While the Nintendo Switch was an undeniable success, one of the handheld’s core issues was in its Joy-Cons. Suffering quite easily from Joy-Con drift, the Switch 1 was on the receiving end of a ton of lawsuits. Hopefully though, when it comes to Switch 2 this shouldn’t be a concern as Nintendo claims to have fixed the issue.

Following the official Nintendo Switch 2 Direct, many publications got the chance to get hands on with the console, while also being able to question Nintendo on the system’s specifics.

VGC brought up the point of Switch 1 and its infamous Joy-Con drift, asking whether such issues have been resolved for Switch 2.

While Nintendo of course remained somewhat coy on the matter, hardware design lead Tetsuya Sasaki did offer some clarity, stating: “As you may have witnessed and felt, the new Joy-Con 2 controllers for the Nintendo Switch 2 have really been designed from the ground up, from scratch, to have bigger movement and smoother movement.”

In addition, a spokesperson claimed that “The control sticks for joy-con 2 controllers have been redesigned and have improved in areas such as durability.”

Does this mean the Switch 2 is using Hall-effect sticks? Unlikely, but at the very least, hopefully these now $90 Joy-Cons won’t suffer from drift quite so easily. We will have to wait and see.

KitGuru says: What did you think of the OG Joy-Cons? How quickly did your controllers start to drift? Did they somehow manage to survive the full 8 years? Let us know down below.

The post Nintendo addresses Switch 2 Joy-Con drift concerns first appeared on KitGuru.

While EA might be doing very little with The Sims IP, wanting to rest on its laurels with the now 10 year old SIms 4, other studios have come in to pick up the slack. Released just over a week ago, inZOI has proven to be a hit – with the game already selling over 1 million copies.

Making the announcement on Twitter, the team at KRAFTON wrote: “We are honored to share that inZOI has surpassed 1 million sales — made possible thanks to your incredible support.”

They continued, “It’s a number that still feels unreal to us and a milestone we could not have reached without each and every one of you. Your excitement, your creations, your feedback, your content, and your support have brought inZOI to life in ways we never could have imagined.”

Since its Early Access launch on the 28th of March, inZOI has seen a great deal of buzz, with the game receiving ‘Very Positive’ reviews on Steam alongside a peak concurrent player count of 87 thousand players.

Of course, being Early Access the game is far from perfect. That said, it is encouraging to see not only another studio trying to enter the Sims-like genre, but succeeding too. Hopefully inZOI receives strong levels of support throughout its Early Access journey.

KitGuru says: What do you think of inZOI? Does it scratch that Sims itch? What features would you like to see added / improved? Let us know down below.

The post Sims-like inZOI has sold over 1 million copies first appeared on KitGuru.

Almost a year ago, Evil Empire (one of the teams behind Dead Cells) released The Rogue Prince of Persia in early access. Published by Ubisoft, this side-scrolling platforming rogue-lite has seen consistent updates in the months since. Ahead of its 1 year anniversary, The Rogue Prince of Persia has gotten another major patch – The Unleashed Army Update.

Taking to their Steam page, the team at Evil Empire officially released and detailed the Unleashed Army Update for The Rogue Prince of Persia. Just as with many of the previous patches, this latest update brings with it a ton of changes, overhauls and more, including but not limited to:

• 6 new Elite enemies
• Complete rework of ‘Awakening’
  • Removed slot limitations
  • New awakening stones
  • Rebalance of current stones
  • Boosted rewards
• Reduced input latency
• Reduced RAM usage
• Improved CPU usage
• Improved pathfinding processing

Finally, alongside all of this new content, the team have announced a coinciding price increase. Set to go live in May, this slight bump will see the game go from $19.99 to $24.99 – a relatively modest boost given just how much content has been added since its Early Access launch.

The Rogue Prince of Persia is a woefully underrated game which not only features excellent movement and combat mechanics, but sports a 10/10 soundtrack to boot. Hopefully the team at Evil Empire continue to show just as much love with all future updates.

KitGuru says: What do you think of this latest update? What do you think of the many changes made since launch? When do you reckon the game will leave Early Access? Let us know down below.

The post The Rogue Prince of Persia gets massive content update ahead of price hike first appeared on KitGuru.

The Zircon Nova R desktop from PCSpecialist goes full AMD with a Ryzen 7 9700X processor and a Gigabyte Radeon RX 9070 XT graphics card… but how is gaming on an all-Team Red machine in 2025? Those components are paired with 32GB of Corsair Vengeance RAM, a 2TB Samsung M.2 SSD and a Gigabyte AORUS Elite WiFi 7 motherboard. Priced at £1899, does the Zircon Nova R deliver on its circa two-grand price tag?

Timestamps:

00:00 Start
00:36 Pricing / Warranty
01:22 Specification
02:23 Memory / Testing
03:02 SSD / Testing
04:09 Mobo
04:42 Rear I/O
05:31 PSU
06:04 CPU Cooler / Fans
06:48 Case
07:45 Front I/O
08:08 Mats thoughts/ Cable Management
08:40 Software side
09:03 Assassins Creed Shadows (4k)
09:27 Cyberpunk 2077 (4k)
09:45 Hogwarts Legacy (4k)
10:11 Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 (4k)
10:30 A Plague Tale Requiem (4k)
10:51 Black Ops 6 (1440p)
11:12 Space Marine 2 (1440p)
11:29 Forza Horizon 5 (1440p)
11:50 Black Myth Wukong (1440p Max)
12:14 F1 2024 (1440p)
12:29 Temps and Fan Noise Sound Test
13:23 Total System Power Draw
13:37 Closing Thoughts

Specifications:

• Case – Lian Li LanCool 205 Mesh C (Black)
• CPU – AMD Ryzen 7 9700X
• Motherboard – Gigabyte AORUS Elite B850 WiFi 7
• Memory – 32GB Corsair Vengeance RGB 5600MT/s CL40
• GPU – Gigabyte Radeon RX 9070XT
• SSD – 2TB Samsung 990 Pro Evo M.2 NVMe SSD
• PSU – Corsair 850w RMx ATX 3.1
• CPU Cooler – PCS Frostflow 150 Series Air Cooler
• Operating System – Windows 11 Home

The core specs are confirmed in the following CPU-Z and GPU-Z screenshots:

Gaming performance proved to be quite varied across a number of titles at both 1440p and 4K. The system is much better suited to 1440p gaming if high frame rates are a priority. 4K performance did marginally exceed 60fps in certain titles but on the whole, some tweaks would be needed to maintain smooth 60+ fps 4K gameplay. Below are some screenshots from a handful of games (but for full details of all 10 games we tested, watch our video review on YouTube, embedded at the top of the page).

F1 24 (1440p)

Warhammer: Space Marine 2 (1440p)

Assassin's Creed: Shadows (4K)

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 (4K)

Game optimisation plays a large part in system performance, as can be seen in the 1440p screenshots, with F1 24 hitting 381 FPS at it's peak, with Space Marine 2 falling some way behind that at around 110-120 FPS. 4K performance typically sat just below 60 FPS as previously mentioned, at least when not using FSR or any upscaling.

For details of synthetic benchmarks, power usage, noise and temperatures check out our full video review on YouTube.

You can buy the Zircon Nova R desktop directly from PCSpecialist for £1899 HERE.

UPDATE: PCSpecialist have got in touch and let us know the Zircon Nova R is actually retailing for £1899, £100 less than the figure we were originally told and reference in the video review. As such, we have increased its score from an 8/10 to 8.5/10.

Pros:

• Good 1440p gaming performance.
• Very well built and with excellent cable management.
• 2TB SSD should provide enough storage for most people.
• Great build aesthetics.

Cons:

• Memory could be faster and with tighter timings.
• Pricing is not as competitive as some previously reviewed PCSpecialist systems. (See update above).

KitGuru says: The Zircon Nova R is well built and relatively balanced all AMD desktop, hindered by sub par memory.

The post PCSpecialist Zircon Nova R Prebuilt (9070 XT/9700X) Review first appeared on KitGuru.

One of the biggest surprises from the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct was the confirmation that the sequel system’s screen will not only be upping its resolution to 1080p, but also supports up to 120hz and even HDR. Unfortunately, the real-world impact of these changes may not be quite as transformative as one might hope – owing to its use of a rather basic LCD screen.

In a video published by Nintendo Life, in which they got hands-on with the Switch 2 and Breath of the Wild, it was noted that in a dark room the screen offered clear signs for exactly what kind of LCD screen is being used.

Though it is undeniably an improvement when compared to the OG Switch’s non-laminated LCD display, it still falls behind the Switch OLED’s screen in many aspects.

Despite offering HDR support, the Switch 2’s screen appears to be using a traditional edge-lit method for lighting, as opposed to Full Array Local Dimming or even mini-LED – both of which would allow for far deeper blacks and greater contrast.

HDR can of course still work on traditional edge-lit panels, however what players will likely encounter is a notable amount of light-bleed and elevated black levels; negating much of the visual impact of HDR.

Still, for those who owned an original Nintendo Switch, the Switch 2’s screen will easily represent a generational leap in quality. For OLED owners however, you might notice a bit of a downgrade.

KitGuru says: What do you think of the screen so far? Will it look better or worse in person? Do you notice inconsistencies such as light-bleed? Let us know down below.

The post Nintendo Switch 2’s LCD screen is rather rudimentary, despite HDR support first appeared on KitGuru.

CPU-Z validation results for Q1 2025 reveal an emerging trend in CPU preferences, with eight-core processors gaining significant traction. Data shows that eight-core CPUs now represent 24.7% of all validations, marking a substantial 32.6% increase compared to previous figures. Conversely, six-core processors have declined, accounting for only 22.5% of validations, a 6.9% decrease.

This surge in eight-core CPU adoption reflects the growing demand for multi-threaded performance across various computing environments, from professional workstations to high-end gaming systems. These market share figures (via VideoCardz) also offer insights into shifts in customer allegiance among CPU manufacturers. While Intel maintains its market dominance with 56.3% of validations, AMD has made significant strides, capturing 43.7% of the market share, a notable 16.6% increase from the previous year.

The rising popularity of specific models is likely a key driver behind the eight-core trend. One such model would be the Ryzen 7 9800X3D, which emerged as the most popular CPU based on CPU-Z validations.

Another interesting point in CPU-Z's data is that 27-inch displays are now more popular than 24-inch monitors, following a 7% growth in a year. There has also been a shift in GPU brand popularity. Nvidia appears to have lost 6.4% of its market share in a year, leaving it at 67.9%, while AMD now has 31.1%, up 16.6% from the previous year. On the other hand, Intel controls 0.7% of the GPU market (presumably for discrete GPUs), representing a 27% rise in a year.

KitGuru says: How many cores does your CPU have? 

The post CPU-Z data shows 8-core CPUs are currently the most popular PC processors first appeared on KitGuru.

Nvidia is reportedly gearing up to launch its GeForce RTX 5060 graphics cards, with information from Board Channels suggesting a potential release schedule. As previously indicated, Nvidia is expected to introduce the RTX 5060 series this month. This new lineup is anticipated to include the RTX 5060 Ti in both 16GB and 8GB configurations and the standard RTX 5060.

On the Board Channels forum (via VideoCardz), it has been suggested that Nvidia intends to maintain pricing parity with the previous generation. The RTX 4060 Ti launched at $399 for the 8GB variant, while the 16GB variant carried a $100 premium. If Nvidia adheres to this precedent, it may necessitate phasing out older models or implementing price reductions to remain competitive.

It's important to approach these pricing rumours cautiously, as pricing information can fluctuate significantly close to launch. However, Nvidia's strategy of mirroring the RTX 40 series SKU selection makes this pricing approach plausible. Still, depending on the pricing of competing products, like AMD's upcoming Radeon RX 9060 XT, which is also rumoured to offer 16 GB and 8 GB memory configurations, the RTX 5060 Ti could be forced to be sold at a lower price point.

Currently, pricing details for the non-Ti RTX 5060 remain undisclosed. The coming weeks will likely reveal more concrete information about Nvidia's pricing strategy and how it will position the RTX 5060 series against AMD's offerings.

KitGuru says: The RTX 5070 and RTX 5070 Ti held similar price tags to their last-gen counterparts. Do you think that trend will continue for the RTX 5060? 

The post Nvidia RTX 5060 Ti prices will reportedly match RTX 4060 Ti first appeared on KitGuru.

The ongoing saga of potential collaboration between Intel and TSMC has taken another turn, with a new report suggesting a “preliminary agreement” for a joint venture involving Intel's chip fabrication plants (fabs).

This news, reported by The Information (via Reuters), revisits a familiar narrative. This latest development shares a bit more about the potential collaboration, with TSMC reportedly considering acquiring a 20% stake in Intel's fabs.

Conflicting reports have emerged regarding the ownership structure of the new entity formed from the current Intel Foundry. Some sources indicate that “Intel and other U.S. chip companies” would retain a controlling interest, but the specifics remain hazy. TSMC's influence over Intel's fabs under this agreement is also unclear. While TSMC has a superior track record in recent years, it's unlikely it could instantly overhaul Intel's manufacturing processes. Reversing Intel's course in chip fabrication, particularly with processes like the nearly finalised 18A node, would likely be a multi-year undertaking.

Initial rumours have been followed by reports of TSMC engaging with other industry giants like Nvidia, AMD, and Broadcom about participating in such a venture. However, the involvement of these other firms in the current “preliminary agreement” remains unclear.

It's worth noting that Intel's Direct Connect event, focused on its foundry business, is scheduled for April 29th. Any potential announcements regarding collaborations or changes to Intel Foundry could be unveiled at this event.

KitGuru says: Do you think TSMC will partner with Intel? Will other semiconductor companies join this venture?

The post Intel and TSMC reportedly forming an alliance first appeared on KitGuru.

From Software is primarily known for its single-player action games, but recently, the studio has turned its focus towards multiplayer games, with two co-op titles announced back-to-back. 

This year, From Software will be releasing two titles – neither of which fit the studio's usual single-player mould. Elden Ring: Nightreign has been announced as a co-op spin-off to the original single-player game, and just this week, From Software announced a new multiplayer game – The Duskbloods, releasing exclusively for the Nintendo Switch 2.

While From Software is experimenting with multiplayer games right now, studio boss, Hidetaka Miyazaki, has addressed fan concerns, stating that the studio is not shifting away from the single-player games it is best known for: “We still intend to actively develop single-player focused games that embrace our more traditional style”.

Elden Ring: Nightreign and The Duskbloods stand out in From Software's library. Both are PvPvE titles, inviting players to team up to take down bosses, and each other. While Elden Ring: Nightreign has gameplay elements taken directly from Elden Ring, The Duskbloods seems to take inspiration from a different fan-favourite title, Bloodborne.

KitGuru Says: After these two titles, I fully expect From Software's next game reveal to be for a single-player game. Future From Software multiplayer efforts will no doubt get the greenlight or be scrapped based on the performance of Elden Ring Nightreign and The Duskbloods. 

 

The post From Software boss addresses fan concerns after multiplayer game announcements first appeared on KitGuru.

We've heard very little out of Eidos-Montreal since being acquired by Embracer. The studio has been attempting to get a new Deus Ex game off the ground for several years but has struggled to obtain the greenlight from their new corporate overlords. 

Just this week, Eidos-Montreal announced a round of layoffs, letting go of around 75 employees. This has naturally had fans asking – what is going on over there? According to Insider Gaming, they are still trying to get a new Deus Ex game greenlit.

The layoffs announced this week come after the cancellation of two different pitches for a new Deus Ex game. According to sources familiar with the matter, Eidos-Montreal is not giving up on Deus Ex though, as they have another pitch for a new game doing the rounds.

It is claimed that Eidos-Montreal has been pitching external partners and publishers on its new Deus Ex game, making it clear that Embracer Group is not interested in funding the project itself. This lines up with other moves from Embracer recently, such as signing on Amazon Games to publish the next Tomb Raider game, despite Embracer Group itself being a publisher and the owner of the Tomb Raider IP. It would seem that if another Deus Ex game was to be made, Eidos would need a similar deal to Crystal Dynamics, with an external publisher stepping in to help out.

KitGuru Says: Deus Ex is a storied franchise and despite what Square Enix says, Human Revolution and Mankind Divided both did sell quite well. The series might not break any records, or promise long-term revenue in the style of a live-service game, but there is a massive gap in the market right now for Immersive Sims and with Cyberpunk 2 many years away, now would be a perfect time to fill that gap with a new Deus Ex title. 

The post Eidos reportedly pitching new Deus Ex game but struggling to find publisher first appeared on KitGuru.

Back in the day, EA would make a little extra money from Battlefield by offering Battlefield Premium, a membership that provided instant weapon unlocks, XP boosts and more. Now according to dataminers, this system will be making a return in the future under the name ‘Battlefield Pro'. 

As reported by MP1st, dataminers have been combing through the files released through the recent Battlefield Labs playtest. Two things of note came up – the first being a Battlefield Pro subscription. This subscription will include the seasonal battle pass, six instant unlocks, a permanent 10% XP boost, battlepass tier skips and access to new challenges to accelerate your progress further.

Elsewhere, dataminers also uncovered references to a new battle royale mode for the next Battlefield. DICE attempted this before with Battlefield Firestorm, a battle royale mode for Battlefield V, which did not garner much traction.

All of this information comes from files released via Battlefield Labs, a new alpha and beta testing service that invites fans to test out early builds for upcoming game modes, as DICE looks to perfect its content plans ahead of Battlefield 6, which is supposedly due to release later this year, but could slip to 2026.

KitGuru Says: The fact that we are seeing more leaks around monetisation than actual game content feels very on-brand for EA. 3

The post Battlefield 6 may include Battle Royale mode and ‘Battlefield Pro’ membership first appeared on KitGuru.

In recent months, rumours of a complete remake for The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion have been heating up. Now, according to multiple sources, the remake is on track to be revealed later this month, with a launch following the current Elder Scrolls Online anniversary event. 

According to leaker DetectiveSeeds, earlier information that the Oblivion Remake would release on April 4th was incorrect. Now after consulting multiple sources, it is claimed that the game will release the week of April 21st, following the conclusion of the current ESO anniversary event.

The Oblivion Remake is said to be in development at Virtuos, a studio that primarily co-develops AAA titles with major studios and publishers. Aside from Oblivion, Virtuos is working on the upcoming Metal Gear Solid Delta remake, and has previously worked on franchises like Call of Duty, The Outer Worlds, Hogwarts Legacy and others.

The remake is said to be developed using Unreal Engine 5 and may have a completely different combat system compared to what Elder Scrolls fans are used to. The change of engine also likely means less opportunity for mods.

KitGuru Says: Oblivion is my favourite Elder Scrolls game so I have high hopes for this remake. Court documents already revealed an Oblivion remake in Microsoft's plans, so all signs are pointing to this being real. 

The post The Oblivion Remake is reportedly releasing this month first appeared on KitGuru.

Microsoft has announced the general availability of hot patch updates for enterprise customers using Windows 11 Enterprise 24H2 on x64 systems. Hotpatching in ARM-based devices running Windows 11 Enterprise is also in the works and currently in public preview.

Hotpatching enables the application of OS security updates in the background, eliminating the need for restarts. This is achieved by patching the in-memory code of running processes, eliminating the downtime associated with traditional updates. The deployment of these updates is controlled through Windows Autopatch policies created in the Microsoft Intune console. Devices managed by these hotpatch-enabled policies will receive hotpatch updates every quarter.

To be eligible for hotpatching, devices must meet specific requirements:

• A Microsoft subscription (Windows 11 Enterprise E3, E5, or F3, Windows 11 Education A3 or A5, or a Windows 365 Enterprise subscription)
• A Windows 11 Enterprise 24H2 PC with the latest baseline update
• An x64 AMD64 or Intel CPU
• Virtualization-based Security (VBS) enabled
• Microsoft Intune for managing hotpatch update distribution

Microsoft notes that hotpatch updates for Arm64 devices are currently in public preview. However, administrators can temporarily disable CHPE support via registry (Path: “HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management”, Dword Key Value: “HotPatchRestrictions=1”) to receive the functionality ahead of the official release. For the remaining eligible devices, hotpatching can be turned on or off within the Microsoft Intune admin center by navigating to Devices > “Windows updates” > “Create Windows quality update policy”.

This technology is not entirely new to the Microsoft ecosystem. Windows Hotpatch capability was initially introduced for Windows Server Azure Edition core virtual machines and later became widely available in February 2022 for systems running Windows Server 2022 Datacenter: Azure Edition. Since then, Microsoft has added hot patching to various preview builds of operating systems but has yet to arrive in the mainstream segment. Hopefully, hot patching will eventually be added to Windows 11 Home and Pro editions.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru says: Do you have a system running Windows 11 24H2? Would you like it if it had hotpatch support?

The post Microsoft is introducing hotpatch updates to Windows 11 Enterprise first appeared on KitGuru.

New rumours suggest AMD might be preparing to expand its RDNA 4 graphics card lineup with a new addition. These claims have emerged following reports of low stock for the non-XT Radeon RX 9070 in China, fuelling speculation that AMD might be clearing the way for a new model.

According to ITHome (via VideoCardz), a Radeon RX 9070 GRE is in development. While this initially points towards a China-exclusive release, it's worth noting that AMD has previously offered GRE versions to the global market, as seen with the RX 7900 GRE. Benchlife also corroborated these reports, stating that its sources claim AIB partners are presently preparing the Radeon RX 9070 GRE and are ready for mass production. If so, expect the first RX 9070 GRE graphics cards to emerge in the Chinese market shortly.

Currently, detailed specifications for this potential RX 9070 GRE remain scarce. However, ITHome and Benchlife speculate it will feature a 192-bit memory bus and a 12 GB GDDR6 configuration. A hypothetical RX 9070 GRE would effectively slot between the RX 9070 and the RX 9060 series in terms of performance and memory configuration, while also aligning with the memory specifications of the Nvidia RTX 5070.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru says: How much slower than the RX 9070 do you think this supposed RX 9070 GRE will be?

The post AMD might be preparing a Radeon RX 9070 GRE first appeared on KitGuru.

MediaTek has unveiled its latest processor, the Kompanio Ultra 910, designed to elevate Chromebook performance. This new chipset emphasises AI capabilities, enhanced power efficiency, and high-speed connectivity, incorporating advanced computing technologies to drive productivity, creativity, and multimedia experiences.

Built on TSMC's 2nd-generation 3nm process, the MediaTek Kompanio Ultra 910 processor aims to deliver exceptional power efficiency, enabling Chromebooks to achieve all-day battery life while providing a significant performance boost. The CPU architecture features an eight-core configuration, comprising a high-performance Arm Cortex-X925 core clocked at up to 3.62 GHz, three Cortex-X4 cores, and four Cortex-A720 cores. This core combination is coupled with 12 MB of L3 cache and 10 MB of system-level cache (SLC).

The 11-core Immortalis-G925 MC11 GPU handles graphics processing, including ray tracing support, enhancing gaming and graphics-intensive applications. The Kompanio Ultra 910 also integrates LPDDR5X RAM (8533 Mbps) to support its processing power. Early benchmark results indicate strong performance, with a Geekbench 6 single-core score of 2600 and a multi-core score of 8000.

The Kompanio Ultra 910 uses an 8th-generation NPU, significantly boosting on-device AI performance. This enables real-time AI image and video generation and achieves up to 50 TOPS AI performance. AI acceleration also improves overall power efficiency by offloading tasks from the CPU and GPU.

The Kompanio Ultra 910 also features Bluetooth 6.0 (dual engine) and Wi-Fi 7, which can support speeds up to 7.3 Gbps. Moreover, this SoC can simultaneously drive up to three 4K displays: one integrated and two external. Lastly, it supports 4K 10-bit video decoding and encoding in HEVC, AVC, VP9, and AV1 formats.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru says: Although it looks like a capable SoC in single-core and AI workloads, its multi-core score doesn't come near what many expect from a proper, high-end laptop CPU. However, it should be more than enough given what most Chromebook users do in their systems.

The post MediaTek unveils new Kompanio Ultra 910 for Chromebooks first appeared on KitGuru.

Nvidia has teased what's to come for GeForce Now users in April. This month, we'll see a total of 21 new games added to the library, including brand-new releases like South of Midnight. 

April is shaping up to be a huge month for exciting indie games. The Talos Principle: Reawakened is heading our way on April 10th, followed by Sunderfolk and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 on April 23rd. Compulsion Games is also releasing its first new game since 2016's We Happy Few – South of Midnight, a highly stylised action-adventure releasing day-one for Steam, Xbox and Windows, as well as via Game Pass.

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

• South of Midnight Advanced Access (Steam and Xbox, coming soon before launch)
• Cat Quest (Epic Games Store)
• Dark Deity 2 (Steam)
• Hero Siege (Steam)
• KARMA: The Dark World (Steam)
• Sky: Children of the Light (Steam)
• Train Sim World 5 (Steam)
• Vivat Slovakia (Steam)

Later in the month, titles like Aimlabs, Backrooms: Escape Together, Sunderfolk, Night is Coming, Commandos Origins and more will be joining GeForce Now.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: What do you think of the latest round of games announced for GeForce Now?

The post Nvidia brings 21 more titles to GeForce Now in April first appeared on KitGuru.

This week, G.Skill is launching its first high-capacity DDR5 memory kit to reach 8000MT/s speeds.

G.Skill continues to raise the bar for capacities, speeds and latency. The company's new DDR5-8000 CL44 kit offers up to 128GB of memory, spread over two 64GB memory sticks. Getting such a high capacity kit up to the 8000MT/s mark is a huge milestone for G.Skill and paints a promising picture as companies continue to find ways to push the boundaries of what's possible with DDR5.

Engineered for high-capacity overclocked performance, the DDR5-8000 128GB (64GBx2) combines ultra-high memory speed with massive memory kit capacity, surpassing the previous module capacity maximum at 48GB per module.

Dedicated to the continual development of extreme overclock performance memory kits, G.SKILL is also announcing an extreme-speed DDR5-9000 CL48-64-64 memory specification at 64GB (32GBx2) kit capacity. This new memory kit has been validated running on the ASUS ROG MAXIMUS Z890 APEX motherboard with an Intel Core Ultra 7 265K desktop processor.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Are you in the market for new RAM this year? What speed and capacity will you be aiming for?

The post G.Skill unveils DDR5-8000 128GB memory kit and DDR5-9000 64GB kit first appeared on KitGuru.

If you've been having a hard time finding an RTX 50 series GPU at MSRP price levels, we'd like to steer you in the right direction. Currently, the Palit Infinity 3 RTX 5070 is available at MSRP, and there are some cheap options available for those looking to buy a prebuilt system too.

Both SCAN and OverclockersUK currently have the Palit Infinity 3 RTX 5070 graphics card in stock, priced at £509.99, making it one of the few cards currently available at MSRP price levels.

For those looking to buy a pre-built system, AWD-IT currently has two good deals for UK customers. The AWD-IT Charger PC is available at £949.99 equipped with a Ryzen 5 5600 CPU and an RTX 5070 graphics card. If you can spring up to £1,299.99, you can get the RTX 5070 Ti version of this build instead.

KitGuru Says: Are you currently trying to get hold of a new Nvidia or AMD graphics card at MSRP?

The post RTX 5070 down to MSRP in UK, prebuilt gaming PCs available for under £1000 first appeared on KitGuru.

Respawn has quietly had a number of projects in the works behind the scenes over the last few years, but the majority of them have been cancelled. Unfortunately, that list of cancelled projects includes another Titanfall revival attempt. 

According to Insider Gaming's sources, internal efforts to get Titanfall 3 off the ground have been shut down twice already, with the most recent cancellation being last year. In 2024, Respawn also cancelled its single-player Mandalorian game, and another project tied to the Apex Legends universe.

While some sources indicate that we are no closer to Titanfall 3, two leakers known in the Apex Legends community, Yorotsukl and Osvaldatore, Titanfall 3 is in development with plans for a 2026 launch, and a potential announcement planned for The Game Awards.

Given how past attempts to bring back Titanfall have gone, I'd encourage fans of the series to take these latest leaks with a pinch of salt.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Titanfall 2 has gone down in history as a good game, but it was still a commercial flop. Do you think Respawn will bring back Titanfall at some point? If Titanfall 3 is indeed on the way, hopefully Respawn learns from past mistakes and does not schedule its release in between Battlefield and Call of Duty. 

The post Titanfall 3 rumoured for 2026 release first appeared on KitGuru.

Nintendo announced months ago that the Switch 2 would be backwards compatible with Switch 1 titles, bar a few limited exceptions. However, it turns out Switch 1 titles aren't running natively on Switch 2 and are instead relying on emulation. 

During a developer Q&A on the Switch 2, Takuhiro Dohta explained that the team implemented “something that's somewhere in between a software emulator and hardware compatibility”.

As spotted by Eurogamer, that does mean that some Switch games may not run perfectly on Switch 2 at launch. Some Switch 1 titles have already been revealed to have compatibility issues, including 141 titles with start-up issues and 47 games with in-game compatibility issues.

Some of the titles with compatibility issues aren't exactly small either. Rocket League, Warframe and Dead by Daylight are all listed amongst the titles with start-up issues. On the single-player side, Doom Eternal, Wolfenstein 2, Final Fantasy and Alien Isolation are also listed as having issues.

Other titles, like Ring Fit Adventure and Nintendo Labo won't work with Switch 2 due to peripheral incompatibilities, as the new Joy-Cons won't fit the Labo cardboard kits, or the Ring Fit Adventure Ring attachment.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Hopefully the few games with compatibility issues currently can be updated shortly after launch to properly support Switch 2. 

The post Nintendo Switch 2 uses emulation to run backwards compatible Switch titles first appeared on KitGuru.

Each week, the Epic Games Store offers a title or two for free to all those with an EGS account. This week, players can get their hands on the cute and fun open-world Action-RPG Cat Quest II – with River City Girls set to be given away next week.

Available to add to your library from now until the 10th of April at 4PM UK time, Cat Quest II is the sequel to 2017’s well-liked (though ultimately rather simplistic) open world action-RPG.

Released back in 2019, Cat Quest II builds upon the bones of the first game, adding co-op; new weapon types; more spells; additional abilities; side quests and much more.

Of course, the sequel also uses a familiar-yet-enhanced take on the first game’s aesthetic, mixing 2D art in a 3D world to create a pleasing contrast.

Finally, despite its gimmicky name, Cat Quest is known to feature a rather charming story – and so overall is just a jolly fun time.

As mentioned, Cat Quest II is free to claim from now until the 10th of April at 4PM UK time – at which point it will be replaced by the Illfonic-developed Arcadgeddon and the co-op beat ‘em up River City Girls.

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

KitGuru says: What do you think of this week’s offering? Will you pick up Cat Quest II? Have you played the first game? Let us know down below.

The post Cat Quest II is this week’s free Epic Games Store title first appeared on KitGuru.

Marvel Rivals launched last year to a ton of praise and a great deal of buzz. In the months since, the game has been kept fresh with new characters, cosmetics and more. While Season 2 is introducing two new characters, from Season 3 onwards Marvel Rivals is set to get a new hero every single month.

As part of the game’s big Season 2 showcase, the team at NetEase Games revealed that they are changing their character release schedule moving forward for Marvel Rivals.

While Season 2 will proceed as normal, adding two new characters (Ultron and Emma Frost) over the next three months, from Season 3 onwards players will get to enjoy three additional characters – meaning one a month.

Of course, Marvel Rivals is based on comics and so NetEase should have plenty of inspiration to draw from – be it for characters; maps; powers and more. Even so, adding a new character every single month seems like quite the ask.

Hopefully NetEase are up to the task – especially since they have downsized their team since launch. Full details on Season 2 of Marvel Rivals can be found HERE.

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

KitGuru says: What do you think of this new release strategy? Are you excited to get more Marvel characters so consistently? Which hero/villain would you want to see in Season 3? Let us know down below.

The post Marvel Rivals will introduce a new Hero every single month moving forward first appeared on KitGuru.

The BAFTAs are one of the most prestigious award shows across multiple industries – video games included. Ahead of this year’s gaming BAFTA awards, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts hosted a public vote for the most influential games of all time – with Shenmue taking the top spot.

With the 2025 video game BAFTAs set to go live on the 8th of April, the company has released a list of the top 21 most influential games of all time; celebrating the upcoming 21st annual gaming BAFTAs. As voted by the public, the most influential video games of all time are as follows:

1. Shenmue
2. DOOM
3. Super Mario Bros
4. Half Life
5. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
6. Minecraft
7. Kingdom Come Deliverance 2
8. Super Mario 64
9. Half Life 2
10. The Sims
11. Tetris
12. Tomb Raider
13. Pong
14. Metal Gear Solid
15. World of Warcraft
16. Baldur's Gate 3
17. Final Fantasy VII
18. Dark Souls
19. GTA 3
20. Skyrim
21. GTA

While it is somewhat hard to argue against a public vote, some of these games (and their placements) do give some pause. There’s no denying that Shenmue is an influential game, however the fact that it managed to take the top spot is surprising given its relative lack of awareness in the public consciousness.

On the other hand, Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 literally released just two months ago, and so it is far too early to determine its long-term influence – making its placement at no.7 curious to say the least.

Of course, this is far from a definitive list, and each person’s own rankings will be unique to themselves. Still, there’s no denying that the results are at the very least interesting to read through.

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

KitGuru says: What do you think of these rankings? What would be in your top 3? Which games would you take off this list? Let us know down below.

The post Shenmue voted as the most influential game of all time by the public first appeared on KitGuru.

Back in 2023, following many leaks and rumours, Bungie officially announced Marathon – the studio’s next big multiplayer live-service offering. Since then, we’ve heard little from the project. Finally however, Bungie seems ready to begin showing us more.

Making their very first post on BlueSky, the official Marathon page shared a brief teaser video – giving us very little to go off of. That said, this does seem to suggest that Bungie are gearing up for some sort of announcement.

For context, Marathon was first officially announced by Bungie/PlayStation back in May of 2023. Since then, the team remained mostly quiet, up until October last year in which they gave us a 10-minute developer update (though no game footage was included)

Finally, about a month ago fans began to notice the back-end for Marathon on Steam getting a bunch of updates, leading many to believe that some major news was incoming.

Based on the recent activity on Bungie’s socials, a Marathon showcase appears to be imminent. It’s simply a matter of when, not if.

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

KitGuru says: What do you think of this teaser? Do you have high hopes for the game? Will we get a release date at this supposed-upcoming showcase? Let us know down below.

The post Bungie begins to tease Marathon once again first appeared on KitGuru.

With CPU package power on an upward trajectory, we are seeing more 420mm AIO coolers hit the market. The latest AIO unit we have for review is the Silent Loop 3 420 from be quiet! It’s the company's first 420mm AIO, featuring a 3-chamber pump design, a high-density cold plate fin stack, and an easy-access filling port. It's also equipped with be quiet!'s premium Silent Wings 4 PWM fans and ARGB lighting. be quiet! says that all this combined will produce low noise, high performance cooling, so let's dive straight into this review and find out if that’s true.

Timestamps:

00:00 Start
00:50 Details / Pricing
02:12 Up close
04:30 CPU Block and Radiator
05:24 Fans
06:54 Accessories and mounts
07:51 AMD Test System / Installation
09:58 Test Results
11:52 Closing Thoughts

Features:

• According to be quiet! the Silent Loop 3 offers high performance cooling for modern CPUs with its powerful 3 chamber pump, large area high density cold plate fin stack and Silent Wings 4 PWM high speed fans.
• It features a premium yet elegant design with discreet ARGB CPU block lighting, it's available in 420, 360 and 240mm sizes and includes support for all current desktop sockets including an AMD Threadripper mounting frame with 360 and 420mm units.
• As always with be quiet! AIO coolers, the Silent Loop 3 is equipped with an easy to access refill port for when maintenance is due, and it comes with a 3-year warranty for peace of mind.

Specifications:

• CPU Socket Compatibility: Intel 1851/1700/1200/115X, AMD AM5 / AM4 / TR5 / TR4
• Radiator Material: Aluminium / black spray painted
• Radiator Dimensions: 457 x 140 x 27
• Radiator Tube Length: 400mm
• CPU Block Dimensions (H x W x D): 5 x 80 x 56 (mm)
• Pump Speed: 1700 – 3500 RPM
• Cold Plate: Copper/nickel plating
• Pump Connector: 4-pin PWM
• LCD Screen: N/A
• Pump Noise: N/A
• Pump LED: 3-pin 5v ARGB
• VRM Fan: N/A
• Fan Dimensions: 140 x 140 x 25 mm
• Fan LED: N/A
• Fan Speed (PWM): 1900 RPM (Max)
• Fan Max Airflow: 78.4 CFM
• Fan Max Air Pressure: 2.36 mmH2O
• Noise (dBA) at 50% / 75% /100% rpm: 19.4 / 29.3 / 34.3
• Fan Bearing: FDB
• Fan Connector: 4-pin PWM
• Warranty: 3 Years

The post be quiet! Silent Loop 3 420 AIO CPU Cooler Review first appeared on KitGuru.

At Intel Vision this week, Intel provided an update on its CPU roadmap. The Intel Panther Lake CPUs, the first built with Intel's new 18A manufacturing process, are still on track for 2025, but volume shipments won't arrive until 2026.

Speaking on the roadmap update, Intel Products CEO, Michelle Johnston Holthaus, said: “Looking ahead to the rest of the year, we will strengthen our client road map with the launch of Panther Lake, our lead product on Intel 18A in the second half of 2025. As the first volume customer of Intel 18A, I see the progress that Intel foundry is making on performance and yields, and I look forward to being in production in the second half as we demonstrate the benefits of our world-class design and process technology capabilities. 2026 is even more exciting from a client perspective as Panther Lake achieves meaningful volumes.”

Intel positions Panther Lake as a blend of Lunar Lake's power efficiency and Arrow Lake's performance, built on the company's advanced 18A process technology. The rollout will be similar to Lunar Lake, with a limited number of devices available before the end of this year, with a much bigger rollout in the early months of next year.

KitGuru says: Panther Lake may debut this year but finding one in the wild may end up being difficult until Q1 2026.

The post Panther Lake CPUs still on track for 2025, Intel confirms first appeared on KitGuru.

While Nintendo has not revealed the detailed specifications of the chip powering the Switch 2 console, the company has revealed two crucial bits of information – the GPU has ray-tracing capabilities and DLSS is supported. 

At a press event held in New York this week, IGN asked Nintendo for more details about the hardware behind the Switch 2. Nintendo is still being cagey when it comes to the nitty-gritty, technical details, but we did get two key pieces of information out of Nintendo Planning & Development director, Takuhiro Dohta.

For starters, Dohta confirmed that Nintendo does use DLSS upscaling technology, and it will be available to all developers looking to improve their game's performance on Switch 2. On top of that, Nintendo also confirmed that “the GPU does support ray tracing”, so we'll see certain titles making use of things like RT Shadows and RT Reflections.

Unfortunately, without the technical specifications of the CPU and GPU, we can't make any guesses as to how well the Switch 2 should perform with ray tracing enabled. A few titles for the Switch 2 have already been announced as supporting up to 120FPS and 4K/HDR. Chances are, DLSS will be in use to help games achieve those high resolutions and frame rates.

KitGuru Says: While Nintendo is unlikely to reveal the full technical specifications itself, we'll no doubt hear from Nvidia on how it designed the Switch 2 chip eventually. 

The post Nintendo confirms Switch 2’s custom Nvidia chip supports DLSS and Ray Tracing first appeared on KitGuru.

When we thought the race to the DDR5 speed world record would calm down, someone set the bar even higher. XPG, Adata's gaming brand, has announced a successful collaboration with Gigabyte, resulting in a new DDR5 memory overclocking world record at an impressive 12,762 MT/s.

Gigabyte's expert overclocker HiCookie spearheaded this record-breaking overclocking effort. Just two weeks ago, we had the same overclocker setting a new world record at DDR5-12752, but it seems he wasn't happy with that. Using the same motherboard and a different memory stick, HiCookie pushed an extra 10 MT/s, setting the new record at DDR5-12762.

The system configuration included the Z890 Aorus Tachyon Ice motherboard, specifically designed for overclocking, a 24 GB XPG Lancer RGB DDR5 RAM stick (68-127-127-127 timings), and an Intel Core Ultra 9 285K CPU clocked at 3.15 GHz with just two P-cores running. The memory and CPU were cooled using liquid nitrogen, as usual in these cases.

KitGuru says: Do you think we'll break the DDR5-13000 mark this year or will things start to calm down now?

The post New DDR5 speed record set with XPG Lancer RGB DDR5 memory first appeared on KitGuru.

MSI has announced an enhanced iteration of its acclaimed OLED Care 2.0 technology. In response to user feedback, this update will increase the refresh interval of OLED Care 2.0, aiming to provide a more refined experience for owners of MSI QD-OLED monitors.

This update focuses on adjusting the activation timing of the Panel Protect feature, which is used to enhance the longevity of QD-OLED displays. The initial implementation activated Panel Protect every 16 hours, which some users found disruptive based on their usage. To address this, MSI has extended the refresh period to 24 hours, offering greater flexibility and minimising potential interruptions while preserving the panel's impressive lifespan.

MSI plans to roll out this firmware update across its entire range of QD-OLED displays and make it available to download starting in May 2025. MSI also assures customers that this update will not affect existing warranty benefits, including the three-year burn-in warranty (specific conditions may vary by region).

Note that MSI OLED Care 2.0 is only available for QD-OLED-based monitors.

KitGuru says: Do you have an MSI QD-OLED monitor? Has the OLED Care 2.0 feature ever interrupted something you were doing?

The post MSI rolls out OLED Care 2.0 upgrade for all QD-OLED monitors first appeared on KitGuru.

Another major first-party game is joining Xbox Game Pass this month. Compulsion Games has been quiet since releasing We Happy Few in 2016, but the studio is now back with its latest game, South of Midnight. 

South of Midnight is the first new game developed by Compulsion Games since being acquired by Microsoft over five years ago. In this game, players will confront mysterious creatures in the Deep South, blending supernatural, horror and action elements. The game releases on April 8th and will be a day-one game for Game Pass Ultimate & PC Game Pass.

Here is the full list of games joining Game Pass, including platforms and dates:

• All You Need is Help (Console) – April 3rd
• Still Wakes the Deep (Xbox Series X/S) – April 3rd
• Wargroove 2 (Console) – April 3rd
• Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls Ultimate Evil Edition (Console and PC) – April 8th
• South of Midnight (Cloud, PC, Xbox Series X/S) – April 8th
• Commandos: Origins (Cloud, PC, Xbox Series X/S) – April 9th
• Blue Prince (Cloud, PC, Xbox Series X/S) – April 10th
• Hunt Showdown 1896 (PC) – April 15th

There will be a few games leaving Game Pass this month. Starting on the 15th of April, the following games will no longer be available; Botany Manor, Coral Island, Harold Halibut, Homestead Arcana, Kona, Orcs Must Die! 3 & Turbo Golf Racing.

KitGuru Says: Will you be installing any of this month's new Game Pass titles? 

The post South of Midnight headlines April Xbox Game Pass update first appeared on KitGuru.

The recent Nintendo Switch 2 Direct featured a ton of cool new games alongside ports of popular titles. Unfortunately, those wanting to beef up their Switch 2 library at launch will have to splash quite a bit of cash, as it seems Nintendo is leapfrogging over the current $70 price tag for AAA games – and going straight to $80 for physical copies of Mario Kart World.

Though not specified during the Switch 2 Direct, the publication VGC confirmed that new-gen Nintendo titles will cost upwards of $80 (£75). While not every first-party Switch 2 game will be as costly, the highly anticipated Mario Kart World will be one of the first to implement this new pricing.

One slight silver lining is the fact that these enhanced prices are reserved for physical versions of these games, with the digital version of Mario Kart World coming in at £67.

Nintendo’s other major Switch 2 game – Donkey Kong Bananza – will be listed more closely to other contemporary AAA titles at ‘just’ £67 physically (and £59 digitally).

While there are arguments both for and against increasing the price of games, Nintendo titles in particular rarely depreciate in value, and so this means that 7 years from now Mario Kart World will likely still retail for £75. Hopefully other publishers don’t get any wise ideas from Nintendo.

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

KitGuru says: What do you think of this new pricing? Does it seem fair? Will this push all other AAA games to raise prices further? Let us know down below.

The post Mario Kart World costs £75 for a physical copy first appeared on KitGuru.

Amongst the dozens of games shown off by Nintendo during the Switch 2 Direct Showcase, one of the more surprising ports was for Yakuza 0: Directors’ Cut. While in and of itself not a massive shock (given the success of Kiwami on Switch 1), this Director's’Cut includes a ton of new and unexpected features – including a full English dub.

Announced during the Switch 2 showcases (and expanded upon via Twitter), Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio [RGG] confirmed that the Director’s Cut is much more than a basic port, writing:

“Yakuza 0 Director's Cut, the definitive edition of the critically acclaimed origin story is coming to Nintendo Switch 2 on June 5.

• Never-before-scene cutscenes
• Red Light Raid online 4-player online mode with up to 60 unlockable characters
• French, Italian, German, Spanish Text
• English Voiceover”

Of course, easily the biggest feature here is the addition of an English dub. Unlike modern ‘Like a Dragon’ titles, Yakuza Kiwami 1, 2 and Yakuza 0 were released only with Japanese VO.

While there is nothing wrong with needing to read subtitles, having a more accessible English version of the game should make for a much wider appeal.

Hopefully all these enhancements come to the other consoles/PC in the future.

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

KitGuru says: What did you think of the Switch 2 Direct? What was your favourite 3rd-party announcement? Will this Director’s Cut be exclusive to Switch 2? Let us know down below.

The post Yakuza 0: Director’s Cut adds English dub, multiplayer and much more first appeared on KitGuru.

Following a tease earlier this year, Nintendo finally hosted their big Switch 2 Direct showcase. Alongside the announcement of new games, services and more, we’ve now gotten comprehensive tech specs on many of the Switch 2’s hardware capabilities – including some notable display output limitations.

During the latest Direct, Nintendo officially announced and confirmed a ton of details, including the fact that the Switch 2 will support a 4K output, HDR and more. Interestingly, in going to the console’s official site, further details can be found, including the exact limitations of the system’s output.

According to Nintendo, the sequel system not only supports 4K, HDR and up to 120fps, but also utilises VRR (variable refresh rate) in order to ensure a more smooth and consistent gameplay experience.

While a welcome surprise, the Switch 2 does have some limitations. While the dock does support 4K output and up to 120fps, the two can’t be used simultaneously. Seemingly due to its use of a lower-specced HDMI slot (with less bandwidth than the 2.1 version), 120hz support is unfortunately limited to just a 1080p output.

Despite this, the Switch 2 looks set to be a massive upgrade over the OG Switch in almost all aspects. Hopefully the inevitable OLED Version comes with a slightly updated HDMI port.

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

KitGuru says: What do you think of this limitation? Are you bothered by it? Would you rather play at 4K60fps or 1080p120fps? Let us know down below.

The post Switch 2’s output and resolution settings fully detailed first appeared on KitGuru.

During the company’s most recent Direct, Nintendo offered a more comprehensive look at exactly how the system’s Switch 1 game upgrades will work. Interestingly, depending on the game (and whether you are subscribed to Nintendo Switch Online), Switch 2 Enhanced titles could cost upwards of $20 to upgrade – while others are entirely free.

Following the conclusion of the Switch 2 Direct, Nintendo has offered some clarity on their ‘Switch 2 Edition’ program. Firstly, some games will receive entirely free upgrades, with Switch 2 owners needing only to download a patch in order to benefit from enhancements. So far, the list of games getting free enhancements are the following:

• ARMS
• Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker
• Super Mario Odyssey
• Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury
• Clubhouse Games: 51 Worldwide Classics
• The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
• The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom
• Game Builder Garage
• New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe
• Pokémon Scarlet & Violet
• Big Brain Academy: Brain vs. Brain

On the paid front, some select titles will cost around $10 to upgrade to the Switch 2 version, with others being double that at $20 (converted from the Japanese Yen). According to Nintendo, the more costly of the two will be kept for upgrades featuring new content alongside visual/performance improvements.

Interestingly however, it seems as though certain games will be upgraded for free as long as you are subscribed to the company’s NSO program. So far, just The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild alongside Tears of the Kingdom will be included – though expect more titles to be added over time.

The Switch 2 Direct offered a ton of cool and interesting games. It’s just somewhat unfortunate to see that the company is stretching the wallets of its fans with all these extra costs.

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

KitGuru says: What do you think of this new upgrade system? Does it seem fair? Is Nintendo inflating its pricing across the board? Let us know your thoughts down below.

The post Some Switch 2 upgrades will be free – while others will cost $20 first appeared on KitGuru.

Today we are back another RTX 5070 Ti review, as we check out Palit's GamingPro OC model. Sticking with a triple-fan design and a full-length metal backplate, this card also brings dual-BIOS functionality and ARGB lighting to the table, all while keeping pricing in check – compared to some other models, at least!. We put it through its paces today to see how it stacks up against the competition.

A lot has changed since we first got hands on with the RTX 5070 Ti back in February – primarily, AMD has since unleashed RDNA 4, with the RX 9070 XT proving to be a capable competitor in this market segment. However, the RTX 5070 Ti still has plenty of merit, primarily due to its superior ray tracing performance alongside its support for DLSS. Let's see what Palit's RTX 5070 Ti GamingPro OC partner card adds to the mix.

	RTX 5090	RTX 5080	RTX 5070 Ti	RTX 4070 Ti Super	RTX 4070 Ti
Process	TSMC N4	TSMC N4	TSMC N4	TSMC N4	TSMC N4
SMs	170	84	70	66	60
CUDA Cores	21760	10752	8960	8448	7680
Tensor Cores	680	336	280	264	240
RT Cores	170	84	70	66	60
Texture Units	680	336	280	264	240
ROPs	176	112	96	96	80
GPU Boost Clock	2407 MHz	2617 MHz	2452 MHz	2610 MHz	2610 MHz
Memory Data Rate	28 Gbps	30 Gbps	28 Gbps	21 Gbps	21 Gbps
L2 Cache	98304 KB	65536 KB	49152 KB	49152 KB	49152 KB
Total Video Memory	32GB GDDR7	16GB GDDR7	16GB GDDR7	16GB GDDR6X	12GB GDDR6X
Memory Interface	512-bit	256-bit	256-bit	256-bit	192-bit
Memory Bandwidth	1792 GB/Sec	960 GB/Sec	896 GB/Sec	672 GB/Sec	504 GB/Sec
TGP	575W	360W	300W	285W	285W

First, a quick spec recap. Whereas the RTX 5080 is a full implementation of the GB203 die (378mm²), RTX 5070 Ti is cut down across the board. Comprised of six Graphics Processing Clusters (GPCs), each holds up to eight Texture Processing Clusters (TPCs), with a total of 35. Each TPC is home to two Streaming Multiprocessors (SMs), giving us 84, and each SM still holds 128 CUDA Cores, meaning the RTX 5070 Ti has a total of 8960 shaders. We also find 70 RT cores, 280 Tensor cores, 280 Texture Units, and 96 ROPs.

This time around, however, there's no node-shrink, and GB203 remains fabricated on TSMC's N4 node, as per the RTX 40 series. As such, rated clock speed has not stepped forwards this generation, with the RTX 5070 Ti rated at 2452MHz, though Palit has increased this to 2482MHz.

The memory configuration is almost identical to the RTX 5080. That means we find 16GB of GDDR7 memory, but it's clocked slightly slower, at 28Gbps, and that puts total memory bandwidth at 896 GB/s, a 33% increase over the RTX 4070 Ti Super. L2 cache still comes in at 49MB.

Lastly, the RTX 5070 Ti features a 300W TGP, which Palit has not increased out of the box with the GamingPro OC.

The post Palit RTX 5070 Ti GamingPro OC Review first appeared on KitGuru.

Yesterday was Nintendo’s big day in which the console manufacturer finally gave us our first proper look at the Switch 2, its games, pricing and much more. In the immediacy following the event, we’ve gotten a ton more details, including exactly how much each of the new accessories will cost.

Though not detailed during the actual Nintendo Direct livestream, pricing for the Switch 2’s many accessories has now been published online – at least in the US.

While we may have to wait a bit longer to get the full suite of regional pricing, the USD value for each of the accessories does give an indication as to how it will be priced in the rest of the world. With that, the MSRP for Switch 2’s accessories is as follows:

• Pro Controller: $80
• Joy-Cons: $90
• Dock Set (includes AC Adapter and USB-C cable): $110
• Charging Grip: $35
• Camera: $50
• AC Adapter: $30

Unsurprisingly, many of these accessories have seen a bump in price compared to their last-gen counterparts, with the OG Switch’s Pro Controller coming in at $70 and the Joy-Cons at $80.

The Switch 2’s Dock meanwhile has seen an even bigger leap in price, with the OG Dock costing just $60 (with the OLED model slightly higher at $70). That said, these docks did not include an AC Adapter or cable, and so perhaps the price can be justified slightly.

Regardless, with the Switch 2 Nintendo has made it clear that they’re coming for your wallets. It will be interesting to see how well the system performs at launch given the current state of the economy.

KitGuru says: What do you think of the prices? Are they fair? What was your least favourite part of the reveal? Let us know down below.

The post Switch 2 accessories to see a price increase compared to last-gen first appeared on KitGuru.

Prior to its official unveiling earlier this year, many fans theorised on what Nintendo would decide to call the successor to their highly popular Switch console. While we now know it to be simply called the Switch 2, the console maker revealed that they had considered naming it the Super Nintendo Switch.

Following the conclusion of the official Switch 2 Direct, Nintendo released an ‘Ask the Developer’ Q&A onto their site, offering some interesting discussions.

When asked about the decision to go with the moniker Switch 2, the producer for entertainment planning and development at Nintendo (Kouichi Kawamoto) explained: “There were a lot of ideas for the name, and we really struggled to find the right one.”

Kawamoto continued, “We even considered ideas like ‘Super Nintendo Switch.’ However, Super NES, which came out after the NES, couldn’t play NES games. Since Switch 2 can play Switch games, it didn't feel right to use the same naming convention as Super NES. Switch 2 is a new system with improved performance, but we'd like players who get their hands on it not to focus on the specs, but rather to think of it as the latest system developed by Nintendo. So, in the hope that it becomes the new standard for Nintendo Switch, we named it Nintendo Switch 2.”

Given the overwhelming success of the Switch, it made sense for Nintendo to stick with what has worked and ensure that all those with an OG Switch knows with absolute clarity that a sequel console is on its way. After all, we wouldn’t want another Wii U situation.

KitGuru says: What do you think of the name? Should they have gone with Super Switch? What would you have named the Switch 2? Let us know down below.

The post Nintendo considered calling Switch 2 the Super Switch first appeared on KitGuru.

When Intel launched Lunar Lake (Core Ultra 200V) in 2024 we gave you the technical details and followed up with a review of the Asus Zenbook S 14 which has incredible battery life. In the following month we discussed Intel Arrow Lake (Core Ultra 200S) and how we considered it was unfit for review in a situation that was not resolved until February 2025. On the one hand we have Lunar Lake which we like, while on the other hand we have Arrow Lake which is troubled, yet both families of processors run on Lion Cove P-cores and Skymont E-cores and have a huge amount in common.

Another point which we mentioned in our reviews but didn't cover in much depth is that Lion Cove ditches SMT or Hyper-Threading which has been a feature since Pentium 4 in 2002. We are familiar with an eight-core CPU with 16 threads but we now have to get used to the idea of 8P+16E=24T. We figured the best way to understand this significant change was to ask, Ori Lempel, the leader of the team that designed Lion Cove.

Timestamps

00:00 Intro and set-up
02:56 How far ahead do designers work when they design a CPU core?
08:28 Are decisions about power, clock speed, cache and cost handed to designers as parameters
12:17 Exactly who is the customer for a particular CPU core
14:03 Are the choices of memory controller, storage and PCI Express deeply exciting for a core designer?
15:26 Fubs (Functional Blocks) and large partitions – core designs move from 300 cells to six
20:33 AI as part of the CPU design process
23:59 The removal of SMT from Lion Cove
25:30 Ori does maths to explain when SMT becomes a problem
35:13 Thread Director is still hard at work
35:40 Windows 10, Windows 11 and Linux
36:52 Quantum Computing
38:58 How did Intel conjure up Raptor Cove from Golden Cove
41:48 Sign off

KitGuru would like to thank:

Ori Lempel, Senior Principal Engineer in Core Design Team
Robert Hallock, VP and General Manager, Client AI and Technical Marketing

KitGuru says: Thanks to Intel for their time and be sure to let us know your thoughts on the interview.

The post Senior Intel Engineer Explains the Radical Shift in CPU Design first appeared on KitGuru.

The PCIe 5.0 SSD market is heating up, with increasing competition and a wider variety of controller technologies entering the fray. Kingston, through its Fury brand, has entered the PCIe 5.0 arena with the Fury Renegade G5 SSD, a drive that boasts impressive sequential read speeds of up to 14,800 MB/s.

Based on VideoCardz's report, the first thing that caught our attention about the upcoming Fury Renegade G5 is its controller. Unlike many existing PCIe 5.0 SSDs, which rely on Phison-based controllers, Kingston has opted for Silicon Motion's SM2508 SSD controller (based on a 6nm process node). Silicon Motion touts the SM2508 as being up to 70% more power-efficient than competing controllers, a benefit that translates to lower heat generation and cooler operating temperatures for the SSD.

Kingston plans to offer the Fury Renegade G5 SSD in 1TB, 2TB, and 4TB capacities. All three variants will adhere to the industry-standard M.2 2280 form factor and utilise 3D TLC NAND flash memory. Moreover, these SSDs use a 12-layer PCB to enhance signal integrity, an independent Buck IC for consistent power draw, and low-power DDR4 DRAM as cache to further reduce power consumption.

Sequential read speeds can reach up to 14,800 MB/s, pushing the PCIe 5.0 interface to the limit. Sequential write speeds can reach 14,000 MB/s. Achieving speeds significantly higher than this would require either more PCIe lanes or a transition to the faster PCIe 6.0 standard. All models in the series can exceed 2.15 million read and write IOPS and offer a massive TBW of up to 4 Petabytes.

KitGuru says: Assuming it has comparable performance to the current top PCIe 5.0 SDs, how much would you be willing to pay for the upcoming Fury Renegade G5 SSDs?

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Nvidia has announced the latest round of games to get DLSS 4 upgrades. This week, both Cyberpunk 2077 and FragPunk get updated to Nvidia's latest DLSS transformer AI models, and gain the ability to switch on Multi-Frame Generation, allowing users to boost frame rates even further.

For newer titles, both Steel Seed and STORROR Parkour Pro are both launching with DLSS 4 support. Steel Seed is a new stealth-action game set in a dark sci-fi world where humanity stands on the brink of extinction. RTX 50 users can enhance the game with Multi-Frame Generation, while RTX 40 users can use standard Frame Generation. STORROR Parkour Pro comes from Sleeve Game Studios and is an Early Access multiplayer parkour game.

Cyberpunk 2077 & FragPunk are two already-released but ever-popular titles getting updated with DLSS 4 this week, enabling the new, more precise upscaling algorithm, alongside RTX 50-exclusive feature, Multi-Frame Generation.

At this point, DLSS is present in over 700 games and applications. Despite only being a few months old, the latest version, DLSS 4, is already making good progress in being adopted by developers.

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KitGuru Says: Do many of you regularly play games with DLSS enabled, or do you prefer to switch it off?

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