Intel says game optimization remains a key factor for hybrid CPUs

Intel says gaming performance gaps are not always caused by CPU hardware. In an interview with PC Games Hardware, Robert Hallock argued that software optimization now plays a larger role in gaming performance than many PC users assume. The comments were made in the context of Intel’s hybrid CPU design, where some users still disable E-cores to improve game performance.

Hallock said Intel has seen cases where reviewers reported higher performance with E-cores disabled. However, he

We are Xbox: Project Helix listed as priority for Xbox hardware efforts

Microsoft has published a manifesto titled “We Are Xbox”. The company lists its hardware priorities as “ Deliver Project Helix to lead in performance and play your console and PC games.”

Helix, which is still a working name for the new Xbox console, now sits at the center of the company’s hardware priorities. I guess that means any potential handheld plans are not a priority? Anyway, the Helix message appeared in a strategy message signed

Asha Sharma wants gaming to return to the Xbox name

Microsoft is reportedly dropping the Microsoft Gaming name and returning to Xbox as the identity for its gaming division. According to The Verge, Xbox CEO Asha Sharma told employees during an internal town hall that “Xbox needs to be our identity,” ending a brand name Microsoft introduced in 2022 around the Activision Blizzard deal.

Sources familiar with the meeting tell me that Sharma announced that Microsoft is returning to using Xbox for its gaming division, instead of Microsoft Gaming.

Valve rolls out Steam Deck performance charts in Steamworks beta

Valve has added new Steam Deck reporting tools to the Steamworks partner dashboard. Developers with games that already received a Steam Deck verification report and carry a Verified label can now see average framerate data and user survey results in beta.

The framerate section shows a trailing 30-day daily average based on opted-in users who allowed performance data collection and logged playtime in the game. Valve also says it plans to add variance data later, so developers can see whether performance

Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced official details confirm July 9 launch, 4K60 targets on RTX 4090

Ubisoft has officially revealed Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced, a full remake of the 2013 game , launching on July 9 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC through Ubisoft Store, Steam, and Epic Games Store. Ubisoft says the remake was rebuilt on the latest version of its Anvil engine and will also be available on Steam Deck and cloud platforms

RTX 4090 Founders Edition at repair shop, surprisingly not with melted connector

© northwestrepair

A new repair video from northwestrepair shows an unusual GeForce RTX 4090 Founders Edition case that ended with a working card. The repair starts like a typical no-post diagnostic, with checks for shorts, connector damage, rail voltages, PCIe detection logic, thermal behavior, and eventually a full GPU reball. None of those steps fixed the card.

According to the video, the fault was traced to a small chip

Samsung Display’s QD-OLED panels received UL Solutions verification for Samsung’s ‘QuantumView’ viewing-angle claim

© SAMSUNG

Samsung Display says its QD-OLED panels for TVs and monitors have received UL Solutions verification under the company’s new “ QuantumView ” viewing-angle program. To be precise, this isn’t the name of UL certification, but a verification for something Samsung came up with. It covers Samsung Display’s full QD-OLED lineup and focuses on how luminance and color coordinates change

NVIDIA updates GeForce NOW with Game Pass and Ubisoft+ library labels

NVIDIA has published this week’s GeForce NOW update, confirming that new in-app labels for Xbox Game Pass and Ubisoft+ titles are now live. The company says the feature was first shown at GDC, and it now appears directly on game detail pages once accounts are connected.

Intel Z970 moving into mainstream segment

Likely to compete with AMD’s next-gen B950 boards.

Intel’s Z970 chipset may end up covering a much larger part of the Nova Lake-S desktop market than expected. According to leaker Jaykihn, Z970 is set to replace most of the segment currently covered by B860, while B960 is still planned as a lower-