Tech News
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HAVN - Introducing the HS 360 Airflow PC Case
Published: Friday, October 30, 2026 | By: DennisTAIPEI, Taiwan - October 29, 2026 - HAVN is proud to announce the launch of its latest PC cases, the HS 360 and HS 360 VGPU.The HS 360 builds on the success of the HS 420 and has been refined through direct feedback from partners and reviewers. As a result, we have packed HAVN's panoramic, GPU-centric Hybrid Structure into a chassis that's 19.4% smaller and 29.5% lighter than the HS 420."With the HS 360, our goal wasn't simply to make the HS 420 smaller. We wanted to take everything we learned from the original design, listen to feedback from the community, and refine while improving performance." - Steven Levitt, Brand Marketing Manager
The HAVN engineering team has focused on improving the building experience and performance of the HS series, introducing several key enhancements:- Integrated magnetic Airflow Divider (VGPU model only), delivering up to 6°C lower GPU temperatures, alongside adjustable anti-vibration GPU pads.
- Supports Back-Connect ATX motherboards.
- Refined UniSheet panoramic glass with a 31.8% tighter bend radius, for a clearer, more seamless view.
- 36% greater structural strength compared to the HS 420, despite its smaller and lighter design.
- SimpliCable routing system for clean and easy cable management.
- Redesigned, rear-mount fan brackets for hassle-free installation.
- Top and bottom fan brackets are aligned to simplify custom water-cooling builds.
- Every detachable bracket features integrated anti-vibration contact points.
The HS 360 and HS 360 VGPU continue HAVN's commitment to thoughtful engineering, combining a more compact footprint with improvements that make building, cooling, and showcasing high-performance systems easier than ever.
“PC Enthusiasts in North America expect more than just great aesthetics. They demand intelligent engineering, uncompromised performance, not to mention a great building experience that reflects their passion and appreciation for the hardware used. The HS 360 series deliver on those expectations by bringing HAVN’s distinctive design philosophy into a more compact and refined platform. As we continue to grow HAVN’s presence in the Americas, products like the HS 360 reinforce our commitment in delivering meaningful innovation and exceptional value to the enthusiast community.” -Tyler Needles, General Manager, North America.For more information, please visit: -
Sony Pictures to adapt psychological horror game Mouthwashing into a film directed by Karyn Kusama
Published: Friday, October 30, 2026 | By: XamSony Pictures is betting on the psychological dread of the indie scene, acquiring the film rights to the viral horror title Mouthwashing. The studio has secured the rights to the psychological horror game from developer Wrong Organ and publisher Critical Reflex, signaling a move to translate the title's claustrophobic tension to the big screen.
To helm the project, Sony has attached director Karyn Kusama, known for her work on Jennifer's Body, The Invitation, and the acclaimed television series Yellowjackets, for which she earned two Primetime Emmy nominations. Kusama will collaborate with frequent writing partners Matt Manfredi and Phil Hay to adapt the script. The production side is equally weighted with horror pedigree, as Scott Derrickson, C. Robert Cargill, and Vince Cheng will produce the film under their Crooked Highway banner, which operates under Sony’s Screen Gems.
The Source Material
The film will draw from a narrative that has already garnered significant critical and viral attention. Mouthwashing follows five crew members stranded aboard the space freighter Tulpar, where the combination of dwindling supplies and extreme isolation triggers a spiral of paranoia and mental decay. The game is noted for its nonlinear storytelling and surreal imagery, exploring themes of responsibility and the consequences of unchecked power.
This narrative depth contributed to the game's commercial and critical success since its 2024 debut. Mouthwashing earned an 88 score on Metacritic and sold close to one million units, with one report specifying that over 500,000 copies were sold on PC alone by February 2025. Its reach extended far beyond traditional gaming circles, generating approximately 63 million views on YouTube and nearly one billion views on TikTok. These metrics were mirrored by industry accolades, including Best Hidden Gem at the New York Game Awards and both the Players' Choice and Best Narrative awards at the Horror Game Awards.
While the film is in development, the game has expanded its reach to ensure a wider audience can experience the story. Originally a PC title, Mouthwashing is now available on:
- PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4
- Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One
- Nintendo Switch
- Xbox Game Pass (Console and PC)
The developer, Wrong Organ, is an independent studio based in Stockholm, Sweden. While the studio prepares for the film adaptation, it is currently developing a new project titled Carcass Clad, a co-op tank horror game where players take on the roles of Gunner, Driver, and Commander to escape a war-torn city.
Industry Implications
The acquisition of Mouthwashing reflects a broader "gold rush" of horror game adaptations currently hitting the entertainment industry. Sony is likely looking to replicate the critical and financial success seen with recent adaptations like Resident Evil, as well as the box office performance of indie-to-film projects such as Iron Lung, which earned $21 million globally.
By pairing a grounded, unsettling indie IP with a seasoned creative team, Sony is positioning Mouthwashing to move beyond the jump-scares typical of the genre. The success of the film will likely depend on whether Kusama and her team can translate the game's non-linear structure and psychological weight into a cinematic format, further cementing the trend of high-fidelity adaptations for independent horror titles.
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EA shuts down BioWare and cancels Mass Effect 5 to prioritize Star Wars Battlefront 3
Published: Friday, October 30, 2026 | By: XamElectronic Arts has shuttered BioWare, bringing a sudden end to the 31-year history of the studio and canceling the next entry in the Mass Effect series. The announcement, delivered via a staff letter and social media, confirms that the studio's Edmonton workspace is closing and that early development on the next Mass Effect project has been scrapped.
This decision is part of a broader corporate restructuring that has resulted in approximately 400 job losses across EA, representing about 3 percent of the company's total workforce. While the majority of these cuts occurred elsewhere, roughly 50 of the affected roles were within BioWare. The publisher described the studio as "legendary" but noted that the decision not to move forward with the next Mass Effect came after a small team had been assigned to its early stages.
The closure follows a seismic shift in EA's financial structure. In August, the company went private following a $55 billion leveraged buyout led by Silver Lake, Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, and Affinity Partners. This transition left EA saddled with an estimated $18 billion in debt, creating intense pressure to prioritize high-return, low-risk investments. According to reports, this financial strain forced EA executives to choose between two costly sci-fi projects: the next Mass Effect or a third Star Wars: Battlefront game. Despite the fact that development on Battlefront 3 had not yet begun, EA viewed it as a more predictable and less risky bet than a new Mass Effect.
While the debt provided the catalyst, BioWare's own recent commercial performance weakened its standing within the company. The studio's recent track record includes the lukewarm reception of Mass Effect: Andromeda and the failure of Anthem, an ambitious live-service shooter that was eventually shuttered. Most recently, Dragon Age: The Veilguard arrived in 2024 but fell nearly 50 percent short of EA's expectations, drawing roughly 1.5 million players during its launch quarter. These failures, combined with a shift in EA's executive ranks toward leadership with backgrounds in EA Sports, left BioWare with little internal advocacy.
The Lost Vision of Mass Effect
The cancellation is particularly stinging given the details of the project that will now never be released. An internal trailer, verified as legitimate, leaked online following the shutdown, offering a glimpse into a project known as Mass Effect Universe. The game was reportedly set 600 years after the Reaper war during a galactic cold war, featuring a protagonist described as a cross between James Bond and John Wick. The vision for the game included "Hitman-style freedom" in level design, connections between the Milky Way and Andromeda galaxies, and romance elements that were not being sanitized.
As BioWare exits the stage, EA is pivoting toward a strategy it calls "Deepen Our Core, Expand Our Reach, and Transform Our Business." The company is refocusing its resources on established hits and safer bets, including Apex Legends, the next Star Wars Jedi game, and Marvel's Iron Man. EA also highlighted Battlefield 6 as a "great success" and is merging the Respawn and DICE studios for a separate project. Other priorities include the pre-production of a revived Fight Night, as well as a narrowed focus for The Sims and Skate.
The fallout of this closure marks a significant shift in the industry's approach to narrative-driven RPGs. BioWare co-founder Greg Zeschuk suggested that the private equity acquisition was the "final nail in the coffin," noting that the complexity and long development cycles of BioWare's games are less attractive to a business model that favors annual sports franchises. While the Austin studio reportedly remains open to support other EA titles and an Amazon-produced Mass Effect TV show remains in development, the closure of the Edmonton studio effectively ends an era of storytelling that defined the genre for three decades.
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Nvidia accelerating launch of RTX 5080 24GB variant, potentially arriving as early as December 2026
Published: Friday, October 30, 2026 | By: XamThe high-end graphics card market is facing a significant shift as NVIDIA reportedly prepares to launch a 24GB variant of the GeForce RTX 5080 to replace the existing 16GB model. This move comes at a time of extreme price volatility and dwindling supply for flagship GPUs, suggesting a strategic pivot in how the company manages its top-tier hardware.
According to reports from the ChannelGate WeChat account, NVIDIA is accelerating the rollout of the RTX 5080 24GB specifically for the Chinese market, with availability targeted between December 2026 and January 2027. This launch is expected to coincide with the discontinuation of both the GeForce RTX 5080 16GB and the GeForce RTX 5090D V2 in that region. The report indicates that NVIDIA has already cleared much of its 16GB inventory, leaving only enough stock to last approximately two months, which aligns closely with the projected arrival of the new 24GB SKU.
This anticipated refresh is mirrored by several alarming signals in the broader retail market. The RTX 5080 has recently disappeared from NVIDIA’s own online marketplace, alongside the RTX 5090 and various partner custom cards. Before vanishing from the official store, the RTX 5080 saw prices soar past $2,000 at several retailers, far exceeding its original launch MSRP. Further complicating the supply chain, some board partners have reportedly been unable to secure the GB202 GPU and the necessary 32GB of GDDR7 VRAM required for RTX 5090 production.
Technical Specifications and Variants
The jump from 16GB to 24GB of VRAM is likely achieved through a shift in memory module density. While the current RTX 5080 utilizes eight 2GB GDDR7 memory chips, a transition to 3GB chips would allow for a 50% increase in total capacity. However, it remains unverified whether this new card is a simple VRAM bump or a more comprehensive "SUPER" refresh. Previous rumors suggested a broader update to the 50-series lineup with the following specifications:
RTX 5080 Super: 10,752 CUDA cores, 24GB GDDR7, 415W TGP RTX 5070 Ti Super: 8,960 CUDA cores, 24GB GDDR7, 350W TGP RTX 5070 Super: 6,400 CUDA cores, 18GB GDDR7, 275W TGP
If the upcoming 24GB model is indeed a "SUPER" variant, it may feature the GB203-450 GPU with increased clock speeds and faster memory pin speeds, resulting in higher bandwidth and a higher power limit. If it is merely a memory increase, the performance gains may be more modest, though the added headroom would be critical for specific workloads.
This additional VRAM is particularly attractive for users running local AI models, as 24GB would allow for the execution of quantized 27B parameter models that are too large for the 16GB framebuffer. This demand for AI-capable hardware, however, may clash with consumer availability. With DRAM manufacturers like Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron warning of supply constraints that could persist until 2030, the new RTX 5080 24GB is expected to carry a heavy price tag, with some estimates placing it around $2,000.
The broader implications of this rollout suggest that NVIDIA may be tailoring its flagship offerings to better suit the demands of AI firms and high-end enthusiasts, potentially at the expense of traditional gamers. Given the timing of the rumored Chinese launch, it is possible that a global announcement will follow during the CES 2027 showcase. Whether this results in a stable supply for consumers or further price inflation remains to be seen, especially as AI firms continue to stockpile high-VRAM GPUs.
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Mistral releases Le Chonk, a 1.05 trillion parameter open-weight AI model for coding
Published: Thursday, October 29, 2026 | By: XamThe divide between closed-source AI giants and the open-weight community has narrowed significantly with the release of Mistral Large 4. Nicknamed "Le Chonk" due to its massive scale, the model represents a strategic push by the French AI lab to provide a European alternative to the proprietary systems dominated by American and Chinese firms.
Following a public preview on October 6, 2026, Mistral officially released the weights for Mistral Large 4 on October 29. The model is a natively multimodal mixture-of-experts (MoE) system that allows users to input both text and images. To achieve this, Mistral utilized a 1.6-billion-parameter Pixtral-style vision encoder designed to handle various aspect ratios and image sizes. The sheer scale of the model is reflected in its architecture:
- Total parameters: Approximately 1.05 trillion
- Active parameters per token: Roughly 52 billion
- Expert configuration: 128 routed experts (four active per token, plus one shared expert)
- Context window: 1 million tokens
This massive footprint was developed using a relatively lean compute budget compared to its US rivals. Mistral trained the model from scratch over two months using between 3,800 and 4,000 Nvidia Grace Blackwell GPUs within its own European data centers. This stands in stark contrast to the resources used by proprietary labs; for instance, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang noted that OpenAI utilized roughly 100,000 GPUs for GPT-6 Astra.
Coding and Reasoning Performance
The release of the weights comes alongside updated benchmark scores that position Le Chonk as a premier open-weight model for coding. On the Terminal-Bench 4.0 agentic coding benchmark, the model's score rose to 41%, up from 28% in the preview version, allowing it to edge out Opencode’s GLM-5.3. While it remains effectively tied with Codex GPT-6.1 Terra and slightly behind GLM-5.3 on the overall Artificial Analysis Coding Agent Index with a score of 48%, Mistral claims the model is significantly more efficient, using an average of 47% fewer tokens per task than GLM-5.3.
To manage the costs and performance associated with such a large model, Mistral introduced three distinct reasoning modes: low, medium, and high. The "high" mode serves as the default for complex tasks requiring deep reasoning, while "low" replaces the previous "none" mode for simpler operations. This flexibility is paired with a DSpark speculative-decoding draft head, which Mistral reports can increase throughput by up to 1.9x compared to serving the target model alone.
Cybersecurity and Sovereign AI
Beyond general coding, Mistral has positioned Mistral Large 4 as a critical tool for defensive cybersecurity. The model scored 51% on the Artificial Analysis Cyber Index, demonstrating a high proficiency in discovering, reproducing, and patching memory-safety vulnerabilities in C/C++ open-source projects. Mistral emphasizes that this focus on "sovereign AI" allows governments and enterprises to maintain control over their data and security tools without relying on proprietary labs that could potentially rescind access.
This defensive capability is balanced by strict guardrails. Mistral reported a 96.6% refusal rate for malicious cyber requests across benchmarks like JailbreakBench and AgentHarm. However, the company acknowledged that it observed potential for the model to be used in real-world attacks during live traffic monitoring following the preview. In response, Mistral is modifying its guardrails and providing specialized variants for penetration testing to vetted partners, such as Orange Cyberdefense, under strict contractual safeguards.
The deployment of Le Chonk is supported by a modified MIT open-weight license via Hugging Face. Under the Mistral Ecosystem Open-Weight License, the model is free to modify and commercialize, though businesses providing Model-as-a-Service offerings must obtain a separate commercial license. For those preferring API access, Mistral has priced the model at $0.70 per million input tokens and $2.10 per million output tokens.
This aggressive release is backed by a massive influx of capital. Mistral recently raised 3 billion euros in funding led by Samsung Electronics and the EU-backed Scaleup Europe Fund, bringing the company's post-money valuation to over 21 billion euros. CEO Arthur Mensch has indicated that this funding will be used to expand Mistral's own data center footprint, reducing reliance on external compute and ensuring the lab can continue to train larger, faster models independently.
The arrival of Mistral Large 4 signals a shift in the AI landscape where "open" no longer means "underpowered." By matching the coding and security capabilities of closed-source frontier models while maintaining a commitment to open weights, Mistral is challenging the prevailing industry assumption that state-of-the-art performance requires a closed ecosystem. The success of Le Chonk will likely determine if European "sovereign AI" can move from a political ambition to a technical reality.
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Microsoft reports $33.2 billion in Azure revenue and $10 billion from OpenAI
Published: Thursday, October 29, 2026 | By: XamMicrosoft is betting its future on a massive, multi-billion dollar infrastructure pivot, with its latest earnings revealing a surprising level of financial interdependence between the software giant and OpenAI. The company reported record quarterly revenue of $92.28 billion, a 19% year-over-year increase that topped analyst estimates and signaled a fundamental shift in how the company generates value.
Central to this growth is the Azure cloud infrastructure business, which saw revenue jump 48% to $33.17 billion. In a significant departure from years of reporting only percentage growth, Microsoft disclosed the actual dollar figure for Azure for the first time, a move that places the service in direct competition with Amazon Web Services. This surge is largely attributed to AI workloads, with Azure now serving as the primary engine for the company's record top-line growth.
This AI-driven expansion is inextricably linked to OpenAI. Regulatory filings reveal that Microsoft generated $10 billion from commercial arrangements and revenue-sharing payments with OpenAI in the quarter ending September 30, meaning the company it partly owns now accounts for roughly 11% of its total revenue. While this relationship justifies the aggressive build-out of data centers, it also introduces a concentration risk; OpenAI currently owes Microsoft $7.2 billion in receivables, up from $6.0 billion in June.
Infrastructure and Capital Expenditure
To sustain this momentum, Microsoft has shifted its spending toward hardware that can be quickly converted into revenue. Capital expenditures and finance leases reached $45.2 billion this quarter, up approximately 30% from a year ago. Notably, about 75% of this spending is now dedicated to short-lived assets, specifically Intel chips and Nvidia GPUs, compared to 66% in previous quarters. Despite this record spending, CFO Amy Hood noted that demand still exceeds supply, partly due to delays in third-party capacity deliveries from GPU-as-a-service providers.
Looking ahead, Microsoft expects capital expenditures to accelerate further. The company is aiming for over $50 billion in the second fiscal quarter and has projected total spending of $170 billion for the 2027 calendar year. While free cash flow declined 27% to $18.63 billion due to these investments, Microsoft intends to keep cash flow positive through the 2027 fiscal year, noting it can access debt markets if additional funding becomes attractive.
The company has also reorganized its reporting into two primary operating segments: Agents and Infra, and Devices and Consumer. The Agents and Infra segment, which includes Azure and Microsoft 365 cloud products, saw revenue rise nearly 25% to $76.8 billion. Within this ecosystem, the Microsoft 365 Copilot AI assistant has seen a 50% increase in users since last quarter, and the high-end E7 productivity bundle has already reached millions of seats.
Consumer Slump and Operational Shifts
While the enterprise and AI sectors are surging, the Devices and Consumer business has struggled, with revenue slipping 3% to $15.48 billion. The most significant hit came from Windows operating system licenses and device sales, which plummeted 22%. Microsoft attributed this decline to weak PC demand, the end of support for Windows 10 last year, and higher memory and storage costs that drove up device prices.
This divergence between the AI boom and the consumer slump has led to a tightening of operational efficiency. During the fiscal first quarter, Microsoft cut 4,800 jobs and subsequently offered buyouts to up to 60,000 employees. These moves are part of a broader effort to balance the immense cost of the AI build-out with capital efficiency, even as the company establishes a new AI implementation unit and launches a Copilot "super app" with coding capabilities.
The broader implications of these results point toward a narrowing gap in the "cloud wars," as Azure's disclosed revenue puts it within striking distance of AWS. However, the financial data suggests a precarious balance; Microsoft is increasingly dependent on a single private customer in OpenAI to fill the capacity of its new data centers. As the company pushes toward its 2027 spending targets, the primary question will be whether the growth of AI agents and enterprise Copilot adoption can outpace the rising costs of the hardware required to run them.
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GTA 6 gameplay details reveal immersive smell systems and dog poop weapons via South Park
Published: Thursday, October 29, 2026 | By: XamRockstar Games has once again blurred the line between hyper-realism and absurdity, revealing that Grand Theft Auto VI will feature a level of environmental interaction that is as grotesque as it is technically ambitious. From the ability to weaponize dog feces to a complex system for reacting to foul odors, the latest glimpses of the game suggest a commitment to immersive excess.
This unusual level of detail first surfaced in a recent episode of South Park titled “Guinea Pig on a Stick,” which aired on October 28. In a sequence later confirmed to be authentic footage supplied by Rockstar Games, the protagonists Jason and Lucia are seen on a densely populated beach. The clip demonstrates a specific gameplay feature allowing players to pick up dog poop from the environment and either throw it at NPCs or use it as a melee weapon to slap them across the face.
While the dog poop mechanic provides the shock value, it appears to be part of a broader technical framework. According to an interview with Rockstar North co-head Aaron Garbut in the November 2026 issue of Edge Magazine, the game features a comprehensive smell system powered by an upgraded RAGE Engine. This system allows Jason and Lucia to exhibit varying degrees of disgust when encountering foul odors, such as in a scenario where Jason recoils upon entering a room filled with dog feces. There is further suggestion that this could tie into other mechanics, such as a realistic sweat system where characters might react if their partner skips a shower.
Gameplay Systems
Beyond the sensory details, an extended look at the gameplay reveals a deep integration of systems reminiscent of Red Dead Redemption 2. A new criminal profile system tracks player actions, using an "angel" icon to denote positive impacts, such as petting a dog. Combat has also been refined, introducing a slow-motion focus ability marked by a purple meter and an eye icon, which highlights critical hit points on enemies. This attention to detail extends to animations, such as Lucia reloading a shotgun one-handed while carrying a bag, and the inclusion of boxing training to enhance her agile combat style.
The world of Leonida also introduces a significantly overhauled wanted system, returning to the traditional six-star scale. The HUD now provides specific data on what the police know, including whether the suspects were spotted on CCTV, the clothes they are wearing, or if the police have a description of their vehicle. The stars themselves can shift from white to red when police lose eyes on a vehicle, or appear "hollow" when authorities are responding to a crime but lack a description of the suspects. To manage this, players can use masks to hide their identity or employ a revamped car-stealing system that requires a key cloner for high-end vehicles and a quick-time event with a slim jim for older models.
The World of Leonida
The sheer scale of the environment is reportedly massive, with the overall map roughly equaling the combined size of Grand Theft Auto IV, Grand Theft Auto V, and Red Dead Redemption 2. This space is populated with fully functioning bus and train systems, as well as a variety of side activities ranging from scuba diving and basketball to backyard wrestling and gym workouts. The interaction between Jason and Lucia is further deepened by a relationship scale measured on a four-point scale, which increases as they spend time together, and a button prompt that allows them to hold hands.
These systemic depths are supported by a high-fidelity 3D minimap and a revamped inventory system where the player's entire arsenal is stored in the trunk of their car. Even the vehicles have increased complexity, featuring individual fuel gauges and engine health. The police force has also been expanded to include K9 dog units, adding another layer of pressure to the game's criminal activities.
With a release date set for November 19 on Xbox Series X|S, these revelations point toward a game that prioritizes extreme, and sometimes unnecessary, fidelity. Whether it is the precision of a slim jim QTE or the visceral reaction to a stinky room, Rockstar is positioning Grand Theft Auto VI as a peak of open-world simulation, where the most trivial details are treated with the same technical rigor as the core crime mechanics.
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Phantom Blade Zero becomes Steam's most-played single-player release of 2026 after massive launch
Published: Thursday, October 29, 2026 | By: XamS-GAME's Phantom Blade Zero has hit the market with an explosive start, quickly claiming the title of Steam's most-played single-player release of 2026. The martial arts adventure has seen a massive surge in concurrent players since its launch on October 28, with reports on its peak audience varying between 431,541 and over 703,000 players. This momentum has propelled the title to the top of Steam's global top sellers chart and positioned it as the second most-played game on the platform overall, trailing only Counter-Strike 2.
Beyond the raw numbers, the game has arrived with significant critical momentum, boasting an 88 Metacritic score and a "Mostly Positive" average from early Steam users. The narrative follows Soul, a warrior framed for the murder of his master, who must navigate eight interconnected regions of the Wulin to uncover a conspiracy and find a cure for a fatal wound that leaves him with only 66 days to live. This ambitious scope is matched by its technical demands, as the title launched simultaneously on PC and PlayStation 5, including the PS5 Pro, while skipping Xbox at launch. While a release on Xbox Series X/S is speculated for 2027, S-GAME has not officially confirmed a timeline for other consoles.
Technical Performance and Requirements
The game's visual fidelity is a primary talking point, as it serves as a graphical showcase utilizing Unreal Engine 5.7.4. On PC, the title supports a wide array of upscalers, including NVIDIA DLSS, AMD FSR, and Intel XeSS, alongside both Ray Tracing and Path Tracing. However, the performance cost is steep. Even an NVIDIA RTX 5090 requires the use of DLSS Super Resolution and Frame Generation to maintain a consistent 60 FPS at 4K resolution when Path Tracing is enabled. Users utilizing DLSS 4.5 Frame Generation should note that disabling Motion Blur is necessary to avoid noticeable visual artifacts during fast movements.
This level of graphical ambition requires significant local resources. While the final installation sizes are listed below, the developer warned that users should have at least 300 GB of free disk space to accommodate the pre-load process.
- PS5: 134.857 GB
- PC: 145 GB
Despite these requirements, the PC version is noted for its polish, featuring a lengthy shader pre-compilation phase at launch that effectively eliminates major traversal or compilation stutters during gameplay. For those without high-end hardware, the game is available via GeForce Now, providing a cloud-based alternative to the demanding local requirements.
The success of Phantom Blade Zero marks a significant milestone for S-GAME and the broader landscape of high-budget Chinese game development. With a physical release scheduled for next year and a massive initial player base already established, the title's ability to maintain this momentum into its first full weekend will likely determine its long-term standing. The industry will now be watching to see if the developer follows through with a port to other consoles or expands the experience with further updates.
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Google launches Gemini 4 Carbon AI model for coding and cybersecurity, topping several benchmarks
Published: Thursday, October 29, 2026 | By: XamGoogle is aggressively tightening its release cycle to reclaim the AI frontier, debuting Gemini 4 Carbon just two weeks after the launch of Gemini 4 Argon. This latest model represents a strategic pivot toward high-stakes agentic workflows, specifically targeting a significant leap in cybersecurity and software engineering capabilities.
By prioritizing the ability to detect, validate, and patch critical vulnerabilities, Google is positioning Gemini 4 Carbon as a specialized tool for cyber defenders. According to the company, the model outperforms its predecessor, Argon, as well as competitors like OpenAI’s GPT-6 Astra and Anthropic’s Claude Opus 5.5 across a variety of benchmarks including science, math, and multimodal understanding. This performance is anchored by a 1 million token context window and the ability to process text, image, video, and speech inputs.
Cybersecurity and Coding Dominance
The model's strength in security is supported by several specific benchmarks that measure the transition from finding a bug to fixing it. In internal testing, Carbon achieved high marks across the primary stages of vulnerability management:
- SEC-bench Pro (Vulnerability Discovery): 88.2%
- ExploitGym (Exploitation): 54.8%
- CWE-bench (Patching): 71.0%
Beyond these figures, Google claims that Carbon is twice as likely to generate secure code compared to Argon. The impact of these improvements is particularly evident in the Chrome team's findings, where Carbon reportedly performed more than 10 times better than other non-Google frontier models when generating high-quality patches. This capability is paired with a high degree of resilience against prompt injections—techniques used to bypass AI safeguards—where Carbon recorded a 0.0% attack success rate in internal tests.
This focus on reliability extends to the model's transparency and honesty. Google notes that Carbon has reduced unsupported claims by half compared to Argon, effectively reducing the tendency of the AI to hallucinate or provide inaccurate information. These refinements are designed to support "long-horizon" engineering tasks, where the model can persist through dead ends and run for days to complete complex, multi-step actions without overstepping its bounds.
Agentic Workflows and World Simulation
While Carbon targets the enterprise and security sectors, Google also debuted Genie 4, a "world model" designed to simulate physical environments. Unlike standard chatbots that predict text, Genie 4 is grounded in the physics of a digital universe, making it a primary tool for robotics and video game design. The latest iteration introduces audio capabilities, allowing developers to integrate dialogue and background noise directly into these simulated worlds.
The rollout for these models is being handled with a deliberate, tiered approach. Gemini 4 Carbon is currently available only to a subset of cybersecurity defense companies and is undergoing a review process with the US government. Access will eventually expand to trusted partners via the Fairwind Program before a wider release to developers and consumers. For those in the initial phase, the model is priced at an introductory rate of $2 per million input tokens and $10 per million output tokens.
These releases come at a volatile moment for Google. While the company's cloud computing business showed strong third-quarter growth, weak search advertising revenues contributed to a nearly 10 percent drop in stock price during after-hours trading. This aggressive push into frontier models suggests a need to maintain technological leadership amid rising public backlash against AI infrastructure and fears regarding job displacement and misinformation.
The industry trajectory suggests this lead may be short-lived. Even as Gemini 4 Carbon takes the top spot on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index (v5.0) with a score of 59, competitors are already preparing their next moves. The broader implication is a continuing cycle of rapid-fire releases, with Anthropic's upcoming Claude Fable 5.5 expected to challenge Carbon's current state-of-the-art standing shortly after it reaches general availability.
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No Man's Sky launches on iOS and releases the horror-themed Forsaken update
Published: Wednesday, October 28, 2026 | By: XamHello Games has expanded the reach of No Man's Sky by launching the title on iOS alongside the release of the Forsaken update. This dual release marks a significant milestone for the space exploration sandbox as it continues to evolve more than a decade after its initial launch.
The Darker Side of the Galaxy
The Forsaken update, designated as version 7.10, leans into a horror aesthetic to coincide with the Halloween season. Players are encouraged to explore the more sinister corners of the universe to hunt for biological horrors and rare haunted technology. This scavenging process requires venturing into dangerous environments, including infested outposts, abandoned freighters, planetary dig sites, and derelict hulks.
These recovered mementos can be traded with a group of enigmatic collectors who have appeared at the edges of deep-space outposts. In exchange for these curios, players can acquire biomechanical Corvette modules that allow for the creation of organic, "creepy" ship exteriors. This customization extends to new Corvette cockpits and a ship interior inspired by a distant galaxy. The trade system also offers new space suit styles and weapon variants, featuring grotesque additions such as a writhing Grub Cannon multi-tool and a Larva Tank helmet.
Beyond the horror-themed content, the update introduces several systemic changes to the gameplay loop. Interstellar travel is now more fluid, as players can seamlessly warp to nearby stars by locking onto constellations without needing to open the galactic map. The update also introduces package hauling missions, allowing players to act as intergalactic couriers, and provides a comprehensive overhaul of the creature-battling Holo Arena.
To further refine the user experience, Hello Games has implemented several quality-of-life improvements. These include a new radial weapon-selection menu, improved deep-space guidance, and a "Minimal HUD" mode that strips away non-essential markers, hazard protection bars, and mission notifications to provide a cleaner screen.
Expanding the Reach
These technical refinements coincide with the arrival of No Man's Sky on iOS, a port that includes all previous updates and the new Forsaken content. The mobile version is designed for a specific hardware baseline:
- iPhone 11 and newer
- Third-generation iPad Air and newer
The port features a single 4GB download and utilizes custom-made touch controls with specific optimizations for battery life and thermodynamics. To encourage new players, the opening portion of the game is available for free on iOS.
The release of Forsaken represents the fifth major update in the game's tenth anniversary year, following the Remnant, Xeno Arena, The Swarm, and Cosmos updates. This relentless pace of development suggests that Hello Games intends to support the title well into the future, with the studio already planning content for 2027. This ongoing commitment to No Man's Sky persists even as the developer continues work on its next project, Light No Fire.
