Square Enix has confirmed that its Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster series has officially surpassed six million units sold worldwide. The collection, which revitalises the first six entries in the long-running RPG franchise, has proven a commercial success since its initial rollout in 2021, validating the publisher's strategy of preserving its back catalogue with uniform standards for modern platforms.

While Square Enix has often faced criticism for its handling of legacy ports, the Pixel Remaster initiative appears to have struck the right chord with gamers. The project involved a complete overhaul of Final Fantasy I through VI, unifying the visual style across the NES and SNES eras. The original pixel artist, Kazuko Shibuya, returned to redraw the 2D character sprites, ensuring the new assets remained faithful to the source material. On the audio front, legendary composer Nobuo Uematsu supervised and orchestrated arrangements of the soundtracks, replacing the synthesized tunes of the 8-bit and 16-bit hardware.

The sales figures shared by Square Enix reflect performance across a staggered release schedule spanning multiple years and ecosystems. The first wave hit Steam, iOS, and Android between July 2021 and February 2022. Following sustained demand from console players, the collection was released on PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch in April 2023. Most recently, the series landed on Xbox Series X|S and the Microsoft Store in 2024, making the collection playable natively on all major current-gen hardware.

Beyond the audiovisual facelift, the commercial longevity of the bundle is likely aided by the inclusion of modern convenience features that respect player time. Square Enix implemented toggle-based boosters, allowing users to adjust experience gain, automate combat, or disable random encounters entirely. These optional tools have made the notoriously grind-heavy 8-bit entries significantly more palatable for a contemporary audience accustomed to faster pacing.

KitGuru says: It took Square Enix a few tries to get these ports right, but the sales numbers don't lie. With six million copies sold, the Pixel Remaster series stands as one of the publisher's most successful attempts at leveraging its heritage.

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This year's Game Awards has once again proven its dominance in the gaming calendar, setting a new viewership record for its 2025 broadcast. According to data reported by the organization, The Game Awards secured an estimated 171 million global live views, marking an 11% increase over the 154 million figure recorded in 2024.

Note that this figure represents strictly live tune-ins for the main show. It excludes the long tail of trailer views, social media clips, and viewership from premium partners like Prime Video. The data is aggregated across major open platforms, including YouTube, Twitch, TikTok Live, Steam, X, and Facebook, as well as major regional players such as JioHotstar in India and various Chinese streaming services.

Platform-specific metrics paint a picture of steady growth rather than explosive spikes. On YouTube, the official 4K stream saw an 8% rise in concurrent viewers, contributing to a total platform peak of over 2.4 million when co-streams are factored in. Twitch performance remained good as well, with peak concurrents climbing 5% to settle just above 1.8 million.

This trajectory continues a decade-long trend for the event, which has grown from a modest 1.9 million viewers in 2014 to the juggernaut it is today. The most significant historical leaps occurred in 2018, when it jumped to 26.2 million, and in 2020, when it hit 83 million. The 2025 numbers suggest that while the growth curve is flattening, the ceiling has not yet been reached.

KitGuru says: Did you watch the show? What platform were you watching it on?

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Global analytics firm Newzoo has provided an optimistic year-in-review for 2025 in gaming. The broader global picture shows an industry on the rise, driven heavily by a resurgence in PC gaming and the arrival of the Nintendo Switch 2.

Newzoo (via VGC) projects that the global video game market will close 2025 with a total value of $197 billion, representing a healthy 7.5% increase over 2024. Although steeper than in recent years, analysts warn that looming economic factors like tariffs, the rising cost of living, and emerging memory shortages could dampen this momentum as we head into 2026.

The breakdown of this growth offers an interesting insight into current player habits. Mobile gaming remains the dominant revenue generator, expected to reach $108 billion, up 7.7% year on year. However, the PC sector has emerged as the growth leader, rising 10.4% to reach $43 billion. This expansion outpaces the console market, which is forecast to grow modestly by 4.2% to $45 billion.

Image credit: Newzoo

According to Michiel Buijsman, Newzoo’s Chief Market Analyst, the surge in PC revenue isn't necessarily due to a sudden influx of new players, but rather existing enthusiasts spending more deeply within the ecosystems they already inhabit. The top 10 PC games by revenue in 2025 were all released in 2025, and notably, none were free-to-play titles. This list included a mix of established brands and three completely new IPs, highlighting the platform's openness to system-driven design and varied experiences.

In contrast, the console market remains heavily reliant on established familiarity. The top 10 revenue generators on console were exclusively existing franchises, with half of the list comprised of annual releases. Electronic Arts appears to be the primary beneficiary of this trend, publishing nearly half of the top-performing titles. However, the standout success on the console front is undoubtedly Pokémon Legends Z-A, which managed to crack the top rankings despite being exclusive to a single platform.

Perhaps the biggest surprise taken from the engagement data is the reversal of fortunes between the industry's two biggest shooters. While Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 ranked only in the top 10 console titles by monthly active users (MAUs), Battlefield 6 has demonstrated remarkable staying power. EA's shooter appeared across all revenue and engagement lists for both PC and console, suggesting that 2025 will go down as the year Battlefield finally reclaimed the crown from its rival.

Significant structural changes and indie success also defined the year. Sandfall Interactive’s Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 capped off a stellar year for independent developers by sweeping The Game Awards, proving that non-AAA titles can still dominate the discourse. Meanwhile, on the corporate side, the industry is grappling with consolidation, exemplified by EA's move to take the company private.

KitGuru says: If PC growth momentum continues over the coming years, the platform has a pretty good chance of catching up to consoles. If someone said this 20 years ago, it would probably be called crazy, but today, it's closer to reality than ever.

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If recent reports are to be believed, Lenovo is planning to announce a new handheld at CES 2026. According to a new report, the manufacturer is preparing to unveil a version of its Legion Go Gen 2 running Valve's SteamOS, making it the first Ryzen Z2 Extreme-powered console running Valve's OS natively.

This development would mark Lenovo's second foray into the SteamOS ecosystem, following the Legion Go S. However, this Gen 2 model with SteamOS targets the high-end enthusiast. According to Windows Latest, the hardware configuration mirrors the Windows variant, meaning it would pack AMD's Ryzen Z2 Extreme APU, featuring eight Zen 5 cores and integrated Radeon 890M graphics. This CPU is backed by up to 32GB of LPDDR5X-8000 memory and a PCIe Gen4 M.2 2242 SSD with capacities up to 2TB.

Image credit: Windows Latest

The display specifications remain equally impressive, with the unit retaining the 8.8-inch PureSight OLED panel found on its Windows sibling. This screen offers a 1920×1200 resolution at a 16:10 aspect ratio, a 144Hz refresh rate, and 500 nits of peak brightness. To keep this hardware running without a wall socket, Lenovo has equipped the device with a 74Wh battery and 65W USB-C charging.

If this report proves true, then the Legion Go Gen 2 would become the first officially supported device to pair the Ryzen Z2 Extreme with SteamOS, potentially offering a significant performance leap over the current Steam Deck OLED. For now, we await official confirmation, which could arrive during CES next month.

KitGuru says: This device would offer a significantly more powerful alternative to the Steam Deck. Now we'll just have to wait and see how much it will cost. 

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AMD has updated its product lineup with a new entry-level SKU based on the RDNA 4 architecture. Dubbed the Radeon RX 9060 XT Low-Power, this new variant aims to deliver the same core specifications as the standard model while operating within a tighter thermal envelope.

The card was first found on AMD's China regional website (via ITHome) before appearing on the global domain. According to the official specifications, the primary differentiator for this “LP” model is a reduction in total board power. While the standard Radeon RX 9060 XT is rated at 160W, this new variant has been tuned down to 140W. Consequently, the recommended PSU requirement has dropped to a modest 450W, making it an attractive drop-in upgrade for pre-built systems with limited headroom.

Despite the reduction in power consumption, the silicon configuration appears untouched. The card uses a die featuring 29.7 billion transistors and retains the full 32 CUs and 2,048 stream processors found in its fully fledged sibling. The architectural breakdown includes 32 ray tracing accelerators and 64 AI accelerators, alongside 128 texture units and 64 ROPs. This suggests that, rather than cutting physical cores, AMD has likely applied more conservative clock-speed curves to meet the lower-power target. The card is equipped with 32 MB of AMD Infinity Cache and up to 16 GB of GDDR6 memory across a 128-bit bus, operating at up to 20 Gbps.

It is currently unclear whether this low-power variant will see a widespread retail release or remain exclusive to system integrators. Unlike high-end SKUs that face export restrictions, there is no regulatory reason to limit an entry-level GPU, reinforcing the theory that this is simply a specialized bin aimed at optimizing performance-per-watt for specific thermal environments.

KitGuru says: Shaving 20W off the TDP doesn't sound like much, but in the world of SFF builds and OEM power supplies, it can be the difference between a stable system and a shutdown. It will be interesting to see if this “LP” badge results in a tangible performance penalty in gaming.

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The brutal reality of the live-service market has claimed another victim. Theorycraft Games, the studio founded by former ex-Riot Games developers, has announced that it will permanently close the servers for its debut title, Supervive, on February 25th, 2026. The decision comes less than half a year after the game officially left beta.

When Supervive was first unveiled in 2024, it carried significant expectations. The project was directed by industry veterans such as Joe Tung, a former executive VP at Riot Games, and promised to mix the strategic depth of a MOBA with the tension of a battle royale. However, despite a promising “open prototyping” phase and a 1.0 launch in July 2025, the game failed to maintain an audience.

In a FAQ released alongside the announcement, the development team explained that while they were proud of the mechanical systems they had built, the title could not hold player attention. Executive Producer Jenn Nam expanded on this, noting that while “a huge number” of users had downloaded and tried Supervive, the majority abandoned the game after only a short period. This left the studio with a low active user base. As seen on SteamDB, the concurrent player count has been peaking at 400, a figure that makes ongoing maintenance and server costs financially unviable.

Nam indicated that the studio will use this experience to change its development strategy moving forward. Future projects are expected to aim for a scope that falls “between independent and AAA,” suggesting a move away from the live-service model. The studio warned that it expects to “go dark” for an extended period while prototyping these new concepts.

For the remaining community, the end is now in sight. Supervive will remain playable until the servers go offline on February 25th, 2026. Theorycraft has disabled all real-money transactions effective immediately and is offering full refunds for any purchases made since September 16th. Although development has ceased, a final patch was deployed yesterday, introducing a new game mode, various bug fixes, and a final cosmetic bundle, which is being distributed to all players for free as a parting gift.

KitGuru says: The MOBA and Battle Royale markets are tough, and maintaining a live-service game with only a few hundred players is simply impossible. Hopefully, the team can learn from this experience and create a more sustainable project in the future.

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It has been nearly three years since Avalanche Software first invited players into its recreation of the Wizarding World, and the commercial momentum shows little sign of slowing down. Warner Bros. Games has officially confirmed today that Hogwarts Legacy has now crossed the 40 million unit sales milestone, cementing its place as one of the most successful RPGs of the current generation.

While the game launched to massive numbers on PC and current-gen consoles, its release strategy ensured it remained relevant for a long time. The initial wave was followed by last-gen ports for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in May 2023, with a Nintendo Switch version arriving later that year. Most recently, the title received an enhancement for the Nintendo Switch 2 in June 2025, introducing higher-fidelity assets and improved performance for the handheld successor. This streak of releases helped the game sell over 40 million copies, as the developer announced on X.

Developed under the Portkey Games label, Hogwarts Legacy succeeded by breaking away from the familiar narrative of the books and films. By setting the action in the 1800s and casting the player as a fifth-year student with no prior ties to the Potter timeline, Avalanche Software allowed for a degree of role-playing freedom that resonated with both hardcore fans and casual gamers. The decision to skip the “early years” of schooling in favour of immediate high-stakes combat and open-world exploration appears to have been a winning formula.

KitGuru says: Selling 40 million copies in under three years is a staggering achievement for a single-player, full-price release. Did you play the game?

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Jonsbo is expanding its chassis lineup with the release of the D401 Black, a mid-tower case that breaks away from traditional box aesthetics. Featuring an external frame finished in dark metallic grey, the case is designed to offer a balance of structural rigidity and open-air visual appeal for showcase builds.

Jonsbo has equipped the D401 (via Hermitage Akihabara) with large tempered glass panels on both the front and left side, providing a panoramic view of the hardware. While glass-heavy “aquarium” style cases often suffer from airflow restrictions, the D401 attempts to mitigate this with a right-side panel featuring dedicated venting, working in tandem with perforations across the top and bottom panels to create unobstructed channels for intake and exhaust.

Cooling support is substantial for a chassis of this class. The layout supports a variety of configurations, with up to three 120 mm fans on the side panel and either three 120 mm or two 140 mm fans on the top. Unusually for a standard mid-tower, the PSU shroud is also perforated to mount three additional 120 mm fans, feeding fresh air directly into the GPU. Regarding liquid-cooling compatibility, the case supports dual 360mm radiators simultaneously (top and side), making it a viable candidate for custom loops or high-end AIOs.

Internally, the D401 Black supports Mini-ITX to ATX motherboards, with seven rear expansion slots. Graphics card clearance is generous at 439 mm, while air cooler height is capped at 169 mm. The design also supports vertical GPU mounting, though builders will need a separate riser cable. Power supplies up to 200 mm in length can be fitted. Storage options are kept relatively minimal to maintain the clean interior aesthetic, with a convertible drive bay supporting either a 3.5-inch HDD or a 2.5-inch SSD, alongside two dedicated 2.5-inch mounts. The I/O panel, located at the bottom of the left panel, covers the essentials, including USB connectivity (1x Type-C 3.2 and 2x Type-A 3.0) and standard audio jacks.

KitGuru says: The D401 is an aesthetically pleasing case with room for almost anything you want to throw at it. However, looks aren't enough, and the limited storage options, I/O panel location, and interrupted panoramic view might deter some from pursuing this case.

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Arctic has officially retired the MX-6 from its flagship position, replacing it with the new MX-7 compound. While the company has long been a staple in thermal pastes, this latest iteration marks a distinct shift in formulation strategy, moving towards a significantly higher viscosity to combat the “pump-out” effect common in modern, high-heat-density processors.

Arctic has engineered MX-7 to be considerably thicker than its predecessors, a design choice explicitly aimed at long-term stability. The phenomenon of pump-out, where thermal cycles cause lower-viscosity pastes to migrate away from the die centre, has become a frequent headache for direct-die cooling applications on GPUs and gaming laptops. By increasing the cohesiveness of the mixture, Arctic claims the MX-7 will maintain its bond line integrity far longer than standard pastes.

However, this change in consistency requires some builders to change how they apply it. The manufacturer explicitly advises against the old “spread with a spatula” technique that was popular with the softer MX-4. Due to the high viscosity, manual spreading is likely to result in uneven ridges. Instead, Arctic recommends applying a generous amount in a cross pattern and allowing the mounting pressure to distribute the material. This ensures a uniform layer that fills microscopic imperfections without introducing air pockets.

The compound is fully non-conductive and non-capacitive, meaning that any accidental overspill onto the system carries no risk of short circuits. Arctic has also integrated a QR-code-based authenticity check on the packaging to ensure you're getting the real thing. The MX-7 is now available at a launch discount, with the 2g syringe starting at €6.49. The 4g variant comes in at €6.99, and the 8g tube at €8.49. For those needing to clean up old residue, a bundle version including a 4g syringe and six MX-Cleaner wipes is available for €8.29.

KitGuru says: Have you ever used Arctic MX thermal pastes? Were you happy with the results? Would you consider the new MX-7 if you had to replace the thermal paste of a GPU/CPU?

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Enermax has expanded its high-end power supply portfolio with the introduction of the Revolution III S 1000W, a new unit targeting the premium segment of the market. Available in black and white, this latest entry focuses heavily on future-proofing, featuring full compliance with the Intel ATX 3.1 standard. Perhaps the most aggressive move with this launch is the manufacturer's decision to back the unit with a 13-year warranty. This duration exceeds the industry-standard 10-year coverage typically seen on flagship units from competitors like Corsair or Seasonic.

Efficiency is a key selling point for the Revolution III S, which has secured Platinum certification across three major testing bodies: 80 Plus, Cybenetics, and PPLP. This ensures tight voltage regulation and reduced thermal waste, which is managed by a 120 mm fluid-dynamic bearing fan. Enermax has tuned the cooling curve for silence, implementing a semi-fanless mode that keeps the fan stationary until the load exceeds 60%. For a 1000W unit, this means the power supply remains passive during most desktop tasks and even gaming scenarios.

The PSU uses 100% Japanese capacitors and includes a native 12V-2×6 connector capable of delivering up to 600W down a single cable, ensuring compatibility with current and future flagship graphics cards without the need for adapters. The cabling solution uses mesh-sleeving rather than standard ribbon cables, designed to improve flexibility and airflow management within the chassis.

The Revolution III S 1000W is scheduled to hit retailers in January 2026. Pricing is set at $179.99/€159.99 for the standard black model, while the white variant commands a slight premium at $189.99/€169.99.

KitGuru says: We've seen plenty of PSUs with 12-year warranties over the last decade, but a 13-year warranty isn't that common. This alone might be enough for the Revolution III S 1000W to stand out in the market.

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