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Startup Mostik lets AI models share intelligence directly via weight values, not text

Russian startup Mostik has developed a method allowing AI models to exchange information through their internal weight values rather than generated text, effectively letting a smaller model absorb capabilities from a larger one. The team demonstrated this by linking a 753-billion-parameter GLM-5.2 model with a 4-billion-parameter Qwen-3.5 model, producing a hybrid system that runs at one-twentieth the cost of the full-size model while performing roughly midway between the two in capability. Mostik also used a related technique to build a model that has topped the ARC-AGI 3 benchmark, though details remain undisclosed while the contest is ongoing.

Acer unveils smaller Predator Atlas 7 gaming handheld at IFA

Acer introduced the Predator Atlas 7, a compact version of its Predator Atlas 8 handheld, featuring a 7-inch 120Hz FHD touchscreen, Intel Arc G3 Extreme processor with up to Arc B390 graphics, and configurations up to 24GB memory and 1TB storage. It ships with an 80Wh or 60Wh battery option, dual Thunderbolt 4 ports, Wi-Fi 7, and bundled trial access to Xbox and PC Game Pass, launching in North America in Q4 2026 and EMEA from November.

Sonos launches Ace Ultra headphones with system-wide audio swapping

Sonos has released the Ace Ultra, a successor to its original Ace headphones, adding the ability to pull audio from any Sonos speaker or soundbar rather than just a limited set of compatible soundbars. The feature, powered by a new Headphone Engine 2 platform with redesigned Wi-Fi hardware, lets users move sound from TVs, turntables or streaming apps to the headphones with a single button press, though it remains an opt-in Early Access feature.

Independent researcher trains small transformer to 44% on ARC-AGI-1 for 67 cents

A researcher built and trained a small transformer model from scratch in 1.5 hours on a single RTX 5090 GPU, achieving 44% accuracy on the ARC-AGI-1 public evaluation set and 7% on ARC-AGI-2. The model, an upgraded and cheaper version of a previous open-source release, matches the performance of existing test-time-training approaches like TRM and HRM while using far less compute.

GPU prices stabilize in early 2026 as AMD and Intel hit new price-performance sweet spots

After years of volatile pricing and shortages, GPU prices have largely normalized, with standouts like Intel's Arc B580 at $250, AMD's 16GB Radeon RX 9060 XT at $350, and the RX 9070 XT at $600. The 9070 XT now undercuts Nvidia's RTX 4070 Ti Super by a small margin despite offering similar 16GB VRAM specs, marking roughly a 25% price drop from that card's 2024 launch price.

Microsoft deploys fix disabling RGB driver causing Windows 11 game crashes

Microsoft has begun rolling out a permanent fix for a bug that crashed Windows 11 systems and broke games like ARC Raiders, MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls, and The Finals. The root cause was traced to the inpoutx64.sys driver, often bundled with RGB lighting peripherals, rather than the August 2026 update initially suspected. The update, which started propagating on August 26, 2026, automatically blocks the faulty driver and requires a restart to take effect.

Arc'teryx launches multiyear plan to make all products fully recyclable

Outdoor gear maker Arc'teryx is beginning a company-wide redesign effort aimed at making every product it manufactures fully recyclable, starting with one of its most technically complex hard shell jackets. The initiative is being framed as a multiyear circularity program rather than a single product launch.

Sonos Arc Ultra soundbar drops to $899 on Amazon, matching year's best price

Amazon is selling the Sonos Arc Ultra Dolby Atmos soundbar for $899, a $200 cut from its $1,099 list price. The 18% discount ties the lowest price seen this year and matches the post-Prime Day low, with the product maintaining a 4.6-star rating.

Microsoft issues registry workaround for Windows 11 gaming crashes tied to RGB drivers

Microsoft has released a temporary fix for a bug introduced by its August 2026 Windows 11 updates (KB5121003 and later) that caused games like ARC Raiders, MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls, and The Finals to crash, freeze, or trigger system restarts. The company traced the problem to a driver file called inpoutx64.sys, commonly bundled with RGB lighting peripherals, which conflicts with recent changes made to the Windows kernel. Users can now manually disable this driver through the Windows Registry while Microsoft works on a permanent patch.