The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D is already the best gaming processor out right now, but AMD is following up with a mid-generation refresh at CES 2026, with the Ryzen 7 9850X3D.

This new gaming processor is virtually the same as the existing 9800X3D, but with a substantial out-of-the-box overclock, with a Max Turbo Boost of 5.6GHz for the 9850X3D, compared to 5.2GHz on the original processor. That's about a 7% boost to clock speeds, which should make this processor hold a decent edge over most other CPUs you'll find in a gaming PC.

The clock speed is about the only thing changing, though. The AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D still has 8 cores and 16 threads and the same 104MB of 3D V-Cache. It also has the same 120W TDP, despite its higher clock speed. So while the 9850X3D will be faster than the 9800X3D, it won't be by enough to convince anyone that already has a 9th-generation Ryzen chip to upgrade.

However, for anyone that hasn't made the upgrade yet, this new processor will be better for gaming than the original, if even just by a little bit. AMD hasn't shared pricing information on this processor yet, though, so it remains to be seen whether or not this chip will be a better value. But with how RAM keeps getting more expensive, I wouldn't hold my breath.

Luckily, even though AMD is essentially replacing the 9800X3D, Team Red will continue to sell the original chip – so even if the 9850X3D is way more expensive, you might be able to get a deal on the slightly slower CPU.

I went ahead and listed out the specs of both the Ryzen 7 9850X3D and the Ryzen 7 9800X3D below.

Jackie Thomas is the Hardware and Buying Guides Editor at IGN and the PC components queen. You can follow her @Jackiecobra

Last year, Intel had the best iGPU on the market. This year, it’s broken that record by over 70% with Panther Lake and it's a huge win for handhelds.

“We’ve overdelivered” is how Intel CEO Lip Bu Tan categorized the Panther Lake launch during the company’s CES 2026 Keynote address, and that really does seem to be the case. But the real highlight of the keynote speech wasn’t the engineering behind Panther Lake, but rather the iGPU and the “handheld ecosystem” Intel is building to capitalize on the iGPU’s performance gains.

Formerly known as the 12 Xe-core variant, the new Intel Arc B390 iGPU offers up to 77% faster gaming performance over Lunar Lake’s Arc 140V graphics chip. Intel’s VP and General Manager of PC Products, Dan Rogers detailed the Arc B390’s performance gains and announced a “whole ecosystem” of gaming handhelds. That ecosystem includes partnerships with MSI, Acer, Microsoft, CPD, Foxconn, and Pegatron. So we’ll finally see more Intel handhelds hit the market.

Panther Lake’s iGPU is Truly Absurd

Back when Intel first unveiled Panther Lake in October, the chip’s gaming performance was touted as 50% better than Lunar Lake, and 40% better performance per watt over Arrow Lake. However, at CES Intel upped that expectation by a significant margin. Not only is Panther Lake’s Arc B390 up to 77% better than Lunar Lake’s Arc 140V iGPU, it’s also 73% better on average than AMD’s Ryzen AI 9 HX 370’s RDNA 3.5 iGPU.

And it’s even 10% better than the RTX 4050 mobile. Sure, the RTX 5050 mobile does have a bit of an edge, but the Arc B390 is further proof that iGPU gaming is punching well-above its weight class.

Combined with Intel’s new XeSS 3 software with 4x multi-frame generation, Panther Lake’s iGPU could very well replace your old, out of date desktop.

A Handheld-Exclusive CPU

Since Intel’s Core Ultra 300 Panther Lake chip is built on Intel’s proprietary 18A Foundry process node, it can be cut in a variety of different die slices.

According to sources at Intel close to the matter, the company is planning a hardware-specific variant or variants of the Panther Lake CPU die. Currently branded as “Intel Core G3” these processors will be custom-built for handhelds. That means Intel can spec the chips to offer better performance on the GPU where you want it, with potential for even better performance than the current Arc B390 expectations.

This is further indication that Intel plans to lean heavily into the handheld gaming PC segment, which Intel first hinted at last year. Combined with the “Handheld Ecosystem” announcement, this is a clear win for gamers.

The Real Winner is Gamers

The Intel Core G3 processors will reap the full benefits of the new Arc B390 iGPU, and Intel handhelds may finally be a real threat to AMD’s handheld leadership.

Intel has had a few handhelds over the last few years, but the first MSI Claw was a notorious flop. The MSI Claw 8 AI+ and MSI Claw 7 AI+ were significant improvements over the previous generation, but they were the only Intel handhelds available on the US market from a major brand. The Tencent Sunday Dragon 3D One was also debuted last year, but it was an experimental design that was never given a full world-wide production launch. A version of that handheld launched as the Abxylute 3D One handheld, though it hardly made an impact on the handheld market due to poor reception.

While Intel had an early lead with the MSI Claw 8 AI+’s Arc 140V iiGPU performance, the Asus ROG Xbox Ally X took the lead back for AMD with the new Ryzen Z2 Extreme which was a major win for the Ryzen Z2 series as a whole. However, the Intel G3 could change things back in Intel’s favor.

With Intel handhelds now being made by MSI and Acer with custom CPUs built just for handhelds, AMD will see some real competition in the gaming space. And whenever AMD and Intel have serious competition, the true winner is gamers who get better performance from their hardware as both companies push each other to better and better heights.

Madeline (She/Her) is a contributing writer at IGN. She’s been writing about comics, tech, and gaming since 2013. Her byline has appeared at sites like Laptop Mag, PCMag, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, CGMagazine, and Bleeding Cool.

USB Type-C has become the standard for charging and data cables alike, so it's good to have extra on hand. Amazon is offering a two-pack of Lisen 6.6ft 240W USB Type-C cables for just $5.60 after you apply coupon code "4CCBGLIF". That averages out to $2.80 per cable. USB-C cables typically go for about $10 each at your local big box store. Use these to charge or sync any device with a USB-C port, including your Nintendo Switch 2, iPhone 16, or even a laptop.

2-Pack of Lisen 6.6ft 240W USB Type-C Cables for $5.60

USB Type-C has become the standard for charging and data cables alike, so it's good to have extra on hand. With this Black Friday deal, here's your chance to get some quality cables at a throwaway price. Amazon is offering a two-pack of Lisen 6.6ft 240W USB Type-C cables for just $5.60 after you apply coupon code "4CCBGLIF". That averages out to $2.80 per cable. USB Type-C cables typically go for about $10 per cable or more at your local big box store. These can charge nearly any device with a USB-C port, including your Nintendo Switch 2, iPhone 16, or even the new M4 MacBook.

2-Pack of Lisen 6.6ft 240W USB Type-C Cables for $5.60

Asus and Xreal have announced the Asus ROG Xreal R1, a new set of XR glasses aimed squarely at gamers. They're PCVR glasses with a 57-degree field of view, auto-tinting lenses and Bose sound built into the glasses temples. And they've got a wild 240Hz refresh rate.

These are effectively a souped-up version of the Xreal One Pro, a set of XR glasses Xreal released last year with the same size Sony Micro-OLED displays with 1080p resolution and the same 57-degree field of view. But 240Hz is double the refresh rate offered with those glasses, and the Xreal R1's 2ms reponse time is a tick faster than the 3ms of the One Pro. Like the One Pro, the R1 can accept video via USB-C, allowing them to show you a virtual display, like from your computer or, say, an Xbox Ally X handheld.

And because the Asus ROG Xreal R1 is a partnership with, well, Asus, each side of the glasses has RGB lighting on the side. You'll be able to control the lighting through an on-screen menu, accessible by buttons on the right temple. Anyone that's fiddled around with monitor settings should be able to take it from there.

But not all of our favorite gaming handhelds let you output video over USB-C all willy-nilly (ahem, Switch 2). If that's the life you're living, the ROG Xreal R1 also comes with the the ROG Control Dock, which features two HDMI 2.0 ports and a single DisplayPort 1.4 port for piping video to the glasses.

This dock essentially operates as a sort of HDMI and DisplayPort switcher, which'll let you swap between different game devices without having to unplug and re-plug the glasses. The dock has a sort of analog stick on the lower left corner, which will select between different inputs, so you can swap devices easily. All of that and the Xreal R1's 91-gram weight – compare that to the hundreds of grams a typical VR headset weighs – could make for a wildly compelling on-the-go virtual display.

You won't need the dock to use the glasses, though. If you're using, say, the Xbox Ally X, you can still connect the ROG Xreal R1 directly to the handheld to get the full experience – 240Hz and all.

Lastly, the glasses feature electrochromatic lenses that can tint automatically – either when you step into bright light or look at your virtual display – or manually. They've also got built in speakers from Bose. Both are features carried over from the Xreal One Pro. Asus has yet to reveal pricing or a specific release date, but we won't have to wait long to learn those details – the company says the glasses will ship in the first half of 2026.

Wes is a freelance writer (Freelance Wes, they call him) who has covered technology, gaming, and entertainment steadily since 2020 at Gizmodo, Tom's Hardware, Hardcore Gamer, and most recently, The Verge. Inside of him there are two wolves: one that thinks it wouldn't be so bad to start collecting game consoles again, and the other who also thinks this, but more strongly.

The Asus ROG Zephyrus Duo is back at CES 2026 with an all-new look. No longer sporting a funky, half-sized touchscreen between the main display and the keyboard, the Zephyrus Duo is now a proper dual-screen gaming laptop. With a built-in second display, the Zephyrus Duo lets you game on one display and keep your team chat or raid strategy up on the second display, without needing any extra hardware.

That alone just might make the new Zephyrus Duo worlds ahead of the old model, which felt more like a proof of concept design than a usable gaming laptop.

From a Quirky Prototype to Something Actually Useful

The Zephyrus Duo was last seen in 2023 and featured an awkwardly-sized touchscreen display below the main panel, and that left the Duo with a truly awkward keyboard layout that pushed the touchpad to the extreme right-hand edge in an odd, vertical configuration. While not the worst dual-screen attempt, the original Zephyrus Duo design felt more like a prototype than a usable multi-screen laptop.

This new Zephyrus Duo design offers two full-sized displays that can be used in a top-bottom dual screen, side-by-side book, traditional laptop, and tent configurations similar to the revamped Asus Zenbook Duo that first hit the shelves in 2024.

Clearly, Asus took the two-year hiatus on the Zephyrus Duo to perfect the new, flexible hinge and wait for the right combination of specs to make a fully dual-screened gaming laptop be a functional, useful addition to the ROG gaming laptop lineup.

New Duo, New Specs

Along with the new design, the new Zephyrus Duo comes with a slight twist to its specs. Previously, the Zephyrus Duo featured a powerful Intel Core i9 HX or AMD Ryzen 9 HX mobile gaming processor, but this new model opts for a more energy-efficient Intel Core Ultra 300-H Panther Lake processor, likely due to weight and cooling constraints. The Intel Core Ultra 200HX and Ryzen 9 900l0HX3D processors are notoriously power-hungry and require additional cooling, while Intel’s Core Ultra 300 Panther Lake chip is designed more for thin and light laptops, so it requires less cooling and lets Asus put more power to the GPU, with up to 135W of total graphics power dedicated to the Zephyrus Duo 2026’s Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 mobile GPU.

The ROG Zephyrus Duo can be configured with up to 2TB of SSD storage and up to 64GB of LPDDR5 RAM, and dual 3K ROG Nebula OLED displays with a refresh rate of 120Hz, a response time of 0.2ms, and a peak HDR brightness of 1,100 nits.

Pricing and Availability

Asus has yet to announce a price or ship date for the new ROG Zephyrus Duo, but it’ll likely arrive within the first half of this year. As for the pricing, if it’s anything like the older models, the new Duo will be a premium investment in the $3,000-$5,000 range.

While that’s a large chunk of change for a laptop, we’ve seen more gaming laptops in that $5,000 range since the RTX 50-series launched last year and it seems that trend will only continue in the 16 and 18-inch desktop replacement segment. But, at least with the Zephyrus Duo, you get two displays for the price.

As cool as gaming PCs are, they pretty much all follow the same kind of formula – a giant metal box with computer parts inside that power computer games. The Asus ROG GM1000, debuting at CES 2026, largely follows this formula too, just with a twist – holographic images projected by the case fans.

Both on the glass side panel and the front of the laptop, the ROG GM1000 has what Asus is calling 'ROG AniMe Holo', which is essentially lights diffused through the fans in a way that lets them project animated holograms. It's not something that comes through super well in still photos, but it looks incredible in person, believe me.

But the hologram is more than just some throwaway GIFs that Asus is providing. When I saw this PC in New York, I was told that users can upload their own GIFs and even MP4 videos to customize it. So, you could have it loop a holographic version of Shark Tale if you really wanted it to.

Beyond the fancy hologram lighting, however, the Asus ROG GM1000 is pretty standard for a high-end gaming PC. It's a huge full tower packing up to an AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 graphics card, the former of which is cooled by a huge 420mm AIO cooler. So, even without the fancy lighting, this would be an expensive gaming PC. It also weighs nearly 90 pounds, so you're going to want to make sure you have someone that can help you lift it onto your desk.

But of course, Asus hasn't shared pricing or the release date for the Asus ROG GM1000. It should make its way out over the next few months, but you should expect it to be quite expensive.

Jackie Thomas is the Hardware and Buying Guides Editor at IGN and the PC components queen. You can follow her @Jackiecobra

If you're seeking the absolute best of the best in PC gaming performance, look no further than Alienware's flagship Area-51 gaming PC equipped with a GeForce RTX 5090 graphics card. To kick off the new year, Dell has discounted the Ryzen Edition model for the first time ever. More specifically, the Alienware Area-51 gaming PC equipped with an AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D CPU and RTX 5090 GPU is available for $5,049.99 shipped after a $550 instant discount.

Alienware Area-51 Ryzen Edition RTX 5090 Gaming PC

The Alienware Area-51 is Dell's flagship gaming PC. Unveiled during last year's CES, the Area-51 is a super-sized upgrade to the mainstream Aurora R16 system. The significantly larger chassis features more premium build quality and a redesigned cooling system with greater net airflow. In fact, this is the only model that Dell feels comfortable enough to equip with the hot and power hungry GeForce RTX 5090 graphics card. The first wave of Area-51 systems featured Intel CPUs exclusively, with AMD X3D options only available since late November.

This particular configuration is equipped with an AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D CPU, GeForce RTX 5090 graphics card, 32GB or DDR5-6400MHz RAM, and a 1TB SSD. Additional system details include a 360mm all-in-one liquid cooling system for the CPU and a massive 1,500W 80Plus Platinum power supply that allows plenty of headroom for future upgrades.

AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D is the best gaming CPU for most people

The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D is considered to be the best gaming processor currently on the market and outperforms any Intel or AMD non-X3D chip in games thanks to AMD's 3D-V-Cache technology.

Although the 9800X3D is an absolute speed demon for gaming, it only has eight cores. If you regularly use your PC for non-gaming applications that benefit from as many cores as possible, then you can upgrade to an AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D 16-core processor, which doubles the core count while offering similar gaming performance, for an additional $300.

The RTX 5090 is the most powerful graphics card ever

The Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 has emerged as the most powerful consumer GPU on the market. Although with this generation Nvidia has prioritized software updates, AI features, and DLSS 4 technology to improve gameplay performance, the 5090 still boasts an impressive 25%-30% uplift over the RTX 4090 in hardware-based raster performance. If you want the absolute best performance for your gaming PC, there is literally no other option from any other brand.

Eric Song is the IGN commerce manager in charge of finding the best gaming and tech deals every day. When Eric isn't hunting for deals for other people at work, he's hunting for deals for himself during his free time.

CES 2026 has brought a tide of new gaming laptops, with MSI updating a portion of their lineup with new Intel Core Ultra Series 3 processors, while all models see design changes. The Taiwanese firm has also taken the chance to simplify its heretofore complex lineup, with all models now sitting within three distinct families - the high-end Raider series, the workhorse Crosshair series and office-friendly Stealth series. MSI has also unveiled a new variant of its Claw A8 AI+ gaming handheld.

High-end gaming laptops: Raider 16 Max HX B2W, Raider 16 HX B2W and Raider A16 HX B9W

MSI's top-drawer Raider laptops are its most powerful gaming and content creation options, with the best-equipped model drawing down a robust 300W of power, split between a 175W RTX 5090 or RTX 5080 graphics card and a 125W Intel Core Ultra 200HX processor. (Intel has yet to announce high performance third-gen Core Ultra processors, so second-gen Core Ultra remains the best choice here for all-out gaming performance.) That kind of power requires hefty cooling, and MSI is pinning their hopes on a three-fan solution with six heat pipes and a phase-change thermal compoun within a relatively thick 26mm chassis.

Inside, MSI has prioritised upgradeability with a bottom panel that can be removed toollessly to upgrade the DDR5 memory or install an SSD into the two available slots, one each for PCIe 5.0 and 4.0. (If current RAM and SSD price trends continue, then opting for a meagre initial setup and upgrading it later when prices are better might be a sensible route forward.)

High-end graphics demand a performant display, and the 16 Max HX B2W can be equipped with a 2560 x 1600 240Hz OLED – a spec that offers a good balance of visual quality and responsiveness without requiring more performance than mobile hardware can provide. An IPS panel with the same resolution and refresh rate is also an option.

The non-Max Raider 16 HX B2W looks a tad more affordable, topping out at an RTX 5080 graphics card with a similar range of Core Ultra 200HX processors and the same OLED and IPS screens offered. It's logical to assume that its total system power is proportionately smaller too, so its identical 90Wh battery ought to last longer than its Max brother. Otherwise, the other difference that flies off the spec sheet is the 24-zone RGB keyboard, versus the per-key RGB SteelSeries keyboard on the Max.

If you prefer AMD processors, the A16 HX B9W is your pick of the lineup, with up to a Ryzen 9 9955HX CPU, up to an RTX 5090 graphics card and the same dual-SSD setup as the Intel-based Raiders. However, only an IPS screen is offered on this variant, so that means no OLED option.

Portability and AI: Stealth 16 AI B3W

The Stealth 16 AI B3W is meant to deliver more of a blend of performance, portability and longevity than its one-sided Raider counterparts, so it's not surprising to find that it's the only MSI gaming laptop to come with a third-gen Intel Core Ultra processor, the Core Ultra 9 386H. Despite measuring a scant 20mm at its thickest point, the machine can still be equipped with up to an RTX 5090 graphics card, backed with the same 16-inch 2560 x 1600 240Hz OLED as the Raider and similar DDR5 RAM counts. However, storage is downgraded from one PCIe 5.0 SSD and one PCIe 4.0 SSD to two PCIe 4.0 SSDs. Still, for a machine that weighs just under two kilograms, the spec sheet still looks performant. That extends to the port report too, with two USB-A ports, two Thunderbolt 4 ports, HDMI 2.1 and gigabit ethernet, a far cry from what you'd find on a MacBook Pro these days.

Value contender: Crosshair 16 Max HX E2W and Crosshair 16 HX E14W

The Crosshair series is the better value option, and the Crosshair 16 Max looks to deliver up to 200W of total system power to a familiar setup: Core Ultra 200HX CPUs and GeForce RTX GPUs. This time, the mid-range RTX 5070 is the top graphics option, but you still get a reasonable 2560 x 1600 OLED screen rated up to 165Hz, dual SSD slots and the option for more DDR5 than you can likely afford, due to the recent DRAM price hikes.

The vanilla Crosshair 16 is instead built around a last-gen Core i9 14900HX processor, but otherwise looks similar with a maximum RTX 5070 graphics card, up to 96GB of DDR5 and dual SSD slots. Another value concession is the screen, with OLED dropped for IPS - albeit at a higher refresh rate of 240Hz and with the same 2560 x 1600 resolution. The Crosshair 16 is also a shade chonkier than its stablemate, measuring 25mm at its thickest point versus 24mm for the Crosshair 16 Max.

New shade: Claw A8 AI+ Glacier Blue Edition

Finally, MSI's gaming announcements conclude with a simple message: the MSI Claw A8 AI+, its Intel-based gaming handheld, is now available in a fetching glacier blue colorway. This handheld has gone against the tide in an AMD-dominated space, but it's still to see a bit of visual diversity in a space that's typically limited to shades of grey.

Will is deputy tech editor for IGN, specialising in PC hardware, sim racing and display tech. He has been publishing about games and technology since 2001 (age 12). Will was formerly Deputy Editor at Digital Foundry. He is currently playing Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.

HP is bringing a fresh slate of high-performance gear to gamers at CES 2026 and is combining two of its biggest brands, HyperX and Omen, in the process. Three new gaming laptops, four monitors, and eight peripherals were announced, including new keyboards, gaming headsets, and a flashy tournament-ready controller. And unlike what we usually see with these announcements, the emphasis isn’t just on seconds of peak performance, it’s about sustained performance.

Bringing Brands Together

HP acquired HyperX in 2021 and it seems that its two biggest brands are finally ready to converge. Its flagship line of gaming laptops have carried the Omen branding for years, but beginning in 2026 with the three laptops announced at the show, it’ll now be known as HyperX Omen.

It’s important to note that this doesn’t mean the two lines won’t still have standalone products. All of the accessories announced at the show remain purely HyperX, while gaming monitors follow the laptop naming convention.

HP seems to be leveraging HyperX’s reputation in the competitive peripheral market to emphasize the performance of its systems. Time will tell if there’s more than marketing here, but the on-paper specs of the new systems are impressive.

Three New HyperX Omen Gaming Laptops

Crowning HP’s lengthy list of new products debuting at the show are three new gaming laptops, the HyperX Omen 15, HyperX Omen 16, and HyperX Omen Max 16. Each scales in performance, weight, and assuredly price (HP hasn’t shared pricing details as of this writing), but all three offer Nvidia GeForce RTX 50-series graphics, higher power limits, improved cooling features, and enhanced durability compared to prior releases.

There are important differences between each, such that you can consider each a representative of its own product tier. The HyperX Omen 15 will be available with an entry-level Nvidia GeForce RTX 5050 and steps up to an RTX 5060 and RTX 5070. The HyperX Omen 16, on the other hand, starts at the RTX 5060 and tops out at the RTX 5070. The HyperX Omen Max 16 is the only option if you want to increase performance any higher, however, with RTX 5070 Ti, RTX 5080, and RTX 5090 options available. Each is also available with Intel or AMD CPUs, so you’re covered whether you prefer Team Red or Team Blue.

It’s not as simple as choosing on the graphics card or processor alone, however, as each model also increases the total power ceiling. Since more wattage usually equates to more performance, the RTX 5070 and CPU combo in the HyperX Omen 15 at 170 watts (W) may not perform as well as the same hardware in the Omen 16, which can reach 200W. The Omen Max 16 raises that all the way to 300W and comes with a massive power brick that can drive 460W.

These new gaming laptops each offer OLED or IPS display options with high refresh rates. The top options for each spec come in at 3K (2,880 x 1,800) resolution, 120Hz for the Omen 15 OLED and 2.5K (2,560 x 1,600), 180Hz for IPS. The Omen 16 bumps that to 2.5K 165Hz OLED and 2.5K 240Hz IPS. The flagship Omen Max 16 ups the ante again with a 240Hz 2.5K OLED option and 3.2K (3,200 x 2,000) 240Hz with an IPS screen.

The Omen 15 and Omen 16 are the first laptops from the brand to offer 8,000 Hz polling on the keyboards, akin to HyperX’s top-tier standalone gaming keyboards. The Omen Max 16 appears to be 1,000 Hz according to documentation shared from the brand but is also claimed to be “up to 4x faster” without explaining what it was measured against.

Each model also features revised cooling solutions, a Fan Cleaner mode that aims to clear dust from its fan blades to promote better airflow, and military-standard durability testing. In combination with the higher power limits, all three aim to maintain higher performance in the moment as well as over time.

Laptops are slated to release in “early 2026.”

Four New Displays with Select HyperX ProLuma Calibration

Four new gaming monitors were also unveiled with a similar “performance tier” structure . All four promise high refresh rates and excellent, accurate picture quality. The trend toward OLED is still going strong, with three of the four featuring Quantum Dot-enhanced OLED panels and only the entry-level offering featuring an IPS screen.

That’s the HyperX Omen 24 G2. It’s a 23.8-inch 1080p monitor with a 180Hz refresh rate. It sports two HDMI 2.1 ports and a single DisplayPort 1.4 input and is rated to have a factory calibration with an average Delta E <2, generally considered the standard for creative work.

Stepping up from the are the HyperX Omen OLED 27q and HyperX Omen OLED 27qs, two 1440p QD-OLED displays with rapid refresh rates suited for esports. The 27q is the next step up from the G2 with a 240Hz refresh rate and matching Delta E <2 factory calibration. The 27qs, on the other hand, skyrockets the refresh up to 500Hz, increasing motion clarity and enhancing responsiveness. It also adds an RGB ring along the back of the screen and a USB hub for peripherals and dongles. It’s also the first in this line-up to debut HyperX ProLuma factory calibration, which promises color accuracy of Delta E <1, making it suitable for professional creative work.

The final display unveiled at CES was the HyperX Omen OLED 34, a 34-inch ultrawide gaming monitor with a 360Hz refresh rate. It comes with a resolution of 3,440 x 1,400 (the ultrawide equivalent of 1440p) and a comparatively gentle 1800R curvature. Like the OLED 27qs, it also features HyperX ProLuma calibration for <1 accuracy and includes an integrated USB hub.

Keyboards, Headsets, and a High Performance Arcade Controller

Rounding out HP’s CES gaming announcements is a slate of peripherals that lean into competitive performance. Four new keyboards, three new headsets, and a competition-grade arcade controller were revealed.

For keyboards, HyperX continues to balance comfy typing and performance gaming with pleasant acoustics and customizable aesthetics. Three new entries to the Origins 2 line-up were shown, including the Origins 2 65, Origins 2 Pro 65, and the Origins 2 1800. The Origins 2 65 and Origins 2 1800 are both mechanical keyboards that offer 8,000 Hz polling, hot-swappable switches, changeable housings in black, navy, pink, and white, and bouncy o-ring mounting for cushioned keystrokes. The Origins 2 Pro 65 is the magnetic switch variant and offers adjustable actuation points and rapid trigger support through HyperX’s NGenuity software.

While the audio front is less exciting, with the HyperX Cloud Earbuds III and III S being fairly simple wired earbuds (analog and USB-C respectively), HyperX teased an upcoming collaboration with Neurable for an over-ear gaming headset. We looked at Neurable’s tech in the Master & Dynamic MW75 Neuro and were impressed with its ability to actually monitor brain activity through the ear cushions. HyperX’s headset features similar ear cushions with integrated EEG sensors, and though HP hasn’t revealed much more than that at the time of publication, how this might apply to gaming is interesting.

The HyperX Clutch Tachi is a high-spec, lightning fast arcade controller designed for competition. There are no sticks on the Clutch Tachi, but twelve buttons backed with TMR sensors and magnetic switches. According to HyperX, it’s the first arcade controller to leverage TMR technology, which offers even higher resolution than Hall Effect magnetic switches taking over PC gaming keyboards right now. It resolves down to 0.25mm with a 0.1ms response time. The controller is supported by a solid chassis with tournament standard features like customizable button mapping and multiple SOCD modes as well as an integrated wrist rest and metal construction to ensure comfort and stability throughout matches.

HP was out to impress with this line-up and offered a good mix of subtle iteration and meaningful advancements. No release dates or pricing were revealed but all products are expected to release in 2026. Stay tuned for our thoughts as we go hands-on with this gear and share even more of what CES has in store.

Christopher Coke has been a regular contributor to IGN since 2019 and has been covering games and technology since 2013. He has covered tech ranging from gaming controllers to graphics cards, gaming chairs and gaming monitors, headphones, IEMs, and more for sites such as MMORPG.com, Tom’s Hardware, Popular Science, USA Today’s Reviewed, and Popular Mechanics. Find Chris on Twitter @gamebynight.

If you're anything like me, you've been in countless situations where your raid leader is yelling at you to "focus up" and "pay attention". It's something I've always struggled with, but at CES 2026, Neurable and HyperX have a concept gaming headset that might go some ways towards fixing that problem.

The gaming headset itself doesn't really have a name yet, given that it's still in its alpha phase, but what it has sensors in the earpads that can read your brainwaves, to track things like stress levels, focus and cognitive load. And what you're able to do with that data is where the actual potential is.

Brain-Powered Gaming

When I tried on this prototype headset in Las Vegas, Neurable CEO Ramses Alcaide and Research Scientist Dr. Alicia Howell-Munson had me do a run on Human Benchmark's Aim Trainer to get a baseline reading of my response time. I got a score of around 605ms – I never said I was good at shooters. But after that first run, they opened up a program that projected a bunch of dots rotating in a pattern that somehow represented my brain.

The goal, really, was to condense the dots down into a small focused circle by relaxing and hard-focusing on something, to essentially clear out my head. I sat back in the chair, took a deep breath and focused. And, well, I didn't quite get to the "pure focus" point that's intended. After all, it's CES, it's kind of hard to focus on any one thing right now.

But I did succeed in making the brain-dot-galaxy-thing smaller, which I'll take as a small win. Then, after going through that process I was told to take the Aim Trainer test again, where I ended up with a slightly better score of 559ms. That's an 8% improvement – not the best, but again, this wasn't in the most ideal environment.

How Does It Work?

Traditionally, EEG sensors that track your brain waves have been these big, bulky, science fiction looking things, that you'd typically find in a hospital or laboratory. But over the last 14 years, Neurable has been working on a way to shrink that technology down to something that can be worked into headphones. This gaming headset isn't the first time Neurable has done this, either. In 2024, the company teamed up with Master & Dynamic to make the MW75 Neuro LT, traditional headphones with the same EEG technology.

Those headphones were focused more on improving productivity, but the core concept is similar. Sensors in the earpads pick up EEG signals from your brain, which you can use to train yourself to focus better.

Usually, just having some sensors in the earpads wouldn't be enough to pick up signals from all over your brain, and this Neurable headset is no different. Instead, it picks up the signals it can read from the sides of your head and uses an AI algorithm to infer activity elsewhere in your brain. It's imperfect and probably not medically accurate, but for the purpose of training yourself to focus, it's a good place to start.

Neither Neurable nor HyperX has announced anything close to a release date, price or even whether or not this will actually make it to market. But if there's a headset that can help me focus after three hours of progression raiding, I'm at least interested.

Jackie Thomas is the Hardware and Buying Guides Editor at IGN and the PC components queen. You can follow her @Jackiecobra