NVIDIA released its GeForce RTX 2080 Ti graphics card five years ago, launching with 11GB of VRAM, but now modders are doubling that to 22GB of VRAM and selling them on eBay as AI GPUs.

The US sanctions on China have stopped high-powered graphics cards from entering the country, with the likes of the GeForce RTX 4090 banned, which is why we saw the introduction of the modified GeForce RTX 4090 D sent to China. We've seen modders in the country taking apart gaming graphics cards and turning them into AI GPUs, and now we've got modded RTX 2080 Ti cards hitting the market. Oh boy.

The modded consumer-based gaming-ready GeForce RTX 2080 Ti has been modded, rocking 22GB of VRAM, which is far better than 11GB for AI workloads. The VRAM acts as a high-speed buffer for those huge AI datasets, complex models, and calculations that are needed for AI workloads. Interesting move, modders.

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has pushed out new guidance on inventorship for AI-powered inventions, stating that only humans can hold patents.

The USPTO said that AI systems can help out during the creative process, but only natural persons (human beings) who make significant contributions to the conception of an invention can be named as inventors. This means that AI models can't just pump out patent ideas without considerable human input, stopping patent hoarding by AIs.

An AI model can't be named as an inventor, or even a joint inventor, on a patent. But, an AI helping out in the creation of that invention doesn't mean that the human being working on it can't hold the patent. The USPTO explains: "While AI systems and other non-natural persons cannot be listed as inventors on patent applications or patents, the use of an AI system by a natural person(s) does not preclude a natural person(s) from qualifying as an inventor (or joint inventors) if the natural person(s) significantly contributed to the claimed invention".

Microsoft gaming CEO Phil Spencer discusses some of the reasons why Xbox games are coming over to other platforms.

Gaming is at crossroads right now. Games have grown far beyond consoles, and now platform-holders like Microsoft and even Sony are eyeing expansion. Microsoft has expanded through content and services, keeping the bulk of its first-party games exclusive to Xbox. But with Xbox consoles hitting saturation levels, Microsoft now wants to expand to other platforms--even rivals like PlayStation and Nintendo.

Microsoft has announced plans to release previously-exclusive Xbox games to PlayStation and Nintendo Switch. On paper, this decision makes sense: The PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch have a combined shipment base of nearly 200 million units, compared to the estimated 27 million Xbox Series installed base.

Intel's upcoming flagship Core i9-14900KS isn't too far away now, rocking incredible 6.2GHz boost CPU clock speeds and over 400W of power consumption... yeah, you read that right: over four hundred watts of power.

The new limited edition processor will be the first CPU in the world with a clock speed surpassing 6.0GHz, with the previous Core i9-13900KS special edition CPU hitting up to 6.0GHz as well as the current Core i9-14900K hitting the 6000MHz frequency barrier.

Intel's new Core i9-14900KS processor will be the fastest consumer-focused CPU in the 14th Gen Core "Raptor Lake Refresh" CPU family until we get next-gen processors later this year and into 2025. We recently saw the full specifications of Intel's upcoming Core i9-14900KS through leaked OCCT tests, getting all the details we need before the big launch in March.

Microsoft officially confirms it is going all-out on the next Xbox console, potentially refuting claims of a lower-powered system.

Reports indicate that Microsoft's next-generation console could leverage an ARM-based SoC to improve profitability/compatibility and use a combination of local power, AI, and the cloud for next-gen gaming. No one knows for sure what the next Xbox will be, but Microsoft wants us to know that it's trying to make something monstrous.

In today's business strategy meeting, Xbox gaming president Sarah Bond shared some enticing details about the future of Xbox hardware. There's also new Xbox hardware coming in 2024, which are likely to be the leaked digital-only Xbox Series X.

Microsoft gives out a new Xbox Game Pass metrics update in its recent games business meeting.

Xbox Game Pass now has 34 million subscribers, Xbox president Sarah Bond officially confirmed in the recent Xbox strategy briefing. In the same sentence, Bond also announced that Activision Blizzard games will start to release on Game Pass next month.

"Activision Blizzard games are coming to Game Pass starting with Diablo IV on March 28. It's all part of our commitment to make Xbox, the Xbox experience, and the games that we build as widely available as possible. So now the 34 million Game Pass members can all enjoy the fantastic experience of Diablo IV," Bond said.

While Xbox games are going multi-platform, Xbox services are not.

Today, Microsoft confirmed plans to bring four unnamed games to PlayStation and Nintendo Switch (they are likely to be live games Grounded and Sea of Thieves alongside smaller titles like Pentiment and Hi-Fi Rush). Xbox wants the opportunity to sell more games and "grow communities" that are driven by online play.

Microsoft has confirmed that big AAA games like Indiana Jones and Starfield won't be coming to PlayStation, but one of Xbox's biggest businesses will stay firmly in its control: Services.

Neither Starfield nor Indiana Jones and the Great Circle are coming to PlayStation, Xbox gaming CEO Phil Spencer today confirmed.

Recent reports about Xbox breaking exclusivity have ignited fierce controversy among enthusiast gamers. It was believed that big tentpole Xbox exclusive games could cross over to rival platforms, thereby diminishing the Xbox console brand and potentially even starting a death spiral of Xbox hardware.

It turns out the reports are only half true. Some games are breaking exclusivity. Microsoft confirms that four unnamed titles are coming to PlayStation and Switch. Rumors indicate these Sea of Thieves and Hi-Fi Rush are among these games, but no titles were announced.

Microsoft plans to bring four games to PlayStation and Nintendo Switch, but won't tell us what they are. We have a few ideas.

It's official: Microsoft is breaking Xbox exclusivity on four games, and will release the titles on rival PlayStation and Nintendo platforms. Rumors have shed light on three of these titles, and based on what Xbox gaming CEO Phil Spencer said during the recent business update, it seems the reports are correct.

Two of the games are community-driven. That means a large playerbase, online gameplay, live service elements, and typically microtransactions. Reports said that Sea of Thieves is coming to PlayStation, and now it seems more increasingly like that Obsidian's Grounded could be the other community-driven title.

Microsoft today confirmed it will bring four unnamed first-party Xbox games to PlayStation and Nintendo Switch. The rationale? It's basically a big experiment to see what happens.

Microsoft just paid $75 billion for Activision Blizzard King, and despite making consistently strong revenues every year, Xbox gaming hasn't met its internal metric guidelines. Couple this with lukewarm reception for big first-party games like Starfield, potentially stagnant subscription growth, lower console sales, and universally rising costs, and you have a recipe for lower profits (and maybe even losses).

Now Microsoft wants to try doing something more safe: Selling games. That's why the company plans to bring four Xbox games onto PlayStation and Switch. The games haven't been announced yet, but Xbox's Phil Spencer did talk about the thought process of this decision with The Verge's Tom Warren: