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Nvidia DLSS vs AMD FSR: which graphics upscaling technology is better?

AMD and Nvidia go head to head, but only one team has AI on its side

The Nvidia and AMD logos clashing with lightning bolts around them.

(Image credit: Shutterstock, AMD, Nvidia)

Upscaling technology has become the new battleground for GPU makers, with bothAMDandNvidia(oh, andIntel) offering their own options for improving your framerates when playing PC games.

For the uninitiated, upscaling technology works by making your graphics card render a game at a lower resolution (1080p, in most cases) before scaling it up – hence the name – to a higher target resolution with no loss of framerate. This lets you get a smoother gameplay experience at 1440p,4K, and even8K.

Nvidia’s Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS), as the name implies, uses deep-learning AI functionality to provide a highly effective upscaling solution. Over on the red side, AMD’s FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR) notably doesn’t use AI, but ultimately produces the same service.

If you’re buying a new graphics card, then you’ll need to strongly consider which upscaling tech you’ll have to use in today’s demanding games.

Nvidia has made strides with DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling) since the introduction of the RTX 20 series, and AMD has backedFSRfor over four years. They’ve both come a long way since their introduction, but which is better out of DLSS vs FSR?

That’s what we’re hear to find out. It’s worth noting that both graphics upscalers are in their fourth iterations now, with DLSS 4 and FSR 4, respectively. A lot has changed with thebest graphics cardsover the last half-decade, and we’ve seen AMD switch gears in its attempt to be more competitive against its rival.

The two upscalers (previously) worked very differently, which meant a vast gap in compatibility and software support, something that’s been narrowed over the last few months.

We’re comparing DLSS vs FSR based on the performance, software compatibility, and the quality of upscaling to help you decide which is the right fit for use with your GPU.

Our considerations have been made with developments like AI-poweredFrame Generationtech as well, so you can go for higher framerates than ever before, provided you’ve got one of thebest gaming monitorsto make it worthwhile in 1440p, 4K, and even 8K.

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Nvidia DLSS vs AMD FSR: Performance

(Image credit: Nvidia)

The biggest deciding factor of choosing Nvidia DLSS vs AMD FSR comes down to the respective performance, and it’s something that’s changed massively over the last few years.

When directly compared only a year or so ago, it would have been a night-and-day comparison of the two, with Nvidia’s AI-powered upscaling tech (largely) coming out on top, but that’s not necessarily true right now, thanks to the implementations made with AMD FSR 4.

To outline the differences in performance, we first need to know how the two graphics upscalers work. In brief, Nvidia DLSS utilizes the Tensor Cores (AI) of the RTX graphics cards in tandem with the GPU’s CUDA cores with developed algorithms that down-sample the native image and then blow it back up to a target resolution, enabling higher framerates (and better performance) than purely natively rendering.

Until the release of FSR 4, AMD’s upscaling tech was an open-source driver-based software that used sampling algorithms to downsample and then blow the image up to a target resolution. However, with AMD FSR 4, Team Red has embraced Machine Learning tech exclusively with its RDNA 4 GPU line to produce a better product that’s more on par with what Team Green is doing.

The new development for DLSS with the previous two GPU generations has been Frame Generation and Multi Frame Generation, which have been exclusive to the RTX 40 series and RTX 50 series, respectively.

This technology uses AI to generate frames that are interpolated with natively rendered ones for a higher framerate than native, even when compared to the boost afforded by down-sampling and then upscaling. AMD’s previous version of this tech, Fluid Motion Frames (AFMF), was a core part of FSR 3 as a driver-based solution, but it’s since been replaced by an AI-powered solution (loosely) on par with what was possible with DLSS 3.

With the context out of the way, we can state that DLSS 4 beats out FS4 in terms of producing higher framerates thanks to MFG, which AMD does not have yet, but the image quality results can be incredibly similar.

AMD has massively stepped up its game with how faithfully the upscaled gameplay can look under the right circumstances, without the need for excessive sharpening and heavy noise reduction of its previous versions.

However, FSR 4 is currently exclusive to only two GPUs on the market, the RX 9070 andRX 9070 XT, whereas DLSS 3 and DLSS 4 can be utilized by anyone running the respective RTX 40 series and RTX 50 series.

This is only when taking FSR 4 at face value, however, as FSR 3 (and older versions) remain open-source and driver-based, with how they work and can be implemented into modern games.

AMD’s result may not be as strong as what Nvidia’s doing, and its latest efforts may be limited, but it’s worth considering this as a plus all the same. Nvidia still takes the win for this round, but things could change if Team Red continues to innovate instead of just playing catch-up.

Winner:Nvidia DLSS

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Nvidia DLSS vs AMD FSR: Compatibility

(Image credit: AMD)

Compatibility with Nvidia DLSS vs AMD FSR is initially incredibly one-sided. As touched upon above, AMD FSR (except FSR 4) is completely open-source and driver-based, and can be used on many different generations of not only Team Red’s hardware, but even Intel’s and Nvidia’s as well.

FSR 3 is officially supported by the RX 5000 series and up, which were released more than six years ago, whereas Nvidia DLSS only works on the RTX 20 series and up, with the new versions getting more exclusive with each new GPU generation launch.

With that said, new iterations of Nvidia DLSS do not always lock away all the pivotal features. For example, while DLSS 3 is commonly thought to only be for the RTX 40 series, that only applies to the Frame Generation tech, and not some of its other features, such as Ray Reconstruction from DLSS 3.5 and DLSS 3.7’s new Streamline SDK presets, which can be utilized by the RTX 20 series and RTX 30 series as well.

As previously mentioned, FSR 4 goes all in on Machine Learning and forgoes its open-source and wide-ranging compatibility in favor of delivering a higher-quality product, but we still have to give AMD the win in this respect for everything else that can be with older versions of the software.

Winner:AMD FSR

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Nvidia DLSS vs AMD FSR: Game support

Nvidia DLSS 4 is said to support over 100 games and counting.

(Image credit: Nvidia)

DLSS and FSR quality and compatibility wouldn’t matter if games didn’t utilize the software, but that’s (thankfully) not the case.Nvidia claimsthat over 760 games now support its “RTX” technology, taking all versions into account since its launch back in 2018.

With that said, only around 13% of this total amount is said to use the latest version of the graphics upscaler, asNvidia confirmsover 100 games have (or will have) DLSS 4 support for Multi Frame Generation.

While that list no doubt includes many of thebest PC gameson the market, just shy of 800 supported titles is still a far cry from the tens of thousands of releases on the PC platform currently.

With that said, Nvidia is still running rings around Nvidia when you take the adoption figures of its upscaling tech into account. It’s believed that there are around 250 games that support FSR in all its different versions, with around 120 of this figure utilizing FSR 3 and about 40 now using the AI-based FSR 4,according to AMD.

Now, it’s still very much early days for both DLSS 4 and FSR 4, which were launched at the end of 2024 and beginning of 2025, respectively, so we’re expecting these figures to increase dramatically over the next few months (and years) as more developers take advantage of the tech.

We’ve gotten to the point where it’s common for a new AAA PC game to natively support both DLSS, FSR, and XeSS out of the box, or it usually gets added shortly after launch, where it’s now considered strange for a new release to forgo upscaling at release.

Weighing DLSS vs FSR in terms of game support, Nvidia wins out confidently still, but the tide could change if FSR 4 takes off as more RDNA 4 GPUs come out.

Winner:Nvidia DLSS

Nvidia DLSS vs AMD FSR: Which is best?

Delivering a verdict on which is better out of Nvidia DLSS vs AMD FSR isn’t as cut and dry as we’ve previously established above; it’s nuanced, and depends on the kind of hardware that you have access to in the first place.

For example, if you’re using acheap graphics card(or an older GPU), then you’re going to benefit better from previous versions of FSR to get your games into the playable 60fps range in 1080p and 1440p.

However, a cutting-edge RTX 5080 and RTX 5090 trying to achieve 120fps in 4K (and even 8K) will need the processing power of DLSS 4’s Multi Frame Generation, andwe’ve seen incredible things gaming at 8K.

Nvidia DLSS is exclusive to Team Green’s hardware, whereas AMD FSR can be used on not only Team Red graphics cards, but with its competitors as well. It’s going to depend on your hardware; if you’re running an RTX 40 series card then you’ll want to enable Frame Generation, and the RTX 50 series MFG will add a further shot in thearm.

Because of this, we can’t definitively say one’s wholesale better than the other, but we encourage you to try them out in the supported games if your hardware allows it. Which one gives you the best FPS boost and better picture quality? Then that’s the one to enable.

Winner:Tie

Nvidia DLSS vs AMD FSR: FAQs

Can I use both FSR and DLSS?

For the most part, yes, you can use both FSR and DLSS with your modern graphics card, provided you’re not trying to run FSR 4, which is exclusive to two AMD RDNA 4 GPUs right now.

Is DLSS 4 better than FSR 4?

While DLSS 4 and FSR 4 deliver very comparable results in image quality with their four respective presets, Nvidia’s AI-upscaling tech wins out with Multi Frame Generation, allowing for four times the native performance you would normally get, whereas AMD’s frame generation is far less powerful right now.

What is a CUDA core? The Nvidia GPU technology explained

What a CUDA core is, what it does, and why are it’s important

(Image credit: Nvidia)

Whether you’re running one of thebest graphics cardsmade byNvidiaor any entry-level model from several years ago, it’ll be backed with CUDA cores. Not to be confused withTensor Cores(AI cores), which power the likes of DLSS and Machine Learning, we’re going over everything there is to know about CUDA cores, including how they work, their history, and how they’re utilized.

CUDA cores play an essential role in powering the graphics tech behind some of thebest PC gamesand enabling data science workloads, as well as general computing, in addition to graphics rendering. We’re explaining how it all works and why it’s important further down the page.

What is a CUDA Core?

To understand CUDA cores, we first need to understand Compute Unified Device Architecture as a platform. Developed by Nvidia nearly 20 years ago, it’s a parallel computing platform for purpose-built APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) that lets developers access compilers and tools to run hardware-accelerated programs.

Supported programming languages for CUDA include C, C++, Fortran, Python, and Julia, with supported APIs including not only Direct3D and OpenGL, but specific frameworks such as OpenMP, OpenACC, and OpenCL. CUDA provides both low-level and higher-level APIs on its platform, with an ever-expanding list of libraries for generalized computing, which were previously only thought to be achieved through your computer’s processor.

A CUDA core is a SIMD (Single Instruction, Multiple Data) processing unit found inside your Nvidia graphics card that handles parallel computing tasks; with more CUDA cores, comes the ability to do more with your graphics card. The number of CUDA cores in today’s GPUs has steadily increased over the last 10 years, with top-end performers such as theRTX 5090featuring 21,760 of them and theRTX 4090using 16,384.

These two enthusiast-class graphics cards may be (primarily) marketed on their 4K and 8K gaming performance, but they’re also aimed at tasks such as data science, video processing, encoding, rendering, and AI model training.

(Image credit: Nvidia)
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History of CUDA Cores

Nvidia first created CUDA in 2006, with the first commercially available graphics cards to utilize the technology being the eighth generation of the original GeForce lineup, with the 8800 GTX later (featuring 128 CUDA cores).

Using CUDA, and its specifically developed API built on the platform, this GPU was significantly faster at general-purpose computing outside of just traditional graphics rendering, which were the sole point of video cards back in the day.

Every Nvidia graphics card released afterwards, including the GeForce 500 series, GeForce 600 series, GeForce 700 series, and GeForce 900 series, was built to support CUDA.

Around this time, we saw graphics cards begin to be fully marketed around their CUDA-capable prowess for advanced computing, such as with the Nvidia GTX Titan in 2013, which featured 2,688 CUDA cores and 6GB GDDR5 memory at a time when its contemporaries (like the GTX 770 and GTX 780) lagged significantly.

Fast-forwarding to today, thousands of applications have been developed with CUDA, and all graphics cards from Nvidia natively support the platform, whether they’re gaming GPUs (like theRTX 5070andRTX 5080) or high-end Quadro ones made expressly for developers and data servers.

TheCUDA Toolkithas been steadily upgraded since its launch in 2007, where it’s currently in its 12th iteration, which is primarily made for the company’s H100 and A100 GPUs, with new APIs and tools specific to data center platforms.

(Image credit: Nvidia)
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How do CUDA Cores work?

CUDA cores work similarly to how CPU cores work on a desktop or laptop processor; they’re built to process large amounts of data simultaneously with a technique called SIMT (Single Instruction, Multiple Threads). In essence, this means a large number of cores all working on an identical process at the same time.

Whereas some of thebest processorson the market (like theAMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D) may feature 16 processing cores, the average GPU now features around 3,000 processing cores, making hardware-based (GPU-accelerated) tasks, such as video editing, 3D rendering, gaming, and simulation, easier and faster to do.

Whereas a CPU core has lower latency and is good for serial processing, a CUDA core has higher throughput and breaks down the processes into smaller tasks through parallel processing.

As its name suggests, many thousands of CUDA cores built into your GPU execute the same process, synchronizing the sub-tasks independently. CUDA cores are, therefore, highly specialized for specific tasks compared to a CPU’s more generalized approach.

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How are CUDA Cores utilized for gaming and workloads?

Considering that CUDA cores are parallel processing units that excel at large and intensive operations, having more of them can make your gaming experience smoother and faster.

They handle advanced calculations such as lightning, shading, physics, rasterization, pixel calculating, anti-aliasing, frame rate optimization, texture mapping, and more. With parallel computing, these intensive tasks can be broken down into smaller jobs that the CUDA cores work through all at once.

For more advanced computing processing, CUDA cores can do things such as high-level data processing, scientific simulations, and mathematical operations, because of how a CUDA core executes a floating point and integer operation concurrently.

CUDA as a platform has been praised for its C/C++ interface, ease of use, large ecosystem, libraries, and existing programming models, and there are nearly 20 years of hardware developed to fall back on it. Everything from image processing, deep learning, and other forms of computational science can be achieved with the platform, after all.

(Image credit: AMD)

Do AMD graphics cards use CUDA cores?

CUDA is an Nvidia-developed platform, and CUDA cores are the company’s term for its GPU cores. AMD utilizes completely different Stream Processors for its GPU cores, which do not equate to one another.

To boil things down to the most basic comparison, both CUDA cores and Stream Processors are essentially just shaders (or Unified Shader Units), which are capable of parallel computing tasks, such as shading, etc.

Microsoft Teams to add ‘Prevent Screen Capture’ meeting mode to secure sensitive data

Teams is about to get Enhanced Meeting Protection

Enhanced Meeting Protection will block you from taking unwarranted screenshots
It’ll turn the screen black if you dare to attempt to take a capture of the screen
Most platforms are supported, but some may have to join audio-only

Microsofthas alluded to an upcoming feature for Teams designed to prevent users from taking unwarranted screenshots during calls in a bid to protect sensitive company information.

A new addition to Redmond’s roadmap adds Enhanced Meeting Protection to Teams, which Microsoft says will prevent screen capture. Added last week, it’s on track to roll out from July 2025.

The feature will become available across desktop client versions on Windows and Mac, as well as iOS and Android apps, making it virtually impossible for users to take snippets of potentially sensitive information.

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Microsoft Teams will let you block screenshots soon

“To address the issue of unauthorized screen captures during meetings, the Prevent Screen Capture feature ensures that if a user attempts to take a screen capture, the meeting window will turn black, thereby protecting sensitive information,” Microsoft explained.

Although most common platforms are supported, users joining a Teams call with Enhanced Meeting Protection enabled will be restricted to audio-only to prevent content exposure.

Because the roadmap entry only shares basic details about the upcoming feature, it’s unclear whether it will be enabled by default or toggled on via admin controls.

In the hope that enhanced protections will give companies access to more secure video conferencing, the company will also be rolling out its new Migration Tool for Teams in July.

“Customers will now be able to move content seamlessly from public and private channels in a third-party solution to Teams standard channels,” the roadmap entry reads.

Enhanced Meeting Protection is currently in the ‘in development’ stage – the first of three, preceding ‘launched’ and ‘rolling out’. Microsoft doesn’t share details about how far along the development journey it is, and whether it’s on track for the intended July release.

However, while the feature might be welcomed by many, it still leaves a considerable gap and, in many cases, does nothing to protect sensitive data on screens at all – there’s no system in place to prevent users from taking photos of their screens with theirsmartphones, and such a tool would be almost impossible to implement.

Shocked that Skype lost the battle against Zoom? I knew it was doomed all the way back in 2011, and here’s why

A bag-fumbling of galactic proportions

(Image credit: Getty Images / Chev Wilkinson)

Well,there goes Skype. Bye-bye, you garbage piece of software. I’m surprised you managed to hang around for as long as you did, frankly.

Okay, I’m being a bit mean here; the impact of Skype on the global tech ecosystem shouldn’t be downplayed, as it effectively brought video communication to the mainstream – something that previously was the domain of corporate execs with money to burn on expensive early video-conferencing solutions. For a wonderful, all-too-brief period in the early 2010s, Skype was everywhere: a way to chat face-to-face with distant relatives or schoolmates who were just beyond the reach of an after-class bike ride.

But I can’t pretend Skype was all sunshine and rainbows, even before the pandemic lockdowns and the rise of its chief competitor,Zoom. I remember sitting for ages waiting for a call to connect, frequent audio dropouts, and sometimes struggling to log in at all. Sure, internet connections are faster and more consistent now than they were when Skype was first conceived back in 2003, but that’s not an all-encompassing excuse for the app’s many failings.

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The Microsoft problem

See, Skype’s greatest victory was also a sword of Damocles hanging over its head: its 2011 purchase byMicrosoft. A multi-billion dollar deal that positioned Skype to replace Windows Live Messenger (formerly known as the ever-iconic MSN), the purchase proved to be an immediate boon for Skype, as it was widely inserted into Windows devices over the following years, thus reaching a massive global audience.

Unfortunately, this deal also meant that Skype was owned by Microsoft, which is rarely a safe position to be in. RememberZune? Yeah, me neither. The list of products and serviceskilled off by Microsoftover the years is long and storied, and many – including myself – saw the writing on the wall long before serious external competition arrived on the scene.

Star Lord reaching for his Zune music player in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3

Aside from a recent cameo role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Microsoft’s attempt to beat the iPod was a colossal failure.(Image credit: Marvel Studios)

A key issue was Microsoft’s long-running and ill-placed desire to make Teams work. I’ll be honest: as someone who was, in a previous and much worse place of employment, forced to use Microsoft Teams, I can say with conviction that it sucks. Rigid settings, feature bloat, and an inexplicable ravenous hunger for RAM make it a frequently painful piece of software to use, especially on an outdated work PC.

But Microsoft wanted – and still wants – it to be a Thing People Want To Use, which ultimately led to Skype taking a back seat as its features were gradually cannibalized to improve Teams. In fact, now that Skype has officially been taken out back with a shotgun, Microsoft is actively encouraging users toport their accounts over to Teams.

And what did Skype get in return? A drip-feed of features that nobody asked for, most of which did little to improve the core video-calling functionality. The interface became more cluttered, frequent UI redesigns left users confused, and yet there was a paradoxical feeling of stagnation; meanwhile, the meteoric rise of social-media-driven video calling across platforms such as Facebook andWhatsAppoffered a far more streamlined and pleasant user experience.

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Impacts of the pandemic

Zoom has been around since 2011 (ironically, the same year Microsoft acquired Skype) but you’d be forgiven for thinking that it just popped into existence at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. When we were collectively displaced from our offices and had to construct impromptu workspaces inside our homes, video conferencing became an everyday necessity – and as we all know, this was where the cracks in Skype’s facade really started to show.

Technical debt is never an easy hurdle to overcome, and Skype’s aging software architecture – while cutting-edge back in 2003 – gradually became a weight chained around its ankle. With Teams at the forefront, investing in updating Skype never seemed like a priority for Microsoft. The app didn’t even change over to a centralized system from its outdated peer-to-peer networking until more than half a decade after Microsoft bought it.

One of the worst blunders was Microsoft’s insistence on keeping it partially anchored to actual phone numbers (with a dial pad feature, no less) in an era when interlinked accounts are king and phones are more than just phones. It was no doubt a move intended to retain the crop of older users who were unaware of the alternatives, but the 100-user call capacity and streamlined interface of Zoom made it an easy choice for professionals who needed to keep their careers afloat while the world screeched to a halt outside.

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Long live Zoom

It’s certainly not a universal truth that Microsoft ruins everything it touches -the Surface tablet line is finally good now!- but the tech giant has something of a reputation for enshittification. I’ve been following thegradual decay of Windowsfor years now, and looking at how Microsoft treats its most widely known product makes understanding the fall of Skype very easy.

Microsoft has finally achieved some success with its Surface tablets, but I’m quietly surprised the brand has lasted this long.(Image credit: Microsoft)

I’ve settled into a belief that Microsoft isn’t able to just let things be what they are. Everything had to bemore!More features, more information, more settings, more AI! Forget what consumers actually want; the line must go up, the goalposts must keep moving, everything must be constantly changing and innovating or it’s worthless. Once you start to see Microsoft as a tech company incapable of sitting still, its successes and failures all start to make a lot more sense.

What people needed for the remote working shift during the pandemic was an effective, straightforward video conferencing tool. They didn’t find that in Skype, which had already become a bloated shell of its former self after years of ‘innovation’ at the hands of Microsoft. So I say this now, to the creators of Zoom: if it ain’t broke…

Apple Pay joins PayPal and your standard credit or debit card as forms of payment for your PS5.

PlayStation

As first reported by9to5Mac, PS5 users now have a direct way to buy games in the PlayStation store with Apple Pay. When you purchase a game on your PS5 with Apple Pay, you’ll be shown a QR code that you can scan with your iPhone or iPad to complete the transaction from there.

Previously, PS5 users had to go through the console’s browser or the PlayStation App on iOS to buy games with Apple Pay. The latest update is a simple quality of life upgrade for PS5 owners since most already have a credit card tied to their PlayStation account. However, Apple Card owners can more easily take advantage of their 2 percent cash back on Apple Pay purchases when buying PS5 games.

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Besides using a traditional card on file, Apple Pay joins PayPal as an alternative payment method. The Apple Pay compatibility on the PS5 was made possible through aniOS 18update that allows users to buy things on third-party browsers like Chrome and Firefox with a unique QR code. This change lays the groundwork for more Apple Pay implementation with other browsers and devices, including support for the PS4 in a later software update, as indicated by9to5Mac.

Intel stealthily pulls the plug on Deep Link less than 5 years after launch

You can continue to use the technology, but it will not receive any future updates or support from Intel.

(Image credit: Intel)

Intel has discontinued support for its Deep Link suite of technologies, as confirmed by a representative onGitHub, via X userHaze.After Intel quietly stopped promoting the feature in newer products such as Battlemage, it has now confirmed that active development for Deep Link has ceased. While you still might be able to use Deep Link, Intel has clarified that there will be no future updates or official support from their customer service channels.

“Intel Deep Link is no longer actively maintained and will not be receiving future updates, meaning that there will be no changes to the features regardless of their current functionality status.”

from X

Deep Link was introduced in late 2020. It allows you to harness the combined power of your Intel CPU and Arc GPU to improve streaming, AI acceleration, and overall efficiency. To utilize Deep Link, you needed an Intel 11th, 12th, or 13th Generation CPU and a dedicatedArc AlchemistGPU. The suite offered four key utilities: Dynamic Power Share, Stream Assist, Hyper Encode, and Hyper Compute.

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Dynamic Power Share optimizes performance and power by intelligently shifting power resources between the CPU and GPU. Stream Assist improved streaming by offloading the task from the dedicated GPU to the integrated GPU. Hyper Encode accelerated video encoding using multiple Intel processors. Lastly, Hyper Compute leveraged your Intel CPU and GPU to accelerate AI workloads in OpenVINO.

“Deep Link is no longer actively maintained and will not be receiving future updates, meaning that there will be no changes to the features regardless of their current functionality status.”

Intel representative at GitHub

These features boosted performance in apps like OBS, DaVinci Resolve, and Handbrake. The user who originated the thread at GitHub could not get Stream Assist up and running with OBS using the latestArc B580paired with theCore Ultra 7 265K. Following a month-long wait, a representative relayed that Intel had discontinued software development.

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It turns out that even Alchemist users had a hard time getting these features working in Handbrake and OBS. It’s possible that Intel considered Deep Link a niche feature and deemed the ongoing effort and investment not worthwhile. Besides, most of these features require per-vendor validation. Development was likely dropped a while back, asMeteor Lake, an architecture that dates back to late 2023, is also not among the supported CPUs.

Nintendo reserves the right to brick your console following “unauthorised use”, in bid to prevent piracy

Game Chat footage recorded to ensure a “safe and family-friendly online environment”.

Nintendo Switch 2 Game Chat trailer screenshot showing Bowser Jr pointing to a ghost next to Bowser looking on

Image credit: Nintendo

Nintendo has updated its Nintendo Account Agreement with a severe warning against “unauthorised use”, in a bid to prevent emulation and piracy.

All those with a Nintendo account will have received an email (including Eurogamer) linking to the updated policy. And, asGame File’s Stephen Totilospotted, the wording for the Licence for Digital Products section has been altered.

Theagreement for UK accountsnow states digital products are “licensed only for personal and non-commercial use”, and that any “unauthorised use of a Digital Product may result in the Digital Product becoming unusable”.

GameChat – Nintendo Direct Nintendo Switch 2

This differs slightly from the US, which states: “You acknowledge that if you fail to comply with the foregoing restrictions Nintendo may render the Nintendo Account Services and/or the applicable Nintendo device permanently unusable in whole or in part.”

For comparison, here’s the original wording (effective since April 2021): “You are not allowed to lease, rent, sublicense, publish, copy, modify, adapt, translate, reverse engineer, decompile or disassemble all or any portion of the Nintendo Account Services without Nintendo’s written consent, or unless otherwise expressly permitted by applicable law.”

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And here’s the UK update in full: “Any Digital Products registered to your Nintendo Account and any updates of such Digital Products are licensed only for personal and non-commercial use on a User Device. Digital Products must not be used for any other purpose. In particular, without NOE’s written consent, you must neither lease nor rent Digital Products nor sublicense, publish, copy, modify, adapt, translate, reverse engineer, decompile or disassemble any portion of Digital Products other than as expressly permitted by applicable law. Such unauthorised use of a Digital Product may result in the Digital Product becoming unusable.”

The US update is as follows: “Without limitation, you agree that you may not (a) publish, copy, modify, reverse engineer, lease, rent, decompile, disassemble, distribute, offer for sale, or create derivative works of any portion of the Nintendo Account Services; (b) bypass, modify, decrypt, defeat, tamper with, or otherwise circumvent any of the functions or protections of the Nintendo Account Services, including through the use of any hardware or software that would cause the Nintendo Account Services to operate other than in accordance with its documentation and intended use; (c) obtain, install or use any unauthorised copies of Nintendo Account Services; or (d) exploit the Nintendo Account Services in any manner other than to use them in accordance with the applicable documentation and intended use, in each case, without Nintendo’s written consent or express authorisation, or unless otherwise expressly permitted by applicable law. You acknowledge that if you fail to comply with the foregoing restrictions Nintendo may render the Nintendo Account Services and/or the applicable Nintendo device permanently unusable in whole or in part.”

TheNintendo Account Privacy Policyhas also been updated ahead of the release ofSwitch 2. Now, Nintendo will be able to record video and voice chats stored on your console for a limited period of time – if you give consent.

This is intended for anyone who encounters “language or behaviour that may violate applicable laws”, with the company able to review the last three minutes of recorded footage. This is to ensure a “safe and family-friendly online environment”.

The update comes ahead of theGame Chat feature on Switch 2, where players can essentially video call each other during gameplay.

Back in March,Nintendo shared a legal victory over French file-sharing company Dstorage, which it stated was “significant…for the entire games industry”.

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It followed a string of moves against piracy, including theshutdown of Switch emulator Yuzuand alawsuit against a streamer who regularly played pirated copies of Nintendo games ahead of release.

CAN YOU CONNECT AIRPODS TO TWO DEVICES AT ONCE? HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Woman with AirPods in ears and using an iPhone

There’s no denying that AirPods are the best wireless earbuds for your iPhone, iPad, or Mac. With Apple-exclusive features like location finding, control customization, and automatic in-ear detection, they make the experience a lot smoother for Apple users.

But while AirPods are indeed most compatible with Apple devices, at the end of the day, they’re still just Bluetooth earbuds. This means you can readily connect them to any other Bluetooth-enabled source out there. AirPods can work with Android phones, non-macOS computers, and even smart TVs.

The question now, though, is: can you connect your AirPods to two different devices at the same time? Maybe you have an iPhone and an iPad and want to use the earbuds with both. Or perhaps you prefer to borrow your significant other’s AirPods instead of buying your own.

The short answer to that is yes: AirPods can be paired with two or more devices at once. They’ll still only work for one device at a time, but you won’t have to repeat the pairing process after each use. But how exactly would this look if you were using two Apple devices versus two random ones with different operating systems?

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AirPods two Apple devices with the same ID

Woman holding AirPods with iPhone on table

AirPods will work flawlessly with two other Apple products, especially if they are signed into the same Apple ID. All you need to do is pair them to each of your devices — hold the open charging case next to your iPhone or iPad and follow the prompt that appears. If you have a Mac and paired the AirPods to your iPhone first, they should automatically connect without any extra steps.

Once paired, your devices will remember the AirPods and connect to them right away the next time you use them. If they don’t, you can go to your Bluetooth settings, where you should find the AirPods as an available option. Besides quick connection, using the AirPods with two Apple devices you own also means you get to enjoy one of the best hidden AirPods features – automatic device switching. All models, except for the AirPods 1, can transfer audio to any other Apple device with the same Apple ID.

Here’s how it works: Say you’re watching YouTube on your iPhone, then decide you’re more in the mood to listen to an audiobook on your Apple Watch. As soon as you play the audiobook, your AirPods will disconnect from the phone and switch to your watch. You won’t need to connect it manually. If you change your mind, you can easily move back to your iPhone by hitting the back arrow that appears on your handset.

If you’re not a fan of automatic device switching (it can be annoying and disruptive at times), you can turn it off. Launch Settings, open Bluetooth, and press the info icon to the right of your AirPods. Then, go to “Connect to this [device]” and choose “When last connected” instead of Automatically.

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AirPods two Apple devices with different IDs

One man holding iPhone and another man using AirPods

Apple Newsroom

So you want to pair the same AirPods to two Apple devices, but they use different Apple IDs — maybe your other device is a work phone, or you’re just borrowing your sister’s AirPods. In this case, the process is a bit different. You’ll still need to pair the two devices to your AirPods as you normally would, but unlike devices with the same Apple ID, the AirPods won’t automatically switch to the other device. This means you’ll have to do so manually.

On iPhone or iPad, long-press on “Bluetooth” from the Control Center and choose “AirPods.” If you have an Apple Watch, start playing the audio you want to listen to, then select your AirPods from the list. For Mac computers, press the Bluetooth icon at the top and click on AirPods. Finally, on Apple TV, wait for the AirPods to pop up, then hit the TV button on the remote.

Depending on what devices you’re using, automatic connection (where the AirPods automatically connect to the mobile device, computer, or TV they were last used with) may or may not work. We’ve personally tested this on an iPhone 15 Pro, an iPhone 7, and AirPods 2. The AirPods automatically connected to the iPhone 15 Pro but wouldn’t do so on the iPhone 7. We had to tap on it from the Bluetooth menu.

Another thing to keep in mind is that the original owner of the AirPods (the first Apple ID it was linked to) would always get access to the earbuds’ location. Having said that, if you ever move away from the owner’s device, you’ll get notified about it, and the owner can track the AirPods’ location on the Find My app.

AirPods two devices from different ecosystems

AirPods on table with laptop, phone, and water bottle

The beauty of AirPods is that they aren’t completely exclusive to Apple devices. You can use your AirPods with PCs, Linux computers, Android, and any other non-Apple operating system. For instance, you can pair them to an iPhone and a Windows PC simultaneously or have your AirPods connect to two Android phones.

As usual, you’ll need to pair the AirPods to every device before use. The process is the same for Apple devices if you’ll be using one. For other devices, though, follow these steps to get your AirPods paired:

Turn on Bluetooth on your Android, Windows, or Linux system.
Go to your device’s Bluetooth pairing screen.
Activate the AirPods’ pairing mode:

For AirPods 1 to 2 and both AirPods Pro models: Open the charging case and long-press on the back button.
For AirPods 4 models: Open the lid and double-tap the invisible button on the front.
For AirPods Max: Hold down on the noise control button.
Back on your device, tap “AirPods” when it appears on your available Bluetooth list.

The AirPods should then connect to your non-Apple device, and you can now use them to listen to music and watch movies. When you want to transfer to a different device, you’ll have to select the AirPods from the Bluetooth settings manually (applicable for both Apple and non-Apple products). Auto device switching, unfortunately, doesn’t work. You also won’t get other Apple-exclusive AirPods features.

What works in this case, though, is the auto-connection feature. Whenever you use your AirPods, they will automatically connect to the last device used, regardless of whether it was your iPhone, Windows PC, or Android phone. The AirPods will connect right out of the case, so you won’t have to bother doing so manually.

WHAT DOES AIO STAND FOR? THE MEANING BEHIND THE ABBREVIATION EXPLAINED

If you’ve been in the market for a new computer, there’s a good chance you’ve seen the term AIO thrown around. It can be difficult to assess what the term means, since it is extremely context-dependent. You may have encountered it when shopping for multiple different types of computers. It’s especially prevalent in the world of custom-built PCs, but you may also hear it when shopping for a prebuilt system.

As it turns out, AIO, or “all-in-one,” is a fairly flexible term that can refer to anything that integrates multiple parts that would usually be separate into a single product. However, with that in mind, there are two types of products you’ll hear referred to as AIO: liquid PC coolers and integrated desktops. These uses of AIO should be disambiguated from other terms we won’t discuss in this article like AI/O (asynchronous input/output) and artificial intelligence optimization, or various medical terms (adhesive intestinal obstruction, sounds awful — new fear unlocked). In this article, we’ll break down the most common uses of the term as it relates to consumer computer hardware. Here’s what you need to know.

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AIO can refer to all-in-one desktop PCs

AIO is an abbreviation that usually means “all-in-one,” but it has multiple applications in the realm of computers. One common meaning is a desktop computer that contains all of its components within a single unit that includes a display. The most straightforward example of an all-in-one desktop is the Apple iMac, which has been a staple of school computer labs, households, and offices for decades. Rather than the computer and display monitor being two separate units, the iMac integrates its motherboard, processor, RAM, storage, and more into the display itself. All a user needs to do is connect a mouse and keyboard. Other AIO desktops include the Microsoft Surface Studio, which folds down to become a massive desktop tablet for artists, and the Lenovo 24 All-In-One, which is closer to the sort of thing you might see on a receptionist’s desk at a doctor’s office.

In addition to being convenient, especially for users who aren’t very comfortable with or knowledgeable about computers, all-in-one desktops have two more benefits. First, they’re often relatively cheap, with many priced at under $1,000. Bulk deals make them even more affordable, which goes a long way to explain their popularity in offices and schools. Second, they’re space savers, eliminating the need to make room for a big desktop tower while also cutting down on cable management.

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AIO can also refer to PC liquid coolers

custom gaming pc with AIO cooler installed

Another common use of the AIO abbreviation appears in the realm of PC components, where it can refer to an all-in-one cooler. Water cooling has become increasingly popular among custom PC enthusiasts, as it provides more effective cooling for CPUs during intense workloads compared to traditional air coolers that use heat pipes and fans. However, cooling with a custom loop is rather complicated, requiring multiple components including a radiator, pump, reservoir, and water block. In addition to the complexity of assembling such a system, you risk spilling the cooling liquid into your system if you’re not careful, and you need to maintain it by changing out the liquid every so often.

That’s where AIO coolers come in. They have all the necessary components of a cooling loop, but are contained in a single closed ecosystem within a single unit. An AIO cooler has a pump with a cold plate that mounts to the CPU. This is connected by tubes to a radiator with fans that mounts (in most instances) on the top or back of the PC case. Unlike cooling loops, AIO coolers come pre-filled with water-based coolant, so you never have to worry about spills. You also don’t need to refill AIO coolers. The liquid inside lasts for the lifetime of the AIO. Cooling loops can be more fun, with some PC enthusiasts using them to add flair to their PCs. Lately, though, more AIOs come with RGB effects and other aesthetic touches. When trying to choose the right cooling kit for your PC, these factors make AIO coolers the best choice for people who aren’t experienced PC builders.

Nintendo thinks spying is the answer to making GameChat on the Switch 2 safe

Nintendo is in for a rude awakening

(Image credit: Nintendo)

The new Discord-like GameChat feature for theNintendo Switch 2may come with a major privacy compromise.

In its effort to strengthen child safety on GameChat, Nintendo may spy on all your calls, chats, and messages.

That makes sense from a moderation perspective, but could alienate gamers despite good intentions on Nintendo’s part.

Here’s what gamers should know.

Nintendo quietly announces it might be spying on GameChat activity

This week, Nintendo quietlyupdated its Privacy Policyto include a major change for GameChat, its Discord clone for the Switch 2. The update effectively reveals that Nintendo may be watching all of your activity in GameChat in attempt to ensure safety.

According to Nintendo, “We clarified that we may collect, monitor and record audio and video of your chat sessions with other users to provide a safe and secure environment.”

This means anything you say or do in your GameChat sessions could be monitored by Nintendo. It isn’t clear how Nintendo plans to analyze GameChat activity or how it might deal with unwanted behavior, but it’s clear Nintendo plans to have some level of surveillance on GameChat.

Nintendo first announcedGameChatback in April during the official Switch 2 reveal. It’s a built-in video and chat feature with a dedicated button on the Switch 2. The demo footage of the feature looks blatantly similar to Discord, only with visibly grainy video quality and seemingly low framerates. It will be free until March 31, 2026, but after that you will need a paid Nintendo Switch Online membership to use GameChat.

Unfortunately for Nintendo, a lot of gamers might be passing on this Discord wannabe after this news, and that’s probably the right call.

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Is it worth using GameChat on the Switch 2? Probably not.

I understand why Nintendo is implementing this Privacy Policy change, but unfortunately for most gamers it’s just another reason to skip GameChat.

Making any kind of social feature like this kid-friendly is very difficult to do without some sort of surveillance or kneecapping the service itself, like the limited pre-written chat options you get in kid-friendly MMOs.

This surveillance measure, along with seemingly poor resolution on GameChat, make it an all-around less attractive option for gaming calls and chats compared to Discord. If you’re already using Discord, the possible convenience of having GameChat built-in on the Switch 2 is likely not worth sacrificing your privacy and the higher-resolution video and screen sharing you can get on Discord.

While, of course, you can never be 100% sure that anything you say or do online is completely private and un-monitored, it’s clear from Nintendo’s updated privacy policy that GameChat will likely be less private than Discord.

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Parents may be tempted to overlook that with the assumption that GameChat will be safer for their kids, but no amount of surveillance is going to make GameChat 100% kid-friendly. The best solution is for parents to make sure their kids know how to be safe online and stick to chatting only with known friends and not strangers, rather than trusting Nintendo to keep everyone safe.