Gaming

Lenovo has brought 3 new gaming-focused monitors to CES this year. The Y25-25, G27c-10 and G32qc-10 are 24.5-, 27- and 31.5-inch devices respectively. The former stands out with its 240Hz spec, although the other 2 have relatively high refresh rates of their own.

The Sony PlayStation 5 could feature backward compatibility all the way till the original PlayStation if the latest rumors are to be believed. Apparently, the PS5 will feature a Remastering Engine and its GPU will be able to operate in three distinct modes that allow for maximum compatibility with older titles while adding modern features such as 4K rendering. From the looks of it, the PlayStation 5 could be somewhat conservative in terms of raw power compared to the Xbox Series X in order to keep the price low.

Samsung has revealed its latest gaming monitors and will have them on display at CES 2020 when it commences on January 7. The new Odyssey G9 and G7 range are the world’s first to feature a dramatic 1000R curve designed to fit within the full span of human vision.

The 8BitDo Zero 2 is a tiny Bluetooth gamepad that's small enough to fit in a pocket or keychain to a bag. The controller is compatible with Windows, macOS, Android, the Raspberry Pi, and the Nintendo Switch and Switch Lite. Despite its diminutive size, 8BitDo claims the controller will last for 8 hours on a charge, which should take about 1-2 hours.

Citing supply chain sources, Taiwanese outlet Apple Daily predicts that AMD is set to become TSMC's largest 7nm customer by the end of 2020, displacing Apple in the process. The spectacular success of Ryzen and Apple's move to 5nm are likely reasons.

Yuanta Securities Investment Consulting recently offered up juicy predictions about Nvidia's upcoming Ampere lineup. According to a report by the consultancy, Ampere may deliver 50 percent more performance than Turing, while consuming 50 percent less power.

The playable demo for Final Fantasy 7 Remake was recently found within the PlayStation Network and was subsequently distributed around the Internet. Along with the demo, there were also multiple assets (including music, storyboards, and character models) included in the package.

Zotac will show off the new VR GO 3.0 backpack PC at CES next week. The updated wearable gaming computer can now be configured with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 GPU, which should greatly improve the VR experience.

The Alienware 25 Gaming Monitor sports a 25-inch FHD (1920x1080) IPS display with a 240 Hz refresh rate and 1 ms response time. The panel covers 99% of the sRGB color gamut and is compatible with AMD FreeSync and Nvidia G-Sync. The monitor will launch on March 11, 2020, for $499.99.

Apple has entered into a new licensing agreement with Imagination Technologies to use a wider range of the company’s extensive mobile GPU and AI patent portfolios. The two companies had previously been close partners before Apple ended the GPU supply partnership to start developing mobile GPUs for its iPhones and iPads in house in 2017.

Smoke for Steam is a new app for the Apple Watch that lets users access some of the features of Steam on their wrists. Smoke allows users to look at their library, view achievements, check the status of their friends, and read news articles pertaining to titles they own. Otherwise, the app is limited; it doesn't even allow users to manage their game libraries or purchase new titles.

Leaked slides detailing upcoming Intel 10th generation Comet Lake-S SKUs seem to indicate new changes to Intel's mainstream desktop lineup. These SKUs are led by the flagship Core i9-10900K, which is a 10C/20T part with a 20 MB cache and can boost up to 5.3 GHz thanks to Thermal Velocity Boost technology and a 125 W TDP. All SKUs feature support for hyperthreading, UHD 730 graphics, and new platform features of the Intel 400-series chipset.

A data leak from an independently verified source indicates that the PS5 and Xbox Series X may boast GPU performance at or beyond RX 5700 XT levels. If confirmed, the next-gen consoles may deliver a true generational leap.

Virtual, mixed and augmented reality are probably the most familiar forms of extended reality - or technologically-enhanced experientia - out there. The latest research suggests their combined market may be worth US$30 billion or more by the next decade on. Unsurprisingly, gaming is a prominent sector therein.

EVGA announced the SR-3 DARK LGA 3647 motherboard. Priced at $1800, it's one of only a handful of boards known to support the Intel Xeon W-3175X. The ultra-premium E-ATX board is currently available for preorder.

SSD and RAM maker ADATA is expanding their XPG lineup with the Photon monitor, Gaia desktop, and Xenia laptop. Detailed information about the new products will be announced at CES 2020.

In a website listing that's since been deleted, ASRock accidentally revealed specifications for the as-yet-unannounced RX 5600 XT. The GPU appears to be similar to the RX 5700, albeit with a cut-down memory configuration.

According to rumors out of Taiwan, Apple is eyeing the gaming PC market and plans to release a gaming-focused computer next year. The rumor claims the device will cost up to US $5000 but doesn't offer much information. The rumor doesn't even say whether the gaming computer will be a desktop or laptop.

The runaway success of Netflix’s Witcher adaptation appears to have had a knock-on effect on the rest of the franchise. The Witcher games recently reached record-high player counts and Andrzej Sapkoswki has been propelled to the top of Amazon's book charts.

The Zephyrus S GX701GXR is one of the slim, compact gaming laptops in the 17.3-inch format. The installed hardware allows playing all modern games smoothly on the matte 300 Hz display.

A video from 2002 recently surfaced, showing the 19-year-old Playstation 2 apparently running a ray-tracing tech demo in real-time. With the ninth-gen consoles touting ray-tracing as a premium feature, it’s interesting to look at an almost-forgotten implementation of the technology from two decades ago.

Nvidia head Jensen Huang claimed that the GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q is faster than ninth-gen console GPUs at GTC China 2019. The claim raises questions about exactly how fast the PS5 and Xbox Series X really are.

It's a happy holiday indeed for some kernel- and custom ROM-developers out there. Their Xmas packages for this year reportedly contain an Asus ROG Phone II. The OEM has done so to try and unleash the potential of Android on this powerful mobile gaming device.

There's a huge price premium if you want the thinner and sexier looks of the GS65. But if you're only after performance, then the GE65 can save you nearly a grand while being almost as portable.

PowerColor has released a mini ITX version of the AMD Radeon RX 5700. While the card operates at the same clock speed as the reference RX 5700, the PowerColor RX 5700 ITX only requires a single PICe 8-pin power connector. The reference card requires an 8-pin connector as well as a 6-pin connection. Sadly, the PowerColor RX 5700 ITX is exclusive to Japan for now.

Peripherals maker NZXT recently announced that their gamer-centric audio lineup is headed to India. Three parts, the AER hi-res headphones, the MIXR audio station, and the STND headphone stand will be up for pre-order "soon."

Supposed benchmarks of the upcoming AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT posted on Reddit paint an interesting picture. The alleged 5600 XT scores place the GPU well above Nvidia's GeForce GTX 1660 Ti in most tests and outpace AMD's own Vega 56 GPU.

Stuck for what to do this Christmas? How about playing the classic Wake Island, but reimagined for Battlefield V? The map is twice the size of the one from the days of Battlefield 1942, and rounds of Chapter 5: War in the Pacific.

A recent tweet by The Last of Us Part II co-director Kurt Margenau sparked a Twitter firestorm with a succinct tweet, asking simply, "What's a loading screen?" Speculation is running wild that this implies an upcoming PlayStation 5 title from Naughty Dog, possibly a port of The Last of Us Part II, could have no loading times.

Intel may find AMD's mobile offerings problematic in the coming year. Chinese forum users have stated that the Taiwanese chip manufacturer will soon debut the Ryzen 9 4900H and Ryzen 7 4800H, both of which are eight-core, 16-thread APUs. The rumors also claim the APUs will directly challenge the Intel Core i9-9880H.

The MSI GeForce RTX 2080 Ti Gaming X Trio is more than just a mouthful. The TU102-powered card comes factory overclocked, with three axial fans and takes up three PCIe slots. MSI may have a hard time selling it though, as its US$1,250 price tag may have people looking at cheaper RTX 2080 Ti alternatives.

Physicality Games is a new retailer setting itself up as a platform for games in physical form. Its creators assert that its listings will not be "limited", as with some sellers in this market. It also intends to sell merchandise, gaming accessories and collectibles.

Google announced yesterday that it has acquired Typhoon, an independent game developer. Typhoon's first game, Journey to the Savage Planet, is due out January 28, 2020. While Google has not given much detail surrounding the acquisition, it's likely the search giant bought the studio to develop games for its ailing Stadia game streaming service.

Ruby Weapon, the hardest superboss from Final Fantasy 7, will Final Fantasy 14's rogues' gallery with Patch 5.2 in February. Ruby Weapon joins other optional bosses from prior entries in the RPG series, like Kefka from Final Fantasy 6 and Ultima Weapon, Ruby's brother from Final Fantasy 7.

Asus is a manufacturer that has often shown risk affinity and a willingness to experiment in the past. The latest trial, the ROG Mothership, is a 17-inch gaming laptop with a detachable keyboard.

The Steam Winter Sale of 2019 has begun! Gamers can nab popular titles at a discount now through January 2. Steam is also offering opportunities for users to earn "festivity tokens," which can be used to purchase Chat Stickers and Chat Effects.

The Radeon RX 5500 XT may have just arrived, but do not forget that AMD is unleashing another mid-range in a few months. Expected to rear its head at CES next month, little is currently known about the RX 5600 XT, but Gigabyte has already confirmed its existence.

LG unveiled several new monitors today. The flagship is a 38-inch UltraWide that boasts a 3840x1600 resolution, a 144 Hz refresh rate, and a 1 ms response time. The UltraWide connects via Thunderbolt 3 and covers 98% of the P3 colorspace, according to LG. Other monitors announced today are detailed below.

Facebook announced today that it has acquired cloud gaming startup PlayGiga. The startup, which is based in Madrid, has experience working with telecoms to build gaming-as-a-service platforms that rely on 5G networks. This is yet another step in Facebook's journey of snatching up gaming-oriented companies.

Facing mixed reviews in its Early Access days (a stage that has begun in 2017), Citadel: Forged With Fire has managed to grow into a solid title thanks to the multiple content updates it received in the meantime. Released on November 1, this massive online sandbox RPG offers a large world to explore, beasts to kill or tame — dragons included, and more.

The OPPO Reno3 and 3 Pro have shown up as a set of results on the Master Lu benchmark. They show that the Snapdragon 765G may be slightly better than the MediaTek Dimensity 1000L SoC. In addition, it appears the Reno3 has a 12GB RAM variant, and that neither phone will have a 1440p display.

Some new price tags for two variants of the Sony PlayStation 5 have made their way online but have rapidly been denied by the manufacturer of the next-generation console. It was claimed that a PS5 with a 4 TB SSD would cost the equivalent of over US$1,000, while the same source stated that December 4, 2020 had been confirmed as the official release date.

The only known “Nintendo PlayStation” console is being offered up for auction, and it is possible the intriguing device could end up fetching in the region of US$1 million or even more. The prototype was built during a joint venture between Nintendo and Sony in the late 1980s and early 1990s. However, the partnership ended when Nintendo made a deal with Philips.

Pokémon Go is heading into its fourth year with an overhaul of its buddy system. New updates for Android and iOS versions of the game introduce multiplayer AR too, among other changes and fixes.

Low cost gaming with Ryzen APUs. AMD's Ryzen APUs set the bar high for the performance of integrated GPUs. Therefore, such Ryzen-based laptops can prove to be very interesting for users who not only use office and Internet applications but also occasionally want to play a game. We clarify the question of whether the integrated Vega GPUs offer enough performance for casual gamers.

Sony has developed in an inventive, and much cheaper, solution to giving PS4 gamers a key feature from Microsoft’s expensive Elite Series 2 controller. The new Sony DualShock Back Button attachment for the DualShock 4 controller adds customizable paddles to the back the device for faster, more responsive gaming.

Corsair recently acquired Scuf, a manufacturer of customizable console and PC game controllers. This purchase is yet another move by Corsair to branch out into other market sectors. Corsair purchased Elgato, which makes video streaming and capture equipment, and boutique PC seller Origin last year and this past summer, respectively.