Just as promised, the Nintendo Indie World Showcase took place yesterday, delivering 15 minutes of independent game announcements for the Switch and Switch 2 consoles. Despite only being 15 minutes long, a total of 18 games were shown, making for a very fast-paced set of announcements. 

You can watch the full presentation below:

Here are all 18 games shown:

• Mina the Hollower
• Well Dweller
• Neverway
• Herdling
• Is This Seat Taken?
• Little Kitty, Big City (free update)
• Content Warning
• Ball x Pit
• Ultimate Sheep Raccoon
• Glaciered
• Winter Burrow
• Undusted: Letters From the Past
• Tiny Bookshop
• Caves of Qud
• Strange Antiquities
• Opus: Prism Peak
• Go-Go Town
• UFO 50

KitGuru says: Of all the games announced, which one are you the most interested in?

The post Nintendo announced 18 games in just 15 minutes during Indie World showcase first appeared on KitGuru.

Asus's partnership with Noctua continues with the announcement of the Asus x Noctua RTX 5080, delivering a triple-fan cooler with Noctua's famously silent fans.

Asus and Noctua have been partnering on some graphics cards for a few years now but the 5080 variant seems to have the best cooler yet. The ASUS GeForce RTX 5080 Noctua Edition utilises three of the new NF-A12x25 G2 fans and a fully custom-developed heatsink that combines an extensive vapour chamber with seven 8mm and four 6mm heatpipes.

The fans are offset in speed in order to avoid undesired acoustic interaction phenomena due to beat frequencies such as periodic humming or vibrations. This highly sophisticated cooling setup enables the ASUS GeForce RTX 5080 Noctua Edition to run significantly quieter than ASUS’ TUF Gaming or ROG Astral models at the same temperatures.

The RTX 5080 Noctua Edition graphics card will be available via Asus starting this month.

KitGuru Says: The Asus x Noctua graphics cards have impressed but they do come with a price premium attached. Would you want to pick up a Noctua-cooled graphics card? 

The post Asus RTX 5080 Noctua Edition announced with NF-A12x25 G2 fans first appeared on KitGuru.

Mafia: The Old Country is now available and the game is doing well judging by the Steam reviews. At launch, the game sits at a Very Positive rating, based on over 1700 user reviews. 

Mafia: The Old Country is a small prequel game that explores the origins of the Italian mob. It was developed with Unreal Engine 5, allowing the team at Hangar 13 to get familiar and comfortable with the new engine before diving into a new AAA-sized project.

On Steam, over 1700 user reviews have been posted, the majority of which are positive. Some of the top-rated reviews cite quality voice acting, good performance and a fast-paced story that doesn't overstay its welcome.

So far, the game appears to take around 10 to 12 hours to get from start to finish, so don't go in expecting a game the size of Mafia 3. The game is available now for PC, Xbox Series X/S and PS5.

KitGuru Says:  This game has come out at a pretty bad time for me, as most of my weekend will be spent in the Battlefield 6 open beta. Will you be picking this game up, or will you be playing something else? 

The post Mafia: The Old Country launches to ‘very positive’ reviews on Steam first appeared on KitGuru.

Back at Computex, Thermal Grizzly gave us a preview of the der8enchtable, a modular, user-friendly benchtable featuring an integrated active PCB and D-RGB lighting. Now, the der8enchtable is ready to hit the market.

The der8enchtable is aimed at the hardware tinkerer and enthusiast, with features that simplify testing. It combines a classic benchtable frame design with integrated radiator and power-supply mounts—with an active PCB. Optimised for easy and fast reconfiguration during PC hardware testing.

Key features of the der8enchtable include:

• Professional benchtable with active PCB
• Developed in collaboration with ElmorLabs and der8auer
• 3+1 control zones for fans and AIOs
• Supports SSD, USB, or microSD for OS and test software
• Compact, modular, and user-friendly frame design
• Compatible with air and AIO coolers
• A-RGB lighting

Most notable are the fan and AIO controllers, which allow hardware testing under consistent conditions. Test software and operating systems can be loaded from solid-state drives (SSDs) or microSD cards. Input devices can also be connected directly to the der8enchtable. The der8enchtable’s PCB connects to the motherboard via a 9-pin USB header for data and is powered by the PSU via a 6-pin PCIe connector.

The der8enchtable is available to order directly through Thermal Grizzly starting today, priced at €229.90.

KitGuru Says: Are you considering getting one of these?

The post Thermal Grizzly’s der8enchtable is now available first appeared on KitGuru.

It looks like 512-bit AVX instructions are set to make a comeback on Intel's consumer desktop CPUs. The first concrete evidence has appeared in the latest release of Intel's oneDNN library, which adds early support for AVX10.2 with its full 512-bit width. This new feature explicitly targets “future Intel Core” processors, which many believe to be the Nova Lake architecture slated for 2026.

You might remember that Intel officially removed AVX-512 support from its consumer platforms with the launch of the 12th Gen Alder Lake CPUs. The introduction of the hybrid architectures created a problem: the smaller E-cores lacked the hardware to run the wide-vector instructions. To avoid scheduling chaos and ensure software consistency, Intel chose to disable the feature across the board, even on the P-cores that could still support it. On the other hand, AMD has gone in the opposite direction. With the launch of the Ryzen 9000 series, the Zen 5 architecture now includes native, full-width 512-bit AVX-512 execution. This move has given AMD an advantage in specific high-performance and scientific workloads and has undoubtedly put pressure on Intel to respond.

Intel's answer appears to be AVX10.2, according to InstLatX64. This new, more flexible version of the instruction set is designed specifically for hybrid CPUs. It unifies the feature set and allows the same software to run across different core types by supporting 128-bit, 256-bit, and 512-bit operations. This means developers won't need to create separate code paths, solving the original problem that led to AVX-512's removal from the consumer stack.

The feature is not enabled by default in the new library and is clearly looking ahead to future hardware, which should include Intel Nova Lake and Diamond Rapids. This is the clearest sign yet that Intel is serious about bringing wide-vector processing back into the fold for its entire consumer lineup. For now, AMD holds the advantage, but it looks like that may change soon.

KitGuru says: When you're choosing a system or CPU, is 512-bit AVX instruction support essential to you?

The post AVX-512 support is reportedly coming to “future Intel Core” processors first appeared on KitGuru.

Last night, it became clear that there was another casualty in the recent Xbox shake-up. Xbox has cancelled its publishing deal and funding for Avalanche's new game, Contraband. Now, Avalanche has confirmed that the project has been paused while the studio looks into its options. 

Xbox announced Contraband as an Xbox Series X/S exclusive back in 2021. However, since then, the game has not been shown again. Initially, the title was expected to release in 2022, but that year came and went with no further mention of Contraband.

In a statement confirming the news that Xbox had cancelled the game's publishing deal, Avalanche Studios said: “Over the past several years, Avalanche Studios Group and Xbox Game Studios Publishing have collaborated on Contraband. Active development has now stopped while we evaluate the project's future”.

The statement ends by saying “we're thankful for the excitement we've seen from the community since we announced and will give an update on what's next as soon as we can”.

Contraband finding a new publisher likely hinges on how far along the project is. It is still unclear how close the game was to being finished and ready for release. If the game was only a year or less out though, then chances are Microsoft wouldn't have pulled out of the deal.

KitGuru Says: Contraband is another in a long list of major cancellations at Xbox since 2018. Hopefully Avalanche can figure things out and find a new publishing partner to finish this game up, rather than being scrapped entirely. 

The post Avalanche gives statement after Xbox publishing deal cancelled first appeared on KitGuru.

Amazon has revealed the next batch of free games for Prime subscribers. Through Prime Gaming, this month you'll be able to claim classics like Civilization 3: Complete Edition and Thief: Definitive Edition, as well as a dozen other games. 

Starting today, Prime subscribers can head over to Prime Gaming to claim free copies of Sid Meier's Civilization 3 Complete, Thief: Definitive Edition and The Academy: The First Riddle. While Civ and Thief are GOG codes, The Academy is instead redeemed through the Amazon Games app.

On August 14th, four more games will be available to claim, including:

• FATE: The Traitor Soul (GOG)
• Filthy Animals: Heist Simulator (Epic Games Store)
• Tin Hearts (GOG)
• Necroking (GOG)

On August 21st, two more games will become available to claim – Labyrinth City (Amazon Games App) and Silver Box Classics (GOG). Finally, on August 28th, Prime subscribers can claim Heroes of Loot 2 (GOG),

KitGuru Says: If you are an Amazon Prime subscriber, make the most of your subscription by claiming all the free games. 

The post You can claim over a dozen free games with Prime Gaming this month first appeared on KitGuru.

AMD has quietly expanded its RDNA 3 professional graphics lineup with a new entry-level model, the Radeon Pro W7400. This new card slots in below the existing W7500, targeting low-cost, power-efficient workstation builds primarily for the OEM market.

The new Radeon Pro W7400 (via VideoCardz) is based on the same “Navi 33” GPU found in the W7500. As such, it features an identical hardware configuration with 28 CUs, which translates to 1,792 Stream Processors and 56 AI Accelerators. It's also equipped with 8 GB of GDDR6 memory running across a 128-bit memory interface.

So, how does the W7400 differ from the W7500? It all comes down to a trade-off between clock speed and power consumption. To achieve a very low TBP of just 55W, AMD has significantly reduced the GPU boost clock to 1.1 GHz (down from 1.7 GHz) and set the memory speed to 10.8 Gbps. This results in a peak FP32 compute performance of 7.9 TFLOPs, making it a much more power-friendly option than its siblings.

The Radeon Pro W7400 looks to be a sensible addition to the bottom of AMD's professional GPU stack. While AMD has not yet announced official pricing, it is expected to be the most affordable entry point into the RDNA 3-based Radeon Pro family.

KitGuru says: The specifications show that the Radeon Pro W7400 is not aimed at demanding rendering or simulation workloads. Instead, its primary market will be pre-built OEM systems for enterprise and business users who require a certified professional graphics driver for CAD applications and support for multiple high-resolution displays, all within a tight power and thermal budget.

The post AMD introduces Radeon Pro W7400 graphics card first appeared on KitGuru.

Following the latest suite of mass lay-offs at Xbox a couple months ago, the console maker is seemingly not done cancelling projects, with Avalanche Studios’ Contraband said to be the latest title to be canned. Fortunately, it seems as though Hideo Kojima’s much-anticipated experimental title OD remains safely in development…for now.

Following a report by known industry insider Jason Schreier which revealed that Xbox / Avalanche Studios’ Contraband has now been cancelled, the leaker offered a small update on one of the console maker’s remaining announced-but-yet-to-be-released titles, taking to BlueSky to say:

“OD, the collaboration between Xbox and Hideo Kojima, is still in development, a Microsoft spokesperson tells me.”

Of course, at this point Microsoft’s word can’t be trusted, with many of the recently cancelled projects having confirmed to have been going well just months prior to being shut down – including the likes of Everwild, Blackbird and most recently Contraband.

That being said, Kojima is easily one of the most well-known and trusted creatives in this industry, and so Microsoft would be foolish to cancel OD.

Given just how many mad moves the console maker has made over the past year or so however, I won’t be holding my breath in anticipation.

KitGuru says: Are you looking forward to OD? Could you see Microsoft cancelling Kojima’s project eventually, or would it create too much ill-will? Let us know your thoughts down below.

The post Kojima’s Xbox exclusive OD is still safe from cancellation according to insiders first appeared on KitGuru.

It is competition time again! This month we are teaming up with KIOXIA to give away not one, not two, but THREE PCIe 5.0 M.2 2TB SSDs! Three winners will walk away with a new KIOXIA EXCERIA PLUS G4 SSD, powered by a speedy Phison controller and KIOXIA's 218-layer 3D TLC NAND. 

At the heart of the EXCERIA PLUS G4 is a Phison PS5031-E31T 4-channel controller paired up with KIOXIA's BiCS8 218-layer 3D TLC NAND. KIOXIA rates the Sequential performance as up to 10,000MB/s for reads and up to 8,200MB/s for writes for the 2TB model. The write speed drops down to 7900MB/s on the 1TB model. Both are rated for up to 1.3M IOPS. We reviewed this SSD back in April, so if you want to see how it performs across a range of benchmarks, be sure to check that out.

So we've established that the EXCERIA PLUS G4 is a great PCIe 5.0 upgrade for those in need of a speedy new drive, but how do you go about winning one? That part is simple, all you need to do is head over to our competition posts on Facebook or X and reply with an answer to the following question – how big is your current SSD? 

Winners will be picked randomly and announced within two weeks of the competition closing.

Terms and Conditions: This competition is open worldwide, starting at 12PM BST on August 8th and ending at 12PM BST on August 22nd. 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 everyone entering, we'll be back in a couple of weeks to announce the winners!

The post Win one of three KIOXIA EXCERIA PLUS G4 2TB SSDs! first appeared on KitGuru.

As with pretty much every digital storefront, there comes a time when the cost of running servers exceeds the revenue earned from said storefront. Though this hopefully isn’t what’s happening in this instance, the PlayStation Store on PS3 has been inaccessible for the past day – leading to fears of its impending closure.

As reported by the preservation-focused publication Delisted Games, the PlayStation Store on PS3 in particular has been suffering from recent outages, with players attempting to purchase titles being met with the pop-up message “This service is currently undergoing maintenance” – before shutting down the application.

Interestingly, the issue appears to me somewhat inconsistent, with users being able to reach various parts of the store before being booted out. Perhaps more curious is the fact that the PS Vita store is currently still accessible despite the two systems’ online services being linked together in various ways.

While likely to be just an odd bug which will hopefully be resolved soon, it does bring back to light discussions surrounding game preservation and ownership in this digital age.

Of course, the PlayStation 3 is pretty much two decades old at this point, and as mentioned, PSN traffic on this generations-old console is likely to be minimal.

Still, with so many games still stuck on the PS3, hopefully Sony manages to solve whatever the issue may be sooner rather than later.

KitGuru says: Have you encountered this issue in the past couple days? Will Sony eventually shut down the PS3’s online store? When do you think this will officially happen? Let us know down below.

The post The PlayStation Store on PS3 is currently inaccessible first appeared on KitGuru.

While the console had a bit of a slow start due to supply issues as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the PlayStation 5 has been rather quickly rising up the ranks of the all-time best-sellers list. As part of the company’s latest fiscal report, it’s been revealed that the PS5 has now sold over 80 million units – beating out the iconic PSP.

As collated by Gematsu, Sony recently revealed during the console maker’s latest fiscal earnings report that the PlayStation 5 had reached a new sales milestone – officially shipping over 80.3 million units as of the 30th of June.

For context, this puts the PS5 just outside of the top 10 best-selling consoles of all time; currently positioned neatly between the PSP (80 million) and the Game Boy Advance (81.51 million).

Beyond physical console sales, the rest of PlayStation also appears to be doing quite well, with operating income (profit) increasing by a massive 127%; software sales rising by 23% year-on-year and even a small bump in monthly active users from 116 million to 123 million.

As mentioned, 80 million consoles sold puts the PS5 in a great position. While the system is currently the 11th best-selling system of all time, in another quarter or two the 9th-gen console could very well leapfrog its way closer to the top 5 – surpassing the likes of the Xbox 360 (84 million) and PS3 (87.4 million).

Whether the system will manage to reach the exclusive 100 million consoles mark, we will have to wait and see. That said, even if PS5 sales were to fall off a cliff from tomorrow, it’s safe to say that Sony has had a rather strong generation.

KitGuru says: What do you think of these latest figures? Where do you think the console would be if its first years weren’t hampered by supply issues? Will the PS5 reach 100 million unit sales? Let us know down below.

The post The PS5 is about to become the 10th best-selling console ever first appeared on KitGuru.

Earlier this Summer Microsoft shocked everybody when they announced that a ton of their ongoing Xbox projects would be cancelled, with just some of the victims including Perfect Dark and The Initiative; Rare’s Everwild; Zenimax Online’s Project Blackbird and Turn10 – to name a few. One project which was said to be safe from all this was Avalanche Studios’ Contraband. Unfortunately, it seems as though it too has now been cancelled.

As reported by known industry insider Jason Schreier via BlueSky, “Xbox is canceling Contraband, announced in 2021 from Avalanche Studios (Just Cause), after four years of radio silence.”

While perhaps in and of itself not a surprise given the sheer number of recent cancellations, following the mass lay-offs in June it was revealed that Contraband was still in development – with the team at Avalanche actively hiring roles for the project.

As with many of Microsoft’s recent moves, it appears as though the publisher / console maker may have been trying to spread out the bad news over a longer period of time.

That said, the cancellation of Contraband appears to have been another surprise announcement from Microsoft, owing to the aforementioned job listings from just a few weeks ago.

At this point, it feels as though Xbox has cancelled more games than it is releasing. Hopefully we learn more about the ill-fated Contraband and why exactly it was ultimately cancelled. Knowing Microsoft however, it’s probably so they can continue to invest further in AI or something.

KitGuru says: Were you surprised that Contraband wasn’t canned during the previous wave of lay-offs? Why do you think they waited till later to cancel the project? What other upcoming Xbox titles are you concerned about? Let us know down below.

The post Microsoft cancels Avalanche Studios’ Contraband first appeared on KitGuru.

be quiet! is well known for its low noise approach to PC cooling, but what happens if you combine the Light Base 900 DX case, a 420mm Silent Loop 3 closed loop CPU cooler, a Pure Power 12 M PSU and a bunch of be quiet! Silent Wings Pro 4 140mm fans? Well, you end up with a virtually inaudible PC perfect for anything from gaming to workflow scenarios. Join us to see how we got on…

Case: be quiet! Light Base 900 DX – Available to purchase now from Scan priced at £164.99 HERE.

• Light Base 900 DX is equipped with large window panels on the front and side for an almost unrestricted view of the system, while the unique and intuitive feet allow the case to be inverted or run horizontally in seconds.
• The large dimensions and dual chamber design ensure almost any hardware can be installed inside the Light Base 900 DX, it supports EATX motherboards, including back connect, up to 420mm radiators and large, powerful graphics cards.
• It's designed for maximum usability with detachable radiator brackets at the top and bottom, with two ARGB PWM fan hubs located in the rear chamber at the top and bottom for connecting up to 12 fans.

Specifications

• Case Type: ATX tower
• Dimensions: 532 x 327 x 484 (L x W x H), (mm)
• Motherboard Support: E-ATX / XL-ATX / ATX / M-ATX / Mini-ATX
• Expansion Slots: 8
• Storage Bays: Max 2 x 3.5”, 6 x 2.5”
• Max GPU Length: 495mm
• Max CPU Cooler Height: 190mm
• Max PSU Size: ATX PS/2 225mm
• Pre-installed Fans: N/A
• Fan Support: Top 3 x 140 / 3 x 120mm, Side 3 x 140 / 3 x 120mm, Rear 1 x 140 / 1 x 120mm, Bottom 3 x 140 / 3 x 120mm
• Radiator Support: Top 120 / 140 / 240 / 280 / 360 / 420mm, Side 120 / 140 / 240 / 280 / 360mm, Rear 120 / 140mm, Bottom 120 / 140 / 240 / 280 / 360 / 420mm
• Dust Filters: Top + Bottom
• Font I/O: 1 x USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C, 2 x USB 3.2 Type-A, 3.5mm HD Audio + Mic

CPU Cooler: be quiet! Silent Loop 3 420mm – Available to purchase now from Scan priced at £124.99 HERE.

• Silent Loop 3 420mm is designed to cool flagship CPUs with high power demands, leaving headroom for overclocking, while the powerful 3-chamber pump is designed to significantly reduce noise.
• It comes equipped with be quiet! Silent Wings 4 140mm PWM fans for incredible cooling performance and virtually inaudible operation. The elegant pump top design features subtle ARGB lighting effects.
• An easy-to-access refill port allows users to top up the cooler with the included coolant for a longer lifespan, and it comes with a 3-year warranty for peace of mind.

Specifications

• CPU Socket Compatibility: Intel 1851 / 1700 / 1200 / 1150 / 1151 / 1155, AMD AM5 / AM4 / TR5 / TR4
• Radiator Material: Aluminium
• Radiator Dimensions: 457 x 140 x 52 (inc. fans) (H x W x D), (mm)
• Radiator Tube Length: 400mm
• CPU Block/Pump Dimensions: 5 x 80 x 56 (H x W x D), (mm)
• Pump Speed: up to 3500rpm
• Cold Plate Material: Nickel-plated copper
• Pump Connector: 4-pin PWM
• Pump LED: 3-pin 5V ARGB
• Fan Dimensions: 140 x 140 x 25mm
• Fan LED: ARGB
• Fan Speed (PWM): up to 1900rpm
• Fan Max Airflow: 78.4  CFM
• Fan Max Air Pressure: 2.36 mm H20
• Noise (dBA): 34.3 dBA
• Fan Bearing: Fluid Dynamic Bearing
• Fan Connector: 4-pin PWM
• LCD Screen: N/A
• Warranty: 3 Years

Fans: 140mm be quiet! Silent Wings Pro 4 PWM – Available to purchase now from Scan priced at £29.99 HERE.

• Equipped with seven blades optimised for high performance on radiators and heat sinks with a small tip clearance and a fan frame with a funnel-shaped outlet to maximise air pressure.
• The integrated 3-way speed switch allows users to change the maximum PWM speed, with a maximum setting on high speed mode of 2400rpm. At regular speed, the Silent Wings Pro 4 is virtually inaudible.
• Silent Wings Pro 4 also features a 6-pole motor and fluid dynamic bearing for lower vibration and smooth operation, while the swappable mounting system allows for use as either a case fan or with a radiator. All backed by a 5-year warranty.

Specifications

• Dimensions: 140 x 140 x 25mm
• Colour Option: Black or White
• Max Speed: 2400 rpm
• Max Noise Output: 36.8 dBA
• Max Airflow: 97.4 CFM
• Max Air Pressure: 3.64 mmH2O
• Bearing Technology: Fluid Dynamic Bearing
• Connector: 4-pin PWM
• Cable Length: 500mm
• Zero RPM mode: Yes
• Warranty: 5 Years

Power Supply: be quiet! Pure Power 12 M 850W – Available to purchase now from CCL priced at 109.99 HERE.

• Pure Power 12 M features ATX 3.1 certification with full support for PCIe 5.1 Graphics cards with 6+2 power connectors, as well as 80+ Gold rated efficiency.
• It's equipped with an exceptionally quiet 120mm be quiet! fan. Pure Power 12 M is a highly stable PSU with voltage regulation from LLC technology, 2 x 12V rails and modular cables for user flexibility.
• The main power connectors include one PCIe 5.1 12V-2×6 600W and four PCIe 6+2, with two CPU EPS power, and the unit comes with a 10-year warranty for peace of mind.

Specifications

• Type: ATX 3.1
• Dimension: 160 x 150 x 86
• Certification: 80+ Gold
• Power Output: 900W Peak
• Protections: OTP, OCP, OPP, SCP, OVP, UVP, SIP
• Fan: be quiet! silence optimised
• Fan Size: 120mm
• Fan Noise: 25.7 dBA (max)
• Operating Temperature: up to 40°C
• AC Input: 100 – 240 Vac
• Modularity: Full
• MTBF: 100,000 Hours
• Warranty: 10 Years

Build Specification:

• CPU – AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D
• Motherboard – ASRock X870E Taichi
• Graphics Card – Gigabyte RTX 5080 Gaming OC 16G
• Memory – 64GB (2 x 32GB modules) G.Skill Trident Z5 RGB DDR5-6400
• Storage – 1 TB Corsair MP600 Elite PCIe Gen4 NVMe M.2 SSD
• CPU Cooler – be quiet! Silent Loop 3 420mm
• Power Supply – be quiet! Pure Power 12 M 850W
• Case fans – 140mm be quiet! Silent Wings Pro 4
• Chassis – be quiet! Light Base 900 DX
• Operating System – Windows 11

KitGuru says: If you want a virtually silent high spec gaming PC, then check out what the be quiet! guys have to offer!

The post be quiet! ASMR Build Featuring Silent Wings Pro 4 first appeared on KitGuru.

Cooler Master has today unveiled the MasterFrame 360 Panorama S Limited Edition, an ultra-exclusive, pre-built PC aimed at the most dedicated enthusiasts and collectors. Only 100 of these individually numbered systems will be produced worldwide, each packing a host of top-tier hardware, including a custom-cooled GeForce RTX 5080.

The MasterFrame 360 Panorama S Limited Edition is built into the unique MasterFrame 360 Panorama Craft Edition chassis that has been showcased at Computex 2025 and developed with the help of the modder AK Mod. Built on the FreeForm 2.0 design platform, its most distinctive feature is a “Front Display Stage”, an illuminated platform at the base of the case designed specifically for users to display collectibles like figurines, turning the PC itself into a personalised diorama.

Inside this chassis is a potent gaming setup. The build is powered by AMD's Ryzen 7 9800X3D CPU, seated in an MSI MAG B850 Tomahawk Max WIFI motherboard with 32 GB of DDR5-6000 RGB memory. For storage, there's a 2 TB Kingston NV3 M.2 SSD, and the whole system is juiced by a Cooler Master V Platinum 1100W V2 PSU, with CPU cooling handled by a MasterLiquid Atmos II 360 LCD.

The star of the show is arguably the graphics card. Cooler Master has created a custom GeForce RTX 5080 for this build, based on an Asus ROG Astral OC model but featuring Cooler Master's thermal solution and an extended, stylised fan shroud. This unique GPU is exclusive to this limited edition system.

As a halo product, the MasterFrame 360 Panorama S Limited Edition carries a premium price tag. Pre-orders are open now for £2,349.99/€2,699.99/$3,099.99, which Cooler Master notes is a discount from the final £2,600/€2,999.99/$3,599.99 list price. With only 100 units being made, they are available on a first-come, first-served basis, with shipping expected to begin on August 25th.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru says: Given its status and what it packs, the pre-order price isn't that bad. How much would you be willing to pay for a pre-built system like this?

The post Cooler Master unveils limited edition MasterFrame 360 Panorama PC first appeared on KitGuru.

MSI has launched the Strike Pro Wireless, a new mechanical keyboard that aims to deliver professional-level performance without all the noise. Designed for gamers and power users, the new board is packed with sound-dampening features and quiet tactile switches for a more silent operation.

Taking centre stage on the keyboard's stealthy design are Kailh's Midnight Pro Silent tactile switches, which are rated for 70 million keystrokes and promise a satisfying bump without the loud clack typically associated with mechanical switches. To further reduce noise, MSI has built the chassis with a multi-layer dampening system, incorporating internal gaskets and muffler pads to absorb vibrations and eliminate the metallic ping present in many keyboards.

The Strike Pro Wireless is quite customisable, as expected from a high-end keyboard such as this. It features 5-pin hot-swappable sockets, allowing users to easily swap in their preferred MX-style switches without soldering. The board also includes three programmable ‘M keys' for macros and shortcuts, alongside a full suite of dedicated media keys and an intelligent scroll wheel for volume and other controls.

The keyboard offers versatile tri-mode connectivity, with options for low-latency 2.4 GHz wireless, Bluetooth, and a wired USB-C connection. Moreover, it's powered by a high-capacity 4200 mAh battery, which MSI claims can last for up to 1500 hours. When it does need a top-up, it uses a clever magnetic USB-C adapter, which makes connecting the charging cable quick and easy and should prevent any damage to the port. Rounding out the premium package is an included magnetic memory foam wrist rest. The MSI Strike Pro Wireless is now available to purchase for $169.99.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru says: Do you pay attention to the acoustics of your keyboard? What type of sound profile do you prefer for your keyboard?

The post MSI introduces the Strike Pro Wireless keyboard with Kailh Midnight Pro switches first appeared on KitGuru.

Just as the PC industry is getting its footing with PCIe 5.0, and with the ink barely dry on the PCIe 7.0 specification, the PCI-SIG has just announced its targets for the next-generation interface. With PCIe 8.0, PCI-SIG continues the relentless trend of doubling the available bandwidth with every single iteration.

PCI-SIG is targeting a data rate of 64 GB/s per lane. For context, a full x16 slot, like the one your graphics card uses, would have a theoretical maximum bandwidth of 1 terabyte per second. That's more raw throughput than the VRAM of a top-end GeForce RTX 5080 can currently deliver, and an 800% increase over the PCIe 5.0 standard found in today's high-end PCs.

This announcement comes just a couple of months after the PCIe 7.0 specification was finalised. It's expected that PCIe 8.0 will continue to use the PAM4 signaling method that was introduced with PCIe 6.0, allowing for double the amount of data to be transferred per signal event compared to the older NRZ signaling used in PCIe 5.0 and earlier. This way, it's possible to increase bandwidth without having to crank up clock speeds to unmanageable levels.

PCI-SIG is aiming to finalise the specification in 2028, and it will likely be the early 2030s before we see it in consumer desktop PCs. The initial press release makes it clear that the first targets for this technology are applications like AI, high-speed networking, and quantum computing, with gaming not getting a single mention.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru says: When are you expecting to get your first PCIe 8.0-based devices?

The post PCI-SIG publishes planned specs for PCIe 8.0 first appeared on KitGuru.

Due to the amount of cheaters in cross-platform lobbies, Activision implemented kernel-level anti-cheat for Call of Duty on PC a few years ago. Now, the requirements are increasing once again, with Black Ops 6 to enforce Secure Boot for Windows systems. 

Secure Boot is a feature in Windows that aims to prevent malicious code from loading during start-up, and locks your system to only run ‘trusted software'. The system blocks rootkits and low-level exploits – most game cheats fall under the low-level exploits category.

Secure Boot will be required starting today for the season 5 launch of Black Ops 6, and will be a requirement for Black Ops 7 at launch. Actvision says that this change will make “cheating at a hardware level much more difficult”, but as always, nothing is impossible and eventually, there will be workarounds. It will be up to Activision's Ricochet anti-cheat developers to stay aware of emerging exploits to fix loopholes in the system.

In particular, this change looks to stamp out the use of cheats injected directly into peripheral memory, as well as devices like Zen.

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KitGuru Says: I'm not a fan of all of these increased security requirements just to play video games. We already gave them kernel-level access, and now we also need to lock our PCs down and limit software choices, just to play one game. 

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A couple of weeks ago, a reliable leaker confirmed that the upcoming ROG Xbox Ally handheld would become available for pre-order at Gamescom later this month. Now, we have an exact release date, so those looking to pre-order know when they should receive their shiny new device.  

Renowned leaker, bilbill-kun of Dealabs, has published a new report focused on the ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X. The report reaffirms that pre-orders for the handheld are due to be announced at Gamescom. Additionally, the first units are now expected to arrive on October 16th.

We already expected an October release date for the ROG Xbox Ally, but an exact date had yet to be established. Official announcements around the console will happen at Gamescom, which kicks off on August 20th.

The ROG Xbox Ally is expected to start at €599 for the Ryzen Z2A model, and going up to €899 for the top-end model powered by a Ryzen Z2 Extreme APU.

The Ryzen Z2A features four Zen 2 CPU cores with eight threads and an 8-CU RDNA 2 iGPU. The Z2 Extreme bumps this up to eight Zen 5 CPU cores and a bigger RDNA 3.5 iGPU, making it ideal for running more graphically intensive titles.

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KitGuru Says: Are you thinking of getting a ROG Xbox Ally when it becomes available? 

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Following a series of alpha gameplay tests earlier this year, Bungie was forced to delay Marathon due to artists discovering stolen artwork being used for assets throughout the game. While we still don't have a new release date for the game, Sony says it is still on track to release in the current fiscal year. 

Last night following Sony's earnings report, CFO, Lin Tao, spoke on the Marathon situation, saying: “We are now fixing the problems. So we believe this launch will happen. And if this launch is canceled, we need to do a revision of the valuation. However, as of now, this is not expected”.

Marathon is still expected to release before the end of March 2026. It is unlikely that the game makes it out on this side of new years, as the amount of assets Bungie now has to replace and review to avoid further legal issues is substantial. It is unclear how far along in this process Bungie currently is.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: The very existance of Marathon is a sore point for many Destiny fans, as PvP development essentially stopped entirely when Marathon went into development. Many doubt that Bungie will be able to overcome that hurdle and reach broad popularity, as extraction shooters have proven to be more niche than previously thought. 

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Under former CEO, Jim Ryan, PlayStation embarked on a mission to break into the live-service genre, spinning up over a dozen projects across its studios. Eventually, Sony spent billions to acquire Bungie to aid in this effort, but it only resulted in most of these projects being cancelled. Now, Sony's CFO has admitted that the shift towards live-service games has not gone ‘entirely smoothly'. 

As reported by VGC, following Sony's recent earnings call, CFO, Lin Tao, addressed the live service game situation in a Q&A session. Tao acknowledged that Concord's cancellation and the recent delay of Marathon have been negative moments. Tao added “in terms of the transformation, it’s not entirely going smoothly”.

While the transition into live-service games hasn't entirely gone to plan, Tao was also quick to acknowledge that Sony does have a number of ‘wins' in this category, thanks to the likes of Helldivers 2, MLB The Show, Gran Turismo 7 and Destiny 2.

Tao concluded by saying: “Of course, we recognise that there are still many issues, so we should learn the lessons from mistakes and make sure that we introduce live service content where there’s less waste and it’s more smooth.”

Sony's next major moves in this space include bringing Helldivers 2 to Xbox, as well as launching Marathon and Fairgames. Rumour has it that Bluepoint is working on a live service game based on the God of War IP.

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KitGuru Says: This is all very much a case of stating the obvious, but it seems like things will turn around now that Sony is being choosier with these projects. 

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Today TemGroup is launching its latest SSD, the NV5000, utilising PCIe 4.0 technology, making it ideal for both PCs and the PS5 console.

The new NV series, short for Nova Value, aims to deliver an optimal combination of performance and value. The first SSD in this series is the NV5000, with other models to come at a later date. The SSD utilises 3D NAND and the PCIe Gen 4×4 interface.

The NV5000 will be available in capacities up to 2TB, with read speeds of up to 5000MB/s, more than nine times faster than a standard SATA SSD. The drive also uses TeamGroup's S.M.A.R.T. monitoring software, which offers quick configuration options and monitoring for drive health and performance in real-time.

For cooling, the NV5000 is equipped with TeamGroup’s patented heat-dissipating graphene label, which effectively lowers operating temperatures. Measuring under 1mm thick, the label eliminates installation interference and works seamlessly with motherboard M.2 heatsinks to further improve cooling efficiency.

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KitGuru Says: We don't have pricing yet, but considering the name, this SSD should be very competitively priced. 

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This week, GeForce Now adds five more titles. Mafia: The Old Country is the major headliner, but TItan Quest 2 has also been quickly added to the service after its surprise release last week,

Mafia: The Old Country launches today. The game is a prequel to the original games, taking place in Italy, exploring the rise of the original mob. It is built in Unreal Engine 5, so it should look a lot better than Mafia 3, which didn't quite match the visuals of other open-world games at the time.

Here is the full list of games joining GeForce Now today:

• Mafia: The Old Country (New release on Steam, Aug. 7)
• Assassin’s Creed Mirage (Now available on PC Game Pass, Aug. 7)
• Amnesia: The Dark Descent (Epic Games Store)
• HUNTER×HUNTER NEN×IMPACT (Steam)
• Titan Quest II (Steam)

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KitGuru Says: Good on Nvidia for quickly adding Titan Quest 2. There was no word about this game leading up to the announcement and then it suddenly dropped over a weekend. 

The post Mafia: The Old Country joins GeForce Now alongside 4 other games first appeared on KitGuru.

Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls looks set to be by far Arc System Works’ biggest project yet, not only due to its partnership with PlayStation and Marvel, but also due to just how much support the upcoming 2026 fighting game is set to receive. During the game’s recent showing at EVO, ArcSys claimed that they hope to support Tōkon for the next entire decade – an ambitious goal for all parties involved.

As transcribed by GamesRadar, PlayStation; Marvel and Arc System Works took to the stage at EVO 2025 to give fans a look at the upcoming Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls. Alongside the announcement of an upcoming closed beta, the representatives revealed their ambitious plans for the title, claiming:

“For the next 10 years we plan to keep making this game the best experience ever.”

Of course, over the past 10 years we’ve heard countless live-service titles promise a decade or more of post-launch support. In many instances, these games wind up shutting down within a matter of years – or even months.

All that said, while this would be by far Arc System Works’ most challenging project to date, Marvel as an IP holds almost a century worth of stories, characters and iconic moments – and so assuming the game proves to be popular, we could very well still be playing Marvel Tōkon in 2036.

All that said, it’s probably for the best if Sony/Marvel don’t count their chickens before they hatch.

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KitGuru says: What did you think of EVO 2025? Would you want to see Marvel Tōkon supported for a decade? Do you think the game has the sauce to sustain itself for so long? Let us know your thoughts down below.

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