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Acer cuts Predator and Nitro gaming laptop prices by up to £400 for Black Friday

Acer UK is cutting prices across its Predator and Nitro gaming laptop ranges this Black Friday, with discounts of up to £400 on selected models.

Amazon lists the Predator Helios Neo 16 AI at £1,599, down from £1,899.99. It combines an RTX 5070 Ti GPU with an Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX CPU and a 240Hz WQXGA display, delivering smooth performance for AAA gaming. The Predator Helios Neo 14 is also reduced at Amazon, priced at £1,499.99 down from £1,799.99. This compact 14-inch model houses an Intel Core Ultra 7 255H, an RTX 5070 and a 120Hz OLED display.

If you want a larger model, then the Nitro 18 AI can be found at Currys for £1,499, down from £1,899.99. This model swaps out the Intel CPU for an AMD Ryzen AI 9 processor, paired with an RTX 5070 Ti GPU and a 165Hz QHD display.

The Nitro V 15 is the most affordable of the group, dropping from £999 to £849 at Currys. Pairing an Intel Core i7 with RTX 5060 graphics, along with a 1080p 165Hz display. This particular unit is capable of up to 150FPS in games like Call of Duty, so you will be able to make good use of that refresh rate.

KitGuru Says: Are you planning on picking up a new laptop during the Black Friday sales this week?

The post Acer cuts Predator and Nitro gaming laptop prices by up to £400 for Black Friday first appeared on KitGuru.
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MSI slashes laptop prices for Black Friday this week

We've covered many of MSI's Black Friday deals so far, focussed around monitors and DIY PC hardware. Today, MSI rolled out its list of laptop deals, cutting prices across gaming and business-oriented models.

Then MSI Prestige 14 AI Studio laptop is down from £1,399 to £979, packing an Intel Core Ultra 7 processor, 32GB of DDR5 memory and an RTX 3050 laptop GPU. For something with a bit more gaming grunt, there is the MSI Thin 15 with its 144Hz display, 13th Gen Intel Core i5 processor and RTX 4050 GPU, giving you access to more modern features like DLSS Frame Generation in supported titles. Normally, this model goes for £999 but is now down to £599.

The MSI Vector 16 HX AI houses a 16″ 16:10 QHD+ 240Hz display, an Intel Core Ultra 7 255HX, 16GB of RAM and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti for £1,499, down from its usual £1,899 price. For a cheaper option, the MSI Cyborg 15 Gaming Laptop has an Intel i7-13620H and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 for £939.99.

If you are after a laptop with a current-gen GPU, then this newer MSI Cyborg 15 model with an RTX 5060 GPU instead is currently down to £1,049.

These are just a handful of the best deals, if you shop around at retailers like Currys, SCAN, Overclockers UK and even CyberPowerPC, you'll find a host of models at a discount for the next week or so.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Are you planning on picking up a new gaming laptop during the Black Friday sales this week?

The post MSI slashes laptop prices for Black Friday this week first appeared on KitGuru.
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Latest Hitman elusive target mission puts Agent 47 up against Eminem

Last month, IO Interactive made headlines with its latest HITMAN elusive target mission, bringing legendary martial artist Bruce Lee into the game. Now, IO Interactive has a new target for Agents to take out, the one and only Slim Shady.

Eminem vs Slim Shady is the latest elusive target contract for HITMAN: World of Assassination. The new mission will see players take on a mission from the rapper himself, as he looks to put his Slim Shady persona to rest for good. The mission takes place in a reworked version of an existing Hitman map, but rearranged to look like an asylum, complete with a radio broadcasting studio, all littered with references to past Eminem albums. Yes, that does include a poisoned plate of Mom's Spaghetti.

IO Interactive CEO Hakan Abrak called the collaboration “something truly special and unique”. Better yet, the mission will be free to all owners of the game across PlayStation, Xbox and Switch consoles, as well as PC, mobile platforms and even the VR versions of the game.

Eminem is the latest in a growing list of celebrity cameos within Hitman. We recently, saw Bruce Lee added to the game, but other past appearances have included Sean Bean, Jean‑Claude Van Damme, Conor McGregor and more.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Will you be checking out the new elusive target mission in Hitman?

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

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

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

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

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

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

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

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

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PlayStation games have generated $1.5B through Steam

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

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

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

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

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

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

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From Budget to Beast: PC Builds Using MSI Black Friday Deals

MSI has rolled out a huge number of discounts across a wide range of components this week. If you are new to PC gaming and looking to build your first gaming rig, sorting through all of these components can be a bit of a daunting task, so we're here to make that process easy for you with a list of PC builds to suit different budgets, giving you a great starting point for your Black Friday shopping list.

Build 1 – Powerful AAA gaming for £1000:

The Case:

The right PC case is the foundation of any PC build. The space afforded to you on the interior can dictate future upgrades and the amount of cooling supported will also have an impact on component selection. MSI has a great starting point here with the MAG PANO 100L PZ, available in both black and white colour options for £99.99 during the current sales. This case supports full-size ATX motherboards, with room for a 360mm liquid cooling radiator in the roof, side or bottom of the case. It also has a 270-degree panoramic tempered glass panel, so when your build is finished, you can marvel at your craftsmanship from multiple angles.

The Motherboard:

If you are looking to go with an AMD Ryzen processor, then you can pair this with a MAG B650 TOMAHAWK WIFI motherboard, which supports Ryzen 7000, Ryzen 8000 and Ryzen 9000 series desktop processors. It has a WiFi module built-in, so you'll be able to get connected to the internet as soon as your build is ready, without the need for any additional gear such as dongles. It also has a premium heatsink design for efficient M.2 SSD cooling, and support for fast DDR5 memory (up to 7600MT/s), giving you headroom for future upgrades. During the sale period, this motherboard can be found for £129.99.

For an Intel alternative, you could go with a B860 Gaming Plus WiFi instead, which offers a similar feature set, but with support for Intel Core Ultra desktop processors instead, and support for even faster DDR5 memory (up to 8800MT/s), priced at £169.99.

Pair one of these motherboards with either an Intel Core Ultra 5 or an AMD Ryzen 5 series processor and you'll be well on your way to having a solid gaming machine.

The Cooler:

As the MAG PANO 100L PZ case listed here supports 360mm radiators, we would opt to maximise that space with an MSI MAG CoreLiquid I360 AIO cooler, discounted to £89.99 during the Black Friday sales period. This should be plenty of cooling capacity to reign in the CPUs we suggested above, but it will also give you headroom for future upgrades, so if you decide to jump up a tier to a Core Ultra 7 or Ryzen 7 processor in the future, you won't have to re-invest in a new cooler.

The Graphics Card:

The graphics card is the heart of any gaming PC and is where the bulk of your gaming performance will come from. As this is a more cost-conscious build, we would recommend going for the MSI RTX 5060 Gaming OC, which is currently down to £289.99 during the sales period. This graphics card will pack plenty of punch for 1080p gaming and in titles that support DLSS 4, you'll be able to supercharge your frame rates with Multi-Frame Generation, allowing you to fully maximise your monitor's refresh rate, even in blockbuster AAA titles.

The Power Supply:

While this will make for a powerful 1080p gaming system, you won't need a massive amount of power to get it up and running. You could get away with a 650W power supply here like the MAG A650BN (£47.99), but we would opt for a 750W model like the MAG A750GL PCIE5 (£59.99) to give you some extra headroom if you ever want to upgrade to a higher-tier GPU like an RTX 5060 Ti or RTX 5070.

The Cost:

Pricing all of this up, you can get all of the MSI components listed here for a total of £639.95 (AMD) or £679.95 (Intel) during the promotional period. An Intel Core Ultra 5 245 or AMD Ryzen 5 9600X will cost you around £200 at the moment, and you'll also need some DDR5 memory, we'd suggest a 32GB kit, which can be found for around the £130 mark if you forgo RGB lighting. You will also want to add in at least a PCIe 4 M.2 SSD for current-gen games, which will add a further £70 to the build cost for a 1TB model.

Adding on those extras brings the total build cost up to just over £1000. The end result is a well-rounded gaming PC that will far outperform a current-gen console, with headroom for future upgrades later down the line.

Build 2 – The Project Zero build

The Case:

For this build we are going for a more compact Micro-ATX system, centred around the new Back-Connect motherboards like the MSI Project Zero, allowing you to put together a system with minimal cables visible at the front of the case. The chassis of choice this time is the MAG PANO M100R PZ, which despite its compact size, still has room for a 360mm AIO liquid cooler and as many as ten 120mm case fans to aid with airflow. It also has a 270-degree panoramic tempered glass window to show off your near cable-free build, all for £74.99 during the sale.

The Motherboard:

As this is a Micro-ATX build, we will naturally be opting for an M-ATX motherboard here, specifically, the MSI B650M Project Zero. This is an AMD motherboard, supporting Ryzen 7000, 8000 and 9000 series desktop processors, DDR5 memory up to 7600MT/s and with lots of heatsinks covering most of the bare PCB area, creating a cohesive look all around.

Project Zero in this instance means Back-Connect power sockets, so you'll run all of your power cables and plug them in at the back of the motherboard, allowing you to hide all of your cables behind the motherboard tray. The only cable you'll need to route around the front is your graphics card cable.

The MSI B650M Project Zero motherboard is on sale for £199.99.

The Cooler:

As this case can support a 360mm AIO cooler in the roof, we will maximise our cooling with a MAG CORELIQUID i360 cooler, filling up the space nicely. This cooler embraces the philosophy of simplicity with its clean lines, which fits well in a Project Zero build. Currently, this cooler can be found for £89.

The Graphics Card:

This time around we are making the jump up from an RTX 5060 to an RTX 5060 Ti 16GB graphics card. The extra VRAM will help you out if you are running games at higher resolutions, and the extra power afforded by the Ti variant will get you comfortably into QHD gaming territory.

During the Black Friday sale, MSI's RTX 5060 Ti 16G Ventus 3X OC graphics card can be found for £429.99.

The Power Supply:

For the PSU, we'll go with the same MAG A750GL PCIE5 featured in the previous build. This offers plenty of headroom if you'd prefer to go with a Ryzen 7 CPU over a Ryzen 5 model, and you'll have plenty of power left for things like extra fans and storage drives. As noted earlier, this power supply can be found for £59.99 during the sale.

The Cost:

The total cost of the MSI components here comes to £824.95. Add on £200 for a Ryzen 5 9600X, £130 for 32GB of non-RGB DDR5 memory and £120 for a 2TB PCIe 4 M.2 SSD and we have a total build cost of £1,274.95, a reasonable price considering the upgrades made here compared to the £1000 build.

Build 3 – High-end 4K gaming rig

The Case:

With this build, we are moving up a performance tier, so we've opted for the MSI MPG VELOX 300R AIRFLOW PZ instead. This case supports dual 360mm radiators, so if you ever want to make the jump to liquid cooling for both your CPU and GPU, you'll have room to do so. This case also supports larger E-ATX sized motherboards and comes with two large 160mm dual-layer blade fans behind the mesh front panel, bringing lots of cool air into your system to battle the heat generated by high-end components.

The MSI MPG VELOX 300R AIRFLOW PZ is currently on sale for £99.99.

The Motherboard:

The AMD option for this build is the MSI MAG B850 TOMAHAWK MAX WIFI, which supports Ryzen 7000, 8000 and 9000 series desktop processors, and DDR5 memory up to 8400MT/s. This board stands out thanks to its 14+2+1 Duet Rail Power System, making it a good choice for those who want to squeeze out some extra CPU performance through overclocking. Currently during the sales period, this motherboard can be found for £229.99.

If you are looking to build your PC around an Intel processor, then the MSI MAG Z890 TOMAHAWK WIFI is our choice here. This motherboard supports the latest generation Intel Core Ultra desktop processors and DDR5 memory with speeds up to 9200MT/s. It has a 16+1+1+1 Duet Rail Power System and is built to last using server-grade materials. This motherboard can currently be found for £239.99.

As this system falls into the higher-end tier of gaming PCs, we would recommend going with a Ryzen 7 9800X for an AMD-based system, or an Intel Core Ultra 7 265K, both of which can be found for under £300.

The Cooler:

For this system, we are going with the MAG CORELIQUID I360 AIO cooler. This cooler comes with enhanced aesthetics thanks to its dual-sided infinity mirror on the CPU block, and the cooler comes with a fan cable management cover so you can hide your cables and keep the system looking clutter-free. The fans are equipped with LDB bearings, improving the total lifespan and keeping operation stable.

The included mounting hardware supports both current-gen Intel and AMD sockets, so you won't have to worry if you ever decide to make the move from one CPU vendor to the other. This cooler should also be perfectly capable of transitioning with you through future CPU upgrades. Currently, it is discounted to £89.99.

The Graphics Card:

For this system, we want to make sure it is capable for high refresh rate QHD (1440p) gaming, so we've opted for the MSI RTX 5070 Ti 16G EXPERT OC, which is currently down to £799.99. If you prefer the look of the MSI Gaming TRIO cooler, then the MSI RTX 5070 Ti Gaming TRIO OC is also on sale for £849.99.

With an RTX 5070 Ti, you'll have plenty of VRAM for high-resolution gaming and as we've seen in our previous reviews, this GPU is more than capable at both 1440p and 4K resolutions, even when turning on performance-hitting effects like ray-tracing. With DLSS 4 Multi-Frame Generation, you can supercharge frame rates even further to enable 120Hz-240Hz gaming in supported AAA titles.

The Power Supply:

As this is a more powerful system with plenty of capability for overclocking, we will also need a higher capacity power supply. Based on the suggested CPUs, paired with an RTX 5070 Ti, you'll need at least an 850W unit, but that won't leave much headroom if you decide to upgrade to something like an RTX 5080 later on. As a result, we are opting for the MSI MPG A1000G PCIE5 power supply for this build. With 1000W of power, you'll have plenty of headroom for overclocking your CPU and GPU, and you won't have to swap out the PSU if you later decide to move up to a higher tier GPU.

Currently the MSI MAG A1000GLS PCIE5 PSU can be found for £129.99.

The Cost:

Pricing all of this up, you can get all of the MSI components listed here for £1,399.95 for the AMD motherboard variant, or £1,409.95 for the Intel motherboard version. Add on an extra £300 for your CPU, £150 for some RGB-lit DDR5 memory and £120 for a high-speed 2TB M.2 SSD and we're looking at a total build cost just under £2000, less than the price of a single RTX 5090.

If you have a bit more money on-hand, then you can upgrade the RTX 5070 Ti to an MSI RTX 5080 Gaming Trio OC for £999 during the current sale.

If you do opt for an MSI build, then you'll also be eligible to take part in several promotions. Many of the products listed here are part of the MSI Shout Out campaign, which you can participate in to earn up to £35 in Steam credit. The ‘Empower your Final Quest‘ promotion is also running concurrently, offering additional opportunities to obtain free Steam codes from your purchase. With the next Steam sale just around the corner, now is a good time to have some spare Steam credit handy to boost your library.

If you need a gaming monitor to go with your new system, then MSI also has a ton of discounts there too, including massive price cuts on their best OLED displays.

You can find all of MSI's Black Friday deals and promotions, HERE.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Are you planning on picking up some new hardware during the Black Friday sales this month? 

The post From Budget to Beast: PC Builds Using MSI Black Friday Deals first appeared on KitGuru.
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Final Fantasy 7 Remake will require almost half of Switch 2’s storage

Despite being powerful enough to run many current-generation games, Nintendo opted to keep the internal storage for the Switch 2 relatively small to keep costs down. The console ships with just 256GB of storage, which is already presenting an issue, as big games like Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade will eat up almost half of your available storage. 

Square Enix has issued a correction for the storage requirements for Final Fantasy 7 Remake on Switch 2. Initially, the install size was believed to be around 90GB, but Square Enix has since revised this to 95GB for the standard edition, and up to 99GB for the deluxe edition due to the extra addon content.

As pointed out by VGC, Final Fantasy Remake isn't the only game posing trouble for Switch 2 storage. Games like Assassin's Creed Shadows, HITMAN: World of Assassination and Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition all require 60GB of space each. Meanwhile, titles like Star Wars Outlaws and Hogwarts Legacy demand just over 20GB of storage.

Developers are going to have to think carefully and optimise file sizes for the Switch 2 in the years ahead. While the Switch 2 does have expandable storage via an SD Card slot, these are slower than the internal storage and will lead to longer loading times and potentially reduced performance, depending on the game.

Perhaps by the time the Switch 2 OLED rolls around, Nintendo will rethink its storage offering and give users a bit more space to work with.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: 256GB is not a lot of storage space in the modern gaming landscape, where many AAA titles breach the 100GB barrier. I dread to think how much space a full-fledged Call of Duty title will eat up by the time Microsoft brings the series back to Nintendo consoles. 

 

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Market research shows growing popularity of OLED gaming monitors

OLED gaming monitors have been growing rapidly in popularity amongst PC gamers over the past few years. According to new market analysis, around 12 percent of all 144Hz gaming monitors shipped will be OLED displays by Q4 2025.

A Context Sell market research report obtained by AOC shows that in Q2 2025, 9% of all 144Hz monitors shipped were OLED models. That figure is set to rise to 12% in Q4 2025. This is a rise from 8% volume in Q4 last year. The rise can be attributed to the latest QD-OLED panel technology, combined with reduced prices throughout 2025, making the technology more accessible to the PC gaming masses.

OLED displays grant many benefits for gaming, thanks to true blacks, vibrant colours, a near infinite contrast ratio, combined with ultra-low response times and high refresh rates, with some QD-OLED monitors hitting 500Hz, like the new AOC AG276QKD2.

AOC has several other competitive OLED monitors on the market too, like the AG276QZD2, which offers QHD resolution at 240Hz. For those making the jump to 4K, the AG276UZD and AG326UD offer UHD resolution at 240Hz in 27-inch and 32-inch display sizes. For fans of ultrawide displays, there is the AG346UCD, which has 3440×1440 resolution at 175Hz.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Have you made the jump to an OLED gaming monitor this year?

The post Market research shows growing popularity of OLED gaming monitors first appeared on KitGuru.
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Valve says Steam Machine will be ‘priced like a PC’, not a console

We may need to brace ourselves for an unexpectedly high price for Valve's upcoming Steam Machine. While the system is marketed as a PC-based console alternative, Valve has said that it intends to price it “like a PC” rather than a console. 

While console prices typically come down over the course of a generation, this time, both the Xbox Series X/S and the PS5 have received repeated price increases since launching in 2020. At this point, an Xbox Series X will set you back around $650 and the situation is similar for the PS5. For Sony's PS5 Pro, the situation is even worse, with prices rising to $799, far above the launch price of last-gen's PS4 Pro console.

While Valve has not officially confirmed pricing for its new Steam Machine, Steam Frame VR headset or the new Steam Controller, while speaking with LinusTechTips, a Valve representative did say that the Steam Machine will be “priced like a PC”.

If we look at Valve's current hardware line-up, which includes various Steam Deck LCD and Steam Deck OLED models, pricing for the top-end model there is $650, the equivalent of a current-gen console. The Steam Machine is said to be six times more powerful than the Steam Deck, thanks to its six-core Zen 4 CPU and custom RDNA 3 GPU. Considering all of that, we may well see the Steam Machine launch around or even above the $1000 mark.

Valve will confirm pricing for its new hardware closer to launch. Currently, the Steam Machine, Steam Controller and Steam Frame are all scheduled to launch in Q1 2026, assuming there are no delays.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: As interested as I am in the Steam Machine, if its priced much higher than the PS5 Pro, I won't be pulling the trigger. It may have the capability of a full-fledged PC, but its GPU specs look fairly weak for 4K gaming on paper, and the majority will likely be buying one of these as a console replacement to hook up to a 4K TV. 

 

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Avalanche officially closes UK studio following Contraband cancelation

Avalanche Studios has officially shut down its UK office in Liverpool. The news follows on from the cancellation of a publishing agreement between Avalanche and Xbox Game Studios for the long in-development game, Contraband. 

Shortly after the cancellation of the publishing deal, Avalanche Studios said that it was pausing development to “evaluate the project's future”. That evaluation appears to have come to an end now, with the Avalanche Studio in Liverpool officially shutting its doors today.

In its announcement today, Avalanche said: “We can now confirm that this process has concluded, that the studio has closed and that we have parted ways with 31 people”.

Avalanche has still not publicly stated that Contraband is fully cancelled. However, with the team behind it now gone, it seems unlikely that the project will be revived. At the very least, development would likely need to be rebooted under a new creative team.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: The recent shake-up at Xbox Game Studios has had far reaching implications, even impacting teams not directly under the Microsoft umbrella like Avalanche and Crytal Dynamics.  

The post Avalanche officially closes UK studio following Contraband cancelation first appeared on KitGuru.
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Thermaltake rolls out early UK Black Friday deals

Black Friday is almost upon us but there are many deals to be found for those looking to shop early. Thermaltake has just rolled out a wide range of deals, bringing discounts to cases, coolers, power supplies and more. 

If you are looking for a PC case to kickstart your next build, you can currently find discounts across a range of popular options from Thermaltake. The Thermaltake Versa H18 and S100 TG cases are currently down to just £29.99. If you are looking to build a small form factor rig, the TR100 Mini is available in variety of colours, with prices reduced to £99.98.

The Thermaltake View 270 TG ARGB cases are now starting at £59.99, also available in multiple colour options so you can find one that best suits you. If you want the ‘Plus' model, you can find those for a reduced price of £74.99.

Workstation cases like the Thermaltake AX700 and AX100 are also discounted right now, bringing prices down to £299.99 and £119.99 respectively. The middle-ground AX500 can also be found on sale for under £145. If you need a workstation-grade cooler to go with your case, then the AW420 offers a ton of cooling capacity for Intel LGA4677 and AMD sRT5 CPUs at just under £355.

For gaming systems, Thermaltake's LA-series AIO liquid coolers should be your point of call. Prices currently start at £44.99 for the 240mm AIO, going up to £59.99 for a 360mm version with ARGB fans and a 2.4″ LCD screen on the CPU block.

For power supplies, the range of fully modular Toughpower GT units are available at low prices. A 750W model will cost you £79.99, while 850W models can be found for just £10 more. If you are building a high-end, power-hungry system, then you can find 1000W and 1200W units priced at £114.98 and £129.98 respectively.

If flight sims are how you wind down after a long day, then you can find the GF500 Flight Simulator Cockpit now at a reduced price of £524.99.

You can find all of Thermaltake's UK Black Friday deals at SCAN.

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KitGuru Says: Are you planning on buying anything during the Black Friday sales this month? 

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YouGov survey finds that UK and EU consumers trust local routers over competitors from China and Russia

A new YouGov study commissioned by FRITZ! highlights that British and European consumers place significantly more trust in routers manufactured within Europe compared to those from other regions. More than half of respondents expressed little or no confidence in routers made in Russia or China.

The survey was conducted throughout August with over 5000 participants across the UK, Austria, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Italy. The survey found that only 10% distrust European router makers. By contrast, 48% said they distrust Chinese brands and 55% expressed the same about Russian manufacturers.

In addition to features such as Wi-Fi coverage and speed, consumers in the UK and Europe place great importance on aspects like security, reliability, or price, performance, and service. FRITZ!Box routers achieved the highest Net Promoter Score (NPS) across all countries surveyed, indicating strong likelihood of recommendation among users. The results suggest that European-made routers are not only preferred for performance but are increasingly seen as critical to protecting sensitive data. If you want to see what we thought of one of the latest Fritz!Box routers, you can find our review of the 5690 Pro HERE.

How Europe can control its digital infrastructure will be one of the main topics at the European Summit on Digital Sovereignty 2025. Speaking on this topic, Fritz! CEO, Jan Oetjen said: “An increasing amount of sensitive data – from online banking to tax returns – is transmitted via our home network. Compromised routers therefore pose an immense threat, as they can be misused as weapons for cyberattacks and malicious traffic is hardly distinguishable from legitimate traffic. Similar to the decisions made in the 5G sector, we must ensure that our routers are secure and remain in European hands to protect our digital freedom.”

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Do you use a third-party router, or have you been sticking with the one provided by your ISP? Are you thinking about upgrading? 

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Hytale has been ‘uncancelled’ after original creator buys back IP from Riot

Hypixel Studios is making a return after splitting off from Riot Games. Riot had acquired the studio to finish up their game Hytale, but after more than five extra years of work, the game was still no closer to release. Now, Hytale is back in the hands of the original creators, meaning the game is officially ‘uncancelled'. 

Hytale is no longer cancelled. In a new update posted to the game's official website, Hypixel founder, Simon Collins-Laflamme, confirms that he was able to broker a deal with Riot Games to buy back the IP and take back control of the Hypixel studio. Since re-acquiring the game, Hypixel Studios has been on a mission to hire back as many lost developers as possible. Currently, more than 30 former developers are now back on the project.

Speaking on the rare deal, Simon explained that Riot “ultimately wanted what's best for players” and as a result, they agreed to let him take back the studio and IP to start up work on the game once again. Moving forward, Hypixel Studios will be working on a “revised version of the game” as a fully independent studio.

The new version of Hytale will move the game back to the legacy engine, with the goal of fulfilling the original vision for the game, rather than the greatly expanded version of the game that Riot had wanted. Unfortunately, there are no release date plans yet, but Early Access plans are set to be announced “in the coming days”.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: It is very rare to see a large company part with a potentially valuable IP and it is even rarer to see a game uncancelled after the hammer has dropped. Hopefully when Hytale does launch in early access, it meets fan expectations. 

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Take-Two CEO says games industry is ‘moving towards PC’

Take-Two CEO, Strauss Zelnick, is no stranger to making headlines. While the company's biggest studio, Rockstar Games typically focuses on console game development, before bringing its games to PC later, Zelnick reckons the days of the console are numbered, as the industry shifts more and more towards PC as the leading platform. 

In an interview with CNBC this week, Zelnick discussed his views on the future of the videogame industry. During this interview, he said “I think it's moving towards PC and business is moving towards open rather than closed”.

The comments come just days after Valve made a major hardware announcement, bringing back the Steam Machine as a small, console-sized PC with the full capabilities of a PC and a console combined in one package.

Of course, Zelnick doesn't think the idea of sitting in your living room and playing a game on a large TV is going away. Typically, that is the experience that consoles were created for. However, fully locked-down systems and platforms may eventually be replaced by more open console-like systems like the Steam Machine.

Microsoft is also rumoured to be making massive changes to Xbox consoles for its next-generation systems. It is believed that the next-gen Xbox will actually be a Windows-based PC, with access to services beyond the Xbox store and potentially access to the full Windows desktop as well, but with the default option being a big-screen ‘gaming' UI, as seen on recent devices like the ROG Xbox Ally.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: I wrote a big article about the console wars coming to an end last year. In that, I came to the same conclusion – PC is the ultimate platform and the industry at large is finally starting to realise it. 

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Marvel Cosmic Invasion, Moonlighter 2 and more confirmed for Game Pass

The next wave of titles for Game Pass has been announced. Following on from this month's release of Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, nine more games are also set to join the library, including day-one releases like Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault and Marvel Cosmic Invasion.

Marvel Cosmic Invasion is a retro-inspired beat em' up, where players will take control of their favourite Marvel superhero and progress through a series of levels. It arrives following a recent resurgence for this genre, thanks to titles like TMNT: Shredder's Revenge and Streets of Rage 4.

Here is the full list of titles joining Game Pass over the next two weeks, including supported platforms and dates:

  • Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault (PC, Game Preview) – November 19
  • Kulebra and the Souls of Limbo (Cloud, Console, PC) – November 19
  • Revenge of the Savage Planet (Cloud, PC, Xbox Series X|S) – November 19
  • Monsters are Coming! Rock & Road (Handheld, PC) – November 20
  • The Crew Motorfest (Cloud, Console, PC) – November 20
  • Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden (Cloud, PC, Xbox Series X|S) – November 25
  • Kill It With Fire! 2 (Cloud, Console, PC) – November 25
  • Marvel Cosmic Invasion (Cloud, Console, Handheld, PC) – December 1
  • Lost Records: Bloom & Rage (Cloud, PC, Xbox Series X|S) – December 2

As always, there will also be a handful of games leaving the Game Pass library. At the end of this month, two of my favourites will be leaving the library – Octopath Traveler 1 & 2. The other three games leaving the service include Lords of the Fallen, Barbie Project Friendship and Steamworld Build.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Will you be installing any of this month's new Game Pass titles?

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Cens pushes G.Skill DDR5 past 13,300 MT/s in latest world record

German extreme overclocker Cens has broken the DDR5 memory frequency world record, reaching DDR5-13322 just days after the previous record was set.

The achievement was made using a single 24GB G.SKILL Trident Z5 DDR5 module on an ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 Apex motherboard with an Intel Core Ultra 9 285K processor, cooled under liquid nitrogen (LN2). Cens, a two-time G.SKILL OC World Cup champion, is now the DDR5 OC world record holder.

The record has been validated on HWBOT and CPU-Z, confirming the frequency at 6661.4 MHz (DDR5-13322 effective) with timings of 68-127-127-127-2. HWBOT lists the submission as the current No. 1 global memory frequency score, while CPU-Z provides detailed system verification.

This all arrives just days after the previous record of 13,211MT/s was set, showing just how rapidly things can move in the overclocking world.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: G.Skill memory and Asus motherboards have been used once again to set a new memory speed world record. How long do you think it will be before we see a new world record set?

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Apple may be on the hunt for a new CEO next year

It looks like 2026 could be a year of huge change for Apple. The company has employed just a handful of CEOs during its long history, and according to recent reports, they may need to search for a new one within the next year. 

The Financial Times reports that Tim Cook might be stepping down as CEO in 2026 and that John Ternus, Apple's Senior VP of Hardware Engineering, is believed to be a front-runner for the position. This would mark a major change for Apple, which has been led by Tim Cook since the passing of founder Steve Jobs in 2011.

Under Cook, Apple's market cap has continued to grow, currently sitting just shy of $4 trillion USD. As noted by The Verge, Cook was also responsible for Apple's shift towards outsourced manufacturing, allowing it to operate at a much broader, global scale. This has aided Apple's effort to capture the smartphone market, with iPhone sales continuing to be strong.

It wasn't all wins, however. Cook was also very bullish on Augmented Reality, but the Apple Vision Pro headset has not sold enough units to make mixed reality computing a true core pillar of Apple's business.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Apple has been more successful than ever under Tim Cook. It will be up to his successor to not derail that gravy train. 

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The Game Awards reveals nominees for GOTY and other categories

The Game Awards has unveiled its full list of nominees for 2025, with Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, and Hades II emerging as frontrunners across multiple categories. The event will take place on December 11th at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.

In the coveted Game of the Year category, six titles are in contention: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, Donkey Kong Bananza, Hades II, Hollow Knight: Silksong, and Kingdom Come: Deliverance II. Several of these also appear in Best Game Direction and Best Art Direction.

Narrative-driven experiences are well represented, with Silent Hill f and Ghost of Yōtei joining Clair Obscur and Kingdom Come II in the Best Narrative category. Meanwhile, Hollow Knight: Silksong and Hades II headline Best Score and Music, alongside Kojima Productions’ Death Stranding 2.

The genre-specific categories spotlight some of the year’s standout titles, with Ghost of Yōtei and Helldivers 2 nominated for Best Action, Hades II and Hollow Knight: Silksong competing in Best Action/Adventure, and Kingdom Come: Deliverance II earning a nod for Best RPG. In Best Multiplayer, familiar heavyweights like Helldivers 2, Fortnite, and Battlefield 6 lead the pack.

Fans can already vote on which games they would like to see win in each category and of course, there are even more categories than the ones we've highlighted here, including categories for best mobile game, best adaptation, best VR game and more.

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KitGuru Says: Which game do you think will win the coveted GOTY award this year?

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Xbox will host third-party games showcase this week

Microsoft has announced its next Xbox Partner Preview stream, promising new trailers, updates, and world premieres from third‑party studios. The showcase will highlight upcoming projects from IO Interactive, Tencent, and THQ Nordic, alongside fresh Game Pass announcements.

The event will be broadcast on November 20th at 10AM PT / 1PM ET / 6PM GMT, streaming across YouTube, Twitch, TikTok, and regional Xbox channels. Accessibility features such as subtitles in multiple languages, audio descriptions, and ASL support will be available, with narration provided by voice actor Jennifer English.

While the confirmed titles already cover a mix of stealth, dark fantasy, and horror, speculation is building around what else might surface. With THQ Nordic involved, fans are wondering if long‑rumored projects like a new Darksiders entry or updates on Gothic Remake could appear. Tencent’s presence raises the possibility of more Chinese‑developed action RPGs following the success of Black Myth: Wukong. Meanwhile, IO Interactive’s Bond game could be joined by additional footage from its ongoing Hitman: World of Assassination updates.

Konami’s Silent Hill 2 Remake is also likely to make an appearance, as an Xbox version of the game has appeared in multiple leaks recently.

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KitGuru Says: Will you be tuning in to the next Xbox Partner Preview?

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Arc Raiders continues to reach new heights on Steam

Arc Raiders has broken its concurrent player record on Steam for the third time since launch, climbing to nearly half a million simultaneous players this past weekend.

Embark Studios’ extraction shooter debuted at the end of October and immediately made waves. Within its first 24 hours, Arc Raiders surged past 250,000 concurrent players on Steam. This momentum continued into early November, when the game hit a peak of over 328,000 players, cementing its place among Steam’s most‑played titles. Just a week later, Arc Raiders surpassed 462,000 concurrents, overtaking Helldivers 2 and even edging past Battlefield 6’s weekend totals.

Now, the game has reached a new milestone: 481,966 concurrent players on November 16th, according to SteamDB. That figure places Arc Raiders among the top 25 all‑time peaks on Steam, ahead of titles like Fallout 4 and Among Us. Across all platforms, the game has already topped 700,000 concurrent users and sold more than 4 million copies worldwide.

Despite strong competition from recent shooters like Battlefield 6 and Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, Arc Raiders has managed to create a strong foothold amongst shooter fans. Now, Embark Studios just needs to focus on delivering on its post-launch roadmap to keep players engaged in the months ahead. Previously, Embark struggled in this aspect with its first title, The Finals, which lost a large chunk of players in the months post-launch.

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KitGuru Says: Have you played Arc Raiders since launch?

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Resident Evil Requiem will close out trilogy with return to survival horror gameplay

Capcom has shed new light on Resident Evil Requiem, the upcoming third entry in the modern Resident Evil saga, with producer comments pointing to a darker, more traditional survival horror experience.

Speaking to Press Start, producer Masato Kumazawa said the team’s goal was to “put the horror back in survival horror”, dialing back the action‑heavy approach of Resident Evil Village in favor of tension, scarcity, and atmosphere.

Requiem is confirmed as the conclusion to the Winters arc, tying together narrative threads introduced in Resident Evil 7 and expanded in subsequent entries. The producer teased “long‑awaited answers” for fans who have followed this storyline since 2017, while also positioning the game as a launchpad for the next era of Resident Evil games.

Atmosphere is central to the design, with lighting, sound, and environmental storytelling used to create unease. Combat remains part of the formula, but resources will be limited, forcing players to make difficult choices. “We want players to feel vulnerable again”, Kumazawa said, noting that scarcity is a deliberate design choice to heighten tension and reward careful exploration. Influences include Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 4, though Capcom stressed Requiem is not a throwback. Instead, the game blends classic mechanics with modern presentation to appeal to both longtime fans and newcomers.

Resident Evil Requiem is scheduled to release on February 27th for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC (Steam and Epic Games Store), and Nintendo Switch 2.

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KitGuru Says: Have you been keeping up with the modern Resident Evil games? Are you looking forward to Requiem?

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Montech NX600 series CPU coolers add six heatpipes and broad socket support

MONTECH has announced the NX600 and NX600 ARGB, a new pair of dual‑tower CPU coolers aimed at delivering strong thermal performance at a competitive price. The company positions the NX600 series as a solution for high-TDP CPUs, with support for both Intel and AMD-based systems. 

The NX600 design uses a dual‑tower structure with 52 fins per stack, optimized for airflow and heat dissipation under heavy workloads. Six copper heatpipes and a soldered copper base transfer heat efficiently from the CPU to the fin array, supporting high‑TDP processors with consistent reliability. Cooling is handled by MONTECH’s E28 fans. The standard NX600 ships with two 120mm PWM fans for a clean, understated look, while the NX600 ARGB includes two addressable‑RGB versions of the same fans, adding lighting effects without compromising performance. Both models aim to balance noise levels with airflow, targeting builders who want dependable cooling without moving to liquid solutions.

Aesthetically, the NX600 series features a redesigned top cover with striped and translucent accents, intended to blend into both RGB‑heavy and minimalist builds. MONTECH highlights this as a way to offer visual appeal without overwhelming system design.

Compatibility covers Intel LGA115X, 1200, 1700, and the upcoming 1851 socket, alongside AMD AM4 and AM5 platforms. With its dual‑tower layout, copper base, and choice of ARGB or non‑RGB fans, the NX600 series enters the market as MONTECH’s latest attempt to compete with established air‑cooling brands while keeping pricing accessible.

The standard non-ARGB black and ARGB black versions of the cooler will be available in the UK via SCAN priced at £24.99 and £29.99 respectively. Over in the US, the white versions are also available in both ARGB and non-ARGB form.

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KitGuru Says: Are you in the market for a new air CPU cooler? If you are on a tighter budget, these could be well worth checking out. 

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