Category Archives: CES 2025

CES 2025, Gaming, Hardware/Console, News, PC, Technology

AMD announces Ryzen 9 X3D variants & new AI CPUs

As expected, AMD kicked off its CES 2025 keynote starting with an expected announcement and it is more X3D or 3D-Cahce ready CPU variants of the current Ryzen Zen 5 family and now, it is the turn of the flagship Ryzen 9 9950X and the little brother Ryzen 9 9900X, respectively with Ryzen 9 9950X3D and Ryzen 9 9900X3D.

Let’s start on what gamers are looking for and yes, AMD officially announced the X3D cache ready variant of the Ryzen 9 9950X as the Ryzen 9950X3D, which will get gamers a noticeable boost on gaming performance.

The Ryzen 9 99050X3D features 16 Zen 5 cores with a Max Boost frequency of 5.7GHz with 2 V-Cache, one specifically for AMD’s 3D-Cache and the other for the regular use of Zen 5 core usage, sharing a memory space of 144MB.

MD says the 9950X3D should be around 8 percent faster on average than the previous 7950X3D, based on benchmarks run on 40 games at 1080p. The gaming performance should be similar to the 9800X3D, with AMD claiming it’s within 1 percent. AMD even claims the 9950X3D is 20 percent faster than Intel’s Core Ultra 9 285K in those same games

With this, AMD is going after Intel’s Core 285K, calling it “the world’s best gaming processor” and the “new king for content creators and actually, it was acknowledged that both gaming and content creators are the target audience with the bold claim the 9950X3D is 20 percent faster than Intel’s Core Ultra 9 285K.

Remember that X3D variants of Ryzen CPU doesn’t see much improvement of their predecessors for general productivity like Word Processors, Presentation, non-GPU assisted graphical designs even non-graphical software engineering.

For those in a new to go beyond Ryzen 7 9800X3D but not enough budget for the Ryzen 9 9950X3D, Ryzen 9 9900X3D also makes its apprearance.

The Ryzen 9 9900X3D will include 12 Zen cores with24 threads, a 5.5GHz max boost, 140MB of cache, and a 120-watt TDP and with this, AMD said the cache is now less sensitive to high temperatures, allowing the CPU to boost to higher frequencies and deliver better performance in both gaming and creator tasks.

The new Zen 9 3D-Cache ready variants of the Zen 5 CPU family will be available starting March 2025, but prices were not immediately announced.

“Strix Halo” and “Fire Range” no more

The second announcement regarding CPU it aimed for mobile gaming or gaming laptop and once internally knew as “Strix Halo” and “Fire Range”, where announced today respectively as Ryzen AI Max family and the Ryzen HX/HX3D family.

Starting with AI Max family and more or less taking the queue of both Apple with the M processors and Qualcomm with Snapdragon X family, AMD is taking the best of both gaming and AI world with these two processors.

The Ryzen AI Max can have configuration of up to 40 RDNA 3.5 compute units, 16 Zen 5 CPU cores, and a new memory interface with 256GB per second of bandwidth and meanwhile, the Ryzen AI Max Plus 395 (the high end variant), as over 1.4x the graphics performance and 2.6x the 3D rendering performance of Intel’s highest-end Lunar Lake chip, the Intel Core 9 288V.

These specs in theory, makes a high end laptop beating a MacBook Pro built with a Apple M4 Pro, which tells you that laptops built with these processors are for a mix of gaming and productivity.

Finally the former Fire Range project, was announced as the family that includes the new HX- and X3D which its design will have them as a discrete processing units instead of discrete GPU.

The family includes the Ryzen 9 9850HX, Ryzen 9 9955HX and the Ryzen 9 9955HX3D which is obvious to say which one include 144MB of 3D-Cache or X3D and this will power the high-end gaming laptop for this year.

The processors are expected to be available in the first half of 2025 and are aimed at users who need powerful computing for gaming, content creation, and AI workloads

CES 2025, Gaming, Hardware/Console, News, PC, Technology

Intel confirms commitment to Arc GPUs business

In great news for those who are having a soft side for Intel, mainly in their efforts for their penetration of the GPU aspect of the computing and gaming PC side of their business, is that Intel is committing on their Arc brand and try to have a proper third GPU giant title along with Nvidia and AMD.

In a much needed contrast to former Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger’s negativity on the GPU business with Intel Arc, which he saw it as a failed experiment, Intel’s new co-CEO Michelle Johnston Holthaus has confirmed the audience in the company’s CES 2025 keynote, that Arc isn’t going away. 

As a matter of fact, it is one of the most frequently asked question as Johnson claimed (quoted by The Verge).

With that Holthaus took the opportunity to say tat Intel will launch the Arc B570 GPU this next week, a card which is even more budget than the B580.

About that GPU, is based  on Xe2 “Battlemage” GPU architecture with 16 cores (some cores will be for direct computing and others for efficiency), up to 12GB of dedicated video memory, and up to 190W of energy usage and this Arc GPU aims to compete with Nvidia GeForce 4060 and Radeon 7600 XT.

 One thing that I would consider as expected, is that Intel might be going the same route that Nvidia and AMD are going regarding leveraging GPU for both gaming and AI as part of the strategic plans on the future includes their investment for AI solutions.

But hey, if this justifies Intel Arc’s existence and brings more choices for the consumer, mainly the budget consumer, it should be seen as a good thing.

CES 2025, Events, Featured, Gaming, Hardware/Console, News

HDMI 2.2 officially announced at CES 2025

In what it was expected to be incoming, were are at the dawn on what its next for HDMI and the HMDI Forum has officially unveil the standard for HDMI 2.2 at CES 2025 and what could monitors and electronic should be capable off with the new advancements.

The new HDMI 2.2 standard offers significantly higher bandwidth and faster data transfer speeds compared to its predecessors, with HDMI 2.2 devices supporting data transfer speeds of up to 96Gbps, double the speed of HDMI 2.1b, and can handle resolutions up to 12K at 120 frames per second.

But of course, the gaming community’s interest on the new standard of HDMI 2.2 should be enlisted as follows:

  • Higher Resolutions and Refresh Rates: HDMI 2.2 can support resolutions up to 12K and refresh rates up to 120Hz, providing incredibly sharp and smooth visuals for gaming.
  • Lower Latency: The new Latency Indication Protocol (LIP) helps synchronize audio and video signals, reducing input lag and improving overall gaming responsiveness.
  • Enhanced Audio: HDMI 2.2 includes an improved Audio Return Channel (eARC), allowing for high-quality audio transmission, which is crucial for immersive gaming experiences.
  • Future-Proofing: With its higher bandwidth, HDMI 2.2 is designed to support future gaming technologies and content, ensuring compatibility with upcoming advancements in gaming hardware and software.

While HDMI 2.2 devices are expected to become available later this year, it may take some time for consumer media and devices to fully support the new standard. The new cables required for HDMI 2.2 will be labeled with an “Ultra96” marker to indicate their compatibility.

CES 2025, Events, Hardware/Console, News, PC, Technology

Qualcomm will help normalizing budget computers with AI

I guess that I should circle as the most unrelated gaming news of CES 2025, but I guess is fair to include an announcement from Qualcomm regarding on its quest to grind in the AI and Microsoft’s Copilot without being an expensive investment from computer and power users.

With this, Qualcomm has unveiled its new Snapdragon X chip at CES 2025, aimed at bringing AI-powered computing to more affordable laptops and mini PCs.

The Snapdragon X chip features an 8-core Qualcomm Oryon CPU, 45 TOPS NPU performance, and an integrated GPU and also, it is expected to offer 167% faster performance and better power efficiency compared to its competitors.

In other words, Qualcomm sees an opportunity with entry-level computer powered up with Copilot.

A important aspect that many will take proper attention, is that according to Qualcomm, a Snapdragon X-equipped test PC lasted 106% longer while streaming Netflix than an Intel Core 5-powered notebook and it is a fair thing to say that this detail is important as battery life has been a persistent problem for Intel-based systems for years.

Qualcomm also announced it is bringing its Snapdragon chips to desktop PCs.

The chip will be available in budget-friendly Copilot+ PCs starting at $600, with manufacturers like Acer, ASUS, Dell Technologies, HP, and Lenovo on board.

CES 2025, Events, Gaming, Hardware/Console, News, Technology, Xbox

LG has become the latest Xbox Game Pass ally

In more CES 2025 gaming related news, Microsoft and LG have announced that they have entered into a partnership to bring Xbox Game Pass with the Game Pass Cloud Gaming capacities to LG Smart TVs later this year. This collaboration marks a significant step in making gaming more accessible to a broader audience.

Game Pass Ultimate members will be able to play games directly from the Xbox app on supported LG Smart TVs. This means no additional hardware is required—just the TV and a compatible controller and with this, players will have access to a diverse selection of games from the Game Pass Ultimate catalog. Popular titles like Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and upcoming releases such as Avowed will be available for streaming.

We’re focused on bringing more games to more people around the world, on the devices you choose to play with. Millions of Game Pass Ultimate members are already using Xbox Cloud Gaming (Beta) to play great games from the Game Pass catalog on various devices.

Today, we’re excited to announce our collaboration with LG Electronics to bring the Xbox app to their new LG Smart TVs later this year. This means Game Pass Ultimate members will be able to play their games directly from the Xbox app on supported LG Smart TVs via Xbox Cloud Gaming. This gives players even more choice in how they enjoy their favorite games.

Soon, players with LG Smart TVs will be able to explore the Gaming Portal for direct access to hundreds of games in the Game Pass Ultimate catalog, including popular titles such as Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, and upcoming releases like Avowed (launching February 18, 2025).

In addition to Game Pass titles and previously announced, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members will also be able to stream select games they already own, including hits like NBA 2K25 and Hogwarts Legacy.

With this, Microsoft and Xbox will be diving in more details in the upcoming months.

As for the LG Smart TVs ready with Xbox Game Pass availability, LG said that the 2025 models will be release later this year. However, specific release dates and the exact models of LG Smart TVs that will support this feature have not yet been announced.

CES 2025, Events, Gaming, Hardware/Console, News, Technology, Xbox

Hyperkin wants you to play Xbox with a DualSense feel

Imagine holding your PS5 DualSense and you are turning your console on to began playing, but instead of a Playstation 5 and seeing the PS logo on your screen, you are powering on your Xbox console and yet, you can play your favorite Xbox game.

Well, this is the concept that Hyperkin has previewed at CES 2025 with a new Competitor Xbox controller that has the physics of the Playstation 5’s DualSense.

Evidently, Hyperkin took some liberties at the design to match most of the aesthetic of Sony’s PS5 DualSense, which makes me wonder if Sony actually will just leave it as it is (with an eyebrow raise) or we might be seeing legal movements during the year.

Competitor appears to feature offset control sticks, a hybrid D-pad, and face buttons, along with the analog sticks located next to each other on the bottom part of the controller, while the D-pad has moved to the upper-left side of the controller, and each direction is an individual button.

Keep in mind if it is now under your radar, that the controller is expected to be a wired-only gamepad and will be available sometime in the second quarter of 2025 with no mentioning of price.

Hyperkin is an American video game peripheral manufacturer and distributor founded in 2006. The company is based in Los Angeles, California, and distributes accessories for major gaming consoles, in addition to creating clone consoles that play retro games with modern resolutions and on modern devices.

Hyperkin’s most notable products include the RetroN series of clone consoles, which allow users to play games from classic consoles such as the Nintendo Entertainment System, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, and Sega Genesis. The company has also released a number of other retro-themed products, such as the Supaboy series of handheld consoles and the Retron 5, an Android-based console that can play games from a variety of platforms.

In recent years, Hyperkin has also begun to produce its own original gaming peripherals, such as the Hyperkin Duke, a modern take on the classic Nintendo 64 controller. The company has also released a number of licensed controllers for popular games, such as the Hyperkin Cthulhu Controller for the Nintendo Switch.

CES 2025, Events, Gaming, Hardware/Console, News, PC, Technology

Intel announces its 2025 Core Ultra 200 CPU family

The biggest announcement from Intel at their keyonote on CES 2025, was the second batch of the Intel Core Ultra 200 series processors, which are designed to be used on AI ready laptop computers and power high capacity mobile computers.

Of course, for our interest, this means that future laptops will benefit from enhanced gaming performance for this year 2025.

The 2025 Core Ultra 200 family incldes:

Core Ultra 200HX: Targeted at high-performance gaming laptops. It includes advanced features like overclocking capabilities and enhanced data lanes for maximum performance.

Core Ultra 200H: A middle ground option with integrated Intel Arc graphics, suitable for performance thin and light laptops.

Core Ultra 200U: Designed for budget-end systems and less demanding tasks, featuring Intel Graphics GPU.

Intel claims that the new processors offer double-digit performance improvements over previous generations in both single and multi-core workloads and specifically, the Core Ultra 200H series includes Intel Arc integrated graphics, providing more than 20% better GPU performance compared to previous models.

Also, these processors are designed to consume less power while maintaining high performance, making them ideal for gaming laptops and mainly, gaming on the go.

Talking about gaming, the combination of powerful CPU cores and advanced integrated graphics ensures a smooth and immersive gaming experience and again, taking for example the Core Ultra 200HX series, this specific CPI is designed to work seamlessly with discrete GPUs, providing maximum performance for gaming systems.

Intel says that it has addressed previous power management issues, ensuring that gaming laptops can deliver consistent performance without throttling and this take us to the other purpose of this family and it is housing an AI entity.

For Artificial Intelligence needs, Intel claims the processors feature a neural processing unit (NPU) with up to 99 TOPS (trillions of operations per second) for enhanced AI capabilities significant gen-over-gen performance advancements in key areas like media processing and AI analytics and mobile graphics benchmark improvement via AI graphical computing.

The processors are expected to be available starting early Q1 2025 for the Core Ultra 200H series, and late Q1 2025 for the Core Ultra 200HX series.

As for partners, Intel has not yet disclosed specific partners for the Core Ultra 200 series processors. However, given Intel’s extensive history of collaborations, it’s likely that major PC manufacturers such as Dell, HP, Lenovo, and Asus will be among the first to integrate these processors into their new laptops and desktops.

CES 2025, Events, Gaming, News, Technology

Dungeons & Dragons just kickoff gaming at CES 2025

One of the early gaming related announcements of CES 2025 comes in the form of an impressive Pinball machine and it is a $7000 Dungeons & Dragons pinball machine. This pinball machine, called “Dungeons & Dragons: The Tyrant’s Eye,” is a tribute to the tabletop RPG’s 50th anniversary.

It features an all-star voice cast, including Michael Dorn from Star Trek: TNG, and takes players on an adventure through the Forgotten Realms.

Players take on the role of members of the Dragonshield Guild, aiming to defeat the dragon queen Tiamat, who is plotting to rise again and trigger the War of Dragons. The game features various iconic enemies such as Rath the Relentless (a red dragon), Xanathar the Beholder, Sammaster the Lich, and more.

Voice Cast

The game features a star-studded voice cast including Michael Dorn, Kevin Smith, Luke Gygax, Chris Prynoski, Brendon Small, Gerard Way, Matthew Mercer, Laura Bailey, Marisha Ray, Anthony Carboni, and Mica Burton.

Now the tech side of this Pinball machine include four important aspects starting with Rath the Relentless: An advanced animatronic mech that reacts to player actions and intelligently will follow your Pinball to avoid being hit using advanced sensors with multi-axis motion and features omnidirectional impact sensing technology.

Another aspect and related to Rath, is the Omnidirectional Impact Sensing and this technology allows the animatronic dragon to intelligently respond to impacts from any direction, adding a new level of realism and interactivity to the game.

Then we got a Interactive Playfield, which includes Hidden Passageways that players can navigate, adding an element of exploration to the game, Electromagnet-powered Gelatinous Cube and this feature freezes the pinball, creating a unique challenge for players and Dynamic Dungeon Levels, which are sccessed through a disappearing playfield trap door, these levels change the gameplay environment and add variety to the experience.

And finally, digital integrations with the Insider Connected Platform and this platform enables ongoing code updates and interaction with a global network of players. Players can share their progress, unlock new features, and stay connected with the pinball community, High-Resolution LCD Screens and LED Lighting.

Of course, this elements combine traditional pinball components with video game-style interactive screens, enhancing the visual experience.

Dungeons & Dragons: The Tyrant’s Eye pinball machine is set to be released in late 2025. It’s being produced by Stern Pinball Inc. under an official license from Wizards of the Coast1.

The game is available in three editions, each with different features and pricing:

  1. Pro Edition: Priced at $6,999 USD
  2. Premium Edition: Priced at $9,699 USD
  3. Limited Edition (LE): Priced at $12,999 USD. This edition is limited to just 740 models in honor of D&D’s original release in 1974.

Each edition offers unique artwork, audio, and additional features, with the Limited Edition including upgraded audio and anti-reflection glass.