You can’t buy a Steam Deck in the United States right now, and it’s apparently because of the RAM crunch (drink). But if you want an alternative PC gaming handheld, Asus has the ROG Xbox Ally right over there… and today it’s $110 off the regular price. That brings it down to $489.99, $60 cheaper than the cheapest (current) Steam Deck, despite being considerably more powerful. To be clear, this is the standard (white) ROG Xbox Ally, not the souped-up X variant. That means a quad-core Ryzen Z2 A processor, RDNA 2 graphics, 16GB of shared memory, and 512GB of storage. It also has a 7-inch, 108p IPS screen with 120Hz of refresh, considerably sharper and faster than the Steam Deck. The battery is also considerably chonkier at 60 watt-hours. It’s bigger and wider, with more comfy grips, but doesn’t slip into a bag quite so easily. I’m not going to tell you that the ROG Xbox Ally is better than the Steam Deck… because it runs Windows 11. That brings advantages, notably wider compatibility, especially with online multiplayer. But it’s also pretty dang clunky, even with the dedicated Xbox Fullscreen Experience that debuted on the ROG Xbox Ally. Good thing you can use a little elbow grease to install SteamOS or something like Bazzite on there if you like, huh? Amazon is running the current sale, with no indication of when it will end. Competitors like Best Buy and Walmart are also showing the discount (at $500), so look around for a bit if you can’t find it immediately. Get an ROG Xbox Ally handheld gaming PC for $490View Deal Read...

A SpaceX Falcon 9 crashed to Earth last year. Now scientists have measured the pollution it caused. Read...

The company says it has addressed the issue and it `did not provide anyone access to information they weren`t already authorised to see`. Read...

If your Intel processor requires a warranty return or support, the first “person” you’ll probably be dealing with at Intel will be an AI. Intel is rolling out “Ask Intel,” an addition to its Intel support site, that runs on Microsoft Copilot rather than on human intervention. Ask Intel will appear as part of support.intel.com, Intel sales executive Boji Tony announced on a LinkedIn post last week. Tony is the vice president and general manager of Intel sales enablement and support. Ask Intel is built on Microsoft Copilot Studio, and is “a new generative AI–powered virtual assistant for customer and partner support—one of the first of its kind in the semiconductor industry,” Tony said in the post, as reported by CRN. “With agentic AI capabilities, Ask Intel can open support cases on your behalf, check warranty coverage instantly, and connect you with live support agents when human support is needed,” Tony said. That Intel should replace at least some of its human customer support staff with AI shouldn’t be surprising. For one thing, Intel and others have been pushing AI solutions to replace humans at drive-through fast-food restaurants for years, such as at KFC. Now, the chipmaker is applying that same strategy to addressing your support questions, too. Foundry CRN reported that Intel began removing inbound customer support phone numbers in December, redirecting them to the support site. Naturally, Intel plans to make Ask Intel more central to the support experience over time. Today, Ask Intel isn’t the first thing you see when you visit Intel’s support site. When I began digging down through support options for Intel’s NUCs and Intel’s processors, the first time I experienced Ask Intel was in the “Live Chat” portion of the site. “This Virtual Assistant uses generative AI and answers may be inaccurate,” Ask Intel says. It also notes, “By using this feature, you agree that Intel and its third-party service provider may record, use, and store the contents of this dialog in accordance with ?Intel’s Privacy Notice.” When I used Ask Intel and asked to speak to a live representative, it first deflected, prompting me to describe the issue. In this case, I asked about crashing desktop CPUs, and Ask Intel first instructed me to download an updated graphics driver. I’m not entirely certain that would have solved my problem. It also suggested that I stress-test my processor, which may have exacerbated the issue. When I asked if stress-testing a possibly defective CPU was a good idea, Ask Intel then recommended that I update my motherboard’s BIOS instead. To be fair, we’re seeing AI chat options appear more and more in customer service. I’d be irritated if an AI screwed up my burger, but I’m sure a human manager could quickly fix it. But if I get the wrong advice from an AI and end up torching an expensive CPU, it might be a different story. Proceed carefully. Read...

Creating software using AI coding agents reminds me of the late 1970s when we were cutting code in BASIC and in today`s column I explain why and what lessons are to be learned from that. Read...

ActiveState launches a 79m-component secure open source catalogue to centralise software supply chains and cut enterprise vulnerability risk. Read...

Anthropic has released Claude Sonnet 4.6, the latest version of the company’s mid-range AI model, according to a recent blog post. The update promises significant improvements, especially for those who use Claude AI for coding and more advanced tasks. According to Anthropic, around 70 percent of developers with early access to Sonnet 4.6 prefer the new model over its predecessor. Sonnet 4.6 is described as more consistent, better at following instructions, and less prone to hallucinating answers or incorrectly claiming that tasks have been completed—things we all want from our LLMs. Another new feature is a significantly expanded context window of up to 1 million tokens (in beta). In practice, this means that the model can handle very large amounts of text in a single query. Sonnet 4.6 also has improved “computer use skills,” meaning it can interact with programs in a more human-like way by clicking, typing, and navigating in, for example, web browsers and spreadsheets. In the OSWorld benchmark test, the model shows clear improvements compared to previous versions. Claude Sonnet 4.6 is now the standard model for both Free and Pro users in both claude.ai and Claude Cowork. Read...

If you want to have the best PC gaming experience, you need more than a powerful machine—you need a proper monitor that’ll showcase all those visuals in the best light possible. But you don’t need to spend a fortune on it! Right now, you can score a 32-inch LG 1440p display for just $197 on Amazon, a stunning 34% discount that’s selling fast. The LG UltraGear 32GS60QC-B is simply perfect for gaming. The 32-inch panel is neither too big nor too small for comfort, plus it has a “sweet spot” resolution of 2560×1440 that’s more spacious and detailed than standard 1080p but not as taxing as full-blown 4K. And with its speedy 180Hz refresh rate, you get smooth graphics at all but the highest frame rates. That’s already a winning combo for this price range. But you also get 1ms response time for fluid and responsive gameplay, plus AMD FreeSync support for tear-free visuals, plus HDR10 for beautifully vibrant colors across a wide gamut. The 1000R curve is immersive and comfortable on the eyes, and you can connect it via HDMI and DisplayPort. (Sadly, the lack of USB-C video with ample power delivery makes it less good for laptops.) If you’ve been waiting to upgrade your 1080p setup, it’ll be hard to do better while spending so little. Score the LG UltraGear 32GS60QC-B for just $197 on Amazon while you can! Or if you want to keep looking, check out our roundup of the best gaming monitors. $197 is a winning price for LG`s 32-inch 1440p gaming monitorBuy now at Amazon Read...

G2’s 2026 Best Software Awards show buyer loyalties shifting fast, with 47% new top products and a major shake-up in global rankings. Read...

Confession: I’ve never built a small form factor case. The ittiest of bitty computers that I’ve assembled is a mere MicroATX. But SFF builds have always appealed to me. There’s something about tons of power concealed in a tiny package, a Muggsy Bogues factor, that has an undeniable draw. Take the new NZXT H2 Flow for example. The H2 Flow is a gentle evolution of the H1, which was red hot both for its Xbox Series X-adjacent styling and for being literally hot, because it caught fire. The H2 Flow looks a little more conventional as a PC tower, with the Mini-ITX motherboard on top and the power supply chamber below. With 20.7 liters of volume and 435mm (17.13 inches) on its longest side, it’s not the tiniest case around, but it can still handle a GPU of up to 331mm. That’s because it’s tucked in behind the motherboard with a PCIE 5.0 riser cable. Like all smaller cases, this one comes with some compromises. With a maximum of four 120mm or two 140mm fans (or a 280mm radiator), airflow is going to be tight, helped along by mech panels everywhere except that tempered glass window. You’ll also need an SFX or SFX-L power supply. The motherboard connections are on the back as usual, but with the PCIE output area on the bottom of the case, wiring will be tricky both inside and outside. Surprisingly, it has room for two 2.5-inch storage drives. Even with all those drawbacks, I imagine there will be some builders who are keen to give the H2 a try, with its appealing mix of mesh for airflow and glass to show off the goods. It’s on sale now for a pricey $150 USD, with two 120mm fans included. Read...