Sony has delighted gamers with a nostalgic surprise to celebrate PlayStation’s 30th anniversary. In addition to retro hardware that quickly sold out, Sony has released a software update that adds classic boot screens and themes for each generation of PlayStation console. Upon launching the update, users will be prompted to select their favourite generation, with options ranging from the PS1 to the PS4.

This update changes the PS5 dashboard’s menu colours and sounds to match the chosen console’s user interface. Additionally, players can explore other themes through the new “PlayStation 30th Anniversary” item in the settings menu.

However, these themes are available only for a limited time. Sony has not specified when they will be removed, but the decision to make them temporary has raised some eyebrows. While creating a perception of scarcity or avoiding clutter in the settings menu might be strategic, it could be seen as a missed opportunity to let users permanently enjoy the nostalgic themes.

This isn’t the first time Sony has indulged in retro charm. A decade ago, during PlayStation’s 20th anniversary, a free theme transformed the PS4, PS3, and Vita to reflect the PS1’s look and startup sound. As Sony celebrates three decades of gaming excellence, fans are once again treated to a trip down memory lane.

Intel is gearing up to launch its next — and potentially final — lineup of desktop graphics cards in just 10 days. Announcing the budget-friendly Arc B580 at $249 and Arc B570 at $219, Intel has positioned these cards as the “best-in-class performance per dollar” in the GPU market. The B580 is set to ship on December 13th, while the B570 will follow on January 16th.

The new cards are built on Intel’s Xe2 “Battlemage” GPU architecture, the same technology found in Intel’s Lunar Lake laptop chips, but significantly enhanced for desktop performance. With more than double the graphics cores, up to 12GB of dedicated video memory, and up to 190W of power, the B580 boasts the capability to outperform Nvidia’s $299 RTX 4060 and AMD’s $269 RX 7600 in certain benchmarks, though it still faces stiff competition.

Intel’s benchmarks show the B580 running 10 percent faster on average than the RTX 4060 across various games at 1440p and ultra settings when paired with Intel’s high-end Core i9-14900K CPU. Titles like Cyberpunk 2077, Hogwarts Legacy, Returnal, and The Witcher 3 achieve an average of over 60fps with this setup, surpassing the RTX 4060’s performance. However, Nvidia’s card still leads in games such as Starfield, Gears 5, and certain Assassin’s Creed titles, demonstrating the competitive landscape of GPU performance.

Compared to the previous generation A750, which originally retailed for $289 but is now available for $180, the new B580 runs 24 percent faster on average. This performance boost is more evident in scenarios where memory constraints are an issue, thanks to the B580’s 12GB of video memory compared to the 4060’s 8GB. For instance, in Forza Motorsport, the Nvidia card outperforms the Intel one, 86fps to 77fps, but with ray tracing enabled, Intel’s B580 takes the lead with 64fps to 57fps.

Intel’s own Arc B580 Limited Edition card will feature two fans, and a single 8-pin power connector, and promises “whisper quiet” performance. Additionally, manufacturers such as Acer, ASRock, Gunnir, Sparkle, Maxsun, and Onix will produce their versions of the card.

In addition to the new hardware, Intel is rolling out upgrades to its XeSS technology. The new XeSS 2 will offer frame generation, significantly boosting frame rates by creating new frames between existing ones, and an Xe Low Latency mode aimed at eliminating the latency penalty of frame generation. This new technology will be integrated into various upcoming games, including F1 24, Marvel Rivals, Assassin’s Creed Shadows, and more.

Intel’s budget-friendly approach with the Arc B580 and B570 is a refreshing addition to the GPU market, providing more memory and bandwidth at competitive prices. However, the future of Intel’s discrete graphics cards remains uncertain, following recent comments from former CEO Pat Gelsinger. For now, Intel’s latest offerings are set to make a significant impact in the market as they roll out in the coming weeks.

More than 600 games and applications feature RTX technologies. New games integrating NVIDIA DLSS, NVIDIA Reflex, and advanced ray-traced effects are released weekly, delivering the definitive PC experience for GeForce RTX players. This week, Void Crew has officially launched with support for NVIDIA DLSS Super Resolution. War Thunder has added new hardware-accelerated ray-traced effects that take full advantage of GeForce RTX Ray Tracing Cores.

Fresh out of early access, Hutlihut Games and Focus Entertainment’s Void Crew, a co-op roguelite, allows gamers and friends to join the ranks of METEM’s chosen clone warriors, embarking on a pilgrimage into the unknown. The 1-4 player game’s mission is to stand against the mysterious HOLLOW, an alien force like no other, to restore order while trying not to panic. GeForce RTX gamers can accelerate performance using NVIDIA DLSS Super Resolution.

First released in 2013, War Thunder is back with hundreds of high-fidelity, accurately rendered tanks and other ground military vehicles, planes, warships, and more, with new technologies, effects, and enhancements, including NVIDIA DLSS Super Resolution and NVIDIA Reflex. In War Thunder’s latest update, Gaijin Entertainment has introduced support for a suite of new hardware-accelerated ray tracing effects, further enhancing the fidelity of the game’s vehicles and environments.

Now, players can enable options for ray-traced ambient occlusion, ray-traced opaque reflections, ray-traced transparent reflections, ray-traced water, and ray-traced shadows in-game, each with quality settings to ensure effects scale across a wide range of PC configurations. Players can also activate NVIDIA DLAA for maximum graphical fidelity on rigs where performance is already high.

Explore an open world in the Towers of Aghasba filled with majestic creatures and quirky characters where players can create vibrant ecosystems, flex their creativity, and build a thriving island civilization in balance with nature. This multi-player game allows players to craft, harvest, and hang with friends on a fantasy island. GeForce RTX gamers can accelerate frame rates with NVIDIA DLSS Super Resolution for a faster experience.