The Ace Combat series is easily the most well known in the combat flight sim genre, with the franchise stretching all the way back to 1995. The latest entry, Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown launched back in 2019 has continued to see consistent sales. Following the official and long-awaited announcement of Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve, the team have revealed that Skies Unknown has now exceeded 7 million copies sold.
Late last year, in the lead up to the game’s 7th anniversary, Team Aces revealed that 2019’s Ace combat 7 was closing in on 7 million copies sold.
Cut to a month later and the latest entry has now officially hit the 7 million mark in alignment with the game’s 7th birthday – with the team taking to Twitter to say:
“#ACECOMBAT7 SKIES UNKNOWN has now been available for seven years and has surpassed 7 million copies sold worldwide. We are deeply grateful that so many players have continued flying with us for so long. We look forward to meeting you again in the next skies.”
With its successor set to launch some time this year, it will be interesting to see how many copies Skies Unknown will have sold when all is said and done.
KitGuru says: Are you a fan of the Ace Combat series? Have you been satisfied with Skies Unknown or have you been itching for a new entry? Let us know down below.
While SEGA is generally loved by many in today’s day and age, the game publisher is not free from controversy, with game preservation being a particular issue at SEGA – especially when it comes to older titles which have since been re-released. Ahead of the official arrival of Yakuza 3 Kiwami in February, SEGA have confirmed that the original Yakuza 3 Remastered will soon no longer be purchasable standalone.
Ahead of the launch of Yakuza 3 Kiwami and Dark Ties, the team at RGG studio took to Twitter to announce that the arrival of the remake will coincide with the near-complete-removal of 2021’s more rudimentary remaster, writing:
“Those who already own ‘Yakuza 3 Remastered’ will still be able to continue playing it. For those new to the series who wish to experience the original version, it will be available with purchase of the ‘Yakuza Complete Series’ bundle.”
While worded somewhat awkwardly, in essence, the original Yakuza 3 Remaster will no longer be purchasable following the arrival of Kiwami, with the only way to obtain it being through the Yakuza Complete Series package which includes 7 titles (currently costing a total of over £100.)
This isn’t the first time that SEGA has done something like this, with the release of Sonic x Shadow Generations coinciding with a similar soft-delisting of the original game – also only being purchasable through a bundle.
While a close experience to their original counterparts, the Kiwami remakes are very much their own thing, and so it is disappointing to once again see SEGA making the original experience harder to obtain in favour of the remake. Hopefully they reverse course at some point.
KitGuru says: What do you think of this strategy? Is it shady? Should this type of soft-delisting be allowed? Let us know your thoughts down below.
Supernatural continues to rank at or near number one on the Meta Quest charts in the wake of Meta’s decision to pause content updates and lay off much of the team behind one of VR’s most effective fitness apps.
Many in the VR fitness community have been looking into their options.
Supernatural has always been positioned as a premium experience. Access as of this writing is subscription-only, with users paying either $9.99 per month or $99 per year. That recurring revenue, combined with strong engagement and brand recognition, made Supernatural feel like a rare success story in consumer VR fitness.
Meta says the existing library, which spans thousands of workouts, will stay accessible. Current subscribers can continue paying for full access and new users are still able to sign up. In the short term, that keeps Supernatural viable, especially for users already invested in its structure and coaching. What happens to the mainstream music used in the project if licenses expire?
What makes Supernatural’s situation so disruptive is not just the pause in new content, but the loss of certainty. VR fitness depends on habit, trust, and long-term commitment. When a chart-topping, subscription-only app can be upended overnight, the entire health journey some people are may see potential disruption down the line.
In that context, ownership models, studio independence, and transparency do actually matter to many more than production value alone. At a moment when VR fitness is proving its ability to retain paying users and drive real behavior change, Meta appears to be stepping back from one of its strongest examples.
For users navigating this moment, the good news is that the ecosystem is deeper than it once was. The harder question is which platforms feel stable enough to earn long-term trust.
I've tried a number of VR fitness options besides Supernatural to check out what the latest options offer.
FunFitLand
Photo: FunFitLand
I have spent a meaningful amount of time inside FunFitLand, starting back in its early alpha period. Early on, it leaned heavily on Supernatural’s blueprint, with real coaches in 3D as well as beautiful real-world and imaginary scenes for workouts. Over time, it moved past that influence and developed its own identity.
That evolution is most visible in the community and coaching. The tone is supportive and motivational without feeling performative. Coaches have sharpened their virtual instruction skills, with clearer cues, tighter pacing, and better movement guidance. On the workout side, the platform has expanded its movement set with additions like side steps and hammer strikes, giving sessions more physical range.
DanceFit has since evolved into GrooveFit, favoring looser, more expressive routines. The addition of FlowFit has been especially meaningful. It introduces a meditative, tai chi-inspired experience focused on balance, breath, and intentional movement. It reinforces the idea that VR fitness does not need to be all intensity to be effective.
FunFitLand also improved its music selection. The library now spans a wider range of genres, including cinematic tracks and some heavy metal. That added variety helps reduce repetition and gives different workout modes a clearer identity.
FunFitLand mirrors Supernatural’s pricing structure, offering both monthly and annual subscriptions. At the time of writing, a first-year annual discount of $69.99 appears to still be available for new subscribers, undercutting Supernatural’s standard annual fee. The app, which also supports hand tracking, has also launched on Apple Vision Pro, signaling ambition at a time when others are pulling back.
FitXR
Photo: FitXR
FitXR began life as BoxVR in 2017 and has since grown into one of the most feature-rich VR fitness platforms available. It operates on a subscription model priced at $12.99 per month or $108.99 per year.
The platform, which also supports hand tracking, currently offers seven workout types: Box, Combat, HIIT, Sculpt, Dance, Zumba, and the newer mixed-reality SLAM mode. Workouts span multiple intensity levels and are supported by a progression and rewards system designed to encourage consistency. Regular content updates and monthly themed challenges keep the experience from feeling static.
FitXR uses recognizable fitness personalities as coaches, though in some modes, particularly Sculpt, Dance and Zumba, those coaches appear as stylized cartoon avatars. Choreography across disciplines is strong, and the workouts are fully capable of delivering a serious sweat.
Where FitXR falls slightly behind Supernatural and FunFitLand is in environmental range and polish. There are fewer workout environments, and those that do exist are not as breathtakingly beautiful - think functional rather than awe-inspiring. Hit feedback in the boxing and combat modes also lacks the satisfying auditory impact found in FunFitLand, which remains best in class in this area. Even so, FitXR’s breadth, progression systems, and consistent update cadence make it a strong long-term subscription for users who value variety and structure.
FitXR is also expanding beyond Meta’s ecosystem. The app is now available on Samsung’s Galaxy XR headset, running Android XR, marking an early move to support next-generation mixed reality hardware outside the Quest platform.
Les Mills XR Bodycombat
Photo: Les Mills XR Bodycombat
Les Mills XR Bodycombat takes a fundamentally different approach. It is sold as a one-time purchase priced at $29.99, with optional DLC packs typically around $9.99. For users wary of subscriptions, that alone makes it appealing.
The workouts are demanding and efficient. Sessions are designed to escalate intensity quickly, and it does not take long to work up a sweat. Real-life Les Mills coaches Dan Cohen and Rachael Newsham appear briefly at the start of sessions as holograms, then transition to voice-only guidance for the remainder of the workout.
The workouts share a familiar structure, and for people who train often, that repetition becomes noticeable over time. Even so, the effectiveness is hard to argue with. The sessions move quickly, the combinations stay demanding, and by the end you feel the work you put in. This is not a gentle program, and that intensity is what many users seek.
PowerBeats VR
Photo: PowerBeatsVR
PowerBeats VR has been a fixture in VR fitness since launching on SteamVR in 2019 and arriving on Meta Quest in 2021. On Quest, it retails for $22.99, with DLC packs typically priced between $2.99 and $5.99.
Its defining feature is customizability. PowerBeats VR allows users to upload their own music and fully customize workouts, sidestepping licensing concerns entirely. That level of control is uncommon and will appeal to users with established playlists or specific training goals.
The experience itself is less refined than many competitors. Visuals are straightforward, presentation is functional, and there is less emphasis on coaching personality or community. Even so, it remains enjoyable and effective at getting users moving when workouts are tuned to personal preferences.
The one-time purchase model combined with deep customization makes PowerBeats VR compelling for a specific audience. It does not sit in my personal top tier, but it fills a niche for many users.
XR Workout
Photo: XR Workout
XR Workout takes a different approach from most VR fitness platforms by prioritizing open movement and functional, full-body training over scripted classes and cinematic presentation. The app is free to download and use, with the free tier limited to eight minutes per day. A paid Pro membership unlocks the full feature set, including extended workout time, expanded modes, deeper customization tools, and multiplayer functionality.
One of its defining characteristics is controller-free movement through hand tracking, allowing users to exercise without holding controllers for extended sessions. Workouts rely heavily on bodyweight movements such as squats, jumps, running in place, and target-based striking that engages both upper and lower body at the same time. The result feels closer to an open training circuit than a guided class.
XR Workout also supports mixed reality, blending the user’s physical space into the workout environment so surroundings remain visible during sessions. Multiplayer workouts, playlist selection, and the ability to build or customize routines give the app a level of flexibility that most top platforms do not attempt.
XR Workout feels very different from most VR fitness apps. There is little hand-holding, and very little emphasis on presentation. You load in, start moving, and manage your own pace. If you are looking for coaching, structure, or personality, it will likely feel bare. If you are comfortable setting your own rhythm and just want a space to move hard for a few minutes, it does exactly that.
Starwave
Photo: Starewave
Starwave sits closer to the dance rhythm game end of the VR fitness spectrum, but it overlaps in interesting ways with Supernatural’s Flow workouts. Movement is driven by techno and electronic tracks, with players slashing incoming notes using glowing, cosmic batons. The emphasis is on rhythm, timing, and continuous motion rather than precision or scoring.
There are no coaches, no guided programs, and no overt fitness framing. You load in, follow the beat, and keep moving. In practice, the experience can feel meditative in the same way Flow sessions do, especially during longer play sessions where movement becomes more fluid and less deliberate.
I have found Starwave to be an enjoyable and consistent addition to my weekly fitness rotation. It is not a replacement for structured workouts, but it works well as a lighter, movement-focused session that still gets the heart rate up.
Starwave is a one-time purchase, priced at $19.99 on the Meta Quest store. Additional content is offered through an optional DLC pack at $4.99. There is no subscription model.
Other Fitness Experiences
The platforms I picked here represent what I would consider the top tier VR fitness experiences available in VR headsets right now. They combine polish, consistency, ongoing development, and enough depth to support long-term use. There are plenty of other VR fitness apps on the Quest platform, but many are less refined or narrower in scope, but they are still fun and fully capable of working up a sweat. For users experimenting with VR fitness for the first time, those options can still be worthwhile.
I certainly haven't covered everything, so please share your favorite ways to get fit in VR in the comments below too. If you're the developer behind an app building something new in this space, you can also email UploadVR via tips@uploadVR.com.
The current hardware landscape is a tough one for gamers, as even more price increases are likely to come this year. This challenging environment has meant that cloud gaming services have become a more enticing option, and it looks as if Microsoft is going to attempt to tap into this market by opening up its Xbox Cloud Gaming service to more
Life can be wildly unfair and at times immensely sad, but in a gracious act of kindness, Take-Two Interactive may be putting pieces in motion to allow a terminally ill gamer stricken with cancer to playtest Grand Theft Auto VI long before it comes out. While nothing has been confirmed, the latest update to a now-deleted LinkedIn post on behalf
Early this morning, the internet was shocked to learn of an explosion within the Rockstar North building in Edinburgh, Scotland. Rockstar North is best known as the developer of Grand Theft Auto VI and the wider Grand Theft Auto series back to Grand Theft Auto III, with some forays into other Rockstar properties like L.A. Noire, Max Payne
The massive success of Genshin Impact helped put the studio MiHoYo (now HoYoVerse) on the map, with the highly-popular open-world gacha title being followed up by other successes including Zenless Zone Zero and Honkai Star Rail. Up until now, HoYo’s games have been exclusive to the Epic Games Store on PC. This appears to be finally changing however, with evidence pointing towards an upcoming Steam release.
As discovered by Reddit user ‘hzy980512’ HoyoVerse’s account management system was recently updated to include some Steam-related strings in its ‘localized message file’ indicating that the developer’s suite of popular titles could soon be making their way onto Steam.
As mentioned, Epic and HoYoVerse struck a deal back in the day, with all of the studio’s releases being exclusive to the Epic Games Store on PC. For better or for worse, Genshin Impact; ZZZ and Honkai Star Rail have all found massive audiences and so it being limited to Epic’s platform does present a bit of a barrier to entry.
As such, not only will it be interesting to see how many more players HoYo’s games manage to pick up upon its expected Steam release, but will also offer us a public look at player numbers for the first time – on one platform at least.
Regardless, having HoYoVerse’s library of games on Steam will be a massive boon to both the studio itself and Valve’s platform. Hopefully an official announcement is on its way sooner rather than later.
KitGuru says: What do you think of HoYoVerse’s games? Which is your favourite gameplay wise? Assuming they do come to Steam, what do you think concurrent users will look like on day-1? Let us know down below.
It's cold out there in parts of the country, but do you know what really warms our heart? Yes, hot cocoa, but we're also smitten with savings. If you are too, then do yourself a solid and check out Best Buy's Winter Sale event, with deep discounts on a wide range of electronics, including OLED TVs, gaming PCs, headphones, and a whole lot more.
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ASUS is not planning to release any new smartphones this year, and may be exiting the mobile phone business altogether. That means no more new ROG Phone iterations (making the ROG Phone 9 we reviewed its last gaming handset) and no more premium Zenfone handsets (the last Zenfone model we reviewed was the Zenfone 9 in 2022).
News of the
Sea of Stars is an indie RPG from Sabotage Studio – the team that brought you 2018’s excellent retro action-platformer The Messenger. Launching to near-universal acclaim back in 2023, the indie game of the year winner received a number of notable updates including the addition of 3-player couch co-op. Following a bout of silence, the team have now announced that Sea of Stars is officially coming to Android and iOS.
Releasing a brief trailer, publisher Playdigious announced that the excellent indie RPG Sea of Stars is officially coming to mobile platforms in a few months’ time – arriving on both Android / iOS on the 7th of April 2026.
Set to cost $9.9https://youtu.be/PsfCcm1PL_k?si=gX-wOCeWGtaWGmN09 ($8.99 with a 10% launch discount), Sea of Stars is said to have been “carefully redesigned for mobile” with the following features:
Revamped interface – exclusive mobile UI with complete touch control
Google Play Games / iOS achievements
Cloud Save – share your progress between devices (within the same OS family)
Compatible with controllers
Playdigious is one of the biggest publishers for mobile ports of console games, with the likes of Little Nightmares; Dead Cells; Streets of Rage 4; TMNT Shredder's Revenge and more all being ported over.
As smartphones continue to increase in both power and capability, it is encouraging to see more full-blown games being brought over to the platform.
KitGuru says: Were you a fan of Sea of Stars back when it first released? Are you glad to see it coming to mobile? What are you hoping Sabotage Studio works on next? Let us know down below.
Back when we first started to see evidence of generative AI being used in the development of video games, Valve was pretty quick on the draw to set up parameters on their Steam store requiring developers to disclose their use of gen-AI. As the discussion surrounding the controversial technology continues to evolve, Valve have now updated their policy with a greater level of transparency.
As reported by the agency ‘GameDiscoverCo’ via BlueSky, Valve recently updated their AI dev disclosure form to allow studios to differentiate between the varying uses and implementations of gen-AI.
Now, instead of a blanket “does this game use AI?” there are three different levels of usage which developers can disclose – with the questions now being as follows:
“Does this game use generative artificial intelligence to generate content for the game, either pre-rendered or live-generated? This includes the game itself, the storepage, and any Steam community assets or marketing materials.”
“Do you use Al to generate pre-rendered content for your game, its store page, marketing materials, and/or community assets?”
“Do you use AI to live-generate content or code during gameplay?”
With these three different parameters in place, developers now only need to disclose the use of AI publicly if it “ships with your game, and is consumed by players” – meaning the use of the technology during coding for example does not need to be elaborated on.
As gen-AI continues to change and evolve, it is likely that Valve could go back and revisit these rules once again. Regardless, it is good to have any form of AI disclosure in this day and age. Hopefully more storefronts follow suit.
KitGuru says: What do you think of these updated parameters? Is it more fair to developers in this way? What’s your stance on gen-AI? Let us know down below.
The 2026 International CES was an extravaganza of new technology and previously unseen innovation with existing tech. We sift through our exhaustive, on-ground coverage of the show to pick our Best of CES winners.
Ubisoft has been one of the better publishers when it comes to updating their back-catalogue of games for current-gen hardware, with multiple Assassin’s Creed titles; Far Cry entries and most recently The Division 1 all getting 60fps patches on PS5 and Series X|S. Following a variety of teasers over the past few weeks, the team at Ubisoft have now confirmed that Far Cry 3 is getting a 60fps patch on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.
While certainly a welcome addition, it appears as though the update is not making any other changes to the game, meaning it remains at the PS4 Pro / Xbox One X resolution of 1440p with TAA – and will not allow you to alter your player field-of-view.
Regardless, having a 60fps update is welcome nonetheless and will allow those on consoles to experience (or re-experience) this classic in a slightly improved form.
In case you missed it, Ubisoft also recently teased that both Far Cry 3’s standalone DLC ‘Blood Dragon’ and the spin-off ‘Primal’ will also receive 60fps updates. We likely won’t have to wait long for those to also be officially confirmed.
KitGuru says: Are you glad to see Far Cry 3 getting the 60fps treatment? Would you have preferred the game receive a more comprehensive current-gen patch? Let us know down below.
Valkyrie is pushing the boundaries of AIO design with the new N360 VK AIO cooler. While most high-end coolers now include displays, the N360 VK distinguishes itself with a massive 6.67-inch curved AMOLED panel integrated directly into the pump block, a screen size more typical of a modern smartphone than a PC component.
According to EXP Review (via Guru3D), the screen features a 2400 x 1080 resolution display with full lamination for superior clarity. To ensure the screen doesn't impact system performance, Valkyrie has equipped the block with an independent processor, eMMC storage, and its own onboard operating system. This allows the cooler to play back videos, display complex telemetry, and manage local file storage without using your system resources. The screen is attached via a magnetic mounting mechanism, simplifying installation and ensuring the display remains perfectly aligned with the block.
Beneath the massive screen, Valkyrie has implemented several cooling performance features to justify its 300W performance target. Starting with the pump, the N360 VK AIO is a self-developed model featuring a three-phase, six-pole motor and permanent-magnet impeller, utilising ceramic bearings for a longer MTBF. The cold plate employs 0.08 mm micro-channels to maximise the surface area for heat exchange. Moreover, the cooler includes an offset mounting bracket system specifically designed for multi-core processors. By shifting the centre of the cold plate to align with the CPU's actual thermal hotspots, the N360 VK can achieve more efficient heat transfer. Lastly, the 120 mm E2-Pro ring-blade fans featuring dual ball bearings paired with the cooler can operate between 500 and 2400 RPM, delivering up to 82.33 CFM of airflow and 3.14 mmH₂O of static pressure while remaining under 31.2 dBA at full power.
The N360 VK supports a comprehensive range of sockets, including Intel LGA 115x/1200/1700/1851 and AMD AM4/AM5. Available in both black and white finishes, the cooler supports full RGB synchronisation with all major motherboard ecosystems. The cooler is now available for pre-order in China for around £105.
KitGuru says: Given its massive AMOLED screen, built-in processor and 360 radiator, the cooler seems relatively cheap for what it offers. Do you think the N360 VK AIO has what it takes to stand out in the AIO market?
Rockstar Games has reportedly taken steps to grant a terminally ill fan's final wish of playing Grand Theft Auto 6 before its scheduled release on November 19th, 2026. The news emerged after Anthony Armstrong, a UI integrator at Ubisoft Toronto, shared a heartfelt appeal on LinkedIn on behalf of a family member battling cancer.
According to the original post (via GTA VI Countdown), the individual had been given a prognosis of only six to twelve months to live, creating a tragic timeline where they might not survive to see the game's official launch. Armstrong noted that the family member in question lives near the Rockstar Toronto studio in Oakville and expressed hope that an exclusive, confidential playtest could be arranged so they could experience the game.
The story gained significant traction across social media, eventually catching the attention of leadership at Rockstar's parent company, Take-Two Interactive. In a subsequent update before the post was deleted, Armstrong revealed that Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick had personally reached out to the family to facilitate a connection with the development team. A final update shared that the family had received ‘great news' after speaking with Rockstar, leading to widespread speculation that an early access session or private demonstration had been approved. The deletion of the LinkedIn thread shortly thereafter is widely believed to be the result of the non-disclosure agreements typical of such sensitive, confidential industry interactions.
This gesture continues a compassionate, albeit rare, tradition within the video game industry. Rockstar Games previously made headlines in 2018 for allowing a terminally ill fan to play Red Dead Redemption 2 several weeks before its debut. Other studios have also allowed gamers in similar circumstances to try out a game ahead of its launch, such as Gearbox Software with Borderlands 4 in early 2025. While Rockstar remains one of the most secretive developers in the world, these exceptions highlight a willingness to prioritise the community's most vulnerable members during critical development phases.
KitGuru says: Rockstar's reputation for secrecy is legendary, but their history of making exceptions for terminally ill fans shows a different side of the studio. While the public will have to wait until November 2026 to try the game themselves, it is heartening to see the industry's biggest players use their resources to provide a meaningful experience for someone in such a situation.
We first saw the retro SilverStone FLP02 at Computex 2025 and loved the charming style and cutesy features. It took a while to receive a review sample and the world has changed significantly in that time. Everything seems to cost too much today and we really don’t want to return to 1995 when 2024 was actually pretty good. Ah, nostalgia.
Main features
Functioning Lock
A key lock mechanism protects the power and reset buttons from accidental activation—useful for families, shared spaces, or anyone who simply prefers an extra layer of control.
Real Segment Display
Shows the active PWM duty cycle—reading “Lo” at low speeds, scaling numerically through mid-range operation, and switching to “HH” when fans are running at full output.
Aesthetic FDD Bays
The case ships with three 5.25-inch bay covers styled like authentic floppy disk slots. They’re cosmetic by default, but each bay is fully compatible with real 5.25-inch devices.
Front I/O ports: 2x USB 3.0 Type-A, 1x USB Type-C, audio.
Dimensions: 494mm H x 472mm D x 232mm W.
Testing
To put this case through its cooling paces we will be using a test system consisting of an Intel Core Ultra 9 285K and an Intel Arc B580 graphics card. This system allows us to effectively test the SilverStone FLP02‘s cooling capabilities.
Test System:
Processor: Intel Core Ultra 285K
CPU Cooler: Lian Li HydroShift LCD 360
Motherboard: MSP MPG Z890 Carbon WiFi
Memory: 32GB Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR5-6800
Graphics card: Intel Arc B580 12GB
Power supply: Montech Titan PLA 1000W
SSD: Crucial T700 5.0 M.2 NVMe
OS: Windows 11
Cooling Performance
Cooling Performance Overview
The SilverStone FLP02 has a clear path for air flow from front to back, and also supports cooling in the roof. Balanced against that we have a solid power supply shroud that blocks the area below the graphics card and filters on every vented panel that naturally restrict air flow. For that reason we chose a mid-level PC build that draws 530W under load at the wall socket and the result is that the cooling works perfectly well and without any surprises.
Closing Thoughts
When we first saw the SilverStone FLP02 at Computex it caused us to smile as it was so different to the endless sea of tempered glass and RGB lighting that we typically work with.
In this review we have ended up with mixed views about the case but the single biggest issue is the price which is incredibly high for a case considering the features and hardware on offer.
The key features of the FLP02 are the beige-ish colour scheme and the 5.25-inch drive bays along with the associated front switch panel. Those parts are fun and they work well enough, but they also eat up a chunk of the interior space and slow down the build process.
If you particularly want the Retro look and are happy to lose out on a number of modern creature-comforts, we can see why it would be worth considering, but there are clear limitations considering the price.
AMD is reportedly recalibrating its RDNA 4 production strategy amid the ongoing global memory shortage, which continues to squeeze hardware margins. Although the Radeon RX 9070 series is a success, recent reports suggest that AMD is now winding down production of the standard Radeon RX 9070 to prioritise the more expensive RX 9070 XT. This shift is a direct response to skyrocketing VRAM prices, which have made lower-margin graphics cards increasingly impractical to manufacture.
According to ProHardver (via VideoCardz), because both the RX 9070 and its XT variant use 16GB of GDDR6 memory, the cost of the raw materials for both cards is virtually identical. However, the RX 9070 XT carries a higher retail price, allowing it to better absorb the rising cost of memory chips without requiring drastic price adjustments.
At launch, the RX 9070 was intended to provide a more affordable entry point into high-performance 1440p gaming, priced just £55/$50 below the XT variant. In the current economic climate, where memory producers are prioritising AI data centres over consumer electronics, that narrow price gap has been swallowed up by rising bill-of-materials costs. While AMD does not plan to halt production of the non-XT version completely, the share of this model in total shipments is expected to decrease significantly throughout the first half of the year. This strategy mirrors recent reports from Nvidia, which has also been rumoured to cut shipments to board partners by up to 20% as it navigates the same issues.
For PC builders, this reallocation of resources means that the Radeon RX 9070 XT will remain the primary focus for AMD's board partners for the foreseeable future. Industry analysts suggest that this tricky math for manufacturers will persist until at least 2027, making high-VRAM, mid-range cards like the RX 9070 a rare sight on retail shelves as companies prioritise SKUs that offer the best return on every gigabyte of memory.
KitGuru says: By focusing on the RX 9070 XT, AMD can at least ensure that some high-performance RDNA 4 stock remains available, even if it means the more affordable non-XT version becomes a “ghost” GPU.
The Rubik's Cube is a timeless toy that needs no introduction, and TCL's latest portable projector, the PlayCube, is inspired by its design. Specifically, the side of the projector can be twisted like a Rubik's Cube in order to more precisely aim over obstacles. Hands-on reports for the device are generally positive, but also framed within
Keychron is continuing its trend of experimenting with unconventional materials. Following the ceramic Q16 HE, the latest addition to the company's lineup is the K3 Max All-Wood Edition, which reinvents the popular 75% low-profile mechanical keyboard with a solid walnut wood chassis.
Unlike the previous K2 HE All-Wood Edition, the K3 Max All-Wood Edition has a slim design, measuring only 10.7 mm at the front, or 20.2 mm including the keycaps. This keyboard is only available with Milk POM low-profile switches, which use a full POM housing and stem for improved durability and a smoother keystroke. Buyers can choose between linear red and tactile brown versions, both factory pre-lubed to reduce spring noise and friction. While the board is designed with these specific switches in mind, it remains compatible with other Gateron KS-33 mechanical switches via its hot-swappable sockets.
While the exterior is made of walnut, Keychron has retained the original K3 Max's internal aluminium plate to ensure structural rigidity and a consistent typing feel. Connectivity remains versatile, supporting both 2.4 GHz and Bluetooth 5.2 wireless, as well as a wired USB-C mode. The 1550 mAh battery is rated for up to 86 hours of use with the backlighting turned off.
To complete the natural aesthetic, the double-shot PBT keycaps in the LSA profile have been colour-matched to complement the walnut wood tones. Moreover, it also supports QMK, allowing users to create macros and change inputs as they see fit with relative ease. The keyboard is currently listed at $119.99 on Keychron's official website.
KitGuru says: Keychron's foray into wooden enclosures is becoming more refined with each release. The K3 Max All-Wood Edition offers a distinct, organic aesthetic without the ergonomics-breaking thickness usually associated with wooden cases.
Every episode this year just keeps getting better, try it, you'll see. This food podcast brought to by the tech news! Also, 9850X3D this month, welcome back 8GB GPUs, and 2026 will…
In 2014, Mark Zuckerberg bought Oculus VR for a couple billion dollars with the premise virtual reality was to become the foundation of personal computing.
In 2026, virtual reality is really starting to dig its roots into those foundations with OpenXR and Flatpaks. Operating systems based around VR headsets with eye tracking as a key feature are now receiving updates from Google, Valve and Apple.
New walled gardens are building up fast even as old ones fall down. Valve is coming for gaming, Google is relying on Android APKs, and Apple is building out a new kind of live sports and TV experience, all of it with VR as the display for the entire landscape.
Earlier this week many hundreds of people lost their jobs as Meta announced the most dramatic course-correction to its strategy yet. Even though VR's future has never been brighter, the weight of Meta's shift might lead some to believe "Oculus VR" here was a "legendary misadventure" and virtual reality is dead, again.
That couldn't be further from reality. If you care about the future you should have been reading UploadVR yesterday.
As I look across the last 10 years and try to piece together a picture of how Meta ended up here, I find one key technology conspicuously absent from almost all their headset and glasses designs, save for the failed Quest Pro.
Here's a look at why the absence of eye tracking limits VR's scale and Zuckerberg's ambition for a new social network clouded the Oculus vision.
Eye Tracking In 2017
In 2017 I attended a pair of eye tracking demos at GDC, one of them inside Valve's booth. From these demos I started to realize "just how empowering eye tracking will be for VR software designers."
"The additional information [eye tracking] provides will allow creators to make games that are fundamentally different from the current generation," I wrote. "It was like I had been suddenly handed a superpower and I naturally started using it as such — because it was fun. It is up to designers to figure out how much skill will be involved in achieving a particular task when the game knows exactly what you’re interested in at any given moment."
Architecting an entire VR platform over a decade without a solid plan for default implementation of eye tracking is a study in long-term vision meeting short-term execution.
"Apple's eye tracking is really nice," Zuckerberg noted on Instagram in 2024 after saying he tried Apple's headset. "We actually had those sensors back in Quest Pro. We took them out for Quest 3, and we're gonna bring them back in the future."
You could see this tiny comment as one of the first public acknowledgments in which he is starting to realize something is deeply wrong with his current strategy.
When Facebook stopped selling Oculus Go it acknowledged the company wouldn't ever make another 3DoF headset. The same thing should have happened after the Quest Pro launched in 2022 with eye tracking. It didn't. By the time Meta ships a second VR headset with eye tracking, roughly five years will have passed from the first. The company is probably all in on full-body codec avatars being their prize for drawing you into their vision of the metaverse now, after Apple stole their initial thunder with FaceTime and Personas powered by good eye tracking.
I believe we now have evidence that VR headsets that can't see what you want by following the intent of your eyes aren't serious contenders as platform plays. Valve, Google, and Apple are all centered on the technology in their latest headsets for slightly different reasons. When you pull back far, you can see that Steam Frame's DK1 was the HTC Vive in 2016 and Valve Index was its DK2 from 2019.
Valve decided SteamOS in VR is ready for prime time in 2026 with Steam Frame's consumer release, following Apple deciding 2024 was the time to launch Vision Pro. Both use eye tracking to do key things for users.
From Rift To Quest
For Zuckerberg's organization, the ramping investments over the last decade would build the necessary technologies for a complete computing platform, starting with just a few billion to acquire the development team behind the Oculus Rift. Michael Abrash left Valve to found a modern Xerox PARC within Zuckerberg's larger organization, drawn by the commitment to invest in costly long-term research and development.
Meta built those technologies in a fairly public way by showing work as it went, both in sharing research and selling products. Solid ideas like Oculus Medium during this early period were spun out and continued at places like Adobe.
Starting in 2020, Facebook tried forcing the linking of its accounts to the use of Quest headsets and, in early 2021, it tried advertising in virtual reality. VR users quickly rejected both efforts.
Facebook's executives embarked on a rebranding effort to Meta alongside a new accounts system developed as a fresh start for Zuckerberg's new computing platform in headsets and glasses. By the end of 2021, Facebook was Meta.
Quest 2 was selling well. There was a well-curated store, their hand tracking was quickly approaching state of the art, and there was no credible competition in the United States shipping a standalone VR headset. Any stink associated with Facebook was being put behind Meta with Zuckerberg's bold new vision of the "Metaverse."
And a high-end Quest Pro with eye tracking was still coming in late 2022.
A Legendary Misadventure?
"Setting out to build the metaverse is not actually the best way to wind up with the metaverse," warned technical guide John Carmack in 2021. "The metaverse is a honeypot trap for architecture astronauts... Mark Zuckerberg has decided now is the time to build the metaverse....my worry is we could spend years and thousands of people possibly and wind up with things that didn't contribute all that much to the ways that people are actually using the devices and hardware today...we need to concentrate on actual products rather than technology, architecture, or initiatives."
In 2022 Carmack left Meta as he "wearied of the fight" and, four years later, thousands have departed as leadership reshaped the company in the form of VR and AR technologies. Until the layoffs in 2026, Meta's leadership and design failures didn't reek of the failure Carmack specifically warned about. Now they do.
After laying off the vast majority of the game developers Meta hired and tasking the rest to "Horizon" initiatives, do we see Beat Saber and Population: One become a last ditch effort to keep Horizon Worlds alive? Meta's latest move in December, as some of the first Steam Frame kits arrived with devs, was to delist Population: One from the Steam store, noting that it was a move to stop "unfair play" by cheaters using the openness of a PC to break the multiplayer experience.
The legendary misadventure here was the entire Horizon Worlds effort, attempting to force a social network by brute force onto the wrong technology at the wrong time in the wrong way. 2026 represents a reset of Meta's efforts, certainly, but the question is exactly how far back in this timeline Meta needs to go to figure out what went wrong, and which structural changes need to take place to fix it?
Gaming Studios Instead Of Eye Tracking
Meta acquired Beat Saber in November of 2019 and, over the next several years, doubled down multiple times by hiring dozens of developers skilled in the use of Oculus Touch controllers. Some of these decisions were set against unusual behavior patterns due to a generationally significant pandemic keeping people home near their headsets.
During the 2016-2018 period, NextVR streamed NBA games live to VR headsets, a startup called Spaces opened a walk around Terminator VR attraction, and the first decent eye tracking was demonstrated in consumer VR hardware. Apple released a headset that combined all those technologies mentioned from 2017 in a 2024 product.
At Meta, someone made decisions to ship headsets without eye tracking after shipping a single headset that tracks eyes. They have their reasons, but whatever they are may be the cause of Meta losing some of the lead in VR that was bought with Oculus in 2014. Whatever is going on with Meta's decision-making process, leadership tried to rectify it by the end of 2025 with the hiring of a key executive from Apple.
Now Meta faces a world where it might increase production for its non-VR glasses products. Meanwhile, Apple, Google, Samsung, and Valve ship or plan to ship VR headsets with eye tracking.
From Real To Virtual And Virtual To Real
30 years from this chart's appearance in research literature to Apple making a dial to move what you see across the entire Reality-Virtuality Continuum.
Imagine two types of eyewear at opposite ends of this particular continuum from Paul Milgram's seminal 1994 paper. One at the right is a relatively heavy VR headset that is essentially all display. The other at left is a pair of ultra lightweight frames with no display. Today Meta ships Quest 3, 3S, and Ray-Ban glasses in each of these categories, and they all lack eye tracking.
Apple ships only the Vision Pro with eye tracking today and it is a $3,500 device not many people have tried. The headset does a little magic trick with this chart. It is rooted at the right edge of the chart, but software defaults to starting you at the left side. Turn the dial on the headset and the world can shift from your environment being fully "real" to fully "virtual" across the whole continuum.
Apple is surely readying something to secure the left side of the chart. When they launch, what features will they focus on and how might Apple and Meta eyewear differ?
Pointing Cameras In The Wrong Directions
If Vision Pro is a spatial computer I want Apple's answer to the Meta Ray-Ban glasses to function more like a spatial mouse. No display and all input.
Apple could take the sensors for tracking hand movements and eye movements from Vision Pro and put that technology into slim frames with Bluetooth and battery. Thin clear glasses can gather the same eye and finger input as a big enclosed VR headset. It's difficult, surely, but it's more useful than putting in a display system for one eye. The differentiating feature would be a universal remote for everything that's so impossibly advanced it could feel like magic almost everywhere.
You should be able to operate an iPad or Apple TV, and maybe other Apple devices, the same way you do the menu of a Vision Pro. Just pinch and drag in the open air. Ex: While washing the dishes with your hands and watching a movie on your iPad, you look over and pause a movie without touching the tablet with your dirty hands.
You should be able to run your finger along any flat surface as a virtual trackpad for any computer you're looking at.
You should be able to touch type on any surface.
Google told me touch typing on any surface would be a solved problem in a couple of years at the end of 2024. In such a focused design, Apple could conceivably replace the mouse, trackpad and keyboard with eyewear at the opposite end of the spectrum from Vision Pro. I mean that literally because display-free means you only ever see the real environment through a pair of frames, and yet the glasses still track your eye movements the same as they do in Vision Pro.
In Apple Vision Pro, eye tracking is used to target what you're looking at so that when you "mouse click" by pinching your fingers together the whole system responds to exactly what you want in that moment. It's also used to drive the included Persona avatars and even the outward-facing display system showing recreated eyeballs to external viewers. That's a lot of technology, weight and expense Apple introduced in Vision Pro to fully enclose a person in a focused virtual location represented as an Apple home environment, and then anywhere else along the mixed reality spectrum using a dial and software.
None of that seems like a mass market need unless you had an experience in 2017 that instantly made you feel like a superhero in a VR headset. Why do VR headsets need eye tracking? For the same reason a computer needs a mouse. It is how you tell the computer what you want in a graphical user interface, even if you still need something else to select what you're looking at.
Taiwan and the United States have announced what's being described as a $500 billion commitment aimed at expanding semiconductor manufacturing in the U.S., a striking figure that reflects how strategically important chip production has become. Despite the bombastic headlines, though, the structure of the deal is more layered than the big number
A new study suggests that "high-frequency gamers" are more prone to poor eating habits and sleep deprivation compared to low-frequency gamers. Led by Curtin University and published in Nutrition, the cross-sectional study focused on 317 Western Australian university students and their gaming habits, diet quality, physical activity, sleep quality,
ASUS has confirmed that it tweaked the design of its Q-Release PCIe mechanism on every new Neo motherboard coming out this year, including both high-end models with more premium designs and entry-level options. The official reason for the redesign, however, is not because of reported issues with the previous design leaving scratch marks on
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