Technology

• The iPhone 18 phones tipped to use A20 chips
• Those CPUs could be based on an improved 2nm process
• It means faster, more efficient chips

While the iPhone 18 series won't be launching for another year and a half, we've already heard several predictions about it – and the latest one suggests all four models in the range are going to get a substantial performance upgrade.

This comes from well-respected Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who has reiterated a prediction he made six months ago: that the A20 chipsets destined for the iPhone 18 handsets will use a 2-nanometer production process.

The current iPhone 16 devices use A18 processors made with 3nm technology. A switch from 3nm to 2nm essentially means more transistors can be packed inside a processor – making it speedier and more efficient.

iPhones get faster every year of course, but a change in the manufacturing process like this means significant performance gains, above and beyond the usual increases. It should mean the iPhone 18 can offer next-level processing power.

Still a ways away

Reiterating my prediction from six months ago: the 2H26 new iPhones (iPhone 18) will be powered by TSMC’s 2nm chips.Worth noting, TSMC’s 2nm R&D trial yields reached 60–70% three months ago, and they’re now well above that. https://t.co/ZoWXFqfUnSMarch 22, 2025

There remains some ambiguity around whether or not the chips for every iPhone 18 model will get this 2nm upgrade. Kuo now seems more optimistic about this than he was in September, but it may be an upgrade just for the Pro and Pro Max models.

This follows reports earlier this week from another industry analyst, Jeff Pu at GF Securities. Pu initially suggested the A20 chipsets would be based on a 3nm process, before revising his prediction to say that 2nm A20 silicon was a possibility.

It would well be that even Apple and its supply chain partners aren't sure yet. The iPhone 18 handsets aren't going to see the light of day until September 2026, so there's a lot of time yet for the manufacturing processes to be refined.

In the meantime, we've got the iPhone 17 series to look forward to, which should be unveiled in September 2025. These phones should get upgrades to A19 processors – but they'll be built using the existing 3nm process technology.

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• SOCAMM is a new modular memory form factor exclusive to Nvidia systems
• Micron says SOCAMM offers high bandwidth, low power and smaller footprint
• SK Hynix plans production of SOCAMM as AI infrastructure demand grows

At the recent Nvidia GTC 2025, memory makers Micron and SK Hynix took the wraps off their respective SOCAMM solutions.

This new modular memory form factor is designed to unlock the full potential of AI platforms and has been developed exclusively for Nvidia’s Grace Blackwell platform.

SOCAMM, or Small Outline Compression Attached Memory Module, is based on LPDDR5X and intended to address growing performance and efficiency demands in AI servers. The form factor reportedly offers higher bandwidth, lower power consumption, and a smaller footprint compared to traditional memory modules such as RDIMMs and MRDIMMs. SOCAMM is specific to Nvidia’s AI architecture and so can’t be used in AMD or Intel systems.

More cost-efficient

Micron announced it will be the first to ship SOCAMM products in volume and its 128GB SOCAMM modules are designed for the Nvidia GB300 Grace Blackwell Ultra Superchip.

According to the company, the modules deliver more than 2.5 times the bandwidth of RDIMMs while using one-third the power.

The compact 14x90mm design is intended to support efficient server layouts and thermal management.

“AI is driving a paradigm shift in computing, and memory is at the heart of this evolution,” said Raj Narasimhan, senior vice president and general manager of Micron’s Compute and Networking Business Unit.

“Micron’s contributions to the Nvidia Grace Blackwell platform yield performance and power-saving benefits for AI training and inference applications.”

SK Hynix also presented its own low-power SOCAMM solution at GTC 2025 as part of a broader AI memory portfolio.

Unlike Micron, the company didn’t go into too much detail about it, but said it is positioning SOCAMM as a key offering for future AI infrastructure and plans to begin mass production “in line with the market’s emergence”.

“We are proud to present our line-up of industry-leading products at GTC 2025,” SK Hynix's President & Head of AI Infra Juseon (Justin) Kim said.

“With a differentiated competitiveness in the AI memory space, we are on track to bring our future as the Full Stack AI Memory Provider forward.”

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Earlier this week, Polar announced an update that'll be a game-changer for runners like me who are gearing up for marathons later this year. After many years of waiting, I was delighted to hear that the company's best running watches finally support TrainingPeaks. At last!

If you're not familiar with TrainingPeaks, it's a tool that helps runners, cyclists, and triathletes train in a smart and structured way, whether you're an amateur or a pro. Sign up and select a training plan (free or paid), enter a goal time for your race, and you'll be presented with a full schedule of workouts to help you achieve it.

I've been using an 80:20 plan to train for the Paris Marathon next month – the same one that helped me prepare for last year's event in Manchester. Each week I'm given some general training advice via email and a set of training sessions for the week ahead are sent directly to my Garmin watch.

Whether it's a fartlek session, hills, a foundation run, or the weekly long effort, all I have to do is select the running activity and follow the instructions – all adjusted to suit my heart rate training zones.

TrainingPeaks is a fantastic training tool for runners, cyclists, and triathletes (Image credit: TrainingPeaks)

Meanwhile, coaches can use it to create custom training sessions for their clients and monitor athletes' performance over time. If someone has to take time out due to injury or a vacation, they can see that and plan around it.

It's a brilliant tool, and considering Polar's focus on running, it's a surprise that it's taken this long for it to arrive on the company's watches. Now that it has, though, I'm seriously considering making the switch from Garmin.

Time to disconnect?

Over the years, I've had the privilege of testing heaps of sports watches from Garmin, Polar, Suunto, and many more in my previous role as fitness editor here on TechRadar, and later as editor of our sister site Advnture.

Polar's watches have always appealed to me due to their excellent biometrics. While Garmin has always been focused on mapping (its first product was a GPS receiver designed for boats), Polar is all about health tracking, and its fitness and recovery-tracking tools are exceptional.

The Polar Pacer Pro is good-looking and lightweight (Image credit: Polar)

Polar makes some good-looking watches, too. Most of Garmin's more serious sports watches are hefty chunks of plastic and metal, whereas Polar's devices tend to be sleek, slim, and lightweight. The addition of TrainingPeaks sweetens the deal even more, and when my Fenix finally gives up the ghost, I'll be very tempted to abandon my Garmin Connect badges and make the switch.

There's just one more thing holding me back. I have epilepsy, and although it's very rarely a problem, it's reassuring for my partner to know where I am when I'm on a training run. Whenever I start a running activity, Garmin LiveTrack sends him an SMS with a link where he can keep tabs on my location, then sends another notification when I'm done. It gives us both peace of mind.

If Polar can add an equivalent to that, it'll finally be time to say goodbye to Garmin and disconnect from Connect.

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• Asus Vivobook 18 charging reaches 60% capacity in just 49 minutes
• Laptop offers with up to 32GB DDR5 RAM and PCIe 4.0 SSD, multitasking is smooth and efficient
• Comes with Windows Hello facial recognition and a webcam cover

Asus has released the Vivobook 18, a budget-friendly business laptop with an 18.4-inch IPS display featuring a 16:10 aspect ratio, a resolution of 1920 × 1200, and a refresh rate of up to 144Hz, making it a decent laptop for programming.

With a 90% screen-to-body ratio and a brightness of 300 nits for an immersive viewing experience, the display reduces blue light emissions, making the Vivobook 18 ideal for working at all hours.

The Vivobook 18 is exclusively powered by the AMD Ryzen 7 260 fast CPU, featuring eight Zen 4 cores with a maximum clock speed of 5.1GHz for smooth multitasking.

AMD Ryzen 7 260 brings exclusive performance

The Vivobook 18 comes with AMD Radeon 780M graphics, allowing it to handle multimedia tasks efficiently, making it a capable laptop for trading.

It also supports up to 32GB of DDR5 RAM and comes with PCIe 4.0 SSD storage options starting at 512GB and going up to 1TB.

For connectivity, there is a mix of modern and traditional ports, featuring two USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C ports, two USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A ports, an HDMI port, and a 3.5mm audio jack.

The USB-C ports support DisplayPort Alt Mode and Power Delivery, allowing users to connect external monitors and charge the laptop, though bandwidth is limited to 5 Gbit/s.

A 75Wh battery that supports fast charging powers the Vivobook 18, restoring 60% of its capacity in just 49 minutes. To maintain stable performance under heavy workloads, it features upgraded heat pipes and a taller fan design for improved airflow against previous models, with a CPU TDP of 35W.

The laptop maintains a sleek design, measuring just 1.86 cm thick and weighing 2.6 kg, while also meeting MIL-STD 810H military standards for durability.

A Windows Hello-compatible infrared camera enables quick and secure facial recognition login, while a physical cover adds an extra layer of privacy. In the same vein, AI noise-canceling technology filters out background noise on calls.

Asus has launched the Vivobook 18 in Germany for €899, with availability expected to expand to other markets soon

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A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms: Key information

- The series will be based on George R. R. Martin’s Tales Of Dunk and Egg

- The show is a prequel to Game Of Thrones, and set almost 100 years after House Of The Dragon

- Filming took place for three months in June 2024, and was wrapped by September

- Peter Claffey will play Dunk / Ser Duncan the Tall, and Dexter Sol Ansell will play Egg / Prince Aegon Targaryen

- The release date has been confirmed by HBO as “streaming in 2025”, while Martin believes “maybe in the fall”

Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight is the next HBO show based on George R. R. Martin novels.

When Game Of Thrones departed its other-worldly realm for good back in May 2019 – for better or worse, given that divisive ending – it left a giant, dark fantasy-shaped hole in many of the legions of fans lives.

House Of The Dragon was the prequel follow up from creator George R. R. Martin (and Ryan Condal), launching in 2022, but the demand was still there for more fantastical adventures and storytelling from the multi-million selling author.

And he’s delivered; with another swash-buckling epic tale called A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms. This is yet another prequel to Game Of Thrones – but set almost 100 years after events of House of The Dragon – part of the A Song Of Fire And Ice franchise.

It will be based on Martin’s series of fantasy novellas called Tales Of Dunk And Egg, and will feature the origins of Dunk, the future Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, Ser Duncan the Tall and Egg, the future King Aegon V Targaryen.

Needless to say, this has caused great excitement and expectation from those who enjoy Martin’s dramatic world-building, and with it likely to hit screens in 2025, here’s everything you need to know about A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms:

A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms: does it have a release date?

A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms is set almost 100 years after events of House of The Dragon (Image credit: Ollie Upton/HBO)

After announcing the start of production in January 2021, by June 2024, according to Variety, filming had started, and wrapped three months later in September.

HBO announced that it would be streaming in 2025, and in a blog post by Martin on his site, he said: “The series will make its debut late this year, I am now told. How late, I could not say. Maybe in the fall.”

A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms: is there a trailer yet?

There’s no official full length trailer for A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms yet, but as is customary for HBO, an end of year sizzle reel looking forward to their productions in 2025 and beyond gave a sneak peek of what to expect (skip to one minute and 32 seconds in the video above to see the brief clip).

A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms: has there been a cast confirmed?

Send a raven. Peter Claffey and Dexter Sol Ansell will star in the new @HBO Original Series, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight, as Ser Duncan the Tall and Egg. Coming to Max. pic.twitter.com/OAXVSQKLrBApril 5, 2024

It’s a solid line-up for this new adventure, which, if it goes down well with audiences, could see the series become as big as GOT. In the lead roles are Peter Claffey as Dunk / Ser Duncan the Tall, a hedge knight and Dexter Sol Ansell as Egg / Prince Aegon Targaryen, a prince of the Targaryen dynasty and Dunk's squire.

Martin added on his blog: “I’ve seen all six episodes now (the last two in rough cuts, admittedly), and I loved them. Dunk and Egg have always been favorites of mine, and the actors we found to portray them are just incredible. The rest of the cast are terrific as well. Wait until you guys meet the Laughing Storm. and Tanselle Too-Tall.”

Other recurring roles are:

• Finn Bennett as Prince Aerion "Brightflame" Targaryen, a prince of the Targaryen dynasty and Egg's older brother.
• Bertie Carvel as Prince Baelor "Breakspear" Targaryen, the heir to the Iron Throne and Hand of the King to Daeron II.
• Tanzyn Crawford as Tanselle, a Dornish puppeteer.
• Daniel Ings as Ser Lyonel Baratheon, a knight known as the "Laughing Storm" and the heir to House Baratheon.
• Sam Spruell as Prince Maekar Targaryen, Baelor's younger brother and Egg's father.

Meanwhile, other guest stars to pop up include:

• Ross Anderson as Ser Humfrey Hardyng, a knight of House Hardyng.
• Edward Ashley as Ser Steffon Fossoway, a knight of House Fossoway of Cider Hall.
• Henry Ashton as Daeron "The Drunken" Targaryen, Egg and Aerion's older brother.
• Youssef Kerkour as Steely Pate, a blacksmith hailing from the Reach.
• Daniel Monks as Ser Manfred Dondarrion, a knight of House Dondarrion of Blackhaven.
• Shaun Thomas as Raymun Fossoway, Steffon's cousin and squire.
• Tom Vaughan-Lawlor as Plummer, the steward of Ashford.
• Steve Wall as Lord Leo "Longthorn" Tyrell, the Lord of Highgarden.
• Danny Webb as Ser Arlan of Pennytree, a hedge knight and Dunk's mentor.

A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms: what do we know about the plot?

A century before @GameofThrones, there was Ser Duncan the Tall and his squire, Egg.Executive produced by George R. R. Martin, Ira Parker, Ryan Condal, and Vince Gerardis, A Knight of the #SevenKingdoms: The Hedge Knight has received a straight to series order. #StreamOnMax pic.twitter.com/MRPUke5UptApril 12, 2023

We’ll hand back over to the big man for this one, for who else better to explain that its creator? Martin writes: “A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms is an adaptation of The Hedge Knight, the first of the novellas I wrote about them. It’s as faithful as adaptation as a reasonable man could hope for (and you all know how incredibly reasonable I am on that particular subject).”

The Hedge Knight – a knight without a master – tells the tale of how Dunk took on this mantle, and then meets his squire, a boy named Egg, on his way to compete in a tournament at Ashford Meadow, and follows the adventures they go on together afterwards.

However, it comes with a warning for blood-thirsty fans of GoT and mythical beast lovers of HotD. Martin adds: “Viewers who are looking for action, and more action, and only action… Well, this one may not satisfy you. There’s a huge fight scene here, as exciting as anyone could ask for, but there are no dragons this time around, no huge battles, no white walkers… this is a character piece, and its focus is on duty and honor, on chivalry and all it means.”

A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms: the future

The future looks bright for the Kingdoms, as Martin said plans are all ready going full steam ahead, although HBO are yet to confirm season 2.

“We’ll be moving on to The Sworn Sword, in the second tale of Dunk & Egg,” he blogged on his site. “ And once I finish The Winds Of Winter, I will need to get hopping on The Village Hero, and all the other tales that await the lads. Don’t worry, I am sure you folks will remind me.’ Yep, we’re ready and waiting to give him a nudge, if needs be!

For more Max TV-based coverage, read our guides on Euphoria season 3, House of the Dragon season 3, and Peacemaker season 2.

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Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for March 23.

• Vinpower iXflash and iXflash Cube offer direct photo and video recording to external storage
• Avoid cloud fees—iXflash delivers private storage with instant access
• iXflash Cube backs up while charging, ensuring secure offline storage

With business smartphones running more demanding applications, including high-resolution video recording, AI-driven features, and system updates, internal storage quickly fills up, limiting space for personal files.

Vinpower's iXflash and iXflash Cube USB flash drives offer up to 2TB of external storage in a compact format, providing an alternative to cloud storage, which requires an internet connection and may involve ongoing fees.

The iXflash Cube lets users record media directly in external storage while automatically backing up photos and videos when charging.

Automatic backup and charging in one device

Unlike cloud backup options that rely on external servers, the iXflash Cube offers local security and instant access to data, making it a seamless backup solution for users who prefer physical storage.

These drives are designed for cross-platform compatibility, working with iOS, Android, Windows, and Mac devices, but this level of convenience comes with a cost.

The highest-capacity iXflash and iXflash Cube models offer 2TB of storage, priced at $299.99 and $299.95, respectively, while smaller capacities are also available, with the 1TB version costing $169.99 for the iXflash and $199.95 for the Cube.

Also available are a 512GB model of the iXflash and iXflash Cube for $94.99 or $99.95, a 256GB version for $56.99 or $79.95, or 128GB for $37.99 or $59.95, respectively.

Although the 2TB model costs more than a typical external hard drive, which usually offers more storage for less, its compact form factor and direct iPhone compatibility make it a practical choice for those who need portability.

While portable SSDs offer high-speed data transfer, the iXflash Cube adds the convenience of automatic wireless iPhone backups without extra cables.

"The biggest buzzword today is AI, Artificial Intelligence…AI relies on both intelligent programming as well as copious amounts of data storage. That's why higher capacity storage, like the 2TB iXflash and iXflash Cube are critical when implementing AI technology on mobile platforms," said Calvin Chang, CEO of Vinpower.

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• Compal Adapt X modular laptop reduces waste with fully replaceable components
• Adapt X evolves rather than slips into obsolescence
• Supports modular AI and a functional HUB

Taiwanese manufacturer Compal Electronics has unveiled a concept device, Adapt X, a modular business laptop designed to extend device lifespan and reduce electronic waste.

Adapt X features 14-inch and 16-inch displays, equipped with Type-C interfaces and a functional HUB that expands input and output options through modular AI units.

It also comes with a detachable secondary display that can act as a business monitor, positioned either flat for seamless multitasking or elevated for an extended workspace.

Modular design for extended usability

Developed as a flexible and customizable modular AI alternative in the same vein as Framework's products, Adapt X combines metallic aesthetics with sustainability, earning it an iF Design Award for 2025.

Users can swap or upgrade components independently, reducing upgrade frequency and cutting costs. The ultra-thin and detachable keyboard offers a tablet-like experience.

Meanwhile, the detachable additional display is useful for managing multiple windows simultaneously, making the Adapt X a useful laptop for programming, and one of the best laptops for trading.

If fully realized, this approach could create a recyclable, upgradable laptop with minimal environmental impact, hinting at a future where 'eternal' devices, evolving with users, are mainstream.

Via iF Design

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Here are hints and the answer for today's Wordle No. 1,373 for March 23.

• Anycubic foldable portable 3D printer supports five rotational axes
• Comes with a dedicated filament storage solution that keeps materials organized
• Control, monitor and adjust settings via a touchscreen interface

The world of 3D printing has seen its fair share of stylish and innovative designs in recent years, such as the Elegoo Centauri Carbon and Creality K2 Plus, but Anycubic’s foldable portable 3D printer still hopes to impress.

Unlike some of the best 3D printers, which are bulky and stationary, this model from Shenzhen Anycubic Technology Co., Ltd (via iF Design) folds down to just 75mm in height and features five rotational axes, allowing it to collapse neatly and be carried like a briefcase.

The multi-axis arms enable the print head to stop at any position, and it can print up to 460mm in height to suit projects of varying sizes.

Sleek design with practical features

Anycubic's printer features a modern light gray-silver color scheme, with a dark, square-shaped print bed likely made of glass or a coated material for adhesion and easy removal of prints.

Its extruder system features an active cooling fan to prevent filament jams, while a dedicated drawer-style filament spool holder is neatly tucked into a sliding compartment in the base, keeping the material organized and easily accessible.

In addition, the nozzle appears to be of standard size, compatible with various filament types, including PLA and PETG.

The printer includes a touchscreen interface, offering an intuitive way to navigate settings and monitor prints. Connectivity options include two USB-A ports, a USB-C port, and a micro-HDMI port, allowing users to load in print files.

Anycubic’s latest innovation could redefine what users expect from portable 3D printers, and has already won the iF Design Award 2025, but the company has offered no official launch date.

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Hints and answers for Connections for March 23, #651.

• HP ZBook Fury G1i is a powerful 18-inch mobile workstation
• It's powered by up to an Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX and next-gen Nvidia RTX graphics
• There's also a 16-inch model available with same high-end specs and features

It’s a personal preference, but I’ve always liked laptops with bigger screens. That means 16-inches for me, but HP thinks 18-inch laptops are what professionals should be aiming for if they are looking to replace their desktop PCs and get a solid productivity boost.

Billed as the world’s most powerful 18-inch mobile workstation, the HP ZBook Fury G1i 18” still manages to fit into a 17-inch backpack.

That extra 2-inches gives you roughly 30% more space to work with, which can come in handy when handling complex datasets, editing high-resolution media, or working across multiple windows.

Three-fan cooling

HP is pitching the laptop at developers and data scientists who need to train and run LLMs directly on the machine.

The Fury G1i 18” runs on Intel’s latest Core Ultra processors, up to the top-end Core Ultra 9 285HX, with peak speeds of 5.5GHz. These chips also include an NPU with up to 13 TOPS of AI performance. HP says the machine will support next-gen Nvidia RTX GPUs.

There’s support for up to 192GB of DDR5 memory and up to 16TB of PCIe Gen5 NVMe storage. Connectivity includes Thunderbolt 5, HDMI 2.1, USB-A ports, an SD card slot, and Ethernet.

The 18-inch display has a WQXGA (2560x1600) resolution, coupled with a fast 165Hz refresh rate, trading pixel density for smoother motion. Thermal performance is handled by a redesigned three-fan cooling system, along with HP’s Vaporforce tech, allowing up to 200W TDP without throttling under sustained load.

Other features include a spill-resistant RGB-backlit keyboard, four Poly Studio speakers, dual-array microphones, and an optional IR camera for facial login.

The Fury G1i is also available in a 16-inch model for anyone who feels 18-inches is too big to lug around. Pricing and availability details for both models is expected shortly.

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After suffering with terrible PC ports for the past few months - many of which have no right to perform poorly considering their visuals - I can finally look at a brand-new title and genuinely stop in awe of it. There's only a handful of titles that have left me amazed by incredible environments and spectacle: CD Projekt Red's Cyberpunk 2077 comes to mind instantly (at least, after the post-launch patches).

This time, it's Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed Shadows - and when I tell you that this is one of the best-looking games I've ever played on PC, I'm not bluffing. It's not to score points on Ubisoft's side with all the controversy surrounding the title, no sir; it's giving credit where credit is due, and Shadows does an absolutely stellar job with its visuals.

It certainly isn't all perfect though: the top-of-the-line Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 can struggle to push the frame rate beyond 60fps at 4K native max settings, but compared to what we've seen with recent PC ports, this is nowhere near as bad. Based on the current consensus, it seems as though the performance issues may be a result of forced RTGI (Ray Traced Global Illumination) for the game's 'Hideout' area.

Essentially, this means you cannot fully disable ray tracing, which I suspect is the main factor behind the game's high hardware-demanding nature. However, my experience with it was completely different using the Asus TUF Nvidia RTX 4080 Super OC Edition - and I'm now eager to dive right back in.

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(Image credit: Future/Isaiah Williams) The usual stutterfest of recent times is absent in Shadows, and I couldn't be happier

Using my Alienware AW3423DWF QD-OLED ultrawide monitor, playing Assassin's Creed Shadows at the 'Ultra High' graphics preset with native AA and DLSS Frame Generation enabled (as shown above), I managed an average of 74fps - and fortunately, the game's benchmark tool has a stutter counter which came back reading zero on all of my benchmarks.

Again, Shadows is an absolutely gorgeous game to look at, but that's when RTGI is fully turned on (not just in the Hideout) and it comes with a heavy performance cost. Unlike other PC ports though, the frame time was completely flat - so even when the frame rate would drop to a minimum of 60fps on my setup, it still felt like a smooth experience.

It's also worth noting that recent Nvidia drivers have been causing issues with performance and causing black screens - its most recent one includes official DLSS 4 support for AC Shadows, but I'm sticking with driver 572.47 until all is stable again. I'm not sure if other reports regarding performance (especially on low-end cards) are a result of driver issues or if the real-time RTGI is responsible, but I'm happy to say that either way, it's still a smooth playable experience with no major stutters.

(Image credit: Future/Isaiah Williams)

I've seen a similar thing with Indiana Jones: The Great Circle - in that case, lowering the resolution actually gave me slightly worse performance, which makes sense as the GPU was no longer under heavy load and the CPU bottleneck was evident. It's also another title that doesn't allow you to fully disable ray tracing, so I wonder if that's the same case with Shadows.

Fortunately, DLSS Frame Generation works great with this game. While some ghosting is still present (likely because I'm not using DLSS 4 Override), it's not noticeable unless you're really trying to look for it and there's no major input lag. It's another case where upscaling and AI are being used to polish game performance after the fact, I know - but when you're trying to run ray tracing at 4K maximum settings in any modern triple-A game, it's often needed - especially with Shadows, where upscaling is practically compulsory.

Assassin's Creed Shadows' RTGI visuals make the performance hit worth it

I must state again that Assassin's Creed Shadows is one of the best games in terms of its visuals, and it's really one of those titles that you need to see for yourself to believe it. Images won't do it any justice and the OLED screen just amplifies the experience entirely.

Games that fail to impress with their graphics (like Rise of the Ronin) still launch on PC with bad performance, mostly with awful frame time graphs: I've been calling it the stutterfest. I say this because even if Shadows needs some adjustments to push its performance up to a higher standard, it has every right to be as demanding as it is because the spectacle is worth it and outshines other PC ports while doing so.

It's evident why Ubisoft decided to leave last-gen consoles behind with Shadows, as I can guarantee that they would not have been able to handle it. This and games like Cyberpunk 2077 are the few titles I can look at as an actual generational leap for visual fidelity, and I can't wait to see it continue - hopefully with acceptable performance results for all.

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