Intel and AMD are both widely expected to hit the market with new high-performance mobile chips at CES 2025. We expect Team Blue to lift the curtains on its Core Ultra 200H and 200HX lineup, whereas Team Red will strike back with its Strix Halo products, a few of which were leaked recently with promising performance. However, that's not all that we expect from the x86 behemoths, as both are poised to introduce mid-range and budget offerings as well.

Interestingly, it appears that Intel has already pulled back the veil on its Raptor Lake-H Refresh-based Core 200H lineup, which has been revealed as the Core Processor series. The lineup consists of mostly rebadged Raptor Lake-H chips, with some confusing choices. The products, based on the Intel 7 node, are as follows.

EPOMAKER at the 2024 International CES showed off its recent gaming peripherals. The company specializes in retro-futuristic looking keyboards that look like they're from the 1980s, but are backed by modern tech. Our tour begins with the CIDOO V87, a TKL wireless keyboard with matte linear key switches, an aluminium unibody chassis, a programmable metal rotary knob, and dye-sublimation PBT keycaps. It supports RF + Bluetooth + USB-C connectivity, and a 3,000 mAh battery with fast charging can run the keyboard for days with its lighting.

Next up, is the RT100, a 95% (97-key) format mechanical keyboard, featuring a gasket-mounting ergonomic design, flexible choices of key switches between Gateron and EPOMAKER (in-house); and 3 connectivity options. Pay attention to the stub near the Esc key—it has a little multi-color LED display that can be used to put out real-time monitoring stats. The EPOMAKER Feker Alice 98 is modeled after the early-1990s Microsoft Ergonomic keyboard that sees the main key cluster split and angled into two; except with all the "modern amenities," such as pre-lubed mechanical key switches, RF + Bluetooth + USB-C interfaces, and more. There is a variant with an off-white CNC aluminium top-plate, and another with a small programmable screen. Lastly, EPOMAKER displayed its MIX Pro retro-futuristic USB-C cable meant to mimic the coiled cord look of keyboards from the 1980s.

Thermaltake, the leading PC DIY premium brand for Case, Power, Cooling, Gaming peripherals, and enthusiast Memory solutions, is delighted to launch the Ceres 300 TG ARGB Matcha Green Mid Tower Chassis and the ARGENT E700 Real Leather Gaming Chair Matcha Green. After first releasing The Tower 200 Matcha Green Mini Chassis and gaining positive reviews, Thermaltake plans to announce more products in Matcha Green, allowing users to immerse this vital and elegant color with a complete lineup. Now including the worldwide availability of the Ceres 300 Matcha Green and the ARGENT E700 Matcha Green. More good news, the TH280 V2 ARGB Sync All-In-One Liquid Cooler - Matcha Green Edition is coming soon. Let's light up entertainment and work spaces with these stylish Matcha Green collections!

It appears that Western Digital is getting ready to expand its budget line of WD Blue SSDs with yet another model, this time a smaller jump from the SN570 to the SN580, compared to the jump in model numbers from the SN550 to the SN570. The drive has passed through the PCI-SIG integrators list and from that information we only know it's a PCIe 4.0 NVMe drive with a four lane interface. However, some retailers have already put up the drive for pre-order and this helps us with a few more details.

For starters, it appears that we're once again looking at drives in the 500 GB to the 2 TB range, although this doesn't mean that WD couldn't launch a 4 TB variant as well, but it seems unlikely. What we also learnt is that these product pages are place holders, as the drives are listed for the same, or higher pricing than the WD Black SN850X, which makes no sense for a budget drive which should be closer to the US$100/€100 mark than the equivalent of twice that. Another European retailer is also listing the current SN570 as being EOL:ed on the 31st of July, suggesting that the SN580 should launch around that date. The same retailer is listing the SN580 as the replacement drive under its part number, which is WDS200T3B0E for the 2 TB SKU.

Logitech has announced the merging of its microphone and audio equipment brands - their G Gaming Twitter account posted about this decision yesterday, and directed customers to a question and answer session on the official subreddit: "Where do you get support? How will ASTRO, Blue and LFC integrate into Logitech G? Will there be new ASTRO products? Get your questions answered with our official FAQ." A brand manager has since confirmed (via a fan query) that the Blue brand is getting nixxed: "We will be keeping the Yeti brand and moving it under Logitech G. The Blue name will be used to describe our technologies." Logitech spent a cool $177 million when it acquired Blue Microphones back in mid-2018, so it is odd that the company has chosen to drop a very recognizable and popular brand name in the worlds of podcasting, streaming and audio recording.

News outlets have discovered that Blue has been removed from the brands section of Logitech's website, and the Bluemic.com domain now directs back to the parent company's main online presence(s). The Logitech G sub-page has been updated with listings of Yeti, Snowball and other microphone models. A brand manager also outlined ASTRO's future: "(it will) continue to live on as a premium console audio product series underneath the Logitech G brand. Stay tuned for more information regarding ASTRO including a launch that we think our community will be very excited about...We're (also) very excited about ASTRO as a product series under Logitech G."

Logitech For Creators, a brand extension of Logitech that is dedicated to empowering all creators to pursue their passions, unveils two new solutions to achieve pro-level streaming and creating. Logitech Blue Sona is an active dynamic XLR microphone featuring ClearAmp technology that delivers a superior studio-quality sound experience. Logitech Litra Beam is a premium streaming desktop key light with TrueSoft technology for shaping and directing light to achieve professional lighting effects. Both solutions empower creators in all-new ways.

Blue Sona reinvents the traditional broadcast mic for today's streamers and creators. Taking Blue Microphones' legendary audio quality to the next level, Blue Sona combines advanced tech and a purpose-built design for professional-level game streaming, podcasting, and video content. "Blue Sona was specifically engineered for creators," said Soren Pedersen, senior product manager for Logitech For Creators. "From its built-in preamp to its elegant camera-ready design, Blue Sona is unlike other XLR mics on the market."

IBM today announced its new 127-quantum bit (qubit) 'Eagle' processor at the IBM Quantum Summit 2021, its annual event to showcase milestones in quantum hardware, software, and the growth of the quantum ecosystem. The 'Eagle' processor is a breakthrough in tapping into the massive computing potential of devices based on quantum physics. It heralds the point in hardware development where quantum circuits cannot be reliably simulated exactly on a classical computer. IBM also previewed plans for IBM Quantum System Two, the next generation of quantum systems.

Quantum computing taps into the fundamental quantum nature of matter at subatomic levels to offer the possibility of vastly increased computing power. The fundamental computational unit of quantum computing is the quantum circuit, an arrangement of qubits into quantum gates and measurements. The more qubits a quantum processor possesses, the more complex and valuable the quantum circuits that it can run.

According to a recent report, it is estimated that more than 50 million people across the globe self-identified as having a career in the cultural and creative industries. With the everchanging definition of "creator" in a technology-driven world, this title now reaches beyond graphic designers and videographers to include content creators, UI/UX designers, artists and illustrators, entrepreneurs and freelancers, engineers, architects, grad students and more.

When crunching large amounts of data on their next passion project, access to fast and reliable storage solutions can greatly improve a creator's workflow, giving them peace of mind and allowing them to stay in the creative moment. With intense workload demands, today's creative professionals need technology that empowers their creativity without stress over losing their brilliant work, project bottlenecks or slow storage speeds.

[Editor's note: This press release is from Cooler Master USA, and other regions may not be covered by it.]

Cooler Master, a global leader in designing and manufacturing innovative gaming peripherals and computer components, has announced a series of new, limited edition colorways for the MM711 RGB ultra-lightweight gaming mouse. These new colors include:

• Blue Steel - a stunning metallic blue color scheme, available now at MicroCenter.
• Wilderness - an eye-catching metallic forest green colorway, available on October 15, 2020 on Amazon.

One of Cooler Master's most innovative gaming mice to date, the MM711 weighs approximately 53g thanks to a durable, perforated honeycomb shell. It is among the lightest pro-grade gaming mice on the market today. In conjunction with a lightweight ultra-weave cable for virtually no drag, PTFE feet for effortless glide, and top-of-the-line pro-grade internals, the MM711 allows for longer gaming sessions and quicker response time with minimal fatigue and reduced wrist strain. These newest color variants add vibrant personality to an already unique gaming mouse - providing aesthetic options that appeals to all users.

HyperX, the gaming division of Kingston Technology Company, Inc., today announced it is shipping the new HyperX Alloy Origins Mechanical Gaming Keyboard featuring HyperX Blue mechanical switches. Built for performance and longevity, HyperX Blue mechanical switches offer a shorter actuation point and 80 million click rating to meet gaming and work from home needs. The full-sized HyperX Alloy Origins keyboard features a minimalistic, compact design with RGB backlit keys to enhance home offices and PC gaming setups. HyperX blue switches are favored by gamers that like clicky key sounds and operating action.

The HyperX Alloy Origins mechanical keyboard is the first full-sized gaming keyboard built with HyperX Blue switches. As a durable, stable gaming keyboard, Alloy Origins features an aluminium body with an aircraft-grade brushed finish and leverages a space-saving layout to maximize desktop real estate for ultimate mouse movement.

Blue, a 20-year leading innovator in audio technology and design, today announced the new Yeti X USB microphone for gaming, streaming and podcasting. Yeti X features new Blue VO!CE technology, which enables content creators to dial up professional vocal effects and custom presets at the push of a button. A four capsule condenser microphone array delivers exceptional focus and clarity, high-res LED metering provides visual, real-time feedback for vocal levels, and a multi-function smart knob provides instant control over essential mic functions. Combining legendary Blue audio quality with innovative new features, Yeti X is the ultimate tool for creators who want to deliver professional content and build their audience.

Western Digital is launching a behemoth, consumer-oriented 4 TB SSD based on its WD Blue product line. The WD Blue 4 TB uses the SATA interface (for which controllers are still slightly cheaper than for NVMe solutions) with a Marvell 88SS1074 4-channel controller with a 64-layer 3D TLC NAND from SanDisk. Read and write speeds are basically SATA III-bound (sequential 560MB/s read and 530MB/s write speeds, with random 4K read/write of 95K/82K IOPS.)

The WD Blue 4TB SATA SSD has its official availability date on May 13th, but it's already popping up here and there around retailers' shops in Europe. The 4 TB SSD is being priced at €545, which seems to be inline with expectations for such a capacity level. Quick napkin math saying that these should find a home at the sub-$500 level is very likely accurate, considering past pricing practices from manufacturers between the European and US markets.