Intel's Bartlett Lake-S isn't a new architecture, but it has yet to be released for something available to the general public. While the architecture had been rumoured for several months prior, Intel clarified that, despite being part of the Core 200 series, Bartlett Lake-S is specifically designed for networking and edge computing applications, but now, new chips based on this architecture may become available to regular consumers for the first time. 

Early leaks of this architecture hinted at the possibility of a variant without E-cores, which has captured the attention of some. The prospect of a pure P-Core variant, potentially featuring 12x P-Cores instead of the 8x found in 14th-generation CPUs, has generated significant interest. This idea has resurfaced, suggesting it might not be entirely off the table.

The Core i7 251E represents the current top-tier offering within the Bartlett Lake-S series, featuring a 24-core configuration (8P + 16E). But this may not be the full extent of the lineup. Overclocker Toppc (via HXL), known for his close ties to MSI, recently shared a screenshot from the AIDA64 changelog, explicitly referencing Bartlett Lake-S. While Toppc refrained from providing additional information, sharing the patch notes fueled speculation that the platform might extend beyond its initial OEM and industrial focus.

The same AIDA64 version also included preliminary support for Wildcat Lake, a low-power mobile CPU architecture set to launch later this year alongside Panther Lake. While unrelated, this adds to the intrigue surrounding Intel's current development efforts. The full patch notes of the AIDA 7.65.7404 beta can be found below:

• preliminary support for Intel Wildcat Lake CPU
• improved support for Intel Bartlett Lake-S CPU
• improved motherboard specific sensor info for ASRock boards
• fixed: CPU clock measurement for Zhaoxin KX-7000
• fixed: GPU bus type and bus current mode detection for AMD Vega, Navi
• fixed: workaround for Samsung 9100 Pro SSD (with FW 0B2QNXH7) temperature #2 mixup issue
• fixed: Motherboard / SPD / removal of unnecessary memory timing levels

Intel may be pressured to innovate and offer compelling options for the LGA1700 platform, especially as AMD continues to support its ageing AM4 socket with new SKUs. AMD is approaching its ninth year of supporting the AM4 socket, starkly contrasting with Intel's typical three- to four-year platform cycles.

KitGuru says: Will we see Intel Bartlett Lake-S consumer CPUs? How do you think they'll compare to the Core Ultra 200 series?

The post Intel Bartlett Lake-S CPUs might be hitting the consumer market first appeared on KitGuru.

Steam has grown from strength to strength since launching in the mid 2000s, building up a hugely loyal userbase along the way, as evidenced by Epic Games' struggles to compete with Steam to this day, despite sinking millions into exclusivity deals. As it turns out, the Steam app has a hidden support page – one that will reveal the exact amount you've spent on games since creating your account. 

My personal Steam account is approaching 20 years old at this point and over that time, I've purchased around 800 games, a number inflated by things like the Humble Bundle. On top of game purchases though, I've also bought a number of DLCs and occasionally, I've paid out for subscriptions and microtransactions for certain titles like Final Fantasy 14 and Counter-Strike 2.

There have been third-party tools that you can use to get an estimate of the value of your Steam library for years, but this is the first time we've been able to get a Total Spend figure straight from Valve.

If you are curious to see how much you've spent on Steam over the lifetime of your account, you can find the hidden support page by heading into Steam, clicking the “Help” button, from there go to Steam Support > My Account > Data related to your Steam account > External funds used.

KitGuru Says: Have you taken a look at your account's Total Spend? Is the figure higher or lower than you were expecting? 

The post Hidden Steam Support page lets you see your lifetime spend on games first appeared on KitGuru.

DOOM: The Dark Ages is just weeks away from release and in the run-up, Microsoft has revealed a new set of special edition controllers. There are two new DOOM themed Xbox game pads hitting the market, and they both look fantastic. 

This is a Limited-Edition Collection, but unlike some other special edition gamepads from Xbox, like last year's Deadpool controller, you won't have to enter a sweepstakes to get hold of one. Both the standard DOOM Edition Xbox Wireless Controller and the Xbox Elite Series 2 DOOM Edition controller will be available to purchase until stocks run out.

The standard edition Doom controller will cost £74.99, with a green Doom Slayer Armour aesthetic, while the Elite Series 2 version will cost £199.99 and has a demonic red makeover. Both look great but honestly, the Doom Slayer armour on the cheaper controller looks so much more iconic in my opinion. If I were to buy one of them, it would be the cheaper green one.

Buying one of these limited-edition controllers will also net you an exclusive Doom Slayer Executioner skin for the upcoming game, Doom: The Dark Ages.

If you'd rather give your Xbox console a new look, there is also a DOOM: The Dark Ages Xbox Series X wrap available for £54.99.

KitGuru Says: Are you looking forward to DOOM: The Dark Ages? What do you think of the new limited edition controllers? 

The post The new DOOM edition Xbox controllers are very tempting first appeared on KitGuru.

AMD is hard at work on improving its position in the booming AI market. Recently, AMD acquired ZT Systems in an effort to bolster its datacentre and AI efforts. Now, the company has launched a joint engineering partnership with Stability AI to create new models optimised for AMD hardware, improving performance by as much as 4.3x.

Amuse 3.0 is the first AI model to come out of this joint partnership. This AI model is AMD-optimised, so in conjunction with an upcoming driver, AMD users will be able to use this tool for Video diffusion, Video Restyle and over 100 new Stable Diffusion family image models. These are locally run AI tools, helpful for creators looking to speed up their workflow. With Amuse 3.0 and the new AMD driver, users can expect significant improvements of up to 4.3x using these tools locally on AMD hardware.

For those who don't know, Amuse is a Windows PC application that lets you generate, modify and draw images with AI support. It is free to download and supports AMD XDNA Super Resolution too. To take full advantage, you'll need AMD Driver version 24.30.31.05 or higher.

You can download Amuse AI for free, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Are any of you experimenting with running AI tools locally? What do you use it for? In my personal experience, I've found AI tools to be incredibly useful for quick transcripts, something that comes in handy when events like CES and Computex roll around. Speaking of Computex, this year's event is just around the corner, and we'll have plenty of coverage as always. 

The post AMD partners with Stability AI for faster, AMD-optimised AI models first appeared on KitGuru.

Acer is giving UK gamers an exclusive monitor offer for anyone looking to make an upgrade. Until the end of June, UK buyers of Predator or Nitro gaming monitors will also get a complimentary accessories bundle worth £99, including a high-performance gaming mouse and a new mouse mat. 

Acer Predator gaming monitors are on the higher-end side with features like 240Hz+ refresh rates, OLED panel options and resolutions up to 4K UHD. Acer Nitro monitors are value-oriented, offering Fast IPS panels, up to QHD or UWQHD resolutions and high refresh rates up to 240Hz.

Qualifying monitors for the £99 accessories bundle include:

• Nitro Series: XV242F (240Hz), XV345CURV (UltraWide 144Hz), XZ340CU (Curved 144Hz)
• Predator Series: X27U (OLED 240Hz), X32X (MiniLED 165Hz), Z57 (Dual UHD 120Hz), SpatialLabs PSV27-2 (Glasses-Free 3D)

Participating UK retailers include the likes of SCAN, Ebuyer, Laptops Direct, Box, OCUK and more. After purchasing a qualifying monitor, you can go to Acer's monitor offers landing page, HERE, and go through the steps to claim your bundle. If you share a review of your monitor, Acer will sweeten the deal with a £10 Love2Shop voucher.

The offer ends on June 30th, so you have until then to make a redemption and claim your freebies.

KitGuru Says: Are any of you currently shopping around for a new gaming monitor? Are you considering an Acer Nitro or Predator model? 

The post Acer is giving away a £99 accessory bundle to UK gaming monitor buyers first appeared on KitGuru.

For months, we've been hearing rumours about the Oblivion remake. This week, an update to the Virtuos website revealed several screenshots of the game to the public. Now, Xbox Support is also leaking the game ahead of its announcement. 

X user ‘Raven' messaged the official Xbox Support account, asking if The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered will be available for cloud gaming. After inputting that question, the support account replied by stating that the game is “set to release on April 21st 2025”, adding that it is “confirmed to be a day-one launch title on Xbox Game Pass”.

Bro WHAT?! @HorseArmourYT @DetectiveSeeds @SynthPotato @Kevduit @IGN pic.twitter.com/zbmvJx0ifs

— Raven (@Ser_Raven18) April 15, 2025

At first, I thought this may have been an AI-generated reply, as it almost reads like the support account is spewing out information already circulating across the internet, kind of like a ChatGPT response. However, the time gap between the question and the account's response indicates that it may have been a human support worker making their way through the queue of support messages.

Microsoft has not yet made any official announcements regarding the Oblivion Remake. While the graphics we've seen so far indicate a more extensive remake, the marketing team has instead opted to brand this title as a ‘Remaster', despite the fact that clearly, much more effort has gone into this new version of the game. Typically, remasters are associated with simple frame rate unlocks and resolution bumps – something already available to owners of the original Oblivion on Xbox Series X/S. It is clear from the leaked screenshots that we are getting something far more ambitious than a simple resolution and frame rate bump here.

KitGuru Says: All eyes will be on Xbox next week for this announcement. Hopefully the rumours are true and the game will drop as soon as its announced, as I'm itching to jump back into my favourite Elder Scrolls game. 

The post Xbox support confirms Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remake release date first appeared on KitGuru.

The first RTX 5060 Ti reviews are now live and retail listings have gone up. Here, we take a look through RTX 5060 Ti pricing and availability in the UK, highlighting cards available at MSRP in particular. 

There are in fact several RTX 5060 Ti graphics cards available at MSRP at launch. The MSI RTX 5060 Ti Ventux 2x OC 8GB, Palit RTX 5060 Ti Dual 8GB, Zotac RTX 5060 Ti Twin Edge 8GB and Asus RTX 5060 Ti Dual OC 8GB cards can be found at £349 at SCAN.

Unfortunately, as we learned in our launch review for the RTX 5060 Ti, 8GB of VRAM is not going to be enough for you to really crank settings up in a number of games with patch-tracing. To avoid running into a memory wall, you may want to opt for the 16GB RTX 5060 Ti instead, which holds up better in titles like Indiana Jones and the Great Circle.

There are several RTX 5060 Ti 16GB cards available at the £399 price point, including the Palit RTX 5060 Ti Infinity 3, the Asus RTX 5060 Ti Dual OC 16GB, the Zotac RTX 5060 Ti Twin Edge 16GB and the MSI RTX 5060 Ti Ventus 2X OC Plus 16GB. From there, we start to see some custom cards breaking into £400 and £500 territory.

The Gigabyte Aero RTX 5060 Ti OC 16GB and MSI RTX 5060 Ti Gaming Trio OC 16GB cards for instance, are currently up for £499, and the Asus RTX 5060 Ti TUF Gaming OC 16GB card is selling for a whopping £549. At that point, you may as well seek out an RTX 5070.

You can find cards at similar prices on OCUK. For instance, the Gainward RTX 5060 Ti Python III 16GB, MSI RTX 5060 Ti Ventus 2X OC 16GB, Gigabyte RTX 5060 Ti Windforce 16GB and Zotac RTX 5060 Ti Twin Edge 16GB cards are available for £399.95.

There appear to be no listings for the entry-level RTX 5060 graphics card yet. This GPU is expected to sell for $299 in the US, which should translate to around £279 to £289 MSRP in the UK.

KitGuru Says: What do you think of the RTX 5060 and RTX 5060 Ti now that retail pricing has been revealed, alongside reviews? 

The post Nvidia RTX 5060 Ti hits UK retailers with prices starting at £349 first appeared on KitGuru.

Alongside today’s launch of the GeForce RTX 5060 and RTX 5060 Ti desktop graphics cards, Nvidia is also rolling out a new Game Ready driver. This driver adds support for both of the new cards in Nvidia's Blackwell line-up, as well as enabling Multi-Frame Generation for another set of games.

There are two titles this week adding support for DLSS 4 Multi-Frame Generation (MFG) – Black Myth Wukong and No More Room in Hell 2. With Multi-Frame Generation, you can use the Blackwell architecture's improved AI capabilities to generate 3x more frames than an RTX 40 series GPU with Frame Generation.

Additionally, there’s support for 19 new G-SYNC Compatible displays, and six more titles have been updated with Optimal Settings profiles, including the likes of Deadlock, GTA V Enhanced, Half-Life 2 RTX, InZOI, Monster Hunter Wilds and The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered.

The new Nvidia GeForce graphics driver is available now through the Nvidia App / GeForce Experience, or you can download and install it manually via the GeForce website, HERE.

KitGuru Says: As always, let us know how you get on with the latest drivers!

The post Nvidia’s latest Game Ready driver enables MFG for two more titles first appeared on KitGuru.

Nvidia's RTX 5060 Ti is the latest Blackwell GPU to hit the market – and yes, there is still an 8GB model launching in 2025… This review is focused on the 16GB SKU though, hitting the market with a £399/$429 MSRP, a price reduction compared to its predecessor. With 4608 CUDA cores, a 128-bit memory interface, and new GDDR7 memory, the 5060 Ti 16GB targets the mainstream gamer, aiming to deliver strong 1080p and playable 1440p performance. Today we find out exactly what it is capable of.

With no Founders Edition for either RTX 5060 Ti model, Nvidia is relying on its partners for this launch. We were sent two cards, both of which are featured in today's review. The majority of my game testing was conducted using the Palit RTX 5060 Ti 16GB Infinity 3, an MSRP card that runs at reference clock speeds. I also have the Gigabyte Aorus Elite, a much more premium model, which we also tested today.

Timestamps

00:00 Intro
00:49 Meet the 5060 Ti
01:43 Test setup
02:49 Alan Wake 2
03:16 Black Myth: Wukong
03:53 Cyberpunk 2077
04:23 Dragon Age: The Veilguard
04:44 Final Fantasy XVI
05:06 Ghost of Tsushima
05:33 Horizon Forbidden West
06:15 Kingdom Come Deliverance 2
06:37 Plague Tale: Requiem
06:55 Ratchet and Clank
07:15 Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2
07:40 Starfield
08:00 Performance summary – 12 game average
09:00 Cost per frame analysis
10:11 Ray tracing benchmarks
12:46 DLSS 4, Multi Frame Gen testing
15:43 Meet the Palit Infinity 3
16:12 Gigabyte Aorus Elite
16:55 Clock speed
17:27 Thermals and acoustics
18:33 Power draw + efficiency
20:15 Closing thoughts

	RTX 5080	RTX 5070 Ti	RTX 5070	RTX 5060 Ti	RTX 4060 Ti
Process	TSMC N4	TSMC N4	TSMC N4	TSMC N4	TSMC N4
SMs	84	70	48	36	34
CUDA Cores	10752	8960	6144	4608	4352
Tensor Cores	336	280	192	144	136
RT Cores	84	70	48	36	34
Texture Units	336	280	192	144	136
ROPs	112	96	80	48	48
GPU Boost Clock	2617 MHz	2452 MHz	2512 MHz	2572 MHz	2535 MHz
Memory Data Rate	30 Gbps	28 Gbps	28 Gbps	28 Gbps	18 Gbps
L2 Cache	65536 KB	49152 KB	49152 KB	32768 KB	32768 KB
Total Video Memory	16GB GDDR7	16GB GDDR7	12GB GDDR7	8/16GB GDDR7	8/16GB GDDR6
Memory Interface	256-bit	256-bit	192-bit	128-bit	128-bit
Memory Bandwidth	960 GB/Sec	896 GB/Sec	672 GB/Sec	448 GB/Sec	288 GB/Sec
TGP	360W	300W	250W	180W	160W

First, a quick spec recap. RTX 5060 Ti marks the introduction of a new Blackwell die – GB206, and this is a full implementation. Comprised of three Graphics Processing Clusters (GPCs), each holds up to eight Texture Processing Clusters (TPCs), with a total of 18. Each TPC is home to two Streaming Multiprocessors (SMs), giving us 36, and each SM still holds 128 CUDA Cores, meaning the RTX 5060 Ti has a total of 4608 shaders. We also find 36 RT cores, 144 Tensor cores, 144 Texture Units, and 48 ROPs.

This time around, however, there's no node-shrink, and GB206 remains fabricated on TSMC's N4 node, as per the RTX 40 series. As such, rated clock speed has not stepped forwards this generation, with the RTX 5060 Ti rated at 2572MHz, within 40MHz of the RTX 4060 Ti.

The memory configuration is similar to its predecessor, too. We still find 8 or 16GB of memory operating over a relatively narrow 128-bit interface, the primary difference being the jump to 28Gbps GDDR7 modules, increasing memory bandwidth to 448 GB/s. L2 cache still comes in at 32MB.

Lastly, the RTX 5060 Ti features a 180W 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.

The post Nvidia RTX 5060 Ti 16GB Review ft. Gigabyte & Palit first appeared on KitGuru.

Corsair is updating the HX1200i and HX1500i power supplies for 2025. HXi Series power supplies now contain two 12V-2×6 GPU power cables with a unique dual-colour connector that gives visual cues of a secure connection. 

The new Corsair HXi power supplies are ATX 3.1 certified and PCIe 5.1 compatible. They are also Modern Standby compliant, allowing for rapid wake-from-sleep timings. The LLC architecture with DC-to-DC conversion generates clean and steady power, and the 10-year warranty ensures that these PSUs will withstand many upgrade cycles, providing dependable power to even the most ambitious systems for years to come. Moreover, the new PSUs are Cybenetics Platinum-certified for up to 91% efficiency.

The new HXi Series provides complete digital control via Corsair iCUE software. A handy desktop interface allows users to easily build up unique fan curves, check power settings, and switch between single- and multi-rail overcurrent protection.

These power supplies use high-quality components, including 100% Japanese electrolytic capacitors and a 140mm fluid dynamic bearing fan for quiet operation.

HXi Series power supplies are designed to support high-end setups with powerful CPUs and GPUs. The package includes a 12V-2×6 cable compatible with modern AMD and Nvidia GPUs, and twin 12VEPS cables for powering high-end CPUs. The Corsair HX1200i and HX1500i power supplies are now available for £259.99/€314.90/$309.99 and £299.99/€359.90/$349.99, respectively.

KitGuru says: If you're looking for a high-wattage, premium power supply for a build, these could be right up your alley.

The post Corsair updates HX PSU line-up with new HX1200i and HX1500i units first appeared on KitGuru.

Fans of the Dune universe will have to wait a little longer to venture into Arrakis, as Funcom has announced a delay for the release of Dune: Awakening. The survival MMO, originally scheduled to launch in May, will now arrive in June, as revealed in a recent developer update. Players who have pre-ordered the deluxe or ultimate editions will still get a period of early access.

Funcom attributed this delay to feedback received from beta testers. While disappointing, the news isn't without a silver lining. A “large-scale weekend” playtest is planned for next month, offering a wider audience the chance to experience Dune: Awakening and provide their feedback.

Dune: Awakening was initially targeting an “early 2025” release, and while June might be pushing the boundaries of that definition, it still falls within the first half of the year. The game will first be released on PC, followed by a release on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. Unfortunately, a specific console release date hasn't been shared yet.

KitGuru says: Are any of you looking forward to Dune: Awakening? Will you be taking part in the upcoming beta test? 

The post Dune: Awakening delayed to June first appeared on KitGuru.

Following tumultuous economic activity in the US as a result of increased tariffs put in place by Donald Trump, Nintendo announced that they would be delaying pre-orders for the Switch 2 across a range of regions. Though they have yet to offer any updates, one insider has claimed that Canadians should be able to pre-order Switch 2 in a week’s time.

In the immediacy following the Nintendo Switch 2 showcase, the console manufacturer announced that the previously-stated pre-order date of the 9th of April would not go live in the US, claiming their need to “assess the potential impact of tariffs and evolving market conditions.”

Since then, the console maker delayed pre-orders in a couple extra regions – specifically Canada and China. As reported by known industry insider Billbil-kun via BlueSky, this indefinite delay should cease soon, writing:

“UPCOMING RELEASE. From what I can see through some Canadian retailers, Nintendo Switch 2 console & bundle pre-orders should start from April 23rd, 2025 (valid in CA). Date subject to change. Can't confirm if it's the same for US.”

Of course, whether the pre-orders will ultimately go live at an increased price compared to the initial announcement, we will have to wait and see..

KitGuru says: What do you think of the whole Switch 2 pre-order situation? Would you have pre-ordered by now if not for the delays? Will Switch 2 get a price bump in these regions? Let us know your thoughts down below.

The post Canadians may finally be able to pre-order Switch 2 next week first appeared on KitGuru.

Ever since the launch of The Final Shape, Destiny 2 has been in a bit of a limbo, with fans making do with smaller episodic updates. That said, the first major expansion since June of last year is finally gearing up to be revealed – with a livestream for Destiny 2: The Edge of Fate slated for next month.

Making the announcement on BlueSky, the official Bungie page shared the following: “Join us on May 6, 2025 as we reveal The Edge of Fate and the upcoming year of Destiny 2.”

As mentioned, The Final Shape marked the last expansion designed under D2’s old release schedule, with the past year seeing smaller episodic updates added instead.

That said, The Edge of Fate represents the first of two planned expansions previously announced to be released within a 1 year time span. Though they are said to be smaller than prior expansions, Bungie hopes to offer a greater deal of variety with increased experimentation.

The Edge of Fate will be the first new proper update in this refreshed era of post-The-Final-Shape Destiny 2, and so it will be interesting to see what Bungie has been cooking.

Hopefully their split focus on both D2 and Marathon does not impact its quality/quantity.

KitGuru says: Are you looking forward to The Edge of Fate? What do you think of Destiny’s post-Final Shape health? What would you like to see added/changed/removed/improved with this upcoming expansion? Let us know down below.

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Almost a decade on from the last mainline entry in the beloved Metal Gear Solid series, the franchise is finally set to return with the release of the Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater remake. In alignment with the return of Snake, Konami has announced a surprise MGS orchestral concert coming to the UK later this year.

Developed in collaboration with the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra in London, the Metal Gear in Concert show is set to go live on the 1st of November 2025. Offering a limited number of showings, the show is said to be “conducted by Nicholas Buc,” with “special guest appearances from singer/voice actor Donna Burke and singer/actress Stefanie Joosten (Quiet in METAL GEAR SOLID V: THE PHANTOM PAIN).”

While the full setlist has yet to be announced, a number of fan-favourite tracks from the series history has been confirmed for the concert, including the likes of Encounter; Father and Son; The Best is Yet to Come; Snake Eater and Heavens Divide.

Priority booking for ‘friends and patrons’ will go live on the 16th of April at 10am UK time – with general tickets being made available a day later on the 17th of April at 10am.

As mentioned, after almost a decade on since Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, it feels good to once again finally have Konami treat the franchise with the case and prestige that it deserves.

KitGuru says: What do you think of video game concerts? Have you been to one before? What game/series was it for? Let us know down below.

The post Metal Gear Solid Orchestral Concert comes to the UK later this year first appeared on KitGuru.

Back in 2018, Sea of Thieves launched on both Xbox and PC, going on to become one of Xbox’s biggest new IPs with over 40 million total players. Since then, the game has landed on PS5 to great success. Interestingly, despite arriving on Steam all the way back in 2018, Microsoft has announced that Sea of Thieves is coming to Battle.net next month.

Making the curious announcement on BlueSky, the official Sea of Thieves page wrote the following: “Prepare to welcome a new horde of would-be Legends: Sea of Thieves is coming to Battle.net on May 22nd! Including Cobalt Kestrel weapons for those who pre-purchase on the platform, a Premium Edition featuring Blizzard-honouring sails and more:”

Despite being well over half a decade old now, Microsoft is still releasing multiple different versions of the game, with the likes of the Premium Edition including almost a week of ‘early’ access alongside other bonuses.

Whether this game will tie into Microsoft’s Xbox Play Anywhere plans is yet to be revealed. That said, even so, Microsoft’s increased focus on Battle.net is interesting to see.

KitGuru says: What do you think of this announcement? Why is Microsoft bringing Sea of Thieves to Battle.net?  What do you think of ‘early access’ for years-old games? Let us know down below.

The post Sea of Thieves is coming to Battle.net with ‘6 Days Early Access’ – despite launching in 2018 first appeared on KitGuru.

Skull & Bones was touted by Ubisoft as being a AAAA experience, marking the first game to have been released with such a moniker. Of course, we now know that this was far from the case, with sentiment surrounding the game being less-than-stellar following its launch last year. In a surprising move, Ubisoft looks set to support the game with quite a bit of new content, including the addition of land combat and much more.

Releasing a 12 minute long video labelled “Skull & Bones: Year 2 Showcase”, the team at Ubisoft offered a deep-dive into many of the changes and additions coming to the game over the course of the next year.

Said to be introducing new gameplay mechanics and content throughout 2025, Skull & Bones is getting a surprising amount of support.

Starting with the Ascent into Chaos update (available now), players can ‘ascend’ to improve their stats and modify gear through new World Tier challenges. Beyond this, S&B is getting a new Empire upgrade tree for added enhancements alongside a new PvP mode ‘Death Tides’ in Season 1 of Year 2.

Season 2 ‘Death of Wars’ is planned for Summer 2025 and will add a new megafort; deeper pirate roleplaying opportunities and large playable ships.

Season 3, Guts and Glory, meanwhile will bring new customisation to your crew alongside the aforementioned land-based combat.

Finally, the last Seasonal update for year 2 is called Eye of the Beast and will launch in Winter 2025 – bringing with it the Hunter’s Guild as well as a massive Kraken boss.

Considering the reception towards Skull & Bones back when it launched, it is pleasantly surprising to see Ubisoft actually try to improve the overall experience. It will be interesting to see what new/returning players think.

KitGuru says: What did you think of Skull & Bones back during launch? Are any of these Year 2 updates interesting to you? Can Skull & Bones ultimately become the best pirate game with enough updates? Let us know your thoughts down below.

The post Skull & Bones Year 2 to introduce land combat; Kraken and more first appeared on KitGuru.

Montech has announced the Century II series, a new line of ATX 3.1-compliant PSUs designed to meet the demands of high-performance PC systems. These PSUs prioritise efficiency, quiet operation, and compatibility with the latest graphics cards, making them a compelling option for gamers and PC enthusiasts.

The Century II series is fully compliant with the Intel ATX 3.1 standard and includes a native 12V-2×6 connector, making these PSUs suitable for use with Nvidia RTX 50 Series and AMD Radeon RX 9000 Series. The Century II PSU also offers robust peak wattage support, handling up to twice the PSU's total wattage and up to three times the GPU's wattage, providing headroom for unforeseeable power spikes.

Available in capacities up to 1250W, Montech's new PSUs have earned the 80Plus Gold and Cybenetics Platinum certifications, offering excellent power conversion at all load levels. To ensure quiet operation, these PSUs have a 135mm fluid dynamic bearing fan equipped with a fan control system that keeps the fan off during low to medium loads. The fan only activates when necessary, providing effective thermal management without unnecessary noise.

Built with all-Japanese electrolytic capacitors, the Century II series prioritises stability and longevity. The Century II series' fully modular design allows users to connect only the cables they need, improving airflow within the case, enhancing aesthetics, and simplifying installation. They also have a comprehensive suite of protection features, including OPP, OVP, UVP, SCP, OCP, and OTP, safeguarding your system from potential power-related issues.

Montech backs these PSUs with a 10-year warranty, providing users with long-term peace of mind. The Century II 850W, 1050W, and 1200W models are now available for $89.99, $109.99, and $129.99, respectively.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru says: These new Montech Century II units might be worth considering if you need a PSU, given their specs and price.

The post Montech launches Cybenetics Platinum-certified Century II PSUs first appeared on KitGuru.

The Last of Us TV series is back, with the first episode of season 2 airing over the weekend. The first season already had a ton of viewers and plenty of critical acclaim to go along with it. For the premier of season 2, it appears that records are being broken, with higher ratings than ever before. 

According to Deadline, The Last of Us season 2 has already surpassed the first season in viewers by as much as ten percent. 4.7 million people tuned into the first season's premier, and in just one day, the first episode of season 2 ballooned to 5.3 million viewers.

The Last of Us season 2 won't cover the full events of the second game. At this point, HBO is planning for at least one or two more seasons, after which the story will be considered ‘complete'.

Right now, there is limited source material available, as Naughty Dog has yet to even begin working on a third Last of Us game. With that in mind, we expect to see the series make some changes to certain events.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Have you watched the new episode of The Last of Us already? What do you think of Season 2 so far? 

The post The Last of Us Season 2 achieves record viewers first appeared on KitGuru.

We are midway through April, which means it is time for another Xbox Game Pass drop. Over the next two weeks, 11 more games will join the Game Pass library, including massive hits like GTA V and Modern Warfare 2, in addition to indie hits like Dredge. 

Dredge gets the nod from me for highlight of the week. Dredge is a fantastic single-player fishing adventure with a sinister undercurrent. On your journey you'll sell your catch, upgrade your boat and dredge the depths for long-buried secrets scattered around a mysterious archipelago.  I've put quite a few hours into this one on my Steam Deck and highly recommend it for anyone looking for something chill to play.

Here is the full list of games coming to Game Pass along with platforms and release dates:

• Grand Theft Auto V (Cloud, Console and PC) – Available today
• Neon White (Console) – April 16th
• SpongeBob SquarePants: The Patrick Star Game (Cloud, Console and PC) – April 16th
• Crime Scene Cleaner (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X/S) – April 17th
• Tempopo (Cloud, Console and PC) – April 17th
• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Cloud, PC and Xbox Series X/S) – April 24th
• Towerborne (Cloud, PC and Xbox Series X/S) – April 29th
• Far Cry 4 (Cloud, Console and PC) – April 30th
• Anno 1800 (Cloud, PC and Xbox Series X/S) – May 1st
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (Cloud, Console, PC) – May 1st
• Dredge (Cloud, PC and Xbox Series X/S) – May 6th

At the end of this month, six titles will leave the Game Pass library including:

• Have a Nice Death (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Kona II Brume (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Sniper Elite 5 (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• The Last Case of Benedict Fox (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Thirsty Suitors (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• The Rewinder (Cloud, Console, and PC)

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: What do you think of the latest batch of Game Pass titles? Will you be downloading any of them? 

The post The latest Xbox Game Pass drop includes COD, GTA V and Far Cry first appeared on KitGuru.

Among Us became widely popular in its original 2D form but the development team at InnerSloth is looking to change things up soon with the release of Among Us 3D. As the name suggests, this is the same social deduction game we all know and love, but in a 3D environment instead. 

Among Us 3D isn't an entirely new game. InnerSloth already had the game running in a 3D environment in Among Us VR. However, with the majority of gamers having no access to a VR headset, creating a new version of the game to run on ‘pancake displays' was imperative for improving reach and accessibility.

As Among Us 3D is based on Among Us VR, the two versions of the game do have crossplay. As you would expect though, the 3D version is not compatible with the original 2D version, so there will be no crossplay with those who own the original version of the game.

A demo for Among Us 3D dropped on Steam last month but now, thanks to the new release date trailer, we know exactly when we'll get to play the full experience. Among Us 3D will be available on PC starting from May 6th. No console version has been announced at this time.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Will you be picking up Among Us 3D once it arrives? 

The post Among Us 3D arrives in May first appeared on KitGuru.

The past few days have been filled with news about Nvidia's RTX 5060 Ti, but AMD is poised to steal some of the spotlight with its upcoming competitor in the mid-range GPU market. The Radeon RX 9060 XT is expected to offer similar memory configurations to the RTX 5060 Ti, with 8GB and 16GB options.

New information from AMD board partners shared by VideoCardz reveals that the RX 9060 XT will be equipped with 2,048 Stream Processors. This aligns with most reports we've heard, as the card is believed to use the Navi 44 GPU, which has half the number of CUs (32) as the higher-end Navi 48 (64).

Clock speed details have also emerged, and they are pretty interesting. The RX 9060 XT is expected to feature a game clock of 2,620 MHz and a boost clock of 3,230 MHz. This represents a significant increase compared to its predecessor, the RX 7600 XT, which had a game clock of 2470 MHz and a boost clock of 2755 MHz. Furthermore, overclocked models are rumoured to reach boost clocks of up to 3.3 GHz.

The RX 9060 XT's power requirements are expected to be relatively low, with a 500W PSU being enough to handle it. Unlike Nvidia RTX 50 GPUs, the RX 9060 XT is not anticipated to feature the newer 16-pin power connector, with most designs using traditional 8-pin connectors. The card will also feature three display outputs, a slight reduction compared to the four outputs found on the RX 9070 series.

While no official release date has been confirmed, board partners anticipate a formal product unveiling at Computex, which is scheduled to start on May 20th.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru says: Seeing these new details on the Radeon RX 9060 XT, how do you think it compares against the competition and its predecessor?

The post AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT reportedly runs at up to 3.2GHz first appeared on KitGuru.

In recent months, we've seen several RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 buyers reporting issues with the power connector melting. Now, we have our first instance of this phenomenon happening to an RTX 5070. 

According to @ere9w (via VideoCardz), the system reportedly included a Zotac RTX 5070 and a Seasonic Focus GX-750 power supply. The photos shared by the user suggest that the cable itself sustained the damage, rather than the graphics card or the power connector/socket.

Image credit: @ere9w

This incident echoes the findings of in-depth investigations by Der8auer, who revealed a power imbalance between the connections of 12V-2×6 and 12VHPWR cables used with the Nvidia RTX-50 series. Der8auer's analysis of the six live cables on these connectors, when paired with an RTX 5090, demonstrated that power wasn't evenly distributed. Instead, a single wire was observed carrying a disproportionately large load, leading to excessive heat generation.

While the RTX 5070 is a lower-power GPU (250W TDP) than the RTX 5090 (575W TDP), the same principle applies. If a significant portion of the 5070's power draw is channelled through a single wire, overheating is possible.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru says: Do you have an RTX 5070 graphics card? Have you ever noticed if your cables are weirdly hot?

The post First RTX 5070 with melted power connector reported first appeared on KitGuru.

Respawn Entertainment has been quietly working on a Star Wars strategy game for a few years now in collaboration with Bit Reactor, a studio founded by former XCOM developers. Now, just days ahead of the game's unveiling at Star Wars Celebration, we have a proper title – Star Wars Zero Company. 

Star Wars Zero Company is a new tactics game developed by former XCOM developers at their new studio, Bit Reactor, with support provided by the masters of modern-day Star Wars games, Respawn Entertainment. Zero Company will be a single-player strategy game, offering players a complete campaign to work through, with players carefully mastering their squad's synergistic abilities level-by-level.

Like in XCOM, players will control small squads and carefully move from cover to cover across the map to gain an advantage on enemies. Interestingly, the art style is similar to The Clone Wars animated series and other modern animated Star Wars series like Rebels.

The game will be properly announced on April 19th on the ‘Galaxy Stage' at Star Wars Celebration on April 19th.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: As a fan of XCOM, I have high hopes for this. We'll get to know more about the game in just a few days, barring any further leaks prior to that. 

The post XCOM-style tactics game ‘Star Wars Zero Company’ announced first appeared on KitGuru.

The Oblivion Remake is making headlines again today. In recent weeks, we've learned that the remake is due to be announced and launch later this month, giving Microsoft a Hi-Fi Rush style shadow drop moment. Now, the first screenshots of the remake have leaked, including a comparison image showing the differences between the remake and the 2006 original. 

An anonymous source going by the handle ‘tony19957' shared the images on Imgur after being posted by ‘Tambini' on Resetera. There are just four screenshots shared, giving us a look at the player character model battling with some goblins, as well as some beautiful interior and exterior environments.

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion originally released in 2006 and it also happens to be my personal favourite of the series. Virtuos is in charge of developing this remake, with support provided by Bethesda's Dallas and Rockville studios.

While this is a remake, the game will be officially announced under the title ‘The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered', and it is expected to launch on the PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S next week.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Are you looking forward to jumping back into Oblivion? 

The post The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered screenshots leak first appeared on KitGuru.

Today is RTX 5060 launch day and Acer is first in line with a new range of powerful Nitro gaming laptops and a new Nitro 20 Desktop PC. Sporting RTX 50 series graphics and AMD Ryzen AI processors, these new PCs will be available in Europe starting in July, with prices starting at €899.

Designed for mainstream gamers and creators, the new Nitro products are built around the latest AMD Ryzen AI processors and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 50 Series GPUs. The line-up includes four new gaming laptops, under the Nitro AI branding, alongside the Nitro 20 desktop system. Acer is positioning the new hardware as capable of delivering solid gaming performance while supporting emerging AI workloads.

Microsoft’s Copilot+ PC requirements focus on NPU performance alone, setting a baseline of 40+ TOPS (trillions of operations a second) from the CPU’s dedicated AI engine (NPU) to ensure consistent, always-available AI functionality regardless of GPU presence. Once you factor in a GPU like the RTX 5070, the number of TOPS rises significantly.

Acer’s new Nitro AI laptops come in a choice of 16-inch or 18-inch screen sizes, with some slimmer models added to the line-up for users seeking greater portability. Across the range, Acer has incorporated AMD’s new Ryzen AI 300 Series processors alongside NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX 50 Series laptop GPUs.

At the top of the range is the Nitro 18 AI (AN18-61), which features a large 18-inch display with options up to 2560×1600 (WQXGA) resolution with 165Hz refresh rate, and full DCI-P3 colour coverage. Cooling is managed by a dual-fan design, quad intake and exhaust system, and the use of liquid metal thermal grease to improve heat transfer from the processor.

Alongside the 18-inch model are three 16-inch variants. The Nitro 16 AI (AN16-61) and Nitro 16S AI (AN16S-61) both offer WQXGA resolution and a faster 180Hz refresh rate, with peak brightness rated at 400 nits. Acer has also introduced the Nitro V 16S AI (ANV16S-61), a more value-focused model.

While the Nitro 18 AI is designed for those seeking a larger gaming canvas, the slimmer Nitro 16S AI and Nitro V 16S AI models are less than 19.9mm thick and use a metal chassis for added durability. Across the range, users will find support for up to 32GB of DDR5 memory, dual PCIe Gen 4 SSD slots with capacity up to 2TB, and a range of connectivity options, including USB4, HDMI 2.1, Wi-Fi 6E, and Bluetooth 5.3 or higher.

Alongside the laptops, Acer has also introduced the Nitro 20 (N20-100) desktop PC. This system ships in a compact 15-litre case, with a choice of Ryzen AI 9 365 or Intel Core i5-13420H CPU, and an RTX 3050 or RTX 5060 graphics card. The system can also be configured with up to 32GB of DDR5 memory, along with a 1TB SSD and 1TB HDD combo for a total of 2TB of system storage. The front panel includes a fingerprint sensor integrated into the power button for secure access without a password.

The Nitro 20 desktop is expected to launch in Europe starting in July, with prices starting at €899. The new Acer Nitro AI 18 laptop will be available in Europe starting in August, with prices starting at €1499. The Nitro AI 16 AI and Nitro 16S AI laptops are launching in July, with prices starting from €1399. Finally, the most affordable option, the Nitro V 16S AI will be available in Europe starting in August, with a base price of €1299. Acer has yet to confirm UK-specific pricing at the time of publishing.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: What do you think of Acer's new Nitro AI PC line-up?

The post Acer unveils new Nitro AI laptop and desktop PCs with Ryzen AI CPUs and RTX 50 GPUs first appeared on KitGuru.

Today is a big day for Nvidia, with the RTX 5060 and RTX 5060 Ti graphics cards being officially announced. Here, we break down everything we know about specs and pricing, ahead of reviews coming later in the week. 

The RTX 5060 and RTX 5060 Ti graphics cards are the latest in Nvidia's Blackwell GPU line-up. With the Blackwell architecture at the centre, users will get the latest generation Tensor Cores and RT Cores, which are more performant than previous generations, bringing big boosts to AI and Float Point performance.

In terms of gaming, Nvidia has released its internal benchmark results for several games. In the case of Cyberpunk 2077, the RTX 5060 Ti is capable of 108FPS at 1440p with max settings, but that is the figure with DLSS Quality mode and 4x Frame Generation active. The RTX 4060 Ti with standard Frame Gen achieves 52FPS in the same test.

Hogwarts Legacy is another big game tested in Nvidia's benchmarks. According to Nvidia, the RTX 4060 Ti was capable of 87FPS at 1440p with max settings, in addition to DLSS Quality and Frame Generation. On the RTX 5060 Ti with Frame Generation 4x, the frame rate jumps up to over 170FPS.

In this graph above you can see Nvidia's results for Hogwarts Legacy, Alan Wake 2, Black Myth: Wukong, Cyberpunk 2077, STALKER 2, Frostpunk 2, A Plague Tale: Requiem and Delta Force, all tested at 1440p with max settings, along with DLSS Quality Mode and the highest version of Frame Generation supported.

In these charts we see RTX 5060 results in those same games but tested at 1080p instead of 1440p. Every other setting remains the same.

You can see the specs and comparison to previous GPUs below:

GPU	RTX 3060	RTX 4060	RTX 5060	RTX 5060 Ti
Shader Cores	Ampere SM 13 TFLOPS	Ada SM 15 TFLOPS	Blackwell SM 19 TFLOPS	Blackwell SM 24 TFLOPS
Tensor Cores	3rd Gen FP16 102 AI TOPS	4th Gen FP8/FP16 242 AI TOPS	5th Gen FP4/FP8/FP16 614 AI TOPS	5th Gen FP4/FP8/FP16 759 AI TOPS
RT Cores	2nd Gen 25 TFLOPS	3rd Gen 35 TFLOPS	4th Gen 58 TFLOPS	4th Gen 72 TFLOPS
Memory Subsystem	12GB GDDR6	8GB GDDR6	8GB GDDR7	8GB / 16GB GDDR7
Launch Pricing	$329	$299	$299	$379 (8GB) / $429 (16GB)

Here in the UK, we have confirmed pricing for the RTX 5060 Ti, set at £349 for the 8GB version and £399 for the 16GB version. We do not have confirmed UK pricing for the RTX 5060 just yet but considering the RTX 4060 hit the market at £289, we would expect pricing to be similar for the RTX 5060 at launch.

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KitGuru Says: What do you think of the RTX 5060 series so far? Are you considering picking one up? 

The post Nvidia officially announces RTX 5060 and RTX 5060 Ti, prices start at $299 first appeared on KitGuru.

be quiet!  – known for its cases, power supplies, fans and coolers – has announced its entry into the peripheral space with the release of a trio of new products: the Dark Mount and Light Mount keyboards, as well as the Dark Perk mouse. KitGuru recently visited Hamburg to attend their launch event and to get a first-hand look at what we can expect.

Back in 2022, Listan GmbH (The parent company of be quiet!) acquired peripheral manufacturer ‘Mountain' – known for their Everest Core and Everest Max keyboards. Featuring modular designs and utilising addons such as an additional numpad and media dock, the Everest keyboards brought a fresh take to a sea of generic keyboards.

Since then, be quiet! have been working on pushing this design even further, while adding in their signature acoustic profiling. The brand is now announcing the fruits of their labour with the release of the Dark Mount and Light Mount keyboards, alongside the Dark Perk mouse.

The keyboards promise silent gaming and aim to push noise reduction and performance to ‘an entirely new level'

The top of the line Dark Mount, is heavily inspired by the Mountain Everest Max – with a detachable media dock and numpad being top of the feature list.

The Light Mount keyboard takes a more traditional approach with a more RGB heavy design. Both keyboards feature either silent linear orange or silent tactile brown switches, developed in house by be quiet! as well as several layers of dampening material to help with noise absorption.

Alongside these keyboards, the announcement also sees the launch of the Dark Perk mice. Available in both a symmetrical and ergonomic design and featuring up to 8khz wireless polling rate, Pixart PAW3950 sensors and weighing 55g – these mice are taking aim at the ultralight FPS sector.

Full releases of the Dark Mount, Light Mount and Dark Perk are scheduled for April 29th.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru says: Not everyone wants their keyboard to ‘thock' – the focus on silent gaming could provide a great alternative for gamers looking for something more on the quiet side

The post be quiet! enters the peripheral space with launch of the Dark Mount, Light Mount and Dark Perk first appeared on KitGuru.

While the film and TV industry seems to have finally figured out how to make good adaptations of popular video game franchises, some projects still wind up being less-than-stellar. Easily the biggest most-recent flop was the ill-fated Borderlands film. According to the director, COVID had a massive part to play in its eventual failure.

As part of the podcast series ‘The Town’ Borderlands Director Eli Roth spoke on the reasons as to why the film failed to capture the hearts of fans. According to Roth (as transcribed by PCGamer):

“I think none of us, none of us anticipated how complicated things were gonna be with COVID. Not just in terms of what we're shooting, but then you have to do pick-up shots or reshoots and you have six people that are all on different sets and every one of those sets is getting shut down because the cities have opened up, and now there's a COVID outbreak and it was just like…”

Roth continued, “We couldn't prep in a room together, I couldn't be with my stunt people, I couldn't do pre-vis, everyone's spread all over the place. You can't prep a movie on that scale over Zoom and I think we all thought we could pull it off and we got our asses handed to us a bit.”

For the uninitiated, the Borderlands film released last year to a ton of criticism, seeing a Rotten Tomato score of 10% and ultimately raking in just $33 million worldwide off of a $115 million production budget.

Of course, Borderlands ultimately released many years on from the peak of COVID, however, with the film being announced all the way back in 2015 – and filming not starting until 2021 – it seems as though there may have been at least a couple other factors which led to its eventual failed state. Hopefully Eli Roth’s next project proves to be more successful.

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

KitGuru says: What did you think of the Borderlands film? What was your biggest criticism? How would you have made a Borderlands adaptation? Let us know down below.

The post Borderlands film Director blames COVID for its failings first appeared on KitGuru.

15 years ago, the relatively unknown studio 4A Games released Metro 2033 – a first-person survival thriller shooter featuring a ton of cool and immersive mechanics alongside a tense and creepy atmosphere. In celebration of the series’ 15th anniversary, the first game in the trilogy is being given away for free.

From now until the 16th of April at 4PM UK time, all Steam users can add the excellent Metro 2033 to their library for free – keeping it forever as long as it was claimed in time.

For the uninitiated, Metro 2033 is a slow and deliberately-paced title which puts a great deal of emphasis on atmosphere, immersion and a general sense of unease.

Based on the best-selling novel series by Dmitry Glukhovsky, the Metro series has been lauded for its purposeful moment-to-moment decision making – something which also carried through into the story itself.

While the most recent mainline entry in the series – Metro Exodus – wound up being a massive success (selling over 10 million copies), both Metro 2033 and Last Light are equally as excellent, and so if you have yet to try out the first entry in the series, now is as good a time as any.

Regardless, a free game is a free game, and so is worth adding to your library just in case you ever get the hankering for a tense first-person shooter experience.

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

KitGuru says: What do you think of the Metro series? Do you prefer the more linear 2033 and Last Light or the more open Exodus? Let us know down below.

The post Metro 2033 is free on Steam for a limited time first appeared on KitGuru.

Since the successful acquisition of Activision Blizzard, Microsoft seems to be doing a ton of behind-the-scenes work in order to get the publisher’s previous classics onto the Series X|S and Game Pass. Though yet to be officially confirmed, it appears as though a number of Call of Duty titles (and Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater) could be next in line for Game Pass.

As reported by the publication XboxEra, in going to Microsoft’s Windows Store on PC, it can be seen that a number of yet-to-be-added titles have been listed as being available on Game Pass – those being:

• Call of Duty World at War
• Call of Duty Infinite Warfare
• Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2

As mentioned, these are far from the first titles to be discovered in a similar manner, with COD Modern Warfare 2 and 3; Black Ops 1 and more all seemingly set to come to the service at some point in the not-too-distant future.

That said, earlier this year Microsoft accidentally claimed that World of Warcraft was coming to Xbox Game Pass. Following its discovery, the company sent out a clarification, writing at the time “this was a mistake on our end sorry for the confusion! Blizzard's World of Warcraft was accidentally included in a game pass email even though it's not available with the service – a correction email will be sent to those who got the original email soon.”

Even so, it does seem as though Microsoft is gearing up for some sort of big Game Pass drop. It will be interesting to see how they choose to doll out these many classic COD titles without affecting the current popularity of Black Ops 6.

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

KitGuru says: What do you think of these Game Pass rumours? What’s your favourite Call of Duty from before 2019? Let us know down below.

The post More evidence points towards classic Call of Duty titles coming to Game Pass first appeared on KitGuru.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows marks one of the most important games for Ubisoft right now, with the publisher relying on its success to ensure their continued existence. So far, things seem to be going well, with Shadows now managing to become the second-best-selling game of the year so far in the US – only behind Monster Hunter Wilds.

As reported by Circana analyst Mat Piscatella (via BlueSky), “Assassin's Creed: Shadows has been the best-selling video game in the US for each of its first 3 weeks in market, according to Circana's Retail Tracking Service (dollar sales, latest data through April 5th).”

On top of this, Shadows has also managed to become the second best-selling game of the year so far, only behind Capcom’s massively popular Monster Hunter Wilds.

For context, AC: Shadows reached 1 million total players within hours of the game’s launch. Following this, the title saw a further million players join over the next couple days – culminating in 3 million total players by the end of week one.

All that said, AC: Shadows is likely trailing quite far behind Monster Hunter, with Capcom’s title selling 10 million copies in its first month. Of course, Shadows has yet to be out for a month, and so such comparisons aren’t 1:1.

Still, it seems as though Assassin’s Creed Shadows might just be the shot in the arm that Ubisoft needed. It will be interesting to see how the game continues to perform in the long-run.

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

KitGuru says: What do you think of Shadows? How does it compare to the other Assassin’s Creed games? What do you think the 5 best-selling games of 2025 will be when all is said and done? Let us know down below.

The post Assassin’s Creed Shadows is the 2nd best-selling game of 2025 so far (in the US) first appeared on KitGuru.

Asus has announced two new ROG gaming monitors in China, each catering to different needs. The ROG XG248Q5G-P is aimed at those who want the highest refresh rate possible, while the ROG XG32UCG offers a dual-Hz mode so users can choose between a higher resolution or refresh rate.

According to Wccftech, the ROG XG248Q5G-P is a 24.1-inch monitor that prioritises speed, boasting an impressive 610Hz refresh rate, placing it among the fastest displays available. While it may not match the colour accuracy and size of current Mini-LED or OLED monitors, its 90% DCI-P3 color gamut should provide adequate colour reproduction. Note that achieving the 610Hz refresh rate requires overclocking. Connectivity options include DisplayPort 1.4 and HDMI 2.1. For ergonomics, Asus included a monitor arm. The official presentation does not explicitly state the resolution, but we assume it's Full HD. The marketing material also shows the monitor has a 0.1ms response time and supports Nvidia G-Sync and AMD FreeSync Premium.

Image credit: Wccftech

The ASUS ROG XG32UCG adopts a different approach with its Dual-Hz mode. This 32-inch monitor uses Fast IPS technology, covers 95% of the DCI-P3 colour spectrum and offers users the choice between two modes: 4K resolution at a 160Hz refresh rate or Full HD resolution at a 320Hz refresh rate. This flexibility allows users to prioritise either visual fidelity or high-speed gameplay. The XG32UCG also supports DisplayPort 1.4 and HDMI 2.1 and supports Nvidia G-Sync and AMD FreeSync Premium. The rated response time is a mere 0.3 ms.

The Asus ROG XG248Q5G-P will be released in China for 7999 RMB (£838), while the Asus ROG XG32UCG will cost 3999 RMB (£419). Asus has not yet confirmed release dates for these monitors in regions outside of China.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru says: Would you be willing to spend that much on a TN-based panel?

The post Asus ROG unveils its first 610Hz gaming monitor first appeared on KitGuru.

Nvidia is looking to bring some of its manufacturing over to the US. Today, the company announced plans to begin building and testing its Blackwell GPUs at TSMC's plant in Arizona, and Nvidia AI supercomputers will begin being built at a facility in Texas. 

Teaming up with leading manufacturing partners, Nvidia has commissioned more than a million square feet of manufacturing space. Blackwell GPUs will be made at the TSMC chip plant in Phoenix, Arizona, while Nvidia's AI supercomputers will be made at Foxconn's plant in Houston, Texas, as well as another facility owned by Wistron in Dallas.

Mass production at these plants is expected to ramp up within the next 12 to 15 months. Nvidia has furthered its investment in US manufacturing by partnering with Amkor and SPIL for packaging and testing operations.

On the AI front, Nvidia expects to produce $500B worth of AI infrastructure in the US. Speaking on the move, Nvidia CEO, Jensen Huang, said: “The engines of the world’s AI infrastructure are being built in the United States for the first time. Adding American manufacturing helps us better meet the incredible and growing demand for AI chips and supercomputers, strengthens our supply chain and boosts our resiliency.”

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: GPU production is starting to go global, with new facilities being built in the US and Europe. It will be interesting to see what impact this has on supply for future launches in the years ahead. 

The post Nvidia reveals plans to manufacture AI supercomputers and Blackwell GPUs in the US first appeared on KitGuru.

When Spider-Man 2 first came to PC in February, fans were quick to notice that this port was not of the same quality as Spider-Man or its Miles Morales standalone spin-off. Despite that, the game launched with a Steam Deck Verified rating – which has now been revoked. 

Spider-Man 2 is no longer ‘Steam Deck Verified'. The game is now marked as ‘playable' on the Steam Store, which is a much more accurate descriptor for a game that just barely functions on the limited handheld hardware.

The Playable rating for Steam Deck games means that the game can run, but the default settings might not be appropriate, requiring some manual tinkering on the user's part to get it running well. The Playable tag can also be applied to games that may have UI issues or require other manual inputs, like pressing the Steam button + X in order to access the virtual keyboard.

In the case of Spider-Man 2 though, it is definitely a case of the game simply not running very well on Steam Deck with the default graphics preset. With some tinkering, users can expect to reach a 30FPS experience, but it will wobble at points.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Spider-Man 2 was a fun game but nowhere near as memorable as the first one in my opinion. Have you played Spider-Man 2 since its PC launch? Have you tried it on Steam Deck?

The post Spider-Man 2 is no longer Steam Deck Verified first appeared on KitGuru.

Early listings of the Nvidia RTX 5060 Ti have surfaced. Two retailers have already listed a few RTX 5060 TI 8GB and 16GB models, and they all cost way more than most of us are probably willing to spend on such cards. The 8GB cards started at almost €600, and most 16GB models are priced at over €700.

The listings found and shared by @momomo_us show the 8GB variant priced at €587.17 (£508.78) and the cheapest 16GB model at €693.60 (£601). However, don't take these figures too seriously. As we've seen with previous leaks, pre-launch pricing can be highly unreliable and subject to change. Even among the two retailers, there's a considerable price difference.

Image credit: @momomo_us

Unofficial sources have suggested that the RTX 5060 Ti might be priced lower than its predecessor, the RTX 4060 Ti, which currently retails for around €420. However, these listings are considerably higher than that.

We expect more concrete pricing details to emerge in the coming days, with the official debut of the RTX 5060 Ti likely happening later this week.

KitGuru says: We believe these prices are just placeholders and that the graphics cards will be a fair amount cheaper.

The post First Nvidia RTX 5060 Ti listings in Europe first appeared on KitGuru.

A new set of benchmark scores for the RTX 5060 Ti has been shared online ahead of its rumoured release. These include various 3DMark benchmark tests in various resolutions, giving a better idea of how the RTX 5060 Ti will compare to the competition and its predecessor.

According to VideoCardz, who shared the results, all these are of a 16GB variant. The same report claims initial reviews suggest that the 8 GB variant of the 5060 Ti will likely exhibit a noticeable performance deficit compared to its 16GB counterpart. As such, it seems Nvidia won't supply 8GB models of the 5060 Ti for review, focusing on the higher memory capacity variant as it performs better.

The 3DMark scores for the 16 GB variant show an average performance increase of approximately 20% (up to 27%) compared to the 4060 Ti 16 GB. Compared to the RTX 5070, Nvidia's higher-tier GPU is about 40% faster. The detailed 3dMark scores can be found below:

GPU	Speed Way (1440p)	Steel Nomad (4K)	Port Royal (1440p)	Time Spy (1440p)	Time Spy Extreme (2160p)	Fire Strike (1080p)	Fire Strike Extreme (1440p)	Fire Strike Ultra (2160p)
Nvidia RTX 5070	5745	4815	13975	22669	10675	57305	28675	14205
Nvidia RTX 5060 Ti	4055	3455	9944	15389	7136	40925	19556	9175
Nvidia RTX 4060 Ti	3239	2932	8112	13469	6153	34295	15937	7294

Although these are technically all synthetic benchmarks, Speed Way and Steel Nomad are relatively good for perceiving how the card will perform compared to others in real-world tasks.

KitGuru says: Were you expecting more, something similar, or less from the RTX 5060 Ti?

The post RTX 5060 Ti shows decent gains over the RTX 4060 Ti in 3DMark Speed Way first appeared on KitGuru.

Schedule 1 has quickly risen to be one of the most popular multiplayer games on Steam right now. Naturally, this has also led to a slew of mods for the game being released. Unfortunately, bad actors have been inserting malware into some of these mods. 

The Schedule 1 community team has posted an urgent PSA to the game's subreddit (via The Gamer), confirming that malware has been found in a number of mods, including some of the most popular mods, like the increased stack size limit mod.

It was found that the developer of the increased stack size limit mod, Froggyp1, sold their account to someone who replaced their original mod with one containing a Trojan virus. The Backpack Mod Reupload mod was also discovered to contain malware and has since been removed by Nexusmods.

If you've been playing this game and have installed mods, be sure to check the subreddit in case any more mods are discovered to be housing malware.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: This is a good reminder to always be careful when downloading mods. Just because a mod is popular doesn't necessarily mean it isn't hiding anything nefarious underneath. 

The post Malware discovered in two popular ‘Schedule 1’ mods first appeared on KitGuru.

Professional overclockers have been battling for the DDR5 speed crown in recent months, with the record being broken a couple of times. G.Skill today announced that the overclocking world record has been broken again, this time by G.Skill OC World Cup 2023 champion, Seby.

Seby won the G.Skill OC World Cup in 2023, an event that takes place each year alongside Computex. Since that big win, Seby has consistently achieved top rankings on HWBOT and is a key contributor to the professional overclocking scene.

Seby's latest achievement is breaking the DDR5 speed record. Using G.Skill Trident Z5 DDR5 memory with SK-Hynix DDR5 ICs, running on an ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 motherboard with an Intel Core Ultra 9 285K CPU, Seby was able to crank the speeds up to 12,772MT/s. Speaking on the achievement, G.Skill Product Marketing lead, Frank Hung, said: “We are extremely proud to once again see the G.SKILL Trident Z5 memory set a new world record. This achievement is a testament to our relentless pursuit of memory performance and the strength of our ongoing collaboration with Intel and ASUS.”

The result has been validated on both HWBOT and CPU-Z. Crucially, LN2 cooling is used to achieve these record-breaking speeds. You won't get this kind of an overclock using standard cooling methods at home.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Have you overclocked your RAM before? What is the fastest speed you've managed to achieve?

The post New overclocking world record set with G.Skill Trident Z5 DDR5 memory first appeared on KitGuru.

Blizzard just recently revealed its roadmap for Diablo 4 in 2025, with some teasers for what's to come in 2026, like a new expansion. Now, Diablo franchise manager, Rod Fergusson, has shared that internally, the team has a ten-year roadmap. 

In an interview with Game File, Fergusson said “we're here for the long haul, we've been doing long-range planning recently and I've created a roadmap – a 10-year roadmap”.

Interestingly, it seems that this is a new roadmap for 2026 and beyond, not counting the two years that Diablo has been on the market for already. The thing I find odd is that Blizzard has also spoken about Diablo 5, which would almost assuredly release before this ten-year plan comes to an end.

As a huge fan of Diablo 4, and someone who still regularly plays the game each season, I have my doubts that Blizzard will see this plan through. There will no doubt be changes and cancellations. If we're still getting new Diablo 4 content in the year 2035, I will be shocked.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Diablo 4 has improved a lot since launch. The game has loadouts now so you can easily swap character configurations without needing to reset everything manually. Boss battles and endgame content have ramped up in recent seasons and there are more in-game activities on the way throughout the year. Still, even with all of that, another ten years of Diablo 4 seems like a bit much. 

The post Blizzard apparently has a 10-year roadmap for Diablo 4 first appeared on KitGuru.

Over the weekend, Bungie finally revealed substantial details about its next game, Marathon. The upcoming extraction shooter begins alpha testing this month, before launching in September. However, it will not be a free to play game, Bungie has now confirmed. 

While Bungie did not announce its pricing scheme for Marathon, the studio did confirm after the showcase that Marathon “will be a premium title”. However, Bungie also clarifies that Marathon “will not be a ‘full-priced' title”. With that in mind, we are likely looking at a price tag around $40, similarly to last year's failed live-service shooter, Concord.

While shipping a game for less than full price can entice some buyers, we are now in an age where the biggest and most-played multiplayer games in the world are all free-to-play. Sony was unable to overcome this reality with Concord last year, but with Bungie being a ‘big name' studio, they'll stand a better chance of success than Firewalk Studios did.

Marathon will release for PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S on the 23rd of September.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: What did you think of the Marathon reveal? Are you interested in the game enough to purchase it, or would you only be willing to try it if it was free-to-play? 

The post Marathon won’t be free to play, but it won’t be ‘full price’ either first appeared on KitGuru.