Gaming

Sony has started shipping a new revision of the PlayStation 5, the second so far. The second revision has received a helpful upgrade and even a slight weight reduction.

The Ryzen 7 5800H APU and the GeForce RTX 3070 laptop GPU bring all modern games smoothly onto the matte 15.6-inch display (2560x1440 pixels, IPS, 144 Hz). Due to the low TGP, the GPU performs below its potential. The laptop offers room for three storage drives (2x M.2 SSD, 1x 2.5-inch).

ZTE'S high-end Android gaming brand Nubia may be gearing up for its next launch event, despite having already released its flagship 6 and 6 Pro in 2021. This leak has given rise to speculation that this upcoming show is for a 6S, which would succeed an analogous iterative refresh from the previous year.

Bethesda has already released countless versions of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, but the company is not ready to move onto The Elder Scrolls VI just yet. Come November, Elder Scrolls fans will also be able to experience a tenth Anniversary Edition and a next-gen upgrade.

The folks over at Froggi.es recently updated Super Mario 64: Browser Edition to support iOS and Android devices. The browser game is compatible with Bluetooth and wired controllers like the Razer Kishi and runs remarkably well.

Microsoft has unveiled the Xbox Stereo Headset, a wired alternative to the Xbox Wireless Headset. Bluetooth and batteries are missing from Microsoft's latest headphones, but that has helped keep the price low.

A small tool developed by @beeradmore makes it significantly easier for NVIDIA RTX graphics card owners to run games with the latest DLSS libraries, potentially improving in-game image quality and performance.

At a time when companies like Remedy have received flak for how they handle cross-gen game upgrades, EA has decided on a $40 asking price for NHL 22 cross-gen compatibility. Gamers will need to shell out $100 for what’s described as “cross-gen entitlement,” nearly double the cost of the base game.

Asus has revived the nearly seven-year-old Nvidia GeForce GT 730. Its key specs include 2GB of GDDR5 VRAM, 384 CUDA cores and four HDMI 1.4 ports. Information about its price and availability is unknown for now.

According to a new leak, Intel is currently developing a gaming laptop called the NUC X15. The machine will feature up to a 1440p and 240 Hz display, powered by NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 or RTX 3070 GPUs. The NUC X15 will have two M.2 SSDs drive bays, too.

In a recent earnings call, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang stated that the company would have trouble keeping up with demand for its GeForce RTX graphics cards. The shortage will likely continue till the end of 2022, the statement adds.

Intel detailed some of the technical aspects of its upcoming Arc Xe-HPG Alchemist DG2 GPU during its Architecture Day 2021 presentation. Arc DG2 is fabbed on the TSMC 6 nm process and is comprised of what Intel calls as Xe-cores, with up to 4 Xe-cores in a render slice which also includes ray tracing cores and fixed function units.

Asus has launched a special edition of its ROG Zephyrus G14 gaming laptop. The new device is the result of a collaboration with DJ Alan Walker and features a DJ mixing deck built into the packaging along with some other unique design touches and bonus items.

The next generation of high performance memory should impress customers with its higher clock frequencies and other technical improvements that allow for an increased efficiency and better overclocking. PNY predicts that it will take two years until DDR5 overtakes DDR4 in terms of popularity, which makes it likely that this first generation of DDR5 memory will be especially geared towards gamers and enthusiasts.

AMD may restrict the RDNA 3 architecture only to top-tier Navi 3x offerings such as Navi 31, Navi 32, and Navi 33, according to a new leak. SKUs from Navi 34 onwards may use a 6 nm refresh of the Navi 24, Navi 23, and Navi 22. Only Navi 31 and Navi 32 are currently expected to feature an MCM design.

Intel's upcoming Arc Xe-HPG DG2 Alchemist desktop GPU could sport a dual-slot, dual-cooler design with dual 9-blade fans going by hints in Intel's teaser video. Arc Alchemist will support all of DirectX12 Ultimate features, and Intel will likely talk about its own AI-based supersampling technology later this week.

CDPR has left fans waiting a while, but it has finally delivered a new update for Cyberpunk 2077. Patch 1.3 contains over 500 fixes and changes, such as the ability to reallocate Perk points and a better minimap when driving. Cyberpunk 2077's latest patch also includes a few 'free DLCs' too.

The AYN Odin features a 5.98-inch and 1080p display, along with LPDDR4x RAM and UFS 2.1 storage. The machine will be available in three models, starting with the US$165 Odin Lite. The AYN Odin will be available in multiple colours, too.

RTX 3050? More like GTX 3050. Nvidia introduced the "RTX" moniker to imply real-time ray tracing capabilities and acceleration, but the GeForce RTX 3050 is looking worse than even the GTX 1660 Ti.

The Bangladesh High Court has asked the government to ban popular mobile apps such as PUBG Mobile, Garena Free Fire, TikTok, Likee and Bigo Live for three months. The court claims that the apps affect the country's youth, giving the authorities ten days to comply.

An Asus ROG Zephyrus Duo 15 SE powered by the AMD Ryzen 9 5980HX Cezanne APU and Nvidia RTX 3080 Laptop GPU has been spotted on Geekbench. While we do see performance gains compared to an average Ryzen 9 5900HX, they are not very high and seem to be well within the margin of error.

Asus has silently refreshed its flagship ROG Phone 5 gaming phone with the ROG Phone 5S. The ROG Phone 5S comes in 5S and 5S Pro variants. The improvements are minimal with the primary upgrade being the use of the latest Snapdragon 888 Plus SoC and a color ROG Vision display for the ROG Phone 5S Pro version.

NVIDIA's Lite Hash Rate algorithm has been broken again, but not by the company itself this time. Instead, a new version of NBMiner has improved the mining performance of GeForce RTX 30 LHR cards by up to 40%, bringing them closer to their theoretical peak hash rates. NBMiner 39.0 is compatible with NVIDIA's latest graphics drivers on Linux and Windows.

The recently previewed Radeon RX 6900 XT video card made by XFX in collaboration with masters of water cooling solutions EKWB will be added to the existing lineup of Speedster video cards by the Ontario-based company. There is no word regarding its availability and pricing, but it is safe to assume that the upcoming card will be rare and expensive.

Microsoft is finally bringing 4K resolution to the Xbox Series X UI, but the update is only available to Xbox Insiders at this stage. The changes upgrade the UI for dashboard and other elements from 1080p to 4K.

The hacker who found the critical security flaw in Steam's payment process promptly reported the exploit to Valve and has since been rewarded for his honesty.

Cyberpunk 2077 is all set to receive a new update soon. Patch 1.3 will let players reset their perks in real-time and add a few minor QoL upgrades to the game's UI. The developers will tell us more about the update on August 17 on Twitch.

According to new reports, NVIDIA's Hopper architecture could tape out at the start of 2022, or late 2021 at an early estimate. Meanwhile, mass production of GeForce RTX 40 series GPUs is expected to start in the middle of next year, so an autumn or winter 2022 release could be on the cards for NVIDIA's next-generation graphics cards.

Intel's upcoming Xe-HPG family will now be officially called Intel Arc. Intel Arc is a multi-generational product with the first generation DG2 being codenamed Alchemist and slated for a Q1 2022 launch in both desktop and mobile form factors. Successive Arc generations will include Battlemage, Celestial, and Druid. Intel said that Alchemist will offer native support for all DX12 Ultimate features.

The new LG UltraFine OLED monitors have appeared on the pages of the popular US retailer B&H Photo. Those wanting the 31.5-inch LG UltraFine 32EP950-B model better be prepared to shell out a lot of money for the computer display while the also pricey 27-inch 27EP950-B tilt monitor is expected to be available in November.

The GPD XP is the company's latest gaming handheld, but it will not compete against the AYA NEO, ONEXPLAYER or the Steam Deck. Instead, the GPD XP will face off against gaming smartphones, with the advantage of having a modular controller.

The Legion 5 Pro from Lenovo shows many of the characteristics that make a good gaming laptop. The QHD display in the 16:10 format that is very bright at 522 cd/m² was excellent in our test. The CPU and GPU in the Legion appear to be well matched to the display resolution.

There has been an early sighting of a Black Shark 5 smartphone, with some outlets already reporting that the gaming smartphone could be released later this year. According to one leaker, the Black Shark 5 can expect to enlist the help of the Snapdragon 888+ processor for some serious synthetic benchmark results.

Electronic Arts may be four months off from releasing Battlefield 2042, but gameplay footage has already leaked. Taken during a technical playtest, the footage shows multiple aspects of the upcoming triple-A title, including one of its huge maps.

On the lookout for your next budget gaming laptop? Then you may want to skip the 8 nm GeForce RTX 3050 and just consider the 12 nm GTX 1660 Ti or RTX 2060 instead. Not only are these older options faster, but they are likely to be less expensive as well.

A new entry on UserBenchmark shows that Gigabyte has a new AORUS 17G gaming laptop in development with an Intel Alder Lake processor containing 14 cores and 20 threads. The machine also has DDR5 RAM clocked at 4,800 MHz.

A long video showing extensive gameplay from Age of Empires IV has been leaked. The upcoming real-time strategy (RTS) title is the latest addition to the storied Age of Empires franchise and is being developed by Relic Entertainment. The closed beta testing phase for Age of Empires IV began on August 5.

Cable Matters' latest USB type-C dongle is rated to connect an up-to-Thunderbolt 4/USB4 PC to an 8K monitor via HDMI 2.1. It has 2 variants: one with a DisplayPort and an 8K-capable HDMI port, and another with dual HDMIs for 1 8K monitor or 2 at 4K. Therefore, the OEM touts its new portable accessory as ideal for both remote work and gaming.

AYA has announced more upgrades for the NEO, its first console. The NEO 2021 PRO features an upgraded APU, more storage and a retro-looking special edition model. The upgrades come at a price though, literally.

Valve has revealed new details about the Steam Deck, including the console's expected performance when docked. Early hands-on videos have offered a glimpse at what framerates we should expect from the first RDNA 2-based handheld console, too.

A fan of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild has developed a website with a Google maps overview of the game. The interactive map not only provides a birds-eye view of Hyrule, but also 'Street View' panorama shots of multiple in-game locations.

A new leak from Twitter says that Asus has a new gaming smartphone in store for us. It is called the ROG Phone 5s and it will allegedly run Qualcomm’s newest Snapdragon 888+ SoC. Asus is expected to launch the device on August 16.

A third-party upscaling tool created by a Chinese developer allows any Windows game running at a lower resolution in windowed mode to upscale to native monitor resolution using an early implementation of AMD's FSR technology. Users have been reporting decent levels of upscaling and increased fps though at the cost of increased frametimes, latency, and CPU usage.