Gaming

Just days before its release, Super Mario 3D All-Stars leaked onto the Internet in full. While a leak of the game is bad enough, an intrepid data miner reports that the game uses emulators to play the three retro Mario games within. In other words, the games are not ports for the Switch but are rather original ROM/ISO files (with some patches applied) played in emulation.

After a few updates that failed to at least touch this area, Armored Warfare 0.33 comes with a major rebalance of the high-tier vehicles (tiers 7 to 10). In addition to these adjustments, the list of improvements also includes improved mobility of both wheeled and tracked vehicles, overhauled ammunition and ERA mechanics, a new Contract Mission, model updates, and more.

The PlayStation 5 Showcase takes place later today and millions of fans are expecting Sony to announce the prices and pre-order information for the next-gen console. It has now been reported that Amazon landing pages for the PS5 have started being taken down, with many believing this is a definitive sign that the price/pre-order wait is over. An updated list of potential retailers is included here.

The new Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 graphics card has made its way to the top of UserBenchmark’s GPU charts. The Ampere-based part stole the top spot from Nvidia’s Titan RTX, and it recorded an 11% faster effective speed than the GeForce RTX 2080 Ti. The Founders Edition of the GeForce RTX 3080 costs from US$699.

Microsoft has released full specifications for the Xbox Series X and Series S, confirming that the Sony PlayStation 5 is better equipped with USB-C and Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) connectivity, while the more powerful competitor on this important front appears to have cut corners.

HP is introducing new peripherals to its gaming lineup. The Omen Spacer Wireless is a tenkeyless keyboard with Cherry MX Brown switches that offers great battery life, loads of key customization options, NKRO, and 100% anti-ghosting. The Vector Wireless is a 16,000 DPI mouse that HP says is the world's fastest USB-C charging gaming mouse with up to 180 hours of battery life.

A new report has stated that there have been issues with the yield for the SoC that will be the key component of the upcoming PlayStation 5 console, with Sony having to reduce the total hardware production. However, it seems the company has sufficient means of supply for the US and an analyst believes the PS5 prices are going to be affordable.
Sony has stated that there has been no change in production numbers.

HP has announced new additions to its gaming accessory lineup. The Omen Blast and Omen Frequency Wireless are designed to offer maximal comfort during extended gaming sessions while offering clear 7.1-channel surround. The Omen Blast comes with a 24-bit DAC while the Omen Frequency Wireless aims to offer low-latency high-fidelity audio thanks to Warp Wireless tech.

The gaming headset maker ROCCAT has collaborated with its new parent, Turtle Beach, on its new Elo series. It comes in cross-platform stereo, USB and wireless varieties, all of which are rated for 7.1 surround sound. The Elos also have their brand's AIMO lighting system and self-regulating metal headbands.

Leaked cryptocurrency mining benchmarks suggest that the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 is set to deliver record-breaking cryptocurrency performance among commercial GPUs. The benchmarks indicate that overclocked RTX 3080s offer nearly twice the hashrate of the Radeon RX 5700 XT.

AMD's "Biggest Navi" is rumored to be similar to the Radeon VII, featuring HBM2 VRAM and 80 compute units, and Nvidia is apparently planning to counter this with an RTX 3000 Titan GPU equipped with up to 48 GB of 21 Gbps or even 23 Gbps GDDR6x VRAM that may turn out to be only 10% faster than the RTX 3090.

HP has announced two new gaming monitors, the HP x24i Gaming and HP x24ih Gaming. Both are value orientated models with refresh rates to match the typical mid-range PCs they are likely to be used alongside.

HP's Omen 30L gaming desktop is now available with the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3090, RTX 3080, and RTX 3070. Everything else, including the CPU options, memory/storage configurations, and features, remain the same. The desktop will be available for purchase starting Holiday 2020.

The Dell G3 15 3500 shows that even a mid-range gaming device can have its merits. Hardly any of its features stand out - which is a good thing in this case.

Sony has created a new global brand spot for the PlayStation 5, which is entitled “The Edge”. The stunning clip is aimed at the promise of “undiscovered adventure” for gamers who take the leap and purchase the next-gen console. A comparison image of Aloy’s ears from the Horizon games highlights the power of the PS5 over the PS4.

Intel's Boyd Phelps has confirmed that 8-core Tiger Lake processors with up to 24 MB of low-level cache are in the offing soon. Rumors indicate that Tiger Lake-H will be available in 35 W and 45 W variants with four cores and up to eight cores, respectively. It will be interesting to see how the competition between Tiger Lake and AMD's upcoming Cezanne mobile APUs pans out.

A new and convincing PlayStation 5 price leak has appeared online, and if the figures are genuine then gamers planning on pre-ordering either a Blu-ray console or Digital Edition model are likely to be satisfied. Another IGN next-gen console poll shows huge popular support for Sony’s devices, regardless of the recent appearance of the Xbox Series S.
Another alleged price list has been leaked from the same retailer.

The Snapdragon 875G is a rumored high-performance variant of Qualcomm's 2021 flagship mobile processor. A new report asserts not only that it is planned for certain, but that Samsung will be the company to manufacture it. This contract is apparently worth approximately US$846 million to the South Korean giant.

The XV282K KV is Acer's first HDMI 2.1 and 4K/144 Hz monitor. The monitor also offers VESA DisplayHDR 600 support, AMD FreeSync, up to 550 cd/m² of typical maximum brightness and a host of connections.

Dell has now started selling its Alienware Aurora Ryzen Edition R10 Gaming Desktops with a 17% discount coupon available. Shoppers can choose a mainstream Ryzen 5 3500 chip or go for a benchmark-breaking 16-core, 32-thread Ryzen 9 3950X CPU alongside 32 or 64 GB RAM and a GeForce RTX 2080 Ti graphics card from Nvidia.

The PlayStation 5 Showcase will be taking place on Wednesday September 16. The much-anticipated event starts at 1:00 pm PDT, and we have provided a list of times for fans living in other zones here. Predictions of what could be revealed in the 40-minute Showcase have included the PS5 UI, news about God of War 2, and the all-important console prices.

Thanks to its powerful hardware, the soberly designed Schenker Key 15 brings all the latest computer games smoothly onto the matte 15.6-inch screen (Full HD, IPS, 144 Hz). The device can be individually customized to your own needs. In addition, the BIOS enables the undervolting of the CPU and iGPU.

More model numbers relating to the PlayStation 5 have appeared online. While many of the model codes are already connected to the console SKUs or PS5 accessories, a few unknown entries certainly hint at different types of DualSense controller. A black PS5 console also seems more likely than a PS5 Pro or 1.65 TB SSD premium pack.

Leaked overclock benchmarks for the upcoming NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ampere graphics card were recently published. The tests showed memory clocks pushed 9 percent for a mere 2-3 percent performance gain. This raises questions about the RTX 3080’s performance gap with the RTX 3090, which delivers 936 GB/s of memory bandwidth.

Timed exclusivity may work in the world of consoles games, but limiting a great processor to just one laptop and one screen size isn't such a great idea. The limited press coverage and availability of both the Ryzen 7 4800HS and Ryzen 9 4900HS may be attributed to the fact that only just a handful of Asus laptops carry such options.

Mobile gaming is a growing industry as it can be a fun way to pass the time. However, the enjoyment titles made to be played on your phone can be curbed by the need to complete micro-transactions to proceed, or to watch ads to avoid paying for the same. The games-specific variant of the Google Play Store now has settings to help choose new apps without these drawbacks.

Today (September 12, 2020) is the US' National Gaming Day. Accordingly, the results of a survey involving 1000 residents of this country on the subject have been released. 47% of the group nominated Super Mario as the best franchise. Xbox and PlayStation tied for the best console, as Nintendo devices lagged behind with 21% of this vote.

A recent leak of benchmark scores from an unnamed AMD Radeon GPU in Ashes of the Singularity: Escalation may point to how well AMD's upcoming RDNA 2 "Big Navi" graphics cards will perform. While this leak should be taken with a grain of salt, the AMD GPU is about on par with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Ti. However, this puts it roughly 55% behind Nvidia's new GeForce RTX 3080.

Sony has confirmed that the PlayStation 5 Showcase event will take place on September 16. It will likely focus on some current and yet-to-be-announced exclusive titles that will launch alongside the console. Most importantly, we'll finally get to know how much the PlayStation 5 will cost.

The model numbers and box contents for the upcoming PlayStation 5 consoles have been shared online by a games industry analyst. The details originate from a source in Hong Kong, so there may be regional differences encountered by future PS5 owners living in different areas. The good news is that there is a base included.

There have been sightings of various PS5-related promotional materials going up in retail stores around the world as the wait for the full disclosure of Sony’s next-gen console continues. Some PS4 games have new labels on their boxes for PlayStation 5 preparation, and Sony appears to be performing quite a pantomime over at PAX Online.

Benchmark results for the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 have started rolling in, and they show a notable improvement from Turing cards, but not at 1080p. The RTX 3080 even handily outperforms the RTX 2080 Ti, paving the way for the RTX 3090.

The VirtualLink connector has been killed off only two years after its announcement. NVIDIA introduced the VR connector with the GeForce RTX 20 series, but it is absent from the company's new RTX 30 Ampere cards. AMD, meanwhile, never released a card with a VirtualLink connector, despite being part of the VirtualLink Consortium.

Even the biggest and fastest laptops at the moment carry "only" the 150 W - 180 W TDP GeForce RTX 2080 GPU. Exactly how Nvidia will translate its massive 320 W desktop GeForce RTX 3080 to mobile form factors will be interesting to see.

The first picture of an RTX 3090 Founders Edition in a case has been published online, and it is huge. NVIDIA's new 12-pin power connector sticks out like a sore thumb, too.

A new report has claimed that Sony has had to revise planned prices for the PlayStation 5 consoles due to Microsoft’s attractive next-gen Xbox hardware price tags. A PS5 launch date in Japan may have been accidentally revealed, and a timely reminder of what future PS5 owners can look forward to has been circulating on social media.

Nintendo has unveiled a Fortnite Special Edition of the Nintendo Switch. The limited-edition console comes with exclusive Joy-Cons, unique Fortnite designs for the console and dock, along with 2,000 V-Bucks and the Wildcat bundle. The Fortnite Special Edition will be released in Europe, Australia and New Zealand.

Walmart is doubling down on laptops with new Gateway models spanning from $199 subnotebooks up to even gaming laptops north of $1000 USD with Ryzen 7 CPUs and GeForce RTX 2060 GPUs. If you ever wanted a cheap laptop without buying used, then these should fit the bill.

NVIDIA recently announced the GeForce MX450 based on the TU117 GTX 1650 GPU but was quiet about the specs or performance. Chinese publication Zhuanlan has managed to take the MX450 for a test ride and found that it offers a very good performance bump over the MX350. However, this is at the expense of reduced memory bandwidth and raster operator (ROPs) count along with surprisingly higher power draws compared to the GTX 1650 Max-Q.

The 3DMark results still seem suspiciously low, especially those related to ray tracing performance. This could be caused by unstable drivers or the benchmark tests are somehow faked. On the plus side, the new Ashes of the Singularity results are looking better, with 40% gains over the stock RTX 2080 Ti.

NVIDIA may be getting the plaudits for the GeForce RTX 3080, but a quirk in the Founders Edition card may deter perfectionists from dropping US$699 on the card.

The retail packaging for the Xbox Series X has started surfacing online. Unsurprisingly, the main photo focuses on the signature black ventilation grill at the top of the console under which lies a signature Xbox green colored circle.

The leaker is suggesting that this could be the Navi 21 flagship GPU, but, judging by the memory configuration and the thickness of the radiator, this may actually turn out to be the Navi 22 mid-range solution that is supposed to compete with Nvidia's RTX 3070 models.

More details about the EVGA NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 KINGPIN have emerged, confirming several aspects about the upcoming top-tier Ampere card. EVGA has published some RTX 3090 8K benchmark results too, and they point to the card being a performance monster.

Those God of War 2 rumors in regard to the PS5 just keep turning up, and apparently there will be a “whole mountain of exclusives” coming for Sony’s next-gen console. A new PlayStation 5 pre-order date prediction could be an immense misfire if accurate as it would seemingly give Microsoft the edge for attracting brand-indifferent consumers.

Unconfirmed leaked benchmarks by a Chinese tech website indicate that DLSS will deliver massive 4K performance gains with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 in titles like Control and Death Stranding. With DLSS enabled, both these titles cleared 100 FPS at 4K.