Nvidia will officially bring DLSS 5 to older GPUs — but won’t give gamers full control
Officially, Nvidia's controversial DLSS 5 AI rendering was supposed to launch this evening with only a single game, only on Nvidia's latest RTX 50 GPUs, and with developers in full control of their artistic vision.
But unofficially, modders have already ported a leaked version of DLSS 5 to run on just about anything while cranking sliders to the max. Now, Nvidia is changing its plans. DLSS 5 is still launching first on RTX 50 GPUs, but it's officially coming to older RTX 40-series GPUs as well, Nvidia spokesperson Rajal Maharaj confirms to The Verge.
"Our current focus is on optimizing performance for the GeForce RTX 50 Series with model u …
The unusually muted Tesla Cybercab launch
At a private, closed-door event in Austin, Texas today, Tesla officially launched its gilded car of the future: the Cybercab. It's a huge milestone for Elon Musk, who has been hyping the imminent arrival of driverless cars for years and has bet the future of his company on AI, autonomous vehicles, and humanoid robots.
It was an unusually muted event, with no livestream, no journalists, and a very short invite list comprised mostly of pro-Tesla content creators. Tesla influencers planning live shows with the event stream were left streaming the webpage that tracks the number of Tesla robotaxis in Texas instead.
But if the goal was to blunt …
Steve Ballmer got suspended by the NBA because of a podcast and a jumbotron corruption scandal
Last September, Steve Ballmer insisted in an ESPN interview that the Clippers weren't involved in a shady-looking $28 million endorsement deal for his star player, Kawhi Leonard, that involved no actual endorsing. Now, the former Microsoft CEO has been suspended by the NBA for a year, while the league says his team will forfeit five future draft picks and pay a $30 million fine, among other penalties.
A year later, an NBA-commissioned 35-page report by Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz is basically calling him a liar, saying those claims were "inaccurate (at best) with respect to Mr. Ballmer" and "clearly false" when it came to Clippers presi …
You can watch the coolant flow inside Ugreen’s liquid-cooled power bank
Does your power bank have "CryoPulse technology" or a "Cyber Window"? If you disappointingly answered "no" to both, you might want to consider upgrading to Ugreen's new MagFlow Pro Magnetic Power Bank. It's available starting today for $149.99, which puts it on the really expensive end of power banks with only a 10,000mAh battery, but those fancy-sounding features are part of what Ugreen is claiming to be the world's first liquid-cooling system on a power bank with wireless charging.
Inside the MagFlow Pro is a micro-pump that's used to circulate coolant and draw heat away from components including the power bank's Qi2.2-compatible wireless …
Dungeons & Dragons is getting a ‘Ravenloft’ live-action Netflix series
A Ravenloft series is currently in development from executive producer Alfonso Cuarón, writer and executive producer John August, and Hasbro Entertainment, Deadline reports. It could bring to life one of Dungeons & Dragons' most iconic campaign settings, which got an update earlier this year with Ravenloft: The Horrors Within.
Netflix's Ravenloft series will reportedly center on the infamous Strahd, according to Deadline:
At its heart, the series follows the making of the vampire Darklord Strahd von Zarovich, whose story of power, love, obsession, and undead transformation charts his origins from tragic antihero to one of Dungeons & Dra …
Congressman says TikTok backed out of a meeting to avoid child safety questions
TikTok backed out of a congressional committee's "public roundtable" set for this month over concerns it would be asked about child safety practices, the chair of the committee said.
After negotiating "in good faith" to bring TikTok's chief security officer before the House Select Committee on China to answer questions about Chinese government access to Americans' data and the TikTok algorithm, Chair John Moolenaar (R-MI) said in a statement Thursday that the company reversed course. "Now, TikTok is refusing to appear citing its own desire to avoid broader scrutiny of its child safety practices," Moolenaar wrote. TikTok did not immediately …
Samsung’s beloved Q Series sound system is hundreds off for Labor Day
Researching, buying, then finally assembling a sound system for your TV is daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. If you want one of the best kits you can get at a rare discount, Best Buy and Amazon are selling the Samsung Q990F Soundbar for $999.99. It normally retails between $1,300 and $1,600. This bundle includes a 48.5-inch, 11.1.4-channel soundbar, a wireless subwoofer and two wireless rear speakers with their own power cords. That’s a solid deal on an Atmos-ready soundbar with a rich set of features.
Samsung Q990F Soundbar System
If you want to bring your home theater to the next level, the Samsung Q990F is the answer. The Q990 series has been at the top of best lists for years, and for good reason. It delivers an excellent Atmos experience with clear dialogue and booming bass to fully immerse you in whatever you’re watching.
Where to Buy:
You can also use the Q990F as a speaker system for listening to music, and it communicates with smart home systems like Google Home and Alexa, as well as AirPlay 2 and Google Cast. The system supports Dolby Atmos for spatial audio, with upward- and side-firing drivers in both the soundbar and the rear speakers to elevate the experience. There’s also a clear dialogue mode to help voices stand out, and a game mode for deeper, more immersive audio with your console hooked up.
Other deals to consider
- The Ring Wired Doorbell 2K is discounted to $49.99 at both Best Buy and Amazon, $30 lower than the usual price. This video doorbell features a wide-angle lens with a 140-degree field of view, up to 6x digital zoom, and two-way communication for chatting with visitors. The doorbell works in any home with wiring for a doorbell, though it works better in homes that use Amazon Alexa for their smart home management.
- Amazon and Best Buy have the Sonos Sub 4 marked down to $759 for Labor Day, $140 lower than the typical price. This beefy subwoofer connects to Sonos soundbars like the Arc Ultra, Arc, Beam, and the upcoming Beam Ultra to give them an extra punch during heavy action sequences, as well as to speakers like the Sonos Five, Era 300, or Era 100 to add a lot more low-end presence to your favorite content.
- Switch 2 owners can grab the Dbrand Killswitch 2 Travel Kit for $71.99 at Best Buy, which is $8 lower than the current cost available directly from the brand. The Killswitch 2 is our favorite case for handheld and docked play, and the case I personally use to protect my console. In addition to the grips, shell and dock adapter, this combo includes the front cover, which hooks around the case to protect the screen during travel, with room for up to 10 cartridges.
OpenAI’s next big AI model has ‘entered the AGI era’
OpenAI's next big model is here: GPT-6 Astra. The company calls it a "generational leap in capability" for areas like cybersecurity, professional work, software engineering, science, and computer use. As OpenAI announced earlier this week, it's also the first model designated as meeting OpenAI's "critical cybersecurity capability threshold" - but the company promises that won't lead to a repeat of its models hacking a rival company's internal systems.
"If we fast-forward a couple of years, and we look back and say, 'When was it, really, that AGI was created?' I think it's going to be about this time, and I think it might be about this model …
Microsoft slashes Xbox Cloud Gaming to just 15 hours a month for Ultimate subscribers
Microsoft is announcing some major changes to Xbox Cloud Gaming today, less than a year after opening up cloud gaming to its Xbox Game Pass Premium and Essential tiers. While all Game Pass plans have included unlimited cloud gaming over the past year, from November this will be limited to just 15 hours on Ultimate, 10 hours for Premium subscribers, and a measly 5 hours for Game Pass Essential.
"We recognize that introducing limits is a meaningful change, particularly for players who regularly spend more time gaming through the cloud," says the Xbox team in a blog post announcing the changes. "We expect this upcoming change to impact four pe …
Microsoft opens up Xbox Cloud Gaming with new pay-as-you-go option
Microsoft says it will let anyone access Xbox Cloud Gaming in November, without the need to subscribe to Xbox Game Pass. The change to a pay-as-you-go model is part of some sweeping changes to Xbox Cloud Gaming today, and is designed for people who don't use cloud access enough to warrant a monthly subscription.
"Players will be able to purchase cloud playtime hours through the Xbox Store and stream eligible games they own on supported devices," says the Xbox team. "This will provide another option for people who want occasional access to cloud gaming or do not want a recurring Game Pass subscription."
This pay-as-you-go model comes alongs …