but boost clocks are rated at the same 5.7 GHz. This should give us a hint at why the TDP is 50W lower versus the Non-3D part. For testing, a total of five games were used in which the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D is compared to the Ryzen 9 7950X and the Core i9-13900K. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 graphics card was used and all five titles were tested at 1080p resolution. We also get a Cinebench R23 benchmark of the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D which scores 37,973 points in the multi-threaded test. This is close to a 5% performance decrease over the standard Ryzen 9 7950X CPU. The AMD Ryzen Master software is also open which shows the 89C temperature limit but there's no mention of what DDR5 memory kit was used for this particular test. Starting with Assassins Creed Valhalla, the Ryzen 9 7950X3D CPU delivers a 35% performance increase over the 13900K and an almost 40% increase over the Ryzen 9 7950X. In Far Cry 5, the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D CPU ends up 12% faster than the 13900K and 32% faster than the Ryzen 9 7950X. In Shadow of The Tomb Raider, we see an 11% and 16% improvement at the highest detail level. In Metro Exodus (Extreme settings), we see a 5% and 4% performance uplift while Star Control (Great settings) delivers similar performance across all three chips. The scores are as follows: AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D vs Core i9-13900K CPU (1080P Gaming): Assassins Creed Valhalla (Ultra): +35% Faster Far Cry 5 (Ultra): +12% Faster Shadow of The Tomb Raider (Highest): +11% Faster Metro Exodus (Extreme): +5% Faster Star Control (Great): -2% Slower Average: +12% Faster AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D vs Ryzen 9 7950X CPU (1080P Gaming): Assassins Creed Valhalla (Ultra): +39% Faster Far Cry 5 (Ultra): +32% Faster Shadow of The Tomb Raider (Highest): +16% Faster Metro Exodus (Extreme): +4% Faster Star Control (Great): +1% Slower Average: +18.4% Faster With that said, the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D will retail at $700 US which is much more expensive than the Intel Core i9-13900K CPU which can be found for as low as $529 US. That's a 30% higher price for a 6% higher gaming performance and similar workload performance. The Ryzen 9 7950X3D may be a tough choice for gamers but that's why AMD will also offer the Ryzen 9 7900X and the Ryzen 7 7800X at much lower price points. The Ryzen 7 7800X is definitely going to be the best 3D chip for gamers due to its more affordable price point that matches its predecessor, the Ryzen 7 5800X3D, at $449 US. Gamers will however have to wait till the 6th of April to get their hands on it. https://wccftech.com/amd-ryzen-9-7950x3d-3d-v-cache-cpu-gaming-benchmarks-leak-up-to-35-percent-faster-than-i9-13900k/

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After months of speculation surrounding the next game coming from NetherRealm Studios, Mortal Kombat 12 was rather unceremoniously announced during Warner Bros. Discovery's earnings call by president and chief executive officer David Zaslav, who also referenced the massively successful launch of Hogwarts Legacy and the upcoming release of Suicide Squad - Kill the Justice League. According to the CEO, MK 12 is coming later this year. We're also thrilled by what we're seeing coming out of our games business, which represents a core part of our overall strategy. As the only studio scaled in gaming, we see it as a meaningful differentiator with substantial opportunity. With the successful launch of Hogwarts Legacy two weeks ago, we reimagined 1 of the biggest global franchises in the world. The game was 1 of the most highly anticipated of 2023. And consistent with our overall commitment to great storytelling, we delayed the launch to get it right. And the response from consumers has been overwhelmingly positive. We've already seen more than $850 million in retail sales, and we still have more platforms launching over the next few months. And there's lots more to come, including the highly anticipated Mortal Kombat 12 and Suicide Squad - Kill The Justice League, games also set for release this year with ambitious launch projections. [via Seeking Alpha] In early October, NetherRealm Chief Creative Officer Ed Boon told fans the studio's new game wouldn't be announced at the Mortal Kombat 30th anniversary. It's hard to imagine NetherRealm wanted to unveil it this way, though. Mortal Kombat 11 launched on April 23rd, 2019. The latest installment in the historic fighting game franchise received an 8.5 out of 10 score here on Wccftech from reviewer Nathan Birch. Mortal Kombat 11 is a first-class fighting game experience, featuring rock-solid core mechanics, impressive production values, and a story that wouldn’t be out of place alongside the summer’s biggest blockbusters. Of course, the game also suffers from some of the drawbacks of big-budget game development, including grindy customization and tacked-on microtransactions, but that stuff is largely superfluous. Beneath the triple-A fat, Mortal Kombat’s bloody heart still beats as strong as ever. The Aftermath DLC didn't fare nearly as well, getting a 6.5 out of 10 score. Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath lets its villains strut their stuff in a fun epilogue, and the new fighters are all welcome additions, but an overall lack of content makes it tough to wholly recommend this expansion at its full $40 price tag. Those new to Mortal Kombat 11 can get a much better deal, but if you’ve already bought the game, this Aftermath may not add up. https://wccftech.com/mortal-kombat-12-gets-announced-during-warner-bros-discoverys-earnings-call-to-launch-in-2023/

AMD will release its new Chipset driver (1.0.0.7), which will benefit users planning to upgrade to the Ryzen 7000 3D V-Cache CPUs. The chips are set to release in less than a week and users can expect the "3D V-Cache Performance Optimizer driver" (version 1.0.0.7) to be included in the new chipset driver. Upcoming AMD Chipset driver version 5.01.29.2026 WHQL will assist gamers in performance; ASRock to already offered driver before the launch date of new 3D V-Cache CPUs The new 3D V-Cache Performance Optimizer driver works by notifying Windows of the "asymmetric nature" of the 3D V-cache and grants a boost in performance for "less-parallelized workloads," such as what is found while a user is playing a PC game. The new optimization driver will work under Windows 10, and 11 operating systems but will only be available to the newer AMD 7000 X3D line of CPUs. HXL (@9550pro on Twitter) first informed users of the new driver. However, the public still has to wait for the available download once AMD plans to release the latest processors to the masses, or one might think as the Twitter leaker notified a user anxiously awaiting the download and wanting to be the first to get a hold of the newest download. HXL found that the company ASRock is now offering the download for global and Chinese downloads for the company's X670E Taichi Carrara motherboard. AMD is positioning the 3D V-Cache structure on the new series by placing the SRAM cache on one CCD instead of sharing it with a secondary CCD. The company found that it could maximize gaming performance through one CCD while allowing the second to profit from the higher clock speeds. In theory, AMD hopes that the balance of single-threaded gaming performance over multi-threaded applications will not sacrifice the full clock speeds found in earlier processors. Existing AM5 motherboard owners should also be updating their boards to the latest AGESA BIOS firmware "1.0.0.5c" which adds support for the Ryzen 7000 X3D CPUs. https://wccftech.com/amd-preps-new-1-0-0-7-chipset-driver-optimized-for-ryzen-7000-3d-v-cache-cpus/

The Surface Laptop Studio 2 could be an impressive portable computing machine, according to the latest leak. Fresh specifications findings reveal that the top-tier version could also arrive with an NVIDIA RTX 4060, making this the most powerful Surface ever launched by the company. Two Surface Laptop Studio 2 configurations appear on benchmarking website, with support of up to 64GB DDR5 RAM The Surface Laptop Studio 2 is said to feature Intel’s latest 13th-generation processor, the Core i7-13800H, according to Geekbench 5. For those that do not know, this CPU features six performance cores and eight efficiency cores, totaling 14 cores. Unfortunately, the benchmark has not stated the maximum sustained power limit of the CPU, so just because a chassis features a powerful chip, it does not mean that the cooling solution is capable enough to control its temperatures. Other specifications of the Surface Laptop Studio 2 include an NVIDIA RTX 4060 with 8GB of GDDR6 video memory, according to Gustave Monce, and up to 64GB of DDR5 RAM. Not only is Microsoft likely catering this machine to be of ample use to creative professionals, but it may also be able to play the latest AAA games at high visual settings. We still have to see what resolution the Surface Laptop Studio 2’s display will resonate, as the number of pixels will determine the kind of frames the laptop RTX 4060 can churn out. Again, like the CPU, the GPU power limit was not listed anywhere in the Geekbench 5 benchmark, so we have no way of knowing how it will perform in other tests. However, since the graphics processor obtained a score of 81,285 in the OpenCL category, the GPU performs close to a mobile RTX 3060 running at a higher power limit. However, we should not limit our conclusion to a single benchmark since the RTX 4060 will behave differently with other applications. Compared to the first-generation Surface Laptop Studio, the leaked specifications of the successor appear significantly more impressive than the maxed-out configuration of the current model. The notebook currently sports up to a quad-core Intel 11th-generation Core i7-11370H CPU and an RTX 3050 Ti with 4GB of GDDR6 VRAM. This hardware would become limited when various graphical and multi-core workloads are run, so we have happy to see Microsoft take a different approach with the next version. Hopefully, the pricing would be adequate too, based on the configurations offered. https://wccftech.com/microsoft-surface-laptop-studio-2-with-rtx-4060-specs-leak/

Once it launches, RTX Remix will breathe new life into the visuals of many classic games, but some talented developers managed to improve the lighting and visuals of older games even before NVIDIA's modding platforms. Among these developers is sultim_t, who recently released the Half-Life: Ray Traced mod. The mod, which can be downloaded from here, doesn't introduce proper ray tracing but real-time path tracing which achieves similar results. While the visuals of the first entry in the series haven't aged that well, creating a weird contrast between the path-traced lighting and low-quality textures, it is undeniable that what sultim_t achieved is nothing short of impressive. As mentioned above, the Half-Life: Ray Traced mod isn't the first path-tracing mode released by sultim-t. In the past, the modder released impressive DOOM, Quake, and Serious Sam: The First Encounter mods, which greatly improved these classic games' visuals. The Half-Life series has been on hiatus for a long time, and fans of the franchise by Valve had no other choice but to replay the classic games released years ago. The hiatus, however, ended with the release of Half-Life: Alyx, an excellent VR game and a worthy entry in the series. According to rumors, a follow-up to the VR game is currently in the works, but no official announcement has been made, so it is not yet clear if Half-Life has entered yet another hiatus. https://wccftech.com/half-life-ray-traced-mod-is-now-available-for-download/

AMD releases the newest AMD Radeon Software Adrenalin 23.2.2 graphics driver, offering support for the newly released Atomic Hear and Company of Heroes 3 computer games. Additionally, the company fixed issues with Netflix's compatibility with Windows Movie and TV application with specific AMD graphics card models. As with any update to your computer, Wccftech recommends all users back up their data before downloading the newest update from AMD. AMD Radeon Software Adrenalin 23.2.2 graphics driver launches offering support for Atomic Heart and Company of Heroes 3 AMD appears to release the new graphics updates to offer faster and fuller updates to all available graphics cards, unlike previously released updates to the Adrenalin graphics driver updates. Below is the newest changelog for AMD Radeon Software Adrenalin 23.2.2: Fixed Issues Corruption may be briefly observed when moving Netflix video between displays or minimize-to-fullscreen on some AMD Products such as AMD Ryzen™ 7 6800U. Maximum encode bitrate is limited to 100Mbps for specific applications. AMD Bug Report Tool pop-up or system hang may be observed after driver upgrades on some hybrid graphics notebooks. Application crashes may be observed while playing Hitman 3™ with ray tracing settings enabled. Valve Index® VR headset may show a blank screen with a 144Hz refresh rate setting on Radeon™ RX 7000 series GPUs. Specific videos played with Movies and TV may briefly show corruption when moving the window between displays on some AMD Graphics Products such as AMD Radeon™ RX 6700 XT. Situational performance drop may be observed in DirectX® 11 based games on Radeon™ RX 6000 series GPUs using Ryzen™ processors. Known Issues High idle power has been observed when using select high-resolution and high refresh rate displays on Radeon™ RX 7000 series GPUs. Video stuttering or performance drop may be observed during gameplay plus video playback with some extended display configurations on Radeon™ RX 7000 series GPUs. Application crash may be observed while opening Premium Gold Packs in EA SPORTS™ FIFA 23. Some virtual reality games or apps may experience lower-than-expected performance on Radeon™ RX 7000 series GPUs. Brief display corruption may occur when switching between video and game windows on some AMD Graphics Products, such as the Radeon™ RX 6700 XT. Metrics overlay may intermittently re-size to 50% after gameplay. Corruption may be observed in Returnal™ in certain scenes with ray tracing enabled on Radeon™ RX 6000 series GPUs. Package Contents AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition 23.2.2 Driver Version 22.40.33.01 for Windows® 10 and Windows® 11 (Windows Driver Store Version 31.0.14033.1012). Product Compatibility Desktop graphics cards Radeon 7000, Radeon RX 7900 XTX, Radeon RX 7900 XT Radeon 6000 Radeon RX 6950 XT, Radeon RX 6900 XT, Radeon RX 6800 XT, Radeon RX 6800, Radeon RX 6750 XT, Radeon RX 6700 XT, Radeon RX 6700, Radeon RX 6650 XT, Radeon RX 6600 XT, Radeon RX 6600, Radeon RX 6500 XT, Radeon RX 6400 Radeon 5000, Radeon VII, Radeon RX 5700 XT, Radeon RX 5700, Radeon RX 5600, Radeon RX 5500 XT, Radeon RX 5500, Radeon RX 5300 Radeon 500, Radeon RX Vega 64, Radeon RX Vega 56, Radeon Vega Nano, Radeon RX 590, Radeon RX 580, Radeon RX 570, Radeon RX 560, Radeon RX 560D, Radeon RX 550, Radeon 550 Radeon 400, Radeon RX 480, Radeon RX 470, Radeon RX 470D, Radeon RX 460 Mobile graphics cards Radeon 6000M, Radeon RX 6850M XT, Radeon RX 6800M, Radeon RX 6700M, Radeon RX 6650M XT, Radeon RX 6800S, Radeon RX 6650M, Radeon RX 6600M, Radeon RX 6700S, Radeon RX 6600S, Radeon RX 6550M, Radeon RX 6500M, Radeon RX 6550S, Radeon RX 6450M, Radeon RX 6300M Radeon 5000M, Radeon RX 5700M, Radeon RX 5600M, Radeon RX 5500M, Radeon RX 5300M Radeon 600, Radeon RX 640, Radeon 630, Radeon 620, Radeon 625, Radeon 610 Integrated graphics cards Radeon 600M, Radeon 680M, Radeon 660M, Radeon 610M Radeon Vega Radeon (RX) Vega 11, Radeon Vega 8, Radeon Vega 6, Radeon Vega 3 You can download the new AMD Radeon Software Adrenalin Edition 23.2.2 graphics driver from the AMD official website. https://wccftech.com/amd-radeon-software-adrenalin-23-2-2-driver-launches-with-atomic-heart-company-of-heroes-3-support/

AMD's flagship Ryzen 9 7945HX "Dragon Range" CPU has been tested within Geekbench 5 and it offers some really impressive laptop performance figures. AMD's Flagship Dragon Range CPU For Laptops, The Ryzen 9 7945HX, Has Been Tested Within Geekbench, Faster Than Desktop 7900X The Ryzen 9 7945HX is going to be AMD's fastest laptop chip ever made. It will rock the 5nm Zen 4 core architecture and offer a total of 16 cores and 32 threads, the same as the Ryzen 9 7950X CPU from the desktop lineup. These 16 cores will be running at a base frequency of 2.5 GHz and boost up to 5.4 GHz which is highly impressive for a mobility part. The CPU comes with 80 MB of cache & also offers a TDP range of 55-75W+. As further icing on the cake, AMD enables overclocking across its entire Dragon Range lineup which would make for some really powerful laptops. As for the performance, the AMD Ryzen 9 7945HX CPU was tested within the Geekbench 5 bench and scored 2127 points in single-core and 19,403 points in multi-core. The chip was running on a ASUS ROG Zephyrus Duo 16 laptop with 32 GB of DDR5-4800 memory in the performance mode. The single-core performance of the AMD Ryzen 9 7945HX is on par with AMD's high-end Ryzen 7000 Desktop CPUs whereas the multi-core score is faster than the Ryzen 9 7900X desktop chip. Now the desktop chip does have lower cores (12 vs 16) but it has a higher TDP to work with and a higher all-core boost too. Of course, power and thermals play a huge role in making or breaking a mobile chip and AMD has so far shown the lead in terms of efficiency with its Zen 4 core architecture. The first AMD Ryzen 7045 "Dragon Range" laptops are expected to land in the coming days so stay tuned for detailed reviews. https://wccftech.com/amd-ryzen-9-7945hx-16-core-dragon-range-laptop-cpu-benchmark-leak-faster-than-7900x/

Diablo IV, the next entry in the popular series by Blizzard launching in three months on PC and consoles, will be set in a massive world, and a new video that was shared online provides some additional details on its creation. The new Inside the Game - The World of Sanctuary video, which can be watched below, features members of the development team, such as Senior Quest Designer II Harrison Pink, Senior Dungeon Designer Dini McMurry, Art Director John Mueller, and Game Director Joe Shely as they dive into Sanctuary's design, its diverse regions, its inhabitants and what awaits players in such a world. While Diablo IV is still a few months away, players will soon be able to try out the game thanks to the recently announced Open Beta. The test version, which will be available in Early Access for all who pre-ordered the game on March 17th-19th and for everyone on March 24th-26th, will include the Prologue and the entirety of Act 1. With a Level Cap of 25, players will be able to experiment with many of the game's mechanics but will have to start over once the game launches later in June as progress won't carry over. Diablo IV's launch will only be the beginning for the fourth main entry in the series. The game, as confirmed by Director Joe Shely, will receive frequent expansions featuring new stories, new quests, new classes, and more. Season Passes will also be made available, but it won't be required to participate in seasons or to improve characters as, according to the developer, all the additions featured in them will only be cosmetics. Diablo IV will be released on PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and Xbox One worldwide on June 6th, 2023. More information on the game will be coming in a new livestream next week, so stay tuned for all the latest news. https://wccftech.com/diablo-iv-new-inside-the-game-video-details-the-world-of-sanctuary/

Today, Apple has stopped signing iOS 16.3 after the launch of iOS 16.3.1. This means that you will no longer be able to downgrade from iOS 16.3.1 to iOS 16.3. While this might not be of interest to average iPhone users, those interested in jailbreaking their devices should keep a note. Scroll down to read more details on iOS 16.3 signing and what it means in terms of iPhone jailbreak. Apple Stops signing iOS 16.3 following iOS 16.3.1 release, downgrade no longer possible for potential jailbreak Apple released iOS 16.3.1 with minor changes last week. However, it packed a boatload of bug fixes and performance enhancements for a stable user experience. Today, the company has seen fit to stop signing iOS 16.3. Apple stops signing firmware to prevent users from downgrading. This way, users can keep up with the latest features and security updates. However, users interested in iPhone jailbreak sometimes need to downgrade to the previous version, iOS 16.3, in this case. If you are unfamiliar, iOS 16.3 and iOS 16.3.1 both support Palera1n jailbreak on iPhone 8 and iPhone X. This is because these iPhone models feature a bootrom exploit which means that Apple can not patch it through a software update. On all newer iPhone models, iOS 16.3 or iOS 16.3.1 can not be jailbroken. Currently, there are no jailbreak tools available for the latest iPhone 14 series. The latest jailbreak was released with support for iOS 16 in December of last year. The jailbreak community is working to bring a working tool to the latest iPhone models. We will keep you guys updated on the latest, so be sure to stick around. As mentioned earlier, average users should not be worried about Apple's decision to stop signing iOS 16.3 update. Moreover, we would recommend you update to the latest iOS 16.3.1 firmware, as it houses a plethora of bug fixes and stability improvements. Apple has also seeded the first beta of iOS 16.4 to developers for testing purposes. This is all there is to it, folks. Are you looking forward to the next big jailbreak release? Let us know in the comments. https://wccftech.com/apple-is-no-longer-signing-ios-16-3-can-you-jailbreak/

Intel will be bringing some exciting new features with its 2nd Generation graphics cards based on the Arc Battlemage GPU architecture. Intel's Battlemage GPU-Powered Arc Graphics Cards To Feature New Tech, Architectural Updates & More During the latest edition of PCWorld's "The Full Nerd" podcast, Intel Arc's spokesperson, Thomas Petersen, or TAP as the industry likes to call him, mentioned the overall journey of their first gen GPU architecture, codenamed Alchemist and what we can expect in the future. Starting off with Intel's Alchemist or 1st Generation of Arc, TAP states that the sales are where the company had expected and that can get even better given the value proposition that Intel's offering such as a recent price drop on the Arc A750 which brought it down to just $249 US. Petersen also mentioned the driver progress that the software and dev team has made over the last couple of months. Not only were they able to do an absolutely great job of fixing some of the major API performance issues in DX9 but also delivered on a vast array of day-0 and day-1 driver releases for the latest AAA games. In fact, the number of those releases has now exceeded what AMD offers and is right on par with NVIDIA which is very impressive. All of this work is definitely going to prove helpful in building the 2nd generation discrete GPU and graphics card lineup known as Arc Battlemage. While Tom can't talk specifics yet, he did state that the bulk of their design team (both architecture and software side) is now working on it and the architecture itself will feature some cool new technologies and most importantly, it will address some of the issues discovered on the architecture-level on Alchemist GPUs. These issues wouldn't have been there if Intel already had a first generation out but now that they do, they can fix those and make Battlemage work even better right off the bat. Obviously, I am not going to disclose new dates for Battlemage or specs but I can say that the bulk of our design team, both on the architecture and software side, are working on it and progress is accelerating and moving along quite quickly. There are some cool new technologies that I want to talk about that I won't but let's just say that Battlemage is our 2nd generation discrete graphics card, it's moving along as expected and the bulk of our team is on it. Emphasis was made on better DX12 scaling, better ray tracing capabilities, and even AI. However, it looks like Intel isn't yet ready to accept NVIDIA's AI-driven Frame Generation technology which they say is unwanted for AI to do that kind of work. That's not to say that Frame Generation isn't better but the approach that the green team took may be unwarranted. AMD made similar comments last week in an interview where David Wang, head of RTG, stated that while NVIDIA's strategy is definitely great, they find that AI can be useful in other places. We should remember that both Intel and NVIDIA particularly use AI hardware on their GPUs for upscaling techniques such as XeSS and DLSS. AMD's FSR 3 is to come out last this year but so far the company hasn't detailed much about it besides stating a 2x performance gain over FSR 2. FG (Frame Generation) through AI is a completely different topic and if Intel and AMD were to enable it on their GPUs, it will be interesting to see what approach they take. Is Battlemage going to be better? I absolutely expect so, it's a new technology, it's a new architecture, we fixed some known bugs, let's call it architecture bugs (things), that had we already had our first generation we wouldn't have done. Think about how much we have learned this generation and all of that has been pushed into Battlemage so you'll see better scaling on DX12, better ray tracing, things that you'd expect us to do as we move forward on a discrete cadence. https://wccftech.com/intel-confirms-battlemage-2nd-gen-arc-discrete-graphics-cards-to-feature-cool-new-technologies-architectural-fixes-bulk-of-team-working-on-it/

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Rabat - Despite a decline among younger generations, smoking remains prominent across Morocco, with recent studies showing that nearly a quarter of men in the country are regular smokers. The economic and health cost of tobacco have been well-documented for decades. Lung cancer is the most well-known side effect of smoking, but its economic cost and manufacturing circumstances have also come under the spotlight lately. There remains one major issue, however, that despite efforts remains endemic according to many in the country: secondhand smoke. Moroccan outlet TelQuel reported earlier this month on a law proposal making its way through the country’s legislative branch to crack down further on the practice, but many are left wondering if any stricter rules could be enforced. Effects on non-smokers “There is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke (SHS); even brief exposure can cause immediate harm,” the site of the US Center for Disease Control (CDC) says, leaving no room for question over the effect of tobacco on non-smokers. Tobacco smoke contains over 4,000 known chemicals, including at least 40 that have been shown to cause cancer among other fatal diseases. The exposure to these chemicals in the form of smoke from cigarettes’ burning tips or the smoke exhaled by nearby smokers can cause immediate harm to the body, studies have shown, with some cases seeing inflammatory and respiratory effects within an hour of exposure. The World Health Organization estimated in 2020 that over 1 billion smokers worldwide had contributed to the deaths of nearly 900,000 non-smokers through secondhand smoke-related effects. Indeed, the effects can be devastating. Inhaling cigarette smoke has been linked to heart disease and lung cancer among non-smokers, causing tens of thousands of premature deaths every year. Non-smoking adults who are exposed to cigarette smoke can increase their risk of having a stroke by 20 to 30%, the CDC estimates. But while lung cancer and heart disease are the most well-known consequences, the practice carries consequences to another significant and highly vulnerable population: women and children. Smoking among women is seemingly no longer a rare sight and smoking among middle school and high school aged children remains a major public health concern, but those two demographics are still vastly surpassed by adult men in tobacco consumption. A 2022 report by Sunergia showed that only 1% of Morocco’s female population are smokers, for example. But pregnant women exposed to second-hand smoke can expect an increased likelihood of lower birth weight as well as health and birth complications. Children can also develop severe asthma, ear infections, and stunted lung growth if exposed to secondhand smoke, most notably from smoking parents. Perhaps most devastatingly, smoking around infants can heighten the risk of sudden infant death syndrome: the sudden unexplained death of an infant in the first year of life. Laws in place With all these effects in mind, it would be safe to assume that Morocco has laws in place not only to limit the practice of smoking in general, but to specifically protect non-smokers. Indeed, law 15-91 was enacted in 1995, and hoped to crack down on smoking in public spaces as well as setting guidelines for how tobacco products can be marketed and presented. Alongside forcing manufacturers to include health disclaimers on their packets and banning advertisements for tobacco products, the law outlined a number of public spaces where smoking would be prohibited. These included public administrative offices for both public and private institutions, hospitals and all other health-providing institutions, and public transport with the exception of dedicated smoking areas. It also prohibited smoking in theaters, cinemas, and other entertainment spaces, as well as conference halls and classrooms in educational institutes. Article 5 of the law adds that the government can decide to ban smoking in other public spaces as it sees fit in the interest of public health. Indeed, 2008 saw Morocco’s parliament unanimously approve the banning of smoking in establishments like coffee shops and restaurants. Article 11 adds that violators of the public smoking bans would be subject to fines of 10 to 50 dirhams. The problem? A lack of enforcement and insufficient punishments, anti-smoking advocates say. Critics say that several of the 1995 law’s articles are not enforced, and have criticized what they see as a lack of political will to deal with the problem. The WHO’s 2021 tobacco profile on Morocco, for instance, classifies the country’s efforts to create smoke-free environments and cessation programs as only “minimal.” Additionally, it finds that the affordability of cigarettes had not changed since 2010, and that WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control had not been ratified in the country despite being signed in 2004. https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2023/01/353773/can-morocco-crack-down-on-smoking-in-public

Rabat - Morocco’s fisheries exports reached 883,000 tons, with a record value of MAD 28 billion ($2.7 billion) at the end of 2022. Fisheries exports rose by an annual average of 13% in volume and 16% in value at the end of 2022, according to Zakia Driouich, Secretary General of the Ministry of Agriculture, Maritime Fisheries, Rural Development, and Water and Forests. Speaking in an interview with Morocco’s state-owned media MAP, Driouich explained that the increase mainly concerned canned sardines that recorded an annual growth of 9% in volume. Other fisheries products that saw a significant increase include frozen sardines, with an export volume increase of 43%, and fishmeal and oil, with a 36% increase. The increase in the volume of exports was the direct result of increasing demand abroad on Morocco’s fisheries products. Demand for canned sardines rose by 33%, while demand for frozen sardines increased by 71%, and 93% for fishmeal and fish oil. Commenting on the positive results, Driouich insisted that “the diversity of the food industry of Morocco has enabled the country to occupy a place of the first rank in world trade in fisheries products.” Morocco is currently the world’s largest exporter of canned sardines and semi-preserved anchovies and is among the world’s largest exporting countries of octopus. The kingdom’s base of clients in the fisheries market includes 130 countries, the official specified. “Our main markets are the EU with 58%, Africa with 15%, Europe outside the EU with 9%, America with 9%, and Asia with 6.5%,” Driouich explained The notable increase in exports is largely thanks to the ministry’s institutional marketing strategy, the official added. Read Also: Morocco, World’s Leading Exporter of Canned Sardines in 2022 © Morocco World News. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, rewritten or redistributed without permission. https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2023/01/353779/moroccos-fisheries-exports-reached-record-2-7-billion-in-2022

Rabat - Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) is reportedly in talks with Chelsea for Morocco's international football player Hakim Ziyech. French sports news outlet L'Equipe reported that "talks" between Chelsea and Paris Saint Germain are "moving quickly." However, the two clubs have not yet reached an agreement. The French news outlet also quoted sources close to Ziyech, suggesting that Manchester United showed interest in signing the Atlas Lion. Fabrizio Romano, an Italian football journalist also tweeted about the news today. "Paris Saint Germain are in advanced negotiations to sign Hakim Ziyech from Chelsea," he said. He added that Ziyech has "already accepted" the offer as the two clubs "are now discussing the final formula for the deal." Ziyech, 29, has made brilliant performances with Morocco's national team during its historic 2022 World Cup run in Qatar. The footballer’s achievements put him under the radar of several international clubs, according to converging reports. On January 20, Spanish sports outlet Marca reported that Chelsea decided to sell Ziyech among other players. The English football club signed Ziyech from Dutch club Ajax back in 2020 for a reported fee of €40 million. The Moroccan forward, however, was not given the chance to show his full potential with the Blues in comparison to what he displayed during the World Cup run with Morocco. Recently, Dutch football legend Ruud Gullit advised Ziyech to move to a different club, such as FC Barcelona. © Morocco World News. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, rewritten or redistributed without permission. https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2023/01/353787/psg-in-talks-with-chelsea-for-morocco-s-hakim-ziyech

The news coming out of Halo developer 343 Industries has not been encouraging lately. A number of high profile names, including Bonnie Ross and Joe Staten, have left, and the studio was reportedly “hit hard” in Microsoft’s recent round of layoffs. Rumors have also circulated that Halo development would largely be handed over to new studios going forward, although new 343 boss Pierre Hintze refuted that. From the outside, it’s hard to assess exactly how bad the situation is at 343, but we do know another longtime member of the studio’s leadership team has left. The awesomely-named Kiki Wolfkill, who was in charge of “Halo Transmedia,” most notably the Halo TV series on Paramount+, has left 343, although she will continue on in a new role at Microsoft. The Halo series has received middling to poor reviews from critics and viewers alike, with many criticizing how it departs from the source material. Despite the clues that things aren’t going well at 343 Industries, Xbox boss Phil Spencer continues to insist that 343 Industries will be “critically important” to the future of Halo. “What we're doing now is we want to make sure that leadership team [at 343 Industries] is set up with the flexibility to build the plan that they need to go build. And Halo will remain critically important to what Xbox is doing, and 343 is critically important to the success of Halo. In terms of support studios and other things, that's just part of development and having other partners help us. But the heart and soul of Halo is with 343 and the team that's there, and I have the utmost confidence in the team that's there and leading and the plan that they have going forward.” In the same interview, Spencer also notably dodged the question when asked if Halo Infinite's previously-promised 10 years of support was still happening. Will some sort of entity known as 343 Industries continue to exist and have a role in future Halo games? Most likely! Will it resemble the 343 that’s existed until now? That’s the question. Halo Infinite can be played on PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. The Halo TV series has been renewed for a second season, but no launch date has been set. https://wccftech.com/halo-tv-series-boss-leaves-343-industries-studio-critically-important-spencer/