ASUS ROG Harpe II Ace Review


WiFi 7 is finally starting to gain traction, although we're still waiting for more client devices to arrive. If you're looking to upgrade your wireless network, it would now be a false economy not to future-proof yourself with the latest standard. Joining the WiFi 7 fray is MSI with its Roamii BE mesh system. It comes in two forms – Lite and Pro. The former offers just two radio frequencies, while the Pro we tested adds 6GHz, promising monster wireless network bandwidth. We put the Roamii BE Pro through our comprehensive WiFi mesh test suite to find out if the practice matched the theory.
The Roamii BE Pro is a BE11000 system, meaning it combines 5,764Mbits/sec at 6GHz, with 4,323Mbits/sec at 5GHz, and 688Mbits/sec at 2.4GHz, although MSI only promises a maximum combined throughput of 9.4Gbits/sec. The benefit of WiFi 7 (and WiFi 6 BE) is that 6GHz and 5GHz can be combined (with a compatible client) for maximum throughput. The Lite version loses the 6GHz, so offers just BE5000 performance.
You get 6x internal antennae (so two per waveband) with the Roamii BE Pro, plus additional router software and hardware features. The system can allegedly cover a 6,000 square feet area, although of course this will depend on obstructions. That's likely to be more than enough for a three story house, such as the one we use for testing.
The Roamii BE Pro has a solid wired networking specification too, with four 2.5Gbit Ethernet ports, one of which would be used for WAN duties on the router, while remaining available for wired devices on the satellite. There is a USB port on both units too, ready for network storage sharing.
Coming in at under £300, the Roamii BE Pro looks like good value too, giving you mesh WiFi for the price of a midrange standalone router. Read on to find out if the performance and capabilities make this a bit of a bargain.
Price: £279.99
Specification:
A number of major Linux gaming projects are joining forces to form the Open Gaming Collective. The goal here is to reduce duplicated work across several crucial projects and centralise development efforts for critical components like kernel patches, input frameworks and display compositors.
The OGC's technical strategy (via GamingOnLinux) centres on an “upstream-first approach”. Rather than maintaining permanent forks or bespoke patches, the group intends to submit all improvements and hardware fixes directly to the source projects (such as the mainline Linux kernel or Mesa). Early deliverables include a shared, gaming-optimised OGC Kernel and a specialised fork of gamescope designed to expand hardware support across a wider range of handhelds and desktop GPUs.
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Bazzite, one of the founding members, has already outlined immediate changes resulting from joining the collective. The distribution will phase out its custom Handheld Daemon (HHD) in favour of InputPlumber, a unified input remapper already utilised by SteamOS, ChimeraOS, and Nobara. Additionally, Bazzite will integrate features like RGB and fan control directly into the Steam UI where possible, further bridging the gap between custom Linux distros and the native Steam Deck experience.
Besides Bazzite, other companies and partners include Nobara, ChimeraOS, Playtron, Fyra Labs, PikaOS, ShadowBlip, and Asus Linux.
KitGuru says: The formation of the OGC is an important step for the Linux gaming community. Standardising the kernel and input layers could finally bring the “it just works” stability of SteamOS to the broader Linux desktop world.
The post Open Gaming Collective (OGC) formed to unify Linux gaming first appeared on KitGuru.Fanatec has officially released its first-party Stream Deck plugin. Available for free on the Elgato Marketplace, the plugin transforms the Stream Deck into a real-time telemetry display and hardware tuning hub for racing sims.
This collaboration marks one of the first major synergy projects since Fanatec's integration into the Corsair family, leveraging Elgato's software expertise to enhance the racing experience. The plugin supports the entire Stream Deck lineup, with optimised, pre-configured profiles specifically for the Stream Deck XL and the dial-equipped Stream Deck +.
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For the first time, racers can use the Stream Deck as a digital “dashboard” to monitor critical race data, including tyre temperatures, fuel levels, track position, and flag warnings. Beyond telemetry, the most powerful feature is direct access to the Fanatec Tuning Menu, which lets drivers use Stream Deck buttons or dials to adjust force feedback strength, brake sensitivity, and other hardware parameters on the fly.
KitGuru says: Are you interested in sim racing setups? If you had or have one, would something like Elgato's Stream Deck with this new plugin be something you would consider adding?
The post Fanatec and Elgato introduces official Stream Deck plugin for racing sims first appeared on KitGuru.Borderlands 4 is in a bit of an awkward spot currently. While the game is in many ways the best the series has seen, a relative lack of end-game content for hardcore fans and a plethora of performance issues especially at launch led to softer-than-expected sales. That said, the team at Gearbox appear committed to improving Borderlands 4, with the team now offering an updated roadmap for 2026.
Taking to their blog, the team at Gearbox officially showcased their full 2026 roadmap. While we knew some of what to expect from Borderlands 4’s post-launch plans (even prior to the game’s release), we’ve now gotten a more comprehensive look.
The first major update for 2026 is now live and includes the addition of a photo mode alongside dozens of tweaks, buffs, changes and fixes.
Looking to the future however, Borderlands 4’s 2026 is set to be as follows:
Each of these new pieces of content (both free and paid) will be released alongside a ‘major’ update. Other ancillary additions with no specific timeline include:
While the game certainly came in a bit hot, Borderlands 4 is a fun time and so it is encouraging to see the team at Gearbox try to address as many fans' complaints as possible – while still sticking to their initial plans.
KitGuru says: What do you think of this updated roadmap? What’s your opinion on Borderlands 4 in its current state? Does it have the potential to be the best entry in the series? Let us know your thoughts down below.
The post Gearbox shares updated 2026 roadmap for Borderlands 4 first appeared on KitGuru.World War Z is a fun 3rd-person co-op shooter in the vein of Left4Dead and other horde shooters. Released back in 2019, the team at Saber Interactive have blessed the title with a ton of post-launch support – much of which was free. 4 months on from its last major update, the game has now gotten its first big crossover DLC, with World War Z x The Walking Dead available now.
Purchasable right now for the relatively low price of £7.99, World War Z x The Walking Dead offers a ton of content for fans of both Saber Interactive’s shooter as well as watchers of the show, adding:
While there have been a bunch of different games based on The Walking Dead, very few have been received well. As such, for many this represents what might be one of the better Walking Dead experiences out there – despite only being a crossover.
KitGuru says: What do you think of this latest DLC? Are you a fan of The Walking Dead? What other zombie properties would you like to see World War Z collab with? Let us know down below.
The post World War Z x The Walking Dead available now first appeared on KitGuru.Rainbow Six: Siege is arguably one of Ubisoft’s biggest games of all time, with the now decade-old title continuing to make money in-part through its plethora of cross-overs. Following on from the likes of Chun-Li; Master Chief; 2B and even Pickle Rick, Solid Snake himself is set to join the Rainbow Six Siege roster.
Teasing their upcoming Year 11 Roadmap reveal event (going live on the 15th of February) Ubisoft offered a slight hint at what players can expect in the way of announcements.
Though very little was given away, we do know that the iconic Solid Snake himself is set to crossover into Rainbow Six: Siege.
Unlike all other crossovers, Snake is set to be a full-on operator as opposed to simply being a skin for a pre-existing character – meaning he should have his own unique abilities, equipment and more.
Unfortunately, we did not get to hear Snake speak in the teaser, and so it is unknown whether the operator will feature brand new voice lines (and who will voice him) or if they will simply reuse old audio. We will have to wait until the 15th of February to find out.
KitGuru says: Are you surprised to see Snake coming to Siege? Will he be voiced by David Hayter? Who’s your favourite operator? Let us know down below.
The post Solid Snake to join Rainbow Six: Siege as a brand new operator first appeared on KitGuru.Team Ninja have been great in supporting their upcoming releases with free demos for all to check out and enjoy. Such has been the case with the Nioh series, offering various alpha, beta and timed-limited demos across its previous two entries. Following the initial Nioh 3 demo from last year, the studio has now released a more complete demo ahead of the game’s February release date.
With Nioh 3 just a week away from launch, Team Ninja have now published a brand new demo for the game, letting you try out the title for yourself ahead of its 6th of February release date.
Unlike the limited-time demo released back in June following its initial unveiling, this new demo is available on both PS5 and PC, and will allow you to transfer your save data over to the full game upon its release.
As expected, the demo features the opening section of the game and so switching over to the full release should be relatively painless. Those who do complete the demo prior to the 15th of February will also receive a bonus in-game item as a small reward.
While no end date has been given for this demo, Team Ninja have delisted various demos in the past, and so you might want to check Nioh 3 out for free while you can – even if you don’t plan on buying the title immediately.
KitGuru says: Are you looking forward to Nioh 3? What’s your favourite modern Team Ninja game? Let us know your thoughts down below.
The post New Nioh 3 demo available now on PS5 and PC first appeared on KitGuru.Today we're checking out the AOC Agon Pro AG276QSG2. The model number may not make it immediately obvious, but this is a rather exciting monitor for one main reason – it supports Nvidia's new G-Sync Pulsar backlight strobing technology that was officially launched at CES 2026. It's built around a 27in 1440p IPS panel with a 360Hz refresh rate, so that alone sounds pretty competitive – but what does Pulsar bring to the table? We find out today.
Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
00:57 Pricing and other Pulsar models
01:31 But what is G-Sync Pulsar?
03:43 Pulsar motion clarity examples
06:00 Overdrive and response times
07:28 Panel testing
10:30 Real-world gaming experience
12:17 Monitor design
13:36 Closing thoughts
First things first – pricing. The AOC AG276QSG2 is listed for pre-order on both Scan and OCUK for just under £560, making it the cheapest of the two other G-Sync Pulsar monitors that are currently listed here in the UK, given Acer's model is £600, and the ASUS is £629. Given all Pulsar monitors use the same panel, and considering Pulsar behaviour itself is tuned by Nvidia, performance between all three is likely to be near-identical, so the lower price alone could swing a lot of buyers towards this AOC model.
G-Sync Pulsar
But we're getting ahead of ourselves, so let's take a step back and first answer the question – what exactly is G-Sync Pulsar?
We don't need to go into too much depth here, as it was announced back at CES 2024, we got hands-on in April that year, and more recently Nvidia published an in-depth blog explaining exactly how the technology works.
In a nutshell, Pulsar is the combination of high-tech backlight strobing and G-Sync variable refresh rate technology. While some monitors have married adaptive sync and backlight strobing together in the past, Pulsar is a much more advanced system that is designed to dramatically improve perceived motion clarity throughout the VRR window.
At its most basic level, backlight strobing works by reducing the amount of time each frame is visible. With Pulsar, Nvidia says that the backlight is only pulsed for 25% of the frame time, meaning each image is only briefly illuminated once the pixels have fully settled. In theory, that 1/4 frame visibility translates into 4x lower persistence, and this is how the company claims ‘1000Hz+ effective motion clarity'.
The G-Sync integration is the added secret sauce. More basic backlight strobing implementations typically run at fixed refresh rates and fire the backlight at a fixed point in the refresh cycle, regardless of how long the GPU took to deliver the frame or how well the panel transitions have completed. That leads to the usual strobing artifacts we're used to seeing, like crosstalk, double images, and inconsistent clarity especially at lower refresh rates. Pulsar, however, is driven directly by the MediaTek scaler which now has G-Sync built in, so the display knows exactly when a frame starts, when pixel response has stabilised, and when to flash the backlight.
On top of that, Pulsar incorporates what Nvidia calls a ‘rolling scan'. By utilising multiple horizontal backlight strips that can be pulsed independently, Pulsar strobes different sections of the panel sequentially, rather than the whole panel being strobed at once. This should lead to dramatically reduced crosstalk and consistent clarity from top to bottom, something that isn't true for previous backlight strobing implementations.
Specification:
In its fourth major update since release, Thief VR: Legacy of Shadow refines its gameplay mechanics for a smoother experience.
Available now on all major platforms, Thief VR: Legacy of Shadow launched its 4.0 update, focusing on refining the gameplay experience for an overall smoother feel. As its 3.0 patch was released just shy of two weeks ago, it is clear developer Maze Theory and publisher Vertigo Games are on top of things, quick to apply any feedback shared to deliver a better game. Other improvements include more flexible customization options for the Steam version, such as higher-quality dynamic shadows and character models, and general quality-of-life bug fixes.
One of the flagship upgrades to this new patch is revamped crouch mechanics. As a marquee ability, players are supposed to spend a lot of time doing so while hiding in the shadows. While never broken since its initial release, it did feel that certain aspects of the game could have done with more time in the oven, as we mentioned in our review: “Sometimes objects fail to load in properly, like a treasure chest going transparent whenever I face it from the front—or an entire basement visually deloading momentarily if I walk too close to an adjoining wall.”
A gameplay video recorded by UploadVR showcasing patch 4.0.
Previous upgrades mainly brought visual improvements and continued stability to the experience. No DLC or sequel has been mentioned as yet, but this ongoing support is at least a step in the right direction.
Thief VR: Legacy of Shadow is available now on Meta Quest, PlayStation VR2, and Steam.


It has come, the long rumoured and much awaited Ryzen 7 9850X3D is here ... well the reviews are anyway. It offers the same 4.7GHz base clock, 120W TDP, 96MB L3 cache…
Meta CFO Susan Li says the company still has "optimism in the future of VR", and confirmed that it's still "building future headsets".
Li made the comment during Meta's Q4 2025 earnings call this week, in response to a Deutsche Bank analyst asking whether the Reality Labs division would have a "narrow focus on wearables".
"However, consumer adoption of VR has generally been on a slower growth path than wearables, and we are rebalancing our Reality Labs portfolio to reflect this", Li also said, reiterating what CTO Andrew Bosworth declared in Davos last week.
"So, we are meaningfully reducing our investment in VR and Horizon this year, but we’re growing our investment in wearables to capitalize on the momentum that we’re seeing in our position as a market leader", she continued.
Meta first officially confirmed this shifting spending strategy in December. Then, earlier this month the company shut down three of its acquired VR game studios, conducted significant layoffs at a fourth, canceled the Batman: Arkham Shadow sequel, and announced the shutdown of Horizon Workrooms and its Quest headsets for business offering.
That decision came after 2025 saw Quest headset sales decrease compared to 2024, while Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses sales tripled.
UploadVRDavid Heaney
Earlier in the Q4 earnings call, Mark Zuckerberg told investors that the company's reduction in spending would make VR "a profitable ecosystem over the coming years".
The Reality Labs division of Meta, which handles VR, Horizon Worlds, and smart glasses, recorded record spending in Q4, just shy of $7 billion. Given revenue of just under $1 billion, that resulted in a "loss" of around $6 billion.

Reality Labs continues to be heavily focused on research and development, though, and much of this "loss" is actually the spending towards developing true AR glasses, the consumer tech product that companies like Apple, Meta, and Google believe will define the next wave of personal computing.
Zuckerberg told investors to expect Reality Labs losses to finally peak in 2026, with Li stating that it's Meta's "expectation" that the losses will start to decrease in 2027, depending on how the market develops.
UploadVRDavid Heaney
As to the "headsets", plural, that Susan Li was referring to, leaked internal memos from early December revealed that in addition to the widely reported ultralight headset with a tethered puck, Meta was also now working on a traditional new Quest focused on "immersive gaming".
The memo indicated that the headset, which wouldn't be expected until late 2027 at the very earliest, should bring a "large upgrade" over Quest 3, but no longer be subsidized, carrying a higher price. That tracks with Zuckerberg's reference to VR becoming "profitable" for Meta "over the coming years".
Many in the industry have speculated that this headset may have already been canceled in the wake of Meta's other VR cuts, but Li's reference to "headsets" may suggest it's still in the works. Only time – or yet another leak – will tell.

Thermaltake has announced the TR300 Series Mid Tower Chassis, a new ATX lineup focused on space efficiency, airflow, and modern customisation. The range includes two models, the TR300 TG and TR300 WS, both available in black or white colour options.
The key difference between the TR300 TG and the TR300 WS is the front panel. The latter uses real wood slats at the front, while the TG uses a more standard mesh front panel. Both should offer good airflow for your intake fans, so choosing between them should primarily come down to whether or not you like the modern wood-PC fusion.
The chassis uses a front‑mounted PSU layout with an adjustable rack offering four mounting positions, improving internal space, airflow, GPU clearance, and radiator support. It accommodates up to ATX motherboards, with optimised PCIe slot placement to maintain proper GPU alignment. Cooling support includes up to eight 120mm fans and room for a 360mm radiator at the top.
Both models support Thermaltake’s optional 6‑inch LCD Screen Kit (1480 × 720), enabling system monitoring, JPG/GIF playback, AI Forge visuals, and mobile control via the TT PlayLink app. Additional features include removable dust filters, support for two 3.5‑inch HDDs and three 2.5‑inch SSDs, and front I/O with dual USB 3.0 Type‑A, USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type‑C, HD Audio, and dedicated power/reset buttons.
Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.
KitGuru Says: Will you be considering the TR300 for a future build?
The post Thermaltake launches new TR300 series chassis in mesh and wood slat variants first appeared on KitGuru.At CES earlier this month, Corsair officially revealed the Galleon 100 SD, a new full-size keyboard that replaces the numpad with Elgato Stream Deck functionality. Now following on from multiple ‘Best of CES' awards, the new keyboard is ready to hit the market.
The new Corsair Galleon 100 SD is a new full-size keyboard from Corsair, but rather than having a numpad, the keyboard has been equipped with a 12-key Elgato Stream Deck. Corsair says the device combines engineering from both Corsair and Elgato to meet long‑standing community requests for a single input solution that handles gameplay, apps, and device control.
The keyboard includes 12 LCD keys, two multifunction dials, and a 5‑inch colour display for real‑time system and game information. All controls are configured through the Stream Deck app, with support for folders, profile switching, and the full plugin ecosystem.
Beyond the Stream Deck features, the Galleon 100 SD uses Corsair’s AXON engine with polling rates up to 8000Hz, plus FlashTap SOCD handling for directional‑input control. The board ships with pre‑lubed MLX Pulse switches, gasket mounting, six layers of dampening, and an aluminium frame.
The Corsair Galleon 100 SD is now shipping worldwide as of today. Over in the US, it will cost $349.99. Here in the UK, it is retailing for £309.99 directly via Corsair's webstore.
Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.
KitGuru Says: This keyboard looks to pack the best of two product lines, but it is also very expensive. Are you thinking about getting one of these?
The post Corsair’s new Galleon 100 SD keyboard is now available first appeared on KitGuru.The next round of games for GeForce Now has been announced. There are ten new titles joining the cloud gaming library this week, including new releases like Half Sword, as well as classics like Prototype.
Aside from the new games joining the library, there is another major GeForce Now update happening this week. For the first time, a native Linux client is now available, expanding GeForce Now's reach across native Linux PCs, Windows, macOS, Chromebooks, smart TVs and mobile devices.
Here is the full list of new games joining GeForce Now today:
There are four titles joining the RTX 5080 servers for GeForce Now Ultimate members too, including Cairn, The Midnight Walkers, Half Sword and Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2.
Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.
KitGuru Says: Will you be playing any of this week's new GeForce Now titles?
The post Prototype, Bards Tale and more join GeForce Now this week first appeared on KitGuru.Last year, Amazon made the decision to stop development on its MMO, New World, and wind back its game development practices through major cuts at its studios. Now, Amazon Games VP, Christoph Hartmann, is leaving the company behind.
Following a wave of layoffs at Amazon Game Studios last year, Jason Schreier reports that the long-running Vice President has stepped down. Christoph Hartmann had previously been the head of 2K Games under Take-Two, before leaving to help Amazon ramp up its own game development and publishing business more than eight years ago.
While Amazon Games has operated for more than a decade, it has only managed to successfully ship one in-house developed game. New World had a strong start but failed to retain its momentum post-launch. Amazon has had a bit more success in publishing, having served as the publisher for Lost Ark in the west. Currently, Amazon is also expected to publish the next Tomb Raider game from Crystal Dynamics.
Amazon underwent restructuring and cost-cutting efforts in October 2025, leading to more than 14,000 layoffs.
Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.
KitGuru Says: Amazon Games has gone through a lot of change in recent months. At this point, it is unclear if they will make another game internally, or if they'll stick to publishing going forward.
The post Amazon Games loses VP following mass layoffs first appeared on KitGuru.