Network and Beyond NaB

On Friday, CD Projekt Red Chief Financial Officer Piotr Nielubowicz participated in a live chat with investors on the Polish platform Stockwatch. During the talk, Nielubowicz confirmed that the studio has no plans to implement microtransactions (MXT) in its single-player games while leaving them open for future multiplayer projects. Read Entire Article https://www.techspot.com/news/102457-cd-projekt-cfo-rules-out-microtransactions-single-player.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Signs of life have emerged for Intel's Battlemage high-end graphics cards. A few months ago, YouTube rumor brokers had given it up for dead. These new leaks come from @momomo_us on X, who shared several shipment manifests, including one for Battlemage showing a pair of desktop (Xe2-HPG) graphics cards, one... Read Entire Article https://www.techspot.com/news/102454-new-battlemage-leaks-suggest-intel-hasnt-abandoned-plans.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

The Wall Street Journal reports that Discord will begin in-app advertising within the coming week. The decision abandons the platform's long-time stance against using paid advertisements and promotions. The change is part of the company's plan to boost gaming-related and Nitro subscription revenue. However, as described, the promotions don't sound... Read Entire Article https://www.techspot.com/news/102455-discord-looks-boost-gaming-revenue-ditching-long-time.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Andres Freund, a PostgreSQL developer at Microsoft, was doing some routine micro-benchmarking when we noticed a small 600ms delay with ssh processes, noticing that these were using a surprising amount of CPU even though they should be failing immediately, according to his post on Mastodon. Read Entire Article https://www.techspot.com/news/102456-linux-could-have-brought-down-backdoor-found-widely.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Baikal Electronics, one of Russia's major processor developers, has been struggling in the wake of sanctions imposed by the US and UK governments following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Until then, the company ordered the production of chips, including their packaging, from TSMC. Read Entire Article https://www.techspot.com/news/102453-russia-primary-chip-producer-struggles-meet-demand-defect.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

The Information reports that Microsoft and OpenAI are in the early planning stages for an enormously ambitious new AI supercomputer installation. Unnamed sources state executives peg the budget at $100 billion for the US-based facility, which could house millions of cutting-edge AI chips. Read Entire Article https://www.techspot.com/news/102452-microsoft-openai-massive-100b-targate-supercomputer-could-reshape.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

True to its word, CD Projekt Red has formed a production team of over 400 developers to begin work on The Witcher 4. It promised to do as much in January, adding that it would employ AI in the upcoming game's development. However, co-CEO Adam Badowski said that AI would... Read Entire Article https://www.techspot.com/news/102449-cd-projekt-red-starts-witcher-4-earnest-shifting.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

In a galaxy 800 million light-years away from Earth, there's a supermassive black hole that had remained relatively quiet until December 2020. Back then, astronomers detected a faint burst of "light" in the X-ray portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. The burst occurred at an unusually regular interval, every 8.5 days. Read Entire Article https://www.techspot.com/news/102446-astronomers-discover-why-binary-black-hole-system-has.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Putin made the order following a meeting on the socio-economic development of Kaliningrad. The deadline for the government to come up with the plans is June 15, 2024. Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin has been appointed responsible for overseeing the task. Read Entire Article https://www.techspot.com/news/102440-putin-orders-creation-russian-game-consoles-cloud-delivery.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has revised his projections for Apple's reportedly upcoming 2024 iPad Pro and iPad Air updates, indicating that the Cupertino giant has delayed the new devices to May. The iPad Pro is expected to receive its first-ever OLED screen. Read Entire Article https://www.techspot.com/news/102432-new-ipad-pro-ipad-air-models-reportedly-delayed.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Other amenities include active pixel tuning, a full array LED backlight, DTS:X, three HDMI 2.1 ports, built-in support for Chromecast and AirPlay, and Bluetooth headphone compatibility. A smart voice remote comes included as part of the bundle, but users can optionally reach for their smartphone paired with the Vizio app... Read Entire Article https://www.techspot.com/news/102430-vizio-first-super-sized-tv-86-incher-under.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Apple has reportedly delayed the heavily rumored foldable iPhone again. An unnamed Apple "senior official" told Korean news outlet AlphaBiz that the company has pushed back the release of a foldable device from the fourth quarter of 2026 to the first quarter of 2027. Read Entire Article https://www.techspot.com/news/102433-apple-pushes-back-folding-phone-plans-2027-while.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Dylan Barrie is a game developer and hardware hobbyist. Over the last fourteen years of his career in the game industry, Barrie primarily focused on the software side of graphics rendering. However, he started developing a custom, full-stack GPU four years ago in his spare time. Read Entire Article https://www.techspot.com/news/102431-furygpu-open-source-hardware-gpu-built-scratch.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Xi met Rutte on Wednesday for discussions relating to areas that included the semiconductor industry. "The Chinese people also have legitimate development rights, and no force can stop the pace of China's scientific and technological progress," said Xi, according to Xinhua News Agency. The president added that China will "continue... Read Entire Article https://www.techspot.com/news/102421-china-determined-advance-technology-despite-us-led-restrictions.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

According to researchers from the University of Cambridge, the burn-in effect in OLED panels can be eliminated by controlling the blue light-emitting diodes. In a study published in the journal Nature, the researchers claimed that covalently encapsulating the ultranarrowband blue light emitters in insulating alkylene straps could significantly reduce burn-in... Read Entire Article https://www.techspot.com/news/102410-oled-burn-could-soon-thing-past-thanks-innovative.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

GameStop posted $1.79 billion in revenue for the fourth quarter, short of the expected $2.05 billion and lower than the $2.23 billion the company earned in the same quarter a year earlier. Its adjusted EPS of $0.22 per share also missed the expected gains of $0.30 per share. Read Entire Article https://www.techspot.com/news/102408-gamestop-continues-struggle-face-digital-downloads-cuts-jobs.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Multiple developers at GDC 2024 told Chris Dring from Gamesindustry.biz that they are beginning to reconsider supporting Xbox. The comments, together with prior reports, paint a worsening picture of Microsoft's console strategy. Read Entire Article https://www.techspot.com/news/102406-developers-gdc-think-most-xbox-games-going-multi.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Those vinyl sales mean the format outsold CDs by 6 million units, according to the Recording Industry Association of America. The more expensive vinyl also made a lot more money than CDs: $1.4 billion compared to $537 million. And while CD revenue was up 11.3% YoY, the 37 million units... Read Entire Article https://www.techspot.com/news/102407-vinyl-records-outsell-cds-second-consecutive-year.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

A Ferguson, Missouri family is suing the St. Louis County Police after a SWAT team raided and ransacked their home based on information from "Find My," the functionality that helps Apple users find lost or stolen devices. The lawsuit claims that the software lacks the accuracy to pinpoint a device... Read Entire Article https://www.techspot.com/news/102405-apple-find-app-led-missouri-swat-team-raid.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Players of Arrowhead's hit game have been on the edge of their seats since the appearance of mechs and other vehicles earlier this month. Their anticipation hit fever pitch when the official @helldivers2 X account announced the rollout of the new EXO-45 Patriot Exosuit. Read Entire Article https://www.techspot.com/news/102199-helldivers-2-players-liberated-mech-factory-record-time.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

The latest version of VS Code brings many useful updates including voice dictation with multi-language support, multi-cursor inline suggestions, and Copilot suggestions for dev containers. Read Entire Article https://www.techspot.com/downloads/7142-visual-studio-code.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Let's start with the R2, slated to arrive first in the first half of 2026. Although it may be Rivian's new addition, measuring approximately a foot shorter than their existing R1S SUV, it's still a proper full-size vehicle. The R2 will offer a choice between a single, dual, or tri-motor... Read Entire Article https://www.techspot.com/news/102202-rivian-goes-compact-affordable-45k-r2-suv-surprises.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Microsoft's security team earlier this year detected an attack on its systems that had been ongoing since November 2023. The culprits were identified as the Russian cyber-spy group known as Midnight Blizzard, Apt29, Nobelium, or Cozy Bear. Microsoft initially downplayed the damage to its corporate networks. Read Entire Article https://www.techspot.com/news/102193-midnight-blizzard-russian-hackers-compromised-microsoft-source-code.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Under the hood is a six-cell 53 Wh battery that's reportedly good for up to two hours of full-bore use. Read Entire Article https://www.techspot.com/news/102194-msi-claw-handheld-gaming-pc-ready-battle-steam.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

In 2022, when Wordle was at the height of its popularity, The New York Times bought the game for a low seven-figure sum. The newspaper fully moved Wordle over to its website a couple of weeks later. It remains free to play, but it's recommended that users create a NYT... Read Entire Article https://www.techspot.com/news/102188-new-york-times-clamps-down-wordle-imitators-dmca.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

First up is an update to Discord Quests, which enables users to earn in-game items like skins and other cosmetics by streaming their game footage during calls. The company has been experimenting with Quests over the past year, and one of the more popular events during the period was the... Read Entire Article https://www.techspot.com/news/102186-discord-claims-more-than-200-million-monthly-active.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Vulkangruppe Tesla Abschalten, aka Vulcan Group or Volcano Group, said in a statement that it wanted to inflict the largest possible blackout on the Gigafactory. The activists said the attack was carried out because of the environmental impact Tesla has on the planet and its reputation for extreme workplace conditions. Read Entire Article https://www.techspot.com/news/102183-tesla-berlin-gigafactory-without-power-another-week-following.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

The team's liquid battery uses standard water with a few added salts in place of traditional electrolytic fluid like sulfuric acid or lithium salt to enable the flow of current between the positive and negative ends of the battery. It also uses bismuth metal as a coating for the zinc... Read Entire Article https://www.techspot.com/news/102176-eco-friendly-water-batteries-cheaper-safer-than-lithium.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

The new M3-poweredMacBook Airs deliver improved battery life, increased processing power and support for two external monitors. However, there's not enough to justify switching from the M2 models. Read Entire Article https://www.techspot.com/products/laptops/apple-macbook-air-13-m3.292224/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Worldcoin's system uses orbs, which bring to mind The Lord of the Rings' Palantír crystal balls, packed with iris-scanning technology to establish an individual's identity. The company says they're designed to tell the difference between humans and robots, something that is becoming more difficult in the age of advanced AI.... Read Entire Article https://www.techspot.com/news/102167-sam-altman-iris-scanning-worldcoin-crypto-project-has.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Called Writeable, the new ChatGPT-powered tool is designed to help teachers in grades 3-12 evaluate student papers, writes Axios. The website promises that Writeable will save grading time and offer suggestions for specific areas of improvement. Teachers are supposed to review the comments produced by the AI before handing them... Read Entire Article https://www.techspot.com/news/102163-first-students-now-teachers-educators-using-chatgpt-grade.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Gone are the days when the sole function for a graphics chip were, graphics. Let's explore how the GPU evolved from a modest pixel pusher into a blazing powerhouse of floating-point computation. Read Entire Article https://www.techspot.com/article/2702-gpu-compute-ai/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Chatbots and generative AI services have brought an undeniable revolution to the content business, and traditional search engines are poised to suffer the consequences. Machine learning and trained AI algorithms can potentially generate an infinite amount of fake blog posts, articles, and reviews with very little aid from human writers... Read Entire Article https://www.techspot.com/news/102155-google-updates-search-fight-low-quality-spammy-content.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

As Puget's systems are aimed at high-end workflows for content creation, engineering, and scientific computing, its sales are weighted more toward workstations, though it still sells PCs with client processors, which it defines as AMD Ryzen and Intel Core CPUs. Read Entire Article https://www.techspot.com/news/102156-puget-systems-2023-review-intel-dominated-client-space.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

The information comes from prolific tipster Golden Pig Upgrade (via @Olrak29_), who claims that contrary to some recent media reports, Intel's next major CPUs won't be designated as its 15th-generation Core lineup, and will instead be marketed under the "Core Ultra Series 2" branding for both desktop and mobile parts.... Read Entire Article https://www.techspot.com/news/102149-intel-arrow-lake-s-desktop-processors-ditch-lp.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

The Nothing Phone (2a) features a 120Hz OLED screen, good cameras, great battery life, and an affordable price point, making it Nothing's best-value handset yet. Read Entire Article https://www.techspot.com/products/smartphones/nothing-phone-2a.292056/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Recently, scientists developed a sponge created from a waste product of cheesemaking capable of absorbing metals from electronic waste. The study published in the January edition of Advanced Materials notes that the organic material is particularly efficient in sucking up gold, so much so that it can retrieve $50 worth... Read Entire Article https://www.techspot.com/news/102144-scientists-use-dairy-waste-extract-22-carat-gold.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

For six months, Microsoft was aware of a zero-day security vulnerability actively exploited by hackers. The Lazarus cyber-criminal gang had been using the flaw since August 2023 as a means to install a rootkit known as FudModule. Read Entire Article https://www.techspot.com/news/102131-microsoft-left-kernel-level-zero-day-bug-windows.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Around 20 years ago the original Star Wars trilogy was first broadcast on television in Chile. But there was something distinctly different about these movies: they featured beer advertisements inserted directly into the films. Read Entire Article https://www.techspot.com/news/102132-chilean-tv-once-inserted-beer-ads-directly-star.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

AMD has confirmed that it's developing a method to play games with AI-based image upscaling. Although further details are scarce, this could potentially bring the company's solution closer to Nvidia's. In an interview on the No Priors podcast, CTO Mark Papermaster explained how AMD has deployed AI acceleration throughout its... Read Entire Article https://www.techspot.com/news/102126-amd-introduce-ai-based-upscaling-potentially-matching-dlss.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

PowerToys 0.79 introduces a new Keyboard Manager that allows you to create your own keyboard shortcuts to open applications, URLs, and more. Read Entire Article https://www.techspot.com/downloads/7185-microsoft-powertoys.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

The European Commission fined Apple nearly €1.8 billion ($1.92 billion) over its rule that forbade music streaming apps from informing users of subscription options outside the company's platform. Spotify, the case's lead claimant, praised the decision, while Cupertino vowed to appeal it. Read Entire Article https://www.techspot.com/news/102122-european-commission-fines-apple-almost-2-billion-over.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

A new project shared on KittenLabs describes a real gaming router – a networking device that has been hacked and programmed to run a specific game with a bit of help from external GPU, an AMD Radeon connected via PCIe. The router in question is a TP-Link TL-WDR4900, and the... Read Entire Article https://www.techspot.com/news/102119-hardware-hackers-manage-run-gta-vice-city-wireless.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

M3 additionally features a faster and more efficient 16-core Neural Engine that, when paired with accelerators in the GPU and GPU, can boost on-device machine learning. Read Entire Article https://www.techspot.com/news/102120-apple-rolls-out-13-15-inch-macbook-air.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

February's Steam survey bucks a few of the trends we've seen over the last few months. Windows 11 has been gaining ground on Windows 10 for a while now, reaching an all-time-high user share of 44.2% in January as Windows 10 dropped to 51.4%. Read Entire Article https://www.techspot.com/news/102114-windows-10-sees-resurgence-latest-steam-survey-english.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Let us introduce you to 20 hidden indie gems you haven't heard of, but fully deserve your attention. These are all impressive games that never got the chance to dance under the bright lights. Read Entire Article https://www.techspot.com/article/2809-indie-game-hidden-gems/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

More than five years after shareholder Richard Tornetta filed suit against Tesla over claims it breached its fiduciary duty by unjustly enriching its CEO to the tune of $56 billion, a Delaware judge voided Musk's pay package in January. Read Entire Article https://www.techspot.com/news/102112-lawyers-who-stopped-elon-musk-excessive-56-billion.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

The team at Arrowhead Game Studios struck gold when they released Helldivers 2, and for good reason: they released a fantastic game reminding us all that gaming is supposed to be fun. While titles like Call of Duty continue to focus more on selling skins and less on player experience... Read Entire Article https://www.techspot.com/news/102110-mechs-recon-vehicles-armored-personnel-carriers-popping-up.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

WhatsApp has won a major legal victory in a US court over the Israeli company NSO Group, which makes a highly sophisticated cyber weapon called Pegasus. US District Judge Phyllis Hamilton has ordered NSO Group to hand over its code for Pegasus and other spyware products to WhatsApp – something... Read Entire Article https://www.techspot.com/news/102109-whatsapp-scores-major-legal-victory-over-pegasus-spyware.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

At 6:23 p.m. ET on February 22, 2024, the Odysseus lander became the first non-governmental US craft to make a successful soft landing on the moon. Built by Texas-based Intuitive Machines, Odysseus was meant to operate on the lunar surface for around seven to ten days, but after a little... Read Entire Article https://www.techspot.com/news/102107-goodnight-odie-odysseus-lander-historic-moon-mission-comes.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger