Gaming

According to reports, Sony plans to unveil a PlayStation 5 Slim as soon as next month. In the meantime, a photo of the alleged console has surfaced online, which is also expected to have been assigned the model number CFI-2016.

Newegg is discounting this model by ~23% and adds a bonus backpack while supplies last. Also included are 16 GB of DDR5 RAM, 1 TB PCIe 4.0 SSD storage and an IPS FHD display with 144 Hz refresh rate.

Even though the Acer Nitro 5 is equipped with the last-gen RTX 3070 Ti dGPU, the 15-inch QHD gaming laptop has a noticeably better price-performance ratio than the vast majority of RTX 4000-powered machines in the sub-US$1,000 price segment.

A supposed Nintendo Switch 2 price has been put forward by a tipster who claims to have a source who is familiar with Nintendo’s business. On top of the alleged Switch 2 price tag, there’s also a rumor that Nintendo could be cozying up with Epic Games in order to get better acquainted with Unreal Engine for NG Switch games.

Industry insider Tom Henderson has shed light on one of Sony's upcoming endeavours called Project Cronos. It aims to improve upon the company's cloud gaming service by switching over to PCIe NTB (Non-Transparent Bridge) technology.

The Steam Deck remains one of the most popular handheld consoles out there - meaning that there are never many of its SKUs to buy out there, either. Then again, Valve has announced a new line of supply for the AMD APU-powered device, in the form of its new Certified Refurbished program. It offers a more sustainable alternative to a new retail unit of the Steam Deck at a discount of up to 20%.

One-netbook has finally launched the ONEXFLY, a new entry in its ONEXPLAYER series. Available from US$739, the ONEXFLY has a 120 Hz and 7-inch display, an AMD Ryzen 7 7840U APU and a 48 Wh battery in a package that weighs less and is smaller than the ASUS ROG Ally.

The 2022 Lenovo Legion Slim 7i with a Core i7-12700H CPU, an RTX 3060 GPU, 16 GB of RAM, and 512 GB of PCIe Gen 4 storage has been discounted by US$876 at Best Buy for an open-box unit in excellent condition. With a 4.4 user rating at Best Buy and an 88% score in our review, the Lenovo Legion Slim 7i is a stellar machine made even better by the reduced price.

The ASUS ROG Ally has gained a new competitor. With the ONEXFLY, One-netbook has created one of its smallest ONEXPLAYER-branded gaming handhelds to date. Nonetheless, the ONEXFLY packs a relatively large battery, an impressive display and an AMD Ryzen 7 7840U APU with a Radeon 780M iGPU.

AYN Technologies has revealed even more details about the Odin2 ahead of its launch later this year. Reportedly, the Android gaming handheld will launch for US$299 with 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage. However, there will also be two higher memory configurations available, all with five colour options.

ASUS is now offering two significant updates for the ROG Ally. Following on from last month's release of BIOS 323, ACSE v1.3.6 and MCU 311 make numerous improvements to ASUS' first gaming handheld, including a dead zone bug fix in desktop mode.

Microsoft might release an Xbox Series X console without a disc drive according to a rumor detailed by Shpeshal_Nick. The leaker has also reported hearing of plans for "other" Xbox hardware slated for 2025. It is important to note that Microsoft hasn’t publicly shared any plans to launch new hardware anytime soon.

The thinner profile, mini-LED, and Core i9-13900HX CPU updates are all nice to see, but they trade away faster GPU options and secondary SSD support. For a high-end gaming laptop, these setbacks can make or break a deal.

In addition to the powerful RTX 4070 dGPU, the well-equipped 2023 Asus ROG Zephyrus M16 sports a 240Hz QHD display and spacious 1TB SSD. Thanks to an 18% discount, the 16-inch gaming laptop has now dropped to its lowest price point thus far.

Asrock has confirmed it has five mid-range RDNA 3 GPUs in the pipeline, two Radeon RX 7800 XT and three Radeon RX 7700 XT models. The former will feature 16 GB VRAM and the latter 12 GB. Both SKUs are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.

The TUF Gaming VG27AQ3A is a new mid-range monitor that aims to pack a lot of core gaming features in at an attractive price. To that end, ASUS installs a 27-inch IPS panel that combines a 1440p resolution with a 180 Hz refresh rate that also delivers 1 ms GtG response times.

This model appears to be the shortest RTX 4060 Ti with 16 GB VRAM at just under 200 mm, but its 145 mm height will not be compatible with some of the more compact mini-ITX cases. There is also an 8 GB version, which does not feature a smaller shroud.

Other specs include 16 GB DDR5-5200 RAM, 1 TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD storage, a 16-inch IPS screen with 2560 x 1600 resolution and 165 Hz refrest rate, plus a robust port selection.

With highlights such as AMD Freesync Premium Pro support and Quantum HDR2000-compliant image quality, the 32-inch Samsung Odyssey Neo G8 curved gaming monitor doesn't come cheap. Thankfully, Amazon has recently replaced the US$1,499.99 list price with a more wallet-friendly figure of US$1,196.93 via a 20% temporary discount.

Moderate fan noise despite great performance, bright and vibrant colours, and solid workmanship: even the base model Legion Pro manages to impress as an entry-level gaming laptop. The modestly priced AMD version demonstrates how much performance you can potentially get out of the RTX 4050.

A couple of overheating PS5 units that have been used at the Evo tournament in Las Vegas last weekend have apparently damaged the controllers of several participants, which led to complaints and even a call to switch from Sony's PlayStation 5 to other gaming platforms such as the PC or Xbox consoles.

Midrange boards with 8 GB VRAM are seemingly becoming a performance bottleneck, as YouTuber Daniel Owen has showcased a large performance delta between the RTX 4060 Ti 8 GB and 16 GB in a slew of modern titles. For instance, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart appears to performs up to 34% better at 1080p on the RTX 4060 Ti 16 GB vs the 8 GB model.

The Lenovo LOQ 16 with a Ryzen 7 7840HS CPU, RTX 4060 GPU, 16 GB of DDR5-5600 memory, and 1 TB of NVMe storage is currently on sale for less than US$1,000 at Lenovo’s official store. The notebook which went on sale in June also features a diverse port selection with both USB Type-A and Type-C ports as well as a 3.5 mm combo jack, ethernet port, and an HDMI connector.

Acer has finally started selling the Predator X45, a 45-inch gaming monitor with an 800R curved OLED panel. The Predator X45 also has various ports, a 1440p resolution and a 240 Hz refresh rate, among other features.

The Kitsune is Razer's inaugural answer to the growing anti-joystick sentiment it perceives within the fighting game-playing community, dumping joysticks or thumb-sticks for a four-way movement button layout. The controller also eschews levers for a backpack-friendly build, and has a detachable type-C cable for the same reasons. The PlayStation-certified, PC-compatible controller is available to order from now.

Multiple industry insiders say that AMD will not launch a high-end RDNA 4 GPU. Only SKUs featuring the mid-range Navi 43 and Navi 44 GPUs will be available.

OnePlus claims to bring liquid cooling to mobile gaming with its latest product announcement. Not only that, the new Radiator is also rated to reduce a magnetically connected device's temperature by up to 34 degrees Celsius and support wireless charging at the same time - which, as OnePlus' latest flagship smartphone does not have that feature, is ironic.

The AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT is confirmed to feature 60 CUs and 16 GB of VRAM, according to a now-deleted listing on PowerColor's website. AMD said the graphics card will be launched sometime this quarter.

The Lenovo Legion Pro 7i was introduced at CES 2023 with Intel Raptor Lake processors and RTX 40 GPUs. The Core i9-13900HX and RTX 4080-powered configuration of the laptop is now going for a massive 22% off. Thanks to the powerful CPU and GPU, the Lenovo Legion Pro 7i performs exceptionally well as it scored a performance rating of 98.5% in our review.

More rumors about the Nintendo Switch 2 console have turned up, including some alleged details about some of the key specifications. Apparently, Nintendo wants to make sure the Switch 2 is seen as a next-gen console and not just a basic upgrade. Along with that, a report has claimed that Nintendo might announce the NG Switch soon but to a likely limited audience.

NVIDIA has announced that its GeForce NOW library will grow by just over 40 games by the end of August 2023. The cloud gaming service will also add the full PC version of Baldur's Gate 3 this month, not to mention access to DOOM-, Wolfenstein- and Quake-series games as Bethesda's portfolio starts to appear on the platform.

The R7 7800X3D is currently priced at US$441, but Ebay now has an unbeatable offer for the Ryzen 9 7900X3D that also includes a Starfield game code for only US$439.

AMD’s cheapest RDNA 3 card, the RX 7600, has an MSRP of US$270. Folks that want something more affordable currently have no option but to shop for older GPUs. However, this might change with the RX 7500 specs of which have leaked out.

The Legion Slim 5 has received a 14-inch refresh. Offered with the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HS, the Legion Slim 5 14 also has an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 (105 W TGP) and a large battery that supports 140 W charging. Lenovo installs a 120 Hz OLED display too, among other features.

Best Buy has the 2023 ASUS TUF Gaming F15 for US$250 off the list price. Thanks to an RTX 4070 and a Core i7-12700H, the notebook has enough performance to handle even the most demanding games. Moreover, the laptop is also relatively portable due to its 4.58 lbs weight and 24.95 mm thin profile.

Dell has unveiled its newest pre-built gaming desktop, the Alienware Aurora R16. It supports up to an Intel Core i9-13900F, Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080, 64 GB of DDR5 RAM and a 1,000 Watt power supply. It goes for sale now, starting at US$1749.99.

For reference, the RX 7900 XTX / XT cards are considered "ultra-enthusiast", so AMD is not launching something more powerful than the RX 7900 XTX. Not yet, at least. Instead, Team Red is most likely readying the launch for the RX 7800 and 7700 cards.

The MSI Bravo 15 with an 8-core Ryzen 7 7735HS CPU, an RTX 4060 laptop GPU, 8 GB of expandable RAM, and 512 GB of upgradable storage is now enjoying 22% off the US$1,099 list price with free shipping on Newegg. Based on the performance of the CPU and GPU, the notebook appears to be a pretty sweet deal at less than US$900.

AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX and RX 7900 XT use drastically less power when VRR is turned on at the driver level per a new report by ComputerBase. The publication happened on this curious behavior while attempting to measure power draw with a 4K 144 Hz monitor with Adaptive Sync turned on.

A new report about the Nintendo Switch 2 has been published suggesting the next-generation hybrid console could be launched sporting an LCD screen. In addition, another Switch 2 release date timeframe has been offered and PixArt Imaging has provided clarification that probably doesn’t involve Nintendo’s ninjas.

Nvidia's RTX 4090 (Laptop) is the unquestionable champion as AMD keeps paying more attention to the desktop segment. The fastest graphics card for laptops from AMD was only good for the 3rd place in our little list.

The 32-inch Samsung Odyssey G7 with the model number LC32G75TQSNXZA is a curved gaming monitor that comes with 240 Hz refresh, 1 ms response time, and support for both G-Sync and FreeSync Premium Pro. With a list price of US$799.99, it is now 25% off on Amazon, so it can be acquired for US$599.99 instead.

One-netbook is preparing to launch its latest ONEXPLAYER-branded gaming handheld. Dubbed the ONEXFLY, the device will feature an AMD Ryzen 7 7840U APU, a 120 Hz display and up to 64 GB of RAM. Prices start at US$739 too, putting it within US$50 of the ASUS ROG Ally.

According to reports, NVIDIA has now decided to cancel the RTX 4090 Ti, which would have been the first outing for the company's full AD102 GPU. Now, what may well have been the cards' cooler design has emerged, revealing a quad slot design and a hidden third fan.