Gaming

Nvidia offered a sneak peek at the upcoming RTX 3090 Ti during its CES 2022 keynote. The company offered only a few TFLOPs numbers and did not delve into the actual specifications. However, much of the information about the RTX 3090 Ti have already leaked before except the actual base and boost clocks of the GA102-350 GPU.

Gigabyte has outdone itself with the 2022 AORUS and AERO laptop series by fixing every user complaint about their predecessors in one fell swoop. The new AORUS and AERO laptops sport 90% screen-to-body ratio, more orthodox camera placement, and all the modern bells and whistles like fast 4K 120Hz mini-LED or OLED displays, 360Hz IPS panels for gamers, plus up to RTX 3080 Ti GPU and Core-i9 Alder Lake processing specs and Thunderbolt 4 ports.

Razer will soon let users control their RGB-enabled devices with a smartphone app called Razer Smart Home. It has also invited other OEMs to join the ecosystem via the Razer Chroma Smart Home Program, which includes the likes of Nanoleaf, LIFX, Yeelight, Monster, and Twinkly.

The Razer Blade 15 has been refreshed with new hardware, including an Intel Core i9-12900HK/Core i7-12800H, Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Ti/3070 Ti, and up to a 4K 144Hz screen. One can pre-order it on January 25 from Razer's website starting at US$2,499.

Asus has upgraded its TUF Gaming lineup with new offerings from Intel and AMD. This year, the TUF Dash F15 and TUF Gaming F15 and TUF Gaming F17 get Intel Alder Lake-H and RTX 30 GPUs up to 140 W while the TUF Gaming A15 and TUF Gaming A17 offer up to Ryzen 7 6800H APUs. All TUF Gaming laptops now come with a dedicated MUX switch to channel dGPU output directly to the display.

Corsair has presented the new One i300 gaming PC with Alder Lake processors and new RTX 30 series GPUs. The Corsair One i300 is available with either an RTX 3080 or RTX 3080 Ti, plus up to 64 GB of RAM and a 2 TB SSD. The revised Corsair One i300 starts at US$3,999.99 and features a liquid cooling system.

One-netbook has confirmed when it will launch the ONEXPLAYER mini, its latest handheld gaming device. The ONEXPLAYER mini is already orderable in Japan with a 1200p display, a Core i7-1195G7 and 16 GB of RAM. The ONEXPLAYER mini will arrive globally before the middle of January.

Razer has unveiled a limited edition version of the Fossil Gen 6. The Razer X Fossil Gen 6 contains three watch dials and two Razer-branded watch straps, but no hardware changes from the Fossil Gen 6. Fossil and Razer will only sell 1,337 Razer X Fossil Gen 6 units, starting later this month.

Lenovo has introduced its latest Legion gaming mice. The new peripherals come in wired and wireless options, the second of which has been equipped with lightweight, comfort-focused builds and ultra-high DPIs. The M300s and M600s also features RGB, used to illuminate their familiar branding.

The entry-level gaming monitors Lenovo G27qe-20 and G24qe-20 come with a 1 ms MPRT response time, 100 Hz refresh rate, AMD FreeSync and Lenovo Artery support, and more. Both are certified by Eyesafe to provide a superior viewing experience without eye strain or color distortion. They will hit the market in March, starting at US$259.99.

The AMD FreeSync Premium-compatible Lenovo Legion Y25-30 is a 3-side NearEdgeless IPS gaming monitor with a smart variable refresh rate of up to 240 Hz, 1 ms response time (0.5 ms moving picture response time), integrated stereo speakers, a USB hub, and more. It will launch in May, starting at US$339.99.

Lenovo has announced upgraded Legion 5 gaming laptops at CES 2022. These include the Intel Alder Lake-H based Legion 5i and Legion 5i Pro and the AMD Ryzen 6000H-based Legion 5 and Legion 5 Pro. All Legion 5 laptops offer configuration options up to 32 GB DDR5-4800 RAM and the RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU along with high-refresh rate Dolby Vision-certified displays.

An Nvidia GeForce RTX 3090 Founders Edition board has been listed on eBay for more than four times its MSRP of US$1,499. In what could be perceived as another insult to gamers hunting for an Ampere card at close to MSRP, a used mining rig featuring six RTX 30-series cards has been listed for the princely sum of US$16,000.

The AYA NEO NEXT has been revealed, which will be available in four configurations. The Ryzen 7 5800U-powered machine will launch for at least US$1,265 when it goes up for crowdfunding next month. However, little has changed between existing AYA NEO models and the AYA NEO NEXT.

Epic Games is offering Tomb Raider GOTY, Rise of the Tomb Raider: 20 Year Celebration and the Shadow of the Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition for free on PC. The Tomb Raider Trilogy should run well on most systems, but the promotion ends soon.

At CES 2022, AMD showed off its first 3D V-cache enabled chip, the Ryzen 7 5800X3D, targeted at gamers with performance that rivals that of the Ryzen 9 5900X and the Core i9-12900K. AMD CEO Lisa Su also offered the first sneak peek at Zen 4 and Socket AM5 that are slated for a 2H 2022 release

Sony will have a new virtual reality headset about five years after the PlayStation VR hit the shelves. It just previewed the PSVR2 features by tipping brand new Sense controller features, 'stunning visuals,' and an exclusive Horizon Call of the Mountain title written specifically for the PlayStation VR2 launch. Sony also released the first Horizon Call of The Mountain VR trailer, indicating that the PSVR2 launch is near.

At just 210 x 203 x 62.2 mm, the GeForce RTX 3080-powered mini PC is almost 70 percent smaller than the Asus ROG Strix RTX 3080 OC that's meant for desktop form factors.

Acer has revealed the Predator Orion 5000 and the Orion 3000 gaming desktops for high-end and mid-range gaming markets. Orion 5000 desktop is the more expensive of the two with a 12th gen Intel Core i7 processor and an RTX 3080 GPU, while the cheaper Orion 3000 packs an RTX 3070.

MSI has refreshed the Raider GE76 and GE66 gaming laptops with Alder Lake processors, Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Ti and 3070 Ti graphics cards, DDDR5 RAM and more. Prices start at US$1,599 and go all the way up to USD 4,199.

MSI has upgraded the Creator Z17, which now supports Alder Lake-P processors and up to an RTX 3080 Ti GPU. The machine starts at US$3,249 but costs at least US$3,999 if you want a Core i9-12900H GPU. Meanwhile, the RTX 3080 Ti will set you back US$4,599.

The MSI Stealth GS77 has received a refresh to Alder Lake-P processors and NVIDIA Ampere GPUs. The upgraded machine starts at US$1,799 and rises to US$4,199 for a configuration with a Core i9-12900H, RTX 3080 Ti, 32 GB of RAM and a 1 TB SSD.

MSI's updated Crosshair 17 comes equipped with an Intel Core i7-12700H and either an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 or GeForce RTX 3070. The mid-range gaming laptop also features 16 GB of DDR4 RAM, 512 GB of PCIe Gen 4x4 storage, and a 17.3-inch FHD 144 Hz display.

Liquid metal was a notable selling point for all 2021 Asus ROG laptops and a few Alienware models. MSI will finally have its own liquid metal option for some of its G series laptops beginning this year.

MSI showed off the new Crosshair 15 midrange gaming laptop, replete with either a 12th Gen Intel Core i7 or Core i9 CPU and a 30 series Nvidia GeForce RTX GPU. MSI also unveiled the Crosshair 15 Rainbow Six Extraction Edition, which bears logos from the forthcoming Ubisoft game Rainbow Six Extraction.

MSI has revealed the Creator Z16P, a 16-inch laptop with plenty of high-end hardware inside. The Creator Z16P will be configurable with up to a Core i9-12900H processor, a GeForce RTX 3080 Ti GPU and 64 GB of DDR5-4800 RAM. The laptop has a 1600p display too and starts at US$2,999.

Nvidia's fourth-generation Max-Q tech has been announced. The company claims that it can help bolster performance by making the graphics card work with the CPU. On the flip side, it can also help enhance battery life by up to 70%.

Dell has unveiled the Alienware x14 gaming laptop with an Intel Core i9-12900H, GeForce RTX 3060, a 144Hz screen, and DDR5 RAM. The laptop will be available for purchase later in 2022, starting at US$1,499.

Asus has refreshed the ROG Zephyrus G14 with the Ryzen 9 6980HX, Radeon RX 6800S and a 16:10 QHD screen. It also features a MUX switch that switches between the dGPU and iGPU in real time. It will hit shelves in Q1 2022 for EUR 1,899 (US$2,150).

Nvidia has lifted the curtain off the laptop GeForce RTX 3080 Ti and RTX 3070 Ti variants. However, it hasn't told us much in the way of specifications, other than the fact that the former runs 16GB of VRAM. Laptops powered by both SKUs will hit shelves on February 1.

Acer has unveiled the Predator CG48, an OLED gaming monitor. As its name suggests, the Predator CG48 has a 48-inch panel, making it much larger than most gaming monitors. The Predator CG48 has a 138 Hz refresh rate too, but its high price tag and protracted release date may have some people looking elsewhere.

Acer has refreshed the Predator Triton 500 SE with the Intel Core i9-12900H, 32GB of 5,200MT/s DDR5 RAM, a 16-inch 240Hz panel and more. It will go on sale in late February 2022 for UR 2,499 (US$2,830).

The Acer Predator Helios 300 has received a much-needed Alder Lake upgrade along with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 Ti. Other specs include a 165Hz QHD screen (15.6-inch and 17.3-inch), 32GB of 4,800MT/s DDR5 RAM, and Wi-Fi 6E. It will go on sale in March 2022, starting at EUR 1,799 (US$2,038).

The Acer Nitro 5 gets a dose of new processors from Intel, AMD and new Nvidia graphics cards, along with a new 165Hz QHD screen, which is available in 15.6-inch and 17.3-inch flavours. Prices start at EUR 1,499 (US$1,700), and availability begins in March 2022.

HP has now brought its Victus gaming sub-brand to the desktop with the Victus by HP 15L PC. Victus by HP 15L aims to further enhance mainstream gaming by offering a choice of the latest Intel 12th gen Alder Lake processors or AMD Ryzen 7 5000G APUs along with GeForce RTX 3060 Ti and Radeon RX 6600 XT GPU options.

The HP Envy Desktop is now official with Intel Alder Lake processors, Nvidia Ampere/AMD RDNA2 graphics cards, up to 128GB RAM, 3TB storage, and more. It will be available for purchase in spring 2022 for an unspecified price.

The HP Omen 45L will be available in select regions starting January 5. One can configure it with up to an Intel Core i9-12900K, GeForce RTX 3090, 1TB NVMe SSD, and an 800W power supply. Prices start at US$1,899 for the entry-level variant.

The affordable HP Omen 25L gaming desktop is configurable with 12th-generation Intel Alder Lake/AMD Ryzen 5000G processors and Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti/AMD Radeon RX 6700XT graphics cards. Its price and availability will be revealed at a later date

HP is introducing a new entrant into the Omen gaming monitor lineup with the Omen 27u. The Omen 27u is a 4K gaming monitor that can offer up to 120 Hz refresh rates with PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X consoles via HDMI 2.1 and up to 144 Hz when connected to a PC via DisplayPort 1.4. The Omen 27u covers 95% DCI-P3 color gamut and also supports AMD FreeSync Premium Pro.

Intel has now made the Alder Lake-H mobile processors official. The Intel Alder Lake-H lineup is led by the flagship Core i9-12900HK and is said to offer improved raw performance and better performance per watt compared to the Apple M1 Max and the Ryzen 9 5900HX. Intel also listed the SKUs available under the Alder Lake-P and Alder Lake-U families.

HyperX has revealed the Cloud Alpha Wireless Gaming Headset, a new headset with a removable microphone. The headset offers up to 300 hours of battery life and has 50 mm drivers, among other features. The Cloud Alpha Wireless Gaming Headset will be available next month for US$199.99.

HyperX has introduced the Clutch Wireless Gaming Controller, a US$49.99 controller that supports Android devices and PCs. The Clutch Wireless Gaming Controller has a familiar button layout, plus support for 2.4 GHz, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity.

The HyperX Cloud II Gaming Headset has 53 mm drivers, a vibrant colour scheme and an audio control box. The headset offers 7.1 virtual surround sound too, along with a uni-directional microphone. The Cloud II Gaming Headset will retail for US$99.99 when HyperX starts selling it in March.

The HyperX Pulsefire Haste Wireless Gaming Mouse has arrived in two colours. The Pixart PAW3335-equipped gaming mouse supports RGB, up to 100 hours of battery life and wired or wireless connections. The Pulsefire Haste Wireless Gaming Mouse will be available for US$79.99.

The HyperX Alloy Origins 65 is a 65% mechanical gaming keyboard. The compact keyboard has dedicated arrow, delete, page up, and page down keys though, plus media controls. The HyperX Alloy Origins 65 Mechanical Gaming Keyboard will sell for US$99.99 will be available with a choice of three switch types.

The HyperX Cloud Core Gaming Headset is a US$69.99 gaming headset with removable accessories. The headset is available in one colour and has 53 mm drivers, among other features.

At CES 2022, Dell has announced the Alienware x15 R2 with upgraded internals and a design philosophy similar to last year's x15 R1. The Alienware x15 R2 can be configured in Intel Alder Lake Core i7-12700H and Core i9-12900H 14-core 20-thread options along with a choice of several Dolby Vision displays and storage tiers. The LPDDR5 RAM comes soldered on the motherboard.

Dell announced the new Alienware x17 R2 at CES 2022 featuring Intel Alder Lake-H processors up to the Core i9-12900HK, Nvidia RTX 3080 Ti graphics, and 17.3-inch UHD 120 Hz display options. The Alienware x17 R2 also offers expandable DDR5-4800 memory, 12-phase GPU VRMs, and an optional CherryMX ultra-low profile mechanical keyboard.

AMD has taken the covers off its entry-level offerings, the Radeon RX 6500 XT and Radeon RX 6400. Both graphics cards use a Navi 24 GPU and feature 4GB of GDDR6 video memory. The Radeon 6500 XT will cost US$199 and be purchasable in the United States on January 19.