Access to Siri can be lifesaving, especially when the user is otherwise incapacitated, like a Florida stroke victim that used the assistant to call for help after crawling for days.


Daniel Vallaire, a resident of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, said that he suffered a stroke in July 2024 that left him drifting in and out of consciousness, unable to call an ambulance. Help ended up arriving only thanks to the iPhone's "Hey Siri" feature.

As noted by 9to5mac, it was Siri, Apple's digital assistant, that helped save his life, proving to be an unexpected lifeline for the Florida resident. "It's the closest I've ever been to dying," Vallaire said. The 70-year-old collapsed in his bathroom and spent two days crawling to the living room to reach his phone, all the while fighting for his life.


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Apple has released updates with security fixes for its operating systems, bringing them up to iOS 18.3.1, iPadOS 18.3.1, watchOS 11.3.1, macOS Sequoia 15.3.1, and visionOS 2.3.1.


While the main attention is on the major updates to Apple's operating systems, it also introduces minor point releases from time to time. On Monday, Apple did just that.

As a point release, there is relatively little expectation of major feature changes, but they tend to include performance improvements. Indeed, the notes for the iOS 18.3.1 update says it includes "important bug fixes and security updates," which Apple claims is "recommended for all users."


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Intel Arrow Lake-H Powered MSI Prestige 16 AI Evo: Starting At $1,299.00 An MSI Prestige 16 AI Evo 16-inch laptop with Intel's Arrow Lake-H Core Ultra 9 285H platform was our test vehicle for this performance review, and we came away impressed by its strong CPU performance, excellent GPU performance and respectable battery life. Excellent...

Sony made the decision to drop PSN account requirements for its PC games at the right time, as over the weekend, the PlayStation Network suffered a major outage. Sony claimed an ‘operational error' was to blame for the network going down. As a result of the outage, the Monster Hunter Wilds beta is now being extended. 

The Monster Hunter Wilds beta test was impacted over the weekend due to PSN going down, resulting in players not being able to load up the game. Due to this, Capcom has now confirmed that it will extend the beta test by an extra day, giving players some extra time to jump in and test things out before the game fully launches later this month.

Aside from the current open beta, Capcom has also confirmed plans to hold an additional open beta test later in the month, running from the 13th of February until the 16th. Capcom will then have just under two weeks to finish up development before release.

Monster Hunter Wilds is the next-generation Monster Hunter game, following on from 2018's Monster Hunter World. Monster Hunter Wilds is set to release on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S on the 28th of February.

KitGuru Says: Are you planning on picking up Monster Hunter Wilds later this month? Have you already tried out the beta? 

 

The post Monster Hunter Wilds beta extended due to PSN outage first appeared on KitGuru.

Hot on the heels of Acer's laptop announcements at CES, the company is now launching its all-new Predator Helios Neo 16 and Neo 18 gaming laptops. Powered by Intel Core Ultra CPUs and RTX 50 graphics, these laptops aim to deliver high-end gaming on-the-go, as well as plenty of horsepower for AI tasks. 

In addition to the powerful CPU and GPU combination, the Predator Helios Neo AI laptops showcase impressive display options. The 16-inch model offers up to an OLED panel option, while the 18-inch version features a Mini LED display. Both are equipped with 5th Gen AeroBlade 3D fans, ensuring smooth performance and advanced cooling under any task or challenge.

You can see the full specs for both laptops in the tables below:

Name	Predator Helios Neo 16 AI
Model	PHN16-73
Operating System	Windows 11 Home
Screen	16-inch OLED + WQXGA (2560×1600), 240 Hz, 400 nits, DCI-P3 100%, 1 ms response time, NVIDIA Advanced Optimus 16-inch WQXGA (2560×1600), 240 Hz, 500 nits, DCI-P3 100%, 3 ms response time, NVIDIA Advanced Optimus 16-inch WQXGA (2560×1600), 180 Hz, 400 nits, sRGB 100%, 3 ms response time, NVIDIA Advanced Optimus 16-inch WQXGA (1920×1200), 180 Hz, 400 nits, sRGB 100%, 3 ms response time, NVIDIA Advanced Optimus
Processor	Intel® Core Ultra 9 processor 275HX Intel® Core Ultra 7 processor 255HX
Graphics	NVIDIA® GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Laptop GPU NVIDIA® GeForce RTX 5070 Laptop GPU
Memory	Up to 64 GB DDR5 system memory, 6400 Hz
Storage	Up to 2 TB, PCIe Gen 4 SSD, SSD slots: 2
Cooling	5th Gen AeroBlade 3D Fans, liquid metal thermal grease, vector heat pipes
Dimensions	356.78 x 275.5 x 13.47/26.75 mm
Weight	2.7 kg
Battery	90 Whr
Wi-Fi  and Connectivity	Wi-Fi 6E 1675i, Bluetooth 5.4 or above, Intel Killer Ethernet E3100G, Thunderbolt 4 Type-C, USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C, dual USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A, USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, HDMI 2.1, microSD Card reader, 3.5 mm combo audio jack
Features	Predator Sense 5.0/ Experience Zone 2.0, Acer PurifiedView 2.0, Acer PurifiedVoice 2.0, Acer ProCam, Copilot, PC Game Pass (3 months)
Audio	DTS® X:Ultra, 2 speakers
Camera	FHD (1920×1080) IR camera

 

Name	Predator Helios Neo 18 AI
Model	PHN18-72
Operating System	Windows 11 Home
Screen	18-inch Mini LED + WQXGA (2560×1600), 250 Hz, DCI-P3 100%, 3 ms response time, NVIDIA Advanced Optimus 18-inch LED, WQXGA (2560×1600), 240 Hz, 500 nits, DCI-P3 100%, 3 ms response time, NVIDIA Advanced Optimus 18-inch LED, WQXGA (2560×1600), 165 Hz, 300 nits, DCI-P3 100%, 3 ms response time, NVIDIA Advanced Optimus 18-inch LED, WUXGA (1920×1200), 165 Hz, 300 nits, sRGB 100%, 3 ms response time, NVIDIA Advanced Optimus
Processor	Intel® Core Ultra 9 processor 275HX Intel® Core Ultra 7 processor 255HX
Graphics	NVIDIA® GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Laptop GPU NVIDIA® GeForce RTX 5070 Laptop GPU
Memory	Up to 64 GB DDR5 system memory, 6400 Hz
Storage	Up to 2 TB, PCIe Gen 4 SSD, SSD slots: 2
Cooling	5th Gen AeroBlade 3D Fans, liquid metal thermal grease, vector heat pipes
Dimensions	400.96 x 307.9 x 14.9/28 mm
Weight	3.3 kg
Battery	90 Whr
Wi-Fi  and Connectivity	Wi-Fi 6E 1675i, Intel Killer E3100, Bluetooth 5.3 or above, Intel Killer Ethernet E3100G, Thunderbolt 4 Type-C, USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C, dual USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A, dual USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, HDMI 2.1, microSD Card reader, 3.5 mm combo audio jack
Features	Predator Sense 5.0/ Experience Zone 2.0, Acer PurifiedView 2.0, Acer PurifiedVoice 2.0, Acer ProCam, Copilot, PC Game Pass (3 months)
Audio	DTS® X:Ultra, 2 speakers
Camera	FHD (1920×1080) IR camera

The Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 AI will be available in the US in April and Europe in May, starting at €1699. The bigger Predator Helios Neo 18 AI will be available in the US in May and Europe in June, with prices starting at €1799. Those picking one up will get a complimentary three months of Xbox Game Pass for PC, which includes the full Game Pass library, as well as access to EA Play titles.

KitGuru Says: What do you all think of the latest laptops from Acer? Are you thinking of making the jump to a new-gen RTX 50 laptop this year? 

The post Acer’s powerful Predator Helios AI laptops are launching soon first appeared on KitGuru.

While Epic Games is technically an independent studio, it does have several huge investors. Disney is perhaps the biggest amongst them. After investing $1.5 billon in the company last year, Disney and Epic Games began work on a new collaborative project. Now, it seems that project might be closer to a full reveal than expected. 

Last year, Disney acquired a minority stake in Epic Games for $1.5 billion. As you might expect, Disney is looking to leverage its new partnership with Epic to further advertise its own IP, including properties like Star Wars and Marvel, to more traditional Disney and Pixar IP. This won't just be a string of limited-time Fortnite events though, instead, Disney and Epic are building a new “persistent universe”.

We still know very little about this new game, but recently, the project reportedly moved into ‘Stable' status, meaning there is a stable, running build of the game behind the scenes and the developers have likely reached several key milestones for the project already. This news came exactly one year after Disney and Epic Games announced their new partnership.

Disney and Epic Games already have a good relationship, with many Disney IP appearing in Epic's flagship game, Fortnite, for limited periods of time. This new ‘persistent universe' will be separate from Fortnite and those limited-time events, although Disney's metaverse will likely have some limited time events all of its own, designed to draw players in regularly throughout the year.

KitGuru Says: Perhaps we'll be getting more official news on this later in the year. So far, it seems that Epic Games is making good progress. 

The post Disney and Epic Games’ collaborative game hits major milestone first appeared on KitGuru.

Civilization 7 hasn't got off to the greatest start on Steam, with mixed reviews flooding the store page due to poor UI design choices and other issues. Firaxis is already gathering feedback to get the game into shape for long-time fans of the series on PC. However, the team is also hard at work on something unexpected – a VR version of the game. 

While table-top style strategy games are well suited to VR, we haven't seen many major RTS or strategy titles really embracing the technology. That changes this year with Civilization 7 VR. Firaxis is bringing the complete game as we know it on PC to the Meta Quest platform.

As we can see from the trailer, players will be hovering above the map, looking down on everything happening in the game. They will be able to get up close, position units, build out their cities and direct troops.

Civilization 7 VR will be exclusive to the Meta Quest 3 and Quest 3S headsets, with plans to launch ‘this Spring'. Whether or not the VR version eventually makes its way over to SteamVR still remains to be seen.

KitGuru Says: Do you think Civ will be a success in VR? The way I see it, Civ games are often quite slow and include a lot of downtime if you are in multiplayer, making it an ideal game for a dual-screen PC set-up, but not so ideal for VR. 

The post Civilization 7 is heading to VR first appeared on KitGuru.

Reputable leaker Jaykihn has revealed the full specifications for Intel's upcoming Panther Lake and Wildcat Lake series. Both are expected to launch as part of the Core Ultra 300 series later this year.

Jaykihn's leak corroborates previous indications from Linux patches that Panther Lake is destined exclusively for mobile platforms. Interestingly, only three Panther Lake variants are detailed in this leak, down from the four previously rumoured. Something worth pointing out is the core configuration: up to 16 cores, comprised of 4x P-cores, 8x E-Cores, and 4x LP-cores. The low-power core configuration seems consistent across all Panther Lake variants, including the mainstream series known as Wildcat Lake, which is also detailed in the leak.

For laptop gamers, the most interesting option should be the 4P+8E+4LP+4Xe3 configuration. While this variant features significantly fewer GPU cores (three times less) than the top-tier configuration, it compensates with three times the PCIe 5.0 lanes (12), likely catering to discrete GPUs and M.2 SSDs. The Panther Lake variant with 12 Xe3 GPU cores will reportedly have only four PCIe 5.0 lanes but should offer decent graphics performance even if the system doesn't include a discrete GPU.

Jaykihn also sheds light on a third H-series variant, which reportedly has no E-cores, mirroring Lunar Lake's configuration with half the GPU cores (but using the Xe3 architecture). Wildcat Lake, it seems, will be a 6-core part with 2P+4LP cores, 2 Xe3 GPU cores, and up to 6x PCIe 4.0 lanes.

Lastly, NPU performance figures suggest a total platform AI TOPS of 180 for the 12-core iGPU Panther Lake variant and 100 TOPS for the other two. Wildcat Lake, on the other hand, will offer the minimum 40 TOPS required to meet the Windows Copilot+ PC specifications.

KitGuru says: Contrary to what Intel is expected to bring to the desktop segment in 2025, the upcoming laptop products (namely Panther Lake) look much more promising. Besides the possibly better Cougar Cove CPU P-cores, we're reportedly getting better NPUs and 12-core iGPUs with a new architecture.

The post Intel Panther Lake leak claims new CPUs will offer 180 AI TOPS performance first appeared on KitGuru.

Intel's upcoming Nova Lake-S architecture might be even more powerful than previously thought. Rumours suggest a core count of 52, not the initially reported 48. This news arrives alongside whispers of a potential rethink regarding an Arrow Lake Refresh, although details about this are still scarce.

More concrete information is emerging about Nova Lake, the successor to Arrow Lake. Last week's speculation pointed towards four Nova Lake variants targeting desktop, mainstream, and low-power laptop segments. Leaker Jaykihn has corroborated these claims and provided additional insights on the upcoming architecture.

A key feature of the Nova Lake series appears to be the inclusion of low-power (LP) efficient cores. While these LP-Cores are typical of mobile devices, boosting efficiency for background tasks, they haven't yet made their way into desktop designs. According to Jaykihn, the projected core configurations for Nova Lake desktop CPUs are as follows: Nova Lake-SK will pack 52 cores (16P + 32E + 4LP), Nova Lake-HX is expected to feature 28 cores (8P + 16E + 4LP), and Nova Lake-H/S will have 16 cores (4P + 8E + 4LP). Nova Lake-U isn't mentioned regarding having any LP E-cores, so we assume it won't have any for now.

The leaker also “confirmed” that Nova Lake will use Coyote Cove P-Cores and Arctic Wolf E/LP-Cores. Furthermore, Jaykihn corroborates previous rumours of a 144 MB Compute Tile. However, it's crucial to remember that these configurations are still preliminary, and Intel has yet to confirm a Nova Lake tape-out. Therefore, these figures remain theoretical for now.

KitGuru says: Do you think including LP E-cores in desktop platforms will bring any significant advantage over competing products?

The post Intel Nova Lake to include up to four low-power E-cores first appeared on KitGuru.

The right-handed ergonomic A980 Pro Max is DAREU's take on the Basilisk and G502. Equipped with a customized PixArt PAW3950 sensor and capable of both 2.4 GHz wireless and Bluetooth, the 76 g A980 Pro Max features a TFT display, 4000 Hz wireless and 8000 Hz wired polling, and its magnesium main buttons are equipped with Kailh GM 8.0 switches.

Nascar fans can now track live race updates right from their iPhones — Apple's Sports app has just added full support for the series, starting with the highly anticipated Daytona 500.


Apple has rolled out version 2.5 of its Sports app, adding Nascar support just days before the Daytona 500 on February 16. This means users can follow live race coverage, real-time leaderboard updates, and key stats for one of the biggest motorsports events of the year.

Launched in February 2024, Apple Sports has become a go-to hub for real-time sports updates, offering fans a free and streamlined experience on iPhones. The update on Monday expands the app's lineup, which already covers major leagues like the NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, and the Premier League.


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On this episode of the HomeKit Insider Podcast, Jennifer Tuohy stops by to discuss the rumored Sonos streaming box, Amazon's big media event, and more.


Hot off its launch of the excellent Arc Ultra, Sonos is gearing up for another new product. It's rumored to be launching an Apple TV competitor, priced between $200 and $400.

Fan-fave of the show, The Verge's Jennifer Tuohy, joins to talk about this new box and what it needs to do to be successful in a crowded market.


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AirPods Max, MacBook Air models and iPads are all on sale at Amazon for the week of February 10, making it a great time to pick up a last-minute Valentine's Day gift.


Apple's MacBook Air line is on sale leading up to Valentine's Day, with the M2 model with 16GB of RAM and 256GB of storage ringing in at $799 on Amazon thanks to a $200 instant rebate.


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Some Apple Watch users are wearing it on their ankle instead of their wrist to get better workout data, but we've done some testing, and it's not a great place to wear the device.


The Apple Watch is extremely helpful as a fitness wearable, due to it collecting many different data points about your activity in one go. However, there is a trend where some users place the Apple Watch in a fairly unusual location.

Profiling the trend, the New York Times reports about people working out with the Apple Watch and other wearable devices attached to their ankle.


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Team Group revives the XTREEM series for the next generation of high-performance DDR5, featuring a non-binary 2x 24 GB configuration. Binned with dual EXPO/XMP profiles at 7200 MT/s, this kit is aimed at gamers and PC enthusiasts seeking larger capacities. Join us as we benchmark, compare, and overclock to see if this 7200 MT/s kit stands out from the competition!

Intel's mobile platform roadmap for the next few years is becoming increasingly clear. Panther Lake is expected to debut this year, followed by Nova Lake in 2026, with the latter also likely making its way to desktops.

Interestingly, whispers of an Arrow Lake Refresh have been circulating for a while, suggesting a core count bump for desktop and mobile CPUs. The rumours pointed towards an increase in Skymont E-cores to 32, resulting in a total of 40 cores (8 Lion Cove P-cores and 32 E-cores). These plans were supposedly abandoned, but a new rumour from Golden Pig Upgrade (via HXL) suggests otherwise.

The latest information suggests a more modest approach for the Arrow Lake Refresh, focusing primarily on enhancing the chip's NPU capabilities. Rather than a core count refresh, Intel reportedly plans to integrate a new NPU similar to the one in the Lunar Lake series. This new NPU should offer a performance of up to 48 TOPS, a significant jump from the current NPU's 13 TOPS. This upgraded NPU would likely be the key differentiator for the Arrow Lake Refresh.

Unfortunately, the source of this information remains vague about other potential improvements. If these rumors prove accurate, we can likely expect Intel to launch the Core Ultra 300H series for Panther Lake and the 300S/300HX series for Arrow Lake before the end of the year.

KitGuru says: Adding a better NPU will hardly make Arrow Lake a better product for most users. However, it could allow Intel to remain relevant in the market, giving them time to bring a new generation of desktop processors in 2026 (most likely Nova Lake).

The post Intel Arrow Lake might get a refresh after all first appeared on KitGuru.

The mobility segment has seen some significant updates over the last couple of years. From hybrid architectures to chiplet designs and the inclusion of brand-new Core IPs, laptops today are some of the most versatile PC devices on the market. One of the expanding ecosystems is AI & all vendors are offering brand new hardware changes in the form of NPUs that are required for new AI services such as Microsoft's Copilot+ feature suite. Intel's first chapter of its AI-infused PC journey came in the form of Meteor Lake with the Core Ultra Series 1 chips. These chips were the […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/review/msi-prestige-ai-evo-16-b2hmg-intel-core-ultra-9-285h-laptop-review-arrow-lake-comes-to-mobile/

Fresh leaks suggest that AMD's next-generation mobile and desktop platforms, named Medusa (Ridge, Point, Halo, and Range), will all be based on the same 12-core Zen 6 CCD.

This new CCD Zen 6-based solution will encompass various packages for different platforms. According to Moore's Law Is Dead, Medusa Point is expected to feature a single CCD, while Medusa Ridge will incorporate two. Medusa Halo and Range should follow the same core configuration as Medusa Ridge, as the current Halo and Range products have up to 16 cores.

Moreover, as the YouTuber also mentioned and @TDevilish corroborated, the four platforms — Medusa Ridge, Medusa Point, Medusa Halo, and Medusa Range — will use the same CCD. These products will differentiate themselves through varying package sizes, socket compatibility, and I/O dies tailored to their specific applications.

It's important to note that this information doesn't encompass 3D V-Cache versions or EPYC models. While they might share similarities, they could employ different dies and packaging processes. The AMD Medusa series is currently anticipated for release in 2026.

KitGuru says: This shared CCD approach could signal a significant shift in AMD's design philosophy, potentially streamlining development and maximising efficiency across its product lines.

The post AMD ‘Medusa’ chips to use 12-core Zen 6 CCD first appeared on KitGuru.

For more than a decade now, Grand Theft Auto V has continued to sell like hotcakes, with the now-two-generation-old title consistently selling around 5 million copies every single quarter. As part of the company’s latest fiscal earnings report, it's been revealed that GTA V has now surpassed 210 million copies.

For years now, GTA V has remained the second best-selling game of all time, pushing more than double the copies of ‘Wii Sports’ (3rd place with 82.9 million), but still falling behind the top spot – Minecraft with over 300 million copies sold.

As part of publisher Take-Two Interactive’s latest fiscal earnings report, CEO Strauss Zelnick revealed the latest sales figures for GTA V, saying “The Grand Theft Auto series remains our industry's standard bearer for excellence and, to date, Grand Theft Auto V has sold-in over 210 million units worldwide.”

While a far cry from GTA’s overwhelming popularity, Rockstar’s other major IP – Red Dead Redemption – continues to climb up the sales ranks, with RDR2 currently sitting as the 6th best-selling game of all time at 70 million copies sold.

Interestingly, Zelnick also noted the recent influx of players which flocked to RDR2 following its recent sale, stating “The title is currently enjoying its highest level of concurrent players on Steam.”

Whether Rockstar will actually take this as an opportunity to further build on RDR2 is unknown, but it is interesting to see Zelnick acknowledge its uptick in players.

The CEO also recently confirmed that they still plan to launch GTA VI some time in Fall of 2025, and so if the game does wind up meeting its intended release date, it will be interesting to see how GTA V sales will be impacted.

KitGuru says: How many times have you bought GTA V? Will the next Grand Theft Auto outsell it? How quickly do you think GTA VI will reach 100 million copies sold? Let us know down below.

The post GTA V has now sold over 210 million copies first appeared on KitGuru.

Over a decade on from the last entry, Rockstar games is finally gearing up to release the highly-anticipated Grand Theft Auto VI. Announced to be coming some time in 2025, publisher Take-Two has now reaffirmed the fact that GTA VI will make its intended release year.

As part of the company’s latest fiscal earnings report, Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick offered an update on the slate of games planned to release throughout 2025, saying (via Business Wire):

“Looking ahead, this calendar year is shaping up to be one of the strongest ever for Take-Two, as we plan to launch Sid Meier's Civilization VII on February 11th, Mafia: The Old Country in the Summer, Grand Theft Auto VI in the Fall, and Borderlands 4.”

As mentioned, GTA VI was announced back in late 2023, with a tentative release year of 2025. Since then, we’ve neither seen nor heard any more from the game, leading many fans to fear that a delay to 2026 could be a reality.

For now at least, it seems GTA VI will indeed arrive later this year. Hopefully this means we’ll be getting a big blowout event at some point in the coming months.

KitGuru says: What do you think of Zelnick’s statement? Do you believe GTA VI will make its 2025 release? How many copies will it sell in its first 24 hours? Let us know down below.

The post Grand Theft Auto VI is still coming this year, Take-Two confirms first appeared on KitGuru.

The Nintendo Switch was a surprise hit for many, including Nintendo, but especially 3rd-party publishers – with many studios being unprepared for its overwhelming success. It seems as though lessons have been learned, with Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick confirming that they “fully expect to support” Switch 2 when it releases.

As part of the company’s latest fiscal earning report – in which they confirmed that GTA V has sold over 210 million copies – Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick offered his thoughts on the upcoming Switch 2 and how the publisher plans to support the system, saying (as transcribed by NintendoEverything):

“We’ve had a longstanding relationship with Nintendo and we’ve supported the platform when it made sense for the individual release. There was a time when Nintendo platforms were really geared at younger audiences and that was reflected in our release schedule. Now with today Switch and potentially Switch 2, the Switch device can support any audience.”

Zelnick continued, “As you may have noticed, Civilization 7 is now available on Switch. While we have nothing specific to report, we actually would fully expect to support Switch.”

Of course, Take-Two is much more than just the publisher of GTA, with the company owning a ton of IPs including but not limited to XCOM; NBA 2K; Bioshock; Mafia and more – and so it’s entirely possible that Zelnick is referring to these franchises more so than Grand Theft Auto.

Regardless, hopefully the success of the first Switch means we will get more comprehensive ports for the system at a faster and more consistent pace. And who knows, we might eventually see GTA VI come to Switch 2 – as unlikely as that may be.

KitGuru says: What do you think of Zelnick’s comments? Could GTA VI eventually come to Switch? Will Take-Two re-release GTA V one final time instead? Let us know your thoughts down below.

The post Take-Two confirms plans to support the upcoming Nintendo Switch 2 first appeared on KitGuru.

WB Games Montreal is one of the more underrated studios operating under the Warner Bros. umbrella, with the Arkham Origins developers receiving the short end of the stick in many instances. Unfortunately not much seems to have changed in this regard, with a new report unveiling almost half a dozen different game pitches which were rejected since the release of Gotham Knights.

WB Games Montreal has had a rough couple years, with the studio’s latest release – 2022’s Gotham Knights – arriving in the wake of a ton of other cancelled and rejected projects including a Superman and Suicide Squad game.

Unfortunately, it seems as though not much has changed in the time since, with a new report from industry insider Jason Schreier revealing a ton of other more recent cancellations, writing via Bloomberg (paywalled):

“The Montreal studio leaders wanted to make another iteration of Gotham Knights — a ‘1.5’ version that would fix some of its predecessor's flaws. But their bosses nixed the idea.”

This wasn’t the only rejected pitch, with the team then reportedly pushing for a Constantine game; a Joker game and a Flash title – all of which were rejected (with the latter being due to the failure of the Flash movie).

Finally, it seems as though WB Montreal has settled on a project, with Schreier claiming that alongside their support for the Monolith Productions-developed Wonder Woman game, the team have pitched a Game of Thrones title.

Whether it too will be scrapped is unknown, but given the waning relevance of the franchise, it wouldn’t be too surprising to see.

KitGuru says: What do you think of WB Games Montreal as a studio? Are they underrated? Would you have liked to see a Gotham Knights successor? Let us know down below.

The post Insider reveals a bunch of cancelled WB Montreal games first appeared on KitGuru.

Following the acquisition of Activision Blizzard by Microsoft, many PC players were left wondering whether the company’s redundant Battle net launcher would be retired. It seems this will not be the case, with Microsoft doubling down on Battle net – announcing that the upcoming Obsidian RPG Avowed will include full console cross-buy with the launcher.

First mentioned late last month, but clarified further in a recent Xbox Wire blog post, Microsoft confirmed that the upcoming Obsidian Entertainment RPG Avowed – which is set to launch in just over a week’s time – will only require a single purchase to then play anywhere, writing:

“Players who purchase the game for either Xbox or Battle.net or have a Game Pass Ultimate or PC Game Pass membership can play on both Xbox and Battle.net by linking their Xbox and Battle.net accounts.”

Unfortunately, this cross-buy feature only applies to Battle net, meaning the Steam version won’t offer any similar benefits.

While the notion of cross-buy is an objective good, it is interesting to see Microsoft trying to push more players to its newly-acquired Battle net launcher in a time when PC players are getting increasingly frustrated at the number of different PC game launchers. It will be curious to see how many PC players opt for the Battle net version.

KitGuru says: What do you think of this kind of cross-buy? Is it a good thing, or is Microsoft trying to leverage the service solely for its own benefit? Let us know your thoughts down below.

The post Avowed will include cross-buy between Xbox and PC – but only on Battle net first appeared on KitGuru.

The PlayStation Network recently suffered from its biggest down period in well over a decade – second only to the infamous 2011 PSN outage. While not nearly as severe (lasting less than 24 hours), Sony has offered an apology to players, giving all PS Plus subscribers 5 extra days of service for free.

On the 8th of February, all PSN services went down for just under 24 hours, with players unable to access the PlayStation Store, download games or even play certain titles in some instances (such as Black Ops 6 due to its always-online requirement).

While not quite as severe as the infamous 2011 outage (which saw PSN go down for 3 whole weeks), Sony has confirmed that many of those affected will be compensated, taking to Twitter to write:

“Network services have fully recovered from an operational issue. We apologize for the inconvenience and thank the community for their patience. All PlayStation Plus members will automatically receive an additional 5 days of service.”

While 5 days is next to nothing timewise, as mentioned the PSN servers were down for less than 24 hours, and so it is somewhat of a fair compensation. Hopefully such an outage won’t occur for at least another 10 years.

KitGuru says: What did you think of the outage? Did it impact you? Is 5 days of free PS Plus enough? Let us know down below.

The post All PS Plus members to get 5 extra days of service for free following PSN outage first appeared on KitGuru.

Leo walks us through the Lian Li suite back from CES in January – some of these products were under NDA and we had to hold back on this one. The Vector V100 is a great place to start, as it offers incredible aesthetics for its target price. The RS1200 Power Supply and the O11D Evo Mini are standouts for impressive feature sets and other improvements.

Timestamps:

• 00:00 Vector V100
• 00:57 Lancool 207 Digital
• 01:45 Hydroshift 2 LCD
• 02:33 Lancool 217
• 04:29 Graphics card mount
• 05:16 RS Series power supply
• 06:26 O11D Evo Mini
• 07:52 Unifan SL-INF Wireless

At CES 2025, Lian Li had an interesting showing. For starters, we have the Vector 100, a fantastic looking case for showing off RGB, and it will go for around $50. The Lancool 207 Digital is a new version of the case that comes with an additional screen on the front of the case. Lian Li also appears to be working on another accessory display, but while it was on show, it does not ship with the Lancool 207 Digital.

The Hydroshift AIO liquid cooler has been updated with a fully RGB-lit CPU block with a rotary dial to control the display in the centre. There are several presets by default, which you can switch through using the RGB dial. Lian Li is now also working on a GPU mount accessory that will allow you to sit your card at an angle, or fully vertical, depending on which is easier for space.

Lian Li's most surprising product was a power supply of all things. The new RS1200 PSU comes with support for an integrated USB hub, a rotary power socket, and a handy accessory bracket for installation.

We finish off with the new O11D Mini, which looks to be a great improvement. There is now an angled intake, allowing for much better airflow without sacrificing aesthetics. The motherboard tray is adjustable to be higher or lower, depending on how much space you need.

The case can be paired with the new UniFan SL Wireless, a set of daisy chain-able fans with an abundance of RGB LEDs.

KitGuru Says: We're looking forward to getting to spend more time with the O11D Mini. Will you be keeping an eye out for any of Lian Li's new products this year?

The post Lian Li’s 2025 Hardware Innovations: Unique PSU, Cases, and Fans first appeared on KitGuru.

The Elgato 4K X external capture card is the only device from the Corsair sub-brand that is able to capture 4K 144Hz footage – even outperforming the more expensive 4K Pro in that regard. I've been using it to capture gameplay for system reviews here at KitGuru for the past few months now, so has the 4K X made a big difference in the day to day workflow of a tech reviewer?

Timestamps:

00:00 Start
00:43 Unboxing / Dimensions / Design
02:24 Technical specs and support
03:37 Compared to their other devices
04:12 Mat's use inside KitGuru content
05:13 The system setup we use
07:07 Recording the content – software options
10:21 Captured content
12:00 Closing thoughts

Specifications:

• INPUT – HDMI (unencrypted)
• OUTPUT – HDMI (lag-free passthrough)
• RECORDING & PASSTHROUGH RESOLUTION – up to 4K144
• HDR10 SUPPORT – HDR capture is currently only available on Windows
• DIMENSIONS – 112 x 72 x 18 mm / 4.4 x 2.8 x 0.7 in
• WEIGHT – 91 g / 3.2 oz
• In the Box
  • Game Capture 4K X
  • USB 3.2 C-to-C cable (150 cm | 59 in)
  • 8K HDMI cable (200 cm | 78.7 in)

You can buy the Elgato 4K X Capture Card directly from Elgato for £229.99 HERE.

Pros:

• Simple to use and setup.
• Able to capture a wide variety of devices.
• 4K 144Hz capture capability.
• HDR10 capture capability.
• Great Elgato software but also works with alternatives.

Cons:

• Only 1 HDMI 2.1 cable included.
• Included cables are too short and could limit placement in certain setups.
• Can be temperamental with third party cables.

KitGuru says: The 4K X is one of the most feature complete capture cards on the market right now. It has enough versatility and reliability to be a powerful tool on any content creators desk.

The post Elgato 4K X External Capture Card Review first appeared on KitGuru.

B&H's latest MacBook Pro deals drop upgraded models with 48GB of RAM and 1TB of storage by $300.


We're following several new MacBook Pro discounts today, with B&H slashing $300 off both 14-inch and 16-inch models with 48GB of RAM and 1TB of storage. These well-rounded M4 Pro configurations in Space Black offer a good deal of performance thanks to the upgraded memory and storage capacity.

We're halfway to the launch of the iPhone 17 lineup. Here are the most compelling rumors so far that may push you to upgrade.


September is iPhone season. This year, rumors say we'll see iPhone 17, iPhone 17 "Air," iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max.

Rumors have been swirling fast this year about the upcoming models. With many pro-level features trickling down and redesigns in the works, it's going to be an interesting cycle.


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Apple is posting more job listings for robotics specialists to "bring new experiences to Apple products," with teams working on smart home devices imbued with a basic level of personality.


The robotics team is led by VP of Technology Kevin Lynch, which last August reportedly brought in experts hired from Israel's Technion. Lynch has been instrumental on a number of Apple initiatives, from the ill-fated "Apple Car" project to imbuing the Apple Watch with various health-tracking technology.

According to the Bloomberg "Power On " newsletter on Sunday, the team is still seeking to hire more engineers with a robotics specialty, suggesting that development is intensifying on various home robotics initiatives. A new position for an iOS Robotics Engineer was posted as recently as January 23.


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Two Texas men arrested over Volkswagen Beetle thefts were tracked by AirPods, iPhone insurance fraud, and a MacBook Air in a pool make up this week's Apple Crime Blotter.


The latest in an occasional AppleInsider series, looking at the world of Apple-related crime.


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Eight months after it was first announced, Apple's first HomePods began shipping on February 9, 2018 — and started a peculiar journey of life, death, and resurrection.


There's been a subtle but fundamental change about the HomePod since it was first launched, and especially since it was first rumored. But it isn't a technical change, it's an alteration in how we've come round to thinking of it the way Apple always wanted us to.

Today, the HomePod sits in a range of Apple audio devices that includes the later HomePod mini, but also the whole AirPods range. The HomePod is a speaker, and if Apple doesn't make the absolute finest and greatest audio equipment, it certainly makes the most.


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Apple CEO Tim Cook and several other senior Apple executives are hanging out in New Orleans probably to catch the Super Bowl in Caesars Superdome.


Super Bowl LIX will be played in New Orleans on Sunday, February 9, and several of Apple's top brass have been spotted in the city ahead of the big event. CEO Tim Cook, retail chief Deirdre O'Brien, and Apple Services head Eddy Cue are among the execs seen so far.

Cook and O'Brien also dropped by the Apple Lakeside Shopping Center in Metairie, surprising employees there. Cue, Cook, and O'Brien were sighted at Domilise's Po-Boys & Bar on Annunciation Street in the downtown area.


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Starlink satellites now work with iPhone, but the change has caused confusion and concern. Here's what the feature means, how it works, and how you can disable it if you so choose.


The recent iOS 18.3 update contained a number of new features for iPhone users. We saw new Unity wallpapers, improvements to Visual Intelligence to recognize plants and animals, and plenty of bug fixes.

But there was one change in this update that got a fair bit of attention — support for Starlink satellites.


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It was another week in computer hardware, and Brett is BACK to help us talk about it. We've got so much Financial Talk, some RX 9070 info, comparisons to the 5070ti, and…

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As much as we'd all like, we can't be gaming all the time; you can't grow your library of unplayed Steam games without an income.   You could fire up your ultrawide gaming…

If you need 1500W of power and up to 125 A on your 12V rail, not to mention a pair of 12VHPWR cables, NZXT would like you to consider their C1500 ATX…

If you are a musician or just like to play with MIDI compatible devices then the new Windows 11 Insider Preview Canary Channel version has a special present for you.  While it…

The fourth-generation iPhone SE is set to bring about a multitude of visual and functional changes taken from earlier iPhone models. Here's what to expect from Apple, as soon as next week.


For the past two iterations, Apple's iPhone SE has maintained a dated look, with thick bezels and a Touch ID Home button that make it virtually indistinguishable from an iPhone 8. All of that is set to change quite soon, as the budget-friendly iPhone SE is going to receive its first major redesign in years.



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Civilization VII is new fodder for lovers of the turn-based strategy genre. In our testing the game ran very well on virtually all graphics cards. In our performance review, we'll look at the game's graphics quality, VRAM consumption, and how it runs across a range of contemporary graphics cards.

It now seems likely that Apple is gearing up to roll out its next beta, this time designed to offer significant improvements for its voice assistant.


Apple continues to slowly roll out Apple Intelligence, with the first features appearing in iOS 18.1. These included Writing Tools, system wide summaries, and Photos cleanup.

With this next beta, Apple will begin testing a handful of new features centered around Siri. This includes an app intent system that will let Siri have on-screen context for commands. Apple has already asked developers to begin work on the new feature in iOS 18.2.


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