Summary
Overview
TechLinked covers major tech news including a massive 12TB leak of Valve's Steam server data containing game prototypes and development builds from 2003-2013, Chinese manufacturer CXMT beating Samsung to market with LPDDR6 smartphone RAM, Meta testing maintenance robots in data centers, and various legal battles involving AI training data, digital ownership, and prediction markets.
Massive Steam Server Data Leak Reveals Gaming History
A 12 terabyte collection of Valve's internal game development files, prototypes, and third-party games from 2003-2013 has leaked online after being left accessible on an unlocked legacy server. The leak includes cancelled Half-Life 2 Episode 3 content, unreleased Portal 2 builds, assets from the cancelled Portal prequel F-Stop, and prototypes from other publishers like GTA 3 and Mafia 2. Former Valve developer Elon Ruskin dismissed the leak's value, claiming good ideas would have made it into final games, though the data represents a significant archive of gaming history.
- 12TB of Steam server data leaked from an unlocked retired legacy server that Valve forgot to secure after migrating to Steam Pipe in 2013
- Leak includes cancelled Half-Life 2 Episode 3 gun model, 2009 Portal 2 build with unreleased content, and F-Stop prequel assets featuring camera-based puzzle mechanics
- Data contains third-party publisher content including Mafia 2, GTA 3, and Sonic the Hedgehog 4 prototypes
- Ex-Valve developer claims the leaked content represents bad ideas that didn't make final cuts
" Finally, a massive dump of restricted files that won't make me feel dead inside. "
" So, it's 12 terabytes of bad ideas. But hey, at least they're preserved bad ideas. "
Chinese RAM Maker Beats Samsung with LPDDR6 Launch
CXMT has announced mass production of LPDDR6, the next generation of smartphone RAM, beating industry giants Samsung and SK Hynix to market. The new memory will debut in Xiaomi's upcoming 18 phone with speeds up to 12 gigabits per second, significantly faster than its predecessor. However, limited production volumes and US trade restrictions forcing the use of older manufacturing equipment may prevent this from addressing the ongoing RAM shortage crisis.
- CXMT beats Samsung and SK Hynix by being first to mass produce LPDDR6 smartphone RAM
- LPDDR6 reaches speeds up to 12 gigabits per second with base speed of 10, compared to LPDDR5X which only achieved 10 when highly overclocked
- Limited production with Xiaomi 18 phone expected to ship only 500,000 units
- US trade restrictions force CXMT to use older manufacturing equipment that lowers yields
" Oh damn, Samsung, you got straight mogged. "
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