Gaming

Among the surprising news stories to come out of Microsoft’s Windows 11 announcements is its plan to open up its own Windows 11 Store to third-party app stores. Currently, stores like the Epic Games store and Valve Steam store sell their games via web stores but Microsoft is inviting them to sell their catalogs from directly within its own store.

A Switch vs. Switch Pro comparison video has been created that details how games could look when running on Nintendo’s next-gen console. The creator has used software and hardware tools to offer a simulated approximation of the potential graphics differences. It’s clear that many gamers want the Nintendo Switch Pro to offer 1080p at 60 FPS gaming.

Alienware offers its new m15 either with AMD Ryzen or Intel Tiger Lake-H processors, but the AMD model offers a better price-performance ratio and the more efficient CPU.

According to the latest insider info relayed through RedGamingTech, Intel will not be able to ready the DG2 gaming GPUs in desktop form this year. Instead, Intel will be focusing on releasing laptop-grade DG2 GPUs, as these are much more stable at lower voltages / frequencies and it is also easier to supply this sort of chips together with mobile CPUs to laptop integrator partners. Top performance in this case would only match a desktop RTX 3060 Ti.

One year ago, Zhaoxin was announcing its intentions to enter the discrete gaming GPU market with a 70 W TGP 28 nm model releasing some time in 2021. From what we can see in the pictures released by Glenfly, Zhaoxin already has some working engineering samples, but Chinese sources are now claiming that these particular models have been cancelled. Could be because of the unsatisfactory performance.

Patch 1.23 has improved Cyberpunk 2077's playability on the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 4 Pro, despite containing no PlayStation-specific changes. The game's engine continues to struggle running on AMD's Jaguar cores though, resulting in an unacceptable amount of in-game pop-in.

Apparent new information about the Nintendo Switch Pro’s SoC has come to light, with the codename “Black Knight” being offered up for it. Ensuing speculation has suggested once more that a new Nvidia mobile chip will star in the Switch Pro, leaving the console’s origin story as Aula even further in the distance.

Microsoft has announced Windows 11, complete with a new UI and layout. The Redmond giant also asserts that some of these changes are pitched at gamers. This, naturally, involves Xbox Game Pass, as well as Auto HDR and the new Direct Storage API.

Previous leaks were already suggesting that the RDNA3 GPUs should be more than twice as fast as the current RX 6800 XT models thanks to the multi-chip module approach, but fresh rumors now claim that the impressive raster and ray tracing performance of the RDNA3 is also enabled through a massive increase in Infinity Cache memory capacity.

Luminous Studios’ Takeshi Aramaki spoke about the benefits of leverage AMD’s FidelityFX Super Resolution technology. Alongside praise for FSR’s image quality, Aramaki stated that it took the Luminous team just a single day to implement FSR tech in their game.

The AOC Agon AG274QXM is a new gaming monitor with a few tricks up its sleeve. Not only does the 27-inch monitor deliver a 170 Hz refresh rate, but it does so with a mini-LED panel. The Agon AG274QXM is colour accurate enough for photo and video editing, too.

Three hundred lucky gamers will be able to play Doom Eternal in all of its ray-traced glory thanks to the Doom Eternal GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Demon Slayer Bundle. It costs US$1,450 and gets you a copy of the game, a graphics card and a host of other goodies. Unfortunately, only people based in North America, Europe and Australia can participate in the raffle.

Microsoft has announced some new “Designed for Xbox” monitors that have been created with the Xbox Series X|S consoles in mind. The Asus Strix Xbox Edition Gaming Monitor XG43UQ and Acer Xbox Edition Gaming Monitor XV282K KV come with plenty of bells and whistles, but they are also quite pricey.

Sony is targeting the original PlayStation console’s sales record of 22.6 million units sold in a single fiscal year with the PlayStation 5. The PS5 has already got off to a record start and with production reportedly ramping up over summer a record-beating financial year of 2022 could be on the cards, with help from female buyers and growing opportunity markets.

A new project takes the humble Raspberry Pi and utilises it as part of a DIY Adventure Time BMO. The project relies on a Raspberry Pi 3B and Raspbian, along with several other parts.

Philips has finally confirmed the price of the Momentum 559M1RYV, its latest 55-inch gaming monitor. The Momentum 559M1RYV is also the world's first 'Designed for Xbox' gaming monitor, and features a unique Xbox Game Mode.

The latest flagship Android phones of the "gaming" variety have not exactly covered themselves in glory in terms of robustness thus far. The RedMagic 6 is the latest to step forward in this arena with its debut on the JerryRigEverything YouTube channel. Can it improve on the Asus ROG Phone 5 and Lenovo Legion Phone 2 Pro's disastrous record?

Silent Hill fans have been speculating over the possibility that Hideo Kojima was preparing a new game in the series, potentially Silent Hills, for release on the PlayStation 5. A teaser tweet from indie game studio Blue Box sparked much of the speculation, leading the firm’s head to post a somewhat emotional video to play down any connection.

Sony has finally decided to bring Cyberpunk 2077 back to the PlayStation Store, over six months after the company delisted the game. Cyberpunk 2077 is now cheaper too, but there is a warning for the base PS4 console in the absence of more development from CDPR.

NVIDIA has announced a few updates to DLSS just in time for AMD's FSR-related announcements tomorrow. NVIDIA said that several new titles will be offering DLSS support in the coming weeks. DLSS plugins are already available for popular game engines, and Vulkan titles running on Linux via Proton will also get DLSS enhancements from tomorrow.

Industry insider Shpeshal Nick says that there is a Quake remaster in the works. Both Id Software and Machine games are said to be working on the game, which is expected to feature single and multiplayer elements.

Samsung has launched three new Odyssey gaming monitors. Unlike its previous entries which predominantly featured 1000R curved displays, the new Odyssey monitors are all traditional flat screens.

AMD quietly released its liquid-cooled RX 6900XT LC to Indian system integrators. Some resellers appear to have 6900 XT LC stock which they’re selling without a system for an incredible US$3007.

(Update: The system is now down to $949) Amazon Prime Day will be your chance to grab the entry-level Razer Blade 15 Base Model complete with eGPU support, expandable RAM, and a 120 Hz display for its cheapest price yet.

Sony has offered an invite to all PS5 gamers to join its first ever beta program. The offer is open to gamers 18 years or older living in the United States, Canada, Japan, United Kingdom, France and Germany.

A PS5 devkit in action has appeared in a TikTok video clip, and it has even been joined by what looks like an Xbox One X/Project Scorpio devkit. There have been many real-life images of the PS5 devkit leaked at various points, but this is arguably a first video look at a working machine. Commenters have been praising and lamenting the design in equal measure.

(Update: Nvidia responds). Nvidia's in-house claims about the performance of its GeForce MX450 GPU are a whopping 60 to 70 percent higher than any retail unit we've tested thus far. Here is how the GeForce MX450 will actually perform when you buy one online or in-store.

The cut-down version of the high-end DG2-512 is clocked at 1.8 GHz max and is only 5% slower than the RTX 3070 or 8% slower than the RX 6700 XT. This means that the 512 EU variant could indeed compete with the RTX 3080 and RX 6800, as posited in previous leaks. Additionally, the leak reveals that the 128 EU variant is 12% faster than the Nvidia GTX 1650, although it is unclear what testing suite was used.

Samsung has been linked to a 15-inch version of its Notebook 7 that runs on Tiger Lake silicon and RTX 3050-series graphics for a few months now. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has just registered a device with specs that line up with this description. It also has up to 32GB of RAM and up to 1TB of storage.

Gigabyte improves system performance in particular with the hardware configuration of the Aorus 15P YD. Compared with last year's model, there are new advantages as well as disadvantages.

Epic Games have made two more games free for the next week. The company will be giving away two more games next week too, of which Sonic Mania is one.

Schenker has announced the release of the XMG Core 15 and 17 (M21) laptops. They may be refreshed versions of their early-2021 (or E21) counterparts; however, this involves an upgrade to 11th-gen Intel silicon, and, thus, Thunderbolt 4/USB4. The rest of their specs remain unchanged, their RTX 3060 graphics included.

No official release notes for now, but some reddit folks already managed to port the updated files to games that already support DLSS and noticed no fps performance increase. However, the new version does fix some visual artifacts and further improves image quality. Rainbow Six Siege is supposed to get an fps boost of up to 50% in 4K, but the implementation is not that good as HUD elements are displayed at rendering resolution instead of native resolution.

Only two AAA games among the 7 launch titles, but there are more coming soon. Also, the list of companies and publishers includes big names such as Capcom, EA & Frostbite, Gearbox Publishing, Valve, My.Games, Ubisoft and Warner Bros. Games.

The new Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Ti desktop graphics card has been put through its paces in Unreal Engine 4.26. Puget Systems tested the RTX 3080 Ti in numerous benchmarks and found it to be almost on par with the more-expensive RTX 3090 in instances where VRAM didn’t count. However, emission levels suffered from such performance.

The laptops come equipped with the newest Intel 11th Core-H CPUs with optional integrated Cherry mechanical keys for the larger 17.3-inch model. Dell says these are some of the thinnest GeForce RTX laptops in the market, if not *the* thinnest.

Dell may have enabled all possible CUDA cores on the Alienware m15 R5, but that has not necessarily improved GPU performance across the board. Instead, activating 10% more CUDA cores can reduce FPS in some games, albeit with reduced GPU temperatures.

Sony has already confirmed that it plans to release another VR headset, but a new report has gone much further. Reportedly, Sony has settled on a launch window and multiple specifications, including a display supplier.

Select PC builders are mentioning the availability of the RX 6900 XT Liquid Cooled, but none of them specify the actual costs, so they might charge some ridiculous prices for around 10% performance uplift coming from overcharged specs such as boost clocks of up to 2435 MHz, 18 Gbps GDDR6 RAM and TPB bumped to 330 W.

The Atari VCS hybrid console-PC is finally available to purchase some 3 years after originally being launched. The device features classic retro Atari looks and can play classic Atari games and also function as a desktop PC.

Amid intense discussion about a possible Nintendo "Switch Pro," The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 received a gameplay trailer. As the sequel to one of the Switch's best-received titles, Breath of the Wild 2 was expected to push visuals forward. But gameplay footage shows nothing that would require a "Switch Pro" to run.

The Legion 7 16ACHg6 brings all the latest computer games smoothly onto the matte 16-inch screen (2560x1600 pixels, 165 Hz, IPS) in the 16:10 format. Furthermore, its equipment is good: The Ryzen 9 5900HX APU, the GeForce RTX 3080 laptop GPU, 32 GB of RAM, and 2x 1 TB NVMe SSDs.