MSI has a massive presence at Gamescom 2025 this year, showcasing a vast range of new products for PC enthusiasts. The launch is headlined by the company's new X870E Max Series motherboards and a very special, limited-edition model to celebrate a major milestone for the brand.

To mark the 10th anniversary of its flagship motherboard line, MSI is releasing the MEG X870E Godlike X Edition. This board is a collector's item, limited to just 1,000 units worldwide, each with a gilded nameplate and other commemorative goodies. It's packed with the latest overclocking features, as well as a new M.2 Xpander-Z Slider Gen5 card and an updated Dynamic Dashboard III. The wider X870E Max series also brings upgrades like 5G LAN, Wi-Fi 7, and a host of new ‘EZ' tool-free installation features for GPUs and M.2 drives.

MSI is also showing off two new PC cases for different segments of the market. For the panoramic-view fans, there's the MAG PANO 130R PZ, which features a wrap-around tempered glass design and native support for back-connect motherboards. For the high-end enthusiast, there's the new flagship MEG Maestro 900 Series, which has a unique four-directional motherboard tray for extra build flexibility and custom liquid cooling support.

Also on display is the new MPG CoreLiquid P13 Series AIO, which features a clean, minimalist design with a 2.1-inch LCD screen and a clever hidden tube layout. To complement the new cases, MSI is launching the MAG View Xpander 12, a 12.3-inch in-case dual-mode display, and a new all-white version of its MAG A1000GL PCIe 5.0 PSU, perfect for themed builds.

For those who can't be at Gamescom in person and see the new PC components MSI is showcasing, MSI hosted an “Into the Future – Virtual Premiere” showcase (above) with all the latest hardware. The company is also running an online sweepstakes with prizes up to $10,000 to celebrate the launch.

KitGuru says: Of all the new stuff MSI presented, is there any component you're particularly interested in?

Corsair has today launched the AI Workstation 300, a compact PC that packs an incredible amount of power into a tiny 4.4-litre chassis. This new system is one of the first from a major manufacturer to be built around AMD's Ryzen AI Max 300 Series processor, bringing a mighty CPU/GPU combo in a single chip.

The top configuration of the AI Workstation 300 features the Ryzen AI Max+ 395, which combines Zen 5 CPU cores with an RDNA 3.5 integrated GPU boasting 40 CUs, and an XDNA 2 NPU capable of delivering up to 50 TOPS for AI acceleration. Alternatively, you may go for the cheaper Ryzen AI 385 model, which still packs quite a punch.

The real game-changer for AI developers, however, is the memory subsystem. The system utilises up to 128 GB of unified LPDDR5X memory, and thanks to the Strix Halo architecture, a massive 96 GB of that can be dynamically allocated as VRAM. This dwarfs the memory capacity of almost all consumer and even many professional desktop GPUs, opening the door for new possibilities in local AI.

Users may now install OpenAI's open-weight models, gpt‑oss‑120B and gpt‑oss‑20B, using the most recent version of LM Studio installed locally. Released under the Apache 2.0 license, these high-performance models allow for local deployment that is not possible with the majority of gaming-class GPUs. The Corsair AI Workstation 300 is now launching in Europe, starting at £1,599.99/$1,599.99, featuring a Ryzen AI Max 385 with a Radeon 8050S iGPU, a 1 TB M.2 SSD, and 64 GB of LPDDR5x.

KitGuru says: By packing this much power into a 4.4-litre chassis, Corsair is offering a unique solution for AI developers and professionals who need flexible, on-premise AI performance without a massive server rack.

Samsung has today expanded its audio lineup with the introduction of the Galaxy Buds3 FE. As the “Fan Edition” moniker suggests, these new wireless earbuds are designed to bring the key features of the flagship Buds3 series, including the new “Blade” design and Galaxy AI integration, to a more accessible, mainstream price point.

Available in black and grey, the Buds3 FE adopt the new signature “Blade” design of the latest Galaxy Buds, featuring a matte dual-tone finish with semi-transparent highlights. This design also incorporates swipe controls for managing volume and playback. On the audio front, Samsung says the earbuds feature larger speakers for richer sound with deeper bass, along with enhanced Active Noise Cancelling (ANC). Call quality has also been a focus, with new “Crystal Clear Call” technology that uses a machine learning model to isolate your voice from background noise.

A major selling point is the integration with the Galaxy ecosystem and its AI features. One example is the “Auto Switch” feature, which actively detects audio activity and transfers the connection seamlessly for continuous listening across all of your Galaxy devices. When paired with a compatible phone, they can also tap into Galaxy AI, allowing for voice commands via Google Assistant to check your schedule or have emails read aloud, as well as enabling live translation for conversations using the Galaxy AI Interpreter app.

With a 53 mAh battery, the earbuds can last for up to 6 hours with ANC or 8.5 hours without ANC. However, using the 515 mAh case, these numbers increase up to 24 and 30 hours, respectively. While the “FE” branding promises a more affordable package, Samsung has not yet announced the official price for the Galaxy Buds3 FE. This will be the most crucial detail in determining their value and how they stack up against the competition in the crowded wireless earbud market.

KitGuru says: Which colour variant of the new Galaxy Buds 3 FE do you prefer?

It has been some time since we last reviewed a graphics card from ASUS, let alone one of the Noctua Edition models, but that is exactly what we are checking out today. First shown at Computex 2025 but officially launched this month, the ASUS RTX 5080 Noctua Edition is the biggest card we have ever reviewed here at KitGuru, packing in a quad-slot cooler, alongside three 120mm NF-A12x25 G2 fans and a heatsink that sports no less than eleven heatpipes. ASUS and Noctua are clearly aiming for near-silent operation, so let's see how it performs…

As you may have guessed, all of that engineering work does not come cheap, and this is far and away the most expensive RTX 5080 I have ever seen, listed at £1500 over on Scan. During the process of this review, we actually saw Nvidia drop the price of its RTX 5080 Founders Edition to £909, meaning the ASUS RTX 5080 Noctua Edition commands a whopping 65% premium over the MSRP. Can any graphics card justify that sort of price increase? Let's find out.

First, a quick spec recap. Unlike the RTX 5090, which is built on the GB202 die, RTX 5080 uses smaller silicon as it is a full implementation of the GB203 die, measuring 378mm². Comprised of 7 Graphics Processing Clusters (GPCs), each holds up to eight Texture Processing Clusters (TPCs), with a total of 42. Each TPC is home to two Streaming Multiprocessors (SMs), giving us 84, and each SM still holds 128 CUDA Cores, meaning the RTX 5080 has a total of 10752 shaders. We also find 84 RT cores, 336 Tensor cores, 336 Texture Units, and 112 ROPs.

This time around, however, there's no node-shrink, and GB203 remains fabricated on TSMC's N4 node, as per the RTX 40-series. As such, rated clock speed is barely changed this generation, with the RTX 5080 rated at 2617MHz, compared to the RTX 4080 Super's 2550MHz boost.

The memory configuration is also fairly similar, but sports one key upgrade – GDDR7 memory. The RTX 5080 comes equipped with 16GB, running at 30Gbps, and that puts total memory bandwidth at 960 GB/s, a 30% increase over the RTX 4080 Super. L2 cache remains at 65MB.

Power draw has also increased, with the RTX 5080 sporting a 360W TGP. This is something we focus on closely in this review, using our enhanced GPU power testing methodology, so read on for our most detailed power and efficiency testing yet.

Launched at the same time as the 30TB IronWolf Pro, the 30TB Exos M is designed for use in cutting-edge cloud and enterprise environments and has a feature set that reflects this type of usage. We put it through its paces to find out what it can offer at the £600 asking price.

Seagate's Exos M is built on the company's Mozaic3+ technology, which makes use of HAMR (Heat-Assisted Magnetic Recording) to enable the 10 high areal density (3TB) discs the drive uses. It has a spindle speed of 7,200rpm and uses 512MB of cache. Seagate quote an official maximum transfer rate of 275MB/s while the average latency is quoted at 4.16ms.

Seagate quote an average 6.9W idle power rating for the 30TB Exos M with a max operating Random Read (4K QD16) figure of 9.5W.

The official workload rating of the drive is 550TB/year with an MTBF of 2.5M hours, and Seagate backs the drive with a 5-year warranty.

Physical Specifications:

• Usable Capacities: 30TB.
• Spindle Speed: 7,200rpm.
• No. Of Heads: 20.
• No. Of Platters: 10.
• Cache: 512MB.
• Recording Method: Conventional Magnetic Recording (CMR) / HAMR (Heat-Assisted Magnetic Recording).
• Interface: Serial ATA (SATA) 6Gb/s (SATA III).
• Form Factor: 3.5in
• Dimensions: 26.1 x 101.85 x 147mm.
• Drive Weight: 695g.

Firmware Version: SE02.

Nvidia started off the week with some major announcements for GeForce Now. We've already covered the new RTX 5080 upgrade, as well as new features like ‘Instant Play' and the ability to install your own games. Now, it is time to take a look at something coming in the more immediate future – new games for the library.

This week sees 13 games joining the GeForce Now library. The majority of these games are classics from the popular Total War series of grand strategy games. Fan favourites like Total War: Rome, and newer standalone games like Troy and Attila are all joining the library, along with many others.

Here is the full list of titles joining GeForce Now this week:

• Stick It to the Stickman (New release on Steam, Aug. 18)
• Blacksmith Master (New release on Xbox, available on PC Game Pass, Aug. 19)
• VOID/BREAKER (New release on Steam and Xbox available on PC Game Pass, Aug. 19)
• The Rogue Prince of Persia (New release on Ubisoft, Aug. 20)
• Funko Fusion (Steam)
• Total War: MEDIEVAL II – Definitive Edition (Steam)
• Total War: ATTILA (Steam)
• A Total War Saga: Troy (Steam)
• Total War: NAPOLEON – Definitive Edition (Steam)
• Total War: EMPIRE – Definitive Edition (Steam)
• Total War: PHARAOH DYNASTIES (Steam)
• Total War: ROME REMASTERED (Steam)
• Total War: SHOGUN 2 (Steam)

If you want to catch up on all of the major GeForce Now-related announcements from Gamesom, you can find our extensive coverage HERE.

KitGuru Says: What did you think of all of this week's GeForce Now news?

It is back to school season and MSI has cut prices on a wide range of hardware for those looking to build their first PC, or pick up a few upgrades. 

On the monitor front, there are some very interesting deals to be found. At Currys, the MAG 321CUPDF can now be found for £349, giving you a large 32-inch, gaming-class monitor with 4K resolution and up to 320Hz refresh rate. On Amazon, the MAG 342CQR E2 can be had for £217.49 for a limited time, giving you a large 34-inch ultrawide display with a 180Hz refresh rate for smooth gaming. If you have a bit more to spend, then the MAG 325CQRXF E2 has a faster 240Hz refresh rate for £264.99.

If you are looking to make the jump to an OLED gaming monitor, then you can't go wrong with the MSI MAG 321CUP. This comes with a proven, highly-rated QD-OLED panel with 4K resolution and a refresh rate of 165Hz. Most OLED monitors are typically closer to the £1000 mark, but this one is on sale for £599 at Currys at the time of publishing.

In the sub-£200 bracket, the MSI MAG 32C6X can be found for £160.49, offering a large 32-inch display with an ultra-fast 250Hz refresh rate. For just £103.49, you can get the MAG 274CXF for a limited time, which has a smaller 27-inch display but an even faster 280Hz refresh rate.

MSI has discounts on a range of other hardware for DIY PC builders. Cases like the MPG Velox 100R are currently down to £89.99, or the popular MPG GUNGNIR, which is also down to £89.99. In a cheaper range, the MAG FORGE 100R, which is below £50. If you need a cooler to go with your case, the MAG CoreLiquid series offers solid performance, the 360mm version can be found for £99.99, and a smaller 240mm AIO will run you £69.99. MSI's Gold Rated PCIe 5 power supplies are all also discounted, with 1000W models for £129.99 or 850W for £89.99. Discounts can also be found for a range of both AMD and Intel motherboards.

You can find many of MSI's back to school deals, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Are you planning on picking anything up during the current sales? What are you looking to upgrade? 

After a year and a half spent in Early Access, the fun and fluid rouge-like action-platformer The Rogue Prince of Persia has officially hit 1.0. Alongside the release of the full version on PC – and its official console debut – the game has surprise-dropped onto both PlayStation Plus Extra and Xbox Game Pass as day-one additions.

Version 1.0 of The Rogue Prince of Persia brings with it a number of major additions, including two new biomes; the final boss fight and its concluding story act. As mentioned, the game is now also available on consoles for the first time.

While it is certainly worth its asking price of $29.99, those with a PlayStation Plus Extra / Premium subscription (as well as Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members) can hop in right now for ‘free’.

In case you are unfamiliar, The Rogue Prince of Persia is a highly slick and satisfying 2D side-scrolling rogue-like metroidvania from Evil Empire – the current team working on the equally-as-excellent Dead Cells.

If you’ve not checked out The Rogue Prince of Persia during its Early Access period (or couldn't due to being a console player), now is the best time to give this highly-underrated game a try.

KitGuru says: Are you going to be hopping into The Rogue Prince of Persia? What’s your favourite 2D rogue-like? Were you waiting for the 1.0 release? Let us know down below.

STALKER 2 officially launched on the Xbox Series X|S and PC late last year following plenty of setbacks and delays. While the game did suffer from a number of launch issues, GSC Game World have since made thousands of tweaks and fixes while also introducing a ton of major enhancements. With the game in a much more solid state now, the team have confirmed that STALKER 2 is officially coming to PlayStation 5 this November.

Following official confirmation back in July that STALKER 2 would be coming to the PlayStation 5 “later this year” the team at GSC Game World have now opened pre-orders for the game alongside announcing its PS5 launch date: the 20th of November.

Coincidentally or not, this will mark exactly one year from its initial Xbox / PC launch. In this time, as mentioned, STALKER has received thousands of bug fixes and improvements – with some of the most impactful coming to its A-Life NPC simulation system.

That said, STALKER 2 is set to receive further updates beyond the launch of the PS5, with some of the future enhancements including Unreal Engine 5 upgrades; additional improvements to the A-Life system; enhanced enemy AI and more.

STALKER 2 certainly arrived a bit hot out of the oven, but over the past many months the game has found its way closer to what the developers envisioned. Hopefully this continues further with the PS5 launch and beyond.

KitGuru says: Have you been tracking STALKER 2’s improvements over the year? Were you disappointed with the game’s launch state? Are you looking forward to the new A-Life enhancements? Let us know down below.

Each month, Sony updates its PlayStation Plus Extra / Premium libraries with a number of new and returning titles. Unfortunately, the company also removes games from the service on a monthly basis. With August’s titles now available to download and play, the console maker has announced 8 games which will be departing the service next month.

In going to the last chance to play section on the PlayStation 5’s PS Plus tab, subscribers can find a list of 8 titles which are set to be removed from the service next month (likely mid-September):

• UFC 5
• The Plucky Squire
• Night in the Woods
• Road 96
• Pistol Whip
• Odin Sphere Leifthrasir
• F.I.S.T.: Forged in Shadow Torch
• Dragon's Crown Pro

Compared to last month’s culling (which included the likes of Star Wars Jedi: Survivor and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt), September’s departees shouldn't be a massive blow to the service.

Still, those subscribed to PS Plus should check out The Plucky Squire before it’s removed. Having joined the service as a day-one addition back in 2024, this charming 2D/3D adventure platformer intrigued many with its Link Between Worlds-styled mechanics and vibrant visuals.

Beyond this, Pistol Whip is a high-octane VR rhythm title which feels like a blend between Beat Saber and John Wick. Given the relative lack of VR titles on PlayStation Plus, its removal is disappointing to see.

As mentioned, you still have roughly a month to play and complete these titles before they are unceremoniously removed. In case you missed it, you can find August’s PlayStation Plus Extra additions HERE.

KitGuru says: What do you think of the departees? Should PS Plus Premium include more VR games? Have you tried The Plucky Squire? Let us know down below.

Unlike pretty much all previous console generations, we’ve seen both the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series have their prices raised over the years. In Sony’s case, the console maker bumped up its PS5s a few times across various regions since 2020. Following recent statements made back in May, Sony has now officially raised the cost of buying a PS5 in the US.

Following in the footsteps of other regions, Sony has now officially increased the prices of its consoles in the US, taking to the PlayStation blog to say:

“Similar to many global businesses, we continue to navigate a challenging economic environment. As a result, we’ve made the difficult decision to increase the recommended retail price for PlayStation 5 consoles in the U.S. starting on August 21.”

All three SKUs of the PlayStation 5 will receive a $50 bump, meaning the digital PS5 Slim now costs $499; the Disc version rests at $549 and last but certainly not least, the PS5 Pro will now set you back $749.

As mentioned, most other regions already had their prices increased, with the likes of the UK seeing two separate price hikes – one in 2022 and a second earlier this year.

Of course, the US is in a turbulent spot economically and so the price increase does make some sense. Even so, it remains weird to see a console go up in price half a decade after launch.

KitGuru says: What do you think of the price increase? Will this impact sales? Why is Sony really raising prices? Let us know your thoughts down below.

Dawn of War 4 is being teased at Gamescom, and with a public trailer to get a peek at what it looks like.  We do know it is being designed to…

We are certainly familiar with Thrustmaster here at PC Perspective. I have done more than a few reviews of their products through the years, and it has been very interesting to see…

This Patch Tuesday has been a rough one for Windows users, with numerous issues affecting users that were responsible and updated their OS.  Among other things the updates has broken the…

Phanteks is continuing its mission to make custom liquid cooling more accessible with the announcement of several new additions to its EZ-Fit portfolio. The new lineup includes custom distro plates for its NV-series cases, a versatile reservoir, and a new radiator size, all featuring Phanteks' signature pre-installed, tool-free fittings.

The entire EZ-Fit series is built around a simple but brilliant idea: integrating 16mm Sharkbite-style push-in fittings directly into the components. This design, which works with both soft and rigid tubing, eliminates the often tedious and expensive process of selecting and installing separate compression fittings, dramatically simplifying the build process for newcomers and veterans alike.

Headlining the EZ-Fit water cooling series expansion are the Glacier EZ-Fit distro plates, custom-designed for a perfect fit inside Phanteks' popular NV5 and NV7 chassis. These acrylic plates are designed to be the heart of a clean single/dual-radiator loop, with a mount for a DDC pump. To customise its looks, Phanteks added ARGB lighting that you can modify.

For more flexible builds, Phanteks is also releasing the Glacier EZ-Fit 120RES-DDC, a compact 120x120mm reservoir body (pump not included) that can be mounted directly to any 120mm or 140mm fan position. In addition, it features D-RGB lighting with a diffused aluminium cover. The radiator lineup is also expanding with the new Glacier EZ-Fit 420RAD-30. This new 420mm model joins the existing sizes, offering a slim 30mm profile with an all-copper core that is perfect for modern chassis where space can be tight. Like the other new parts, it comes with the EZ-Fit fittings pre-installed and ready to go.

Most of the new lineup, including the NV5 distro plate, the reservoir, and the 420 mm radiator, is available starting today, August 19th. The custom distro plate for the larger NV7 chassis is set to follow in mid-September.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru says: Are you considering building a custom loop soon? If so, are Phanteks Glacier EZ-Fit components under consideration?

German audio specialist Beyerdynamic is making a splash at Gamescom 2025, expanding its MMX gaming series with two new wireless headsets. The company is debuting the versatile MMX 150 wireless and offering a first look at its new flagship, the MMX 230 wireless, both of which are aimed at the premium end of the gaming audio market.

The MMX 150 wireless is designed for gamers who want a high-quality headset without the usual gamer aesthetics. It features a removable Meta Voice boom microphone, which allows the headset to instantly transform into a stylish pair of over-ear headphones for listening to music on the go. It offers dual-mode connectivity, with a low-latency 2.4 GHz dongle for serious gaming and Bluetooth 5.3 with the LC3 codec for general use, all backed by a 50-hour battery life.

For the higher end, Beyerdynamic is introducing the MMX 230 wireless. This new flagship model is packed with pro-grade features, including Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) to block out distractions and a microphone with Environmental Noise Cancellation (ENC) for crystal-clear comms. Its most unique feature, however, is a swappable battery system, allowing users to hot-swap a fresh battery into the earcup for virtually endless playtime, with each charge lasting up to 60 hours.

Both new headsets are ‘Made in Germany' and feature the high-quality build and comfort Beyerdynamic is known for, including replaceable velour ear cushions and a lightweight design. They are both powered by 40mm dynamic drivers tuned for precise spatial audio. Both new headsets are scheduled to launch in Q4 2025. The MMX 150 Wireless will cost €179, while the flagship MMX 230 Wireless will be priced at €249.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru says: Have you ever had a Beyerdynamic headset? Now that they're betting more in the gaming segment, will you consider getting one?

Back in June, Squanch Games announced High on Life 2, a sequel to one of the best surprise games of 2022. Now a few months later, we have an official release date.

This week , Squanch Games confirmed that High on Life 2 will release on February 13th 2026. The game will still be a day-one release for Xbox Game Pass, and the game will release on PS5 and PC on day-one too.

High on Life 2 promises a bigger sequel, with more whacky and zany characters, with humour that will fit right at home for the Rick and Morty crowd. The big addition to the game this time around is the ability to skateboard, so you can quickly zoom around levels, jumping platforms and grinding rails along the way. The Skateboard can also double as a weapon if you are ever caught in a pinch.

With its new February release date, High on Life 2 will now be competing against games like Resident Evil Requiem.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Did you enjoy High on Life? Will you be jumping back in for the sequel later this year? 

Almost exactly a year ago, Evil Empire and Ubisoft released The Rogue Prince of Persia in early access. Now at Gamescom, Ubisoft has announced that The Rogue Prince of Persia has now officially left Early Access, with Version 1.0 now rolling out to all players on PC. On top of that, the game is now available on consoles for the first time. 

The Rogue Prince of Persia is a 2D side-scrolling game where players take on the role of the titular Prince. The Prince has access to a number of parkour moves, such as wall jumping, wall running, swinging and jumping off poles, as well as access to both ranged and melee weapons. Initially, the game was planned to include a time-rewind mechanic just like in The Sands of Time, but this was later scrapped.

The Rogue Prince of Persia launch-day update adds two new biomes to the game, a new final boss fight and the final story act, so those who have been playing throughout the Early Access period will have lots of new content to explore. Those jumping in for the very first time get the complete experience. The full game is now available on PC, Xbox, PlayStation and Nintendo Switch.

Moving forward, Evil Empire will continue updating The Rogue Prince of Persia to fix up bugs and other issues. However, there are no concrete plans for additional DLC yet. If the full release version takes off like other popular roguelites on the market, then extra DLC is certainly on the table.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Have you tried The Rogue Prince of Persia already? Are you picking it up for the first time now that it has left Early Access? 

Sony is making a push into the high-end PC gaming peripheral market with a whole new range of Inzone products. Co-developed from the ground up with input from the legendary esports organisation Fnatic, the new lineup includes headsets, Sony's first-ever gaming keyboard, an ultra-lightweight mouse, and pro-grade mousepads, all now available.

Starting with the new flagship headset, the Inzone H9 II borrows its driver technology from Sony's critically acclaimed WH-1000XM6 noise-cancelling headphones and features an AI-optimised boom mic, 2.4G wireless connectivity, and up to 30 hours of battery life, all in a sub-260g package. For tournament players who prefer in-ears, Sony is also launching the Inzone E9, a new wired in-ear monitor with a compact design, noise-isolation ear tips, virtual 7.1ch audio, and 360 spatial sound.

Sony's first gaming keyboard is the Inzone KBD-H75, a 75% layout board packed with the latest competitive tech, including an 8000 Hz polling rate, RGB backlighting, and a rapid trigger function. The keyboard is built into a machined aluminium chassis and uses a gasket mount for a premium feel and sound, with a knob for volume and other controls. To go with the keyboard is the Inzone Mouse-A, an ultra-lightweight wireless mouse weighing just 48.4 g. Despite its low weight, it boasts a 90-hour battery life and is packed with high-end features, including optical switches, an 8000 Hz polling rate, and a new proprietary Inzone sensor capable of 30K DPI and 750 IPS.

Additionally, we have the new Fnatic co-designed mousepads: the thicker and textured Inzone Mat-F for control and the slimmer and smoother Inzone Mat-D for speed. Lastly, Sony is also releasing a black variant of the Inzone H3 headset, adding a similarly priced alternative to the white model currently available.

All the new Sony Inzone products are available starting today, with the flagship H9 II headset priced at £300/€350, the Inzone E9 earbuds at £130/€150, the KBD-H75 keyboard at £250/€300, and the Mouse-A at £150/€180. Then we have the two mousepads, with the Mat-D going for £50/€60 and the Mat-F for £90/€100, and the Inzone H3 black variant, costing €100/£90.

KitGuru says: Interested in any of Sony's new peripherals? What do you think of their pricing?

Acer UK has been cutting prices across a range of laptops for back to school season. Ahead of the start of the new term, you can find deals across a wide selection of Windows-based laptops and Chromebooks. One of the biggest discounts comes to the ACER 514 14″ Chromebook Plus, which is now on sale for less than £250 for a limited time.

The Acer 514 Chromebook Plus is powered by an efficient Intel Core 3-N355 processor, coupled with 8GB of LPDDR5X RAM and 128GB eMMC storage. You won't want to download any heavy media files or video games on this thing, but for storing crucial documents and study tools, it offers everything you need. Speaking of study tools, the latest Chromebooks all sport Google AI tools, which can aid in writing, editing images and more.

At the centre of the Acer 514 is a 14-inch Full HD IPS display with an anti-glare mate finish, making it suitable for both bright and dimly lit conditions. For online conferencing, you will find a 1080p webcam built-in with its own privacy shutter, and built-in features to enhance image quality.

As with most Chromebooks, the strongest feature here is the battery life, offering up to 15 hours of use on a single-charge, giving you enough power for a full day of classes.

This Chromebook is now down to £250 through Currys, exclusively in the UK.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Are you planning on picking up a new laptop soon?

Earlier this year, Samsung announced its new flagship PCIe 5.0 SSDs, the 9100 PRO Series. The first units offered 1TB, 2TB and 4TB capacity options but now at long last, the 8TB is now ready to hit the market.

The Samsung 9100 Pro series SSD is designed to deliver next-generation performance and improved power efficiency, making them ideal for everything from gaming and content creation to AI applications. The 8TB variant offers sequential read speeds up to 14,800MB/s and write speeds up to 13,400MB/s. The 8TB model also provides random read and write speeds of up to 2,200K IOPS and 2,600K IOPS, respectively.

Power efficiency is another key focus. Thanks to its 5nm controller, the 9100 Pro SSD consumes less power than previous models. The 9100 Pro with Heatsink promises to take this a step further, adding an extra layer of thermal management for even lower power consumption and improved drive longevity while maintaining a slim profile of just 0.9cm.

The Samsung 9100 PRO 4TB version launched with a $570 price tag, so the 8TB version could well hit the market at $1000.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: How much would you be willing to spend on an 8TB SSD?

Just as expected, the ROG Xbox Ally got its final launch trailer at Gamescom today. The new collaborative handheld gaming system from Asus and Microsoft will begin shipping out in October, the company has confirmed at Gamescom 2025. 

The ROG Xbox Ally is unique due to its exclusive preview version of the new ‘Gaming UI' for Windows 11. Theoretically, this should bring the experience more in-line with the streamlined experience of a Steam Deck, complete with a unified library that combines games from across various PC launchers.

Those who are at Gamescom can get some early hands-on time with the ROG Xbox Ally to see how it performs and get a good feel for the device. Hollow Knight: Silksong is famously one of the demos being offered.

The ROG Xbox Ally will be available in two versions, the standard ROG Xbox Ally and the more powerful ROG Xbox Ally X. The former is powered by a Ryzen Z2A APU with four Zen 2 CPU cores with eight threads and an 8-CU RDNA 2 iGPU. ROG Xbox Ally X has a more powerful Ryzen Z2 Extreme APU with eight Zen 5 CPU cores and a bigger RDNA 3.5 iGPU, making it ideal for running more graphically intensive titles.

Xbox says the standard Xbox Ally is targeting 720p gaming, while the Xbox Ally X is geared towards full 1080p. Both handhelds will be available starting on October 16th.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

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

As they did with the first game, the team at Techland have been continually supporting Dying Light 2 ever since its initial launch back in 2022. Following enhancements to the game’s weapons, graphics, parkour and more, Dying Light 2 is getting another major gameplay-altering update with the ‘Stamina Patch'.

Announcing update 1.24 via their Steam page, the team at Techland officially detailed Dying Light 2’s ‘Stamina Patch’ writing:

“The upcoming patch prioritizes game health, focusing on critical improvements rather than introducing a multitude of new features. Our aim is to enhance overall performance, stability, and player experience, ensuring a smoother and more reliable gameplay environment.”

Even so, this update is perhaps one of the most impactful since the game’s launch a couple years ago, with Dying Light 2’s stamina system receiving a major overhaul.

As of this update, engaging in the game’s parkour will no longer consume any stamina, allowing you to freely roam the rooftops as you please. This means that players should no longer come across any issues in trying to escape from enemies after or during a tough fight.

Of course, stamina as a gameplay mechanic remains, although limited to the likes of swimming, gliding and combat – seeking to “balance exploration and combat, ensuring that players can navigate the environment smoothly while managing their stamina during critical gameplay moments.”

Beyond this, the update introduces a ton of bug fixes alongside some slight tweaks to campaign moments “for a more streamlined story.”

With the upcoming Dying Light: The Beast once again having been delayed, now is as good a time as any to hop back into Dying Light 2 in the wake of all these rather massive updates.

KitGuru says: What are your thoughts on Dying Light 2 in 2025? Is it a better experience than at launch? Should parkour have functioned like this from the start? Let us know down below.