Denuvo, a popular but resource-intensive digital rights management program, has been the bane of PC gamers for years. With the recent introduction of Intel's impressive new 12th-gen processors, it looks like gamers have yet another reason to dislike DRM. According to a report from Intel itself, dozens of popular games which use the Denuvo anti-tamper system are crashing when running on the new hardware.

Update 1/10/2022: Intel's support page doesn't list any games that are currently affected. “Intel has resolved the DRM issue on 12th Gen Intel Core Processors that caused games to crash or not load in Windows 11 and/or Windows 10 by working with game publishers and Microsoft,” Intel said. “At this time, all games originally identified as having this DRM issue have been fixed through game patches or OS updates.

Intel recommends that you run Windows Update on your operating system (Windows 10 or Windows 11) if you experience issues. The original story follows.

HardwareLuxx.de editor Andreas Schilling spotted the update from Intel, which lists games affected in both Windows 10 and Windows 11. While Denuvo isn't mentioned by name as the culprit, the list is mostly from huge publishers like EA, Ubisoft, Bethesda, Square Enix, and Sega, who are fond of the controversial system, and Intel's note specifically says the titles are being impacted by conflicts with DRM. A few games (listed in bold below) are already projected to be fixed via a Windows 11 patch later this month. The rest of the games will have to wait for a patch at an unspecified time.

Here's the full list:

Games affected on 12th-gen Intel processors with Windows 11 (expected November fix in bold):

• Anthem
• Bravely Default 2
• Fishing Sim World
• Football Manager 2019
• Football Manager Touch 2019
• Football Manager 2020
• Football Manager Touch 2020
• Legend of Mana
• Mortal Kombat 11
• Tony Hawks Pro Skater 1 and 2
• Warhammer I
• Assassin's Creed: Valhalla
• Far Cry Primal
• Fernbus Simulator
• For Honor
• Lost in Random
• Madden 22
• Maneater
• Need for Speed – Hot Pursuit Remastered
• Sea of Solitude
• Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order
• Tourist Bus Simulator
• Maneater

Games affected on 12th-gen Intel processors with Windows 10:

• Ace Combat 7
• Assassins Creed Odyssey
• Assassins Creed Origins
• Code Vein
• eFootball 2021
• F1 2019
• Far Cry New Dawn
• FIFA 19
• FIFA 20
• Football Manager 2021
• Football Manager Touch 2021
• Ghost Recon Breakpoint
• Ghost Recon Wildlands
• Immortals Fenyx Rising
• Just Cause 4
• Life is Strange 2
• Madden 21
• Monopoly Plus
• Need For Speed Heat
• Scott Pilgrim vs The World
• Shadow of the Tomb Raider
• Shinobi Striker
• Soulcalibur VI
• Starlink
• Team Sonic Racing
• Total War Saga – Three Kingdoms
• Train Sim World
• Train Sim World 2
• Wolfenstein Youngblood

While gamers wait for a patch to their titles and/or Windows itself, there is a current work-around. Users have to dive into their BIOS or UEFI system, switch on the Legacy Game Compatibility Mode, reboot, then toggle the Scroll Lock on their keyboards to on. It's a weird fix, but it seems to be working for at least some of the affected titles.

This story was updated on Jan. 10 to note that the issue has been resolved. Additional reporting by Mark Hachman

Intel has named Michelle Johnston Holthaus, the current executive vice president of its Sales, Marketing, and Communications Group, as the new head of its Client Computing Group (CCG), which includes Intel's Core processor line.

Gregory “GB” Bryant, who currently heads Intel's CCG, will leave at the end of January for another opportunity, Intel said.

Holthaus has been the head of Intel's sales and marketing group since 2017 and previously led all of Intel's CCG sales. In her new role, Holthaus will be responsible for all aspects of running and growing the client business, including “strategy, financial performance and product development for the full portfolio of client technologies and platforms designed to enable exceptional personal computing experiences,” Intel said in a statement.

Intel

“Michelle's track record of success driving global sales and revenue for the last five years, combined with her profound understanding of the client computing business and trusted relationships across the entire industry, make her a natural choice to lead our largest business,” said Pat Gelsinger, Intel's chief executive, in a statement. “Michelle is a proven leader who embodies Intel's values, and I look forward to partnering with her in this new capacity as we drive innovation and unquestioned product leadership across the client business.”

Holthaus has worked at Intel for 25 years, joining in 1996. She previously led the Microsoft global account team, managed channel products, and ran central marketing and operations for the PC client group and management of the reseller product group.

Bryant is a 30-year veteran at Intel, who began his Intel tenure in 1992. Bryant hasn't said what his next venture will be. Gelsinger noted that, under Bryant, Intel's CCG group has enjoyed five straight years of growth. CCG includes the Core processor, the related Arc graphics chip, memory, and all commercial, desktop, and mobile initiatives. (Intel's Xeon processors fall under the Data Center Group.)

Holthaus will transition to her new role over the coming months as a search for the new leader of Intel's sales, marketing and communications organization begins, Intel said. Intel also said that David Zinsner has been appointed as the company's executive vice president and chief financial officer (CFO), effective Jan. 17, 2022.

In 2020, PCWorld gave the original HP Elite Dragonfly our Editor's Choice award. Executive Editor Gordon Ung said the svelte laptop is “thin, light, and beautiful, with a battery that won't quit.” At CES 2022, HP is poised to make the Dragonfly label a new house brand, a la Dell's XPS or Lenovo's X1. The company is doing that with a revamped Windows laptop and a brand new convertible Chromebook design.

First up is the new Windows machine, rechristened the Elite Dragonfly G3. The biggest obvious change is a swap from a 16:9 screen to a productive 3:2 aspect ratio at 13.5 inches, starting at 1920×1280 resolution and 400 nits. Users can upgrade that panel to a 1000-nit version, or go all-out with a “3K2K” OLED screen. The Dragonfly's other signature feature, its weight (or lack thereof), is still impressive. Despite upgrades to the latest 12th-gen Intel Core processors, the laptop still starts at just 2.2 pounds. (The optional 6-cell battery may bump that up a bit.) Like a lot of premium Windows laptops it's packing a haptic trackpad.

HP

The Dragonfly G3 comes with double USB-C/Thunderbolt 4 ports, a USB-A port for older hardware, a full-sized HDMI port (harder to find at this size), and an optional nano-SIM card slot if you upgrade to 5G mobile service. Like the original model, it's compatible with the Tile Bluetooth tracking system for finding your gadgets, as well as NFC, a 5MP camera (plus infrared for Windows Hello), and a fingerprint reader. It's still built to the MIL-STD 810 standard, so it can take a punch or two.

HP

When the Elite Dragonfly G3 goes on sale it'll be available with up to 2TB of SSD storage and an impressive 32GB of DDR5 RAM. It'll come in silver or blue color options when it lands in March.

HP Elite Dragonfly Chromebook

For something figuratively (but not literally) lighter, check out the Elite Dragonfly Chromebook. This machine swaps up the form factor with a convertible fold-back hinge, but offers similar 13.5-inch 3:2 screens, though sadly there's no OLED option. “Next Gen” Intel processors and DDR4 RAM say the performance will be a bit of a step down, as does the storage maxed out at 512GB, but that is all still kind of overkill for Chrome.

Despite the more modest hardware, the Dragonfly Chromebook gets the MIL-STD body treatment, fingerprint sensor, and optional 5G connection, along with all the same ports. It's also boasting Google's proprietary Titan H1 chip for extra security, along with a haptic trackpad, a first for a Chrome device. 51 watt-hours of battery should make it a real road warrior running Chrome. Why HP chose the 360-degree hinge for the Chromebook and not the Windows laptop, we couldn't guess, but it bumps the weight up to 2.83 pounds.

HP

The Elite Dragonfly Chromebook will land in April.