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Intel's Nova Lake S desktop processors are rumored to utilize two separate iGPU architectures Xe3 will reportedly be used for graphic workloads, while Xe4 will be used for media-related tasksIt could be another sign of processors with powerful iGPUs replacing budget discrete GPUsAMD and Intel are on the frontlines battling it out in the CPU market for mobile and desktop platforms, and Team Blue's upcoming Nova Lake processors may offer a unique and rare architecture setup.As reported by Wccftech, Intel's Nova Lake S desktop processors will reportedly feature a hybrid iGPU architecture, using Xe3 for graphics and Xe4 for display and media-related tasks, according to the reliable leaker @jaykihn0 on X. The rumor suggests that Intel intends to utilize Xe3's full potential in graphical workloads, while Xe4 could be essential for power efficiency.It will be interesting to see whether the Nova Lake S processors will have the same effect as AMD's Ryzen AI Max processors (which are actively making their way to desktop systems), in terms of their iGPU capabilities. Notably, the Ryzen AI Max+ 395 provides great performance at both 1080p and 1440p in games like Cyberpunk 2077.Regardless, if this rumor is legitimate, it looks like Team Blue is taking a big stride with GPU power across the board, especially with rumors of a new Arc B770 16GB GPU. It also raises the question once again; if Nova Lake S and Panther Lake both provide great iGPU performance for desktop and mobile platforms, respectively, could we be seeing the beginning of the end for discrete GPUs?Analysis: Maybe it's almost the end for budget discrete GPUs...(Image credit: Intel)Now, let's pump the brakes a little here. There's almost no way any SoC or iGPU will be able to match high-end GPUs like the RTX 4090 or RTX 5080, at least not any time soon.However, we've already got AMD's strongest APU that has surpassed the likes of the RTX 4060 and even the RTX 4070 in some gaming scenarios – so at the very least, I think budget low-end discrete GPUs are in danger.Perhaps the only factor saving them is that they are indeed budget GPUs, but the proposition of a PC without a discrete GPU taking up space may be a tempting one for gamers.It's worth noting that Strix Halo APUs were reserved for laptops and other mobile platforms, but have gradually made their way to desktops, specifically present in mini-PC builds.It's also no secret that some of the budget GPUs like the RTX 5060 (based on reviews), aren't good enough for consumers with their 8GB configurations – so if desktop processors, SoCs, or AMD's APUs can continue to match or outperform them, I wouldn't be surprised to see a decent portion of low-end discrete GPUs fade away...You may also like...Intel's Computex 2025 Panther Lake demos showcase power efficiency focus – and also hint at strong gaming performanceIntel is seemingly preparing a huge Battlemage GPU reveal at Computex 2025 – and it's expected to be a higher-end offeringIntel's Arc B770 GPU could go head-to-head with Nvidia's RTX 5060 – and it's expected to be revealed at Computex

Anthropic has started a new blog called Claude Explains, discussing the capabilities of its AI models and written by that self-same AI model. The educational posts are “written” by Claude to explain how to use Claude. It's like an AI's personal diary, but with debugging tips instead of romantic exploits.The blog is pitched as a “corner of the Anthropic universe where Claude is writing on every topic under the sun,” but that's not quite accurate. Claude may draft the pieces, but a team of human experts and editors sand and polish the rough outline to make sure they are readable and accurate, or as Anthropic calls it, a “collaborative approach."Now, this idea isn't terrible on its face. This kind of AI-human tag team makes a lot of sense, at least when the AI is writing about itself. An article about how Claude can design a website or organize a financial report is well within Claude's wheelhouse. It's just explaining its own abilities. But a technically reasonable explanation and a few useful examples aren't a full blog post. Claude’s best work still won't always result in a coherent article, or one that a real person would want to read.Anthropic is honest about how humans are part of the process throughout blog post production. Claude may start the car, but humans are at the wheel and navigating, lest it drive the article right into a ditch full of hallucinations and mixed metaphors. Anyone who’s used AI without guardrails knows this scenario isn’t far-fetched. AI is excellent at saying things that sound right until you try to actually apply them.(Image credit: Anthropic)AI ghostwritingCollaboration is certainly an efficient approach. Claude can crank out thousands of words without breaking a sweat, and if you’re using it to explain the same concepts it was trained on, it’s got a decent shot at getting things mostly right. Problems arise much more quickly when AI writers are left unsupervised, especially on subjects outside of the AI model's abilities.The blog doesn’t proclaim the human element, so a casual reader might assume Claude is doing all the writing. That’s a branding choice, and not a neutral one. It creates a kind of halo effect, subtly bragging about how the AI breaks down data analysis and sounds like a real writer. Except it isn’t human. It’s a word blender that gets better results when someone else chooses the ingredients and adjusts the settings. And that distinction matters, especially as more people begin to trust AI-generated information in contexts far beyond technical blogs.There's a steady stream of stories about media outlets embarrassing themselves by believing AI can replace entire content teams. The Chicago Sun-Times published AI-generated book recommendations for titles that didn’t exist, and multiple outlets have published AI-written features full of errors. And that's not even counting Apple's attempts at news summary headlines.Claude Explains feels downright reasonable by comparison. If you’re going to use AI to produce content for public consumption, maybe keep to what it knows best. And don't leave out the humans.You might also likeAnthropic's new Claude 4 models promise the biggest AI brains everHow Claude’s 3.7's new ‘extended' thinking compares to ChatGPT o1's reasoningI tried Claude's new Research feature, and it's just as good as ChatGPT and Google Gemini's Deep Research features

It’s hard to be a new parent, we know. And it’s even harder to take care of yourself while trying to keep a new human alive. Thankfully, there’s a lot of tech out there that helps ease the burden for moms and dads — from tablets and earbuds to a rattle that could help avoid an infant meltdown. Tech won’t help with the mountains of dirty diapers – at least, not until robotic diaper nannies are a thing – but it can at least help new parents stay sane.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/best-gifts-for-new-dads-110049541.html?src=rss

Giant Squid has announced that it's latest game, Sword of the Sea, will come to PlayStation 5 and PC on August 19. It'll also appear on PlayStation Plus from day one for Extra and Premium Subscribers. The fantasy adventure game marries surfing mechanics with the atmospherics of the developer's previous games like Abzû and Journey.

Giant Squid showed off more gameplay in a new trailer as part of PlayStation's June 4 State of Play. "At its core, Sword of the Sea is all about surfing," the developer wrote. "You’ll be carving your way across mysterious moving waves of sand on the ancient and powerful hoversword." Other scenarios include dreamy ice-scapes and oceans full of flying dolphins.

Giant Squid again teamed with creative director Matt Nava and composer Austin Wintory, who also worked on Abzû and Pathless. "As a surfer and snowboarder myself, I have felt the rush of movement and seen the beauty of nature in a way that only these extreme sports can deliver," Nava wrote about Sword of the Sea. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/sword-of-the-sea-launches-august-19-120037636.html?src=rss

Nothing Headphone (1) is comingNothing's big event is on July 1stThe Nothing Phone (3) will appear at the same eventNothing has just officially revealed when its first pair of headphones, rather than earbuds, are coming – and they'll arrive on July 1st, alongside the new flagship Nothing Phone (3).They'll be called the Nothing Headphone (1) – yes, a singular headphone, apparently – and I'm really looking forward to these after the superb Nothing Ear (a).These affordable earbuds really turned Nothing around when it comes to audio – before the brand's stuff had been distinctly fine, but the Nothing Ear (a) are simply fantastic for the price. We rank them among the the best earbuds around, and they pushed Sony out as our top pick in the sub-$100/£100 category.Nothing has also announced that it's working with British hi-fi stalwart KEF on future audio products, but declined to say whether KEF is involved in the Headphone (1) in any way.The Nothing Ear (a) buds – funky and very functional (Image credit: Future)I suspect that KEF is not involved in the Headphone (1), and anything coming from that project is further down the road – but maybe I'll be surprised.And either way, I'm excited for these. If Nothing can hit the same kind of mid-range price and great quality for a pair of noise-cancelling headphones as it has for earbuds, they could shake up the affordable end of the market.And not only that, but they'll probably come with Nothing's cool see-through aesthetic, and as someone who grew up during the translucent tech craze of the early 2000s, I'm always happy to see more of it.We have no details to speak of about these headphones, but at least we know what date to mark in the calendar to find out more about them: see you on July 1st.You might also likeSkullcandy launches its first premium ANC headphones to truly challenge Sony and Bose, and their cool cross-body travel bag is a great startThe first Bluetooth 6.0 headphones are here, they're super-cheap, and they weigh less than 100gA Japanese audio company just launched 'world-first' triple-hybrid driver headphones, with an amazing 140 hours of battery life – plus a special edition version with J-pop star Hyde

New AirPods features claimed for WWDC 2025 unveilingAirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4 may get camera control, a new mic mode and new head gesturesSleep detection may also require Apple WatchWe're just days away from Apple's annual developer event, WWDC 2025, and that means the reveal of the next macOS, iOS and iPadOS are imminent. And if reports are correct, that means more really interesting upgrades for the AirPods 4, AirPods 4 with ANC and AirPods Pro 2.The news comes via 9to5Mac, which has shared five features that it expects to be revealed during the keynote on Monday 9 June – although we won't be able to actually use them until the beta versions are released in the run-up to their usual September launch date.(Image credit: Future/Lance Ulanoff)What new features are coming to AirPods in iOS 26?iOS 26 – the numbering is reportedly moving to years instead of versions so that all of Apple's operating systems' numbers are in sync – will introduce five features: new head gestures, sleep auto-pause, camera control, audio mix, and wider classroom support.Head gestures were added to AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4 last year: you can decline calls (and some other notifications) with a shake of the head or nod to accept them. Now, Apple is apparently working on additional gestures including one that'll extend the volume adjustment of Conversational Awareness, a mode that reduces audio when you're talking.Apple has also been working on detecting when you fall asleep while listening to your AirPods. However, it's unclear whether this is going to be an AirPods/iPhone feature alone, or if it'll require the Sleep Detection feature of the best Apple Watches.The third feature is one of those "can't believe they didn't do it years ago" ones: controlling your camera shutter with your AirPods stem, just like you can do with the volume control on EarPods.Audio Mix, which was introduced with the iPhone 16, is being enhanced too: 9to5Mac understands that there will be a new "studio quality" microphone mode that'll make AirPods more attractive to the "holding little lavalier microphones as if they were full-sized handheld microphones" social media creator market.Last but not least there will be improved classroom support that'll make it easier to have multiple AirPods users connecting to the same iPad by removing some of the friction in the current pairing system.It's likely that we'll hear about at least some of these features on Monday June 9th, although of course that doesn't necessarily mean they'll definitely make it into iOS 26: after the smarter-Siri debacle we're not taking anything for granted until it's actually there in our iPhones.You might also likeSome of Siri's delayed Apple Intelligence features are tipped to arrive in the next iOS3 things Apple needs to do at WWDC 2025 to save Apple IntelligenceWill your iPhone get iOS 26?

ChatGPT now has three million paying customers, an increase of a million in just four monthsNew "connectors" look to further integrate popular business tools with ChatGPTNew Record Mode can listen in to your calls and offer suggestions and actionsOpenAI has revealed a range of new expansions for ChatGPT as it looks to increasingly target business users.The AI chatbot will now be able to integrate with a number of widely-used business software tools, including the likes of cloud storage and collaboration tools such as Dropbox, Box, Sharepoint, OneDrive, and Google Drive.These new "connectors" will allow users on ChatGPT business tiers to quickly find the data and information they need without leaving the platform, boosting productivity and saving time at work.ChatGPT connectorsThe company says connectors will help workers get quicker access to their company's key data, for example, a researcher could use the Box connector to request quarterly sales metrics from PDFs or spreadsheets stored in Box, which ChatGPT will then structure and clearly present the data from those documents, with citations, all while keeping to your organizations' existing permissions.Along with connectors, a new Record mode in ChatGPT allows users to record and transcribe meetings or brainstorming sessions, with the tool also able to automatically generate notes, provide timestamped citations, and offer AI-powered suggestions.The feature will integrate with your existing documents and saved files, making it easier to find out who suggested past decisions, or create follow-up actions, with sessions able to be transformed into actionable items such as a Canvas document.And alongside basic connectors, ChatGPT is also seeing the beta launch of deep research connectors.Available now with Github, HubSpot, Linear, as well as many popular Microsoft and Google tools, these tools are able to carry out in-depth research by trawling the web and third-party tools, so users can combine external data with company insights to produce a more comprehensive set of findings similar to a research analyst’s report.The launch comes as ChatGPT announces it now has over three million paying customers - an increase from two million just four months ago.OpenAI now hopes these new connectors will help boost adoption even further, with demand for AI tools growing in industries across the world."Every organization holds vast knowledge, but it’s often trapped in silos: sales teams have customer insights, product teams hold market data, and engineering holds technical expertise," Open AI said in its release."Our goal is to evolve ChatGPT into a platform that unlocks your organization's entire knowledge base—enabling each employee to continuously leverage this knowledge."The new connector tools will be available across the ChatGPT Enterprise, ChatGPT Team and ChatGPT Edu tiers now at no extra cost - however Record Mode will only be available for Team users for the time being.You might also likeChatGPT spends 'tens of millions of dollars' on people saying 'please' and 'thank you'ChatGPT remains the most popular AI tool in offices worldwideOpenAI launches a version of ChatGPT just for governments

Team Asobi is releasing five new levels for Astro Bot, and you can get all of them for free. The developer has announced that the brand new levels will drop on July 10 at 9AM Eastern time. Like the speedrun levels and the previous levels the developer released at no cost, the new ones will be part of the Vicious Void Galaxy. Four of the new levels are called Twin-Frog Trouble, Suck It Up, Handhold Havoc and High Inflation, but Team Asobi is keeping the last one a secret. Each one will come with its own Special Bot, including a "revengeful newcomer." The developer also hinted that finishing all five levels will lead to "something really cool."

Astro Bot is a 3D platformer, wherein you control a small robot named Astro across levels set in different galaxies and planets. It features unique and creative uses of the DualSense controller, such as having to hold down the analog triggers and physically tilting the device in order to move Astro's spaceship. Team Asobi has released several free levels before these new ones since the game launched in late 2024, and so far, Astro Bot has over 90 levels that you can play.

In addition to announcing the freebies at PlayStation State of Play, Team Asobi has also revealed that it's launching an updated version of the Astro Bot Limited Edition DualSense wireless controller later this year. The developer promised more details in the future, but for now, you can see that the controller will come with Astro's smiling eyes on its touchpad.

Team Asobi / Sony

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/astro-bot-is-getting-five-new-and-free-levels-this-july-123008291.html?src=rss