When I first saw that Sifu developer Sloclap would be shifting gears to make a football game with Rematch, I would be lying if I didn't say I was a little disappointed. I like football and sports games well enough. I don't necessarily play EA Sports FC every year, but I've always liked hitting the pitch with my friends, and getting between the posts to make some killer saves, since my preferred position is playing goalie. I loved Sifu when it released in 2022. It was one of my favorite games that year because of how mechanically tight the gameplay […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/review/rematch-review-an-excellent-football-game-thats-been-tackled-at-the-knees/

We take a look at ID-Cooling’s new air and liquid coolers, which aim to balance quality and value with their designs

The Highlights

• ID-Cooling’s A720 AD and A720 TD represent the company’s attempt to fix its acoustic problems while being affordable
• ID Cooling has a range of liquid coolers from low-end to high-end starting around $80 to $100 for 360mm coolers
• The company’s SL360 V2 Plus cooler interestingly uses a larger radiator than it does fans

Table of Contents

• AutoTOC

Intro

We visited ID-Cooling’s booth at Computex 2025 and the company showed off scented paste…and a bunch of coolers.

Looking at the company’s product at the trade show, we found ID-Cooling’s products to be more expensive than Thermalright's, but they’re cheaper than others in the market. This places them somewhere in the middle but the company is trying to keep quality levels in focus for some of their designs.

Editor's note: This was originally published on May 24, 2025 as a video. This content has been adapted to written format for this article and is unchanged from the original publication.

Credits

Host

Steve Burke

Camera, Video Editing

Mike Gaglione
Vitalii Makhnovets

Writing, Web Editing

Jimmy Thang

A720 AD 

ID-Cooling has updated its A720. It’s calling it the A720 AD and it’s targeting the higher-end market but still trying to be affordable at around $70. It represents a serious overhaul from the A720 that we’ve tested before, which was one of the top performers for its price. It was competitive with Noctua and was cheaper. The updated A720 now has pogo pins to deliver power to the fan. This means the fan doesn’t have a cable. 

ID-Cooling has also soldered the finstack to the heatpipes. This is something a couple companies are doing now. Some of them claim that this offers no performance improvement whereas others do claim a performance uplift. ID-Cooling says that, in a like-for-like scenario comparing the old A720 with the new one, the company is seeing about a 2 degree improvement at 280 watts. 

The A720 AD uses PBT fans. The most expensive fans typically use LCP, which uses a liquid crystal material in the middle for the blades. Sometimes they’ll do LCP for the inner and the outer part of the fan. This is what Noctua has done for its super expensive fans where the company is trying to get the tip-to-frame clearance as small as possible, hitting clearance numbers like .6mm or .8mm. This low of a clearance requires LCP or metal. ID-Cooling is using PBT, which helps with the price. The company tells us it’s supposed to be 30% fiberglass reinforced, which helps maintain the rigidity as the fan blades stretch towards the inner walls of the frame over time. 

620 AD

We tested ID-Cooling’s 620 in the past as well. It competed pretty closely with ID-Cooling’s older AK620, but the company showed off its new 620 AD. Like the A720 AD, the company is soldering the fin stack to the heatpipes so there’s some improvement from that and it also moves to a newer fan design. 

We asked ID-Cooling what is the biggest thing it’s trying to change with its revised coolers, and the company told us acoustics is the number 1 complaint it got. So the company has reshaped its blades to feature a more gradual curve to mitigate this issue. ID-Cooling has also changed the blade angle at the hub. We aim to test all of this as soon as it becomes available. It will be $55 and the company hasn’t announced a release date yet. We imagine it might come out around Q4. 

The 620AD offers 3 different levels for the RAM clearance on the front, which can be adjusted and clipped in. 

The outside fan is 28mm and the inside fan is 30mm. This allows the cooler to maintain a higher static pressure through the fin stack, especially with the dual-tower fin stacks. 

410 TD 

ID-Cooling already has its 410 series of coolers, but the company showed off its 410 TD at Computex. The TD stands for temperature display. This does increase the price a little and will supposedly make the 410 TD a $35 cooler.  It has a temperature digital display that shows the CPU temp. The finstack thickness has also changed with the TD model moving to 50mm. The heatpipes are all using a composite powder and groove style. 

It’s also made changes to the cold plate where ID-Cooling is trying to push the 4 heatpipes as close together as possible. It’s not as impressive as we saw at Scythe’s Computex booth, where Scythe basically conjoined them all into one direct touch pad, but they’re getting closer.  

ID-Cooling Liquid Coolers

ID-Cooling showed off a bunch of liquid coolers at Computex 2025, though not as much as at Thermalright’s booth.

SL 360 V2+

One of the liquid coolers, the SL 360 V2+,  immediately jumped out at us because its fans are a different width than the radiator. That’s abnormal. The fans are 120mm but the radiator measures 140mm wide and it was done to incorporate LED lights on the sides of the fans. 

To compensate for the smaller fans, ID-Cooling has added 2 water channels. ID-Cooling also added more liquid. Between the tank and the extra channels, it ends up with 36g more liquid. The propylene glycol percentage is around 15%. The reason that’s important is that the more distilled water there is in the loops, the better the cooling performance is. Propylene glycol helps with things like cold storage, transit, freight, and cold temperatures, but going too high with that compromises performance. 15% is a little on the lower end, which is a good thing for performance. The fans are AP120s and are 28mm thick. ID-Cooling tells us the cooler will have a 6-year warranty and that the surface area has been increased by about 15% compared to traditional 360 setups due to the size change. The cooler is supposed to be $190 when it comes out. 

Unfortunately, the cooler doesn’t come with an offset bracket, and we’ve requested that ID-Cooling include one. 

ID-Cooling informed us that there’s a .5mm gap between the bottom of the microfins and the bottom of the cold plate. Lian Li is experimenting with .3. The downside to that, or  something smaller, is there could be more flex/more weakness. The upside is the performance will be better because you’re getting the liquid and the microfins closer to the heat source, which is the CPU IHS.  

FX 360 TD Black  

At $80, the FX 360 TD Black is the cheapest liquid cooler ID-Cooling showed off. It offers a 360mm cooling setup that’s 27mm thick, which is standard. 

With an LCD screen, it’s $90. And it’s a 240x240 screen. 

DX 360

The company’s DX 360 liquid cooler offers a thicker 38mm radiator. It’s supposed to be $120 with its 2.8-inch LCD screen. Launch is TBD. 

DX 360 GDL 

We saw a prototype of the DX 360 GDL at the show. The key thing about this liquid cooler is that it has very short 100mm-length tubes. They go out from the block and go right into the radiator. The downside to this design is that it forces you to put your radiator at the top, which can be problematic in a super-tall case. The benefit to this design is that it looks clean.

ID-Cooling has also added 82 grams of additional liquid by changing the radiator size, which is 130mm wide and has 120mm fans that are 27mm thick. 

Its cap is also magnetic and pulls right off, which exposes the top of the tubes and the rest of the cooler’s block.

A couple of weeks back, CD Projekt Red teased a new update for Cyberpunk 2077. The new 2.3 update was initially supposed to be out for players this week, but unfortunately, it has hit a last-minute delay, but CD Projekt Red has given us a few more details on what to expect. 

Cyberpunk 2077 Update 2.3 will be similar in scope to previous content patches, like the previous 2.2 update. Unfortunately, CDPR doesn't want to reveal more than that until the patch is ready to hit all platforms. It is unclear why the update needed to be delayed, but CD Projekt Red did just add another console to support, increasing the workload a little bit for these updates. Update 2.3 for Cyberpunk 2077 should release on PC, Xbox Series X/S, PS5 and Nintendo Switch 2 at the same time.

It sounds like there is not a concrete release date for the patch yet, but hopefully this is something simple, like a late console certification approval or something. Each console platform has a different process for approving patches, so sometimes we do see studios struggle to line things up for all platforms simultaneously. The most recent example of this was MindsEye, which had its day-one patch delayed on Xbox.

Recently, there have been rumours about a new Cyberpunk 2077 DLC in development in collaboration with Elder Scrolls Oblivion Remastered developer, Virtuos. However, this rumour has nothing to do with Update 2.3 and there has been no new information since the initial rumour began doing the rounds online a few weeks ago.

KitGuru Says: What are you hoping to see from Cyberpunk 2077 Update 2.3? 

Dune: Awakening has seen huge success since its launch a couple of weeks ago. The game continues to hold an extremely high concurrent player count on Steam, and now the game has hit a new milestone, surpassing one million copies sold. 

Dune: Awakening has now sold more than one million copies, making it Funcom's fastest selling game to date. The game has seen a much higher level of success than Funcom's previous survival hit, Conan Exiles, which was also popular, but took a year to reach one million copies sold.

As part of the milestone celebration, Funcom revealed a few fun stats from the game's first two weeks on the market. Since launch, players have been eaten by worms over 800,000 times, and more than 600,000 players have lost the battle in PvP, although PvP is in kind of a weird spot at the moment thanks to the helicopter meta. Over 120 million building pieces have been used to craft bases, just shy of 70K players have lost their lives to sandstorms and many, many grams of Spice have been consumed.

Dune: Awakening has maintained a high concurrent player count since launch as well. SteamDB shows that close to 190,000 players were all logged in at once in the weekend after launch. Depending on the time of day, the game tends to hover with over 100K active players at all times, with a few drops into the 50K region in quieter hours.

KitGuru Says: Have you been playing Dune: Awakening since launch? 

The whispers surrounding AMD's next-generation graphics architecture are picking up. While definitive branding remains unknown, with names like UDNA and RDNA 5 still circulating, it's becoming increasingly evident that this architecture represents a significant leap for discrete graphics cards and the semi-custom chips targeting the next-generation game consoles.

Kepler_L2 (via Wccftech) has offered a fresh update on the “UDNA” architecture. The leaker asserts that Sony's PlayStation 6 and Microsoft's next-generation Xbox will use this new architecture. This aligns with previous confirmations from Microsoft regarding their intent to utilise the Navi 4 successor in the upcoming Xbox and underscores the recently announced multi-year agreement between AMD and Microsoft for future gaming hardware.

Kepler's projections for UDNA's performance are particularly interesting. He anticipates a 20% increase in traditional rasterisation performance but predicts more substantial gains for ray tracing and AI workloads, expecting about twice the performance. Since RDNA 4 already marked a significant improvement over RDNA 3 in these specific areas, RDNA 5/UDNA appears poised to push these capabilities further.

Finally, the leaker addressed a long-standing point of speculation, confirming that these new GPUs will not integrate a 3D V-Cache on the graphics side. While there haven't been strong rumours to suggest otherwise, this clarifies that the large stacked cache, as seen in Ryzen CPUs, will not be a feature of AMD's next-gen graphics processors.

KitGuru says: Seeing that both consoles are supposed to feature similar hardware, it seems the difference between these two will once again lie in the software and games. If that's the case, Xbox might have to reinvent itself again, as its current strategy for consoles isn't working as expected.

A couple of years back, Blizzard announced a bold change to its World of Warcraft development plans. For the first time, WoW is getting a trilogy of inter-connected expansions. The first released to plenty of praise from fans, now, Blizzard is gearing up to reveal expansion 2, titled Midnight.

World of Warcraft: Midnight, the next expansion in the Worldsoul Saga and follow-up to The War Within, will be revealed in August as part of Blizzard's Gamescom attendance.

Here is Blizzard's full announcement:

“World of Warcraft will be at gamescom 2025! Join us for five days of non-stop community celebration. Get ready for a Mythic Dungeon and Arena Showcase, Cosplay Showcase, Developer and Creator Meet and Greets, and much more. During the show you’ll get exclusive news and updates on the next chapter of the World of Warcraft®: Worldsoul Saga—Midnight —directly from the development team, along with a few additional surprises we have in store.”

It is unclear when Midnight but hopefully Blizzard will shed some light on that at Gamescom next month. Gamescom is the world's largest gaming expo and has only grown in the years since E3 ceased operation. This year's event begins on the 20th of August, ending on the 24th of August. As always, the expo takes place in Cologne, Germany.

KitGuru Says: Did you jump back into WoW for the last expansion? Are you looking forward to Midnight?  

FBC: Firebreak launched last week but interest in the title quickly fell flat. The game has struggled to garner any significant player base on Steam, and feedback for the game has been quite negative for a variety of reasons. Now, Remedy says it is going over the feedback and preparing changes.

FBC: Firebreak is supposed to be a Control spin-off, taking place in The Oldest House. Unfortunately, the return to this grand playground does not make a very good first impression, with the first hours of the game being bogged down by grindy missions and a lack of interesting starting gear for each class.

Remedy says a large part of this bad first impression is due to a lack of onboarding:

“The game's first hours do not provide a great experience due to a combination of things. Some of this is down to a lack of onboarding (more about that in a bit), explaining the game’s systems, how to take advantage of the tools at your disposal, and a lack of clarity as to what to do in the Jobs and how to do the work effectively”.

This is something I can attest to. As I have PS+ Premium, I gave the game an install on my PS5 at launch and loaded into a few jobs with random groups. The end result was a messy experience as we all fumbled around trying to figure things out on the fly. The game doesn't immediately play to its strengths either, as the starting gear is all very generic and quite boring. Apparently, gameplay does improve once you start to access higher tier weapons.

“The power fantasy isn’t great in the first hours of the game as starting (tier 1) weapons feel weak, and unlocking higher-tier weapons requires a bit too much grinding”, Remedy said. In future updates, Remedy will work on getting players to the ‘fun' quicker.

Hopefully some of these updates don't take too long, as the game could have potential with less grind and quicker and easier access to better gear.

KitGuru Says: This game made a bad first impression for me, but I'd be willing to give it another chance after updates.

MSI has announced a unique line of Toy Story-themed PC components (only available through a pre-built system), bringing Pixar's iconic characters to the gaming arena. Unfortunately, this limited edition collection, emblazoned with Toy Story branding from the graphics card down to the motherboard's CMOS battery, will be sold exclusively in Taiwan for a limited time.

Spotted by Tom's Hardware, the MAG Pano Toy Story Edition PC includes specially themed versions of MSI's Pano 110R case, an RTX 5070 Gaming Trio GPU, a Z890 Gaming Plus motherboard, an 850W MAG A850GL power supply, and a MAG Coreliquid AIO cooler. The system also has an Intel Core Ultra 5 245K CPU, 32 GB of Kingston Fury Beast DDR5 RAM, and an MSI Spatium M450 1 TB SSD (these without the Toy Story branding).

Each of the five custom-branded components draws inspiration from characters or objects from the first two Toy Story films. The Woody-themed Z890 Gaming Plus motherboard sports heatsinks in Woody's signature yellow and cow-print patterns, with Lenny the binoculars subtly integrated onto the CMOS battery. The AIO cooler is adorned with small green aliens from Pizza Planet, complete with green, blue, and purple RGB lighting effects. The Buzz Lightyear RTX 5070 Gaming Trio, previously showcased at MSI's Computex 2025 booth, has Buzz's colour palette, with a white and green shroud and purple lighting. Fittingly, this Buzz-themed GPU is powered by a PSU featuring the design of Emperor Zurg, Buzz's arch-nemesis. Lastly, the MAG Pano 110R case is designed to resemble the claw machine from the original Toy Story movie.

This limited production run of 500 units comes with additional collector's items. The box set includes building blocks spelling out “Toy Story”, a collection of eight Toy Story figurines based on characters from all four films, an official Disney plaque with a unique collector's number (from 1 to 500), and a set of themed magnets. The complete system is priced at NT$79,900 (approximately £2000) and is currently available for pre-order directly from MSI in Taiwan. However, MSI's website indicates that the system and components are “currently” exclusive to Taiwan, which may imply an eventual international availability.

KitGuru says: If this system were available in your region, would you try to get one yourself?

Battlefield 6 is well into development at this stage. EA is gearing up to reveal the game properly later this summer, but leaks have already spoiled a few surprises, including the first gameplay footage from the single-player campaign. 

Battlefield 6 will include a single-player campaign and better yet, it appears to be a throwback to the campaigns of the Battlefield 3 and 4 days. The gameplay scene, shared by Battlefield Labs dataminer, Temporyal, gives us a look at a scripted sequence that involves blowing up a dam. As this gameplay clip originated from datamining efforts, it is not intended for public viewing but EA and DICE have been rolling with the punches so far in regards to Battlefield Labs-related leaks.

Here's a short clip from the Battlefield 6 singleplayer campaign in the latest BF Labs update.

This work-in-progress footage shows the explosive finale of a mission to destroy a dam in Tajikistan. pic.twitter.com/n9ikBpUrmQ

— temporyal (@temporyal) June 19, 2025

As you can see in the clip, the scene is missing textures and other key details, so it is clear WIP footage and not anything final. It is also entirely possible that this scene isn't intended for the final game.

We'll get our first official look at Battlefield 6 gameplay later this summer. The game is expected to release by March 31st 2026.

KitGuru Says: Are you looking forward to the next Battlefield game? What would DICE need to fix to bring the franchise back to its glory days? 

As impossible to to describe as the first, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is a culmination of some of Kojima's best (and worst) ideas all in one package that's more cohesive and less coherent than anything his team has done so far.

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/review/death-stranding-2-on-the-beach-review-in-progress-one-more-for-the-road/

Lies of P represents one of the best non-FromSoftware games to tackle the Souls-like genre. Released back in late 2023, the game has gone on to be enjoyed by over 7 million players – while selling over 3 million copies. In celebration of the game’s continued success, studio NEOWIZ has given all of its employees massive bonuses and other goodies.

Making the announcement via a press release (and translated by ResetEra user Neha), NEOWIZ revealed that Lies of P and its recently-released Overture expansion have sold a total of 3 million copies.

In celebration of this milestone, the studio has announced that it will be gifting all of its developers with a 10 million KRW (~$7,200) bonus. Beyond this, all team members have also received two additional weeks of paid holiday and a free Switch 2 console.

Considering the fact that most video game studios / publishers respond to record profits with lay-offs, closures and bonuses purely to its executives, the industry could learn a thing or two from NEOWIZ’s ethics.

KitGuru says: Are you one of the 3 million who purchased Lies of P? How does it compare to FromSoftware’s games? Should more studios treat their developers in this way? Let us know down below.

Following its announcement late last year, recent rumours popped up claiming that SEGA’s upcoming kart racer ‘Sonic Racing: Crossworlds’ would include a bunch of non-SEGA characters. In the wake of the announced inclusion of Minecraft Steve and Hatsune Miku, 3 more crossovers have now been confirmed.

During the recent Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards, SEGA officially announced 3 new IPs which are set to be featured in Sonic Racing Crossworlds:

• SpongeBob SquarePants
• TMNT: Mutant Mayhem
• Avatar: Legends

So far, in terms of confirmed characters, only SpongeBob himself (and Patrick Star) have been shown off – alongside a Bikini Bottom track.

Of course, with both the TMNT and Avatar franchises now announced to be joining the line-up, expect the list of crossover characters to balloon quite a bit.

With SpongeBob, the TMNT, Avatar, Minecraft, Hatsune Miku, Persona; Like a Dragon and more being represented, Sonic Racing: Crosswords will easily be the most expansive entry in the kart racing series yet.

KitGuru says: What do you think of the announced crossovers so far? Which TMNT / Avatar characters do you expect to be added? Could Sonic Racing: Crossworlds compete with Mario Kart World? Let us know down below.

The Topaz Supreme R from PCSpecialist comes in at under £1000, making it one of the most affordable prebuilt gaming desktops we've look at in a while – but it still packs in a modern Ryzen CPU and AMD’s latest GPU, alongside 16GB of memory and a 1TB SSD. Can it punch above its weight? That’s what we'll find out today.

Timestamps:

00:00 Start
01:06 Pricing / Warranty
02:03 What do you get for the money?
06:06 Prism 2 RGB Case
07:19 Testing procedures
07:41 Cyberpunk 2077
08:14 F1 2025
08:37 Kingdom Come 2: Deliverance
09:04 Counter Strike 2
09:40 Oblivion Remastered
10:20 Fortnite
10:54 Marvel Rivals
11:26 Forza Horizon 5
12:00 Mats thoughts on gaming
12:52 Clock speeds / Thermals / Noise / Power
14:50 Closing thoughts

Specifications:

• CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 7500F
• GPU: Gigabyte Gaming OC Radeon RX 9060 XT 16GB
• Memory: 16GB Corsair Vengeance DDR5 5200MT/s
• Storage: 1TB PCS PCIe Gen 3 NVMe SSD
• Motherboard: Asus Prime B650-Plus
• Power Supply: Corsair CX650W
• Cooling: PCS FrostFlow 100 V3
• Case: PCS Prism II ARGB
• WiFi: PCIe WiFi card

The core specs are confirmed in the following CPU-Z and GPU-Z screenshots:

The Topaz Supreme R delivers impressive gaming results for a sub-£1,000 system. At 1080p, it consistently pushes high frame rates across modern titles like F1 25, Fortnite, and Cyberpunk 2077. 1440p gaming is also well within reach, especially when using FSR and frame generation in supported games. Competitive esports titles run smoothly, and even more demanding AAA games maintain over 60 FPS with sensible settings. For the price, it’s a capable performer that doesn’t feel held back by too many corners being cut in the parts list.

A selection of screenshots highlighting gaming performance are below, but for full details of all games tested, check out our full video review on YouTube.

F1 25 (1080p)

Fortnite (1080p)

Cyberpunk 2077 (1080p)

Counter-Strike 2 (1440p)

Forza Horizon 5 (1440p)

Cyberpunk 2077 (1440p – FSR 3 Quality and Frame Generation ON)

Closing Thoughts

The Topaz Supreme R proves that you can still get a capable gaming PC for under £1,000 in 2025, but it also shows where the cost savings have been made. While gaming performance is strong, especially at 1080p and even 1440p with a bit of help from FSR and Frame Gen, there are some clear compromises.

The RAM is very much on the budget end – slow, entry-level DDR5 that just about ticks the box. The SSD is just about fast enough, but crucially it is limited to 1TB and that feels tight in a world where game installs regularly top 100GB. Having to uninstall one title just to test another isn’t ideal on a brand new machine.

The case and cooling setup are functional rather than premium, and the overall design won’t win any awards. But the cable management is tidy, thermals are kept in check, and the system runs fairly quiet even under load.

Pricing is very competitive – a similar system came out at just over £1000 if you were to choose to go down the route of building your own machine. Plus the prebuilt option on offer from PCSpecialist comes backed by their quite generous 3 year standard warranty, which will offer peace of mind to anyone who isn't comfortable when troubleshooting any potential issues that may arise.

Overall the Topaz Supreme R is a well built system. Cable management is excellent and thermals and power efficiency both impress.

You can buy the Topaz Supreme R desktop directly from PCSpecialist for £999 HERE.

Pros:

• Excellent 1080p and playable 1440p performance.
• Radeon RX 9060 XT with 16GB of VRAM gives some future headroom.
• Strong airflow and thermals, especially on the GPU.
• Quiet operation even under load.
• Great cable management and clean internal layout.
• Solid warranty and aftercare from PCSpecialist.
• Great pricing when compared to building you own system with the same specification.

Cons:

• The case feels cheap in places and the tempered glass panel is tricky to remove cleanly.
• No Gen 4 SSD despite motherboard support.
• Only 16GB of fairly slow DDR5 memory.
• A couple of early software hiccups during setup.

KitGuru says: The Topaz Supreme R is a compelling, sub-£1000 option for anyone looking for great 1080p gaming performance.

Back in March, it was officially announced that the beloved choice-based RPG Disco Elysium would be receiving a pseudo-reimagining for Android, with a switch-up in mechanics, game art and more. Now, the team at ZA/UM have detailed exactly when fans can get their hands on the title – with it set to arrive on the 5th of August.

Releasing a new trailer, the team at ZA/UM officially announced that Disco Elysium is coming to Android devices on the 5th of August – just 5 months on from its initial announcement.

As mentioned, this Android version of Disco Elysium is quite different from its console counterpart, with the mobile release featuring:

• New “handpainted” art
• 360 degree scenes
• Vertical orientation
• New audio and voice over
• Overhauled investigation mechanics

As revealed back when it was first announced, this upcoming Android release will be available to ‘purchase’ for free – giving you access to the titles first two chapters; at which point you can then pay a single fee to unlock the remainder of the game.

While this adaptation for mobile does seem like an interesting concept, the legal and ethical controversies surrounding ZA/UM does put a bit of a damper on this upcoming release. Regardless, hopefully they managed to translate the experience to mobile well.

KitGuru says: Are you looking forward to this mobile port? Would you want more console games to be heavily adapted to work on mobile? What do you think of the whole ZA/UM situation? Let us know down below.

Epic Games has delivered a significant performance uplift with the recent release of Unreal Engine 5.6. Comparing an open-world tech demo side-by-side on an RTX 5080 in Unreal Engine 5.6 and version 5.4, we can see the framerate improving by up 35% in some scenes, and that's with Hardware Lumen enabled. 

MxBenchmarkPC's video shows that improvements are immediately apparent, particularly in scenarios where the GPU is the limiting factor. Framerates witnessed increases of up to 25%, a direct result of better utilisation of graphics resources, even if this translates to a slightly higher power draw from the card. When the CPU becomes the bottleneck, Unreal Engine 5.6 truly shines, smoothing out frame-time spikes and delivering up to a 35% higher throughput than the older build.

Beyond the raw numbers, the new engine version also brings visual refinements to Lumen, Epic's real-time global illumination and reflection system. Lighting appears more accurate, and reflections are notably sharper, improving the scene's overall visual fidelity.

Unreal Engine 5.6 was officially released earlier this month, shortly after Epic Games concluded its Unreal Fest presentation, where many of these improvements were first teased. The update includes hardware-accelerated ray tracing enhancements that offload a greater portion of the Lumen global illumination workload onto modern GPUs. Furthermore, a new Fast Geometry Streaming plugin aims to make loading vast, static environments feel seamless and stutter-free, tackling a common performance pain point in large open worlds. Additionally, new device profiles have been implemented to automatically adjust settings and help achieve desired frame rates on consoles and high-end PCs.

KitGuru says: It's nice to see Epic Games improving resource usage on the Unreal Engine 5. However, users will only benefit from these improvements in newer games, as most released games rarely do major engine updates post-release. The Witcher 4 is one such new game confirmed to be using Unreal Engine 5.6 thanks to its improved performance. 

FBC: Firebreak is the latest project from Remedy Entertainment – the team behind beloved titles including but not limited to Alan Wake, Max Payne and Control. Unlike all their other releases, FBC is a multiplayer-focused experience with an emphasis on co-operative gameplay. Unfortunately, it seems as though interest in this title has been middling – with the game failing to even hit 2,000 concurrent players on Steam.

According to SteamDB, since the launch of FBC: Firebreak on the 17th of June, the co-op multiplayer title has failed to garner any significant audience on the platform – with the game peaking at just 1,992 concurrent players (and a 24 hour peak of 608 CCU).

Of course, it is worth noting that FBC: Firebreak launched as a day-one release onto both PlayStation Plus and Xbox Game Pass, meaning a majority of players likely hail from either platform/service.

Furthermore, the team at Remedy have promised to improve the game over time with additional content; including two major updates scheduled for later this year: adding new locations; new gameplay systems; new enemy types; new unique armour sets and earnable rewards.

Regardless of Steam’s troubling player numbers, FBC: Firebreak still has an opportunity to succeed, especially as the title supports crossplay with Xbox and PlayStation.

As long as the game has enough players to sustain itself, hopefully Remedy will continue to add to and improve upon FBC: Firebreak.

KitGuru says: Have you checked out FBC: Firebreak? What platform are you playing on? Have you struggled with matchmaking at all? Let us know down below.

Gen5 SSDs have been out for a good while now, and they still haven't managed to capture the attention of mainstream audiences. The standard, despite seeing significant drops in prices & supply getting much better, these products are still positioned in the enthusiast category, and manufacturers are trying to promote their storage solutions with some innovative ideas, which mostly involve cooling solutions. Although companies like Phison, Silicon Motion, InnoGrit, and the rest and trying their best to offer the best possible speeds at the best possible thermals and power envelopes, Gen5 SSDs are still a hot solution. Temperatures have been […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/review/teamgroup-t-force-dark-airflow-1-ssd-cooler-review-handling-gen5-like-a-boss/

It's been two years since NVIDIA introduced its Ada Lovelace GPUs, kicking things off with the RTX 4090 and finishing up the initial lineup with the SUPER family At CES, the company unveiled its new RTX 50 "Blackwell" family which features a brand new architecture and several changes such as new cores, AI accelerators, new memory standards, and the latest video/display capabilities. Today, NVIDIA releases its 6th entry within its "RTX 50" portfolio, the GeForce RTX 5060. The RTX 5060 is positioned in the entry-level segment, with an MSRP of $299 US and a factory-equipped 8 GB of VRAM, which […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/review/colorful-geforce-rtx-5060-nb-ex-8-gb-graphics-card-review-triple-fan-cooling-for-an-entry-level-design/

Earlier this month during the Xbox Games Showcase, Persona 4 Revival was officially announced. Despite plenty of leaks surrounding the project, we did not get much official information during this announcement. Currently, the remake lacks a release date, but recent documents point to a longer wait than fans may have expected. 

Following Sega's annual management meeting this week, a number of documents have been released online. In one such document, it was discovered that Persona 4 Revival is scheduled to release in the next fiscal year, putting its release date anywhere between April 1st 2026 and March 31st 2027.

Given how short the teaser trailer reveal was, there is a good chance that the game is planned for a later release, perhaps around the Fall season. This later-than-expected date also calls into question recent Persona 6 rumours. A few different sources have claimed that Persona 6 is in development for a 2026 release, but if Persona 4 Revival is coming next year, then there is little chance that we see Persona 6 within the same calendar year.

Persona 4 Revival was first announced at the Xbox Games Showcase, just like Persona 3 Reloaded. However, the game is not a console exclusive, so it will be coming to Xbox, PC, PS5 and potentially the Switch 2 as well.

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KitGuru Says: Games take time to develop and unfortunately, the timelines are often longer than fans would like to see. 

Adi Shankar has become a fan favourite TV producer amongst the gaming crowd. So far, Shankar has successfully put out fan-pleasing animated shows for Castlevania and Devil May Cry. Next, Shankar will turn his attention to Duke Nukem. 

Adi Shankar recently confirmed in an interview with Esquire that he will be continuing his streak of video game adaptations. He recently acquired the rights to make a Duke Nukem series from Gearbox. Better yet, he's already winning fans over with his comments on how he'll handle the IP.

“Duke Nukem can’t be made by a corporation, because the moment a corporation makes Duke Nukem, it’s no longer Duke Nukem. I don’t intend on having anyone tell me what to do on this one”, Shankar said.

There is no release date yet for Duke Nukem and work on it has barely begun, so it will be a couple of years before we get the first batch of episodes. In the meantime, the new Devil May Cry series will continue, with a second season planned to begin airing later this year.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Duke Nukem has struggled as a franchise over the years. For a long time, it has seemed that even Gearbox itself doesn't quite know what to do with it, so the studio has doubled down on its other shooter, Borderlands, instead. Given his previous successes with Castlevania and Devil May Cry, I'd put money on Shankar being the right guy for the task of adapting Duke Nukem. 

Despite its mandate to safeguard intellectual property, the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) has inadvertently given us our clearest look yet at Logitech's upcoming MX Master 4 mouse. High-resolution photographs, presumably from a design filing, have leaked, revealing some notable departures from the familiar MX Master 3S while retaining the series' core identity.

Initial whispers surfaced weeks ago, and an official launch for the MX Master 4 is expected any moment now. The most obvious visual change seen in the images on the EUIPO entry (via Notebookcheck) comes at the front of the mouse. The two primary click buttons now span the entire width, creating a much cleaner aesthetic than the MX Master 3S, which featured a small plastic separation on the right side. These new buttons even appear translucent in the leaked renderings, though this might be a trick of the light or rendering style.

Another key highlight is the redesigned thumb rest area. The textured ridges from its predecessor have been removed, creating a smoother surface. The thumb rest “button” now seemingly encompasses the entire side surface, moving beyond just the bottom portion of the rest, suggesting expanded functionality or a larger actuation area. A circular pattern of dots on this thumb rest further suggests new capabilities, though their exact purpose remains unclear.

Adding to the array of controls, a third thumb button has been incorporated and positioned forward of the existing two. The thumb scroll wheel also appears to have undergone a subtle but significant change, now protruding slightly rather than being recessed as it was on the MX Master 3S. Finally, a small LED directly beneath the scroll-wheel lock button is visible, most likely serving as a battery or charging indicator.

These leaks suggest that Logitech is not just iterating on a successful design but actively refining it for improved ergonomics, aesthetics, and potentially, new levels of functionality for power users.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru says: Have you tried the current Logitech MX Master 3S? Are you interested in the upcoming MX Master 4?

Sega recently held its annual management meeting. Typically, when the presentations from these meetings are made public, specific sales data is redacted. However, someone at Sega forgot to do this, revealing the lifetime sales for key games like Persona 5, Sonic Frontiers, Yakuza: Like a Dragon and more. 

The document, spotted by IG, shows previously unseen sales data for 11 Sega titles over the past six fiscal years. The data confirms something we already knew – Persona 5 continues to be a massive hit for Sega, outselling franchises like Sonic, Yakuza and even its sibling franchise, Shin Megami Tensei.  Since 2020, Persona 5 Royal has sold 7.25 million copies and continues to be a top-selling game each year.

For comparison, Persona 3 Reload, which launched in early 2024, has amassed 2.07 million sales. Soon, Sega will also launch Persona 4 Revive, which is regarded as a fan favourite for Persona enthusiasts. Persona 6 has not yet been announced.

Shin Megami Tensei, the original franchise that birthed Persona, has also maintained relevance in recent years, with Shin Megami Tensei V shifting over 2.11 million copies since launch.

Sonic Frontiers is the next major game on the list, having sold 4.57 million copies since its launch in late 2022. Team Sonic Racing isn't too far behind, with the kart racer achieving over 3.5 million copies sold.

Creative Assembly appears to be in a good position with its Total War franchise.  Total War: Three Kingdoms is listed as having sold 3.21 million copies to date, and the studio has plans to unveil the next wave of Total War strategy games in a showcase later this year. Total War Warhammer 3 is a little further behind Three Kingdoms, having sold 2.34 million copies.

Yakuza 7, otherwise known as Like a Dragon, was a turning point for the franchise. With Yakuza 7, the series shifted from action combat to a turn-based system, reminiscent of classic JRPGs. The game has sold 2.86 million copies since 2020, and its sequel, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth is closing the gap, reaching 1.66 million copies sold since its release in early 2024.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: I anticipated Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth and Yakuza: Like a Dragon to be a bit further along in sales, but it seems to be doing similar numbers to the more recent Total War games. 

Asus Republic of Gamers has unveiled the ROG NUC (2025). This machine, touted as the world's first sub-three-liter gaming PC, is a compact powerhouse driven by Intel's Core Ultra 9 (Series 2) CPUs and features Nvidia's latest GeForce RTX 5080 Laptop GPU, complemented by up to 96GB of memory. Designed with both gamers and creators in mind, this compact system aims to redefine expectations for small form factor PCs, promising up to four times faster rendering performance than previous iterations. 

At the heart of the new ROG NUC (2025) lies an Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX processor. Featuring a 24-core hybrid architecture and an integrated NPU, it can boost speeds up to 5.4GHz and supports up to 96GB of DDR5-6400 memory. For graphics, the ROG NUC (2025) is equipped with the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080 Laptop GPU, with options also available for the RTX 5070 Ti, 5070, or 5060 Laptop GPUs.

Upgradability in this system is made simple, with tool-less access to both memory and storage components. Asus has also incorporated its signature ROG cooling technology to ensure optimal performance while maintaining minimal noise levels. Even under heavy loads, the ROG NUC (2025) is engineered to remain quiet, courtesy of its triple-fan system and dual-vapor chamber architecture. Connectivity is also a strong suit, featuring Intel Wi-Fi 7 for wireless speeds up to 46Gbps and speedy Bluetooth 5.4 support.

Physically, the ROG NUC (2025) measures a compact 282 x 187.7 x 56.5mm, resulting in a total volume just under 3 litres, and includes an integrated vertical stand for flexible placement. Its thoughtful modular architecture supports seamless updates, and a comprehensive array of I/O connections includes Thunderbolt 4 USB-C with fast charging capability and 4x USB-A 3.2 Gen2 Gbps ports in the rear and two USB-A 3.2 Gen2 ports and a single USB-C port at the front. To top it off, customisable Asus Aura Sync ARGB lighting lets users personalise the system to match any gaming setup. The Asus ROG NUC (2025) with the Core Ultra 9 275HX and RTX 5080 Laptop GPU is now available for pre-order in the US for $2849, with initial shipments expected to begin on July 2nd.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru says: You can pack some pretty powerful hardware into a very small chassis nowadays. Do you think SFF systems and mini-PCs will become more common for gaming? 

It looks like Microsoft has more licensed Xbox hardware products on the way. During the Xbox Games Showcase earlier this month, the Asus ROG Xbox Ally handheld was announced and now, Meta is preparing an Xbox-branded version of the Quest 3S VR headset. 

The Meta Quest 3S Xbox Edition has surfaced online through retail leaks, as confirmed by Insider Gaming. The Xbox edition VR headset sports a black design, as opposed to the Meta Quest's traditional white colour scheme. The headset also has the Xbox logo placed front and centre, but aside from that, there does not appear to be any additional changes.

Microsoft had a relationship with VR headset maker, Oculus, prior to the company being acquired by Facebook (now Meta). Each original Oculus Rift headset shipped with an Xbox controller instead of the motion controllers VR platforms eventually moved to. In the years since then, Microsoft has continued to support Quest VR headsets with apps that enable Xbox game streaming to a home cinema screen inside the headset.

Microsoft has not developed any VR-specific games, nor has it implemented VR support on consoles, unlike its rival Sony, who has shipped two generations of PSVR headsets in the past eight years.

Chances are, the Quest 3S Xbox Edition bundle will include a few months of Game Pass, so headset users can access a library of Xbox titles streamed over the cloud.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: This partnership sounds weird on the surface, as Microsoft has had little involvement in the VR space compared to its competitors. However, given Microsoft's long-standing support of the Rift and Quest, it does make at least some sense. 

AMD appears to be putting the finishing touches on a compelling new mid-range CPU, the Ryzen 5 9600X3D. This CPU recently appeared accidentally in AMD's CPU support list for the newly released Radeon AI Pro R9700 graphics card. This quiet confirmation suggests AMD is gearing up to offer a potent option for gamers in the mid-range CPU market, potentially challenging Intel's Core i5-14600K and the newer Core Ultra 5 245K.

MelodicWarrior (via TechPowerUp) was the one who brought the Ryzen 5 9600X3D to our attention. It is expected to be a 6-core, 12-thread processor leveraging the latest Zen 5 microarchitecture and built on Granite Ridge silicon. As its “X3D” moniker suggests, the key differentiator is the inclusion of AMD's 3D V-Cache technology. This means an additional 64MB of stacked cache will sit atop the existing 32MB of on-die L3 cache, culminating in a formidable 96MB of L3 cache.

Early indications suggest that the 9600X3D's clock speeds might be similar to those of the standard Ryzen 5 9600X. This is attributed to an architectural change in how AMD stacks its 3D V-Cache die with the CCD. Unlike previous iterations where the 3D V-Cache sat on top, potentially impacting thermal dissipation and limiting clock speeds, the new method makes the die a base tile for the CCD.

The addition of 3D V-Cache has historically provided significant uplifts in gaming performance for AMD processors. Should this trend continue with the 9600X3D, it could emerge as a highly competitive option for gamers seeking maximum frame rates without investing in higher-core-count CPUs. This strategically positioned chip would offer a compelling alternative to Intel's offerings in the mid-range segment, where gaming performance per dollar is often a key factor for consumers.

AMD has not yet officially announced a release date for the Ryzen 5 9600X3D, but its appearance in official driver updates suggests a launch could be imminent.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru says: Do you think the AMD Ryzen 5 9600X3D will become the go-to processor for mid-range builds?

The headline is scarier that the reality, but since Microsoft made this announcement very quietly it's worth paying attention.  In a recent, relatively obscure blog post, Microsoft informed those who found it…

Apple's 1TB MacBook Pro 14-inch is down to $1,599 today.

Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

New reports suggest that AMD's upcoming generation of graphics cards (likely named RDNA 5) will embrace the newer HDMI 2.2 standard. However, don't expect a full doubling of bandwidth right out of the gate. Reports indicate these next-gen GPUs will support HDMI 2.2 speeds of up to 80 Gbit/s, a significant bump from HDMI 2.1's 48 Gbit/s, but fall short of the standard's theoretical 96 Gbit/s maximum.

According to Kepler, the RDNA 5 (or UDNA) GPUs, internally codenamed GFX13, are specified to support two modes: 64 Gbit/s and 80 Gbit/s. This implies that the highest 96 Gbit/s mode, which would demand the new “Ultra96” HDMI cables, will not be supported, at least initially. It remains unclear whether this is a hardware limitation of the upcoming GPUs or if full 96 Gbit/s support could be enabled later (for example, through driver updates).

The leaker also noted that there is currently no information regarding DisplayPort 2.1b compatibility for the GFX13 architecture. On the other hand, Nvidia's RTX Pro Blackwell and GeForce RTX 50 series already support this standard, putting them ahead in that specific aspect.

Kepler's report doesn't distinguish between the Radeon RX (consumer) and Radeon Pro (professional) series of GPUs. The update refers broadly to the GFX13 display engine, and historically, AMD has sometimes differentiated display output capabilities between its consumer and professional lines. Whether this trend will continue with the GFX13 remains to be seen.

KitGuru says: Would you rather see AMD pushing the DisplayPort standard further on its upcoming GPUs instead of HDMI?

We take a look at Thermaltake’s full immersion cooling setup and several new cases that include the View 390 Air, TR200, TR300, and more

The Highlights

• Thermaltake’s full immersion cooling setup uses liquid and comically large hoses coupled with a massive radiator system
• Thermaltake’s upcoming View 390 Air case looks promising and offers a curved glass side panel
• The company’s TR200 and TR300 are budget friendly cases that include a TFT display panel on the front
• Thermaltake’s Mine Cube looks very reminiscent of another popular IP and offers a cooler block with 4 screens

Table of Contents

• AutoTOC

Intro

We visited Thermaltake’s booth at Computex 2025 and the company showed off its Immersion Cooling system, View 390 Air case, “Minecube” cooler, and TR200/TR300 cases.

Editor's note: This was originally published on May 20, 2025 as a video. This content has been adapted to written format for this article and is unchanged from the original publication.

Credits

Host

Steve Burke

Camera, Video Editing

Mike Gaglione
Vitalii Makhnovets

Writing, Web Editing

Jimmy Thang

Immersion Cooling

At the show floor, the company showed off a setup that offers 50 liters of “immersion cooling” within their new IX700 case. Immersion cooling means that the system is in liquid. The liquid is PA2, which is one of the more economical solutions, but is still expensive. Thermaltake tells us it's between $20 to $30 per liter.

The liquid is piped through 2 gigantic pipes, which Thermaltake tells us is rated for 20 bar. That’s insane. It then connects to a massive 4-radiator system. Overall, it’s a showcase for an enterprise solution, but it’s super cool. 

The PC had its CPU, an Intel Xeon w9-3495X, and GPU both at 100% load. CPU core temperature clocked in at about 60 degrees C and the GPU was about 64 degrees C. We estimate that the room the computer was in felt about 23 degrees C. 

The system is running 4 pumps and 4 radiators using a 4x420mm setup that are 64mm thick. Thermaltake is thinking that its immersion cooling setup will be a build-to-order enterprise solution. Taking a closer look at the radiators, they felt warm when we put our hands next to them.  

The system uses dielectric fluid, which means it’s non conductive. 

The hoses for the system seem overkill and we don’t know what industry they come from. 

View 390 Air

The View 390 Air is a $150 case. The company is thinking about including 2 fans for that price, but the company is still deciding between offering 2 fans in the front or in the back. In our opinion, Thermaltake should provide the 2x200mm fans in the front as users are less likely to already have those.   

The case’s glass side panel provides a solid wall all the way around the case. The glass measures 4-5mm thick, which is very large glass. Interestingly, closing off the top panel can work better for CPU thermals sometimes. The reason is that when you push air in, it’s not able to escape through the top.   

There is a screen that’s mounted above the motherboard, which is optional. If you don’t buy the screen version, there’s just a steel plate there instead. 

The case has spots for 3 sunken 120mm fans at the bottom and room for 3 fans on the side. We do like seeing the option for 2 fans in the back when there’s room for it, but it does make the case taller.   

TR100

The company showed off several different color SKUs of the TR100, which is a case that’s already out on the market. 

TR200 and TR300

Thermaltake also showed off its TR200 micro-ATX case. It’s supposed to be $80.

The TR300, meanwhile, is a $100 case. 

Neither case has a riser, which means the GPU is normally installed. Both cases use a newer TFT display panel on the front, which Thermaltake says offers better brightness and sharper resolution than their prior panels. 

The company also showed off a prototype wood front panel. 

Looking inside the TR300, we can see a lot of Yeston-inspired marketing material on the pump block. In addition, the case also has a closed-off side near its front that tries to obscure the power supply and its cables because the PSU is mounted to the front and is rotated on its side. Unfortunately, this design does limit options for intake fans in the front. The case relies on bottom intake fans and some on the side. Again, unfortunately, the bottom of the TR300 is not that elevated though the TR200 does have more room to breathe, which we liked seeing. 

Thermaltake is looking at a Q3 launch for both cases. 

Mine Cube

The font and aesthetics of the Mine Cube might look familiar, but is legally distinct... The Mine Cube is a cooler block with 4-sided screens, which includes the top and 3 sides. It sits on top of a VRM fan and RAM fan. 

One feedback we offered was that there was no vent on the north side to allow air to hit the VRM from this angle.

Internally, the block cover has some slats. The unit we saw only was able to get in air through one side, but we looked at a really early prototype. Users can orient the Mine Cube to whatever position they want. 

There’s a couple challenges for Thermaltake to overcome here. The first of which involves software, particularly if you want to try and link the screens in any way. The unit we saw at Computex had a character moving from one screen to the next. The other main challenge pertains to cost, especially as it comes to controlling the screens. To address this, Thermaltake has gone to a single IC to control all 4 screens. Regardless, the 360mm model, which is the only one we know of at the moment, still ends up around $350. When we asked them about the technological challenges of trying to drive 4 screens through a liquid cooler, the company said it was “not making it $600,” which is a totally valid answer. 

Thermaltake is targeting an August release for the Mine Cube. 

Project Edge

Thermaltake also showed off an early prototype of its Project Edge set of fans, which offers a series of progressing screens. The company thinks this is where the future of fans might be. To add some context here, Lian Li makes a bunch of money selling fans with LCDs on them. Now the direction might be LCDs on the side of fans.

During the VLSI Symposium in Japan, Intel shared some details on its new 18A process node, which is poised to enter full production in the latter half of 2025. This isn't merely an incremental step; Intel 18A represents a fundamental re-engineering of the silicon foundation, combining Gate-All-Around (GAA) transistors with their innovative PowerVia backside power delivery network, all wrapped within a completely revamped metal stack design.

The integration of PowerVia is a game-changer. By routing power through the back of the chip, Intel has managed to tighten the connection pitches on critical front-side layers, while simultaneously relaxing spacing on the very top layers. This strategic shift not only promises to enhance manufacturing yield but also significantly simplifies the fabrication process itself. As shown by HardwareLuxx, the numbers speak volumes: in standardised power, performance, and area (PPA) tests conducted on an Arm core sub-block, Intel 18A showcased approximately 15% better iso-power performance than Intel 3. Pushing the voltage to 1.1V, clock speeds can increase up to 25% without incurring additional energy expenditures. Even at a lower 0.75V, performance can improve by 18%, or power consumption can be slashed by nearly 40%.

Under the hood, this process node achieves substantial reductions in cell height. Performance-tuned cells now measure a compact 180 nanometres, while high-density designs shrink further to just 160 nm, both notably smaller than their predecessors. The structure of metal layers has also been refined, as the front-side layers have been reduced from a range of 12-19 on Intel 3 to 11-16 on Intel 18A. To facilitate PowerVia, three additional rear metal layers have been added. Moreover, the pitches on the lower metal layers (M1 through M10) have been dramatically tightened, going from as much as 60 nm down to 32 nm, before intentionally increasing again in the uppermost layers. Adding to the manufacturing efficiency, low-NA EUV exposure is employed on layers M0 through M4, which slashes the number of masks required by an impressive 44%, further simplifying the overall production flow.

Intel intends to debut its 18A technology in key upcoming products. This includes the low-power Panther Lake, aimed at mobile platforms, and the efficiency-core-only “Clearwater Forest” Xeon 7 series for server applications. Recognising the diverse needs of different markets, Intel will offer multiple variations of the 18A process, including a cost-optimised 17-layer variant, a balanced 21-layer option, and a performance-focused 22-layer arrangement, ensuring flexibility for a wide range of applications.

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KitGuru says: Can Intel recover its footing in the foundry business with its new 18A process node?

It would appear that fans have turned on Monster Hunter Wilds. While the game launched to generally positive reviews earlier in the year, fans have grown frustrated with the gameplay changes made in the sequel, and now the game's Steam review score has dropped down to overwhelmingly negative. 

For Monster Hunter Wilds, Capcom looked to make the game more accessible to a broader audience. As a result, new mechanics were introduced, like auto-pathing to targets, the ability to sharpen weapons and heal while riding, and a ‘focus mode' in combat that makes it easier for players to target monster weak points. This is all very different to Monster Hunter World, where hunts often required more careful planning and multiple chase attempts before taking a beast down.

Now, fans have begun putting all of these complaints front and centre under the Monster Hunter Wilds Steam page. The game's overall review score has dropped to Overwhelmingly Negative on Steam, and as pointed out by Windows Central, players have been dropping Wilds in favour of going back to Monster Hunter World on PC.

Aside from complaints around the ‘streamlined' experience in Monster Hunter Wilds, many PC players are also frustrated by the game's performance. Wilds runs quite poorly on mid-range PCs and older generation hardware, even on modern high-end systems, it is recommended that Frame Generation is enabled to bring an artificial boost.

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KitGuru Says: Capcom has not yet responded to the rise in player complaints. However, a showcase is happening soon, so we expect to see some Monster Hunter Wilds related announcements.

The Nintendo Switch 2 has been off to a hot start, becoming the fastest selling console to date thanks to strong launch weekend sales. The Switch 2 also launched with a pretty strong line-up of third-party games, but so far, publishers are being disappointed by the results.

While Nintendo has already sold millions of Switch 2 consoles, and has observed strong sales for its launch game, Mario Kart World, third-party publishers have not yet benefitted from the boom in Switch 2 console sales. According to TheGameBusiness, analysis shows that the majority of Switch 2 game sales in the UK and US so far have been for first-party titles like Mario Kart World.

One third-party publisher told the outlet that Switch 2 sales have so far been “below our lowest estimates”. However, there is good reason to think that this is a temporary problem and not a sign that third-party publishers will struggle to find success on Nintendo's latest console.

So far, the majority of third-party Switch 2 games are ports of previously released games, and some of them were even available on the Switch 1. As the Switch 2 features backwards compatibility, many early adopters of the Switch 2 may be playing older Switch 1 games in their catalogue. As more brand-new titles land on the Switch 2, we would expect to see third-party performance lift up overall.

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KitGuru Says: The line-up of brand-new games for the Switch 2 launch was underwhelming, but there are more games releasing every month.

NetEase has primarily focused its game development and publishing efforts on games with broad multiplayer appeal. However, for the first time, NetEase is now working on its first single-player game, and it is coming from the studio behind Naraka: Bladepoint.

Blood Message is a new game coming from NetEase and 24 Entertainment. The game's reveal today comes paired with a trailer, promising a cinematic story-driven action-adventure for both PC and consoles. Like most major AAA projects this generation, Blood Message is being developed using Unreal Engine 5.

Blood Message is set during the final years of the Tang dynasty. Players will go on a 1000-mile journey to Chang'an the centre of the Tang Empire. This lengthy journey will take players across the vast wilderness of East and Central Asia, all the while surviving brutal sieges.

The game promises a blend of stealth combat and survival mechanics, expansive landscapes, cinematic storytelling and a “deeply emotional journey exploring themes of family, honor, sacrifice and cultural identity”.

Blood Message does not yet have a release date.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: What did you think of the announcement trailer? 

This week has been a bit of a wild one in rumour land. A previously reliable source made the bombshell claim that Microsoft had hired the developers behind the Xenia emulator to work on an official Xbox and Xbox 360 emulation tool for PCs and new devices like the Xbox Ally. Unfortunately, it turns out that this rumour may have been all smoke with no fire. 

Extas1s made a name for themselves online in recent years following a string of accurate leaks. However, this particular leak may be more fiction than fact. After claiming that Microsoft had hired developers behind Xbox 360 emulator, Xenia, for a push to bring the ‘Xbox Classics' library to more devices, one of the Xenia team members spoke out. According to Xenia developer ZoloKluk, Microsoft has not hired them and added that “Microsoft has their own Xbox 360 emulator” and would have no need to consult Xenia developers.

Another well known Xbox reporter, Windows Central's Jez Corden, also stated that while Microsoft is known to be looking at ways to bring more Xbox games to more devices, this emulation scenario “isn't a thing at the moment”.

As spotted by Insider Gaming, Extas1s did double down on his original report, claiming that Xenia project contributors were hired by Microsoft through an internal initiative that brings GitHub contributors into Microsoft for various projects. However, Microsoft just announced plans to let go of thousands of employees and has been actively shedding workers for the past 18 months, so it is unclear how reliable this claim really is.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: At this point, I'd be putting my money against the idea that Microsoft is working on a new emulator destined for Windows. However, if Microsoft really does switch to a ‘gaming' version of Windows for the next Xbox, then I wouldn't rule it out in a few years' time. 

Asus has just revealed the Pro WS Platinum power supply line, which was announced at Computex 2025. Available in whopping 3000-watt, 2200-watt, and 1600-watt variants, these heavy-duty PSUs are engineered to drive multiple high-end graphics cards.

The PSUs incorporate PCIe connectors with gold-plated copper pins. This design choice promises to reduce connector temperatures by up to 10°C compared to standard 12V-2×6 connectors and improve power delivery efficiency by increasing contact between internal socket pins.

For thermal management and durability, the units use dual-ball fan bearings, which are designed for longer lifespans than sleeve-bearing alternatives. Extruded aluminium heatsinks are also integrated to dissipate heat from internal components. The PSUs are housed in a 175 mm-long chassis, shorter than some other 1600W units available.

These power supplies are compliant with ATX 3.1 and PCIe 5.1 standards. The cables are flexible and etched, with distinct colours for CPU and PCIe power connectors to aid installation and cable routing. Moreover, the Pro WS Platinum series carries an 80 Plus Platinum certification, indicating high power efficiency. This efficiency is partly attributed to the use of Japanese server-grade capacitors. A protective coating on the PCB is present to guard against moisture, dust, and debris. The power supplies come with a 10-year warranty.

The 3000W model is rated to support up to four GeForce RTX 5090 graphics cards, the 2200W model can power up to four GeForce RTX 5080 cards, and the 1600W variant can run two GeForce RTX 5090 graphics cards.

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KitGuru says: Regardless of your choice, a Pro WS Platinum PSU will provide plenty of power to feed your components.

For the past six months, EA has been loudly playtesting Battlefield 6 with large pre-alpha gameplay sessions leading to numerous gameplay leaks. Now, Battlefield 6 has reportedly hit a new development milestone, and more content is hitting the Battlefield Labs testing platform. 

According to Battlefield Labs playtesters speaking with Insider Gaming, Battlefield 6 recently changed from pre-alpha to alpha, marking a major development milestone. Battlefield 6 does not yet have a release date, but we expect to see more playtests in the coming months, and EA has confirmed that the game will launch in the current fiscal year, ending in March 2026.

Leaks through Battlefield Labs have also revealed new assets for the game's single-player campaign, and assets for a Battle Royale mode. DICE did previously attempt to bring Battle Royale to Battlefield with the Firestorm mode in Battlefield V, but it did not achieve broad popularity. The Battle Royale idea has been put on ice in subsequent games but appears set for a return in Battlefield 6.

Apparently we'll be getting the first official Battlefield 6 trailer before the end of the Summer, which puts Gamescom as a likely reveal event.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: If DICE could just get a launch right, we'd be having much more positive conversations around the Battlefield franchise right now. Hopefully these extra months of playtesting will pay off when Battlefield 6 hits the market. 

Back in March, the team at FuturLab officially announced that a sequel to the much-loved PowerWash Simulator would be arriving at some point this year. Though a release date has yet to be shared, a new trailer has dropped for the sequel – detailing many of its new gameplay additions and improvements.

Releasing a new Gameplay trailer alongside a blog post, the team at FuturLab officially detailed some of the many changes and enhancements coming with PowerWash Simulator 2. Alongside previously-confirmed details (such as 4-player co-op with shared progression; a new home base; customisation and more), PowerWash Simulator is said to include:

• Multistage levels which unveil more to clean once you’ve completed the first stage
• ProRise AE-300 abseil rope for greater verticality
• ProRise SCF-5X scissor lift
• Customisable home base decor
• New ‘SwirlForce Surf Ace’ floor cleaning tool
• The ability to pet cats

FuturLab promises to be “taking a deeper dive into some of these in the coming weeks”. PowerWash Simulator was a huge hit which managed to take the ‘simulator’ genre of games in new directions when it launched back in 2022. Hopefully PowerWash Simulator 2 is even more satisfying and zen than the first.

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KitGuru says: What do you think of all the new features so far? Do you like the idea of the sequel expanding its scope? What was your favourite tool in the first game? Let us know down below.

A couple days ago it was officially announced that Crash Team Racing: Nitro-Fueled – the remake of Naughty Dogs classic PSOne kart racer – had sold over 10 million copies. This is despite the fact that the game was released exclusively for the PS4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch. Though it should be taken with a pinch of salt, a new ‘leaker’ has claimed that an enhanced port called the ‘Grand Prix Edition’ is set to come to current-gen consoles, and for the first time, PC.

Taking to the Crash Team Racing subreddit, a new user who claims to ”work for a small studio under Activision and Microsoft” has shared a ton of details for what is listed as ‘Crash Team Racing: Nitro-Fueled – Grand Prix Edition’ alongside some blurry screenshots.

According to the leak, this enhanced version of the game is planned to come to PC platforms in 2026 (though they could not confirm whether Steam would be included) alongside the PS5, Xbox Series X|S and Switch 2 for $40.

Beyond this, the game is said to include “A few new characters,” a new track and the titular Grand Prix. Last but not least, the title will reportedly feature cross-play support for all current-gen platforms.

It is also worth noting that the leaker claims that Nitro-Fueled’s original developers Beenox had “absolutely no hands on what we did with this re-release” though gameplay remains entirely intact – “other than adding a reserve meter.”

Given the odd release of Crash Team Racing: Nitro-Fueled in the first place, it would be highly appreciated if the game were to find its way onto current-gen systems – and more importantly PC. We will have to wait and see whether anything comes of this ‘leak.’

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KitGuru says: What do you think of the leak? Do you believe it? Why do you think a PC version was never made in the first place? Let us know down below.

Over the past half a decade or so, we have seen an influx in adaptations of various video game IPs. One of the more obscure announcements was for a live-action Netflix film based on the classic Dragon’s Lair arcade game. Announced all the way back in 2020, the Ryan Reynolds-led project has finally found its director.

As revealed by TheHollywoodReporter, James Bobin is confirmed to be helming directorial duties for the Netflix distributed Dragon’s Lair. As mentioned, Ryan Reynolds is also attached to the project, said to be starring in the film while also serving as producer.

Announced back in 2020, Netflix offered few details at the time, aside from the fact that the plot will revolve around Ryan Reynolds starring as “noble Knight Dirk the Daring, on his quest to rescue Princess Daphne from the titular dragon.”

For the uninitiated, James Bobin is a rather interesting choice for director, having been a major part of the classic 2000s British comedy ‘Da Ali G Show’ while also co-creating the Australian comedy ‘Flight of the Conchords’. Beyond this, Bobin also directed 2011’s The Muppets film as well as 2014’s Muppets Most Wanted.

Given the fact that the film was announced half a decade ago, it is surprising to see the project is still alive and finally finding its footing.

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KitGuru says: What do you think of this latest update? Do you have any hopes for the Dragon’s Lair film? What’s your favourite project from Bobin? Let us know down below.

Following a year of PlayStation 5 exclusivity, Stellar Blade (from studio SHIFTUP) launched on PC last week to huge numbers – selling over 1 million copies almost immediately and breaking records for Sony on Steam. It therefore comes as little surprise that according to new reports, a Switch 2 version of Stellar Blade appears to be on its way.

As reported by the Korean site PlayForum, Stellar Blade studio SHIFTUP are said to be prepping for a Switch 2 version of the PS5/PC title, writing (as translated from Korean):

“ShiftUp has recently secured an official developer kit for Switch 2 and has begun initial work”. According to the report, this upcoming release is said to be “closely linked to ShiftUp's IP expansion strategy.”

Though far from proof of its existence, in celebration of the game selling 3 million copies, Stellar Blade studio SHIFTUP did gift all of its employees with Switch 2s – which does tie in nicely to this rumour.

Of course, as with all rumours, this should be taken with a pinch of salt. That said, with Stellar Blade no longer tied down to the PS5, and the PC version officially out of the way, it makes sense for the team to move on to another platform.

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

KitGuru says: Did you pick up Stellar Blade on Steam? How do you think the Switch 2 would handle the game? What do you think the team is working on next? Let us know down below.

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