Gaming

BenQ has released the MOBIUZ EX480UZ in Europe, where it is available for €1,799. The BenQ MOBIUZ EX480UZ has a 48-inch OLED panel that operates at 4K, 120 Hz and 450 nits. The MOBIUZ EX480UZ has HDMI 2.1 and USB Type-C ports too, among other features.

Graugear has introduced a new iteration of its M.2 SSD cooling solution for the Sony PlayStation 5. The small accessory should reduce SSD temperatures by up to 25°C and is easy to install.

In new developments to the Microsoft-Activision merger drama, Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) President and CEO Jim Ryan had apparently told the EU antitrust chief that he is no mood for a new Call of Duty deal but wants to block the US$69 billion merger from getting regulatory approval. Despite repeated assurances, Sony does not appear to be convinced by Microsoft's terms and feels that PlayStation gamers will get a sub-par Call of Duty experience should the deal go through.

Valve employees have hinted at the state of the Steam Deck platform going forwards. While many gaming handheld manufacturers release new models yearly, Valve will take a different approach. However, this means that the Steam Deck will remain a current-generation device for a while to come.

Some interesting PlayStation 6 rumors have surfaced lately, with one source claiming to have unsurprising news about the identity of the PS6 lead designer. In addition, a well-known tech YouTuber has opined that the PS5 Pro might have to be shelved, leaving Sony to focus on forging partnerships for the PS6.

AMD could have made an RTX 4090 competitor but chose not to in favor of a trade-off between price and competitive performance. AMD's rationale is that a 600 W card with a US$1,600 price tag is not a mainstream option for PC gamers and that the company always strived to price its flagship GPUs in the US$999 bracket. The company execs also explained why an MCM approach to the GPU die may not be feasible yet unlike what we've seen with CPUs.

A new Android device with Asus' name in the title has started to pop up on Geekbench 6. The details involved in these new leaks invite speculation that a new addition to the performance-focused ROG Phone line has been spotted ahead of its 2023 launch. If so, this putative 7-series variant will have Qualcomm's latest flagship SoC, lots of RAM and up-to-date software out of the box.

The 49-inch Samsung Odyssey Neo G9 G95NA curved gaming monitor has been around since late July 2021 and features a 240 Hz refresh rate, 1 ms response time, and compatibility with both G-Sync and FreeSync Premium Pro. Now, its US$2,299.99 list price is down to US$1,449.99 thanks to a massive 37% discount.

Lenovo US has announced a sale this weekend (March 11-12, 2023) on a range of Legion-brand desktops and laptops. The best offers on these gaming PCs include a total of 34% off the 16-inch 7i Gen 7 with an Alder Lake-HX processor with higher-end NVIDIA graphics. Alternatively, the Legion Tower 7i Gen 7 with the RTX 3080 card is now US$750 cheaper than normal.

The AGON Pro AG254FG is available at nearly a US$200 discount on Amazon US. AOC equips the gaming monitor with a 1080p and 360 Hz flat IPS panel that also delivers 1 ms response times and supports NVIDIA G-SYNC.

Advertised by Acer as a slim gaming laptop, the 0.8-inch thin Predator Triton 500 SE has been available since mid-2022 with Alder Lake processor options and GeForce RTX 3000 series GPUs. With a list price of US$2,999.99, the model with Intel Core i9-12900H, GeForce RTX 3080 Ti, 32 GB LPDDR5 memory, and a 1 TB SSD is now down to US$2,499.99.

Using a 34-inch VA panel with 3,440 X 1,440 pixels, the Samsung SJ55W monitor also features AMD FreeSync support, a 75 Hz refresh rate, 4 ms response time (GtG), as well as multitasking split screen functions such as PBP and PIP. The ongoing 20% Amazon discount pushes the US$329.99 list price down to US$264.06.

Naughty Dog has revealed the PC system requirements for The Last of Us Part 1. While the game can run on low-end hardware, gamers looking for a maxed-out 4K experience will require some powerful hardware. The game is set to hit Steam and the Epic Games Store on March 28.

The Aorus 15 and 17 are the sub-flagship versions of Gigabyte's latest gaming laptops, although they still pack Raptor Lake-H processors and RTX 4000-series graphics in "super-portable" aluminum builds. They are now available on Amazon, starting at under US$2,000 for 16GB RAM/1TB SSD configurations.

Also available from Dell for US$499.99, the 34-inch Dell S3422DWG curved gaming monitor has the same list price on Amazon, but the ongoing 26% discount pushes it to a more convenient US$367.99. This monitor has a 1800R curve, a refresh rate of 144 Hz, and a resolution of 3,440 X 1,440 pixels.

It's safe to go and buy a Razer Blade 18 now that most of its issues have been resolved via updates. If you plan on connecting external monitors or running DLSS 3 titles, however, be prepared to wait a bit longer.

Bethesda has announced that Starfield has been delayed once again. The highly-anticipated AAA title will now be playable on September 6. More information about the game will be revealed on June 6 at Starfield Direct.

TechPowerUp's GPU database editor has stumbled upon a new GeForce RTX 3060 variant with GDDR6X memory and a GA104 GPU. Both are remarkable upgrades over the vanilla 3060, which uses a GA106 GPU and GDDR6 memory.

Promotional material on Ebuyer suggests that current and last-gen AMD graphics cards will soon be bundled with a copy of The Last of Us Part 1. Eligible products include the Radeon RX 7900 XTX, 7900 XT and the entire Radeon RX 6000 lineup.

Unleashed earlier today, War Thunder 2.25 "Sky Guardians" comes with the first French ships and the super-heavy Char FCM 2C tank, 18 new and updated aircraft, new locations and missions, as well as updated visual effects. The size of the full game client has broken the 100 GB barrier, but a minimal install needs less than 17 GB.

WB Games has confirmed Hogwarts Legacy will be playable on the PS4 and Xbox One on May 5, a month after its initial April 4 launch date. Its Nintendo Switch release is still scheduled for July 25.

At US$1,499.99, the Quest Pro started as one of the more expensive virtual reality (VR) headsets on the market. However, that price has received a "new regular price", as has that of its Quest 2 sibling in certain configurations. The discount is touted to drive Meta-brand VR adoption among consumers, possibly ahead of its headsets' reportedly upcoming upgrades.

The just recently released Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 sports Nvidia's latest entry level gaming GPU in the form of the RTX 4050, but the 15-inch gaming laptop also comes with a rather cheap 120Hz display that may not be the ideal choice for some prospective buyers.

Lenovo also offers an RTX 4050 dGPU option with 95 W TGP, which, apparently is almost as fast as the 115 W RTX 4060, at least in 3DMark Time Spy. Additional specs include 1 TB of NVMe SSD storage and a 15.6-inch LCD display with 40p resolution and 165 Hz refresh rate.

In addition to the well-known RTX 3070 Ti, the attractive mid-range configuration of the Acer Predator Helios 300 also features a decent 240Hz QHD display and has now dropped to US$1,399 after receiving a noteworthy US$700 discount at Best Buy.

[Update #1] If you care about DLSS 3 on external monitors and G-Sync support, then you'll want to stay on an earlier graphics driver for now. The issues we experienced are repeatable on multiple units according to Razer.

Other specs for the MSI GP66 model on sale include an Intel i7-11800H processor complemented by 16 GB of DDR4-3200 RAM and 1 TB of NVMe SSD storage, plus a 240 Hz 15.6-inch display with 1080p resolution.

Razer has presented a series of Orochi V2 gaming mice in special edition liveries. All based on well-known Pokémon characters, the special edition models are functionally identical to the regular Orochi V2 gaming mouse.

The Nintendo Switch 2 hype train shows no sign of slowing down as no fewer than three separate social media-related incidents have led to rumors that the Switch successor could be announced or even launched in 2023. The next-generation Nintendo console has no official name, with “Switch Pro” and “Switch 2” frequently appearing in reports.

Alienware has announced new gaming headsets — the wired AW520H and the dual-mode wireless AW720H. Both headsets come with 40 mm Hi-Res certified drivers, noise cancelling retractable boom mics, support for Dolby Atmos, memory foam, and AlienFX lighting.

The powerful RTX 3080 gaming laptop from Asus also features a quick Ryzen 9 5900HX, and thanks to a new deal, this machine has now dropped below the US$1,500 mark, which makes the ROG Strix Scar 15 a very good deal for high-end gamers.

The new Alienware AW920K offers 3 kinds of full-sized mechanical gaming keyboard use in one: Bluetooth, 2.4GHz wireless or wired. Its classically-styled deck exhibits a rocker switch and dial as well as double-shot PBT keys, the RGB AlienFX up-lighting of which can be tuned via the Alienware Command Center. The Tri-Mode Wireless Gaming Keyboard also boasts magnetic snap-on charging and Cherry switches.

Alienware's AW420K packs the brand's latest mechanical keyboard specs into a new wired RGB form-factor. With its refined profile and tenkeyless form-factor, it is also rated to save on desk space. Then again, its multi-mode risers can restore some height if necessary, while its PBT key-caps and Cherry switches are backed to keep its typing experience going in the long term.

The Alienware AW620M wireless gaming mouse is available in two color variants called “Lunar Light” and “Dark Side of the Moon”, while the new pointing device is ergonomically shaped and is supposed to be comfortable to use for right-handed gamers who have long gaming sessions in their future.

Dell refreshed the Alienware m16 early this year with the new Raptor Lake mobile processors, RTX 40 laptop graphics, and updated displays. For the first time since 2015, the company also introduced a new Alienware m18. Dell has now announced the availability date for the entry-level variants of both notebooks.

Dell refreshed the Alienware lineup of gaming laptops at CES 2023 with the latest processors and GPUs. The company also announced the Alienware x14 R2, a successor to the 2022 Alienware x14. Today Dell has finally revealed when you’ll be able to buy the new x14 R2.

Dell announced the 2023 G15 and G16 gaming laptops with Intel Raptor Lake processors, Nvidia RTX 40 GPUs, and updated designs in January. The company has now revealed the general availability of the machines equipped with Intel CPUs and Nvidia GPUs.

The Alienware 500Hz gaming monitor is now enjoying its final appearance as a showcase model prior to becoming available on the North American market. The AW2524H is backed to push IPS display technology to its limit by pairing its refresh with NVIDIA's new Reflex Latency Analyzer as well as G-SYNC to eliminate ghosting and tearing.

The Auspicious Machine is a Linux-based gaming handheld with a design that could be mistaken for a BlackBerry smartphone. Not only does the Auspicious Machine have a 4:3 aspect ratio display, but it also has a small keyboard. The Auspicious Machine is based on a Raspberry Pi 4 Compute Module 4, although it supports other popular single-board computers.

This wacky DIY project uses a 43-inch TV as its screen, and the computing power is provided via an Intel NUC 11 with i7-1165G7 processor and RTX 2060 dGPU that is hidden under the keyboard together with three high capacity batteries, which can sustain 260 W in full load.