It's easy to think of Cinebench as a purely synthetic benchmark given the way it works: you download a dedicated benchmark application, you run it from whatever folder, and it does its thing before spitting out a number that vaguely tells you how your system performs. That feels similar to synthetic benchmarks like 3DMark, which aren't directly
There has been a spate of retro gaming projects lately that try to nail every little detail of beloved classic game consoles and computers for the ultimate hit of nostalgia. The experienced team at Epilogue is taking a different approach with the upcoming release of the SN Operator, though, which should make revisiting Super Nintendo (SNES)
For as long as cameras have existed, they've had a fundamental limitation: they can only focus on one depth plane at a time, and everything in front of or behind that plane gets blurred. That's simply the way lenses work, but researchers at Carnegie Mellon University just demonstrated a camera system that breaks that rule entirely. The new
No one is safe from RAMmageddon, including gaming console manufacturers. According to a recent report, console manufacturers are debating whether next-gen devices should be delayed to post 2027-2028, breaking the common 7-year cadence between console generations. If the rumors circulating about next-generation consoles and their gratuitous
In a move that marks the end of an era for the CD Projekt Group, the company has officially offloaded its digital distribution platform, GOG.com. The buyer is Michał Kiciński, a co-founder and major stakeholder in CD Projekt, who has purchased 100% of the storefront's shares for 90.7 million Polish Zloty (approximately £19 million).
Launched in 2008 as “Good Old Games”, GOG was initially envisioned as a DRM-free sanctuary for classic PC titles and as a direct alternative to Steam. Over the last few years, it has evolved into a major player in the preservation space, though its financial footprint has remained a fraction of its competitors'. In a blog post, the two parties explain that the decision to divest GOG follows a broader strategic shift at CD Projekt, as the Polish company seeks to funnel its resources almost entirely into game development.
Despite the change in ownership, the transition appears to be a “returning to its roots” moment rather than a corporate restructuring. Kiciński, who helped build the platform's original philosophy, has confirmed that GOG will remain a staunchly independent entity. The platform's core tenets, which include DRM-free installers, the optional GOG Galaxy client, and the recently expanded Game Preservation Program, are set to remain the central pillars of the business.
For the average gamer, very little is expected to change at the checkout. An ongoing distribution agreement ensures that titles like The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and Cyberpunk 2077 will remain available on the platform without DRM. Furthermore, future releases from CD Projekt Red are still slated to land on the storefront, albeit under the same independent publishing terms offered to other developers. This move may actually benefit GOG's relations with third-party publishers, as it removes the perceived “conflict of interest” of being owned by a rival game studio.
KitGuru says: This is likely the best possible outcome for GOG fans. By moving into the private hands of its original co-founder, the platform is shielded from the pressure of CD Projekt's public shareholders, who might have prioritised higher margins over the “DRM-free” mission. As long as Kiciński is willing to tolerate the thin profits for the sake of preservation, GOG remains the most ethical corner of the digital game market.
The post CD Projekt co-founder acquires GOG first appeared on KitGuru.Across consoles and PC, 2026 is shaping up to deliver a wave of high‑profile releases that span genres, budgets, and audiences. Established franchises are returning with new entries, while several studios are preparing to debut original projects that have been in development for years. It’s a year that promises both scale and variety, making it one of the most closely watched release calendars in recent memory.
Naturally, any ‘most anticipated' list for 2026 would have to start with what is likely to be the biggest game of the current console generation – Grand Theft Auto 6. After multiple delays, Rockstar will finally launch its next-generation GTA title in November, promising an all-new GTA Online experience, as well as a massive, open-world campaign starring dual-protagonists on the run from the law. Unfortunately, the game is only announced for Xbox Series X/S and PS5 consoles at this time, so PC players will likely be waiting until 2027 or potentially even 2028 to get their hands on the game. Considering Grand Theft Auto V went on to become the best-selling console game of all time, there are extremely high expectations for this sequel.
The Winters saga began with Resident Evil 7 back in 2017 and continued with Resident Evil Village in 2021. Resident Evil 9 will be the grand finale to this modern trilogy of Resident Evil titles, starring what is likely to be multiple protagonists, a departure from the previous two games, where players filled the shoes of Ethan Winters. Aside from closing out the current saga, we also expect Resident Evil 9 to introduce new plot threads to set up future mainline games, even if future titles focus on different characters and horrors.
007: First Light is the first non-Hitman game from IO Interactive in more than a decade. If you've played Hitman 2016, or the other newer entries, then you'll know that IO Interactive is perhaps the perfect studio to tackle an original James Bond game. The newer Hitman games have elements of investigation and subterfuge built into the gameplay loop and prior to that, IO Interactive had a very good handle on action-oriented gameplay in titles like Hitman Absolution. If we can get a good combination of those two styles with exciting levels across the campaign, then 007: First Light should be a great success when it releases in May.
After numerous delays and a lengthy 8-year development cycle, the Fable reboot should launch within the next 12 months. This will be a major turning point for Playground Games, as the studio has never made an RPG before, and the studio is also working on new Forza Horizon games alongside Fable. If the game turns out to be bad, fans will lose further trust in Microsoft, who have been suffering from bad PR throughout 2025 thanks to game cancellations, studio closures and price hikes. If it turns out to be good, then the Xbox brand may finally have its first GOTY contender.
As someone who spent many formative years sat in front of an Xbox 360, the Gears of War games have been a longtime favourite of mine. Gears E-Day is not a sequel to Gears 5, but rather a prequel to the very first game in the series, putting Marcus Fenix on the front lines of the initial swarm invasion. I'm not expecting this game to sit in GOTY territory, but I'm always happy to mow down some aliens with Fenix and Co.
Control: Resonant was just announced. It is a direct sequel to Control, which was my favourite game of 2019 and I still consider it to be Remedy Entertainment's best work to date. In this sequel, rather than playing as Jesse Faden searching for her brother, the roles are reversed, and we will be playing as Liam Faden, searching for Jesse after she has taken on her new role as Director of the FBC. Remedy is aiming to release this one in 2026 but out of all the games on this list – this is the title I'm most expecting to see delayed.
I'll end off this list with another game that may also be delayed out of 2026. Blood of Dawnwalker is a new game from Rebel Wolves, a studio founded by former Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk 2077 developers. This is a new Dark Gothic RPG, featuring blood magic, supernatural factions and more. Considering Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines 2 failed to live up to expectations, this new game would be one to watch for fans of that series, even if it isn't connected.
KitGuru Says: What games are you most looking forward to in 2026?
The post KitGuru Games: Most Anticipated Games for 2026 first appeared on KitGuru.A new report outlining the projected timeline for CD Projekt's future releases has been published with some surprises. The most unexpected claim in the analysis is the upcoming launch of a third, paid expansion for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, which the analyst believes will launch in May 2026 to act as a narrative and commercial bridge to the next mainline entry.
This supposed DLC is expected to carry a $30/£25 price tag and could shift as many as 11 million copies in its first year. Mateusz Chrzanowski from Noble Securities (via Strefa Inwestorow) suggests that the revenue from this project would effectively bankroll the massive marketing campaign required for the launch of The Witcher 4, which he now forecasts for a Q4 2027 release.
The financial scale of these upcoming projects is enormous. The analyst estimates that the production budget for Polaris alone will reach approximately 1.4 billion PLN (about £290 million), with a similar amount for global marketing. Moreover, the analyst notes that CD Projekt management intends to release the new trilogy within a six-year window.
Beyond the fantasy realm of the Continent, the timeline for the Cyberpunk 2077 sequel, codenamed Orion, has also been clarified in the report. Fans of Night City will reportedly need to remain patient, as Chrzanowski predicts the sequel will not arrive until Q4 2030, neatly aligning with the tenth anniversary of the original game's launch. The extended development cycle is attributed to the studio's desire to bake multiplayer functionality into the experience from day one. This added complexity has pushed the projected budget for Orion to 1.5 billion PLN (about £310 million).
Meanwhile, other projects have seen a series of reshuffles, with the remake of the original Witcher and the experimental Project Sirius both being pushed back to 2028, as resources are reportedly being diverted to ensure the flagship Polaris title hits its 2027 deadline.
KitGuru says: The idea of a paid expansion for an eleven-year-old game sounds like a stretch, but the logic of a “narrative bridge” to fund the Polaris marketing is hard to ignore from a business perspective.
The post Rumour claims new Witcher 3 DLC is coming next year first appeared on KitGuru.The end of 2025 feels like a strange time to review this 32GB kit of dual channel ADATA XPG Lancer RGB DDR5-6000 CL30 memory, and that is for two reasons. The first is that demand for AI hardware has gone wild which means that supplies are short and the second is that prices has shot up towards the stars. In other words this XPG Lancer memory is hard to find and also brutally expensive.
Time stamps
00:00 Start
01:00 Speed / Timings
01:57 Under the heat spreader
03:50 Test System / Compares
04:48 Testing Memory speeds / timings
08:17 The claims
08:34 Cinebench Performance
09:08 7-ZIP Performance
09:49 AIDA 64 Memory Bandwidth
10:07 AIDA 64 Memory Copy
10:27 Far Cry 6
11:31 Assassins Creed Mirage
12:17 Cyberpunk 2077
12:50 Total War: Pharaoh
13:43 Pricing – the current shambles
15:11 RGB Lighting
15:33 Leo’s closing thoughts
Specification:
Heat Sink Colour: Black, White
SPD Speed: 4800MT/s
SPD CAS Latencies: 40-39-39
SPD Voltage: 1.1V
Test Speed: 6000/6400/7200/8000MT/s
Test CAS Latencies: 30-40-40/32-39-39/34-46-46/38-48-48
Module size: 16GB, 32GB, 48GB
Packaging: 16GB,16GBx2/32GB,32GBx2/48GB,48GBx2
Operating temperature: 0°C to 85°C
Operating voltage: 1.35-1.4V
Dimensions (LxWxH): 133.35 x 43.56 x 8mm
Weight: 72.4g
Warranty: Limited Lifetime Warranty
Performance and Overclocking
Test system
CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D
Motherboard: Gigabyte X870E Aorus Pro X3D Ice
RAM:
32GB ADATA XPG Lancer RGB DDR5-6000 CL30
32GB G.Skill Trident Z5 Neo RGB DDR5-6000 CL28
32GB G.Skill Trident Z5 Royal Neo RGB DDR5-8000 CL38
Graphics: MSI RTX 4090 Ventus 3S 24GB
CPU cooler: Phanteks Glacier One 360D30
SSD: 1TB Crucial T500 Gen 5 M.2 NVMe
Power Supply: Seasonic Vertex GX-1200
OS: Windows 11 25 H2
Cinebench 2024 Multi Core
In Cinebench 2024 Multi Core we see that overclocking the XPG memory from DDR5-6000 to DDR5-7200 yields a small benefit and lifts the performance close to G.Skill DDR5-8000.
AIDA64 Memory Copy
The AIDA64 Memory Copy test shows a clear separation between the different memory settings and rewards both clock speed and latency timings. Once again the overclocked XPG comes close to G.Skill DDR5-8000.
Total War Pharaoh at 1440p
In gaming we ran Total War Pharaoh at 1440p and saw the memory makes quite a difference, particularly in 1% low figures. On default at DDR5-4800 you leave a load of performance on the table which you gain for free when you enable EXPO. Overclocking the memory lifted averages by another 2fps and raised the 1% low by 4fps.
Total War Pharaoh at 1080p
The biggest differential for overclocked memory can be shown when you game at 1080p, in this instance playing Total War Pharaoh. The default figures are awful and the EXPO figures are pretty good. Overclocking the memory adds yet more performance without a huge amount of effort.
This is an unusual review as we struggled to find this kit of ADATA XPG Lancer RGB DDR5-6000 CL30 on sale in Europe, and those kits that are available cost an absolute fortune. At that point we took a step back and decided to morph our review into a feature about mainsteam DDR5 memory with eight SK.Hynix ICs that have RGB lighting on top of the aluminium heat spreaders.
This is where things get interesting as we were able to run our DDR5-6000 at DDR5-6800 or DDR5-7200 with rock solid reliability and it felt like DDR5-7600 was also within reach. As you will see in our video the combination of clock speed and memory timings makes a huge difference to the performance that you achieve. It is clear that enabling EXPO delivers most of the available performance with the minimum of hassle, however you can pick up a few extra points if you choose to put in the work with some overclocking.
If you want to buy the ADATA XPG LANCER RGB DDR5-6000 CL30 you might struggle to find it, and if you do find it expect to pay a small fortune – such is the world right now for DDR5 prices. Let us hope 2026 improves a little. Our score below is based on a MSRP of between £150-£200 which is what it was listed at before stock started to dwindle.
Pros:
Cons:
KitGuru says: We have all had a shock with the steep rise of memory pices in 2025 but you should learn something interesting from this ADATA XPG Lancer RGB DDR5-6000 CL30
Maxon has officially released Cinebench 2026, the latest version of its cross-platform benchmarking suite. Building on the foundation of Cinebench 2024, the new iteration transitions to the latest Redshift rendering engine, offering a more accurate reflection of modern 3D production workloads while adding day-one support for next-generation hardware from Nvidia, AMD, and Apple.
The most significant update in this release is the expansion of hardware compatibility. Cinebench 2026 is fully optimised for Nvidia's Blackwell (RTX 50-series) and AMD's Radeon 9000-series GPUs. It also supports data centre hardware, including Nvidia Hopper and Blackwell enterprise chips. On mobile and Mac, the benchmark now natively supports Apple's M4 and M5 silicon.
Cinebench 2026 also introduces a more granular approach to CPU evaluation. For the first time, Maxon has included a dedicated SMT (Simultaneous Multithreading) performance test. This allows users to benchmark a single physical core with and without its virtual threads active, providing a direct “MP Ratio” for single-core efficiency. This feature will be handy for comparing architectures, such as Intel's E-cores, with traditional high-performance cores.
As with previous major version jumps, Maxon warns that Cinebench 2026 scores are not comparable to Cinebench 2024. The update utilises a newer version of the Redshift engine and updated compilers (Clang 19), which fundamentally change how the scene is rendered. To ensure stability during testing, the benchmark retains its 10-minute minimum runtime by default, though an “Advanced Benchmark” mode remains available for those who wish to perform longer thermal stress tests.
System requirements have also seen a slight bump. To run the GPU benchmark, Windows users will need a card with at least 8 GB of VRAM, while Mac users on Apple Silicon will require at least 16 GB of unified memory for GPU acceleration. The benchmark is available for free from the official Maxon website for Windows and macOS.
KitGuru says: The addition of an SMT test is a nice touch, especially as we see more “hybrid” CPU architectures hitting the market.
The post Maxon launches Cinebench 2026 with Blackwell support and new SMT testing first appeared on KitGuru.2025 has been a pretty bad year for the video games industry all things considered. While the quality of the games themselves have remained high, issues surrounding industry consolidation, inflation and more have left a lasting negative impact on the overall market. Perhaps the most destructive however has been the rise in AI data-centres leading to deep RAM shortages and heavy price increases. Already impacting the industry massively, insiders have claimed that console manufacturers are now considering delaying their next-gen plans.
As reported by known leakers Insider-Gaming, the current and ongoing rise in RAM prices as a result of the influx in AI data centres has put console manufacturers in a sticky situation.
While the likes of Sony are said to have stocked up on RAM prior to the recent gold rush allowing them to continue producing PS5 consoles, manufacturers’ next-gen plans have reportedly been complicated somewhat, with the publication claiming:
“From what we understand, the situation has led console manufacturers to debate whether the next generation of consoles should be delayed from their intended 2027-2028 release window, with the hope that RAM manufacturers will be able to build out their infrastructure to produce more RAM, thereby allowing prices to drop.”
In many people’s eyes, the massive surge in demand for RAM due to AI is nothing more than a tech bubble – one which will inevitably burst. How long that will take; we will have to wait and see, but it is clear that as of right now next-gen consoles are in a bit of a state of limbo.
KitGuru says: What do you think of the whole AI RAM situation? How long before the bubble bursts? When do you think next-gen consoles should be released? Let us know down below.
The post Insiders claim next-gen consoles could be delayed due to RAM prices first appeared on KitGuru.
Talk about a *ahem* timely deal! We're about to embark on a new year and if your resolution for 2026 is to fashion yourself into a new YOU with a focus on fitness, than a smartwatch can be a wise and useful investment to help reach your goals. And if you've been thinking about getting the latest-generation Apple Watch, you can save some money
In the world of automotive restoration, few projects dare to blend the obscure with the astronomical, yet a recently unveiled Ferrari 412 restomod has done exactly that, setting the owner back nearly $2 million and looking pretty impressive while at it.
Ferrari 412
The Ferrari 412, a wedge-shaped grand tourer from the 1980s, has long
OnePlus had already confirmed that it's entering the gaming smartphone space with its new Turbo series, and now two weeks later, it's giving us a broader look at the upcoming handsets and a few more details. The most enticing detail is that the Turbo 6 will feature a bodacious 9,000 mAh battery pack. That's around 80% more capacious than Samsung's
2026 is set to open with the breathtaking Wolf supermoon this weekend, chased closely by a planetary parade and a good chance of viewing the Andromeda galaxy in February.
Skywatchers, prepare for the first full moon of the year that's set to reach peak illumination this Saturday (January 3) at 5:03 a.m. EST. This particular lunation is
LG is showing off its new Gallery TV, a "lifestyle screen" that doubles as a showpiece for artwork similar to Samsung's The Frame and a spattering of other options. Announced ahead of the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) next week, LG says its Gallery TV will come in both 55-inch and 65-inch size options, both with mini LED backlighting and
Monster Hunter Wilds started its life as one of the most anticipated titles of 2025. While the game benefited from a strong launch, various performance and visual issues led to the game seeing a sharp decline in sales. With the recent Title Update 4 finally marking a point of stability for Wilds, it appears as though Capcom are gearing up to release the game onto the Nintendo Switch 2.
As discovered by dataminers (and shared to the MonsterHunterLeaks subreddit), the recent title update 4 for Monster Hunter Wilds appears to include references to the Nintendo Switch 2, indicating that Capcom might be working on a Nintendo version of the game.
As mentioned, Monster Hunter Wilds suffered from plenty of performance issues across the board at launch, including on high-end PC hardware, and so releasing a Switch 2 version alongside all the others would have certainly been inadvisable.
That said, with the publisher continuing to optimise the experience (alongside their increased knowledge of Switch 2 development thanks to other Capcom projects), a Switch 2 version could at some point be a reality.
While the series initially started on the PS2, Monster Hunter has had a strong presence on Nintendo platforms over the years, with the OG Switch receiving its own unique entry in the form of MH Rise (though it did eventually come to all other systems).
Given their continued work on optimising the game, here’s to hoping that we’ll get another major performance patch some time in 2026 – likely around the same time that the Switch 2 version is announced/released.
KitGuru says: What do you think of title update 4? Has it fixed most of the performance issues for you? Do you have high hopes for the Switch 2 version? Let us know down below.
The post Monster Hunter Wilds update hints at upcoming Switch 2 release first appeared on KitGuru.More than a decade on from its predecessor’s release, Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time launched earlier this year to near immediate success – selling half a million copies in its first few days. In the months since, the game has continued to grow both in terms of content and player counts, with the team now revealing that Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time has officially sold over 1.5 million copies.
Making the announcement via Twitter, the CEO of LEVEL5 ‘Akihiro Hino’ confirmed that Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time has officially sold over 1.5 million copies since its launch back in May, writing (via translation):
“To all the users who purchased it, thank you so much! We will continue to create engaging, high-quality software, so we look forward to your continued support!”
As mentioned, this announcement arrives just days following the game’s biggest update yet, with patch 2.0 introducing a whole new open-world rogue-like mode alongside an additional region; quality-of-life improvements; weapons; mounts and much more.
Given that a similar rogue-like mode was added to Donkey Kong Bananza via a paid DLC, it is encouraging to see other developers offer substantial content updates for free – all the while being rewarded for it with increased sales. It will be interesting to see what else is planned for the future of Fantasy Life i in 2026 and beyond.
KitGuru says: Are you one of the 1.5 million? Have you checked out the new rogue-like mode? What do you think? Let us know down below.
The post Free rogue-like mode update helps push ‘Fantasy Life i’ past 1.5 million sales first appeared on KitGuru.For Day 30 of the KitGuru Advent Calendar, we have teamed up with Seagate to give TWO winners today a major storage upgrade. One winner today will get a Firecuda 530R 1TB SSD and a second winner will get an 8TB Seagate Game Drive Hub for Xbox!
While the Game Drive Hub for Xbox is an officially licensed Xbox product, it can also be used with PCs via a USB connection. You'll have a massive 8TB of storage to fill up, making it ideal for both games and media storage. The Firecuda 530R SSD on the other hand is intended for PCs, with PCIe Gen 4 NVMe compatibility, an M.2 form factor and read/write speeds up to 7400MB/s and 6900MB/s respectively.
To enter this giveaway, all you have to do is head over to our competition announcement post on Facebook, HERE. In the comments, leave an answer to the following question – How much storage have you already got?
#SeagateFireCuda #SeagateGaming #GameDrive #FireCudaSeagate2025
This competition is in the UK, as well as Benelux and Nordic regions.
The winner will be picked randomly shortly after 11AM GMT December 30th, and a new competition will be announced for Day 30. The chosen winner has 48 hours to respond, if we do not hear from them, a new winner will be picked.
Terms and Conditions: This competition is open UK, as well as Benelux and Nordic regions, starting at 11AM GMT on December 30th and ending at 10:59AM GMT on December 31st. Due to the busy Christmas season, prize deliveries could take longer than usual, and some prizes may not ship until January. In compliance with GDPR, we will not collect or store any personal information as part of this competition. Once the winner has been contacted and their prize received, personal details will be deleted from our email servers. Your details will not be shared, we respect your privacy.
KitGuru Says: Good luck to all who enter, we'll be back tomorrow morning to announce a winner and turn the calendar over to Day 31!
The post KitGuru Advent Calendar Day 30: Win a Seagate M.2 SSD or 8TB Game Drive Hub! first appeared on KitGuru.
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