Windows

LG has unleashed its latest Gram Pro laptops on the United States market. They are available with 17- or 16-inch displays, the latter of which can also be OLED in conventional clamshell or convertible form-factors. Some SKU pre-order deals include 2x RAM for free or a free portable monitor.

This HP gaming laptop comes with a fitting level of specs, featuring a Core i9, an RTX 4080, a 1 TB PCIe 4.0 SSD, 32 GB of RAM, two Thunderbolt 4 ports and a QHD display (G-Sync, 240Hz). Despite having powerful components, the laptop produces a moderate amount of noise – with the right settings.

Launched alongside the beta for the Nvidia app, which will replace both GeForce Experience and Control Panel, as well as the more recent and less popular RTX Experience app, the latest GeForce Game Ready Driver brings AI optimizations that add HDR to SDR games, as well as DLSS 3 and Reflex support for Nightingale.

The GPD Win Max 2 gaming handheld sacrifices efficiency in the name of performance in a recent in-depth test, achieving marginally less battery life than its predecessor but performing better in games and synthetic benchmarks, largely due to improved high-speed RAM compatibility.

In case you missed it, Steam just announced the February 26 start date of the Dinos vs. Robots Fest event and released a trailer giving us a sneak peek at a selection of the banging Steam deals during the event. Game deals include everything from Jurassic World Evolution to Horizon Zero Dawn and Phantom Brigade.

Asus' new Zenbook 14 OLED is a good subnotebook that boasts a lightweight case and beautiful OLED screen in particular. During our test, however, its cooler proved to cause the biggest issues, as the single fan is often active and in addition, we noted further electronic noises coming from the laptop.

Released more than seven years ago, Hearts of Iron IV received multiple updates and will get a new country pack, namely Trial of Allegiance, in about two weeks. Those who still have to get started can grab the basic game or the Starter Edition for 70% off each, while the Ultimate Bundle is discounted by 59%.

Less than a month since the release of its predecessor, Firefox 123 arrives today packing a new feature with a self-explanatory name: Web Compatibility Reporting Tool. Additionally, Google Search users can enjoy a list of popular results with images that shows up when typing queries in the address bar.

With the Spectre x360 series, HP has been offering high-quality convertibles for private customers for years. With the new Spectre x360 14, you'll get a new 120-Hz OLED panel in a new case that is convincing particularly with its quality, the cooling, and the new haptic touchpad. However, the Meteor Lake processor still has some problems with the graphics driver.

With no less than six wins, Marvel's Spider-Man 2 by Insomniac Games was closely followed by Baldur's Gate 3, which managed five wins during the 27th edition of the D.I.C.E. Awards. This video game industry awards show debuted in 1998 as the "Interactive Achievement Awards" and changed its name in 2013.

Though it does not excel in most ways, HP delivers a great business convertible in the EliteBook x360 830 G10. Most impressive are the very comfortable keyboard and stiff metal chassis, as well as the fact that the touchscreen of this device is completely matte.

Palworld's surprising rise that seemed unstoppable was not enough to push it higher than PUBG, and now this title has problems keeping up with Counter-Strike 2. Palworld's player base has pushed it in the third place on February 12 and it looks like it might soon have to fight to remain in Steam's top 5.

Released last year in early June, Diablo IV became Blizzard's fastest-selling title in the company's history in just a day. By August, it reached 12 million. At the end of March, it will join Xbox Game Pass, so the 34 million members will be able to play this game on Xbox and PC for no extra charge.

Although not a product beyond version 1.0 yet, DuckDuckGo is a quite popular browser among those looking for privacy and security before anything else. Its latest update allows users to sync bookmarks, passwords, and email protection settings between devices without the need to create and use an account.

With no new hardware to support, the latest GeForce Game Ready Driver package, labeled 551.52, only comes with DLSS support for three titles. However, Nvidia reveals that "a whole host of games" will get DLSS and RTX enhancements in the coming weeks. The list of such games and apps currently includes over 500 items.

Microsoft may soon make choosing the right graphics card easier, as Windows 11 24H2, an AI-based alternative to Nvidia Deep Learning Super Sampling that is said to flexible in utilizing the hardware of various GPU manufacturers, will be launched later this year.

The Scar 18 is currently one of the most powerful laptops. A Core i9-14900HX and GeForce RTX 4090 allow 4k gaming, video processing, and rendering. The bright and colorful mini-LED display (18 inches, 2560x1600 pixels, DCI-P3) is a feast for the eyes.

CheckMag MSI was right to go to Intel for the Claw A1M, but the Core Ultra 7 155H isn't the right move. The Core Ultra 5 135H has a trick up its sleeve — a top-end iGPU combined with a more efficient mid-range CPU.

There were a good number of reports on Microsoft bringing a command line tool that's similar to the sudo in Linux. Well, it seems like the reports were correct, as the company has officially introduced Sudo for Windows. What's more interesting is that it's open-source, with a GitHub repository available for the project.

Now out of preview, a state in which it was available since 2023, the Apple-branded app trio for Windows 10 and Windows 11 is available for download via the Microsoft Store. While Apple Music and Apple TV provide access to media content, Apple Devices allows users to update or back up their iPhones to Windows PCs.

GoPro has announced that it has rebranded its current subscription to Premium, which has also now sprouted a new Plus variant. The latter offers all of the same features as the former, with an added 'pro-grade' video stabilization tool and extra added cloud storage. The action-cam OEM's Quik for Macs has finally been released alongside it.

Two insiders familiar with Atlus revealed yesterday that Persona 4 and Persona 2 will return soon. The first will get a remake while the latter will be remastered for all consoles, including the next-gen Xbox and the Nintendo Switch 2. Sadly, there no release date was mentioned.

Samsung's latest update to its Quick Share file-sharing service brings integration with Google's native Android Nearby Share. The update is now rolling out to a number of Samsung devices but it's not all good news.

After numerous promises and a few false starts, Digital Extremes has finally successfully implemented cross-platform save in Warframe. Players will now be able to use one account across their Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation, and Xbox devices — but at great cost for accounts created after November 24.

CheckMag For those of us still holding Windows 7 close to our hearts, let's see if the OS is really worth holding on to by testing how well it copes with Web browsing, content creation, media playback and gaming.

As Warcraft will celebrate its 30th anniversary late this year, it's not surprising to see Blizzard bring back the two games alongside another classic, namely Diablo. These titles are now available on Battle.net for $9.99 (Diablo and Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness) and $5.99 (Warcraft: Orcs & Humans).

There has been some confusion about whether the MSI Claw A1M will deliver on its VRR promises, but the company has offered corrections, confirming that the gaming handheld will in fact sport VRR support.

An Asus executive recently confirmed that the second-generation gaming handheld is due as soon as 2024. The updated device will continue to run Windows 11, but Asus will "focus more on gaming" in the new version — a curious statement, considering the original ROG Ally is already a potent gaming machine.

The PC version of Horizon Forbidden West will come with support for Nvidia DLSS 3, AMD FSR, and Intel XeSS, as well as DirectStorage to improve loading times on supported hardware.

Released worldwide in early June 2016, Hearts of Iron IV received yearly DLCs since then. After last year's Arms Against Tyranny expansion, this grand strategy wargame will receive a country pack, namely Trial of Allegiance, which is set to launch on March 7 and is the first such update since 2020.

In addition to providing support for the brand-new GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Super, the GeForce Game Ready Driver 551.23 software package also comes with RTX Video HDR, a free AI-powered tool that automatically converts SDR video into HDR feeds directly in the internet browser. Ultra Low Latency Mode is now ready for DX 12 games.

From the peak of 1,864,421 concurrent players that was reached on January 23rd, the latest smashing hit of the gaming world, Palworld, is now above the 2,000,000 limit for the first time. However, more than 1,200,000 players still separate it from PUBG, which could lose the crown before the end of the month if Palworld continues its stellar climb.

CheckMag Dig into the fast-paced action of Ghostrunner II, seek revenge in Shadow Tactics: Aiko's Choice, or sail the open seas in One Piece Odyssey and Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire, all thanks to Steam's peculiar sale event. The Steam Pirates vs Ninjas Fest lasts until January 29, 2024.

MAINGEAR has marked the launch of the RTX 4070 Ti Super card by conducting a "limited drop" of a new "handcrafted and individually numbered" PC custom-built in collaboration with MSI. The Zero is touted to bring a revolution in gaming PC minimalism about with its new MG-RC cable-management system, not to mention a Panoramic Glass case through which an eponymous motherboard, branded cooler and "clean" RGB is displayed.

With a new all-time peak value of 1,864,421 concurrent players, Palworld only needs to beat PUBG for the crown of most played game on Steam. However, while Counter-Strike 2 is less than 50,000 players behind, the difference between Palworld and PUBG is rouhgly 1,400,000, so beating it might take a while.

Razer has now outlined the specs with which the Blade 14 2024 is available from today (January 23, 2024), the first day of its pre-order phase. They include the new Ryzen 9 8945HS silicon touted to confer "advanced AI" on this iteration of the compact, metallic ultrabook. Meanwhile, its 2023 predecessor has gone on sale on Amazon.