Gaming

The expected Nintendo Switch 2 SoC and its manufacturing process has been discussed recently by a well-known leaker. The information offered up by the reasonably reputable source has been greeted with a mixture of dismay, caution, and even optimism. Once again, it is mentioned that an Nvidia Tegra T239 chip will be at the heart of the Switch 2 console.

Acer has released the Nitro XV242F in China, where it sells for CNY 3,999 (~US$550). The Acer Nitro XV242F has a 24-inch TN panel with a 1080p resolution, VESA DisplayHDR 400 certification and a monster 540 Hz refresh rate, among other features.

Sony has released a large update for the PlayStation 5. Rolling out now globally, the new update brings surround sound support to Dolby Atmos-compatible systems and allows you to upgrade your console's SSD to 8 TB. Sony has also introduced various new convenience features, including the option of disabling the console's beeping sound when you switch it off.

The GeForce RTX 4070 may soon be getting a price cut according to the latest leak from Moore’s Law Is Dead. MLID alleges that NVIDIA will counter the Radeon RX 7800 XT by offering discounts on the RTX 4070. In fact, the company has reportedly already started doing so, as the GIGABYTE Windforce RTX 4070 can now be had for less than the launch MSRP.

The Acer Nitro 5 gaming notebook running a Core i7-12650H CPU and an RTX 4060 GPU has been priced down to less than US$1,000 on eBay. For the price, the machine seems like a very good buy as the internals on offer showcase pretty solid performance on paper. Additionally, the 15.6-inch display should also be quite good for gaming as it covers 100% of the sRGB gamut and has a fast 165 Hz refresh rate.

The handheld console storage solutions come in the M.2 2230 form factor and offer capacities between 500 GB and 2 TB. The 1 TB variant is the fastest with 5,150 MB/s sequential reads and 4,900 MB/s sequential writes, but the 2 TB offers the best endurance with a 1200 TBW rating.

AMD’s RDNA 3 lineup includes the flagship RX 7900 XTX, high-end RX 7900 XT, mid-range RX 7800 XT, RX 7700 XT, and budget RX 7600. Now, a slew of new GPU listings by PowerColor in the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC) database suggest that AMD might be preparing the RX 7600 XT, a potential contender sitting between the RX 7600 and the RX 7700 XT.

Nvidia uncovered yesterday a new driver package, labeled 537.34. In addition to the usual minor tweaks and fixes, it comes with support for Lies of P and Mortal Kombat 1, as well as six new G-Sync Compatible gaming monitors alongside five GeForce Experience Optimal Settings presets for titles such as Starfield and Wayfinder.

The LOQ 16 is Lenovo’s wallet-friendly 16-inch gaming laptop. Featuring a Ryzen 7 7840HS CPU with 8 Zen 4 cores, a 95 W TGP RTX 4050, and 16 GB of RAM, the notebook has dropped down to less than US$830 at Lenovo’s official store. The reduced price makes the LOQ 16 a compelling option thanks to its solid performance and good battery life.

The AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT and the RX 7700 XT are Team Red’s newest mid-range RDNA 3 boards that went on sale starting September 6. According to the newest report from Moore’s Law Is Dead and TechEpiphany, the RX 7800 XT is a hot seller as it apparently went out of stock at various retailers on launch day and was the best-selling card on Mindfactory during the launch week.

The latest Nintendo Switch 2 release date rumor has sparked further speculation in regard to when the company might officially announce, reveal, and release the Switch successor. Unfortunately, even though the leak offers a specific month and year for a major Switch 2 event, the overall scheduling for the console is as murky as ever.

The design of the GeForce RTX 3090 SUPER Founders Edition has leaked online, nearly two years after NVIDIA ditched an Ampere SUPER refresh for the GeForce RTX 3090 Ti. Not only does the leak highlight design differences between the GeForce RTX 3090 SUPER and the eventual GeForce RTX 3090 Ti, but it also confirms earlier rumours that NVIDIA had been working on such a card.

There are plenty of supposed Steam Deck killers available in the portable gaming space, from the Asus ROG Ally to the Lenovo Legion Go and all the Ayaneo and ONEXPLAYER devices in between. But none of them have managed to outright slay the dragon that is the mighty Steam Deck yet.

With an all-time high price tag of US$699.99 in early August 2022, the WD Black SN850X PCIe SSD with 4 TB of storage space dropped to US$269.99 on Amazon in late July, this year. Now, it goes for US$299.99, which is roughly 30% less than the US$440 average (according to Camelcamelcamel, based on the last 32 price changes).

The SteelSeries Apex Pro is one of the few gaming keyboards on the market equipped with Hall effect switches. It's currently discounted to US$132.30 on Amazon, making it one of the most affordable ways to try out features such as Rapid Trigger, adjustable actuation points, and 2-in-1 action keys.

A huge Nintendo Switch 2 leak has been posted on YouTube revealing numerous details about the expected Switch successor. The video starts with discussion about the hybrid console’s hardware capabilities, especially in terms of running games and visual output, before the conversation moves to the Switch 2 versus the PS5 and Xbox Series X.

Laptops with secondary displays are a fast-emerging niche of the PC market, and are, according to the latest market analysis, particularly valued by gamers for their multi-tasking potential. Their demand is projected to enjoy a steady upward trajectory over the next four years, driving the worth of their segment up by over half a billion dollars in the process.

GKD is preparing to launch the Pixel, a 2-inch gaming handheld that will serve as an Anbernic RG Nano competitor. Allegedly launching next month, the GKD Pixel will be available in six colour options and should be much smaller than something like a Miyoo Mini.

The Nintendo Switch 2 specs could be greater than previously imagined if a new leak from a well-known tech YouTuber ends up being accurate. Apparently, the CPU and GPU components of the Switch 2 SoC might be considerably beefed-up by Nvidia, with the Tegra T239 chip now potentially past its best before date.

A new Nintendo Switch 2 rumor has surfaced claiming that the next-generation hybrid console could actually arrive with more memory than a powerful rival like the Microsoft Xbox Series S. The same source has also offered an update in regard to the Switch 2’s potential DLSS support and ray-tracing capabilities.

(Update: Sale extended) The precise wireless gaming mouse from Logitech has an optical sensor with a resolution of more than 25,000 DPI, while the integrated LiPo battery provides the G502 Lightspeed with enough electric power for up to 60 hours of action-packed gameplay.

Bethesda's Starfield offers AMD FSR 2 upscaling out-of-the-box, but modders PureDark and LukeFZ have been successful in getting the game to use DLSS 3 and Frame Generation for an even smoother gameplay and better-quality visuals. While LukeFZ's implementation is free, PureDark's requires a Patreon subscription.

Rumors of the Nintendo Switch 2, or at least its performance potential, having been revealed at a recent trade event have been corroborated in two separate reports. Allegedly, some devs had the opportunity to witness a Switch 2 tech demo, with the hardware utilizing Nvidia’s DLSS technology to produce output that would be acceptable from a PS5 game.

The Asus ROG Cetra TWS gaming earbuds have a US$99.99 list price on Amazon, but the 25% discount which currently applies to the black color choice brings it to the lowest price in 30 days of US$74.99. Meanwhile, the white version of this handy audio accessory is 20% off and can be acquired for US$79.99.

Now listed by Dell US for the same price, the S3422DWG curved gaming monitor is down by 30% on Amazon, so those interested can acquire it from both sources at US$349.99. In Amazon's case, however, the list price of this 34-inch monitor with 144 Hz refresh and 3,440 X 1,440 pixels is US$499.99.

AYANEO is finally taking orders for the Pocket Air, an Android 12-based gaming handheld based around a 5.5-inch AMOLED display and a MediaTek Dimensity 1200 chipset. Available with up to 12 GB of RAM and 512 GB of storage, the AYANEO Pocket Air currently starts at US$279 with a 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage configuration.

The ViewSonic VG3419C is a new gaming monitor equipped with a 34-inch VA panel that outputs at 1440p and 120 Hz. The VG3419C also has a 1500R curvature, a USB hub and three video inputs, among other features.

AYANEO has released a new teaser for the FLIP, its first clamshell foldable. Supposedly 'coming soon', the AYANEO FLIP will feature 'astonishing performance' and looks rather different to the device shown in earlier teasers.

Another potential Nintendo Switch 2 release date period has been put forward by a semiconductor industry market analyst. There are already plenty of next-generation Switch release date rumors circulating, with many believing 2024 will be the magic year for fans. It has been suggested that Nintendo might even make a Switch 2 announcement before the end of the year.

AYANEO has finally launched the KUN, a Steam Deck alternative on account of its similar input methods and gamepad buttons. The AYANEO KUN has a larger 8.4-inch display though, as well as a 75 Wh battery, an AMD Ryzen 7 7840U APU and up to 64 GB of RAM.

GPD is now selling the Win Mini, a 7-inch gaming handheld that measures 168 x 109 x 26 mm and weighs 520 g. While the GPD Win Mini is smaller than most competing gaming handhelds, it still packs up to the AMD Ryzen 7 7840U, 64 GB of RAM and a 2 TB SSD, as well as a 44.24 Wh battery.

Anbernic has released the RG405V, a 4-inch gaming handheld powered by a Unisoc Tiger T618 chipset, 4 GB of RAM and a 5,500 mAh battery. The Anbernic RG405V comes in three finishes, including an unusual Wood Grain option.

The successor of the Samsung Odyssey G9, namely the Odyssey OLED G9 G95SC with model number LS49CG954SNXZ arrived earlier this year and is now down to US$1,599.99 on both Amazon and Samsung US (from US$1,799.99 list price). On Amazon, this price tag is also the lowest in the last 30 days.

It has been rumored that PS5 Pro dev kits have already been sent out to presumably major developers with close links to Sony. There are some expectations that the PlayStation 5 Pro will be released in 2024, with a huge franchise title already associated with the potential “world’s most powerful console”.

An exciting handful of Nintendo Switch 2 leaks have been shared on social media with the various claims making for a heady mixture. Switch 2 backwards compatibility is touched upon as are a couple of other features, but astonishingly there is also an outlandish statement that Final Fantasy VII Remake runs like a PlayStation 5 game on the next-generation Nintendo console.

The PlayStation Portal can now be pre-ordered in multiple countries, including the UK and the US. Sony has also brought the device to many Eurozone countries, with Canada and Japan availability scheduled for later this month.

HTC Vive's XR Elite is a flagship virtual/augmented reality (VR/AR) headset that goes for well over US$1,000. However, the OEM has decided to sweeten that deal for a limited time with its new PC VR Bundle offers. It purports to help the user "save over US$280" by throwing the accessories and titles possibly needed to get into headset gaming in for free.

The GPD Win Mini is almost here after a long wait. According to the company, the Win Mini will be orderable from next week, starting at US$699 with an AMD Ryzen 5 7640U APU, 16 GB of RAM and a 512 GB SSD. GPD has now added a top tier 64 GB of RAM and 2 TB SSD option too.

The XMG Apex series receives a significant performance boost with the addition of AMD's Ryzen 7 7840HS APUs that replace the previously installed Ryzen 7 7735HS. There is also a new WQHD display option and the 17-inch model now features liquid metal for cooling the processor and graphics card.

Whether you're in it for the brain-tickling strategy, or you're simply looking for an adventurous game to take a break from all the MMORPG and FPS games, the Steam Strategy Fest has something for you to explore, expand, exploit, and exterminate. This includes three of the best 4X games around.

AMD claimed in its launch presentation that the RX 7700 XT will be able to outperform the RTX 4060 Ti. While first-party performance claims should always be taken with skepticism, it seems that Team Red’s official numbers for the RX 7700 XT might not be far off as leaked 3DMark Time Spy Graphics score of the GPU places the board comfortably above the RTX 4060 Ti.

Lenovo's first handheld gaming console, the Legion Go, is now official. It packs a 44 Hz 16:10 screen, an AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme processor, detachable controllers and plenty of customizable buttons.

Lenovo has launched an exorbitantly-priced gaming laptop with top-of-the-line gaming hardware. The Legion 9i features a mini LED panel, an Intel Raptor Lake-HX processor, a GeForce RTX 4090 and more.

ViewSonic has released the VX2776-2K-OLED in China, a 26.5-inch gaming monitor equipped with a 1440p OLED panel. The ViewSonic also has a 240 Hz refresh rate, 0.3 ms response times and high DCI-P3 colour space coverage, among other features.

Nintendo has now revealed a Mario Red Edition version of the Switch - OLED Model. As rumours suggested, the Switch - OLED Model Mario Red Edition will be available this October, shortly before the arrival of the forthcoming Super Mario Bros. Wonder game.

The HPCE power connector standard presented by Asus appears to be an elegant solution that fixes melting power connector issues and cluttered PC case interiors. Employing a slot similar in size with a PCIe X1 interface, the HPCE standard promises to deliver more than 600 W of power for the next gen flagship GPUs.