Month: February 2024
The new Intel Arc graphics driver boosts gaming performance by up to 155%
Good news for those with Intel Arc graphics cards, as a new driver update boosts gaming performance by up to 155%.
Intel has released a new driver for its Intel Arc graphics cards, specifically the ‘Meteor Lake’ Intel Core Ultra mobile processors with built-in Arc graphics cards.
The new driver update includes performance updates for cards like the Intel Core Ultra 7 155H, Ultra 5 125H, and Ultra 9 185H and features massive improvements to DirectX 11 titles ranging from 7% to 155% boosts in framerate. Some of the most impressive jumps are a 65% framerate increase in Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare and Assassin’s Creed Syndicate, and a massive framerate increase of 155% in Just Cause 4.
It’s important to note that this driver covers DirectX 11 titles at 1080p resolution with ‘Medium’ settings enabled. Though DirectX 11 is used in older titles, some new games like Palworld also use the API, which receives a staggering 155% boost in framerate. In addition, this new driver covers Last Epoch as well as the DirectX 12 update for Sea of Thieves.
The release notes for the update also cover known bugs and issues like sporadic crashing for Dragon Quest X Online, terrain corruption in Diablo 4, crashing in the Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves collection, and other apps crashing. These are most likely ones that will be fixed in the next update.
Below is the full list of improvements for their respective games.
Assassin’s Creed Syndicate (DX11) – Up to 65% average FPS uplift at 1080p with Medium settingsCall of Duty: Infinite Warfare (DX11) – Up to 17% average FPS uplift at 1080p with Normal settingsDivinity Original Sin 2 (DX11) – Up to 25% average FPS uplift at 1080p with Medium settingsFar Cry 5 (DX11) – Up to 8% average FPS uplift at 1080p with Normal settingsHalo: The Master Chief Collection (DX11) – Up to 19% average FPS uplift at 1080p with Original settingsIt Takes Two (DX11) – Up to 24% average FPS uplift at 1080p with Medium settingsJust Cause 3 (DX11) – Up to 18% average FPS uplift at 1080p with Medium settingsJust Cause 4 (DX11) – Up to 155% average FPS uplift at 1080p with Medium settingsPalworld (DX11) – Up to 14% average FPS uplift at 1080p with Medium settingsRise of the Tomb Raider (DX11) – Up to 9% average FPS uplift at 1080p with Medium settingsRust (DX11) – Up to 9% average FPS uplift at 1080p with Medium settingsSCUM (DX11) – Up to 6% average FPS uplift at 1080p with Medium settingsSid Meier’s Civilization VI (DX11) – Up to 27% average FPS uplift at 1080p with Medium settingsSnowrunner (DX11) – Up to 49% average FPS uplift at 1080p with Medium settingsWarframe (DX11) – Up to 7% average FPS uplift at 1080p with Medium settingsXCOM 2 (DX11) – Up to 8% average FPS uplift at 1080p with Medium settings
Intel Arc graphics are good but could be better
The Intel Arc graphics cards continue to improve in performance and efficiency with each new update and are rapidly approaching some of the best graphics cards on the market. Not to mention that Intel’s cards are on the low-end budget spectrum, which is a market that’s seriously lacking this generation due to AMD and Nvidia’s apathy.
Cards like the Intel Arc A770 and Intel Arc A750 are also hitting their stride when it comes to creative and editing workloads, with as much as 40% increased performance compared to the 2022 launch drivers. Indeed these graphics cards are a far cry from their underpowered launch versions and deserve to stand with their Team Green (Nvidia) and Team Red (AMD) rivals.
However, Team Blue’s (Intel) cards are still lagging in key areas like AI development and gaming, meaning that they’re not being considered a viable investment. The January 2024 Steam Hardware & Software Survey proves this to be true, with Nvidia still considered the golden child. It also struggles with running much older games and all together could not run Starfield, an issue that Nvidia and AMD do not share.
All in all, these are points that Intel needs to take into consideration before they launch a new generation of graphics cards. If the tech giant can address these issues, it’ll have truly the best cheap graphics cards around.
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Microsoft teams up with Nvidia, AMD, and Intel to provide the ‘missing link’ that’ll boost upscaling for PC games
Great news gamers – Microsoft is teaming up with Nvidia, AMD, and Intel to boost upscaling for your PC games.
Microsoft has just announced DirectSR, a new application programming interface (API) designed in partnership with major GPU manufacturers that will allow game developers to enable “seamless integration of Super Resolution into a new generation of PC games.”
Programmer Joshue Tucker notes in the official blog post that “DirectSR is the missing link developers have been waiting for when approaching SR integration, providing a smoother, more efficient experience that scales across hardware.” Super Resolution is a technique that increases the resolution and visual quality of games by using machine learning and AI to upscale images, reducing the burden on graphics cards which might struggle at higher resolutions like 4K.
The API will enable “multi-vendor SR” through “a common set of inputs and outputs allowing a single code path to activate a variety of solutions including Nvidia DLSS Super Resolution, AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution, and Intel XeSS.” If you’re unfamiliar with any of these technologies, they’re essential tools made by the big three GPU makers that use AI to enhance in-game resolution by creating new frames (or generating additional pixels) that improve the overall image quality with minimal impact on performance.
So, developers will be able to support the DirectSR API and easily integrate upscaling technology from Nvidia, AMD, and Intel, instead of writing specific code for each one.
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DirectSR, an API created by Microsoft’s DirectX team, seems to offer a more universal solution and should make it easier for games developers to implement super-resolution upscaling tech into their titles, rather than having to work with separate APIs for Nvidia, AMD, and Intel’s own super-resolution tech.
If game makers want to support DLSS, FidelityFX, and XeSS, they could feasibly just use DirectSR now. The time saved by using one API instead of three could be substantial for game devs. This feature works with AMD, Nvidia, and Intel graphics cards, unlike DLSS, which is exclusive to modern Nvidia GPUs. AMD Super Resolution is more versatile and can be used with various brands of graphics cards, as can XeSS, but DLSS remains the most impressive tech at the moment, even though Nvidia doesn’t like the idea of other GPU makers using it (to be fair to Team Green, DLSS does rely on hardware that is exclusive to Nvidia RTX GPUs, which gives it a performance edge).
This could lead to more games supporting DLSS, FidelityFX, and XeSS at the same time, rather than just offering support for only one of those technologies, which is the situation at the moment. Because adding DLSS, FidelityFX, and XeSS are separate and time-consuming processes, many game devs have to pick just one to focus on. DirectSR could change that.
This is also great news for gamers who enjoy tweaking graphics settings to achieve the best performance and image quality on their machines, regardless of what GPU they have. Having more options is a positive thing, and if DirectSR lives up to Microsoft’s claims, we may be closer than ever to seeing universal upscaler support becoming the standard.
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Avoiding Common Pitfalls When First Contributing To Open Source
Angie Byron, a long-time member of the Drupal community, offers guidance on avoiding common mistakes and general good-practices for those new to contributing to open-source projects: […] You might not know it yet, but as a newcomer to an open source project, you have this AMAZING superpower: you are often-times the only one in that whole project capable of reading the documentation through new eyes. Because I can guarantee, the people who wrote that documentation are not new. 🙂
So take time to read the docs and file issues (or better yet, pull requests) for anything that was unclear. This lets you get a “feel” for contributing in a project/community without needing to go way down the deep end of learning coding standards and unit tests and commit signing and whatever other bananas things they’re about to make you do. 🙂 Also, people are more likely to take time to help you, if you’ve helped them first!
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Angie Byron, a long-time member of the Drupal community, offers guidance on avoiding common mistakes and general good-practices for those new to contributing to open-source projects: […] You might not know it yet, but as a newcomer to an open source project, you have this AMAZING superpower: you are often-times the only one in that whole project capable of reading the documentation through new eyes. Because I can guarantee, the people who wrote that documentation are not new. 🙂
So take time to read the docs and file issues (or better yet, pull requests) for anything that was unclear. This lets you get a “feel” for contributing in a project/community without needing to go way down the deep end of learning coding standards and unit tests and commit signing and whatever other bananas things they’re about to make you do. 🙂 Also, people are more likely to take time to help you, if you’ve helped them first!
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Baldur’s Gate 3 hotfix stops Minthara from exercising ‘a little too much independence’
Larian Studios has rolled out hotfix 20 for Baldur’s Gate 3, which includes a number of significant new fixes.
A new Baldur’s Gate 3 hotfix has been deployed on PC, PlayStation 5, and Mac which stops drow companion Minthara from “exercising perhaps a little too much independence” and refusing to come along on your party’s adventures, along with a plethora of other fixes.
First off, Xbox Series X|S players, fear not – hotfix 20 is on the way to you, too but Larian Studios has simply asked that players “keep an eye out for further updates” on when it’ll be launched. So, it’s not exactly clear when it’ll happen, but just watch this space for now.
As for what hotfix 20 contains, as mentioned above, two of the most notable changes surround Minthara. One of these fixes makes sure that she actually follows your party properly during the game’s second and third acts, while the other allows you to remove her from your party after being escorted from the Moonrise Towers, as she could get stuck there.
“Was Minthara exercising perhaps a little too much independence? We’ve fixed an issue where everyone’s favorite drow would simply decide to not follow the party in Act 2 or Act 3,” Larian Studios wrote in the latest patch notes. “You should find her more willing to fall in line now – at least in terms of keeping up. She’s still something of a free spirit.”
Otherwise, some extra crash safeguards have now been implemented to make sure that if one of your save files doesn’t load, you’ll be sent back to the main menu automatically. Another potential crash that may have been triggered by particularly “complex cinematics” has been ironed out, too, and an issue that sometimes saw characters tell you that they were too busy to talk to you has been fixed – amusingly, Larian said that the characters “were lying.”
There are a lot of other changes in hotfix 20, too – if you’re interested in checking them all out, be sure to check out the patch notes on Steam.
If you’re on the lookout for more games like Baldur’s Gate 3, be sure to check out our recommendations for the best RPGs, as well as the best story games.
Xbox introduces new controller calibration tool
A new update with several useful features has now begun rolling out to Xbox consoles with some exciting new features
The post Xbox introduces new controller calibration tool appeared first on ReadWrite.
A new update with several useful features has now begun rolling out to Xbox consoles with some exciting new features including a controller calibration tool.
In February’s update to the Xbox Series X|S, Microsoft introduced a new tool to calibrate the thumbsticks on its wireless controllers, along with several other new features.
The calibration tool is designed to resolve minor issues with thumbsticks such as inconsistent responses, particularly those that can arise when users have repaired or modified their controllers.
The easy-to-use tool has been released as part of “Xbox’s continued investment in improving the repairability experience of controllers,” according to Microsoft’s post on the subject. Because official spare parts are available for people to fix their own controllers, it makes sense that they have released an official software element to sit alongside.
Microsoft says that it’s especially important for anyone who has replaced a controller’s base or circuit board to use the calibration tool to ensure continued performance of their device, due to the high chance of disruption caused by these repairs.
Additionally, Microsoft has noted that the calibration tool can’t fix every controller issue, namely any drift or other issues caused by normal wear and tear.
How to recalibrate your Xbox controller
The recalibration tool can be accessed through the Xbox accessories app. On Xbox consoles, this can be found by pressing the Xbox button on the controller > Profile & System > Settings, Devices, and Connections > Controllers and Headsets. For PC users, the Xbox accessories app can be downloaded from Microsoft.
When you’ve reached the correct place, select the “…” menu associated with the controller, which opens the detail screen for the device. If there is a firmware update available, this will need to be installed before you can calibrate.
Select Recalibration Options, and you can then recalibrate each of the left and right thumbsticks individually by following the on-screen instructions.
In addition to the recalibration tool, the February update included improved filtering and sorting for games and apps, and touchscreen controls for Xbox remote play. Microsoft recently announced that the entire Xbox catalog will be available for cloud play this year, and the new control options will support that.
Featured image credit: Sam Pak on Unsplash
The post Xbox introduces new controller calibration tool appeared first on ReadWrite.
6 of the Best Pull-up Bars for Your Home Gym in 2024 – CNET
Build a strong back with these home-friendly pull-up bars in your home gym for 2024.
Build a strong back with these home-friendly pull-up bars in your home gym for 2024.
Amazon’s Fire Max 11 tablet drops to a record low of $140
Woot is selling Amazon’s largest tablet, the Fire Max 11 for $140. That’s $89 below the list price and $37 cheaper than it’s selling for on Amazon right now. The price applies to the 64GB model with ads on the lockscreen and just the tablet alone — the magnetic case, stylus and keyboard case are all sold separately. The tablet hit $150 for the shopping holidays last year, so the Woot deal represents a $10 discount off the all-time low price. The sale should run through Sunday or until the tablet sells out.
We had a chance to briefly check out a sample when the latest generation came out in May of last year and were impressed by how much you get for the money. There’s an 11-inch LCD screen (Amazon’s largest tablet screen) with a 2,000 x 1,000 resolution. Most of Amazon’s Fire Tablets are built for casual use like browsing, streaming and for kids to play games on, but the Max 11 could be seen as the grown-up of the lineup. It’s designed to handle a bit of work and multitasking with its octa-core MediaTek processor that Amazon says is 50 percent faster than the next fastest model. Just keep in mind that Fire Tablets rely on the Amazon Appstore, which does have Microsoft 365 apps, but you can’t natively get Google’s productivity apps without sideloading.
Still, you get an aluminum build, support for Wi-Fi 6, 8-megapixel front and rear cameras, a fingerprint sensor and picture-in-picture capabilities. That last feature could be particularly useful for keeping tabs on your Alexa-enabled smart home cameras while you watch a show or flip through YouTube. In fact, when set up with a stand, it can go into “show mode” and act like one of Amazon’s smart displays, providing you with Alexa’s controls and interactivity.
Even though it’s perfectly suitable for adults who want to get some work done, Fire Max 11’s claimed 14-hour battery life, comprehensive parental controls and access to an Amazon Kids+ subscription (currently $5 monthly) makes the tablet particularly well-suited for kids, too. Plus Amazon says the Max 11 is “three times as durable as the iPad 10.9 (10th generation).”
Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/amazons-fire-max-11-tablet-drops-to-a-record-low-of-140-171039269.html?src=rss
Woot is selling Amazon’s largest tablet, the Fire Max 11 for $140. That’s $89 below the list price and $37 cheaper than it’s selling for on Amazon right now. The price applies to the 64GB model with ads on the lockscreen and just the tablet alone — the magnetic case, stylus and keyboard case are all sold separately. The tablet hit $150 for the shopping holidays last year, so the Woot deal represents a $10 discount off the all-time low price. The sale should run through Sunday or until the tablet sells out.
We had a chance to briefly check out a sample when the latest generation came out in May of last year and were impressed by how much you get for the money. There’s an 11-inch LCD screen (Amazon’s largest tablet screen) with a 2,000 x 1,000 resolution. Most of Amazon’s Fire Tablets are built for casual use like browsing, streaming and for kids to play games on, but the Max 11 could be seen as the grown-up of the lineup. It’s designed to handle a bit of work and multitasking with its octa-core MediaTek processor that Amazon says is 50 percent faster than the next fastest model. Just keep in mind that Fire Tablets rely on the Amazon Appstore, which does have Microsoft 365 apps, but you can’t natively get Google’s productivity apps without sideloading.
Still, you get an aluminum build, support for Wi-Fi 6, 8-megapixel front and rear cameras, a fingerprint sensor and picture-in-picture capabilities. That last feature could be particularly useful for keeping tabs on your Alexa-enabled smart home cameras while you watch a show or flip through YouTube. In fact, when set up with a stand, it can go into “show mode” and act like one of Amazon’s smart displays, providing you with Alexa’s controls and interactivity.
Even though it’s perfectly suitable for adults who want to get some work done, Fire Max 11’s claimed 14-hour battery life, comprehensive parental controls and access to an Amazon Kids+ subscription (currently $5 monthly) makes the tablet particularly well-suited for kids, too. Plus Amazon says the Max 11 is “three times as durable as the iPad 10.9 (10th generation).”
Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/amazons-fire-max-11-tablet-drops-to-a-record-low-of-140-171039269.html?src=rss
Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 6 Is Coming in July, Report Says – CNET
The Galaxy Z Fold 6 could be about four months away from being announced, possibly with a boxier design.
The Galaxy Z Fold 6 could be about four months away from being announced, possibly with a boxier design.
Ford EVs gain access to Tesla Superchargers starting today
The adapter is free if you order it before June 30 or $230 if you wait.
Enlarge / Ford was the first OEM to announce it was switching to J3400, and it’s the first automaker to gain access to the Tesla Supercharger network. (credit: Ford)
Today, Ford electric vehicles gained access to the Tesla Supercharger network. Last May, the Blue Oval was the first automaker to throw its lot in with what was then called the North American Charging Standard and is now known as J3400. Ford proved to be the first domino falling, and with Stellantis’ announcement earlier this month that it too would move to J3400, the more compact DC fast-charging plug will be the de facto standard in the next couple of years.
Until Ford made the switch, every non-Tesla EV in North America had settled on the Combined Charging Standard 1 plug (with the exception of the Nissan Leaf, which still uses CHAdeMO). CCS1 and J3400 use the same electronic communication protocols—only the actual plug and socket are different.
But it will take some time for car makers to start building J3400 ports into their EVs. That should begin next year, probably with the introduction of model year 2026. This means that EVs older than MY26 will need to use a passive adapter to mate a J3400 charger cable with a CCS1-equipped EV.