Ah, DirectStorage. Remember how exciting it was when Microsoft announced — just three years ago! — that it was bringing its fast asset-loading tech from Xbox to PC? We thought loading screens would be a thing of the past and that corridor/elevator loading segments in games would all but disappear with them. Now, cut to 2025. Only a handful of games use DirectStorage and none of them are groundbreaking in its effect. What happened? Well, DirectStorage still exists. It’s still out there and developers can make more use of it if they choose to. But there are a number of reasons why that’s not happening. Let’s dive in to see what’s going on. What is DirectStorage? Normally, compressed game assets are loaded from the SSD to RAM via the Win32 API. Once in RAM, the CPU then decompresses those assets. The decompressed game assets are then moved from RAM to the graphics card’s VRAM, priming the assets for use in games proper. DirectStorage for Windows is separate API built into Microsoft’s DirectX 12 platform that’s better optimized for loading files from the SSD, reducing asset load times. It also shifts the task of decompression from the CPU (on RAM) to the GPU (on VRAM), freeing up CPU resources for other tasks while taking fuller advantage of the GPU’s power. Microsoft With the GPU powering the loading of assets, there are two big benefits: first, load times are cut down, and second, games can use higher-resolution textures and sounds for improved graphics and audio. The end result is better load times, better looking games, and better frame rates. DirectStorage was originally implemented on Microsoft’s Xbox Series X/S consoles before being ported to gaming PCs in 2022. Microsoft has since updated it a number of times to add onboard GPU compression and better support for slower SSDs and even HDDs. Why don’t all games use DirectStorage? DirectStorage sounds great! Shouldn’t it be a no-brainer for developers to implement it and start reaping the benefits of faster load times? Whether a game is big or small, faster is faster. Right? And it’s not like we’d miss loading screens (apart from the helpful gameplay tips). But in 2025, very few games actually utilize DirectStorage. Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart (2023) was one of the first, followed by Forspoken (2023), Forza Motorsport (2023), and Horizon Forbidden West (2024). But beyond those and a handful of other games, that’s about it. What gives? Well, it’s important to remember that in terms of gaming software technologies, DirectStorage is still pretty darn new. It’s only been available to developers for two years and change. For comparison, it took ray tracing over six years to become mainstream enough for games to start mandating it, and that was with Nvidia’s juggernaut marketing and hardware divisions driving it forward — and I bet you still don’t use it all that often in games. I know I certainly don’t. DirectStorage is way less flashy and revolutionary than ray tracing, and it doesn’t have the same kind of push behind it. Expect to wait a while before developers really take it on, let alone it going mainstream. DirectStorage isn’t that good yet As much as the early demonstrations of DirectStorage were impressive, and while there’s obvious potential for faster asset loading to fundamentally change gameplay and even game design, it hasn’t proven itself capable of doing that in the real world just yet. We’ve seen some games use it already, sure, but they haven’t made that much of a difference yet. In some cases, it has even reduced in-game performance (even if loading times were reduced). Joel Lee / Foundry That’s not to say DirectStorage can’t (or won’t) get better, be more impactful, and take off as a real improvement. It’d certainly be nice to see a bit of experimentation from developers in how they utilize this technology. But for many developers, it just isn’t worth the investment of time and energy yet. As soon as someone comes along and shows what’s possible with DierctStorage — for example, absolutely no loading screens in a game that would typically take a long time to load, or faster asset streaming for gameplay that’s impossible with traditional asset loading techniques — it will likely turn heads and catch the attention it needs to take off. DirectStorage isn’t easy to implement Even among developers who want to start using DirectStorage, it’s not exactly an easy step to take. DirectStorage is more than just a checkbox that you can tick to enable fast asset loading. It’s a fundamental shift in how a game is designed, with new methods for how assets are packaged, compressed, and decompressed during gameplay. This means developers need to learn, understand, and master this new paradigm — and that takes time, resources, and practice. When the technology is still largely unproven, that’s energy and brain power that could be better spent elsewhere. Additionally, developers on PC don’t have the same advantage that Xbox developers have, where they know the exact hardware (i.e., the storage solution) that’s going to be powering the game. On PC, gamers could install the game on a cutting-edge PCIe 5 SSD, or a slower NVMe drive, or a classic SATA SSD, or even a spinning-platter HDD. Although DirectStorage can be used to speed up asset load times for all of these storage types, it can’t work miracles. Forspoken was one of the first games to implement DirectStorage — to mixed results.Square Enix In other words, you can’t develop a game with zero loading screens while still supporting hard drives and other incompatibly slow storage — and once you start restricting your game to certain PC hardware, you’re losing out on sales. Few publishers are going to sign off on that. Not to mention the risk of DirectStorage actually slowing down game performance. Without dedicated decompression hardware on modern graphics cards, the GPU has to dedicate some of its already-sapped resources to handle it. If the game is more GPU-bound than it is bottlenecked by the CPU — a common scenario for many games — then DirectStorage could indeed impact FPS. That’d be especially likely on older and slower hardware, where the potential benefits of DirectStorage would be higher, further complicating its use. Will DirectStorage ever go mainstream? The answer to this question is very much up in the air. DirectStorage is a technology that’s widely available on a range of game engines already, so it’s not like developers can’t start using it. But there just isn’t a lot of incentive for them to do so yet. On the flip side, DirectStorage isn’t going away anytime soon. As today’s generation of consoles matures and more games are made with fast SSDs in mind, developers might begin leaning into faster asset loading as a component of the game’s mechanics and design. If that happens, DirectStorage could become a key component of modern PC gaming. For now, though, we’re still in that chicken-and-egg stage. It won’t take off until it’s used more often and it won’t be used until it starts taking off. Until someone cracks that shell, we might be here for some time. Further reading: Don’t miss these Windows 11 settings for PC gamers Read...

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The best webcam makes you look your best — for less. Most laptops ship with a 720p webcam, so a 1080p webcam or even a 4K webcam can make you stand out by comparison. I haven’t tested every one of these webcams, just most of them — and I describe how I test under my recommendations. You can also refer to my separate story on the best Windows Hello webcams for recommendations that aid videoconferencing and log you into your PC. Two recommendations from that list — a premium and budget option — appear on this list. Why you should trust me: PCWorld has been testing PC hardware since the 1980s, and I’ve been a technology journalist for 30 years, with extensive experience in reviewing PC hardware. When it comes to webcams, my recommendations are based on hands-on testing in real-world scenarios. I also tap the expertise and published reviews of my counterparts in Sweden and Germany to offer a comprehensive view of the current webcam landscape. The best webcams we’ve tested Anker PowerConf C200 – Best overall webcam Pros 2K (1440p) resolution with autofocus Adjustable field of view Solid low-light performance 18-month warranty Cons Lacks 60fps support Anker software is necessary for full control Color balance is middling Best Prices Today: Retailer Price $47.99 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket $47.99 at Amazon Why I like the Anker PowerConf C200 The Anker PowerConf C200 offers an affordable yet substantial upgrade from the 720p cameras found in most laptop webcams to a 1440p webcam, yet does so at an affordable price. The webcam also works well in low light, a pitfall of many webcams. For all that, at just $60? That’s a solid value in my book, and makes this webcam our top recommendation. (Anker and Amazon characterize this as a “Mac” camera. It’s plug-and-play within Windows, however.) Additional features include an adjustable field of zoom that crops down to 65 degrees, meaning you can orient the camera on your face alone. The camera autofocuses, too. Naturally, there are noise-canceling mics and a privacy shutter that actually turns off the entire device. You will need Anker’s free Windows software, though, to enable some of these features. (That’s available on the Anker website.) We weren’t sold on the need for original software at first, but many other webcams now offer similar apps to enable full functionality. Who should buy the Anker PowerConf C200 What sold us on this webcam are the basics: It’s just a good webcam for an affordable price. As such, it will appeal to a broad segment of buyers: work-from-home employees, small businesses, and general consumers. If you’re tired of your laptop’s 720p webcam and want even more, start here with the Anker PowerConf C200. eMeet Piko+ – Best overall webcam runner-up Pros Unique dual-lens design Stellar low-light capabilities Excellent 4K images Lengthy USB-C cable Great value for the money Cons No laptop clip or mount Mics and audio filtering are okay Best Prices Today: Retailer Price $89.99 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket $89.99 at Amazon Why I like the eMeet Piko+ I was amazed by this webcam’s ability to capture crisp, 4K visuals in low light, and that was really what sold me. The eMeet Piko+ offers tremendous value, at a list price that’s hundreds of dollars less than some of the 4K webcams we recommend. You’d have to put each webcam side by side to discern any differences. I’m not a huge fan of the included utility software’s UI, but its ability to unlock some of the camera’s features, such as cropping and zooming, are easy enough to find and offer powerful configurability options — and hey, it’s software. It can be tweaked. Who should buy the NexiGo HelloCam Someone without an inquisitive cat. Seriously. The only knock on this camera is that (for now) it lacks a laptop mount, meaning that you’ll have to screw the camera to its tripod. That might be okay for those with a tidy desk, but bumping the camera means that you’ll have to readjust it. Otherwise, I think that most people will really like this cute little webcam. Read our full EMeet Piko+ review Creative Live! Cam Sync 4K – Best budget webcam Pros 4K resolution for cheap! Backlight adjustment isn’t bad Cons Poor color balance Adjustable focus is of iffy value Cheats a bit in frame rate Best Prices Today: Retailer Price $49.99 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket $49.99 at Amazon Why I like the Creative Live! Cam Sync 4K The question you should always ask of budget hardware is, what corners did they cut? Here, the answer is: not many. This is a 4K webcam at a cheaper price than many 1080p webcams, and that alone makes it noteworthy. Okay, it has manually adjustable focus, but that’s not a problem if you don’t move around a lot. Similarly, backlight adjustment is typically handled automatically, but this webcam’s manual adjustment is not a problem you work in a single location you can dial it in and forget it. There’s a flip-over privacy shutter, and a button to mute the mic. You’re going to find that it cheats in the frame rate a bit, and I wasn’t wild with how well it captured my image, from a color perspective. But for about $50, for a 4K camera? It’s worth investigating. Who should buy the Creative Live! Cam Sync 4K If 4K matters, and you don’t feel like spending a lot, this is the camera for you. To me, this feels like a good choice for a student, or someone who wants to look good in front of their friends and maybe while taking remote classes, but just doesn’t want to spend a ton of money. It’s also best for someone who will be streaming from an environment without a lot of (changing) natural light, but is still well-lit by a lamp or screen. Read our full Creative Live! Cam Sync 4k review eMeet SmartCam C960 2K – Best budget webcam runner-up Pros Very good value 1440p, 30Hz, autofocus Good noise-cancelling mics Cons Autofocus doesn’t work as well in dim lighting Somewhat precarious connection to a laptop Unnecessary utility software DIY privacy shutter Best Prices Today: Retailer Price $49.99 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket $49.99 at Amazon Why I like the eMeet SmartCam C960 2K My previous pick, the Monoprice 2K USB Webcam, always felt a little deficient: not bad, but not great either. I wasn’t especially happy with the quality. eMeet’s camera feels like a step up. It’s not perfect. However, the 1440p resolution is a better both on paper and in the real world. The other part of the equation that often gets passed over are how well the noise-cancelling mics work, and in this case I was pretty impressed. This camera is also available from multiple retailers, which helps keep the price down — a must for a budget webcam. To be fair, you’ll notice the review compares the C960 2K to its predecessor, the more vanilla (1080p) C960. It’s about $10 cheaper. The C960 2K’s picture is marginally better, with improved autofocusing, but I think that the C960 2K’s mics are genuinely superior. I don’t love some of this webcam’s features, including the stick-on privacy shutter…but it is a budget webcam, after all. Who should buy the Monoprice 2K USB Webcam This is for the person who says, “I want to upgrade my webcam, but I want to spend the least amount of money possible.” You’ll still get a decent upgrade; more than you would expect, actually. If a $10 discount matters, buy the cheaper 1080p version. This webcam is also going to work better on a desktop monitor, by lieu of its rather simple mount. It feels flimsier when attached to a laptop. Read our full eMeet SmartCam C960 2K review BenQ IdeaCam S1 Pro – Best premium webcam Pros Great value Robust physical design Integrated ring light Macro lens genuinely seems useful Slick remote control included Cons Not quite 4K (but close enough) No 60fps option No AI pan or zoom, though manual zooming is allowed Legacy USB-A connector Separate privacy shutter Best Prices Today: Retailer Price $199.99 View Deal $199.99 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket $199.99 at Adorama$199.99 at Amazon Why I like the BenQ IdeaCam S1 Pro BenQ’s marvelous webcam offers a substantial amount of value, from its midrange price to the multiple, useful accessories that ship right inside the box. What I think I like most about this webcam, though, is that it excels as a webcam, then adds additional value through its peripherals, including both a macro (closeup) lens as well as a free remote control. This almost-but-not-quite 4K webcam even flips over for a top-down view. The IdeaCam S1 Pro would probably be our favorite webcam if it wasn’t for the $100 or so price premium it commands, which isn’t for everyone. It’s robustly built, and ships with a free software utility that adds to its capabilities. (Zooming in and out is most easily accomplished via the remote control, which does take up more room on your desk.) The webcam slides in and out of a robust mount quite easily. Pair that with the macro lens, and you can zoom in on detail work for presentations or hobbyists. The webcam has autofocus, though you’ll probably want to lock down the focus for the macro lens. It all works surprisingly well together, though. Who should buy the BenQ IdeaCam S1 Pro If you’re a streamer (a woodworker or baker, say) then the ability to flip the webcam into a top-down mode, then undock the IdeaCam S1 Pro and the bring it in close with the macro lens, feels like a tool no other webcam offers. But yes, the IdeaCam S1 Pro also works as a generic everyday webcam, too. It also looks particularly nice under good lighting, so it’s better for a user who isn’t expecting the camera to do a lot of heavy lifting in that regard. And while it might not offer the absolute top-of-the-line options, it never really fails at anything, either. It’s just a good, solid value. Period. Read our full BenQ IdeaCam S1 Pro review OBSBOT Tiny 2 PTZ 4K – Best premium 4K webcam Pros Superb 4K video in multiple lighting conditions 60Hz option Excellent utility software and configurability Solid mic Voice commands are a nice touch Cons Doesn’t sit as securely as Tiny 1 “Beauty” options aren’t worth it Best Prices Today: Retailer Price $254 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket $254 at Amazon Why I like the OBSBOT Tiny 2 PTZ 4K This 4K webcam does something unique: It follows you. Floating on a gimbal, this tiny(!) webcam can literally pan, zoom, and rotate essentially 360 degrees, using AI to lock on your face and follow it as you walk around a room. While the Tiny 2 webcam boasts the same gimbal and tracking features as the first Tiny PTZ webcam, OBSBOT used a bigger 1/1.5-inch 50Mpixel sensor in the new model that lets in more light and provides a slightly clearer picture. So it accomplishes what you’d expect in a webcam: It wildly succeeds as just a webcam, with gorgeous 4K HDR images — but provides the increased tracking capabilities to add value. It almost tracks a little too well; avoid zooming in too close if you walk around so as not to give your viewers vertigo! I also love the fantastic software package that accompanies the webcam, which on the Tiny 1 was the best I’ve ever seen. I’m less impressed by two new features: voice commands, which are useful but not necessary, and new “beauty” features that use AI to adjust your face. While the latter features work, I prefer a more natural appearance, flaws and all. Who should buy the OBSBOT Tiny 2 PTZ 4K If the budget webcams we selected above were ideal for students, this is the lecturer’s webcam. Share your slides with your student (or your clients, in a business setting) and let your video app project a snapshot of your face over them as you illustrate your point. If you walk and talk, this is the webcam for you. Razer Kiyo Pro Ultra – Best premium 4K webcam runner-up Pros ‘DSLR-quality’ imaging 4K options, HDR too Terrific configurability Lens cap as well as a privacy shield Cons Whew, that price! Average mic quality No Windows Hello Limited purchase options; just Razer.com for now Best Prices Today: Retailer Price $299.99 View Deal Razer $299.99 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket $299.99 at Amazon$299.99 at Razer Why I like the Razer Kiyo Pro Ultra The Razer Kiyo Pro Ultra claims to offer DSLR-quality images, and boy, it comes pretty close! This webcam captures video with a massive 2-inch lens at 4K at 30Hz or 1080p at 60Hz, using autofocusing technology that does a great job. The camera also can zoom in to offer a field of view between 72 degrees and 82 degrees, making sure that you, and you alone, are on cam. All of this combines to produce an image that looks simply outstanding. It would be nice to see this camera produce 60Hz at 4K; instead, you have to choose one option or the other. But check out the sample screens in our review, and you’ll agree that it all looks as though a professional captured it. It even handles odd lighting situations very well. Colors just pop! We’ve highlighted some of the shortcomings above, but they’re overshadowed by everything else this webcam does. Who should buy the Razer Kiyo Pro Ultra If you want to look your very best on cam, buy this webcam. The lack of 4K60 captures may rule out high-end game streaming, but the ability for the camera to capture your face under most lighting conditions means a lot of other people will love it. Whether you’re pitching products on a Zoom or Teams call or you want to stand out among style-conscious peers, the Razer Kiyo Pro Ultra is the webcam for making a strong impression. Read our full Razer Kiyo Pro Ultra review NexiGo N980P – Best webcam for wide-angle Pros 60fps 120-degree viewing angle Privacy shutter Cons Lack of fine adjustments Best Prices Today: Retailer Price $54.99 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket $54.99 at Amazon Why I like the NexiGo N980P Not everyone needs a wide-angle webcam. But this does allow you to show off more of a scene than an ordinary webcam does, which makes it a valuable tool for specialized applications. This fixed-focus 1080p webcam captures frames at a smooth 60 frames per second, as opposed to the more standard 30fps. You’ll look smoother and more lifelike as a result. The wide angle means that it will work well in a conference room. A privacy shutter is included. Who should buy the NexiGo N980P If you have more than one person on camera at any one time, consider something like the NexiGo N980P. During the pandemic, the local middle school’s drama department broadcast monologues and scenes via Zoom, which allowed students the opportunity to perform. But a narrow webcam wouldn’t have allowed these scenes to be broadcast as effectively. This camera would work equally well with a small conference room or even a family gathering, such as a living room where one family talks to grandparents overseas. It’s still a fixed-focus camera though— if you want an autofocusing model I recommend you pay about $100 for the upgraded NexiGo N680p instead. Logitech Brio 4K Ultra HD Webcam – Best overall webcam for Windows Hello Pros Sharply detailed resolution with vibrant colors Wide-angle field of view Infrared-based facial recognition Cons Expensive Best Prices Today: Retailer Price $127.49 View Deal Lenovo $169.99 View Deal $191.99 View Deal $199.99 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket $127.49 at Amazon$169.99 at Lenovo$191.99 at Best Buy View more prices from Adorama Close × Best Prices Today: Logitech Brio 4K Ultra HD Webcam – Best overall webcam for Windows Hello Retailer Price $127.49 View Deal Lenovo $169.99 View Deal $191.99 View Deal $199.99 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket Why I like the Logitech Brio 4K Ultra HD Webcam Why wouldn’t you buy a webcam that can protect your PC via biometrics, log you in with your face, and make you look great on a video call? The Logitech Brio 4K Ultra HD webcam is one of the small group of Windows Hello webcams that can perform both tasks. The autofocusing Logitech Brio 4K supports various resolutions and frame rates, including 4K Ultra HD at 30fps, 1080p at 30- or 60fps, and 720p (HD) at 30- or 60fps. According to our review, Logitech’s RightLight 3 technology snaps photos and video in a range of lighting conditions. It can adjust the field of view from between 90 degrees to 78 degrees or 65 degrees. You will need to download the Logitech app for fine-grained control options, however. Who should buy the Logitech Brio 4K Ultra HD Webcam Anyone who doesn’t like entering a password or PIN but doesn’t want to skimp on webcast quality, either. Seriously, as biometric identification becomes more prevalent, with passkeys standing in for passwords, Windows Hello will become more important. Put that way, the Brio 4K is cheap at the price. Read our full Logitech Brio 4K Ultra HD Webcam review CA Essential Webcam Flex (WC-Flex) – Best line-of-sight webcam Pros Overhead configuration can be good for streaming Image quality is decent Cons Muted colors Finicky zoom/crop controls Ungainly; primarily for monitors Best Prices Today: Retailer Price $129.99 View Deal Cyber Acoustics $129.99 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket $129.99 at Amazon$129.99 at Cyber Acoustics Why I like the CA Essential Webcam Flex: The CA Essential Webcam Flex is one of a handful of webcams that swing down and place the camera directly in the line of sight of the person you’re speaking to. With a webcam mounted on top of your monitor, you can’t look at the eyes of the person you’re talking to while maintaining eye contact with the physical webcam. CA’s webcam solves that problem, giving conversations a much more natural feel. Who should buy the CA Essential Webcam Flex: Some will dismiss the Webcam FLex as a gimmick. It kind of is. On the other hand, you’ll be able to look directly into the “face” of the person you’re talking to, even if you may need to move it slightly to the left or right to not block their image. However, the person you’re talking to will see your face directly in their screen, rather than offset. That might make both parties feel more comfortable, and foster a sense of connection that some professionals (salespeople, say) feel is critical to their job. Read our full CA Essential Webcam Flex (WC-Flex) review Recent webcam reviews and features: eMeet Piko+: eMeet packs in tons of premium features inside a webcam at an (almost) budget price. Only the finicky tripod mount holds it a bit back. Elgato Facecam Mk. 2: Elgato’s upgraded 1080p webcam offers very good image quality and top-notch image software that allows you to preview changes to the image, even if the webcam is being used. But it lacks a microphone, which is a key omission even if Elgato (a mic maker) believes you’ll already buy one of its own. iContact Camera Pro: One of the few line-of-sight webcams, the iContact dangles the webcam down in the middle of your screen, which allows you to “look” directly at the person you’re speaking to. It’s a great idea, executed a bit poorly. Coolpo AI Huddle Mini Lite: Though this laptop id designed to be mounted on a laptop, Coolpo designed it for both individual and group use. It features excellent image quality and noise cancellation, though the utility app is buggy. Windows 11 just torpedoed the webcam market with a new feature: Your old Android smartphone can now serve as a premium webcam. Finally! Windows will let your webcam work in multiple apps at once: Windows 11 will finally stop throwing errors when multiple apps use your camera at the same time. How to shop for a webcam A standalone 1080p webcam can greatly improve how you look on your next Zoom call. Here’s what to look for: Prioritize a 1080p webcam, then a higher refresh rate, then jump up to 4K. If you can get more than one feature, great! Unless you’ll be moving about a lot, a fixed-focus webcam will do just fine. It’s important to note that of the three major videoconferencing services (Microsoft Teams, Zoom, and Google Meet) only Teams will automatically scale up your video to 1080p if your network and your webcam support it. You can enable 1080p video in Zoom and (finally!) in Google Meet, but they require some manual adjustment in the app’s Settings menu. All three services will eventually auto-scale video calls for 1080p cameras — it’s just a matter of time. Looking like you’re on television will subtly lend you authority. People gravitate toward celebrities, and a 4K, 60Hz webcam is basically what your TV offers. If you’re an executive or making sales calls over Zoom or Teams, a premium webcam may give you an edge. That’s why professional streamers use them, after all. Adjustable or fixed focus Don’t worry about fixed-focus, as virtually all webcams have been pre-configured at a focal length that’s about the distance between your face and your laptop or monitor. You’ll need to account for this with tripods, however, or pay a little more for an autofocusing webcam. Autofocus webcams are handy for situations where you may be moving about the room, but beware distracting webcams that frequently refocus. Higher frame rates A standard webcam captures video at 30 frames per second, and will look “normal.” You’ll notice the smoothness of a 60fps camera though, and so will people you’re on a video call with. Field of view (FOV)  The camera’s field of view can vary. A 90-degree FOV helps people focus on you (and perhaps not the mess you’ve hidden off to the side). A 110-degree or higher FOV works better for group shots, although distortion can become a problem the wider your FOV gets. A 65-degree FOV may be perfect if it’s just you. Think of a 90-degree FOV as one that would show two people seated side-by-side at what you would consider a “standard” distance from a webcam, or a foot or two. A 110-degree FOV can show three people, squeezed a bit close together. Keep in mind that many videoconferencing applications offer the option of virtual backgrounds, which eliminate visual clutter. Privacy shutter These devices are not a privacy threat, for the simple reason that they can be unplugged easily. Most have a flip-down privacy shutter, but you could always put tape over the camera or drape it with a dark cloth.  Ring lights Yes, integrated ring lights are now a thing on premium webcams, and worth the money if lighting is a challenge for you. While the integrated light will certainly help with lighting, a big bright monitor display (use a full-screen version of Notepad for a white screen) in front of you can serve a similar function. You can also purchase a ring light separately. Windows Hello You may have used Windows Hello with a fingerprint reader or another laptop. The camera simply “recognizes” you, logging you in. It’s exceptionally convenient. We have a separate article on the best Windows Hello webcams. Tripod bundle With so many webcams on the market, manufacturers are trying hard to differentiate their products. The new trend is a small tripod, which gives you more options for mounting the camera. Not all webcams include this. Normally, however, you can simply clip the webcam to the top of a display or a laptop with its “jaws” clamp, so a tripod isn’t really necessary unless you move around a lot or want a different angle. AI There’s a potential wild card that may be attached to webcams in the future: artificial intelligence, specifically Windows Studio Effects. Right now, the current Surface Pro 9 (5G) uses the AI capabilities in the Qualcomm Snapdragon processor to apply background blue, automatic panning effects, and more. (Our review discusses this.) Other laptops that use Intel Core and AMD Ryzen processors don’t include AI capabilities — yet. Specific models in the 13th-gen mobile Core and AMD Ryzen 7000 Mobile series include some basic AI capabilities, and future processors in both families may offer AI capabilities and therefore Windows Studio Effects. The OBSBOT webcams don’t need any of this, using an independent gimbal and tracking software to keep you in the frame. How we test webcams Our recommendations for webcams are weighted pretty heavily toward the image each webcam produces, as you might expect. But there are a number of additional criteria we look at when making a webcam recommendation. A separate article provides a detailed explanation of how we test webcams at PCWorld, but here’s a summarization of the process: Our first criteria is price. We don’t want you spend more than you have to. But it’s fair to say that a more expensive webcam might be worth it if it offers more. So we factor in features: the resolution, the refresh rate, whether the camera pans or zooms, or offers something rather novel, such as the ability to show a different perspective. From there, we remove the webcam, examine the packaging, and see how well it sits atop some of our monitors and laptops. Does it grip tightly, or tend to wobble? Is the cord long enough, and does it use USB-A or USB-C? As the lead reviewer, I take sample images both in my downstairs office, which is normally lit by a combination of dim artificial light and indirect natural lighting. I use a second shot in brighter light, with a nice colorful background that mimics a real-world environment. I’m not really looking for the best-case scenario, as most webcams now take good shots in clear, natural lighting. But how do they do when lighting conditions aren’t ideal? I think that’s important. I also load any utility software available and explore what options those provides. Does the webcam provide any additional functions, such as a top-down perspective? Ring lights? I try those out, too. Finally, if the webcam provides any noise-cancelling mics (and most do) I play some background music on my phone and make a recording on my laptop using Windows Sound Recorder. A good noise-canceling mic will try and minimize these distractions. FAQ 1. Can you use a smartphone as a webcam? Soon, yes! Microsoft is testing a smartphone webcam feature in Windows 11 that sounds like it should be out in a month or two. The feature would allow you to mount a smartphone (how you do it is up to you) and then use either its front or rear camera as a webcam in any and all video applications. You’ll need a phone running Android 9 or above, and the connecting software to enable it to talk to Windows. Sorry, iPhone users: This is only for Android smartphones. 2. Do you need Wi-Fi for a webcam? Yes and no. These webcams all connect to your computer directly, via a USB port, and you can record video from them while offline. Your computer will then need to be connected to either ethernet or to Wi-Fi for you to be able to chat with a friend or business partner, however. 3. Can a webcam work without a computer? Some webcams can work without a computer, but not all of them. USB webcams, featured here, connect via USB to a computer and require it to operate. USB webcams are most often those used for video chat or live streaming from your computer on websites such as Twitch. IP webcams however, can connect directly to a network, router, or modem and do not require a computer at all in order to work. IP webcams are most often used as security cameras or for live feeds that upload directly to the cloud. Those are separate products, however, and not the same webcams we’re talking about here. 4. How do I connect my webcam to the internet? For USB webcams, it will be as simple as plugging the camera into your computer’s USB port, and then connecting to the internet via your computer. 5. What software do I need to connect my webcam? Technically, most webcams are plug and play, so you should simply be able to connect them to your PC to get them to work. Many, however, require their own software utilities to be installed to take advantage of specific features and to facilitate automatic updates. To actually use your webcam in a conference call, however, you’ll need to use Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, or another videoconferencing app. Make sure you enter the app’s settings menu and select the webcam’s camera and microphone to provide the audio and video for your call. Read...

Microsoft plans to sunset Skype, a service that was part of the foundation of IP telephony, by May 5. Instead, Microsoft plans to replace Skype with the free version of Microsoft Teams, the company said. In doing do, Microsoft will throw a shovelful of dirt on Skype, which it bought for $8.5 billion in May 2011, 14 years ago. “In order to streamline our free consumer communications offerings so we can more easily adapt to customer needs, we will be retiring Skype in May 2025 to focus on Microsoft Teams, our modern communications and collaboration hub,” Jeff Teper, president of Microsoft 365 Collaborative Apps and Platforms, said in a blog post. Teper said that the “way we communicate has evolved significantly over the years.” Skype was founded in 2003 by Niklas Zennstrom and Janus Friis, using a peer-to-peer protocol to route “phone calls” over the web, a technology later known as VoIP. eBay bought Skype in 2005 for $2.5 billion in stock, before Microsoft bought it in 2011. Skype’s free video app was released in 2013, when Skype claimed over 70 million users were using the app simultaneously. Microsoft tried to integrate Skype into Windows, but the writing may have been on the wall once Microsoft launched Teams as a Slack competitor in 2017 — though Teams began strictly as a chat app, it quickly added video. Microsoft tried to lure users away from Slack in 2018 by launching a free version of Teams, now awkwardly named “Teams (free).” But then Microsoft employed a similar strategy with its own Skype for Business in 2019, shuttering the service in 2021 and pushing business users to use Teams instead. “Over the last two years, we’ve worked closely with customers to refine Teams, and we now feel we’re at the point that we can confidently recommend it as an upgrade to all Skype for Business Online customers,” James Skay, the senior marketing manager for Skype for Business, said in 2019. Six years later, and Microsoft apparently feels the same about the consumer version of Skype. The problem? Consumers have never really cared to use Teams. Microsoft tried to launch a consumer version of Teams in 2021, which seems to have been largely ignored. There was Teams Chat, which lived in the Windows 11 Taskbar, which also debuted in 2021. That followed Microsoft Teams for Home‘s launch in 2020, with shared grocery lists and other features for consumers on iOS and Android. By 2023, Teams Chat was part of the free Teams app. In 2024, Microsoft signaled that it planned to streamline both the business and consumer versions of Teams into a single application. The common thread: No one seemed to care. Microsoft did say that, over the past two years, the number of minutes spent in consumer Teams calls has quadrupled — without saying from what to what. But Skype and its chat/calling capabilities have largely been replaced with apps like Discord. In any event, Microsoft seems to have given up on using the carrot to lure users from Skype to Teams. Instead, it’s using the stick. The Skype to Teams transition: How it will work Microsoft said that, over the coming days, Skype users will be able to sign into Teams (free) using their Skype credentials, beginning with users who have signed up for the Insider programs. Chats and contacts will automatically populate from one app to the other. Skype users can download Teams from the Microsoft website. Paid Skype features will sunset as well. “Moving forward, we will no longer offer new customers access to paid Skype features that allow users to make and receive international and domestic calls using pay-as-you-go credit and subscriptions. Current Skype subscription users can continue to use their Skype Credits and subscriptions until the end of their next renewal period. Skype Credit users can also continue to use their remaining Skype Credit. After May 5, 2025, the Skype Dial Pad will be available to remaining paid users from the Skype web portal and within Teams.” During the transition, Skype and Teams users will be able to chat with the other service. That period will apparently expire on May 5, 2025, when Skype will be turned off, 22 years after its founding. Read...

The long wait is over. After kinda-sorta-teasing the Radeon RX 9070 and 9070 XT at CES 2025, AMD is finally pulling back the curtain on its next-generation graphics cards today, ahead of a March 6 launch date. Meet the rival to Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 50-series. AMD shuffled Radeon’s branding this generation to mirror Nvidia’s; the Radeon RX 9070 XT will thus compete with the RTX 5070 Ti, while the Radeon RX 9070 takes aim at the 9070. Normally, I’d infuse this preview with analysis and commentary, but AMD declined to share 9070 pricing with press in a pre-announcement briefing. It’ll be revealed in the company’s Radeon RX 9070 stream this morning. Since pricing is so crucial to the story of the Radeon RX 9070, I’ll skip most deeper analysis below and instead focus simply on sharing the hardware and software information AMD provided press. Let’s start with an overview of the improvements found in AMD’s new RDNA 4 graphics architecture, before moving onto details about the Radeon RX 9070 series specifically, and what’s coming with FSR 4 and Hypr-RX. Meet AMD’s RDNA 4 AMD One thing revealed in AMD’s CES teaser: The Radeon 9000-series is built from the ground up for an AI future. Until now, AMD mostly used traditional GPU features for its FSR upscaling technology, while Nvidia’s AI-powered DLSS kept advancing both performance and image quality. No more. The Radeon RX 9070’s new RDNA 4 graphics architecture was designed from the ground up to incorporate a heavier AI focus, which works hand-in-hand with AMD’s new FSR 4 technology (more on that later) to bring the heat to Nvidia. You can see the block diagram and high-level performance claims for RDNA 4’s second-gen AI accelerators above. AMD AMD also invested heavily in improving Radeon’s ray tracing performance, which has always lagged behind Nvidia (and recently, Intel). The company says RDNA 4’s compute units (the building blocks of Radeon GPUs) deliver twice the ray tracing throughput of the RDNA 3 CUs inside today’s graphics cards. AMD also changed the Radeon RX 9070 XT’s memory subsystem to more efficiently process ray tracing tasks. That doesn’t necessarily mean Radeon RX 9000-series ray tracing will be twice as fast as the 7000-series — RT performance is more complicated than that — but it should be significantly better than before. AMD You can see above how the third-gen ray tracing cores and second-gen AI accelerators fit into RDNA 4’s new compute units. AMD told reporters that RDNA 4’s compute units are 40 percent faster than RDNA 3’s. RDNA 4 also includes an enhanced media engine, promising up to 20 percent higher visual quality for content creators. Meet the Radeon RX 9070 and 9070 XT Now that you know about the RDNA 4 architecture, it’s time to see how AMD is putting it to work. AMD says the Radeon RX 9070 and 9070 XT are built for 4K gaming at a 1440p price. AMD As per AMD tradition, the Radeon RX 9070 is a slightly cut-down version of the top-end 9070 XT, running at noticeably lower clock speeds (and significantly less power). Both 9070 cards offer 16GB of GDDR6 memory paired with a 256-bit bus, PCIe 5.0 support, standard 8-pin power connectors, HDMI 2.1b, and DisplayPort 2.1a. Now, let’s peek at performance. AMD claims the Radeon RX 9070 XT will deliver 51 percent more performance than the flagship Radeon GPU of last last generation, the Radeon 6900 XT. In a briefing with reporters, AMD representatives told the press that the 9070 XT is pretty similar to Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 4080 in traditional “raster” gaming performance. That should put it roughly on par with the new GeForce RTX 5070 Ti. The Radeon RX 9070, meanwhile, should be 38 percent faster than the Radeon RX 6800 XT, and 26 percent faster than the uber-popular RTX 3080. AMD told reporters it expects the 9070 to look “really strong” compared to Nvidia’s $550 GeForce RTX 5070, which launches next week. FSR 4 FTW? RDNA 4 was built to work hand-in-hand with FSR 4, the first iteration of AMD’s performance-boosting upscaling and frame generation software designed to leverage AI. Previously, almost all FSR tasks ran on traditional GPU hardware. Doing so lets AMD mirror Nvidia’s DLSS claims: AMD says FSR 4 delivers large performance boosts with image quality that can match or even surpass native visuals (depending on your Quality settings, of course). While the proof lies in how FSR 4 runs in motion, AMD released some screenshots showing its visual quality in specific zoomed-in details… …as well as some performance results looking at FSR 4 Upscaling and Upscaling + Frame Generation compared to native 4K. While Nvidia pushed DLSS 4’s Frame Generation feature to insert up to three AI-generated images between traditional frames, AMD’s FSR sticks to inserting a single generated frame between standard frames. It still provides a big boost in visual smoothness. Better yet, you’ll be able to use FSR 4 in a fairly large number of games right out of the gate. Integrating new features like this usually takes months and months of effort, with only a few key partner titles available at launch to showcase the technology. Not FSR 4. AMD FSR 4 builds atop AMD’s existing FSR 3.1 framework, which allows developers to very quickly integrate the new technology. (Nvidia’s DLSS 4 was similarly designed.) That means not one, not two, but 30+ games will support FSR 4 right at launch, with the number of supported games expected to grow to 75+ by the end of the year. That’s one of the biggest, fastest technology adoptions in history. And there are some heavy hitters in there, too. AMD makes the chip powering the PlayStation 5, and several Sony games crack FSR 4’s debut lineup, including God of War: Ragnarok, The Last of Us Part I, Horizon: Forbidden West, and the Spider-Man series. Beyond that, blockbusters like Call of Duty: Black Ops 6/Warzone, Marvel Rivals, Warhammer 40K: Space Marine II, and Kingdom Come Deliverance II make the cut. FSR 4 is exclusive to RDNA 4-based graphics cards, starting with these Radeon RX 9070 offerings; older GPUs will need to use FSR 2 or 3 instead, which are supported over 400 games. Hypr-RX and AMD Fluid Motion Frames 2.1 AMD is also introducing a new update for its driver-based frame generation technology, AMD Fluid Motion Frames, which can add frame gen to virtually any game. AFMF version 2.1 offers “improved frame generation image quality with reduced ghosting and better temporal tracking” on Radeon RX 6000-series GPUs or later. AFMF is part of AMD’s Hypr-RX suite of features. Hypr-RX combines and activates several Radeon features in one fell swoop, including driver-based frame generation and upscaling, Radeon Anti-Lag, and Radeon Boost. In unison, these technologies can drastically raise frame rates while lowering latency for ultra-fast performance. Image quality can sometimes degrade a bit using driver-based upscaling, especially around UI elements, but Hypr-RX can deliver stunning speed improvements in thousands of games. AMD seems to be positioning it against Nvidia’s much-improved DLSS 4 technology with Multiple Frame Generation; MFG looks better, but Hypr-RX works on thousands of games and several generations of Radeon graphics cards. My take? I’m glad they’re both around. Each is excellent in its own way. The next-gen battle begins soon AMD will not offer an AMD-made version of the Radeon RX 9070 series, letting partners like Sapphire, Asus, and XFX handle graphics card designs instead.AMD So there you have it: The Radeon RX 9070 series, the RDNA 4 technology behind it, and the FSR 4 features the hardware helps enable. Will AMD’s next-gen GPU manage to upset Nvidia? Lots of PC gamers are pretty irritated about the RTX 50-series’ sky-high prices and lackluster performance gains, so AMD definitely has an opening here — but it needs to nail both performance and value to seize the advantage. The Radeon RX 9070 and 9070 XT launch March 6, so we’ll know where the chips fall sooner than later. Read...

DeepHealth and TeraRecon have unveiled a strategic partnership to enhance radiology workflows by integrating advanced imaging tools and AI technology. Read...

WitnessAI has partnered with F5 to integrate its technology with BIG-IP SSL Orchestrator, enhancing enterprise visibility over encrypted AI traffic. Read...