In recent years, we've reviewed many Sharkoon products and while we have come away with positive impressions each time, there has been one issue – product availability has been hit or miss in the UK. That is finally changing this year, with Sharkoon products now becoming widely available in the UK through one of the biggest tech etailers on our shores – SCAN.

Sharkoon has been a brand we've followed closely for years due to their excellent bang-for-buck offerings. If you are a PC builder in the UK, now you can grab many of their best products through SCAN, from the Sharkoon S80 and S90 AIO liquid coolers, all the way to their new enthusiast-grade mechanical keyboards with stylish wood casings.

In our review of the Sharkoon SGK50 S3 Wood PBT Keyboard earlier this year, we praised it for its build quality, overall design and satisfying typing feel. The S2, S3 and S4 versions of this keyboard are all now available through Scan, with prices starting at £119.99.

On the PC case side, products like the Sharkoon VS9 offer a basic mid-tower design for £39.99 but if you want a dash of colour in your system, then you can find something like the Sharkoon RGB Slider for £49.99, or you can opt for the more modern Sharkoon MK7, with its aquarium-style layout for £68.98, perfect for building a showstopping rig.

On the cooling side, the Sharkoon S80 starts with a £59.99 price tag for the 240mm model, complete with dual RGB fans, in both black and white colour options, or you can opt for the larger S90 360mm version at £79.99. If an air cooler is preferred, you can find a range of single-tower and dual-tower coolers, with prices starting at just £20.

You can find the full range of Sharkoon gear now readily available in the UK, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Are you currently pricing up parts for a new build? Sharkoon has some very attractive prices, so it is certainly worth a look, especially if you are in need of a new case or cooler. 

While the system has in some ways failed to become the standard, Microsoft continues to support and push its Xbox Play Anywhere cross-buy feature between consoles and PC. Based on a new discovery from data miners, it appears as though Sony / PlayStation may be investigating going down a similar route.

As shared by data miner Amethxst via Twitter, new symbols have appeared in the PSN’s backend, revealing what appears to be a cross-buy system between the PlayStation 5 and PC.

Seemingly coming to both the website and PlayStation app, games on the PS Store may soon include symbols/tags showing (likely first-party) games which are also available on PC alongside PS5.

Though an odd inclusion in and of itself, this appears to be coming in alignment with a new cross-buy system. How this will function is currently unknown as in the case of Xbox Play Anywhere, users are given a PC copy of the game via the Xbox store on PC.

Seeing as how Sony’s PC titles have been published through the likes of Steam and the Epic Games Store, it will be interesting to see whether Sony is planning to set up some sort of PlayStation launcher on PC.

KitGuru says: What do you think of this leak? Do you believe it? How do you think Sony would implement something like cross-buy? Let us know down below.

It's been three years since the AMD AM5 motherboard platform and the 600-series motherboards launched. Since its launch, the platform has seen the launch of several CPUs in the Ryzen 7000, Ryzen 8000, and Ryzen 9000 families. While the 600-series motherboards provide great features & compatibility with newer Zen 5 CPUs, motherboard makers are always looking to enhance user experiences through the latest technologies, so AMD has introduced a new chipset line called the 800-series. Now, AMD has introduced both X870 and B850 series chipsets for high-end and mainstream AM5 motherboards. Both of these chips provide brand-new designs and brand-new […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/review/asrock-x870e-taichi-ocf-motherboard-review-first-oc-formula-for-the-am5-platform-brings-top-notch-oc-features/

Last week, we reported on a discovery by some fans which seemed to suggest that Sony’s remote play PlayStation Portal handheld could receive extended functionality via an upcoming and impending firmware update. Sure enough, Sony has now officially announced library cloud streaming; a new UI and much more.

Making the announcement on the PlayStation Blog, the Senior Manager for Product Management ‘Takuro Fushimi’ wrote:

“Today, we’re excited to share that PS Portal is receiving one of its biggest updates yet. Starting on November 6 at 2am GMT, Cloud Streaming for PS5 Games officially launches on PS Portal for PlayStation Plus Premium members, along with a variety of new features that enhance how you can play.”

The full blog post can be found HERE, but the most notable addition is of course the aforementioned cloud streaming. Prior to this update, Cloud streaming on the Portal was limited to titles available through PlayStation Plus. Now, Portal owners will be able to stream their own library of games through the cloud instead of relying on it being on PS Plus Extra/Premium. The full list of supported titles can be found HERE.

Beyond this however, the Portal has also received a bunch of other ancillary improvements/additions, including:

• Redesigned UI featuring:
  • Remote Play home screen
  • Cloud Streaming home screen
  • Search screen
• 3D Audio Support
• Passcode Lock
• Network Status Screen
• In-Game Store to view / purchase games
• New accessibility options
• Game Invitations

While the Portal may still be far from the PSP 3 which many have been hoping for, it is encouraging at the very least to see Sony continue to support the PS Portal in a pretty major way.

KitGuru says: What do you think of this firmware update? Are any of these features game-changers? Do you believe that Sony is working on a dedicated local handheld? Let us know down below.

During the early launch months for the Switch 2, Nintendo made sure to treat the last-gen Switch as a contemporary console, continuing to support the nearly 9 year old hardware with new first-party titles. While this may still be the case, Nintendo has now confirmed that they “will shift our primary development focus to Nintendo Switch 2.”

As part of Nintendo’s most recent fiscal earnings report, the Switch maker not only revealed updated sales stats for their consoles and first-party titles, but also spoke on their development plans moving forward.

In a section of the presentation describing the Switch 2 as “the new standard for Nintendo Switch” the console maker revealed how they are now going all-in on Switch 2 software, writing:

“Going forward, we will shift our primary development focus to Nintendo Switch 2 and expand our business around this new platform.”

Given that the Switch 2 is Nintendo’s latest console, you would expect this to be the case. That said, earlier this year in April, the then-president for Nintendo of America ‘Doug Bowser‘ claimed that the Switch 1 was still a core part of their ecosystem. In addition, there are still a few first-party Switch 1 titles to be released, including the upcoming Metroid Prime 4.

It will be interesting to see whether any more NEW Nintendo titles get announced for the last-gen machine, or if they truly are moving on

.KitGuru says: What do you think of this latest claim? Have the true Switch 2 exclusives been good enough to satisfy? Let us know down below.

LC-Power has only been making gaming monitors since 2019 and the company launched its first OLED offerings earlier this year. Today we're assessing the 27in model, utilising the same 4K/240Hz Samsung QD-OLED panel as MSI's 272URX and AOC's AG276UZD. It promises up to 1000 nits peak brightness, infinite contrast and near-instant response times, all at the attractive price of just £669 here in the UK. Let's find out if it's worth buying.

On the topic of pricing and availability, so far I've only found the LC-Power M27UO listed on Amazon, but the £669 asking price makes it £30 cheaper than both the AOC AG276UZD and MSI 272URX, though the latter appears to be a temporary deal and the £999 MSRP is significantly more expensive. Still, it goes to show just how competitive the OLED market has become, so let's take a look and see what the M27UO can bring to the party.

Specification:

• Display size: 26.5″ / 67.31 cm
• Resolution: 4K Ultra HD / 3840×2160 pixels
• Screen refresh rate: 240 Hz
• Panel type: QD-OLED / anti-reflective (AR)
• Picture format: 16:9
• Brightness:
  • APL 100%: 250 nits
  • APL 10%: 450 nits
  • APL 3%: 1000 nits
• Contrast ratio: 1,500,000:1
• Dynamic contrast ratio: 1,500,000:1
• Screen colors: 1.07 B / 10 bit
• Viewing angle: H: 178° / V: 178°
• Pixel pitch: 589.97 (H) x 332.93 (V)
• Response time: 0.03 ms OD
• Video/USB ports: 2x HDMI 2.1, 1x DP 1.4, 2x USB-A, 1x USB-C (Video/Data/PD)
• Speakers: 2x 5 W (integrated)
• Audio out: 1x 3.5mm jack
• Included items: Monitor, stand, DP cable, manual, mains adapter, mounting material
• Features: Adaptive Sync, Game Plus, Low Blue, PiP/PbP, FPS/RTS, Flicker-Free, KVM switch, HDR400, VESA-compatible, height-adjustable stand
• Rear: black/anthracite with LED lighting
• Stand: anthracite
• Dimensions:
  • Without stand: 611 x 352 x 65 mm
  • With stand: 611 x 567 x 311 mm
• Packaging: 810 x 476 x 184 mm
• Tilt angle: -5° ~ 20°
• Swivel range: ±20°
• Pivot: ±90°
• Height adjustment: 120 mm
• VESA suspension: 75 x 75 mm
• Product / Total: 5.55 / 7.9 kg
• Warranty: 3 years

Since its launch in 2022, the Steam Deck has only improved with time, receiving countless new features and quality of life improvements through relatively consistent updates. As part of the Steam Deck’s beta branch, users will finally be able to download titles while the screen is off in an update which has been a long time coming.

Though it may seem like a relatively minor feature given that it has existed on the likes of smartphones for over a decade, being able to download games/updates while the Steam Deck’s screen is off has been a long-requested yet doubtful hope from owners of the handheld.

In a welcome announcement however, Valve has now unveiled their new low-power download mode – “enabling [Steam Deck] to complete all active downloads in a new display-off low-power mode, before going to sleep.”

This new functionality will be enabled by default while on charge, and can be set to work on battery power as well. Interestingly, it appears to be a different system entirely compared to the Deck’s typical sleep mode, with Valve explaining that “when this feature is active on battery power, Steam Deck will automatically go to full sleep mode if the battery level falls below 20%.”

Ever since the Steam Deck first arrived years ago, the lack of a screen-off download option has been frustrating. As such, this feature is highly welcome to see. Hopefully the update makes its way to the stable channels soon enough.

KitGuru says: Are you glad to see this feature implemented? Has the lack of a screen-off download option bothered you? Let us know down below.

A few months ago, we reviewed GameSir's top-of-the-line G7 Pro controller, which we found to be one of the best mid-range Xbox controllers, offering excellent build quality, aesthetics, functionality, and performance. The same month, WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers was released, and GameSir recently came up with a game-inspired design for the G7 Pro, which we have with us today. Since we have already reviewed that controller, we won't be doing the same thing in this post, but will instead take a look at the aesthetics and also include some numbers, which we didn't previously. G7 Pro WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers edition doesn't […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/review/gamesir-g7-pro-wuchang-fallen-feathers-edition-controller-review/

Arc Raiders has arrived, briefly died and then came back with some in-game gifts as an apology, and is now rather popular amongst the loot, craft and kill or cooperate crew. …

The release of Windows 11 25H2 have inspired Ars Technica to update their guide on how to unclutter Microsoft's latest OS to get rid of the features you don't want.  The…

Cooler Master has unveiled the Qube 540, a new 40L compact case with a heavy focus on builder flexibility. Following the geometric design of the Qube series, this new model is designed to be built in either a vertical or horizontal orientation, giving builders more choice when piecing together their rig. 

Despite its smaller footprint, the Qube 540 is built to handle high-performance hardware. The chassis supports motherboards from ITX up to E-ATX (as wide as 280mm) and has clearance for flagship graphics cards up to 415mm in length. For cooling, the case accommodates 360mm liquid-cooling radiators and supports CPU cooling towers up to 172mm in height.

The interior is modular, allowing builders to adjust the layout for components and airflow, and the I/O panel and handles can be repositioned. Available in dark grey and light grey, the case features one pre-installed 120mm fan at the rear and can accommodate a 3.5-inch drive, as well as up to three 2.5-inch drives. Additionally, it features dust filters on the top, bottom, and front.

Another interesting thing about the Qube 540 is its emphasis on 3D-printed customization. Cooler Master is providing official and community-developed open-source 3D files for owners to print their own accessories. To support this, the company is collaborating with 3D-printing firm Prusa to make these add-ons more accessible to builders.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE

KitGuru says: The Qube 540 looks like an improvement over the previous Qube cases. Would you be interested in building with one of these?

While Contraband was announced in 2021 with a planned 2022 release date, the game continued to face delays and as a result, Microsoft ultimately pulled the publishing deal for the title. It is still unclear whether or not Avalanche will be able to revive the project, but in the meantime, newly leaked screenshots have given us a good look at what could have been. 

Contraband was going to be an open-world co-op shooter set in a fictional Southeast Asia inspired country, with a mix of 1970s flavour. The game would have seen players teaming up to smuggle contraband across borders, engage in black market trading and go on heists. The game was described officially as a “smuggler's paradise”.

In the gallery above, you can see some of the screenshots discovered by MP1st. These screenshots are primarily concept art, rather than a look at the final product, but it shows some of the UI menus and character portraits. Notably though, the character portraits in particular were not final and were merely in place for prototyping purposes.

It is unclear what Avalanche Studios will move on to next. Contraband is seemingly not coming out and recently, it came to light that the studio doesn't have full control over the Just Cause IP, and with the previous instalment not achieving high commercial success, along with the fact that many of the Just Cause creators are no longer with Avalanche, it is unlikely that we'll see Just Cause 5 instead.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Due to the Just Cause 2 multiplayer mod, Avalanche spent a lot of effort transforming into a multiplayer-first studio. Unfortunately, projects like Generation Zero failed to catch on and without some extra backing, Contraband may never see the light of day. 

Recently, the Japanese patent office rejected Nintendo's application for a patent what would cover monster capturing and throwing mechanics, something that could serve quite the blow to the company's ongoing lawsuit against the creators of Palworld. Now, the US version of this patent, which Nintendo was granted earlier this year, is also in trouble, as the USPTO is now re-examining the patent's validity. 

Nintendo filed for patents covering monster catching, throwing and battle mechanics earlier this year in an effort to leverage those patents against PocketPair, the studio behind Palworld. While Palworld does take some inspiration from Pokémon, it is by and large a very different game to anything GameFreak has ever made. When the patent filings were initially reported, many came out to state that they should not be validated, as the vague language could impact hundreds of games, both new and old, not just Palworld.

As spotted by Gamesfray, the director of the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), John Squires, has now ordered that Nintendo's recently granted patent be re-examined, as conflict has been found with a previous patent from Konami, who also seemingly has a claim over automatic and manual sub-character summoning and battle mechanics.

This doesn't mean that the patent will automatically be revoked, but in a sensible world, it would be. The patent is worded in such a way that could impact all kinds of games, from Ark: Survival Evolved, to Monster Hunter and many, many more.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: While Palworld may have some Pokémon flavour in the form of its monster designs, Nintendo isn't suing over that. Instead, it is suing over mechanics that have existed in many different games for decades. If this is allowed to go ahead, it will hamper a lot of potential future innovation. 

Following the ransomware attack on Insomniac a couple of years ago, a roadmap from the studio began doing the rounds, claiming that Insomniac would move on from Wolverine and Spider-Man in the coming years to focus on an X-Men series of games. Recent comments from Marvel Games seem to hint at that roadmap being accurate.

Speaking with Game Informer, Marvel Games head, Haluk Mentes, confirmed that they plan on working with Insomniac well into the future, beyond next year's release of Marvel's Wolverine, which will launch as a PS5 exclusive, but is also expected to release on PC eventually.

Here is the relevant quote:

“We have been working together for more than a decade and developed such a shorthand across multiple Marvel’s Spider-Man games that when the time finally came to bring Logan back in spectacular and visceral fashion, it was obvious to everyone on our team that Insomniac was the perfect choice. It was our shared culture and values that brought us together, and we’re so proud to continue collaborating for many years to come.”

The leaked roadmap claims that after Wolverine's release in 2026, Insomniac will be focusing on getting Spider-Man 3 out of the door by late 2028. After that, X-Men games will begin dropping starting from 2030. This timeline fits with Mentes' statement that Marvel and Insomniac plan to continue working together “for many years to come”. Interestingly, it was also previously claimed in leaks that the X-Men games will be multiplatform from the get-go, so we could see an end to the timed exclusivity on PlayStation.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Insomniac struggled to juggle multiple major characters in Spider-Man 2, with one of the game's biggest drawbacks being the constant shift between Peter Parker and Miles Morales. Hopefully that is an area that will improve, because an X-Men game would require a lot more shifting between character perspectives.