Nvidia's RTX Spark N1X processor is finally here, and we've been collectively testing a small fortune's worth of powerful laptops sporting this new "superchip." RTX Spark is designed to be a high-performing Arm-based SoC for laptops and small desktop computers, rivaling the best from Apple, Intel, AMD, and Qualcomm. It has loads of cores, Nvidia RTX Blackwell graphics, and enough power and unified memory to run sizable local AI models.

The flagship placement is inside Microsoft's Surface Laptop Ultra with a staggering 128GB of unified memory, which our own Tom Warren fully reviewed. Sean Hollister has been testing a 64GB version of the Asus …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Valve is introducing a major new feature for Steam achievements called "achievement sets" that lets developers list different groups of achievements for a base game and DLCs.

"In games that support sets, you still unlock achievements by playing the game as usual," Valve says. "But when you browse what you have unlocked afterward, Steam will break the long list of game achievements into the developer-created sets, making it easier to see what you have completed and to find other related achievements you can unlock next." Achievement sets have their own progress bars, and if you finish a set, you'll get a "set complete" trophy that's visible …

Read the full story at The Verge.

The Alienware AW3426DW is discounted to $742.22 at Amazon, just over $50 off its usual price of $799.99. It’s not quite the lowest price we’ve seen on this well-equipped gaming monitor, but still a decent discount. The 34-inch screen just came out a couple months ago, and is equipped with Penta Tandem quantum dots for bolder colors than you’ll find on other QD-OLED panel. And of course, it provides the deep blacks and high contrast expected of the display tech.

Alienware 34-inch AW3426DW curved OLED gaming monitor

This ultrawide (21:9) QHD OLED gaming monitor has a 280Hz refresh rate, a fast response time, and a slick design. It’s tough to get more OLED for your money than with this model when it’s discounted.

Where to Buy:

• $799.99 $742.22 at Amazon

Alienware supports both Nvidia G-Sync and FreeSync Premium Pro adaptive refresh rate tech, so PC gamers with modern GPUs can enjoy a smooth frame rate when their systems can’t output a frame rate that matches its native 280Hz refresh rate. The 1800R curve adds an immersive element to the setup, and it has two HDMI 2.1 ports, as well as DisplayPort, and USB-A and USB-C for charging and connecting peripherals.

Other deals to consider

• You can take 25 percent off the price of eligible Belkin Screen Skinz custom screen protectors when you use code Screenskinz25 at checkout. These unique screen protectors come in both clear and privacy versions that keep onlookers for seeing your screen. They have a hidden design that show up only when the phone’s display is off, or when viewed from the side with the privacy versions. There are options for custom designs or collaborations with sports teams and brands.
• The Baseus Bowie MC2 Open Ear earbuds are only $45.99 at Amazon when you use code HNDCWYO8 at checkout, a nice discount from their usual price of $79.99. These lightweight clip-on style earbuds last over 11 hours on a single charge, and are IP67 water and dust resistant, making them a great choice for working out or walking the dog.
• Best Buy has the 2025 edition of the Corsair RM850e on sale for just $72.99, just over half its usual price of $144.99. This fully modular desktop power supply is 80 PLUS Gold rated for excellent efficiency, with full ATX 3.1 support and a dedicated 12V-2×6 connector for single cable operation on newer GPUs.

Epic is working on bringing Fortnite to Linux through its Epic Games Launcher. The new launcher is releasing in preview today, and for the first time on Linux, and while Fortnite isn't available there just yet, Epic wants to make that a reality.

So far, part of the reason Fortnite hasn't been available on Linux is concerns about cheating. While Epic's Easy Anti-Cheat (EAC) service does support Linux, Fortnite itself does not, and in February 2022, Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney said that for Fortnite, "We don't have confidence that we'd be able to combat cheating at scale under a wide array of kernel configurations." But now, Epic says it's pla …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse launches tonight, October 14, for players on the West Coast, while most regions will get access on October 15. Here are the release times, whether the game has early access, and everything included in the Midnight Edition.

Castlevania Belmont’s Curse Release Date and Launch Times

The Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse release date is October 15, 2026. However, Konami has confirmed that it will launch at 9:00 PM PT, which means West Coast players can start playing tonight, Wednesday, October 14.

For players on the East Coast, that works out to midnight on October 15. In other regions, the same launch time falls later that morning or afternoon. Here are the Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse launch times based on the 9:00 PM PT unlock:

Does Castlevania Belmont’s Curse Have Early Access?

No, Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse does not have early access. Purchasing the Midnight Edition does not let you start playing before the Standard Edition. Despite its name, the Midnight Edition is an upgraded version of the game with extra digital content and in-game items.

It does not include early access or a 24-hour head start. If you’re deciding which edition to purchase, the main difference is the additional costumes, relic, and Digital Sound & Art Gallery.

Castlevania Belmont’s Curse Pre-Order Bonus

Pre-ordering Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse gets you the Alucard Style Costume. The bonus gives Rose Belmont an alternate look inspired by one of the series’ most iconic characters.

The Alucard Style Costume is a separate pre-order bonus from the Trevor and Sypha costumes included in the Midnight Edition. You don’t need to purchase the more expensive edition to receive the pre-order outfit.

What Is Included in the Castlevania Belmont’s Curse Midnight Edition?

The Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse Midnight Edition includes the full game, a Digital Sound & Art Gallery, and three bonus in-game items.

Here is everything included:

• Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse
• Digital Sound & Art Gallery
• Trevor Style Costume
• Sypha Style Costume
• Family’s Grace (Relic)

If you pre-order the Midnight Edition, you also receive the Alucard Style Costume mentioned above. For players who just want the main adventure, the Standard Edition is enough. However, if you want the extra costumes and digital gallery, the Midnight Edition bundles those bonuses together.

Is Castlevania Belmont’s Curse on Game Pass?

No, Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse has not been announced for Xbox Game Pass or PC Game Pass at launch. If you want to play when it releases, you’ll need to purchase the game separately.

Although it supports Xbox Play Anywhere, that isn’t the same as Game Pass. The feature lets you buy the game digitally once and play it on both Xbox Series X|S and PC. If you are unsure whether you want to pre-order, check out our Castlevania Belmont’s Curse review roundup guide.

The post Castlevania Belmont’s Curse Release Date and Launch Times appeared first on VICE.

Retro gaming is going through a wild time at the moment, thanks to decompilations and recompilations that are letting gamers port classic titles to new devices, or merge code from two different games into a single new experience. Microsoft has witnessed skateboarding being modded into Call of Duty and Halo being played in a web browser, and the company is now officially embracing the chaos of this new AI-powered era of game modding.

Microsoft is putting together a new Xbox Labs group to explore the rapid emergence of these mods, many of which use AI models to help modders remix games in ways we've rarely seen before. Xbox Labs will be a "sm …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Epic Games plans to use AI to generate code and art for an unannounced Disney game, which is now delayed from its original March release window, according to a report from Bloomberg. The project's developers have been given an "AI-first" mandate directing them to use tools like Anthropic's Claude more to finish the game.

According to Bloomberg, one of the game's directors said in a message to staff, "No more hand-written code." Staff were also told that all of the game's art will be "generated with full AI workflows." In a statement given to Bloomberg, Epic Games spokesperson Jake Jones said the company is "embracing AI-accelerated develop …

Read the full story at The Verge.

When Nvidia originally showed off DLSS 5 earlier this year, the technology immediately got branded as gen AI for video games. To gamers, Nvidia had lost the plot. I personally couldn't get over how faces were transformed using DLSS 5. The 15-year-old student from Hogwarts Legacy suddenly looked much older, and Grace from Resident Evil Requiem looked yassified.

Now more than six months later, DLSS 5 is about to debut properly in Hogwarts Legacy, and it looks like it has been seriously toned down. Nvidia published new comparison screenshots today, where the changes to faces are as subtle as they are in NBA 2K27. Teenagers no longer look like …

Read the full story at The Verge.

CPU makers have noticed that the seemingly unending RAM price hikes are making it tough for a lot of us to upgrade our PCs. Their solution? A return to last-gen DDR4 RAM. Intel and AMD are making new CPUs that'll support the older, more affordable type of memory.

On Friday, Gigabyte announced that two of its motherboard lines will support "upcoming" processors built on Intel's LGA 1700 socket. That socket debuted in 2021 with the 12th gen Alder Lake CPUs and supported both DDR4 RAM and the then-new DDR5 RAM. Intel dropped it for a DDR5-only approach in 2024. But according to Gigabyte, the dual format support is now being revived, with new …

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It's already possible to get AMD's framerate-enhancing FSR 4 boost on handhelds as old as the Steam Deck - but in June, AMD reserved the right to disappoint handheld gamers by not officially bringing FSR 4 to older handhelds. Now, AMD consumer chip boss Jack Huynh says he will bring the tech to some handhelds by the end of the year.

Which handhelds? It's still not clear if it will come to existing handhelds, or if you'll need a new one to get it - because it comes alongside news that AMD is releasing a new FSR4-capable chip.

"We will expand the machine learning AI-based FSR4 technology, which was first introduced to existing external graph …

Read the full story at The Verge.