Capcom, the Japanese video game maker, has today announced specification requirements for its upcoming Resident Evil Village PC game, needed to play the game at certain resolutions/graphics presets. Starting with the minimum settings, Capcom is thinking of 1080p 60 FPS gaming. To achieve that you need at least an Intel Core i5-7500 or AMD Ryzen 3 1200 processor paired with 8 GB of RAM. The minimum specification also requires a DirectX 12 capable GPU, with 4 GB of VRAM, just like NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti or AMD Radeon RX 560. The company notes that using this configuration, framerate may drop below 60 FPS during heavy loads. If you want to use raytracing, which is now also present in the game engine, you must switch to at least NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 or AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT.

The recommended specification of course requires much beefier hardware compared to the minimum specification. If you want to have a steady 1080p 60 FPS experience without frame drops, Capcom recommends an Intel Core i7 8700 or AMD Ryzen 5 3600 processor, paired with 16 GB of RAM, and a GPU like an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 or AMD Radeon RX 5700. However, if you want the raytracing feature you need a better GPU. To achieve a 4K resolution with 60 FPS and raytracing turned on, the GPU needs a bump to at least an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 or AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT graphics card. You can check out the game requirements in greater detail below.

343 Industries, a game developer and maker of the Halo game series, has today released 4K screenshots of their upcoming PC title called Halo Infinite game. The company has been providing players with regular updates regarding the game development and showing a bit of how the whole process is looking like. What the developers have in their heads when developing something like this, and what are their goals to achieve. For someone interested in that, these monthly updates are very valuable reads. Today, however, we are in for a surprise. Halo Infinite PC screenshots have been revealed and we get a hint of what is to come.

Showcasing Zeta Halo, one of the seven rings in the Halo Array, located in the Sagittarius Arm of the Milky Way galaxy, we get to see the beautiful open world the developers are creating. The main spotlight of the graphics is centered around the day-nigh changes, which are supposed to feature raytracing technology and use the latest advancements in graphics. Below, you can take a look at the world of rings and see some game scenes for yourself. For a full 4K images, please head over to the Halo Infinite blog post update.More pictures follow.

Display specialist AOC extends its portfolio of P2 series professional displays with three new models: the 31.5" (80 cm) U32P2 with 4K UHD (3840 x 2160 pixels), the 31.5" Q32P2 with QHD (2560 x 1440 pixels) and the 28" (71.1 cm) U28P2A, also with 4K UHD resolution. For increased productivity when working at home or in the office, these monitors offer sizeable screen real estate, a height-adjustable stand with portrait orientation option, and a built-in USB hub to easily connect peripherals. Thanks to the Adaptive-Sync support to match the graphic card's framerate with the monitor's refresh rate, stuttering and tearing is eliminated. AOC's new 31.5" P2 displays are available in Europe starting February 2021, while the 28" model will be available from April.

AOC's P2 series represents the brand's offer for professional business users seeking to increase productivity in their workflow. Whether used for working remotely or in an office, these displays' features cover all of the essential requirements and much more. Offered in 22", 24", 27", 28", 32" and 34" display sizes, the majority of P2 series monitors are equipped with IPS panels, which are color accurate and support wide viewing angles. The displays also feature ergonomic stands and flexible connectivity, with some models accepting USB-C input.

Philips today via its distributor MMD announced the 288E2UAE Monitor, a cost-effective 4K monitor with a 28" diagonal. The monitor features a native 8-bit display (10-bit FRC) with a pretty run-of-the mill 60 Hz refresh rate, 300 cd/m² luminance and 1000:1 static contrast for its 4K resolution. The 4 ms response time won't earn it any accolades, but that's to be expected on a 4K resolution monitor that is expected to retail for around $300. The 119% sRGB and 106.9% NTSC coverage sit above the mainstream monitors for color reproduction, but likely won't be enough for content creators - despite the monitor's color accuracy of DeltaE < 2.

I/O wise, the Philips 288E2UAE offers a 5x USB 3.2 hub, configured at 1x upstream and 4x downstream ports, 1x HDMI and 1x DisplayPort, alongisde 1x 3.5 mm audio output and 2x 3 W integrated speakers. The display further features an anti-reflection coating, and firmware-based EasyRead, Flicker-free and LowBlue technologies.

DisplayPort 2.0 was supposed to see its implementation beginning by the end of 2020, but that time has come and gone without a single DisplayPort 2.0-touting product on sight. According to VESA, the rollout has been delayed mostly due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which prevented the standards body to perform its PlugTest events, where engineers and hardware developers convene to discuss, tinker, and decide on the standard's implementation. VESA held multiple of these events per year, but none in 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic; thus, the delay we are now witnessing surged.

VESA plans to have their first 2021 PlugTest event in Spring of this year, however, and aims to see products on the shelves later, and likely not before 2H 2020. The standards body said that there are, indeed, DisplayPort 2.0 monitors currently in-development, but that these too have been affected by the lack of PlugTests. DisplayPort 2.0 is an update to the current 1.4 implementation, and currently, there are no launched products (monitors, graphics cards, etc) that can make use of the new version. The new standard will technically support up to 80 Gbps max, nearly three times the currently available bandwidth in the DisplayPort 1.4 spec. DisplayPort Alt Mode 2.0 also brings most of these capabilities to USB Type-C connectors via the USB 4.0 revision.

Alienware, the gaming division of Dell Technologies, has today announced a lineup refresh, meaning that all of the existing products will get upgraded to versions with the latest hardware. And to start off, the company has equipped their thin and powerful Alienware m15 R4 and m17 R4 laptops with the latest hardware we saw announced just yesterday. The laptops are equipped with 12-phase voltage regulation modules to power the newest NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3000 series of mobile GPUs. To pair with a strong GPU, Alienware decided to use 10th generation Intel Comet Lake-H designs. These new laptops can be equipped with up to 4 TB of PCIe 3.0 NVMe SSD storage and up to 32 GB of 2933 MHz RAM. For display, options range from FHD LCD to a 4K OLED panel and 360 Hz refresh rate for the m17 R4 model.

Dell Technologies (NYSE:DELL) unveiled new products and software that reimagine work so anyone can perform at their best. With a new portfolio of intelligent, collaborative and sustainable devices, Dell is transforming work experiences to give people greater flexibility to work from anywhere.

"People's expectations of their technology continue to evolve. It's why we push beyond barriers to create devices that offer better experiences and are more integrated into our lives," said Ed Ward, senior vice president, Client Product Group, Dell Technologies. "Our new intelligent PCs make it possible for us to work smarter and collaborate easier, so we can give our best selves in all that we do. Secure, sustainable and smart: that's the way forward for PCs."

The current watershed moment in graphics performance has everyone joining the Ultra HD party. The latest PC graphics cards make higher-refresh-rate 4K gaming easier than ever, and the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X consoles finally support 4K graphics with high dynamic range (HDR) imagery and high refresh rates over the HDMI 2.1 interface. To match this new wealth of pixel-pushing power, we've created the ROG Swift PG32UQ, which we're unveiling at CES 2021.

The PG32UQ's 4K pixel array measures 32" across its diagonal, for a density of 138 PPI. That size strikes a great balance between a sharp picture and keeping text and UI elements readable without scaling. The gorgeous IPS panel has a gray-to-gray response time of just 1 ms. Those speedy pixels make for blur- and ghosting-free motion that's as clear as that of fast TN panels, but with the enhanced color reproduction and viewing angles of IPS.

LG Electronics (LG) announces a planned partnership with Google to bring Stadia to its latest webOS smart TVs in the second half of this year. After Stadia comes to Google TV, LG will be the first TV manufacturer to natively support Stadia gameplay via webOS.

LG is demonstrating its commitment to supporting premium gaming on its state-of-the-art displays, made even more compelling with support for 4k and 5.1 surround sound for Stadia Pro users. Stadia on LG TVs will allow customers to instantly play hit Stadia games such as Cyberpunk 2077, NBA 2K21, Assassin's Creed: Valhalla and Watch Dogs: Legion with just a Stadia controller and no additional hardware or game downloads required.

ViewSonic Corp., a leading global provider of display solutions, showcases its latest display solutions ranging from monitors for gaming and work-from-home environments to projectors for entertainment and portability. Packed with the latest technology features for functionality and designed for multiple applications, these ViewSonic display solutions deliver performance that remains uncompromised.

ViewSonic will introduce its line of new display solutions, including the company's first 8K ColorPro monitor with Adobe RGB and color-sensor and -blind modes; new ViewSonic ELITE gaming monitors including a 32-inch, 4K, HDMI 2.1 monitor with FreeSync for next-generation PC/console gaming; a value-rich 4K projector for astounding entertainment and casual gaming experiences, and an upgraded LED-based, 1080p portable projector with smart connectivity.

Over three years after the launch of the HDMI Specification Version 2.1, major products are now widely available that support HDMI 2.1 features including 4K@120Hz, 8K@60Hz, Dynamic HDR and eARC. Instead of asking when HDMI 2.1-enabled products will be available, people are now asking for advice about which new HDMI 2.1-enabled products to buy.

"It's exciting to see so many new products available with these new features," said Rob Tobias, CEO and president of HDMI Licensing Administrator, Inc. (HDMI LA). "And with the launch of the latest gaming consoles, consumers can now enjoy a thrilling HDMI 2.1 end-to-end experience with consoles, AVR's, cables, TVs and monitors. With shipments of HDMI products reaching almost 10 billion since it launched in 2002, HDMI technology continues to be the universal interface for consumer electronics products."

In addition to the RT-AX68U router, ASUS today rolled out the TUF Gaming VG289Q1A gaming monitor. This 28-inch flatscreen monitor features 4K Ultra HD (3840 x 2160 pixels) resolution which it puts out using an IPS panel. The panel offers 178° viewing angles, 90% DCI-P3 coverage, HDR10, 10-bpc color (1.07 billion colors), 60 Hz refresh-rate, and 5 ms response time. Other panel specs include 350 cd/m² maximum brightness, 1000:1 static contrast ratio; and VESA Adaptive Sync. Display inputs include a DisplayPort 1.2, and two HDMI 2.0. The company didn't reveal pricing.

The dankest of memes has come out of the digital underworld to spread fear through all chickens out there in the world. KFC has announced the KFConsole, a development made in partnership with Intel, ASUS, Cooler Master, and Seagate, do deliver a console that "runs better than any other console" - which means bugs relating to chicken movement have been ironed out before release. The chassis is a KFC chicken bucket-shaped one, and is based on Intel's NUC 9 Extreme compute element paired with an unspecified ASUS graphics card - that supports ray tracing.

QNAP Systems, Inc., a leading computing, networking and storage solution innovator, today announced the desktop smart edge PoE Switch - QGD-3014-16PT. With sixteen 30-watt Gigabit PoE ports, two 2.5GbE host management ports, Intel Celeron J4125 quad-core 2.0 GHz processor, and four 3.5-inch SATA drive bays, the QGD-3014-16PT supports QVR Pro, HBS 3 and QuWAN SD-WAN to integrate surveillance deployment, video storage computing, and multi-site remote management to offer SMBs innovative intelligent IP surveillance infrastructure and remote backup solutions.
"Expanding multi-site surveillance networks can be costly and involve large amounts of equipment with low transmission efficiency between multiple remote devices - not to mention the complexities involved in deployment and management. " said Daniel Hsieh, QNAP Product Manager, adding, "the QGD-3014-16PT desktop Smart Edge PoE Switch integrates PoE, surveillance capabilities, and data backup management to simplify these requirements and increase the transmission and backup efficiency of surveillance videos."

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.

PNY Announced today the availability of the new 1TB2 PRO Elite Class 10 U3 V30 SDXC Flash Memory Card (1 TB PRO Elite SDXC Card) delivering today's maximum capacity and UHS-I performance to professional photographers and enthusiasts of all levels. There is nothing more important in photography and videography than to be ready and well-equipped to capture life's most extreme adventures. PNY 1 TB PRO Elite SDXC Card offers impressive storage without compromising performance, allowing photographers and videographers to create new content seamlessly, whether shooting photos at 24MP and higher, or 4K videos which require constant data recording.

The 1 TB PRO Elite SDXC Card is rated Class 10, U3 and features V30 video speed allowing for 4K video recording. The sequential read and write speeds of up to 100 MB/s and up to 90 MB/s, respectively, ensure top UHS-I performance without the need for any special reader to achieve these speeds. These impressive specs culminate into one powerful storage device capable of holding up to 151,740 photos at 24MP or up to 21 hours of 4K video at 60 frames per second.

OWC, the premier zero-emissions Mac and PC technology company, and a respected provider of Memory, External Drives, SSDs, Mac & PC docking solutions, and performance upgrade kits, announced Mac compatibility and certification of its new OWC Thunderbolt Hub. Previously certified for Thunderbolt 4 PCs, the OWC Thunderbolt Hub is now available for new M1 Macs and all Thunderbolt 3 equipped Macs once upgraded to the new Apple MacOS 11 "Big Sur". The OWC Thunderbolt Hub will give both Mac and PC users the additional Thunderbolt ports they've always wanted.

The OWC Thunderbolt Hub offers the new Thunderbolt hubbing technology. You can now have four Thunderbolt ports, plus one USB port on your new Apple M1 Mac, Apple "Intel" Mac with Thunderbolt 3, or any Thunderbolt 4 PC with this compact hub. You can connect and charge any device with a USB-C or USB-A connector. Support up to two 4K displays or a single 5K/6K/8K display. Add high-performance storage, including NVMe solutions, and generally make your workflow work for you by adding A/V mixers, phone or tablet, even desktop accessories like a keyboard or mouse—all through a single Thunderbolt port. Accessories with past, present, or future USB or Thunderbolt interfaces connect to the OWC Thunderbolt Hub.

Nioh 2: The Complete Edition will be released for PC in February 2021, KOEI Tecmo has announced. The Complete Edition features the base game as well as its three expansions: "The Tengu's Disciple", "Darkness in the Capital", and the recently announced "The First Samurai". The game will be releasing on Steam, and the PC version will have some PC-centric features, as one would hope (but sometimes maybe not expect, unfortunately).

As part of its PC version, Nioh 2: complete Edition will feature support for 4K resolution as well as compatibility for ultrawide resolutions. HDR and 144Hz monitors are also supported, though maximum framerate will be capped to 120 FPS. Full mouse and keyboard customisation support, as well as gamepad compatibility, have also been announced. Check after the break for the announcement trailer.

Do you remember No Man's Sky? Yes, that procedurally-generated game that mostly flopped at release, promising an endless universe for you to explore. Well, the game may have launched way back in 2016, but it's become one of the most well-supported releases in the history of videogames - at least, for a release that doesn't count on a subscription-like service to generate revenue. Hello games has now announced that they will be launching a next gen version of No man's Sky for both the PS5 and Xbox Series X - and gamers who already own a PS4 or Xbox One version of the game are eligible for a free upgrade.

The new, next gen version bumps the visuals to 4K resolution running at 60 FPS; severely diminishes loading times; features cross-play support; and there's also support for 32-player multiplayer, the first time this has been implemented in the console version of the game. There will also be a measure of graphical improvement beyond the increase in resolution, such as improved shadows and volumetrics. Improvements to spatial audio have also been baked in, due to the next gen console's support for more advanced soundscapes. PC users, of course, are already entitled to the update (it's one of the positives of having machines that can always slot in alongside the current generation of consoles). Whatever your opinion on the games' release state, the amount of content and support that has been delivered after the games' release should place Hello Games at the top of your developer short list.

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.

Ubisoft has today updated the PC system requirements for its Watch Dogs: Legion game. Set to release on October 29th this year, we are just a few weeks away from its release. With the arrival of NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 3000 series Ampere graphics cards, Ubisoft has decided to update the official PC system requirements with RTX-on capabilities. The inclusion of raytracing in the game requires a faster CPU, as well as an RTX-capable GPU. At 1080p resolution, you need at least an RTX 2060 GPU to play with high settings, and raytracing turned to the medium, including DLSS. Going up to 1440p, Ubisoft recommends gamers to use at least an RTX 3070 GPU for very high preset, raytracing on high, and DLSS set to quality. If you want to max everything out and play with the highest settings at 4K resolution, you will need an RTX 3080 GPU.

New displays and meeting systems from Dell Technologies (NYSE:DELL) help creatives and office professionals work productively and comfortably in hybrid work environments. According to IDC research, 81% of employees believe monitors with higher resolution, better ergonomics and color improve the overall working experience. This expanded UltraSharp portfolio features state-of-the art technology, including mini-LED, built-in colorimeter and low blue light reduction screens.

"Technology that helps us do our best work is critical as we adapt to the new hybrid work environment," said Bert Park, senior vice president and general manager, Software & Peripherals Product Group, Dell Technologies. "Our monitors have always been the most desired companion to any PC, and our new line is no different. We're helping customers push productivity to the edge while delivering great performance, style and comfort." As world's number one monitors brand for seven years running, Dell offers an end-to-end ecosystem of collaboration tools that can meet the needs of every worker and offers the most EPEAT Gold registered monitors globally.

Today, HP Inc. unveiled the HP Spectre x360 14, offering the viewability of a 15-inch device with the mobility of a 13.5-inch form factor for the ultimate browsing, reading, editing, and viewing experience. Also announced today is HP's expanded 11th Gen Intel Core Processor Spectre and ENVY line up, packed with incredible performance gains and increased battery life for the perfect work-at-home lifestyle.

The PC has become more essential than ever, with many doing more from home like work, school, and doctor's visits, for the foreseeable future. But the home is a place often filled with roommates and family members also working or learning, requiring work and personal devices to be as flexible as the user's environment. Less than one-third of users have an office where the door can be closed, making living rooms, bedrooms, and kitchens the open office floorplan of 2020. HP is creating devices like the new HP Spectre x360 14 to be adaptive and smart, with the use of intelligent features - like performance management and new AI-based audio capabilities - to anticipate needs before the user does.

NVIDIA themselves have shared performance slides for their imminent RTX 3090 graphics card, the new halo product that's been marketed as the new Titan. Previous-gen Titans have achieved extremely meager performance uplifts compared to NVIDIA's top-of-the-line cards (see RTX 2080 Ti vs RTX Titan, an average of 8% performance difference in favor of the Titan. According to the company, users should expect a slightly higher performance uplift this time around, though the 10-15% higher performance in 4K still seems meager - in pure price/performance terms - for the average consumer.

The average consumer who isn't the main focus for this graphics card and its gargantuan 24 GB of GDDR6X memory, anyway - this is more aimed at the semi-professional or professional crowds working with specialized software, whether it be in rendering or AI-based workloads. The RTX 3090 is thus not so much a product for the discerning computer enthusiast, but more of a halo product for gamers, and a crucial product for professionals and academics.

Acer has released a new ultrawide 4K addition to its lineup in the form of the CB342CKCsmiiphuzx monitor (no, this news editor hasn't fallen asleep on his keyboard; that's the actual model name). The new Acer CB342CKC enters the company's OmegaLine lineup, and features a 34" IPS panel with a UWQHD (3,440 x 1,440) resolution and a 21:9 aspect ratio. The panel features a run-of-the-mill "up to 75 Hz" refresh rate, and Acer quotes 1 ms response times. The low refresh rate could be somewhat compensated by the addition of AMD's FreeSync.

The CB342CKC further features 400 nits brightness, though there is no DisplayHDR certification. The monitor covers 99% of the sRGB color space, and viewing angles are par of the course for an IPS panel - 178º. I/O wise, we can count on 2x HDMI 2.0, 1x DisplayPort 1.2, 1x USB 3.1 Type-C, 2x USB 3.1 Type-A (hub), and a built-in 2x 3 W stereo speaker. Quality of life features include - 5° to 35° tilt adjustment, 360° swivel, 150 mm height adjustment, and a 100x100mm pitch VESA mount.