Sony today has confirmed the first specs for its upcoming update of the original PlayStation VR hardware. The PlayStation VR2, as it's (predictably) named, will feature an entirely new display array consisting of dual OLED panels (2000 x 2040 per eye), enabling 4K HDR content to be directly beamed into the users' retinas. The panels enable a 110º field of view and up to 120 Hz refresh rates. The PS VR2 headset will now feature inside-out tracking, which means there's no need for external accessories: four cameras placed on the headset itself will take care of hand and positional tracking, with some help from the new Sense handheld controllers (which integrate the haptic feedback and adaptive triggers of the PS5 DualSense controller).

While wireless VR technologies have become more common, the PlayStation VR2 will require a single, USB Type-C physical connection with the PS5 console - and it's unlikely it will ever properly work outside Sony's ecosystem. This is partly due to Sony listing a number of new sensory technologies that are being integrated into its VR2 headset such as eye tracking, headset feedback, and 3D Audio (processed via the company's Tempest technology). Sony describes the eye tracking implementation as serving as a new possible input for game experiences, whilst also enabling technologies such as foveated rendering to enable higher performance to be extracted from the PS5 hardware. Allying foveated rendering and eye-tracking should bring about a much-needed breakthrough for VR performance - theoretically, the system can apply Variable Rate Shading (VRS)-like technologies according to the user's eye position, reducing rendering quality in line with the less detailed captures of humans' peripheral vision compared to the pupil's central focus point.

We've already seen some leaked pictures of Lenovo's awkwardly named ThinkBook Plus Gen 3, but what they didn't convey was the specs and almost all of them are quite impressive. The main display might be the most impressive part, as it's a 17.3-inch, 120 Hz 16:10 panel with a resolution of 3072x1440, which is as far as we know, the first of its kind. Then there's the "tablet" which measures 8-inches, although it's fairly low resolution at 1280x800. It comes with a "digital pen" as Lenovo calls it and is designed for graphics works courtesy of a software plugin that allows it to work with Pantone colours.

CPU wise, we're looking at the brand new 12th gen Intel Core H-series of CPUs, although no mention of the exact SKUs was offered. There's support for up to 32 GB of LPDDR5 RAM and 2 TB of storage. Sadly, graphics are limited to the Intel Iris Xe GPU built into the CPU, which means it might not be the ideal notebook for some of the types of work it was intended for.

Dark Matter, the high-performance and high-value gaming accessories and peripherals brand from Monoprice, unveiled its new 34-inch ultrawide (UWQHD) and
49-inch curved super ultrawide (DQHD) monitors. These two monitors carry forward the brand's commitment to bringing to market products that refuse to compromise performance and value.

"We take great pride in developing our Dark Matter monitors, and hand select our panels to ensure they provide gamers with top-tier performance without compromising productivity," said Carter Salley, Business Unit Manager, Monoprice. "Featuring a less extreme curve than competing gaming monitors, these displays boast a more comfortable viewing experience with less eye strain for mixed-use."

GFN Thursday welcomes you to the next generation of cloud gaming - boldly going where no cloud gaming service has gone before with the new GeForce NOW RTX 3080 membership. The new memberships will stream from the world's most powerful gaming supercomputer, the GeForce NOW SuperPOD, giving gamers their own high-performance cloud gaming rig. GeForce NOW RTX 3080 members will enjoy streaming at up to 1440p resolution and 120 frames per second on PCs and Macs, and 4K HDR at 60 FPS on SHIELD TV, with ultra-low latency that rivals many local gaming experiences.

Founders and Priority members in North America and Western Europe now have early access to preorder GeForce NOW RTX 3080 memberships - with six-month memberships available for $99.99. Memberships will be limited at launch, and the exclusive preorder window gives our earliest supporters the first opportunity to upgrade to next-generation gaming.

The new Surface Laptop Studio features what Microsoft calls a boundary-pushing design, yet we felt like we'd seen the easel before. Lo and behold, Acer ConceptD 3 Ezel launched last year with a very similar design and HP launched the similar Spectre Folio in 2018. Not to belittle Microsoft here, as they have designed a much slicker hinge mechanism than Acer, while seemingly also improving upon the materials used and unlike HP's Spectre Folio, this is a "full fat" laptop and not a glorified tablet.

The Surface Laptop Studio is a strange looking machine, as it has an overhang, something I never expected to see on a laptop and although it appears to have been designed to allow for better cooling, there's just something about it that irks me. Yes, it makes it appear thinner than it really is and Microsoft uses the overhang to tuck away and charge the optional Surface Slim Pen 2 underneath, but it just looks odd for a lack of a better word. Oddities aside, it should be Microsoft's most powerful Intel powered laptop to date and it even packs a discrete NVIDIA GPU.

Say what you want about Apple's ARM based SoC's, but the company has been pushing the envelope almost every time they've released a new chip. However, this year it would seem that even Apple isn't particularly excited about its new SoC, as the A15 Bionic is only described as 50 percent faster than the nearest competitor, which doesn't really say much about the actual performance.

Likewise, the improved GPU in the A15 Bionic is being touted as offering 30 percent faster graphics than leading competition, which says nothing about how much of an improvement it is over the previous generation from Apple. This time around, Apple is also binning its chips based on working GPU cores, as the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini only get four GPU cores, whereas the iPhone 13 Pro, iPhone 13 Pro Max and the iPad mini gets five GPU cores.It's possible that the cost of manufacturing 5 nm chips has something to do with this.

After the introduction of the current generation of consoles, we've started to see more and more monitors with console support and now Philips has joined the fray with its new 279M1RV 4K, 144 Hz, 27-inch gaming display. It might carry a "Designed for Xbox" logo, but using HDMI 2.1 with a console limits it to 120 Hz and you really need a high-end gaming PC to get the most out of it.

Philips is using an LG Nano IPS panel that covers 98% of the DCI-P3 colour gamut, a contrast ratio of 1000:1, 1 ms gray to gray typical response time and 178 degree viewing angles. The display is also HDR 600 certified, although the typical brightness is 450 cd/m². It's also G-Sync compatible, with a slightly disappointing range of 60-144 Hz, which is limited to the DP port. VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) and FRL (Fixed Rate Link) are both supported over HDMI 2.1, but ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode) and QFT (Quick Frame Timing) seems to be absent.

In the recent 4K gaming monitor race, GIGABYTE was off to a great start with the AORUS FV43U, the world's first 4K tactical gaming monitor that supports HDMI 2.1. With its perfect mix of 4K image quality, e-sports-grade refresh rate, HDMI 2.1 standard, and many other top-notch specs, the coveted displays immediately attracted massive attention since the announcement and sold out on the first day of the launch on Newegg. The FV43U was also praised by Tom's Hardware, the world-renowned tech media, and received Editor's Choice Award for its class-leading performance in the gaming department, calling it the King of the 43-Inch Class.

Riding the FV43U's popularity and hot sales record, GIGABYTE continues its triumphant run, launching two other 4K gaming monitors with the HDMI 2.1 support as well. The 32-inch AORUS FI32U and the 48-inch AORUS FO48U are arriving shortly. In addition to the advanced hardware specs, these two 4K displays offer the perfect mix of resolution and size that PC and new-gen console gamers have long been waiting for when seeking a 4K gaming monitor.

Microsoft seemingly has one more trick up its sleeve to increase attractiveness of Windows 11. Via a Microsoft blog post, the company revealed that Windows 11 will introduce support for Dynamic Refresh Rate on the Desktop, the 2-D realm of work e-mails, personal accounting, and social media. This means that Windows will be able to dynamically change your screen's refresh rate to save power consumption - scaling it to the scenario at hand.

For example: if you are reading a TechPowerUp article, Windows will dynamically reduce the refresh rate down to 60 Hz while you do so to conserve power. However, should any user interaction occur, such as a mouse movement or other input (like moving the browser window down and revealing a TechPowerUp wallpaper), Windows will automatically restore the refresh rate to its user-defined value.

HTC VIVE, the global leader in premium virtual reality (VR), today set a new benchmark for business and consumer VR, bringing 5K resolution and a 120-degree field of view as standard to the two new VR headsets announced today at VIVECON 2021, HTC's global VR conference. VIVE Pro 2 pushes the boundaries of PC VR for incredible gaming, creating, and experiences, while VIVE Focus 3 redefines business VR with a purpose-built All-in-One with no compromises. HTC also announced VIVE Business, its comprehensive range of tools designed to support businesses of any size to get the most out of VR.

"Today's launch marks a major milestone in our strategy to create the very best immersive experiences. We have listened to our customers, from well-known global companies to smaller firms and professional users, and have designed these premium headsets from the ground up to meet the challenges they face, adding a professional range of software, platform and services to make implementation as smooth and effective as possible," said Cher Wang, HTC Chairwoman and CEO. "In line with our mission, we've combined the very latest technology with the needs and aspirations of our customers, enabling them to unleash their imagination to improve people's lives and solve problems for business and society."

The worldwide new-gen game console sales are still booming with no indication of slowing down. However, pairing a new-gen console with a compatible high-resolution display that can push the limits of 120 Hz high refresh rates and beyond remained an unfathomable mission...until now. GIGABYTE's newly launched AORUS 4K gaming monitors have shed a new ray of hope for the long-awaited gamers. The full HDMI 2.1 compatibility that comes with the new AORUS monitors enable gamers to unlock higher frame rates and resolutions on new generation consoles, such as the PlayStation 5 and XBOX Series X.

The GIGABYTE AORUS 4K tactical gaming monitors are the ultimate two-way monitors. Not only do they promise an esports-grade display performance of up to 144Hz refresh rate and 0.5 ms response time, they also take full advantage of the HDMI 2.1 connector's bandwidth for getting the most out of the new-gen consoles, making them the ideal displays for gaming across different platforms. Through the HDMI 2.1 connectivity, gamers are able to fully enjoy extreme gaming performance powered by high-end graphics cards, such as the RTX 30 series while gaming on PC. When paired with the new-gen consoles, gamers for the first time can play their favorite AAA game titles at 120Hz for ultra-smooth gameplay at a stunning 4K resolution. In addition to the display performance supremacy, GIGABYTE has also succeeded in optimizing gaming experience with AORUS exclusive tactical features.

Today we're announcing features that will begin rolling out soon in the v28 software update to Oculus Quest headsets. Oculus Air Link is a wireless way to play PC VR games on Quest 2, while new Infinite Office features make getting work done in VR even easier. We're also announcing native 120 Hz support for Quest 2 for an ultra-smooth gameplay experience.

Since launching in 2019 and exiting beta last year, Oculus Link has been a widely used feature across the Quest Platform. With a gaming PC and a compatible USB-C cable, Link has given people access to Rift's impressive content library, including games like Asgard's Wrath, Lone Echo, Stormland, and more. But of course, being tethered to your PC can break immersion and limit your mobility. We know gamers want to use Link without a wire—to experience the full freedom of movement offered by Quest 2 while playing the high-end titles that can only run on a gaming PC. That's why we've been working on a new streaming technology called Oculus Air Link—a completely wireless way to play PC VR content on Quest 2 using WiFi, built on the successful Oculus Link streaming pipeline.

Facebook Reality Labs Vice President Andrew Bosworth has recently confirmed in a Q&A session that the Oculus Quest 2 is likely to receive 120 Hz refresh rate support via an upcoming software update. The original Oculus Quest shipped with a 72 Hz refresh rate and when the Quest 2 was released with a better screen this refresh rate was kept for compatibility reasons. Facebook has now made 90 Hz the default refresh rate on the Quest 2 after a period of testing and it seems that this could soon be increased to 120 Hz with the main concerns remaining being performance and battery life. Developers would have the option to target 72, 90, or 120 Hz for their games and applications to run at. The 120 Hz refresh rate would be most noticeable when playing desktop VR games via Oculus Link with a computer capable of high-fidelity VR.

AOC has announced a new addition to their AGON line of gaming monitors in the form of the AGON AG493UCX. This is a beastly monitor with a 49" diagonal and 5K resolution with a Super Ultra-Wide aspect ratio of 32:9 (with a resolution of 5120 x 1440 pixels). The panel type is VA, which promises increased contrast ratios against those typically found in IPS panels (3000:1, in this case). AOC is promising 120 Hz refresh rates with a 1 ms (MPRT) response times with MBR backlight. There is also support for VRR technologies such as FreeSync and G-Sync (compatible).

Display brightness is quoted at 550 cd/m², which is just shy of a DisplayHDR 600 certification, but comfortably achieves the VESA DisplayHDR 400 certification. The monitor isn't a slouch in terms of color display either, being better than your average VA panel: the display is factory-calibrated and ships with a guaranteed dE <2, and coverage for 16.7 millions colors across a 93% DCI-P3 gamut coverage (and 121% sRGB coverage). I/O is handled by 2x DisplayPort 1.4, 2x HDMI 2.0, 1x USB type-C, 3x USB ports and 1x an audio output. 2x 5 W speakers are built in to the screen and the stand offers tilt, height and swivel adjustments. No word on pricing as of yet.

Update December 10th 2020: AOC has just made the AGON AG493UCX available for purchase. Initial availability is pegged for Europe with a price tag set at £899 / €899.

A German website, Heise.de, has discovered a bug in HDMI 2.1 chipset that causes black screen issues on specific hardware. On AV chipsets sourced by Panasonic, and used by Denon, Marantz, and Yamaha HDMI 2.1 AV receivers, the chipset experiences a specific issue of a black screen. More specifically, the bug happens once you connect Microsoft's newest console, Xbox Series X, or NVIDIA's Ampere graphics cards. When connecting these sources at resolutions like 4K/120 Hz HDR and 8K/60 Hz HDR to Panasonic HDMI 2.1 chipsets, the black screen happens. This represents a major problem for every manufacturer planning to use the Panasonic HDMI 2.1 chipset in its AV receivers, meaning that the issue has to be addressed. The Audioholics website has reached out to Sound United and Yamaha to see what their responses were, and you can check them out below.

Xiaomi today unveiled what it considers to be the third defining piece of technology for its 10th anniversary - the 55" Mi TV LUX Transparent Edition. As the name implies, and as Xiaomi will pridefully tell you, this is the world's first fully edge-to-edge transparent OLED display - the images are displayed on its transparent screen and thus appear to be "floating in the air" - taking a cue from most science fiction settings. Xiaomi has also taken this opportunity to announce that they've become the first China-based company in the world to produce transparent OLED TVs, as well as China's number one OLED Basic Module (OBM) manufacturer.

Xiaomi is looking to grab a piece of the premium TV market with the new Master Series. Xiaomi's new flagship TV, to be announced for the Chinese market on July 2nd, will be offering up a 65-inch OLED panel with a snappy 120 Hz refresh rate, which means it will be able to take full advantage of next-generation consoles' "up to" 120 Hz FPS delivery. Besides the OLED chops, there's Dolby Certification for both Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos.

Other specs include HDMI 2.1, VRR support, and ALLM (Automatic Low Latency Mode). A quad-core Arm Cortex-A73 custom chip will be powering the TV's graphical and OS processing. Apparently there will be some sort of RGB lighting on the TV's frame, and a metallic remote control with NFC support aims to increase the premium feeling. Xiaomi's CEO Lei Jun described it as "Xiaomi's ultra-high-end OLED TV" and "very amazing." Well. We'll have to see now won't we. If it's actual competition to today's premium mainstream LG C9 and Samsung Q90R TVs, it's bound to sell like hotcakes.

Today HP unveiled new OMEN hardware and accessories, updates to OMEN Command Center, and introduced the first 16" Pavilion Gaming laptop - all designed for today's gamer to play their best while pushing the limits of what their devices can do.

Gaming benefits are being unlocked as people are spending more time at home, uncovering new avenues for both entertainment and general well-being. 80% of people in the United States agree that playing video games provides an escape during these unprecedented times and 73% cite "relaxation" as one reason they game. According to tests with the Adult Hope Scale, Americans who started playing games during the COVID-19 quarantine feel 64% more hopeful and 39% state a reduction in stress.

At this year's CES, ASUS announced the latest addition to their TUG gaming lineup of laptops - two 15-inch TUF Gaming A15 and TUF Gaming F15, and two 17-inch TUF Gaming A17 and TUF Gaming F17. Being advertised as durable, high-performance gaming laptops, the TUF lineup is here to bring "unprecedented experience for the price" meaning that the pricing of these models will be more than adequate for what they offer. Inside these new machines are the latest mobile processors from both Intel and AMD. The "A" series, as it is called, is an AMD based solution that features Ryzen 4000 series of mobile processors, which can be configured to go up to 8 cores and 16 threads, while the so-called "F" series is based on Intel's 10th generation of Core processors, which can be configured to go up to 6 cores and 12 threads.

ViewSonic today unveiled a massive 55-inch OLED gaming monitor that's sure to tick all of the boxes - including (likely) that of most expensive monitor money can buy. The XG550 is an OLED-based, 55" gaming monitor with 4K resolution and 120 Hz refresh rate - alongside a pretty amazing 0.5 ms quoted response time. The fact that it offers 99% coverage of DCI color-space is just icing on the cake for any creative professionals, although I'd imagine they'd much enjoy an 8K presentation on that diagonal size (hey, we can always ask for more, can't we?).

The monitor also supports RGB lighting on a LED emitter on the back of the display (sadly, nothing like Philip's Ambilight, but hey, it at least serves to make your gaming area more interesting; and it's compatible with Razer Chroma). No word on pricing, but ViewSonic expects the Xg550 to be available come 4Q 2020.

LG Electronics (LG) has joined forces with NVIDIA to make gamers' dreams come true, adding support for NVIDIA G-SYNC Compatibility to its stunning 2019 OLED TVs (model 65/55E9, model 77/65/55C9). LG's newest OLED products offer blazing speed and stunning color reproduction, their superior performance and image quality validated through NVIDIA G-SYNC Compatible testing to ensure a smooth and immersive gaming experience without flickering, tearing or stuttering.

With exceptional picture quality, low input lag and an ultra-fast response time, LG OLED TVs have already earned a reputation for delivering an optimized gaming performance. The addition of NVIDIA G-SYNC Compatibility raises the bar once more, guaranteeing even more immersive big-screen PC gaming on the company's industry-leading 4K OLED models, available in 55- to 77-inch screen sizes.

Remember that awe-inducing Alienware OLED monitor that we introduced you to back in CES 2019? Well, new information has been made known in regards to that particular 55", 4K, 120 Hz OLED panel. In essence, it will be releasing for avid, deep-pocket gamers' hands everywhere on September 30th, for the low, low price of $3,999. Add to that an impressive 0.5 ms response time and FreeSync support, and this will be a giddying piece of hardware.

The Alienware AW5520QF sports a 130,000:1 contrast ratio (due to OLED's pure blacks that are the hallmark of the technology), achieved with a mere 400 nits of brightness (which denies HDR support), as well as coverage of 98.5% of the DCI-P3 color gamut. 1x DisplayPort 1.2, 3x HDMI 2.0 ports, 4x USB ports, 1xS/PDIF audio line-out and 1x headphone jack round out the monitor's connectivity. There's also RGB lighting on the back of the monitor. If only it was something akin to Philips' Ambilight tech...

Sony has finalized the design and specification of its PlayStation 5 entertainment system. Unlike buzzwords Microsoft threw around like "8K capable" for its "Project Scarlett" console, Sony has a slightly different design goal: 4K UHD at 120 Hz, guaranteed. The most notable absentee at E3 2019, Sony is designing the PlayStation 5 to leverage the latest hardware to guarantee 120 frames per second on your 4K display. Much like "Project Scarlett," the SoC at the heart of the PlayStation 5 is a semi-custom chip co-designed by AMD and Sony.

This unnamed SoC reportedly features an 8-core/16-thread CPU based on AMD's latest "Zen 2" microarchitecture, which is a massive leap from the 8 low-power "Jaguar" cores pulling the PS4 Pro. The GPU will implement AMD's new RDNA architecture. The SoC will use GDDR6 memory, shared between the CPU and GPU. Much like "Project Scarlett," the PS5 will include an NVMe SSD as standard equipment, and the operating system will use a portion of it as virtual memory. There will also be dedicated hardware for 3D positional audio. Sony also confirmed full backwards compatibility with PS4 titles.

ASUS today rolled out the ROG Swift PG349Q, one of the rare few curved ultrawide monitors with a high refresh-rate. This 34-inch display with a 21:9 aspect-ratio and 3440 x 1440 pixels native resolution, ticks at 120 Hz refresh-rate, and supports NVIDIA G-Sync technology. Its IPS panel has a rather obtuse 1900R curvature compared to the more common 1800R, with 178°/178° viewing-angles. Other vital specs include 300 cd/m² maximum brightness, 4 ms (GTG) response time, and 1000:1 static contrast ratio. The monitor offers flicker-free brightness adjustment, by using a non-PWM method to dim the LEDs illuminating the panel. The back side of the monitor and its stand are studded with RGB LEDs, which you control using Aura Sync RGB software. The monitor takes in HDMI and DisplayPort connections, and needs a USB connection to control the lighting. The company didn't reveal pricing.

So, that news title may be slightly too flashy for the actual product, but bear with me here: OLED is such an improvement over current mainstream display technologies that its transition to the PC monitor space is one of the most sought-after unicorns in this market. Alienware, via a partnership with LG (that's almost obvious), will be making this particular unicorn come to reality. The Alienware 55 OLED gaming monitor will feature 4K resolution @ 120 Hz, Variable Refresh Rate support via HDMI 2.1 (FreeSync? G-Sync? - all's still up in the air), DisplayPort 1.4, and 98 percent coverage of the DCI-P3 RGB spectrum with a candy of HDR support thrown in the mix.