Facebook Linkedin Twitter Youtube
Home Blog Page 152

AMD Ryzen 7 9700X Hits Record Low Price On Amazon

AMD is really the only challenger to Intel’s dominance in the desktop CPU market, with its Ryzen lineup winning the hearts of gamers under all budgets and needs. The company has slowly been gaining ground in the processor industry, and the success of the AMD Ryzen 7 9700X CPU has made that fact more apparent than ever. Released last year, the processor is now already enjoying a heart-throbbing Amazon deal.

Now, the AMD Ryzen 7 9700X is already seeing a staggering 36% off offer on Amazon for a limited time, which has slashed $130 off the original price. In other words, the CPU is seeing the lowest price to date on the platform. This has turned its respectable price-to-performance ratio even more attractive and worth it.

AMD Ryzen™ 7 9700X 8-Core, 16-Thread Unlocked Desktop Processor
AMD Ryzen™ 7 9700X 8-Core, 16-Thread Unlocked Desktop Processor
  • This dominant gaming processor can deliver fast 100+ FPS performance in the world's most popular games
Buy on Amazon

Built using AMD’s latest Zen 5 architecture, it comes with an 8-core and 16-thread configuration that is unlocked for overclocking to pull the most performance out of the little giant. The CPU also boasts a 3.8 GHz base clock speed, reaching as high as 5.5 GHz in max clock speeds.

Additionally, the small form factor processor features an excellent 40 MB total cache and supports the latest DDR5 memory sticks. The AM5 socket and PCIe 5.0 support also ensure it supports modern gaming rigs.

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X sets new standards for gaming processors without cutting any corners. Its excellent thermals and low power draw have also attracted many gamers. The CPU runs cool even under 4K gaming loads and achieves optimal performance across other high-performance tasks like video editing and multitasking. As a result, the CPU is compared favorably to higher TDP chips, like the 9800X3D.

AMD Ryzen 7 9700X Amazon price history | Source: Camelcamelgo.

So, if you’re looking for a decently priced processor for maximum optimization and performance, then you can’t go wrong with AMD Ryzen 7 9700X. It can let you enjoy a consistent high FPS in AAA games for casual and competitive esports gaming. 

The new $229 pricing, instead of the original $359, makes this arguably the best processor deal currently on Amazon.

Steam Hits New Peak Of 41 Million Concurrent Players, Doubling Its User Base In 5 Years

Story Highlight
  • Steam hit a new concurrent player peak of 41.6 million players yesterday.
  • The platform has gained almost 10 million new players in just under two years.
  • In addition, Steam has doubled the peak concurrent player count it had before COVID.

The gaming industry is one of constant ups and downs, with even the biggest companies ending up in trouble rather frequently. However, one brand that keeps breaking its own records is Steam, Valve’s digital storefront for the purchase of video games.

A massive reason Steam has become the consistent profit machine it is now rests on Valve’s preference for pandering to the customers. And, thanks to such consumer-friendly policies, the storefront is continuing to rake in millions of new players.

Why This Matters: Steam is bulletproof evidence that you can succeed in the gaming industry by putting the customer first.

Steam concurrent player peak
The chart showcases how Steam has doubled its player base this decade.

Steam has hit a new concurrent player count of 41 million online users, beating the previous record it set a few days ago by a million new players. To be exact, 41,666,455 players were online at the same time yesterday, probably thanks to new and popular online titles like Battlefield 6.

To showcase how exponentially Steam is growing, the platform hit a peak of 33 million players back in January 2024, meaning it has gained almost 10 million new consumers in under two years. 

Furthermore, Steam has doubled its concurrent user peak in half a decade, as per the charts available on SteamDB. Back in 2020, the platform had hit a peak of 19 million players on the day COVID-19 was declared a pandemic, and since then, it has more than doubled its player base, as the numbers show.

COVID-19 did play a role in the wider adoption of Steam and the gaming industry as a whole, but that shouldn’t take away any credit from Valve. The company has prevented any publishers from making ad revenue on the storefront, pandering to the consumers. 

Steam Deck 2 Featured
Steam has also been expanding into the console market.

Valve employees also bring in more money than Apple and Netflix workers combined, adding another layer to why Steam is the multibillion-dollar giant it is today.

Latest Updates

Do you think Steam is the best software client available on PC? Tell us in the comments below or head to the Tech4Gamers forum for discussion.

Marvel Rivals Has Lost Over 85% Of Its Players In Less Than A Year

Story Highlight
  • Marvel Rivals has lost 85% of players, dropping from a 644,269 all-time player peak to only a 95,257 24-hour peak.  
  • It has seen a sharp decline in players in the last 9 months, suggesting that players are quickly moving on.
  • The game still holds a steady player base, but the current trends suggest a grim future.

Marvel Rivals launched late last year with a boom that surprised everyone, becoming the next huge live-service title in the industry. Hundreds of thousands of gamers flooded its servers, so no one would have expected that it would lose most of them within a year.

Now, the popular hero shooter has seen a sharp decline and lost over 85% of its players in less than a year. The game initially hit an all-time active player count peak of 644,269 nine months ago, which has dropped to an unbelievably low 95,257 24-hour peak.

Why it matters: While Marvel Rivals still holds more players on Steam than multiple live-service titles combined, the continuous sharp decline suggests that it’s headed towards a shorter lifespan than its initial popularity suggested.

Marvel Rivals has lost over 85% of players in just 9 months.

As seen on the Steam tracker, SteamDB, Marvel Rivals has continued losing active players in an intense plunge since hitting its peak. While the current player count is still better than most popular games currently on Steam, it paints a concerning picture for the FPS. 

If the current trend continues and Marvel Rivals keeps losing players, then it may not have sturdy legs to stand on for the coming years.

We may see Marvel Rivals receiving less content and support as its popularity and players continue to move on at an alarming rate. This negative feedback loop could drastically reduce its life span.  

Marvel Rivals has proven to be one of the most successful free-to-play games of this year.
Marvel Rivals has stood out as a major competitor to Overwatch 2.

These results also show that a strong start does not mean that a live-service title will continue down that path for years to come. Comparatively, titles like Apex Legends have instead seen a rise in player counts years after launch, which ensured their long-lasting lifespan.

Despite these gloomy figures, Marvel Rivals has still been a tremendous success. It generated over $100 million in revenue during its first month alone.

Latest Updates

Do you think Marvel Rivals will continue to lose players, or will the player count stop sharply declining after a certain point? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below, or join the discussion on the Tech4Gamers forum.

Black Myth: Wukong Set To Receive Whopping 100GB Update With Performance Improvements

Story Highlight
  • Black Myth: Wukong’s next update requires up to 100GB of free storage.
  • The game is set to receive performance optimization and bug fixes.
  • Game Science will launch the update tomorrow, with a staggered rollout planned for all platforms.

Black Myth: Wukong, much to everyone’s surprise, became the biggest release of the industry last year. The title even won various awards and put the Chinese gaming industry on the map.

Since then, a standalone sequel to Black Myth: Wukong has been announced, and the action-RPG has also made its way to the Xbox Series S|X consoles. However, Game Science is not done with the title just yet, recently confirming a huge 100GB update.

Why it matters: Since Game Science is busy with its next project, fans did not expect to see much else for Black Myth: Wukong. This update has come as a pleasant surprise.

Black Myth Wukong Xbox Series S
Black Myth Wukong performed beyond expectations last year

The Black Myth: Wukong Twitter account recently confirmed a new update for the game.  According to Game Science, this update is set to arrive on October 13 and will target performance optimizations.

On PS5, this patch will require over 93.5GB of storage. Game Science also states that a gradual rollout is expected for all platforms after the October 13 release date. Besides the performance optimization improvements, the update promises bug fixes.

Although not much else is known at the moment, fans can expect to find out more tomorrow. For context, Black Myth: Wukong utilized frame generation to reach 60FPS on consoles, delivering mixed results.

Because it was one of the more intensive Unreal Engine 5 games last year, it will be interesting to see how much of a difference this update makes on consoles.

Black Myth Wukong Steam Game of the Year 2024
Black Myth Wukong Was A Strong Contender For Game of The Year In 2024

Elsewhere, Game Science is busy working on Black Myth: Zhong Kui. Reports also suggest as many as five games are planned for the Black Myth IP in the long term.

Latest Updates

Do you plan to check out this update? Share your thoughts on what Game Science could be adding to the game in the comments and on the Tech4Gamers Forums.

Battlefield 6 Runs At 60FPS On 10 Year Old GTX 1070 At 1440p

Story Highlight
  • Battlefield 6 runs incredibly well on PC across a range of configurations.
  • Although the game suggests 1080p 30FPS gameplay for its least powerful recommended graphics card, the GTX 1070 can achieve 1440p 60FPS gameplay.
  • The GTX 1070 was released in 2016, so this result is very impressive for a nearly 10-year-old GPU.

Battlefield 6 is currently the talk of the town. The first-person shooter has broken all franchise records, cementing its legacy among the finest offerings of the genre in the modern age.

PC performance is also significantly better than most modern releases without compromising on visuals. In fact, Battlefield 6 runs so well that the nearly decade-old GTX 1070 can play the title at 1440p 60FPS.

Why it matters: Dice spent a lot of time optimizing Battlefield 6. The team even avoided using ray tracing, and it seems these efforts were not in vain.

As Daniel Owen’s testing shows, Battlefield 6 runs fairly well at 1440p when using the GTX 1070. When running the game at native resolution and low settings, it hovers between 40-45FPS for the most part.

However, when combined with FSR Quality upscaling, the first-person shooter provides a solid 60FPS experience. This is interesting since Battlefield 6 still looks fairly good at its lowest settings.

In the recommended system settings, Dice lists an RTX 2060 for 1080p 30FPS gameplay. However, in-game testing shows that the similarly-specced GTX 1070 performs a lot better at 1440p resolution.

battlefield 6 live-action trailer
Battlefield Shouldn’t Consider CoD A Competitor This Year

Many modern games that rely on technology like Unreal Engine 5 struggle to run on much more powerful hardware. For instance, a game like Borderlands 4 became notorious for its optimization problems last month. As such, Battlefield 6 sticks out in a good way.

Elsewhere, the game itself is solid in almost every department except the single-player campaign.

Latest Updates

What do you think about Battlefield 6 on PC so far? Do you find the game optimized? Let’s discuss in the comments and on the Tech4Gamers Forums.

CS2 Skin Market Reaches All-Time High With Over $5.8 Billion Market Cap

Story Highlight
  • The CS2 market has reached its new all-time high after hitting $5 billion months ago. 
  • The market cap has crossed $5.8 billion, marking the highest it has ever been.
  • It has shown a lot of growth in the last few months, taking it to a new high.

The Counter-Strike 2 skin market has always been huge. With the game boasting a loyal fan base that is virtually unbreakable, it continues to grow even further. Now, after reaching the $5 billion mark just a few months ago, it has hit another milestone. 

Data shows that the CS2 skin market has now reached an all-time high with a market cap of over $5.8 billion. It has seen an upward trend over the last few months and continues to grow to gargantuan highs. 

Why it matters: CS2 not only has a huge fan base, but the skins market is also huge. It has evolved into an empire and continues to expand, growing larger and larger. 

CS2 Skin Market
CS2 Skin market has reached an all-time high with $5.8 billion market cap

According to statistics from Pricempire, just around five months after reaching a $5 billion market share, the CS2 skin market has now surpassed $5.8 billion, marking a new all-time high. This highlights that CS skins are at the top of their worth right now. 

While there are debates that the market won’t remain this high because some form of market manipulation has carried it this high, skin traders have predicted that it won’t have a massive crash. Therefore, you can expect the market to remain relatively high in the future. 

Wasteland Rebel CS2
The market has shown massive ups in the last few months.

Nonetheless, this shows how big and impactful the CS2 community is, and it continues to grow despite so many releases. Valorant tried to match it, but that too couldn’t sustain the pace that Counter-Strike has maintained for decades. 

Latest Updates

What are your thoughts on the CS2 skin market reaching an all-time high? Let us know your opinions in the comments or join the discussion at the official Tech4Gamers Forum. 

More Big Retailers Are Starting To Stop Selling Xbox Products

Story Highlight
  • After Costco, Target is starting to stop selling Xbox products at its stores.
  • A Reddit user reported that they asked the store, and the store confirmed that they are indeed ceasing Xbox sales.
  •  Other users verified the claim amid reports of a next-gen Xbox on the way. 

Following all the controversies surrounding Xbox, including the price hikes and more, the company’s future looks quite shaky. While it is confirmed that there will be a next-gen Xbox, some major retailers are ceasing to sell Xbox.

Last month, Costco announced that it would no longer sell Xbox products, and now Target has also stopped selling Xbox. A user reported that their local store has removed all related products from the shelves. 

Why it matters: If more major sellers continue to cease selling Xbox products, it would mean the end of the company as we know it, with rumors already circulating that the next-gen console may not be a home console. 

Target has started removing Xbox products from its storefronts

According to a Reddit user, their local Target store has removed all Xbox-related products from the store. The store’s electronics manager informed them that they would no longer be selling them in the future. Various other users also confirmed the report.

Moreover, they were also told that all Target locations in Kansas City are clearing their inventory. Users in comments report that local Spanish retailers, such as Carrefour and FNAC, have also stopped selling Xbox hardware. 

Xbox Series X
They state that more locations will stop selling Xbox products in the future.

So, gradually, Xbox hardware is phasing out of the market. It’ll be really interesting to see what direction the company takes with its hybrid console. It will certainly pique interest, but let’s wait and see if it’s a success. 

Nonetheless, as for the current generation, Xbox is slowly being phased out of the inventory of major retailers, and it seems we won’t see it much going forward. We hope it doesn’t go to a Sega situation, as no competition is bad for consumers. 

Latest Updates

What are your thoughts on major retailers stopping the sale of Xbox products? Let us know your opinions in the comments or join the discussion at the official Tech4Gamers Forum.

Microsoft Allegedly Unifying Xbox Gaming Studio Finances And Separating Them From Console Hardware

Story Highlight
  • A new Microsoft job listing reveals plans to unify Xbox gaming studio finances, separating them from console hardware.
  • These finance initiatives need to be done with urgency to harmonize the system across various studios.
  • The implications further suggest Microsoft wants Xbox to focus on sales and publishing business instead of consoles.

Xbox’s increased focus on publishing has been clear since it adopted the controversial multi-platform model. Increasing Series X|S and Game Pass prices over the last few months, and the outsourcing of hardware, also confirm that Xbox is no longer focused on consoles. 

Now, Microsoft has posted a job listing seeking a Gaming Finance Transformation Lead to unify its entire Xbox gaming studio finances, and allegedly separate them from console hardware. This grouping of studios under one system now confirms the changing strategies. 

Why it matters: The new job listing further implies that Microsoft wants Xbox to focus on game sales and publishing business on third-party platforms instead of pushing for consoles in the future.

Microsoft’s job listing for Gaming Finance Transformation Lead suggests a new strategy for Xbox moving forward.

As described in the listing, Microsoft wants the new role to ‘drive financial transformation efforts’ and build a harmonized financial system for its studios. In other words, it aims to standardize how budgets, forecasts, and reporting are handled across all Xbox studios.

We are seeking a Gaming Finance Transformation Lead with deep integration prowess to drive transformation initiatives with urgency and lead financial process and system harmonization across Gaming studios.

Microsoft wants to implement the new strategy with urgency to focus on centralized governance for all Xbox studio finances, which would naturally separate Xbox console finances from other operations. 

This role will ensure seamless alignment of financial processes, systems, and reporting standards across multiple entities.

Xbox Studios Games
Microsoft has changed its strategy for Xbox, given current industry dynamics.

The new strategy to restructure the entire financing system will expand the influence of Xbox franchises across various third-party platforms and officially focus on a deeper platform-agnostic model.

However, it’s unclear just how much the new strategy will impact the current outer gaming business.

Latest Updates

Do you think Microsoft’s new strategy for Xbox will have deep implications for the overall gaming industry, or will the changes be too subtle to matter? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below, or join the discussion on the Tech4Gamers forum.

China’s New Export Law Could Ban TSMC From Selling Chips To The US

Story Highlight
  • New rare earth restrictions from China could disrupt chip exports to the US.
  • Companies like TSMC now need an export license from November 8th onwards for semiconductors.
  • China contains 90% of the world’s rare earth materials, and major companies like Apple and Nvidia rely on its wealth.

Despite being one of the centers of AI progress in the modern world, the United States has to rely on external resources for semiconductors to power this booming industry. Nvidia’s CEO previously stated that the country needs at least two more decades to gain chip independence.

Until then, however, chip export will remain a major factor for AI operations in the US, and if rumors are true, there is going to be a major disruption thanks to a new Chinese law.

Why it matters: This new export policy could mean a major disruption for the AI landscape in the US is in the hands of China.

AI Chips
Giants like Nvidia rely heavily on TSMC’s semiconductors.

According to Reuters, China has increased restrictions on the export of rare earth materials like logic chips, meaning it can block semiconductor giants like TSMC from selling to the United States.

These new control measures focus specifically on firms like TSMC by introducing licensing policies for the products developed from Chinese materials. And, as semiconductor chips heavily utilize rare earths, this could prove to be a massive hurdle for firms like Samsung and SK hynix, too.

Furthermore, the report stated that these additional constraints will force giants like TSMC to get an export license to sell chips to the United States. Hence, China can easily disrupt the AI supply chain by blocking exports and keeping the chips for domestic use.

China contains 90% of the world’s rare earth materials, and the biggest companies in the US, like Apple, AMD, and Nvidia, rely heavily on TSMC for their advanced logic chips. And, unsurprisingly, most of the rare earths the Taiwan company has are sourced from China.

OpenAI and AMD Partnership chip
OpenAI and AMD recently partnered up to buy billions of Dollars in Chips.

The US is trying to figure out alternative ways of obtaining chips as OpenAI partnered up with AMD recently to attain chips worth billions of Dollars. But these new trade restrictions from China are certainly a massive threat to the stability of the AI landscape in the US, and even globally.

Latest Updates

Do you think these trade restrictions from China are fair? Tell us in the comments below or head to the Tech4Gamers forum for discussion. 

Nintendo Allegedly Breached, Hackers Claim To Have Access To Sensitive Information

Story Highlight
  • A hacker group seems to have breached Nintendo, revealing screenshots as proof.
  • The group has confirmed it in a post and states they have access to sensitive information.
  • Nintendo has yet to confirm the situation, but for now, take it with a grain of salt.

As Nintendo Switch 2 celebrates becoming the fastest-selling console in the US, the company has been hit with the worst news possible. A hacker group has reportedly breached the company, gaining access to important data. 

A new post claims that a hacker group has breached Nintendo. It has released screenshots as proof with production assets, developer previews, and backups. This shows that the claim can be real. 

Why it matters: The situation could get really bad for Nintendo if the situation escalates. Hackers can do serious damage, as we saw previously from Epic Games, Insomniac, and GSC Game World hacks. 

Nintendo has reportedly been hacked by a notorious group

Crimson Collective, a notorious group previously responsible for an attack on Red Hat, a software company, claims to have breached Nintendo. It previously stole 570 GB of Red Hat’s data and could cause issues for Nintendo as well. 

However, despite the claim, Nintendo has yet to confirm the authenticity of it. But historically speaking, the company doesn’t have a very good record against hackers. The last time it faced a similar situation, thousands of users were affected. 

Nintendo Switch 2
The company has yet to comment on the situation

So, for now, let’s just wait for an official word from Nintendo. But if the threat is indeed real, we hope the company sees it through, as these things can really mess up the company.

Latest Updates

What are your thoughts on Nintendo getting breached by hackers? Let us know your opinions in the comments or join the discussion at the official Tech4Gamers Forum. 

 

Remedy Faces ‘Profit Warning’ as FBC: Firebreak Loses Nearly Half Its Budget

Story Highlight
  • Remedy issues ‘profit warning’ over FBC: Firebreak for which half of the game’s budget is being recorded as a loss.
  • The game peaked at fewer than 2,000 players, despite its unique live-service traits.
  • The recent ‘Breakpoint’ update was meant to draw new players, but failed to do so.

While the creators behind Control and Alan Wake sought to take a unique spin on the live-service trend, they couldn’t quite stick the landing with FBC: Firebreak. The co-op first-person shooter was supposed to be something new for the developers, and despite its appealing elements, it turned out to be an absolute flop.

At the time of writing, the game has only 64 active players, and the peak didn’t even reach 2000 players properly. As such, developers Remedy have now issued a ‘profit warning’ and recorded a £14.9 million impairment. 

Why it matters: The failure of FBC: Firebreak failure is a testament that developers like Remedy should stick to their lane of developing single-player titles, which is something they’re good at. 

Control Remedy Entertainment
Remedy Plans To Release A New Game Every Year Till 2030

Remedy has updated its outlook for 2025, issuing a profit warning. £14.9 million of FBC: Firebreak is now recognized as a non-cash impairment, which is mostly development and distribution costs.

For reference, it took €30 million overall to develop the game. The company’s operating profit is now expected to be negative and will experience a dip compared to last year.

Last month, a massive update titled ‘Breakpoint’ was released for the game, meant to overhaul major parts of the game and introduce new content. However, that still wasn’t enough to bring new players in. 

While we balance future investments to the title, we continue developing and improving the game in line with our updated long-term sales forecast.

With such a low player count, the title is suggested to be abandoned, as stated by the CEO above. Aside from the handful of users playing the game, this news won’t really bother anyone.

Max Payne Remake in Full Production
Max Payne 1 & 2 Remakes Bundled Together; Release Expected In 2027

While still a live-service game, FBC: Firebreak aimed to stand out from the crowd by removing microtransaction elements and having no battle pass at all. Ultimately, the developers failed to address the core aspects of the game, which were repetitive gameplay and a lack of content.

Latest Updates

Are you one of the rare gamers who played FBC: Firebreak? If yes, then let us know your thoughts in the comment section or at the official Tech4Gamers Forums.

Detailed Analysis Shows How Close Battlefield 6 is To Real Life

Story Highlight
  • Battlefield 6 was compared to the real-world locations from its different maps.
  • The results are ultra photorealistic, making them hard to differentiate from each other.
  • DICE has managed to achieve this level of detail with good optimization as well.

After a massively successful beta, Battlefield 6 released yesterday, breaking multiple records on the way. One of the highlights of the game was its graphics, and analysis shows how photorealistic it is. 

Detailed analysis of Battlefield 6 showcases how close it is to real life. It showcases different locations from the map and compares them to their real-world counterparts, and even the sharpest of eyes will have difficulty differentiating between them. 

Why it matters: The title uses the EA’s in-house Frostbite engine, and the results are impressive. Despite not using ray tracing, the game manages to look as photorealistic as possible. 

YouTuber ElAnalistaDeBits has dropped a video comparing Battlefield 6 and real-life locations. Various areas from the Gibraltar and New York maps were used and stacked up against the actual locations. 

The results are super impressive, and DICE has even managed to optimize the game quite well. This again is a great case of how Unreal Engine 5 is the real problem due to its system-heavy tech, like ray tracing, Nanite, and more. 

Analysis show that Battlefield 6 is so photoreal that it is hard to differentiate from real-world counterparts

Battlefield has always had great graphics; even if you see the older games in the franchise, they still don’t show their age. However, with Battlefield 6, the visuals and the destruction have reached a crazy new level of realism. 

Anyhow, Battlefield 6 with yesterday’s launch managed to beat Call of Duty’s all-time peak player count record in just a few hours. It is quite clear that this year, DICE’s release will be the definitive FPS release for gamers. 

Latest Updates

What are your thoughts on Battlefield 6 looking identical to real-world locations? Let us know your opinion in the comments, or join the discussion at the official Tech4Gamers Forum. 

1...828384Page 152 of 84