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Microsoft seems interested in an Xbox handheld, but will it commit?
Key members of Xbox's senior leadership team are apparently quite interested in an Xbox handheld, but will corporate greenlight more potentially risky hardware?. Hardware is not Xbox's strong suit. Unlike other members of the Big 3 (Sony and Nintendo), Xbox does not sell its consoles at a profit. In fact, Microsoft has never sold an Xbox at a profit. The company loses up to an estimated $200 per Xbox Series X sold. Yet Microsoft is still making Xbox consoles because they are critical pathways into its $18.5 billion content and services market--the new Xbox Series X/S duo coming this holiday attest to this, especially with their new higher price tags that help offset the losses.
Xbox faces 'challenging' revenue and profit targets following $70 billion Activision buyout
Following the largest acquisition in the history of the tech industry, Microsoft's corporate leaders have lofty expectations for Xbox's earnings performance. In 2023, Microsoft acquired games powerhouse Activision Blizzard King for $70 billion, adding thousands of employees and 8x new billion-dollar IPs to the Xbox brand. This buyout was a major win for Xbox, adding tons of long-term value through mega-hit games like Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, and Candy Crush. The acquisition also came with lots of responsibility for the games division at a time when Xbox was already being pressured to grow in an industry that appeared to be doing anything but.
GIGABYTE AORUS 16X (2024 Edition) Gaming Laptop Review
The AORUS 16X balances cost with a high performance system that has everything a mid-range gaming laptop needs!. - Limited VRAM on RTX 4070 (8GB) The 16X is part of GIGABYTE's lineup of AORUS gaming laptops, living as the standalone entry-level offering to the big brother, the 17X. That's not to say it doesn't pack some serious hardware, though, because this Intel 14th Gen offering takes advantage of the more powerful Raptor Lake SKUs over more recent offerings from vendors using the Meteor Lake Core Ultra 100 series. Adding to this, GIGABYTE has opted to outfit this 16" platform with a 1600p display with a fantastic 165Hz refresh rate complete with both Dolby Vision and NVIDIA GSync technologies and to button it up GeForce RTX 4000 series graphics.
Samsung PM9E1 Gen5 SSD begins mass production: its fastest SSD so far, at 14.5GB/sec reads
Samsung has announced it has started mass production of its new PM9E1: a new Gen5 SSD with the industry's highest performance and largest capacity. The company is using a Gen5 SSD controller that's made on its in-house 5nm process node, using 8th-generation V-NAND (V8) technology. Samsung says its new PM9E1 will provide "powerful performance and enhanced power efficiency, making it an optimal solution for on-device AI PCs".
The two PlayStation 6 rumors: one is the PS6 console, one is the new PS6 portable console
Sony has reportedly got two different PlayStation 6 SoCs in development right now, both are being provided by AMD and made by TSMC, with one of them being for the next-gen PlayStation 6 (PS6) console, and the other for a PS6-style handheld. In a post on the NeoGAF forums, leaker...
The next Battlefield: back to basics, possible return of Community Test Environment (CTE)
The new Battlefield will recapture the feel of Battlefield 3 and Battelfield 4: modern setting, teased return of Community Test Environment (CTE). EA is cooking up its next-generation Battlefield game that we're all slowly getting hyped for, with ex-Infinity Ward and Apex Legends boss Vince Zampella heading up the Battlefield team for EA... and man, we're hearing some cool things like the return of the Community Test Environment (CTE) in the new Battlefield.
Nintendo Switch 2 rumors: AMD bid 'hard' against NVIDIA to be inside Switch 2, got PS6 instead
Nintendo's next-generation Switch 2 is expected to be unveiled next week, joining the party of Sony's just-announced higher-end PlayStation 5 Pro console. But now we're learning AMD bid "hard" against NVIDIA to win the Switch 2 contract, and lost... but AMD also won the PlayStation 6 contract, so there's that.
AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 APU teased: 16C/32T of Zen 5, monster 40 RDNA 3.5 GPU, up to 96GB RAM
AMD only just released its Ryzen AI 300 series "Strix Point" APUs, but with a heavily beefed-up "Strix Halo" teased in the rumor mill for months now... but now we're hearing about a new Ryzen AI Max naming scheme for Strix Halo. The company is reportedly working on new Strix...
TikTok parent company ByteDance to have 2 custom AI chips made on TSMC 5nm process in 2026
TikTok parent company ByteDance is developing not one but two new AI GPUs that are reportedly being made on TSMC 5nm process node, and will enter mass production in 2026. The information is coming from The Information, where according to their sources ByteDance will reduce its reliance on NVIDIA for its AI hardware, all the while staying in the lines of US export regulations. ByteDance's new AI GPUs are in the design phase, with one of them being for AI training and the other for AI inference.
Danny Boyle shot 28 Years Later on an iPhone 15 Pro Max: the biggest film ever shot on a phone
Oscar-winning director Danny Boyle has shot his latest movie -- 28 Years Later -- on Apple's older-gen iPhone 15 Pro Max smartphone with some attachments. In a new report from WIRED, we're learning that the $75 million Hollywood sequel was filled on smartphones, with Boyle starting out his directing duties with 28 Days Later back in 2002 which saw the introduction of Cillian Murphy (his latest movie was Oppenheimer) and it was shot on a regular Canon XL-1 camera worth $4000.
Sony announces PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 5 Pro '30th Anniversary Limited Edition' bundles
Sony has just announced its new PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 5 Pro "30th Anniversary Limited Edition Bundle" which have some wicked original PlayStation styling throughout the console, controller, and peripherals. The company is celebrating 30 years since the launch of the original PlayStation, and I remember it fondly: we went...
Maybe Microsoft is listening: It looks like ads could get easier to turn off in Windows 11
Windows 11 has become rather notorious for Microsoft jamming in adverts - or 'recommendations' of one sort of another - pretty much everywhere in the interface, but the company's latest move on the ad front looks to be a positive one. Windows Latest noticed a recent change in test builds...
Synology DiskStation DS423+ Home NAS Review
A bit pricey, Synology's DiskStation DS423+ NAS looks to shrug off its price tag with a solid user experience with DSM and performance perfect for an entry-level homelab. + NVMe Cache x 2 (Read/Write) + Upgradable memory (DDR4 SO-DIMM) Cons. - 1Gbe Ethernet. - Expensive. Should you buy it?. AvoidConsiderShortlistBuy.
Ausom electric scooters take off-road cruising to a whole new level of comfort
Ausom is one of the leading manufacturers when it comes to electric scooters and the company is proud to showcase three offerings, the Gallop SR1, and the Leopard DT1 Pro and DT1. If you are interested in these, Ausom is offering $50 off to TweakTown readers when using code Tweak918 at check out.
Apple secretly pulls iOS 18 after updated iPads become bricked
Apple rolled out its new iOS 18 update, and unfortunately, some users downloading the iPad version are reporting that the update is bricking their device. iOS 18 hit every iPhone 14 and above on Monday, along with iPadOS 18, and it appears that Apple made some mistakes with its development of iPadOS 18. Shortly after the release of the iPad update users began taking to Reddit to report their iPad became unresponsive mid-update, leading to it shutting down and not turning back on. Another Reddit user reported their iPad was "completely bricked" after downloading the new update.
ZOTAC is selling its GeForce RTX 4070 with GDDR6 for $10 less than the GDDR6X variant
Recently, NVIDIA quietly announced that it was changing the design of the popular GeForce RTX 4070 graphics cards, switching from GDDR6X memory to the more readily available GDDR6 memory. The change was made due to a GDDR6X shortage, with NVIDIA noting that the update or revision would deliver 'similar performance' to the existing GDDR6X models.
Logitech G A50 5th Gen headset is a more affordable HDMI-free version of the flagship A50 X
When we reviewed the Logitech G ASTRO A50 X wireless gaming headset, it was a revelation regarding sound quality, broadcast-quality microphone, and comfort. However, upgrading the base station to turn it into an HDMI switcher for PC and console gaming raised the price tag accordingly. Well, for those wanting an...
Logitech G915 X announced, the company's flagship low-profile gaming keyboard returns
With a height of just 23mm, the new Logitech G915X Gaming Keyboard is the company's thinnest low-profile gaming keyboard to date - and a successor to the original and popular G915. Logitech describes the new G915X as a flagship, built from premium components and materials, including a "completely redesigned galvanic switch."
Microsoft rolls out update ahead of pulling the plug on world's most-popular operating system
Microsoft is scheduled to end support for Windows 10 in October 2025, but before the world's most popular operating system reaches its end of life, Redmond has rolled out a new update that addresses changes related to the European Digital Markets Act (DMA). One of the ways Microsoft intends to...
US government to fine SpaceX more than half a million over safety breaches
A US government regulatory body has issued a proposal to fine Elon Musk's SpaceX more than half a million dollars for safety violations. The regulator is, unsurprisingly, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the regulatory body that investigates and ultimately grants licenses for flight within US airspace. The FAA has been investigating SpaceX after every launch of its Starship launch vehicle, the world's largest and most powerful rocket.
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