Independent game developer C2 Game Studio has today revealed that its upcoming third-person action-RPG Astor: Blade of the Monolith will launch May 30th on PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, and Xbox platforms. The release date was revealed as part of the ID@Xbox Showcase, featuring some of the most exciting upcoming indie games from around the world. The announcement also comes in the wake of a recent title rebrand. Wield legendary runic weapons and magical abilities in fast-paced combat as you confront the source of evil found on planet Gilese, and enjoy a rich, immersive adventure as you guide a lone hero across the planet in a desperate search for answers.

"We're really excited to finally reveal our release date for Astor: Blade of the Monolith," said Luis Correa, Founder & game director at C2 Game Studio. "Myself and everyone at C2 are immensely proud of the game, and we can't wait for players to get their hands on it when it releases on May 30th."

Razer, the leading global lifestyle brand for gamers, today unveils the apex of esports engineering - the Razer Viper V3 Pro. Crafted in close collaboration with top esports pros, including zekken, Champion and MVP of the recent VALORANT Champions Tour Masters Madrid, this mouse has been battle-tested in the most demanding competitive environments.

"The Viper V3 Pro has transformed my gameplay," said Zachary "zekken" Patrone, Pro VALORANT player for Sentinels. "Its lightweight new design hands me an edge that feels almost unfair. It's a game-changer for esports pros." Redesigned from the inside out to prioritize an ultra-lightweight build and best-in-class performance, the Viper V3 Pro is available in Black and White editions, seamlessly fitting into any competitive setup.

NETGEAR, Inc., the leading provider of networking products that power businesses of any size, today launched the most compact WiFi 7 access point on the market. The tri-band WBE750 is designed for businesses heavily reliant on wireless internet and delivers up to 18.4Gbps1 total WiFi throughput, supported by a 10 Gbps/Multi-Gigabit PoE++ port.

The WBE750 Insight Manageable Tri-band WiFi 7 Access Point provides the deep capabilities that today's complex businesses need, including real-time responsiveness, low latency, and increased capacity. Employees are using an increasing number of connected devices at work - including laptops, cell phones, tablets, on top of office-wide connected devices such as collaboration systems, portable POS systems, smart lighting, and more, all of which can eat up precious bandwidth. Limited bandwidth can lead to decreased productivity and inefficiencies within a company, ultimately impacting the bottom line. The WBE750 access point with its high WiFi throughput and ability to support up to 600 concurrent devices is among the most advanced available today.

Game File reporter, Stephen Totilo, has discovered a new Nintendo-filed legal document—the Japanese multinational video game company's North American office is ready to do battle (in court) with Tropic Haze. The latter's Yuzu Switch Emulator is the focus of Nintendo's legal case—initiated on February 26, at the United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island. Totilo's social media summary of goings-on stated: "Nintendo is suing the creators of popular Switch emulator Yuzu, saying their tech illegally circumvents Nintendo's software encryption and facilitates piracy. Seeks damages for alleged violations and a shutdown of the emulator." The Dolphin Emulator—a Gamecube and Wii emulation platform—was removed from Valve's Steam store last year, following the sending of a Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) takedown order, but its development team was not pursued in US courts. The House of Mario is reportedly fiercely protective of its intellectual properties and technologies—gaining a hard-nosed reputation for engaging in plenty of legal action over decades past.

Nintendo's federal-level lawsuit alleges that Tropic Haze's Yuzu Switch Emulator played a large part in widespread illegal distribution of a 2023 flagship game title. They believe that "The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom" was pirated over one million times in a time period prior to its official launch on Switch consoles, while Yuzu's Patreon funding almost doubled within the same cycle. Nintendo stated (through filed documentation): "With Yuzu in hand, nothing stops a user from obtaining and playing unlawful copies of virtually any game made for the Nintendo Switch, all without paying a dime to Nintendo or to any of the hundreds of other game developers and publishers making and selling games for the Nintendo Switch...In effect, Yuzu turns general computing devices into tools for massive intellectual property infringement of Nintendo and others' copyrighted works." They argue that Yuzu is capable of circumventing the Switch console's many layers of encryption—Tropic Haze's software, in their opinion, is "primarily designed" to break Switch software protections.

Nintendo has published its quarterly financial results for the period ending March 31 (2024)—the numbers indicate that their trusty Switch hybrid console has continued to sell surprisingly well, despite industry watchdogs anticipating a sharp decline in late 2023. A Bloomberg Japan report has extracted crucial information from an important corporate investor call—Shuntaro Furukawa, the current company president, announced another sales milestone. The Switch has reached 139.36 million units sold (as of 31st December 2023) since its original rollout back in March 2017—it has the potential to outsell Sony's classic PlayStation 2 home console. Nintendo's CEO adhered to his company's strict script and did not address the big red elephant in the (conference) room—the highly anticipated Switch successor is an industry open secret—instead focusing on the current iteration being their "main business" going into FY2024-2025.

Despite recent "better than expected" financial figures, the Nintendo Switch is on a sales decline (going back several years)—the gaming community expected improved hardware to arrive at some point before 2024, but the House of Mario is in no rush to take on current generation Sony and Microsoft home console models. Furukawa-san stated that Nintendo will discuss its plans for the financial future during a May earnings briefing—this is largely in line with past declarations, the "Switch 2" is not arriving before Spring 2024. The latest reports suggest that the next Nintendo Direct presentation is scheduled for next week—perhaps February 15. Microsoft's Phil Spencer has teased a major Xbox "business update" announcement within the same timeframe.

Drop, the leading community-driven mechanical keyboard brand, today launches the CSTM65 keyboard - a 65% mechanical keyboard that provides a compact canvas for personalization. On the heels of launching the CSTM80, the CSTM65 is the newest addition to Drop's CSTM line of highly customizable keyboards that offer a superior typing and customization experience.

Building upon the success of the CSTM80, the CSTM65 presents a compact 65% layout that caters to users seeking a more streamlined and portable typing experience while offering the same level of customization as its predecessor. A signature of the CSTM line, the CSTM65 features an interchangeable, magnetic case - available in polycarbonate or aluminium - that envelops nearly the entire keyboard, which not only encourages users to configure the keyboard to their liking with ease, but also provides designers with a broader canvas, fostering the creation of more imaginative designs. Designed to be easily removed and replaced, users can select from a wide range of colorful and decorative cases with stunning artwork to further personalize their keyboard. Combined with various keycap options, switches, custom weight options, switch plates, and cables, users can effortlessly mix and match designs to create a keyboard that reflects their personal style.

Combining sleek design with top-notch functionality, the Epomaker DynaTab 75X compact mechanical keyboard is set to redefine the user experience for professionals and gamers alike.

Compact 75% Desk-saving Layout
The Epomaker DynaTab 75X boasts an array of features that cater to the diverse needs of keyboard enthusiasts. The compact 75% layout strikes a perfect balance between space efficiency and functionality, offering a seamless typing experience without compromising on key functionality. The keyboard is equipped with customizable RGB backlighting, allowing users to personalize their setup and create an immersive gaming or work environment.

Acer unleashes a series of powerhouse gaming laptops, headlined by the refreshed models of the Predator Helios 18 and Predator Helios 16. Acer also announced the new Predator Helios Neo 18 gaming laptop and major updates to the Predator Helios Neo 16, all outfitted with the latest Intel Core 14th gen processors and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 40 Series Laptop GPUs with DLSS 3.5 technology and NVIDIA Advanced Optimus. NVIDIA RTX Laptop GPUs are packed with specialized AI Tensor Cores enabling unmatched AI performance and accelerations in creative apps, ultra-efficient productivity, blistering fast gaming, and more. The Predator laptops feature Microsoft's Copilot in Windows 11 and a dedicated Copilot key for quick access to AI-powered task assistance. They also come with one month of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, giving gamers access to hundreds of high-quality PC games.

Gamers seeking a competitive edge will be thrilled with the Predator Helios 18 and Predator Helios 16 laptops as they come with options for captivating Mini LED panels, MagKey 3.0 swappable mechanical switch for shorter key travel and response time, and lightning-fast network speeds with Wi-Fi 7 compatibility.

NETGEAR, Inc., the leading provider of networking products that power businesses both large and small, today launched the cloud-managed NETGEAR S3600 Series Smart Switches, joining the company's cutting-edge portfolio of switches designed to meet the growing demands for faster networking that today's businesses require. The S3600 Series includes the 8-Port 10G/Multi-Gigabit (XS508TM) and 16-Port 10G/Multi-Gigabit (XS516TM) that provide flexible and auto-adaptive wired connectivity of high-bandwidth devices.

The growing networking demands of high-bandwidth applications and devices in the workplace often result in connectivity drops, slow speeds, bottlenecks, lagging content streaming and slow downloads. The S3600 Series of Smart Switches addresses these issues head-on and enables business owners to simply connect devices and instantly give each device exactly the speed it needs - either 1G, 2.5G, 5G, or 10G.

Artificial intelligence has been a hot topic this year, and everything is now an AI processor, from CPUs to GPUs, NPUs, and many others. However, it was only a matter of time before we saw an integration of AI processing elements into the networking chips. Today, Broadcom announced its new Ethernet switching silicon called Trident 5-X12. The Trident 5-X12 delivers 16 Tb/s of bandwidth, double that of the previous Trident generation while adding support for fast 800G ports for connection to Tomahawk 5 spine switch chips. The 5-X12 is software-upgradable and optimized for dense 1RU top-of-rack designs, enabling configurations with up to 48x200G downstream server ports and 8x800G upstream fabric ports. The 800G support is added using 100G-PAM4 SerDes, which enables up to 4 m DAC and linear optics.

However, this is not only a switch chip on its own. Broadcom has added AI processing elements in an inference engine called NetGNT (Networking General-purpose Neural-network Traffic-analyzer). It can detect common traffic patterns and optimize data movement across the chip. Specifically, the company has listed an example of the system doing AI/ML workloads. In that case, NetGNT performs intelligent traffic analysis to avoid network congestion in these workloads. For example, it can detect the so-called "incast" patterns in real-time, where many flows converge simultaneously on the same port. By recognizing the start of incast early, NetGNT can invoke hardware-based congestion control techniques to prevent performance degradation without added latency.

Sharkoon Technologies, an international supplier of high-performance quality PC components and peripherals, is now widening its popular SKILLER SGK50 keyboard series with the launch of three new models that have a 75 percent layout. Apart from a standard version, the SKILLER SGK50 S3 is also available as a barebone version that is completely without switches and keycaps. These variants are available in either black or white, and there is also a visually striking version available with white PBT keycaps and blue highlights.

Fully Customizable
Following on from the SKILLER SGK50 S4, the SKILLER SGK50 S3 is a further model that widens the range of an already popular keyboard series with hot-swap capability for 3-pin or 5-pin switches. However, in contrast to the S4, this new model possesses a larger layout with dedicated arrow and function keys. There is also an additional Sharkoon key that allows the quick programming of up to two macros and the adjustment of the illumination - all without the need of separate software. For users who wish to get even more out the keyboard and have the ability to modify every aspect of its functionality, the SKILLER SGK50 S3 offers full compatibility with the open-source software QMK and VIA.

QNAP Systems, Inc., a leading computing, networking, and storage solutions innovator, today released the new 100GbE QSFP28/25GbE SFP28 managed switch QSW-M7308R-4X. Offering up to 1200 Gbps of switching capacity in a compact half-width rackmount case, the QSW-M7308R-4X satisfies the high-bandwidth demands of big data storage, video editing, virtualization, and AI applications to accelerate deploying high-speed data storage centers, smart medicine, and professional multimedia studios.

"According to market research, the demand for 100GbE+ ultra-high-speed switches has taken off in 2023, in order to support the bandwidth demands of new applications such as Generative AI workloads and cluster servers." said Jerry Deng, Product Manager of QNAP, adding "QNAP's first 100GbE switch is a cost-optimized and space-saving 100GbE solution for SMBs, and is ideally paired with QNAP 25GbE NAS or other NAS with 25GbE/100GbE network cards to fully maximize your IT potential."

NETGEAR, Inc., the leading provider of networking products that power businesses both large and small, today launched the NETGEAR MS108TUP 8-Port Multi-Gigabit (2.5G) Ethernet Ultra60 PoE++Smart Switch, purpose-built for growing businesses that need all-in-one, reliable, seamless connectivity.

The growing number of connected devices, use of data-and-power-hungry applications and increasing prevalence of "bring your own device" make it increasingly important for small and mid-sized businesses to have a modern networking solution to drive better performance. NETGEAR's cutting-edge line of Smart Switches is now joined by a new model that provides an option to business owners with smaller port count needs without sacrificing quality.

MINISFORUM, known for its expertise in mini PCs, is taking a significant step towards building a holistic desktop ecosystem. The introduction of the MINISFORUM MKB i83 keyboard marks the company's expansion into the world of peripherals, allowing users to experience a complete desktop environment.

The MINISFORUM MKB i83 is a testament to premium quality, featuring an anodized aluminium body that not only provides an elegant texture but also ensures enduring performance. This keyboard is designed to cater to a diverse range of users who demand the best.

In a world where one size never truly fits all, ELECOM is proud to introduce a game-changing era in ergonomic mice. Partnering with top-tier doctors in Japan, ELECOM has crafted the EX-G, an ergonomic mouse series that caters to individual hand shapes and sizes like never before. With four different sizes (S/M/L/XL) to accommodate hands of all dimensions, a palette of color options (white, blue, and black), and an array of connectivity options including wireless, wired, and Bluetooth, your perfect ergonomic companion is just one click away.

Features
ELECOM's EX-G series places ergonomics and comfort at the forefront of its design. Featuring ultra-quiet Panasonic switches for enhanced durability and reduced strain during prolonged usage, the half-vertical mouse redefines comfort compared to conventional bulky vertical mice. Say goodbye to awkward sideways clicking and the sensation of battling gravity - the EX-G is thoughtfully angled for comfort without sacrificing maneuverability. The mice work on Windows, macOS, ChromeOS, and Android devices.

World-renowned brand Spigen released a real dual 8K mechanical gaming keyboard: Spigen ArcPLAY Mechanical Gaming Keyboard. The most unique point of the Spigen ArcPLAY Mechanical Gaming Keyboard is speed. With Spigen's Dynamic Pipeline Technology, which is an optimizing technology exclusive for ArcPLAY to process efficiently, the Spigen ArcPLAY Mechanical Gaming Keyboard is able to support 8,000 Hz of both polling and scan rate in order to operate more quickly than other mechanical gaming keyboards.

ArcPLAY uses Cherry MX RGB Brown Switch, which is a high-quality switch from one of the most renowned brands in the industry, guaranteeing 100 million keystrokes. The keycaps are also made through the double shot PBT process and feature premium PU foam for sound absorption to satisfy gamers using the Spigen ArcPLAY Mechanical Gaming Keyboard.

Drop, the leading community-driven e-commerce brand, today unveiled the CSTM80, its inaugural keyboard in its CSTM series of highly customizable mechanical keyboards. On the heels of launching its Battlestations shopping experience earlier this year, Drop continues to push the boundaries of personal expression for its enthusiast community with design-forward innovations.

The CSTM80 is a tenkeyless mechanical keyboard featuring a magnetic top case that users can switch out and pair with a matching cable and keycaps to reflect their personal style and preferences. At launch, users can choose from several different color cases, as well as two designed cases, to match their preferred aesthetic. Unlike other "customizable" keyboards on the market that only allow the top cover to be swapped out, the magnetic case on the CSTM80 encapsulates nearly the entire keyboard, allowing for greater customization among users and expanding the canvas for designers to craft more intricate designs.

MSI, a world-leading brand for gaming and creation, proudly introduces the VIGOR GK41 series, a revolutionary duo of gaming keyboards designed to elevate your gaming experience. The VIGOR GK41 and its advanced counterpart, the VIGOR GK41 DUSK, are crafted with precision and a next-level to cater to the diverse needs of gamers.

VIGOR GK41: Armed for Game On
The VIGOR GK41, the first product in the series, stands out with its Kailh Linear Red switches, offering outstanding responsiveness for gamers seeking the perfect keystroke. Boasting 6 fixed color LEDs in 10 different lighting zones, the GK41 creates a visually immersive gaming environment. Supporting MSI Center software enables gamers to customize macro key settings and lighting effects. It also offers the flexibility to configure combination keys for adjustable lighting effects and seamless control over media settings. The adjustable stand with three angles (0°, 3°, or 7°) ensures ergonomic comfort. It is complemented by 100% anti-ghosting keys, making the VIGOR GK41 the go-to choice for gamers who demand outstanding performance at an affordable price.

QNAP Systems, Inc., a leading computing, networking and storage solution innovator, today unveiled the half-width rackmount QSW-M3212R-8S4T L2 Web managed switch that features twelve 10GbE high-speed ports (eight SFP+ ports and four RJ45 ports) and Layer 2 management functions, providing an ideal networking solution for space-limited environments. SMB/SOHO users will benefit from the QSW-M3212R-8S4T by being able to connect more 10GbE network devices with different interfaces at an affordable price.

"With a 38% reduction in size, the full 10GbE QSW-M3212R-8S4T is only 8.1 inches (207 mm) wide, making it the top choice for IT administrators to deploy in constrained IT rooms," said Jerry Deng, Product Manager of QNAP, adding "Users can easily install one QSW-M3212R-8S4T along with another QNAP half-width rackmount switch in a 1U rack space for efficient physical space utilization and cabling."

QNAP Systems, Inc., a leading computing, networking, and storage solutions innovator, today released the new Half-width Rackmount 16-port 10GbE switch series, including the L2 Web Managed QSW-M3216R-8S8T and the Unmanaged QSW-3216R-8S8T. The built-in eight 10GbE SFP+ and eight 10GbE RJ45 ports with backward compatibility fulfills the versatile demands of interfaces and speeds in high-speed network infrastructure. The half-width rackmount compact design also allows SMBs to flexibly deploy them in IT rooms or even on desks in offices.

"QNAP's best-selling all 10GbE switch series now releases two new half-width rackmount 16-port 10GbE models, offering more 10GbE ports to satisfy requirements for multiple high-bandwidth network devices in SMBs and offices. " said Jerry Deng, Product Manager of QNAP, adding "Managed and unmanaged models are available for easily upgrading to a full 10GbE high-speed LAN at an affordable price, and their small physical footprint makes them especially useful for businesses and organizations that lack physical space for dedicated IT hardware."

EnGenius, a leading innovator in connectivity solutions, is thrilled to announce the launch of its latest product, the XG60-FIT gateway, a solution designed specifically for small businesses' security and networking needs. With the XG60-FIT gateway, small businesses can efficiently manage remote worker networks and branch locations, ensuring secure communication and data protection without needing dedicated IT teams.

Robust Cybersecurity and Seamless Network Performance
The XG60-FIT gateway provides dependable connectivity, efficient security, and easy management. This robust connectivity solution offers high throughput performance and real-time protection for businesses' networks, allowing for collaboration and secure data sharing. Its innovative approach to simplicity makes VPN setup a breeze, enabling quick and secure connections between branches or remote workers with just a few clicks. To enhance network reliability, the gateway features dual-WAN ports for load balancing and failover support, with cellular WAN serving as a backup connection in case of WAN failures. Additionally, it offers multiple gigabit ports and a PoE+ port to power Wi-Fi access points, delivering high-performance Wi-Fi for small businesses, branch offices, and WFH employees.

Chaotic multiplayer "DIY racer" Make Way, from indie developer Ice Beam Games and publisher Secret Mode, is turbo-charging into Steam Next Fest today. Supporting 1-4 players, the Make Way demo gives players an early peek at the unbridled chaos expected in the full, cross-platform game for PC, Nintendo Switch, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, and Xbox One later this year.

The demo will allow up to four players to battle together online or locally in either Race mode, where players focus on building their tracks and racing to the finish line, or Classic mode, where weapons and obstacles are thrown into the mix for the true chaotic experience. A sampling of the track pieces, obstacles, and vehicles will be available for use, with more to unlock by playing the demo, and even more to come in the final full release.

Nikkei recently conducted an interview with Shuntaro Furukawa, Nintendo's current president—to commemorate a special occasion. The Japanese multinational video game company is celebrating the 40th anniversary of its "Family Computer" (aka Famicom/NES) home gaming system. A lot of the conversation revolved around the significant legacy (and sales: 61.91 million units) of their first home games console, but subsequent media attention focused on Furukawa-san discussing plans for the popular Switch model and beyond. Dr. Serkan Toto (of industry consultancy Kantan Games Inc.) kindly pulled out and translated the key takeaways from Nikkei's paywalled article. The Nintendo CEO did not disclose any major revelations—he stated that his team will be dedicated to advancing the current Switch's business model until March 2024 (end of the '23-'24 fiscal year): "The biggest obstacle at any time, not just limited to the "Next Console", is knowing whether we can deliver something that customers really want." This answer aligns with information disclosed to investors a couple of months ago, and a September Direct announcement of upcoming new titles and remasters.

The wider gaming community is eager to find out what is in store for the rumored "Switch 2," but Furukawa remained guarded about future prospects. He revealed that Nintendo will continue to "support" the existing model over the fiscal year starting April 2024 to March 2025 (FY24): "I can't talk about the specific topic...We are still working on Nintendo Switch software for the fiscal year ending March 2025. The momentum will be sustained to continue to expand the Switch business. In the fiscal year ending March 2024, we will keep up the Zelda momentum and move into the holiday selling season. In terms of hardware, we will maximize demand not only for new purchases, but also for second units and replacements." This rather boring outlook contrasts heavily with recent leaks—next-gen tech demos and dev kits are alleged to be out there. It is commendable that the House of Mario is dedicated to its existing customer base (129.5 million units sold as of September 2023), but the Switch's creaky Tegra X1 SoC simply cannot keep up with competition in modern times, even with customized FSR 2 support. A bespoke NVIDIA Jetson Orin SoC (T239/Drake) is speculated to drive the successor's insides, although wilder theories point to NVIDIA and MediaTek's chipset alliance producing a more potent solution that embraces newer architectures.

Razer, the leading global lifestyle brand for gamers, once again elevated the global gaming landscape with the monumental RazerCon 2023. This year, on September 21, gamers from around the globe connected virtually as CEO Min-Liang Tan, in true testament to Razer's "For Gamers, By Gamers" ethos, unveiled a thrilling suite of upcoming launches including six game-changing products, and new exciting partnerships.

The event was also co-hosted by renowned gaming consortium OTK, who dove deep into the intricacies of Razer's new products, showcased ultimate gamer battlestations, and shared essential gamer insights. In keeping with Razer's commitment to sustainability, RazerCon 2023 was once again powered by renewable energy sources for its data transmission and offsetting emissions arising from the usage of devices tuning in, as it continues its carbon neutral streaming tradition. Razer fans can relive the entire event here.

QNAP Systems, Inc., a leading computing, networking and storage solution innovator, today launched the QGD-1600 16-port Gigabit smart edge switch/cybersecurity switch and QGD-1602 8-port 2.5GbE and 8-port Gigabit smart edge switch/cybersecurity switch. Besides adopting Layer 2 network management and software defined features, the QGD-1600 and QGD-1602 supports running VMs to deploy VPN, firewalls, and network management functions. ADRA NDR software is also supported to provide the widest cybersecurity protection for all the connected LAN devices at the access switch layer.

"Our QGD smart edge switches innovatively integrate the functions of NAS and switches and have received positive feedback from our users," said Alex Shih, QNAP Product Manager, adding, "the addition of the affordable non-PoE models QGD-1600 and QGD-1602 provides a cost-effective all-in-one network solution with cybersecurity software for enhanced LAN security, or running VMs for more software applications."