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Reçu aujourd’hui — 24 novembre 2025 1.3 🖥️ Tech. English

Demeo x Dungeons & Dragons: Battlemarked Review: A Natural Crossover

24 novembre 2025 à 18:00

Demeo x Dungeons & Dragons: Battlemarked is a mostly natural crossover and a fitting evolution for the VR tabletop RPG. Read on for our full review.

Resolution Games created something special with the original Demeo, offering a compelling social VR experience with the turn-based dungeon crawler. Though it gradually evolved through post-launch updates, the initial release was rather bare and it's a testament to the concept's replayability that I'd keep coming back for more. Four years later, Demeo x D&D takes its potential even further.

The Facts

What is it?: An official crossover between Demeo and Dungeons & Dragons that supports up to four players with cross-platform multiplayer.
Platforms: Quest, PC VR, PS VR2 (Reviewed on Quest 3)
Release Date: Out now
Developer/Publisher: Resolution Games
Price: $29.99

Demeo x D&D delivers that same moreish strategy with a more refined package, boasting two sizable campaigns that took my party roughly six hours each to beat. There's considerably more here than what the original Demeo offered at launch, so you'll be busy for a fair while. Using Wizards of the Coast's famous Forgotten Realms setting across Neverwinter and Icewind Dale is an undeniably great fit.

For the unfamiliar, Demeo emulates the tabletop experience by giving you figurines for each character that you can physically move across tile-based maps; hand-tracking controls remain supported on Quest, though controllers offer better precision. Co-location is also pleasingly available on Meta's headset too, letting your whole party sit around the same digital board together.

This time, Resolution's swapped the basement setting for a more modern second-floor room. You've got that same freedom to change your board positioning with minimal fuss, while artwork for the first game's campaigns gives your background environment some nostalgic decoration. Getting up close with each map shows crisp visuals on Quest 3, bringing the digital tabletop fantasy to life well.

Screenshot taken by UploadVR on Quest 3

Like before, movement and skills work well with this turn-based strategy card battler. You have two action points per turn and some ability cards, like healing potions and poison antidotes, can be freely used if you've got points left, since turns automatically end when you run out. Movement, attacks, and more powerful abilities require one point, forcing you to consider each move carefully. Watching your carefully planned strategies pay off feels quite rewarding, though you still need to roll the dice to land a hit. Crits and fails haven't gone anywhere.

Six character classes are currently available with unique moves, offering familiar choices between a fighter, paladin, sorcerer, rogue, ranger, and bard. It's well balanced, as each class comes with its own strengths and drawbacks; setting off fireballs as the sorcerer never gets old with crowd control, nor does the paladin smiting his foes into oblivion in delightfully over-the-top fashion.

They could benefit from a greater range of voice lines, though; there are only so many times a bard can use the same vicious mockery insults before they get stale, even with decent voice acting. I'd like to see some wider options for character creation, too. Much of the joy in D&D comes from creating your own heroes, but right now, you're stuck with limited cosmetic adjustments using the existing base character for each class.

Comfort

Demeo x Dungeons & Dragons: Battlemarked uses a third-person, tabletop perspective, making this a comfortable game to play for newcomers or anyone susceptible to motion sickness. As such, many common comfort options aren't here because they aren't necessary.

Moving across the board is done by hitting one of your controller's triggers and pulling yourself to a location, while rotating the board requires doing this with both hands. Hand tracking support is available exclusively on Quest, though I found controllers to be more precise throughout. Steam and PS5 also have optional flatscreen modes.

Out of the few options here, a vignette can be activated while moving. Quest also supports mixed reality, letting you play off a digital board while viewing your real-world surroundings.

Battles remain challenging, though usually not overwhelmingly so like it could sometimes feel before. Enemies don't spawn nearly as often in Demeo x D&D. You often need to find the way out or defeat the boss, collecting gold to buy new cards along the way from the local bazaar or after individual stages in longer dungeons. My co-op partner and our two hirelings - we each controlled one of these extra characters - only really struggled as we reached the first campaign's end.

It's worth clearing out all the enemies and clearing side quests, as you'll gradually earn more XP that unlocks new abilities, and you pick one of three options from three separate categories each time. That's based on your chosen class and primary/secondary abilities you hold proficiency in, such as strength or constitution. This delivers useful upgrades like extra hit points, less damage from specific attacks, healing if you kill enemies, and more.

Screenshot taken by UploadVR on Quest 3

You can also reuse previous characters too, giving some nice continuity for these otherwise standalone campaigns. What's slightly annoying is that hirelings don't level up with you, which leaves you disadvantaged in a campaign's later stages if you're playing solo or without a full team of four. This leaves some of your party stuck at level one and that gradually feels more unbalanced as you progress, so I'd love to see Resolution address this in a future update. Days after launch, I'm also encountering connection issues that keep interrupting games even after the hotfix. Infrequent enough that it's not a major issue, though no less annoying when it does happen. At least you can jump back into a session easily enough.

This is roughly the extent of D&D's gameplay influence here, since ability checks are mostly limited to one-off actions that only have a marginal impact. Battles often limit this to avoiding obstacles or traps, while outside of combat throws in a few choices with NPCs - usually with side quests - on how best to deal with enemies. You can't choose a specific character to handle checks either, meaning you're stuck using the party leader or whoever activated an event. Perfectly fine with traps but for story situations, continuously failing rolls can get frustrating when another party member is proficient with the required checks.

How Does It Compare On Steam & PS VR2?

For the majority of this review, my co-op partners hosted a game in flatscreen mode on Steam while I joined via Quest 3 natively. However, I've dived in a couple of times on both PS VR2 and SteamVR as well, connecting to the latter with my Quest 3.

Minus the Quest-specific features (mixed reality, hand tracking, and co-location support), I can't really say I've noticed much difference when playing across PS VR2 and Steam beyond a perceived resolution increase. Everything works well and for PC VR, I encountered no issues with either Virtual Desktop or Steam Link via Quest 3.

For reference, my desktop uses an Intel i9 16-Core Processor i9-12900 (Up to 5.1GHz), 32GB RAM - Corsair VENGEANCE DDR5 5200MHz, and a 16GB Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Super. You can find the minimum and recommended specs on the Steam page to learn more.

Battlemarked largely sticks to the original Demeo's established mechanics with the appropriate Dungeons & Dragons set dressing, which feels fitting enough and evolves upon the original game well. But it's these moments where I believe Resolution could take slightly better advantage of what such a crossover can provide.

I'm not expecting Baldur's Gate 3 levels of branching narrative, but Dungeons & Dragons is all about theater of the mind. A good DM won't just let anything fly; an even better one will give you choices while subtly guiding you on a certain path. Choosing a DM-less system is understandable given the base game it's working from, though I'd love to see more meaningful story choices beyond some side quests. What's here is a deliberately simplified take on Wizards of the Coast's tabletop hit, though I'm still having a great time with friends.

Screenshot taken by UploadVR on Quest 3

Demeo x D&D is a great way to introduce newcomers to the Forgotten Realms that's highly enjoyable for more veteran players of both. Returning to these iconic locations in a new way continues to intrigue me, scratching an itch I've had since leaving my regular Dungeons & Dragons campaign two years ago. Progress saves as you advance, and reaching each chapter's end ultimately feels worth it for that sense of accomplishment.

I can only hope it'll be a similar story when Resolution Games begins releasing additional campaigns via future DLC. Given the lengthier nature of Embers of Chaos and Crown of Frost, I'm hopeful for what comes next. As an added touch, unlocking lengthier missions as one-shot dungeons upon completing them is a welcome touch for those of us after something a little more brief.

Demeo x Dungeons & Dragons: Battlemarked - Final Verdict

Demeo x Dungeons & Dragons: Battlemarked is a fitting evolution that's both newcomer-friendly and expands upon the original Demeo well. This crossover packs more expansive campaigns, better difficulty balancing with enemy spawns, lovely visuals, and a greater story focus that better complements these gameplay systems.

I do wish this offered a little more gameplay freedom to better fit D&D. Further narrative freedom would leave your decisions feeling more impactful, leveling up hirelings would help solo players, and I'd love a more expansive custom character creator. Still, Demeo x D&D gets a strong recommendation from me and if you enjoyed Resolution's older hit, you'll feel right at home here.


UploadVR uses a 5-Star rating system for our game reviews – you can read a breakdown of each star rating in our review guidelines.

Meta Faces Scrutiny As Senators Link Facebook & Instagram To Billions In Scam Ad Revenue

24 novembre 2025 à 18:00
Meta Faces Scrutiny As Senators Link Facebook & Instagram To Billions In Scam Ad Revenue Josh Hawley and Richard Blumenthal, two U.S. senators, have asked the FTC and SEC to probe Meta over an estimated $16 billion in scam ad revenue in 2024. A letter from the two to the agencies stated, "The FTC and SEC should immediately open investigations and, if the reporting is accurate, pursue vigorous enforcement action where appropriate,"

AMD Zyphra GPU Cluster Gives Birth To ZAYA 1 MoE AI Model, Smokes Llama3.1

24 novembre 2025 à 17:29
AMD Zyphra GPU Cluster Gives Birth To ZAYA 1 MoE AI Model, Smokes Llama3.1 AMD is in a celebratory mood after AI research firm Zyphra successfully trained its cutting-edge, large-scale Mixture-of-Experts (MoE) model, ZAYA1, entirely on AMD’s accelerated computing platform, which consists of Instinct MI300X GPUs, Pensando Pollara 400 networking hardware, and the ROCm software stack. What are MoEs, exactly? You

Gigabyte Z890 Aorus Elite X Ice Review

24 novembre 2025 à 16:52
If you're considering a value-conscious Intel system and want a good-looking motherboard with all the trimmings for around $200, then Gigabyte has a gem here with great connectivity and cooling, especially if you're building a white PC.

Les Mills XR Dance Steps Onto Steam Next Month

24 novembre 2025 à 16:00

Fitness experience Les Mills XR Dance gets a PC VR release next month.

Developed by Odders Lab, Les Mills XR Dance is a fitness program that features over 40 dance routines, one that partners with EDM record label Monstercat for the soundtrack. Featuring five different presenters and four difficulty levels, it's choreographed for different music styles like pop, club, and more. First released on Quest two years ago, a new Steam page confirms it's heading to PC VR soon.

Since that initial release in 2023, Les Mills XR Dance has received numerous post-launch content updates that appear to be included straight away on Steam. New updates have slowed down across the last year, though previous patches added new workouts, a playlist feature, more beginner-focused sessions, further difficulty levels, and more.

This also follows April's PC VR release for Les Mills XR Bodycombat, and Odders Lab recently released the Focus Mode DLC for its older title on both Steam and PlayStation VR2. Already available on Quest, it introduced a Space Station environment, eight new workouts, and premium futuristic cosmetics.

Les Mills XR Dance is out now on the Meta Quest platform and Pico, while the Steam release will follow this December.

Black Friday Gaming Laptop Deal With AMD Ryzen & RTX GPU Drops To $549

24 novembre 2025 à 15:55
Black Friday Gaming Laptop Deal With AMD Ryzen & RTX GPU Drops To $549 There's a lot of chatter and speculation about how much Valve's upcoming Steam Machine will cost, and there's the recent price hikes on game consoles. If you're a gamer, it can be tough sledding. However, Black Friday is the great equalizer. We've already seen plenty of PlayStation 5 deals, including both console hardware and things like games

Valve drops more hints on Steam Machine’s PC-like pricing

24 novembre 2025 à 14:00

While Valve has still not announced exact prices for its upcoming hardware launches, members of the hardware team have been dropping some hints. After confirming that the Steam Machine will not be priced ‘like a console', two Valve workers have now added that PC gamers should expect pricing in line to a DIY PC of a similar performance level. 

After telling LinusTechTips that the Steam Machine will not be positioned as a console competitor price-wise, two Valve workers also appeared on the Friends Per Second podcast last week, adding a bit more clarification to Valve's thinking when it comes to price.

“If you build a PC from parts and get to basically the same level of performance, that’s the general price window that we aim to be at”.

They added that “obviously, our goal is for it to be a good deal at that level of performance”, so Valve won't be marking it up like we often see in the pre-built PC business. However, the Steam Machine will not be a ‘subsidised' device like consoles often are, where companies like Sony and Microsoft eat a portion of the hardware cost to get people on the platform, and then make up that money by taking a cut of software sales.

Valve does take a cut of everything sold on Steam, so it isn't like Valve couldn't do this. However, it is currently a tricky time in the hardware world due to AI corporations buying up all available supply to feed massive datacentres, leaving little left for the consumer electronics market. As a result, it is expected that certain devices, like the Xbox Series X/S consoles, will soon go up in price again due to rising memory costs. It is possible that this on-going uncertainty is why Valve hasn't nailed down a price point already.

KitGuru Says: Given everything we know so far, how much are you expecting the Steam Machine to cost? At this point, my guess would be anywhere between $800 and $999. 

The post Valve drops more hints on Steam Machine’s PC-like pricing first appeared on KitGuru.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 Season 1 release date officially announced

24 novembre 2025 à 13:00

While the team at Treyarch have made a ton of positive changes with the launch of Black Ops 7, the Call of Duty name is currently far from its peak, with the highly successful launch of Battlefield 6 serving as an interesting point of contrast. Even so, Treyarch have been teasing that Black Ops 7 will have a massive Season 1, with the post-launch update officially set to arrive in a little over a week’s time.

Even prior to the official launch of Black Ops 7, Treyarch began to tease their content roadmap for the game’s first Season, confirming a number of upcoming additions including:

  • 6 new multiplayer maps
  • 7 additional weapons
  • New main Zombies map (Astra Malorum)
  • Two Zombies Survival maps (Exit 115 and Zarya Cosmodrome)

Black Ops 7 Season 1

While we have yet to receive the full entire roadmap, the team have started to offer some more details, taking to Twitter to confirm that Season 1 will officially launch on the 4th of December.

As mentioned, Call of Duty is in a bit of an awkward spot right now. While Black Ops 7 is in many ways objectively one of the best Call of Duty entries in recent years, sentiment surrounding the franchise as a whole has fallen off a cliff somewhat.

As such, it will be interesting to see whether “the biggest Season 01 ever” will be enough to shift the general sentiment. We won’t have to wait long to find out.

KitGuru says: Have you been playing Black Ops 7? What do you think so far? Can Black Ops 7 win back jaded fans? Let us know your thoughts down below.

The post Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 Season 1 release date officially announced first appeared on KitGuru.

Long-rumoured Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Remake reportedly launching in March

24 novembre 2025 à 12:00

Back in early 2024, a rumour first popped up claiming that Ubisoft had greenlit the development of an Assassin’s Creed Black Flag remake. Since then, we’ve heard various bits and bobs surrounding the project – including the extent to which they plan to alter the game’s overall formula. Though still yet to be officially announced, insiders have claimed that AC’s Black Flag Remake is slated to arrive in just a few months.

As reported by known industry leakers Insider-Gaming, the long-rumoured yet-still-unannounced Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Remake could be arriving in just a few months time – more specifically before the end of March 2026.

This follows on from comments by Ubisoft themselves who recently revealed that they have an unannounced project scheduled to arrive before the end of the fiscal year (aka. the 31st of March 2026).

Going into slightly more depth, the leakers stated that this Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Remake is “scheduled to release the week of March 23rd” (most likely on Tuesday or Friday).

Black Flag Remake

As mentioned, this is far from the first time we’ve heard of a Black Flag remake, with previous reports claiming that quite a few changes are being made, including but not limited to:

  • Removing all of the modern day elements from the game
  • Edward having his own loot and gear stats
  • Combat being less ‘choreographed’ than the original
  • A more dense map with fewer loading screens

Of course, we will have to wait for an official announcement before jumping to conclusions. That said, given how close the remake seemingly is to its release, we might finally get an unveiling during this year’s Game Awards.

KitGuru says: Are you looking forward to the Black Flag remake? Can it live up to the original? What are your thoughts on the leaked details so far? Let us know down below.

The post Long-rumoured Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Remake reportedly launching in March first appeared on KitGuru.

AMD Reportedly Tells ASUS, Gigabyte & Other GPU Partners To Brace For A Price Hike 

24 novembre 2025 à 15:04
AMD Reportedly Tells ASUS, Gigabyte & Other GPU Partners To Brace For A Price Hike  It took a long while for pricing on modern generation graphics cards to finally stabilize, but unfortunately it may not last for long. Yet another warning of impending price hikes on AMD's Radeon GPUs is making the rounds and the reason is exactly what you think it is—rising memory costs as demand from the AI sector ravages chip supplies.

AirPods 3 Pro & AirPods 4 Hit Lowest Price Ever On These Black Friday Deals

24 novembre 2025 à 14:31
AirPods 3 Pro & AirPods 4 Hit Lowest Price Ever On These Black Friday Deals In case you missed it last week, Apple's AirPods Pro 3 saw a surprise discount ahead of Black Friday, bringing the latest-generation earbuds down to an all-time low price. It wasn't the discount in and of itself that was surprising, but how quickly it came about, given that the AirPods Pro 3 came out in September, supplanting the AirPods Pro

Marvel's Deadpool VR Hits #1 In Quest Weekly Revenue Charts

24 novembre 2025 à 13:55

Marvel's Deadpool VR is currently the top-earning game in the Quest weekly revenue charts.

Marking Meta's latest first-party title exclusive to Quest 3 and 3S, Marvel's Deadpool VR secured the top spot following last week's launch for $50. Developed by Twisted Pixel Games, this arcade-style action game sees you playing as the titular merc with a mouth after he's kidnapped by the supervillain Mojo. It currently sits at a 4.5-star rating on the Meta Horizon Store with 546 reviews.

Meta Horizon Store: Top-earning games this week by revenue as of November 24, 2025

This week's other big debut is Demeo x Dungeons & Dragons: Battlemarked, an official crossover between Resolution Games' tabletop adventure from 2021 and Wizards of the Coast's fantasy hit. Featuring two campaigns with more to come, it's taken #4 in the weekly revenue charts following last week's multiplatform launch for $30, sitting at a 4.2-star rating after 224 reviews.

Otherwise, it's familiar names with UG sitting at #2 and Beat Saber close behind at #3. Animal Company at #5, respectively followed by Gorilla Tag, VRChat, Blade & Sorcery: Nomad, Yeeps, and PokerStars - Vegas Infinite to round out the top 10. Despite reaching #6 two weeks ago, Triangle Factory's 16v16 shooter Forefront has moved out of the top 10 but still charts at #13.

This list may evolve as the week goes on, and you can find the full charts here for more details on the top 50 weekly earners. We'll continue monitoring these standings as we approach the end of this year.

Street Fighter 6 officially surpasses 6 million copies sold

24 novembre 2025 à 11:00

Following the somewhat controversial release of Street Fighter V, Capcom came back bigger and better with the arrival of Street Fighter 6 in June of 2023. Since launch, the latest entry in the much-loved fighting game franchise has continued to consistently sell well, with Street Fighter 6 having now officially surpassed 6 million copies sold.

Making the announcement on Twitter, the game’s official page confirmed that Street Fighter 6 “has now sold over 6 million units worldwide! Our utmost gratitude to everyone who has hit the streets and to all those who will soon join us.”

For context, Street Fighter 6 managed to sell 1 million copies in its first 3 days on the market back in June 2023 – going on to push to 2 million by the end of its first month. By January of 2024 SF6 had surpassed 3 million copies.

Street Fighter 6 6 million

Capcom then announced in September of 2024 that SF6 had reached a total of 4 million. This figure was then increased to 5 million earlier in June of this year. Of course, now 5 months later and Street Fighter 6 has officially sold 6 million copies.

That said, the game still has a ways to go in order to meet expectations, with Capcom’s President claiming prior to the game’s release that they hope Street Fighter 6 will reach 10 million copies when all is said and done.

Given that Capcom still has plenty of post-launch support planned for Street Fighter 6, it could very well hit its target within the coming years.

KitGuru says: What do you think of SF6? Between it, Tekken 8 and MK1, which have you been playing more? Let us know down below.

The post Street Fighter 6 officially surpasses 6 million copies sold first appeared on KitGuru.

Fallout 4 update aims to fix some of what Bethesda broke with its Anniversary Edition

24 novembre 2025 à 10:15

If Bethesda is known for one thing, it’s featuring a ton of bugs in its games. Luckily, dedicated modders have for years kept the likes of Fallout 4 stable with countless mods, bug fixes and other optimisations – a majority of which were recently broken thanks to Fallout 4’s controversial Anniversary update. Just a few weeks later and a double-edged sword of an announcement has been made, with Fallout 4 set to receive yet another update which many fans have not been asking for.

Taking to their steam page to make the announcement, the team at Bethesda Game Studios unveiled a new update coming to Fallout 4 which should fix many of the issues introduced with the recent Anniversary update – including but not limited to:

  • Fixed a crash that could occur when selecting ‘Purchase Credits' on PC 
  • Fixed a crash when selecting ‘Download all owned Creation Club Creations’
  • Switching Xbox user profiles no longer causes softlocks or loss of controls
  • Performance improvements in the Creations menu across platforms
  • Fixed softlocking when entering/exiting the Creations menu repeatedly
  • Players can now like/unlike creations in the Load Order menu as intended

Fallout 4 Update

The full list of patch notes can be found HERE and does include plenty of welcome fixes. That said, as mentioned this update will once again break a ton of key mods which Fallout 4 fans have used for years now.

Response to the update has been rather negative, with many Steam users expressing frustration at the fact that their mods will once again be broken while offering little in the way of benefits. Of course, users on PC can block Fallout 4 from updating in order to preserve their games, but regardless it is becoming quite clear that fans have started to tire of Bethesda’s cycle.

KitGuru says: Will you be updating your Fallout 4 copy? Should Bethesda stop messing with the game or should they try to fix the problems that they caused with the previous update? Let us know down below.

The post Fallout 4 update aims to fix some of what Bethesda broke with its Anniversary Edition first appeared on KitGuru.

Boulies MagVida Standing Desk Review

24 novembre 2025 à 09:44

Boulies is no stranger to a review here at KitGuru in recent years, but we've only ever looked at the company's chairs. That changes today as we assess the Magvida dual-motor electronic sit stand desk. It features what Boulies call the EMO system (Expandable Magnetic Organisation) which allows add-ons and attachments to be stuck to the underside of the desktop… But can a chair company make a decent desk?

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro
00:49 Pricing
01:24 Build Process
03:41 Build Quality / Materials
04:54 PC mount
05:42 EMO System / Management Straps
06:33 Clean system possible?
06:44 Included in the package
07:15 Day to day use / Wobble
07:56 Dual Motor System
08:56 Mats thoughts

Specifications

  • Desk Size – 140 x 70cm
  • Height Range – 61.6-127cm
  • Desk Feet Width – 68cm
  • Maximum Load – 120kg
  • Desk Top Construction – MDF with Steel
  • Frame Construction – Steel (SPCC, RECC)
  • Motor Speed (Vertical Lift) – 32mm/s
  • Noise Level – ≤45dB

You can buy the MagVida desk directly from Boulies HERE. Full RRP is £679.99, Black Friday 2025 pricing is £299.99.

Pros:

  • EMO magnetic mounting system is clever and convenient.
  • Legs and frame feel solid.
  • Cable management tray works well.

Cons:

  • Too much wobble when at full height.
  • Instruction manual needs a proof read and polish.
  • Magnetic silicone cable straps do not have strong enough magnets for any substantial amount of cables.
  • Expensive when at full RRP when considering the MDF desktop.
  • Screws are low quality and thread easily.

KitGuru says: The MagVida is a decent desk let down by too much wobble and poor quality screws. We'd only consider it when on sale.

The post Boulies MagVida Standing Desk Review first appeared on KitGuru.
Reçu hier — 23 novembre 2025 1.3 🖥️ Tech. English

Valve’s New Steam Machine Could Be Priced Like A PC, Not A Console

23 novembre 2025 à 19:37
Valve’s New Steam Machine Could Be Priced Like A PC, Not A Console In a recent interview, Valve warned that the upcoming Steam Machine won't be priced like a game console. It's not clear what that means just yet, but speculation concerning the Steam Machine's pricing has been rampant. We previously wrote up a defense of the Steam Machine's mid-range PC specifications, but GPU performance roughly on par with

Nintendo Switch Game Deals Bring Mario And Zelda For 50% Off Black Friday Blowouts

23 novembre 2025 à 19:37
Nintendo Switch Game Deals Bring Mario And Zelda For 50% Off Black Friday Blowouts In a rare event, a number of first-party Nintendo Switch games are on sale on Amazon, just in time for Black Friday. While Nintendo doesn't often place any of its first-party titles on sale, a number of prominent games including Super Mario Odyssey, The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, and Donkey Kong Country Returns HD are up to 50% off. The

KRAFTON announces PUBG: Black Budget, closed Alpha set for December

23 novembre 2025 à 14:00

Krafton and PUBG Studios have officially revealed PUBG: Black Budget, a new tactical extraction shooter that is moving the franchise beyond the classic battle royale format. The game will be a PvPvE extraction shooter built around tension, survival, and a unique supernatural premise.

Players will take on the role of a contractor sent to a remote 2.5×2.5 km island to recover top-secret technology. The twist is that the island is trapped in a time loop and is being consumed by a supernatural phenomenon known as the Anomaly. The longer a player stays in a session, the more unpredictable and difficult extraction becomes.

PUBG: Black Budget supports up to 45 players per session in three-player squads, featuring dynamic PvPvE encounters against both other Contractors and hostile entities. Unlike traditional battle royales, the focus is on extracting valuable artifacts and uncovering the truth behind the black-budget initiative named Sapiens, with progression tied to expanding a personal base, crafting new equipment, and improving character skills.

The system requirements have also been published. The minimum requirements are reasonably accessible, comprising an Intel Core i5-8400 CPU (or AMD Ryzen 5 2600), 16 GB of RAM, and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 or AMD Radeon RX 6600 graphics card. As for the recommended specs, it includes an Intel Core i5-12400 CPU (or AMD Ryzen 5 5600) and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 or AMD Radeon RX 6800, along with 16 GB of RAM. The game will require 30 GB of storage space. You can find the detailed specifications below:

MINIMUM:

  • OS: Windows 11
  • Processor: Intel Core i5-8400, AMD Ryzen 5 2600
  • Memory: 16GB RAM
  • Graphics: Nvidia RTX 2060 8GB, AMD Radeon RX 6600
  • DirectX: Version 12
  • Network: Broadband Internet connection
  • Storage: 30GB available space
  • Sound Card: No Recommendation

RECOMMENDED:

  • OS: Windows 11
  • Processor: Intel Core i5-12400, AMD Ryzen 5 5600
  • Memory: 16GB RAM
  • Graphics: NVIDIA RTX 3070, AMD Radeon RX 6800
  • DirectX: Version 12
  • Network: Broadband Internet connection
  • Storage: 30GB available space
  • Sound Card: No Recommendation

Krafton will launch a Closed Alpha Test next month, running over two weekends: December 12th–14th and December 19th–21st. PC players interested in participating can request access via the game's Steam page.

KitGuru says: Did you play the original PUBG? Will you register for PUBG: Black Budget's closed alpha?

The post KRAFTON announces PUBG: Black Budget, closed Alpha set for December first appeared on KitGuru.

Intel Nova Lake may use mix of Xe3 and Xe3P GPU cores

23 novembre 2025 à 13:00

The integrated GPU architecture for Intel's upcoming Nova Lake processors has been subject to conflicting leaks. While initial Linux kernel patches suggested the CPUs would feature Xe3P graphics, an architecture also used by the Crescent Island datacenter GPU, a new report claims otherwise.

Coelcanth's Dream has shared a list of changes for most Nova Lake device IDs, including the low-power U-series, desktop-class S-series, and the standard H-series. These IDs were mapped to GMD 30.4.4 and 30.5.4, which referred to the Xe3-LPG architecture, the same one confirmed for Panther Lake. No mention of Xe3P (GMD 35.11.0) was present in this patch, suggesting Nova Lake iGPUs would be based on Xe3 instead. Still, Coelcanth's Dream believes Nova Lake's iGPU will have more advanced display and media engines than those of Panther Lake and Wildcat Lake, as the initial Linux kernel patches imply.

However, VideoCardz cited its own sources stating that Nova Lake will use a mixed GPU architecture across its product stack. Apparently, a small number of top-tier mobile parts, specifically the high-end Nova Lake-H chips, will feature the true Xe3P graphics tile. This top configuration will reportedly use 12 Xe3P cores and is slated to succeed the highest-end 12 Xe3 setup found in Panther Lake.

This dual-architecture strategy means that the Nova Lake lineup will likely see a split in branding. Given that the current Xe3 iGPUs are launching under the Arc B-series moniker, and Xe3P is confirmed to use the high-performance Arc C-series branding, the overall family could feature a mix of both Arc B and Arc C integrated graphics solutions, depending on the specific SKU.

KitGuru says: Even if some Nova Lake SKUs use Xe3P GPU cores, do you think the difference over standard Xe3 GPU cores will be significant or just a slight improvement?

The post Intel Nova Lake may use mix of Xe3 and Xe3P GPU cores first appeared on KitGuru.

PlayStation games have generated $1.5B through Steam

23 novembre 2025 à 12:00

Sony has been selling its games on PC for a few years now and at this point, many are expecting more and more PlayStation-published titles to release day-one on PC alongside consoles. How much money has Sony made by opening up its games to the PC market? Well according to new analysis, the number should be over $1.5 billion. 

Alinea Analytics has published its research on PlayStation games sold via Steam, the biggest PC games store. Judging by the numbers, Helldivers 2 is far and away the biggest PlayStation-published game on Steam, having sold just shy of 13 million copies.

Sony's single-player games have achieved muted numbers by comparison, but the top-sellers are all in a pretty close range. Horizon Zero Dawn has reportedly sold 4.5M copies on Steam, while God of War (2018) is just behind at 4.2M. After that, Days Gone is the fourth bestselling game at 3.4M copies, which must have people at that studio scratching their heads after Sony cancelled all plans for a sequel. Marvel's Spider-Man is the 5th bestselling game at 2.7M copies sold.

As far as overall revenue goes, PlayStation Studios is said to have brought in as much as $1.5B through the Steam platform, across 43M games sold. Valve does take a cut of Steam revenue but given that most PlayStation titles have accrued more than $50M, the cut will be a minimal 20%, rather than the full 30% cut Valve typically takes from Steam sales. Ultimately, that means Sony's take-home pay was around $1.2B overall, while Valve received over $300M for providing the platform.

KitGuru Says: I am surprised that Spider-Man isn't a bit higher. Interestingly, Helldivers 2 is the only current-gen game in the top 5, but that could be in part due to the higher prices for titles like God of War: Ragnarok, Horizon Forbidden West and Spider-Man 2. This shows that PC gamers are typically more patient and willing to wait for deep discounts before buying a game. 

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Xbox Series X prices could climb higher due to AI-driven memory shortages

23 novembre 2025 à 11:00

Despite debuting with a $499 price tag in 2020, an Xbox Series X now costs as much as $650 when bought new at retail thanks to multiple price hikes. It turns out, there could be another major price increase coming, as Microsoft didn't plan ahead for the current RAM shortage. 

The current AI boom has seen large companies like Microsoft partner, OpenAI, buying up much of the global memory supply, leaving just a sliver of the supply chain for consumer electronics. According to Moore's Law is Dead, this will soon lead to global shortages in the consumer market, which could send Xbox Series X prices skyrocketing even higher.

The video claims that Microsoft “didn't plan ahead at all” and failed to acquire plentiful stocks of GDDR6 memory ahead of time, despite being well aware of the moves in the AI space, being partnered with OpenAI, amongst other companies. Apparently, Microsoft sales reps are already warning that this memory market squeeze will soon impact consumer pricing for Xbox Series consoles.

The video also claims that Sony did plan ahead and currently has plentiful memory resources to avoid raising the price of PlayStation 5 consoles. This is what is enabling the company to offer Black Friday discounts this year, while Xbox consoles may not see a discount at all.

KitGuru Says: Microsoft is well aware of what's happening in the AI world, so the lack of foresight here seems like a major blunder, assuming the report is accurate. 

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False Alarm – Naughty Dog’s next game won’t be releasing in 2026

23 novembre 2025 à 10:00

Just ahead of this weekend, a rumour began doing the rounds claiming that Naughty Dog's next game, Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, would release in 2026. As is often the case, a quote was taken out of context, causing many insiders to jump in and state that the game definitely won't be coming out next year. 

On a recent podcast, Colin Moriarty speculated that Naughty Dog's new IP may release in 2026. Unfortunately, redditors took this quote out of context and what was presented as speculation suddenly became a reported rumour. After the news began doing the rounds, Moriarty wrote on his X account to clarify that he has not heard some any sources that the game would be coming out next year.

Jason Schreier, perhaps the most credible industry insider, also commented on the viral Reddit thread to say “I can assure you that Intergalactic is not coming out in 2026”. Jeff Grubb, another games reporter, said something similar (via IG), saying that after seeing the rumour, people reached out to him to say that the game would not be ready for a 2026 release.

Naughty Dog hasn't released a new game since The Last of Us Part 2 back in 2020, so fans are eager to see their next work. Unfortunately, the situation at Naughty Dog has been a little complicated in recent years. The studio spent much time working on ‘remasters' for both The Last of Us and The Last of Us 2 and wasted several years working on The Last of Us Online, only for the game to be cancelled after a Bungie-led review of live-service projects.

With that in mind, Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet likely hasn't been in full production for very long, meaning it could easily be another two or three years before the game is ready to release. If that is accurate, then the game could very well end up being a cross-generation release for PS5 and PS6.

KitGuru Says: It will be a long time before we see Naughty Dog's next game first-hand. Even if the game had been planned for a Holiday 2026 release, the recent delay of Grand Theft Auto 6 to November next year would have likely blown those plans up. 

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Intel Panther Lake-H Benchmarks And Engineering Sample Sneak Peek

22 novembre 2025 à 20:58
Intel Panther Lake-H Benchmarks And Engineering Sample Sneak Peek Benchmarks of an Intel Panther Lake-H engineering sample have leaked on X/Twitter, and the results have spurred some interesting debate. Before proceeding, though, it's important to clarify the nature of engineering sample hardware and how it usually does not reflect the performance of final hardware. This is especially apparent with the ES
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