The KitGuru Reader Awards return for 2025. This is where we ask you to tell us which brands you think are doing the best job in the tech space and as a thank you for entering, we are also running a giveaway, with the winner getting their choice of an RTX 5070 Ti or an RX 9070 XT graphics card! 

Voting is now open for the KitGuru Reader Awards 2025, and it takes just a few minutes to have your say.

Whether you're loyal to a specific chassis manufacturer, think a certain monitor brand deserves more love or have been blown away by your latest motherboard purchase, now is the time to make your opinion count.

Why vote?

Not only will your votes shape the KitGuru Reader Awards, but they’ll also feed directly into the European Hardware Association Reader Awards, which will be revealed in Cologne on Monday 19th August – the evening before Gamescom opens. With nine leading tech publications involved across Europe, this is your chance to help decide the biggest pan-European technology community awards of the year.

What’s up for grabs?

To thank you for taking part, we’re giving one lucky voter the chance to win a high-end graphics card worth £850. You’ll be able to choose your prize – for example, between a brand-new RTX 5070 Ti or a Radeon RX 9070 XT – depending on your platform preference.

Entering the draw is easy and you can choose to answer/skip as many categories as you like. If you want a chance to win – please fill in the email box at the end of the survey. Everyone who enters has an equal chance.

Important dates:

• Voting opens: Now

• Voting closes: Midnight, Saturday 20th July

• Prize winner announced: Tuesday 23rd July

• KitGuru Award Results published: Monday 12th August

• EHA Reader Awards announced live in Cologne: Monday 19th August

How to vote

Click to go to our Reader Awards 2025 voting form. Remember: You don’t need to vote in every category – so just skip any that don’t apply to you.

KitGuru Says: Whether you're a regular commenter or a quiet observer, this is your moment to shape the narrative. Tell us which brands have earned your trust and admiration in 2025 — and maybe win yourself a serious GPU upgrade while you're at it. Good luck – and thank you for being part of the KitGuru community over the last 16 years!

The post KitGuru Reader Awards 2025 – Vote and win an RTX 5070 Ti or RX 9070 XT! first appeared on KitGuru.

FSP is strengthening its standing in the premium case market with its new U691 full tower, a chassis designed for builders who want to showcase components while also having plenty of room for cooling and today's extra-large graphics cards. By combining expansive glass panelling with mesh and a versatile cooling layout, the U691 aims to deliver on both form and function.

The U691 makes a bold first impression with the front, top, and left sides adorned with 4mm tempered glass panels, all mounted to a sturdy 0.8mm SPCC steel frame. This “fish tank” style offers an uninterrupted view of the system inside, and to ensure hardware can breathe, the bottom and right-side panels are constructed from steel mesh fitted with dust filters.

Measuring 451 × 258 × 568mm, the U691 offers an expansive interior. It supports ATX, mATX, and Mini-ITX motherboards, with ample room for today's massive components. That includes CPU coolers up to 180mm tall and graphics cards up to 420mm long. For storage, the case provides a flexible arrangement of drive bays located behind the motherboard tray and on a removable bracket, keeping the main chamber clutter-free.

The cooling potential is where the U691 truly stands out. While a single 120mm ARGB PWM fan is pre-installed at the rear, the enthusiast-level support is found elsewhere. The right-side panel can be kitted out with up to four 120mm fans or three 140mm fans, or even a massive 480mm radiator. An additional three 120mm fans can be mounted on the bottom panel for direct GPU cooling. To complete the look, a subtle ARGB light strip runs along the rear interior.

FSP has included several user-friendly features to simplify the building process, including a motherboard tray that can be removed for easy component installation outside the chassis. Moreover, the exterior panels are secured with thumbscrews, and rubber grommets line the cable routing channels to help achieve a clean final build. Lastly, the front I/O, located on the front-right foot of the case, includes two USB-A ports and a USB-C port. The FSP U691 is coming to market for €129.

KitGuru says: Do you think it's a fair price for the FSP U691, considering its specs and looks?

The post FSP launches the U691 full tower with three-sided tempered glass window first appeared on KitGuru.

Just when you were getting used to PCIe 5.0 speeds, the next generation of storage performance is already knocking on the door. According to a leaked presentation slide, Silicon Motion is set to officially unveil the MonTitan SM8466 SSD controller at the Flash Memory Summit next month, and the numbers are staggering. The new enterprise-focused controller is built to leverage the PCIe 6.0 x4 interface, with sequential read speeds of up to 28GB/s.

These figures, which first appeared in a leak from ITHome (via Guru3D), align with the expectations many had for the next-gen PCIe drives (twice as fast as flagship PCIe 5.0 controllers). The SM8466 controller is a powerhouse, featuring 16 NAND channels designed to support all upcoming forms of 3D NAND memory. This architecture will enable SSDs to scale up to a whopping 512TB on a single drive. To achieve this level of performance and density, SMI is reportedly turning to TSMC's N4 process node.

Image via: ITHome

Don't expect to slot one of these into your gaming rig anytime soon, however. The SM8466 is squarely aimed at data centre usage. It's expected to be compliant with the OCP NVMe SSD Spec 2.5 and NVMe 2.0+ specifications, making it ideal for cloud and hyperscale deployments. The feature set includes enterprise tools like SR-IOV for virtualisation, end-to-end data path protection, and robust security measures, including Secure Boot, TCG Opal compliance, and AES-256 encryption.

The performance of SM8466-based drives is set to blow past not only the best client SSDs but almost all current-gen enterprise storage solutions. The first SM8466-powered SSDs are still some ways off and may not arrive until early 2027. This timeline means it should be available alongside other next-generation server hardware aimed at the growing AI market, like Nvidia's ‘Rubin' GPU.

KitGuru says: When do you think we'll have our hands on the first consumer-oriented PCIe 6.0 SSDs?

The post Silicon Motion’s new SM8466 PCIe 6.0 SSD controller to deliver speeds of up to 28GB/s first appeared on KitGuru.

While AMD's Radeon RX 9070 GRE was officially launched back in May as a China-exclusive card, we've been left wondering how this cut-down GPU performs. Now, thanks to the team at ComputerBase, who managed to import a Sapphire Pulse model, we have our answer. The verdict? It's a sound 1440p gaming card that carves out an interesting spot in the market.

Under the hood, the RX 9070 GRE is built on the same 4nm “Navi 48” silicon that powers the rest of the RX 9070 series. However, AMD has made some significant cuts to create this SKU. The compute unit count is reduced to 48, giving it 3,072 stream processors. Moreover, the memory configuration has been trimmed to 12GB of GDDR6 running across a 192-bit bus, with the Infinity Cache also reduced to 48MB. Despite these reductions, the card maintains the same 220W Total Board Power as the RX 9070.

Image credit: ComputerBase

In a suite of 13 game tests at 1440p resolution run by Computer Base, the RX 9070 GRE proves to be a potent performer. On average, it delivers a 28.4% performance uplift over AMD's own RX 9060 XT 16GB and comfortably beats out Nvidia's RTX 5060 Ti 16GB by 22%. It even manages to pull ahead of the last-gen RX 7800 XT by 11% and the RTX 4070 by 5%. However, it doesn't quite catch its more powerful siblings. The standard RX 9070 remains 14% faster, while the flagship RX 9070 XT is a further 29% ahead. Nvidia's RTX 5070 also holds a 9% lead over the new GRE card.

This performance places the RX 9070 GRE in a unique position, slotting perfectly into the performance gap between the market's key mid-range players. Unfortunately, it still isn't available in other regions besides China. Whether we will ever see this card officially released worldwide remains to be seen, but for now, it stands as a strong and compelling mid-range option for the region it serves.

KitGuru says: Would like to see the AMD Radeon RX 9070 GRE available in your region?

The post AMD Radeon RX 9070 GRE benchmarks show strong 1440p performance first appeared on KitGuru.

The rumour mill for AMD's next-generation Zen 6 architecture is beginning to spin, with new reports emerging from a well-known source. Apparently, AMD has begun sampling its Zen 6-based desktop processors, codenamed “Medusa Ridge”, to its close industry partners. If the whispers are true, we could be looking at significant upgrades to both the core chiplets and the I/O die.

According to Yuri Bubliy (via Wccftech), also known as 1usmus, the creator of the Hydra tuning software, the new Zen 6 Core Complex Die (CCD) will be fabricated on TSMC’s N2 process node. This move to a much denser node is expected to give AMD the transistor budget needed to finally increase the core count per CCD. For several generations, AMD has stuck with an 8-core design for its primary CCDs. With Zen 6, sources indicate this could be boosted to 12 cores, accompanied by a proportionate increase in L3 cache to 48MB. It remains to be seen whether AMD will configure this as a single, monolithic 12-core complex or as a dual-CCX design with six cores each.

Perhaps just as significant is the rumoured overhaul of the client I/O die (cIOD). 1usmus claims that “Medusa Ridge” will feature a brand new cIOD built on a more modern EUV process, moving away from the 6nm die used in current Ryzen processors. The primary driver for this upgrade is said to be the memory controller.

The new cIOD will reportedly feature a redesigned dual memory controller architecture. While the platform will likely remain dual-channel DDR5, this new design is supposedly engineered to enable much higher memory clock speeds, allowing AMD to close the gap with Intel in memory frequency and bandwidth performance. For those who enjoy tweaking their systems, Bubliy notes that core boosting technologies like Precision Boost Overdrive (PBO) and Curve Optimizer are expected to remain unchanged, suggesting that tools like Hydra should be compatible with little fuss.

KitGuru says: Although we'll have to wait a year or so for these new desktop CPUs, the first reports show some promise.

The post AMD Zen 6 processors samples are in the hands of partners first appeared on KitGuru.

The Subnautica 2 drama continues, as former Unknown Worlds founders confirm plans to sue Krafton over the handling of the project, accusing the publisher of intentionally withholding the game to avoid paying out a massive bonus to the studio that had been written into the contract when Krafton acquired the company a few years ago.

In a post on the Subnautica subreddit, Charlie Cleveland, who co-founded Unknown Worlds and departed the studio last month, confirmed that he, along with fellow co-founder, Max McGuire, and former studio CEO, Tim Gill, will be filing a lawsuit against Krafton.

“We know in our souls that the game is ready for Early Access – that’s just how we roll. And we’d like nothing more than for you to play it (game devs live for this). But it’s not currently under our control. We’ve now filed a lawsuit against Krafton: the details should eventually become (at least mostly) public – you all deserve the full story. Suing a multi-billion dollar company in a painful, public and possibly protracted way was certainly not on my bucket list. But this needs to be made right. Subnautica has been my life’s work and I would never willingly abandon it or the amazing team that has poured their hearts into it.”

On the other side of things, Krafton has put out its own response to the on-going drama, denying that Subnautica 2 is ready for release and claiming that McGuire and Cleveland had ‘abandoned' the project to work on other things, despite requests from the publisher that they focus more time on Subnautica 2.

“We allocated approximately 90% of the up to $250 million earn-out compensation to the three former executives, with the expectation that they would demonstrate leadership and active involvement in the development of Subnautica 2. However, regrettably, the former leadership abandoned the responsibilities entrusted to them. Subnautica 2 was originally planned for an Early Access launch in early 2024, but the timeline has since been significantly delayed. Krafton made multiple requests to Charlie and Max to resume their roles as Game Director and Technical Director, respectively, but both declined to do so. In particular, following the failure of Moonbreaker [Unknown Worlds' previous game], Krafton asked Charlie to devote himself to the development of Subnautica 2. However, instead of participating in the game development, he chose to focus on a personal film project.”

Krafton argues that the “absence of core leadership” resulted in “repeated confusion in direction” as well as significant delays to the game's launch. Krafton also pushes back on the idea that the game is ready for early access, saying that there is not enough ‘content volume'.

With the three former executives now filing a lawsuit, legal documents will give us more insight into the behind-the-scenes issues and public statements from either side are likely to cease, as those involved in legal cases are often advised to not speak publicly so as to not cause any further issues that could prolong or delay court proceedings.

KitGuru Says: So far, this has boiled down to a he said / she said situation. The lawsuit should provide further clarity once the documents submitted by both sides become public.

The post Subnautica creators sue Krafton following Subnautica 2 delay first appeared on KitGuru.

The legendary DeathAdder is back, and it's faster, lighter, and more technologically advanced than ever. Razer has just pulled the curtain on the DeathAdder V4 Pro, the latest evolution of its most iconic mouse, a nameplate that has sold over 20 million units worldwide. Developed in close collaboration with esports pros, including Counter-Strike legend Nikola “NiKo” Kovač, this new iteration is packed with next-generation tech aimed at competitive players.

The Deathadder V4 Pro has Razer's brand-new HyperSpeed Wireless Gen-2 technology, an updated wireless protocol that, paired with a redesigned dongle, delivers an ultra-stable connection with 37% less latency than its predecessor. It enables a true 8000 Hz polling rate, matching the responsiveness previously reserved for wired connections. Despite this incredible speed, Razer is promising up to 150 hours of battery life when running at a standard 1000 Hz.

Razer is also debuting its first-ever optical scroll wheel in the V4 Pro. Purpose-built for esports, this new design promises more durability and accuracy than traditional mechanical wheels, providing steady, tactile control during intense gameplay. The mouse also features the new Razer Optical Mouse Switches Gen-4, which offer a crisp, enhanced click feel and are rated for 100 million clicks. The internal structure has been re-engineered to maintain a robust and durable feel without adding unnecessary weight, striking a balance between speed, control, and responsible manufacturing.

Under the hood, tracking is handled by the new Razer Focus Pro 45K Optical Sensor Gen-2. This sensor boasts a 45,000 max DPI, 900 IPS tracking speed, and 99.8% resolution accuracy across a wide variety of surfaces. Advanced software features like Dynamic Sensitivity and Sensitivity Matcher are also included to give competitive players more control.

All of this technology is packed into an ultra-lightweight shell, tipping the scales at just 56 grams for the black model and 57 grams for the white. The famous ergonomic shape, trusted by millions, has been meticulously refined to enhance both performance and comfort. The V4 Pro features larger PTFE feet for a smoother glide and split side buttons designed to reduce accidental clicks during frantic moments. The Deathadder V4 Pro is now available for £169.99/$169.99/€179.99

KitGuru says: Have you ever owned a Deathadder? What do you think of the latest iteration of this mouse?

The post Razer unveils the new Deathadder V4 Pro gaming mouse first appeared on KitGuru.

Nintendo's war on piracy continues. The focus has shifted away from taking down emulators and back towards taking down websites offering ROM downloads. One of the biggest Switch ROM sites is now no more. 

The site, known as nsw2u, has been taken offline after the domain was seized by the FBI. The classic FBI seizure notice now shows on screen when attempting to access the site. Interestingly, this one appeared to be an international effort, as the Duch agency, FOID, was also involved in the takedown, indicating that the site was likely hosted in The Netherlands.

Nintendo has not publicly commented on this but they are no doubt pleased. In the lead-up to the Switch 2 launch, Nintendo leaned heavily into stamping out Switch piracy, resulting in the cancellation of two of the most popular in-development Switch emulators.

KitGuru Says: As always with ROM sites, when one shuts down, another will appear to take its place. 

The post Nintendo takes down another Switch ROM site first appeared on KitGuru.

At Computex this year, Cooler Master debuted its FreeForm 2.0 ecosystem of products, including new fully customisable MasterFrame PC cases. Last week, we published our full review of the MasterFrame 600 but it wasn't available to buy in Europe just yet. That changed this week with the case finally hitting store shelves.

At the heart of the MasterFrame 600 is FreeForm 2.0, Cooler Master’s next-generation modular design philosophy. With FreeForm, the chassis becomes a platform for expression, enabling builders to reimagine layouts, upgrade thermal control, and adapt aesthetics to match evolving tastes and technologies. In our review, we praised the MasterFrame 600 for its spacious layout, high-quality materials and value proposition.

Below are the technical specifications for the Cooler Master MasterFrame 600:

• Motherboard support: E-ATX up to 330mm, ATX, Micro-ATX, Mini-ITX.
• Power supply support: ATX.
• Expansion slots: 8.
• Included fans: 3x 140mm Mobius front intake, 1x 120mm Mobius rear exhaust.
• Fan mounts: 3x 120mm/3x 140mm/2x 180mm/2x 200mm front, 3x 120mm/2x 140mm/2x 180mm/1x 200mm roof, 1x 120mm rear, 3x 120mm/3x 140mm side.
• Radiator mounts: 360mm/420mm front, 360mm/420mm roof (if you move the IO panel), 120mm rear, 360mm/420mm side.
• 5.25-inch optical drive bays: None.
• Internal drive bays: 2x 3.5-inch/2.5-inch, 3x 2.5-inch.
• Front I/O ports: 2x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 Type-C, audio.
• Dimensions: 544mm H x 531mm D x 244mm W.

Starting today, the MasterFrame 600 is available across Europe at a suggested retail price of €199. Here in the UK, the case is available for around £160. 

KitGuru Says: Are you planning a new PC build? Are you considering the MasterFrame 600 for it? 

The post Cooler Master’s FreeForm 2.0 MasterFrame 600 PC case now available in Europe first appeared on KitGuru.

In the eternal battle between resolution and refresh rate, Philips' new monitor asks a simple question: why not have both? The company has just unveiled the Evnia 27M2N3800A, a 27-inch gaming monitor with “Dual Mode”. This allows gamers to switch, on the fly, between 4K resolution at 160Hz and FHD resolution at 320Hz.

The Evnia 27M2N3800A has a 27-inch Fast IPS panel, promising not only excellent viewing angles but also snappy response times, quoted at 1ms G2G time and as low as 0.5ms via a Smart MBR (Motion Blur Reduction) mode. For those who favour visual fidelity, the 4K 160Hz mode delivers more detail, backed by a wide colour gamut covering 95% of the DCI-P3 and 130% of the sRGB space. With VESA DisplayHDR 400 certification, users can expect vibrant, punchy images with improved contrast.

When you want more speed, a simple toggle switches the monitor to its FHD 320Hz mode. This is aimed at competitive players in titles like Valorant or Counter-Strike, where maximising frame rates and minimising input lag is more important. The monitor also caters to the console crowd, with HDMI 2.1 ports providing full support for 4K gaming at 120Hz on the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X.

Philips is also loading the Evnia with a suite of its gaming-focused software. These are managed through the new Evnia Precision Centre, providing a central hub for customisation. Features include SmartImage game modes for different genres, Stark ShadowBoost for illuminating dark areas, and Smart Crosshair, which alters the reticle's colour for better visibility. There's even a Smart Sniper feature that provides a zoom function for long-distance engagements.

Beyond the gaming features, the monitor includes a number of practical additions. It has an ergonomic stand with tilt, swivel, and height adjustment, built-in stereo speakers, and MultiView technology for displaying two sources simultaneously. In a nod to sustainability, Philips states the monitor's chassis is constructed from 85% post-consumer recycled plastic. The Philips Evnia 27M2N3800A is set to hit the market this month at £279.

KitGuru says: If you were looking for a 4K IPS gaming monitor, would you consider something like the Evnia 27M2N3800A?

The post Philips Evnia 27M2N3800A gaming monitor boasts 160Hz and 320Hz modes first appeared on KitGuru.

Our review of the Corsair Frame 5000D showed it to be a good case that offered a number of interesting features, however it also left a few unanswered questions. Top of the list was whether we mucked up our installation of the 420mm AIO cooler but we also had to address the big question; exactly how much RGB lighting can the Frame 5000D accommodate?

Time stamps

00:00 Start
01:22 Fixing some things
01:48 Looking at the airflow (50% 800rpm)
02:32 75% 1200rpm
03:11 100% 1700rpm
03:41 75% (removed filters)
04:12 Adding floor fans
04:41 Some more changes and additions
05:54 Leo’s thoughts

When we recently reviewed the Corsair Frame 5000D HERE we had our reservations about the installation of the cooling system, and we also wanted to dig deeper to visualise the airflow inside this case and its support for up to 12x 140mm fans. This gave us good reason to take a second look at the Frame 5000D, which started at the very moment we posted our review.

As you will see in our video, once we had installed the Corsair 420mm AIO cooler the correct way round we then tried some different fan configurations. We started with the stock configuration of four 140mm case fans with three 140mm fans on the AIO  cooler. After that we removed the filters in the front and side, partly to remove obstructions, but mainly to improve the lightshow in our video. After that we installed two Corsair RX140 RGB fans in the floor of the case. Our final step was to replace the stock RS140 fans in the front of the case with RX140 RGB fans, open up the side ventilation in the case and then install two more RX140 RGB fans in that location.

KitGuru says: Enjoy our smoke-filled video and please leave a comment on YouTube if you spot anything interesting.

The post Corsair Frame 5000D Revisit… with Smoke! first appeared on KitGuru.

While most live-service games push back on the idea of custom servers, there have been success cases in the past. Fallout 76 for instance has a very popular private server option. Now, Rare is bringing custom server functionality to Sea of Thieves, allowing sailors to spin up a new server with the ability to make changes to in-game behaviour to best fit your group. 

Rare Studios is showing off exactly how to handle the ‘winding down' phase of a live service game with Sea of Thieves. In a new announcement, Rare revealed its plans to allow players to host their own custom servers, a move that comes at the perfect time, as new content development begins to wind down to put more resources towards other projects.

In a Community Direct hosted this week, Rare confirmed that Sea of Thieves will soon get a ‘Custom Seas' mode. This will essentially be a custom server browser, allowing you to join hosted servers with custom settings.

This move will also address one of the biggest complaints newcomers have when jumping into Sea of Thieves for the first time. The game is not exactly friendly for solo players, as there is always the risk of running into a squad of blood-thirsty pirates. With the addition of custom servers, solo players can jump into their own private world or start up a server for a group of friends, doing away with the trials and tribulations of random matchmaking.

Fallout 76 has a similar system in place, but with far less control over the world. In Sea of Thieves, custom servers will be able to make changes to squad size, allowing for massive 16-player pirate crews. You can also adjust weather behaviour, spawn in extra items and more.

Unfortunately, Custom Seas will rely on its own server hosting technology, so while players will be able to start up their own servers, they won't be able to run it off of their own hardware, you'll have to pay Rare for one of their servers instead. Pricing for that has not yet been announced.

KitGuru Says: Custom Seas sounds great but I do wish we could have the option to host servers on our own hardware. It is something I certainly took for granted back in my early days of Counter-Strike Source and Garry's Mod, and it is something sorely missing from the multiplayer gaming market nowadays. 

The post Sea of Thieves to get custom and private servers first appeared on KitGuru.

Sony's State of Play returned last night with a new deep-dive into this year's big PS5 exclusive, Ghost of Yotei. The game looks promising so far, but it is noticeably different to the structure of the previous game, Ghost of Tsushima. 

While Ghost of Tsushima had flashbacks to Jin Sakai's backstory sprinkled throughout the main campaign, Ghost of Yotei will handle things differently. The game will have a new system that allows players to explore the past of new protagonist, Atsu. You can jump into past memories at any time to get a deeper insight into Atsu's emotions and motivation as you slash your way across Hokkaido in search of those responsible for killing her family. This being a separate mechanic means that the game's main campaign is going to be heavily focused on present events, with minimal flashback scenes.

The gameplay deep-dive also revealed some changes to exploration. This one had me a little concerned, as Ghost of Tsushima largely succeeds due to its open world design. However, not much is changing on that front in Ghost of Yotei, but the names of certain things have changed.

In Ghost of Tsushima, you had a few different kinds of collectibles sprinkled throughout the map, including Hot Springs, Shrines, Fox Dens and more. In Ghost of Yotei, players will be finding Altars of Reflection, instead of Shrines, to obtain extra skill points. Players will also have access to a Spy Glass that can be used to pinpoint new areas of the map to explore. Atsu can also set up camps, cook and play music.

Combat has also seen some changes. While Jin Sakai was a Samurai who had to learn Ninjutsu skills to survive the Mongolian invasion, Atsu is neither a Ninja or a Samurai. As a result, you get a whole new playbook of combat moves and access to a wider range of weapons, including dual-swords, spears and more.

Ghost of Yotei is releasing on October 2nd for PS5. a PC version has not yet been announced.

KitGuru Says: I'm looking forward to Ghost of Yotei, but one of the things I loved about Tsushima was the streamlined open world. I hope that isn't lost in the sequel, as Yotei looks to be going for a much bigger scale of world. 

The post Ghost of Yotei State of Play reveals new mechanics, bigger open world first appeared on KitGuru.

Following on from the recent Resident Evil Requiem reveal, Capcom has now showcased Resident Evil Survival Unit, a new strategy game featuring a large roster of iconic characters. 

Resident Evil Survival Unit presents a new take on the horror franchise. Survival Unit is a strategy game, developed by Joycity and Aniplex, in collaboration with Capcom and Kingdom Hearts co-creator, Shinji Hashimoto. In a livestream last night, the game was fully revealed, and it is already being described as a “dream come true” for Resident Evil fans:

Resident Evil Survival Unit will feature a large roster of iconic characters from across the main RE games and the spin-offs. Players will spawn on to an appropriately thematic map with iconic locations like The Mansion and the RPD station. You can level up your squad with new skills and your chosen Squad Leader will get an additional ability that will impact the whole party.

Like in traditional Resident Evil titles, in Survival Unit, you will pick up mysterious items and solve puzzles to unlock new areas. When it comes to combat, it is like a much smaller version of XCOM, perhaps more akin to the combat system in South Park: The Fractured But Whole.

It looks quite fun, but it is a mobile game, so expect microtransactions. The restrictions of a smaller mobile display also means that the maps are quite compact. If it does well though, then perhaps one day we'll get a full-sized strategy game with bigger maps and more controllable characters.

KitGuru Says: There is no release date just yet but the game is up for ‘pre-registration' on Google Play and the iOS App Store.

The post Resident Evil Survival Unit gameplay showcased first appeared on KitGuru.

While Nintendo games rarely go on sale, the Switch maker introduced a program during its previous generation which allowed you to obtain two game ‘vouchers’ for a reduced cost. Unfortunately, with the Switch 2 now available and out in the wild, Nintendo has announced that it is discontinuing the service.

Making the announcement on their support site, Nintendo offered fans an update on its Game Voucher program, writing: “As of 11:59 PM Pacific Time January 30, 2026, it will no longer be possible to purchase Nintendo Switch Game Vouchers. Any vouchers you purchase on or before that date will work exactly as they currently do—unused vouchers expire 12 months after the date of purchase.”

The full FAQ can be found HERE, however there isn’t much to say beyond the above statement.

For the uninitiated, ‘Switch Game Vouchers’ was a system which allowed you to buy any two digital Nintendo titles from a broad list of first-party offerings using these vouchers. Though far from the biggest discount, for $99 you could ‘purchase’ The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and Mario Bros. Wonder for example – saving you $30 compared to buying them separately.

Ultimately, with Switch 2 titles now pushing past the $80 mark, it makes sense that Nintendo would be winding down the service. That said, you’ll now have to rely on the eShop’s extremely rare first-party sales for any digital deals.

KitGuru says: What do you think of this announcement? Was it inevitable? Would you have used vouchers for Switch 2 games if its price was increased to $120? Let us know down below.

The post Nintendo Switch Game Voucher program is being discontinued first appeared on KitGuru.

Hell is Us has been a long time coming, with the 3rd-person melee-focused action-adventure title first being announced back in 2022 with a 2023 release year. Following a lengthy delay, the Nacon-published title was re-revealed last year alongside a September 2025 release date. Thanks to the extra dev time, the team at Rogue Factor have managed to finish the game well ahead of its (renewed) schedule – as Hell is Us has now officially gone Gold.

Making the announcement on their Steam page, the team at Rogue Factor wrote: “After years of work, countless creative decisions, and a lot of passion poured into the game… Hell is Us has officially gone gold.”

For the uninitiated, ‘Going Gold’ means that the ‘Hell is Us’ master disc has been submitted to the game’s publisher. After this, discs can then be pressed with finalised software and digital storefronts can upload the 1.0 version of the game ready for release.

It’s a process that every game in development goes through, and means that (aside from post-launch patches) Hell is Us should be complete and ready to play.

Of course, this does not mean that the game will be free from any issues, with the likes of Star Wars Outlaws having also gone Gold roughly two months out from its release.

That said, everything we’ve seen from Hell is Us so far appears pretty positive. Hopefully the game manages to meet expectations when it launches on the 4th of September.

KitGuru says: Are you looking forward to the game? What do you think of the its visual style? Could it be one of 2025’s sleeper hits? Let us know down below.

The post Hell is Us has gone Gold first appeared on KitGuru.

There’s been a great deal of discussion in recent weeks about the long-term health of the video games industry and the art it creates. Thanks to the ever-increasing growth in digital adoption and the rising reliance on online services, many games operate on a limited shelf life. Unfortunately, the next game to have some of its lights snuffed out is Need For Speed: Rivals – with all of its online services ceasing in a few months’ time.

Updating the ‘About’ section on its Steam page, EA has now announced that 2013’s Need For Speed: Rivals’ “Online servers will be retired on October 7, 2025.”

Though currently still available to purchase, it seems only a matter of time before the game is delisted from storefronts (as is the case with pretty much all racing games featuring licensed vehicles).

While we’ve not gotten a comprehensive explanation of what ‘online servers’ shutting down means exactly, NFS: Rivals should (hopefully) remain playable after this date due to it already having an offline mode.

Still, while it is unlikely that many were playing Need For Speed: Rivals online in 2025, it is a shame none-the-less to see yet another game lose access to part of itself.

KitGuru says: What do you think of this announcement? Are you bothered by such moves assuming the game has a functioning offline mode? Let us know down below.

The post Need For Speed: Rivals online servers will shut down in October first appeared on KitGuru.

Stardew Valley is easily one of the biggest indie success stories ever, with the 2016 farming sim currently sitting as one of the best-selling games of all time at over 41 million copies sold. Despite being almost a decade old, the game has continued to receive major updates on a regular basis – helping it to now become the highest rated Steam game of all time.

A shared by the Steam review tracking site ‘Steam250’, Stardew Valley has dethroned Portal 2 for the top stop on the highest rated games of all time list – based on Steam reviews of course.

With a score of 8.87 (based on calculations made between a game’s approval rating and the number of reviews it’s received) Stardew Valley is now the highest-rated game on Steam, surpassing Portal 2’s 8.85 rating.

Of course, different services calculate Steam’s ratings differently, with SteamDB for example still having Portal 2 in the top spot with a rating of 97.72% – and Stardew taking second place at 97.66%.

Regardless, after almost 10 years of continued support on a game which was already excellent at launch, Stardew Valley has certainly earned its spot at (or near) the top of Steam’s review charts.

KitGuru says: What do you think of Stardew Valley in 2025? Are you still playing it? What game would you put at the top of the rankings if given the choice? Let us know down below.

The post Stardew Valley is now the highest rated game of all time on Steam first appeared on KitGuru.

The keyboard market's love of Hall Effect switches continues, and the technology is rapidly becoming more accessible. The latest contender to enter the ring is Epomaker with its new HE80, a 75% compact keyboard that packs a suite of high-end, gamer-focused features into a package with a surprisingly low launch price.

On paper, the HE80 delivers features we'd expect from much more expensive offerings. It's built around a compact 82-key layout (75%), saving precious desk space while keeping the essential arrow and function keys. Under the hood, Epomaker has fitted its own MagneX Hall Effect switches.

In a market currently saturated with ultra-flexible, gasket-mounted keyboards, Epomaker designed the HE80 with a “no flex-cut” mounting plate for a rigid and solid typing platform. This construction aims to provide firm and direct feedback on every keystroke, a feel that many typists and gamers may prefer over the softer, bouncier experience that has recently dominated the scene. The board also ships with a set of PBT keycaps and includes an extra set of transparent PC keycaps for those who want to maximise the RGB glow.

The customisation suite is where the HE80 truly aims to make its mark. The magnetic switches are hot-swappable, but the most impressive aspect is the software-free configuration. Through an online driver, which avoids the need for installing software, users can fine-tune the keyboard's performance. This includes adjusting the actuation point and end-travel on a per-key basis, allowing for a completely personalised setup.

It also supports a trio of advanced functions. Dynamic Keystroke, or DKS, allows a single key to perform different actions depending on how far you press it. Then, there's Mod-Tap, a feature that lets a key serve two roles depending on how you press it. Finally, its Toggle Key function, or TGL, enables you to turn any key into a latching switch, similar to Caps Lock, for any assigned action. For a launch price of $62.99/€62.95, the Epomaker HE80 stands as a very aggressive entry into the Hall Effect market.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru says: Have you ever tried a Hall Effect keyboard? Could the new Epomaker HE80 be your first?

The post Epomaker’s new HE80 keyboard packs high-end features with low price tag first appeared on KitGuru.

For years, Subnautica dominated Steam Charts as one of the top-selling games and fans were quick to turn the planned sequel into the most wishlisted game on Steam. Now, after acquiring Unknown Worlds and the Subnautica IP, Krafton is throwing all of that goodwill from fans away. 

To get the full picture of this story, first we have to go back a week. Last week, Unknown Worlds founders, Charlie Cleveland and Max McGuire, left the studio along with CEO, Ted Gill. This change at the top felt very sudden, as by all accounts, Subnautica 2 development had been going well.

Now, it turns out that the former Unknown Worlds' leadership left the studio due to disagreements with Krafton. Bloomberg reported last night that Subnautica 2 had been delayed to 2026, despite the fact that developers say the game is ready to launch in Early Access right now.

Why would Krafton delay a hyped-up early access game that is ready to hit Steam? Well, it turns out that Gill, McGuire and Cleveland had a $250 million bonus heading their way if certain targets were met. Meeting those financial targets would have been very realistic if Subnautica 2 was still launching into Early Access this year. However, Krafton made the decision to delay the game, against the whishes of the three executives. It is reported that the three had promised to split the $250M bonus with development staff, with the majority of the money going to employees.

The report implies that Krafton is actively hampering its own studio to avoid paying the bonus money. As a result, fans are now looking to boycott Subnautica 2. However, in its own statement, Krafton denies that the Subnautica 2 delay is for financial reasons.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: The developers doing the day-to-day grind on Subnautica 2 were well aware of the $250M bonus and for most of those workers, that bonus would have resulted in a very impactful sum of money. Now with that bonus taken away, I have to wonder how motivated those workers are going to be in the run-up to launch. 

The post Subnautica 2 reportedly delayed so publisher can avoid paying bonuses to devs first appeared on KitGuru.

The SAG-AFTRA video game voice actor strike is finally coming to an end. After a year of withholding work, the union has reached a new agreement for its members, allowing them to return to the vocal booth. 

When a union goes on strike, members of that union are prohibited in the jobs they can accept. This has led to multiple video game delays, voice actor re-castings and in the case of live service games like Destiny 2, they had to release seasonal cutscene content while missing key voice actors, making for a rather bizarre experience when jumping into new content.

Now, all of that will come to an end. The SAG-AFTRA union had a vote and 95% of the vote was in favour of the new deal with game studios and publishers.

The new deal puts ‘guardrails' in place around the use of AI, protecting real performers from having their work copied and replicated by publishers without any form of disclosure or consent.  Moving forward, a studio will have to ask one of its unionised voice actors for permission and work out a separate deal with them if they want to release AI-generated content involving them.

The deal comes at a time where AI is taking over numerous industries across the globe. Previously, publishers were training their own AI-powered voice actors using the work of real performers. Now, they'll have to actually ask and pay the person.

As SAG-AFTRA is a US union, this only applies to US-based voice actors. Unions in other countries are already starting to explore obtaining similar rights, like Equity, a union for UK voice actors. Speaking with Eurogamer, an Equity UK spokesperson said: “The UK cannot be the poor relation, especially when the industry and engagers here in the UK are supported by tax breaks. So we call upon the engagers to step up to meet the challenge to make the UK games industry the best it possibly can be for creatives.”

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: SAG-AFTRA voice actors can now return to working on projects. With all of this out of the way, I'm expecting 2026 to be a particularly big year for new game trailers, as many announcements would have been delayed due to the strikes. 

The post Video game voice actor strike ends after year-long battle over AI first appeared on KitGuru.

MSI has another game bundle on the way. Today, MSI is launching its new hardware game bundle, offering eligible MSI case or PSU buyers a free code for 505 Games' latest title, Wuchang: Fallen Feathers.

Wuchang: Fallen Feathers is a new game published by 505 Games and developed by Leenzee Games. The game is inspired by Ming Dynasty folklore and ancient Chinese mythology. Players take on the role of Wuchang, a fictional female warrior fighting off supernatural enemies, as well as a horrific feathering disease.

Most of MSI's MEG and MPG series PC cases are eligible for the free game code, as well as MEG, MAG and MPG series MSI power supplies. If you are planning a new build and want to take advantage of the free code, you can find all of the eligible products, and eligible retailers, HERE.

The MSI x WUCHANG bundle will be available from today, the 10th of July, until the 10th of August.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Are you planning a new PC build? Will you be picking up any MSI components for it? 

The post MSI unveils new game bundle with Wuchang: Fallen Feathers first appeared on KitGuru.

The future of memory for our phones, ultra-thin laptops, and a new wave of AI devices just got a lot clearer. JEDEC has officially published its next-generation JESD209-6 LPDDR6 memory standard. This isn't just an incremental update; LPDDR6 is engineered from the ground up to deliver a significant leap in performance, power efficiency, and security to meet the demands of artificial intelligence and other high-performance workloads.

The standard moves to a dual sub-channel design on each die, with each sub-channel featuring 12 data signal lines. This approach allows for more flexible and efficient operation, boosting performance while maintaining the fine-grained 32-byte data access needed for modern SoCs. The design optimises the command and address signal layout to minimise the physical ball count on the chip, which in turn helps speed up data access and reduce latency.

JEDEC has also baked in a host of new power-saving features. LPDDR6 operates at a lower voltage than its predecessor and introduces more sophisticated power management. A new feature called Dynamic Voltage and Frequency Scaling for Low Power (DVFSL) allows the memory to reduce its supply voltage during low-frequency operation, sipping less power when performance isn't critical. The standard also refines its efficiency modes, allowing the system to use a single sub-channel interface for low-bandwidth tasks, further cutting down on energy consumption.

Lastly, security and reliability components have also been given a significant overhaul. The LPDDR6 standard introduces several new safeguards to maintain data integrity and system stability. One of these is Per Row Activation Counting (PRAC), a mechanism designed to protect against potential data corruption in the DRAM itself. The standard also mandates support for on-die error correcting code (ECC) and includes new capabilities for command and address parity, error scrubbing, and built-in self-testing.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru says: When do you expect to see the first devices using LPDDR6 memory?

The post JEDEC publishes LPDDR6 memory standard first appeared on KitGuru.

Last month when the Nintendo Switch 2 launched, eager fans flocked to GameStop to try and nab one on day-one. There was just one problem – the checkout guy, armed with a stapler, was unknowingly damaging units by stapling the receipt to the box. Now, GameStop is hoping to turn this unfortunate incident into a wholesome story by auctioning off the Switch 2 and the stapler for charity. 

GameStop has put the ‘Staplegate' stapler up for auction, bundled with the Switch 2 unit that was damaged by said stapler. While this is a minor footnote in video game history, it is a piece of history all the same.

Currently, the GameStop Staplegate charity auction has surpassed $109,000 USD on eBay, based on over 180 individual bids. The auction ends in six days, so we'll have to wait until then to find out if the winning bid was legitimate or not.

Considering a boxed copy of the original Super Mario Bros. can sell for $2 million, I have no doubt believing that someone would be crazy enough to spend six figures on a stapler.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: In case anyone was wondering, the person who originally purchased the stapler-damaged Switch 2 did get a replacement the same week of launch. 

The post GameStop ‘staplegate’ Switch 2 auction raises over $100,000 first appeared on KitGuru.