Gaming

After reporting RTX 4060 Ti’s hardware specifications last month, kopite7kimi is back with a revised power target for the card. The leaker now maintains that the midrange RTX 4060 Ti will have a much lower TDP than previously assumed. The new TDP figure is even lower than the RTX 3060 Ti which may come as a surprise to some.

Compared to the combinations of Intel CPU and Nvidia graphics, gaming laptops with a CPU and a GPU both from AMD are in the minority. If all pure AMD machines have major driver problems similar to the current Alienware m17 R5, then this is unlikely to change. It's a shame really, because the potential remains untapped.

Square Enix and Luminous Productions' Forspoken will be quite resource-heavy, as confirmed by its system requirements on PC. It requires at least 16 GB of RAM and 150 GB of hard drive space on top of beefy hardware. The game will launch on PC and PlayStation 5 on January 24.

Using a chipset often hailed as the best budget solution for 1080p gaming, the MSI Radeon RX 6600 MECH 2X 8G is a video card coming with a high list price of US$399.99. However, the ongoing 23% Amazon discount takes its price tag to a more reasonable US$309.95, less than 10% down from the US$329 launch price.

MSI's high-end Titan GT77HX packing the RTX 4090 and the Raider GE78HX with RTX 4090 or RTX 4080 are expected to ship on February 8. The Pulse and Katana models with RTX 4070 and RTX 4060 / RTX 4050, respectively will ship on February 22. Reports suggest that pre-orders should start February 1.

Google has outlined plans to update the Stadia Controller. Soon, the controller will be able to connect to devices via Bluetooth, rather than only using a wired connection outside the Google Stadia ecosystem.

Those HBO subscribers who are just now coming across Naughty Dog's Last of Us game universe thanks to the new TV series pilot that premiered there, will have a chance to play the PS5 game for free, too. Sony is giving away two full hours of gameplay to PlayStation Plus Premium subscribers.

Acer has introduced the Nitro XV5, a gaming monitor series that will combine modern connectivity standards with fast and high-resolution panels. The Nitro XV5 series will launch within the next few months with 200 Hz refresh rates and HDMI 2.1 ports, among other ports.

RedMagic has unleashed a combination of forward-looking AMOLED display technology, cutting-edge internals and a disproportionate amount of battery in the form of the 8 Pro (Global Edition). It also stands out due to its "sci-fi-inspired" design, with an exposed, active and RGB-lit fan in its higher-end Void SKU. The international market's latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 flagship smartphone will start at under US$700 on its release.

LG has announced the UltraGear 25GR75FG, its latest IPS-based gaming monitor. Equipped with a 24.5-inch and 1080p panel, the UltraGear 25GR75FG also delivers a fast refresh rate, low response times and VESA DisplayHDR 400 certification, among other features.

With a boost clock of up to 2622 MHz and 12 GB GDDR6 192-bit memory, the Gigabyte Radeon RX 6700 XT Gaming OC video card is now available on Amazon with a generous 38% discount. However, the discounted price of US$599 is still high for an RX 6700 XT, since most of its competitors (with slightly lower frequencies) retail for less than US$400.

A new mod for the original Final Fantasy 7 adds voiced lines throughout the game. The team behind the mod, Tsunamods, hired voice actors to record the entirety of the game's script. The mod is free to download but is only available for the PC version.

There have been heightened concerns recently following a discovery that standing PS5s may be prone to liquid metal leakage and eventual console failure. However, the original report has been now retracted as it was a misunderstanding of tweets from French repair shops. The problem can occur only if the PS5 has been manually dismantled affecting the liquid metal barrier and normal use in any position should pose no issues.

The Pulse GL76 excels in the big three: CPU, GPU, and display all for a reasonable price. A lot of extras features are missing, but they're not deal breakers for most gamers on a budget.

The powerful RTX 3070 Ti configuration of the Lenovo Legion 5 Pro comes with a decent 165Hz QHD display and a quick AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX CPU, which arguably makes this 16-inch gaming laptop a good purchase at US$1,439.

New details about the supposed modular PS5, which could end up being some sort of PlayStation 5 Slim console, have been shared by Tom Henderson. Unfortunately, the latest information about the potential 2023 PlayStation 5 revision with a detachable disc drive (PS5 Gen 2) is likely not going to please fans.

ComputerBase tested AMD's Adrenalin 22.12.2 drivers to see if power efficiency has improved in any way. As mentioned in the driver notes, 4K video playback now draws less power, but it is still higher compared to RDNA 2 cards, or even RTX 4000-series cards. A pleasant surprise, though is the significantly reduced power draw for games running at fixed frame rates.

The RedMagic 8 Pro is on track to become the only Android smartphone with a truly edge-to-edge display and the new top-end Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC on the international market in 2023. It is also touted to offer an improved design and advanced cooling on its late-January debut. It also ships with a relatively huge battery - albeit, as its latest teaser reveals, with caveats.

Amazon has reduced a popular ASUS TUF Gaming F15 configuration, taking the machine below US$1,000. The TUF Gaming F15 combines a Core i7-11800H with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti, plus a 90 Wh battery and a 15.6-inch display.

WB Games has revealed the minimum system requirements for Hogwarts Legacy, which include a Core i5-6500/Ryzen 5 1400, GeForce GTX 960/Radeon RX 470, 16 GB RAM and 85 GB hard drive space. The game is up for pre-order now and will be playable on February 10.

Released back in March 2019, Tom Clancy's The Division 2 allows the player to lead a team of elite agents against the forces of evil in a fight taking place in a post-pandemic Washington DC. The 70% deal brings the Standard Edition of the game down to US$9, while the Warlords of New York Ultimate Edition is now available for US$24.

The next major PlayStation 5 update version 7.00 will finally bring the highly-anticipated Discord integration, according to sources familiar with the matter. It will also let PS Plus Premium subscribers save precious hard drive space by allowing them to stream PS5 games off the cloud. The update should roll out to consoles worldwide in March 2023.

Thanks to the ongoing "MIDWEEK MADNESS" deal, NBA 2k23 is now available on Steam for just US$20.99. However, those also interested in playing golf can (allegedly) take advantage of the PGA Tour 2K23 X NBA 2k23 Bundle, which is available for US$79.99. Lastly, NBA 2K23 Michael Jordan Edition is now US$49.99 (50% off).

Razer's extremely sensitive wireless gaming mouse, the Basilisk Ultimate, comes with RGB illumination, a practical charging dock and a significantly discounted price tag of currently US$69 at the reputable US retailer Best Buy.

With the introduction of the IMG DXT GPUs, Imagination wants to enable ray-traced graphics for all smartphone users, regardless of budget. The updated Photon ray tracing architecture can scale from half a ray acceleration cluster for entry-level mobile SoCs to a 4-cluster design for the premium handhelds.

With an Amazon list price of US$2,599, the MSI Raider GE77 HX 12UGS-004 carries a lower US$2,199.99 price tag on MSI's website. Thankfully, this 17.3-inch gaming laptop with i7-12800H X and 3070 Ti inside can be acquired now from both locations for US$1,999.99, which translates to a generous 23% discount for Amazon users.

Some hints in the Xbox store suggest Microsoft could bring Ubisoft Plus to Xbox consoles in the next few days. It comes nearly a year after Ubisoft said the subscription service would be available on Xbox.

The gigantic 48-inch display from LG is arguably one of the prettiest OLED gaming monitors on the market, and thanks to a current deal, the UltraGear 48GQ900 can now be ordered for one of its lowest sale prices to date.

No less than 48 unrepairable RX 6800 / 6900 graphics cards popped up over the past 3 weeks at a German GPU repair service. All these cards were running on the latest Adrenalin driver, but the driver alone is probably not the culprit here, as some of the cards also exhibit a cracked GPU die.

Microsoft has announced Developer Direct, an event where it will show off various titles coming to Xbox/PC and Game Pass in 2023. Starfield will not be a part of the demo as the company plans to showcase it at a different time.

AMD's official product page for the Ryzen 7 7800X3D, Ryzen 9 7900X3D and Ryzen 9 7950X3D confirms the processors will be launched on February 14. Unfortunately, their prices continue to remain unknown. Update: An AMD spokesperson has confirmed the processors will not launch on February 14, but at an unspecified date in the same month.

Asus will be moving away from the awkward soldered and removable hybrid approach on some Zephyrus models moving forward. The new Zephyrus M16 models will instead have 2x SODIMM slots for more freedom in end-user upgradeability.

Prices for the XMG NEO 16 (E23) GPU upgrade options have been revealed, and those wanting an RTX 4080 or RTX 4090 laptop need to be prepared to pay a small fortune. The NEO 16, which is so powerful it comes with a liquid metal cooling system, starts at a price of €2,199 (US$2,362) for a system with an RTX 4060 GPU and Intel Core i9-13900HX CPU.

Lenovo may have cancelled the Legion Play, but prototypes are selling in China. The leak confirms Lenovo Legion Play specifications and that prototype units were in a near retail state.

The MSI G321Q is one of the company's latest gaming monitors. Revealed alongside the MAG321QR-QD, the MSI G321Q has a 32-inch IPS display, a 1080p native resolution and a 170 Hz refresh rate, among other features.

MSI has presented the MAG321QR-QD, a 32-inch and 1440p gaming monitor that also has a 170 Hz refresh rate. Offered with a USB hub, the MAG321QR-QD supports MSI's new console mode and is VESA DisplayHDR 400 certified.

Although it lacks height adjustment and uses a TN panel, its 1 ms response time and 75 Hz refresh rate make the BenQ GL2780 an attractive choice for gamers on a tight budget. The ongoing discount (on both Amazon and BenQ's website) brings this FHD 27-inch monitor to US$149.99, 29% down from the list price of US$209.99.

Dell has unveiled the Alienware 500Hz Gaming Monitor (AW2524H), a 24.5-inch Fast IPS monitor that outputs at up to 500 Hz. The AW2524H will do battle with the ROG Swift Pro PG248QP, which ASUS claims can reach 540 Hz. Dell will start selling the Alienware 500Hz Gaming Monitor internationally by the end of this quarter.

Released in mid-2022, the Samsung Odyssey Neo G7 is a 32-inch curved gaming monitor with 4K UHD resolution, 165 Hz refresh rate, and 1 ms response time. With a US$1,299.99 list price, it is compatible with AMD FreeSync Premium Pro and NVIDIA G-Sync. After Amazon's 23% discount, its price is US$999.99.

A report from Winfuture.de says the PlayStation 5 will soon be purchasable with an extra controller in the box. The bundle is expected to hit shelves sometime in January 2023.

With an impressive refresh rate of 165 Hz and 1 ms GtG response time, the Dell G2722HS gaming monitor also sports a 99% sRGB color gamut and comes covered by a 3-year advanced exchange service and premium panel exchange limited warranty. With an estimated value of US$279.99, the G2722HS is now available from Dell US for just US$149.99.

The budget-friendly wireless gaming mouse made by the reputable periphery manufacturer Logitech has returned to its lowest sale price yet on Amazon, where the G305 Lightspeed can now be purchased for US$29.

The Steam Winter Sale is over but that doesn't mean the discounts have stopped. Steam is kicking 2023 off with a bang, offering plenty of great games at reduced rates. Here are four discounted titles that shouldn't be missed.