Microsoft's big pitch for the future of Windows is that it's turning into an "agentic OS, " or a system where autonomous AI helpers don't just answer questions, but instead actually do things for you. They'll organize files, wrangle tasks, juggle apps, and basically act like little digital interns living inside Windows 11. Except now, Microsoft 
If you're dying for any new details at all on Rockstar's next Grand Theft Auto game, well, good news—we have some. It might not be the earth-shaking revelation that you're probably hoping for, but we can say beyond a shadow of a doubt that the leak is the real deal, this time around.
Here's the deal: veteran character animator Benjamin AMD has inadvertently confirmed the existence of a new high-end gaming processor, the Ryzen 7 9850X3D, after the unannounced chip appeared on the company's own support website. The listing, which was spotted before being pulled, suggests that an official reveal could be imminent.
The mention on AMD's website spotted by @Olrak29_ (via VideoCardz) corroborates reports that AMD is preparing a higher-binned version of its popular 8-core, 16-thread X3D CPU. According to the latest rumours, the Ryzen 7 9850X3D will feature a 120W TDP and a maximum boost clock of 5.6GHz, a 400MHz increase over the existing Ryzen 7 9800X3D that tops out at 5.2GHz. If that's the case, AMD has probably managed to squeeze out higher frequencies through better silicon binning rather than simply increasing power limits.
Like its sibling, the 9850X3D is built on the Zen 5 architecture and uses AMD's 2nd Gen 3D V-Cache technology. This places the 64MB cache slice underneath the processor cores rather than on top. As such, the new chip is expected to retain the same 96MB of L3 cache as the 9800X3D.
For gamers, this processor would position itself as a premium alternative in the AM5 lineup, offering higher out-of-the-box frequencies for titles that benefit from raw clock speed alongside the massive cache buffer. With the 9800X3D already dominating gaming benchmarks, the 9850X3D aims to further cement AMD's lead over Intel's current offerings.
AMD hasn't formally announced this CPU yet, but with CES 2026 right around the corner, there's a good chance we'll see it being unveiled soon.
KitGuru says: How much would you be willing to pay for a higher-clocked Ryzen 7 9800X3D?
The post AMD confirms Ryzen 7 9850X3D via support page first appeared on KitGuru.AMD has quietly expanded its professional graphics portfolio with the listing of a new workstation card and the appearance of two additional AI-focused SKUs in its driver stack. The company has officially listed the Radeon Pro W7900D on its website, while references to the AI Pro R9600D and AI Pro R9700S have surfaced in the latest Linux driver compatibility lists.
As spotted by VideoCardz, the Radeon Pro W7900D appears to be a region-specific variant of the existing flagship W7900, designed specifically to comply with US export restrictions on high-performance AI hardware to China. Like the original model, it is built on the RDNA 3 architecture using the Navi 31 GPU. It retains the same core configuration, featuring 6,144 stream processors across 96 compute units, and is paired with a massive 48GB of GDDR6 memory on a 384-bit bus, delivering 864GB/s of bandwidth.
The biggest difference between this and the W7900 lies in the operating frequencies and total compute performance. To meet the export compliance threshold, AMD has reduced the boost clock to 2,156MHz, down from the 2,500MHz seen on the standard W7900. This adjustment brings the peak FP32 compute performance down to 54 TFLOPS, compared to the original's 61.4 TFLOPS.
Moreover, AMD's Linux drivers have unveiled two new entries in the “AI Pro” series. The Radeon AI Pro R9700S is named as you would expect from a mobile GPU (“S” at the end), but it's unclear if that's the case. Still, given its naming, it's expected to share the same RDNA 4 mobile architecture as the AI Pro R9700, featuring a Navi 48 GPU and 32GB of VRAM.
The Radeon AI Pro R9600D is equally mysterious, as no standard “R9600” currently exists in the global lineup. The naming suggests something like a Navi 44 GPU. While official specifications remain under wraps, the “D” suffix again points toward a specific regional or efficiency-focused variant.
KitGuru says: AMD's expanding Radeon AI Pro lineup suggests the company is investing hard in the segment, which makes sense, as the company now has a big deal in place with OpenAI.
The post AMD quietly lists new Radeon Pro W7900D ahead of CES 2026 first appeared on KitGuru.Pulsar has announced a collaboration with Embark Studios to produce a new line of peripherals themed around the competitive shooter The Finals. The launch is timed to coincide with the game's Grand Major tournament at DreamHack Stockholm.
The collection is headlined by two variants of the company's flagship lightweight mouse. The Pulsar X2 CrazyLight – The Finals Edition features the game's distinct branding and comes bundled with a digital redemption code for the ‘Arena Crimson AKM' in-game skin. A second variant, the Pulsar X2 CrazyLight – Grand Major Edition, will also be available, granting owners the ‘Arena Royale AKM' skin. Note that both models are medium-sized.
Alongside the mice, Pulsar is releasing themed mousepads. The Pulsar Superglide3 Glass mousepad – The Finals Edition offers a fast, hard surface and includes a code for the ‘Arena Crimson Sword' skin. For those who prefer cloth pads, the Pulsar Gaming XL Mousepad – The Finals Edition is available and comes with the ‘Arena Crimson Frag Grenade' skin.
All of Pulsar's new gear is available on the company's official website and on the Embark official merchandise shop. The mice cost $139.95/€159.90, the glass mousepad costs $99.95/€109.90, and the standard gaming mousepad costs $24.95/€29.90.
KitGuru says: Are you a fan of The Finals? Interested in any of Pulsar's new themed gear?
The post Pulsar partners with Embark Studios for The Finals peripheral collection first appeared on KitGuru.Final Fury gives the VR arcade fighter new attacks, more moves, and ranked events in today's Tides of Vygor update.
Following May's early access launch, Kluge Interactive (Synth Riders) is now releasing what it calls the “biggest update yet” for Final Fury. The Tides of Vygor update now allows you to use dive kicks and uppercuts, alongside a “full set of Vygor-powered special attacks” that the studio states will open up new defensive and combo options.
Tides of Vygor also introduces 'Ranked Events,' a series of weekend tournaments that deliver new cosmetics and avatar rewards for competitors. Bonus prizes will also be awarded to top performers. Kluge states December's lineup includes the titular festival and a festive-themed showdown, Festive Fury, to mark the year's end.
Today's update also joins news that Final Fury is now part of the Horizon+ Games Catalog on Quest, a rotating selection of games available to all subscribers. Meta also offers two monthly games that you can keep for as long as you remain subscribed, with December's monthly Horizon+ games being Tactical Assault VR and Smash Drums.
We enjoyed Final Fury in our early access hands-on in May. Though we considered the launch content to be rather slim, we believed it offered “a strong foundation that is approachable to newcomers while having the same kind of mechanical depth that will appeal to traditional fighting game players.”
Final Fury is out now in early access on Steam and the Meta Quest platform.
UploadVRAlan Wen
This console generation has been a tough one for gamers, as both Sony and Microsoft have had to increase prices on hardware. Thankfully, Best Buy has some solid deals during its Cyber Monday event that makes jumping into the PlayStation 5 ecosystem more affordable. Check out the deals below.
PlayStation 5 Pro ($649.99 – 13% off)
The PS5 
December is preparing to set the stage for one last supermoon and another meteor shower that will test the patience of stargazers. Get ready for the second closest full cold moon in a few days and the Geminids shower on the night of December 13-14.
The grand curtain call of 2025's lunar cycle ends with the full cold moon on December 4 (Thursday), 
Remember the 'Dude, you're getting a Dell!' pitch guy from commercials of yesteryear? If he were still making advertisements for Dell today, he'd have to slightly alter his pitch to say, 'Dude, you're getting an Alienware!' because there are some seriously good bargains available for Cyber Monday, and they include discounts on both desktop 
Computing giant NVIDIA and electronic design automation (EDA) leader Synopsys have forged a multiyear partnership that includes a substantial $2 billion equity investment, in a move to infuse accelerated computing and artificial intelligence into the engineering and chip design process.
This major collaboration, announced today, aims to 
Retailers have pivoted from promoting Black Friday bargains to shouting about Cyber Monday deals, and while a lot of the discounts are the same, that's not necessarily the case across the board. For example, among the many Apple products that are on sale right now is the newest-generation MacBook Air (2025 model) for a new low price.
Apple Tactical Assault VR and Smash Drums are this December's Horizon+ monthly games on Quest.
The $8/month Horizon+ subscription lets you redeem two Meta-selected Quest games each month as well as access the dozens of titles in its Games Catalog. The service was formerly called Quest+.
Redeeming the monthly games lets you play them while your subscription remains active. Should you cancel the subscription, previously redeemed games won't be playable until you resubscribe.
Meanwhile, you get access to all Games Catalog and Indie Catalog games upon subscribing until your subscription ends. Unlike monthly titles, these games do not remain in your library once they've been removed.
Horizon+ is available on Quest 2, Quest Pro, Quest 3, and Quest 3S.
With 2025 nearly over, it's time for the last monthly redeemable games on Horizon+ this year. November brought us Moss: Book 2 and UBOAT: The Silent Wolf, and those will continue being accessible in your library if you redeemed them while remaining subscribed. Black Friday sales are still on if you're looking to buy discounted Quest games or a new headset, too.
Here's what you need to know about this December's selection.
VR rhythm game Smash Drums has seen continuous post-launch support since appearing in 2021, and this month's appearance follows the recent early access launch of its 'God of Drums' campaign mode. PotamWorks added missions where you can choose one of three songs, new in-game rewards, and more.
UploadVRSarah Thwaites
Currently in early access, Tactical Assault VR from HammerFire Interactive is a hardcore FPS military sim where you can play alone or in co-op with up to six players. This comes with various scenarios like bomb defusal, hostage rescue, or high-value target (HVT) eliminations, and this follows the SWAT Expansion launch in September.
Horizon+ continues offering a Games Catalog of Quest titles that any subscriber can access. Meta can remove and add new games from the catalog at any time, and here is the current Horizon+ Games Catalog in the US:
A separate Indie Catalog entered beta testing in October, though it's unclear if access has become more widely available. You can find those games here.
Hours after publication, Meta updated the Horizon+ indie catalog with more games. We've updated the article to include these new entries.
MindsEye is easily one of 2025’s biggest fumbles, with the ambitious title from ex-Rockstar president Leslie Benzies and studio Build A Rocket Boy receiving less-than-stellar reviews upon its initial launch earlier this year. Perhaps in an effort to have a bit of a fresh start, MindsEye and its ARCADIA platform have now received a free Starter Pack.
Available on both console and PC, the MindsEye Free Starter Pack allows you to “Unlock the ever-expanding gameplay experience of MindsEye with free content”. As mentioned, this includes both the story-focused MindsEye as well as a slice of their live-service platform ARCADIA.
More specifically, the starter pack gains you access to MindsEye’s campaign mission ‘Robin Hood’ alongside a dozen or so ARCADIA activities, namely:
While the story-focused MindsEye took the brunt of the limelight, Build A Rocket Boy’s ARCADIA platform serves as their greater long-term project. As such, it will be interesting to see what the response to this free pack is and whether it will help shift opinions on the game somewhat.
KitGuru says: What did you think of MindsEye at launch? Will you give this demo a go? Does ARCADIA have potential as a platform? Let us know your thoughts down below.
The post Build A Rocket Boy announces free MindsEye ‘Starter Pack’ first appeared on KitGuru.Where Winds Meet is an impressive free-to-play open-world action-adventure RPG from Everstone Studio and NetEase Games. Released just two weeks ago, the title has seen a great deal of praise – with its only sore spot being its use of AI chatbots for certain NPCs. Even so, the game has garnered a strong initial reception, with the PS5 / PC title having now surpassed 9 million players.
Making the announcement on Twitter, the game’s official page shared the following: “Winds rise through the bamboo forest, and with a sword in hand we step into the Jianghu. 9 Million wanderers have set out from our humble abode among the bamboo. Thank you.”
For context, Where Winds Meet managed to achieve a total playerbase of over 2 million within the first 24 hours of its launch on the 15th of November. Since then, the game has continued to see rising interest, peaking at a total of 251,008 concurrent Steam players within its first week.
Of course, 9 million in two weeks is far from the biggest launch ever, with the likes of other free-to-play games such as Genshin Impact managing to surpass 10 million players during its pre-registration period alone and Apex Legends exceeding 25 million players within a week of its surprise announcement / launch.
Still, being a new game from an unknown studio, Where Winds Meet has managed to achieve a solid foundational base with which to continue growing from.
KitGuru says: Have you checked out Where Winds Meet? How does it compare to other free-to-play offerings? Let us know down below.
The post Free-to-play open world action-RPG ‘Where Winds Meet’ surpasses 9 million players first appeared on KitGuru.Today we are reviewing the Nitro+ B850A WiFi 7 motherboard that Sapphire first showed at Computex 2025. The timing seems curious as AMD launched Socket AM5 back in 2022, but you could also argue Sapphire is getting ready nice and early for Zen 6 which will likely launch in 2027. Whatever their thinking might be, this budget B850 motherboard is rather decent.
Time stamps
00:00 Start
01:05 Accessories
01:35 The Board
02:22 Rear I/O and connectors
03:16 VRM Configuration
04:16 M.2 and Expansion Slots
06:05 SATA
06:16 Board Layout
07:03 Test PC Config
07:33 BIOS and Software
08:23 Processor Analysis / Power
09:39 Cinebench 2024 Multi Core
10:03 Cinebench 2024 Single Core
10:17 Geekbench 6 Multi Core
10:29 Far Cry 6
11:15 Assassins Creed Mirage
11:40 Total War Pharaoh
12:20 Leo’s Thoughts
12:55 Worth buying?
Specification:
Test system
Cinebench 2024 Multicore
In Cinebench 2024 Multicore the Sapphire does reasonably well but falls behind the other AMD AM5 motherboards we have used in the past few months The margin is small but tells against the Nitro+ B850A WiFi 7.
Geekbench 6 Multicore
It is a similar story in Geekbench 6 Multicore where the Sapphire performs OK but lags behind the competition by a fraction of a percent.
Far Cry 6 at 1080p
We see the same small gap in performance in Far Cry 6 at 1080p. It is a minor consideration when you factor in the low price of the Sapphire but it shows you rarely get a free ride with PC technology.
When we first saw the new range of Sapphire motherboards at Computex we were taken aback. After all, Asus, ASRock, Gigabyte and MSI appear to have the entire spectrum of motherboards covered with a vast array of products, however it seems that Sapphire has found a niche.
This Nitro+ B850A WiFi 7 is the top model they have released to date, yet it is priced under £160. We have to assume the Nitro+ X870E PhantomLink will cost rather more, however we have hopes it will sneak in around £300 and won't head beyond £400.
In this light it seems Sapphire is aiming for the ‘Perfectly Reasonable' sector of the market, and we applaud this move. The Nitro+ B850A WiFi 7 includes all the features you require, and while it omits a few things such as fast USB-C this seems like a perfectly reasonable move when you consider the price.
Overall we are very happy with the Nitro+ B850A WiFi 7 and feel a sense of relief that Sapphire has managed to deliver on what looked like a bold promise.
You can buy the Sapphire Nitro+ B850A WiFi 7 for £157.99 from Overclockers UK HERE.
Pros:
Cons:
KitGuru says: Sapphire has delivered a range of budget AMD motherboards and the Nitro+ B850A WiFi 7 does a fine job at a low price.
We're all back for this night! AMD brings the FSR Redstone, Nvidia essentially has all the money, DDR and especially the "5" will bleed your wallet dry, and Zoomers turn out to…
AMD has officially launched the Ryzen 7 9850X3D, which up to this point has only been a rumored upcoming addition to the company's 3D V-Cache chip family. It's a quiet launch without a press release, blog post, or even a blip on AMD's social media accounts, and the only reason we know it's real is because there is a dedicated support document Since pretty much the beginning, Fortnite has gone all-out for its end-of-chapter finales. Though not quite as massive as its previous peaks, the game’s recent Zero Hour event managed to draw in more than 10 million players in total.
Taking to Twitter to confirm the figure, the official Fortnite page revealed that “10.5M of you joined us in-game for Zero Hour, and 3M+ tuned in across livestream platforms!”
Of course, 10 million players for a single – relatively short – event is a big deal and proves that Fortnite still has the juice so many years on from its viral arrival. Still, the live-service title has yet to surpass its peak player count of almost 14 and half million during last November’s Chapter-ending event.
In terms of single-day figures instead of concurrents, Fortnite hit a staggering 44 million players on the launch day of OG Fortnite back in November of 2023.
The tail-end of the year has always been a pretty big time for Fortnite, not only in terms of content released, but the number of people playing. Whether the live-service title will ever re-enter the center of the zeitgeist as it did during the early years, we will have to wait and see – but regardless Fortnite continues to be a certified success for Epic Games.
KitGuru says: Did you take part in the event live? How did it compare to last year’s chapter conclusion? Let us know down below.
The post Fortnite surpassed 10 million concurrent players during its most recent Chapter finale first appeared on KitGuru.4 years on from Forza Horizon 5’s initial release, the team at Playground Games finally unveiled its successor back during Tokyo Game Show 2025. While we have so far only seen a brief teaser trailer confirming that the game will be set in Japan, notable insiders have claimed that Forza Horizon 6 is planned to release during the first half of 2026.
Responding to a post on Twitter in which one user asked the insider whether a “H1 2026 release window” was likely for Forza Horizon 6, leaker NateTheHate affirmed that “First half 2026 has been the target and remains as such.”
Given the fact that all we have seen from the game so far is a glorified logo reveal, it is a pleasant surprise to learn that the sequel will be arriving ‘soon’.
That said, even with a first half of 2026 release, the time between two Forza Horizon titles has never been wider, with the series previously having a consistent two-year cycle between all of its entries (aside from FH4 to 5 which took three years).
Seeing as how it will have been around 5 years by the time Horizon 6 is released, here’s to hoping that the sequel manages to live up to expectations. We may not have to wait too long to find out.
KitGuru says: What do you think of this target release window? Will the team manage to hit it? What issues (if any) did you have with Forza Horizon 5 that you’d like to see improved upon? Let us know down below.
The post Forza Horizon 6 to launch during H1 2025 according to insider first appeared on KitGuru.For Day 1 of the KitGuru Advent Calendar, we are kicking things off with Philips. Today's prize is a Philips Evnia 27M2N3501PA gaming monitor, offering QHD resolution and up to a 260Hz refresh rate!
We reviewed this monitor earlier in the year and came away impressed by its low latency, motion clarity and wide colour gamut. Overall, it scored a 9/10, so we are confident one of you will greatly appreciate it as an upgrade.
To enter this giveaway, all you have to do is head over to our competition announcement post on Facebook, HERE. In the comments, leave an answer to the following question – What was your most played game this year?
This competition is open in the UK and EU.
The winner will be picked randomly shortly after 11AM GMT December 2nd, and a new competition will be announced for Day 2. The chosen winner has 48 hours to respond, if we do not hear from them, a new winner will be picked.
Terms and Conditions: This competition is open in the UK and EU, starting at 11AM GMT on December 1st and ending at 10:59AM GMT on December 2nd. Due to the busy Christmas season, prize deliveries could take longer than usual, and some prizes may not ship until January. In compliance with GDPR, we will not collect or store any personal information as part of this competition. Once the winner has been contacted and their prize received, personal details will be deleted from our email servers. Your details will not be shared, we respect your privacy.
KitGuru Says: Good luck to all who enter, we'll be back tomorrow morning to announce a winner and turn the calendar over to Day 2!
The post KitGuru Advent Calendar Day 1: Win a Philips Evnia gaming monitor! first appeared on KitGuru.
The Pixel 10 Pro, Pixel 10 Pro, and Pixel 10 Pro Fold are Google’s best flagship phones yet with a more efficient SoC, brighter displays, bountiful camera tweaks, larger batteries, faster charging, and Qi2 magnetic accessory support. Add Google’s outstanding software and AI features to the mix, and you have all the ingredients for a winning Demeo x Dungeons & Dragons: Battlemarked will update the Hirelings system so they can also level up during campaigns.
Recently launched on most major VR platforms, Demeo x Dungeons & Dragons: Battlemarked is a co-op tabletop experience that we praised as a “natural crossover and a fitting evolution” of the original Demeo. Following two smaller updates, Resolution Games confirmed it's planning a wider overhaul for Hirelings - additional characters used to fill out your party if you don't have four players.
Currently, you can't level up Hirelings alongside your main character during campaigns, something we criticized in our review. Stating it's addressing player feedback across two phases, Resolution will begin with single-player campaigns by letting you use customized heroes who can gather XP and level up, stating Phase 1 “will be prioritized for release as quickly as possible.”
Phase 2 will bring this to Battlemarked's multiplayer, though the studio calls this “much more complex” to implement because of how other players can join, leave, and rejoin campaigns. Calling this a “much larger task” from both a technical perspective and for the user interface design, this will arrive in a later update.
Demeo x Dungeons & Dragons: Battlemarked is out now on Steam, PlayStation VR2, Quest, and flatscreen platforms.
UploadVRHenry Stockdale
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