We are excited to unveil the first wireless fight stick designed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, codenamed Project Defiant. This sleek new controller will give players more flexibility to play their favorite fighting games, whether that is wirelessly with the innovative PlayStation Link technology that provides ultra-low latency, or through a wired connection on PS5 or PC. Project Defiant delivers ultra-low latency wireless connectivity and multiple ways to play.

Custom-designed Controls Controller for Fighting Games
Project Defiant features a high-quality digital stick that's custom designed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. The controller features toolless interchangeable restrictor gates (square, circle, and octagon) for the stick, buttons with mechanical switches, and a touch pad like the one found on the DualSense wireless controller. It's built in a sturdy, ergonomic design for a comfortable feel during intense fight sessions. For convenience and portability, the controller has a storage compartment for restrictor gates and PS Link USB adapter. Project Defiant also supports the ability to wirelessly wake up your PS5 by pressing and holding the PS button.

A fair few partner-produced items—exhibited at last week's Computex 2025 trade event—were blessed with Jensen Huang's signature. Not long after concluding his keynote presentation, the ever intrepid NVIDIA boss spent time on the showroom floor. The TechPowerUp crew stumbled upon an autographed example at the Palit booth: Pandora NXNano mini AI PC. Due to mitigating circumstances, we did not capture any shots of a nearby special prototype flagship graphics card. The Taiwanese manufacturer proudly showcased a "GeForce RTX 5090 Tornado" dual-fan/dual-slot design; its all-metal housing aesthetic recalls an older vintage of Team Green's Founder Edition line.

Several media outlets have examined this compelling prospect; at least from a safe distance. Palit did not allow any hands-on experiences. A first party-developed "double flow-through cooling solution" serves as a main inspiration for the Tornado engineering team. The GeForce board partner's implementation of an angled 12v-2x6 power connector is another borrowed element. According to VideoCardz's expert opinion, NVIDIA has supplied a reference PCB. Palit is best known for making budget-friendly (mostly plastic) options, so their Tornado card concept represents a compelling breakaway from normal patterns. Despite gaining an important official endorsement; several rival products were similarly decorated with Huang's autograph.

ASRock revealed its Radeon RX 9070 XT Taichi OC flagship card at CES 2025—at the time, TechPowerUp staffers quickly realized that this design was outfitted with a 12V-2x6 power connector. Up until early 2025, this connection standard was mostly associated with NVIDIA GeForce 40 and 50-series graphics cards. ASRock and Sapphire have taken the unusual step of deploying premium RDNA 4 GPU-based models that sport 12V-2x6 connectors; breaking away from a traditional usage of 8-pin power delivery channels. The Radeon RX 9070 XT Taichi OC SKU arrived with a new aesthetic; consisting of various gunmetal gray shades, gear graphics, and ARGB lighting zones. Visitors to the company's Computex 2025 booth were dazzled by plethora of new products—most notably: brand-new Radeon RX 9060 XT models.

Unfortunately, TPU's photographer did not notice a very special current-gen Taichi spin-off. Apparently, the Taiwanese manufacturer has absorbed some inspiration from a nearby rival's "Spectral White" line: PowerColor. ASRock's "Taichi White 16 GB OC Concept Card" seems to stick with existing overclocked Radeon RX 9070 XT specifications (including a 3.1 GHz boost clock), but the firm's engineering team has integrated an LCD information window. This built-in-display was not powered up—for obvious reasons—but industry watchdogs reckon that (speculative) finalized retail examples will demand higher prices of entry, due to this extra provision. Company representatives—in attendance at last week's Computex event—have disclosed only a bare minimum of details. Top brass could be weighing up Taichi White's future; with an escape beyond concept phases—maybe in limited edition form.

Among Maxsun's iCraft Z890 and B860 motherboards, there is an interesting "tiny little" product on display at their Computex 2025 booth. It seems that Maxsun engineers are flexing their muscles, presenting what seems to be a concept water-cooler graphics card with tubing on the side, encased in a transparent monoblock. Not much is known at this moment, we cannot guarantee that such an idea will ever get beyond experimental stages. However, the concept is interesting, and we can see its applicability as an external GPU (product is shown standing both horizontally and vertically), more than as a classic internal graphics card. More for its aesthetic value and compact format, it would be a shame to hide it inside a desktop PC case.More pictures with iCraft series motherboards follows.

Browse the list of bestselling PC cases on Amazon, and you'll see a pattern emerge very quickly. Today's PC builders aren't deciding whether they want a tempered glass side panel: they're deciding how many of these panels they want. Panoramic PC cases provide an undeniably gorgeous view of your internal PC hardware, so it's no wonder that they've soared in popularity. But that wide-open panorama does pose a problem for people who prefer a pristine PC. If you have a stray cable or wire in such a build, you'll notice it every time you sit down at your desk.

Already, we offer an ecosystem of BTF motherboards, PC cases, and graphics cards that help you tuck your PC's wires and cables out of sight. But we're interested in doing even more, and we're eager to present solutions that work with traditional PC hardware designs, not just BTF. Behind the scenes, we've been working on modular hardware concepts that cut down on cable clutter for two key components: chassis fans and AIO coolers. Visitors to our Computex 2025 booth will get to see this concept hardware in action, but perhaps a trip to Taipei isn't in the works for you this year. Let's take a closer look.

Compal recently showcased a concept for a laptop that can switch from a typical 14-inch laptop, to an ultra-wide 18-inch laptop with the help of foldable display technology. While the concept is undoubtedly quite interesting, there is no denying that the device is pretty far from mass-production. The company seemingly has yet another concept up its sleeve, which has also raked in an iF design award. Essentially, Compal's Hybrid AIO concept consists of an AIO desktop that can transform into a laptop, or even a tablet. Specifications and technical details are scarce, which is to be expected considering that the concept solely depicts the overall form factor of the product.

The AIO seemingly boasts an additional display mounted on one side of the monitor, which can be detached and used as a standalone tablet. This tablet, can then be attached with a keyboard base, which will allow it to function as a laptop. This keyboard base will also function as a wireless keyboard for the AIO, and judging by the images, it might also serve as a smartphone stand. It is not clear if the stand will have wireless charging, which should surely be a nifty feature. For those wondering where the actual guts of the AIO will exist, will likely be surprised to know that it is the tablet which will contain the computer. The AIO's primary display is simply a larger, secondary monitor for the tablet, and the keyboard base is just an accessory. Overall, the concept does look pretty neat, especially for those of us who prefer to switch up workstations every now and then, or are looking for a single system that can serve as a work, travel, as well as an entertainment hub.

Handheld enthusiasts are likely quite familiar with tiny laptops that intend to function as handheld gaming consoles. The company Winstron has a different vision for the segment, however, which has been depicted by the company's latest concept - the Winstron Dual Fusion. Considering that this product is very much in the concept stage, we have no details regarding specifications, pricing, or availability. That said, the concept laptop sure does look quite interesting.

Instead of shrinking a laptop down to the size of a handheld, Winstron's Dual Fusion package consists of a typically sized laptop with a detachable palm rest area. This section, will include a display where the trackpad is present, flanked by controls on either side that disappear when the module is attached to the host system. The handheld module is not standalone, unsurprisingly, and is only meant to act as a streaming companion for the laptop. The handheld module will also include a 180-degree hinge, in order to allow for the display to flip and switch positions with the touchpad on the other side. As stated previously, Winstron has yet to reveal any plans for manufacturing the device, and as always, the rest remains to be seen with time.

The ICY DOCK CP146 is a revolutionary mobile rack that transforms unused PCIe panel space into high-speed removable M.2 NVMe SSD bay (2230/2242/2260/2280). Unlike traditional PCIe adapters, the CP146 allows users to install M.2 NVMe SSDs without occupying any PCIe slots. Many modern system chassis include PCIe panel areas with no corresponding PCIe slots underneath—perfect for upgrading with the CP146.

With its SlimSAS 4i interface, the CP146 supports PCIe 4.0 x4 bandwidth, delivering up to 64 Gbps transfer speeds. The tool-free removable SSD tray streamlines SSD installation and replacement, making it ideal for users who prioritize both functionality and convenience.

Taiwanese ODM Compal Electronics has secured an iF Design Award 2025 for its innovative "Infinite Laptop" concept. It features a horizontally expanding display that transforms from a standard 14-inch screen to an ultrawide 18-inch workspace. Unlike recent expandable display prototypes from Lenovo that unfold vertically, Compal's approach addresses productivity needs through horizontal expansion, potentially offering significant advantages for multi-tasking professionals and content creators. The design appears to leverage cutting-edge rollable OLED technology, with the display extending from both left and right sides of the base unit while maintaining the central viewing area above the keyboard. Award documentation suggests the concept prioritizes a balance between portability and productivity. Additional features may include LED notification indicators integrated into the laptop lid, though specific implementation details remain limited.

As an Original Design Manufacturer, Compal typically creates hardware for other brands rather than marketing products under its own name. The company has a track record of award-winning concept designs that don't always reach commercial production. This raises questions about whether the Infinite Laptop will transition from concept to consumer product. The expandable display trend represents a new frontier in laptop design, offering an alternative to traditional compromises in portable computing. While external monitors solutions have provided workarounds for screen real estate, integrated expandable displays could eliminate the need for additional peripherals while maintaining portability. Lenovo has already developed a few interesting laptop concepts, such as the ThinkBook Flip AI PC concept, which introduces an outward folding OLED display and a solar-powered laptop. To see innovation in the laptop space is very heartwarming, even if it is only a concept/prototype for now.

Today, at MWC 2025, Lenovo unveiled groundbreaking advancements in hybrid AI with integrated devices and solutions to empower creators, professionals, and enterprises. The new offerings exemplify Lenovo's vision of Smarter AI for all and showcase how end-to-end AI can offer seamless creation, connection, and collaboration. The range of technology launched at MWC—from new device form factors to affordable edge inference—show the maturity and versatility of Lenovo's AI portfolio while linking bold innovation with real-world impact.

"We believe in the power of convergence: bringing together AI models, data, and computing power—running on devices, on the edge, and in the cloud—to build AI solutions for customers," said Lenovo CEO and chairman Yuanqing Yang, who delivered a keynote address at MWC. "This convergence drives stronger ecosystem connectivity, unleashing the power of AI to augment human creativity to turn ideas into reality."

The MSI MEG MAESTRO 900L PZ Concept Case Series was revealed a few days ago, coinciding with CES's kick-off. Later on in the week, TechPowerUp took the opportunity to absorb these voluminous prototypes—other press outlets have expressed great enthusiasm about MSI's extremely bold approach. It is not clear whether these new models will reach retail—the MEG MAESTRO-700L-PZ case managed this feat last year.

The first demonstration sample spotted by TechPowerUp formed the basis of MSI's "MEG PC Build"—filled up with the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D CPU, MSI MEG X870E motherboard and two GeForce RTX 4080 SUPRIM X graphics cards. Lots of RGB-lit cooling solutions surrounded this hardware cluster—including the MEG CORELIQUID S360 and fifteen(!) MPG EZ120 ARGB fans. MSI's MEG Ai1600T PCIe 5 PSU is tasked with keeping this setup alive—it was up and running, as evidenced by being connected to a nearby monitor. TechPowerUp then checked out the other working prototype—a very snazzy case modding project that houses two PC systems.

At CES 2025, Lenovo unveiled a bold lineup of AI-powered business solutions designed to redefine the modern workplace. Highlights include the boldly redesigned Lenovo ThinkPad X9 Aura Editions, the innovative and unique ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 with rollable display, and the latest commercial desktops, including the high performance ThinkCentre M90a Pro Gen 6, and the groundbreaking ThinkCentre neo 50q QC powered by Snapdragon. Lenovo also introduces its next-generation ThinkVision P Series monitors and a comprehensive ecosystem of smart accessories, all engineered to elevate productivity and connectivity. Rounding out the announcements, Lenovo showcases cutting-edge proof-of-concept innovations that push the boundaries of technology, offering a glimpse into the future of intelligent, adaptable business solutions.

Lenovo Unveils ThinkPad X9 Series: Revolutionary Design Meets Pro-Level Performance
Lenovo introduces the ThinkPad X9 14 and X9 15 Aura Editions, its latest premium business laptops designed for innovative thinkers from prosumers to small and medium businesses to large corporations. These Copilot+ PCs powered by Intel Core Ultra processors are cutting-edge, AI-enhanced devices for creative professionals that combine powerful and efficient Intel and Windows 11 platforms, personalized AI-enabled experiences, in an all-new progressive design. ThinkPad X9 offers the ideal toolkit for today's hybrid users who demand high performance, proven reliability, and seamless productivity.

Himax Technologies, Inc. ("Himax" or "Company"), an industry leader in fabless display driver ICs and other semiconductors, today announced it will present its next-generation, proprietary ultra luminous 400K nit Color Sequential Front-lit LCoS Microdisplay solution at CES 2025, the largest consumer electronics show in Las Vegas, U.S.A. from January 7 - 10, 2025. The unparalleled brightness of the LCoS solution reaffirms Himax's market leadership in LCoS and its steadfast commitment to advancing AR applications, catering to the critical demands of leading tech innovators in AR technology.

Himax's proprietary Color Sequential Front-lit LCoS Microdisplay sets a new benchmark in brightness performance for microdisplays. With an industry-leading 400K nits of brightness and typical power consumption of just 300 milliwatts, this breakthrough ensures superior eye-level brightness even in high ambient light environments, making it a perfect fit for outdoor usability. The integration of 2D waveguides further enhances its ability to deliver clear, vibrant visuals, making it ideal for next-generation see-through goggles. In addition to its brightness, the microdisplay boasts a lightweight, ultra-compact form factor of less than 0.5 c.c., exceptional vibrant color performance, and low power consumption, all essential factors for all-day wearable devices. This makes the Color Sequential Front-lit LCoS Microdisplay a perfect solution for the evolving needs of AR goggle devices.

Acer today unveiled the Project DualPlay gaming laptop concept at its next@acer global press conference in Berlin, Germany. This Predator concept embraces the latest gaming trends, unleashing a new dimension of versatile and shared PC gaming experiences that converge in one powerful device.

Project DualPlay pushes the boundaries of gaming on-the-go, offering players more ways to enjoy their favorite AAA titles. The cutting-edge design features a vast touchpad that doubles as a built-in detachable wireless controller. Players can easily wield the wireless controller from its electromagnetic lock by simply placing two fingers on the release button located on top of the keyboard. This action also triggers the two high-fidelity, 5-watt pop-out speakers to emerge from the sides of the laptop, immersing players in heart-pounding audio that brings every scene to life.

The MONTECH MKey PRO 75% keyboard, available in Darkness and Freedom editions, is a versatile compact (323 x 137 x 45 mm) mechanical keyboard, featuring built-in tri-mode connectivity options: Bluetooth 5.2, Wireless 2.4Ghz, and USB-C wired. The MKey PRO 75% Darkness features pre-lubed Gateron G Pro 3.0 Yellow switches, while the PRO 75% Freedom utilizes Gateron G Pro 3.0 Brown switches. Both keyboards support VIA and QMK software for customizable key mappings and macros, a multifunctional rotary knob for easy control, a gasket design and Poron padding for enhanced typing comfort and sound dampening. The MKey PRO 75% is expected to launch in Q3 of this year at an MSRP of $79 for both the Darkness and Freedom versions.

Sitting right next to them MONTECH had on display the MA1 and MA2 concept mechanical keyboards, the key element here is that the full body is made of aluminium, looks great, and feels (are) heavy, let's hope they will turn into a real product in the future.

Good evening Kindred, in our recent Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 stream, we shared exciting news about the game and our first extended gameplay trailer. On the stream, The Chinese Room (TCR) Community Manager Josh Matthews was joined by Alex Skidmore, Project Creative Director at TCR, who shared insights on the game, the narrative background, and how the game plays. If you missed the stream, you can check it out below. The gameplay stream contains several spoilers, and if you wish to avoid them, there are sections marked in the video timeline, or you can watch the trailer version of the gameplay video, which does not contain any major spoilers.

Matthews and Skidmore highlight an early-game mission, discussing why the player character, Phyre, infiltrates an abandoned warehouse to uncover clues about the mysterious mark on their hand. Players must choose their actions wisely, whether confronting the court's secret keeper like Willem or meeting unruly ghouls and illusions that cloud the environment. Acting as "The Sheriff" of the Court, Phyre's choices impact how the world perceives them and bring them closer to uncovering Seattle's secrets.

2023. There are three cases that Lian Li is presenting: O11D EVO XL, O11D EVO RGB, O11 Vision, and SUP 01. Starting off with the O11D EVO XL, it is a versatile e-ATX case designed to house cutting-edge hardware, with the added flexibility of being set up in a reverse configuration. This case allows for placing a GPU next to the motherboard, either upright or flipped, in either standard or reverse setups. It is also equipped with an adaptable I/O module that can be mounted at various points for optimal user-friendliness. Furthermore, the O11D XL comes with a detachable support column on the front left, providing unimpeded visual access to the case's interior. It also boasts a motherboard tray that can be adjusted in height for three different cooling arrangements, even accommodating up to three 420 radiators simultaneously.

During Computex 2023, EK Water Blocks, a company known for making all kinds of liquid cooling solutions, showed off a concept case in partnership with InWin. Called 977EK, the concept case is a pre-production model that centers around the idea of a brushed aluminium shell combined with tempered glass panels. The case is made out of the internal structure, and for the outside, the two brushed aluminium sheets meet in the back and at the bottom of the case, removing the visible lines of the 4 mm thick aluminium sheets meeting, improving aesthetics. On the sides, the case carries two tempered glass panels held by thumb screws in the corners. An odd shape perforates the top part of the aluminium sheet.

The internal structure is interesting, as the case is built for water cooling of the system. While the motherboard tray can support any format from Mini-ITX to E-ATX, the tray itself can be rotated, reversed, and removed entirely based on user preference. For radiator setup, the 977EK concept case can accommodate up to 420 mm radiators with 45 mm thickness at both the top and bottom of the chassis. Additionally, the case has support for 350 mm GPU, 7 or 8 PCIe slots (depending on the configuration), a PSU of 160 mm length, and an option for either one 3.5-inch drive bay or two 2.5-inch bays. The final production case will see some changes, as EK notes; however, they won't be too significant.

At its Computex 2023 showcase and ASUS HQ tour for the press, the company has unveiled a new ASUS ROG concept graphics card based on the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 design, that actually has no standard power connectors, but draws power from the motherboard via a proprietary slot.

As noted, the graphics card is still in its concept phase, and actually draws power from a special PCIe like slot connector at the bottom of the graphics card. Of course, this also means that it will need a special motherboard, which ASUS had on display as well. The motherboard is based on a Z790 TUF Gaming motherboard, with a design that had all the connectors at the back of the motherboard. In addition to the standard power and other connectors like SATA ports, it also includes three 8-pin PCIe and single 12VHPWR connector, which are meant to power the graphics card. Of course, such motherboard also requires a special PC case that have cut-outs for those connectors.

It's one of the most common and frustrating problems - having multiple gamers under one roof competing for access to their favorite titles and totally crushing Wi-Fi bandwidth. Or is it??? We're always thinking ahead to the future - near and far - and thinking about the ways we can provide the best gaming experiences out there. Which is why we're incredibly stoked about potentially solving one of the biggest challenges in PC gaming and changing the game completely: how to simultaneously allow players in a household to easily access their full game library and play on any device, even if they want to change screens during gameplay. A tall order, but Alienware is hurtling towards a solution. We call it Concept Nyx.

An R&D project from our consortium of wizards also known as our Experience Innovation Group (EIG), The Concept Nyx solution comes in the wake of other audacious Alienware initiatives that have broken boundaries and elevated the PC gaming experience: from creating our thinnest gaming laptops to date with the Alienware X Series to bold gaming ideas like Concept UFO. Now we've done it again, literally breaking the mold of the PC gaming experience with an eye toward the future.

EK Waterblocks, who have decided to go by EK for the brand presence in the retail stream henceforth, had a stronger showing at the virtual CES 2021 than most other brands, and showcased a good deal of new products amidst their EK Expo ongoing as of this post. The most interesting product to me at least was their upcoming actively cooled backplate solution, which is different from what Aqua Computer has done to date in that it has an actual cold plate and coolant going through a small block on the back rather than just a heatpipe. Now I will mention that Aqua Computer had shown off some renders of their own take of this, but this is the first time a retail solution has been shown off by a company.

EK says that the new backplate offering will come in either acetal or nickel-plexi variants, and will incorporate a thicker terminal that splits coolant flow to the front and back. The backplate, first coming for the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080/3090 reference PCB, will make direct contact with the components on the back as well, with freshly conducted internal testing showing VRAM cooling improvements in significant double digits already. The company plans to make this an option for other popular new GPU releases as well, except for the RTX 3090 FE that gets its own bespoke cooling solution with the backplate connected to the coldplate on the front via thermal pads for a more petite, semi-active cooling solution coming up soon. The first active backplate is due to release in a month, with cost on the order of a typical GPU block itself. Click past the break for more from EK at CES 2021!

CORSAIR introduced us to their small form factor Capellix LEDs, co-developed with Primax, at CES last year and has since been utilizing them in memory and peripheral products alike. So it was just a natural next step for them to find a way to include them into their cases, and the company took to CES 2020 to show off a traditional retail case which has been covered with a film encompassing these LEDs.

The glass panels are lined with a thin, transparent film so that you are able to have a matrix of these RGB LEDs on the backside without any easily visible wires, which makes for quite a unique look. This implementation does require a lot of more complex wiring relative to a standard LED strip, tiny as it still may be spatially, which currently limits the number of LEDs that could be embedded in such a removable panel, but the result is attention-grabbing regardless. There is no concrete launch date or pricing for this, and CORSAIR is still deciding if they will include these on current cases as a special edition or for future enclosure products. That said, the implementation at CES already looked pretty clean externally and, a fun fact is, you can touch them on the backside of the glass panel and will not get zapped.

During this year's CES, Dell had a few concept products on hand that we checked out. Among those are the two laptop concepts called the Concept Duet and the Concept Ori. Designed as unconventional mobile devices, these laptops are very different than anything currently present on the market. First in line is the Concept Duet. This model is a standard looking laptop from outside, however, when you open it up, you will find that the keyboard is absent. The place where the keyboard sits is now replaced with another screen. Both the main and the secondary screens are the same quality 13.4-inch 1080p displays that work in tandem to achieve the best possible experience. However, if you wish to use a real keyboard, there is a magnetic addon that snaps on the bottom screen and makes for a standard laptop experience, like show in the image below.

At CES 2020, Dell's gaming-inspired division, Alienware, had a handful of new products to showcase. Among these, we found a new product that is still in development called the Concept UFO. The UFO is a concept product that hints a new development strategy for gaming PCs, and that is a portability first approach. Inspired by Nintendo's Switch console, this computer puts gaming PCs on the go. Designed to be a handheld based solution, this PC is based on Windows 10 operating system so you can be sure that all of your existing game libraries are also playable on it as well.

Having an Intel processor as its base, the Concept UFO uses Intel's iGPU to power an 8-inch display of unknown resolution. While we don't know which architecture is powering the UFO, we speculate that Ice Lake is behind it. Our speculation is based on an assumption that, if the concept is capable of playing games, Alienware would put as high-performance iGPU as possible, and such performance is currently only found inside Intel's Ice Lake processors, in form of Intel Iris Plus integrated graphics. Frank Azor of AMD tweeted a question if anyone would like to see this product come with new AMD 4000 series of Ryzen mobile processors, so we could be in for a surprise, given that final specifications are not determined. Ryzen 4000 series would represent a perfect choice as it offers a lot of CPU and GPU power in a mere 15 W TDP package, however, we don't know what solution will be present in the end.

When looking for unique, trendsetting, or just plain odd, In Win has you covered when it comes to cases. Every year they bring something interesting and at Computex 2019 that trend continues with the 9th-generation Signature Series, otherwise dubbed Yǒng, cases. This latest design is 3D printed with each one being built to order. In Win is using ABS plastic for this design, and users can pick any color they wish with the company preparing a website that will allow users to customize the case to their liking. Just be prepared for sticker shock as these cases are expected to cost $4000 each. If that doesn't take your breath away one way or another, I don't know what will.