To our surprise, CES came and went without a roll out of Intel's upcoming Arrow Lake Refresh processors that it's hinted about in recent months, though on hindsight it's probably because it wanted Panther Lake to have the spotlight all to itself. Nevertheless, we're one day closer to an Arrow Lake Refresh launch, and also another leaked benchmark March 2026 marks the 10th anniversary of Ubisoft’s The Division franchise, and while it failed to meet expectations in some ways, the series still found a dedicated audience who enjoyed the game’s mix of realistic aesthetics with RPG mechanics. For those who wished that The Division was a more hardcore shooter however, Ubisoft have announced a surprise update coming to The Division 2 in a few months – with the new Realism mode offering a more classic shooter experience.
Set to launch in March alongside the franchise’s 10th anniversary, The Division 2’s Realism mode will be available to all those who own the Warlords of New York Expansion. Unlike the traditional Division experience, this new realism mode removes all XP and levelling, instead focusing on horizontal progression.
Alongside this, the mode is said to reduce HUD elements including the removal of the map and hitmarkers. Additionally, all weapons and gear have been rebalanced, with player health also being reworked so that limb shots are far less effective when compared to headshots – an important feature given that ammo drops have now been reduced.
For many, this realism mode represents what fans wanted from The Division in the first place and so it is encouraging to see Ubisoft addressing this side of the audience. Unfortunately, the realism mode will be a limited-time affair, only going on for the duration of the franchise’s anniversary.
That said, assuming the mode is a success, hopefully Ubisoft are able to learn from this mode, and possibly implement it into the currently-in-development Division 3.
KitGuru says: What do you think of this new mode? Should The Division have always played like this? Is it too little too late? Let us know down below.
The post The Division 2 gets surprise Realism Mode to celebrate franchise’s 10th anniversary first appeared on KitGuru.Ahead of Resident Evil Requiem’s much-anticipated launch on the 27th of February, Capcom has been slowly but surely teasing out new bits of information regarding the upcoming sequel – with the publisher confirming that they would be hosting a dedicated RE showcase in early 2026. With Resident Evil Requiem a little over one month away now, Capcom has confirmed that the showcase will go live this Thursday, the 15th of January.
Making the announcement via a brief teaser trailer, Capcom confirmed that they will be hosting a Resident Evil Showcase on Thursday the 15th of January at 2PM PT (10PM UK time).
While very little was offered in the way of details (aside from confirmation that the showcase will focus on the upcoming Requiem) the brief trailer did tease the fact that players will now be able to aim down sights with their weapons when playing in first person – a welcome change when compared to previous entries.
Regardless, Resident Evil Requiem looks set to be one of the best entries in the series yet, both in terms of game mechanics but also narrative and so it will be exciting to see what else Capcom is planning to show off during the showcase.
KitGuru says: Are you excited for Resident Evil Requiem? What do you think of the changes to first person shooting? Will it take away from some of the horror vibes? Let us know your thoughts down below.
The post Capcom announces Resident Evil Showcase, going live this week first appeared on KitGuru.AMD appears to be preparing to expand its professional desktop portfolio, bringing its 3D V-Cache technology to the enterprise market for the first time. A new shipping manifest has revealed the Ryzen 9 Pro 9965X3D, a 16-core CPU with a 170W TDP.
The leak, spotted initially by hardware sleuth @Olrak29_ (via VideoCardz), identifies the processor under the product ID 100-000001999. According to the manifest, the chip is a 16-core, 32-thread part with a 170W TDP. This power envelope is particularly notable, as it aligns the Pro model with the Ryzen 9 9950X3D, rather than the more conservative, power-limited SKUs typically found in the series. The “9965” naming convention follows AMD's established pattern of using slightly higher model numbers for its professional-grade chips to distinguish them from their consumer counterparts while maintaining the same underlying Zen 5 architecture.
The database entry marks the processor as being in the Design Validation Testing (DVT) phase. This suggests the silicon is well past the initial Engineering Validation (EVT) stage and is currently undergoing stability and compatibility testing to meet reliability standards. While DVT is a late-stage development milestone, it precedes the final Production Process Validation (PVT), indicating that while a launch is likely, the final release window may still be several months away.
The primary appeal of a Pro X3D chip lies in the intersection of high-capacity L3 cache and business-critical security. While the manifest doesn't explicitly confirm the cache size, we assume it will feature 144 MB of L3, matching the consumer 9950X3D. For professional workloads, this massive cache could provide substantial performance uplifts in latency-sensitive applications. Moreover, the Pro designation confirms the inclusion of the AMD Pro Security stack, including Secure Processor, Shadow Stack, Microsoft Pluton Security, Memory Guard and Platform Secure Boot.
Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.
KitGuru says: The existence of a Ryzen 9 Pro 9965X3D suggests that AMD has recognised a growing demand for X3D technology outside of the gaming sphere. For engineers and developers who require the extra cache for specialised software but also need the IT manageability and security of the Pro platform, this chip can offer the best-of-both-worlds.
The post 16-core AMD Ryzen 9 Pro 9965X3D shows up in shipping manifest first appeared on KitGuru.Pocketpair is continuing to invest in the Palworld IP, officially announcing the Palworld Official Card Game at the “Bushiroad New Year Grand Presentation 2026”. Developed in partnership with Bushiroad, the studio behind Cardfight!! Vanguard and Weiß Schwarz, the game aims to translate the survival-crafting loop of the digital hit into a competitive tabletop format. Scheduled for a global launch on July 30th, the TCG marks a step toward establishing Palworld as a multimedia franchise, even as legal battles with Nintendo continue in the background.
The Palworld Official Card Game is designed as a head-to-head, two-player competitive experience. Unlike traditional creature battlers that focus solely on combat, this TCG incorporates the core pillars of the video game: base building and resource management. Players will deploy Pals not just to attack and defend, but to gather the resources necessary to expand their “fortress”. The ultimate goal is to leverage Pals' traits and technological upgrades to overrun the opponent's base. A teaser for this new card game has already been released and is available below via YouTube:
Bushiroad has confirmed that the launch will include starter decks and booster packs, with a full ruleset reveal expected at the Card Game Festival 2026 in Tokyo this May.
With nearly 200 Pals already in the digital game's roster, the TCG has plenty of content for future expansions, including the elemental variations and “Lucky” Pals familiar to veteran players.
Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.
KitGuru says: Partnering with Bushiroad ensures the Palworld TCG has a solid foundation, but the real test will be whether the base-building mechanics feel good in a card game.
The post Palworld branches into tabletop with official card game first appeared on KitGuru.The “AI tax” on PC hardware is spreading beyond silicon. After the cost increase for RAM and SSDs, the industry is now bracing for a significant price hike in other fundamental parts of a build: power supplies and cooling solutions. According to a warning issued by Guangzhou Xinhong Zhengdian Electronic Technology, a leading Chinese electronics firm, the surging cost of raw materials, specifically copper, silver, and tin, is forcing an immediate adjustment across the supply chain.
According to the letter shared by MyDrivers (via NotebookCheck), these increases are a direct side effect of the global AI infrastructure boom. While memory makers are busy reallocating wafer capacity to HBM, the construction of massive AI data centres has sent the price of industrial minerals to historic highs. Copper, the primary conductor in PSU transformers and cooler heatpipes, reportedly broke through the $13,000/tonne barrier in early January. Combined with surging silver and tin prices, manufacturers are no longer able to absorb the ballooning production costs.
As such, PSUs will see a 6% to 10% increase, while CPU coolers are slated for a 6% to 8% jump. Upstream suppliers reportedly stopped accepting orders at previous price points as of January 6th, meaning that any stock currently entering the channel is already being calculated at the new and higher rates.
Perhaps more concerning for the average consumer is the impending “promotional purge”. The notice from Guangzhou Xinhong Zhengdian states that all current promotional pricing and vendor discounts will terminate on February 1st. After this date, over 90% of products in these categories are expected to revert to a higher “standard” MSRP, with some products also subject to additional per-item surcharges. This creates a narrow window for builders to secure current inventory before the 2026 pricing baseline resets across the board.
Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.
KitGuru says: We've already seen the impact of the AI boom on the high-end GPU and memory markets, but seeing it trickle down into copper-heavy components like PSUs and air coolers is a grim sign for the 2026 DIY market.
The post PSUs and CPU coolers could be the next victims of the AI boom first appeared on KitGuru.Microsoft's strategy to bring its established first-party library to competing hardware appears to be working. While Forza Horizon 5 originally served as a flagship showcase for the Xbox Series X|S and Windows back in late 2021, its eventual arrival on the PlayStation 5 in April 2025 has proven that the appetite for high-quality arcade racers remains high across all ecosystems.
According to data shared by Rhys Elliott (via Eurogamer), Forza Horizon 5 has officially surpassed five million copies sold on the PlayStation 5. This performance is particularly noteworthy given its age at the time of its port. Moving five million units of a late 2021 game certainly suggests that the Forza brand has resonated with the PlayStation audience.
Moreover, Elliott reports that the PlayStation 5 version has generated approximately $300 million (£223 million) in revenue to date. This figure reinforces the narrative that Microsoft's multi-platform pivot might be pretty lucrative. The port's success was foreshadowed as early as July last year, when Alinea Analytics noted that the game had become the top-selling new release on PlayStation 5 in 2025, and that sales momentum has clearly persisted into the current year.
This commercial success sets a strong precedent for the franchise's future. Playground Games is currently working on the next instalment in the series, which is scheduled to arrive on Windows and Xbox Series X|S in 2026. While a PlayStation 5 version of the upcoming sequel is confirmed to be in development, no specific release window has been announced yet. Given the significant revenue generated by the current port, it is highly probable that the gap between the Xbox and PlayStation release dates for the next title will be narrower than what we saw with this generation.
Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.
KitGuru says: Have you played Forza Horizon on the PS5? Do you think Xbox should consider launching Forza Horizon 6 for all platforms simultaneously?
The post Forza Horizon 5 crosses 5 million sales on PlayStation 5 first appeared on KitGuru.
Microsoft is committed to transforming Windows into an AI native operating system, even if a significant portion of its user base hasn’t fully bought into the idea. It’s next move looks to fully integrate its Copilot assistant into File Explorer, according to a few resourceful users who have gone digging into a recent Windows 11 preview build.
Copilot 
Well, well, well. It turns out AMD does have another Ryzen 9000X3D processor on the way besides the one it didn't announce at its CES 2025 keynote. "Yeah Zak," you're thinking. "It's the Ryzen 9 9950X3D2." That chip is probably still on the way, but it's not the topic of today's post. Instead, we're looking at something Mr. Gray spotted over Welcome to 2026 where PSUs that provide over two kilowatts of power are no longer rare. There are several models to choose from, including the Prime PX-2200 from Seasonic. It sports a…
If you were looking for interesting technology at CES 2026, your best bet was to keep an eye on companies showing off new monitors. The release of RGB-stripe OLED monitors from…
Detroit: Become Human is the latest game from French studio Quantic Dream. Released back in 2018 for PS4 (and PC one year later), the story-focused title saw a mixed reception, with many loving it and others not so much. Despite this, the game has gone on to be a big success for the studio. While fans continue to wait for the studio’s Star Wars Eclipse, Detroit: Become Human has quietly been selling millions more copies – with the title having now surpassed 15 million units sold.
Making the announcement via LinkedIn, the official Quantic Dream page wrote: “We are proud to announce that Detroit: Become Human has surpassed 15 million units sold worldwide;” confirming that the title is now “Quantic Dream’s best-selling game to date.”
For context, Detroit: Become Human reached 8 million copies sold back in January of 2023. This then rose to 9 million by December of the same year – with the game hitting the 10 million mark in October of 2024. Finally, the most recent figures put the game at 11 million copies sold as of February 2025 – meaning it sold a further 4 million copies in less than a year.
Given the game’s relatively mixed reception, it is interesting to see Detroit: Become Human continuing to sell this well so many years later. That said, considering the fact that we are still waiting for the next project from Quantic Dream to be released, it is fortunate for them that the now 7 year old title is continuing to find millions of new players.
Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.
KitGuru says: What do you think of Detroit: Become Human? Are you surprised by its continued success? How many more years do you think we’ll have to wait for Star Wars Eclipse? Let us know down below.
The post Detroit: Become Human hits new milestone with 15 million copies sold first appeared on KitGuru.
The rumor mill is spinning once again, and if what we've heard is true, we could soon see a pricing increase of 6-10% for CPU coolers and power supplies. While this thankfully isn't in the same ballpark as the ongoing RAM crisis or developing NAND shortage, it's still not great news if it proves true. That's still a huge if, though, since Apple's open-source on-device AI model instantly turns images into scenes, and Vision Pro owners can try it out in the app Splat Studio.
Since visionOS 26, Apple's own Photos app has included a one-click feature to almost instantly turn any image into a 'Spatial Scene'. It's essentially a volumetric photo with a limited area of viewing freedom, which you can slightly lean around to "peak" into.
Meanwhile, over the past year or so multiple open-source and proprietary AI systems emerged that can go much further, turning a photo into a scene that you can freely explore, even walk around. For example, Marble lets you do this in your headset's web browser and explore the scene in WebXR.
UploadVRDavid Heaney
Marble is a computationally expensive server-side model, however, that takes minutes to produce its result. And that's what makes Apple's SHARP particularly interesting.
SHARP runs on typical consumer devices, with general CPU support as well as Nvidia CUDA and Apple Silicon Metal hardware acceleration, taking less than a second to complete on most hardware.
In a rare move from Apple, SHARP is free and open-source, with the code available on GitHub. You can easily download and run it on a Mac, for example.
As with almost all of the remarkable advancements in 3D reconstruction over the past few years, it generates a Gaussian splat, fitting millions of semitransparent colored blobs (Gaussians) in 3D space so that arbitrary viewpoints can be rendered realistically in real-time. You receive the result as a .ply file that can be rendered in any standard 3DGS viewer.
For Apple Vision Pro owners, Portugal-based developer Rob Matwiejczyk built a visionOS app that integrates Apple's SHARP model into an easy-to-use graphical interface and eliminates the need to use a Mac or PC.
UploadVR testing out Splat Studio, the visionOS app powered by Apple's SHARP.
Called Splat Studio, the app is available for free on the App Store, and runs entirely on-device. Just choose any image from your Photos library and it instantly gets turned into a 3D scene floating in front of you, which you can rotate, move, and scale with your hands.
I tested Splat Studio on the M5 Apple Vision Pro, using the same Steam Dev Days 2014 VR room I used to test Marble. For comparison, I also turned the same image into a Spatial Scene in the visionOS 26 Photos app. You can see footage of the Splat Studio result above, and of the Spatial Scene below.
The Splat Studio app turned the image into a scene in around 20 seconds, compared to the near-instant result of Apple's Photos app, but it's unclear how much of this is truly due to the SHARP model compared to any overhead the Splat Studio app may add.
The Spatial Scenes feature of Apple Photos in visionOS 26, for comparison.
As for the result, while the Apple Photos Spatial Scene lets you peer into the scene, the degree to which you can move in each direction is relatively limited. Meanwhile, the SHARP result in Splat Studio lets you freely move around the scene. The tradeoff, as with many generative AI results, is some detail loss, as well as hallucinated details the further you go from the original perspective of the image.
One of the biggest video game successes in recent years has been Larian Studios’ Baldur’s Gate 3. Released back in 2023, the RPG took the industry by storm, winning countless awards and selling over 20 million copies. With the Switch 2 launching last year, many have been hoping to see the RPG come to Nintendo’s platform at some point. Unfortunately, Larian have given a seemingly definitive answer.
As part of a recent AMA conducted by Larian Studios on Reddit, roughly a dozen developers from the studio were present to answer fan questions regarding Baldur’s Gate, Divinity or whatever else came to mind.
Responding to one user who asked “Baldur’s Gate 3 for Switch 2? Is it even possible?” Larain’s CEO Swen Vincke offered some disappointing yet interesting details, stating: “We would have loved to but it’s (sic) wasn’t our decision to make.”
Though we unfortunately did not get any further details, Vincke’s wording seems to suggest that the decision to not make a Switch 2 port came from higher-up the ladder – namely the D&D IP owners Wizards of the Coast / Hasbro.
Of course, that’s not to say that a port for Switch 2 could never happen. After all, money talks and assuming the IP owners think that a port of BG3 would make them more money then it could still materialise down the line – perhaps when the Switch 2 has further matured.
We will have to wait and see, but don’t expect Baldur’s Gate 3 to come to the Switch any time soon…if ever.
Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.
KitGuru says: Are you disappointed by this confirmation? Would the Switch 2 be able to handle BG3? Why do you think Hasbro / WotC said no? Let us know down below.
The post Larian confirms Baldur’s Gate 3 won’t be coming to Switch 2 first appeared on KitGuru.Following some slight teasers, Microsoft officially confirmed that they would be hosting their annual Xbox Developer Direct Showcase this month – with the stream set to go live on the 22nd of January. Said to focus on Forza Horizon 6, GameFreak’s Beast of Reincarnation and the highly-anticipated Fable reboot, the latter is reportedly planned to launch day-one on PS5 according to insiders.
In the lead-up to 2026’s Xbox Developer Direct, known industry insider Andy Robinson of VGC offered some early details on the upcoming showcase, claiming that the long-awaitied Fable will be announced as a day-one release for PS5 alongside its expected Xbox launch – stating:
“Fable is day and date (on PS5), that's what I've been told[…] I know they have been targeting PS5 for a while.”
Given that Forza Horizon 5 was only ported to PS5 relatively recently, there was not much of an expectation that its sequel would arrive day-and-date with the Xbox release. Even so, Robinson offered some additional details on this matter, claiming: “As for Forza the explanation I was told by someone who was there was it just wasn't ready.”
Between Forza and Fable, having the latter as a day-one release makes the most sense, not only due to the fact that Horizon 5 is still relatively new to the PS5 platform, but also due to the upcoming RPG likely needing as much help as it can get sales-wise (especially compared to Forza).
Regardless, we should hopefully learn all about these two upcoming titles when the Xbox Developer Direct goes live on the 22nd of January.
Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.
KitGuru says: Are you looking forward to the Direct? Which of the confirmed games are you most excited to learn more about? Would you rather Fable or Forza launch day-one across multiple platforms? Let us know down below.
The post Fable reportedly launching day-one on PS5 according to insider first appeared on KitGuru.
Connexion